September 19th, 2008 - Hunger Strike - New Canon 5D MK2 “HELP ME BUY ONE”

This is my dream camera.  I have been waiting for the Canon 5D MKII for a couple years now and they just announced it on the 16th.  To the right is a chip-in widget that will help you spend $2 on something trivial to help me create ‘art?’, since I don’t accept federal bailout money (I say that because I don’t expect it, not that I will refuse it).  It’s really tacky i know, but it’s a camera that’s $2400 (when I buy it, it will be cheaper, It will will hit the streets in November at $2700).  Just to re-iterate this is tacky, and I while I refuse to put advertising/etc on my site I will beg for money (I can afford it, I just cant justify the expense with a family).   The original 5D was released YEARS ago, it was probably the first full frame digital camera at 12.1 MP selling at $3000 just as recently as 18 months ago.  Anyway I spend tons on gas money, hotel, admissions, etc yearly if you enjoy the site please consider tossing in $2, I want volume not necessarily $$ (but, I will take the $$$).  I don’t need the 1D Mark III (currently running $7800).  I regularly contribute my ‘work’ to the National Weather Services and Educational Publications(provided they ask, I don’t actively market my work) free of charge.  My ‘work’ has appeared in books, magazines, newspapers, and more widely on the Internet.  This is a hobby not a business, when it’s no longer fun, I will no longer do it.  I don’t really expect to raise $2400 but, why aim low?

Go ahead be the first!  Be the first to ‘give me a buck’.  First one wins.

Update (9/20):  The purchase is slated to be around May 1st of 2009, I have raised the first 4% (thank you so much) allowing me to eat for 9 days through 9/29.  Now while you might think I can lose a few pounds this is just not a very healthy diet, I can survive 60 days on water making it to x-mas which should (if people contribute versus buy me um, ’stuff’) catch me up allowing me to maybe bulk up a bit, the one snag is Thanksgiving, that doesn’t count it’s a holiday, I am going to eat like a pig.

Update (9/20)  I am in the process of preparing press releases to local and national media, details on the press conference forthcoming.

Update (9/27)  I was advised that a hunger strike may be bad for my health and that I should give up ‘beer’ or something else instead.  Well my initial hunger strike was going to consist of beer and various other delicious beverages containing essential ingredients necessary to support basic life  (I had always thought a hunger strike was giving up steak, bbq ribs, and other stuff but, that I could still drink stuff, but water?  I figured that it was just because all the notable people doing it were in prison and food and water was the only thing offered).  I have opted to give up White Castle for breakfast until further notice.  The final details of the ‘certain food items strike’ will be announced prior to the 29th once they have fully been worked out.

Update(9/29) I have been given approval for a hunger diet 2200 calories a day versus the normal 3300 (I am 6′ 5″).  Although, holidays are off the table, so to speak.

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September 13th, 2008 Gophers Vs Montana State Bobcats

I am not a big sports fan but I am a fan of beer and hotdogs.  We were invited to the Gophers Montana State game in the Metrodome, free tickets and t-shirts.  Had the beer and hotdogs been free the decision would have been a no-brainer.  We parked in the midst of a massive tailgate party $15 parking (versus $20 for the tailgater’s) but, did have 6 people packed comfortably into a van.  We were in the nosebleed section upper level row 24, endzone.  Had it just been a couple of us we would have been in a lower section near the 50 but, opted to stay in the thin atmosphere.  I shot a few hundred photos, I was forced to underexpose them a couple stops shooting 1/640 second exposures at 300mm f5.6 then pushing them in post processing.  The big debate always comes if I should pick 20 to keep and delete the other 300 before archiving them but, past experience has shown I typically back them all up.  Anyhow while I have plenty of shots of kicks, passes, crossing endzone’s, tackle’s, my favorite was a few minutes left in the second quarter when Demetrius Crawford (for the Bobcats) caught the previous kickoff (after the Gophers scored a TD) on the endzone, and ran it 100 yards to the other endzone (captions below).  Then during halftime the band did some cool looking military insignia type shapes (no clue how they do that, it’s not like building crop circles in the dark but, still), then tossed in a random photo or two of someone about to get hit at high speed or someone being crunched.  Two bad looking injuries occurred where the player lies motionless, and later is helped to hop off the field, personally If I have an injury that I can’t put weight on I’ll ask for the stretcher service every time.

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September 7th, 2008 David Rovics Concert/RNC Legal Fundraiser

I hit the RNC Welcoming Committee HQ (Convergence Space) this evening who was having a dinner/concert featuring David Rovics.  Having RNC withdrawals and wanting to see both David Rovics & the RNCWC HQ that was raided prior to the RNC even starting I went.  I walked in through the door and immediately found a group to sit down and chat with including David Bicking father of Monica Bicking who was charged with ‘conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism’.  Ironically, the group Monica was with was the ‘Food Not Bombs‘ protest group.  I had already eaten dinner (Culver’s) but, it looked pretty good (but vegan), they had quite the selection.  The lower level has large banners of WI-FI codes, near the entrance of the building is a row of computers where people were working at, immediately adjacent to it was a bunch of literature of RNC protest type events.  I didn’t see any WMD’s or anyone who looked exceptionally dangerous (well maybe a few who could have just returned from a First Avenue concert….probably not but, they were dressed for it).  In any event people were constantly calling for volunteer’s having already eaten I felt a bit obligated to help serve food or bus dishes but, at the same time I didn’t want to get stuck in the kitchen either.  Anyways, we went up stairs after chow where they had a pretty nice auditorium type setup with tons of seating(minus a door near the stage that law enforcement destroyed during the ‘raid’).  David Rovics was introduced and he played a couple dozen songs before he broke a string, good performer, good show, interesting lyrics.  The RNC Welcoming Committee is attempting to raise $250,000 for legal defense fees.  Given the nature of the venue I decided to leave the camera’s in the car, no doubt undercover law enforcement from one or more agencies was present.  I left HQ expecting to see 100 riot police but, not even a single drive by in an unmarked squad car or tear gas canister.

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September 7th, 2008 Bluff Country

I headed back to the Twin Cities from Mabel, MN via some near ghost towns Newburg, Lenora, to the thriving Lanesboro, MN. Raptors everywhere! It will take a couple days to get photos and content up.

Newburg Methodist Church 1860

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September 6th, 2008 Mabel Steam Engine Days

I hit the 56th annual Mabel/Hesper Steam Engine Days.   I am not sure how many times I have hit it before, I missed the last one or maybe two years but, it’s a pretty big event for a small town.  Highlights are the beer tent, food, Steam Engine grounds as well as the big Parade.  I see some relatives that I don’t typically see very often, their kids are like 3 feet taller every year I go and a bunch of people I don’t know walk up to me and talk about something I did like 30 years ago while visiting my grandparents.  I don’t mean to be disrespectful but, I am really bad at names and faces.  In a small town like this someone comes to visit for a few days it’s big news, I might run into a dozen people on one visit 30 years ago and they only have to remember one cute kid.  Anyhow the kids love the parade but, they had parties and such to go to so they didn’t come this year, otherwise they would have had tons of candy thrown at them.  The steam engines line up right next to my grandmothers house with only one prefab preventing chunks of steel from slicing me in half at 2000mph if one should go up resulting in a chain reaction blowing all the others up, that would be quite the explosion(the house next door burnt down, my grandmothers house is about 100 years old and in great shape).  Loud monsters but, very cool.  The parade starts at Noon with the steam engines and then about an hours worth of tractors, lots of old ones.  I think it’s pretty cool how they can keep a tractor from 1916 running year after year and looking really nice.  An hours worth of tractors from manufacturer’s that have come and gone.  This is followed by a huge parade starting with an honor guard, marching band’s, Miss Mabel 2008, etc, tons of businesses with signs on their cars, floats, scouts of all kinds, various people running for office of some type.

After this we typically hit the Lions Club for Chicken, it varies year to year but, my Mom tends to make enough food to feed a town with a huge selection of food, if we were an army we had enough food to march and take over Spring Grove.

We hit the beer tent where the Cannon Old West Society (Old West re-enactors were putting on a show), while waiting I had to decide between Busch, Bud, or Bud Light, I went with Busch as they had a huge Semi with a bunch of deer heads mounted in it for a quick walk thru, I guess, if you drink Busch you kill big deer or something.  It was pretty cool, I missed the staged bank robbery at 11am, I guess they vary the caper depending on time of day and location but, the guns sound pretty real whenever they shot the shotgun I could have sworn I heard pellets landing on some roof.  But, in this one the guy with the money bags was leaving the Saloon with the money bags from the last caper (the bank heist) kind of wobbly, when 6-7 guys were demanding the money which resulted in a shoot out, the wobbly older gentleman managed to take them all out but, the ladies hit him over the head with a bottle and ran away with the money….

We walked through town, some shops change hands year to year, others decade to decade, so it’s always fun to walk down mainstreet and see some place that you went shopping at 30 years ago.  We made it to the Steam Engine Grounds where their were rides, food, threshing and such going on as well as an R/C demo, I guess they have quite the Radio Control club in Mabel, I never would have guessed.  After that we headed home, typically we will hit the bars up-town briefly and walk through each one, briefly, but, pretty much stayed at my grand mothers and ate food all night.  I left the following morning at 11am after breakfast but, before the next days steemies festivities on a little detour through bluff country.  I did not take a DSLR, just the SD1000, traveling light.

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