i ate a cobra this week. it was wild. i had asked my buddy zack last weekend where a good dog restaurant was and he told me that on monday he and another guy ted were going out for snake if i would like to join. hell yes i wanna join. so i took the evening off work and we headed out to a snake house. zack had eaten cobra before and didn't like it but was willing to be our escort and after a long journey we found the place. i half expected it do be some back alley dodgy place, cause thats the kind of place zack had tried cobra at, but this place was really a nice fancy joint. we sat down and ordered beers and without even seeing a menu the waitress ask if we would like to have snake this evening, she knew why we were there. we asked to see the snake and we were taken into the back. the snake was already out of its cage and they were toying with it. this thing was huge, at least five feet long and it raised up and flared its hood ready to strike. wow i have only ever seen a cobra at the zoo and here was one that i was about to eat. after negotiating the price and ordering the three different ways it would be prepared for us, they asked if we wanted to watch it get killed, yep, and into the back again. after cutting of its head the blood was drained into a bottle of vodka, and the heart and bile sack were removed and placed in shots of vodka. both ted and i wanted to try the heart so we had it cut in half and even after that it was still beating. i'll be honest taking that shot with half a beating heart in it made me feel kind of queasy but it made drinking the bloody vodka through the meal easier. we had the stomach, liver and guts sauteed with onions and lemon grass, the meat barbecued, and also minced with peanuts, and the skin fried. i thought it tasted pretty good, although barbecued was hard to eat cause there were so many bones. i really glad i did this cause i feel like it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and an experience i will not soon forget.

well its been a while since i last posted. i just got a new laptop so updates should be more regular. what fun things have i been up to lately? a couple weeks ago i went to a wedding that was interesting. it started at 7 o'clock and was over by 9. there where dance performances and people singing karaoke and all the men in the family kept making me drink "100%" meaning you have to finish your beer in one gulp. the whole event was a whirlwind of drinking, eating, taking pictures and it was over before there was a chance for the guests to dance. a truly strange affair but im glad i got to experience it.
i have been going on training rides with the other members of H2H a couple times a week.last week i went on a 100k ride and a 75k. im getting really excited for this, and thanks to everyone who has donated to our charity. it has been fun getting to know the people in the group and any conserns about spending a month with a group of 19 strangers who might be squares, have been washed down with pints at our fund raising pub quiz night. they're a fun group of people and i cant believe a didn't meet any of them sooner.

thank you all so much for the generous donations so far. for those who haven't donated yet please go to h2hcharityride.org and see what your money could help support. 

well i finally broke down and bought spandex. i never thought i would wear it but for riding 1000+ miles in the tropics i fell like it might be necessary. if you are going to donate for my ride (and i think you should) please make sure to note that it is for colin northcraft in the comments section of the pay pal page. im getting really excited for this ride.

in november i will be riding my bicycle from hanoi to ho chi minh city as part of the H2H charity ride. this month long bicycle tour will raise money for impoverished children in vietnam. please go to http://h2hcharityride.org/ to find out about the ride and to donate money on my behalf. every little bit helps, i need to raise $500 before november. thanks.

well i spilled allot of water on my laptop and its not working so dont expect too many posts in the neat future.

i enjoy seeing the jungle actively reclaiming the city. this is just down the street from my house. not only have these roots broken though this wall but they have made the side walk impassable on any wheel device. its kind of nice. it one of a very few places in the city where you can walk on the side walk without battling for space with motorbikes, both parked and moving.
my friend from seattle, craig, won the cycle messenger world championships in guatemala last week. congratulations. the fastest bike in seattle is now the fastest in the world. which bike you may ask? any bike between craig's legs.

i cut my hair the other day. i was sick of it. it was too long and it looked stupid, and its too hot here to have long hair anyways. i had been fighting the urge since i got here but after five months i finally had enough.

before

after

i think i did a pretty good job. but this isn't my first time cutting hair, my own or others. some of my students as well as my colleagues didn't recognize me. some say it makes me look younger, im not convinced i ever looked old though.