-Attended a very nice dinner with a friend and followed it up with an early Halloween party at a friend's parents' house.  it was complete with a graveyard, a cider press, and a numerologist.  This evening began a string of events that have yet to cease coming at me which remind me that life is wonderful and very much affected by one's attitude.  I saw good friends and had great conversation - y'know, the meaningful kind where you discuss what's truly important in life and how to maximize every moment we're blessed with.  Many friends of mine are really with it.  They're conscious of the world around them, their place in it, and the direction they want to be headed in.  it's about damn time!  Here I thought we'd all get jaded and cynical like most adults you meet.  I'm finding a really intense, positive energy eminating from some people I know.  God bless them and their rich spiritual disco!  They really make me go!

Next day, I meet with a buddy who mentioned golfing the day before.  It's a beauty of a day, so I have two passes to a track we've never played (my golf team gave them to me as a season end gift).  We head out, we're hitting the ball well, and we meet up with a great guy named Rob who happens to be a stick (very good golfer).  This guy is 30 something, a barber in Grosse Pointe at a 60 year old shop.  This dude was way cool - talking about kids from the highschool acress the street coming in for Homecoming cuts.  He turns 'em away from the mirror and gives 'em a mullet . . . turns them back around and they freak.  He joshes them a little more, cuts some hair off but leaves a tail . . . same thing.  He's been to Ireland, loves Guinness, all sorts of qualities that make me feel lucky we met this guy.  We hook up with another guy, Moon.  He's a piano player singer, super cool.  Things are copacetic and he runs smack into a tree with his golf cart!  Sober as can be, just not watchin'!  Tons of laughs.  Great Day!

Hey, I bought a bus! I'll find a place to throw a picture on this site.  It's a 65 foot man bus, y'know a two piecer with the accordian in the middle.  Got it for a steal.  Nowak bought it down in LA off the set of Spiderman II.  Don't know what teh heck we'll do with it, but it's going to Burningman next year and may do some adventure touring next summer.  If you come to the New Years Party, you'll see it, cause Chriss is drivin it out here in November after Thanksgiving.

Chris wants to start an Adventure Tours company for Europeans who want a reasonably priced, open ended, no reservations necessary tour of North America and points therein.  We've been brainstorming some parameters, clientel, logistics, marketing.  Marketing, finding the people we know will want this style of touring, will be the challenge.  Email any ideas.

Hey, I decided I want to start a school.  My original plan was one using only busses - a charter BUS school!  Save on infrastrucure, top out on technology, learn survival skills, learn art at the DIA, science at the DSC, learn geology and biology on Isle Royal.  Y'know, just a hands on experience for kids who are already super smart but can't STAND conventional education.  I can see it in so many - they can skate like mad, have mad friends, super talented artists, and SUCK at school!  Homework, concentrating on textbooks, all that stuff just brings out the worst in them.  They need some real life experiences to bring home the learning drive.  I know the stuff I teach is important, but I truly can't expect all of them to appreciate that.

I talk to my friend, Brook Epps, and she tells me about Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound schools.  They do field trips every week!  They go to crazy places and camp, they build stuff, break stuff, read stuff, feel stuff . . . all out of doors because it's COOLER that way!  I'm juiced and in the process of researching an angle on how I can participate.  Wich me luck!

I went to Chicago last weekend.  WHAT A BLAST!  An awesome town with killer mass transit, sweet cultural destination points, beautiful people, you name it!  I must've ridden my mountain bike thirty miles in two days, lovin' every minute of it.  I went thrift shopping (bought a brand new claiborn blaiser for ), rode to the Shedd Aquarium (saw some excellent things there!), went with my dear friend Krissy to Simon and Garfunkel.  I'll tell you what, I wish Krissy had a site of her own cause that chick rocks.  She and countless friends of hers do the funnest things; sail, field soccer, flag football, party, you name it.  Night of the concert ruled.  We tried to get back stage, but people were super uptight about it.  No matter, we hung out at a nearby pub, I got a free drink (don't know why, but things just've been goin' that way).  We crashed, woke up in the a.m. and hooked up with two stellar friends of Krissy's and drive up to Wisconsin to Kettle Moraine State Park.  We hit the John Muir bike trails and proceeded to have the kickin'est time I've had in some time.  The ride up was filled with good music, great conversation, and unavoidable laughter.  The riding was wonderful, the weather was beautiful, and so was the company.  We tailgated briefly after the ride, went to dinner, and had a lazy ride home filled with more good conversation.  It was tough to leave, but I had an appointment with some good friends in Grand Rapids that night, so we reluctantly said goodbyes with promises of a reunion.  I sure hope so.

Grand Rapids 80's party was a hoot.  I drove from Chi'Town three hours and was surprised that I had energy left to hang out.  Sure enough, my friends Chad and Khrista had their house decked out (with help from Knrista's sister, Jasmine, who's off to Thailand to teach soon - rock on!) in 80's stuff to the rafters - song lyrics posted everywhere, Whitesnake posters, leg warmers, pegged pants, head bands, and a computer loaded with mp3's from the period.  I missed the major crowd, probably due to Chad's ridiculously tasty and potent home brew, but the company was great nevertheless and it was well worth the trip. 

Tell me a story! I won't listen, I'll read!