I can't post pictures from here but I have some nice ones… In the past few days Rachel and I have been in three countries (Antigua, St. Maartens — although she tells me it was actually Sint Martinique — and BVI of course, on the islands of Tortola and Joyst Van Dyke). We're currently sitting on a beach in Antigua and are not yet entirely sure what the plans are. I've got some amazing design work done on the experience engine that I think will make the review team very happy, and have also redesigned the Risks and Glossary system that I hope some of you can help edit on. See you in a few days.
I worked for most of yesterday; hammered out a variety of data formats needed for all the new systems… It's actually a really fun mental game for me figuring out how to make simple (read: fast) systems perform powerful and complex acts. I think people will be very happy with the upgrades.
We didn't get ourselves over to St. Lucia, but we did end up in Montserrat today which was an amazing experience… A few years ago, after 4000 years of silence Montserrat blew its top and is now an active volcano — and just two weeks ago its 3700 foot (or something like that) lava dome blew so we got to fly into its smoking innards. I took lots of pictures of the volcano, the lava flows, and of all the destroyed cities — thousands of people had to relocate (they'll be posted when I return; this is just a kiosk).
When I first got down here I didn't really like it much; mostly due to lack of infrastructure and things being done in a way that I just thought was “backwards” for lack of a better term. I'm starting to “get it” more now and am really starting to like it; love it even. My leg is killing me due to the humidity but the people here are just so wonderful… We get some dirty looks from white tourists, but the local population is so friendly, and never asks us “hostile” questions about our mods — just genuine and fascinated open interest. It's a very positive change.
Tomorrow is our last full day here (we'll be back Sunday, and Saturday is a day that's mostly transit) and Rachel and I are going out to a reef for snorkling… I had so much fun swimming with the stingrays and the dolphins that I'm very much looking forward to it — even though I'll shamefully admit here that I have an almost pathological fear of drowning brought on by years of recurring nightmares that water was from an alien planet and was a gateway to “their” world (and thank you very much to my friend Erebli for getting me reading Sitchin which has heighted my paranoia there!).
What did Melville say? “Beneath those stars is a universe of gliding monsters…” Now, does that reveal my weakness for Melville, or for Star Trek? Or for Iron Maiden…? Anyway, I'll try and make a post tomorrow night. I hope everything is going well back on the mainland. I hear the Terminator is taking over America.
Had some unpleasantness not worth mentioning back on Tortola so I was ready to just say fuck it and come back home and work instead… Made it as far as Antigua to find out that not only were there no flights to Canada until Saturday, but Air Canada here doesn't even appear to be open until then! So we're stranded — as those that were in London UK with me earlier this year can attest to, travelling is very hard on me so I'm just trying to make the best of it.
Anyway, we're still in Antigua, and trying to find a place down in St. Lucia to stay for a few days. I think if that falls through we'll go over to Monserrat (I may have spelled that wrong) and check out the volcano that's currently live. I hope I don't get burned up.
Rachel and I went swimming with stingrays today and I got to feed them (she was too scared, but it was really fun)… We went swimming with dolphins as well (I'll post pictures when I return). Oh, and I should say that everyone is really cool here about tattoos and piercings; just expression of genuine interest… A lot of “what tribe are you in?” and “what religion is that?” (and a surprising number of people recognizing us from TV and being happy to hear about Erik as well).
Other than that I really miss everyone and I really miss the weather in Canada… It's so hot here. I could use a cool breeze!
Shawn, who's having a birthday tomorrow, points out that we were just 21 and 22 when we met (and that was after the site had already been running for a while!) and are now both on the cusp of 30 — with me turning 30 this September 29th, and him turning 29 tomorrow. Not only are we “getting old”, but at this point we know (and are friends with) people who grew up on both our sites (be sure to check out his rarely updated but extremely cool site at spc.bodymodification.com).
Buy me a Becks beer or pass me a bong
Gimmie some Bushmills I'll sing you this song
Open another big box of cheap wine
We're over thirty, we're doing just fine
We're probably the very end of the second generation of modern body modification (with Jim Ward, Fakir, and the others who “came out” in the 1970s being the first generation, and those who grew up in the era of established piercing studios, websites, and magazines being the third — the generation that grows up in the era where body modification laws and acceptance has matured will be the fourth)… Anyway, we're the last generation to grow up with body modification not being relatively mainstream…
It's weird seeing the world change, this community change, and wondering what role we had, or if we just got caught up in the same cultural tidal wave as everyone else here (I think we've made contributions, but on the whole we're all just in the same wonderful wave, getting drawn along to where we're supposed to go). It's easy to get down because of the dumb crap that's going on in the world, be it all the wars, or even just the little stuff like anti-mod laws, but I think it can turn out for the best — and I think our re-embracing of the body is a part of that.
I'm going to finish off the rest of my packing now, and then it's off to the train station. First thing in the morning I'll be on a jet, and not long afterwards I'll be working on some major BME overhauls in a little tropical villa — with some snorkeling intermissions of course. I'll do my best to find an internet cafe and upload pictures.
