tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-133114402008-06-27T12:13:20.815-07:00Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-27011958353623943772008-05-07T19:39:00.000-07:002008-05-12T16:49:58.955-07:00

And why should I make the pilgrimage to North La Pine for it? you ask. Because, of course, you'll be able to get some really cool stuff for very little money. Oh, yeah? Like what? Well ... how about stuff for some serious outdoor and athletic fun? There's a Bowflex (you've seen 300 and of course always wanted to own one since), a 12' Lund fishing boat, Men's and Women's Golf Bag and Clubs,

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-21705531330680819972008-05-02T14:24:00.000-07:002008-05-03T11:06:10.109-07:00

For hubby's birthday yesterday, I took him to the one restaurant in Bend I had previously resisted going to - Deep. The brain child of another one of Bend's most successful food enterprises, Merenda, owner and chef Jodie Denton created Deep with a heavy Japanese flavor. I'd heard legends about how expensive the place was and maybe got scared off a bit by that in the past, but decided yesterday

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-43319494074673729072008-04-17T13:16:00.000-07:002008-04-17T14:31:14.208-07:00

It's April, and yet another season of baby showers and weddings is creeping up again. Most people are offended when I politely decline to participate in the first, and to photograph the second. They don't understand because they don't know. So then here is my confession: I've been traumatized. During the last baby shower I went to, the organizers thought a funny game would be to have the

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-24466183046519569782008-03-20T10:09:00.000-07:002008-03-20T11:01:31.084-07:00

Recently, I got tired of listening to the same music over and over again. Never mind that my iTunes boasts something like 4,000 songs and I could theoretically listen to my music for 23 days uninterrupted, without ever repeating a track. Alas, my musical tastes tend to drift, morph and reinvent themselves over time. Sure, I enjoy listening to some of the old stuff - sometimes. But the mood

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-71758716038196152742008-03-19T18:35:00.000-07:002008-03-19T19:00:33.563-07:00

Fellow burners will understand my instant dismay upon hearing this: SAN FRANCISCO -- A man once accused of attempting to set fire to San Francisco's historic Grace Cathedral has been released from custody after pleading no contest Friday to reduced misdemeanor charges, his attorney said Monday. San Francisco police arrested Paul Addis -- an "eccentric" performance artist according to his

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-47650808538772368612008-03-13T10:12:00.001-07:002008-03-13T11:13:17.186-07:00

If I knew what was good for me, I would just shut up, shrug and move on with my day. Alas - sometimes I (i.e. my opinionated brain) get the better of me. So then here it goes: When I read an article (titled "Housing forecast: It'll only get better") in The Bulletin a couple of weeks ago about a real estate breakfast at the Riverhouse and how their keynote speaker touted the local real estate

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-68206991363856842482007-12-21T23:28:00.000-08:002007-12-21T23:31:29.525-08:00

The almost-full moon illumates my frozen world. The trees, meadow and river outside my window shine with an unearthly siver light, their outlines eerily crisp and sharp. The white moutain off in the distance seems to be entirely from a different world but this one. It's winter solstice - the longest night. What better way to spend it than in a hot tub, 20F-degree air on my face, hot liquid

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-83248234050080324772007-11-20T09:20:00.000-08:002007-11-20T09:26:46.243-08:00

A few weeks ago, wandering around the local library's music section, I came across a CD by a band called Disciple. I'd never heard of them, but the cover art was promisingly gothic, so I borrowed it on impulse. After uploading the album to my iPod (what? I wasn't supposed to do that? I'm *so* sorry, RIAA ...), I listened to it in my car on the way home. I instantly liked the songs. Good solid

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-1986958287655640222007-11-19T18:30:00.000-08:002007-11-19T18:42:47.274-08:00

[This one's for Kat ...] Ok - so it's 6pm, snowing outside like a mother, you haven't mounted the studded tires on your car yet because you stubbornly believed it was NOT GOING TO SNOW. You've been working all day on your computer till your eyeballs threatened to abandon shop and peel out of your skull - and all's you want now is a soothing little martini. That's not too much to ask for, is it

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-60225359727098481222007-11-19T15:16:00.000-08:002007-11-19T17:12:05.897-08:00

Confession: I love chicken. No, I'm not talking about the ugly, feathered creature with the beady eyes, nasty scaly clawed feet and hideous scream in the morning (that is supposed to romantically wake you up, but really only makes you want to get up for the single reason so you can wring its neck). Instead, my affection extends to the fowl you find at the market: that plump little poultry

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-74741409830834479862007-11-18T11:03:00.000-08:002007-11-18T11:58:56.159-08:00

Sadly, I can relate to this: More great stuff just like it (for geeks and non-geeks alike) over at xkcd.com.

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-14703681642463048262007-11-16T12:03:00.000-08:002008-01-09T16:03:04.981-08:00

It's getting cold and rainy outside now, with snow just around the corner. Soon, the world will darken and be drowned in the seductive merriness of flickering candles and twinkling holiday lights. Bands of children will skip about, singing Christmas carols on the streets. Warm scents of baked apple and pumpkin pie, roasted meats, steaming mashed potatoes, hot cider, and spiked eggnogg will waft

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-51638416794935607662007-11-03T12:02:00.000-07:002007-11-03T12:44:29.807-07:00

Hubby wants the world to know: This is a great bike! Absolutely hate to see it go. I bought this KTM from the original owner with 5k miles in April 07. I rode it on a couple of trips this summer and had an awesome time. Plenty of power, and it handles like a dream. The bike now has 8500 miles [pic]. I live in Bend, Oregon, and would be happy to deliver the bike to Western Oregon via an enclosed

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-64509435702097315272007-09-18T11:34:00.000-07:002007-09-18T12:41:28.879-07:00

Wednesday, August 29th Another hot day is cooking itself up on the playa. There's a threat of rain in the air. I get up late, hang out, shoot the breeze with my neighbors, but am in general not terribly motivated to do anything or go anywhere. It just seems to be kind of a calm, relaxed day. Also, Renee is moving into her friend's RV today, about a block away, as was the plan all along - so

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-11184833026434516272007-09-17T12:48:00.000-07:002007-10-25T13:51:40.971-07:00

Tuesday, August 28th It's inescapable. The news of The Man's untimely burn last night has swept, rippled and gushed through Black Rock like a tsunami. Not in the least because the tall wooden statue, clad in green neon, is usually visible from almost every vantage point in the city. This morning however, he resembles more a black, charred and crispy imitation of his former self. Media

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-30930799152916771602007-09-12T18:26:00.000-07:002008-01-09T16:53:58.336-08:00

Monday, August 27th: As I crawl out of my tent this morning, the weather is calm and beautiful. No wind or dust in the air. But with the clarity, a sense of inevitable afternoon heat is already building. This is going to be a *very hot* day ...With all the new arrivals since last night, the noise and activity level has risen to new heights too, and the city seems truly alive for the first time -

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-19496311935195788352007-09-10T14:17:00.000-07:002008-01-09T17:01:23.467-08:00

Sunday, August 26th Renee and I get up late after our first night sleeping on the playa, putter around camp for most of the morning, set up the (new and improved) shower, and just let the playa mood permeate our beings. Where else in the world does virtually every single passerbyer wave or smile at you? Some people wandering by say hello or welcome, some get off their bikes to give

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-45464149681509771932007-09-08T10:25:00.000-07:002008-01-09T17:08:38.433-08:00

Saturday, August 25th: After months of preparations and anticipation, it's finally that time again. I rub the sleep out of my eyes at 5am and grab a cup of coffee, ready to slide behind the steering wheel of my rental minivan and hit the road to that dusty, scorching hot and windy place in the Nevada desert called "Black Rock City" - a huge, temporary city, arising out of an ancient dry lake

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-64212752811790912992007-09-07T14:02:00.000-07:002007-09-07T14:07:35.028-07:00

I'm still decompressing, folks. But I *am* working on my first day Burning Man post, to be live ... uhmm... soon. In the meantime - for all your pyros out there (you know who you are)... a shot of the Man burning last Saturday night:

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-66886909653788763842007-09-05T10:09:00.000-07:002008-01-09T18:12:52.657-08:00

That's right. I'm back. But I'm in my usual post-burn decompression depression funk. Once that has subsided (and I get my image-processing computer back from Jake), an account of the happenings with pics shall follow. Until then - you can amuse yourselves a bit with these blog entries in The Source from my camp mate and writer Renee Davidson. And if you look closely, you can even find a

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-7912110522091730622007-08-20T11:40:00.000-07:002007-08-20T12:22:05.721-07:00

My departure to the Black Rock Desert is only mere days away now. And like every year, I get a bit jittery about playa conditions. The last two years have been kind, with mild heat and not a whole lot of dust. Except for this fun dust tornado on Wednesday of '06, of course: This year however - and unless the playa gods take mercy on the rumored 50,000 people descending on the Black Rock

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-59610455482968853952007-08-17T10:26:00.000-07:002007-08-17T10:57:45.025-07:00

Be prepared, Burners and non-Burners alike: On Tuesday morning, August 28th, we'll get to experience an unusual celestial event: A full lunar eclipse. The event begins 54 minutes past midnight PDT on August 28th when the Moon enters Earth's shadow. At first, there's little change. The outskirts of Earth's shadow are as pale as the Moon itself; an onlooker might not even realize anything is

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-28127127190306380842007-08-15T15:32:00.001-07:002007-08-15T15:57:50.116-07:00

I finally I found a minute to indulge in my annual ritual of posting a picture of my Burning Man bike: Compared to last year's bike, this was definitely a more involved project. Not only is my ride dressed to coincide with Burning Man's Green Man theme this year, it also required lots of forethought, hunting down of materials (like buying the blinking squishy frogs) and the tying of lots of

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-36439514572249884392007-08-09T23:42:00.000-07:002007-08-10T00:07:09.678-07:00

You're wondering what this weirdly, somehow intriguing headline is all about? Puzzle no more! It's an anagram of my name. [For those of you who are unaware of my first name, midddle name, or last name - tough luck, folks. ;) ] So what's the anagram of your name? Play - and post in the comments.

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13311440.post-33510910961359015552007-08-09T18:34:00.000-07:002007-08-09T19:43:17.552-07:00

I was going to write a post to the effect of Yay. My birthday is near. Leos rule! Hear us roar! Then I saw this footage on YouTube. In short (and if you don't have the bandwidth or time to watch the whole 8 1/2 minutes): Water buffalo calf gets chased away from mom by a pride of lions. One lion tackles the calf in a flying jump, landing them both in the water. Pride tries to drag the calf

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com