Heeeere’s Johnny!

FBjohnnycarsonalaericjohni can’t take credit for this: my friend eric john found a picture of johnny carson and bob uecker, posted it on facebook, and made comments that i had to share. eric usually makes a flurry of posts right before he goes to bed. i read them right when they are only a few minutes old– and i wake up around 5am!

Do The Hustle

thehustlei listen to a handful of podcasts, and the hustle is one of them. jon amoreaux is the host, and he finds recording artists that haven’t been heard from in awhile, and finds out what they are doing nowadays. the first show i heard was one that featured two guys responsible for the 1982 hit 867-5309: tommy tutone and alex call. i sent jon a facebook message complimenting him on that show, and a few hours later he sent me a message!FBhustlemsg

Satchel Of The Apes

apeplanetsatcheli found a satchel at mickey’s surplus last week. at first i wasn’t sure why the brown leather and green canvas looked familiar to me. then on the drive back home i remembered a color scheme from planet of the apes. for all i know cornelius and zira brought this thing back from the future when they made their escape from the planet of the apes.

Hamill Fisher Ford

hamillfisherfordNFwhen someone asks me if i’ve seen the new star wars movie, i can’t make myself generate much excitement. rogue one was the last decent star wars movie in my opinion, but i’ll never have the same reaction as i did when i saw mark hamill, carrie fisher, and harrison ford in 1977. the first cut is the deepest.

More Guitar Please

newyearsevejamwithbenwe went to josh & christy’s house on new year’s eve, and stayed until midnight. a few hours before the big countdown, ben showed me some cool instruments that he got for christmas. he grabbed his lightning mcqueen guitar, and i went for the keyboard. we turned the volume up to eleven, and rocked out in a most rocktageous way until the authorities came… and then i woke up to someone on TV counting backwards “10, 9, 8, 7…”

I Will Survive

worstcasescenariojenny was clearing off our dresser & found a survival handbook that i bought from our niece, molly. this would have been 11 or 12 years ago when she worked in a cool little bookstore in lincoln, NE. inside there are instructions for the following situations:
-How To Treat a Severed Limb
-How To Jump From a Moving Train
-How To Crash Land a Plane On Water
-How To Escape a Car Hanging Over The Edge Of a Cliff
…and many more!

It’s A Small Small World

smallworldmy cousins in california used to complain & protest before going on the it’s a small world ride at disneyland. by the time it was over they couldn’t get that song out of their heads because it played over and over during the course of the ride… but you know there is so much that we share that it’s time we’re aware it IS a small world after all! i became aware of this fact when i found that the next maker-in-residence is going to be laura spencer! i used to work w/laura back in my radio days at KCUR, and we saw each other again a couple of years ago when she came to one of my beep goes the weasel shows & took pictures for KCUR’s website. laura’s work at the makerspace will involve working in the recording studio doing audio projects.

The Arduino Kit Checks Out

arduinoyesterday i was taking another look at an arduino kit in the makerspace. back in october i tinkered with it, and made lights blink & a servo motor spin. thomas told me “you know you can check that out up front and take it home right?” i didn’t know that. now the wheels are turning, smoke is imminent, and the mad scientist is just around the corner.

Makerspace Revelations

doyouseethelighti’ve had a few revelations during my 4 month residency at the makerspace:
REVELATION #1 most johnson county residents don’t know what a makerspace is.
REVELATION #2 the brave souls who explore the makerspace are like scared swimmers venturing toward the deep end of a pool, but once they jump in, they always come back.
REVELATION #3 my talk and listen teeter totter project resonated with everyone that heard about it. now that i have one actual sized teeter totter & a handful of tabletop teeter totters, the next challenge is to turn a communication workshop idea into a reality.

The Glistening Tree

closeupglistenjenny & i drove to mom & jim’s house last night. snow was in the forecast so we bought some sandbags for the truck. we drove through rain the last hour of our trip, and the snow didn’t fall until after midnight. we woke up to see about two inches on the ground, and ice in the trees! merry christmas from joplin.