TAD has released the second generation of their Stealth Hoodie Tactical Soft Shell. The big change seems to be in their new “rhino” fabric. Other than that, some small changes in the hood design, and new cuffs, the jacket doesn’t look to be much different from the first generation, which I’ve owned in ME Green for about 9 months now. I’ve been meaning to write a review of it, but, until I do, suffice it to say that I love it and was worth the money.
Classes started up again last Wednesday. It’s depressing, after all the experiences of the past 3 months to, once again, be forced to place my learning aside and sit in classrooms for months upon months, under the guide of “education”. We’ll see how long I last.
The Fairhaven Folktales of Dirty Dan Harris by Michael Sean Sullivan is a fun little bit of local history. It concerns the life and times of “Dirty” Danial Harris, the sailor and whiskey smuggler who founded the town of Fairhaven in the 1800s. Dirty Dan had a reputation as quite the story teller in his time, this book being the recounting of his tales that were orally passed down after his death.
It was staring up at the sky one day at the NVC that I decided to learn what the clouds meant. So, upon return, I picked up a copy of Basic Essentials Weather Forecasting by Michael Hodgson. The book serves as a short introduction to the topic of amateur weather forecasting, a chapter of it devoted to the science of clouds. The subject, I think, is not for me – a lot of it went over my head (too many big words like cumulonimbus) – but I did manage to take a good deal from the book. I’d recommend it for anyone who spends a deal of time in the outdoors, as the ability to predict stormy weather is a useful one.
The Complete Guide to Lock Picking by Eddie the Wire is something of a classic on the subject. I find that when talking to lock specialists, I’m always referred to it at one point or another. It’s a short book. At only 80 pages, it obviously isn’t very indepth. I found the author to brush over some topics too quickly, and was also lacking in pictures to help reinforce concepts. But all in all, the book taught me a good deal. Now I need to invest in a pick set.
Ragnar Benson’s Survival Retreat: A Total Plan for Retreat Defense is a whacky little book. It focuses on suggestions for locating, building, and stocking fallout shelters for surviving anything from economic collapse to nuclear war. Published in 1983, the book contains a lot of that Cold War paranoia. It does have a number of good tips, though the author has some mental issues he should probably work on.
Riding the Rails by Michael Mathers is a photo essay of riding freight trains in the ’60s-’70s. The pictures are incredible, the stories and interviews intruiging. A recommended read for those interested in hoboing.
Danien Leen’s The Freighthopper’s Manual For North America is a short, concise guide for the would-be hobo. Originally printed in the ’70s, this edition was “updated” in 1992 – meaning he added a couple useful appendices. The main part of the book, though, still feels out of date, mentioning reefers and cabooses. The whole book is only about 100 pages, about a third of that pictures. It’s a nice little manual to blow through in an hour or so, but by no means a replacement for Littlejohn’s Hopping Freight Trains in America (which I’m quickly discovering is the modern bible on the subject).
The book is a little hard to come by. I didn’t have much trouble finding a used copy online, but there’s also a stamp in the back of the book that reads:
ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS UNIQUE BOOK ARE AVAILABLE FOR $8.95 (U.S.) POSTPAID FROM: DANIEL LEEN BOX 191 SEATTLE, WA 98111 U.S.A.
I don’t know if that box is still valid, but it may be worth a shot.
Hitchhiking, to me, has always seemed a rather spontaneous act. Not something that required much technique – find a spot and stick you thumb out. So I was intrigued when I first heard of James MacLaren’s The Hitchhiker’s Handbook. How could someone write a book on such a simple subject? When I learned it was published by the now defunct Loompanics, I had to buy it.
The book turned out to be full of nothing but common sense – I’m still not sure how he stretched it out to 145 pages. On top of that, the author comes off as being a homophobe with not but a 6th grade writing education and a broken caps-lock. One’s time would be much better spent browsing the information found on Digihitch.
Lonesome Whistle is Duffy Littlejohn’s collection of short stories about hopping freights. I found it to be hit and miss – certainly inferior to Ridin’ Free. At times, the tales seem to be more about sex and booze than trains. But it’s another take on the hobo life. One worth looking at, I suppose.
Talk is that camp site fees are being increased. They charge too much already. I prefer finding a nice, secluded spot in a National Forest, but that isn’t always available. And it can be nice to have a bathroom.
In Village Books last week, I happened upon Ray’s Guides: Free Campgrounds in Washington State. The book is a no-nonsense list of free camp sites in the state. I’ve yet to have a chance to check out any of the listed sites, but hope to soon. Ray also has guides for Oregon and Idaho.
Strange to think that Bangkok is under martial law and the Government House surrounded by tanks… I missed all the fun by a couple months. The Army has a reputation of being rather straight forward and the folks to go to when you’re hassled by corrupt police (all the police are corrupt, all throughout the ranks – excepting tourist police, who have no power), so I suppose we should be glad that they’re the ones who decided to take over.
It’ll be interesting to hear what the King has to say.
I’m still on the Embassy mailling list, and just got this:
Attention American Citizens: A group calling itself the Committee for Democratic Reform under the Monarchy as Head of State has apparently seized control of the government institutions in Bangkok and declared martial law. We have seen various reports that the military has deployed troops around key government facilities and other strategic locations around Bangkok. There are no indications of any violence at this point. We advise all American Citizens to continue to monitor the situation closely, avoid any large gatherings and exercise discretion when moving about the city. At this point, we are not advising Americans to leave Thailand; however, Americans planning to travel to Thailand may wish to carefully consider their options before traveling until the situation becomes clearer. The Embassy will continue to follow developments closely. If there is any important information regarding the security of US citizens the Embassy will post it on the U.S. Embassy Bangkok and Department of State websites.
Update
BBC says:
Past couple nights I’ve been riding along the bay at sunset, snapping a few photos here and there.
Guitar Whitey’s Ridin’ Free is a collection of stories about the author’s sixty-some years on the rails. A Seattle native, Whitey started riding during the Great Depression, making him a “cross-over” hobo – one who rode both steam and diesel trains. The book is a wonderful testament to the wandering spirit. Certainly somewhere up there in my top 10. I would recommend it to all.
If it's true that you only go around once, then ,maybe you'd best get at it and do it -- while you still can. You can always go back to school at any age. If you are of the adventurous spirit and feel you should test yourself -- then go for it -- get out there and adventure on life. Go for broke. Go ahead and do it. I would urge you to hop a freight trains while you still can. Never mind where it's going or where you'll end up. Get that first ride under your belt and see how you like it. Get out on the highway, stick your thumb out and see what happens. Forget about a destination, just travel. Hike down some railroad track to the far horizon. Test yourself to see how far you can walk. Try spending a cold night out somewhere without blankets. Peace Pilgrim crisscrossed this country on foot for 23 years, as an older lady, with no sleeping gear. She didn't even wear a coat. Take a vagabond trip carrying a bedroll, but take no money, and take no credit cards. Not even a quarter for the phone. See how long you can hold out. You may be surprised to find out who your friends are. Try floating down some river on a homemade raft, Huck Finn style. Take a job on a boat, any kind of boat or ship as a workaway, never mind where it's going. Try some hellishly hard job of work (physically demanding). See how long you can tough it out. Hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Beat your way through Canada on up to Alaska and try for a job -- any job, with no concern for the pay. Canada and Alaska come about as close as you'll ever get to a "lat frontier." Find your own adventure. Take the risk. Be a dare-devil. Try something new and scary. Try giving your money away. Go for it. Express yourself.
Yesterday’s Dream Science Circus was awesome. Located in a field out near Fairhaven, it was primarily a kid’s show, but I loved it. Lots of wacky people dancing around in the air, a funny ring master, and audience interaction.
Something of an underground Cirque du Soleil. But only $10. And local.
Moving back to the ‘ham tomorrow. I won’t have interweb in my place for probably a week or two, but I’m going back to work sometime midweek so I’ll probably be cruising a bit there. (Not that I would be using State resources for my own, personal use. No, sir.)
I imagine that, with my location, there oughta be some wifi I can hire Harrison Ford to haxx0r, too.
Hopping Freight Trains in America by Duffy Littlejohn is a howto manual for riding trains – a hobo training manual. It’s an enlightening look into trains and hobo culture. At times, the author can delve too deeply into railroad history for my tastes, or become so technical I feel like I’m reading an operation manual for the railroad, but the amount of useful (and generally unknown) information contained in these pages is immense. I highly recommend it to anyone with the slightest interest in trains, hobos, or alternative transportation.
With things going the way they are, hopping trains may soon become a much more viable option for long distance travel. Here’s your introduction.
New voicemail/fax number: 206-350-HACK (4225)
I’ve been needing this for a while. Feel free to leave me messages.
My old SSL cert expired at the end of last month. I had gotten a new one a few months ago, but forgot to install it. It’s up there now, so anybody who uses SSL for any parts of the site will get a new cert warning.
Today I finished reading Boston T. Party’s Bulletproof Privacy. The book attempts to teach one how to live off the radar, but within Civilization. It covers topics such as building identities, anonymous addresses, bugging out, and the like. Published in 1997, much of the information is dated (I skipped the part on airplane travel). Other parts are common sense, but the book does provide a few gems of information. I’d recommend giving it a skim if you’re considering becoming invisible (or would just like the ability to do so).
