sunday funday

So as you few readers (if any left) have figured, the "funday quotes" are pretty nonexistent these days...

In an effort to at least post something, I'm cutting boundaries and opening up my Sunday to more than just words.  

Here's something to start/end your week depending on how you want to look at it. This is the promo video for GoPro's newest edition:

Just do. 

what's new

I know I've been slacking in the blogging department but that doesn't correlate to my lack of existence.  I'm here! And back in good ole Athens, GA. 

So, in the last couple of weeks...

I've been to a couple of Nate's varsity football games

I've had target practice with my new Indonesian dart gun with Mom's furniture

I've been shopping to Costco

what i would've done for a box of these a couple of months ago

I've moved into an apartment downtown with Sam and Nancy (and Gump)

and witnessed sam and gump lovin on the couch

I came back into town just in time for Kappa bid day

 

We've tortured Bear's dignity

I walk by this lovely strip bar on my way to school every day

I've been missing NZ :(

 I've experienced Athens nightlife and all its wonders

I've been enjoying the convenience of living downtown

(including Lazy Shopper's new live security - find the guy on the fridge)

I went to a Drive-by Truckers show at GA Theater

I ran into some car trouble. (thank goodness for convenient gas stations and car manuals)

I dragged Nate to one of my squash tournaments

thrilled to be there

 I've taken advantage of a kitchen stocked with granola ingredients

 And I'm loving my new apartment! rain or shine!

home is where the heart is.

Ok, I love Snoop. I love NZ. 

Put em together:

school's fun

So I'm really enjoying school again. {I haven't liked school much at all since high school...} And it's great to get another perspective (besides AMURICA's) on the world from an academic setting. 

Teachers (no matter what sort of degree they hold) all go by their first names. They are interactive, even with a 300 person lecture hall. They're professional. They talk about beer and things students can relate to.  They care more about your learning than your test scores. They do not give petty assignments for the sake of grading.  They are really prepared for class.  And, they treat you like an adult. I love it here!

Anyways, I am taking a couple marketing classes, a geography class, and a maori studies class. All of which I enjoy!  And I've decided to start sharing some of the gems of class time...

Here's just one of em:

GGG new purchase

So Erin, Lindsey and I have started our own sorority to rationalize our sorority poses and occasional girly or gangster-like obsessions. GGG. Gangsta, Glitter, Girls. any order, really. Started one night in our adopted home: erin's flat when we were tired and giddy and covered in glitter... 

Well tonight, we bought our first car!!! Meet the cockroach. $1150 in an intense bidding war. 

I'm sure you'll have pictures to complement the description, but for now, here's the listing:  

Number plate:	XX6897
Kilometres:	181,850km
Body:	Silver, 5 door, Hatchback
Fuel type:	Petrol
Engine:	1500cc, Automatic
Import history:	Imported
Registration expires:	This month
WOF expires:	Jun 2012
Stereo description:	Cheapie job from The Warehouse - cassette, aux in, AM, NZ FM frequencie­s but dodgy reception.
Features:	Air conditioning

I call it "The Cockroach" - ugly as hell but would survive a nuclear holocaust. 

This car will get you laughed out of a muscle car meet. It will never be featured in NZ Performance Car. If you drive it in Christchurch's famed "NO CRUISING ZONE" on a Friday night, you will not get stopped by the cops cause nobody would be caught dead "cruising" in this. 

Owning this car will not help you pick up sexual partners... well, it'll definitely help in the sense of being able to collect them from one place and drive them to another, but the car itself will not engender uncontrollable feelings of lust in prospective mates. 

Also, the shape is pretty ugly and box-like. 

On the other hand, the engine's been solid as a rock for 180,000 km and counting. Yes, it's failed warrants, but they've been on things like tyre tread, little spots of rust, and water behind the brake light shield. The front brakes did go a bit dodge last month, but I got them fixed up - brand new hose and pads. 

It can carry a metric shitload of gear for such a small car. Past examples: 
- 2x double basses, 2x stools, 2x people and 2x lots of luggage. 
- My entire life's belongings when moving AKL-WLG then WLG-DUN. 
- A funk band's worth of instruments, drum kit excepted, AND a small PA. 

Another advantage is its utter lack of appeal to thieves and joyriders. Serious, it was parked on-street when I lived in the Wellington ghetto (Newtown) for three years - including just round the corner from the Satan's Slaves gang house - and it never once got broken into. It's that unappealing. 

Fuel economy is pretty sweet too - I can get between Auckland & Wellington on about 55 L of petrol. It's a light-weight car; much zippier than a 1.5 L engine would indicate. 

I am reluctantly parting with The Cockroach since I'm now on a lecturer's salary and no longer have to own a poor student's car. However, if YOU are a poor student, this is perfect! Flick me a text. My name's Robbie. 

athens: old school

Rewind to the year 1947 and this is what you might expect in Athens, GA


 

day in the life

While most everyone else I know is back at school at this point, starting spring semester, I'm still home. #winning.

My days look something like this:
7 Wake up
put on grungy barn clothes
feed hungry horses – you would've thought they haven't been fed in dayyssss
put heavy barn door back on hinge
scrub freezing water buckets
situate blankets – take off. put on. put on. take off.
realize food is nearly out. make a trip to alpharetta [or find someone like mom to do it :) ]
2:30 squash lesson. runs late per usual
shower and change. quickly
4 [supposed to be babysitting] run by barn to feed again
4:30 finally get to babysitting
jump endlessly on trampoline
get pinched
play silly card games
be a bigger kid than the 3rd grade girl i'm supposed to be supervising
8 her mom releases me!
run back to barn to finish up barn chores
9:30 home again, home again.
dinner {still trying to stick with the cleanse too!}. shower. BED!!!

oh the places you'll go

I want to go to Burning Man some time in my life... Yes, the people are a bit nutty, the atmosphere a desert, and everything kinda dirty, but I think it'd be a hell of an experience.

I also love Dr. Suess. Le duh. 

So combine the two... and here's the product:

Also some good words of wisdom as we start a new year!

uh oh

This summer, I checked off an item on my bucket list: bungee jumping.  I jumped off the bridge at Victoria Falls, plummeting 111 meters over the rushing zambezi river.  We had a running, not-so-funny joke among the group about what if the bungee rope broke... 

Well, last week it did. A poor Australian girl fell into the river at about 20 meters above the rushing water.     With her feet still bound to the cord, she swam to the shore and lived to tell the tale.  "It was quite scary because of a couple of times the rope actually got caught on some rocks or debris," she told an Australian TV network.  She would swim down to dislodge the rope and free herself.  Wow.

year in review

Every new year, our family does a "memories of _____" and "wishes for _____."  It's so fun to reminisce the next year and do it all again. So, here we go:

began 2011 in Watercolor, FL with dear family and friends. returned to school only to have a snow storm and school be closed for a week. played in the snow.  February was filled with good food including SYFAS. went on my first GORP trip as a participant to ski in NC which resulted in me now working for them. turned my dorm room into a craft room. my family came to visit. In March, I visited Ali in Baltimore. skied yet again- in Winter Park this time. hosted dinner parties.  I had a visitor from japan.  April brought a GORP backpacking trip to Springer Mountain. more arts and crafts. Bear tore up mom's hand. went to Asheville for a weekend getaway and some Panic dancing fun.  Charlie and Randy set out on the AT. babysat a bunch of 'grown' boys at the Steeplechase.  May: exams. said goodbye to my freshman year roommate. celebrated mother's day. South Africa. played teacher- more or less real life. sea kayaked in the Atlantic.  Spent June shark diving in South Africa. Nate got is driving permit.  Saw zimbabwe, botswana, zambia. bungee jumping. safari rides. tanzania. mom and I climbed Kilimanjaro. We slept in tents in the Serengeti where we woke to lions roaring. saw the big 5 plus some. July took me back state-side. spent lazy days at the lake. went to the climbing gym quite a bit. had wisdom teeth pulled. ate peanuts at Braves games. In August, we had friends from Ireland visit. took road trip to Michigan. prepare for Ali and Bevan's wedding.  picked berries. went back to school. joined a sorority- KKG. Ali and Bevan's wedding. GORP staff training expedition. moved into an apartment with Katie.  September wandered NYC with Bozz. cheered on the dawgs at football games. woke up all too early for tailgates. cried at Quiet Heroes. danced til our feet hurt at Music Midtown. officially a kappa- big/little reveal and initiation.  In October, I made lots of granola. continued struggling through jazz. spent a weekend in the NC mountains. Katie and I embarked on an impromptu weekend getaway in the mountains. the all-blacks won the rugby world cup.   I survived Ga/Fl weekend in St. Simons.  Katie decided, in November, to move to Colorado to be a ski bum for the winter. Bozz got into UGA. Katie moved. Colorado Browns and the family came for a football game. family trip to MI for thanksgiving. I turned 20.  I survived jazz. In December, I prepared to be reunited with Katie. survived all-nighters in preparation for exams.  played in a squash tournament in atlanta. said goodbye to katie's and my apartment. Charlotte and I ventured out to CO. shredded the gnar. watched GNAR yet again. went to nashville to get into the holiday spirit.  celebrated christmas with just the 4 of us. at home. – a first, I believe. was an honored guest at Liz's Deb ball.

And finished off the year dancing away to Reptar at the Georgia Theater!!

Now, wishes for 2012...
In about a month I will be jet-setting across the world to study in New Zealand, so on that note, I wish to fall in love with New Zealand. document my life abroad- and share some of it with yall. do something for me everyday.  take a fun trip with somebody. laugh. start AND finish art projects. work. play. and i wish to ride this year–I've really missed it.

For others in my family?
take a cool trip. find challenging work. focus on being happy. count blessings.

So long, 2011. Let's go, 2012.

joking matters

We have an ongoing battle in the Offutt household of leaving empty containers in the fridge for the unfortunate next person.  This usually results in a) yelling b) an empty OJ carton under your pillow c) the container thrown outside d) a lot of blaming and e) doing it again whenever possible.

Nate and I decided to take it to a new level and filled the empty OJ carton with milk/water/food coloring. I about puked at the thought of it.

Let the shenanigans begin!

check

Even after a (somewhat) restful Thanksgiving break, I feel exhausted. The next couple of weeks... daunting...

But check one item off the list! I finished and performed my transcription of Miles Davis' solo in "So What." It wasn't my best rendition; but, it's over.  It's been a loooong, painful process, but I'm finally done with it! This semester–long project involved a lot of time listening to it over and over and then time spent at the keys {mostly at the keyboard in my apartment with some not–working keys. frustrating.}

{the solo is from about 1:30 to 3:25}

now, onto the next items on the list... {I think I can. I think I can.}

But let me leave you with a little something we talked about in class today:

{2 of my favorites together: Panic and Trombone Shorty!}

fast forward to about 4:00 for some real blowing of the mind

grace

My solution to riding a bike with a skirt: safety spandex.  

But I suppose this girl's a bit more graceful:

funday quote

I was at the beach this weekend. Frat Beach / the world's largest cocktail party, to be exact (but more to come on that matter).  Being at the beach reminded me of this lovely quote:

I also recently came across this story {a story of a surfing couple, the Goodwin's and their travels around the world}:


The Goodwin Project from Avocados and Coconuts on Vimeo.

So awesome!

things

Remember the 99 foot rope swing?

Well Mike Wilson's back at it. in Bermuda:


Trip Of a Lifetime - Cliff Diving In Bermuda from Shreddy Times on Vimeo.

funday quote

So, New Zealand's All-Blacks won the 2011 Rugby World Cup last night, beating France 8–7!

"Subdue and penetrate."

 - The motto of the All-Blacks

"New Zealand rugby is a colourful game since you get all black ... and blue."

- Anon

Makes me even more excited about going there next semester! (hopefully!)

i miss art.

I went home recently and got to see my mom's birthday present all put together! We redid our deck this summer and I salvaged some of the wood, added a white-wash, and attached some black and white pictures from Africa this summer.  And then we hung masks (Grandma gets Nate a mask wherever she goes–from all over the world) alongside the boards. Check it out:

I also finished an art project I've been working on for a little while...

only in africa

I know I've proclaimed my nostalgia for africa a lot recently, but one last post, please.  

Check out this mountain biker:

find what you love

It should not be new news to you that the one and only Steve Jobs passed away yesterday :( at the age of 56 after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer

I have to admit, it isn't until now with an abundance articles and stories of Steve Jobs that I have a newfound love for the man and his love for creativity and specifically, typography.  I love Apple. I love those little Pixar short films. Steve Jobs, you will be greatly missed.

So, please take 15 minutes out of your busy day and watch this commencement speech at Stanford from 2005:

click here for the text of his speech

I was so tempted to just copy and paste the whole speech... but I love this quote in particular:

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart... Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

STAY HUNGRY, STAY FOOLISH

Wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun.

Ernest Hemingway said of Kilimanjaro: "Wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun." 

Please go check out this super cool presentation by Arcteryx of Mt. Kilimanjaro!


Some cool excerpts:
• After the Germans ceded their East African holdings to the British in World War I, Tanzania gained its independence in 1961 and the highest summit was renamed Uhuru, meaning "freedom" in Swahili.
• repeat photography shows that some glaciers have shrunk by 40 percent between 2000 and 2007.
• The Chagga were driven into hiding around Kilimanjaro several centuries ago by the warlike Masai, in turn forcing a race of pygmies over the mountain and into Kenya.  {both of our guides are from the Chagga tribe}
• In Chagga territory, the reverent sleep with their head toward the mountain and bury their dead so aligned
•lead more than 28,000 climbers up the mountain each year.
•Slowest ascent, Dr. Hans Meyer: 6 weeks; October 5, 1889
• Fastest male ascent, Bruno Brunod: 5 hours, 38 minutes and 40 seconds; 2001




Reading this whole thing made me tear up, remembering all the memories gained this summer on the mountain and Africa in general.