Kristen & Joe 10-16-10

Currently editing the video for Kristen and Joe. I had a chance to meet up with them a few weeks before the wedding and I was very excited once I found out how relaxed and chill they were. Kendra was there with me to help out and made working weddings a lot less stressful for me.

As a one man operation, I'm running around back and fourth so much that by the end of the wedding/event, I'm dripping in sweat. Gross. Not this time though, Kendra stayed in the back and helped me by snagging a few of the wide angle shots and pans.

Here are a few unedited screen captures of what was happening at the wedding. Can't wait to deliver this one to the newlyweds.

AT&T Wireless = Hot Salty Garbage

I've absolutely had it with AT&T. I'm a mac user and love my iPhone but I find it a damn shame that Apple decided to go with a company that can't even come close to being able to support the iPhone to it's fullest potential.

For the non-iPhone users out there, imagine this... being able to send pictures from your cellular device via MMS or text message. Sound incredible? Well it's not, it's everyday common practice with all wireless providers and devices. The joke of a wireless provider AT&T, was unable to handle the data load with the iPhone and iPhone users couldn't send MMS/text pictures when the phone first came out. Keep in mind that any other phone on the market with any other wireless provider was able to do the same thing for YEARS!

On a regular basis, I receive and make about 5-10 calls a day. Granted there are those days that no one calls me and I don't even look at my phone but on the average, about 5-10 a day. Out of those 5-10 calls a day, roughly 3-7 of them are dropped and cut short due to poor reception. You can imagine how incredibly frustrating this can be.

The worst part about all this is that I pay $166.00 a month (Family plan with 2 separate iPhones) and can't hold a call in my own house without stepping outside to my front yard. I could go on and on about all the crap I've had to go through to make a call or reconnect a call but I'm completely over it. I love my iPhone but my contract with AT&T is over in October and if I don't get a normal English speaking human being on other end of the line when I call AT&T to bitch and complain about how big of balls they suck... I'm going to get a prepaid phone and wait for another carrier to take on the iPhone.

So on that note I would like to leave you with my final words for AT&T Wireless.



Dear AT&T Wireless,

• Your service is one of the worst I've ever experienced and I would rather have the body odor that smells like the the inside of an old wooden leg than sign another contract with you.

• I have more dropped calls than completed calls which makes me want to head butt your eyes shut.

• You claim that you have the largest 3G network. But it seems that along the Interstate 5 corridor that passes through the biggest and most populated city in Oregon (Portland) I still manage to be stuck on your archaic and slow "Edge Network" and proceed to have even more trouble keeping calls connected. And for that, if I ever find out where your headquarters are, I'll be sure to either urinate on your front door or mail you a box of feces.

Thanks for wasting my time, frustrating the hell out me, and over all, providing terrible service.

Suck my ass you laughable excuse for a company,

Jesse E Tobler

Bikes!

I just got my old road bike up and running and it reminded me of a previous post. A little while ago, I mentioned a cinematographer named Russell Brownley (Russ's website) who did a small piece on a bike company in Zambia called ZAMBIKES. I found out that Russell put out a longer version of the video in more of a documentary style that's actually about the economic and social impact of this company and how it is improving the lives of the people in Zambia.

Amazing work and the bamboo bike frames are pretty amazing. I really want one... alas, damned priorities. Check out the video and don't forget to check out Russ's website too. He does some awesome work.

Zambikes Promotional from Russell Brownley on Vimeo.

Packing It Up

It's finally all coming together. Kendra and I moved to our very own place. Ever since we moved back to Eugene/Springfield we have been living separately at our parents houses. Not something that is easy to do after being out on your own. But at the same time, extremely lucky and thankful for us to have parents that love us unconditionally and allow us to live under their roofs while we try and get our feet back under ourselves.

We've both been working hard and it's all finally starting to look like a house. Painting, ripping up the carpet and discovering beautiful wood floors (why anyone ever covers up wood floors is beyond me), organizing and the like.

I'll have pictures and/or a video up after we are a little bit more organized.

Do Want!!!

Kendra has a huge crush on this videographer/cinematographer named Russell Brownley (Russ's Vimeo Page & Russ's Website) and I have to admit, the man knows his stuff. He produces very professional videos and loves the "Super 8" effect (complete with film burns) almost as much as I do.

Anyway, point being we saw that he did a documentary on a bike manufacture in Zambia called "Zambikes". Zambikes has recently started production on hand building bike frames out of local bamboo. I can't express how much these bikes impress me and how much I want one. I love biking and I love most anything that is handcrafted.... except for wicker anything. I mean c'mon people, find a hobby.

I suggest you watch this video that Mr. Brownley made and check out his website and/or Vimeo page.

Zambikes Preview from Russell Brownley on Vimeo.

*tear* A Dream Come True

Thanks to my friend Curt (curtnova.com) I have been given the opportunity to help a company he works for called Push Play Productions. They were in need of another camera operator and Curt gave me a call. I was thinking that I was going to be using one of their cameras, which is always a joy to use a nice camera but I knew that they didn't own anything extraordinary or anything that I haven't had the opportunity to work with before.

So when I got to the location and saw what cameras we got to work with I nearly wet myself. I had my hands on a Panasonic AG-HPX 500 all day and it was really hard to not smile the whole time. Never really been a part of a real production and it was so much fun. Below I included a picture of the camera I used and YES, I purposefully left the price tag visible.



Best part about this situation is, that I get to go back for three more days of playing with this camera.

Running On Fumes

Lately I've been so busy and stressed that I have done all of the following in the past week:

• Stayed up for more than 48 hours continuously while editing and burning projects to DVD's.
• Found out that my DVD burner and or DVD program is on the fritz.
• Nearly pulled out all my hair trying to figure out where all the memory on my MacBook Pro keeps going. It's only 150GB hard drive but I'm very organized and it seems that it's constantly full and I'm not sure why.
• Had my time and effort volunteered to help out with editing a video project I didn't shoot that nearly ended in disaster due to the aforementioned computer problems.

And all of this while working a 45 hour week at my regular job and being constantly attacked by a bombardment of seasonal allergies.

Aside from being stressed and running on fumes, this last weekend I went with Kendra and two of my good friends Mike and Fletcher to Blair Lake and camped overnight. Needless to say, a case of assorted micro brews and a midnight trip to a nearby natural hot spring is exactly what I needed to recharge for the rest of the week I have ahead of me.

Blair Lake at dawn.

Fletcher pumping Mike full of Giardia.

A peek over the edge of Hell Hole. 200ft straight down.

Our hike out from Hell Hole, we stumbled upon a scene from Lord of the Rings.

Mike decorating the forest.

Busy

What a past month I've had! I have been working a ton and trying pretty hard to focus on getting more video jobs going.

Just a few weeks ago I filmed a Orthodox Jewish wedding and finally was able to finish the editing. Now it's just a matter of getting the DVD menu finished and sent off to the client. The wedding itself was unreal and nothing like your traditional Christian wedding. It was a non-stop party and I was running around from shot to shot. Needless to say I've never been so tired and worn out at a wedding. The bride and groom are a super nice couple and I hope they like what I did and maybe recommend me to a few of their friends. (Shameless self plug)

All this time sitting at my computer editing is starting to actually pay off though. I'm becoming more efficient with my editing and learning new things. I really would like to talk to a few pros to try and figure out some new things or maybe even find a class to help broaden my repertoire.

You can check out the wedding video just below or if your feeling adventurous, just go to my new website HERE. (Huge thanks to the lovely Kendra Handke for whipping up a lovely website for me.)

Eric & Lynne from Jesse Tobler on Vimeo.

I Wish All My Dreams Were Like This Music Video

I am a fan of most music and I am also a very visual person. So when I see a very well done music video, usually regardless of the musical genre, I almost instantly fall in love with that band.

Well this is no exception. My brother introduced me to this band only a few hours ago and I can't stop watching this exceptional music video. I am currently in the process of finding out more about this band named, Romona Falls, but I think they're great.

Watch the video and tell me what you think. (I recommend clicking the link HERE to watch. Apparently YouTube and Blogger don't know how to cooperate very well as you can tell by the poor sizing of the video.)

Weekends and Wallets

For those that don't know, I am a cabinet maker by day and do film/video by night and/or weekends. My point being that currently I am working for a really great guy named Robin.

Robin and I share a love for climbing and he took me to a "top secret" spot in Oregon and it was a blast. While he was climbing and 110% of my attention should have been on him and making sure I didn't drop him while he was 25-30 feet in the air, I decided to take this picture. Much to his dismay. I had a blast until it was my turn to climb and the rain started and didn't let up until we got all the way back in town. Still a fun trip.

Did I mention it was a "top secret" spot? Cause it might be the coolest place I have ever climbed in my entire life and I can't wait to go back.

On a completely different note, I recently found out that an extraordinarily handsome, funny, and talented friend of mine started a blog pertaining to his extraordinarily handsome and fashionable wallet and accessory company by the name of Rouge Empire.

Rogue Empire Blog HERE
Rouge Empire Etsy Account HERE

Below are some of the great items he has handcrafted and are for sale.

Necktie Billfolds

Necktie Key Fob

Topcoat or Necktie Flask

All images courtesy of Rouge Empire.

Jewish Weddings...? Yeah, I Do Those Too.

Just got off the phone with a client and I have the wonderful privilege to film a traditional orthodox Jewish wedding in about a week. The client is emailing me a sort of schedule/program that, supposedly, will have all the information I should need. Yet, she still warns me that it'll be like nothing I've ever seen before. I've been doing a little research via YouTube and Google to hopefully catch a glimpse as to what to expect and looks like quite the party. Needless to say, I'm excited.

The client made it a point to tell me that there will be an open bar as well... let's just say that I just might stick around and keep the camera rolling just for kicks.

Of course none of this would be possible without the recommendation from my good friend and amazingly talented photographer, Joshua Rainey. Please check him out if you have any photography, web design, or hosting needs. The man is simply amazing.

I Dream In Pixels

I was just shown this video on Vimeo and it instantly became one of my absolute favorites. Sometimes I feel like I play way too many video games and at some point I'm convinced that I'm going to start dreaming like this video portrays.

PIXELS: Retro Gamers from addwork on Vimeo.

I can't seem to find any real info about who made it on their Vimeo page but all I can say is WOW!

Ode To GryllsStroudMears

When you think manly, courageous, brave, and fearless, your first thought should probably be Jason Statham, but in a close second should be Bear Grylls, Les Stroud, and maybe even Ray Mears (in no particular order). Being greatly influenced by the shear ruggedness and masculinity of these outstanding examples of men, my good friend Ken and I decided to venture forth into the great northwest and prove to Mother Nature that we can survive anything she can throw at us with nothing more than a knife and the clothes on our back.

• The weather was terrible when we thought of this idea in the comfort of our own homes.

• The weather was terrible when we left town.

• The weather was terrible when we built our lean-to out of nothing more than what the earth provided.

• The weather was terrible when we cooked our hot dogs on the fire we successfully lit in the rain.

• The weather was even worse when we decided after 4 1/2 hours of proving our manliness to head back to civilization.

Basically it comes down to two grown men, going out into the woods and building a fort and starting fires while it was near monsoon conditions. We decided to head back home and not rough out the whole night after it started to snow on us. All in all, a wonderful way to spend your Friday afternoon.

New Video Work

I'll get right into it.

I've been working on building a portfolio and exploring new programs for editing and this is kind of what I've come up with. More to come soon. Keep an eye on my Vimeo page.

www.vimeo.com/jessetobler

After Effects Test 1 from Jesse Tobler on Vimeo.

Sin City Blood VFX Test from Jesse Tobler on Vimeo.

Cocktail Birthday Party from Jesse Tobler on Vimeo.

Mom Dad & Dogs from Jesse Tobler on Vimeo.

Yeah Yeah, I Know, Long Overdue

Well this has been quite the summer. So far I feel like so much has happened and it’s really only half way over. I have been so incredibly busy and really enjoying it. I won’t bore you all with the details of what has happened in the past two months that I have neglected this blog. No, that’s what pictures are for.

First and foremost, if you don’t already know I moved back to Oregon. I stayed at my old place in Springfield for about four weeks and recently have been kickin’ it at Ian, Jane, and Cody’s apartment in Eugene. I'm having a great time and want to say thank you to everyone for letting me use their floors and couches.

Shortly after I moved back to Oregon, I headed back down to the Bay Area and joined Kendra for a Mute Math concert. Mute Math just so happens to be one of our favorite bands and one of the most entertaining shows I’ve ever seen. For example, near the end of their show, the drummer ripped off one of his floor toms, ran and stage dived, had the crowd hold his drum and mic and proceeded to play a wicked solo on this single drum. I just so happened to be in the perfect spot for a picture and posted it up on Twitter. Shortly there after, the band saw what I had posted and ReTweeted my photo. Needless to say, I’m pretty sure I wet myself. Silly, I know.

A couple more weeks went by and Ian, Jane, Kendra, and I went on our annual Smith Rock climbing trip. If you haven’t been to Smith Rocks near Bend, Oregon, I highly suggest that you go. Even if you don’t rock climb. It’s absolutely mind numbing how gorgeous and utterly ginormous it is. Here are a few pics from the trip. All are pretty self explanatory... but for real, go there. Great hikes and it’s. just. freaking. HUGE!

[above: at the top of Smith Rocks, Bend, Oregon]
[above: Jane looking good on the wall]
[above: Ian tearing it up, as usual]
[above: Kendra smoking that route]
[above: And me... looking like a goon]

[above: Ian and me doing our manly duties]
[above: Cheese ball? Yes, I know]
[above: Oh weird... I'm acting like an idiot again]

One early weekend morning, my dear best friend, Zachary and I decided to strap a canoe to the top of Thug Passion and go
fishing. Apparently we are both terrible fishermen because we didn’t catch a damn thing. We did, however, have a great time and found out that there are some of the coolest camping spots on the lake we went to. In fact, the very next weekend was the two year anniversary for Kendra and I and we wanted to go camping, so I took her there.




The only problem with that was, we didn’t plan for the trip very well and after we got the tent all set up, started a fire, and cooked some hotdogs.... we found that we were incredibly bored and extremely thirsty. Yes, that’s right, we didn’t pack anything to drink. Idiots, I know. So after a short debate, we decided to pack up and come back into town where we made some food and watched some Ninja Warrior and Entourage. Not a bad way to end a six hour camping trip if you ask me.
[above: Kendra being bored]
[above: Jesse being bored]

Before Kendra had to go back to Berkeley we went to my good friend Gabe's birthday/graduation party where I found out that an old house mate/friend of mine named Aaron was getting married. I don’t normally like going to weddings that I don’t get invited to but Aaron personally invited me and he’s such a rad guy that I just couldn’t say no. That and I was lucky enough to car pool with Zachary’s family and listen to their daughter sing along with the new New Kids On The Block album. No really... I’m not kidding... she freaking loves it almost as much as her mom does. Probably one of the cutest kids in the world. So thank you Leia for being the entertainment for us all in the car that day.

I bet the wedding was nice but information was relayed to us incorrectly and what we thought was a seven o’clock wedding, was actually a five o’clock wedding. By the time we got there, the reception was nearly over and people had already started leaving. Not a huge deal, because we still got to see a ton of people and Aaron and his new wife Jessica looked amazing.

A few things to finish up here:

• I’m currently working with some of the greatest guys anyone could ask for and really enjoying it.

• I decided to shave my head. I haven’t done it since the 8th grade and I have to say, it’s absolutely wonderful.

• Been going to the lake with my parents on their boat and today Gracie decided to come.

Things are great and they are soon to be even better. On the 13th of August, I’m heading down to Berkeley with a truck and trailer and bringing Kendra back to the beautiful North West. She’s excited, I’m excited, and needless to say, her family is very excited.

Like I said, this summer is only half way over and I can't wait to see what happens next. Things are good and I'm really enjoying it.

There's Giants In San Fran

[pictured above: panoramic shot of Embarcadero, the main waterfront street in San Francisco]

As my last week in the bay area begins, I feel like I’m trying to make the most of it. Like it’s some last ditch effort to hang out with everyone I want to hang out with and go do or see the things that I should have done while I was living here. But then I remember that I’m going to be coming back here only five days after I leave. Kendra and I have tickets to a concert to go watch one of our favorite bands, Mute Math. Even after that, we have camping trips planned throughout the summer and I plan on making it to the bay area at least every other weekend. Especially when we can find plane tickets for forty dollars from places like Allegiant Air.[pictured: Kendra & Jesse in front of AT&T Park, San Francisco]

Well, like I mentioned above, Kendra and I have been making the most of our time together here lately. Today we went AT&T Park and watched the Giants play the Atlanta Braves. As some of you may already know, I’m not a huge baseball fan. Honestly, I really couldn’t care less about it. But, I’ve come to the conclusion that whether it be a professional game or minor league, if I’m sitting in the bleachers with the right people I will definitely have fun.[pictured: panoramic shot from inside AT&T park]

Just so you know, baseball tickets are super cheap. Kendra and I got our tickets for only $10.00 off the the San Francisco Giants webpage. Which was a very good thing because Kendra insisted that she try feeding me some of the ballpark food that we’ve been hearing so much about. I got a hotdog out of pure ballpark tradition and Kendra got the most bomb ass amazing garlic fries. Aside from the food being the usual ridiculously high price that you might have come to expect at an event like this, everything tasted so damn good.[pictured: Jesse about to mow through a tasty dog]

One thing that I was really surprised about was the price of beer. I was honestly thinking that it might be around 5-6 dollars for a cup of beer. I was unpleasantly surprised when I saw a $8.75 price tag on a cup of beer. I’m sure at one of the other concession stands, that might have been dedicated to selling beer, there might have been a cheaper choice but still... $8.75 for a 12oz plastic cup of beer?!?!?! Yikes. I had to respectfully decline Kendra’s offer to buy me one even with the lofty price tag.

Nothing much more to update everyone with other than with the beautiful day it was for the game, my forehead got a little sun burnt. I suppose I could ask everyone about this photo I took while coming home from the game [below]. I couldn’t help but notice this woman, that seemed to be dressed like a mennonite or amish, holding a cellphone and capturing a picture of the streets in San Francisco. Is it only humorous to me or is there actually something a little quirky about this old fashioned woman with a cell phone?One more small update about everyone’s favorite San Franciscan, Super Twat. Kendra has been terribly worried that she would bump into her on her way to and from work and have some sort of “altercation”. Turns out that last week went on with out a hitch and when we were walking up our street back from the game, there stood Super Twat. Just chillin’ underneath a different building, with her rolling backpack.

Kendra and I muttered under breath as we noticed her, “Oh shit.” As if we should expect her to lash out and yell at us about the recent “Flash Flood” incident.

Fortunately for us, Super Twat is bat shit crazy and we think the only thing that she remembers about last week is to not stand on the corner of College Ave. and Alcatraz or she might get wet.

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and enjoyed the sun. I’ll be seeing most of you pretty soon.

It's Raining, But Only On You Ho!

DISCLAIMER:
Names and places have been changed to protect the innocent, but what is stated here is all true.

Here is a little story about a guy and we’ll call him Not Jesse. Not Jesse and his lovely girlfriend... Not Kendra... had been enjoying a stroll around the block to enjoy the wonderful spring air and beautiful green leaves in... Not Berkeley. Just as Not Jesse and Not Kendra were rounding the corner to the entrance of their apartment, there stood the old woman who says terrible things to passers by, loitering at the bus stop. We shall call her, Super Twat (ST).

I suppose I should preface this story by letting you know how much of a rectal wart this old woman is (aka, Super Twat). Since the day Not Jesse and Not Kendra saw her, Super Twat always asked for “a dollar to ride the bus”. However, Super Twat had never looked disheveled or unfastidious in anyway. Granted she did wear pretty much the same thing and always had Not Jesse’s least favorite object known to humankind... a rolling back pack, but she was never dirty or unkempt. Although, only an assumption, it was an educated guess that Super Twat was not homeless.

The problem with Super Twat was that every time Not Jesse and/or Not Kendra declined to make a charitable donation or ignored her plea for some sort of economic gain, Super Twat proceeded to insult the couple and threatened to call the cops. Most, if not all of her disrespectful jabs and aspersions where just that. Usually the two would look at each other in surprise because the last time they checked, coercing someone into giving you money was usually frowned upon.

Before I carry on with the original story, I should also let you know that while loitering at the bus stop, Super Twat diligently tried to board the bus whenever it made a stop only to be turned down. More than likely due to the fact that she had no money. Hence her poor habits in trying to solicit charity.

Shall we continue? Good then.

The moment Not Jesse and Not Kendra noticed Super Twat, they were a bit taken aback. It had just struck them that they have not had an encounter with Super Twat for some time due to her absents. Alas, it was as if the trio hadn’t skipped a day. Not Jesse and Not Kendra made their way to their apartment buildings door just when Super Twat turned and noticed them. Instantly launching a barrage of muttered insults and put downs.

“I’m not the one who is bi-polar, you are. Anorexic bitch. Everyone knows about you. Everyone talks about you. I’m going to call the cops.”

As if Not Jesse and Not Kendra were l verbally fighting back, Super Twat relentlessly mocked and taunted the couple who hadn’t said a word. Not Kendra made her way up the stairs to the apartment with Not Jesse right behind her. Once again, the two caught themselves looking at each other with surprise and bewilderment. A moment passed and they laughed and toyed with the idea of having a squirt gun at the ready so that if Super Twat decided to hang around the bus stop again, they could perhaps score a few shots to the back of Super Twats head out of their second story window.

[pictured, right: the NOT window, which was used]

Low and behold, just after they had finished their conversation, the couple had heard the city bus pull up. As usual, Super Twat tried to negotiate with the bus driver and was once again denied. Upon her denial to ride public transit, Super Twat must have saw it fit to call the large african-american bus driver the N-word, along with other racially slanderous terms.

At this point, Not Jesse wasn’t really paying attention but still entertaining the thought of keeping a water gun at the ready. Not Kendra, on the other hand, was enjoying the entertainment just outside the second story window. But when Super Twat dropped the N-bomb, Not Kendra quickly demanded Not Jesse to pay attention and watch the drama unfold.

From their perch, Not Jesse and Not Kendra watched the bus driver pulled the large vehicle over, opened the bi-folding doors and calmly began to approach Super Twat. With his hands resting on his bulky hips, in a collected voice, the bus driver spoke,

“Mam, if you call me a nigger again, I will call the Transit Police and the authorities will arrest you.”

All the while, through out the bus drivers clear message, Super Twat was in a serious uproar.

“Someone call the cops! This man is trying to hurt me! Quick, call the cops!...”

Finally, Not Jesse couldn’t take it anymore.

“This woman is crazier than a shit house rat.” he said out loud and rushed to the kitchen. There he grabbed the largest pot he could find and began filling it up with cold water. Not Kendra still adhered to the window, keeping one eye on Super Twat and the other on the bus driver.

Soon, Not Jesse had the pot nearly filled and hurried to the window. The bus driver had given his warning and saw no reason to continue the meaningless conversation with the clearly insane woman. He turned his back and reentered the large bus and began to pull off. Just as the bus was rolling away, Super Twat reached for her rolling back pack and was instantly met with 4 liters of cold water falling from the sky.


[pictured, above: the NOT sidewalk moments after the water hit Super Twat. Super Twat not pictured]

“Ha! Direct hit bitch.” Not Jesse snickered and caught a glimpse of Super Twat frozen in surprise right before he slammed the window shut.

Not Kendra was in a state of half laughter and half shock. Not Jesse couldn’t contain himself and was sitting on the couch laughing uncontrollably when Not Kendra heard Super Twat abandon any miniscule shred of sanity she had left. Most of what was heard was completely unintelligible verbal diarrhea but Not Kendra froze when she saw Super Twat flag down a passing by... Not Berkeley Police car. She warned Not Jesse and for a moment, they stood in silence and listened for the conversation that Super Twat was about to have with the Not Berkeley Police Officer.

The officer pulled his car over to the side of the road and began to exit his vehicle. Not Jesse and Not Kendra couldn’t help but notice, that the police officer was another black male.

“They threw water on me!” Super Twat screamed.
“What?” the officer asked. “Who threw water on you?”
“Them! The people up in that apartment!” More banshee like squeals shot from her mouth as she pointed up towards the second story.
“Do you know them?”
“No! But they’re up there right now and threw water on me!!!”

Not Jesse’s heart was in a bit of a race but was relieved to see that the mentally stable have no problem spotting the mentally unstable. The officer turned around and made his way back when Super Twat rifled off, “Stupid black man!”

The officer sat down in his patrol car and began driving away as if to completely ignore Super Twat’s cries for justice to be served. As soon as the Not Berkeley Police Officer was gone, Not Jesse and Not Kendra erupted into laughter and enjoyed the rest of the evening up in their second story loft apartment wondering if anyone else on the busy street below had witnessed what happened. The only regret that Not Jesse had was not having the incident recorded to share with all of his friends and family. To show them the amazing things that he gets to be a part of while living in the... Not The Bay Area.

Couch Surfing In Oregon

It’s my day off and I was really hoping for another hot and beautiful day outside. Apparently every weather man and woman in the east bay thought so too. It’s 3:38 pm and it’s supposed to be 81 degrees today in the east bay. Alas, it’s but only just broke the 60 degree mark and I figured that I should just chill at the apartment and write a blog instead of ride my bike or long board around Berkeley. Ugh.

Well it’s not all bad. With writing this, I can tell everyone the good... slash... not so good... slash... I’m really effing stoked... slash... kinda sad about... news. Now if that made any sense at all, I guess I shouldn’t be wasting your time anymore.

It has come to my attention that I am unable to find a decently paying job here in the bay area and heard that an old employer of mine needs some serious help back in Eugene. And since I am sick and tired of not being able to contribute to my relationship with Kendra monetarily, I’ve decided (after a few phone calls) to head back up north to make some money.

This might raise a few questions and I’m going to do my best as to answer them right now. One question that I got from one of the few that I have told this news to personally was, “Are you and your girlfriend okay?” My answer to this in all honesty, “Never better.” She is an amazing woman and I am so blessed to have her in my life. I made some sacrifices to move down here to be with her and it just isn’t really working out right now so I’ve made the choice to go where the money is. I’m used to working 40-60 hours a week between 2 to 3 jobs. It’s a bit of a financial shock when you go from 2 to 3 pay checks down to one tiny, minimum wage job with only 30 hours a week.

And, I thought this whole “Sugar Momma” thing was gonna be easy. Damn it.

Another question that was asked was, “Where the heck are you going to stay?” I’ll be hijacking Ken’s couch... well, one of his couches. Word on the street is that there is a enough couches in this house to facilitate a mexican family. Also, for those of you that don’t know Ken very well, he is one of my old house mates and good friend.
Shown here is the only picture that I have of my dear Kenneth that is neither

A) Not incriminating
B) Not nude, and
C) Does not question either of our sexual orientation.

Now whether or not B or C have anything to do with each other and the fact that he is planting a wet on me... well, let’s just say that living together with the same guy for nearly 3 years in a small house brings out the best in friends.

*ahem* Back to the questions. “Hey Jesse, when do you actually plan on being back?” To put it simply, I just put my two weeks notice in on Friday the 15th. So my last day will be the 29th and I’ll be there more than likely in the evening of the following Sunday the 31st.

Like I said before, I’m in a state of feeling happy/sad and excited/bummed. I feel like this is a good thing and quite honestly, the only option I have right now due to the lack of jobs around here. It’s definitely hard having these contrasting feelings about something in your life. I seriously recommend that you avoid feeling like this at all costs.

However, I am confident that this is going to work out and I thank all of those that have offered up your extra beds, couches, and back yards to pitch a tent in. It’ll be good to be near the family but you can bet money that I’ll be back to visit my girl as often as I can.

I’ll do my best to bring back some of the Californian sunshine with me. Now if I could get an answer from you guys that’d be great. How the hell did Zach’s mom find out about this before I even told my own parents? I only told Ken and Kolby and planned on telling others soon after, but somehow, Kellie Chambers got ahold of the news. Not that I mind but I swear that woman has got some kind of mental telepathy and mind raped me before I even knew what hit me.

I plan on keeping up on this blog, but I think it’ll be mostly for my bay area friends now. Or at least, until I’m back.

P.S.
Don't forget to click on my meaningless ads on the right. I'm almost a ten dollaraire thanks to Google.

The First 27 Days Of Being 27

Looking back, it seems that the last entry was on my birthday. Nearly a whole month has gone by without updating this little window into my life. My sincere apologies to all of you back home who tell me every time I see you that you check it almost every day. I suppose I could touch on a few things to update you on how the birthday weekend went.

For those of you that don’t know, I have the best friends and the most amazing girlfriend. The plan was for Kendra and me to make a trip to Mt. Diablo for some camping and rock climbing but unbeknownst to me, she had been planning a trip back up north with all of my friends and family. It just dawned on me that this is probably rather redundant for most of you due to the fact that I was the only person that didn’t know about it. So a huge thank you to all my friends and family that know how to keep secrets for all the right reasons and I had a ton of fun.

As you may all know, with birthdays come birthday presents and first of all thank you to Ian and all that pitched in and got me the sickest long board known to all mankind. It’s a Never Summer and it’s fast as hell. My parents supplied me with a new cooler for camping because I can’t seem to keep track of one or somehow it is melted by a huge bonfire, so thanks mom and dad.

Also, a huge thank you to Zachary for building me a new bike. I haven’t picked a name for her yet but but the names “Vivian” and “Esther” keep floating in my head. She is a vintage Trek frame, so I figured I should pick a vintage name. Another thank you to the rest of Zach’s family for having a sweet ass BBQ at their house. I had a blast and most definitely ate too much food.Other than a BBQ, we went and visited all our favorite bars and danced until we could dance no more... or at least until some of us were unable to stand up without assistance.

After Kendra and I got back to Berkeley, the weather decided to make our apartment so hot that we used that wonderful cooler my parents got me as a little indoor kiddie pool while we watched movies.

I’ve been working more here but the more I work at an “upscale” coffee shop the more I become bitter and annoyed with the sense of entitlement that these yuppy pricks think they have. But then I remember that I have friends who shave lines in the side of their head and rock that shit like Vanilla Ice just gave them a high five. Hell YEAH!

I’m sure I forgot something in this much needed update so you can more than likely expect an edit or two to this post or maybe a part two. Also, here are a few photos of the "pre-funk party" while we were up north for my birthday.
Zach, Jesse, and Ian. We're pretty funny actually.

Jane & Kendra. The lovely ladies that can tolerate Ian and me.

Ian & Kendra. Siblings... in case you didn't know.

Jane, Jesse, Zach, Ian, Bryan, & Tiffany. At least Ian looks cool... PSYCHE!

Zach, Jesse, Kendra, Jane, & Ian. Zach left the wifey and kids at home.

And since you are reading down this far, do me a favor and click on a few of the little ads on the right of this post. Try and make Google make me a ten dollaraire.