THE GOOD LIFE

I was poking around on my favorite website today, second only to facebook, titled “The Art of Manliness”, also known as AOM. As a regular reader and feed subscriber, I get a daily email with an updated post and useful information, but I find myself wanting more. After viewing older titles on the blog I found a title that caught my eye: “Every Man Needs Adventure”. Ironically, I have been thinking about how our culture has limited this ability in several areas of our life’s, particularly in a man’s life, and this title really struck a chord with me and how unadventurous the boys and men in our society are.

Recently, more so than on previous occasions, I have really been reveling in being a man. This all started last year with a book that I received from my church as a Father’s Day gift to current and future fathers. The title was “Wild at Heart” by John Eldridge.

This is a wonderful book about being a man in a world where men have been emasculated and how men can take steps in the direction of becoming a “manly-man” as God has designed you. The author explains how we can experience life as men should, and be better fathers, brothers and sons as a result. This is also a wonderful book for women who want to encourage their husbands, boyfriend or sons to be manly and/or who want to understand the heart of a man.

A few months later, I found the website “Art of Manliness” (AOM) and loved it for two reasons:

• The website is esthetically pleasing. The colors of the website, the pictures that are used (all of which are older black and white pictures or color advertisements), and the ability for members and readers to post additional content which really enhances the conversation, recommendations and topics discussed in a particular post.

• The content is fantastic. With stories such as “Command a Room like a Man”, “The Art of Letter Writing”, “15 Manly Smells”, “Understanding the Compass”, “7 Basic Knots Every Man Should Know” and more, the content is fantastically entertaining, extremely useful, and wonderfully applicable to a man’s life.

So as I was reading this blog post on AOM today titled “Every Man Needs Adventure” and I was reminded of “Wild at Heart”, and it really played on my longings to have an adventure today. Sitting at my gray and blue cubical under a florescent light with two computer screens staring back at me, I thought “Is this really what life has come to”? “What has happened in our society that this gray and blue cube, where I have no view of the outside world and where I have spent the last 4,160 hours of my life, is as adventurous as my life gets on a daily bases”? (and yes, I did calculate how many hours I have worked in that cube)!

Since I can remember I have always been fascinated with the “Old West”; cowboys, Indians, horses and the like. To this day, I still enjoy looking at coffee table books of photographs depicting and describing life in the frontier days of the United States. One person in history that I think captures the romantic adventure of that time frame is Theodore Roosevelt (TR). I am currently reading a lengthy biography on him because of the wonderful tales that I have heard in school and through the reading of the AOM blog and other materials.  TR, a president of the USA (number 26 to be exact) was a member of the Rough Riders, an avid hunter and sportsman, a manly man who stood for what was right and just and above all, a gentleman.

I love a lot of the pictures of TR. They are a grainy black and white or sepia color, usually with him standing much as he is here - in front of or surrounded by beautiful scenery, wearing very enviable Indian Jones type clothing with a look of pleasure on his face. It is pictures like this one that make me really want to get out into nature.

Perhaps this is why I love camping so much. If you really need to get away from it all and use your man-skills, you can: setting up a tent, finding, chopping and burning wood, cooking over an open flame, being surrounded by the sun kissed air, listening to the wind in the trees. Fishing or hunting for your dinner, the hiss of a propane lantern, the smell of the pines, the sounds of the water and animals that surround you; it is a wonderful experience. I regularly think about Lewis and Clark when I am camping and try to imagine what the Louisiana Purchase looked like as they were crossing that section of “undiscovered” territory. Not only do I put myself in the position of Lewis and Clark, but I regularly think about what it would have been like during the migration from the East coast to the West through the Oregon Trail and homesteading a beautiful piece of land; or being a cattle rancher and driving cattle all day on the back of a horse, my skin growing leathery by the sun. Oh, and PS, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the amount of camping and natural beauty if it wasn’t for TR coming up with and signing into law the National Park System, and reserving more acreage of National Parks than any president thus far! Thanks TR!

A few weeks ago, my girlfriend Laura commented on the softness of my hands. While I enjoyed the comment, and I enjoy soft hands, I realized that men from just a few generations ago didn’t have soft hands. They worked with their hands, producing blisters, callouses, scars, bruises and managed to get grease and dirt under the finger nails. I realized that this does not happen to me much. What ever happened to the many skills of wood working, car repair, home and structure building, or good old manual labor on the farm?

Looking at my grandfathers hands recently, I realized what little knowledge I have in the area of handiness. My grandpa has a dented thumb nail from when a beam fell on his hand while he was building one of his many churches; he has scars, cuts and regular bruises because at 72 years young he is still working on little projects. His knowledge of how to build items and how “things” work continue to amaze me. Just recently, he built a workshop in his garage which is fixed to the wall and allows a large work surface for all of his tools, his scroll saw and other toys. He built a box for a trailer which was built so strongly you would essentially have to burn it to destroy it. He has built homes, churches and other buildings; he has basic plumbing knowledge, can fix almost anything on a car and more.

It is in every man’s best interest to build something on a regular bases. My next project will be the construction a rotating compost bin which will easily churn the compost. I also want to build a greenhouse and a chicken coop. I hope to someday build my house with my bare hands, pouring sweat, blood and love into it. I want to build a straw bail home with minimal help from others. I want to be able to build something and then upon completion, stand back and look at my handy work. Not because I want to brag or get praise for my work (which is always nice), but to reaffirm that I did that all by myself, and it is wonderful and I have the skills to produce such a structure!

The men of my generation are loosing the masculinity battle and are continually losing basic manly knowledge and skills. I am a big fan of novelty books; books such as “The Dangerous Book for Boys”,  ”Boy Scout’s Fieldbook” and “The Man’s Book” among others. These books provide excellent information and basic knowledge on manly things such as setting up a tent, how to make waterproof matches, an overview of pipe smoking and more. I believe that every boy and man should own such books. Additionally, I have determined that someday when I have boys of my own, they will not only learn from me some of the manly skils that I have acquired, but I also want them to experience Boy Scouts or Royal Rangers programs where manly skills can be learned and reinforced.

Men need to start behaving like men. I am not talking about being beer drinking, belching, fat lazy pigs who watch sports all day, womanizing and spitting. Nor am I talking about the metro sexual, “grily-men”. I am talking about a true rugged man who enjoys being in the outdoors, a good game of baseball with your kid(s); men who can be handy with their hands, who have knowledge of cars; who are not afraid of getting dirty; who can tie seven different knots; who love flannel and corduroy; who are not afraid to take chances, who can shave with a strait raiser last but not least, men who can be adventurous and find the wonderful romantic danger in adventure!

So take the challenge men, let’s start bringing class, style, manliness and adventure back into our lives for the sake of ourselves, our sons, our nephews, our society and our future generations. Give into your dangerous, adventurous side and MAN UP!

What I am listening to: Andrew Bird “Noble Beast”. Released January 20, 2009

OK, so I though I would start posting the music that I am listening to while I am writing my blog! That way, you can see what I like, and perhaps discover a new artist or song that you might like! If you haven’t heard of this artist of CD, then you must find it and listen to it because it is fantastic!

I have been at a loss of topics to write about recently and so I haven’t published much of anything lately, at least nothing of substance. This post isn’t going to be much of anything this time either. However, I did want to just express how excited I am for summer because along with summer comes summer activities! Here is what I am planning on doing this summer. Please let me know if you want to join me because I would be happy to have you!

1. Off-Roading! This has to be one of my most favorite things to do in Colorado. I have seen more beautiful parts of Colorado this way since joining with my friends in this wonderful outdoor activity. My friend Austin has a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, and we usually take off the doors, put down the top, and explore the wonderful scenery of Colorado with friends! There is nothing like it! Once you go, you get hooked. I now want, and will get a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon because of it!

2. Camping! This of course is a given. Colorado is perhaps the most beautiful place to camp. This of course is something that I do frequently when off-roading. We are currently planning a multiple night trip to Webster’s Pass for off-roading and camping which should be phenomenal.

3. Backpacking! I have not done this yet, but I want to. The problem is that I don’t have the property backpacking gear yet. I am planning on getting a backpacking backpack and tent among other things like trekking poles and a backpacking sleeping bag and pad. Hopefully in the next few weeks I can invest in that and have some gear in time for summer!

4. Rock Climbing! If you haven’t been rock climbing at all, you need to try it. I have done the rock gym before, and last year, when on vacation in Ouray with my friends, we did some actual rock climbing. I have to say that it is much more difficult than the rock gym, but so much more fun! I will be doing this again for sure, and will eventually be investing in rock climbing gear in the next few years…once I get the basic camping and outdoor gear and clothing purchased!

5. White Water Rafting! I have not done this before, and have been previously afraid to do this. However, I really want to do this now, and have a few friends who are interested in doing it! Hopefully we can get a trip planned before the summer is out!

6. Spelunking! I have always though that cave diving and exploration would be a blast! There are a lot of caves and mines here in Colorado that I have wanted to explore, but of course my better judgement has prevented me from going into the abandoned mines! I did find a society called the National Speleological Society. You can become a member in a local chapter, and they have planned events with guides who take you on cave explorations! It is great too because they are all about cave conservation, and ensuring that the caves are taken care of and preserved not only as a habitat, but also so that future generations can enjoy them. I think I am going to become a member and begin exploring with these groups!

7. 14ers! Of course, you cant live in Colorado without attempting one of these! If you do not live in Colorado, you may not know that we are home to 58 peaks that top 14,000+ feet in elevation. Each of these mountains can be climbed and you can summit each of them. I tried to climb one last year, Mount Huron. I wrote a blog post about it and posted some pictures. Check it out if you haven’t seen it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t well prepared for the hike and only made it to 13,200 feet in elevation. I still think that is pretty good for my first time out. This year however, my goal is to climb and summit 2 14ers! We’ll see how I do! If you are interested, check out www.14ers.com. It has a whole lot of information and pictures on Colorado’s 14ers!

8. Fishing! Colorado has excellent fishing locations. We fishing during last years vacation to Ouray and caught several beautiful trouts and bass! I will most definitely be doing this again this year!

OK, so that is some of the outdoor activity that I plan to do this year! I am working on trying to get into shape right now so that it will be easier to do some of them like rock climb and hiking. You have to really work out your stamina and cardio for that type of hiking and backpacking!

Aside from outdoor activities, summer is the time for movies to be released! I recently got in the mood to look at upcoming movies that are going to be released this month through the summer time. These are all movies that I want to see and I wanted to share the list with you. They are listed in order of release date:

1. Monsters vs. Aliens – March 2009
2. Sunshine Cleaning – March 13, 2009

3. Gigantic – April 3, 2009

4. Paris 36 – April 3, 2009
5. Star Trek – May 5, 2009
6. My Life in Ruins – May 8, 2009
7. Angels & Demons – May 15, 2009

8. Land of the Lost – June 5, 2009
9. The Proposal – June 12, 2009
10. Year 1 – June 19, 2009

11. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – June 24, 2009
12. Public Enemies – July 1

13. 500 Days of Summer – July 17, 2009

14. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – July 17, 2009
15. GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra – August 7, 2009
16. Inglorious Bastards – August 21, 2009

To see all of the trailers for these videos, you can find them in YouTube, or go to Apple’s website and view all of them there. http://www.apple.com/trailers/

So I guess this post is more than I thought it would be! I am just really excited for summer time as you can tell!

So, today I am feeling like I would like to be a few years older, wiser with the life I have always dreamed of. This life is not fancy, but simple, fun and exciting! If I could, I would like to paint a picture for you, and give you literal pictures for your viewing pleasure!

OK, so to start off, I want to be teaching at an elementary school, working with a class of fun and funny students. I remember one teacher in elementary school that I think I would be most like: Mr. Rezak. He was my fifth grade teacher and he had something called “Rezak Bucks”. There were fake dollars that had a picture of Mr. Rezak’s face on it and every time you were doing what you were supposed to, or did extra by helping someone voluntarily etc. you would receive a Rezak Buck. These dollars would collect and at the end of every quarter, there would be a auction! He would bring in this old used stuff, set up the back of the classroom like a giant window display, and we would “buy” the stuff with our bucks! It was so much fun!

I also want to dress like one of those “cool” teachers. I picture dressing in styles like J. Crew and Banana Republic; kind of an upscale, casual, relaxed yet urban and cool. I would be one of the most stylish teachers on campus. I don’t know if kids are really paying attention to how teachers dress at that phase in life; I cannot remember thinking much about teachers sense of style, but parents and other teachers would notice, and if the kids did, it would just add to my cool appeal because I will be the coolest teacher ever!

The great thing about being a teacher is that I will have some time off every year, probably a minimum of three weeks (depending on the district schedule) that I can have all to myself. This means I will be taking time out to enjoy nature and the American road with my Airstream camper! 

 This is perhaps the most exciting, wonderful and fun piece of camping equipment. While I enjoy tent camping, I prefer camper camping. I remember when my grandparents had a motor home and we used to go camping a lot. There was a very distinct smell, a good smell to the camper. It always brought back such good memories of playing scrabble at the table while it was raining outside, or eating great meals cooked on the gas stove or playing with the CB radio in the cab of the truck. My parents had a pop-up camper that we used quite a bit as well and that was always a lot of fun. We used to play games, go to local flee markets and thrift shops, hang a hammock and just relax as a family together. 

I want to travel the USA, taking my Airstream with me. Seeing the sites, meeting fellow Airstreamers and campers who have an appreciation for the camper. It is like a cult following almost. It is comparable to those who ride motorcycles. Have you noticed that motorcycle riders act like they know each other while they are driving down the street? Same with Jeep owners: they all wave and say hi to each other! Well the same is true for the Airstream community. It is like owning an Apple computer, popular but not mainstream…yet!

Doesn’t that look like fun? Of course I would be taking photographs and videos all along the way, documenting my (our when I am married) says, places, people and events. Of course, I would take my Apple laptop to edit and blog the whole way as well. Apple is the best computer EVER and I would use no other brand unless I have to!

I want to have a cute little house too. It would have some room for a garden where I can plant a lot of flowers and veggies. Something like an old Brownstone or Queen Ann Victorian would be nice! I would like a quite neighborhood on a quiet street where I can sit on my front porch with the newspaper and a nice cup of coffee, or take the dog for a walk around the neighborhood, or lay in a yard hammock in the backyard. How nice would that be?

My car would have to be really neat as well. I would love to have an older vehicle for play and driving around town in. Perhaps something like the car in the above picture, or even a VW Thing that has been converted into an electric vehicle, especially for running around town on short little trips. Of course I would need something to pull my Airstream so I would have to get a truck or SUV. What about an older Station Wagon? I could get one of those and go totally retro!

It would also be a nice to have a night out on the town every now and then too. Jump on the light rail, head downtown and see the orchestra or ballet, see a play or just stroll down the historic squares and 16th Street Mall, eat a nice restaurant and enjoy the company of my significant other (when I have one). This would be especially fund during the fall and winter months when the air is crisp, you get to dress all up in fancy clothes and scarfs, gloves and the whole bit. Have a nice hot drink and enjoy the changing colors or Christmas decorations in the downtown area. I guess I could mention art museums and other cultural events as well. All of those would be fun to attend! 

So, this is how I am feeling today! Hopefully most of this stuff will come to fruition someday. What I didn’t mention really is how fun it would be to do all of this stuff with my wife and kids. That would add some excitement to the whole thing. I don’t think I would go see an opera or the Symphony Orchestra by myself, but who knows…I already go see movies on my own! 

So, that is it! I am sure that everyone has thought about this at some point in life. I just want it to happen faster, but patience is key and I suppose everything will begin falling into place. But, being in a transitional time in life is never fun! So, I will just live by this quote:

“Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.”