Jul/101
Live From Dosha
While you’re out enjoying the park on this lovely day I’m hiding out from any sort of social life. My wife is treating me to a pedicure but not the everyday type today we’re having the “Caribbean” treatment at Dosha which to me means extra rad foot and leg massage. Last time we did this a YouTube video was an added result.
I’m pretty sure the store will survive year one in September so I went ahead and bought the website HELDVeganBelts.com I’m very excited about it. I’m confident combined with the new physical catalog due this fall HVB will not only survive but become a major contribution to Animal Rights funding. I hope and that is my goal anyway. I don’t know if we can make money with it but we can show videos with the projector we’ll be getting soon. Yay! The same person is donating another flat panel monitor too so we can show videos in daylight. Submit movies and movie ideas and I’ll put it to work. Wow that tickles and hurts my foot at the same time! Thank you Melinda.
After this we’ll be heading into see my surgeon for an emergency visit and possible bit of surgery on my deformed face. I won’t describe it here cause it is not much fun at all. Had to miss work yesterday cause the pain was just too much. The three of us rolled around on the couch-raft all day watching movies and eating vegan junk food. I have missed too much time with my son from the cancer so it was alright to spend the day like that.
We are on a new accounts drive to sell HVB so tell your friends about our fabulous new page where we will take wholesale orders. We also have amazing new belts available on the website so go buy one of those. These are the world’s strongest and most sustainable belts ever any other belt is hereby proclaimed to be a fake. If you don’t believe me take one for a test spin they are guaranteed forever! Okay time for leg massage see you later.
Jun/101
Grey Slug Belt
A really cool guy at the factory where I get materials Dan handed me this tiny roll on my way out saying “That’s it man” so I will only be able to make maybe eight more. They have a very good weight and flexibility that just feels really good.
We are very proud to be carrying SAYLAH “V” locally handmade one-of-a-kind treasures made from recycled materials made by the one and only Leslie Saylor. She is so badass we love her work. Saturday is the the best day to see her goodies but soon we’ll have more of her stuff all the time.
A whole new batch of other belts and cuffs have been born as well and we have altered the interior space once again. I finally got to work on making rad bracelets from the Stainless Spokes and the are way hot and only five buckeroos. Cool we’ll see you at the store….
3033 NE Alberta Street
Portland, OR 97211
May/100
I Should Be Asleep
I blew it on the bike so I’m forced to mellow out. I really can’t tell how injuriously effected I am cause all the cutting is beneath the skin and the pain meds mask really well. Leave a comment so I know someone’s paying attention and go to the FB thing and be my Fren: Micah on the FB. Oh and the store page is at http://Facebook.com/HELDVeganBelts please click whether or not you like it.
If you are disfunctional enough to subscribe to my YouTube situation then you can experience the fine film to accompany this great photo. The store is so much fun you have to come check it out. OK now I can sleep.
May/100
F Y I infodatas
Held Vegan Belts
3033 NE Alberta Street
Alberta Arts District
Portland, OR 97211
(503) 288-8866
http://www.yelp.com/biz/held-vegan-belts-portland-2
Leaving reviews on sites like the above Yelp and the Googles are very helpful. Leave a tag to the website http://m3house.org if you interested in showing support another way. We still have one intern position to fill come to the store ready to work and have some belt fun.
I have been experimenting with streaming live video from the shop cause its almost non-stop adventure and fun, peril and certainly shenanigans aplenty. Always on the lookout for un-upcycled “waste” like bits from the rainbarrelman’s barrels that are now lovely new belt buckles.
Tuesday is the official HELD Vegan Music Day. Come in and jam out with the drums, guitar, bass, mic, drum machine, sequencer, foot stomping, handclapping, electro-jizzelle-flapper good time happy-making. Last Tuesday Rusty brought a whole recording studio and it was so much fun; I didn’t make it to the emergency room but it was way more fun.
On the oncology front I am sick and fucking tired of having only half a face. My mind is rapidly deteriorating and recovery seems to be taking more energy than I have; I thought I could ride my bike to work but it wears me out. I’m really enjoying creating the new designs everyday and my friends pop into the scene and before I know it I’m not thinking about cancer at all! Come check out the rad new stuff I just started using the coolest new brass snaps and stuff.
May/100
HELD Vegan Video
Okay we got a camera so I’m going to figure out how to stream some video here from the finest Belt factory ever. We’ll be having all sorts of special guests and all types of music going on. I’m a performance artist so I love LOVE love to put on a show.
I suggest grabbing the video player and putting it on your desktop and just letting it run whether people are on it or not cause something is bound to happen that just might surprise you. I’ll try to get the player to work here but go to the link below and see all the options on there.
The URL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/heldveganvideo
May/100
Success? Thanks Verily tø You
We are so happy over here at HVB to announce we have established the supply of our very favorite Conveyor Belt Scraps! Its a damn miracle. (Now just let me get this out of the way real quick like. I was about to exclaim in big from wormseye perspective and what wot… “yahoo!” But no I fucking can-not thanks to the assholes over at you know who idiots went and erased a word from our cultural lexicon. OK tirade over but damn that ain’t too cool)
Sorry about that I’m very thrilled cause this means we can open it up- consistent supply means we can now have a catalogue to put on your davenport! We have to pay for the supply now but we made a deal after three years of negotiations. We still get the garbage before it hits the dump but now they will cut some of it and we get a wider selection thanks to our legitimacy. The company we get the scraps from just bought another much smaller company and they are going to donate some of the bits and pieces that are redundant to us! Kinda scary getting this close to a big corporation feels like I’m looking out a lower deck porthole of a huge pirate ship. Shh….
We now have Electric Guitars as well. Please if you know how to use one come plug in and fire it up! I got all the proper bits and pieces to Jack them into our local HELD Vegan Sound System we love fun time jammy-jam! Bangeth Thy Head
We still need consistent intern/volunteer positions filled so if you have some days or a certain day you can donate it would be great. All proceeds from HVB go directly back into AR local and national. I’m not done shaking off the cancer there’s more surgery fun to come after recovering from this one. I’ll draw up a schedule on the whiteboard we can finally use that more than a little bit.
Again we need to get the catalog together to start getting some real outreach going cause man we have to get this out there. Two reasons primarily:
A) replace the “need” for and extinguish use of bad materials like leather and fake leather that cracks and splits.
B) Show people they can live the vegan lifestyle without giving up this basic component so psychologically important.
Those who can’t donate regularly just come in when you can and get busy, crank up the tunes grab an exactly some sticky-vinyl by the back door sit at the white table and get crackin’. Or you know ask someone what to dü.
Apr/100
Bumbling Along The Spiritual Path
I went in for the final surgery and yes it was very scary but I have to be frank about this part. I believe everything works out for the absolute best not because I’m a lunatic but because when I was busy minoring in psychology I came across too much evidence which says that optimists live longer happier lives. It is sometimes very hard to do but I have been practicing for a long time. Another thing I consciously did was telling myself that the surgeons have all the power now and I can do nothing. I let go. Now I could relax and enjoy it.
As I was coming too in the post cutting stupor blurred by amazing drugging an air of confusion began to own me. Melinda was holding me and that was very comfortable but her face held another truth… “cadaver bone…” I could only grab a little bit at a time “…come back in a month…” so I guess the leg bone hadn’t fused properly. They were able to cut my face up very well and remove a bunch the excess leg material and metal bits however they will have to go in again adding bone from a corpse. Great. Fabulous. I’ll have to wait an additional 7-8 months for the surgery I was supposed to have yesterday or was it the day before? The drugs are wearing off and the pain is coming on and I’ve been in the bathtub close to four hours now.
A friend came to the house and is helping Melinda and I am fucking hurting ow. Shit this hurts but I am glad that it isn’t worse. My brother was shot in the head by a cop at close range he was a little younger than I am now. I can’t believe this is happening sometimes and sometimes I find out this is for the people around me as much as my experience. I turn on the jets in the tub and the noise takes the pain away only for a minute.
Thanks for watching the store you are incredibly amazing fabulous women and I dearly love you. The HELD store is for the critters and it is important that it holds certain ethical standards. My god this pain. I need the jets and bubbles. I wash my face every few minutes sorry. Please join the FB stuff and volunteer at the shop No FBI allowed.
Apr/100
Thanks & Finally
Yesterday on the way to my pain psychiatrist we got the call from my surgeon’s office. Alright the surgeons are convinced enough that insurance is convinced enough that this is a medical & not dental problem. Then in my required psychiatrist’s office I totally melted. I haven’t cried like that in a long time, like when my brother was murdered. I have been waiting and waiting and Melinda and we have slowly been running out of sanity.
I know it might not seem like much to some of you having your cheek bones, entire upper jaw, leg bone and muscles and skin removed. Having to pull hair out of your mouth just about every other day. Laying in bed so long your muscles atrophy & you can’t walk. Your son runs away from you cause your face scares the hell out of him. I have to go now but I want you to know that I’m really really happy this is finally showing an ending thanks to you and everything you’ve done.
I’ll post more real soon. I will have seven more months to heal before its all over but at least now I’ll just resemble a Felony Flats Tweaker and less monstrous. Now before you go saying “oh no you’re beautiful” just remember I deal with many different people and little kids daily and they uh, can be very honest.
I love you all and thank you too for the monetary donations they really help more than I anticipated. Keep it coming. Also we’ll likely need help with the the store- no one is there now, I had a pre-op at 10:30 my ride broke down on the way so reschedule for 2:30 today. Empty store on a busy day… no good. My operation is set for Monday and I can’t think anywhere near it. Phew. I’m terrified!
Apr/101
Meet My Meat
While I let my leg heal from having the fibula removed I can’t ride my bike, oh wait my bike was stolen while I lay dying in the ICU. Till I get a new bike or get up the nerve to ride Melinda’s I’m bussing it and getting an occasional ride in the hybrid.
I thought it might be interesting to see this map: Click if you want to see a very boring map And here is a very gross image showing the removal in case you wanted to know.
Yeah they just took out my Fucking Fibula and said “Its like a spare tire you wont even know it’s not there” I notice, I definitely notice! But they needed to rebuild my face so I could sell people Real Vegan Belts not the fall apart crap or the evil leather. I use conveyor belts the strongest belts in the world! Sorry about the gruesome picture but it is real life stuff.
I’m whacked out on drugs too. I don’t even drink alcohol and now here I am on three different opiates- Fuck! If you want to help you can donate at my home or I will be putting up a page eventually with things needed for the store and a story and things the sparkle. I love you my wonderful community which sustains my very life!
