Six-thirty Soccer

Are US citizens taking soccer more seriously these days?  David Beckham gets paid millions for playing for the LA Galaxy, the US mens national team almost won the Gold Cup in July, and locally we gathered publicly for the US versus Mexico World Cup qualifying match.  Our teams are not exactly winning, but they are doing better than they ever have in the past.  Soccer is a great sport to watch and even more fun to play.  Game play is face paced and each shot on goal is gut wrenching.  One tiny mistake or one lucky tap of the ball will change the course of the whole game.  Games are often won by only a point or two difference in each team’s score.   We play on Johnson Field at 6:30, Tuesday and Thursday.

And now, a video:

It’s Vic Henley discussing soccer in Europe.  Hilarious!

Tattoo me now… tattoo!

Before I get permanently scarred by an ink-depositing needle, I research.  I come up with an idea for a tat in my mind, then I draw it, then I Google image it.  I look for ideas based not only on other people’s tattoos, but also from art, history and symbolism.

The first tattoo that I paid someone to put on me is a set of Legos.  Both of them are located on each tricep.  I wanted a Lego tattoo since high school for many different reasons.  First, I am a huge fan of symmetry.  I like the way the little 4-peg cubes are perfect geometrical shapes.

Just after I got it, early 2006

Most importantly, the Legos are symbols of my heratige, not only becasue I obsessivly tioled over Legos as a child, but also because the Lego corporation is based in Denmark- the country of my Viking ancestors.  I have visited Denmark twice, and went to the original Lego Land the first time at age 16.

The next tattoo I got is an Española Zia.  I really wanted to get something that represents my  love of my state, plus the fact that I was born and raised here.  So, I decided upon a Zia.  What better way to represent my state other than using its symbol?  But as I researched, I saw that a whole hell of a lot of people have a Zia tat, so I researched further.  The Española Chamber of Commerce created a symbol to represent the town and the state at the same time.  It’s essentially a blocked-off, three-pronged variant of the traditional symbol.  This tattoo is also symmetrical, and as such, I placed it in the center of my back.  The Zia represents the sun, as well as seasons and winds.  The four portions each represent a different season, and the cyclical nature of the symbol mirrors the cyclical tendencies of life.  I like to believe my version is an attempt to find consistency and uniformity in the chaos that is life.  It’s split into four distinct portions, and the blocked off look portrays stability.

It’s been a year since I got my last tattoo, and keeping with my tradition of telling blood donation people that I just got a tattoo and may have Hep C, I need another one.   I’ve been tossing ideas around and photoshopping like a mad man.  I have arrived upon an idea that first manifested itself years ago.  I’m gonna get three side-by-side squares filled in with gears.  The three panels represent past, present and future.  The gears represent my gear-headed nature.  It’s gonna be carbon black, just like my others.  I’m not sure what my aversion to color is.  It could be the fear of colored tattoos looking cartoonish.  It could be that I remember a famous graffiti artist proclaiming that everything should be painted in black and white first, because color is just a crutch used to cover up a lack of talent.  It could also be because I’m from Spaña, and I’m used to black prison style tats.

During my research, I came upon several tattoos that I wish I had thought up first.  These were found mostly by accident and appear in no particular order.

The first is a tattoo of an automotive diagram of a turbocharger.  I like it because it shows the wearer’s love of turbos and is also a testament to the size of his undoubtedly large testicles, because this is a huge painful tattoo:

boosted arm!

Some forum speculators insist that he should get a legend for the diagram on his other arm.  The next tattoo that’s right up my ally is this one:

I like this tattoo a lot because I’ve often had a cup o’ joe, then hopped on my bike.  The tattoo lacks one thing though— the extreme need to pee after drinking coffee then biking.  Maybe there should be a droplet falling off the gear- to denote urination, chain lubrication, and java anticipation.  The next image is another that heavily involves symbolism.  Heck, it is a symbol.  It’s the symbol for an NPN transistor in an electrical diagram:

The next two tattoos I found online are food related:

Cut it up!

Fork you, I'm eating.

These two are hilarious and memorable, two traits that I find appealing in tattoos.  The next few are music related.   I have considered a band tattoo, but still have not found anything that I want forever.  When searching “band tattoos”  I arrived upon Adam Duritz and the playlist for 94 Rock tatted on some unfortunate people’s backs:

The Counting Crows' frontman, Adam Duritz.

Rock on!

This is why I research my tattoos.  I won’t regret them if a) I know exactly what they mean to me, and b) I can’t see them!   I cannot see my tattoos without trying, how could I regret them?  Plus, our society is changing.  It is no longer taboo to tote tattoos.  All of mine are easily concealed by a t-shirt, and I’ve had no problems finding jobs thus far.  As soon as I visually mangle my body with another tattoo, I’ll be sure to update!

All Wheel Drive Turbo: Only a Few Choices

“I’m Leif, Leif, Leif, Leif, I want this, I want this car and that car and any turbo car…”

I now must disclose the possible origin of the above quote. I really do want every car ever: I want a Unimog, a Miata, a MazdaSpeed 3, I want a Ford GT, and a GT3, and a Super Charged Range Rover Sport, and any M3. But recently I’ve really wanted something in AWD with a turbo.

The first two cars that come to mind are the Lancer Evo and the STi. They are each 300 horsepower, each all-wheel drive, and each pushing $30,00 per price tag. And each horribly ugly. With their atrocious rear wings ready for flight, their offensively large hood scoops (which even the Hemi Dart pulled off better), and their “street tuner rice box mod” appeal make me sick to my stomach. Sure they have power and AWD, but you’d expect that from their overbearing styling. Everyone over-rates the Evo and STi, claiming that they are the Alpha and the Omega, the Cream of the Crop, the (insert any cliche about anything overrated here), yet cars of this nature have been here this whole time. They’re just a little bit harder to find.

Take the Audi Quattrro Turbos of the 80’s. Here was a family sedan with turbo and AWD from a well respected German manufacturer. Do you want to stay in Japan? Then the Mazda 323 GTX is the best fix. AWD, hatchback that’s turbo charged. It was made in Japan for years, and was imported to the US for only 2 years. Between 1988 and 1989 only about 1,400 of these cars were sold. Ford has some potent AWD Turbos from over the years, but all were sold in Europe. The Cosworth Sierra and the Cosworth Escort were AWD Turbo beasts.

What do all of these AWDT’s have in common? They are all production cars made by car manufactures to get into rally. The WRC (World Rallye Championship) is a huge world-wide on-and-off road timed extravaganza. Well, not really an extravaganza, it’s just a race. But it’s the most badass race of all time! It tests skills of drivers on snow, ice, dirt, sand, rain, and tarmac. The race is so trying that the drivers have a co-driver to tell them what the road ahead is like.

So how does all of this apply to me, me, me, me? Well, I want a rally car, duh. A car that I can put huge fog lights onto, a car that I can custom fabricate street sign skid plates, and a car that I can actually take onto the dirt, not to mention over speed bumps. My current vehicle is street only, and some days feels like it should be track only. I’ve already complained about mentioned its rough ride. A pseudo Jeep with the power of forced induction ripping through gravel up the west side of the Sandias is what I dream of. Something that looks mean, but not extravagant; powerful, yet not overstated.

Sadly if I even follow through with my car dream of the month, it’ll probably have to be a Subaru. The $30k cars are too expensive, the Mazda is too difficult to find in good condition close to home, and the UK Fords cost thousands to import. I hate the way all WRXs look. If only a 2001 Impreza Wagon could be found for a good price. Then engine swapping we shall go.

Summer Progress, an oxymoron?

So it’s now summer and I had so many plans. Well, I still have them. They include reading all those books I’ve been putting off. The plans also include writing more. But look at me now, it’s been a month since I last even typed anything out on here. And this is the easiest form of publishing!

So my book list includes Capote’s “In Cold Blood” and Orwell’s “1984.” I have these important books that I need to read to prove to everyone that I’m learn-ed. This relates to the real reason I vote. It’s not because I think my votes matter, I just want to answer people, “Yes, actually, I fuckin’ did vote!” When people ask me how American I am. But I digress.

I have grand plans. I need a writing job. My current job of driving other people’s cars is fun, and I’ve driven the hell out of some pretty badass cars, but it’s not really helping my career. I now know what getting the rear tires loose in a BMW M3 in the middle of an intersection is like, as well as getting a 505 hp C6 Corvette ZO6 sideways in an underground parking garage, not to mention the plush, yet powerful, feel of a new supercharged Range Rover, but really, will that help me get a writing job? Hopefully it is a start on the way to automotive writing. I know it has helped me. Now amidst car discussions with gear heads I can chime in, “I’ve driven an STi. Over-fucking-rated.” How annoying to my conversational peers.

So, a writing job. Most I’ve seen are volunteered internships. fuck. I really like the valet salary. But is a few thousand worth the opportunity to add a real job to my resumé? The coolest thing would be to internship for a car magazine, but that’s a few steps in the future. Valet-> PR Boner -> Newspaper Journalist-> Magazine Intern -> Magazine Contributor-> Magazine Writer. That’s a possible chain of events. I really would like to cut out the Newspaper bit. AP style is the absolute devil and news is so damn bland. I don’t want to consumer report, I want to offend and judge. I want to drive the shit out of a Murcielago, then talk about how poorly it was designed, and how, if only Lambo had consulted me, it could have been done much better.

P.S. Grassroots Motorsports Magazine rocks ass!

Brand New teaches us lessons

No, Mr. Lacey won’t be heading up Economics and teaching students about decimals and dollars, nor will Mr. Accardi be giving guitar lessons in the basement.

Their latest lesson is clear,

Don’t Drink and Drive.

I just attended their concert this past weekend, and Jesse Lacey started out his song Limousine with a statement explaining, “This is not a happy song. It is a sad song about an accident that happened near our house.” The song is an amazing one, and I suggest you download it. Better yet, go buy their latest CD, The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me.

Here is the news article: here

It always seems like an ok option to drive home after having a few drinks, but the consequences are not worth the risk. Have one of your friends drive you home. Oh, and one more thing, have the friend who’s driving you put in this CD. It’s great to jam out to while drunk.

The Cheap and Easy

No, I’m not talking about your mom, I mean this web site.

I want to start my own web site, yet managing time can be difficult, especially when hanging out is top priority.

I downloaded some web site creating software of questionable legality and proceeded to confuse myself. The idea of creating a web site is simple. Just make a thing, then have a side thing and links to various profound other things like lemonparty.org. But when I sat down to do it, I found out that there are way too many buttons in Dream Weaver to comprehend. I still don’t fully understand photo shop.

So here I am, posting meaningless lexical units in a forced manner to appeal to masses that don’t exist. Disregard the previous sentence. Whenever I hear “blog,” I think of faux-intellegent paragraphs stuffed with jargon. Thus the name of my blog, I guess. The internet is one large consortium of fools.