After the Gold Rush

First post of 2011!

2011-09-07T12:52:00.004+07:00

Yay! Might as well post again. Just started a new school year after a nearly non-existant summer, and am feeling slightly burned out. But what can you do? Gotta feed the beast. Already looking forward to the next break. Hope you all had a lovely Labor Day!

Hitched

2010-11-22T07:32:00.001+07:00

Holy Cow! I'm married now!

Summer Swan Song

2010-08-19T13:26:00.003+07:00

So I've completed another Great American Road Trip - this one, not solo. My brother came along on the first leg, and my fiancée on the homeward leg. We blew out a tire in Idaho, but other than that, things went well enough. Went to the wedding of my old college buddy, Brian Shawn (Your Eye on Dakota Sports!), Craters of the Moon National Monument, Boise, The Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, Theodore Roosevelt National Park (can't get enough!), Yellowstone, and the desert of Utah, where my future mother-in-law was born at one of the interment camps for Japanese-Americans during WWII. That was quite an experience.

Not sure if there will be a road trip next year, as it will be our honeymoon year, so I guess we'll see. Still working on pictures, so stay tuned. But, here's one as a teaser.

The March of the Year

2010-03-10T05:04:00.004+07:00

It is March, so I just thought I'd write a bit. I'd vent about work, but I don't want to get into trouble, so I won't. But, it's budget cut season again, and almost no one is safe. Should be interesting, that's for sure.

This is a story about an interesting happening in Bakersfield. Isn't it fascinating how many of the most virulently anti-gay politicians are busted for things such as this? People like this guy, for example, or this guy.

Anyway, this is a picture of a Pelican I took at Point Lobos on Superbowl Sunday. Enjoy!

Keeping it current

2009-11-01T07:15:00.002+07:00

I haven't posted on this blog in a long time (which seems to be the way I'm starting all the posts that I put on here these days,) so I thought I'd put something up so it doesn't look like I completely disuse it if the good folks at blogspot ever decide to weed out blogs that are "dead". So, it's Halloween, and I'm laying low as I am in the final throes of probably the mildest version of the H1N1 virus (pig flu). I do plan to meet the lovely Sach later (my lady-friend), who two weeks ago took me to Minnesota to see the Vikings hang on to defeat the Baltimore Ravens. She, unfortunately, has been sicker than I have, having my condition with a little Bronchitis to boot. Poor thing.

Anyhow, I look forward to being healthy again, and to some fun weeks ahead. Hail progress!

A little input

2009-02-09T02:18:00.011+07:00

Hello, all! I would like to seek out your input on an issue that has sparked a great deal of internal debate in the CD Luebke mind. You see, for the past month or so, I've been growing a winter beard. I'm starting to consider taking it in a different direction, however, and would like a bit of input on which direction I should take it in. So, I'm posting a few photos of historical and fictional figures who have facial hair that I admire (even if I don't admire all of their actions, which I do not for all of them except for Wolverine and Van Buren,) and I invite you all to make a case for the facial hair you believe I should wear. Thank you!

Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United States

Leopold II, King of Belgium (1865-1909), and asshole supremo

Maximilian I, French-installed Emperor of Mexico, 1864-1867

Wolverine of the X-men

Grigori Rasputin, Russian Royal Adviser and holy man

Joseph Stalin, dictator of the Soviet Union, 1922-1953

Ambrose Burnside, Supreme Commander of the Army of the Potomac in the US Civil War

Let me know what you think - I value all input! Thanks!

Resurrection

2009-02-02T09:37:00.003+07:00

So, yeah, I know, I've not posted on this here blog for a long, long time, and for this, I am sorry. However, when it comes to pictures, this site isn't always the most efficient. On here, I can upload one photo at a time. On Facebook, I can upload up to sixty at a time. Guess which I prefer?

So, instead of putting allllllllll of those photos on here, I am going to give some links, and a few samples.

This is from the Red Bull Soap Box Derby, which was in Dolores Park in San Francisco back in October. Here are the pictures which I took.

Mock Election

2008-11-03T12:46:00.002+07:00

It’s been a while since I blogged on here, and for this I apologize. So, I’m going to change that right now. And I’m going to blog about my favorite topic – my students.

This past week, at the school where I work (which is a high school for emotionally disturbed and learning disabled students) we held a mock election. However, we did it properly – we had actual voting booths, sample ballots, and even the “I voted” stickers from the Contra Costa County elections office, and the students had to come during their breaks to cast their ballots (just as in real life, you must go in to vote on your own time).

Two weeks ago, I started teaching them about everything that was on the ballot, to allow them to make more informed choices. I taught them about all six presidential candidates, everyone running for Congress, State Senate, State Assembly, School Board, and City Council. I taught them about all twelve propositions on the state ballot and the two propositions on the local ballot.

The balloting, for the most part, went well (although one kid blew up at the counselor working the polls with me because she wouldn’t let him cut in line (he called her an “asshole,) and one just wrote “Fuck Voting!” on his/her ballot). While teaching about everything on the ballot, they posed very good questions, and demonstrated quite sophisticated reasoning when discussing the merits of the various propositions. The turnout at the polls was solid – about 67% of the students who were present voted.

For results, Obama took 84% of the vote, Propositions 4 and 8 were both soundly defeated (73% and 65% no, respectively,) 2 passed, and 1a was dead even.

I found this all very encouraging. These students, who are some of the most troubled around, are already demonstrating the qualities of good voters. In fact, I would say that they are better voters than many "normal" adults out there.

Great Western Roadtrip - 2008 - Going

2008-08-09T16:22:00.004+07:00

On July 25, I finished up with summer school, and since I have a month off, I decided to hop in my Mitsubishi and drive east, and not stop driving until I reached my hometown of Bismarck, North Dakota. This is a pretty daunting road trip, mind you - I would be doing it solo, and my car has no cruise control (don't really need that in city driving,) and, according to Google Maps, it's 23 hours and 57 minutes from door to door. Also, I had never been to most of the places in between. So, I did it slowly, making frequent stops, and seeing what the Great American West had to offer. Everything on the way down went pretty well, other than my having a nasty cold, and I had a great time - it made me fall in love with America all over again! So, these are the photos that I took on my way to Dakota. I'll have more from the return trip, which begins in just a few days. Hail Progress!

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My first stop of the trip was at Donner Pass, in Eastern California. In 1846, the Donner Party, a group of 87 settlers from Illinois, were attempting to reach California by passing through here. They were caught in an October Snowstorm at this spot in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and were not able to get out until the spring of the following year. The snow that winter was the heaviest ever seen in the Sierras - it was twenty-two feet deep, marked by the height of the base on which this statue stands. Miraculously, 45 of the 87 in the Donner Party survived in shelters they built. Of course, they survived by eating the flesh of those who had already died. And me? I just got in my car and drove through.

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Reno, baby!

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The University of Nevada-Reno's Stadium

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Nevada Desert

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A green spot along a river in the Nevada Desert

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The Nevada-Utah border.

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As you can see, this casino in West Wendover, Nevada, goes right up to the Nevada-Utah border - not an inch of cusion! Oh, Nevada and its gambling. You can play slots even in the most remote of gas stations.

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In ancient times, there was a large saline lake on this spot called Lake Bonneville in Western Utah, not far from the Nevada border. That has since evaporated, but has left a thick layer of salt (in some places, six feet thick). There's so much salt that nothing can grow - a desert of salt, really. However, for whatever reason, vehicles move faster on the salty surface here, and many land speed records have been shattered at the Bonneville Salt Flats International Speed Way (apparently, people have driven over 600 mph on this site). This is me at the site.

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The highway through the salt flats

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This guy was cruising around on the salt flats.

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In ancient times, salt was the most important of all stragic minerals. Wars were fought over places which produce salt. In Ancient Rome, soldiers were paid with salt (the word "salary" comes from the Latin words Sala Dare, which means "to receive salt." It is also the origin of the expression "worth his salt"). If these ancient rulers had known of the Bonneville Salt Flats, one would have to believe that much blood would have been spilled in efforts to control it.

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I tried to take my Mitsubishi out on the salt flats, to see if I could break any land speed records. Didn't happen, but I did manage to get salt all over my car.

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The Great Salt Lake is down quite a bit these days.

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The Great Salt Lake in Utah

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Brigham Young, as painted inside the Utah State Capitol Building. Notice how none of his fifty five wives are pictured!

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Inside the Utah State Capitol dome

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View from the Utah State Capitol.

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Another view from the Capitol's steps. If you look carefully, you can see the Great Salt Lake in this picture.

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View from the steps of the Utah State Capitol

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The Utah State Capitol

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The Mormon Temple's reflection, as seen in a nearby building

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The Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City

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Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints

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HQ of the Mormon Church - one of Salt Lake City's tallest skyscrapers

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The Organ at the Mormon Tabernacle

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Mormon Temple - Salt Lake City

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The Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City

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Some mountain in Utah

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Utah State University in Logan, Utah

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The view over Logan, Utah, as seen from the campus of Utah State University.

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"I promise you". The playground in Preston, Idaho, where the final scene of Napoleon Dynamite (with the exception of the wedding) was filmed.

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Napoleon's House from the movie Napoleon Dynamite. Sadly, Tina was not there to eat any ham.

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Pedro's House in the movie Napoleon Dynamite.

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This was one of my favorite parts of the drive - I-15 in SW Montana, not long after crossing from Idaho. The road had almost nobody on it, and these mountains were on either side of the highway. Had this forlorn, desolate, but beautiful feeling to it.

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Taken from my car, near the ND/Montana border.

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I <3 my homeland (although not as much in the winter!) Self-portrait, at the border.

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The sun shining on the North Dakota Badlands, as seen through my sunglasses.

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Painted Canyon, ND

2008-08-09T15:33:00.000+07:00

God shedding his light on my homeland. Painted Canyon in North Dakota.

The 4th

2008-08-09T15:20:00.002+07:00

On our Nation's 232nd birthday this year, my cousin, Adam "Flounder" Luebke and I decided that there was no better way to honor our country than to visit one of her greatest landmarks. Being in the Bay Area, that, of course, is the Golden Gate Bridge. Flounder had never crossed the Bridge, and so we decided that the best way to do this was by bicycle. Since I have two bikes, this worked out quite well (although one of them really needs its spokes trued). It was a bit windy and cool, but the fog wasn't too heavy, the bicycle traffic wasn't too bad, and the view was great. These are a few photos of the expedition.

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Water under the bridge, looking toward San Francisco. Every day, more than two TRILLION gallons of water pass underneath the bridge. Hard to fathom.

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Sorry, Flounder, but I had to put up one of you for the family.

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That's the bridge

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After crossing, in Marin County

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Me, on the bridge

Escaping the heat

2008-07-06T14:14:00.002+07:00

About two weeks ago, it got to be really, really hot here in the East Bay. In fact, it was hot in most places - got up to 95 in San Francisco, even, which is unheard of. Here in the Berkeley Hills, it was in triple digits, and in my house, it was even hotter. So, since it was a Saturday, I decided to take advantage of one of the best parts of living in the Bay Area - micro-climates. You don't have to drive terribly far to experience completely different weather. So, I went to the weather page of one of the local TV stations, and looked for the place with the lowest temperature. Bodega Bay, a little seaside town about an hour and a half away, was to have a high of only sixty-two degrees. I decided that was good enough, hopped in my car, and went. I took my camera along, and got quite a few pictures, but alas, the battery died before I would have liked. Regardless, it was really nice to escape the heat, and after an afternoon in Bodega Bay and at Bodega Head, which is a part of the Sonoma Beach State Park, I drove home along the Pacific Coast Highway, which was spectacular. So, it was a great day. Enjoy the pics!

2008-07-06T14:13:00.001+07:00

I believe this is Bodega Head itself. Just after I took this picture, my battery went out. I missed some great possible pics from the top of the cliffs. Oh well.

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Bodega Head cliffs in the background

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Foam, surf, rocks, and sand at Bodega Head

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More rocks, more surf

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It was lots of fun climbing along these rocks

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Lots of Anemone Flowers

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A single Anemone Flower

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More flowers, more rocks

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Flowers and Breakers at Bodega Head

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Another view up the coast

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So lovely - and only sixty-two degrees!

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Yet another view at Bodega Head

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Crashing waves at Bodega Head, as photographed through my sunglasses.

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Coastal flowers at Bodega Head

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Looking northward at Bodega Head

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Heavy surf at Bodega Head

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The Beach at Bodega Head

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Fishing Boats in Bodega Bay

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Fishing Boats in Bodega Bay

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Crab traps.

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The Marina at Bodega Bay

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One of our neighbors in Kensington. Taken in May in my back yard.

Goin' to California with an achin' in my heart - one year later

2008-05-26T10:15:00.002+07:00

So yesterday, my loyal readers, marked the one-year anniversary of my flight from Bangkok (via Hong Kong) to California. To celebrate, I took my brother and sister-in-law out for dinner in Lafayette, since they were nice enough to pick me up from the airport one year ago.

Reflecting on this year, there were ups, and there were downs. My career here is still a work in progress, and given another year or so, hopefully things will be even better (and hopefully, the price of oil will at least plateau and the economy can recover, too!) I miss Thailand many times, but in the long run, Cali is the place to be.

I heard a quote on tv in a Dos Equis commerical today that I really like, and plan to start using. It goes: "It's never too early to beef up your obituary." Simply brilliant.

I've posted some pictures from my beautiful back yard in the springtime, as I promised my beloved Mother I would do that some time ago. Enjoy! And Hail Progress!

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The entrance to the back yard

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Orange blossoms.

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Orange ones.

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In Thai, they call flowers "dokmai". In Spanish, "flores". In Japanese, "hana".

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You're a Daisey if you do!

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2008-05-26T09:58:00.000+07:00

Our Orange tree

Pink Slips, Porn Stars, Rats, and Cousins - the last few weeks.

2008-03-15T14:43:00.003+07:00

So the past few weeks have been pretty fun, and at the same time, pretty trying. Just yesterday, I received a notice that I'm being laid off. Thanks, Arnold! (Don't let anyone ever tell you that all politicians are the same, by the way.) I think my odds of being rehired are pretty good, but I still am very nervous and fear the worst.

Despite the proverbial ax looming over my neck on the job front, the last few weeks have been actually pretty fun. I've had lots of visitors. First, my old friend from my days at UND on the Student Senate, Ira Taken Alive, was in San Francisco for a convention, and we met up with Kym and Lars Teppo, and it was a great time. On the same day, I went to see the Wondercon Convention, where one of my co-workers, Age Scott, was showing the comic book that he does. That was pretty wild - see the pictures below. Then, I went back to the Hyatt in Downtown San Francisco to meet Ira again. On the way back, I bumped into the Chinese New Year Parade, and took lots of pictures. Happy Year of the Rat!

Finally, two weeks ago, my cousin Kala Larsen and her husband, Darren, came to visit. In addition to this, my other cousin, Adam "Flounder" Luebke moved to Davis, California. We did all sorts of things - see the pics below (and more to come.) It's always good to have visitors.

Go Badgers!

2008-03-15T14:39:00.000+07:00

With the Teppo family, who also served with me on the UND Student Senate