The snow has really been coming down on us this year. It is safe to say that the city and borough of Juneau, Alaska has forgone any responsibility toward keeping our roads safe to drive on.
I can understand a place like Seattle not keeping their roads clear of snow an ice. Weather conditions like the ones they have recently suffered, have been dubbed SnowPocalypse or SnowMageddon, are not a daily, monthly, or even yearly occurrence. They are just as random as achieving a critical hit in Dungeons & Dragons. So I can let places like Seattle slide on having bad to unsafe road conditions every few years. It’s hard for a city to justify having plow trucks for a meteorological even that happens randomly and lasts for such a short time.
A place like Juneau, Alaska on the other hand is much harder for me to forgive. The city and state know that each year it is going to snow. They know each year what the roads are going to be like. Yet, for some reason this year they do not seem to be taking the task seriously.
In years past I could rarely drive down any road in Juneau and not see a city plow truck scraping snow and ice off of the streets during the winter. This year it has been a rare occurrence that I have seen a city plow truck and when I do they are not scraping the streets as they plow the snow. This has resulted just about every road in Juneau is covered in ice. Everyday that I have driven to work or driven home in the last several weeks I have seen a car accident of one kind or another.
What is more astonishing to me is that it is currently January, almost February now, and the city has still done nothing to correct this behavior. Even after citizens have complained. Sadly, I think it is going to take a vehicle accident involving some kind of official for them to step up their responsibilities to normal levels.
Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s there was a great band located in Oak Harbor, Washington that went by the name of Wearing Black. My own band at the time, Kira’s Modern Mourning, was occasionally lucky enough to play gigs with them in and around the Oak Harbor area.
Wearing Black originally consisted of two acoustic guitar players and an electric bass player. Their music was amazing and it was guaranteed that whatever venue they where playing at, they would fill it up.
‘Root For The Bad Guy’ was one of Wearing Black’s' popular songs. People at the time loved to hear it and would sing along with the band when they played it. The song is an anthem to all evil doers and bad guy in fictional genres.
The band eventually disbanded leaving only a few recorded songs on-line for their fans. About a year after the band broke up it’s lead singer and guitar player, Saul Nathaniel McCartney, recorded a solo version of ‘Root For The Bad Guy’. Well, I really liked the song a lot. So, over the last 8 months I worked on a type of music video for it and uploaded it to YouTube. I hope you all enjoy it.
I first saw this film in the early 2000s when I lived in Oak Harbor, Washington with my roommate Brannon. One night randomly he brought home ‘The Ring’ and we both gathered on the couch in the living room to watch it.
We knew it was a scary movie, but it had been so long since either of us had been scared by a movie that we didn’t expect this film to change that. With the lights on and sodas in hands we both sat watching this film.
Because this film is older I don’t feel bad talking about parts of the film. The story is about this weird short film that is floating around. If you watch it you will get a phone call as soon as the movie is over. The voice on the line will tell you that you have seven days to live. So people that saw the film die after seven days.
At the end of the film during one of the climactic scene the phone rings. At that exact same moment my cell phone rang and Brannon and I both jump up from the couch screaming.
It took a second for us to realize what was going on. I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and answered it like this, “You fucking scared the shit out of us! What the fuck is wrong with you! Fuck!”
On the other end of the line I heard my friend Chris say, “What? Are you watching the ‘Ring’?
“Ok, That is just eerie.” I said. “I am going to call you back.”
I hung up the phone. Brannon and I got new drinks and after several minutes of nervous laughter about the whole thing we went back to the couch and finished the ‘Ring’.
3. Trick ‘r Treat
This is just a great Halloween movie. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. It reminds me of ‘Pulp Fiction’ with the way the story time is out-of-order. I really think this is a sleeper hit that will end up as a classic.
2. Donnie Darko
The first time I saw this film was in the mid 2000s with a group of friends in an old run down theater in Bellingham Washington. It was the first showing of the extended directors cut. I was blown away by this movie.
1. The Crow
I don’t remember the first time I saw this movie sadly. I remember friends of mine who were obsessed with it in high school. I believe it was through their talking about it that I bought my first copy of ‘The Crow’ several years later.
It’s great! It’s a love story and I am a sucker for a good love story.
After our PAX trip to Seattle, Hannah and I flew to Hawaii for our honeymoon/vacation. When we landed we picked up our rental car, got some groceries, checked into our apartment, and then went straight to the beach.
For those of you wondering, all photos were taken with either a Canon G12 or an iPhone.
August 26th through the 28th Hannah, Lyle, and myself where at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle. We all had a really great time and are already talking about going again next year.
Some of the highlights of our trip for us where:
Keynote
The Penny Arcade Q&A session
The Wil Wheaton Awesome Hour
Draw A Comic Panel
Dungeon Master Panel
The Acquisitions Inc Dungeon & Dragons Game
Star Wars Old Republic Panel
Omegathon
On the show floor some of the highlights for me where:
My wife and I play this little game whenever we go out called the ‘License Plate Punch’ game. I am sure this game goes by other names through out the verse, but this is what we call it here. I think I started playing it with her shortly after moving to Alaska. I remember seeing a Hawaiian license plate in town and thinking to myself that getting a car from Hawaii to Juneau can’t be the easiest thing in the world to do. I was reminded of playing the ‘License Plate Punch’ game with my friends back in Washington state so when I saw it I reached over and punched my wife on the shoulder. It was not a hard punch mind you. Not the kind that Ralph Kramden would threaten Alice with that would send her to the moon. No, this was more of a tap on the shoulder than punch.
My wife quickly picked up on the simple rules. You see an out of state license plate while driving around and you gently punch the person next to you.
That was all fine and good, but now the problem is my wife keeps making additions to the rules without telling me. Its become a game for me just to figure out what these new rules are since the only way I find out about them is by getting punched. Just recently I learned that I can get punched via cell phone text message. Who knew?
I have figured out some of these new rules. They are:
You can get punched if the other person sees an instate plate, but only once a day.
You no longer need to be in the car to get punched.
If the car just happens to be really cool you will get punched.
On Saturday, April 23rd 2011 My wife and I where traveling home to Juneau, Alaska from Seattle. We had come to Washington State two weeks prior to have our wedding together surrounded by our family and friends. The end of our trip was punctuated by having to submit to an embarrassing full body pat-down by a TSA agent.
As Hannah and I arrived at Seattle’s international airport the afternoon of Saturday, Aril 23rd everything was going pretty normally. We received our boarding passes and checked our bags than proceeded to the north security check point. A tattooed TSA agent (I feel safe already) checked both of our IDs and Tickets before waving us on. Hannah and I proceeded to the first available line to remove our laptops, shoes, jackets and anything metal into the white plastic bins for X-Raying. My wife was directed to a normal metal scanner on the left and I was directed to go through the body imaging scanner on the right. I looked at the TSA agent who directed me down this path and pointed at the body imaging scanner and said “I don’t want to go through this. I opt out”
“You don’t want to go through this?” she asked
“No I don’t”.
“Ok, wait here on the side.”
The TSA agent than called for someone to perform a pat-down for a male. I waited for a short moment and was than directed by another TSA agent to the end of the security line where all my belongings where being carried to. I was then told by the agent that he would be performing a full body pat-down. It was at this time I requested a police officer to observe the pat-down.
“You want a police officer?”
“Yes”, I said “To observe the pat-down”
The TSA officer looked shocked as if no one ever asked for a police officer to observe them doing a pat-down. The agent then hollered across to his supervisor who appeared to be setting at a computer terminal “This person is requesting a police officer to observe his pat-down”.
The supervising TSA officer came down and asked “You are refusing to be patted-down”?
When on earth did I ever say I refused? Are they just looking for a reason to keep me out of the air port? “No”, I said “I am asking that a police officer be present for my pat-down”
This TSA agent looked just ask shocked at my request as the first one. I can’t be the only person here who feels that this procedure is a violation of my rights and my privacy. I find it so hard to believe that I am the only person who has asked that the police observe this at Seattle’s international airport.
“Hang on”, he said and walked back over to his computer terminal and picked up a phone. When he came back he told me that I could take my belongings and step back out of security, back to where I got my boarding pass and contact the police to have them observe my pat down.
I looked at him with a strange look on my face and asked “When I came into the airport I saw two police officers on Segways. I have to now step out of security and call them? Can’t you just radio them over here?” I was started to get frustrated.
“No” He said “If you want an officer to view your pat-down it is your responsibility to request them. You can gather up your items and proceed back out of security and this agent will follow you.”
It was at that moment the mobile phone in his hand rang. As he answered it the other TSA agent who was going to give me my special touches moments before instructed me to start gathering my things. I proceeded to put on my belt and jacket when the TSA agent on the phone motioned for me stop. He finished his conversation and hung up.
“You will not have to go back outside of security. You can contact 911 from here. Do you have a mobile phone?”
“Yes” I answered.
“You can use it to call 911 and request an officer”. he said
I grabbed my phone from one of the white bins and started to enter 911 when I asked “Is 911 the appropriate number for this situation”?
“Yes” he responded
I entered 911 from my phone and hit send.
“Hello, 911 emergency”.
“Hi, Yes”. I said a little nervously. “I am currently at Seattle’s International airport and I would like to request an officer to observe my TSA pat-down.”
“Please stay on the line”, said the 911 operator. I could hear the line click and ring once before another a new person answered.
“Hello, 911 emergency”.
“Yes, I am currently at Seattle’s International airport and I would like to request an officer to observe my TSA pat-down.”
“Oh, yeah, sure not a problem” said the 911 operator. “Which security gate are you at”?
“I am at the north security gate”.
“I will have someone there shortly. Thank you”.
“Thank you”, I said and hung up. “An officer will be here shortly he said.” I told this to the TSA agents waiting.
We all waited for the Police officer to show up. When he did appear the TSA supervisor agent greeted him and stated “He wants an officer to observe his pat-down”. Again saying this like it was the oddest request he had ever heard.
The officer came up to me and shook my hand and introduced himself. He then proceeded to stand-off to the side and “Observe” my pat-down. I say “observe” because the officer’s eyes were glued to his cell phone the entire time of my pat-down.
At this point the TSA agent who was waiting around to give me my pat-down started to explain the process. He would be going over my body with the back of his hands. Starting with my back to him he would rub the back of his hands from the back of my neck all the way down to my heels. Then I would turn around and he would do the same down my front avoiding my genitals. He also explain that he would be checking the waist of my pants.
The agent started by having me turn my back to him while he rubbed what I have to assume was the back of his hands down my back side. I Looked over my shoulder at the police officer who was glued to his cell phone. The TSA agent rubbed what I have to assume where the back of his hands over my ass in a down word motion several times. He did this over my cloths. He spent more time on my ass than any other part of my body. I was feeling that this was very inappropriate and became even more nervous.
He then put what felt like two fingers from each hand inside the waist of my pants a felt all the way around. I should have jumped. I should have said something. I should have indicated that I was not comfortable with this. I should have voiced something to make this agent stop. The fact was that I was just to nervous at the time. I was shaking and scared. This is just not right.
He eventually continued down to my legs. He felt down my legs and the sides of my legs. He asked me to turn around and he proceeded to do the same thing down the front of my body, but avoided my genitals, but only by an inch or two. When he got to my legs he would wrap his hands around my legs and from just below my genitals and slide his hands down each leg. The whole time he did this I watched as Seattle’s finest stay glued to his mobile phone. Thanks for the help big guy.
I have been reading a lot about the TSA fully body scanners and the advanced pat-downs users are having to submit to if they opt out. Users experiences of opting out of the body scanners have been scary. Some people are being told they can no longer opt out. Others are being touched inappropriately (Do you think children should be submitted to this?). If you have been reading the same information I have your next question might be; did I feel that my privacy was violated? Did I feel embarrassed? Do I feel I was touched in ways only my wife should ever be allowed to touch me? That answer to all of these is a very strong HELL YES!
The irony of this is that I had my cigar cutter in my pocket the whole time and the TSA agent didn’t find it.
Hannah managed to catch a small portion of my pat-down on video. In the video you can see myself being patted-down and the police officer looking down at his cell phone. I am doing my best to not show how upset I am.
In hindsight I should have written down the police officers name and badge number. I will just have to chalk that one up to lack of experience and try and do better next time. I hope their will never be a next time. This is seriously not right.
As the two of use left the security screening area and proceeded to the elevator we shared our ride down with a custodian. I asked her “Do you have to submit to these full body imagine scanners?”
“Nope” She said “We all refuse to use them”.
How interesting I thought to myself.
Hannah and I both have a friend who is also a pilot for a major airline. He has told us a couple of times that none of the airline pilots will let TSA use the full body scanners on them. I do find it funny that a government trying to implement a system that not even the pilots of the planes that fly in and out of these airports will par take in.
Where does one go from here? Well I have already contacted the airline I flew with and expressed my displeasure in what occurred. As someone who flew first class and is upset I hope that my voice will carry a little weight with them. I have also contacted TSA and let them know I felt violated. What, if anything will come of my action I don’t know. I just know I am not the only person that feels this way. If we make our voices heard we can enact change.
Hannah and I have been dating for 7 years solid and we have been engaged for 6 of those years. I can’t imagen a better or more beautiful person to spend the rest of my life with. On Saturday, April 16th we made our committee to each other official by getting married.
The two of us had a beautiful ceremony on Whidbey Island in Washington state with my younger brother Abe as our officiant. My older brother Reza was my best man and Hannah’s older sister, Amanda was her made of honor.
The both of us want to thank all our family and friends for all the love and support we have received, not only at our wedding, but over the course of our relationship together. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
I really look forward to my trips down south. I love Alaska and Juneau. It’s beautiful in a way that words can not describe. I just find myself missing so many things about Washington State and the lower 48 states in general. Things like walking through a mall and being able to drive longer than 15 minutes.
In just over a week Hannah and I will be coming down to Washington state to get married. So this trip is really going to mean a lot to me. I am going to get to spend time with family and friends I have not seen in years. All these people I love and miss will be all close by for a couple of days as Hannah and I get married. I can’t imagen a more perfect trip.
Before family starts showing up for the wedding Hannah and I will get a chance to spend some time in Seattle and I also hope Bellingham, because Bellingham rocks! Will have a few last-minute wedding purchases to make and just get a chance to get out and see the real world for a change.
Thanks to a link I got on Twitter I read that a small photo exhibit showing the evolution of the Guemes ferry over the past one hundred years or so will be going up at the Guemes ferry terminal. The photos depict not only the Guemes Island ferry boats from years past, but they also show the crew doing their jobs and treating their passengers with respect. Oh how things have changed.
I am not a 100 years old. Far from it, but I do remember visiting my grandparents as a kid some twenty plus years ago on Guemes Island and having a much more enjoyable experience ferrying over from island to island then I have in the last ten years or so.
The snow has really been coming down on us this year. It is safe to say that the city and borough of Juneau, Alaska has forgone any responsibility toward keeping our roads safe to drive on.
In years past I could rarely drive down any road in Juneau and not see a city plow truck scraping snow and ice off of the streets during the winter. This year it has been a rare occurrence that I have seen a city plow truck and when I do they are not scraping the streets as they plow the snow. This has resulted just about every road in Juneau is covered in ice. Everyday that I have driven to work or driven home in the last several weeks I have seen a car accident of one kind or another.
On Saturday, April 23rd 2011 My wife and I where traveling home to Juneau, Alaska from Seattle. We had come to Washington State two weeks prior to have our wedding together surrounded by our family and friends. The end of our trip was punctuated by having to submit to an embarrassing full body pat-down by a TSA agent.
