RT 18: Iowa City 20th Reunion

 A wise man once asked me "How do we buy stock in Iowa?"

Our 20th year of Reunion Trips landed us back in Iowa City where it all began.  Somehow better than the trip 10 years ago.  The city looks great!  Bars are packed.  Girls are hot.  And Gray had the excellent observation that the kids really weren't on their phones that much - didn't really see any phones out at night.  Pretty different than 10 years ago.  Gave all of us a little reason to be optimistic about future generations.

We stopped by SAE, found our composite in the boiler room and met some dudes we would hire.

I had probably 24 drinks in two days and drank the least of anyone on the trip.  

Cedar Rapids airport needs more ubers.

What will we do for the next 20 years?

The Pre-Internet World

"We are the last crop of people who know what it was like to live in a pre-internet world and now live in a fully connected world.  Our childhood was marked by periods of boredom where we had to go out of our way to figure out creative ways to entertain ourselves.  The amount of energy you had to exude with your imagination to figure out how to spend time was extraordinary. 

Fast forward to the 12 year old now, or the 10 year old or the 8 year old, they have to exert even more energy to not be distracted, to find boredom, to find stillness.  

 

It cannot be overstated how profound a change that is.  And I'm not sure that we really appreciate the extent of which that's going to change the course of humanity, because what is that person going to look like in 20 or 30 years when they're an adult?  It's going to be a very different type of being.  

 

I think now more than ever we're in a crisis of presence in that we never have to be by ourselves ever again.  You have to go out of your way to find a moment of stillness.

  

Blaise Pascal once said, 'All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone'."

- Rich Roll

Rock Climbing in Joshua Tree

Andy says an inch is a cinch.  Interestingly rock climbing is way more about leg strength than arm strength - who knew!  Glad we got some buddytime up on the rocks in Joshua Tree - after nearly 20 years in LA, I was long overdue.  

Well beyond a workout, the mental aspect is critical - probably more important than almost any sport I've played (like golf, but in a much different way).  Even at amateur levels, it's pretty easy to see how one could have a spiritual experience on the rock.

 Would like to run this one back, hopefully soon.

 

 

El Salvador

 What a pleasant surprise.  El Salvador just went from the most dangerous country in the western hemisphere to arguably the safest, thanks to the new policies of President Bukele.  Previously they had no control of their country, and now they do!  We heard from multiple locals that you can now go anywhere in the entire country and it's safe.  My surf instructor Brian said the first time he ever went to downtown San Salvador at night was two weeks ago.  It's a remarkable achievement, especially when considering the major challenges Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador and others in the region are experiencing.

Slimetime = Good Times, including multiple days of surfing (went too hard, my back still hasn't recovered!), yoga, massages, chinos, drinks and the Tyson/Paul fight in downtown El Tunco.  Friendly people, good energy and fun to explore Surf City.  

National Park Momentum

The last four:  Mammoth Cave, Redwood, Mount Rainier, Mesa Verde.  We're going to 63!!

Music Club 2023

Song of the Year: Pissed Jeans - False Jesii Part 2

Winner: John

 

 Marc's Top 10 list:

1	Radiohead	Jigsaw Falling Into Place
2	Steel Beans	Molotov Cocktail Lounge
3	Pissed Jeans	False Jesii Part 2
4	Paul McCartney	Temporary Secretary
5	Jerry Garcia Band	Cats Down Under the Stars
6	Queens of the Stone Age	Emotion Sickness
7	Lee Fields	Forever
8	ABBA	SOS
9	Freddie Dredd	Limbo
10	Goose	Hungersite

John's Top 10 list:

1	Death Grips	Hacker
2	Aretha Franklin	I Never Loved a Man
3	Capital Steez, Joey Badass	Survival Tactics
4	MGMT	When You Die
5	Trampled By Turtles	Ain't No Use in Trying
6	YG 400	Bruisin
7	Vieux Farka Toure	Diarabi
8	Pedo Paulo	Nazare
9	Lord Huron	Not Dead Yet
10	John Parish, Aldous Harding	Three Hours

All songs from 2023:

Submission #	Artist	Song
1	Fountains of Wayne	Hackensack
2	Local H	Hackensack (cover)
3	Steve Lacy	Bad Habit
4	Lainey Wilson	Things a man outta know
6	Moatsville String Ticklers	West Virginia Hills
7	The Guitaraculas	Vampira's Curse
8	Sam Willis	Sweet Distraction
9	Aretha Franklin	I never loved a man
10	Rolling Stones	Sweet Virginia
11	Majid Jordan	Been Through That
12	Broncho	Stay Loose
14	Witchrider	Black
15	Steel Beans	Molotav Cocktail Lounge
16	Them	Mystic Eyes
17	Roy orbison	I drove all Night
18	ABBA	SOS
19	STeel Beans	Southbound
20	Goose	Hunger Site
21	Vended	Ded to Me
22	Slim 400	Bruisin
23	Capital Steez (Joey Bada$$)	Survival Tactics
24	Fat Pat	Tops Drop
25	Radiohead	Jigsaw falling into Place
26	Radiohead	Nude
27	Radiohead	All I Need
28	Radiohead	Bodysnatchers
29	The Last Shadow Puppets	Sweet Dreams, TN
30	Meshuggah	Demuirge
31	Meshuggah	Bleed
32	Albert Hammond Jr	Set to Attack
33	Unified Highway	Losing My Religion
34	Radiohead	Myxamatosis
35	Radiohead	Sitdown stand up
36	King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard	Lord of Lightening
37	War on Drugs	Harmonias Dream
38	Pissed Jeans	False Jessi Part 2
39	The Vines	Spaceship
40	Wilco	Via Chicago
41	Trampled by Turtles	aint no use in trying
42	Trampled by Turtles	my brother works for the cia
43	Trampled by Turtles	drinkin in the morning
44	Trampled by Turtles	the outskirts
45	Freddie Dredd	Limbo
46	Freddie Dredd	Cha Cha
47	Freddie Dredd	Devil's Work
48	Lord Huron	Not Dead Yet
49	Jennifer Murphy	I want to be Ninja
50	MGMT	When You Die
51	Jon Allen	Jonah's Whale
52	The Step Beats	One Headlight
53	The Step Beats	Where is my mind
54	The Step Beats	Low
55	Michael Hurley	Long Journey
56	Nirvana	The Money will roll right in
57	Spiral Drive	Echoes
58	Slomosa	In My Mind's Desert
59	King Tuff	Anthem
60	King Tuff	Black Moon Spell
61	tchotchke	Dizzy
62	Halsey	You asked for this
63	My chemical Romance	The Foundations of Decay
64	Men I Trust	Pines
65	Men I Trust	Shoulders
66	Afroman	Palmdale
67	The Maytals	It must be true love
68	Poco	Indian Summer
69	The Doors	Indian Summer
70	Billy Joel	Modern Woman
71	George Harrison	All those years ago
72	Wax Tailor	Ungoldly fruit
73	Wah Together	I'm a swimmer
74	Durand Jones and the Indications	Witchoo
75	Kings of Leon	Back Down South
76	Fake Fruit	No mutuals
77	TV on the radio	Staring at the sun
78	Elderbrook	Inner Light
79	The Distillers	Drain the Blood
80	Spinnerette	Ghetto Love
81	Ceramic Dog	Lies My Body Told Me
82	Vieux Farka Toure Feat Khruangbin	Diarabi
83	Thomas Mapfumo	Vanhu Vatema
84	Jerry Garcia Band	Cats Down Under the Stars
85	Jerry Garcia Band	Rain
86	Reb and the Good News	California Weather
87	Clothing Optional	Cuentos
88	Steal Beans	Swimming in Molasses
89	Kvelertek	Krøterveg Te Helvete
90	Paul Mccartney	Temporary Secratary
91	Stu Gardener	Home on the Range
92	Stephen Sanchez	Until I found you
93	Enemy You	By Design
94	The Lillingtons	Insect Nightmares
95	Johnny Cash	I See a Darkness
96	Billy Strings w/ Willie Nelson	California Sober
97	Witch	Introduction
98	Weather Report	Birdland
99	Greg Fost	Above the clouds
100	MGMT	Tell it to me like it is
101	Beth orton	Fractals
102	Type O Negatove	Love you to death
103	Yussef Dayes	Black Classical Music
104	The Bronx	Past Lives
105	QOTSA	Emotion Sickness
106	Interpol	Mammoth
107	Amanaz	I am very far
108	Bill Withers	Harlem
109	Tyler Childers	Charleston Girl
110	Howlin' Wolf	Dont mess with my baby
111	Pastor T.L. Barrett & The Youth For Christ Choir	Like. ship
112	Emmylou Harris	Heaven Only Knows
113	Michael Kiwanuka	One More Night
114	The Feeders	Kerchoo
115	The Feeders	Im a Rat
116	Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs	Mr Medicine
117	St. Paul and the Broken Bones	Call Me
118	The Dip	State Line
119	Death Grips	Hacker
120	Not the Twos	Paradise
121	Cat Stevens	Trouble
122	Father John Misty	Trouble
123	Nia Sultana	Some Feelings Never Go Away
124	Alton Ellis	Darling, It's True
125	Sugar Minott	Slice of the Cake
126	Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs	Stay
127	The Diamonds	Little Darlin
128	The Fiestas	So fine
129	The Fiestas	Last Night I Dreamed
130	The Escorts	Gloria
131	Ray and Paul Holmberg	Her Eyes
132	Blackhawk	Goodbye says it all
133	CTZNSHP	New Brave
134	Van She	Kelly
135	Lee Fields	Forever
136	Chanel West Coast	Anchors
137	Gorillaz	Possession Island
138	Rose City Band	Wee Hours
139	Pedro Paulo	Nazare
140	The Pharcyde	Oh Shit!
141	Vieux Farka Toure	All the Same
142	Chris Stapleton	Scarecrow in the Garden
143	Jimi Hendrix	If 6 Was 9
144	John Paris & Aldous Harding	Three Hours
145	Skinshape	I Won't Be There
146	Kash'd Out	I think you like it
147	Richard Marx	Should've known better