rants. raves. these are confessions of a madman. take action today. the sands of time wait for no one.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

new blog spot: http://boyaq.tumblr.com

i have a new blog site: http://boyaq.tumblr.com.
i find it easier to post pics, stories, and other stuff. i'll check up on this site and maybe post a few things, but i like the ease of this new tumblr account. check it out. i have some cool new pics on there.
one more thing: happy thanksgiving!

Monday, September 1, 2008

how to harpoon a beluga

how to harpoon a beluga....from a guy that harpooned just one in his lifetime. haha! it sounds kind of funny because it comes from a guy that lacks experience in harpooning beluga, but it does incorporate adequate experience in harpooning in general and the use of basic physics.

last summer, i had the privilege of beluga hunting and harpooning my first, and hopefully not last, beluga whale. the whale was maybe a 16 footer and was harpooned approximately 4 miles in front of kotzebue. i went out with joey and his dad. i was the harpooner, joey was the shooter, and his dad drove the boat.

let's start with the harpoon; it should be a heavier harpoon and have a buoy the size of a fishing buoy. the harpoon i used was heavy, and it was made of steal, much like an ice pick. the rope was regular sized rope that you'd find on a boat's anchor line. the buoy was the size of a fishing bouy. the bigger the bouy, the more drag you have for the beluga. think of the harpoon line and the buoy like a ball and chain. the bigger the ball, the slower the going.

the water; ross has talked about harpooning beluga and he's talked about the depth being at around 8 feet. if a beluga swims in 8 foot of water, you can see the wake in its path. any deeper and you won't see a wake. 8 feet is the optimal depth of water for beluga hunting. if you find your beluga, make sure you lead him toward shallow water.



the line; make sure the line is well placed and prepared for a quick unravel. this means hand-feeding the line into place and handling the rope with care. when i harpooned my beluga, i looked down at the line and found the rope around my foot! i took the line in my hand, pressed it against the side of the boat, and scrambled to get my foot out. this was scary and i will make damn sure it doesn't happen again. secure your line.

harpooning position; you should be in front of the boat, stand with harpoon in hand, and make sure the line is secure. harpoon target should be center mass. make sure you aim in center of the beluga. when i harpooned my beluga, i asked where i should harpoon it. since everyone was a rookie beluga hunter, i didn't get a reply. so, i aimed center mass. my first strike was a miss. i quickly pulled up the harpoon, made sure the point was good, and harpooned a second time. this time i hit him in the middle of the back, an inch from his spine. your strike should be placed in the center.



if you're successful, the beluga should be harpooned center mass and the line should be unraveling freely without any obstruction. after i harpooned my beluga, (and after freeing my foot from the line) i ran and got my rifle. we followed the buoy for about a minute before it surfaced. joey and i shot our beluga when it came up.

these are the basic rules to harpooning a beluga. make sure you have a trusty and adequate harpoon, lead the beluga toward shallow water (8 feet or less), keep your line secure, and have good position for harpooning. if you follow these rules, you might see some success. good luck!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

vote yes on 4!

i voted today at the northwest arctic borough. i voted on the democratic ticket and marked yes and no on a few questions.

here are a few of my predictions:
--measure 4 will not pass (thanks to sarah palin and her 'personal' message)
--ted stevens will win, as will don young (let's face it, alaska is still a very much a republican and very white state)

we'll see how the election goes and who wins and what passes/doesn't pass. who and what did i vote for? i was hoping to vote for ted, but i could only vote on the democratic ticket. out of all the democrats, i voted for mark begich and ethan berkowitz. i also voted for donny olson and mr. joule, only because they were the only candidates. i was talking to a guy at work today and he said i should've wrote in mickey mouse instead of donny. he called mr. olson a "crooked bastard." i think that's pretty funny, if you ask me. remember, that's what HE said! haha! i voted for ethan because ms. benson's platform was too weak. she didn't bring up enough issues to make her sound like a good candidate. i also voted 'no' on the gaming commission question, as well as the same day airborne hunt. i voted 'yes' on the public funding and on the clean water initiative. vote yes on 4!

that's how i voted. i asked a lady at work today how she voted, and she said her voting is not something she talks about. how boring.

anyways, i voted today!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

thought of the day

i believe a man's duty is to provide for his family.

very true, mos def.

Monday, August 11, 2008

monkey girl

this little eskimo girl's name is clara dawn. she's 7 years old and will be starting the 2nd grade this fall. she's such a sweetheart! clara dawn was born august 3rd, 2001. she's into polly pockets (sp?), baby dolls, and little furry pets.



here, clara dawn poses with two owl pieces that i carved. the top piece belongs to her mom and the bottom piece belongs to this lady in washington. i need to send the piece to the lady in washington soon.



they are both carved from walrus ivory. the top piece has baleen in-lays and the bottom piece has plastic beads for the eyes. they both have leather string. pretty cool, ay? this little eskimo girl is a great model. don't ya think?

Sunday, August 10, 2008

q & a

1. What are your initials?
jwc. or jmfc?

2. What is your favorite thing to wear?
under armor gear, black bunny boots, my black jacket, and my cabela's coveralls. and my malaggi (that's a fur hat)

3. Last thing you ate?
bbq'd food from next door

4. Where is your best friend at?
dre's in bethel, recharging

6. Last person you hugged?
saima mama jama johnson?

8. How many U.S states have you been to?
ak, ca, wa, il, and wi. and hi. 6?

9. How many of the U.S states have you lived in?
1-the great state of ak

10. Does anyone you know want to date you?
nope

11. Name something you like physically about yourself.
idk, maybe the fact that i look yup'ik, considering i live in inupiaq country

13. Who is your best friend(s)?
dre, saima? vern? best is too limiting

14. Why are you still up?
its 5:44 in the afternoon and its too early to be sleeping

15. Who/What made you angry today?
not one person. i'm a lover, not a fighter

16. Favorite Food?
dried pike and seal oil! its all about the soul food!

17. Favorite holiday:
Christmas!

18. Do you download music?
i have. the last song i downloaded was by robin thicke

19. Do you care if your socks are dirty?
yup. socks should be changed every single day

21. What are you wearing?
underwear and jeans at the moment

23. Do you love anyone?
yup

24. Do you like George Bush?
nope. the guy is a fuckin terrorist! he's responsible for the death of thousands of american soldiers in his so-called war on terrorism

26. Have you ever gone white-water rafting?
nope

27. Has anyone ten years older than you ever hit on you?
yup

28. How much money ya got in ya wallet?
$20.00?

30. How is the weather right now?
sunny and blue skies in kotzebue!

31. What are you listening to right now?
itunes, johnny cash

32. What is your current favorite song?
lost without u, robin thicke?

33. What was the last movie you watched at the theater?
i honestly don't remember. transformers?

34. Do you wear contacts?
yup. contacts help with my hunter vision

35. Where was the last place you went besides your house?
last night i hung with dan and darce, and had a bon fire in the middle of kotzebue

36. What are you afraid of?
us fish and wildlife officers

37. How many piercings have you had?
none, guys don't get piercings. piercings are for girls

38. How many pets do you have?
none, but i do help take care of a bird, a hamster, and fish in an aquarium

39. What's one thing you've learned today?
i've thought about one's actions and how they define a person. it made me think of my actions and how i'd like to live my life. mos def

40. What does someone usually buy from a drug dealer?
some weed

42. Have you ever fired a gun?
of course! i've shot many guns

43. Are you missing someone currently?
yup. coltrane is too far from his dad

44. Fav. TV shows?
lately, they've been america's most talented and last comic standing

45. Do you have an iPod?
yup, a red one

48. Who would you like to see right now?
my son. and lucy liu? and maggie q? haha!

49. Favorite movie of all time?
its a toss up between broke back mountain and titanic. haha! just kidding. either gladiator or die hard

50. Do you find yourself loved?
yup, most of the time

51. Have you ever been caught doing something you weren't supposed to?
yup, too many times

53. Butter, plain, or salted popcorn?
butter, baby!

54. What Magazines do you read?
gq, discover, and few hunting mags

55. Have you ever ridden in a limo?
nope. i've driven a party bus though!

56. Has anyone you were really close to passed away recently?
yup. my nephew big boy was young! too young

57. What's something that really bugs you?
my messy ass neighbors and dumb ass peeps

61. What's your favorite smell?
a woman. some bitches smell good. seal blubber on my hands and knife smell good too!

62. Favorite baseball team?
nope. i don't watch baseball

63. Favorite cereal?
honey nut cheerios

65. Whats the longest you've went without sleep?
a day and a half. i believe its physically impossible for someone to go past two days without sleep

66. Last time you went bowling?
i don't remember

68. Who was your last test from?
maniilaq association? strep, yo

69. Last time you were at work?
thursday. i took friday off

70. What's the closest orange thing to you?
gold fish food?

Friday, August 8, 2008

icon, baby

i saw it! i held it in my hands! its sweet!

i looked at the new thompson/center icon at sportsman's. damn, that's a great looking rifle! its sleek and its baaaaad! i get all excited thinking about that rifle. its kind of weird to get all excited about a rifle. or its not. anyways, that's my next rifle. either that or a cz 527 varmint in a .204. no, it'll be the icon! icon, baby!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

'tis the season

AUGUST--'tis the season for berry picking! i've been thinking about berry picking for the past day or so.

when my coworker and i took off from the office today, i told him that if a man picks berries, and that's all he does over the seasons, something is definitely wrong. i said that if a man picks berries, he better go out and do a little hunting to balance out his subsisting activities. he laughed when i told, but its kinda true if you think about it.

you see, berry picking is generally a women's subsistence activity. let me explain. berry picking is a gathering activity that is done when the summer is almost over, when its nice out, and the weather is not too cold. it may be a little wet, the gnats may be a bitch to deal with, but the act of berry picking is not too hard. now don't get me wrong, berry picking is a pain, but women are better built for this kinda pain. women can bend over for hours, gathering fat, plump, juicy berries and most have the patience for it. women are better built, mind and body, for this activity.

for myself, you wouldn't see me on the tundra, bending over with a pail full of berries. i'm a hunter, not a gatherer. i've done some berry picking in my day, but its not something that i miss a day of work for. kinda like shee fishing. i'm not a shee fisher, i'm a kusquqvak fisher. back to berry picking, i'll do what i can to support the woman in her 'sport.' berry picking is for women, but men can do it too. he just has to shoot something to compensate.

go berry pickers! more power to you!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

sdb!


this is my buddy sean denning barnes of mamterilleq, usa--for all you non-Yup'ik speakers, that's bethel, alaska, usa. he's an artist, and a damn good one too! here's a little excerpt from his website:

"throughout my career i have been inspired to paint the human figure and explore the narratives of the human condition. my most recent work is an expression of a subsistence culture connected to the land.

my images depict a place distant and removed from the modern world. working in oil and graphite i find moments telling of the virtuous beauty and personal mystery in a subsistence life. texture and stark contrasts of value and form give structure to these moments." --sean denning barnes

check out his works at http://www.sdbarnes.com/Sites/dbstudios/index.htm

here sean sits with my first polar bear neck piece. necklace--whatever you want to call it. i call them neck pieces. anyways, this piece is a thing of beauty. its one of those pieces that you just want to stare at.

sean and i used to go out on the land and shoot things. we brought home a bunch of caribou. sdb is a nukalpiaq and a damn good artist. check out his works!

crabber!




i took the afternoon off yesterday and went out crabbing! so, last night i had king crab for dinner, cooked by ME, in my kitchen. i think its pretty cool to go crabbing and bring some home to eat.

i went with grant, patrick, and ulla bear. we went in grant's boat. i've heard of peeps checking their crab pots, but i've never actually went checking them. i'm curious now how they do it in the winter! i'll mos def help out my peeps when they check their pots in the winter.

here are some pics of the crabbing and the cooking. i strongly encourage you to go out crabbing when you have the opportunity and see the pots, the crabs, and the experience! one of clara's buddies came over yesterday while i was cooking and i told her clara wasn't home. i offered her a little snail and she ran off with it. later, i asked her about the snail and she said some lady cooked it and ate it. friggin snail eaters! i thought that was pretty funny.

i look kinda weird, but oh well. the pics came out in reverse order. you get the picture, or should i say 'you get the idea!' happy crabbing!

Thursday, July 31, 2008

too many chiefs

the one bad thing about this place is, there's too many chiefs! unbelievable! there's not enough ind'ns. you can be a 'chief' and still do 'ind'n' things. there's too many damn chiefs. it's a sorry state of affairs.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

testing, testing, 1, 2, 3....


i'm trying to post something and include a picture from my picasa sight. let me try....

awesome! i posted a pic! the process is not as hard as i thought. it took awhile to upload, but it worked.

the picture is of my friend dave and my son coltrane. we went out for seal on may 6th. we took off past sisaulik and i shot a small natchiq, or ringed seal. i ended up sending the fat little seal to my sister sharon in bethel.

i will mos def post more pics!

Monday, July 28, 2008

web sharing website

i'm trying out picasa for uploading pics to the internet. picasa is a google web sharing website and figured if it was a google function, then it must be good. i'm trying to upload pics from my ugruk hunting trip, but its taking forever. 138 pics is a big album. i should've tried a smaller album. oh well. when i do upload pics, i will mos def post some pics.

wrong move gov. palin.

the governor made a dumb ass mistake by firing the state's top cop. she had her team fire walt monegan because he wouldn't fire one of his own. the media is eating up that story and now peeps like myself question her judgment.

what's the lastest? the legislature now has approved an independent investigation to look into the firing of monegan. the governor seems like a pretty smart person, but she made a dumb ass move! why fire walt monegan over a fuckin personal matter?

a message for the governor: just because wooten is in an ugly child custody case with your sister, that doesn't mean you should fire a competent, bad ass cop. this act may have been your worst political move yet. plain stupid. reinstate his appointment and apologize to monegan, the department of public safety, and the rest of us. dumb ass move. i shake my head....

Friday, July 25, 2008

beluga excitement

ess and i went out on the boat in front of otz looking for beluga. there were reports of beluga in front of town, so we went out all excited to see some. were there any? nope. we did, however, have a moment of excitement when we thought we saw one. apparently an ugruk, or bearded seal, swam through shallow water and created a wave on the surface, much like the beluga do. damn! i put some bullets in the .243, hoping to shoot at one. perhaps next time.

we went back to otz and picked up our buddy chip on the ride home. he made a funny comment as they were leaving. "even the best hunters come home with nothing."

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

vote for me!

vote for me--i'm going to put my name in for the president's seat for the association of village council presidents!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

july 2008

i haven't written a blog in a long ass time! damn. i need to write more and speak my mind and articulate my thoughts, as jagged and they might seem.

perhaps writing in this blog will help to balance me and keep my sanity. i know for sure myspace was a great escape to my boring ass life as a school teacher in togiak. i miss togiak and the peeps there, but i don't miss my job. a school teacher in the vill is okay for a married man, but is not good for young, single nates like myself at the time.

anyways, back to blogging. i need to write in here more often. lately, i've been dreaming about the c.o.o. job in dlg. i'm a fuckin dreamer, but i do know that leadership is my calling.

fuck, i miss my son. i haven't seen him since the first week of june. i'm so glad he's got more of my fiery personality. love you son!

until next time, which might be later on tonight, i will see you later.

About Me

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young. native. driven.