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The zooming and the video calls reached critical mass yesterday. Between 1:30 and 8:00 we visited with our former pastor in Minneapolis, Jenny’s family in Nebraska, and this happy girl in Illinois pictured above! Thaddeus is holding his little girl, Bahiyyih, up close to the camera (thanks Diane for helping me spell her name right!). We were calling to wish Maryam (momma) happy birthday, and we got say ‘hi!’ to the whole family: Thaddeus, Maryam, Maku, and Bahiyyih!

KEXP is playing The Clash and all things related to the Clash today! Why? It’s International Clash Day! The radio station broadcasts out of Seattle but you can stream it anywhere on kexp.org. John Richards, the morning deejay, started the tradition in 2013 when he just wanted to play The Clash all day. Now it’s something that’s even celebrated in the UK. Joe Strummer of The Clash is quoted as saying “We’re anti-fascist, we’re anti-violence, we’re anti-racist, and we’re pro-creative. We’re against ignorance.” That’s an ethos I can get behind.

Was she taking notes? Was she forming a question? No. My co-worker Denise doodled a skinny balder version of me while we were in a meeting Tuesday. I got an email from her that said “here’s what I was doing during the meeting.” She drew it from my profile pic that I uploaded for work (that image on the left). If that picture was zoomed out you would also see John Cusack and Jenny.

If you’re reading this then it’s actually February 3rd and we can all get on with our lives. In real life Groundhog Day doesn’t repeat in a Mobius loop (like it did in the movie), but that doesn’t stop me from being paranoid of having permanent deja vu when February comes around. I’m ok, I’m ok. I don’t have to live like there’s no tomorrow because it’s… today!

Jenny’s brother Jon told me about this group of ukulele players that do a cool version of ZZ Top’s Gimme All Your Lovin’ — click that link above or this one here now! Then go find a ukulele player and give him or her a virtual hug!

This song is another Folk Alley discovery. The haunting female vocals going “oh-dee-oh-dee-oh” grabbed me. I caught the tail end of it and quickly wrote down The Secret Sisters and Tennessee River Runs Low so I could play it for Jenny. She liked it too. Other artists I’ve found on Folk Alley include: Susan Werner, Tim O’Brien, and The David Wax Museum.

The camera on my dumb smartphone isn’t working again. I can only post pics that other people have taken. I found this one on Instagram and it made me chuckle– and then I felt guilty for chuckling. The guy just looks so dejected, but his sign might as well say “free to a good home,” because you know he’s not getting on another motorcycle. I sold the only motorcycle I ever had 20 years ago and I didn’t have to break my leg to do it. My friend James sold it to me around 1990. I still have my motorcycle license but Jenny isn’t letting me buy another one. Besides I don’t think James has another one to sell me.

Jenny and I woke up super early this morning. One might even say we woke up “doughnut shop early.” 30 years ago I used to roll out of bed around 4:30 a.m. to deliver all kinds of sugar coated goodies from Olathe Donut and Pastry. My boss and his wife lived like vampires and stayed up all night baking plain doughnuts, frosted doughnuts, bear claws, French crullers, and anything that could induce a sugar coma. Mornings like this make me remember mornings like that.

Max will assume this position if he thinks I’ve been on the computer too long and he wants my attention. The loveseat is right next to where I work. Moments like these can convince me that his ancestors used to have actual conversations with humans, and now he’s attempting it with his mind. I think that cats used to have a full vocabulary. They used to ask us how our day was going and comment on the weather, but then eventually they were done with small talk and they just wanted to get out of the house. They started saying “Come on! Let me out!” They became fixated on it, and that phrase was shortened to “Lemmeout!” And now they just say “meow!”

Hoovie wrote those generous words and stuck the note inside a box that also held– A MINIATURE SPY HUNTER GAME!!! The mailwoman delivered it over the weekend and my current high score is 23,850. That’s about half the amount of points I could get on a full sized game back in the 1980′s. I let my plastic dinosaur play it but he couldn’t reach the controls and his score was in the toilet.