Updates by weeks.
Slick and hip
upper lip
pointy on the ends
Basically, it was a Mustache Feeling of a Month.
Friday, December 11, 2009
November
I grew my very first mustache.
Updates by weeks.
Slick and hip
upper lip
pointy on the ends
Basically, it was a Mustache Feeling of a Month.
Updates by weeks.
Slick and hip
upper lippointy on the endsBasically, it was a Mustache Feeling of a Month.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Entropy Re-Unites in Oregon
Entropy was once the most powerful force ot be reckoned with in Helaman Halls. That was 10 years ago. Much has happened since then. This is what happened that fateful weekend -
Jensens made Oktoberfest, Matty made calzones, they both made babies a few years back, VooDoo made bacon maple bars, I made a maze with 1200ft of string and the Pequod made it to 100,000 miles.
a 3 day Triumph!
Katie and Matty makin' the 'zones. when we couldn't handle the cannon center anymore or we were hungry at 3am, matty would take us down to the budge basement and wip out a few sweet sassy molassy calzones. 
Some cool falls off the Columbia river Gorge that we hiked to the top of. Katie carried me on her shoulders the whole way.
Jacob, son of jensen, rode this horse all through costco shopping extravaganza. Uncle Sid taught him how to take advantage of all the cool play toys they have on the floor as well as the free samples. 
A cool park with 1 cool slide. Trigger, son of Matty, and Claire, daighter of Jensen enjoyed being sling shotted down by their dads. 
Dads also enjoyed slingshotting himself down the slide.
Voodoo donutes.
Bacon
Maple Bar. Heaven. no really, it was probably the best donut i have ever had. in my life. on earth.
So i decide to randomly and for no apparent reason tie 1200ft of string starting from katie's finger, twining thru the Jensen neighborhood and into a nearby grove. It was fun, even when the neighbors discovered it.
Proof of the Pequods' journeys.Thanks entropy for a weekend of the most delightful chaos.
Monday, November 9, 2009
PINK and GRAY on a Brown & Orange backdrop
I usually like to spell Grey with an 'e'. I'll make special occasion of it since such a one occurred October 9th.
Mutant or Pink, my dear, cute and cool yeah-yeah-yeah little sister, tied the knot with Mr Handy-with-the-Steel-if-You-Know-what-I-Mean, Grayden Ridd, who comes from an equally cool family.
And as with every wedding, it was logistical crazy time with everyone running around trying to keep up and not get left behind. Yeah, verily, we keep to the pirate code.
My favorite moments of the wedding -
Me Mum rode in the boot of the car from Motown to the Cliffhouse in SF balancing the cake the whole way.
Picture time was actually fun. The photographer wasn't picky about balancing family members, i got to keep my long hair and we could do super hero poses and just be Sidwells. All very organic.
The ceremonial passing of the sister to the new family.
Dance Floor at the Cliff house - The only way we know how.
The boquet toss was caught by a man. Coincidentally, he was the only one that went for it.
I also quite enjoyed the sweetheart of a blonde that accompanied me through the festivities.
Mutant and Gray did a most excellent and praiseworthy job with planning and hosting and just being generally awesome all around to their guests and families. It was relaxed and yet classy, fancy, yet affordable, traditional, yet a twist of both of them in it.
Congratulations to my wee sister and her cool new acquisition - a real man.
Mutant or Pink, my dear, cute and cool yeah-yeah-yeah little sister, tied the knot with Mr Handy-with-the-Steel-if-You-Know-what-I-Mean, Grayden Ridd, who comes from an equally cool family.
And as with every wedding, it was logistical crazy time with everyone running around trying to keep up and not get left behind. Yeah, verily, we keep to the pirate code.
My favorite moments of the wedding -
Me Mum rode in the boot of the car from Motown to the Cliffhouse in SF balancing the cake the whole way.
Picture time was actually fun. The photographer wasn't picky about balancing family members, i got to keep my long hair and we could do super hero poses and just be Sidwells. All very organic.
The ceremonial passing of the sister to the new family.
Dance Floor at the Cliff house - The only way we know how.
The boquet toss was caught by a man. Coincidentally, he was the only one that went for it.
I also quite enjoyed the sweetheart of a blonde that accompanied me through the festivities.
Mutant and Gray did a most excellent and praiseworthy job with planning and hosting and just being generally awesome all around to their guests and families. It was relaxed and yet classy, fancy, yet affordable, traditional, yet a twist of both of them in it.
Congratulations to my wee sister and her cool new acquisition - a real man.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
A Kiwi in Los Angeles and into a Galaxy Far Far Away
I knew i was back in Santa Monica as soon as iinoticed the same inner nostril inflammation that i used to get after a long cycle ride up the PCH. I was back and ready to see old friends.
After a brief stint at SM3 FHE, i dropped into the back parking lot to down some cool guy drinks with some of the coolest guys i know, mostly the ones i lived with at 2464. Though now disbanded, the brethren of that flat still shared the camaraderie that brought the mantel of the alpha male, the post HTing scrum and the mighty Kartoffel Panzerfaust!
The next day, Katie packed for our upcoming excursions while i visited every single friend i could find and even had to make some more to full the time until she was done. After singular visits to Jpaul, brother & Rockwell at Digital Domain, where i started my movie career, i caught up with the dear Lynsey Davis and shared wonders of a TimTamSlam, the traditional kiwi cookie challenge. she sucked it up.
Next Radium, where i produced some commercials and hung out with some of the coolest kids in LA for 1.5 years. Matt had a baby, Ian got a husband, Derek had storyboards for his script and they all still wear ties to work every thursday.
Katie finished packing by 930. We drove to Bean's to make an appearance at Jack jack's bday Jedi party.
Little scotty didn't really trust me since he knew me only very briefly before i went down under. too soften him up, i let him play with the stuffed animals in the disney store.
He was happy. Happy as two dozen jedi's being taught by Jedi Master Snuggius. Yes, the Snuggie makes a perfect jedi robe.
Shortly after completing their training of blocks, spin moves and proper lightsaber safety techniques, the skilled Jedi Master was called away for meditation. unAmazingly, in that short expanse, Darth Vader entered scene and challenged each youngling to a duel.
Jack Jack passed the test and was knighted Jedi. 
Then Chewie brought the cake in to celebrate, complete with lava and figurines posed to perfection.
My favorite part - The moms called bethany because they thought their kids were telling stories - they thought it impossible that both Chewbacca AND Darth Vader AND a jedi master could appear at the same party.
That night, to avoid traffic, we drove to Modesto for wedding preparations.
robby played with my ipod for 5 hours straight while jack jack slept to keep me company.
Next up, the real reason for my trip back to america : Anne and Grayden's wedding.
After a brief stint at SM3 FHE, i dropped into the back parking lot to down some cool guy drinks with some of the coolest guys i know, mostly the ones i lived with at 2464. Though now disbanded, the brethren of that flat still shared the camaraderie that brought the mantel of the alpha male, the post HTing scrum and the mighty Kartoffel Panzerfaust!
The next day, Katie packed for our upcoming excursions while i visited every single friend i could find and even had to make some more to full the time until she was done. After singular visits to Jpaul, brother & Rockwell at Digital Domain, where i started my movie career, i caught up with the dear Lynsey Davis and shared wonders of a TimTamSlam, the traditional kiwi cookie challenge. she sucked it up.
Next Radium, where i produced some commercials and hung out with some of the coolest kids in LA for 1.5 years. Matt had a baby, Ian got a husband, Derek had storyboards for his script and they all still wear ties to work every thursday.
Katie finished packing by 930. We drove to Bean's to make an appearance at Jack jack's bday Jedi party.Little scotty didn't really trust me since he knew me only very briefly before i went down under. too soften him up, i let him play with the stuffed animals in the disney store.
He was happy. Happy as two dozen jedi's being taught by Jedi Master Snuggius. Yes, the Snuggie makes a perfect jedi robe.
Shortly after completing their training of blocks, spin moves and proper lightsaber safety techniques, the skilled Jedi Master was called away for meditation. unAmazingly, in that short expanse, Darth Vader entered scene and challenged each youngling to a duel. 
Jack Jack passed the test and was knighted Jedi. 
Then Chewie brought the cake in to celebrate, complete with lava and figurines posed to perfection.
My favorite part - The moms called bethany because they thought their kids were telling stories - they thought it impossible that both Chewbacca AND Darth Vader AND a jedi master could appear at the same party.
That night, to avoid traffic, we drove to Modesto for wedding preparations.
robby played with my ipod for 5 hours straight while jack jack slept to keep me company.
Next up, the real reason for my trip back to america : Anne and Grayden's wedding.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Back to the States and into Prison
I flew back to the Land of the Free just so i could be incarcerated.
So it works like this. Flew out of wellington at 2pm on Friday, arrive in noon in SF on that same day, then fill up with things i am lacking in NZ : I got some mexican food, did yoga on allison's rooftop, bought a headlamp for less than $30 at Sports Basement and then met my LA friends, got on a boat and headed for a night on the Rock.
A quick background how this was all possible. Each year for the past 25 years, 18 groups of 35 people are allowed to spend the night on Alcatraz Island. Year-to-date, there are only 16,000 individuals in the world who have had the experience to witness firsthand history behind the scenes of one of the nation’s most infamous penitentiaries. So, Dave Broadbent in LA won the raffle and since i was coming back to the states for Mutant's wedding anyway, might as well go to do some genealogy of my italian mobster ancestors that spent some time on Alcatraz. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, eh?
After a rousing game of dead kitty on a boat, we arrived to Ranger Jon's moving speech on the history of the island and a short 15 min video. It went well until someone mentioned the 3 that escaped and the postcard they sent the FBI from S. America. Ranger Jon hates escaped convicts more than he hates DB Cooper.
Now, its not all fun and games in prison, the winners of the lottery also have to perform some sort of service that night on the island, but all we had to do was stack 100 chairs. Needless to say, with 35 people, that was about 15 min of our day. Our extended private tour began directly thereafter.
A shot from the psychiatric wing. This cell was directly across from Al Capone's. His was the same size as this one, roughly 8x bigger than others inmate's and 10x larger than Maxfield's and mine room in LA. He lived quite the high life on Alcatraz b/c his syphilis was making him go crazy and he needed the sunlight. Next up was some scenes from The Rock. Like where Nic Cage jabbed himself in the heart.
After taking the audio tour that night and seeing how the 3 guys escaped through the grates in their cell and then through the roof, i began to formulate my evening activities for when the lights went out.
Our cells in Cell Block D Solitary Confinement were pretty comfy, all 3o+ of us filling up almost every 5x9' cell in the 3 story tall section of cells. As the Ranger paced his final rounds before retiring to his quarters, i lie alert in my bed with my shoes on, peering through the bars of my cell, out the small window and across the 1.2 miles of treacherous currents deep into the dim lit, civilian streets of freedom. I was making my escape tonight.
The lights went out, the door to solitary slammed shut and immediately the creaks of old metal, the howl of the wind and the noise of my fellow inmates shuffling in their cots stole the silence. I made my move. I was leaving the other suckers to rot in the slammer.
Getting through the grate was easy, the 3 escapees had removed it 30 years earlier and it still wasn't fixed! At that moment i didn't care where my tax dollars were going, i was busting out.
Into the crawl space for piping between the cell blocks and up through the gunnery and to the roof.
I hid in the underground tunnels and the catacombs of the old naval base until morning. When the ferry came, i stowed away in the life rafts, Alcatraz was shrinking into the horizon and the sound of sea lions and smell of clam chowder in bread bowls aroused my faculties.
Well, after a successful escape from The Rock, i went with Rock to see granmary in SanBruno on an insanely windy day. After a battle with the wind, most of us made it to the usual italian joint we eat at everytime katie and see granmary. This was my hair after the wind. I do not look like a crazed criminal in my opinion.
Alas, freedom last only so long. I was apprehended and sent to solitary.
The only light of day i see is through this window i broke with my hardened criminal fist.
I am taking donations - hand grenade pies, dynamite lollipops, bacon maple bar donuts, anything really - to bust me out of here in time for my sisters wedding.
So it works like this. Flew out of wellington at 2pm on Friday, arrive in noon in SF on that same day, then fill up with things i am lacking in NZ : I got some mexican food, did yoga on allison's rooftop, bought a headlamp for less than $30 at Sports Basement and then met my LA friends, got on a boat and headed for a night on the Rock.
A quick background how this was all possible. Each year for the past 25 years, 18 groups of 35 people are allowed to spend the night on Alcatraz Island. Year-to-date, there are only 16,000 individuals in the world who have had the experience to witness firsthand history behind the scenes of one of the nation’s most infamous penitentiaries. So, Dave Broadbent in LA won the raffle and since i was coming back to the states for Mutant's wedding anyway, might as well go to do some genealogy of my italian mobster ancestors that spent some time on Alcatraz. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, eh?
After a rousing game of dead kitty on a boat, we arrived to Ranger Jon's moving speech on the history of the island and a short 15 min video. It went well until someone mentioned the 3 that escaped and the postcard they sent the FBI from S. America. Ranger Jon hates escaped convicts more than he hates DB Cooper.
Now, its not all fun and games in prison, the winners of the lottery also have to perform some sort of service that night on the island, but all we had to do was stack 100 chairs. Needless to say, with 35 people, that was about 15 min of our day. Our extended private tour began directly thereafter.
A shot from the psychiatric wing. This cell was directly across from Al Capone's. His was the same size as this one, roughly 8x bigger than others inmate's and 10x larger than Maxfield's and mine room in LA. He lived quite the high life on Alcatraz b/c his syphilis was making him go crazy and he needed the sunlight. Next up was some scenes from The Rock. Like where Nic Cage jabbed himself in the heart.
After taking the audio tour that night and seeing how the 3 guys escaped through the grates in their cell and then through the roof, i began to formulate my evening activities for when the lights went out.
Our cells in Cell Block D Solitary Confinement were pretty comfy, all 3o+ of us filling up almost every 5x9' cell in the 3 story tall section of cells. As the Ranger paced his final rounds before retiring to his quarters, i lie alert in my bed with my shoes on, peering through the bars of my cell, out the small window and across the 1.2 miles of treacherous currents deep into the dim lit, civilian streets of freedom. I was making my escape tonight. 
The lights went out, the door to solitary slammed shut and immediately the creaks of old metal, the howl of the wind and the noise of my fellow inmates shuffling in their cots stole the silence. I made my move. I was leaving the other suckers to rot in the slammer.
Getting through the grate was easy, the 3 escapees had removed it 30 years earlier and it still wasn't fixed! At that moment i didn't care where my tax dollars were going, i was busting out.
Into the crawl space for piping between the cell blocks and up through the gunnery and to the roof.
I hid in the underground tunnels and the catacombs of the old naval base until morning. When the ferry came, i stowed away in the life rafts, Alcatraz was shrinking into the horizon and the sound of sea lions and smell of clam chowder in bread bowls aroused my faculties.
Well, after a successful escape from The Rock, i went with Rock to see granmary in SanBruno on an insanely windy day. After a battle with the wind, most of us made it to the usual italian joint we eat at everytime katie and see granmary. This was my hair after the wind. I do not look like a crazed criminal in my opinion.
Alas, freedom last only so long. I was apprehended and sent to solitary.
The only light of day i see is through this window i broke with my hardened criminal fist. 
I am taking donations - hand grenade pies, dynamite lollipops, bacon maple bar donuts, anything really - to bust me out of here in time for my sisters wedding.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Magic of Methven and 30 years of Brett
Brett of Weta Animation turned 30. When a man turns 30, you got to plan the weekend of their life. We didn't plan much other than a day of boarding on the mountain, but turns out we all had the weekend of our lives. In a town that has a total population of 439. here is the tail of some of the magic we experienced in Methven and how it made Brett's 30th MY favorite birthday to date.
One of my favorite things in life is Oktoberfest. It might be because i feel like a real man when i wear Lederhose or it might be that my heart sings when i hear polka; whatever it is, lil' Methven made my Lederhose into Liederhose(song pants).
Birthday boy brett goin' kraut to the tune of chicken dance courtesy of Oooompah band.
I met the guy that took Katie and I 4wheelin' when we were in Christchurch 6months ago.
The next morning we headed up to Mt Hutt, one of the most beautiful drives and ecological changing drives ever. what does that even mean? It means we went from driving along a river surrounded by flat, green pastures to a dense evergreen forest to being inside a dense white cloud to being in at the top of a mountain range - all in 30 min; on a dirt road. After we cleared the cloud cover-
Brett boarded with a cape. He was saluted by many and luckily he survived the dangers of the chairlift cranks every time.
I played baseball while we got organized to set a world record. I hate organization when it takes away from my time on an open mountain.
We set a world record (that's my 2nd).
The first was for balancing eggs on the equinox, this was for having 207 board riders in a single race. I am the dude in the back attached to the tallest black flag.
At one point we hiked to the very top of the mtn, got lost in a cloud, blindly snowboarded down in whitewash, over a frozen lake and then out into the clear blue skies of Mt Hutt. using sonar we were able to stick together. Simo and I trekking along the top ridge.
That night they had fireworks and motorcross jumpers and board and ski freestyle jumping competition. Only 2 people ended up being flown out to the nearest hospital in Christchurch. They sure know how to entertain, broken collarbones on failed bacflips, arms in slings and helicopters landing in nearby fields.
Next day Brett and a few others got in a 1/2 day while i chilled and read 5000 year leap at the lodge. This was Brett before he launched intothe backcountry and was never heard from for 3 hours.
The magic of methven didn't stop even on the way out of town. A 1000 sheep surrounded our car on the highway; they were being herded by a farmer in his truck and a collie.
One of my favorite things in life is Oktoberfest. It might be because i feel like a real man when i wear Lederhose or it might be that my heart sings when i hear polka; whatever it is, lil' Methven made my Lederhose into Liederhose(song pants).
Birthday boy brett goin' kraut to the tune of chicken dance courtesy of Oooompah band. I met the guy that took Katie and I 4wheelin' when we were in Christchurch 6months ago.
The next morning we headed up to Mt Hutt, one of the most beautiful drives and ecological changing drives ever. what does that even mean? It means we went from driving along a river surrounded by flat, green pastures to a dense evergreen forest to being inside a dense white cloud to being in at the top of a mountain range - all in 30 min; on a dirt road. After we cleared the cloud cover-
Brett boarded with a cape. He was saluted by many and luckily he survived the dangers of the chairlift cranks every time. 
I played baseball while we got organized to set a world record. I hate organization when it takes away from my time on an open mountain. 
We set a world record (that's my 2nd). 
The first was for balancing eggs on the equinox, this was for having 207 board riders in a single race. I am the dude in the back attached to the tallest black flag.At one point we hiked to the very top of the mtn, got lost in a cloud, blindly snowboarded down in whitewash, over a frozen lake and then out into the clear blue skies of Mt Hutt. using sonar we were able to stick together. Simo and I trekking along the top ridge.
That night they had fireworks and motorcross jumpers and board and ski freestyle jumping competition. Only 2 people ended up being flown out to the nearest hospital in Christchurch. They sure know how to entertain, broken collarbones on failed bacflips, arms in slings and helicopters landing in nearby fields. 
Next day Brett and a few others got in a 1/2 day while i chilled and read 5000 year leap at the lodge. This was Brett before he launched intothe backcountry and was never heard from for 3 hours. 
The magic of methven didn't stop even on the way out of town. A 1000 sheep surrounded our car on the highway; they were being herded by a farmer in his truck and a collie. 
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