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my last name changes around this time every year to my wife’s maiden name: herman. every fourth of july weekend (since 1972) the hermans come from all over the country to gather on the fairgrounds in marengo, iowa for the family reunion. when i first started coming in 1986 they were meeting at the american legion hall, but when the numbers kept increasing they moved to a bigger location. when someone starts chanting, “we are hermans, couldn’t be prouder, if you can’t hear us we’ll yell a little louder!” this continues until lunch is ready or until the authorities arrive.

does anyone remember the gilligan’s island theme song from the first season? the professor and mary ann’s characters weren’t even given a name, they were just “and the rest” in the original lyrics. that being said, here are the rest of the topics i hinted at three posts ago: got a free weed eater that has worked once, auto repairs on the zx2 are (hopefully) are getting finished today… and the podcast? isn’t done yet, but the preview gives a glimpse of how i do things.

it should be noted that between the consecutive bachelor parties i attended the following events took place: i got 3 or 4 hours of sleep, i worked a 7 hour shift at homer’s, i set up (and tore down) sound equipment for a 2 hour fundraiser gig, in which i also performed. it was no surprise then that the second bachelor party for tim andersen was more subdued than the one 24 hours earlier. tim, bj, frank, drew, and i sat outside yj’s snack bar until 11:30-ish telling stories of surfing, poker, weird music, and other things i can’t remember.

i had the rare privilege of attending two bachelor parties on two consecutive nights this week. friday night’s gathering was for john eddy who got married just a couple of hours ago. he had the rare privilege of getting married on the same day i did. 23 years ago, jenny & i tied the knot the day after my all night bachelor party. watching john, his close friends and family, made me feel like a fly on the wall, like an outsider witnessing an old tribal ceremony as the natives dance to a hypnotic conga beat around a raging fire.

there have been so many events to record on the blog that i’m NOT going to do it now. must keep priorities straight, and maintain a regular regimen of clockwork downtime. but if everyone is patient for a few more days, there will be stories of: bachelor parties, sleep deprivation, power tools, auto repair, and a new podcast. but until then, i must recharge my mental batteries and resume MST3K’s riffing on kitten with a whip.

here are a few anonymous quotes about coffee. somebody said it but we don’t know who it was. i don’t know why someone wouldn’t want to own up to them.

“I make serious coffee – so strong it wakes up the neighbors.”
“A morning without coffee is like sleep.”
“Man does not live by coffee alone. Have a danish.”
“Do I like my coffee black? There are other colors?”
“Given enough coffee, I could rule the world.”
“Retirement is one great big giant coffee break.”

yesterday jenny & i walked to an arts festival and the farmer’s market in old overland park. on our way there we cashed out a coin box that we keep for that type of an occasion. with a little over $20 we had enough money to buy some vegetables to make BLT’s. we also stopped at epg imaging and talked to bryan niezer. he’s married to cyndi, and she used to stop by homer’s with their kids. bryan told us that the city was letting people walk around with open containers of alcohol at the arts festival… apparently that was a first for the state of kansas.
later that night we drove to a campground outside of topeka. it had a pool that reminded me of the one at thunderbird motel where i worked one summer in 1985. we managed to start a campfire before the thunderstorms came. we also found out that gas was 20 cents cheaper in topeka… after we filled up in overland park. this morning we drove back home & called my dad to wish him a happy father’s day.

last tuesday was full of magic and promise when danny williams and i FINALLY had a chance to put our heads together and record a new track for the day of mars project. we think it’s our best effort… heck it even sounds like a real band. with a nod to dick dale and old motorcycle gang movies, here’s the hard limit.

one of my friends who has a big TV with theater sound told me that “watching black and white movies is like listening to AM radio,” he didn’t care to do either. i don’t think he ever saw dead men don’t wear plaid, steve martin’s cinematic love letter to film noir.

jenny & i checked out some places to camp out on smithville lake this afternoon. it only took an hour to drive there, and one of the campgrounds is close to a beach. on the way back home we stopped at the paradise general store to use the restroom (the actual lock is a piece of wood on the door frame that swivels), and buy some snacks.