Insomniac Viewpoint

VHS playerSome nights I can’t sleep until midnight or later and the last things I remember can be blurred together. One minute I’m rummaging through a dumpster with friends from college, the next second there is standing water inside my house and a gushing sound. Is it real? Was it a dream? I don’t know, but if you say something to me in those early hours while I’m separating those two worlds, please excuse my spaced out stare. I’m just trying to piece things together and fake it ’til I make it.

Whoa Tokyo!

electronicosfantasticosThere’s word association and then there’s noise association. I think the latter is when someone hears a noise and associates with me. Two different friends (Jennie and Clay) saw this jam by Electronicos Fantasticos, and posted the link on my facebook page. Imagine telling someone that your instrument of choice is an old computer monitor. I love it.

Then and Then

shipoffoolsDOCTOREDChris sent this photo to me and Clay a few days ago. I hadn’t seen it since that day at Kinko’s when we were making fun of ourselves in the mid 90′s. I remember drawing the collar and the phoenix on Larry’s shirt to make him look like Elvis. Chris did most of the hair, but when he drew the riding crop under Clay’s arm we both lost it. Here’s the original poster:shipoffoolsYep. We opened for the Fish Slappers… oh, and Mick Fleetwood.

Paper Football And Blood Draw

football bandaidLet’s be clear. I did NOT play paper football with a blood lab technician this morning, even though the triangular shape of the gauze could suggest otherwise. By the way that indoor sport is also known as table football or flick football, and I did play it a lot in junior high and high school. I could almost always flick a perfect field goal. On my doctor’s orders, I went in for a blood draw to check my cholesterol levels. When I came home my arm looked like this.

Get Yours Today!

planetoftheapesGEARYou probably can’t get one of these today. Hang on… ok, scratch that– you CAN get one of these for $149 (plus shipping and handling) on Ebay. What kid or adult wouldn’t want to be seen without a Planet of the Apes belt and belt buckle? Looking at this ad put me in the mood to see some cheesy ape action so I watched one of the 14 episodes made for TV in 1974. It was The Gladiators. Big thanks to The Retroist for posting the nostalgia on Facebook.

All Thirteens

131313milesMy truck’s odometer hit all thirteens two Saturdays ago. I did the math and figured it would happen during the the trip to Glenn Miller’s birthplace in Clarinda, IA. On the way back home Jenny reminded me about it sometime near 131,311. When those last two miles clicked down to the magic number I pulled over to capture the moment.

Distant “Yays!”


It’s official! Molly received her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Florida yesterday. Friends and family were invited to watch the ceremony online. We did. When I knew Molly’s name was coming up, I didn’t blow an air horn like I’ve done at previous graduations. Our cat would have been traumatized for weeks. Jenny & I still expressed our approval of the moment.

Phil Call-Ins

philcollinscalling“I can feel it comin’ in the air tonight…” Phil Call-ins is a pun AND a hotline for Phil Collins’ hits! Call 424-888-PHIL (7445) to hear crappy over-the-phone versions of Easy Lover, Against All Odds, In Air Tonight, and Sussidio. If you just want to hear the drum fill from In The Air Tonight, press 5. All of this nostalgia comes from the same guys who brought you Callin’ Oates.

In The Mood For Glenn Miller

glennmillershouseWe met Ben, Janis (not pictured) and Marijo in Clarinda, IA on Saturday. Who lives there you ask? Oh just good people like our tour guide Jackie who snapped this photo in front of Glenn Miller’s birth home! We toured the museum, saw an original bandstand, drum kit, trombone, and a letter from Bing Crosby! Then we went home and watched Orchestra Wives on YouTube. It’s a 1942 movie with Glenn Miller.

Joe’s Mini Series: The Little Red One

lilredguitarJoe is one of the coolest people I know. He was playing hillbilly music in honky tonk bars long before alt-country bands like BR-549 and Reverend Horton Heat made it cool. Joe is 93 or 94 now (I stopped counting after he hit 90), and he’s making super detailed little guitars. I was grinning ear to ear when he handed me a box full of them a few weeks ago. This is number one in Joe’s mini series: the little red one. I’ll post a picture of each guitar throughout August, and maybe into September.