Cabin In The Woods

inside and outtoday is officially the last day of our 2016 vacation. this year we drove south to arkansas, and rented a cabin on lake wedington. the first night the temp dipped down to the 40′s so we got to use the fireplace! the cabin was VERY affordable ($70 a night) and we got to hike on trails, paddle a canoe, swim in the lake, escape civilization, and basically enjoy nature. the last time we vacationed in arkansas we started out in a tent, but when it got cold and rainy we rented a cabin. this time we just played it safe.

Jenny & Max

01jennyandmaxwhen jenny tries to cuddle with our cat, max, he usually darts away and acts like he wants to be chased instead. one morning she caught him in a mellow mood, and i grabbed the camera. it was almost like the picture i took of her and mojo, three years ago.

The Night Of The Flight

4ofusback in july tim andersen, me, jenny, and drew ryan joined a sold out crowd to see flight of the conchords at starlight. i’ll try to explain the stage act to my two main readers (mom & dad): for the lack of a better definition they are a comedy folk duo… kinda like the smothers brothers. but they are from new zealand, and sometimes their music strays into rock n’ roll. on one of their older songs the conchords asked a couple of guys from the audience to come onstage. those two guys danced like robots during the binary solo of the humans are dead. after the show i got my picture taken with them.me and the bots

The First First Fridays In Years

regandmaddielast week we went to first fridays in the crossroads. it was the first time i had gone as a spectator, and walked around with jenny in years. we saw reggie and maddie (above) with their artwork on display. from there we meandered east and saw some HUGE bubble makers (below)HUGEone of our destinations was the rosalynn gallery where penny fairman’s art was up. later that night we saw old friends, bands on the sidewalk, and a michael jackson impersonator.

Older Than Star Trek

startrek50NPRtoday i found out that i’m older than star trek. i knew i was born the same year the show debuted, but i didn’t know the exact date that it first aired… until today. we’re both 50 now, and NPR aired this story on star trek’s milestone birthday earlier this morning. live long and prosper.

The Flush Formula

flush formulaaside from being an available name for a band (it really IS available, i checked!) the flush formula that i’m holding above came from an audiologist. i had a CPR table at a health fair today next to kristina, who is an ear specialist in olathe. she looked in my ears with an otoscope, and said the left one was pretty waxy. then she gave me instructions to flush out the wax before the build up gets out of hand.

They Took Me Out To The Ballgame

attheballgamea few weeks ago jenny & i headed south to see a minor league baseball game! the springfield cardinals scored 4 runs in the first inning against the tulsa drillers. my brother in law got the tickets, shirts, and ball caps through his work. AND we got free hot dogs and potato salad! there were some foul balls that came our way, but none of them were close enough to catch. jenny & i left after the 7th inning stretch.

Shaken And Stirred

squiggle_head_xvidwhen we woke up this morning there was a groan outside the house, and the bed was vibrating. i looked out the window for road work vehicles, and when i didn’t see any i figured it was the construction crew down the street. a few minutes later my sister called up and said there was an earthquake in oklahoma that could be felt all the way up to kansas city. she felt it too. the last time i was in an earthquake, it was staged at a spoken word event in the early 90′s (it wasn’t real). before the night was over people were shaking their tables and dancing while carole king’s i feel the earth move blared through the house speakers.

I’m Still Reaching Out

reach outback in the 1980′s AT&T used to promote their long distance service by telling people to reach out and touch someone. they expected everyone to call old friends and relatives who lived far away. i would make those kind of calls from time to time… sparingly. now it’s 30 years later, and it’s cheaper to reach out online, so i’m doing it alot… only i’m reaching out to people i haven’t met before because they seem cool. and those people are saying “hi” back! people like camry ivory who is using paint brushes to create music on the street, and john richards who created international clash day in seattle a few years ago. my world is getting smaller with every email, tweet, and facebook post.

My Feet vs. Clown Feet

feethere’s one last pic from the gig at the gardens. i wanted to dispel a notion that was repeated all through my teenage years about my “big” feet. my feet were often compared to skis, boats, and yes… even clown feet. as you can see by the pic above, my feet don’t even come close. a big thanks goes to cookie the clown for allowing his feet to be used in comparison. he was probably teased more than me when he was growing up.