music snobbery

To the average music listening person - those who buy fewer than 10 cd's a year (if I can make a bold classification, but don't know if it is accurate) - I might seem like a music snob, because I love music and take it a bit serious. I have definite opinions on music (and I have to admit that I have great tastes.) Just like someone, who is more well read than I am, may suggest and encourage me to read a book they like; I too like to challange ones ears with new music.

To the serious music fan - those who have a wish list of music to buy when the funds become available - I am someone who can spend an evening talking about great songs or a great band or what is good about music today or what is bad about music today. We have a lot of commonality, because we are always pursuing good music and feel the love when we can share it. We like to make mixes for each other and comment on the mood of the mix and are always excited to learn about an undiscovered band. I always learn and expand my taste from these people, because they are different from me. Yes, we may share some commonalities yet they may lean a bit in a different direction than I would generally go.

To the music snob - those who feel they have an elitist taste and view of music and are generally unimpressed with all music unless they discovered it and then dislike them once they release a major studio ablum - I generally don't like you. Your not very fun to talk to, boring in fact. These people forget that music can also be fun or something to shake your hips to. There is not an exchange of ideas, no give and take. They try to be too cool for guilty pleasures or anything remotely mainstream and can't admit a good song, because of the snob code they live by. I generally avoid music talk with these people.

Anyway, I was visiting one of my favorite music discussion groups online where music fans and snobs alike are present talking about music and I found an interesting exhange that made me go "YES!"

Music Fan A:
Have you heard the new song by XXXXXX band that is posted on their PureVolume website. It is so good and beautiful! I can't wait to hear the new album.

Music Snob B:
It's alright, but I'd listen to their first album from 1996 if you want to hear good and beautiful, because everything they have done since then has gone downhill.

(I like the commentary of this next guy)
Music Fan C:
you just experienced the unique dynamic that lives on this board; show enthusiasm and get deflated by indie snobs everywhere. here's how you stay alive round these parts, be stoic, remain unmoved by even the most beautiful music and be cynical about everything. Always express your displeasure of anything you see posted here and NEVER EVER admit you like anything but if you have to, just say "they're okay." hope this helps.

...and one more thing NEVER use exclamation points, they'll just get you into a whole lot of trouble.

Art Unleashed concept sketch

Above is an image of a painting I donated to be auctioned off at an event called Art Unleashed. I have donated artwork for the last 3 years. All the money raised goes to benefit Wayside Waifs, an animal shelter. All the artwork must be "pet themed" and so I have done a series of paintings of my pet - Molly the Beagle.

The event takes place in late August, which means if I participate this year, I need to submit my artwork within the next week. I have been thinking about the painting, trying to come up with ideas in my mind, drawing a few sketches here and there. I want to do something similiar to the painting above, I have used that beagle image on several paintings. I like the look of the beagle being broken down into straight lines and being outlined in bold black lines. Whimsy is the theme I am going for -and that seems to work well with "pet art."

This year I wanted to put the beagle with her arch enemy, the bunny rabbit. Molly goes crazy over rabbits, especially on walks. The funny thing about her is that she uses her nose and not her eyes. She'll follow the scent trail of the rabbit roaming around in crazy directions and miss seeing the rabbit resting 10 feet away. The rabbit will then dash away, and Molly will then see her and the chase begins until she reaches the end of her leash.

I came up with this little sketch yesterday. It came to me at work, so I drew it on a 3x3 post-it note. I think this is the look and layout that I'll go with. I'll post more photos once I start laying it out on the canvas and get a finshed product.

I too am sick of Worship Music

(inspired by Darwin's rant)
Don't get me wrong, I am not sick of worshipping God through music. I just can't handle the worship music genre and industry and popularity. Right now, wor$hip music sells and labels can make a ton of money off of christians willing to spend money on albums that recycle the same 50 songs.

Every 2 months for the past two years, I get a box in the mail that has books and worship CD's. These are for the young adult class at my church, so I have sampled each of them and they all seem to be blah. I do have a few records in my collection that I think are good. They were made with honesty and integrity, but they were made before the industry became about the Money. Seriously, do we need every single rock and pop artist to release their own worship album that has the same songs as every other album.

I could go on but I really wanted to write about the use of that music when the heart is not focused on worshipping God through music. I need to chose my words carefully, because this can be a bit hard to explain. I try to live my life as worship to God and realize that worship is more than just music.

I hate worship music as background music. I don't know how others feel, but to me worship music involves participation on my part. We each have our own way on how we worship God through music. I feel like my mind should be on set on what I am going to do with the music. So, I have a hard to accepting worship music to be played as background noise or just as a filler over the airwaves. I believe that you just get numb to it and it loses its power on Sunday morning. So I set it aside, for when I truly will focus on God. (I hope this makes sense, because I am typing this quickly over my lunch hour.)

I realize that music means more to me than to most, so maybe this isn't a big deal to some.

I say all this to talk about the young adult BBQ and Volleyball party we had last night. We had an outdoor sound system blairing out the tunes. It was a fun time, but the tunes consisted mostly of worship CD's. We are eating hot dogs, playing volleyball and socializing to the tunes of some bland worship CD. My teamates and I are trying to figure out how to keep Dust from scoring when the songs want us to SHOUT TO THE LORD! Sorry, I can't balance both, it has got to be one or the other. Finally when someone said "haven't we heard this song 3 times already" and someone else said "we don't have very many CD's," I ran to my car to see what I might have. YES! I found a mix I made called Summer 2003. My summer mixes are more upbeat driving in your car kind of music- which is the perfect soundtrack for volleyball in the sand and sun. My mixes are usually 85% by artist who consider themselves christians and 15% who are just good music. (I hope that's okay.)...because the party just go started.

The Drive-In

The last two Fridays, I got to go to the drive-in with some friends and I loved every minute of it. I rediscovered all the thrills of the drive-in a couple of years ago, when we took Doc for his farewell. I remember going a couple of times when I was younger, but now it is a summer tradition. I love to watch movies and hang out with friends so it is the perfect balance. You can’t approach going to the drive-in the same way you would if you were at a cinema. I think it is more comparable to watching a movie at home. If you are pretty serious about seeing a certain movie, then I would recommend the cinema, because the environment is controlled. At a drive-in you never know what is going to happen, but that is what makes it fun.

• A double feature for $7 dollars and kids under 11 are free.
• The pre-movie music is old and vintage and a little corny.
• A drive-in is a social activity. You get there early, set up your spot, gather the chairs around, get out the food and drinks, and then talk. After the first show, more talking. In fact, you can talk during the show if you have witty comments to make. It is like a beach setting. People can get creative with their space, and sitting situations. My favorite is the armchairs in the back of the pick-up.
• Bad movies are tons better at a drive-in. The history of the drive-in was all about bad movies or b-grade movies, but your expectations are to have a good time with your friends and not to see high art. By the way, in the last two weeks I saw: Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the War of the Worlds, the Island, and Fantastic Four. They were all perfect drive-in movies. I am not saying that these were bad movies, but the fit the drive-in aesthetic perfectly.
• You can count on noise interruptions. At some point in the night, the train will pass by and the airplane will fly over.
• You can count on other problems to arise. Sound problems with the audio followed by a chorus of cars honking for the projection man to fix it. What I thought was a cool special effect in Fantastic Four turned out to be the film melting on the projector. After about a minute we were up and running. Someone may want to leave during the middle of the show and shine their lights on the screen which drowns out the color. But I cherish all these little annoyances, because they are all laughable and enhance the overall experience.
• They have one of the best snack bars I have ever seen. Totally old-school.
• At some point during the second show, the old man will come on over the intercom to announce that the snack bar will be closing in 10 minutes and then 5 minutes. When he does this, he mutes the sound of the movie. Classic.
• Enjoyment of warm summer nights under the moon.
• Always wondering why some people would park all the way in the back.
• The ability to bring your own food in. We have brought pizza, chips, popcorn, cookies, candies – all sorts of junk food and coolers of pop. Throw it all together and then share with your friends.
• And (for Dash’s sake) the best part is the vintage snack ads during intermission. He loves the dance of the hot dog and hot dog bun.

Those were some slices that I just thought of. I am sure there are plenty more. All of the these added together with some good friends create a pretty good time.

Me and Doc on Holiday and Doc Holliday

A couple of years ago, Doc and I went on a church ski trip to Aspen. Three days of skiing and then head back home the next morning, but that didn't happen. The night before we were to leave, there was a huge snow storm west of us. This snow caused an avalanche in front of the mountain pass that we were to go thru.

The leaders got together to try to plan out alternate routes and await information regarding the state of the mountain pass. There were no options; we were stuck. WHAT FUN!! Unplanned events. I had to call work and tell them that I was stuck in the snow storm and would not return back in time. FUN! I left the same message with Vernal and Goose who was 4 months at the time. NOT FUN, but what can you do?

We were staying in Glennwood Springs and we were not affected by the snowstorm at all, in fact the weather was brisk in the low '50's. The leaders were trying to figure out what to do with everybody (there were about 50-60 in the group): another day of skiing, snowmobile riding, trips to walmart for snacks and games, go to a park and picnic, etc. I was dicided that since most of the kids didn't have extra money that we wouldn't go skiing and that we would just hang aroung the motel for the day.

Most of the group was content hanging in the game room playing games all day. I have never had the desire to play 6 hour world domination games. One guy brought his x-box, so there were a group of teenage boys who didn't see the light of day. We were not so content to stay put. Doc is a great friend, always up for an adventure (once he get's up-he's a little slow in the morning.) We were going to explore; sadly, no one else took us up on the offer.

We remembered that Glennwood Springs had a quaint little downtown as we drove through it earlier, so we headed that way. It was a nice walk, maybe a little to warm for our jackets. The sun was out and the mountains surrounded us on all sides. There downtown had all sorts of interesting mom and pop shops from bookstores, to adventure sport stores, coffee shops, clothing, restaurants, night clubs. We even found a place that made authentic Italian gelato
that we enjoyed on their outdoor patio as we watched the locals go about their daily life. We even saw some of the hippie/granola crowd protesting with signs across the bridge as the war in Iraq just began.

Later, we found signs that lead to a mountain hiking path. The signs said that this was the path to Doc Hollidays tombstone. So we went up. Soon we were high over the town. Looking over cliffs, we could see how far away we were from where our motel was. Perspective is always fun. We kept going up and sure enough we stumbled upon an old graveyard. It was amazing looking at the dates and to see that people lived 25 to 40 years. It was also sad to see a common mother and infant grave side-by-side. (Thank goodness to modern medicine!)

It was funny to see Doc Holliday's grave. People left little gifts, but it was all about his gambling-shooter persona. There were cards -spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts- scattered around. A small bottle of Jack Daniels laid empty in front of his tombstone. There were also jewelry, bullets, and maybe some lacy undergarments.

Needless to say, I think Doc and I came away with some good memories (even if we weren't playing x-box all day.)

relief is on the way

fyi...
Check out those lows...

The Muuuundays

“Somebody has a case of the Muuuundays”

Sorry, this quote is still fresh in my mind from watching Office Space with my coworkers last Thursday. (We closed the office a little early, set up the movie and had snacks, beverages, and lots of laughs. The Partners also admonished us not to get any ideas.)

Anyway, Mondays are not fun. I should use my Sunday nights better to prepare myself for Mondays, but I don’t, because technically it is still part of the weekend. The problem is that we have an 8:00 staff meeting every Monday morning and they start at 8 SHARP. If too many people walk in a few minutes late, we will be reminded – “everybody, try to make it on time next week.” How is that for pressure on a Monday morning?

This is what helps me fight the Muuuundays:

• Shave Sunday night. I usually don’t shave during the weekend. If I do it Sunday night, I can shave minutes off of my “gettin’ ready time.”
• Wake up with the mindset that I need to get ready quicker than usual. This helps me not take such a long shower and doddle in front of the mirror. Focus on the essentials- brush teeth, set hair, put in contacts – anything else would pluck away time.
• Plan “Work Outfit” ahead of time. Whether it is the night before or in the shower, it is nice to have a game plan of what to put on or else I’ll stand and stare into the closet. You don’t want to get hung-up!
• Grillin’ Monday. During the warm months a couple guys at my office organize lunch on the grill. They usually grill 3 Monday’s a month. If there is no Grillin’ Monday, preparing one the night before is a nice idea (doesn’t always get done.) Having to prepare a lunch in the morning will eat away the minutes.
• Slim Fast Shake for breakfast. Just pour the milk, add the powder, and shake so I can make a fast break to the car.
• Pray that traffic is on your side. When you are in a hurry, you don’t want to get in a jam.

Any other day, I don’t mind being a few minutes late.

hot hot heat

EXTREME HEAT OR EXTREME COLD
Given a choice, which weather temperature is worse?

Neither is ideal…let’s face it; they are both miserable. I have always sided with the idea that I could handle the EXTREME HEAT better than cold. Although, the last few days and the days to come are giving me a reason to reconsider my position, because of the heat wave we have been experiencing in Kansas City. With temperatures in the 100’s, being outside is pretty miserable.

But a strange thing is happening…I think I am starting to develop a tolerance to this heat. Adaptation is taking place. I am an 8-5 office boy, so it may be minimal compared to an asphalt worker's tolerance. I am sure that I could also develop a tolerance in the bitter cold climates, but hopefully I won’t have to test it. (I remember winters in South Dakota.)

I will stick to my position that EXTREME HEAT is better for its relief factors:

1. Shade – getting out of the sun is a big help.
2. Breeze – in the shade on the skin reduces temperatures.
3. Sweat – the body’s natural A/C.
4. Water – never tasted so good nor felt so good.
5. Night – when the sun is down it always cools off.

My nightly walks these last few days have been awesome. I love warm summer nights…there is a certain smell of summer that takes you back to when you were a boy playing catch with your dad until well after sunset when mom calls you to the porch for watermelon as we listen to the voice of the Royals on the radio and quiet down when # 5 comes to the plate. Warm summer night are filled with music – from outdoor porch parties to the rhythmic drone and hum of cicadas. Then there is the gorgeous breeze as she flirts with you – some moments she acts like she is interested and then she pulls back to show that she’s hard to get. But those moments when she caresses, you dream they won’t end. (You won’t see that on TV, kids!) -Did I mention the full moon the last couple of nights?

what's next to your bed?

Nightstand, bedside table, desk - we all have that special spot next to our bed.

In college, I always had a design professor who would play these mental games....draw a picture of you favorite place growing up as a kid....what is your favorite sound on campus....what is your favorite room in a house....where is your special space? The idea is to get to the human element of why we like things and how we can incorporate that into architecture or design in general.

I just came to the realization that my table next to my bed is one of my favorite spaces in my house. This one little space is all about me. It is my personal space, which is hard to say about the rest of the house now that we have a full blown family. I share a bedroom with my wife - the normal thing to do. Both boys have their own little room. The family room has a little bit of everybody-books, movies, TV, games, toys, wooden train table, etc. The kitchen is functional for preparing and serving food. The Dining and Living rooms are more formal for entertaining guest, but will have the occasional toy lying on the floor.

The table next to my bed has a lamp, an alarm clock, a stack of books that acts as a reading queue, my 500+ cd collection in my closet all shrunk down into my handy little ipod, headphones (I listen to music as I drift asleep,) and nifty little drawer filled with all sorts of knick-knacks.

I am curious to know if everyone has a stack of books next to their bed. I looked over at Vernal's bedside table and she has a stack too. My two and half year old has a big pile of books next to his bed.

I am always curious to look at someone's music collection and book collection. I haven't always been a great reader like my friend Darwin, but now I am at a time in my life when I have more time to read.

My stack has books read, reading, and yet to read:

White - Ted Dekker
Searching for God Knows What - Donald Miller
The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide - Doglas Adams
Bono in Conversation with Michka Assayas
The Wide Window - Lemony Snickets
Perspectives (a lifeguide for 20somethings) - Colin Creel
Simplicity - Mark Solomon
Bible

inventory of summer music

A friend (acquaintance) of mine from New York sent me an email last week. He knows that I am a music fan so his question was simple: “By the way, listening to any new music?”

That is the one question that I love to answer and talk about. BB (who has good taste in music) and I have had many long conversations about our enjoyment of music….and I am sure that we probably bore Dash, Dust, and Darwin when we get going. Doc can handle a lengthy conversation on music also.

Anyway this is the new music of my summer, so far:

Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
Erin Mckeown – We will become like birds
Bill Mallonee – Dear Life
Bill Mallonee – Hit and Run
Bill Mallonee – Friendly Fire
Billy Corgan – The Future Embrace
Joy Electric – Workmanship 7”
Coldplay – X&Y
Elkland – Golden
Starflyer 59 – Never Play Covers
Starflyer 59 – The talking voice vs. the singing voice
Over the Rhine – Drunkard’s Prayer
New Order – Waiting for the Sirens call

phantom glasses

(I think most of my friends don’t wear glasses, so I don’t know if they’ll be able to relate.)

I think I split my time wearing glasses and contacts about 50/50. I love my glasses. They are a dark brown plastic and I have had them for about 5 or 6 years. I have been wearing them for a long time and I am used to the feel of them on my face. Being plastic, they don’t have the little rubber grippers that hold to your nose. Since it is just plastic, they often slide down my nose a little and I push them back up with my forefinger.

The weird thing is on days when I am wearing contacts; I often get the phantom sensation that my glasses are slipping down my nose and I will try to push them back up – but nothing is there…..spooky! And this usually happens during social situations…..nerdy!

# 50

50

According to my post count, this will be number 50 for me.
It all started with a little "Hello" on March 31, 2005.
...a little experiment for my soon to be dark roaming spaniard friends...
I didn't have much to say at the time, but look at me now (3 1/2 months later)...up to 50!

The Taste of Summer

Every season has a flavor and I have realized that the flavor for the summer for Vernal and I has been the Root Beer Float.

We usually get ourselves a treat on Friday night for the two of us to enjoy after the kids have been put to bed and as we get ready to watch a movie. It feels like our choice for the past six or so weeks has been a 2 liter of A&W root beer and vanilla ice cream. The combination is magical.

Last night wasn't Friday, but we still had leftovers, so I treated myself.

Long live the Root Beer Float.

Group Night at Starlight

Last night our office had a group activity at Starlight Theatre for dinner and to see Jesus Christ Superstar. This was my first out-of-office function with my co-workers and their spouses. It is always interesting to see what type a person one pairs up with. (So this is your wife…)

I love going to Starlight. The setting is just magical –the Romeo and Juliet towers, the brick architecture, the fountains, the courtyard, the trees, the greenery, the open air theater, being their with your lover, and then being taken into a different world of singing, dancing, and my favorite scene of warming ones hands by fire lit by logs or in a trashcan in a street. I’ve noticed this scene quit a bit in musicals, like the poor people in Annie, or a Christmas Carol, and even Jesus Christ Superstar – to name a few.

We had dinner at the Applause club located just east of the theater across from the fountains. We found the section where our group was eating and made our introductions. The main principal for our firm has a daughter who is good friend with Vernal’s sister. So, they had a bit to talk about and then he invited us to join them at their table – they just happened to have two seats upon. I tried to using my best table manners and chewed with my mouth closed.

It was a very nice evening and everything was paid for by the firm. The show was good; the food was good. Our office will be adding new rehearsal rooms and dressing rooms and all sorts of other rooms in a new building at the location of our eating area with-in the next year or so.

A Day Out With Thomas

It all started a little over a year ago…that is when we first watched a DVD that Goose got for Christmas earlier. That DVD was a Thomas the Tank Engine video. Judging the book by its cover, I, at first, dismissed this whole Thomas thing because the trains looked a bit cheesy with their faces on front of the engine. But soon I was introduced to these simple stories about human behavior and the wonderful Island of Sodor. These videos have a gentle rhythm and innocence comparable to the original Winnie the Pooh or Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. Goose was hooked. What boy doesn’t love trains? The original American Romance – I was hooked too. (Meaning it wasn’t annoying like Barney or Teletubies.)

I had a plan…I am not a fan of junk toys that are good for a week then break and get collected in a box. The plan was…Goose’s 2 year birthday was coming up in November and I would coordinate with all the relatives to give the Thomas wooden toys as a gift. I had tasked my dad with the job of making a train table and I would design the layout of the track and paint the top. Sure, you could buy pre-designed track layouts and table tops, but that would take all the fun away from me. It was a hit and to this day he still loves his wooden train table and wooden trains. I am a fan of the wooden trains myself. There is something about wood that is classic, there is something right about the feel of wood in a person’s hand.

So that brings us to this weekend for an event called “A Day Out With Thomas” hosted at the Midway Rail in Baldwin City, Kansas. We were pretty excited to take Goose. He love trains and train rides. We had our tickets for the whole family to ride in passenger coaches that were attached to a real life-size Thomas the Tank Engine. All the kids in our shuttle bus gasped with “oohs and aahs” when Thomas came into view. The train station was alive with a festive atmosphere. There was the depot and an outdoor pavilion along with tents set up for magic shows, storytelling, train tables, temporary tattoos, and of course merchandise. Balloons were in the air and the moonwalks were held to the ground. The fire trucks were even there for another bonus and the backdrop was set by a huge grain silo. And the kids…the kids where everywhere!

The time came for our ride; we walked up the steps past the conductor and found empty seats next to a window. As we rolled out, we passed a few old diesel engines, went through a wooded area, and then onto some farmland. Goose just about had his head out of the window the whole time as I am trying to keep him inside. It was a hot day, but with all the windows open; we had a nice breeze coming in. The trip reminded Vernal and me of all the train rides we took in Europe and the enjoyment of watching the land pass by. Overall it was a fun day, but more importantly, Goose had a good time. We took lots of pictures and video to later re-live the experience. When we got home, everybody took a two hour nap – we were wiped.

HI MOM and the loud talker

The loud talker....every office has one (or maybe a few.)

When they get on the phone their voices rise to an uncomfortable level, especially if it is a personal call.

This one guy cracks me up; he is maybe 45, has a loud raspy voice, and his mom calls him all the time. I think she is mental or has some problems. Anyway, he answers his phone loudley and says "HI MOM." Then, he instructs her on something: "DID YOU LEAVE A MESSAGE."

He has been gone this week and I have learned that, much to the delight of my co-workers, I can imitate his "HI MOM" phrase. Some people were rolling in their seats (because no one has talked about his HI MOM before and were glad that others thought it funny), and some people thought he was back early from his trip.

Oh boy, what fun at the office at the expense of others. I hope this isn't considered gossip or being mean. I really like the guy; he is an interesting character and he'll talk your ear off, loudly.

Live Strong Bracelets.....

....it is funny to see grown men wearing these like they are taking part in some high school fad of staying cool.

First off let me say that I have nothing against Lance Armstrong and his bracelets to raise money to fight cancer. I just find it odd that so many older men are getting behind a fad.

Some of the older men at our firm have days when they dress up by wearing slacks and a tie, but on days when they are going business casual -the more sporty look, like I might be going golfing later- they will wear there live strong bracelet.

Why?
It's bright yellow. It's a rubberband. It's cheap....And if nobody was wearing them, I doubt they would pick that out to wear when getting dressed in the morning.

I don't think they wear them to make a statement about fighting cancer. I think it has become a symbol for men to identify with a desire that says "I am sporty. I am adventurous. I am outdoorsy. I still have the fight in me. I am a man." Lance Armstrong fought his battle and has proven to be winner (and I believe he has a good lead in the tour de france, right now.)

Bill Mallonee and the Vigilantes of Love

Last night BB and I went to Davey’s Ramblers Uptown Club to see Bill Mallonne and the Vigilantes of Love. It was the perfect setting; the bar was a dive. Davey’s was covered in old posters, broken records, bumper stickers, and antlers above the stage. The room was dark except for a few neon lights above the bar, the one yellow spot light above the stage and the Jesus candles (the kind you find in the Mexican/catholic section of your local grocery store next to the bulk-size salsa) on Bill's merch table. The room was maybe 25 feet wide by 100 feet long with about 40 or so people in attendance. Bill and his band were at the back end in a sort of makeshift stage with uneven ceilings, wood paneling, antlers, and a women’s and men’s room on either side.

Bill announced he just turned 50. I tried to picture my dad just three years older as a musician touring the country playing to a small but loyal fanbase. (I guess he does that every morning in Sunday School.) The two other guys playing with him looked even older. The band was not concerned about their image as I think they realized they will probably never make it big and be on the cover of Rolling Stone. Nor do their fans care; it is the music that keeps me coming back. Bill was playing an acoustic guitar and harmonica, the bass player had a five string fretless and the other guy was playing a lap steel guitar and mandolin. It was definitely an americana, alt-county evening.

I said Davey’s was the perfect setting and I believe it is because of the atmosphere and the people. I have seen Bill play in Christian coffeehouses- too clean, too crisp, no smells, clean air, everybody nice. But his music is not like that. His music is like the dirt under your fingernails. He is a great wordsmith and he tells great stories through his songs. His music even quieted down a group of rowdy guys who were having fun with their fake Scottish accents, sitting in a booth near the front door. Soon they were all turned around and applauded every song. His songs are an honest look at people and their need for redemption. They are an honest look at himself and his need for redemption. There is always an element of hope, but it is not packaged up in a nice three point sermon, rather it is the candle’s dim glow of Jesus in that dark, smokey place.

There was a line he sang that resonated off the walls and stuck with me through the night:

what if it's for a purpose
what if we used our battered faith
they say God He doesn't make junk
and Jesus never makes mistakes
He has never given up
on anything that He has made
He will chase you like a lover
right through heaven's gate

4TH OF JULY WEEKEND

FRIDAY:
My half day at work. I met with Darwin for lunch one last time at LC's BBQ. I can't begin to describe how amazing my beef sandwich was. Later in the afternoon, the family went swimming. If I am not mistaken I believe this was Turkey's first time in a pool. Vernal had plans that night. I put the boys to bed and then watched THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE.

SATURDAY:
Ran errands to prepare for FAMILY DINNER that took us to Sam's Club....got the smiley faces again on our receipt. Made trip to Coldstone creamery - they were giving away free sample and a chance to win ice cream for a year; we didn't. Made trip to Hy-vee to pick up smaller item stuff not needed in bulk quantity and then made trip to Werner's German/Scando meat market to pick up some polish suasages - the best in town. Later, Goose and I went to a park and hiked through the woods. After the kids were in bed I made a trip to Best Buy and Borders to look at music. I came away with the new Erin Mckeown cd - We Will Become Like Birds. Vernal was tired and went to bed; I watched FINDING NEVERLAND and loved it. Johnny Depp is great and certain scenes had me in tears.

SUNDAY:
Went to church - Sunday School and then the service. I was talking to my brother-in-law who plays bass and his brother who plays drums and my cousin's husband who sings in the background right before musical worship began and they were daring me to join them on stage and play the bongos. I don't know how to play the bongos nor keep a beat. Their bongo player was in Mexico. A lot of people were gone on vacation, so why not. I was up on stage with a sheepish grin; it was great fun.
The first Sunday of the month, all my family in town get together for a big FAMILY DINNER. We take turns hosting at our homes. This month was our turn and we decided in the spirit of the Holiday to do an all American cookout picnic. We were at Antioch Park near the new playground. We grabed 4 picnic tables to put together and grilled burger, sausages, and hot dogs. Everyone brought salads, chips, sides, watermellon, desserts, and drinks to make a picnic right. We played some bocce ball and then had a waterballon toss game that turned into all out fight until the balloons were gone.
That night Vernal and I watched HOTEL RWANDA. Wow, we are lucky. The movie did a good job in showing the atrocities without exploiting them.

MONDAY:
I got to sleep in until 9:30. (Thank you, Vernal.) Took it easy. Vernal had plans for lunch and a movie with her sisters and mom. I got the boys down for a nap and read a bit. The main plan for the day was watching fireworks. We decided to go to Corporate Woods. They always put on a good show and is a fun festive atmosphere. I like crowds of people, cheesy cover bands, and carnival vendors. We brought our chairs, blankets, and some snakes. We also ran into a group from church...(good thing that I wasn't wearing my short cutoff shorts with a pack of candy cigarettes rolled up my t-shirt sleave while holding a luke warm ice tea in a clear plastic cup all the while getting a temporary tattoo on fire safety from the firemans booth.) I would hate to make someone stumble.

polo shirts don't die; they just look outdated

Polo shirts - is that what they are called? The shirts that are cotton knit with a couple of buttons and a collar that were popular in the '80's by Ralph Lauren. I call them all Polo shirts.

The shirt itself has a very long shelf life. I have a black one in my closet that is a least 5 years old and it is holding well. I believe the style and cut of the shirts is probably an American classic and will never go out of style - like jeans.

I have been thinking about Polo shirts lately due to the fact that my neighbor at work has been wearing one about every day this summer. The guy who sits next to me is in his early 50's and given the fact that these shirts won't die, he has a lot of Polo shirts. He has solids, stripes, the two toned collar and sleeves with the rest of the shirt, and of coarse logos or sponsers of companies or golf tournaments.

I can almost guess the year of the shirt by its colors. The burgandy, forest, and navy scheme just screams '92-'95. He has some shirts that hurt my eyes - the bright orange, green, yellow, and blue - I should ask him to take the batteries out. Should I tell him the mustard colors don't look good with his bald head? It is not all bad, he has some new shirts that look real slick.

I am disappointed that I haven't seen the famous 4 tone Structure shirt. The one divided into quadrants of red, blue, green, orange or any other combo. Maybe, one of these days when he is feeling frisky.

A Weekend of Work

Our family room was an add-on during the 70’s. When we first moved into our house 8 years ago, the family room had that ski lodge / game room feel to it- dark wood paneling and decorative dark wooden beams on the ceiling. Not long after we moved in, we painted the paneling a nice warm gray. But the beams finally got to Vernal- she wanted them down. There were four of them and the last one came down on Saturday. I pulled out a CD (Dido-Life for Rent) and realized we got that CD the day the first beam came down. It was my background music and the back of the CD was dated 2003.

I’M SORRY THAT IT TOOK SO LONG!

It was a chore though. All those nails were sunk into the wood and I had to chip away at the beam to try to get the nails. Each end had 6 nails and then there were another 6 spread along the length of the beam. Pulling down the first beam was more of an exploratory mission to see what the ceiling looked like on top of the beam. It was gyp board, so we could pull them down and paint the ceiling. The other two beams came down one Saturday a couple of months ago. I found that if I get the nails completely out at one end of the beam and pull from that end, the beam will come loose from the ceiling except for the other end that is still nailed into the wall- then you just twist and pull it. This process takes about an hour as compared to what seemed like 4 hours for the first beam. Although, I quickly learned that by pulling down on the beam it is a good idea to have a hard hat on, because the first time I tried that technique I ended up with a pretty big lump on my head.

So this weekend, I took down the last beam and Vernal patched the nail holes in the ceiling and walls. We also just recently had a new sliding glass door installed to replace our old broken door. The wood trim on the inside was unfinished, so I stained and sealed the door to match the existing trim inside that room. Vernal also put up and rearranged some pictures of Goose and Turkey along with a new wall candle thing from pottery barn that she got for Christmas. All of this was put over the piano (thanks Darwin and Roamer.)

We still have work to finish with the ceiling and the crown molding. Maybe next weekend we can Git-R-Done!

I also did not have to prepare a Sunday School lesson and managed to watch two videos (Friday Night Lights and After the Sunset.)

Philadelphia Part 3

Did I mention that I love the music of The Innocence Mission?

So, Tuesday morning I had my meeting a 1o and got out of their by noon. We headed back towards Philadelphia. Our flight takes off 6:3o so we had some time to kill.
L U N C H !! (But where?)
Downtown of coarse!
You really can't say you have seen a city unless you visit the heart of it and get a feel of it's life. All of downtown is surrounded by neighborhoods that go on and on. The blocks are lined with 3 story townhomes like a workingmans brownstone but made of brick- tall and skinny. I don't know if neighborhood is the right word, because everything is intergrated -residential, commercial, dining, and office plus the sought after steak joints.
I guess the word I am looking for is edge. Between the edge of the river and the edge of the major interstate it is dense and there aren't any breaks. Those two edges are far apart. The major streets are a small 3 lane at best (one way with parking on one side and two lanes for traffic.) The minor streets are two lanes wit one for parking, maybe an 8 foot sidewalk and then the 3 story town homes (really close to the street.) The streets have a nice human aspect to them. Every thing is at the human scale - small streets, sidewalks, trees, bricks, 3 story buildings - it creates a nice outdoor corridor to walk through.

We parked near city hall - a very old building broken into quadrants with a center courtyard and a bell tower at one end. The street was bustling. This is a big time city, very urban. Shops and eateries, with people all over the place. I would have loved to explore more than an hour or so that we had. I didn't get to look at any of the historical stuff - maybe next time.

It is definately a place I'd go back to!

Philadelphia Part 2

Did I mention that I had a great cheese steak sandwich?

After spending some time looking at issues around the site for our project, it was time to eat. We asked the local guy with us, if he had any recommendations - "Yeah, the Outback down the street is really good. There is also a Carraba's."

We then took a two hour drive to the state capitol in Harrisburg. The landscape was hilly with lots of trees like the Ozarks, but the green seemed darker and the turnpike was not curvy. Some portions of the drive are through a wall of trees on each side. As pretty as that can be, I felt a little clausterphobic without the ability to see what's on the horizon at 180 degrees.

The farms had and old and different vernacular than the Kansas farms. The farmer still held onto the romantic idea that barns should be red and farmhouses should be white.

I see the Amish "horse and buggy" signs on the road, but unfortunately didn't pass any. We are driving through the Dutch Amish country. The whole Amish thing facinates me. Could I live like that?

I see signs that point the direction to Lancaster and I say a prayer and thank God for the music of The Innocence Mission. They are a husband/wife folk-pop group that write some of the most beautiful songs about innocence, sadness, hope, Christ, love, loss, joy, weather, family, and kids with a good dose of Catholic imagery. I can't say enough about how much I love this band. I listened to two of their albums (Glow and Befriended) on this trip to soak up the landscape and the imagery that I hear in their music. If I was by myself, I would have taken a detour into Lancaster and if I should happen upon their house, I might find myself knocking. They feel like old friends.

Tomorrow On The Runway by the innocence mission
www.theinnocencemission.com

Old days, don't come to find me,
the sun is just about to climb up over there.
'While my heart is sinking I do not want my voice
to go out into the air'.
Did you leave the darkness without me?
You're always miles ahead.
And you're standing in tomorrow on the runway.

Oh be the music in my head,
the air around my bed, oh be my rest.
Replace the small disgraces of
the times and places that I never really left.
Did you leave the darkness without me?
You're always miles ahead.
And you're standing in tomorrow on the runway.

Oh I want to fly, fly forward into the light,
be alive, to come alive,
on the leaf-bright Friday drive,
sudden horses at the red light,
turn around, see clearer ways to go now.

(Sidenote: I did the same thing when I was in Ohio. I listened to the music of Over the Rhine from Cinncinati on my ipod to pay homage to the state that produce another wonderful husband/wife folk-sy/pop/rock band.) www.overtherhine.com

Philadelphia Part 1

just got back las' night; left Monday morning.

My major objectives on a personal level was to eat an authentic cheese steak sandwich and to get a feel for the city.

My other objectives on a professional level was to meet the contractor and engineering consultants at our site to look through the existing building and then meet the plan reviewer from the Department of Health in Harrisburg (the state capital) for a 10am meeting Tuesday.

I did some research on the cheese steak. I watched this documentary called the GREAT CHEESE STEAK DEBATE about Philly steaks. The main debate between the locals was between Pat's Steaks (the originator of the steak, but dirty old joint), Geno's Steaks (across the street from Pat's, much cleaner, more flashy), and Jim's Steaks (located near the freaks.) Honestly, they looked good and made good points why they are the best. I would have loved to try all...but for this trip I'll start with the supposed original Pat's since 1930.

Another part of the debate is on the type of cheese to put on your sandwich. The choices are Provolone, American, and cheez whiz. Cheez Whiz comes in a can and is the consistancy to ball park nacho cheese. I like provolone, but I was conviced to get the right experience, cheez whiz was the way to go.

I checked out their website before I left: www.patskingofsteaks.com They have pictures and instructions on how to order a steak:

"How to order a Steak"
by I. M. Hungry

Step 1.
Specify if you want your steak with (wit) or without (wit-out) onions.
{if you're not a rookie this should come naturally}
Step 2.
Specify Plain, Cheez Whiz, Provolone, American Cheese or a Pizza Steak.
{we have lettuce and tomatoes / { if we have to read your mind it's 50 cents extra}
Step 3.
Have your money ready.
{do all of your borrowing in line}
Step 4.
Practice all of the above while waiting in line.
{if you make a mistake, don't panic, just go to the back of the line and start over}

I am in line and all I can think of is the Seinfeld Soup Nazi. I almost forgot the lingo, he asked me "onions" and I said"yeah, with onions" and he corrected me and said "Wit." After I had my sandwich I almost made a rookie mistake. I sat down at one of the tables (they are all outdoor) and I got up to get some napkins as the guy I was with wasn't at the table yet. I left my steak on the table and he said a pigeon almost got it before he got to the table. NEVER LEAVE YOUR CHEESE STEAK UNATTENDED!!!

Oh man, oh man, oh man! Was it good! Fresh Italian bread...thinly sliced rib-eye steak, juicey and seasoned to perfection, grilled onions and cheez whiz. Yum!

It is all street parking and with Geno's (www.genosteaks.com) across from Pat's, it is tough to find a spot close. Our table was close to a street intersection where parking is not aloud and some guy pulls his car up to the corner of the intersection, leaves his car on, gets in line. I loved the attitude and the confidence. He was a working class toughie, Italian looking, short, muscular with tattoes all over his arms, cut off shirt, jeans and boots, but he must have his steak-now!

You Gotta Start Sometime...get on at the Zoo Station

I have been enjoying my late summer night walks.

(Just me, the beagle, the ipod and the Holy Ghost.) It gives me a chance to let the music set fire to my imagination the way it once did as a youth.

Very rarely do I have the time to sit down and listen to an album. I listen to music all the time, but not the way I did as a youth. So, I find myself (my self) on these walks taking longer routes just so I can “finish the chapter.”

I have been listening to U2’s Achtung Baby quite a bit in the last week. The opening song is Zoo Station and it has been stirring my soul for the last couple of weeks. I just need more of that song. It seems to be about courage and trust and letting go. I have been thinking a lot about those topics lately with the new challenges in my job, dreams to pursue, and the departure of good friends.

Darwin and Roamer, I can’t imagine how hard these last couple of years has been and of what is to come; this is for you:

I'm ready, I'm ready for laughing gas
I'm ready, I'm ready for what's next.
I'm ready to duck, ready to dive
Ready to say I'm glad to be alive
I'm ready, I'm ready for the push.

In the cool of the night, in the warmth of the breeze
I'll be crawling around on my hands and knees.
She's just down the line, Zoo Station.
Got to make it on time, Zoo Station.

I'm ready, I'm ready for the gridlock
I'm ready to take it to the street.
Ready for the shuffle, ready for the deal
Ready to let go of the steering wheel.
I'm ready, ready for the crush.

Zoo Station.

Alright, alright, alright, alright, alright
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright,
Hey baby, hey baby, hey baby, hey baby,
It's alright, it's alright.

Time is a train makes the future the past
Leaves you standing in the station
Your face pressed up against the glass.

I'm just down the line from your love...Zoo Station
I'm under the sign of your love... Zoo Station
I'm gonna be there... Zoo Station
Tracing the line... Zoo Station
I'm gonna make it on time, make it on time ... Zoo Station

Just two stops down the line... Zoo Station
Just a stop down the line... Zoo Station

I Love Your Hair

Excuse me Miss I don’t mean to stare
But I really have to tell you that I love your hair
So you show up few minutes late
We don’t notice because your hair looks great
Yesterday different from today it shows
You really know how to accentuate your clothes

Excuse me Sir I don’t mean to dis’
But your hair is usually hit or miss
Showed up late someone said
“Did this joke just roll out of bed?”
It once looked good but has now lost its strut
Please call your stylist you need a fresh cut

what's happening?

In the last couple of weeks:

• Turkey (6 mo.) went from rocking on all fours to crawling. I think it was more of an act of desperation to follow mom.
  
• I was swinging Turkey in our backyard tree swing and the higherI pushed him the more he would giggle. Then suddenly he looked up and stared at the sky. It caught his attention; he was no longer giggling, but was awestuck as he was gliding back and forth on the swing. It reminded me of the song by THE CHOIR Wide Eyed Wonder. The lyrics are something like: wide-eyed wonder girl looking up to the sky and wondering why, it's a good great world???? It has been a while since I listened to that tape (I don't have it on cd). I wish I could remember the words and I can't find them online. It was written about his new daughter and innoncence in the world. (Something like that)
  
• Goose (2 1/2 yr) went from tricycle to bicycle. Vernal found a little guys bike at a garage sale with training wheels. So Goose has been learning his coordination of pedaling siting up.
• I have been practicing patience on waiting for the new Coldplay album. It has been out in the stores for over a week, but fathers day is coming.
• We had a new kitchen window and sliding glass door installed.
• I ran into 3 church people at Hy-vee. Luckily, I had only icecream and ROOT beer in my cart for we were going to have root beer floats. I would hate for gossip to start - not really!

That's all for now.

the other side of the fence

There is a guy in my office that is just starting to take his Architectural Registration Exams (A.R.E).
I just passed mine last year and that means that I am now a real professional architect.

It feels good to be on the other side of the fence.

My friend was nervous about his first test, studying long and hard.
Asking me all sorts of questions about the test and I was giving him all kinds of advice.

It feels good to be on the other side of the fence.

After he took his test, he worried for a few weeks while waiting for the results.
Replaying questions in his mind and second guessing some his answers.
He would watch the mail with daily anticipation.

It feels good to be on the other side of the fence.

Yesterday, he slapped the results in front of my face and I said “you passed!”
He ran around the office with a big grin stuck on his face.

It feels good to be on the other side of the fence.

His next test is scheduled and the studying has begun again.
One test down, eight to go!

It feels good to be on the other side of the fence.

Long-Winded Prayers

I was at my grandparent’s church over Memorial Day weekend. They do a big patriotic service every Memorial weekend. We got to sing the old battle hymns and the God Bless America type songs. We pledged our allegiance to the flag (both flags-thank goodness for the words on the overhead.) Then we had the honor to have one of their high ranking servicemen say a prayer of blessing for our country.

His prayer was long-winded and after about 30 seconds, I looked around and noticed the behavior that is typical during these wordy prayers:

• THE AEROBIC TWIST – The teenage girl in front of me was doing this. The legs are firmly planted but the upper body is twisting back and forth – to the left, to the right, to the left, to the right. This action is the most distracting and probably the silliest looking, because there is a lot of movement.

• THE TWO-STEP – For some of these old women this is the closest they come to dancing. This action is the rhythmic shift of weight from their left foot to their right foot and back and forth….dancing with Jesus!!!

• HEELS TO TOES – This is mostly a man movement, because we are not as sensual as the women. This is the rocking back and forth movement that is caused by the shift of body weight from the heels to the toes. If the prayer is really hitting a spiritual high note the movement will often be accentuated by a “heel to toes to TIP TOES.” The burst of energy to elevate your body an extra 4 inches is a physical gesture of an “AMEN!!!!”

• THE MOANERS – They are loud and they are in pain with agreement to every word of the prayer. It hurts. AHH-MEN. YES, LOWERED. OH, GEE – SUSS. The old men are really good at this with their old raspy voices. The louder the MOANERS, the more encouraged the person praying gets. He is really hitting on something and becomes even more fervent in his prayer. They are the cause for some of the really long prayers. They feed off of each others energy.

• THE MIND WANDERERS – This is the worst of the lot. They loose interest and can’t focus on the prayer and start looking around at other people. Watching other peoples strange behavior while there’s goes unnoticed. Many times they take notice of the floral pattern on the back of old sister Smiths dress. The flowers don’t match up on the other side of the zipper. The zipper has come down about ½” from the top of the back. Etc.
  

I am sure there are more quirky behaviors, but that is all I noticed in about 5 minutes.

Memorial Day Weekend

A quick breakdown of our Memorial Day weekend:

I took Friday off from work to have a four day weekend. We left Thursday after I got home from work and headed south on 71 to Belle Vista, Arkansas. We were visiting my Grandparents, but they were more interested in being Great-Grandparents with their two Great-Grandsons.

Thursday – Arrive in Belle Vista a little after 10 pm. Goose runs into their house screaming “happy birthday Great-Grandma.” Both Great-Grandparents gush over the boys and are surprised how big they have gotten in six months. They get a kick out of Goose vocabulary and curiosity and Turkey’s near crawling ability.

Friday – After breakfast, jump in the car and take the windy road to Silver Dollar City. (Steel your dollar city.) It is about a two hour drive – past Pea Ridge Civil War Battlefield, through Roaring River State Park, and then over Table Rock Lake. We did Silver Dollar mainly for Goose, meaning no adult rides for us. It was still fun; he got to ride the train and curse at the bank robber, play with the balls, and the many playground set-ups. We left after the two year old had as much as he could take without a nap and without driving us too crazy. We didn’t even pull out of the park and he was asleep - a moment of peace for us.

Saturday – A slow moving morning for us. We put Turkey down for a nap and left him with the Great-Grandparents. The rest of us went to hike/walk a favorite trail of ours nearby. We followed the path up to the waterfalls. We took our shoes off at the top of the falls and waded in the water barefoot. Goose didn’t care too much for the mossy covered rocks under his feet. It was slimy! He did however, enjoy throwing rocks into the creek. We walked down the falls and off the beaten path along the creek and at one point had to cross over to catch up with the trail. Some stepping stones kept our shoes dry. We took a few more stops along the creek for goose to throw more rocks and for me to practice my rock skipping skills. The finally is at the end of the trail crossing over the creek on a suspension bridge, which is always fun to jump on in the middle.

After lunch, we realized that Goose wasn’t going to take a nap so we jumped in the car. Our goal was to head to a Bruams for some ice cream. Again, Goose and Turkey fell asleep in the car. Vernal got out the state map and we decided to head to Beaver Lake and let them sleep. By the time he woke up, we found a nice little rocky beach. Other people were out enjoying the weather and were riding their sea doo's. This time Goose had on his sport sandals, so he and Vernal waded along the beach. We got our Bruams on the way back.

Sunday – Wake-up, breakfast, go to church, lunch, pack-up, go home, relax!

june first

---------------
June 1st 1996

9 years

I love you
--------------

Why Blog?

My response to Dirt Road's question on why we blog:

With the upcoming departure of my good friend Darwin and his wife, Roamer, I felt a sadness of losing another friend. I don't know if it is a guy thing, but I am horrible about staying in touch with good friends when distance seperates us. Doc is my only friend from high school that I stay in touch with on a regular basis, but it has been tough with him being out of town so much these last couple of years. I have so many college friends that I lost touch with, too. I realize this is partially my fault, I could make the effort.

So this blog thing is my effort. I don't like to talk on the phone and I am not to good at letters via mail or email. I don't want to lose anymore friends.

I think it is working. Doc is in Washington state and and I get to read about his activities and I assume he is reading about mine. I hope Darwin and Roamer will keep this up when they are in Spain.

I think it is strengthening my friendships that I have with all my Homer's buddies, but I am also learning what great wives they have too!

I also use this as a tool to document life (my life) with words that I may come back someday and read. I also hope I can become a better writer. I love words. When Darwin tries he can blow you away with his words.

I Love BBQ!

Yesterday, my son and I after playing in the new and improve Antioch park went to get some lunch. I heard that Arthur Bryant's BBQ was giving away $12 coupons per person. So Goose and I headed over to the local Arthur Bryant's. We were met by an insane line, but I was determined. It was sponsored by local.yahoo to rate and find things within your city. They were paying for the whole thing. Radio stations were on hand blaring out their tunes and giving away tacky keychains and cheap T-shirts. The yahoo sponsors were dressed in purple jumpsuits and were on Segueway (sp?) scooters zooming along the line of people outside and making small talk with us "anything for free" type people.

What's the catch? (Me and Goose, two people, with two coupons for $24 dollars total.) We had to give a rating out of 5 stars. Well that's easy for me. 5 stars! I think Bryant's is one of the best in town.

It took about an hour to get through the line. After hearing about the freebies, the group of people in front of me went in shifts to get the free key chains, stickers, t-shirts, and bland R&B cd's from the smooth jams radio station van. The two ladies behind me were planning a very busy night as one was setting the other up on a blind date. She did the old trick of let me call him up and describe you to him and then here you talk to him. I hope the date went well. Goose found some friends to play with who were in line with their mom and grandma. He kept hugging them and lifting his legs off the ground. I tried to tell him that one hug is enough and let's not be annoying. It looked like their mom didn't think all this hugging was too cute. They are complete strangers! (So are we!) A couple college-aged girls in the purple jumpsuits riding the Segueway scooters made it a point to stop by and flirt with Goose about every 10 minutes. They would call out his name as they zoomed by. He liked their wheels. And of corse I overheard conversations about the great KC debate of who has the best BBQ or who has the best sauce or who has the best beans.

Was it worth it? You bet. Goose got to practice his behavior in public and we walked out with 24 dollars of BBQ. It was a ton of food and it was also lunch today.

Yum.

R I I I I I S E part 2

With my cold thing that I have been fighting the last several days, I don’t have the ability to turn on the cool evil Lord Sidious voice whenever I want. It only comes to me after doing a good deal of talking. Last night the four of us went on a family walk, so naturally my wife and I are doing a good deal of talking. My voice came back!

“R I I I I S E !”

“R I I I I S E !”

“R I I I I S E !”

I am having fun with my voice and Goose my 2 ½ year old also thinks this is funny. Remember when I said that for some reason guys love to do weird things with their voice. I think now I know why.

They learn it from their dad.

Goose wanting to get in the spirit of things starts saying “RISE” in his little monster voice.

What have I done? What have I created?

Really, Goose is not possessed. He may sound like a demon, but he is not.

R I I I I I S E

Two things:

1. Vernal and I saw Star Wars Monday night.
2. I have been fighting a cold.

We had Grandma come over to watch the kids and off we were to see Star Wars. I know Dust was talking about the nerds on Wednesday nights. You should have seen Vernal. She is not a huge fan or anything, but a few weeks ago she picked up a Japanese Star Wars shirt at a thrift store. She found it in the boys section. She wore it to the movie. It only occurred to me later that I should have asked her to braid her hair into cinnamon buns on the side of her head. Anyway, I love the part in the movie when Lord Sidious tells Lord Vadar to “RISE.” His voice has a deep, guttural throaty sound. With my cold, I have been loosing my voice and I discovered yesterday that if I relax my throat and say “RISE” that I sound just as evil as Lord Sidious. Goose thought it was funny and was cracking up every time I did that until I started saying his NAME with that voice. He ran away with fear and trembling.

I think us guys like it when we can do cool things with our voice.

Long Live Half-Fridays

I love my half-Fridays. At my new job, I get every other Friday afternoon off. We work 8.5 hour days Monday thru Thursday, so that extra half an hour adds up to four hours every two weeks. It almost feels like a Memorial Day weekend. It is a nice feeling on Thursday night to be thinking that I only have four hours to work and then I am out at noon. It is the same feeling I had in college on Thursday nights. Thursday nights were my favorite. It was the start of the weekend. I remember at midnight, some Fraternity or Schol-hall would chant something like “happy loopy day, happy loopy day….” and then there was a chant back from somewhere else. I would usually have a four hour studio Friday morning and then be done for the week. The class was just the car trip you had to take to get to the campsite. You looked forward to going because you knew that it would soon be over and that you could fully partake in the weekend. That is what my half-Friday feels like. I wake up with an extra bounce in my step, get to work, talk to others about weekend plans, get busy with real work and before you know it; time is up. The next week is a full week, but half-Friday is right around the corner.
Long live half-Fridays!

Goose and Turkey

In the last few days Goose:

• knocked over his chest of drawers during naptime, busting his lamp/nightlight, but luckily not himself.
• got his fingers smashed in the car door by grandma and mom closing two doors at the same time. Luckily, no damage.
• now considers his tricycle his most prized possesion. He no longer wants me to give him a bike ride to the park; he wants to ride his "bike" to the park and he does. He happens to be a little speed demon, too. The kid can move!
  
• started the habit of greeting dad in the window when I come home from work. He hears the garage door open and rushes to the window. He hasn't failed me in over two weeks.
• his favorite game is "jump on dad."
• can stay up late and be full of energy the next morning.
• constantly has bruises on his knees and shins.
• Is really interested in his younger brother.
  

In the last few days Turkey:

• has really come into his own.
• recognizes things and goes for them.
• has been getting around on the floor. Not full fledge crawling, but pretty close. It's only a matter of time.
• has been eating peas, carrots, yellow squash, sweet potatos, and little toast strips.
• gets so excited whenever mom walks in the room.
• got smacked in the head with a wooden train thanks to Goose.
• fell to the ground off a trike. I shouldn't trust Goose to hold on to him.
• experienced the first thrills of swinging and was gigling like crazy.
• is starting to express himself vocally.
• adores his older brother.
  

These are a few things that come to my mind. I figured it would be nice to remember what Goose and Turkey did at 2 1/2 years and 6 months of age.

The Year of Trying New Things to Eat

...or maybe it isn't so much of trying new things, but giving a lot of old things a second chance.

I have my new years resolution figured out and I am in the process of re-elvaluating why I don't like certain foods and drinks.

I am trying to learn to like tomatos, coffee and other beverages. I used to always pull tomatos off of my sandwiches, but this year I am leaving them on. (babysteps)

I have also been giving fish another shot. I used to eat fish when I was younger, but somehow I had a bad episode that turned me off.

I am trying to learn to like coffee. I love the mochas and the latte's and the smell of coffee, but plain coffee is something I have never been a fan of. I am giving coffee a more serious shot this year. It helps when I add creamer and sugar, but I am coming around. (My mom and grandma will be proud.)

Mushrooms? I don't know if I am ready for them yet.

The Sunday Paper

Yes, I go straight for the ads that sell new music and DVD’s. I always pick out Best Buy, Circuit City, Target, and Nebraska Furniture Mart. These days we don’t make it to the Cinema as often as we’d like. I do like movies and I do have collector tendencies. If there was a movie that I would have liked to see, but missed out, now I can pick it up on DVD. Movies that slightly interested me I’ll rent. Anyway, I feel justified when the price of a DVD is cheaper than two tickets to the movie theater.

Here is the scope for the best prices for new releases on DVD:

Wal-Mart usually is the cheapest. They don’t have a Sunday ad.

Target, Circuit City, and Best Buy are pretty competitive, but once in a while one will break away from the others and be a dollar cheaper.

Lately, Nebraska Furniture Mart will have a one day sale (Tuesday) for new titles at $9.99. That is the best buy, but could be a bit of a drive.

This is what I do: Grab the cheapest ad (NFM) and drive to the closest Wal-Mart. See if you ad price beats Wal-Mart’s, if not Wal-Mart will accept the other competitor’s ad price. (Best Buy will also accept competitor’s prices although I heard they might discontinue that service, Target will not, and I am not sure about Circuit City.)

Recent purchases:
A Series of Unfortunate Events (9.99)
National Treasure (9.99)
The Phantom of the Opera (9.99)

Be Prepared With An Answer

More thoughts on my Cleveland trip:

It seemed that the three of us spent a good deal of time thinking about our next place to eat and to be on the look out for good places. When the client is paying for meals, we can eat well. We are in Cleveland! Let’s see what Cleveland taste like. The hard part came from getting advice from the locals. One of the guys we met with was from Hudson, a rich suburb outside of Cleveland. We asked him for a nice spot to eat in Cleveland and he said “…if you like steak, Morton’s is pretty good.” I am sure it is, but we have a Morton’s in Kansas City. He had trouble coming up with other options. Another guy we talked to said that Outback Steakhouse is pretty good. Eventually, someone told us we should check out the “little Italy” part of town. We did and found lots of unique Italian spots to choose from. It seemed pretty hard to find suggestions of local flavor from the locals. Eventually, we found a best of Cleveland list on the internet.

Be prepared with an answer.

Could I be ready to guide an out-of-towner to a local food establishment? What would I suggest? Where would I take people to experience Kansas City?

Fortunately for us, we have lots of good BBQ joints and I could recommend quite a few, depending on what part of town one is in or if you want the hole in the wall vs. the nice sit down place. For a unique choice of foods, it would be easy to recommend going to 39^th and State line (the restaurant alley.) For nice dinning, the plaza has lots of choices to offer, although they do have some higher-end big city chain restaurants. I think I would have good recommendations for all types of food including ice cream (Murray’s in Westport.)

I am by no means a food snob and I don’t cringe at the thought of eating at a Chain, but I think this trip has given me a new appreciation of our local food. I think I’ll make an effort to support them when I can.

Hello Cleveland

I just got back from Cleveland Tuesday night. I was only there for two days on business, but it felt like a little vaction. I went with two other engineers and we probably only worked a total of 2-1/2 - 3 hours. We just got luck and didn't run into any problem. It seemed like we spent more time talking about where to eat next and how to find our way to discover the local flavor. The best part is that I didn't spend a dime. All expenses are reimbursed by the client.
We went to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. Some people gave us tickets, because they had extras.
We had some Itailian food in Little Italy at a place called "la dolce vita" -the sweet life. It is named after the old black and white movie that takes place in Rome. The movie is played every night on the televisions and projected onto the walls. No sound. The opera singer was coming later. There are no light exept a few accents and the small candle on everyones table. A large extended Italian family sits behind us pulling four tables together to sit their group. The noise level drowns out the background music. I love eating on somebody else bill. We don't have to be shy about drinks, appetizers, the price of the main entree, ordering desserts and drinking latte's.
We did a lot of driving around and exploring the city. We discovered some good architecture too! The rock n roll hall of fame is designed by I.M. Pei. He also designed the Louvre in Paris (the glass pyramid.) We ran into a Frank Ghery build with it's wacked out metal paneled roofs.
We toured the Cleveland Museum of Art (free.) The have a lot of old stone bridges that is not native to the textures here in Kansas/Missouri.

I don't know why, but I am always surprised when I visit a different region in the U.S. that people live there and carry on just like we do where we live. People drive their cars, go to work, shop, dine and live just like us. I could be transplanted and fit in just fine. It is kind of scary when you drive through the suburbs and discover the same shopping center you have at home. Across from our hotel was the home depot, best buy, applebees, outback, tgifridays, anytown, USA.

Maybe, I am surprised, because my previous experiences with traveling has been on backpacking trips through Europe where each new town could be a different language or on missions trips. Just lately, because of kids, my wife and I have been doing more American City types of vacations. (Chicago, Seattle.)

Whoops! (A total lack of judgement)

I found this letter with the U2 exhibit in the RocknRoll Hall of Fame. BTW, Paul Hewson is Bono's real name.

RSO Records
10th May 1979

Dear Mr. Hewson,
Thank you for submitting your tape of "U2" to RSO. We have listened to it with careful consideration, but feel it is not suitable for us at present.

Yours sincerely,

Shelley Call