The Adventures of Rich Jandt

A new pic

2009-05-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

This was taken at our company party last week. The children are Tian age 2-ish and Neko age 5. They belong to my boss, but I get to play with them sometimes.

The good luck streak finally ran out...

2009-05-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I have been having some issues with my hip replacement.

Today I finally went and saw my doctor and got some fairly bad news. At this point we have to do one more test to determine our next step.

It seems that “particles” are accumulating between the side of my prosthesis and the inside of my femur. The x-rays don’t have the ability to determine if they are from an infection or from wear of the unit, but either option is bad.

If it is an infection, drugs may clear it up, but if it is bonded to the stem they will have to pull it out so I can heal. If it is wear on the ball and cap then they will have to replace those two components. So we are praying for an infection in my bone that can be healed with drugs.

Also I said "unit" and "pull it out so I can heal".

Rich Jandt Adventure #18

2009-05-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

I apologize; this is going to be another long one.

Ryan Peters was the only one to bid for me during a Kingsmen auction. There were a few girls I was hoping to buy me, but that didn’t work out.

Ryan had this plan, and of course it was not very well thought out. He was going to go down and sleep on the streets with hobos, so he could have a better understanding of their situation. He wanted me to go with him because he is a little man who is scared of just about everything.

Ryan and I hop on the max one night with a buck fifty each to ride back on the next morning. That was the plan anyway.

I had only taken about 5 steps off the platform at the Saturday market when a very large black man with the reddest eyes in the world asked me if I needed some nugs. I had no idea what he was asking, so I said “What? I don’t thinks so. What are nugs?” He looked at me from one side of his face and said “You know, Bud!” I replied “I don’t know what that is.” And honestly didn’t. He then turned to look me full in the face and said “Weed man, you need any weed?” I was shocked he was asking me if I needed drugs. I said no thanks and we walked down to the water.

While this was fun for Ryan, I had to re-read the book of Romans that night for a test that week, so I had some school supplies with me. We were on the last set of benches right on the Burnside Bridge. After about an hour of reading a man came up to us and asked if we had some papers. Ryan handed him a newspaper, and I offered some notebook paper. He said no, he needed some rolling papers for drugs. I once again was shocked that someone I had never met was being so open about Illegal Drugs.

Not too long after that a third man came up to our bench and asked if we had a “rig”. I said that Keo had one, but he didn’t get it. I said I could get a truck if he needed something moved, but he was referring to a syringe. It seems that the druggies in the park have drugs, but not the necessary utensils to get high.

It was getting dark and we devised a plan that we would sleep in shifts to protect each other. As Ryan slept I noticed that the rats were very brave, and even though I was fully awake reading the Bible, they would run up and hit my foot. I looked over and they were on the bench that Ryan was sleeping on. I thought for a moment, and came to a realization that Ryan was not the kind of guy who would be able to stay awake on his shift, so I woke him up and we moved up town.

We were still on Burnside in front of that pizza place that serves from the window, and we saw a man standing in the middle of the road. He was shirtless and was in between lanes, cars were zipping past him very closely. I called out to him to come back to the side of the road. He eventually did and I mentioned that he should be careful because he almost got hit. He said that it was ok, because he had a snake and he produced a shoe string which he started to make noises for, wrapping it very tightly around his arm. Although that was weird, the oddest part was when he started telling us that he was sent from Al Gore to kill a man in the bar down the street. It seems that Al Gore uses shirtless assassins when he needs some killin done in Portland.

We moved up toward Powell’s and met a man asking us for money. We are very generous people so we gave him all of our money, $3. But we wanted him to give us a tour of the Downtown homeless scene, and he obliged. He showed us all the places we could get free meals, free clothes, or just wanted to talk to someone. He also gave me some very serious insights to what it meant to be homeless. I had an impression that if I ever became homeless, I would just pull myself up by the boot straps and get a new job/place to live and work harder to get out of it. And I still think that is true, but as this man was explaining to me, most homeless have something wrong with them. It might be an addiction, or a mental illness. I had seen both already that night.

At this point I knew that I would never be able to sleep downtown. Between the drugs, crazies, and now we had to walk back to Cascade because we gave away our Max money; we decided to do it sooner than later. We were right across from Powell’s, and started our long walk back to Cascade. A Google map says that the trip is 5.4 miles long, and that seems a little short to me, mayhaps because Ryan was complaining the whole time. As we passed the Portland Rescue Mission, we noticed a young man, around our age, curled up on the sidewalk under a single blanket. We stopped and looked at the guy for a while, and decided that we could do nothing for him at this point. We were broke; we had no phone, no car to drive him somewhere safer, and no home to provide him.

Ryan needed motivation almost the whole walk back. At first I did this by threatening violence and urination if he slept. We passed karaoke bars, and a 7-11 where we go water. About halfway back he said he was going to give up, and he didn’t care what happened to him. He actually lay down on a sidewalk around Burnside and 35th. I had to switch motivators so I kept him awake with his favorite thing ever, arguing. We argued all the way back to Cascade.

It was a very surreal thing; I had been fasting for a class, and trying to read Romans in a single sitting. I was also sleep deprived, and physically exhausted. But as we walked into the parking lot from Burnside, the sun came up. It was warming to both my aching body and my mental state. I had stayed the entire night outside and I was cold. I also saw a lot of people in a bad situation. But here I was, walking to my dorm room, sheltered from the cold, and surrounded by friends and family that would never let me fall to that place. I had learned a lot from that trip, a little about compassion, a little about homelessness, a little about making sure to carry enough money so you can give some away, and still ride the Max back.

J Box!

2009-04-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

I recently sent an e-mail to the Jack in the Box headquarters, addressing the fact that we did not have a J Box in Bend, and they sent an e-mail back inviting me to keep checking their website for further openings.
Well this morning I opened the newspaper and found they are replacing the Denny's with a J Box! Best trade ever.

A new car!

2009-03-09T18:43:00.001-07:00

Let me tell you how I ended up with this car.

On the 30th of January I bought a 1992 Toyota Camry for $1300. It was a great deal that someone made because of their financial situation. I was stoked because my truck had been running poorly, and this was a great deal.

Two days later I woke up to find that someone had hit the car and taken off. Luckily my across the street neighbor is a good person and called the woman who had hit my car, telling her to come back and deal with it or he would call the police. She came back and left a note, and he called the police anyway.

She wouldn't answer her phone so I called my insurance company to make a claim. To make a long story shorter she was a flaky person. Her dad started to try and bully me over the phone and their shop was run by a bastard who made me deal with her insurance company instead of them.

Their insurance company totalled my Camry, and sent me a check for $1600, and I sold the car to a friend for $400. Having made $700 on the deal I bought the above pictured 97 Mercury Tracer for $1500.

I then drove pictured car to Reno where I won 3 large jackpots. One for $1000, one for $150, and a third for $100. It has been a great month for team Rich.

Reno

2009-03-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

So a lot has happened in the last two weeks, and I mostly kept it off of my blog to surprise my brother for his birthday.

I am still in Reno, but I wanted to post a picture for you mos before I get back.

It is kinda bad resolution, but the total down in the lower right says $1009. I had just hit a $1000 jackpot playing Keno.

Tp is bad?

2009-02-27T21:58:00.000-08:00

According to this story, Toilet paper is worse for the environment than Hummers.

Don't know how I feel about that.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,502444,00.html

So there is this really hot woman...

2009-02-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

...that stays in my hotel like twice a month. She comes in and knows my name, and she really is hot. Like smokin' hot. And she likes to look at me and smile, which makes my insides feel funny.
She checked in yesterday and said "Hello Rich, we meet again." And I literally dropped my cup of water on the floor. It is ridiculous.
So here is the problem, my hotel has a policy of no fraternization with guests. Plus I'm a scared. Thats right A Scared. I can talk to hot women all day long till one flirts with me, then I drop stuff and turn to mush.
Pathetic.

Just posting something to post.

2009-02-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

It's not that stuff isn't happening, but I just don't want to write about it. So here is a transcript of the wedding I performed. This is a long one.(snicker)

I don't know how you guys prep for sermons and stuff, but I like to write out everything. Then I practice it hundreds of times until I memorize it word for word. Or I get nervous and ramble. Both ways turn out for me.

My friends are atheists, and asked me for a non-God wedding. It was a little of a stretch, and I plagiarized most of this off the Internet anyway.

Marriage. It's a hard term to define, especially for me; I've avoided it like I avoid the plague. Yet along with birth and death marriage is a universal concept. You pick a society, any society: Zuni, Native American, Quaker, Greeks, and Romans whatever. The only thing that they all have in common is birth marriage and death. It's like a cultural highway; it links our culture to the past and guides us to the future.

Marriage is the union of opposite elements: male and female, yin and yang, proton and electron, star wars and star trek. What am I talking about here? The very thing that unites the univerce. Like the grand unification theory. I have said that if I could be one superhero it would be the Green Lantern, because anyone can destroy things, but it is almost impossible to create. In marriage we are looking at creation itself. Two separate and opposite entities coming together and making something new.

Mass. Supreme Court states that:
marriage is a "social institution of the highest importance." Marriage also bestows enormous private and social advantages on those who choose to marry. Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality, companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family.... Because it fulfils yearnings for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil marriage is an esteemed institution, and the decision whether and whom to marry is among life's momentous acts of self-definition.

I would like to quote a couple of people here, the first is Homer the poet, not the simpson.
There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.

And Nietzsche said
It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.

Love is almost always associated with marriage, and I also have a hard time defining such a complicated concept. Is it an action or a verb? Is it like how I feel about candy or beer? One of the better explanations of love I have heard comes from Margery Williams in her book the velveteen rabbit.

From "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Insert vows here.

So we are here witnessing a marriage between two people who love each other. This is more than an event that happened on January 18th 2009; it is a culmination of 5 or so years of relationship, and a bridge to the future of their lives. The highway to the personal past and to the personal future, of Joel and Barb. We are here because we also love Joel and Barb, and we wish them the best. We want them to be happy, and content.

So without further rambling, and if everyone is cool with that, I now pronounce them as husband and wife.

A new pic.

2009-01-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

This is me and a few friends at the wedding I performed. It was a blast.

Rich Jandt Adventure #17

2009-01-24T19:55:00.000-08:00

Punched in the face.

So I had an exciting week at work. In addition to regular work, I was assaulted on two different nights, both ending in charges being filed and people in jail.

The first one happened on 01/16/09. A woman was going to see a movie but forgot her ID. Since it is a bar and the movie started at 10:30PM it is 21 and over. She became unglued to reality and struck another employee in the head with a metal water bottle. We got her in a pair of handcuffs, but she slipped out and hit me in the mouth with a forearm. I was able to put her against the wall and re-attached the cuffs, this time very tightly. When the Police let her out of the cuffs, she attacked them, and had to be re-taken down. She was arrested on assault IV, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.

The second time was on 1/21/09. We host free concerts every Wednesday and this week it was a very popular band. Well about 15 minutes into the concert we went over the room capacity and had to start a "one out one in rule". As soon as someone left I could let someone in. Well this one punk-ass asked if him and his crew mobbed me if they could get in sooner. I said that if I was mobbed they would get in, but he wouldn't. So he started going off on how he could take me, and my mom is this or that, and I let him know that I wouldn't let him in now because he was a jerk.

At this moment our outside security guard (who 4 days earlier had been hit in the head with a metal bottle) walked by and I asked for him to bounce the jerk. He obliged and 3 minutes later this punk kid comes running around the corner and Hail Mary punches me in the face. I had a fraction of a second to realize "I'm gettin punched in the face" and turned my head to the left, so I took the entire punch on the right cheek.

I saw stars and I do not remember the seconds that follow. The next thing I remember is tackling the jerk through the doorway of another bar. Being a large 300 pound man with the ability to run really fast when mad OR scared I hit him hard enough to take the door off it's hinges. Three other employees and I dragged him to the street and called the Police. During the wait this kid kept fighting as hard as he could and would not stay down. We tried arm bars, a leg bar, someone tried to get him into a figure 4, I grabbed his body and took him to the ground and just held him there. But at one point we had to pepper spray him, and my face was right next to his.

So I end up with a black eye, a lung full of pepper spray, a bent fingernail, and of course since I am not used to this much physical activity, a very sore body. He ended up with multiple contusions, a partially ripped out earring, a broken finger, and several assault/resisting charges. Now I need to figure out if I want to sue him or not.

Luke Skywalker called...

2009-01-22T17:48:00.000-08:00

I think this is cool. A true cyborg. I want to get one with a knife attachment.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,481092,00.html

Here you go.

2009-01-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is the picture of me as Santa.

I know I am immature, but this is funny.

2009-01-11T20:23:00.001-08:00

Thanks again to James for telling me about failblog.org

Rich Jandt Adventure #16

2009-01-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

For this story we need to go back about a week, to the night I performed the marriage.

Joel and Barb had come out for a few celebratory drinks, and I happily drove them home. (They have been putting me up for the past few weeks till I get my truck fixed).

I used to drive like a devil, but in my old age have started to drive like a grandma, never speed, never go through yellow lights, come to complete stops all of it. Well for some reason I took a left on a red light, down a road I don't usually go down anyway. Joel was complaining about my horrific driving when I almost hit what I think is a coyote.

Since it was 3AM I pulled over and went to look at the dog. It was small, grey, and a bobbed tail. It also had a horrible limp. Joel was walking fastly toward the dog which made it walk fastly away. I tricked it by hiding my approach behind a bus stop and was able to pick it up. It was very calm and did not try to bite me. I noticed it was bleeding from a rear paw, and we decided to take it home until we found the owner.

Well at home I noticed just how many celebratory drinks Joel and Barb had had, so I decided to join them and drank a few glasses of red wine. By the time we got the dog in the house, and fed it and examined the paw and gave it water I was feeling fairly celebratory myself.

It was at this time I decided to post a lost and found on craigslist. This is what came out.
Found elderly nice tempered dogFound on 27th heading north early on the 3rd of January.

Don't know, maybe mixed Aussie shep terrier something. Brown with white and dark spots. Fawn motif, Bobbed tail. Short legs. Someone elses guess was a cattle dog, and a third guess is it is husky like. But it is not husky like at all. Really short. almost a corgy face. Cant post picture due to intoxication.

Super nice demeanor, we will be taking care of it until owner calls.

About an hour later I remembered to go back and repost it with my name and number.

Rich Jandt Adventure #15

2009-01-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

I was broke for most of my college experience. I sold plasma for extras like dating hot chicks and eating food not in the cafeteria.

I had asked a chick out that I really liked, and went to sell plasma in the afternoon for some cash. Selling plasma is a fairly easy way to make money. You sit in a chair and watch TV while a guy sticks you with a needle, and a machine draws out some blood, then separates the plasma out, then puts it back into your arm. Easy.

Well this time they forgot to attach the hose to the machine and after about 45 min. I looked over and saw about 3 pints of my blood on the front of the machine and in a huge pool on the floor. I freaked, the techs freaked, I got paid an extra $50 because they messed it up.

It would have been a great date if I had not had to stay an extra hour to fill out paper work, then ride the bus back to school. By the time I got back I was SO dizzy I could barely stand. I met the lady in the lower JC and she was pissed that I was late. She got over it when she found out that I sold my body just to go out with her, but I fell asleep like 5 times during the movie.

Honestly, I do not remember how the evening ended.

Rich Jandt Adventure #14

2009-01-04T17:16:00.001-08:00

Speaking of broken noses...

I was hired to be a key note speaker for a youth rally in Alaska. I made some good friends in a short amount of time and was asked to go for a walk by a couple of attractive young ladies. A friend of mine was dating one of the girls and I had been flirting with the other one for a week.

It was a very romantic setting. A dark night, around a frozen lake during a light snow. As happens when young people have trouble communicating, things turn physical and a snowball fight ensued. Unlike running, I am actually a fairly decent thrower. I made the perfect snowball to trow a long way, it was tightly packed, a little smaller than my palms, and completely round.

My intended target was around 100 feet away, and I wound up like I was a MLB pitcher and threw as hard as I could. My male friend popped up right at that moment three feet in front of me and caught said snowball right in the bridge of his nose. As stated before, I am not a medical professional, but he is. A medic in the armed forces to be exact.

First thing out of his mouth was "Why did you break my nose?". Pure and utter terror surrounded me and while I would usually run away, there was no where for me to go. The girls called me a jerk, and he was all pissed at me, and I couldn't explain myself.

Yeah, haven't talked to any of them ever again.

Rich Jandt Adventure #13

2009-01-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

I wasn't always single, and at one time had a very active dating life. These next few posts will highlight some of my more humorous dates. To protect the innocent, I will not use names of the women I offended/injured on the encounters.

I don't know if you have ever been asked to do something you hate, but do it because you want to eventually kiss a hot chick.

There was this vary attractive red head. She was athletic, and hot and I was nervous to even speak to her. One day she walked through the men's lobby to ask me if I wanted to go on a run with her. We only ran one lap around the campus, from the lobby to Stark, up to 91st, back to Burnside and ending at her dorms. At the end of the run I asked her if she wanted to go to a movie sometime, and she said yes and walked up the steps.

I walked around the corner and fell to the ground gasping for breath. Completely seeing red spots and out of breath, full blown asthma attack. I was out of breath by the time we hit Stark, I only kept it up to ask her out at the end. Best/worst part was she walked around the corner while I was laying in the dirt to ask me when we would go out.

A week later we went out to watch "I know what you did last summer". I hate scary movies, I am a very big wuss. While she would cover her face with her hands during scary parts, I was pretending to be macho and would just flex and do my best not to jump. At the very end of the movie I inadvertently jumped and threw an elbow to her hands, covering her nose. I am not a medical professional, but I believe her nose was broken. A large amount of blood was pouring from her face.

Awesome. No second date here.

Congrats.

2009-01-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

This morning I performed my first marriage.

My really good friends Joel and Barb asked me to do the honors of joining them as husband and wife.

It was actually really easy. The only real work was signing a form for the county.

Well that and the 5 years of college.

Since everyone else has a rebutal of Twilight...

2008-12-26T17:25:00.000-08:00

Count Choch might be as gay as the twilight vamps, but at least he tastes good.

More snow

2008-12-23T19:22:00.000-08:00

As my Bend readers will attest, it snowed a lot.

Starting tomorrow we are supposed to get 7-15 more inches. It is starting to feel like Manitoba all over again.

Great idea.

2008-12-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

How about we organize people who work in the service industry and lobby for a bail out?

Hotel workers, cooks, bartenders, waiters, dish washers, and people who work other various jobs at resorts should all get compensation for greedy CEOs who crashed our economy.

Just a thought

Beer.

2008-12-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I have blogged about one of my passions, beer.

We have a Nut Brown on tap now that is fantastic. It has a very smooth malty taste, and also very low on the hopp-ness. Being it is a Mc ale it has a very cloudy hue. I want to compare it to New Castle, but more Hardy.

Also all of our kegs are on sale for $85. So if you want to get me something for Christmas...

100 th post - or- My first acting job

2008-12-20T17:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my 100th post.

So this morning I acted for money for the first time. I played Santa for 3 different breakfasts. Weird? Yes. Profitable? Yes. Children are odd little things. Pictures to come...

Bad Parents.

2008-12-16T20:10:00.001-08:00

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,468250,00.html

Thanks.

2008-12-13T17:24:00.000-08:00

I know times are tough, but stealing my tips?

I know you did it. And I know you know I know. Every time I look at you I hope you remember what a piece of human trash you are.

Also that girl you thought was passed out but called you out when you tried to rape her told us all what you did. Sleep well, you will get yours.

The Recession and Rich Jandt

2008-12-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

I had thought that working for a large company, in a fairly nice hotel would make my job a bit more recession proof. Turns out I was wrong.

Not only are our sales down, but the city of Bend reported a double digit decline in hotel sales for the last quarter, and are projecting another big hit. In addition to that, one of our biggest seasons in the snow season. It was like 65 degrees all this week, and no snow.

You might think “But it’s just Mcmenamin’s money, they still need Rich Jandt to please the customers on a full time basis”. Turns out that when hotel sales are down, Rich’s shifts are also reduced. I think I can swing it, but they cut my hours by 25%, so in effect, my wage by a quarter.

I tried to call some places I worked part time before, but they are not hiring. Also I looked into my former employer the U.S. Government, and all of the full time positions are in horribly isolated places in Alaska. My next step is looking for a sugar mamma, (or daddy if the money is really really good). Or perhaps building a criminal empire.

I am scared, but a lot better off than most of the people in similar situations. I own my home outright. I pay only a small amount for utilities, and of course my student loans. I can’t imagine what is going through the heads of my co-workers who purchased homes with variable interest rates, or the ones who are renting homes from owners who are now going into foreclosure. Or the ones with kids. Most of the jobs in Bend are minimum wage, with most of the income coming in the form of tips. Luckily with my YEARS of service, I have a high hourly wage.

Has the economy affected you? How so? Any bright spots for you?

thanksgiving part 2

2008-12-02T20:16:00.000-08:00

If you havn't experenced Thanksgiving with McMenamins in the past, let me show you what you are missing.

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

It might seem cheesy, but I wanted to write a post about what I am thankful for.
1.Friends.
2.That turkey tastes so good.
3.Spell checkers.
4.Cute girls.

How about you? What are you thankful for?

Some corrections.

2008-11-19T17:38:00.000-08:00

I am sorry. A few of my last posts have come off making me appear a little more hard-core than I wanted. Let me clear a few things up.

I am not in favor of using illegal narcotics. I do not use them. I just think that allowing alcohol and tobacco and not weed is a little hypocritical. I do not know the numbers but heart disease and diabetes caused by McDonald's probably kills more people than Heroin. I think that if we are making rules about drugs biased on public health concerns, we should actually do it with public health concerns in mind.

I am not in favor of armed revolution against the U.S. government. Yet. I was mearly trying to open discussion about a topic that I hear a lot about in Bend. Stop sending me e-mails about organizing a militia.

Guns

2008-11-14T18:56:00.000-08:00

The second amendment is one of the most hotly contested issues in current American politics.

It reads "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

When the amendment was written it was a very different time. The British government had made it an offence for people in America to organize into militias, in the attempt to make it harder for the people to rebel.

There has been many discussions as to what the original text was supposed to mean. Some say it is the foundation of the National Guard, and nothing else. Some say it is meant for an individual to own weapons. I even have a co-worker who claims that the second amendment guarantees that every citizen has the right to own any weapon they choose, even fully automatic weapons and explosives.

I have a feeling that the origional purpose of the amendement was to keep the people in control of the government, not the other way around. Jefferson wrote that "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." He also thought that the constitution should be rewritten every 19 years.

What do you think?

AIDS might have a cure

2008-11-12T20:50:00.000-08:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27683001/

According to this website, a man with AIDS underwent a bone marrow transplant and now has no sign of AIDS. I'm amazed that this isn't front page news on all of the news sources.

It also states that similar things have happened as far back as 1982.

Busy.

2008-11-11T20:34:00.000-08:00

You ever notice when you really need to do something everything else seems like it would be more fun?

I finally finished winterizing my home for the winter. I had to crawl under and stretch out a 6mm sheet of plastic to act as a vapor barrier, then I put up a skirting to keep the wind from blowing under my house. I also put up a 10 foot antenna on the side so I can now get the free digital broadcast that is being sent out.

My next project is to put it up on jack stands so it is a bit more stable. (for all the "rough-housing" I'm known for)

Pictures are forth coming, I ran out of batteries for my camera.

Halloween.

2008-11-05T17:23:00.001-08:00

This was my most excellent costume this year. (and last). I had a lot of fun working security that night. Watched an intoxicated man run full force into a Volvo. Saw many people vomit. much better than hanging out with friends or going out on my own raiding parties.

The results are in (probably)

2008-11-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

Unless the projected results of this night’s election are wrong, or some lawyers figure out a way to change it up, Obama is our next president. I wrote this blog over two months ago, and I was waiting to post it tonight. It did not matter who won or lost, the issues are still the same.

I wish that I could feel a scene of accomplishment for the election tonight. Or maybe a little twinge of things turning around. Unfortunately I do not. There are a lot of people with hurt feelings who thought because their candidate had a little R or a little D next to their name they were somehow righteously chosen to lead. This election has shown that is not true.

The rich still take advantage of the poor. The week are still at the mercy of the strong. Government is still corrupt. Big business still owns the politicians. We have worked our way into owing more money than we will ever be able to pay back. Nothing has changed.

I am reminded of stories found in the book of Judges. Where God was to lead the people, they needed a man to lead them. For a while they would do well, and then almost immediately go right back into mortal danger and need to be saved again. After the Judges we see Kings raised up to lead the people, and just like the Judges, they were flawed. People were still in danger all the time.

We need to stop believing in politics and on something bigger. No amount of elections or appointments will bring about a righteous government, because a government is anti-righteous. The Taliban would tell you they had a righteous government. So would the Romans, and the Catholic Church.

In the past few years I have learned a lot about what is right. As a member of the “Bigger than Most Other People” club as a youth, Might Makes Right is an easy conclusion. Being a bully came easy for me. After breaking my hip the first time, I quickly became the target for bullies. All those kids I had picked on were now beating the crap out of me.

It was at this time I started to believe in God. I quickly read the Bible through several times and like most religious people became a cocky bastard and switched my mind set to Right Makes Might. I could be judgmental and mean to people who thought differently than I did, because I was right about stuff.

About 5 years ago I had a series of life changing events. I lost a business I was starting; I then got laid off from two different jobs in the span of a week. I lost the apartment I was living in, and suddenly was faced with being homeless. I could not understand what was happening, I still believed in God, I went to church, I prayed and did everything I was supposed to, why was this happening.

It turns out that when you add the Might into a Right Makes equation you are wrong. Meek Makes Right is the real equation. To be righteous you need to be Humble, Meek, Mournful, Just, Chaste, Persecuted, and a Peacemaker.

You do not need to be scared or mad about the election. A man is once again in charge, and will make a horrible mess of things. We will always be in danger, and will continue to need to be saved. I suggest that you do a few things to make your position a little better. Trust in God, he will provide. (I promise, I know I’ve been there) Be nice to each other, it will make everyone’s life easier. Forgive each other, I bet that we have all made comments about this candidate or the other and have really offended some people.

If we all do these things, we will live in a righteous community.

Rich Jandt Adventure #12

2008-10-29T22:18:00.000-07:00

Pizza Time had an awesome campus special that was $5 for a large one topping pizza.

Landreth 303 was filled with awesome guys, who used pizza tops as a medium for ark work. There was all kinds of artistic expression on boxes. A drawing of the Chaco-mountains. A drawing of a Lotus flower. Thins like that.

One afternoon I ate a pizza and decided to write the "f" word on it. I waited in the room all day waiting for someone to notice it. The look of shock on their face was well worth the wait.

Rich Jandt Adventure #11

2008-10-29T22:10:00.001-07:00

Eric Jones.

Eric was a bad person. He did bad things and made people very upset. He had some come-upins to collect.

It all started with a gallon of milk that was half finished. It then was placed in a heating duct until the gases from the milk decomposing expanded the jug to almost double its' original size.

If you are unfamiliar with a prank called a "Flash Flood" it is when you prop a container of a liquid against a door that opens in, and then wait for the person on the inside to open the door, flooding the room with that liquid.

Well we flash flooded Erics' room with the vile decomp milk. The entire floor of the dorm smelled like dead bodies, I can't imagine what his room smelled like.

Rich Jandt Adventure #10

2008-10-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

What Wooden Mallet.

We rented a huge tent from the Oregon National Guard. When they were seting it up they were using a huge wooden mallet. About 4 feet tall, and a huge round wooden head at the top.

When they were done setting it up, a soldier turned to me and said, "We are leaving this here. It had better be here when we get back." I really had no intention of stealing it, but a friend of mine did.

Later that night I walked into Landreth 303 and there it was. We quickly decided to call it the "What Wooden Mallet" because if anyone asked us where it was, we could say "What Wooden Mallet?" Kinda weak way out of lying, but it worked.

The What Wooden Mallet was not that usefull, but it was awesome none the less. It's ultimate purpose was smashing in a door. Even though I was not involved in this prank, I was blamed. Luckally I have good friends and was cleared in this case.

Rich Jandt Adventure #9

2008-10-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

Josh and D.R.

Josh was a very large slow moving target. Totally mean, and a huge bully. He wanted more than anyhting else in life to be a cop. He will never be one.

D.R. not Dr. Stood for Doris Ramku. A student from Albania. At first he was only a target because he roomed with Josh. By the end of this prank he made him self one on his own.

Josh and D.R. went on a vacation together once. Myself and not a few other students were tired of Josh's bull crap and decided to trash their room. We were only going to T.P. the room, but once we gained entry we were shocked to see pictures of Hitler, Mussolini, and other evil dictators. Para-military stuff was all over the place and it made us go over the edge.

Sure we T.P.ed the crap out of the room, then we erased a white board that clearly said "do not erase" on it. I put a banana in a combat boot, we put all of thier bedding in a washer full of dirty water. A friend of mine poured half of a bottle of mouth-wash out and refilled it with his urine.

Since I have trouble not telling the truth I immediately admitted my part in it, and gathered a few of the co-conspirators to help me clean the room. The entire time we were cleaning the room, Josh was quoting the ORS at us, and D.R. was looking very much the part of a little Hitler fan that he was.

Rich Jandt Adventure #8

2008-10-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

I have decided that since Cascade is closing, I should re-tell some of my excellent adventures of the Cade.

For most of my time at Cascade I had a set of Master keys. I found the women's athletic directors set. I went to Fred Myers and bought a key cover to cover the "do not duplicate" on them, and then had them make me a copy. Then I returned the director's set. Easy.

They would change the locks every year, but keep the same master keys.

First I will tell you what I did not do. I never stole anything, other than some snacks. I never broke or destroyed anything. I also never gave my keys to anyone who did. I did some pranks, and I used the Computer Lab after hours during my Everquest addiction stage. Also I used my keys to hang out in the Music House sometimes.

The first time I broke into the Cafeteria, I did not have my keys yet. A friend of mine climbed the two pipes that ran up the wall to the roof of the building and went into the roof hatch, went down to where the service elevator was and then let us in. The bulk of the prank was we took down the chairs and set up like 50 place settings for breakfast. Then I decided to go one step further and wrote Lambda Chi Omega on a lot of stuff with ketchup. Mostly I did this to throw the blame away from me, the obvious choice to blame. It totally worked.

Soap the fountain. On two occasions, I added soap to the fountain. The first time was on an April's Fools Day. If you are going to soap a fountain, you should use bubble bath, not laundry soap. Bubble bath bubbles will build up in a giant wall of bubbles, while laundry soak only makes a few bubbles and is much better at cleaning things, which tends to get you in more trouble.

After a late night trip to Winco foods where I bought the bubble bath, I returned to campus and used my keys to get to the switch to turn on the fountain. After adding the soap I then pulled some other pranks like penny locking some people in their rooms. I also acquired a roll of 40 pound test line and tied an entire floors' doors together. I also set up a trip wire field between the fountain and the fountain shut off valves.

At about 5:30 in the morning I heard the dorm supervisor open the doors and cuss really loud. He rushed over to shut off the fountain that by this time had created an 8 foot wall of suds. Not seeing the wire he totally bit it in the courtyard. Consequences for this one were pretty bad, I lost my job as RA, was docked one months pay, and also lost my rooming deposit.

Cascade College.

2008-10-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

Good ol' Cascade.

Even though you are leaving I will always remember you. Or I will until I am done paying the debt I owe from attending you.

You pissed me off sometimes. But you also introduced me to my best friends.

I think you gave me IBS. I could tell which bathroom I was in because of the color of the water. The food was only good when I was cooking. The best three and a half years of my life.

You did not prepare me for real-life situations like hermaphrodites, or paying taxes. You did teach me to tell the truth, and how to be a man.

The rules you tried to enforce on me were rediculous. Most of my best adventures were a result of them. I heart soap!

I would say I wish I had gone to ACU, but thats in freaking Texas.

politics.

2008-10-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

So after that last post (which to date has garnered the most responses), I have gotten a few calls and a lot of e-mails questioning my politics. I will try to make it short and simple and I’m sure I will fail at that.

I am not going to vote. It is not because I’m a convicted felon, or an illegal alien. I joke and say it’s because I’m too lazy, but really it is because there are no candidates whom I would want in office. I refuse to buy the lesser evil argument because it is stupid.

I would like to prioritize my issues for you. All you have to do is go down and see where I stand on things.

1.I am a huge supporter of human rights. Do you support human rights? Most do not. What group do you think needs more representation? Gays, blacks, women, immigrants or white males? Whichever group you choose I want you to think about maybe not killing them before they are born. I hate abortion. I think there should be exceptions for rape victims, incest cases, and where giving birth would cause severe health complications for the mother. Other than that, don’t murder people because you are too lazy to use birth-control.

I am not some right wing nut-job that thinks people do not have sex, or shouldn’t have sex. Everyone has sex. (Except me). No judgments, no looking down on people who like to have what I am told is the best thing ever. Use one of these methods to prevent killing someone because you are too stupid or too ashamed to admit you had sex. (Remember everyone has it). Here is a list. http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/sex_relationships/facts/contraception_which.htm

I have more to say about this, but I said I would be brief. Abortion a tough decision for rape, incest, danger to moms. Not a means for birth-control.

2. Our other rights. All 27 of them. (Except the 18th which was repealed, so only the 26 of them)

Free speech, religion, assembly, guns, due process, trial by jury, vote or not, and all the rest. These were not given to us by the bill of rights or the other amendments of the constitution. These are things that all people on the planet should expect. Any Politian who runs on a campaign of limiting the rights of people will not be supported by me. Ever. If some Politian makes it past the first thing I care about, they usually get hung up in the second.

One thing that seems to be guaranteed by the bill of rights is use of drugs. I am not some left wing nut-job that thinks that everyone uses drugs. (But just about everyone does) If you are starting to get a holier than though feeling about not using drugs, remember that headache that went away with aspirin? That cup of joe you had this morning? That night cap you like to have with that special someone? All drugs. All legal for some reason, but still drugs. I’m not saying legalize weed, I’m saying legalize everything.

Prostitution and drugs for everyone, not just the polititans.

3. Money. I earned it, let me keep it. Stop wasting it on stupid shit. A lot of Politians say they want me to keep my money, but they are liars. Democrats or Republicans will equally waste my money. Why should I pay for a bridge in Oklahoma, a state I will never go to intentionally? I shouldn’t that’s why.

That might actually be all I care about. To recap, you should do whatever makes you happy, unless it harms another human being, and don’t touch whats mine.

Suddenly I'm interested

2008-10-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

So I hear a story from Tim that maybe Obama isn't an American citizen. The story is not being run on the mainstream media outlets, which is weird considering the implications.

There have been numerous questions raised about Obama’s background with no satisfactory answers. The questions that have been addressed include:

1. Where was Obama born? Hawaii; an island off of Hawaii; Kenya; Canada; or ?

2. Was he a citizen of Kenya, Indonesia and/or Canada?

3. What was the early childhood of Obama in Hawaii; in Kenya; in Indonesia when he was adopted; and later, back to Hawaii?

4. An explanation as to the various names utilized by Obama that include: Barack Hussein Obama; Barry Soetoro; Barry Obama; Barack Dunham; and Barry Dunham.

5. Illinois Bar Application – Obama fails to acknowledge use of names other than Barack Hussein Obama, a blatant lie.

If Obama can prove U.S. citizenship, we still have the issue of muti-citizenship with responsibilities owed to and allegiance to other countries. There are like 2 things that you have to be to be president, 35 and a natural born citizen. Can we even have this man running for office if he is not one of them?

It's not even that this is a huge issue, but has he been blantently decieving everyone about this issue? I don't think that we need a third liar in office in a row.

You can find the entire story at http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/6524

The obligitory I turned 30 post.

2008-10-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I turned 30 on Wednesday. I want to thank all of my friends who made the arduous journey all the way out to Forest Grove.

I feel that at this point in my life I am the most secure I have ever been. I have worked for the same large corporation for just about 5 years, I make a livable wage, have health benefits, own my home, and all of my cars are paid off. I have a lot of friends, and get along with my family.

I am larger and more single than I expected, but when compared to the good points, I am fairly content with my life.

I know, usually saying things like this brings on some kind of trials and or tribulation, but I think I can handle it.

Call me.

2008-10-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

OK folks, this is the last blog reminding you of my upcoming birthday.

I will be rolling over to the wet side of the mountains early afternoon tomorrow.

Give me a call at 503-490-0476 if your coming out, or give me a call if you want me to come over and visit. I just got a new phone and don't have any of your numbers. You could e-mail me your numbers if you want.

Also if your a hot chick reading this and want to call me you can.

Drivers Licence

2008-10-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

I went in today to renew my driver's licence. I left about a half hour later angry and without a licence.

Turns out that if you are renewing your licence, you must have an original birth certificate, and social security card. I had brought an origial social card, and certified copies of my passport, adoption papers, and tax records.

I guess that those four things plus my valid drivers licence was not enough to prove my citezenship. Thats really stupid.

Not making a huge deal of it, but the guy working the counter had horrible english.

Dirty Thirty

2008-10-11T21:32:00.001-07:00

Ok folks, just a reminder about the upcoming holiday.

Everyone who reads this is invited to my birthday at the Grand Lodge, in Forest Grove Oregon, from Oct. 19 through the 22nd. Also if you come out, remember to bring swimming gear because there is a Japanese style soaking pool there, and it's awesome.

Oktoberfest!

2008-10-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I got some pictures here that you may enjoy.

Me and Daniel were supposed to be making mean faces. But Daniel dosn't have a mean face, so this is what we got.

Me holding some wienerdog puppies. Yeah, they are cute, but they had that gross new dog smell.

Funnest thing about wienerdog races are the judges. They took it very sereously.

And here it is, the main event.

The handlebar mustache was a shaving mistake, and has been properly grown back in.

It's snowin Y'all!

2008-10-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

Even though I hate it, I'm excited.

Go snow.

Introducing A-Clark!

2008-10-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

Alex is both one of my oldest, and best friends.

He is an extremely loyal and considerate man, while also being remarkably handsome and good with both a sword and dagger.

You can check in on his website at

http://lixingsun.livejournal.com/

The great buyout

2008-10-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

After checking some figures, and doing some looooong division, each US citizen who paid taxes 2007 contributed $7008.

How does that make you feel?

I sure could use seven grand.

ATTN: Single ladies!

2008-10-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

I am sworn to secrecy, but a female friend of mine asked me recently to help her choose between two different presents for her boyfriend.

The 2 choices? A new TV or a new rifle.

So I guess I'm taking apps for a new girlfriend position. Don't forget my birthday is on the 22nd, but my party is from the 19th till the 22nd.

So much to Blog about.

2008-09-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

I just had a rad few weeks, and will need some time to catch you all up.

First, my brother got married. I was nervous, but I met the other family and I like them. I think that if we all lived anywhere near each other we could definitely hang out.

I worked the City of Bend’s Oktoberfest. Awesome time including; sausages, beer, ladies in Bavarian costumes, I cut off my beard and grew a handle-bar mustache, and wiener dog races.

Discovered Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. Chocolate malts, not sweet, no hop, very thick and delicious!

Vacation!

2008-09-18T20:46:00.000-07:00

So I leave in the morning for my hometown. Here is my itinerary for the trip.
Friday.
Leave Bend at 6am.
Arrive at 10am.
Call my friend Alex, whom I haven't seen in a long time.
Pick up my parents at their terminal.
Rehearsal dinner and stuff.

Saturday.
Prep for My brother's wedding, whom I haven't seen in a while.
Enjoy the time with my family that I almost never get.

Sunday.
Go to church with Justin, not my biological brother, whom I haven't seen in a while.
Eat lunch with Larry and Jan, whom I haven't seen in a while.

Monday.
Fly back to Bend.
Meetings at work.
Monday night football!

Worst part of the trip, missing my boy Baas.

More pictures!

2008-09-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

And here is me, right after donating my hair. I'm trying to be fancy since I was in a wine shop.

Here is an outside shot of my home. I took a few of the inside as well, however I forgot to use the flash, so they are too dark.

Cliche

2008-09-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

I have a friend at work who I tease a lot for being cliche. He does stuff like reads Shakespeare, and puts french impressionist pictures on the background of work computers.

As I was watching TV the other day and had a moment of clarity. I am in fact cliche.

An overweight, white, gun-owning, conservative man; living in a trailer.

I hope I don't die in a tornado.

Pictures!

2008-09-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

I hope this works. Here is a recent picture of me. Right before I cut it off. Yeah, i look like a hippy.

La fin du Monde

2008-09-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

For those few whom do not speak french, The end of the World.

I recently read an article about the particle accelerator in France. Also James had a post about it. I have been hoping for some cool things to happen, but now that we are only one day away from the start of the thing, I'm getting nervous.

One scientist says that we wont see anything happen for 4 years, which is a weird coincidence with the ending of the Mian calender. Another says that Black holes and turning our planet into a quasar are also possible.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-large-hadron-collider-end-of-the-world-or-gods-own-particle-921540.html

Mmmm, books.

2008-09-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Raymond Fiest is quickly becoming an author I really like.

I just read shadow of a dark queen and even though I thought of it as a fantasy version of the dirty dozen, I loved it.

I highly recommend his books to you, even though he has 5 stand alone series, you should start with magician.

Coolest thing ever!

2008-09-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

click the link over to the right and make your own super hero.

Mine is Rich Jandt, telephone answerer. It's kinda amazing, but he is at 100% customer satisfaction. Also I really own shoes like that.

Handy man.

2008-09-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

James can attest, I am not that handy, or so I thought.

That has all changed this summer, in the past 3 months I have fixed two leaking sinks, hung a shower curtain, replaced an alternator, re-mounted an accelerator cable, and changed two car batteries. I also helped install pergo flooring, installed insulation, some simple wiring, reattached some door hardware, and used a jig-saw to cut off some corners of boards.

Just one more thing I'm awesome at.

Nomad no more

2008-08-31T22:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I moved into a lot out in the Deschutes River Woods area of Bend. It's an acre lot, complete with trees, rocks, and neighbors on both sides. It terms the nomadic lifestyle of towing my house around with me everywhere I went.

The downside is that now I have to drive out of town to be in wilderness, instead of just walking outside my house. The upside is now I have water, electricity, and a toilet, all for $385 a month. (not that bad of a trade off)

does God control us?

2008-08-28T23:37:00.000-07:00

I was watching a recent meteor show with a friend and her two children. Since I am very like Daniel Boone, I knew an awesome spot in the Deschutes National Forrest.

As we were lying on our backs watching the shower, which was spectacular by the way, we were talking about constellations and planets and whatnot. At one point a girl about the age of 7 asked if “God controls what we do?”

Her mom’s short answer of “no” is of course correct, God gives us free will to choose to follow him, or not. What makes me keep thinking about the situation is that God does in fact control us.

What I’m looking for here is an open discussion on what “free will” means.
I know that there are things that I can’t do. With gravity, and escape velosities, and terminal velosities ect.I can't do what I want. I know I can’t make up another God and it be real. I can’t fly, or read minds or use telepathy. Unfortunately there are physical limits to our universe. With these limits there is a kind of control being put upon us.

“You cannot serve two masters” is an axiom that puts the concept I’m thinking of into words. Why can’t I? That would be free will. For my atheist friends believing in science (or whatever they believe in) and not in Hell is not going to save them from it.

So what is free will?

What the duce?

2008-08-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26393591/

Police had to use pepper spray to "discourage" protesters. What is amazing to me is that it was for demonstraters at the Deomocratic convention.

Seems kinda like the twilight zone, people demonstraiting democrats.

George Alec Effinger

2008-08-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

I recently finished a few books written by George A. Effinger. These 3 books are part of a series that was unfortunately cut short by the author's death. they are titled, When Gravity Fails, A Fire in the Sun, and The Exile Kiss.

I'm a fan of cyberpunk, and I feel that these three books are a good representation of that literary movement, or sub genre of sci-fi.

The books center around a reluctant hero of a very poor, very dangerous part of an un-named city in the middle east. Like other cyberpunk stories this one revolves about cybernetic implants that enhance the human mind/body.

Another key facet of this books revolves about the sexuality of humans. In this version of the future humans pick their own sex when they grow into adult hood. So there are males, born males. Males, born females. And females that dress and pass in society as males. Also the three opposite "sexes". The main character seems to like women who were born as men.

Overall I liked these books. The characters were real, and likable. There were varying degrees of good guys to bad guys. Good intrigue, and suspense.

Sweeten the deal.

2008-08-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, I can tell by your overwhelming responce that you guys are stoked about my 4 day birthday bash, so how about I add in that I can get you guys hotel rooms with me for only $40 bucks a night.

My Birthday.

2008-08-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

So, since I live all the way out in Bend and no one ever comes and visits me, ever, I am thinking about booking 4 days at a Mcmemamin's location in Forrest Grove. I was wondering if any of you guys would be willing to come out and visit me on my little vacation.

Also it would be for the days of October 19-23.

Also it will be my 30th Birthday.

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts

2008-08-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

I have been reading a lot of escapist fantasy lately, and decided to change it up a bit. I selected a book titled My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Amos Tutuola.

It seemed like an interesting book about the mythology of Nigeria. It has been praised by several book reviews, and a few of my friends.

It is one of the hardest, most irritating books I have ever read. Here is a selected paragraph for you to read, and no, I am not changing a single letter.

"Again, at the same moment that I left the place that I stood behind this tree the alarms started to blow according to how I was chasing this ugly ghostess and I was unable to stop in one place so that the alarms might stop, my aim was only to see the ugly ghostess clearly, because as she was running away so that I might not see her uglyness it was so she was laughing louder at her ugliness and I was also laughing louder at the ugliness. As I was chasing her to and fro to look to look at her ugliness it was so this this bush was blowing various fearful alarms and this was pointing out how I was running and how far reachinging in the bush to the ghosts who were chasing at the back to kill me. This young ghostess was so ugly that if she hid under a bush and if she looked at her ugly body she would burst suddenly into a great laugh which would last more than one hour and this was detecting her out of the hidden place she might hide herself."

I lied, I was going to write an entire paragragh but it is to annoying to read.

Harry Potter's end.

2008-08-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

I just finished the last of the Harry Potter books.

I have been building this story in my mind for the last 6 books and am a little disappointed about the ending. Granted I do not think that J.K. Rowling wrote books three through six so I shouldn't be surprised at the low level of skill used in number seven.

Without going into details about Deathly Hallows, the characters that were chosen to be killed were only cheap shots to add suspense and emotion. The Potter/Voldermort story ending was better the first time I read it in the Bible, or maybe in the Lion Witch and Wardrobe. The last chapter taking place 19 years later was a lazy way to bring closure to the needless deaths mentioned before.

I don't know, maybe if I had written six thousand pages of character development and story line I would then write a good book to end it.

My first Tolkien

2008-08-14T21:48:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished a Tolkien book. I know since I have read a huge share of escapist fantasy that it seems I would have read a Tolkien before, I hadn’t.

I tried to read Fellowship in high school, but it was too wordy. I tried after college also, but still found it borrring. Really? A 30 page dissertation on the entire history of Hobbits? Too much. However a friend of mine gave me a copy of The Hobbit, and I read it a few days ago.

Not that great, actually. It seems written for an adult to read to a child. Not being able to compare it to other Tolkien books I am going to compare it to the LOTR movie trilogy I did happen to have an attention span to enjoy. I can’t see how those fruity dwarves; fruity elves evolve in 60 or so years to become awesome killing machines.

I thought about quitting the book when the dwarves were cleaning Bilbo’s house and were singing a song about cleaning his house, like they just ad-libed some song. I can’t remember, but I think one of the dwarves was named Rodgers, and another named Hammerstein. And the elves! Letting some weak old fat hobbit run around their cave for a month stealing food and releasing the dwarves.

I can’t wait for the movie to come out, I bet it’s going to be great.

Religion and Politics.

2008-08-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

I recently read Dune by Frank Herbert and have a few comments that I think are relevant to both subjects. Maybe it should be 2 blogs…?

I do not know the religion of Mr. Herbert however the scene he has set in Dune is very reminiscent of what I see in the Middle East.

Here are a people, who live in a desert, who rely on water, and see their own environment to be hostile and non productive. However there are people who invade their land and take it to mine a commodity that is used to expand and fuel their empire. Is this not a description of both Dune and The Middle East?

One great quote from Dune that I hope I am not messing up was “When Religion and Politics ride in the same wagon, the people are blind. They do not see the precipice until it is too late.” I see that as a possible horrible future in America, and a horrible reality in the Middle East.

I think that ruling any country through the guise of a religion would be wrong. It did not work in the Bible. It did not work out for the Romans, or the Mayans, or the Taliban. I do not think that a Christian Government in the US is a good idea either. As much as I hate to admit it, Obama’s statement about multiplicity in Christianity would have severe destructive consequences on both Religion and Politics.

Black Butte XX

2008-08-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

Craft beer is one of my passions.

Last month was the unveiling of Black Butte XX. A very BIG beer. I am having trouble defining some characteristics for it, because everyone of the words I think of will not due justice deserved. Dark smooth chocolate, but not sweet, mixed with some intense coffee produces an almost mocca like flavor with a very viscous texture.

Tame IBU at 55, and Alcohol around 11%. Price is a factor at around $10 a 22oz bottle.

It being so rich, I couldn't drink it everyday. As a treat you should deffinitly give this beer a try.

Dune

2008-08-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last month I read the last of the Dune series. I found the writing style to be disjointed, the character development non-existent.

Complaining to a friend about my disappointment, he asked how I liked the rest of the Dune books. It was the only one I had read and he lent me a copy of the first book, written by Frank Herbert.

As I was finishing it this morning, I was amazed at how incredibly well written it was. I might be putting Frank Herbert into my favorite authors category if the rest of his books are as well written.

Amazing amazing book.

Also here are my favorite writers:
George R. R. Martin
Issac Asimov
Arther C. Clarke
God (of course)
Tim M. Lewis (if he would ever publish something)
C. S. Lewis (not sure of the relation to Tim)
Stephen R. Donaldson
Frederik G. Pohl

Books I have read this month.

2008-07-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

Magician:Apprentice
Magician:Master
Silverthorn
Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond Fiest.

Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert

High Druid of Shannara: Jarka Ruus by Terry Brooks

Mainspring by Jay Lake

Star Trek,TNG:Q and A by Keith DeCandido

No Country for Old Men by Cormic Mcarthy

Serenity: Those Left Behind (graphic novles count) by Joss Weadon

Good Service Hutch's Bike Shop

2008-07-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

I had bought a bike a few months ago from Hutch's Bike Shop. Last week I crashed pretty good, and my bike was in-need of some repairs.

My handle bars were lose, my brakes weren't working, when I shifted the bike would make some weird noises, and one of my tires was going flat. I dropped it off at Hutch's while I was doing my laundry across the street, and 20 min. later I went to go pick it up.

The guy who had fixed it handed me the handle bars and said have a nice day. The cost of these repairs? Nothing, since I bought the bike there, they fixed it for free.

I just wanted to give a kudos to Hutch's for being good at customer service.

Brother's wedding.

2008-07-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

I bought plane tickets for my brother's wedding today. I got them for less than $200, so I was happy. Then a co-worker remarked "I hope that airline isstill in buisness in September".

What a horrible thought.

Speaking of Horrible, Joss Weadon the creater of Firefly, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer is making some Web tv shows called "Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog".

I have seen only the first one, and I really liked it.

Dirty Thieves!

2008-07-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

This blog is for my Bend area readers mostly.

A co-worker of mine recently bought an $850 mountian bike. Actually he got it less than 48 hours before someone stole it from the bike rack outside of work. Cut through a huge bike chain and no one noticed.

Ace is a really hard working guy, who spent most of an entire months pay on a bike he really really wanted.

I hope whom ever stole his bike gets some good come-uppens.

Taco Tuesday

2008-07-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

I went to El Burrito for taco Tuesday this week. I found that they had a happy hour special of $2 tacos.

I know Jason, the owner, and knew that if I ordered 10 of them I would regret it. So I ordered 4. Hands down the best tacos I have had. I was stuffed, and I am a big guy. Probably 4 ounces of meat, a bunch of fresh lettuce, three cheeses, tomatoe, and a slice of avocado, wrapped in a semi-fried white corn tortilla. I was wary about it at first, but it was fried enough to hold the shape, and soft enough not to break while eating.

I love this place anyway, but these tacos and the $3.50 blackberry margaritas will be there everyday from 3-5pm.

Another lesson learned in the wods.

2008-07-12T18:02:00.000-07:00

Over a year ago, some Friends and I went into the forest to camp for a few days. We stock piled huge piles of dry dead fall, and loose wood. We also put the cardboard six-packs in the pile as fire starters. I distinctly remember leaving some of the cardboard out in the forest, thinking it would decompose.

Last week I revisited my former spot and was shocked to see that not only had the cardboard not decomposed, but I could still read the Buzzsaw Brown logo on the side. Needless to say I am very disappointed at my decision to leave it out there, and will be a better steward of my forest.

Rich Jandt Adventure #7

2008-07-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

I was camping this weekend and had an adventure.

All day Tuesday and all day Wednesday I heard a noise coming from somewhere near my trailer. I don't know what the noise was, but it sounded kinda like a loud growling grumbling noise. Short, reverberating, low in tone. For two days I hear this thing and I finally had enough of it.

It's Wednesday about dusk, 9pm or so. I grab a handheld LED light, put my German Shepard on his working leash, and strap on my Walther p22. The sound was emanating from about a half mile away from where I was parked. (In the Decshutes national forest). The terrain around this part of the woods is spider-webbed with dirt bike trails, yet there are thick brambles and bushes about eye level so you can't see more than 5 feet in front of yourself.

I start working my way to the sounds, criss crossing several trails and peering around bushes before I step into the clearings behind them. I am holding the leash in one hand, and the light in the other. As I near the sound I become a little spooked. I am not sure if it is the proximity to the sound, or My own feelings that set my dog off, but I could tell he did not want to continue. He was circling me, yipping and whining.

I am not good at judging distances by sound, but I was a lot closer than I started, and had gone about half a mile. My dog finally sat down and refused to continue, so i had not choice but to return to my trailer.

Upon entering the clearing where my trailer was parked, I remembered a second forestry road that flanked the sounds position. I turned down to the other road noticing that it was full on dark now. The sounds had never stopped, and had in fact increased in number. As I walked down this second road I relied more and more on the handheld LED than before.

When I came to a spot that seemed right in front of the sound, We started to walk onto the woods. After crossing a few of the trails my dog started his yipping again, and the noise was at it's pinnacle. I could feel it reverberating in my chest.

To be honest with you, I lost my nerve at this point. I was turning around and the light in my hand shone directly at the bush in front of me and it came alive. It was shaking, and I thought something was coming out of it.

I quickly ran back to the road, the sounds of something huge crashing through the bushes following me. When I reached the road I put the light into my pocket, and drew my pistol. With a loud "ck-chink" I loaded a round into the chamber and I spun to meet the charging animal.

Nothing emerged from the bush, but I could hear it breathing and making the same low sounds. I was at least one half mile from my trailer, and it was around a corner, so I couldn't take a short cut. I moved very quickly from my position on the side of the road into the middle of it. And moved down the road. My dog suddenly found his speed and dragged me faster than I had moved in a while. Hearing crashes behind me, I looked to see the front line of bushes crashing and moving as something huge was pushing into them from the back, following me back to the trailer.

Luckily I had left the door open, and we jumped into it and I slammed the door shut, setting the lock instantly. I looked out the window and saw the wave of movement behind the bushes stop directly across from me.

Yeah, real good night sleep last night.

A toal loss of logic.

2008-07-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

I have had a few surprising conversations recently.

I met a woman, lets call her Fran. Now Fran was telling me that she is a vegetarian. I asked her why she was a vegetarian, and she listed health reasons, environment reasons, taste, and "most importantly sanctity of life". We talked a bit at the bar about how she is a budest and all animals are embedded with the same spark of life and each carries a soul that at one time could have been a human.

Since we were already talking about a taboo subject, I asked her about politics. She went off on the normal left-wing hates everything Conservative, her biggest issue being how the conservatives are taking away basic human rights such as a "woman's reproduction cycle".

I had already had a similar conversation with a friend earlier in the week about this topic, and I knew she meant abortion. So I asked her why it was evil to kill an animal to eat, but a "right" to kill an innocent baby? If you didn't know, this is where I turned into a woman hating Conservative.

After her going off for about 20 minutes about society looks down on women and how abortion is the only way for women to be free of the male dominated world, I interrupted her and plainly accused her of limiting the rights of women because every female baby that was murdered was denied all freedom, including her "reproductive rights".

It just dosn't make any sence. Animals have more rights that unborn children? That just dosn't make sence. Anyway it turns out that just like most left wing wackos Fran is also close minded. I was called a few choice names for defending the rights of women, and was promptly given the finger.

(which is usually funny to me, but all I could think about at the time were dead babies so it hurt a bit)

Diablo 3.

2008-06-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, Diablo 3 is in production.

Also Starcraft 2 is in production.

I watched both of the trailers, and read every page they have up about it. I know the quaility they are able to put out. We all know it's going to be freakin' sweet. My only question is ....

What if they both came out on the same day?

WT...?

2008-06-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

Funny, or maybe just immature, but this is the headline of a news story at foxnews.com.
the story is here http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,371902,00.html

Home.

2008-06-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

So I don't have pictures, however my trailer is finished. The new hardwood flooring looks great. Also this is the first place I have lived at with a gas range. Being a cook for all of those years I have always coveted having one in my house.

New Diablo?

2008-06-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

Just a guess, but check out blizzard.com . I know Tim will recognize the runes coming out of the ice.

So mad.

2008-06-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

People are really starting to anger me.

Why do people insist on breaking rules designed to keep themselves and other from harm? These are work related and I can't really go into many details, but they involve giving beer to a 15 year old, and a man consuming a whole bottle of wine, that he stole.

I'm starting to get so mad, but I just need to calm the crap down. But I do feel like freaking.

Ten taco Tuesday

2008-06-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

In the Jandt household we have one weekly tradition: Ten Taco Tuesday. It's fairly easy to accomplish, I just eat a totally of ten tacos every Tuesday.

There are several restaurants that serve tacos for 50 cents on Tuesdays, and Del Taco even serves them 3 for $1.09. I have been doing this for over a year now, and I have experimented on a few different things.

Vegetarian tacos. I have a good friend who is a vegetarian who turned me onto TSP. Textured Soy Protein. It tasted really good, and I don't quiet feel as bad when I'm eating ten tacos.

I had fancy tacos with thin sliced Prime Rib and some Bourson Cheese.

I found that I like hard shelled tacos more than soft tacos.

I quit!

2008-06-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well I quit my second job. I was the breakfast cook at Timber South for about 7 months.

I'm not entirely sure why I even took the job. I make pretty good loot at McMemamins, and I also work at least 45 hours a week there. It just seemed like a good idea at the time. My roommates have been shocked that I could work from 7am till 11pm between both jobs on Saturday and Sundays both, and one asked me yesterday what I would do with all my free time.

It's kinda scary because I was using work as an excuse for not finding a Church home where I fit in, and now I will need to come up with a new one.

Do they still show cartoons on Saturday morning?

Also a friend of mine came up with another movie idea.

It's called "Last Commie Standing".

It's a mockumentory of the stand up business in one of the former Soviet Republics. We are currently trying to come up with a plot.

House

2008-06-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about my new "house". My dad is flying into Bend to help me with a few projects.

The first one is we are replacing the flooring. I bought some pergo brand flooring and it is very regal. We are also going to install some cabinets. Replace the fridge and propane tanks.

I'm also going to figure out how to use this computer and put some pictures up for y'all to see.

Something

2008-06-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

I finally got my somethings I ordered.

I got a pair of noise reducing ear buds and a nice pair of yellow tinted sunglasses.

Since I am riding my bike a lot I found both of these items to be usefull. I'm glad I didn't get a grandma hat.

New home.

2008-06-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

I followed through with my plan to buy a trailer this morning. I bought a 1971 Road Ranger. It's 21 feet long, about 10 feet wide and has a bathroom with a shower, a queen sized bed, a range, a table, its pretty sweet!

Time for an endorsement

2008-05-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

This had been a long and boring political process. Since Huckabee and Norris are out, I have decided to endorse cthulhu. You can find more information about him at these websites.
www.cthulhu.org
www.cthulhu.org/cthulhu/index.html
www.cthulhu.com

Actual alien fotage!

2008-05-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hahaha, just kidding. But I guess this guy
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,359563,00.html
wants Denver tax payers to put together a commission to plan for future alien visits.

Indiana Jones, dont read this if you havn't seen the movie!

2008-05-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

I went an saw Indiana Jones on Tuesday. It was fantastic.

Acting was great. I was afraid that Shia LeBouf was going to make me mad, but I think he did a great job. Harrison Ford was totally believable as an older Indiana Jones.

Special effects were great also. Explosions, gun fight scenes, car chases all were done a lot better than in say temple of doom.

The only weak point was in the story. I thought the plot was good, but I saw basically the same story when I watched National Treasure 2 a few months ago. City of gold, under waterfall, the only difference was the interdementional being that escapes in huge flying saucer at the end. Not great, but better than I thought it was going to be.

Sound track was good. Not a lot of original songs, but a lot of 50's songs that fit the period setting of the movie great.

Overall, I give it an 8. You should go see this movie.

Rich Jandt Adventure #6

2008-05-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

One summer I was working as an intern at a Church. But I also worked full time at a video arcade. One of our co-workers was a volunteer firefighter, and asked Tim and I if we wanted to go to an indian reservation to purchase illegal fireworks. Asking me if I want something to cause trouble is like asking an alcoholic if he (or she) wants a drink.

So we get up early one morning and pile into his car, and are joined by his son. I had met his son at the arcade, where he routinely won thousands of tickets and got some sweet prizes. The son started to play some Eminem, which I hadn’t really heard before. We all kind of talked about it, and I started to drop some hints about how lame it was. He didn’t get the hint.

After at least a 45 minute drive to the reservation, we finally arrived. My wallet was full of cash, and my mind of intention. We walked around and bought a sweet load of exploding flying and fire causing toys. On the way back home we listened again to the Eminem album, which really isn’t any better the second time in a row.

I wish the story had ended there, but since I was involved…

A few days later Tim and I were sitting on our roof. It was a beautiful day, with a fresh breeze and a town full of tourists. For some reason I thought it would be a great idea to light firecrackers and throw them at people on the street.

Once again, I thought it would be a great idea to light firecrackers and throw them at people on the street. I’m not sure exactly what is wrong with me, but it seems to happen a lot.

After a while one of our co-workers climbs the side of our building and is freaking out. Turns out the cops are waiting for us at the bottom of the building wondering why we decided to throw lit firecrackers at people on the street. I really didn’t have an answer for him.

To make matters worse, a few days after that someone else (I swear I wasn’t involved) made an explosive device and detonated it right next to the arcade where I happened to be working. On our way to church a few days later, we saw a kid detonate another one in a garbage can. Knowing we would be the prime suspects, Tim and I promptly went to the police station to tell them what we saw.

Needless to say, I don’t think they believed us.

Best plan ever

2008-05-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

I am starting a grass roots movement to elect Tim Lewis President. Help me get the word out.

Rich Jandt Adventure #5

2008-05-23T19:10:00.001-07:00

Here is another older adventure of Rich Jandt. As far as I can remember, this actually happened.

Every third Thursday, we had Pork N Beans night. We would gather together, go to Winco foods, buy all of their Pork N Beans, have a super dance party, and then distribute all of the beans plus other crap we happened to have laying around.

It was the last Pork N Beans night before my best friend Tim graduated, and I knew that we had to go above and beyond. Luckily the summer before I had acquired a large assortment of fireworks. (A forth coming Rich Jandt adventure)

It started out like any other Pork N Beans night, until we came to the distribution portion of the night. Since so many people were graduating, we had a huge pile of stuff to pass out. After the Distribution the room we were celebrating in was almost completely empty. During the dance portion, a whole string of blackcats were thrown into the room scaring us and melting the carpet. At this point we all went wild. I busted out my stash of fireworks that included whistling petes, and mega smoke bombs.

We all decided to go plant a whistling firework at Doc's house. While it would have been prudent to send one or two operative over we went as a herd. The movement of 20 or so people drew the atention of the security guard who stood in the parking lot watching our actions. After planting the device we all started to run. Possibly from excitement, passably from terror Tim tripped in the parking lot and fell.

At first I considered running, for I am known as being very fast even for a fat guy. It was especially attractive because the device had gone off, and the security guard had started to move towards us. I instead decided to not leave a man behind and helped Tim back up. Then we ran like Mo's. Right past the security guard, all the way back to the dorms.

As we were recovering we got an idea. We happened to know a couple ladies who were sleeping in the field, and would love a late night visit from a smoke bomb.

We rolled over there as quite as ninjas. They did not hear us until we were opening the tent, and throwing the lit mega smoke into the tent. It was glorious, except for the fact that the tent started to melt, and all the ladies did was come outside the tent.

We re-retreated and came up with the best idea of our lives. Right across the courtyard from our staging ground was Doctor Lynn, up late working on his graduation speech we was giving the next day. We stealthy placed a whistler on the ledge outside his window and ran. Not the way we needed to, but around the corner and then we circled back. A few minutes later Dr. Lynn calmly walked into the dorm lobby and asked if we had seen the people who had put a whistling firework on his window. It was the best "what whistling firework" routine I have ever witnessed.

Tattoo

2008-05-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

I had my tattoo touched up today; I got it a few days before Tim’s wedding. (Happy anniversary btw) And I had forgotten how much it actually hurts. It’s less painful than breaking it, but it does feel like it’s on fire.

It was a painful reminder why I got it in the first place. Other than being a huge Starwars nerd. It is the imperial logo,
http://www.erikstormtrooper.com/impblacklogogray.gif

(sorry for the huge link, I have no idea how to make it look nice like James or Tim).

Darth Vader is definitely a bad guy when we first see him in Starwars A New Hope. He's walking around, choking guys, blowing up planets, generally being a giant space jerk. Yet by the end of Jedi we see him realize that his entire life has been misguided. His actions at the end of the movie kill him, but save the day, and we see him as a ghost alongside Yoda and Obi-wan.

I can see a parallel between Darth Vader and Saul of Tarsus. When we first see Saul he is inciting riots that lead to the death of Christians. After seeing Jesus on the road he is converted and through tradition we know that leads to his death.

When I answer people's questions about the weird symbol on my arm I explain about the inner struggle I deal with. And how Even though Darth Vader and Saul were both murderers and evil, in the end they were able to do the right thing and gain salvation.

Something

2008-05-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

So I saw a link on Mike's blog about the something store. I paid $20 bucks (including shipping) for two somethings. My thoughts were that if I doubled up I could increase my chance of getting something good.

I will keep you posted.

Indiana Jones. Spoiler alert!

2008-05-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, mabye no spoiler, but I just read that good ol' Indiana will be involved with space aliens in the new movie.

Nazi's I'm ok with, Russians sure. Alians?