Clint Eastwood's character wasn't talking about mineral exploration geophysics. But he should have!
Here's me (wearing the keffiya) in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, training a local operator on EM data acquisition with an antiquated GDP-32 multi-function receiver. Probably one of the toughest jobs I've ever done. Six weeks is a long time to spend out there, particularly eating the local food. I got sick, frozen, nearly stranded by a navigationally-challenged driver and dodgy 4WD, rode a camel, ate lots of horse meat, drank fermented camel milk and Mongolian vodka (quite good, actually), did a lot of hiking, had the bus ride from Hell between the Chinese border and Ulaan Baatar via Dalanzadgad, and experienced the culture.
We got back from a 1 week trip to Morocco last night, flying out of Tangier. This photo is from the Saadian Tombs in Marrakesh. Islamic art is wonderful!
This was our first trip to Morocco. We'll be back. The architecture and decorative arts are beautiful. The food is wholesome and tasty. The hospitality of the people is warm. The landscapes are varied - from the Sahara to the Atlas Mountains to the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. At no time did we feel threatened, though you can definitely find trouble here if you are unwise. People selling stuff in the souks can be a bit over the top, but it's easy to deal with and they are generally more polite than sellers in other places we've visited. Just go. It's a great place for an adventure.
Trump and his cronies ARE America as seen by the rest of the world.
Yes, we understand that he only represents roughly 30% of the adult population, but he is still the President. We are capable of feeling anger at America while feeling sorry for Americans.
@Alexander_Campbell @PeterLG @TCatInReality You mean the idiots who suppressed Black voters for 50 years, and the corporate media that encouraged 50 years of blatant lies about how capitalism works will get what they deserve.
And the so-called "progressives" who jumped onboard with the Republican genocides and thought it was funny to blame "genocide Joe" for Republican violence. No doubt the millions of dollars from Putin contributed to their zeal...
@Alexander_Campbell @todymotmot @PeterLG @TCatInReality There's been a longterm, incrementally, diabolically executed, in great detail and careful orchestration, taking advantage of low information/poorly educated citizens, conspiracy to overthrow and overtake the government of the United States, through a persistent and aggregating campaign of insistent disinformation and voter suppression by a powerful coterie of those who believe they should be in charge.
@todymotmot @PeterLG @Alexander_Campbell @TCatInReality True, but beware about “casting stones” so arrogantly. The attack on American democracy isn’t an isolated case. Is your national education ensuring all citizens, regardless of income level & ethnicity being well taught about government, politics, civics, signs of fascism? Are you and your fellow citizens making sure your news & media aren’t biased, tailored to 1/2
@PeterLG @TCatInReality The US elected Trump. It also gave his party a majority in the Senate and House. Those majorities then confirmed Trump’s choices for cabinet positions from a slate of clearly extremist candidates. This is the official policy of the United States now.
@TCatInReality or put another way by the French foreign minister "We can't leave the security of Europe in the hands of 50,000 voters in Michigan every four years."
@TCatInReality I mean if US foreign policy completely flipflops every time there is a new administration then it really is a reason not to trust America
@TheNovemberMan but we have surely known for many years that Putin controls Trump. It's not a new "capitulation" and for the whole GOP has been a long journey @midacre
@TheNovemberMan there is a stronger team running things (afterall Trump couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery) so the axis of evil (which now includes all those billionaires) is more effective. But the treachery and hate is the same @midacre
Oh, FFS! I am so done with the Facebook algorithm putting ads for gut health supplements that are supposed to shrink my pot belly, or specially designed t-shirts that are meant to hide it, in my feed. It's almost as annoying as the erectile dysfunction treatment ads.
The big gut I had in this picture from Bald Mountain, Utah is gone. Months of working out in the gym on 5 days of the week and removing bread from my diet are what got me from 225 lb to 209 lb while putting on a lot of muscle. Not some bullshit supplements. I drink a protein shake after I work out to aid recovery (because, at 57, it bloody hurts to work out). And I try to eat better. That's it. And I'm not done yet.
This summer, I'm going to hike my ass off back home in Utah, doing SOTA activations and fly fishing in mountain lakes. Hopefully, I'll also be doing some field work for mineral explor
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Oh, FFS! I am so done with the Facebook algorithm putting ads for gut health supplements that are supposed to shrink my pot belly, or specially designed t-shirts that are meant to hide it, in my feed. It's almost as annoying as the erectile dysfunction treatment ads.
The big gut I had in this picture from Bald Mountain, Utah is gone. Months of working out in the gym on 5 days of the week and removing bread from my diet are what got me from 225 lb to 209 lb while putting on a lot of muscle. Not some bullshit supplements. I drink a protein shake after I work out to aid recovery (because, at 57, it bloody hurts to work out). And I try to eat better. That's it. And I'm not done yet.
This summer, I'm going to hike my ass off back home in Utah, doing SOTA activations and fly fishing in mountain lakes. Hopefully, I'll also be doing some field work for mineral exploration clients.
All you blokes over 50 who are in crappy shape, take a look at this picture and imagine climbing to a circa 12,000 ft peak carrying a pack full of radio gear, setting up a portable station and contacting other hams around the continent or around the world. Get off your ass and do something like that. You don't need to be built like an athlete. Just look at the fluffy dad bod in this picture. It didn't stop me from climbing 1,181 ft of elevation gain.
Natalie and I spend our weekends exploring the region around our place in Belgium. We've been living here since August 2024, temporarily leaving our home in Utah while Natalie works for the US government. Now our kids are semi-independent, it's our time to have an adventure. #midlife #midlifecareershift #midlifeadventure
The ruins of the Abbey of Villers-de-Ville (from 1197 CE), a site of the Cistercian Order, are spectacular. Well worth spending a morning exploring. #Belgium #history #cistercian #villers #abbey #ruins #12thcentury
Evening out in Sulmona. The lights hanging over the street say "All things change. And we change with them." Appropriate for my wife and I. Up to the end of July last year, we were living in Utah. Now we live in Belgium.
I turned 57 in November. With our kids all graduated from college and moving onto the next stages of their lives, it was time for Natalie and I to go on a new adventure. So we'd moved from Utah to Belgium in August. Natalie has taken a new job as high school teacher for US DoD on a military base here. I'm figuring out my next move, after finishing a job as COO of a lithium exploration company. I think that your 50's is often a major turning point. People are approaching the end of their careers, kids are off their hands, age is starting to catch up with some and maybe it's time to re-focus on wellness, both physical and mental. I'd be interested in communicating with others who are making some big changes late in life.
A bit of explanation about my profile photo: I'm riding a Bactrian camel in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. I was running a geophysical survey for a Korean mining company in the mountains and we needed to do a supply run to the nearest town. We stopped in the desert for a pee break and an old man who was herding goats nearby rode over on this camel. In Asia, there seems to be a game I'll call Make The White Guy Ride The Camel. If there's a camel and a white guy, he's going to ride that animal.
Natalie and I traveled from our place in Belgium to Abruzzo in October 2024. We spent a few days in the countryside there before heading to Rome. This photo was taken at sunset at Rocca Calascio.
This was such a fun hike. My objective was to do a Summits On The Air "activation" - setting up a portable HF radio station and contacting at least four other hams. It was also a great outing with Natalie, who had undergone brain surgery a few months before. The views from Delano Peak are spectacular.
TC Won't Give In To Lies
in reply to Michael Crews • • •That's brilliant.
But instead of "America", he should say "Trump and his cronies"
Cainmark Does Not Comply 🚲 reshared this.
Peter
in reply to TC Won't Give In To Lies • • •@TCatInReality
Trump and his cronies ARE America as seen by the rest of the world.
Yes, we understand that he only represents roughly 30% of the adult population, but he is still the President. We are capable of feeling anger at America while feeling sorry for Americans.
#USPol #Ukraine #Europe #NATO #EU
@midacre
Alexander Campbell
in reply to Peter • • •Americans voted this clown in twice, they will recieve what they deserve
Tody Motmot
in reply to Alexander Campbell • • •@Alexander_Campbell @PeterLG @TCatInReality
You mean the idiots who suppressed Black voters for 50 years, and the corporate media that encouraged 50 years of blatant lies about how capitalism works will get what they deserve.
And the so-called "progressives" who jumped onboard with the Republican genocides and thought it was funny to blame "genocide Joe" for Republican violence. No doubt the millions of dollars from Putin contributed to their zeal...
Alexander Campbell
in reply to Tody Motmot • • •@todymotmot @PeterLG @TCatInReality
Yes, something like that.
Americans have no one to blame for the state of their union than themselves.
And this didn't happen overnight, it's been going on for decades.
Americans needs a dose of reality their house of cards is about to fall.
#boycottusa #Canada #Denmark #Greenland #Mexico #Panama #NATO #theCommonwealth #Europeanunion #Gaza
libramoon
in reply to Alexander Campbell • • •There's been a longterm,
incrementally, diabolically executed,
in great detail and careful orchestration, taking advantage of low information/poorly educated citizens, conspiracy to overthrow and overtake the government of the United States, through a persistent and aggregating campaign of insistent disinformation and voter suppression by a powerful coterie of those who believe they should be in charge.
Lisa
in reply to Alexander Campbell • • •Michael Crews
in reply to Peter • • •Antifa-gravity boots
in reply to TC Won't Give In To Lies • • •David Bridger reshared this.
Claire, The Ultimate Worrier
in reply to TC Won't Give In To Lies • • •TheNovemberFella ✊🏳️🌈 🇺🇦☸️🛰️🚀
in reply to Michael Crews • • •Sadly #True . #Trump has capitulated to #Putin. The entire #GOP is #Putins bitch.
#TraitorTrump #TrumpIsTheWorst #ImpeachTrump
Cainmark Does Not Comply 🚲 reshared this.
Dave Warnock
in reply to TheNovemberFella ✊🏳️🌈 🇺🇦☸️🛰️🚀 • • •TheNovemberFella ✊🏳️🌈 🇺🇦☸️🛰️🚀
in reply to Dave Warnock • • •@Dave42W Yes, but #Trump completely rolling over and throwing #Ukraine to #Putin like the winning game ball, that's new. Going full-on #Traitor .
#ImpeachTrump
Dave Warnock
in reply to TheNovemberFella ✊🏳️🌈 🇺🇦☸️🛰️🚀 • • •TheNovemberFella ✊🏳️🌈 🇺🇦☸️🛰️🚀
in reply to Dave Warnock • • •Dave Warnock
in reply to TheNovemberFella ✊🏳️🌈 🇺🇦☸️🛰️🚀 • • •Mastodon Migration
in reply to Michael Crews • • •SuperMoosie
in reply to Michael Crews • • •Niall in Raglan
in reply to SuperMoosie • • •JW Prince of CPH, Radicalized
in reply to Michael Crews • • •elCelio 🇪🇺 🇺🇦
in reply to Michael Crews • • •Martin Vermeer FCD reshared this.
Darwin Woodka
in reply to elCelio 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 • • •please, we're getting nada from Russia.
elCelio 🇪🇺 🇺🇦
in reply to Darwin Woodka • • •I didn't say that usa would get something, they'll ask for it
Toveri Suuronen
in reply to elCelio 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 • • •TC Won't Give In To Lies
Unknown parent • • •Yes. He represents the triumph of marketing (eg propaganda) over critical thinking and responsible choices.
Mx Autumn
in reply to Michael Crews • • •franebleu
in reply to Michael Crews • • •Of course USA will do something if Russia invades Poland : opt out just before the invasion, profit and loot the remains !
What do you think the money lent by US paid for ? US citizens money went right back into US economy ! It even works with a fucking genocide !
You just can't beat that.