An open letter to the faithfull beefloggers

Hey, sorry I didn’t write yesterday. I stayed home in bed nursing my hangover from Wendy and Jessie’s wedding. Probably not a good idea but more about that later. First off, Wendy and Jessie’s wedding was wonderful. It was really a good time. The room Dennis, Shawn, Jessica and I had was really nice. It ended up being the hang out after the reception since it was the biggest suite there and it had a nice balcony overlooking the mountains. The ceremony was very short and sweet. The reception was nice except for the fact that it was hotter than hell thanks to a really shitty AC system. Oh and the bar was horrendous. I mean worse than horrendous. Of course none of this was Wendy and Jessie’s fault it was The Gunstock Inn’s fault. Still everything went well and we ended up partying in our room until about 5am. I don’t remember much after 3am except bringing Jesse back to his room on a luggage cart and then listening to Shawn and Dennis dragging another cart down three flights of stairs. I think I remember pushing Shawn and two girls we found in the lobby down a hallway where they crashed into a wall. Not sure how we didn’t get kicked out and not sure why these 2 girls were sleeping in the lobby. Unfortunatley for Dennis and Shawn I think they were about 14. I know we drank all of the booze we brought (which was a lot) and got yelled at for bringing it back into the reception like everyone else was doing because the bar inside was horrible. This is how bad they were at the bar:

“Can I have a Jim Bean and Ginger ale please?”
“We don’t have any Ginger Ale.”
“Um ok, How about a Jim beam and Cola?”
“We don’t have Jim Beam.”
“Jack Daniels?”
“Nope.”
“How about a Black Label and Sprite?”
“Um..ok.”

Black Label and Sprite suck ass. They got so bad that towards the end of the night they were serving WARM beer. So most guests said fuck it and started bringing back their own from their rooms. Then around 1:00 am they made an announcement about how we cannot bring in outside booze etc..thanks to the fact that Shawn tried to bring in a Corona. They noticed that right away. How? Because they didn’t have Corona at the bar, or Hieniken, Or Amstel Light or………

Enough bitching though. So Jesse and Wendy are in the Dominican Republic right now. Soaking up some sun and surely being served some nice COLD Coronas. They deserve it all. I have some great photos though most may never be seen because though I looked pretty damn sharp in my new clothes my bloated pale head still gives me the creeps when I see it in photos. In the mirror its not too bad but take a picture? Scary. I only hope it not as bad in real life and you all havent just been nice to me all these years.

So I was tired yesterday but more than anything my room was a mess and I hadn’t put anything away from the wedding. I have a low grade of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) so it’s really hard for me to accomplish anything if everything is a mess and my stuff isn’t where it should be. Let’s just say spontaneity isn’t really part of my vocabulary. I am sure this has cost me some great adventures in the past. Anyway after I awoke at 8am (oops) and took one look at my stuff strewn around my bedroom I gave in. I retired to my throne for an early morning exorcism (insert image here) then went back to bed. I am very naughty and incredibly stupid sometimes. Jess of course got up at 4am and went to work. How I miss the fortitude of youth.

These are all just stupid excuses even though true. I’m surprised to still be working here and typing these words. I drove my uninspected car through the cover of Fog here this morning. I hope I can make it home without getting stopped. Someone from Corporate just called to bitch at me for not sending some paperwork down. Hey I can only send what I fuckin have okay???
Bloodsuckers. In three days I am supposed to be on a flight to Colorado. How on earth am I going to do that?

While we are pondering impossibilities I watched Oliver Stones “Alexander” on Sunday as I nursed my hangover. Though not an epic by any stretch I enjoyed it and thought most critics were a little too harsh on it. Either way Alexander was quite the character and his accomplishments are unmatched. There is one scene in India where Alexander leads a cavalry charge against the enemy who are riding giant War Elephants, a sight I could not imagine seeing especially in that time. His weary troops are being routed and Alexander knows this may be the end. So he charges. Stone slows down time and Alexander and his horse rear up as does the Elephant in front of him. It is the perfect shot, we have seen this picture in a carving or a statue before but for an instant you feel nothing but awe and wonderment for this man, this conqueror of lands who rides headlong into certain death if only to rouse his troops in battle. I would give anything to inspire people in this way. I think sometimes we just need to find the right thing to do. We need to inspire ourselves first. I am still looking for this and it is an endless quest so far.

Lord Duke has fallen also. Not against any war elephants though. My cousin who began his quest to hike the CDT is finished. After losing both his hiking partners, twisting an ankle and fighting with some faulty equipment he is off the trail for good. I don’t blame him a bit. He tells us on jigglebox.com:
I've been on the CDT for over ONE MONTH NOW! My original partner, Big Stick, was sucked thru a wormhole into Deep Space carrying about $800 of sponsored gear with him. Not a bad haul for hiking a total of two days. Hooray Big Stick and thanks for all the cards and letters. My second partner, Blister Sister, was a great friend & guide, but now she, too, has gone home to New England. It appears the ankle I twisted into a black and blue softball-sized clubbed-foot the week before I began hiking is more than just a sprain. The pain never let up, but stubborn I walked on. And on. And on. After resting a week with art car friends, I set out again over some of the most beautiful terrain on my journey, literally stomping the terra along the very top of the Divide for days. It was stunning and daunting. I got lost, fell and broke my glasses, climbed to the highest peak I think I've ever climbed, and didn't see another hiker soul for a solid week. With Thompson's memorial just days away now, I was forced to beeline south, bushwacking, trespassing, and basically tear-assing thru, around and over every order of flora, fauna, swamp and mountaintop with naught but my compass as my guide. I hit the I-70 yesterday and the one-saloon town of Empire, and good friend Nick came to collect my bloody remains and carry me "home" to Leadville. The late Doctor Gonzo has taken possession of my physical body, and we are presently under heavy sedation in an undisclosed location somewhere north of Antarctica.Thank you all again for your support! And thank you Autumn!-Peregrine jack

And now I am supposed to join him in three days. I want nothing more than to do this. I have the ticket he got me but no way to Logan Airport. The other person in my Dept. has already taken this Friday off (way before I knew about my trip) so if I am not here on Friday I will surely be unemployed. But do I truly care? I mean I do but I am hanging by a thread as it is and have no legal transportation anymore. The other person in my Dept. is starting to dislike me due to my attendance and overall fuck ups. Am I making excuses? Am I going crazy again? No. Actually I am quite calm as I sit here. So I reach out to my friends, my family, to ghosts, to Alexander to guide me. Tell me what to do. Where do we go from here?

In 60 hours do I ride against the Elephants? Or do I turn tail, run and live to fight another day?

You tell me.


J