Twan’s List

Wilderness Skills Review Overnight Camp
Saturday, May 17, 2008
10 am Shangri-La

You are invited to participate. After a short condensed class here (at Shangri-La in Topanga Canyon), we’ll car-pool to Zuniga and hike in to the private land in the center of Red Rock Canyon State Park for our overnight campout. Overnight camping is not allowed in the surrounding park, and almost no one knows that this 40 acres is private (owned by a close friend), so we have the whole area to ourselves. In addition to the Big Shade’s propane fire (see photo – classified as a barbeque for fire regulations), our multi-person shelter ‘club-house’ built by previous classes, also has a legal propane central fire. These are both great to sit around and talk, take pictures, and imagine tribal times and activities.

Beautiful Red Rock Canyon

There are a number of small dry clean sandy caves in the area that are just the right size for one or two people to sleep in. I suggest you bring everything you normally would for camping out, and then if you want to improvise so you don’t need pieces of it, great. Otherwise, just getting out there in a comfortable sleeping bag is stretch enough for most people.

Please bring your own lunch for Saturday, and pot luck contributions for an evening meal Saturday and for breakfast Sunday, as well as any snacks you might want. We’ll light a charcoal barbeque Saturday night, and I’ll bring steaks (we can visualize that our trapping was a success). The moon will be almost full.

What Will Be Reviewed?

• Class 1 - Shelters, Debris Bed, Make a Lean-to
  • Fire Methods 1
• Class 2 - Drinking Water, Edible and Useful Plants
• Class 3 - Refurbishing Our Multi-Person Shelter
  • Drinking Water 2
  • Fire Methods 2
• Class 4 - Hunting, Trapping, Cleaning, and Cooking Wildlife
  • (with Practicum)
  • Fire Methods 3
• Class 5 - Make Cordage, Tools, Weapons, and Implements
  • Fire Methods 4
• Class 6 - Keeping Your Bearings, Navigation
  • Communications
  • Signals
  • Knots
• Class 7 - Creating Your Survival Kits, Caches
  • Home Survival Retreat
  • Course Review
• Class 8 - Overnight Campout, Practicum

Checklist of items you might want to bring:

knife, water, sun-hat, jacket, food, bowl, cup, spoon, small flashlight, compass, camera, sleeping bag and mat, ground cloth, small tarp, 2-Qt. pee bottle/jar/can, flip-flops, and a pack to carry it all in. If you don’t have any of these items, I have a few extras of everything, so call to reserve anything you’d like to borrow.

I’ll also bring a big cooking pot, spatula, big spoon, paper towels, wet-wipes, eight family-band walky-talkies, extra nylon cord, shovel, ax, and first aid kit.

Cost is on a sliding scale about $30 per person with no one turned away for lack of funds.

To register, and for answers to any questions, contact William or phone at 310-455-0980

Delicious Sights & Sounds at Electric Apricot

Click the image above to visit the Electric Apricot website. Very nicely done. Citizens of Burning Man at Black Rock City will find a special place in their hearts for Electric Apricot.

When the site loads, let is sit for a while. Make sure your speakers on. Some very cool tunes start playing. Enjoy!

Buy Electric Apricot: The Quest for Festeroo

Rent Electric Apricot through Netflix.com

Many thanx to the always fascinating, magickal, fun-loving Courtney Clark, (aka: Gypsy) for turning me on to this. Thank you for keeping life colorful and interesting.

ArtMonastery.org Fundraiser

In Support of
International Art

Come out on Sunday, April 6th to lend your support for an amazing project championing international art in its many varied manifestations.

The Art Monastery Project, based just outside of Rome, Italy, is a project worthy of your time, money and passion.

The Art Monastery was founded by local artists, musicians, and performers living overseas the past few years.

Exciting details at the Art Monastery website.

When:
Sunday April 6th

Time:
between 3:00pm and 5:00pm

Where:
Skirball Cultural Center
2701 North Sepulveda Blvd.

Donation Suggestions:
$20 Suggested donation
$40 Patron’s donation

Silent Auction of
Art and Culture

Great music that will captivate, mesmerise, and move your soul! Brought to your happy eardrums by beautiful divas with angelic voices.

Classical Concert

Classical Concert featuring Beautiful and Inspiring Divas:

• Moira Smiley
• Kristen Toedtman
• Kerry Walsh

The Burning Man Opera Connection

Christopher Fulling, one of the founding directors of the Art Monastery, and Twan have a history in that they were both involved with the Burning Man Opera, which was a major event at the Burning Man Festival from 1997 through 2002. Christopher served under master artist and sage Pepe Ozan as director, co-writer and co-producer, and Twan as co-producer. Visit the Burning Man Opera website for the history of this amazing (and sorely missed) experiment of cooperative art, community participation, and multi-composer musical scores… and a cast of thousands!

Bill Hicks on British Kerrang Radio Feb. 26th

Today marks the 14th anniversary of the sad and unfortunate passing of comedy legend Bill Hicks, arguably the best stand up comic social commentarian that ever lived. In honor of this great man (who was hugely popular in Great Britain), listen in on internet radio:

Kerrang Radio - Featuring Bill Hicks

Tonight at 12 Midnight (London Time) or 5PM (US Central) or 3PM (California)

Nick Margerrison is the host of The Night Before will interview Bill Hick’s producer/ friend/ biographer Kevin Booth on the 14th anniversary of Bill’s passing. Topics will include - Mushrooms - Flying Saucers - Waco - Bill’s longevity and a plug for a live tribute show for Bill taking place in NYC Feb, 26.

If you happen to be in London, you can listen over your WW2 ham radio or whatever you use in London, or tune in to the Karrang Radio Website - Bill Hicks Tribute

To All My Friends in 2008!

Just a quick message to wish you an extraordinary New Year! Hoping that all your dreams and desires become reality. I like to believe that when we work together (as we often do in this intensely creative-fun-loving-always-expanding-evolving community), we increase the odds of achieving success in our endeavors. Prove me right. It’ll do us a bit of good!

Twan’s List Update for 2008

You may have noticed that both this blog *and* the email list have been quiet as of late… There are a number of factors that have contributed to this. The last two months of 2007 proved to be quite difficult for me. Some unexpected turn of events for me personally. Fortunately, I’m always up for a good challenge! Looking life right in the eye and saying “FYA” <middle finger defiantly extended skyward>. Rather than get into all of the details here, suffice it to say that a few changes are coming. I’m not quite sure what that looks like at this moment… But some sort of vision is taking shape. Scary, huh?

Mainly, I just wanted to let you know that I’m still here, still alive and thinking of you on the first day of a new year. More info to follow. Thank you for being here!