The War

Hot day.... Tried to do some outdoor activities but was drenched in sweat in minutes. Normally the heat does not faze me, today it does. Taking refuge from brutal August sun in my subterranean hideout that also serves as the world headquarters of my vast enterprise. I have beer and Ken Burns newest documentary The War which is 15 hours of World War 2 stories. I should be set though I may run out of beer before its over.

Jazz Fest is happening on the riverfront. Spent some time there last night but got bored fast. I was in the mood for some adventure so I ended up taking a night bike ride on the Green Circle trail. Felt good on the bike. Didn't go far - 10 miles or so. Will most likely check out more of Jazz Fest later today.

Have a great Labor day!!

The Earth is Rude

In Back of Beyond proudly presents these words from our pal Walt Whitman.

The earth never tires, the earth is rude, silent, incomprehensible at first. Be not discouraged, keep on, there are divine things well enveloped. I swear to you there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell.

Catch and Release

Good afternoon. Feeling quite sassy today and liking it. All is well in my little world. Did a little fishing this morning and caught a nice Catfish. Had a nice outing with the venerable Catfish Jim on Tuesday evening and reeled in a couple nice Cats and a smally. All released to be caught another day. I think I even got drunk and shared my deepest darkest secrets with Catfish. He may even share a few of them if you bribe him. He likes beer.
Nothing beats a fine summer night canoeing and fishing on the river.

Labor Day weekend begins tomorrow. It doesn't seem possible. How did summer fly by so
fast?

Most are engaged in business the greater part of their lives, because the soul abhors a vacuum and they have not discovered any continuous employment for man's nobler faculties.

Henry David Thoreau

No Wishin About Fishin

It's been really nice outside the past few days. A little cool in the mornings but warming nicely during the afternoon. And best yet - low humidity - not typical for Wisconsin this time of year. Enjoying every minute of these fine days both at work and play.
Fishin is on my mind. Catfish Jim and I have an adventure planned for this evening and I'm lookin forward to it.

I'll tell ya all about it tomorrow.

Charge!

Burr..... a chilly morning. I heard on the radio earlier frost is expected here in North Central Wisco. tonight. Feeling much like fall today.

You never know what you will see on Main St. in Stevens Point. Yesterday morning I spotted 2 Civil War Confederate soldiers in motorized wheelchairs charging full speed down Main St. with sabre's drawn . Later I heard cannon and musket fire by the river and went to investigate. A full scale Civil War reenactment was in progress. Old men in Union uniforms were chasing little boys around the park with bayonets and who knows what was going on inside the tents. A buffalo was being roasted and smelled pretty good. I viewed the spectacle from a distance with some fear then went swimming.

It was good to swim around a little and do some water therapy. Thought it might strengthen my hamstring a little. It didn't . Pretty sore again today. Oh well....
A big time sunny day - loved it! - I even got a little sunburned.

Today? Big plans. I'm curious myself how this wonderful Sunday will turn out. Tune in tomorrow and maybe I'll share a good story.

Shelved

Humid today. Thunderstorms have been trying to form all day - so far no precip yet. We could use it, the Central Sands are dry. Been pretty busy the past few days. Sometimes I don't have to look for work, it looks for me. I love multi-tasking! Even better when making some good income as a result.
Made an adventure to the UW-Stevens Point surplus sales store earlier and purchased a really nice rolling printer cart. I love it! My new Epson printer sits majestically upon it with room to spare. It will also work great as a mobile desk unit. Now I can do computer work sitting on my new couch. Sooo Coool! It doesn't take much to make me happy. I also found a shelving unit on the curb that I snapped up that fits perfect in a unused corner of my studio. The pieces are fitting together very well. The headquarters of Jeff Kopp enterprises is really looking good.
Tours by appointment only.

It's Friday already. This week has flown by pretty darn fast. I've been fantasizing about cold beer all day. I do believe I will make it happen.
Remember! I get whatever I think about.

No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.
- Michel de Montaigne

Manic Man

I've been running my ass off today. Up at 4:30 AM and going hard ever since. It feels good to get a lot accomplished. I've done some outstanding shopping today - my life is enriched as a result, at least I hope so. Encountered some good deals at Target on a few things I've wanted for my office. Scored a nice sofa and a printer. Link for the sofa HERE. (Pictured)
Printer HERE.
The sofa should be a nice platform for the delights of life, as well as my afternoon nap. I was getting tired of shagging HO's on the floor. My knees have chronic rug burn. J.K. is a class act ya know.
The printer is one of those "all in one" deals. It prints, scans and copies. Couldn't pass it up for 29 bucks. Much needed.
I also got the rest of my supplies for my car painting project that's been half done for over 6 months now. Looking forward to getting that accomplished.
Time to get busy - summer is almost over.
First I think I'll take a little nap and try out my new work bench. I noticed a weight limit of 300 lbs. for my new sofa so I need to exercise some care. I weigh 155. Oh my! That mean I shouldn't bed any chick weighing over 145 lbs. Shit!! I live in Wisconsin.
May have to reinforce.

I'm kind of jealous of the life I'm supposedly leading.

Zach Braff

Lookin Good!

Good morning! Ahhh..... another day in paradise. Had a fun day yesterday walking the shore of the drained Wisconsin River. At one point several Point Police cruisers and the Marshfield bomb squad rushed into the area I was exploring and took command. At first I thought they were after me - have they been talking with the Secret Service? What could they want? I was safe.
A treasure hunter located a mortar shell in the muck and contacted the authorities. They removed the shell and exploded it later at a safe location. How did that get there?

Went shopping yesterday afternoon and updated my wardrobe. J.K. is looking good. If you look good you feel good. Lots of deals on summer clothes in the clearance racks. Can't wait to go out on the town and whooop it up in my new duds. Also did a little biking - testing my hamstring and the test failed. Still not even close to being able to pound the pedals like I used to. Woke up pretty tight and sore. Getting better but not quite there yet.

Keeping busy. Enjoying some great summer weather. Summer flying by way too fast. The new crop of UWSP students are arriving. School starts in 2 weeks......

Drawn Down

The focus here in Central Wisconsin is the Wisconsin River or perhaps the lack of it. The drawdown I've been blogging about is complete - 10 ft. of water removed from the Stevens Point Flowage. I've learned much about the river in the past 48 hours. Lots of old structure hidden for years now revealed. The riverfront here in Point (Gateway to the Pineries) was a bustling place in the old days, lots old piers and wharves remain from the lumbering days. Literally hundreds of pilings for piers and and bridges lurk beneath the water. You really have to see it to believe it. I'll be posting a bunch of pictures soon. Great structure for fish!
Its been an almost carnival like atmosphere this weekend as folks venture around on sightseeing tours of the riverfront. I think its fun! It does stink though - I can smell the river odor now at my office. The drawdown will continue for another 5 days or so. More river lore later.

Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.

Aldous Huxley

Draining the River

Woke at sunrise and surveyed the drawdown of the Stevens Point Flowage which began last night. As of 6:30 am about 3 feet of water removed exposing about 20 ft. of shore. Not all that dramatic at this stage. Remember however, this time tomorrow about 10 feet of water will be gone.
Treasure hunters are already out there with metal detectors trying to find sunken gems. The newly exposed bottom looks pretty clean, I was semi amazed. Expecting much more garbage. The gates of the New Page dam are not wide open like everyone was anticipating. Only 3 of the 12 were open and not even going full bore like they are when the snow is melting in the spring.

I'll be watching with interest the river throughout the day and will try to take some pictures. Draining the flowage is a rare event here in Point. I saw more people outside looking at the water this morning than I've ever seen. Obviously we are pretty bored here.

Got Courage?

One cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of shore.

Andre' Gide

Feeling anxious, subdued, stifled, bored, unfulfilled, empty...... Have I lost my lust for life? Am I nervous that I'll get hurt? What the hell is going on? Jeff needs adventure. What am I going to do about it?
Lot's to ponder on another stellar August day.
Suggestions?

Active Cats

We have been experiencing some wonderful August weather here in Central Wisco - high 70's, light refreshing breezes and cool nights. No brutal humidity at all this summer. I like it.
Hobbled out to one of my secret fishin holes yesterday eve and had a great outing. 4 nice cats in about 1 and a half hours. Would of had more if I had not run out of bait. The fish were active. A nice breeze kept the mosquito's away too. I LOVE being on the river.

Crunching some numbers this morning in an attempt to talk myself into putting an offer on a house that just came up for sale here in town. Have not had a formal showing of the structure but it looks good on the outside and the price right. If it looks good maybe I'll go for it. Tune in for future updates.

My leg is still sore but getting better. It gets really tight at night making for some slow going upon rising in the morn then seems to get better as the day progresses. Some of the relief surely stems from a healthy dose of ibuprofen. I can get around OK but I'd rate my condition at around 50%. It's only been a week - time heals all wounds. Maybe...... I'm confident of a full recovery.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do.

Confucius

Recuperation?

Trying to bounce back from my 2nd degree hamstring pull. Seems to be a slow process. Felt pretty good yesterday - this morning not so good. Did a little walking around on the riverfront yesterday trying to take advantage of a perfect August day. I may have over did it a little. Craving a bike ride but thats not a good idea either. So much of my life revolves around activities that are very physical in nature. Even jamming on the guitar can be a pretty good work out. My electric is heavy.
Enough complaining.
Sometimes a man has to suck it up and play with the cards your dealt with. It's just tough to take it easy. So much to do, so little time.

The only thing worse than a man you can't control is a man you can.
- Margo Kaufman

Stevens Point Flowage Draw Down

On August 14 the gates of the New Page paper mill will open and a 10 foot draw down of the Wisconsin River flowage will begin between the DuBay Dam and downtown Stevens Point. This is necessary for repairs to the seawall North of the New Page dam.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS
• Thursday, August 14 (morning) – all necessary public & private property
should be removed from the designated waterway
• Thursday, August 14 (late evening) – drawdown begins at a rate of
.2 feet/hour
• Saturday, August 16 (morning) – volunteers report to Club 10
for fish maintenance and other activities
• Saturday, August 16 (afternoon) – repairs begin on the seawall
• Sunday, August 17 (morning) – drawdown reaches maximum depth
not to exceed ten feet
• Tuesday, August 19 (evening) – water levels begin to climb back
to normal as repairs on lower portions of the seawall are completed.
Refill continues over the next 7 days.
• Wednesday, August 27 (morning) – Wisconsin River levels returned
to normal river levels.

The scene should be pretty dramatic. I can't even imagine what might be found on the freshly exposed river bottom. Also note that volunteers will be rescuing fish trapped in shallow water. Will a world record Musky be found? The legend is its out there somewhere. They won't be rescuing any Carp however. Savage bastards.......

Just Golden

I was paging through a Southwest Airlines magazine at the doctors office and found some amazing facts about the precious metal Gold.
Did you know? All the worlds refined gold would fit into 91 tractor trailers. They wouldn't be able to move however, federal regulations limit trucks to 80,000 pounds on interstates. A 15 inch square cube of gold weighs 2000 lbs. - a ton. I find that totally amazing.
Another fact. Despite its density gold is highly malleable. With the right equipment you could pound a single ounce of gold into a 300 square foot sheet. I'd like to see Master Goldsmith Catfish Jimbo try that. More facts: 70% of the worlds gold is used for jewelery. 720 million ounces of gold are estimated in the worlds mining reserves. 13% of all gold is used for investment purposes. And finally it costs 428 dollars (U.S.) to produce a single ounce of gold.
These facts are truly golden.

Ham Strung

I'm hurt. The diagnosis is a badly pulled hamstring on my right leg. Maybe even some moderate tearing of the muscle. The pain and discomfort is considerable. The injury was sustained on a water skiing adventure yesterday on Lake Dubay with my pal Joc and her friends Derrick and Tracy. I was having a good session on the slalom ski, upon jumping the wake my leg gave way and tightened up immediately. I knew I was fucked up.
I'm a pretty fair water skier but don't do much anymore. I've never had an incident like this in my life.
To top things off my the exhaust on my car broke on my way home from Plainfield and now my Dodge Shadow is really loud. The pipe is severed about a foot past the catalytic converter at the point of a splice in the system. Should be an easy fix.

I only have one problem at the moment. I can barely walk. Work is out of the question. I am however experiencing a mild sense of euphoria that started yesterday evening when Joc brought over some Vicodin to ease the pain. They really work! I believe I even attempted to persuade her to give me a blow job for old time sake. Yes, you can be both in misery and horny at the same time. A failed attempt. I've taken 6 pills in the past 12 hours. I feel quite happy until I try to move my leg. Then I'm not.

To make things even worse I'm not even close to being In Back of Beyond. The journey there can be perilous.

Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.

Confucius