Author Archives: Robert

Ray and I have been pretty diligent about working out daily.  I became frustrated with our basic free weight set because there’s only so much you can do on a bench.  We decided to look for an all-in-one system.  Ray suggested a Bowflex.  At first, I wasn’t so sure.  There are no weights on it, just bars or rubber bands–depending on which one you get.  The Bowflex Revolution is their top of the line system and at a hefty price, I wasn’t about to entertain the thought of buying one. 

On a whim, we decided to look and see if we could find something on Cragslist.  There is now a Craigslist for the neighboring town of Sierra Vista (the closest city is Tucson which is 90 miles away).  Much to our surprise, there was a listing for a brand new Bowflex Revolution.  The guy bought it in January and only used it about five times.  He was very motivated to sell it.  We basically offered him half of the MSRP and he took it.

It was a bit awkward at first but I think I’ll get the hang of it.  I really like the machine.  It does everything!  Ray and I are very thankful to have this fall into our laps.  Time to workout!

Ray and I noticed Brewery Gulch was getting some water during a desert rain shower.

Last night Ray’s sister Jan and her friend Diane arrived for a short visit.  Ray and Jan were in the kitchen and Diane and I were sitting in on the back patio chatting.  Diane was telling me something…I can’t remember and I noticed something on the ground about eight feet behind her in front of the screen door.

It was a rattlesnake.

A fucking rattlesnake!!  It wasn’t big–but it was big enough.  I got up slowly and said to Diane “Don’t.  Move.”  I called for Ray.  He came out with a broom and tapped the handle on the ground.  Annoyed, the snake slithered over toward the fountain and shook its rattle just a bit before going into the water.  It kind of splashed in and out and then curled up behind the fountain.  We decided to eat inside.  A few hours later, I checked behind the fountain.  The snake was gone. 

That’s life out here in the country.  I’d rather have a slide-by rattler than a drive-by shooting.  Really, I would.

This is my first remote post from my iPhone. Here is a photo of my desk at work.

One thing:
Aside from being totally sweet and utterly fantastic, my friend Jess Hartley is a novelist, writer, and freelance writer/editor in the gaming industry–and she reads my blog which is simultaneously exhilarating and intimidating.  Recently, Jess helped write, Changeling: The Lost  and it is now up for some pretty prestigious awards in this year’s ENnies (gaming’s equivalent of the Grammies or Oscars).  It has been nominated for Best Interior Art, Best Production Values, Best Writing and Best Product of the Year, which is an amazing honor in and of itself.  The nominations are put up by a panel of industry judges, but the final decision is based on fan voting.

That’s where you (hopefully) come in.

Not everyone has information about the ENnies, so to help Jess out, I’m asking for support for her writing and for this product, which she’s very proud of having helped create.  The votes are open to the public (one per IP address), so please help Jess by visiting http://www.ennieawards.com/voting/index.phtml  and casting your votes for Changeling: The Lost .  Jess (and all of us who know her) would be most grateful for your support.

Another thing:
My sister Betty–who recently graduated from law school–is taking the bar as I type this.  Please take a second to close your eyes and send her positive bar-passing energy.  It’ll just take a moment and doesn’t cost a thing. 

My sister deserves to get through this.  I never could have succeeded at such an accomplishment of raising three children and then going through law school while working full-time.  She has been studying for the bar since she graduated last May.  I am beaming with pride for my sis and would really appreciate some good vibes being sent her way. 

There’s power in collective positive thought.  There really is. 

Good luck Jess and Betty!

It was one year ago today that I uploaded my first blog post.  OK, actually, it’s one year ago today that I uploaded my first consistent blog post,  I had a few false starts. 

So here’s the funny part: I repeated the third grade, was permanently expelled from high school in the ninth grade for getting high and ditching classes and barely passed the GED–made it by two points.  I was never, ever a good student and had major self esteem issues most of my life.  Writing wasn’t exactly my forté if you know what I mean. 

I was determined to work on my writing skills and stick to blogging because I tend to start things and never finish them–a leftover trait from a major deficit of self esteem.

So here it is one year later and I have actually posted things on a monthly basis for twelve consecutive months.  I hope to continue writing and improve upon expressing myself with the written word. 

 It seems my best writing (in my humble opinion) occurs at times of sadness and/or frustration.  Who wants to be creative when they’re happy?  Happy is boring. 

Here are my three favorite posts in their raw amateur glory:

Are you there God? It’s me Cobban.
Arrangements
Auntie Ohnie

Thanks for tuning in to the Lopaka Lounge.  I’m assuming if I keep doing it, I’ll get better…

*Credit to Ray for the title of this post.  Also, come to think of it, I have to give Ray the most credit for helping my with my writing.  He has been a great teacher over the years.  He was the one who talked me into going to college at the tender age of thirty and sat with me at the dining room table while I cried trying to figure out algebra, statistics, quantitative literacy, physics and all that other general ed stuff that I had to take in school.