Mind of the Wonderful

Another trance CD I have unearthed from my music archive is Blank & Jones' 2004 album Monument which features three gems, the best of which is "Mind of the Wonderful" with vocals by Elles de Graaf. This wall of sound track sounds great and successfully builds the tension longer than most. 

Graphic of the Day - 2016 Presidential Election

Courtesy of Metrocosm.com (all rights reserved).

As we leave November, 2016, it occurs to me that I never did post here this rather fascinating graphic of the 2016 U.S. Presidential election nationwide results by county so here it is tonight. Note, the red counties (representing counties won by Donald Trump) are almost exclusively rural with some suburban, whereas blue counties (representing counties won by Hillary Clinton) are almost exclusively urban or suburban counties. It is also worth noting that the Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by over 2.3 million votes or 48.1% vs. 46.4% overall whereas Donald Trump won the Electoral College, 306-232, with 270 needed to win.

Sky Falls Down Again

Recently, I have taken to pulling old trance CDs out of my music archives and listening to them on my car stereo. Trance Nation Future released in 2003 has revealed three gems I had entirely forgotten about with one of them being the 2003 Armin Van Buuren remix of OceanLab's 2002 track "Sky Falls Down" with haunting vocals by Justine Suissa. This is wonderful classic trance from the golden age of the genre. To enjoy the equally goosebump-inducing 2008 Roger Shah remix of the same OceanLab track, visit my 2011 post titled "Here On Earth & Sky Falls Down." The song "Sky Falls Down" is not to be confused with Dash Berlin's 2009 gem "Till The Sky Falls Down."

Jefferson's Prescribed Fire

This rather gripping illustration accompanied a year-old tongue-in-cheek article in the satirical news publication The Onion entitled "Study Finds Controlled Washington, D.C. Wildfires Crucial For Restoring Healthy Political Environment." I see connectivity between it and the below satirical Cthulhu political campaign meme. It seems to me that both of these images reflect the Jeffersonian sentiment that "a little rebellion now and then is a good thing." The broader version of the 1787 quote in which Thomas Jefferson is referring to Shay's Rebellion goes: "I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical."

A Funeral Like No Other

This is the full, uncut, alternate funeral scene in the highly underrated movie Alien 3. You never saw this in the theaters or regular CD/Blue-Ray. I feel it is one of the most emotionally powerful and tragically beautiful and spiritually symbolic and forebodingly ominous movie scenes ever.

Greatest Trance Track Ever?

While listening to the 2003 CD Trance Nation Future,which I recently pulled out of my music archive, I rediscovered this aurally overwhelming 2003 Ferry Corsten remix of Push's great trance track "Universal Nation" released in 2002. I consider it to really start at the drop at 2:19 mark..... from that point on crank up the speakers and imagine a nocturnal laser light show synced to this track. Some opine this is one of the greatest trance tracks ever from the classical period.

Picture of the Day - Reid-Hamilton House at Night

Last night, using my iPhone-4, I shot this image of the historic 1903-built Reid-Hamilton House at 1301 Chestnut Street here in downtown Paso Robles. I walked my dog Tequila past this place both last night and tonight. It was damaged by the 2003 San Simeon Quake and condemned as a consequence and sat abandoned and crumbling for years thereafter. A couple of years ago, money has been poured upon the place expanding it well beyond its original footprint and design turning it into something much more grand than the original. Although this was not a restoration of the old place, per se, I'm pleased to see it stay alive even if in a new and more enhanced incarnation. The construction seems to be complete and landscaping was recently completed as well, using stones from the original building in the landscaping for retainer walls and such. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Graphic of the Day - Iceman Leaveth

Image courtesy of The Economist

Note: click on image for enlarged view.

Picture of the Day - Judd's Powerpoint

Tonight I attended the final normal meeting of the Santa Lucia Rockhounds this year. Next month will be a Christmas Dinner and new officer installation meeting at the Culinary Academy here in Paso Robles, CA. I was tasked with providing a speaker for tonight's meeting and I was honored to have my history mentor Dennis Judd give his famous and popular Hearst Castle/San Simeon presentation. He gave this presentation to this club several years ago, but I missed it. Consequently, I was overjoyed to finally see it, although much of this I had seen presented in his History of California class at Cuesta College which class I took in 2011 (and in it earned an A). Tonight I operated Dennis' Powerpoint presentation and during which I snapped this image of his Julia Morgan panel. Afterwards, I indulged in a sanity-saving bread-breaking with Judd and Ron, both friends with whom I have coffee every week. Oh, and yes, Dennis did bring his famous blue-green jade cobble from the Big Sur Coast to show off once again. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

My 11/20/16 SITREP

Today I learned some things. Church was good. I got a decent sermon out of New Day Church pastor Brad Alford whose church now shares my church's building (North County Christian Fellowship Church) here in Paso Robles, CA. Today was held a joint service of both churches. Pastor Alford discussed reconciliation which I need to make with myself still it seems as I was reminded this morning.

This morning I finally recognized that my heart has been being grieved throughout this quarter by some of the curriculum I'm being taught in the Education Department at my university. Some of these ideas come straight from Hell. I recognized this from Day One, but did not realize until today that it has been adversely affecting me. It is one thing to teach unconditionally treating people with decency and respect and sensitivity whom live in ways that are strange to us or with whom we disagree. That is right and just and decent and Christian. Concerning that I can agree with it wholeheartedly. However, where they are indoctrinating us to change how we think about certain foundational things into new ways of thinking of those things such as are contrary to sound doctrine and natural law, I cannot accept. Then there is all the political correctness I am required to endure this quarter in particular parts of the curriculum.

Then there is the matter of the structure and content of my classes which thus far leave something to be desired. We are being swamped with too much coursework that aside from the useful stuff of which there is admittedly much, there is in some other cases information and coursework that is at best useless or worse, damnable. My heart has been grieved all quarter long and it has affected my performance. Now I fully recognize why and it is a relief to my soul and mind.

This is on top of the disruption to my life caused by the struggles of Loved One. That person is in a Renaissance of sorts now for over 40 days. However, much damage is now already done to me. I have had the mental-emotional pins knocked out from under me. I am learning to trust again. I seek to find rest in my heart while regaining my mojo.

On top of all that, I'm dealing with the annual appearance of my mild S.A.D. as Autumn deepens towards Winter. Only just this past week did I recognize that this has returned and consequently I can now manage it.

Unfortunately, I'm now behind in several assignments and getting some zeroes on things. I am concerned I will not pass this quarter in all my classes and flunk out of the teaching credential program. God, please help me!

Tomorrow I plan to work my ass off at home getting caught up while I also recover from a mild cold I picked up late last week. Whatever happens, God is with me, even if I do flunk out. He will still love me and have use for me. I will focus on the things I can control and not worry about what I cannot control. This is my choice, this is my power, such as it is, with all its limitations.

Revisiting Pac-Man

Tonight I attended the 50th birthday party of a friend I have known for about 16 years. This wonderful party was held at Pear Valley Winery on the East Side of Paso Robles, CA. I did not know most of the people there but did socialize with those I did know. Aside from the fabulous venue and catered meal and homemade/home-prepared desserts, was a classic Pac-Man arcade player belonging to the birthday boy installed for the guests to enjoy.

I spent a lot of time on it given my relative stranger status with most of the guests. Guess whose high score that is?
I achieved it in only my second game and then got sloppier after that.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Cliff's 2016 Annual Tailgater

This morning I attended Cliff's annual Santa Lucia Rockhounds' rockhound tailgate sales event in Wellsona, just north of Paso Robles, CA.

I am at a point in my life that I'm getting rid of rocks, not acquiring more of them. However, today I found some really cool stuff in club member Jim Mills' booth at left.

These two specimens of Lower Permian (265 m.y.o) petrified wood are from near a petrified forest in Araguaina, Brazil. This particular wood was scorched when it was still organic prior to its petrificiation.

Miocene-era (14 m.y.o.) petrified wood from Badger Flat, Virgin Valley, Humboldt County, NV, showing signs of brown rot fungus destruction from its pre-petrification days. All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

First & Only Übermensch

Diogenes of Sinope was an iconoclast, contrarian, shit-stirrer, square peg, misfit, early Cynic philosopher, and perhaps a bit of a nut. He certainly the sort of Free Spirit still celebrated in the West where Hellenistic ideas changed the way people think and talk about things and what they value and thus essentially how they live, especially since the Renaissance, and which continues to this day.
Notes:
*Click on image to zoom in so that small print can become legible.
**Cynicism has changed in meaning from the days of Diogenes to the Modern Era.
*** Übermensch means "super-man" in German and refers to a superlative man concept conceived by Nietzsche.

In Mother Russia Cartoon Attacks You

There yet may be hope for Russia as evidenced by this short segment captured on a dash-cam either of a road-rage incident or a staged facsimile thereof. Either way, I don't care; this restores my faith in the Russian people. Note the clown-car way in which the characters amble out of the mini-bus and shuffle around the corner to confront the challenger. 

Faces of Human History

I saw this on Pinterest (yes, I'm on Pinterest but not very often) and was drawn to its profound beauty, mystery, and wonder. These are faces of human history frozen in the current generation of young women scattered across the globe. However, these visages record the story of human migration, hybridization, and adaptation going back 60,000 years give or take. I could not determine the author of this image.

Awakening

I recently pulled out some old trance CDs from my collection and popped them into my car's CD player not knowing what to expect, as in would I even like this stuff anymore? Questioned answered in the Dutch trance group Rank 1's 2002 hit "Awakening." This Cosmic Gate remix, which I found in the 2003's Trance Nation Future, must be played LOUD!

Supermooning

This morning in the 5 a.m. hour local time, the largest supermoon in 69 years reached fullness. Consequently, when I viewed it last night and tonight it was just before and just after the actual fullness of moon being achieved. Both nights offered up splendid views of the supermoon that was the subject of intense photographic pursuit around the world. Below are my two favorite such images, one from last night and one from last night or tonight both of which I discovered on Twitter.

This image was captured last night by Bill Hunt.
Mr. Hunt tweeted about this image: ".... shot by cell phone through a new @ExplScientific 12-inch Truss Dobsonian."

This image was taken tonight by Kris Smith. It features the International Space Station passing in front of the supermoon.
To me it looks like a Tie Fighter! 

My Negan

Last night, comic genius Dave Chappelle hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time and made quite an impression. Most notable of the skits in which he appeared was this spoof of the recent current season premiere (now nearly iconic and viewable HERE) of The Walking Dead wherein Chappelle satirizes the role of Negan, the newest uber-villain on the show (Seasons 6-7) easily making us forget The Governor (Seasons 3-4).

College Course Count

I recently noticed somebody on Linkedin included all their college courses completed. I am doing the same as I treat my Linkedin account as a sort of resume. Here is what I came up for my college career collectively at both Cuesta College (97 units completed) and Cal Poly (91 units completed with 19 being taken currently). It is worth noting that some of the Cuesta College classes listed were taken back in academic year 1989-1990 such as Art, Chem, and Journalism.
*Italics for classes in which I'm currently enrolled.
**Last updated 12/20/16

Cal Poly Classes Completed or Currently Being Taken:

AERO 310 (Air & Space)
DEV 10 (Subject Early School Start)
EDUC 300 (Historical, Philosophical, & Social Foundations of Public Education)
EDUC 412 (Access to Learning in a Pluralistic Society)
EDUC 414 (Curriculum & Inquiry in Public Schools)
EDUC 416 (Literacy, Language, and Culture in Content Area Classrooms)
EDUC 418 (Culturally Responsive Teaching in Diverse Classrooms)
EDUC 447 (Secondary Field Experience in General and/or Special Education)
EDUC 469 (Part-time Student Teaching)
ENGL 339 (Introduction to Shakespeare)
GEOG 150 (Introduction to Cultural Geography)
GEOG 301 (Geography of Resource Utilization)
GEOG 308 (Global Geography)
HIST 100 (Introduction to the Study of History)
HIST 214 (Political Economy of Latin America & the Middle East)
HIST 303 (Research & Writing Seminar in History)
HIST 304 (Historiography)
HIST 317 (Lure of the Sea)
HIST 322 (Modern America)
HIST 336 (Britain at War: The British, the Americans & the Struggle for Freedom)
HIST 350 (The Scientific Revolution) 
HIST 354 (History of Network Technology)
HIST 421 (History of Prostitution)
HIST 424 (Organizing & Teaching History)
HIST 425 (Social Sciences Teaching Practicum)
HIST 433 (History of the American West, the Southwest Borderlands, & California)
HIST 442 (Topics and Issues in Latin American History)
HIST 460 (Senior Project I)
HIST 461 (Senior Project II)
NR 308 (Fire & Society)
SCM 335 (Nuclear Science & Society)
SPAN 103 (Elementary Spanish III)
SPAN 201 (Intermediate Spanish I)

Cuesta Classes Completed:

ART 200 (Art Appreciation)
BIO 220 (Environmental Biology)
CHEM 210 (Introduction to Chemistry)
COMM 201A (Public Address)
ECON 201A (Principles of Macroeconomics)
ENGL 57 (Writers Workshop)
ENGL 201A (English Composition)
ENGL 201B (Introduction to Literature/Critical Thinking)
ENGL 231 (Creative Writing)
GEOL 212 (Geologic Hazards, Man, & the Environment)
GEOL 210 (Physical Geology)
GEOL 220 (Geology of California)
HEED 202 (Health Education)
HEED 204 (Standard First Aid & CPR)
HEED 208 (Multicultural Health)
HIST 203A (History of World Civilizations - Antiquity to Early 16th Century)
HIST 203B (History of World Civilizations - Early 16th Century to Present)
HIST 204A (History of Western Civilization - Ancient Middle East through Renaissance)
HIST 204B (History of Western Civilization - 1603 to Present)
HIST 207A (History of U.S. - Colonial to 1865)
HIST 207B (History of U.S. - 1865 to Present)
HIST 210 (History of California)
JOUR 201A (News Writing & Reporting)
MATH 07 (Prealgebra)
MATH 123 (Elementary Algebra)
MATH 127 (Intermediate Algebra)
MATH 232 (College Algebra)
POLS 202 (U.S. Government & Politics)
POLS 206 (Comparative Government)
SOC 201A (Introduction to Sociology)
SPAN 201 (Elementary Spanish I)
SPAN 202 (Elementary Spanish II)

Pepper Tree Ranch in Four Frames

This afternoon into this evening, my brother-by-another-mother, Mike, and I worked a wedding at Pepper Tree Ranch in the Edna district of unincorporated San Luis Obispo, CA. As you might recall HERE we first worked here last summer and it made quite an impression upon us. Since that time owner Darren has made more improvements to the facility.

Since last July, Darren completed building this pond and the wedding ceremony structure seen above.

Darren is incredibly gifted in metal work and finding ways to incorporate metal work into various elements of the property including this new water fountain adjacent to the new pond.

Above shows more of the iron work structures in the new pond inclusion. Also visible are the new couple getting photographed on a rock after the ceremony but before dinner as the sun set.

This highlight of this venue/property is the tree house pictured above. All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Best Trump Explanation Yet

The satire of Brit Tom Walker as exasperated news reporter Jonathan Pie explains the Donald Trump White House victory best. *NOTE: NSFW due to expletives not deleted.

Picture of the Day - A.A. No-No

Up the alley across the street to the north of St. James Episcopal Church which graciously hosts many Alcoholic's Anonymous and other twelve-step program meetings exists this open display of contempt for sobriety resting on a wall. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Picture of the Day - Autumnal Altocumulus Sunset

Late this afternoon into early this evening I hiked out on the east side of Santa Margarita Lake off of River Road near Pozo, CA. This was the first time in years I hiked there at eventide and it was magical with a dramatic sky filled with altocumulus clouds. In keeping with the recent and ominous trend of ever-warmer temperatures, the weather on this eleventh day of November, even late in the day at dusk, was unusually and unseasonably warm as it has been nearly all of last month and literally all of this month. Last night I had one of my swamp coolers running all night as my house was too warm for me to sleep comfortably. The leaves are starting to fall but only somewhat steadily because of the diminished daylight, NOT due to any overnight cold temperatures. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes

Picture of the Day - Two Hams Hamming

Today while student teaching at Atascadero High School, I espied across the H-Quad a familiar face headed into Mrs. Highland's classroom. It was a sub subbing who was a friend from church I then at that very moment remembered had told me he was subbing this year instead of other duties on campus more relating to the football team. This is Andy and me, two hams hamming, and soon to be two subs subbing. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved). 

They're So Adorable!

Today during my History 424 class at Cal Poly we were interrupted by a tumult outside and paused class long enough to step outside and investigate. To our surprise we observed this overwrought demonstration of youthful, self-important, self-indulgent, ("hey, look at me, look at me") melodrama tinged with the contemporary campus political correctness and Millennial Safe Space mentality.

You crazy kids are really sticking it to the man.

I guess he's not your President if you don't agree with him and on a university campus you have a right to not have your safe space violated.

"Fill-in-the-Blank" Lives Matter has become so de rigueur and dreadfully passé.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Picture of the Day - Eating Crow

This is an excerpt from a couple of days ago from a private Facebook conversation thread wherein I (under the online nomen "Small Hands") dismissed some friends/acquaintances hopes Trump would win as if it was overly optimistic analysis. As it turns out, it was not the least bit over-optimistic and I shall never hear the end of it from those buds. Photo by Stephen "Tiny Hands" Soto (all rights reserved).

Picture of the Day - I Voted

I did it just now at Plymouth Congregational Church. Now I have my babe magnet sticker. 

Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved)

Trump Is Not One Iota Better

What follows are some random comments I have posted on Yahoo Groups today in response to what I view as incredibly wrong-headed opinions about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. I abhor them both and will not be voting for either tomorrow. However, I find the baseline of stupidity and vapidity trends a little bit more Trump's way as far as supporters are concerned. That is not to say the Hillary sycophants aren't capable at times of incredible fetes of cognitive dissonance every bit as impressive as those commonly seen in Trump's "Murica!" crowd.

A) "They are both more of the same. She is owned by Special Interests and is the Corrupted and he IS the Special Interest who owns politicians as he himself has very openly bragged about in the recent past and is the corrupter. They BOTH represent more of the same which is the perpetuation of Elite Values and protection of same.
You yourself in your comments below perpetuate Trumpian mythologies such as "Unlimited Immigration." That does not exist here and last existed here when the U.S. was undergoing Westward Expansion. As for Obamacare, Trump has very publicly very recently supported the concept of Single Payer. He is NOT nor NEVER has been a Conservative. After all is said and done he is not one iota better than she is and strong arguments can be made he is mentally ill or suffers from one or more personality disorders which make him undesirable as Chief Executive and make him a risk with the nuclear codes."

B) "He recently repeated (I actually watched him say it) the urban legend that Hillary got fired from a Watergate Investigation Committee and that has been long-debunked, cut off at the knees. I could go on all night. I mean, he has single-handedly made fact-checkers one of the more popular job descriptions in election coverage... fact checkers even help ratings now, mostly due to Trump given he has a pathological problem with facts and truth. At least Hillary lies when it makes rational sense while Trump's lies don't even make sense half the time."

C) "Bias and tone can be and often are a kind of inaccuracy even when presenting facts such as the Clinton Kill List. I have seen the Bush Kill list and it is just as damning-looking and yet both are inaccurate, not in the facts they present, but rather in how they present them, to wit, in regards to the aforementioned bias and tone they present.

I could match the [author] blow for blow with an equally-damning assessment of the Bush Family or the Reagan Administration, the most-indicted Administration in modern American history. However, just because certain facts are presented in a inflammatory and suspicious-seeming way does not make it objective truth but rather a type of lie. Yes, the Clintons are indisputably corrupt and even more so than the Bush... maybe. Reagan was surrounded by all kinds of crookedness.

The only Red Herring here is Hillary Clinton as used by you to justify the unjustifiable and defend the indefensible.

As for invalidities in the Good Bishop's argument here are a couple before I move on from abject boredom:

He conveniently neglected to mention the Republicans put us through the Ken Starr Investigation which found NOTHING apart from stained blue dresses and such and the Republicans went after Clinton for something that he did that was consensual and private and sexual not a matter of state. The American People rejected the Republicans for that more than they repudiated Clinton's behavior although they disliked both.

He claims Trump is an outsider who wants to clean up Washington. NO! Trump brings his own swamp with him. He cannot clean something up when he himself is abjectly unclean... the guy who won't release his financial records and the lies about why he won't release.

This is an embarrassingly absurd remark: "if Huma Abedin appeals to her sense of duty and advises her to step aside; if Bill and Chelsea admit that her administration will be mired in scandal and tell her to step aside; and most importantly, if the American people say with a loud voice, “Enough! Step down!" How about Trump's family do the same given his unsuitability of temperament and personal and business corruption?

The Clinton Foundation WAS under investigation.... now Republicans threaten to open Congressional hearings next session. The Trump Foundation is under investigation by the New York Attorney General.

Picture of the Day - That's What a Burger Is All About

Last night on the way home from work, my buddy and co-worker Maximus and I stopped at In-N-Out Burger in Atascadero, CA, and picked up some grub. Having had dinner at work some hours earlier I elected to go for a regular double-double instead of my usual 4x4 protein-style. As I was about to commence eating I was struck by how beautiful this particular cheeseburger appeared and realized I needed to preserve its grandeur that I might flaunt it in the faces of readers of this blog whom cannot access the delights of In & Out Burger. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved)

Picture of the Day - Wedding Barn After Dark

The wedding barn at Santa Margarita Ranch tonight where I worked. The Santa Maria Elks cooked the meal and for the first time in my life I experienced Santa Maria-style BBQ sans tri-tip but instead proudly utilizing top sirloin. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Meme of the Week - Pepe of the Cave

Not only is this by far the most clever Pepe the Frog meme to date, it may very well be the most clever internet meme to date, period. It is a hybrid of Pepe and Plato's Allegory of the Cave and the current cultural climate of the United States. Utterly brilliant!

Scripture of the Day - Paul (Rom. 8:38-39)

Last night at my church home group (what I lovingly refer to as my Self-Same Group), the passage below jumped off the page at me and comforted me, not to mention, helped put things in perspective.

"For I know that neither death, nor life's struggles, nor demons, nor spiritual enemies, nor present circumstances, nor future woes, nor any other parameter, nor anything else imaginable shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is centered in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 8:38-39 (McGee-cus ad Absurdum translation)

Graphic of the Day - Rock Cycle

I just spotted this on Twitter a short time ago and could not resist sharing it here as I'm a consummate rock geek. I do not know who created and thus cannot give attribution. It is a wonderful graphical representation of this natural system.

Please Stop Pimping Falsehood!

Dear Facebook People,

Please do due-diligence in researching things before you post them. The abject ignorance some of you demonstrate with some of your posts is utterly appalling. Such falsehoods do harm as they dumb down the public discourse and spread misinformation which confuses the search for truth upon which we should all be embarked.

Sincerely,

Your Skeptical Facebook Friend

Graphic of the Day - Catastrophic Hieroglyphs

This morning on Twitter I espied this cool modern appropriation/reinterpretation of Egyptian hieroglyphs applied to contemporary concerns about impending and ongoing mayhem. It accompanied the fascinating and insightful article "What the ancient past can teach us about the chaos of 2016." Image by Dom McKenzie (all rights reserved).