The Drake

Destin, FL

2008-08-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

Spent some time at the beach with Jam, Jack, and our cousin One-Barrel. Back to basics!

Oh! What a Feelin'! When We're Dancing On The Ceiling!

2008-06-23T06:59:00.001-07:00

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Back Home From Home!

2008-01-24T15:52:00.001-08:00

MEEEchigan.

What can you say. There's no place like home:)

BREAKING NEWS

Also, my congrats to my older Brother John and his wife Dana for creating another Drake to terrorize the world!

Happy 2008!

2008-01-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

Jam and I were in Split, Croatia to ring in the New Years (along with many good friends, some old, some new, as captured so nicely by Saki.). We're back in the ATL now, enjoying some spring like weather, which is going to come to an abrupt end this week as we venture up to Michigan.

Happy New Years to everyone, here's a little treat Jam was playing earlier today....I've been many places in this world, yet the Carib. countries always impress me with their party music!

And from me, some sage advice for the new year for all you go-getters out there:

Roland - "I tell you what I see when I look out there. I see the undeveloped resources of Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin, and Michigan. I see a syndicated development consortium exploiting over a billion and a half dollars in forest products. I see a paper mill and if the strategic metals are there, a mining operation. A greenbelt between the condos on the lake and a waste management facility focusing on the newest rage in toxic waste, medical refuse. Infected bandages, body parts, IV tubing, contaminated glassware, entrails, syringes, fluids, blood, low grade radioactive waste all safely contained sunken in the lake and sealed for centuries. Now I ask you what do you see?"

Chet- "I see trees."

peace, ya'll

Feliz Navidad!

2007-12-25T21:58:00.001-08:00

Tugbacim, the Jif is on it's way! Next stop: Croatie.

Going, Going, Gone...

2007-11-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

Nothing, nothing, nothing, and then everything. Shortly before noon on November 3 a tired (confused?), jet-lagged, red-eyed Belizean accepted my proposal of marriage (tobias funke-like). She never even saw it coming--I didn't want her to know anything was up so I tired to act as normally as possible e.g. I slept past my alarm and was consequently late arriving at the airport for her 6am arrival. Thanks to all who helped us through the years. It hasn't always been easy, but we weathered the storms and are now stronger because of it!

Now it's off to Panama for a few days so I leave you with some Fijian music (?) It's one of the first songs I ever played for Jamel and probably about the time she realized I was crazy. And so while Panama may not be Fiji, it does promise to offer some peace of mind and the reminder that while others may not have much as we do, they often have more fun;)

Congo slaps quarantine on Ebola outbreak area

2007-09-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

Congo slaps quarantine on Ebola outbreak area
Tue 11 Sep 2007, 13:24 GMT

Damn, wonder if I'll get sent to the Congo..

By Lubunga Bya'Ombe

KINSHASA, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Authorities placed two towns in southern Democratic Republic of Congo in quarantine on Tuesday to contain an outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever, a deadly disease for which there is no treatment.

Health authorities in Congo's southern province of Kasai Occidental had reported more than 160 deaths among 352 sick people in the past four months due to a mystery fever.

Five samples sent to a laboratory in Gabon and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the presence of the Ebola virus, Health Minister Victor Makuenge Kaput said late on Monday...[more]

Glory Dayz...

2007-09-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

"Omg, that trip will be in my mind forever! I will never forget how we missed our train back from Prague...and we had to transfer like 4 times in the middle of the night, with no one speaking English, a man with a drug-sniffing dog and a crowbar in the train car, and the urine smell on my sneakers from the pee-soaked bathroom floor! Oh, and how you got thrown in a Czech jail when we slept our way through the border...and getting locked in Aschewitz! Do you have the video from that trip??? I would LOVE to see it!"

We'll they'll pass you by, Glorhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.italic.gif
insert italic tagsy Days..:)

Burnin' Up

2007-08-16T02:45:00.001-07:00

3rd shift is for the birds! Getting into work at 10:30pm and leaving at 7am certainly doesn't bode well with the internal clock. In a way jet-lag is much easier to deal with given that you can still sleep when it's dark.

No point to this post.

The only good thing is I'm free in the day. And, for about the second week in a row, Atlanta has been hitting temps at or near 100F (it's no joke). I can't lie and say that I don't like the heat. I also can't say that the A/C isn't running nonstop..hello global warming..

Hope all the nomads are doing well!

Arrested Development

2007-08-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

I must be getting old not to have seen this show before. Someone at work lent me all the seasons on DVD..funniest show I've seen in a long, long time.

Gem From the Vault..

2007-08-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

I remember seeing this on TV when I was kid, and up until now, it had been cut from all the repeat airings of the episode..ah, the glory of you-tube and Chris Farley at his best..

6 Phases of a Project...

2007-07-30T15:28:00.001-07:00

1. Enthusiasm
2. Disillusionment
3. Panic
4. Search for the Guilty
5. Punishment of the Innocent
6. Praise and Honors for the Non Participants

...as stated on the wall outside my office:)

Guyana..

2007-07-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

I really hope I have some time to write about this little-known country that I visited for work during the past 10 days!

Speaking of work, it's been so hectic, I find myself in desperate need of a vacation. A 5-hour layover in the Soca/Sunshine drenched island of Barbados didn't do the trick.

Sicko...

2007-07-12T20:21:00.001-07:00

Michael Moore strikes again! Very interesting movie for those who haven't seen it. Glad it's creating some buzz around this place...man, and to think I used to admire Wolf...for his name..for his beard!...As for Dobbs..what a putz!

A case of the Mondays...

2007-07-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

..after getting a flat and having it repaired outside one of atlanta's many adult shops.

Toolin' Around ATL

2007-07-12T20:10:00.000-07:00

Jam and I went to Stone Mountain last night to watch the nightly laserlight show.

Quote from Coworker: "You're such a redneck!"

Jealousy!

Florida 4th..

2007-07-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ben and Samira for being, yet again, very gracious hosts! And of course our Belizean celebrity of the hour..Mr. Nijim.

Happy 4th, Everyone!

2007-07-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Car is loaded, ready to go. 12 hour roadtrip. It's long over due.

No. Sleep. 'Til Miami. (Brooklyn sounds better).

Break It Down Again..

2007-06-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

No more sleepy dreaming! Or driving around in the slow lane without A/C! With temps consistently in the 90sF (they're not joking when they call it "Hotlanta"), I finally broke down and bought a new car. I think the drive to the Braves game finally sealed the deal...rush hour traffic, 6 lanes of traffic, the Volvo the only one with the windows down, breathing in exhaust fumes for an hour, sweating it out. No California-sea breeze to cool us down. That being said, I love the heat. I love that it is 80 for a low at night. It's really nothing to contend with actually, esp. since central air is everywhere in Atlanta, along with pools.

Anyway, I almost punched the dealer when he offered $500 for the old Volvo. It wasn't traded in, and will continue to roam the streets (the very near streets) of Atlanta. Sad to say, but the city is a completely different ride when you have new wheels. Let the horsin' around begin..

The Slow South

2007-06-08T15:58:00.001-07:00

I've yet to really articulate my impressions of "the South" (US) but for the most part it's pretty positive. The weather, the people, the outdoors, the nightlife(I hear there is a lot;) but I will say this: The mail here is SLOW. Slower than anything I've ever experienced. Today for example I got a birthday card from home. 3 months and 3 days late;). God Bless the South! The slower pace makes adjusting back to the fast paced US lifestyle much, much easier.

But 3 months!? The funny thing is my younger brother's birthday is tomorrow so I thought my parents just got confused and sent a card to Atlanta instead of Los Angeles.

Blue Hole

2007-06-08T12:52:00.001-07:00

Prior to arriving, I told Jam that if I do nothing else in Belize I want to fly over the Blue Hole (and drink a Belikin). Well, for her 25th birthday, that's exactly what happened. In a 1964 Cessna that felt more like being in a toy than a plane, we took for the seas and parked it at about 8,000 feet. It hits you when after you step out you see 2 guys push it back into it's parking space.

At any rate, I can say that the islands off the coast of Belize offer some of the most spectacular views. Belize claims to have 3 of the 4 atolls (defined to me as an island surrounded by a ring of coral) in the Western hemisphere, along with literally hundreds of smaller cayes scattered throughout the sea.

I asked the pilot if there would be an in-flight beverage service, to which he replied, "Man, you could have brought up rum and done shots if you wanted". Everyone, I hope you are taking notes.

30 minutes later I saw it in the distance from the cockpit window. The pilot took a turn ("squaring it up" to get a closer look) so sharp I thought I was going to fall out of plane. Next time I'm pulling a Jacques Cousteau and going by boat! Jam of course was perfectly fine and I lamented about how it is she can be so afraid of rollercoasters but perfectly calm in a little '64 Cessna.

I've always been fascinated with flying and some day, time and money permitting, I'd love to learn.

FYI: It's good to own an island, but not good to sail your tanker into coral.

Good Office Conversation Starter..

2007-06-06T06:07:00.000-07:00

Come in after a few weeks off with some "cocaine" (I purchased some before it was banned last month).

"How are you doing this morning?"
"Great, this cocaine really helps me focus!"

You Betta Belize It!

2007-05-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

3 years ago a certain rat and I spent the better portion of a week drinking Belikin beers and crooning to the locals, "It is such a Piiiitaaay!..." A broken hottube on an island off the coast of an obscure little country nestled on the Caribbean never felt more like home. Tomorrow Jam and I venture back to Belize and while I'll probably remember much more of this trip, I'll still be humming Ms. Steven's song the whole way through...11 days! Fourth Time is a Charm!

I love the smell of India in the Morning!

2007-05-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

Light 'em up, we're going down! This morning I woke up and the entire city was engulfed in this sweet hazy, smokey, cloud. It's not the smell of smog (which I'm quite used to), but more like a bonfire. Mmm. Mmm. Smores, anyone? It's like that "developing country" smell without the open-sewer stench. Funny, I moved from LA to ATL and in many ways the last few months have reminded me of Cali..cloudless skies, no rain, no humidity, traffic everywhere, smokey skylines...

Apparently either Sherman is back in town or winds from the wildfires down south are blowing smoke up Atlanta's...way.

colbert strikes again!

2007-05-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

Check out this brilliant piece...a Peanuts-Iraq war analogy..

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!