U2 at St. Louis - Part 3 (Thursday and the trip home)

We slept in a bit and when I finally got up, BB was long gone on his way back to KC. Lou and I packed everthing up and headed out for the day.

This is the Hotel we stayed out. For breakfast, we walked a couple of blocks over to a starbucks. I love Egg Nog Latte. but she got a Gingerbread Latte and it was yummy.
Across from our hotel the new Busch stadium is under construction.

We headed over the the City Museum to check it out. This is definitely a place that Goose and Turkey would love. We'll have to come back.

[city museum]
We then went over to Guido's Pizzeria on The Hill for lunch. I had to have some St. Louis style pizza before we left.
We left St. Louis and stopped in St. Charles to check out their historic Main street. It was a neat little area and it was all decked out for Christmas. My mom would have a good time here.

Even though this street is a real old historic street, it seemed to have a fairytale quality to it.


We lost track of time. 3:00- time to head backt to Kansas City.

U2 at St. Louis - Part 2 (Vertigo Tour 2005)

The show began with The Arcade Fire's Wake Up being played at full volume and then being disrupted by a Zoo TV-like audio clip, repeating the word "everything, everything." Soon you hear some guitar drones by the edge and he is on the left hand side of the stage being back-lit by a single strobe. The drones soon turn into the intro to the City of Blinding Lights and the show is on the way.

[I took some pictures throughout the show. Some of the pictures, I am using effects to create visually what you are hearing and some pictures I took without any effects to get a clearer shot.]

Here is the setlist:

Main Set: City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo - She Loves You, Elevation, Gloria, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - In a Little While, Beautiful Day - Many Rivers to Cross, Original of the Species, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, Love and Peace or Else, Sunday Bloody Sunday - Rock the Casbah, Bullet the Blue Sky, Miss Sarajevo, Pride, Where the Streets Have No Name, One

Encore (s): Until the End of the World, Mysterious Ways, With or Without You, Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of, Instant Karma, Yahweh, 40

U2 at St. Louis - Part 1 (everything before the show)

The date is Wednesday the 14th of December 2005. It is a little after 11a.m. and BB arrives at my house. My sister Lou and I have packed everthing in my car and we are ready to head over to St. Louis. I can't believe the moment is finally here. It seems like we bought theU2 tickets 9 months ago and the wait has been forever. But now we are leaving...

But first, we get some lunch. A quick stop at Oklahoma Joe's for some fine Kansas City BBQ and then we are on our way.

BB had to leave early the next day to get back for a job interview, so he had to drive seperate. He did a good job of keeping up, although I think he complained about going to fast. I don't know how fast grandma usually drives but wer were keeping up with the flow of traffic going about 80 mph.
In the outskirts, we finally see signs of our destination city. We are close and I am ready to get on my feet.


We pull off I-70 on Broadway street to find our hotel and to do a quick drive by the arena to see if we can walk.



A nice view of the arch from our 8th floor window at the Hilton St. Louis Pavilian Hotel.

More views from our window.

Each bus stop had a huge poster of tonights show. I wanted to take one but they were locked behind glass. It seemed like all of downtown was buzzing about the show tonight. The hotel staff wanted to talk about the show before we left. We walked over to Union Station and grabbed a bite in their food court. We met other people from Memphis and Indiana going to the show. U2 has some nice fans.

Our seats are at the end of this aisle and we couldn't be any more centered than this. I was on one side of the rail and my sister was on the other side.

Come to find out that the same crazy coldplay fan is also a crazy U2 fan, but he is happy as he just came back from buying some t-shirts.

Kanye West was the opening act. Before he came out on stage, Bono suprised everyone and came out to introduce Kanye. It was cool that Kanye didn't have a posse. Just him, a dj, and an all female string section: 2 cellos, 4 violins, and one harp. The girls were dressed in black dresses except for the first violin who had on a white dress. She deserved the special attention because this little asian girl was getting down. I have never seen hip-hop moves on a violin, but it was cool.
Now we are waiting for U2 to come on stage. The arena is black except for 6 red lamps over the stage. (a red-orange glow!)

Christmas Cards

Okay, earlier I spoke of how we came to terms with not doing Christmas cards this year. Making and desgining Christmas cards is something that I have enjoyed doing for as long as Vernal and I have been married. Vernal adds a lot of design input into the overall look and direction of the card and is a good vote of confidence.

I have always enjoyed getting cards that have a personal touch, a photo, a written message. But I do understand how difficult it is to send out 200 cards and write a message to each. That is our dilemma: how to maintain personality and balance the massive undertaking of making the cards.

That is why we gave up this year. It was early December and I hadn't thought about any design ideas. To keep cost down I would usually buy cardstock paper (8.5 x 11) and print them at work. I would try to come up with a black and white design so that it really isn't costing them for color prints. I would then have to cut each card and fold and then after that Vernal and I would write messages. We just didn't have time and I didn't have an idea.

I think the other factor contributing toward my attitude is the Church's Christmas Card drop-off. In general, it is a good idea. It saves lots of money not having to buy stamps. And I very much enjoy receiving cards from others...But the problems are: Where do you draw the limit? Do I give a card to everybody int the directory? Should I feel bad for the people who I don't give cards? Do these people really care? etc.

I opened a few cards the other day and one was a bland religious themed card and when you opened it up there was a computer printed sticker of the givers name. What's up with that? They couldn't even write there name. That is why we weren't going to do cards. If giving cards is that automatic and that cold and un-human, then why bother. I wish those people would just save the money, because it really means nothing to me.

Vernal was thrilled and relieved when I asked her if we could skip cards this year.

But there is a new Christmas card trend that is getting bigger and bigger each year and that is the photo card. Yes, I believe they are cheesy as all get out with their premade templates, but I find them very enjoyable. We get these from friends that we haven't seen in a while and each year there is the photo update on their family or just the kids. The message is simple and friends like to see friends. Sometimes there is a letter attached and sometimes not, but I think there is not a written expectation with the photo card. With the photo card the picture tells the story and personal words are not necessary. (All of this justification came to me later.)

So last Friday night, I sat down in front of our computer to pick out some photos to print to put in a frame for my mom's birthday and I came across this picture I took of downtown as I was driving home one day. I hadn't seen it before, because I just downloaded the pictures on to my computer.

That got me thinking - I could add the word merry christmas and then I thought what if I add a picture of the boys...or the whole family in black and white. What if I add a star and make the whole graphic look like some abstract christmas tree and yet keep it off in the corner so that the actual photo still has presence. I didn't mean too, but one thing lead to another and soon I had designed a Christmas Card.

"This is perfect!" I said as I tried to convice Vernal who was still happy at not having to do cards this year. "We don't have to write any messages. It is on the card. I know it's lame, but everybody else is doing it that way," I say as I pull out a photocard of her highschool friend's boy standing in front of a chirstmas tree. "This just might work. It is only 15 cents per picture to print at Sam's club and we don't have to put them in envelopes for the church people. We'll treat it like a postcard."

This has been the easiest and quickest Christmas Card I have done in 9 years. It took about 12 hours from the idea to holding them in my hand... and I have tons of ideas for next years card. Can't wait.

My visit to Narnia

I love ideas and images. That is why I have always liked the Chronicals of Narnia books. How brilliant of an idea was it for a little girl hiding in a wardrobe among the fir coats to brush up against something prickly and step on something crunchy and then realize that you are amonst the pines in a snowy land? As a little kid, you half-way believe the story is true and hope that you might one day find yourself in this different land.

I always loved the image of the lamp post in the snowy wood. It is one of those great literary images that at the mere mention of the lamp post everyone knows what you are talking about.

The other night I saw the lamp post in the snowy wood.

Friday and Saturday with some hot spots for Christmas lights

Friday night, later in the evening, I had to run a quick errand…Christmas shopping. I took Goose with me and on the way home we took a detour to see some Christmas lights. It was magical, and then later it occurred to me why it was so perfect. We had snow on everything just like in the movies. These are the spots we hit: Frosty Lights Lane (76^th and Lamar), Candy Cane Lane (79^th and Outlook close to 79^th and Nall) and the Crazy House with everything on it (75^th and Falmouth just east of Mission Road.) The Crazy House with everything on it is always fun. You park your car and walk up to the house. There is always a crowd of people looking into the windows. I overheard the homeowner say that he had been doing this for 40 years and it takes four months to set up. It is weird to think that my parents would take me to these same places when I was a little boy and now I am taking my kids. This thought also occurred to me when Goose was watching a Charlie Brown Christmas on TV the other night. My other favorite Christmas light spot is just west of 63^rd and State Line in Mission Hills. I call it winter wonder land. I drove by after thanksgiving and they didn’t have the lights up, so I wonder if the community is doing it this year.

Late Friday night, I saw a picture I took and inspiration hit and I made a Christmas card. When it happens, you can’t mess with it. (more later)

Saturday morning, Goose and I got all bundled up and went sledding on a nearby hill. That boy loves to be outside no matter what the weather. One of the best parts of sledding is the hot chocolate waiting at home.

Saturday late afternoon, Vernal and I got to see The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. (more later.)

Crazy Week is now over...and my mind can't make a complete thought

The last few weeks I have been buckling down at work to finish a project that goes out today. So please forgive, my friends, if I haven't visted and posted on your sites as much as I usually do whenever I have a small break here and there throughout the day.

It is noonday now. The project is all but complete for today's deadline except for printing and delivery of the drawings. I had to pace myself and spend a few extra hours at night to complete. I am not a great multi-tasker, so most of my thinking and mind has been getting this done and as a result other things get put on hold. Like now, I can really focus on the christmas season and christmas shopping. Vernal is a great multi-tasker. She can clean the entire kitchen and decorate a cake in a 20 minute phone conversation. For me, I have to stop what I am doing to talk on the phone and find a dark quiet spot to talk.

I guess I am saying that I have put this whole blog thing on a somewhat hold during this time of busyness. Part of that reason is that we don't have high speed internet at home. If we did, then I might be tempted to get on at night and download a bit. Also, if we had high speed at home, you might see a whole lot more of Vernal here in this forest of online friends. (in this cold weather, I think we are all waiting for the vernal equinox.) I am seriously thinking about it now. I think I will check it out and see how much it cost. It is about time for us to wake up to the new millenium.

Back to the multi-tasker thing...On second thought there are times when I do excell at juggling a few items. It is just that I also prioritize and give all my attention to one thing when I choose to. And maybe sometimes, I want to take life a little bit easier until I get bored and need to busy it all up. Hmmm...on that note we are closing in on the middle of December and I haven't even thought about Christmas cards, nor do I want to at the moment. I usually enjoy making orignal cards every year, but I don't want to be stressed out by it with so many other things going on. We decided not to do Christmas cards this year. Maybe next year. (why ruin a fun thing?)

I got to focus on my trip to St. Louis to see U2 next week.

2-4 December 2005

Friday, December 2-

• in the office, this was Firm Day. At noon, we stopped work and went over to the AIA office, which has a large open room for us to partake in the festivities. We had lunch, played some games, heard the status of the firm - the financial history, listened to a motivational speaker, listened to our top principle talk about some of today's design challenges, and heard from our new strategic marketing guy. The focus of the motivational speaker was to talk about some of our worst clients and how to deal with them. We then got to do an exercise that simulates a project. (An egg is suspended 6' off the ground, there is a list of materials that we can buy and the goal is to not go over the budget of $150. The egg will be let loose and we need to keep it safe. The client will stop buy a couple of times and try to change things up and introduce something specific that they want incorporated into the design. All of this in 20 minutes.) We were all successful except for the female team of unruly junior partners who had a little too much beer...I couldn't help but think of the BBC's The Office with the Training episode.

• Friday evening (after work) we met up with my college roomate Dan and his wife Christie. They have a boy same age as Goose. I don't know if these outings are for us or for him. Anyway, we met at one of the local pizza joints (Papa Keno's) for dinner. The two boys had a grand time sitting next to each other, being loud-being funny. Dan and I caught up-it has been a few months since I've seen him. Much of our conversation was on the Jayhawks football season (it's nice to watch them win, for once) and the upcoming basketball season.

• Friday later in the evening, we put up the chirstmas tree and decorated it. (it smells good!) Put the kids to bed. Made a bowl of peppermint ice cream with candycane chunks and chocolate syrup drizzled on top and then settled down to watch "Christmas with the Kranks." I read the book a few years ago and I heard the movie was horrible, so my expectations were low. The movie actually wasn't bad. It is cheesy as all get out, but it is fun when you embrace the cheese.

Saturday, December 3rd-

• I have a project due at the end of this week, so I went in to the office and worked till noon.

• That evening was our office Christmas party. It was in the Lockton 2 story boardroom on the 10th floor overlooking the Plaza. The Lockton building is right above McCormick and Schmidts. They had an outdoor balcony. Maybe more on this later...

Sunday, December 4th-

• A pretty normal day with church in the morning.

• Vernal and I did some Christmas shopping in the afternoon. It was kinda of an unsuccessful trip as far as buying, but now we have a clear focus on gifts as we eliminated other ideas.

• When the kids were in bed, I made a run to Borders to buy a certain someone who may or may not read this a gift.
  

Art Vandalay, one sexy beast

George Costanza imagines himself as an architect. He refers to himself as Art Vandalay on occasion to impress people. He even invents the fictitious Vandalay Industries to impress people as well.

The article below was posted in our kitchen at work. I immediately thought of George Costanza.

Here is the web version.

Thanksgiving Weekend

(Note to self: I need to stop making these, all too often, lists that cover the mundane and highlights of the weekend. It is becoming too regular, too systematic...hmm, but, I am an archiver, a documenter and this is a good way for me to remember. Maybe, one more time!)

I heard a news report on the radio that started out with the line –“if you are still using dial-up, then you are a dinosaur.” That’s us! We are dino’s. I have all the high speed I want at work and our dial-up is free at home. I should look into getting high speed at home. Vernal would benefit from that.

The news report went on to talk about all the on-line shopping as a result of so many people with high speed. An expert was on talking about all the pro’s of shopping online and stated that it saves a lot of wear and tear on your feet. Yeah right! Like I want to sit on my butt in front the computer so I can become lazy and fat, just so I can save my feet from wear and tear. What are shoes for???

For the person in the work force (office), Thanksgiving is the best paid holiday and the closest thing we get to a Christmas break, Spring break, or summer vacation. Thanksgiving has been the only holiday where we always get two days off. It is a harsh reality when you graduate from University and you no longer have breaks.

Thanksgiving morning, Goose runs into my room and wakes me up. He says that “Mom, made cinnamon rolls.” It is worth getting out of bed for cinnamon rolls.

We had our Thanksgiving dinner with Vernal’s family at her mom’s house in North Kansas City. Dinner was around noon. I did not overeat and get that feeling of being stuffed.

Later, we dropped off our Accord at our mechanic’s to replace the belts.

That evening we went over to my parent’s house to eat cake and celebrate my dad’s birthday. The whole gang was still there- Lou Lou, Ricardo, Seminole, Magrelo and all their kids.

Back at our house, Vernal and I leaf through the paper, checking out the ads for the best deals. Vernal says she is going to take the first shift and get up at 6am to do some shopping.

Friday morning, goose wakes me up again. Early. Vernal is not in bed. I am surprised she actually got up to shop. She needs more sleep than I do. No cinnamon rolls today, so I put a cartoon on the TV in our room for Goose and continue to sleep in a half-state for a while.

Vernal makes it back by 10am, so I head out to pick up a few things on my list. It is worth it waking up at 6am compared to the traffic at 10am.

Friday afternoon, Vernal and I take Goose to see The Polar Express in 3-D imax. Goose loves trains and knows more about trains than I ever did until a year ago. It was a hoot watching him reach out his hand trying to grab the screen and saying “it’s right there!” There were a few intense moments of peril where you could feel his grip tighten on my arm followed by -“I’m ready to go home, now!” He made it through the movie with some candy and promises of seeing Santa soon.

Back at home, I had one of those awesome ‘football naps.’ The game was on and I closed my eyes…..

Friday evening, we all went down to Union Station for their Christmas sing-a-long. This took place after the lighting of the mayor’s Christmas tree. We met up with Lou Lou and Ricardo, Seminole and Magrelo and their kids. The kids soon found their way across the hall to the back end where a free train ride around a huge tree awaited them. Goose must have taken at least 10 rides. Turkey even got in on the action. On the way home, we took the scenic drive through the Plaza and Mission Hills.

Did I mention that I like Christmas music? Bing Crosby is the best! He is the voice of Christmas. But in general, the era from which he comes from has the best Christmas music.

Saturday late morning, my sister, dad, and I head over to Lawrence on a beautiful mid-60’s day. This is the KU Jayhawks last home football game. They beat Iowa State and are now bowl eligible. It was a come from behind win in overtime, which sent the fans out onto the field to tear down the goal post for a third time this season. I love walking on the field after the game. It is magical.

That afternoon, Vernal and I pick up the Accord. It doesn’t make that weird noise anymore when it’s idling. Good sign!

Saturday evening, we watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I have the original movie, but haven’t watched it in a while. It was okay. Wonka (Depp) was just weird in a fruitcake disturbing way. The oompa loompa’s as a little old Hispanic man – also disturbing. I didn’t care for the exterior of the factory as some sort of leftover cold war brutalism. Ha ha! I did love his laugh. Ha Ha!

Late Saturday evening – read chapter and prepare lesson.

Sunday morning – to church and then out to lunch at Fuddruckers with a bunch of good friends.

At home – finish watching the Chiefs game and then work on cleaning the basement the rest of the afternoon.

I started reading Pride and Prejudice this week. So far, I find the book very agreeable. Full of superciliousness and dry wit. The scheming of Mrs. Bennet is implausible. I am quite pleased to report that the first ball begins in chapter 3, which is page 5 in my book.

First five song to appear on shuffle:
Sufjan Stevens – a good man is hard to find
Bjork – oll birtan
The Prayer Chain – bendy line
M83 – in the cold I’m standing
Slowdive – when the sun hits

fall2005 - ready to go

After tinkering around a bit and switching around the song order and coming up with some quick artwork, Fall2005 is finished and I shall soon get copies to those who have asked. Click here to read a discription of the songs.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Do you want to do something? It depends, what do you want to do?

I am always amazed when people don't want to do something because it doesn't sound fun.

Maybe, it is a lack of the adventuresome spirit or maybe it has something to do with personal pride or maybe it has something to do with the way they were raised.

I grew up in a family that was on the adventurous side, meaning that we were not afraid to try things. We didn't have a lot of money, so entertainment and family vacations took lots of creativity and exploration. It also meant that with the right people, fun was to be had regardless of the event. That is something I have took with me for life. Sometimes, I may have fallen off that path in order to stand up for what's "cool" to keep my pride intact. But I quickly learned the error of my ways and turned from being that person that is no fun.

That is what I am getting at today- this idea of "what is fun" based on the event and not on who you are experiencing this event with.

Take Branson for example - My pride would tell me that it is not a cool place. Branson is a place for old people watching some really lame shows. The roads are crowded with big buses full of blue hairs. Everything their is a fake storefront on a metal building. But when you plan a trip with your family to celebrate someones birthday, I was excited to go. Once you learn to embrace the cheese and then you will have a good time. We took advantage of all the quirkiness that Branson has to offer. And I would totally go back for any occasion. And you never know when that really lame old persons show has a middle-aged guest dancer in a tutu and a thong! Now that's excitement!

Maybe it was the "process" that I learned to enjoy with my family. As a kid, my dad and I would go to baseball games, sit in GA because it was the cheapest and get their a few minutes early so we have the best selection of seats. This is the "process" one has to go thru in able to watch a game 2 1/2 hours later. Some people like to show up right in time for the first pitch, but by arriving so early, we got to watch batting practice for both teams. Often, I would walk a way with a ball from batting practice. That is why we always brought our gloves.

I know people sometimes do not want to do something (an event) because it will be too crowded, parking will be tough, etc. Again, yes that may be annoying, but what about the people who you are going with. Can you have a fun time with them? I see the crowds of people and the parking as part of the "process." That is why tailgating at a football game is so much fun. The same is true about a picnic lunch for an outdoor theater.

Men's retreats are lame, but if the right group of guys are going then it could be fun.

Coffee at Homer's, whether the coffee is good or not, it is still fun because of the company.

(As Dust would say if he were writing this: "Having an adventuresome spirit and the ability to have a good time regardless of the event or activity is the best way to live.")

The Weekend

• Kicked it off with some Jack Stack BBQ for lunch on Friday.

• It was my half-day at work, so I took Goose "downtown" to Union Station/Crown Center area. We were lucky to catch two trains going in opposite directions as we parked the car and then another train as we left. Union Station is a magical setting for Christmas. All the decorations were getting put up and their huge model train set was being put together. Christmas trees were lit up all over the place.

• I saw a flyer for an old Kansas City tradition in Union Station. It is a Christmas sing-a-long. They are bringing in a choir and inviting people to sing along. There was an old picture and it looked cool. The main floor was crowded with people singing along. I hope they pass out words, because I forget what comes after "Frosty the snowman, da da da da da da da."

• We used the link to walk over to Crown Center. We hit the toy shop (just looking) and the candy store (more than looking.)

• It was dark when we left and we could see the downtown Marriot hotel all lit up with it's animated lights. It looked brilliant. We made a drive by, through Barney Allis plaza, but it is best seen from afar.

• Friday night a group of us from church put together little baskets filled with goodies and delivered them to some ederly people. Veranl and I were with our kids and thought that we would deliver to a lady who lived close to us then go home and put the kids to bed. Our lady was single-her husband died four years ago. I felt bad because I think she was expecting a large group of us. She had all these snacks put out and their was just the four of us. I politely ate a cookie. She did have the KU Jayhawks basketball game on.

• Saturday morning my dad and I played a few games of racquetball at the community center in Mission. Afterwards, we went over to Werner's German meatmarket and european market and ate some Brats. Well, I actually had a polish sausage. Very good! On Saturdays, they grill them outside and people from miles around come.

• Saturday afternoon, Vernal went over to her sister's house to decorate the boy's birthday cakes, which meant that I had both boys. I loaded Goose and Turkey into the car and we headed to Toys-r-us. I wanted to check out some scooters for possible Christmas presents. That store is crazy and not in a good way. Everytime, I go there it is packed. I guess there was big sale going on and usually the only time I go is during the Christmas season when everything was crazy.

• Then we went over to Best Buy. I like the old Christmas music. Bing is the king of christmas. I heard of this new cd of old christmas songs that have been remixed by some of today's "?best?" DJ's. It is a pretty cool concept. So, I picked up Christmas Remixed volume 2. I could not find the original volume 1 from last year. Overall it is pretty good and I guess that is based on the original song selected. Perfect for that party with a little funk.

• Vernal's Mom came over and we got to run some errands and eat together- just the two of us. We had gift certificates to Chipotle.

• Saturday night cleaned house and prepared lesson.

• Sunday morning - went to church and then my dad came over and we rode in his truck to my office downtown to pick up a filing cabinet. Then we stopped by D'bronx to pick up a 30" party pizza. Yummy! We have to tilt the pizza sideways a bit to get it through our door.

• We celebrated Goose's and Turkey's birthday. They turned 3 and 1. We had all the family over. Always a good crazy time.
  

• Sunday evening, Goose and I went to the church's thanksgiving dinner. Vernal and Turkey were visiting an Aunt in the hospital. It was nice to speak Dar and Roamer. Thanks for coming; I enjoyed the treats. I think I liked the white nut brittle best.

• I have to thank BB for being on top of things and getting us tickets to see Sigur Ros at the Uptown Theater in February.

• I finished reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and now I am ready to see the movie.
  

tracklisting for fall2005

I just finished compiling all the songs for my fall2005 mixtape. Actually, I had a pretty good idea of which songs I want to use and made a playlist on my ipod, so I have been listening to this all through October. The harder part is finding time to make .wav files from the cd's and editing the selection down to fit on an 80 minute cd. I should have copies made soon for those who have been waiting and bugging me about it.

The fall album is my favorite. I like to get real moody, sad, and beautiful with the songs. This album has a lot of depressing quiet songs and I almost made the whole thing that way, but I had to add some more uptempo to contrast the sad quality of the quiet songs. I am still working out the exact track order to achieve the best flow or stark contrast (which also works just as well.) You either blend in with the context or you totally contrast it as a way to pay respect and allow the true context to show.

Here are the songs:

1. glosoli by sigur ros....If I was asked to describe my feelings on The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe through song-the book would sound like this. The opening of the wardrobe, the rustling of hangers and coats, the sound of Lucy walking through icey snow, the frozen landscape, the meeting of otherworldly creatures, the emotion of the battle, and the sweetness of spring as the snow begins to melt.
2. Then Go by Damien Rice featuring Lisa Hannigan....Vernal and I have been fans and got a chance to see this Irishman in Lawrence back in March of 2004. We were excited that he brought Lisa with him, because she is featured all over his album "O" and was a main voice from his show. I found this rare live album at a thrift store in Merriam of all places and a new song that features the beauty of her voice in this slow burning song.
3. Sometimes by My Bloody Valentine....Their album "Loveless" is probably the most influential album to the musical taste that I have today. I used to turn out all the lights in my dorm room, light a few candles, turn the volume up and let the music wash over me.
4. Show by Beth Gibbons....such a sad piano, a fragile voice, and an overwhelming sense of longing.
5. softness goodness by Starflyer 59....SF59 continues to put out albums that are in step with my musical taste. This is what "cool" sounds like. The hand claps and the double harmonies get me every time.
   
6. that dress looks nice on you by sufjan stevens....sufjan wows me with his lush arrangements on what some people call chamber folk, but he put out an album called "seven swans" that is really stripped down to the acoustic guitar and banjo.
7. sleep tonight - stars....I mostly like female voices or men who sing pretty as compared to the screaming man voice, but that's another story. MBV influenced song with pretty vocals.
8. bisounours by coco rosie....this is just a weird song that has a fall feel to it. A low female voice, a french rapper, and an opera singer.
9. precious by Depeche Mode....this is DM at their best with a classic, bittersweet pop song.
10. desired constellation by bjork....when I would pull all nighters in school, at first the music was loud and busy, but before the break of dawn it sounded like this.
11. alison by slowdive....I can't get enough of this song and the way it builds up to a wall of sound. I wish it wouldn't end. This song reminds me of my first trip to London as we took the tube from the airport into the underground of London. So much to look at.
12. constants are changing by boards of canada....a few weeks ago I looked up into the blue sky through naked branches and watched the leaves fall.
13. make no protest by lori chaffer....In the fall semester of my freshman year ('92) my roomates and I heard her play and we bought her music and listened to it all the time. When I met Vernal, she was also listening.
14. stay by Kevin Max....this song has everything that I love about '80's british music.
15. anniversary by the cure....an album of sad songs would not be complete without a lament by robert smith.
16. a page of life by joy electric....JE writes some of the most beautiful sad songs and melodies, don't let the old synths fool you.
17. everything but sleep by denison witmer....I first saw denison at a festival on a whim. He put me asleep and I loved it. I became a fan.
18. haiti by arcade fire....midway through there is a singular note that is played and it builds and turns into something beautiful.
19. we have a map of the piano by mum....when we take a walk down our street, we are trudging ankle deep through leaves. It makes a nice sound.
    

Random thoughts and activities from the weekend:

• I had quite a mess of leaves in my yard. My neighborhood looks like one of those scenes from a romantic comedy where the couple is walking and talking, maybe there is a dog on a leash, sweaters are being worn – and it is snowing leaves! I took a moment to look up and watch the leaves fall.

• The neighbors on both sides of me have cleaned their yard several times. One bags them and the other hires a company to vacuum them up. I do not have the time or money to keep up. Their yards look great! Nice and green, void of any leaves. Half a day later, their yards look like mine. I took about an hour to mow the lawn and mulch the leaves into tiny little pieces. My yard looked great, nice and green. No bagging, no money spent other than gas for the mower. A few hours later, my work was all covered up. I hope my neighbors noticed, briefly.

• I have gutter guards to keep leaves out of my gutters. I also have a locust tree that has tiny golden leaves that find there way past my gutter guards. I clean out my gutters by climbing a ladder onto my roof and then taking a garden hose and spraying the leaves down the drain. That technique works pretty well, but I wonder if the gutter guards are worth it.

• This has been the best Fall season ever. The weather has been perfect and the trees are beautiful.

• I know it’s not cool to like Christmas music and all the commercialization of Christmas, but I started listening to Christmas music this weekend. I love to belt it out in the car. I see the decorations being prepared on the streets and in the shops and I am excited for my favorite time of the year. There’ll be much mistletoeing…

• I went to one of my absolute favorite stores in town. The Moon Marble Company. Well, actually it is in Bonner Springs, but that makes for a fun drive. There is nothing flashy about the store that is by the tracks and would be easily missed if you didn’t see the sign. But what is on the inside will delight and keep you busy for hours. Every year for my boys’ birthday, we go to the store and pick out a hand-made marble. I want to leave them with a gift that has lasted through the generations and will still be a classic toy for future generations. They have in-store demonstrations of how they make this big colorful marbles. The store itself comes from a different era, before the kay-be toys and the Toys’r’us. The walls are crammed, the aisles are tight, and navigating seems like going through a maze. The toys and games are very retro. My mom even said she hadn’t seen one of those since she was a kid. The have a great collection of brain-teaser puzzles like Rush Hour. Moon Marble is great place to stop before a long roadtrip – to have the kids pick out a travel game or two. Much fun!

• Saturday night all of my family watched my cousin-niece, Laina perform in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was a fun time, maybe someday my boys will want to act in musicals. It looks like fun.

• I have been reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire a lot this weekend. When I start a new book, I read it casually. There may be a few days that I don’t have time to pick it up and read. But once the story gets going (about half way) I have a hard time putting it down and find myself grabbing the book before I turn on mindless TV.

• My cousin Sean and his wife were in town, so we all went over to Seminole and Magrelo’s house for dinner. Always a fun time when we get all the family together. My sister Lou Lou and Seminole who is Greek are going to start teaching some family dances for our family culture, so when our kids get married, we’ll have one big party going on. I asked if we could start with the electric slide.

• My VCR broke this weekend. We are still behind the times. We don’t have cable nor Tivo, so we tape all our shows, because they are on when we put the boys to bed. I bought a new VCR last night at Wal-Mart. They only had one to choose from. $40. DVD players are cheaper! Wal-Mart was cheaper than the other stores. Don’t worry we are now caught up on Lost and Alias.

i am taking working out to new extremes

I used to go to our local fitness center 5 or 6 days a week to work out. When Goose was born that interupted my schedule for a bit, but then I managed to get back to the gym 3 or 4 days a week. When Turkey was born everything was shot and I haven't been able to get on a consistant schedule.

The problem is that our community center in order to save money now closes at 9 o'clock instead of 10. It is during the 8 o'clock hour that we put our boys to bed. Sometimes right at 8 - I get to go to the gym and mostly around 8:30 - when it is not worth my effort.

Without a consistant schedule, my motivation isn't the highest for going every once in a while. When I go 4 or 5 times a week it is easier for me to keep going. I can see results, get in shape and feel healthy.

Some have suggested going to 24 hour fitness. That would solve all my problems, but my community center is dirt cheap and I don't want to give it up. We have a family membership for $35 dollars a month. Our community center has two gyms, raquetball courts (my dad and I will play occassionally), the weight rooms, indoor pools with slides. I enjoy taking the kids to the pool and think that would be fun growing up swimming all year round.

Realizing the need for me to stay fit, I am doing the unthinkable this week. I am getting up at 6 am and working out until 7. I am going to try to do that at least 3 mornings a week and then try to go sometime on Saturday.

This is hard for me. I would much rather work out at 11 pm than 6am. I am a night owl and once the kids are in bed, I have my crazy little projects that I like to work on. Now I will have to cut that time short.

So far it has worked out this week. I did doze off during a luncheon and I am getting really tired at night now. My body must be working through the transition. The real test will be next week after having back to normal weekend.

office clean-up

We architects have the ability to have really messy work spaces. Most of us try to be clean, but with drawings sheets that are 24X36 or larger, professional magazines, product catalogs, trace paper, to many pens, markers, and pencils to count, old sketches lying all over the place, etc, etc, it is easy to creat quite a mess. Like dishes in the kitchen, if you don't take care of it soon, it is amazing how quickly things will pile up.

We have an important interview at our office tomorrow.

We just stopped work an hour ago so that everyone could clean up their space. My desk is so clean and bare that I don't know what to do with it. It'll look back to normal in a couple days...but in the meantime all the trash has been thrown away; pencils, pens, and marker put back in their holder; business cards stacked in a neat little pile; stapler, tape dispenser, and telephone all lined up in a row, important papers and drawings all filed away; magazines and code books stacked neatly on my shelf, and all the other stuff that I didn't know what to do with-thrown into the filing cabinet.

Here is to the stapler in the jell-O.

a stroke of good luck

I am hot right now...should I buy a lottery ticket?

For lunch on Friday, I walked over to the downtown Marriot for the annual Ceramic Tile show and luncheon for Architects and Interior Designers. A bunch of tile vendors rent the ballroom and set up booths to display their products, BUT there is also a really nice buffet spread, drinks, and desserts.

It is pretty much a social event. I ran into old classmates and former colleagues. There are people that I see once a year only at this event. As I walked in I dropped my business card into a bowl to win prizes. Later, the pulled my card and called my name! I won a gift card to the Plaza for $100. I never win - the tide is turning.

On Saturday, my dad and I went to the Kansas Jayhawks vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers football game in Lawrence. KU hasn't beat the Huskers since 1968. KU totally destroyed the Huskers 40-15.

I briefly played a little bit of oker back in college. Not much! Saturday night at a friends house for his birthday, we were playing Texas Hold 'em. Seeing that this game could go on forever and the fact that I was getting a little ancy, I decided to go big on a few hands. For if I lost, I would soon be out of the game with the others who were having fun chatting it up. I happened to get lucky and soon I had a whole lot of chips. I never play poker and I was never certain if I had good hands; I just got lucky. And I was able to take home the top prize.

I should play the lottery or is my streak now over.

the big fat greek wedding

I usually don’t look forward to going to weddings, but I had high expectations for the one we went to last Saturday. A friend of Vernal’s and mine from the KU days was getting married. This friend of ours is 100% Greek and she was marrying a Greek boy, so I knew we would be in for a treat.

Vernal got a new ‘hot’ dress to wear to this wedding, so I sported the jacket and double knotted my tie. Good thing, because everyone threw on their best. The people in attendance were mostly Greek with a few of us reserved non-Greek sprinkled in like an olive in a greek salad, only we are not as tasty.

The rumors were true. The ceremony at the Greek Orthodox Church was performed entirely in Greek, mostly sung, and clocked in at nearly an hour. Usually that would drive me nuts – a long ceremony where the couple stares at each other as we have to listen to cheesy Steven Curtis Chapman songs, but not this ceremony. This ceremony was filled with ritualistic traditions and luckily there was and English explanation of the different stages of the ceremony. Everything was done in three’s to represent the Holy Trinity – so that was an easy signal for me to follow the happenings in the programs. My favorite funny part was when the bride and groom along with the priest marched three times around the altar. Another fascinating aspect was that the priest sang the whole ceremony in the traditional catholic sort of manner, but then there were two guys to the left hand side of him who would take turns singing back a response. They manner in which they sang was more of chant with a lot of inflection in their voices – very cool.

After the wedding ceremony, we made our way to the reception at Lake Quivira. We made our way up the stairs, found our nametag with our table assignment, walked across the dance floor and were delighted to see familiar faces at our table. We proceeded over to the buffet tables for appetizers. The appetizers were a selection of traditional Greek foods that were prepared by the mother of the bride and probably a bunch of other women. They were yummy.

I noticed that the band was starting to set up. Not your typical band, these men were in their 50’s and had some strange looking instruments. Surely, they are not going to start playing before dinner. WRONG! What happened next were the traditional bride and groom dance and then the dance with the parents, but then after that the party started. First was the brides dance. The band played a very feminine styled folk song. The bride was in the middle of the floor, alone, and then fatherly type men would come up to her with a wad of dollar bills and throw them up in the air as they showered down on her. This went on for a while, then soon, people started locking hands and created one long spiral that grew layers upon layers with the bride leading the way and going around and around in circles. It would have been fun to join in, but there was some intricate footwork involved that I did not want to attempt. After they jammed on that song for about 10 minutes came the groom’s song. His song was masculine and had a marchy-almost hip-hop feel to it. Basically it was the same dance, a really long circular train, but he led the way this time. The floor is covered in dollar bills and the dancing went on for about an hour.

After dinner and toasts, the dancing started back up again. We slipped back to the dessert tables, again all tradition Greek desserts prepared by the mother of the bride.

I had one of those ‘movie moments’ when I retreated away from the craziness of the party onto the second floor outdoor balcony that overlooked the lake. I joined several other men who were already out there smoking cigars and giving each other big hugs and kisses on the cheek. I found a few guys that I knew. We talked about the joys of the KU football team beating Missouri for the third year in a row and the uncertainty of the upcoming KU basketball season. I eventually met a guy who lives in Portland, we talked about the Northeast and eventually spent a good deal of time talking about music.