From The Brink

Sunday Matinee on Sesame Street

2012-01-23T23:33:00.000-06:00

I had a weird weekend. Contracted a 24 hour stomach flu that hit me Friday night. The less said the better, but aside from what one would normally expect with such an illness intense back pain was involved, fever and dizziness. I slept for a total of 36 hours this weekend. Over a normal three night period the average person would sleep about 24, so it was pretty bad. But it got better by Sunday afternoon. Which was good because I had plans with my daughter Tessa.

After all that sleeping and limited television, including some pre-Olympics skiing and Betty White's 90th birthday celebration (Best joke was from President Obama who appeared in a taped segment writing a birthday letter that said, and I'm paraphrasing, "Betty, you're so full of energy I can't believe you're 90 years old. In fact, I don't believe it. So I'm writing to ask you to produce your long form bitrth certificate."), we decided to go to late service at church. The service was all about using prayer to ask God for healing. Nice timing. So we did that.

Then, in the afternoon it was time for Grandma (Tessa's, not mine) and I to take Tessa to Sesame Street Live at the Peabody Opera House. For those who aren't aware, the Peabody used to be named "Kiel Opera House" a famous and storied venue here in St. Louis. Built in 1932, the building has been closed since roughly 1990 but has been beautifully renovated. And yes, the bear sculptures are still there.

Anyway, upon arrival we were shown to our seats in the third row, but first full row-great job Grandma! Tessa had been to a Sesame Street live show before and the characters came into the audience, Grover shook her hand and Prairie Dawn hugged her last year. So being right by the stage she was quite excited and fairly sure the same would happen again. Well, this is a different show and is in a different venue than last time with more limited space. So only one character came into the audience, the purple honker. He made contact with only three children, and Tessa was one of them. I think she was a little disappointed that no one else came to see her, but Elmo, Baby Bear and Rosita waved to her, so that was pretty cool. She enjoyed herself.

As for the show, it was aimed at the younger Sesame Street fans, and lacked much of the second level that the show has always provided for parents. There were some, of course, but the show strove for audience participation so the higher level jokes fell away a little bit. Having said that, those of us who grew up with the show couldn't help but smile a little when old songs were revisited and reinterpreted for this show. And Bert doing The Hustle in his white Disco suit was pretty funny.

The best bit of theater though I think had to be the start of the show. It opened with Bert and Ernie telling the audience the number and letter of the day. Mission completed Bert asks what they should do next. Ernie's answer is to meet all the Sesame Street friends. Fastest curtain open ever and bam! Ten giant Muppets singing and dancing right in front of you. Simple yet effective. It made the kid in me happy and the real kids ecstatic. The kids behind me were screaming like it was the Beatles on Sullivan. Or maybe they were freaked the heck out by a bunch of eight foot monsters, one of which who loves to eat, I'm not sure.

And therein lies my only complaint. Not with the production but the parents. Obviously it's difficult to anticipate how kids will react, although Big Bird did come on over the PA to tell us it would get dark once the show starts and to stay in your seats. But why bring infants to a show like this? Two or three years old should be a minimum, at that age you can console them if they flip out. But infants? A majority of the kids seemed to be far too young and cried during the whole show. I know it's for kids and only Sesame Street, but why wreck it for the slightly older kids who want to participate and pay attention but can't because your kids are making more noise than what's coming from the stage? And honestly, what can your child (or more importantly you and your child gain from such an experience? I was able to bond with my daughter, not try to hold her and keep her quiet for 90 minutes. Perhaps babies are free, or they were taking the older kids and couldn't get a sitter, but it still seemed inconsiderate and ultimately useless.

No matter, it was a fun time, and one we'll be sure to experience again, probably with the twins next year. It's good to share these types of things with the children and a nice sneaky way to teach them how to behave in public. Most importantly though, it was lots of fun.

And you best believe we bought some merch....

Hoop De Doo AND Dickory Dock

2011-12-21T00:03:00.000-06:00

A few random thoughts concerning Christmas

-I still feel like a kid around Christmas time. I'm probably just as excited as my three year old. Been listening to Christmas music since mid November, got the Christmas lights up and tree bought early this year. So why did it sneak up on me so quickly? I got my shopping done, but only because I panicked. Maybe being into the spirit so early this year made it feel like there was more time. Dunno, hope to get that fixed next year.

-Man, you folks who don't like Christmas music REALLY don't like it. It's cool, but some of you are a little on the mean side. I've been yelled at and called names this year for playing/singing these songs. Hey, it's December, get used to it. You don't have to join in, but let the rest of us have our fun, okay? We can all keep Christmas in our own way.

-Speaking of, I'd like to address the parents who don't let their kids do the Santa thing. It's your business how you run your household and although I disagree I respect your decision. We could go back and forth on which is better or healthier for the kids and maybe there is no definitive answer. So while you all might not be wrong, you're not entirely right either.

Now, most people on the "no Santa" side are perfectly logical and tell their children not to ruin things for other kids. I have no problem with these people. But I notice more and more are getting this air of superiority about them and are being smug about it. I have witnessed people calling out parents of Santa believers in front of the kids. This is over the line and unacceptable. Remember that whole "peace on Earth, good will to men" thing? That applies here. Follow the rule, people. We're all peace loving big hearted elves at Christmas...but if you're gonna be an asshole you deserve what you get.

-Since I work in retail the question of what to say this time of year comes up. We are a store with mostly Christian employees and a large Christian base, but we are located in a largely Jewish area. If I know the customer or am wished a Merry Christmas first then the choice is easy. However, sometimes you want to do the expected holiday greeting but can't risk offending someone spending hundreds of dollars in your store. So I've been saying "Enjoy your Holiday." This way I'm being nice and noncommittal to play things safe, and it personalises the greeting as well. I think it could catch on.

-Some misconceptions about the Christmas story (Jesus, not Ralphie), cleared up as a public service:

1. The wise men were not there at the manger. It took them many months, if not years to reach Jerusalem. Pastor Mike Schreiner suggests you move the wise men about 200 yards away from the manger in your home Nativity scene for accuracy. I think that's a little much, but mine are on the far side of the mantle, just in case he comes by.

2. The wise men were not kings. They were astronomers. Wise men. Not sure how they became kings.

3.Oh, and there weren't necessarily three of them either. Three gifts are mentioned, not three people. In reality, the wise men were probably accompanied by servants, navigators and other traveling companions. Don't forget, these were important people coming to honor a new king. Their party would have been most impressive. Some estimates put the number at several hundred. No wonder Herod was nervous.

4. There probably wasn't a drummer there either. There may have been a long eared donkey, but no parent in their right mind would allow drumming anywhere near a baby who wanted to sleep. Not even Gene Kroupa.

-Looks like no white Christmas for STL this year. For an area of the country that is getting warmer in general and receiving less snowfall overall we've had a handful over the last 10 years or so. It's okay with me, I don't like snow, but I can see why people want one. It's traditional. Bing Crosby told us we should want them. And Irving Berlin told Bing, and he should know since he was Jewish and celebrated Hanukkah.*

-Best Scrooge performance ever? Alastair Sim. Followed closely by Scrooge McDuck (it's in his name, man!), Albert Finney, Michael Caine and then George C. Scott. In that order.

Alright, that's all I've got to say for now. Except this. Whatever your Christmas celebrations or traditions might be, try to remember others this year. And give props to Jesus Christ, without whom we'd just have another cold day in December.

Dave.

*Please don't misinterpret that as a racist joke, that's not the intent. I just think it's an interesting point.

I'm Really and Truly Sorry

2011-12-15T23:21:00.000-06:00

I have had absolutely no energy or time to devote to writing lately. I feel bad. I need the outlet, and a few people actually used to read this thing. Sorry. Christmas is coming, I'll probably have some thoughts on that. So that's something to look forward to. Haven't bought a thing yet, although my wife is done with her shopping as of last week. Oops. Gotta get to a mall.

I've said it before, I know, but I'll try and do better. Maybe if I get more sleep...

Brad Pitt Story

2011-09-29T21:59:00.000-05:00

Haven't put anything up here for a while now, so I figured I should do something about that. I don't blog much anymore since Facebook has kinda replaced that in my life. I can just put a few sentences out there as soon as an idea hits my brain. I don't have to worry much about how to phrase my thoughts or worry about grammar or even be witty. Since we had three children in two years (twins if you're just stumbling upon this while google searching Brad Pitt) and my free time has all but disappeared the immediacy of Facebook appeals to me.

I put Brad Pitt in bold to make this page look important for anybody who surfs here by mistake.

I also have a music blog that I'm running and that takes up some of what I used to post here. Still, it's nice to have this forum and I really should do more writing. So I suppose this blog will be changing shape to become a catch all for whatever I don't have an outlet for otherwise, and cute stories involving the kids.

Like this one.

A few days ago, there was a picture of Brad Pitt in the newspaper. He had grown a beard for a movie role. Tessa, the three year old, asks quite innocently, "Is this you Dad?"

'Yes" I replied "that's totally me."

"No!" says Valerie, "That's not Daddy. Your mama didn't marry Brad Pitt." Then, in her sweetest, most saccharine voice she added, "I married someone even more handsome."

"Who?" Tessa asked.

Here's More Stuff

2011-08-02T22:50:00.000-05:00

So here's what's going on in Daveville.

1. Tessa has been enrolled in pre-school. She starts at Florissant Valley Child Development Laboratory Center. And no, she won'r be running through mazes for some cheese or creating monsters and potions. I think. It is a preschool that is staffed by both experienced teachers and college students doing grad work (hence the lab part). It is a mixed age class with cirriculum designed for the individual student.

Tessa is going two days a week. Valerie and I think this will be a fantastic opportunity for her. She needs to learn how to behave in a structured environment. We know that she is off the charts with her verbal abilities (seriously, she never stops talking!), there are always skills she can work on. We beleive the twice a week schedule is plenty for a three year old (she'll be with 4 and 5 year olds as well), and if all goes well she'll go five days a week next year. Exciting stuff!

2. Tomorrow evening I go to the eye doctor for the first time in about 24 years. I don't expect there to be any serious problems, but I'm preparing for glasses just in case. I have noticed a slight problem with distance vision at night, though it is highly irregular. Valerie noticed that I misread a few road signs while we were on vacation as well. Probably nothing, but it's possible that my eyes have been compensating for a problem for a while now and I just didn't notice. So I made an appointment with the local eye center.

So the question is, if I wind up needing glasses, wire rims or geek frames?

3. Getting closer to the Two Hangmen CD release. Just like to mention that whenever I can. It's taken a lot longer than anticipated due to some production problems but things are looking up. working on new tunes and our web presence too. It's gonna get exciting here soon...

4. So MTV is 30. I am 39. We both got older and less relevant at the same time.

And that's about it for now.

Lake Geneva Photos

2011-07-20T22:57:00.000-05:00

As promised and only five days late, here are some pictures from our trip to Lake Geneva WI. Sorry for the delay. Turns out this isn't the best format to display photos. There's no rhyme or reason as to why these are in the order they appear here. I'm also not sure why some seem to float out in space compared to the others, but this is the best I could do with the tools provided. Back to text next time.

Lake Geneva shoreline

Black Point

Me on the boat...""Merica!"

Valerie and Ginny the Girafffe (Delavan)

Brick Street Market-Delavan

Pier

Best. Salmon. Ever.

Beach at Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva Blog #3

2011-07-14T23:15:00.000-05:00

Sorry this is late, but I had problems with the Internet connection last night. Here's the rest of the trip.

Wednesday had a slow start as I was still feeling a little on the rough side from too much sun and not enough liquids. Classic, silly mistake I know, but there you are.

Mid morning we decided to branch out a little further and go to the town of Delavan, having exhausted most of our options in Lake Geneva. Delavan is about 25-30 mins. from town and is an interesting slice of small town America.

Delavan prides itself as being the 1800s Circus capital of the world. Somewhere in the 1850s and 60s, the town became the winter headquarters for both the Marble Brothers and the P.T. Barnum Circus, two of the most popular names in all circusdom. Though there are now just a few locals who carry on the tradition of circus performing the city still celebrates this history and has statues of circus animals along the town's main street.

The other interesting thing about Delavan to me is its apparently large Mexican/Spanish American populace. For an area of the country known to be settled by Swedes and Germans it seemed as though the majority of the shops were Mexican food, ranchero type western clothing, and many were based in Spanish culture. Nothing wrong with this, mind you, (I even liked some of the shirts in the clothing shop), it just struck me as a little odd.

But the reason we went to the city in the first place was to go to the Brick Street Market to buy some honest to goodness Wisconsin cheese. Not only do they sell cheese, sausage, beer and wine (how perfect can you get?), they serve lunch as well. We met a very nice lady named Laurie, who let us sample various cheeses and made suggestions according to our tastes. Our sandwich lunch (nice, light Summer type sandwiches by the way) even came with a cheese and sausage sampler she picked out herself. That kind of customer service wins the day every time. Naturally, we brought home some cheeses, a Parmesan soaked in Raspberry ale, and Antonella infused with sun dried tomato and rolled in basil. Normally we're not "Infused with" or "soaked in" people but this is seriously good stuff. As Laurie herself said, "This is Wisconsin, we don't make bad cheese." She also let me do a pick a six of New Glarus beer, which I will be happy to share with family and friends provided I see you before I drink it all.

After that it was back to the condo for a quick nap, 'cuz it's vacation, and then out shopping. We got some ice cream and brought home some fudge and caramel from a local shop, 'cuz it's vacation, and bought some t-shirts and trinkets for the kids. soon enough it was dinner time. And this is where we spent most of our budget.

The condos we stayed in are run by Holiday Inn (actually they bought out another company and have yet to renovate which they really need to do), but they are on the property of the Grand Geneva resort, one of those exclusive all inclusive type resorts. There are actually multiple resorts on the grounds, including one with a water park inside, a full service spa and gym with indoor and outdoor pool, and a man made lake plus two golf courses. Fancy shmancy, with the Holiday Inn condos barely registering on the map and stuck at the back of the property. Well, just because we could we ate at one of their restaurants, The Geneva Chophouse. Incidentally this used to be one of the first Playboy Clubs. No sense of that remains.

It's about what you expect. We were under dressed a little but it proved no problem (though they did check to make sure we were resort guests...). All of the items on the menu were served a la carte. The bread was served with three different spread choices, butter, sun dried tomato, and bleu cheese butter which tastes way better than expected. We had our choice of spring or sparkling water, but disappointed the busboy by choosing regular water. Our waiter was nice enough though he seemed to look down his nose at us a little, but he's probably like that with everyone.

As for the food, Valerie ordered a clam chowder which was full of creamy goodness, and lamb chops that she thought were absolutely wonderful. I skipped the salad and just ordered an 18 oz. strip steak with garlic butter shrimp. The shrimp was excellent and the steak was one of those huge cuts that are just sooo thick. I made a slight error in ordering medium rare, because it's my experience that often when I order medium, the steak comes back a little dry for my tastes. Well, I should have known by the type of place we were in that they'd get it right but I erred on the side of caution anyway. So the steak was a little too red for me, and sure, I could have sent it back to cook some more but they delivered exactly what I ordered so fair play to them. And it was delicious nonetheless. We also shared a cheesecake with chocolate ganache for dessert, which made Valerie declare that she will never eat cheesecake anywhere else ever again. So all in all a successful meal. Very pricey though. Let's just say that $20 would have been a conservative tip.

There is little else to tell. Today was a driving day, we picked up the kids and dog and are all back home. Tessa loved her gifts, the twins were indifferent to theirs, being one year old and all, but all were very happy to see us and come home.

This vacation was a nice getaway. Not quite as many options for entertainment as I would have liked but it was relaxing, and apart from a few showers Monday morning the weather was near perfect. Sunny and under 90 degrees all week, actually a little chilly at times, with little to no humidity. While I don't think we'll go back soon, I wouldn't cross it off the list of possibilities either. Overall, we had a good time. And I got a Piggly Wiggly t-shirt, so I'm happy.

Pictures tomorrow, I promise.

PS-Not a lot of people with the standard Wisconsin type accent, most who did have were older. I think it's dying out in that area as the kids didn't seem to noticeably have it. That's kind of a shame.

PPS-I'm like 90% sure Gene Simmons of KISS fame was staying at the resort between gigs in the area. Didn't meet him, probably for the best.

Lake Geneva Blog #2

2011-07-13T10:05:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay, but I got a bit too much sun yesterday and went to bed exhausted and a touch sick. Here's why.

Tuesday started off with breakfast at a nearby diner called Claw's (which instantly made me think of the Motorhead song, RIP Wurzel!). I don't normally do joints like this for breakfast, just lunch and dinner. And later in the day I remembered why. Anyway, it was unremarkable except that they didn't serve on plates, everyone got styrofoam to go containers, even if you were seated. Ans they had really good french toast sticks.

Next up was Big Foot State Park. The charge to come in was 10.00, but it allowed for all day access, and supports nature so that's good. The park itself though wasn't quite worth the fee. They had hiking trails, but most of them were under a mile. the longest one being 1.9. The trail we were on was bug infested to the point where spray had little effect and looked like it had been made by guys driving their jeeps through the woods. It led to a lagoon which was nice enough, and very clear. There were also camping sites and bathrooms that are better left unmentioned. We did one loop and left. I suppose if one lives nearby the all season pass might be worthwhile, but overall I was unimpressed.

Next we decided to try and drive around the perimeter of the lake and see what all was there. Well, lots of houses and eateries mostly. A few schools. Golf course. That's about it, nothing much to make us curious. The shops out here are kinda weird. they are either trinkety t-shirt shops or high end retailers catering to bored rich people. Underwhelming. Nice views of the lake though.

So then it was back to the condo to change and head back out to our side of the lake. First was lunch at a sandwich shop called Potbelly's. Best name ever. Apparently a chain, but not one by us St. Louisans. Sandwiches were very good, not too big or too small. They have live music, a la coffee shops, but none playing while we ate. Yummy food, good choice.

Next up was the beach. Yep, a beach on the lake. Sand and everything, basically a minute version if the ocean. Swimming in the lake proved a little bit difficult as the current was quite strong. My arms and legs actually hurt We did some swimming and some sunning. I don't think I could make a day of it like some people do, but it was fun.

Showered, changed and back out to dinner at the Red Geranium restaurant. We weren't quite sure what we were in for upon seeing the decor. Think of an elderly female relative and her floral wallpapered house. That's it, you've got it, except geraniums. So we ordered and hoped for the best. And what we got was the best. After a salad and delicious spinach and artichoke dip, I was served the best salmon I have ever had. A slight sear on the outside and extremely tender inside. Served with butter and lemon that enhanced the natural flavor but neither the fish or lemon was overpowering. Absolute perfection. The mixed squash and asparagus were also excellent. This was followed by a desert of Boston Creme Cake that was wonderfully decadent. The Red Geranium serves first class food at a middle class price. Worth more than we paid. An interior decorator's nightmare, but a favorite of local foodies.

As far as night life here, there is none to speak of. One must travel for that, we couldn't even find a convenient local movie theater. So we decided to try and find a mini golf course open. We landed at Paradise mini golf. The interesting thing about this course is that the owners run it from their home. The guy's back yard is huge, so instead of whining that he couldn't get lake front property he opens this course. Genius. The course itself is 18 holes. Some holes are quite challenging, some are fun ones where you hit your ball into a tube and it comes out on the other end either very near or very far from the hole. No windmills or gimmicky crap, but a nice big waterfall feature running through the center of the course. Quite enjoyable. Valerie beat me by two strokes. Rematch?...

So that was yesterday. We brought spray on sunblock which works well, but is difficult to put on your face. My head is kinda pink and I don't feel all that well today. It will probably be a slow day today, doing laundry and packing. maybe one excursion, but just taking it easy for the last full vacation day. Once again, pics coming soon, though we didn't seem to have the camera with us at the appropriate points yesterday. We'll fix that this afternoon.

See you soon.

Lake Geneva blog #1

2011-07-11T21:52:00.000-05:00

So as you're all aware, Valerie and I are in Lake Geneva Wisconsin this week for a getaway. The kids are at their Grandparent's house and doing well from what we hear. Following is a collection of thoughts about the events so far.

*Yesterday was "Travel Day". The trip from St. Louis should only take about 6 hours or so. However I decided to take a slightly different route and avoid the toll roads, which are the most annoying idea ever for out of state travelers. Those who live nearby can purchase a pass and zip right through, which is fine, but the rest of us have to dig for change and I just don't want the hassle. So as a result it added about 30 minutes to our overall time, but we went through some neat little towns that haven't changed much since 1956 (which, according to the signs was the one and only time the town were the state basketball champs, thankyouverymuch). Pretty cool. Except I don't think they are used to cars as a lady with her children stepped right out into the street and I almost hit her. A police car then turned on its lights...and gave her a warning. Nice.

What we didn't plan on was the traffic we encountered on the way. Highways narrowed down to one lane are not your friend. they added at least another 45 minutes, so with the stop for lunch it became an eight hour drive. We'll be smarter on the way home.

*Valerie has a cold. Not a severe one but enough to feel a little out of sorts. She's powering through, though, and we're making it an early night so we can have lots of fun tomorrow.

*Took a lake/mansion tour today. Lake Geneva is huge. It is a spring fed lake, so all the water comes up through the bottom, and as the bottom is all sand the lake is pretty clean. Much nicer than Lake Of The Ozarks. All houses along the shoreline are owned by business people. There are some lots available, in the three million dollar price range. For a Summer home. So, you know, something to consider.

The lake itself is beautiful though. And quite active as well. The water was much more choppy and turbulent than expected. Our boat (used to be a tender boat from the Navy, which transported soldiers from the aircraft carrier to the shore) rocked up and down a lot. Nice breeze though and quite enjoyable.

*We toured a mansion from the 1800s called Black Point, named after the Black Oak trees that lined the property, and have subsequently all died. Anyhoo, Conrad Seipp was a German immigrant who made a fortune as a beer baron and built a huge Summer home on Geneva Lake. Four generations of stout German women kept the house up and all furniture and belongings are original to the house. The mansion was gifted to the State of Wisconsin and is kept up exclusively by donations and tours. So we helped preserve history today. Yay us.

The house was quite beautiful, and the family stories interesting enough. One of the daughters was named Clara, but went by Tessa. Okay, that's only interesting to us but it's my blog so deal. The only complaint I had was that the guide seemed to go on a bit too long about minute trivia, but had little or no answers to questions fielded by the group. Admittedly, the rest of the group were all bored, slow moving and slightly deaf retirees with idiotic questions, but she should have been prepared for that. There are several of these tours available, but I think one Victorian mansion per vacation may be my limit. I think taking the tour boat across the lake to Black Point and back was the way to do it. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the house was on the South side of the lake, which is the hotter side, and also the elevated side. There were 120 steps up to the house from the shore. So we got our exercise as well.

*Food time!
Breakfast today was at the Egg Harbour Cafe. The restaurant is a regional chain with multiple locations in Illinois, one in Wisconsin, and one in Georgia for reasons I can't possibly fathom. Quite a large selection, most involving fruit which I am against on principle. I had a combo with bacon, eggs sunny side up, and pancakes. The bacon was fried to perfection, and my eggs nearly perfect. The pancakes though, well, they were... wheat. Not bad necessarily, but not what I wanted.Still, a good meal overall.

Lunch was skipped, so we had dinner at Popeye's on Lake Geneva (not the chicken chain). It's a decent theme restaurant with a nautical theme and a little too much pride in their Rotisserie Grill. Our appetizer chicken wings were fantastic. Breaded with slight spice, and surprisingly tender. Valerie had a wonderful clam chowder and the 1/4 rotisserie chicken, which was probably the way to go. My choice was ribs. Not bad by any stretch but the sauce was a sweet sauce with a slight mustardy feel, and really thin. Not a fan of that style sauce, but it worked.

*I am currently enjoying a bottle of Fat Squirrel Nut Brown Ale by the New Glaus brewing company, based in Milwaukee. It is quite smooth and not heavy at all with a surprisingly sweet hazelnut flavor. Highly recommended if you get the chance to sample one. Also I bought it from the Sinebrink's liquor inside the Piggly Wiggly which is just too awesome.

Okay, wow, that was a little long. I'll try to economize tomorrow, maybe type before I start drinking. I'll post pictures soon. See you tomorrow night.

This post has nothing to do with Hall and Oates

2011-06-19T00:05:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I can't seem to keep this blog up anymore. Facebook and the music blog have kinda replaced this blog, but I still want to keep it active so here we are. Let's do some updatin'!

1. So my rib has more or less healed. The constant pain is gone and it only hurts when I make a lot of big movements, do some heavier lifting, and sometimes late at night. So that's good.

2. Valerie had some surgery recently but got through just fine. She's going to be recovering for another week or two here at home, but all is well.

3. My new band with my brother, Two Hangmen, is on a slight hold due to some processing delays in the manufacture of our first EP/CD. We should be up and running soon.

4. Going on vacation soon (mid-July) to Lake Geneva Wisconsin. I'm getting excited about it. Lake Geneva is about one hour outside of Milwaukee so the plan was to spend a day in the city, but the more I look at the resort and town we may just stay where we are and go for a slightly more relaxed time.

5. Okay, getting serious here. I am going to be 39 in one month. That's one year until 40 and I have a goal to hit 40 in the same shape as I was at 35. Not a huge stretch, I'll grant you, but certainly better.

Lots of things have attributed to my current position. My rib injury for one (no reason it should have been that bad), general age, most of the folks I work with are very health conscious and exercise regularly and their influence is rubbing off. Also, I just don't feel good anymore. Part of it is my lack of sleep and a mentally draining job, but I'm just so damn out of shape. Actually I'm fairly round, which is technically a shape...but I digress.

I weighed myself last week and was shocked, shocked I tell you, to find out that I weigh only 210 lbs. Just a few years ago I weighed 135, but was thinner and had more definition. Which all means that the muscle has gone away and I have replaced it with fat. Like by roughly two pant sizes fat. Unacceptable.

So the focus will be shifting to fitness throughout the next year (and beyond!). There will be some dietary changes though I am an unabashed foodie so I'm not promising too much here, just a few smarter choices. After vacation, of course, 'cause why ruin that? But mostly I'll be doing some more physical stuff. Long walks/jogs. Push ups and crunches (too fat for sit ups). I'm also considering meeting a few times with a personal trainer to get a routine established for my body and my needs. Told ya...serious.

Again, I'm not going for super athlete here, and I'm going to be starting off slow over the next few weeks. So do me a favor and keep talking to me about it okay? Don't be rude or condescending, but a word of encouragement or two and checking up on me now and again will really help. I have to do this for my own health and for my family as well.

You know, after vacation.

Okay, that's enough for now. Tomorrow is Father's Day and I plan on eating poorly and being lazy. Ooh, and cake. Always cake on Father's Day. I'll eat better on Monday, promise.

Until next time,
Dave

P.S. There is a "before" picture taken by yours truly, but I have decided to spare you that. Unless I can show an awesome after picture down the road. Even then, it's 50/50.

Update time

2011-05-17T23:18:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time since I did any blogging. Since I last checked in, Melody and Patterson had their first birthday (and Patterson took his first steps!). So yay twins.

On the personal side I have been sidelined a bit. First was a sickness that I couldn't shake for a little over two weeks. Nasty chest/head infection and a sore throat that all but stripped me of my voice. And then, just as I was getting better I went and fractured my rib.

I was running in the rain and took a spill on concrete. Landed on my elbow and side and got the wind knocked out of me for a minute. It hurt pretty bad at first, my elbow being the worst of it. Over the next few days however, the elbow felt better (lots of nasty bruises though) and the chest began to feel much worse. So I went to the doctor and got the fractured rib diagnosis.

For those who have never had this injury, I will do my best to describe it. The following is a list of things that hurt when you have a rib fracture:

Standing, sitting, reaching, bending, walking, talking, breathing, laughing, sneezing, coughing, watching television, typing. lifting, eating, drinking, reading, going potty, driving, and anything involving even the slightest physical activity.

The following is a list of what doesn't hurt with a rib fracture:

Sleeping.

It's been about two weeks since this happened and I am feeling better, The rib (7th rib, left side) doesn't hurt constantly anymore, just when I move it too much. I suppose the 400 milligram Ibuprofen and Vicodin have helped, but I've been weaning myself off of them here over the last few days and things are going pretty well. Some days are better than others but it's getting there. The doctor said that my fracture is minor and should take about six weeks to heal, give or take. All I can say is that if this what a minor fracture feels like, an official "broken" rib must hurt like hell.

So that;s been my life here recently. Oh, yeah, and Jake went to the vet because he was scary sick, even the doctor thought it might be really bad. So after a freaked out dog, stressful morning, some missed work, and $375.00 he's perfectly fine and it was no big deal. Which on one level is kind of annoying, but I'm glad he's okay.

See you soon.

P.S.-In the intrest of honesty and integrity, when I said I was running in the rain, I wasn't out getting healthy or anything, I was carrying McDonald's across a parking lot and trying not to get wet. Sounds better the other way.

Friday Tornado and FCC

2011-04-24T15:26:00.000-05:00

On Good Friday, the St. Louis area was pummeled with severe thunderstorms and at least two tornadoes. Over 750 homes were lost. The airport had to be shut down for at least a day to recover from damage. Miraculously, no fatalities or serious injuries were reported. I'd like to think that God spared lives on purpose this weekend. Easter weekend is the celebration of Christ's resurrection. It is God's gift of salvation and ultimate gift of grace. He's still in the grace giving business and proved it this weekend. Even though the storms still came, God looked after His people.

Having said that, yes, there was a tremendous amount of damage. That number of 750 just includes homes, not mentioning the many businesses that either suffered damage or were completely destroyed. Thoughts and prayers go out to all affected of course, but one specific story hit close to home.

Ferguson Christian Church lost their entire sanctuary roof to the tornado. Just gone. One can stand in the sanctuary, look straight up and see sky. Pity, it was a very pretty church. All gorgeous wood planks and beams intertwined to make up the high vaulted ceiling. Gone. The reason it affects me so much is because I used to be a member-in fact I was both baptizeded and married in that church.

We haven't attended for some time, but thought that one day when the kids were a little older and could grasp it we'd attend a service to show them where we got married. Might not happen now. Ferguson is a small congregation without much funds, so the possibility of their rebuilding is probably going to be based on how good of an insurance plan they have. Even if they do rebuild, I have a feeling that they probably won't use the same plan. Maybe they will, but for some reason I doubt it.

Anyway, as I said, we haven't attended for a few years now. We left under not the best circumstances, but it had nothing to do with the congregation at large,who are good people, or Pastor Stacey Garner who is a fine man. The elders of the church made a decision which directly negatively affected my family and we wasted no time in leaving. The doors were nowhere near our butts on that one. I hesitate to go into further detail as I don't want to speak where it's not my place, but I will state that church elder ship can be a grand thing that carries on traditions and brings people together, but if given too much free reign, not kept in check and given too much power, it can be a destructive tool of the enemy.

Still, that's all in the past. I no longer hold a grudge (last paragraph notwithstanding) and have forgiven the parties involved. They did what they thought was right, misguided as they may have been.

It makes me sad, though, that there is a part of my life that's different now. Sure, the church is just a building , I know, but buildings can be just as much of an emotional trigger as an old photograph, a song, or faded letter found in an old trunk. I am sadder still for those who call FCC their church home. It must be difficult to process on an emotional and spiritual level. And there's a long road ahead to recovery.

My heart goes out to the good folks over at Ferguson Christian Church. In the coming weeks as more info becomes available I will try to find a way to help. Until then, they are in my prayers.

Just the Stats, Ma'am

2011-04-20T21:41:00.000-05:00

Family:

Sick kids in house: 2
Sick Dads in house: 1 (but much better)

Healthy Moms in house: 1
Healthy Kids in house: 1 (though subject to change)

Meds:

Prescription meds for kids: 2
Prescription meds for Dad: 4
Meds for Dad with Codeine: 1 (and it's a good one)

Animals:

Dogs in house: 1
Cats in house: 1
Fish in house: 0 (natural causes, she hadn't tried suicide for about 4 years now)

Lawn:

Weeds: A bazillion
Grass: Not so much

Food:

Chocolate Easter Bunnies: 2 (but not for long)
Giant Chocolate Easter Bunnies: 1 (also not for long)
Real Food: Who cares man??? There are Chocolate Easter Bunnies!!!!

And that's the report for today.

My Daughter (The Two Year Old) Criminal

2011-03-20T22:52:00.002-05:00

Okay, this one needs some back story.

For those who may be unaware Strawberry Shortcake (an uber-popular line of toys and cartoons from the 1980's for girls) is back. Tessa has discovered Strawberry on DVD and loves her, her friends and their adventures. The lone boy in the series is named Huckleberry Pie. Tessa really loves Huckleberry. In fact, it's possible that she has the two year old equivalent of a crush on ol' Huck. I'd be lying if I said it didn't disturb me a little, but then I remembered Daphne from Scooby Doo and thought that it's maybe not so weird after all.

Here's the thing, though. Tessa calls Huckleberry her brother. At first we thought that "brother" was the only relationship she understood well enough to put her little crush into. But I don't believe that's really the case, I think this goes deeper. You see, Tessa was going along, minding her own business when BLAMMO, she gets new twin siblings. Now, Melody is Tessa's sister, and Tessa is Melody's sister. Melody has a twin brother named Patterson, but...where's Tessa's twin brother? Yes, she knows Patterson is her brother too, but shouldn't Tessa have a twin brother as well? It's a little confusing to her. So Tessa is just trying to process and make sense of her life through imaginative play, which is common enough. This will all surely fix itself in time.

I told you all of that that so I can tell you this.

On Tuesday, Valerie took Tessa and the twins to JC Penny for a little shopping after work. Valerie told Tessa that she was buying some shirts for Patterson, y'know, Tessa's real brother. Tessa replied that she was going to buy a shirt for Huckleberry. Cute, right?

Well, fast forward to Saturday morning. Valerie took the kids for their weekly Library visit and, upon exiting the library discovers a strange article of clothing in the bottom of the stroller. Her first thought was that when our babysitter Kristin borrowed the double stroller the other day maybe she did some shopping and left a tee shirt for her son in the basket.

The conversation went something like this:
"Tessa, did Miss Kristin take you all shopping this week?"
"No."
"Huh. Well why is this in the stroller?"
"I bought a shirt for Huckleberry, Mommy."

I didn't actually see Valerie's face, but I'm pretty sure I know what it looked like. Valerie was completely unaware of the shirt being in the stroller, and left without paying for it or giving it back or anything. So now her two year old daughter has stolen a shirt, and she's an accomplice. Great.

Valerie called me at work, and we decided that obviously the shirt had to go back, and that Tessa should go along so that she could maybe learn something from this whole ordeal. So a few hours later I get the following text:

"Tessa apologized to every woman in the store-even the headless mannequin. All is forgiven."

Before they got there, Valerie explained how they had to go back to Penny's because Tessa took something without paying for it and they had to return it, and Tessa had to say she was sorry. So to every woman they encountered at the store Tessa said. "Are you Penny? I'm so sorry..."

And that was Saturday afternoon.

P.S.-I know I said I'd talk about the animals, but this was too good not to share. Pets next time.

P.P.S.-I had to explain to a lady at church today that Tessa doesn't have a brother named Huckleberry and we're not expecting one either. Just imaginary. She then informed me that there are twins in her family too, and the older siblings made up imaginary twins as well, so I guess this really is normal. Nah, it's still pretty weird.

St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-14T22:41:00.002-05:00

Thursday, as we all know, is St. Patrick's Day. This is one of my favorite holidays as I get to celebrate my heritage by listening to some great traditional (and not so traditional) Irish music, eating corned beef and those little potatoes, and drinking Guinness Stout. Actually, I do that stuff a lot but in March I get to be loud and proud.

Yes, yes, I know the last name isn't particularly Irish, but we do know that there's lots of Irish blood in the family. My mother's side of the family, the Johnstons, is very Irish. Dad's side is a little more mixed but there's lots of Irish there too. It's a little harder to trace my Dad's genealogy because some of the records have never been translated to English, but we know through oral history (a very Celtic practice) that before Germany, Holland and Wales we were in Ireland. And due to some digging about the origin of surnames I've come to find out that "Brink" is believed to be a popular European derivative of "O'Brieren". Can't get more Irish than that folks.

Now, I'm not going to be able to attend any official celebrations this year. The kids are too young to take to any of the parades here in the St. Louis area, and two happened Saturday anyway. The real celebration is on St. Patrick's Day itself in Dogtown (a largely Irish neighborhood). The Hibernians parade is the best one as it's all representing local clans and Irish based organisations. Also, inside St. James The Greater church is a corned beef lunch, lots o' Irish type drinks, and a good Irish folk band called the Irish Aires. It's a good time, shame I can't go.

Nope, I have to work Thursday, and even if I could go I'm not sure about taking the kids down there. So I've got to make my own fun. Mostly I'll be listening to some traditional folk music(drinking songs), and a modernized version of that as well. There have been quite a few bands over the years to blend traditional Irish/Celtic music with their own songs and a frenetic energy. Three stand head and shoulders above the rest and if I have to tell you then you really need to do your homework. I am of course speaking of The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly.

I shall also probably watch some "Father Ted", a hysterical British sitcom about three priests on an island just off the coast of Ireland. I'll also try to fit in "The Quiet Man"(classic movie) and the Food Network has a special on Bobby Flay in Ireland that looks interesting.

And then for our St. Patrick's Dinner I'm going to do the cooking. We're actually going to make the dinner the night before as Thursday won't allow us the time for a big meal. But I'll be making Corned Beef in Guinness, with potatoes and carrots. We're not big on cabbage in this house, I'll eat it other places to be polite, but I'd rather have the other veggies. The recipe is fairly simple, so hopefully I don't screw it up royally. It sounds delicious so I'm going to give it a go and maybe we'll get a new traditional meal. And if not, well, I'm sure there'll be some beer left over...

Okay, have a happy St. Patrick's day however you spend it. Back soon with an update on the animals.

Update

2011-03-07T22:39:00.002-06:00

Wow, been a while. Got a little busy over at Words About Music. Sorry for the neglect here. Let's get going.

-----
So the kids have all been sick over the past two weeks. Bummer. Patterson had it the worst with the fever and congestion. Tessa's fever was bad too, she's still on the Amoxocylyn (y'know, the pink stuff they give to kids).

And then there's Melody. She only got a little cold and as a result her brother and sister got more attention. So, not to be outdone, she got a pretty nasty butt rash. Very competitive, that girl.

Everybody's pretty much over it now and on the mend. Just in time for allergy season to start next month. Yay!

-----
For anyone who doesn't know, we have finished recording the Two Hangmen EP and are in the mixing stages of the music. Next we need to build up a web presence, finish packaging for the hard copy versions of the EP, and start scouting gigs. I'm excited about this project. Most of the songs we're doing are holdovers from Blue Tattoo. That band had quite a dense sound, looking back, and these versions are a bit more scaled down. But that's a good thing. Somehow in the process of condensing them the songs have been given room to breathe and flesh themselves out so actually sound more dynamic and alive than before. Sometimes less really is more. No offense to the guys in BT on that, I thought that band was great, but this is better.

-----
In other baby news, Melody is close to walking already. She also has two teeth. Patterson is right behind her on both counts. She seems to do stuff first and then he gets it a few weeks later. Except when it comes to eating. Patterson has been feeding himself Cheerios for like a month or so now, and Melody got it over the weekend. Well, if there's one thing us Brink men can do it's eat.

-----
I had to use this dash device because the "three" on my keyboard is broken and seems to be an impossible fix.

-----
Let's finish with a Tessa story.

Last week we were watching Sesame Street and Harvey Fierstein was on. He was singing "Everything's Coming up Noses" poorly, and in a high register, while putting noses on faces of Muppets. Now, we all know Harvey's as gay as the day is long, and this was no exception. Here's my daughter's take.

Tessa: Daddy, that lady is singing about noses.

Me: Yes he is.

Tessa : She's funny.

Me: He sure is sweetie. He sure is.
-----

And that'll do it.

P.S.-Don't send me any messages about how prejudiced I am, that's not what that last bit is about. I actually like Fierstein. "Torch Song Trilogy" is brilliant. But it was interesting to me that even a two year old who doesn't know the first thing about sexuality picked up on it and procesed that info the only way she could. And it was funny. So there.

Cute Valentine's Story

2011-02-16T23:13:00.002-06:00

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, here's a recent exchange between me and my two year old daughter Tessa.

Tessa said to me, out of the blue, like she does: "Daddy, you married Mommy."

"Yes, sweetie, I did."

Then she thought for a moment, looked me square in the face and said "And Mommy married you?"

"Yeah, honey, that's what everybody says..."

Season's Over

2011-02-06T23:06:00.003-06:00

Well, another NFL football season is in the books. The Green Bay Packers are our new champions. I don't particularly like the Packers (and I like their fans less) but I must admit that it was a good game they played this evening and a well deserved win.

So now I become relatively sports free for a while. I don't care for baseball or basketball. I can take or leave hockey. I mean, I'll watch from time to time but I don't usually go out of my way to watch a hockey game. Can't stand Nascar. Don't even mention golf. Nope, not much going on that holds my interest in the sports world.

There are a few exceptions though. I do like soccer and try to watch when I can, but most games are on when I'm at work or asleep. Especially English Premiership games. I do enjoy American soccer as well but again, the games are hard for me to find.

My other interests are in the somewhat lesser watched sports. I do like to watch the smaller sports like X Games type stuff or those sports like beach volleyball that you only see in the Olympics. Sometimes ESPN2 puts that stuff on. World's Strongest Man competitions are cool too...when they bother to televise them. I also like women's tennis...and not for the short skirts either. Women tennis players just seem to care more and be more into the match than men do.

Ooh..it's also almost time for PBR bull riding to start up too. Laugh if you want to but it takes some skill to ride a bucking bull for 8 seconds. It's man vs. nature, very primal. I've seen many riders get seriously injured trying to tame these beasts. Not really sure why they want to, but it's strangely entertaining to watch them try.

And that's about it for my sports viewing for a while. Mostly hit and miss stuff that isn't easy to follow.

I already miss football. Bring on September.

Well...

2011-02-05T23:06:00.002-06:00

...I'm sick of the snow.

Tessa knows, and can sing, a Justin Bieber song.

The dog is back to eating his own poop.

Valerie's iPod got stolen.

But on the plus side...

We had a lot of good family time this week.

Patterson is getting closer to moving and has learned to feed himself.

We are all healthy.

And there's a new Motorhead album out next week.

So, all in all, it evens out...and I'm a pretty happy guy.

New Blog Is Up

2011-01-30T21:28:00.002-06:00

So my new blog, "Words About Music" is up now. Click on the link to see it. Pretty bare bones so far, I have some ideas to spice up the cosmetics but they'll come with time.

Thanks for visiting. I've got more to post soon, maybe while we're all snowed in.

Your pal,
Dave

This Week's Update-New Stuff

2011-01-29T23:10:00.001-06:00

As mentioned last time, I have started a new music based blog. Coming up with a name was difficult. I tried to be clever about it. I tried being funny (or punny I guess). I tried referencing songs/albums by my favorite artists. I tried pretty much every suggestion people made to me. They were all either taken, or there was something too similar out there. So I finally decided to stop being clever and just go with the straight forward, obvious title. It's not the best but the name short and to the point (unlike this post). Ready for the name?

"Words About Music."

That's it. There ya go. Nothing's up yet but there will be content soon so check in over the next few days.

Some family news:

Today Tessa went with Mommy and Grandma to see Sesame Street Live. She had a wonderful time. She was well behaved, participated when prompted and came home spouting some of the dialogue between Oscar and Elmo. Her highlight was that the seats were close to the stage so when the characters came out into the crowd she got a handshake from Grover, a high-five from Telly monster and a hug from Prairie Dawn. Awesome. And I have yet to meet anybody from the Drive-By Truckers.

And in other news: I have been forgetting stuff lately. Mostly small stuff. Except for Thursday when I forgot to feed the twins. Okay, I didn't entirely forget to feed them. I just forgot the supplemental bottles in between regular feedings. I gave them the high-chair stuff, just not the bottles. Y'know...the stuff I've been feeding them since day one. And I was actually wondering why the kids wouldn't sleep and were fussy all day. Everybody's fine, so it's kinda funny but definitely not a proud dad moment.

And that'll do it. Bye.

Sunday Update

2011-01-23T15:20:00.003-06:00

1. Remember that experiment I started in September to see if I could get by with only cutting my hair twice a year? Well, I can't. Got it cut short this week. I still have my hair, it's just too thin to pull off the long thing anymore. Started looking kinda goofy, so it's back to the short style. Experiment failed.

2. However, a new experiment is about to begin. I have been putting together ideas for a new music based blog. I think I've decided on a name (thanks to my brother who suggested it), and I'm playing with the structure and content now. Hopefully it'll be up soon and I'll post a link here for anyone interested.

3. Okay, T.V. Viewers and People Of Impeccable Taste, sing along if you know it:

"Alan Bra-dy
A-A-A-lan Bra-a-a-a-a-a-dy
A-alan Brady
.....BUDDY SORRELL!"

Ran into an awesome sale at Barnes And Noble last night (buy 2 DVD get 1 free) and purchased seasons 1-3 of the Dick Van Dyke Show. I haven't seen them for sale anywhere recently and jumped at the chance to grab these sets up. The Dick Van Dyke Show is without question one of the funniest television shows of all time (easily top 5 for me). It has been out of National syndication for a few years now, but they'll always have a place on my TV set. Super excited for this one.

4. Speaking of last night, thanks to Dad and Susan for watching the kids so Valerie and I could go out together sans children for once.

5. The babies are getting more mobile. Patterson is close to crawling and Melody will be walking within a month. I may never sit or have peace again.

6. Recording on the oft-mentioned "Two Hangmen" project begins soon.

And that's about it.

Oh yeah, almost forgot:
J!E!T!S! JETS! JETS! JETS!

Grumpy New Year

2011-01-16T21:34:00.002-06:00

Another New Year is upon us. Winter makes me grumpy. So here's a list of stuff that I've been annoyed by lately.

1. People who come into a crowded room on a freezing cold day and say "Brr" loud enough for everyone to hear. Okay, first of all "brr" is not a word. Call me crazy but I'm pretty sure that in the English language you need vowels to have a word. "Brr" is just a noise. Don't make noises at me. Also, what's the point of saying "Brr" to begin with? Do these people think that they're actually doing us some sort of service by using this non word as way of informing us that it's cold outside? We all know. It's cold. Shut up, move on.

2. Guys who upon first meeting me call me chief. This has happened at work three times in the past month. I don't like it. Chief, really? I'm okay with most generalities so call me something else. Like "guy", "pardner", "man", "dude", "buddy" or "pal" would all be fine. Or, here's an idea, how about "sir?" These are all things I would be comfortable calling you upon our first meeting. Unless you call me "chief ." Then I will call you "jackass."

3. Okay, this one is Internet specific. anyone who comments on a thread (usually about movies) with the following: "___________ does not exist in this dojo." If that's the most intelligent thing you can come up with...if that's as funny as you get then you don't deserve the Internet.

Wow, that was a short list. This was supposed to be a longer posting. Maybe that should be #4.

After re-reading this for spellcheck and editing I feel it only proper that this post be dedicated to George Carlin. you can't shake your influences.

Still Here

2011-01-09T22:51:00.002-06:00

Haven't done this for a while. Been all Facebook-y. I have stuff to say but not much time to say it in. The babies don't give me a lot of time on my own, and when I do have it I'm usually doing chores. Which I'm about to go do now. Although I hear Melody crying in the background so...

Gotta go. Just checking in. Back soon.

2010 Christmas blog #2

2010-12-20T22:44:00.002-06:00

Remember in October when I posted about seasonal horror movies? Well, I left out the king daddy of scary Christmas movies. "A Christmas Carol." That's right folks, Charles Dickens's classic holiday tale is also a classic horror/ghost story. Let's examine.

Okay, so you've got your main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, somewhat of a villain himself. Classic horror move, the most appealing character is the most disturbing one. The serial killer, the head of the cult, the cannibal, whomever is playing on our fears in whatever movie we happen to be watching. And who's scarier than a slave driver boss?

So we've established that the guy is pretty evil, or at least a giant jerk. Now this is where it gets good. We are then treated to a glimpse of his own private Hell. Each of the spirits Scrooge is visited by drive him further into torment. His old partner, Jacob Marley, being the warning to Scrooge (a cliche' of early horror). And then the descent begins.

In Christmas past Ebenezer is shown the good old days, a glimpse of the way things used to be and sees the happiness he could have if he had made the right decisions. My guess is that's too familiar to a lot of us.

Christmas present is perhaps the scariest part of all. Scrooge is forced to take a look at his life as it actually is. Not clouded by his own opinions or misconceptions but reality for its own sake. Many of us try to escape reality on a regular basis, and those who think they live in and understand reality are largely kidding themselves. When reality hits, it can be scary as hell.

And then, of course the ghost of Christmas future shows him what will assuredly happen if Eb (that's right, called him Eb) continues his ways. And, get this, most filmed versions of this tale use the Grim Reaper himself to represent this character. Awesome. Also quite appropriate as death is exactly what we're dealing with here, it is the bleakest part of the tale. Any gothic horror/ghost story worth its salt is dark and depressing in the third act and "A Christmas Carol" is no different. Oh, and they kill the kid-which is still a no-no even today. Dickens was ahead of his time here.

Adding to the horror aspect of this work is the possibility that this is all actually happening. Sure, Scrooge awakens from tormented sleep throughout the tale, but if we're talking about the supernatural here...well that's how it works. It is my understanding that when God reveals himself through visions they often happen during dreams. Most alien encounter stories (if one believes in that sort of thing) happen at night, many people claim to have been contacted in their sleep. So it's not completely out of the question. The other possibility is that ol' Eb is actually going insane, which is a delicious alternative for the horror fan to think about.

As we all know, the story turns out all right with Scrooge gaining back his love of people and Christmas, being given a second chance on life and love. You know, like the one camper who survives...

Anyway, the happy ending to this sort of movie was commonplace up until the mid-late 1960's, and certainly was expected back in Dickens's day. Most people, however fixate on this as being the point of the story, to keep Christmas and the love and charity it brings in your heart year round. WRONG. It is a warning about getting lost in your own wants and desires and what can happen to those who do. It also features the most evil villain in all the world, the human mind.

So yes, enjoy "A Christmas Carol" this year. It's okay to get the warm fuzzies at the end, that's certainly a part of the experience, the relief after the tension. Just remember that there is another side to this story, if you choose to see it.

Just in case you're wondering, my favorite version is the 1951 version starring Alistair Sim. His commitment to the role is total, and the Christmas morning giddiness he displays is unequaled in all filmdom. The movie suffers a bit from the techniques of the time, and the fact that the original masters have had some wear to them, but Sim's portrayal of Scrooge is one of the true great performances and makes up for any other shortcomings the film may have. Makes George C. Scott look like an amateur, not to say that Scott's portrayal is bad, but it doesn't touch this one. No one else can either. Well, maybe Scrooge McDuck from 'Mickey's Christmas Carol", but that's it.

2010 Christmas Blog #1

2010-12-16T22:59:00.002-06:00

Remember last year when confessed my love for Christmas music (traditional and modern) and listed a bunch of my favorite songs? Well, here's the opposite of that.

Even a self proclaimed Christmas music geek like myself has a line. There are songs I just don't like. I'm not talking about a mild dislike here either. For example, "The First Noel" isn't exactly a favorite of mine. Not a bad song, mind you, and it's got nice lyrics, it's just not my cup of tea. But that's not what we're dealing with here. These are the drive-me-crazy-turn-it-off-or-I'm-gonna-give-you-a-shiner-for-Christmas songs.

DAVE'S TOP TEN MOST DREADED CHRISTMAS SONGS

10. Where Are You Christmas-Faith Hill
-A relative newcomer to my consciousness and already on the list. Overblown claptrap with no real emotion behind it. The entire first half is just filled with "poor me" lyrics about how it's harder to get in the spirit as an adult than as a child. And then when she "feels" Christmas at the end (whatever that means), it doesn't sound like an emotional breakthrough at all-just a lousy key change. And, on a side note, when did Faith start sounding like Vanessa Williams?

09. Blue Christmas-Elvis Presley
-Always hated this one. Not clever or interesting or heart tugging or anything. Just a bad song. Can't blame Elvis though, no one can make this song sound good. When even Johnny Cash can't make it tolerable you know you're in trouble. Oh, and that Elmer Fudd parody that gets played on the radio each year isn't funny either. It just makes a bad song worse.

07. The Christmas Shoes-I don't know, some guy, don't care
-This is how songs like this one are written. "Let's make it overly sentimental and use chords and instrumentation designed to tug at the heart strings just right, and let's put a kid in there too. Oh, and don't forget to have someone dying on Christmas Eve, that'll get 'em to buy this thing. Wait, gotta throw in Jesus too...and put in a vague glimmer of hope and redemption so the Christian soccer moms will love it too." I hate this kind of song. I hate this prefabricated way of writing music. I also hate that this song works on me every time and I well up like a little girl when I think about that poor kid and his mama. Curse you, Christmas Shoes!

06. Jingle Bell Rock Bobby Helms/Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree-Brenda Lee (tie w/disclaimer)
-The reason these songs are a tie is because they are interchangeable. They were safe, sanitized rock and roll when they were written and have remained so. Neither have much to do with rocking. These songs are trotted out every year by people who think that this sort of thing is fun and exciting and to show kids that Christmas music can be hip-even though much hipper has happened since. But here's the deal-you can keep one of them. I'm not completely unreasonable. I know people truly like these songs, and they're both used in a lot of movies so I understand the significance. Therefore I will allow society to pick one to hold on to, I don't care which. Just let me know so I can finally move on.

05. Santa Baby-anybody
-I used to think "The Chipmunk Song" was the height of greed in Christmas music. But "Santa Baby" is the clear winner in this department. A song about children's greed is one thing, but coming from an adult it's just pathetic. Pretty true, but still pathetic and certainly not something I need a song about. Is this supposed to be sexy? Some lady trying to seduce a man for presents? Sounds like just another day in Beverly Hills to me. Is it supposed to be funny? It's not. It's annoying and sexist. Not sexy-sexist. Heh. Spinal Tap reference. Anyway, hate it.

04. Mary Did You Know-Kenny Rogers
-Well, I think she had an inkling. I mean, she was told the deal upfront. Gonna have a baby. Gonna be the son of God, the Messiah. So to a degree, yeah, she had some idea of what she was getting into. Now, she couldn't have known all the details or how things would wind up, but she wasn't completely blind to it either. Nice thought but a flawed concept. Incidentally, this song was originally written by Mark Lowry, a Christian stand up comic (and a pretty good one at that). Poor guy made the jump into music and this was all he came up with. Too bad. You know, I used to be a comic, and I write songs now too...kinda makes me nervous.

03. The Little Drummer Boy-traditional
-The only acceptable version of this song is the Bing Crosby/David Bowie duet. Why? Because a.) Bing sounds so blitzed that the "rumpumpums" all run together in a fun way and B.) Bowie drowns out this awful song with another song on top. Plus, both Bowie and Bing are awesome. No-one else is allowed to sing this anymore ever. the "rumpumpums" hurt my brain. Next person to sing it gets a good swift kick. And by the way, why in the hell would you bring a drum to play for a baby?

02. All I Want For Christmas Is You-Mariah Carey
-Got no problem with Mariah overall, but this song just sucks. I think she was going for a Phil Spector/Ronnettes style tribute with this one, but failed. Miserably. spector's stuff was dense, sure, but crystal clear as well. This song is just a mess. Nice sentiment, poor execution. It actually hurts my ears to listen to this. Sucky, sucky, five dollar.

01. Do You Hear What I Hear?-traditional
-If it's the single most annoying Christmas song ever, then yes I do. The repetitiveness (if that's even a word) of this song just gets too me. It's lame and juvenile. No, wait, that's insulting to the young folks. This song is not only awful from minute one, but for Christians it should raise some concerns. Okay, first of all, talking animals? Sounds kinda pagan-ish to me. Also, which king would this song be referring to? When the sheppard boy informs the king of the Messiah's birth, the king seems to be overjoyed, prays for peace and declares the child bringer of the light. Huh. Last time I read the Bible King Herod wanted to have the Christ child killed. What is this, retro-active PR? Terrible song, bad theology.

And there you have it. Feel free to leave your most dreaded Christmas songs in the comments. Might be fun.

Until next time.

Great Googly Moogly

2010-12-10T21:53:00.002-06:00

Well, the Christmas season has started and I rang it in by seeing Dweezil Zappa at the Pageant on the current version of the Zappa Plays Zappa tour. Okay, so it's not exactly Christmassy but the band did play "Yellow Snow" and that's close enough for rock and roll, right?

I enjoyed the show quite a lot. I went in with no real expectations, just hoping that it wouldn't be "Dweezil exploits his dead father" for two and a half hours. Fortunately this wasn't the case. The music was treated with respect (and it does deserve respect), played faithfully yet playfully with room left for a little spontaneity here and there.

Frank Zappa is known for being weird, and writing songs with goofy lyrics which can be pure silliness, vicious satire, or pure filth. This is only scratching the surface. Musically, Frank was a genius. His instrumentals are quite complex, often giving each musician the chance to shine and yet still having memorable melodies, despite the turn on a dime nature of his compositions. They combine avant-garde jazz, blues and rock and roll in a way that no one before or since has managed. These songs were plentiful in the show (mostly second half) and emphasized not only the quality of the music but also Dweezil and the band.

As for the other stuff, y'know, with words, the entire "Apostrophe (') album was played which includes the aforementioned "Yellow Snow", a trip to "St. Alphonso's Pancake Breakfast" and a dissertation on that dreaded condition of "Stinkfoot". Also played was an off the cuff and (like totally) perfect version of "Valley Girl", an audience participation dance party to the tune of "Keep It Greasy", and of course, "Titties And Beer". Therein lies the secret of Frank Zappa's music. Silly, sophomoric humor mixed with high art. Brilliant, but an acquired taste...and not for the easily offended or anyone under 18.

The coolest part of the show however were the times when they played a video of Frank singing a vocal or playing his guitar and piped it through the P.A, so father and son could play together. Could have been cheesy but it was kind of sweet in its own way.

So, all in all a good time. Kinda hard to get into the Christmas music after that though.

November Wrap Up

2010-11-29T22:36:00.004-06:00

So we've come to the end of November. Thanksgiving is in the books and Christmas is a comin'. Here's one o' them random posts to share what's on my mind.

1. Really enjoyed the family Thanksgiving dinner in Cape Girardeau. The only complaint is that there's just not enough time to visit with everyone you want to. Especially now that there are 10 kids under six there, it seems that we're all just chasing them around all day. Though that does open up conversation with people I haven't talked to much in the past, so that's a good thing.
Still, the food was excellent and it's always nice to see everyone. There were a few people who I hadn't seen for some years, like my cousin Terry and his family for example. Didn't get to talk much, but always nice to see him. And cousin Jennifer...who showed up married. We all found out at the same time, kind of a shared family experience. Her new husband, Matt, seems like a good guy so congratulations you two. I like how accepted Valerie is in the family as well. Everyone treats her as though she's been around forever, and she and Julie (second cousin Mitch's wife) had a really nice conversation. So much pleasantness all around.
Oh yeah, and the twins were a hit. Patterson wasn't quite his normal self, but was still lovable all the same...and Melody proved herself queen of the raspberries (much to Pam's delight). Tessa was in top form too, being all cute and rambunctious, and also an icing/whipped cream thief. Maybe the dessert table shouldn't be so close to the play area...

2. Also went to Valerie's family Thanksgiving on Saturday night. That's right, two Thanksgivings! Once again, good food and good people. These are largely the same people who will be at the Christmas celebration in a few weeks. At that party we usually play games for gifts. Nothing too extravagant of course, just token stuff, but a good family bonding thing. Well, my son's behaviour has inspired a new game to play: The Patterson Puking Game. The initial version was that everyone would guess how many times he'd puke on someone (well, spit up really, but on the receiving end it feels like puke). Saturday night he got four of us: Mommy, cousin Christy, Grandma, and Tessa's dinner roll somehow, which counts on a technicality.
I think we need to change the game though, to guessing who he'll puke on. Everybody gets one guess, you can't guess yourself, no duplicate guesses. Then we just pass him around all night and see what happens. Jostling of the boy is not allowed, nor is sneaking him treats.
Game planning aside, it was a good evening. Plus I got to check out Mike's Silverado which is a pretty sweet truck. I might buy a truck in a few years so every time he gets a new one for work I get to check it out. Preliminary shopping without the pressure. Nice.

Non Thanksgiving Stuff:

1. I'm on the Facebook now. Just so you know.

2. Christmas lights are up. Garage door is broken. Kinda evens out.

3. White Castle for lunch plus chili for dinner equals bad idea.

4. Did you find this Kate?

5. We are getting all excited about Christmas in this house. Our lists will be out soon for those who get one.

Well, that got longer than expected. More stuff to come but let's call it good for now.

Update-Long Time Coming

2010-11-14T14:47:00.003-06:00

Sorry it's been so long since an update. Here's a list of what's going on.

1. Spent this last week sick. I thought it was allergies on Tuesday, by Wednesday I had a severe head cold. Went to the doctor on Thursday and was diagnosed with a walking pneumonia. I am currently on the Z pack and have greatly improved. This is only the second day in a row that I haven't slept for like 16 hours. Not sure if that's good or bad.

2. The smoke detectors in my house have a history of going off for no reason. Here's the thing though, they don't go off when we're cooking (which would make sense), they go off in the middle of the night. Between midnight and 6:00 a.m. Not fun. They are all hardwired into the house so if one goes off they all go off. And each one is 80 decibels. It's like waking up in the middle of a Motorhead concert only less awesome. It happened so much that I no longer checked for fire, I just shut off the fuse, which is both sad and dangerous.

Thankfully I was finally able to sort out the warranty situation and got the company who installed the electric in my house to come out and fix them. So far, all's well.

3. Jake, my dog, is officially nuts. Now, he's always been nuts, but it's gotten worse lately. He can't seem to get full, and when he eats something he's not supposed to it's not some leftover parcel from the trash can. Nope, it's clothing. Specifically, the twins' clothing. There were two or three bibs he chewed up...and two or three that he ate entirely. He also completely ate one of Patterson's pajama sleeves, and the front of the jammies too (although he did eat around the snaps, so he's not stupid-just crazy).

I took him to the vet and we did some blood work to see if it was any clearly recognisable diseases. They also took a stool sample-no parasites found, but some yellow cloth with stars on it. Tessa's first bib. Nice. Anyway, the diagnosis is that he's either just whacked out or he's got inflated bowel. The only way to check for the bowel thing is to cut him open and do an expensive biopsy or do an expensive (and surely disgusting) colonoscopy. Or, we can just assume he's nuts, put him on Prozac and see if that fixes the problem. Doggie Prozac is like 10 bucks, so guess which one we picked?

Yep. Drugging him up. I wouldn't be so quick to do it to my kids since we don't yet know the consequences of all these drugs we've put into our kids over the past 15 years...but yeah, let's spike Jake's food and see what happens.

And on the lighter side...

July 17, 2010-Going to see U2 at Busch stadium here in St. Louis. It's the day before my birthday so that was a pretty easy decision for my family to treat me. Pretty excited about it, I haven't seen them since 1992 so it should be a lot of fun. I know it's early but...we're gonna need a baby sitter. Also, please, no funerals, weddings, family reunions, recitals or zombie apocalypses that day, okay? For my birthday(ish)? Thanks.

Okay, that's it for now. I'm going to eat my home made Frito pie and watch the Ram's game. Talk to ya later.

Doo-dah-dippity.

Happy Christhanksmaween!

2010-10-24T18:17:00.004-05:00

Have you noticed that over the past five years or so that Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas have just sorta blended together into one big glop? I mean, Halloween has become huge and poor Thanksgiving is just a stop-gap between the two big holidays and is sometimes just viewed as the night before Black Friday. At the store today I saw Christmas stockings hanging over Halloween costumes two aisles down from horn of plenty centerpieces. I think retailers should begin referring to this time of year (late Sept. through early Dec.) as Christhanksmaween. I was going to call it Hallowgivingmas but that's a little unwieldy, and a little too accurate.

So in that spirit I present this year's horror movie list, featuring films that focus on the holidays.

Halloween:
1. Dark Night Of The Scarecrow
This is a forgotten classic that relies on story, atmosphere and characters to succeed as opposed to the ultra-violence, buckets of blood approach. Quick version: little girl is friends with local retarded man, Bubba. Little girl is found bloodied, mangled and presumed dead. Local rednecks decide Bubba killed her, and set out to seek justice. Bubba hides as a scarecrow in a field but they find and kill him. Turns out the girl was attacked by a dog, she's alive and Bubba saved her. Rednecks cover up the crime, but as Halloween approaches, the scarecrow begins showing up in their fields and picking them off. Is someone out for revenge? Or is something even more sinister going on?

I can't recommend this enough. Charles Durning is in this as the main baddie, and he's fantastic as always. Dark Night Of The Scarecrow was originally released as a made for TV movie in 1981 and has obtained a semi-legendary status among horror fans since. It plays and feels like a full fledged theatrical movie, which is how it was filmed. That's why it still stands up. Quality stuff folks.

2. TrickRTreat
I know I raved about this last year, but it's good enough that I want to remind people to give it a look. An anthology horror film set on Halloween night in a small town that takes it all seriously. The stories in the film all intertwine in interesting ways. Minor characters in one story become the focus of another, and some events are directly affected by others in separate stories. And it's all overseen by a creepy little guy named Sam, the mascot of the movie and keeper of the rules of Halloween. TrickRTreat is tons of fun, with some genuine scares, creepy moments, sick humor and surprises to keep the viewer engaged all the way through.

Thanksgiving:
1.Thankskilling
Man, Thanksgiving horror movies are seriously messed up. You will know whether this movie is
for you or not by the next four word sentence. Talking killer turkey puppet. And that's all you really need to know. Lots of blood and some pretty disgusting slasher style kills...done by a turkey. Too bad a movie to be good, but too stupid not to like.

2. Blood Freak
And you thought Thankskilling was weird. Blood Freak is the story of a young man back in the early seventies who, through a strange series of events winds up working at a turkey farm where two scientists are working on making a bigger turkey for the Thanksgiving season, and also becomes addicted to drugs after being given a super joint by his Christian girlfriend's no good sister. Got that? Doesn't matter, the movie sucks anyway, but I sat through it so the least you could do is read all this.

Now, our recently drugged out friend is forced to taste the genetically engineered birds, and has horrible consequences...he turns into a giant monster turkey! Well, he has a turkey head anyway, but if the producers had more money he'd be a monster. Oh, and the story stops throughout the film to give the director a chance to appear and comment on the action. Anyhoo, it's kinda hard to score drugs when you have a giant turkey head, so the dude becomes a vampire-drinking the blood of other addicts.

Wow this is horrible. But if you like bad movies, or are in the mood for a pro Christian/Anti drug movie with a good amount of gore in it, this is for you. I told ya, Thanksgiving movies are messed up.

Christmas:
1.Christmas Evil (a.k.a. You Better Watch Out)
Okay, cheap exploitative title but this film is better than it sounds, or in fact has any right to be. But then, the same could be said for asparagus, so...

Here's the story of Harry, and he's got a problem dealing with Christmas. As a child he saw something disturbing on Christmas Eve and has had issues ever since. At first, it's small stuff but after a while Harry tries to be the real Santa. He spies on local children, making a list of naughty and nice kids, and delivering them presents accordingly. Well, long story short he has a mental breakdown and bad things happen (to naughty adults, not kids) and it all goes off the rails. A true cult classic, and the favorite Christmas movie of none other than John Waters.

By the way, this movie predates the truly exploitative Santa as slasher movie Silent Night Deadly Night by several years. So if it seems familiar, that's why.

Bonus: Season Of Belief (Tales From The Dark Side t.v. show)
I don't like most Christmas horror movies (a few, but we'll save them for later), but I wanted to share this episode with those who may not be familiar. I saw this as a kid and it scared the hell out of me. In a defensive move, my brain had changed the ending and name of the creature so I couldn't properly recall the experience. I found it on you tube recently and re-watched. Though I know the ending now, and am seeing it through the eyes of a veteran horror movie fan I still like it. Pretty predictable but still kinda cool.

The idea here is that it's Christmas Eve, and this particular family has decided there will be no t.v. for the kids, just a quiet evening. The kids ask for a story, but not a Santa one. So Dad gets the idea of telling them a scary story. On Christmas Eve. Oh, this can't end well. And it doesn't. That's all I'll say about it as any more would be a spoiler for anyone who looks it up. Maybe it's not quite as good as I think it is, but it should be a good watch. Oh, and it's the single greatest "Santa exists" propaganda piece I've ever seen.

So there you have it, the 2010 Halloween movie post, and on time to boot. To the best of my knowledge all of the above features are available on DVD, Netflix, or You Tube. So you should be able to seek out any titles that interest you. If nothing else, see the Scarecrow thing. It's really good.

I'll be back with more stuff.

Outsider

2010-10-21T23:00:00.002-05:00

I am thirty-eight years old. I have never fit in. It doesn't matter the situation, whether it's at parties, in the workplace, church groups, extended family, whatever, I almost always feel like I'm outside looking in. Like I don't truly belong.

There's not any one reason I feel this way, if there was then it would create a pattern as to why I feel both distant and alienated. Sometimes I feel as though whatever I do it's not good enough. Sometimes I feel like I'm just not good enough as a person. Because of my inherent weirdness, I'm the kind of person who can be easy to criticize and pick apart. Ultimately I realize that other people's negative opinions don't really mean anything because I know who I am and what they are so I'm usually pretty good at letting insults, rude behavior and idiocy go. However, there's a (decent sized) part of me that is afraid they might be right.

I've learned to accept my different-ness and outsider status. I've even managed to embrace it, and use it as a source of pride in many ways and on many occasions.

But sometimes it still hurts.

To be fair, there are some situations in which I feel at my ease and a full part of things. Obviously at home it's good with my wife and kids, and with my immediate family. I tend to feel pretty good with any of the artistic projects I'm involved with (bands, performing arts and what not) but that's pretty much it.

I know, I know, everyone feels this way from time to time. But I feel like this most of the time. As a teenager, I always clung to the idea that these feelings would somehow all get better when I became an adult. Well, here I am. Is it better? Yeah, a little. But it never goes away.

Hey, all things considered I'm a lucky guy and have no reason to complain. I'm proud of who I am. In fact, there are a lot of times when I'm glad I don't fit in. I just sometimes wish that I could be a little bit more accepted for who I am. Well, maybe accepted is not the word...maybe I'd just like to be a little less misunderstood. And I wish it didn't bother me so damn much.

So the bottom line is that I am proud to be an individual, but I long for approval and, yes, acceptance from a society and people from which I have purposely distanced myself. Not a great place to be. I guess that's why I write. Songs, jokes, blogs, any writing or performing I've ever done has been an attempt to get that approval and bridge the gap. To make me feel like I'm better than me. Probably has something to do with my mother,

Anyway, sorry to put you all through reading that. Just some things I needed to get out and get sorted. Thanks for being my guinea pig/punching bag/shrink and for your patience with my strange ramblings. Movie post next time as promised.

I'm Back

2010-10-13T22:21:00.002-05:00

Haven't posted here for a while now. That's mainly because I had too much going on. There have been some things I felt I shouldn't write about-and some others that I wasn't sure I wanted to, but it's time I put something up here. So this is another one of those random posts I do. Here we go.
*****
Can't believe I didn't review the Drive-By Truckers show here yet. For those who wondered, it was really good. Nice mix of songs, 26 of them to be exact, seven from the latest CD and one (possibly two) from the new CD coming next year. There were some nice surprises in the set, like "Road Cases", "72 (This Highway's Mean)", "The Deeper In" and "Love Like This". As with any show there were a few songs I would have liked to hear (doesn't seem right to see DBT and not hear "Sinkhole"), but when a band does that many songs and eight of them are the encore, well, you can't say you didn't get your money's worth.

My only small complaint is that the show slowed down a little too much in the middle (after a hyper-fast version of "Shut Up And Get On The Plane"), oh, and the opening songs could have been flip flopped. Otherwise a great show which is only as it should be.

*****

In other music news, my brother and I are getting closer to letting everyone hear the new band. Music and web stuff is coming soon, but I can reveal the name of the band. We are now called Two Hangmen. Right, because there are two of us.

Here's the concept. We are taking the type of material we've been writing for the past few years and stripping it down to its essence. The two of us. When we record we'll be handling all of the instruments; guitar, bass, percussion, vocals, all of it. As for playing the songs in a live setting, we'll be playing guitar and bass only. We may get a friend to sit in from time to time playing a snare drum behind us. That's right...one drum. And maybe a cymbal. See? Stripping it down.

The music we're making is quite definitely rock, but with an alt-country vibe to it that most people who have heard the songs really seem to like. So we still have some work to do in getting everything to work within this format, but we're excited about it. We won't keep y'all waiting too long. More soon.

*****

Got a nice bonus at work the other day. Came with a very positive review. Things have been a little stressed/nuts/tense around the ol' office lately, so it's nice to get a pat on the back and told how much you're appreciated from time to time. To me, that's more important than the actual bonus. But it was a really good bonus. The family and I are grateful.

*****

As far as the family goes, everyone is healthy and happy, thank God. Money has gotten a little tight here lately, which one would expect with three kids in diapers. We need to tighten the belt a bit for a while, but it could be much worse. Good timing on the bonus thing, huh?

*****

Okay, that's enough for now. It's show/auction week at work and it's one of the most taxing times of the year, so I'm pretty beat. I'll pick this up again this weekend (I hope) with the first of two or more Halloween movie blogs which I know you all look so forward to.

See ya then.

Oh, and happy birthday to Sammy Hagar. Have a shot for me, Sam.

My Daughter The Mimic

2010-09-30T22:59:00.003-05:00

I've told a few people these stories, but just in case you haven't heard them here you go.

Tessa is at the age where she repeats/processes/imitates much of what she hears. Most of the time I think I'm pretty good about what I say in front of her. Unless I'm tired or frustrated, then all bets are off.

Here's an example of unfortunate mimicking. One Wednesday I was home with all three kids. Patterson would not stop crying. Really, no matter what I tried it was over 45 minutes of crying-and the boy is loud. Needless to say my patience ran out, and I said to him "Patterson, please stop crying. Just shut up for five minutes." Not the usual tone I take with the kids, but again I said it to him, I didn't yell.

Well, maybe I should have yelled as Tessa heard me say it, and since I said it as calmly as possible, the phrase didn't raise any red flags for her. So a little later on it was nap time. I put her in her room, and the first thing she did was go to her stuffed turtle and say "Shut up Simon. No crying."

Ouch. Way to hurt a guy, Tessa. So then we had to have the whole conversation about how we don't say "shut up" and Daddy made a mistake and all that. So I've tried to be a little more intentional about saying things better, especially to the babies.

Her other mimic moment happened just a few weeks ago. It was early morning and I was trying to get Tessa up and out of bed. In true Brink fashion, she did not want to get out of bed. She was saying stuff like "No Daddy, don't wake me up." Even as I changed her diaper and changed her clothes she was saying "Quit waking me up." She resisted at all opportunities. She refused to move, making her body limp in an attempt to keep me from lifting her. She argued with everything I said, I've never heard the word "no" so many times in a row before.

Being a night person in the mornings is difficult. I'm tired when I wake, have little patience, and one or more things on me hurt. So obviously I lost it.

I picked the girl up and put her over my shoulder to go downstairs to breakfast. I can't remember exactly what I said, but I know that I was yelling at her about her behavior (and yelling at a child to behave is counter productive, I know, but how good are you at 5:30 a.m.)?
I remember yelling "We shouldn't have to do this, Tessa! You need to follow instructions and eat your cereal. Don't mess around in the mornings. I don't want to yell Tessa! I don't like having to do this first thing in the morning!!!"

Well, after breakfast we were getting her dressed for the day. Tessa has a game where she pretends to be a different person in the family and she assigns you another person to be. Sometimes she's Mommy, Melody is Tessa, Mommy is Dora the explorer and Daddy's Patterson. Vivid imagination on that one.

So she says to me "You Tessa and I be Daddy". Well, here's my chance to be a wiseacre. "I'm Tessa?" I asked. "Okay."

I put on my whiniest voice, "Don't wake me up Daddy. Quit waking me up."

She looked me in the face, called up the deepest voice she could muster and said "I don't wanna do this Tessa. I no like to yell Tessa!"

Damn, she got me. And I couldn't do a thing about it because she was right. And it was funny. And I deserved it. But it's still a little embarrassing.

Oh well, at least it's better than that time she yelled "cock" in the library. But only just.

Just Some Stuff

2010-09-26T22:23:00.002-05:00

A few random disconnected and disjointed thoughts floating around in my noggin.

-Rams won one today. Doesn't happen too often 'round these parts, so you gotta dig it when it does.

-Kings Of Leon did a make up show here in St. Louis the other night. I heard it was average at best, and kinda short. They also showed up at the Rams game today and were introduced over the P.A. and shown on the big screens. People booed. Made me happy.

- Last football thing: Donovan McNabb needs to put some weight back on. I've seen him play twice this year and it seems that getting skinny has thrown off his balance or something. He's just not himself-and I like the guy. Just, seriously, have some ding-dongs or something. The man looks friggin' gaunt.

-Drive By Truckers are in town on Saturday. Once again I'll be there, this time with Valerie, Derek and Dad all in tow. I finally e-mailed the web site about naming my son Patterson. Maybe there'll be a response (hopefully positive), and maybe not. Either way, I thought I should share.

-Valerie and I had our first official date last night, one with just the two of us, since the babies were born. That was nice, we should do it more often. Went to dinner and a movie. Saw "The Other Guys" with Will Ferrell. Decent flick, pretty funny and a little bit better story than I expected. The best thing about it though is that Michael Keaton is in it. Always good to see that guy pop up in something.
Movies, by the way, have gotten ridiculously expensive in the past year or so since we stopped going. Really makes you do your research before you go.

-Speaking of movies, it's almost October which means horror movies aplenty for me and a blog post for you coming soon.

-Woke up this morning with a charley horse. Leg still hurts, and stairs suck. This used to happen to Valerie a lot. Sorry I didn't take it more seriously.

-Tessa has learned to mock me. More on that next time.

-Only three months til Christmas.

-Haven't mentioned Melody yet so...Melody.

-Read a lot from the second "Bloom County" collection I mentioned here a while back. I read it just before bed with a glass of milk and a snack. Had to stop, started dreaming about Opus and Milo. That's nuts, and a little disturbing.

-I wake up with a different song in my head every day. Last week I had both "The Hustle"by whoever that's by, and "Mmm Mmm Mmm" by the Crash Test Dummies. You tell me which is worse. Mornings suck.

Awright, that's enough. I'll try to get back into the swing of things with this whole blog deal soon.

Long Time No Type

2010-09-17T22:40:00.002-05:00

Been a while since I posted anything here. No real reason, just been a little tired at night lately and haven't had the time. I'm here now though, and I suppose the best way to do this is to get random so let's go.

1. Jackie Joyner Kersey came into the store today. Kinda cool. she posed for pictures with people, and upon my telling her about Valerie's love of the Olympics offered to bring back an autographed picture. Nice lady and a class act. Also really tall.

2. My father is on a blues vacation right now, traveling through the Delta from Memphis to Tupelo. He's going to be visiting some cool sites and obviously hearing some good music. A big highlight will be the Robert Johnson museum (located at a crossroads, maybe?) and Stax records if he can fit it in. Sounds pretty cool. Hope he's having a great time.

3. In other family news, my second (?) cousin Ray died last week. I didn't really know him, but family is family. Condolences to all. Rest in peace Ray.

4. Also it appears that my Great Aunt Marguerite isn't doing well, so prayers for her.

5. In happier family news my brother Derek and I are going to be able to reveal the info about our newest band soon. New name, new presentation, some new songs. Same us. Well, three out of four ain't bad. Ha. Seriously though, I'm very excited about this whole thing and I think people will dig it. Watch this space for details.

That's it for now. Back soon.

Labor Day Round Up

2010-09-06T22:13:00.002-05:00

I'd mentioned before that I had lots of plans for Labor Day. I also have two twin babies. Therefore, not a lot got done. Here's what I did do, in no particular order.

1. Watched the MDA Telethon. Mostly. Actually, this was the first year in a long time that I slept through at least as much of it as I watched. Again, twins.

2. Got my hair cut. Severely. As promised, I'm conducting an experiment to see if I can get down to two haircuts a year. We'll see. When I cut my hair super short like this, I never fail to be surprised by how German I look. I tend to focus on my Irish heritage, but there's a strong German streak there as well, and right now you can really see it. I'm also still trying to get the beard to look right. When I first got it cut, the beard looked really long, and looked shaggy and unkempt. Not like terrorist levels or anything, but not good. The trouble is, when it gets too short it just looks pathetic. Oh well.

3. Went to the in laws on Saturday for a family get together. Played catch with the kids, by which I mean I caught them as they flew off the elevated slide in Granddad's back yard. Not as easy as it sounds, a little too late on my part and it's flat on the face and crying. We really had to enforce the taking turns rule to the point where I wound up scheduling the order. That was Tessa's fault-in her excitement she went down the slide too early-when I had just caught her cousin Abby, who wound up on her butt and was not happy about it. But she was okay, so it's all good. Also Melody peed on her Aunt, which she will never live down.

4. Went to Vintage Vinyl on Friday night with my brother. Did a little "crate digging" through the used L.P. section. Wound up with four records for ten bucks...not too shabby. It's probably a good thing I don't live very close to Vintage anymore or I'd do nothing but spend money there. Now if I'd only hook up that turntable in the basement I could play 'em. One of those things I meant to accomplish this weekend I'm afraid.

5. Spent time with the family. That's the best thing about actually having a normal weekend off for once. I already feel like I don't get enough family time some days so it's nice to have that. Sure, the kids can drive me crazy when they all act up simultaneously but there's more to it than that, fortunately. Apart from playing with Tessa at her Grandparent's house I took her shopping with me, did a little reading with her and made up some stories together at bed time. I was also able to connect a little more with the babies, even getting Melody to begin repeating sounds after me. So even though it's a lot of work having three kids and they take away a lot of my time and most of my energy, it's all worth it.

So all in all, a good weekend. Back at work tomorrow like the rest of you. Hope it goes well for us all.

Until next time, remember: Don't pick at it, you'll only make it worse.

Seriously...Give

2010-09-05T22:59:00.004-05:00

Hope your Labor Day weekend is going well, mine is. Hey, while I've got your attention, how's about we get serious for a few minutes, okay?

As I type this, the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon is on television. Actually, it's the local part, but you know what I mean. Look, we all know that the telethon is the biggest train wreck on t.v. We all cringe at the talent, laugh at the crap production, and long for the days when Lewis was intentionally funny as opposed to the hot mess he is now. And we've all been guilty of tuning out during the testimonials.

But we should be better than that. The tuning out part, I mean, that other stuff is okay. Why do we tune out the hard part? The whole point of the telethon is the stories we hear about the people whose lives are affected by Muscular Dystrophy every day. This is a disease that can and does strike anyone, anywhere, anytime. People's lives get turned upside down all the time. Parents lose their children. Children lose parents. Brothers and sisters are taken away. Slowly. Painfully. And there's still no cure.

That's uncomfortable and scary. And that's why we tune it all out. We, as a whole, don't like to watch that kind of stuff so we don't watch it, we don't think about it and we don't do anything about it. Again, we should be better than that.

Okay, fellow parents, this part's for you. Most of us are used to watching our kids grow stronger every day. We enjoy watching them grow up and become responsible citizens, and carry on as well rounded adults who will one day give us grandchildren and take care of us in our declining years. But what if that wasn't the case? What if our kids were getting weaker? What if we had to sell everything we had to keep them alive? What if we had to watch them die and we were powerless to stop it? Don't you think you'd want someone to listen to your story and help?

Or, how about this...what if you hit your mid fifties and suddenly begin to lose control of your speech and your muscles? What if it's your spouse? Try explaining to a small child that Mommy can't hold her kids anymore and she never will again.

See, MD, in any of its forms, doesn't care about you. It doesn't care how old you are, how rich you are, your gender, your race, if it's your birthday or Christmas or anything. It's not necessarily hereditary, and people don't cause it. If it wants to get you, it will. And there's still no cure.

Feeling scared yet? Feeling guilty yet? You should be. So give a little something why don't you? You don't have to give a lot, even a dollar is welcome. Hey, you see a firefighter throw fifty cents in his boot. Well, make sure he's part of the program and actually taking donations-don't just bum rush the dude. You get the point. Call in during the telethon, or go to http://www.mda.org and give a little something. You'll be doing a good thing and you'll feel good too.

Alright. You may now go back to your Labor Day celebration in whatever form it takes. I'll check back in soon with some lighter stuff. Good night and God bless.

Choppy

2010-08-29T21:57:00.002-05:00

The following will be a very choppy and stream-of consciousness type post. Sorry.

So last week we got the twins dedicated at church. The babies did well at the ceremony, nobody cried, everyone stayed awake, it was all good. Pastor Mike dedicated Melody, and Pastor Keith dedicated Patterson. We had Tessa on stage with us, and she was pretty good too. Melody went first, and Tessa was okay with that, but when Keith started with Patterson she got a little upset. "Give him back. Give him back." Very protective, that girl. Fortunately she didn't say it loud enough for anyone to hear her and once she realized that Keith wasn't going to keep Patterson she was fine. In fact, after a while I had to hold her back from getting back up on stage with other families. Wonder where she gets that stage thing from? Hmmm....

Anyway, it was a good ceremony and I'm glad we did it. This is the first step in getting the kids on the right track as far as their spiritual journey goes. So far we've done pretty well with Tessa, she loves going to her Sunday school class, she sings the songs, she prays at dinner and, though I'm sure she doesn't quite understand yet, she knows the terminology and that Jesus is her friend and God loves her. Pretty good for two years old. We may not be perfect in the religion department, but we try to point our kids the right way, and try to get a little better ourselves one day, week, sermon at a time.

Speaking of Pastor Keith Scarborough, he is leaving our church to start a new church plant in the Shaw neighborhood downtown. Keith is a good, genuine guy and has enriched our lives through his sermons and presence at Morning Star church. His attitude and sense of humor are some of the reasons I was drawn to this church to begin with. He will be missed, but I'm sure he will find success in his new church. I'm going to try to attend and possibly volunteer once they open in January, but we'll see what form that may take. Anyway, like I said, Keith's a stand-up guy, so give him a prayer if you're so inclined.

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This coming weekend is Labor Day, and all that entails. More on that later, but I'll mention now that I actually have all three days off this year. Doesn't happen much so I'm excited. Among the plans I'm making for the weekend is getting a hair cut. The plan now is to get on the twice-a-year plan. So I'll be getting a cut on Labor Day and St. Patrick's Day each year. Partially because it's easy to remember, but also because it might make for some funny cuts in March after celebrating all day. But, once again, that's the plan now. We'll see what happens when I get in the chair, I may wuss out and not go that short. It also may not work depending on how short I go and how quick the hair grows, but I'm going to try it. So if I look like a total freak for a while, you know why.

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I've been watching Man V. Food all night. I kinda feel full, and really want a steak. Weird.

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Funny thing from work.

I work with a guy named Norm (and I only use his real name because a.)this is funny and b.) I'm pretty sure he would want credit for the line. Anyway, the thing about Norm is that he's not afraid to tell you when he doesn't like doing something, even if you're the customer. So the other day a customer walks in with a book of stamps, and Norm is, reluctantly, the stamp guy.

Norm: Welcome, may I help you?

Customer: I have a book of stamps with me that have been sitting in my parent's house and haven't seen the light of day for fifty years.

Norm: Jesus, I wish you'd have said "seventy", 'cause that would be twenty years from now.

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So that's about it lately. Been playing with my new iTouch a bit, that's fun. Listening to a lot of Rush and the new Iron Maiden CD, "The Final Frontier". About 4 out of 5 Daves for those who care-the first half is very good, and three of the others are top notch as well, and the whole thing is leaps and bounds ahead of the last record, so I like it. There's your quick review. Probably my quickest ever. Neat. Also still working with my brother on getting the next version of our band together. More on that story as it develops.

Alright, see you all soon. And remember kids, if you don't eat your meat you can't have any pudding. (How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?)

Rush in STL

2010-08-23T22:02:00.003-05:00

"So this is where that pigeon thing happened, right? Well I just want to let you know...No matter how many pigeons shit on him (gestures towards Alex) we're not gonna stop.-Geddy Lee 8/22/10 St. Louis MO.

Last night I went to the Rush concert here in St. Louis with my brother Derek and good friend Tim. Also found out another old friend Jim was there too, he called me tonight to see if I'd gone and we caught up a bit which was nice. Anyway, this was my 11th rush show and, though not my favorite, certainly among the best.

In an unusual move, the band is touring without a new CD, although they did play two new songs to whet the appetite of the loyal fan base for next year's new release. So with little new material to focus on, Rush freed themselves up to play whatever they wanted from their 30+years in the business. The tour's name and concept is "The Time Machine", a clever way to mix songs of the present past and future into an entertaining package.

As always, the band were firing on all cylinders last night, proving themselves to be consummate musicians, and making it all look easy. Geddy Lee (bassist, keyboards and vocalist) was in top form. Though his voice is beginning to show its age (can't quite hit all those high notes anymore), it is still quite strong, and his skills as a player are still phenomenal. A very energetic performance from Geddy as well. And then, of course, there is the man widely believed to be the greatest drummer in the world, Neil Peart. Even on a night when Neil's not 100% he's still better than just about anybody else out there. This is arguably the best rhythm section in all of rock (only Baker/Bruce and Entwhistle/Moon come anywhere close).

This leaves the other member of the band, Alex Lifeson is often overshadowed by his band mates, making him one of the most underrated guitarists ever. Alex isn't your standard shredder, but he plays with a lot of heart, and is more about feel and texture than multiple rapid notes. However, when he does let loose it's absolutely fantastic, as anyone who witnessed his solo on show ender "Working Man" last night will confirm.

As for the show, the focus was on Rush's most popular album "Moving Pictures" which they performed front to back. Every song on that record can be considered a classic (even the ones I'm not crazy about). Though for me, the real treats were in the first set when the band played little heard and overlooked gems "Presto", one of my personal faves, and "Marathon". It was also nice to see some songs return to the set that had been given a rest for the past few tours like "Time Stand Siill", "Closer To The Heart" and "Stick It Out". I did think the first set could have flowed a little better, but the songs were all good ones, so no real complaint there.

Visually, this tour is stunning as always. They may have gotten rid of the lasers but the lights, pyro, fire and video all added their own special magic to the evening. Speaking of video, these pieces are getting more and more involved and elaborate each tour. Rush have used video projections for years, but now with two sets a night, they are taking full advantage of the medium. They are even going so far as to make goofy little movies starring the band as different characters, giving the boys a chance to ham it up a little. Sure, it;s kinda silly and they could probably do away with them and play another song or two. But these silly movies make the evening a little more special, and tend to make the audience feel more connected to the band-and that connection is what this whole music thing's about right?

Other than a few sound problems first set (overly tinny, a few slight drop outs) this show was about as close to perfect as you can get. Rush is still one of the best bands going. Can't wait for the new CD and the 2011 tour.

P.S.- To those expecting a dedication post, I'll cover it next time.
-Dave

My All Time Favorite

2010-08-15T17:09:00.003-05:00

I have done three different drafts of a new post this week and haven't been happy with any of them. Stink city, man. So I've decided to scrap it entirely and share with you my all time favorite commercial instead. Enjoy!

An Open Letter To Missouri Voters

2010-08-04T22:15:00.004-05:00

Dear Missouri voters,

I have always been a proud Missourian. I have defended this state to those who want to write it off as being second rate in regards to its culture and its citizens. I have long sung praises of the beauty of our state. The wildlife, rivers and scenic areas are among the best in the country. It is clear to even the most casual of observers that Missouri is a great sports state. We have top notch Universities and hospitals, and our contributions to the arts are many and varied. I have always felt it an honor and my privilege to call myself a citizen of the state of Missouri.

But no more.

While I can't pretend I am surprised, I am deeply saddened and angered by the approval of Proposition C. The fact that it passed by such an overwhelmingly large number is just alarming. Embarrassing, actually. I am dismayed to know that there are that many selfish, backward, uneducated people in our midst.

As mentioned in my last post, the approval of Prop. C sends the message that we Missourians wouldn't know progress if it came up and bit us. But beyond that, it's just hard for me to believe that there are so many calloused, insensitive and heartless people out there who would deny helping their fellow man. For a party who claims to be the choice of Christianity, the Republicans have really dropped the ball here. I have no problem seeing my money go towards helping other people, but that seems to be what it boils down to for the other side. It just goes to prove the stereotype that all Republicans care about is money. Their own money, not yours or mine. And to see Roy Blunt on television claiming this victory to be the first step in securing freedom for future generations...well, it just made me sick. I actually yelled at the television and suggested he dine on something very rude indeed.

Now, you may be wondering why this upsets me so. Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with party loyalty. In fact, the Democrats have passed an incredibly stupid tax law which we'll explore at a later date. My reasoning for supporting national health care is simple. I believe it makes sense, and I am directly affected. I have a lump in my lung that, thank God, has not tested to be cancerous. But it needs to be monitored just in case. Which means it could turn cancerous at some point. It's unlikely but it could happen. The problem is that due to my job, my insurance has changed three times in five years. "Lumpy" is now a pre-existing condition and not covered by any insurance. Therefore, if I am to continue with the tests that my doctor ordered I have to pay for them myself. I don't know about you, but I don't have $3000.00 every third month to get the tests done. Nationalized health care is my only hope. So this is not just another issue to argue about for me. It's personal.

So, yeah, I'm angry with my fellow Missourians, but this is just the last straw. I've put up with the personal property tax, exclusive to this state. I have lived with the concealed carry law though it makes me uncomfortable. Most of the gun owners I know are fairly responsible, but I'm still a little nervous, even around them. And now people are trying to deny me cancer tests. It's just about as much idiocy as I can take.

The only upside I see is that federal law trumps state law, and there's barely a snowball's chance for this cockamamie idea to succeed. If it does...well, in a few years my family and I are going to need to move to a bigger house in a less expensive neighborhood, and Illinois may well be in the running.

Regretfully yours,
Dave

P.S. I have altered some settings on my blog, and it should be easier to comment now. Bring it.

P.P.S. I promise to return to all the family stuff and general goofiness next time.

Late Post/Pre Primary

2010-08-02T22:49:00.003-05:00

I meant to put this up yesterday, but didn't finish in time. Better late than never though, right?

So tomorrow (or today, whenever you read this) is the Primary election. Apart from the local races, the main issue on the ballot here in Missouri is Proposition C. For those who may still be unfamiliar, if this thing passes (which, sadly, I believe it will) Missourians will be allowed to opt out of National health care. Sounds vaguely harmless on the surface, but let's take a closer look.

First of all, anyone who thinks they're voting against the National health care bill ( I refuse to call it "Obamacare"-how insulting. This idea dated back to Teddy Roosevelt, you know.). If you think that's what's happening here, you're barking up the wrong tree.

As it stands now, the proposition would allow individuals not to participate in the National health care program, which is only a step away from the entire state not participating. I really think that's the real goal here. The supporters of Prop. C want to be able to say after the elections that their victory proves that the state doesn't want to be included in the health care program. They will then begin the process of opting out entirely. And that's where it gets dangerous.

You see, the real issue these people are putting forth is state rights vs. national rights. Now, we all know that Federal law trumps State law, but with enough appeals there can be exceptions. That, my friends, is what we call bad news. It's also embarrassing as it makes our state look like backwards hicks who wouldn't know progress if it came up and bit us.

But here's the really scary thing...it's not just Missouri. There are I believe ten other states trying to get around National health care as well. You know, the last time a bunch of states got a bug up their butts and decided that they weren't going to follow Federal laws a little thing called the "War Between the States" broke out. That's right folks, the good ol' Civil War (a true oxymoron if there ever was one).

Okay, it sounds a bit absurd, but don't be so quick to laugh. The divides in this country are growing deeper. The line between the haves and have-nots is getting wider. Politics are tearing apart our society. Tensions have not been so high since the Sixties (Kent State, anyone?), it's getting to the point where it's almost impossible to have a discussion with someone from the other side without it degenerating into a shouting match strewn with insults. Most people can't form a political opinion on their own, they need the yakkin' heads from Fox News or CNN or wherever to do it for them. Racism is just as prevalent as ever, and in my eyes seems to be getting worse (Hi Arizona!). And all this without even taking the Teabaggers into consideration. It's getting bleak out there, folks.

You know, I've actually been hearing talk from overseas for years now about the civil war they believe is brewing in this country. Well, I watch BBC World News a lot, whaddya want? Anyway, I'm beginning to think they might be right. I mean, there's been a lot of civil wars throughout history, we're just such a baby country we've only had one and don't see the signs. I always thought that if we had another civil war it'd be based on race, or maybe class, but maybe it'll be purely political. I don't know.

All right, I realise that this got a little nuts and far-fetched, but it's something to think about.

Okay, bottom line time. Apart from the whole State/Fed thing, voting for Proposition C is just plain irresponsible. National health care is law, it will happen. Choosing to opt out is cowardly and shameful...either we're all in or we're all out. And keep in mind, Proposition C has been brought to you by the Conservatives. You know, the "America...Love It Or Leave It" crowd. Apparently they're not loving it right now, so by their own logic...well, I'm just sayin'.

Keep all this in mind, but remember it's just my opinion. Vote your heart, vote your conscience. Just vote. It's the right thing to do no matter which side you're on.

God bless America.

Kings Of Lame

2010-07-26T21:15:00.003-05:00

So by now most everyone knows about the debacle over the weekend at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. Kings Of Leon performed three songs of their set and abruptly walked off stage. The official reason given was that the band felt the conditions were too unsanitary to continue. Apparently there are currently pigeons living up in the rafters and one of them pooped in the bass player's mouth. Maybe the bird just thought the band sucked, I don't know. But I do know a lame excuse when I hear one. I call shenanigans.

First of all, I've never seen any other band stop a show on account of bird poop. If you play outside, you take that risk. You risk bugs flying into your mouth, right? So it's not a big leap to bird poop. And it's not like this is the first person who's had this happen. Most famously, Cyndi Lauper got a mouthful at an outdoor show...and she kept singing. She finished the show. So the bass player from KOL gets hit and can't continue? What, no Listerine backstage? Wash it out, man up and get back out there.

Oh, and stop blaming the venue. Hey, it's my home venue and I hate it as much as anyone. Yet I don't blame them for nature. They can only do so much to control the birds, it's illegal in most places to spread poison or shoot 'em, so the venue has to do what it can in other ways. Blaming the venue for pigeons is just as dumb as blaming them for wind, rain, or temperature change. Hey, if the concert was cancelled due to rain, because equipment was shorting out and the risk of being electrocuted was high, most people wouldn't complain. But that's not what this is.

Another possible reason sighted for the cancellation was the heat. You remember I mentioned the stifling heat a week before in Chicago at the Iron Maiden concert. Apparently it was the same story here, as on the very same night Mike Campbell from Tom Petty's band suffered heat related illness. He is reported to have played the last three songs of the main set sitting down. There was a rather long pause in the show, and Petty himself came out to tell the crowd that Campbell was ill but to hand in there and they'd try to do some more. Ten minutes later, Campbell, Petty and company came back out for what was by all accounts a high energy rocking encore. So, um, I'm guessing the heat wasn't it.

So I've deduced two things from this whole situation. Neither of these excuses hold much water. Granted, no-one wants to be pooped on, and I certainly wouldn't wish it on anyone, but c'mon. This sounds to me like a band who didn't want to put on a show that night so they found an excuse not to perform. Very W. Axl Rose, but that's not a compliment. This also illustrates how lame rock fans have become...when Axl walked off stage there were riots, now people just wait for their refund...but that's a different story.

The other logical conclusion is that Kings Of Leon are a bunch of wussies. Dudes, Cyndi Lauper and Tom Petty's guitar player are both tougher than you. That is so not cool, and I like those two artists. But come on, you're one of the biggest rock band out there. Earn it. Look, I enjoyed the latest KOL album, and liked their first two even more, Aha Shake Heartbreak particularly. So I've got no real problem with them musically (they could be a little less dirty, but whatever).

I just think that a rock band should act like one. You've embarrassed yourself here guys, by acting like Diva rock stars instead of the dirty, groove laden, sex and party rockers you've made yourself out to be. You've killed the image. The music stinks of grit and sweat...but this act stinks of dishonesty. And that smells worse than pigeon poop any day.

Wow, I didn't even go to this show and I'm this ticked off about it. I also spent way too much time on it, I was going to touch on a few more things in this post, but I guess they'll wait for next time. See you all soon.

Non-Reading List

2010-07-23T22:47:00.003-05:00

Last post I mentioned that I received a new graphic novel for my birthday, and would read and review it soon. That is, assuming I finish it. I've had a habit lately of starting books and never finishing them. We all have that experience of course, but it's happened with almost everything I've tried reading this past year. I think the only book I actually finished was "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess, but it's short so that might be why. Not having ever seen the movie (just a few scenes and pop culture references) it was a difficult read, the slang that seems fairly straightforward on film is hard to decipher in print. Then when I did work out what's being said...well, I sometimes wished I didn't as it's usually quite nasty. I understand the movie leaves out the entire last chapter, as did the original American book release, so fans of the film would be advised to seek it out as it pretty much puts a whole different perspective on the work as a whole.

But I digress. The point is I currently have three books on my nightstand in varying degrees of completion. I hope to finish at least two of them someday soon. Say, this year. Here is a list of the books and my reasons/excuses for not finishing them.

1. "And Another Thing" by Eoin Colfer

This is an attempt to keep the "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" series going after the author, Douglas Adams, died. Mr. Colfer was a friend of the late author, and does have a similar writing style. The problem here is that he's trying too hard. There are some interesting ideas and some decent laughs, but there are problems too. The technical stuff, for example, is too technical and lost me. There was always a little bit of that in the original series, but here it's too much. Also, of the aforementioned good ideas, there are too many. Way too much going on here. It's nice to have some sub-plots and bring back beloved minor characters but this is overkill. I do want to read it to the end but my patience is waning.

2. "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller

I know, it's a classic. But see, I have this weird thing about books where I actually want something to HAPPEN. I'm about halfway through, and so far it's just been descriptions of enlisted men being driven crazy by war, and the certifiable idiot nut-bags who put them there. Quite a revolutionary idea for a book when first published, but now it just tells us what we already know. It has been quite funny, I'll grant you, but I'm yearning for a story here, and there are way too many characters involved-I have no idea who's supposed to be important and who's just in the book to provide comic fodder for a few set pieces. Maybe I just haven't read far enough, but it's just becoming tedious. I never saw the movie here either, so no comparison to be made there. But since there is a movie something's bound to happen, right? I mean, they don't make movies with no plot...well, "Lost In Translation" but otherwise...

3. "Watchmen" by Alan Moore

Okay, this I like and am not disappointed by in the least. It's just that this thing is so dense. It's the weightiest graphic novel ever published. Calling it a graphic novel is limiting, though. The scope is far bigger than your average comic, and after every chapter there are multiple pages of text. The film, though great in it's own way, doesn't do justice to the source material, even as faithful as it is. It couldn't. So I'm very interested in it, but it's really a chore to read-though I mean that in a good way. The book requires commitment as there are so many layers. I literally feel tired after each chapter, though no less intrigued. Plus I want to know what the deal is with that squid.

So that's where I'm at with reading stuff. Not sure if anybody cares or not, but there you go.

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On a completely unrelated note, look for a posting soon about a new tax law that has the potential to cripple the business I'm in (probably won't, but could). I don't quite have enough information to mention much now, therefore it would be irresponsible of me to do so.

I'm actually thinking about starting up a separate blog dealing with social/political issues where I can rant freely about what's going on in the news and how it affects my life...and yours too. So maybe that post I referred to will show up in a new thing. Haven't got a title for it yet or a clear direction, but it's something I've been working on for a while now. Then I can have two blogs, and maybe more than eight people will start reading my stuff. I'll keep you posted.

Stay thirsty my friends.

Birthday Weekend

2010-07-21T20:59:00.002-05:00

This post is a little late, but this is the first chance I've had to sit and type.

Last weekend was my birthday weekend. The celebration was two fold.

Saturday night we had the entire family (both sides) out to the house for some grilled meats, cake, ice cream and good old fashioned family bonding. So basically we ate a lot and passed babies around. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, which is a nice compliment for yours truly. It was made known that I'm saving up for an ipod itouch, and donations would be appreciated. The gifts received were generous. Also got a graphic novel from my sister in law Elizabeth which I haven't read yet but will review here as soon as I get it done.

Then on Sunday (my actual birthday), I went on a road trip to Chicago with my brother to see the mighty Iron Maiden in concert. I've been a fan of the band since I was in 5th grade, 1983. My first Maiden concert was in 1988 (how'd that take so long?) and they are one of those bands that I'll see any chance I get, and I will buy any new release of theirs with no hesitation. Actually, I will buy pretty much anything with the words "Iron" and "Maiden" on it. Over the years I've had at least 12 t-shirts, multiple posters, at least 2 hats, a wallet, a jacket, buttons, books, and of course all of their albums on LP, cassette, CD and I even a downloaded song (something I almost never do). Iron Maiden is one of those bands that inspire fierce loyalty in their fans. Either you get it or you don't and it's okay if you don't. It just adds to our enjoyment.

So to see one of my all time favorite bands on my birthday was pretty cool. Although the weather was really hot. I mean, like, unbearably so, and I like hot Summer days. I don't even mind humidity...but this was just nuts. It was hot and sticky in the late afternoon/early evening, and when the sun went down, it got worse. As much as I love Maiden, about halfway through the show I just wanted to sit down and stop for a while. I couldn't help but notice that the band took slightly longer breaks in between songs as well, which meant singer Bruce Dickinson got to ramble on about whatever the hell it was he was talking about, I'm still not sure. I think the guys just needed to cool off for a few minutes.

The heat did nothing to decrease the performances, however. The band has just as much power and passion as they've ever had. In fact, I believe they sound better now than ever. These guys are full of energy as well. Dickinson, for example, is 51 and leaps about the stage, jumping all over the ramps and risers with an energy that rivals that of entertainers in their twenties. Steve Harris (bass) was all over the stage as well, and the rest of the band were all on top of their game.

Many have commented that the set list for this tour is too heavy on the newer material. Granted, it would have been great to hear some more of the classics, but the newer material is still top notch, and when delivered as well as it was, it's hard to argue with the decision. As with any band, every fan has songs they want to hear, and if I had my druthers I probably would have dropped two or three for some older songs as well. But I give credit to the band for sticking to their guns and doing sop much new stuff. Again, lots of old school fans are complaining, but as a fellow fan, I can't in good conscience do the same. I still follow the band, and am familiar with all the songs, because that's what a fan does. Otherwise, you're just a poser, and there's no room in my world for that.

One other brief point (too late!), the fan base for Iron Maiden seems to be getting steadily younger. I noticed lots of young teenagers at the show, at least 10 of them in the rows behind and in front of us. Youngsters rocking out next to receding hairlines and beer guts. That's pretty cool.

As for the rest of the trip, we stayed at a fairly nice Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Tinley Park. We ate at Rosie's diner just outside of Mokena Il. and had some really good hot dogs in a cool little neighborhood diner. The pickle made the dog. On the way back we saw pigs in a truck, an antique mall with a bunch of crazy crap on the lawn (pink elephant + spaceship = awesome), and laughed out loud about the Senator Paul Simon Freeway sign-it has a bow tie! A little rain and a little construction, but we made good time.

So, all in all, a great weekend. I got a little dehydrated at the show, my feet hurt for two days and I came home tired but it was all worth it. Thanks to everyone who came to the party. Thanks to my brother Derek for coming along. Big thanks to Valerie for letting me go and staying back with the twins. You're the best.

Up The Irons!

P.S.: Also on the bill was prog-metal band Dream Theater. One of my favorites from the early 90's, I stopped following them around 2003 or so, because I felt the material was getting weaker. Really good set though, makes me think I should check out some of what I missed.

Checking In

2010-07-05T20:08:00.004-05:00

Wow, can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. Sorry. I've been super-busy and super tired which is not the greatest of combinations. Now let's catch up.

So yesterday was the 4th of July. We played "Stranglehold" til the stereo couldn't take no more of that rock and roll so we put on a little George Jones and just sang along. Shooter Jennings reference. Sounded cool though, didn't it?

Actually I had a really relaxed Fourth. After church the babies went to sleep and Valerie got to go run some errands by herself, which is a luxury these days. I stayed in the basement all afternoon watching the new documentary DVD on awesome Canadian band Rush, and finishing up another difficult to take movie by Brazilian director Mojica Martens. I mentioned his movies in the last post and while I still can't recommend them, I am strangely drawn to them, though fairly repulsed as well. Anyway, after all that, I decided to actually do something fairly patriotic (and St. Louis specific) and grilled us up some pork steaks. Mmm-mmm. That's good eatin'. Then we watched some fireworks from the window at our back porch (we can see like three different displays from there), and called it an early night.

Last Wednesday Valerie and I took Tessa for her first trip to the zoo. Overall, we had a really good time. There were a few temper moments, but she's two so that's forgivable. Tessa loved the children's zoo (natch), where she got to brush the baby goats...and a really big one, too. She had fun on the carousel, watching the penguins, seeing the elephants and hippos, and of course, riding the zooline railroad. There were a few moments that bothered her, mostly walking into dark exhibits. I had to carry her into the penguin house ("I scared, Daddy.), but once she saw those goofy little guys splash in the water she couldn't get enough. Tessa also clung tight to Daddy in the tunnels during our train ride, but she enjoyed it. Unfortunately we weren't able to see all of the animals-we had to leave about 1:00 for nap time. So the giraffes, monkeys and crocodiles will have to wait until next time.

So, what else? Let's see, my brother and I have begun dipping our toes into the waters of being a band again. We've only had one rehearsal going over the Blue Tattoo stuff, but it sounded pretty good. We're still a little ways from figuring out where to take things next, but a few more rehearsals/meetings should help things along. Things could get exciting again soon. Watch this space.

I guess the only other major thing that happened was Father's Day. I got my cake, as well as some books. One was "The Barbecue Bible" by Steven Raichlen is basically a giant recipe book with some good ideas from across the globe. A little too involved for my tastes-I like simplicity on the grill, but still interesting and with some good information that should keep me inspired and grilling for some time.

I also got the first two volumes of "The Complete Bloom County" by Berke Breathed. "Bloom County" was my favorite comic strip during its run. I've really missed it since it went away. Not for its political stance-that stuff gets dated. In fact, there are notes in the side columns of the books to explain who some of the people referenced in the strip are. Contrary to popular belief Bloom county wasn't really a liberal strip-it was satire and during the 80's conservatives were in power so that's what got spoofed. But the strip also poked fun at the media and culture of the time. Every fad and social trend worth its weight, from Heavy Metal bands to T.V. Evangelists to yuppies and plastic surgery was sent up in Bloom County. Sure, the dialogue was biting and the tone sometimes dark. Yet there was also an essential sweetness to the strip, an innocence and optimism found in characters like Opus and Binkley that seemed to ground the strip and make the reader feel that, anxiety closets filled or not, somehow we'll all get through this mess all right. Many of these qualities really came through in the later years, but it's fun reading the early stuff just the same. Sorry to ramble about a friggin' cartoon but reading this stuff is kind of like getting a letter from an old friend. That's what good art can do for you. Even if it's about a talking penguin and a cat who barfs a lot.

Alright, gotta go. Need to get some sleep. See ya real soon.

Just Keeping Myself Entertained

2010-06-23T18:23:00.004-05:00

Trying a new template for the ol' blog. Should be a little easier on the eyes, hope you like it. Now here's a few thoughts floating around my noggin. In list form.

1. Been watching the World Cup, and following Team USA. It's been a heckuva ride the last few games. Today's was super important as it was do or die time-either we go through to the first round of finals or go home. After yet another disallowed goal early in the game, it appeared as though we may go home as our main competitor, England, was leading in their match 1-0. If they won and we lost we'd go bye-bye. So the pressure and play continued with many goal attempts slipping through our hands...er, feet. So, in the four minutes of additional play, the winning goal was scored in a moment of pure joy for the US and their supporters. One of the best games I've seen for a long time and a good argument for soccer in a country that has never really embraced it.

Also, it was more exciting than the past 3 Rams seasons combined, so yay.

2. I've been listening to a lot of Rockabilly music the last few days. I mean, like an inordinate amount. Enough to wonder what I'd look like with a pompadour. The answer, of course, is like crap. Besides probably not having the hair for it, I'm not getting rid of the beard. And beards don't mix with pomps. Occasionally you'll see it, but it's never good. Yeesh.

Still, lots of good music though. Rockabilly, for those who might not know the term, is a distinctly American art form, created in the American South in the mid-late 50's. It's a blend of rock and roll, country, blues, hillbilly and R&B music by a bunch of troublemaker white youth with lots of time on their hands and little money in their pocket. Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash all played rockabilly in their early careers. Other names you may know are Gene Vincent, Wanda Jackson (she rules!) and Eddie Cochran. The tradition survives with artists like Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats, The Reverend Horton Heat, and to a lesser extent Social Distortion. There is also the "Psychobilly" movement featuring bands like The Cramps, Tiger Army, Horrorprops and Sick City Daggers which combines the music form with punk rock and Gothic, horror movie lyrics, often graphic ones at that. I'm not 100% sure where this offshoot came from or why, but it can be fun if you're in the right mood.

I've come to like Rockabilly a lot in the last 5 years or so. and always thought we should throw in a little bit of that flavor into Blue Tattoo. With the previous line up it would've been hard, but it would have fit in with my original ideas for the band quite well.

3.Speaking of Blue Tattoo, my brother and I are just beginning to try and figure out what the next step will be. Obviously I've had some settling in to do with the twins, but it's about time we addressed the issue. Not sure if we'll reform the band with new guys and the same name or if we'll just do a Brink Brothers project or what. Anyway, I hope we'll start something here over the summer, so stay tuned.

4. I forgot how much I like cherries. Had some the other day-delicious.

5. June is "Grindhouse" month on IFC cable. No, they're not showing the Tarantino/Rodriguez film from a few years ago all month long (most people completely misunderstood that by the way, which is too bad 'cause it was awesome). What it means is they're showing lots of low budget movies from the late 60s-early 80s, also known as exploitation films. Most of them were made on a shoestring budget by the same pool of directors and talent(?), they made several a year in almost assembly line fashion for the drive ins and seedy small movie houses. In other words, they would grind them out, hence the name.

Most of these films tended to be horror, though there were a lot of motorcycle gang pictures, car chase films, drug based movies and sexual driven movies as well. Sometimes, it was all of these in one. They were trashy, silly, funny, scary, disgusting, often torturous to sit through...and I love them. Some of the most incredible things ever put on film were in these pictures. It's not stuff you'd necessarily discuss in front of your grandma, or the in-laws (hi there!), but if you're just warped enough...and I am...they can be the most fun you'll ever have at the movies.

Having said that, IFC is currently running a series of Brazilian director Jose Marines's movies. Last night's film was a horror/ sexploitaton/ drugsploitation/ pseudodocumentary in Portugese with English subtitles, and a poor translation at that. It made my brain hurt. I do not recommend these films to anyone. There's another one on tonight. At midnight. And that, friends, is why God made DV-Rs. Because I'm crazy enough to submit myself to this drivel. You shouldn't. Don't be a hero, just watch "Raymond" reruns and go to bed. Your brain will thank me.

Okay, that's it, I've rambled too long about nothing as is. Next time I'll try to have a point. But don't bet on it. See ya, hep cats! ...What?

More Ramblin'

2010-06-17T22:01:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I've been telling people for the last few weeks that having twins isn't necessarily harder than one...it's just that there are two of them.

I hereby retract that statement.

Having two babies is harder than one. Much harder. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and wouldn't trade them for the world...but it ain't easy.

Some of the difficulty is just the impact it makes upon your time. Throughout the day, the babies need to eat about every three hours or so. After the feeding, some play time and getting them back to sleep it's only about an hour or so with the kids asleep. If, that is, they sleep. These children seem to have it in their heads that they don't need to sleep, so since they're awake they might as well eat. Then they eat too much and puke.

Overnights are hard too. Any time a person sleeps in shifts it's difficult. On a good night, and there have been some, the twins go to sleep around 11:00, wake up about 1:30 and feed for an hour, then are back up at 5:30/6:00 for the day. On a bad night, and there have been some, the schedule goes right out of the window. Just a few days ago they woke up at 2:30. Patterson was asleep by 3:00. Melody cried and screamed and stayed awake until 5:30. That's all A.M., people.

If we're lucky only one is awake at a time. Often, though, both babies are awake at the same time. And they both want to be held. They want to eat. They need to be changed. All at the same time. And they will tell you this, oh yes. At the top of their lungs they will tell you, and for such little people they have huge voices (especially Patterson...he's got a future in hardcore metal/punk once his voice changes).

And that's when it happens. Sleep deprivation has set in, two babies are screaming in your ears and you're trying to satisfy them both, they've conveniently waited until you're on your own, the phone is ringing and the dog needs to go out. You've tried the binkies, the swing, the pack-n-play, the vibrating chair, singing, nothing works. Then you snap a little. Just a little, but enough.

I was literally holding my babies, saying comforting things, while screaming back at them. "YOU'RE FINE!!! THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU! YOU'RE NOT STARVING! NOW TAKE THE BINKY AND STOP CRYING!!! Daddy loves you."

Which, of course, works about as well as putting a band-aid over the gushing oil in the Gulf.

Speaking of, I guess this disaster closes the book on the whole offshore drilling debate, right?

Oh, and by the way, anybody out there who is boycotting BP has got the wrong idea. Well, the idea is okay but it's a flawed one. First of all, most BP stations are franchised and not actually owned by BP. This is especially true in Missouri where none of the BP stations are owned by BP, and their product doesn't come from BP wells. However, such is the convoluted nature of the oil business, other filling stations do use BP oil, so you could go to a Shell or QT or whatever, and still give BP your money.

Also, BP has accepted responsibility and set up a fund to help pay claims of affected families and businesses. If we stop giving them money they will run out of money (they're going to be hemorrhaging it soon with all this). So if they don't pay for it we will. So buy your gas wherever and just pray that this comes to an end quickly.

One more thing, I like that Obama said on national T.V. that he was going to kick somone's ass over this. I'd like to think John Wayne would have said the same thing. That's just a neat thought.

Alright, it's time to feed the kids and practice my vuvuzela. Bye.

Ramblin' on and on

2010-06-06T14:22:00.002-05:00

Haven't posted for a while so here's a bunch of stuff from my head to your eyes. No real rhyme or reason to this, just getting stuff down.

So the babies are home. It's been going pretty well, all things considered. They both have a little sickness, especially Melody with her double ear infection. Otherwise lots of sleeping, crying and pooping. Actually, the sleeping isn't quite where it needs to be. We're still trying to get the kids down to one feeding overnight, they currently get to bed about 11 and wake up at 2 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., or thereabouts. One of those has got to go-preferably the latter. At least they're basically on the same schedule, so it could be worse.

I'm currently watching a special on channel 9 on the "Great American Songbook". They just sang the song "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody". Caught my attention, but Melody slept through it. Earlier I watched a documentary on axes. Sunday T.V. is weird.

Valerie is looking quite good lately-giving birth is a fantastic weight loss program. I need to lose a lot of weight too. My lunch today was a braunschweiger and provolone sandwich with a side of Chips Ahoy. So I've clearly stopped caring what I put into my body, therefore the weight loss thing is a good idea. Too bad I hate exercise. Sooner or later I'll have to start chasing 3 kids around, I wonder if that counts.

Bought some new music recently. Here's some quick thoughts.

Stone Temple Pilots-self titled.
STP's first release in almost 10 years. Sounds good, great performances. Good songs, but not necessarily memorable ones. Scott Wieland's voice is chameleonic as ever-he does a great Bowie. It's been in constant rotation since I got it. Worth having, and grows on you a little each time you hear it. 4 out of 5 Daves.

Hank Williams III-The Rebel Within
I want to like this, I really do. There are some really good country songs here. So why does it put me to sleep? Seriously, I can't listen to this while I drive. This CD is the sound of a musician going through the motions. Not with the writing, but the performances. Everyone involved sounds like they were on quaaludes. Also, the metal screaming thing shows up here once or twice, and while it's worked for him in the past it sounds out of place here. This was made for i-tunes as the songs aren't bad, but the overall package is a bummer. 2 1/2 Daves.

The Black Keys-Brothers
The Black Keys play music that combines delta blues, indie rock, R&B and pop all while sounding as if they're playing through six inches of mud. Oh, and there are only two guys in the band, so this is what the White Stripes would sound like if they didn't suck. Early contender for CD of the year, the only real flaw is it's a little too long, and there's some goofy falsetto on a few songs. 4/12 Daves.

Speaking of goofy, Patterson gets this big dumb goofy grin on his face when he is content. It's funny and super cute. The babies are starting to get personalities and we are starting to see them come out in little ways. Melody still mostly screams and Patterson still mostly sleeps but they're getting there.

Sorry for rambling. Sorry if this was awful but it's all I've got right now. Be good, be safe, and don't let the zombies get ya.

Finally...The Twins Blog Post

2010-05-26T22:10:00.007-05:00

On May 17th 2010 we welcomed two new members into our family, Patterson David and Melody Kathryn Brink. Both were 20 inches long with Patterson weighing in at 7.10 oz. and Melody at 7.13 oz. That's huge for twins. fortunately they were both born healthy, happy, and with the appropriate number of fingers and toes. And they're cute too. Here, have a look:

And a few close ups:

Melody

Patterson

Unfortunately I don't have a decent pic of the babies with big sister Tessa yet. Part of the reason behind this is because she came down with bronchitis a few days before they came home. Major bummer. On top of that, I've been sick since Saturday. 'Nother bummer. Hence the delay in getting this all posted-today is the first day I've been able to look at the screen for more than three minutes without my head wanting to explode.

Tessa is doing very well with the twins. She tells them she loves them, hugs and kisses them and gives them their binkies. She also randomly takes the binkies away...but that's probably just good practice for big sisterhood later on.

As for the twins themselves, they're very good babies. They're not quite on a schedule yet (not a predictable one anyway), and they tend to wake each other up a lot. Patterson sleeps like a rock. Melody seldom sleeps. But they're both adorable and getting more active daily. It's quite hectic here at the Brink household, but it's all positive and will be well worth it in the end (y'know, when the kids are taking care of us in the old folks home).

It's amazing how much love you can have in your heart to open it up to two brand new people without hesitation. Our trio has turned into a full five piece band and we couldn't be happier. Thanks to everyone who gave us prayers and well wishes along the way. Back soon with more stuff.

Twin Names

2010-05-08T21:45:00.002-05:00

As y'all know my lovely wife Valerie and I are having boy/girl twins. Any day now. We have chosen to keep the names a secret...but I can let you know something. With that in mind I present to you this list of the top rejected twin names.

Believe it or not, these names were all suggested to us. Some were more serious than others, but somebody thunk 'em all up. We appreciate the thoughtfulness and suggestions, and some of these are mine too, but for one reason or another these names didn't make the cut. Apologies if anyone feels as though they're being picked on, but some of you made a lot more suggestions than others. I've been trying to write all the suggestions down when they come up, and there have been some we've liked. This is not a complete list (nor does it include names from the early stages before we knew they were fraternal) but they are the most interesting.

So without any further ado, and in no particular order, here is:

THE TOP 25 REJECTED BRINK TWIN BABY NAMES

1. Jack and Jill (the most suggested one)

2. Emma and Ethan

3.Zack and Zoe

4.Daisy and Uncle Jesse (sorry Derek)

5. Binky and Bubbles (sorry Tessa)

6.Freddie and Flossie

7. Billy and Barbara

8. Hannah and Otto (briefly considered for the palindrome)

9. Jack and Diane

10. Jacob and Isabelle

11. Paul and Paula

12. Wilhelm and Wilhelmina (sorry Lori)

13. Bobby and Cindy

14. Bert and Nan

15. Boris and Natasha (sorry..well, just... sorry)

16. Theo and Vanessa

17. Anna and Andrew

18. Clarence and Claire

19. Fiona and Quinn

20. Charlie and Danielle

21. Butterfly and Bumblebee (I get it Elizabeth, but it's weird)

22. Luke and Laura

23. Connor and Chloe

24. Greg and Marsha

25. Aiden and Jayden (or anything else that is yuppie or rhymes)

So there you have it. For those of you who are still inclined to guess, you can officially cross these off your list. Now there are only about 5000 more names to choose from. Hope this helps. Good luck!

So Far This Week

2010-05-06T23:22:00.002-05:00

So far this week I've...

1. Tried to keep Tessa from being run over in a parking lot. Successful. Very scary though. Almost sent Valerie into labor. Prefer not to write about it right now.

2. Dealt with customers who were going out of their way to piss me off. Also successful. Even got a high five today from a co-worker after a customer left for "not setting her on fire".

3. Mowed the lawn. Semi-successful. Sneezy.

4. Been on a roller coaster with doctors as far as baby and wife health. Still no babies so...success? Maybe? Dunno. Valerie went for a NST test today and the twins are fine, but her blood pressure was way too high. So they kept her for hours then sent her home. Meeting with her doctor tomorrow.

5. Gone to the Pearl Jam concert on Tuesday. Awesome. Well rounded set list, energetic performance from the band and got a limited edition special St. Louis only t-shirt. Will buy official bootleg soon.

6. Probably eaten too many pistachio nuts. Successful, but gassy.

7. Just shared a little too much. Sorry.

8. Posted the most succinct blog I've ever done. Too tired for details. More later.

Wednesday

2010-04-29T22:41:00.003-05:00

We haven't had Internet access here at the house for a few days. Turns out the problem was our Internet router. The Internet guy our provider sent said we needed a new one. So we bought one. Then Valerie found the troubleshooting instructions and fixed the router we already had. Way to go CenturyLink!

So anyway, here's a story for you.

On Wednesday I took Jake to the dog groomer and, to give Valerie a break, I took Tessa with me. She and Jake both enjoyed riding in the van together and it was a fun time. Until we actually got there. Jake, being a sensitive dog, doesn't like going to the groomer, and being a sensible dog he resisted going into the grooming area. He was whining and resisting as much as possible. After a minute or so of this I was finally able to literally push him across the floor behind the desk. And then I turned around and saw Tessa. Her face was crumbling and she was .02 seconds from completely losing it.

Ah. Crap. Unforeseen complication. Before I was able to get a sentence out she bursts out screaming.

"Jake! Jake!"

"It's okay, honey, he's just getting his hair cut." I picked her up and headed for the van.

"No cut hair Daddy! Jake! Get Jake!"

"But honey, he needs his hair cut. That's why 'we brought him here. We'll come back and get him, Daddy promises." I also explained that I was going to get a haircut that day too. She didn't give a rat's. Shows you the pecking order.

I then began to put her in the van. Much screaming and contorting (to avoid getting into her car seat) came from Tessa, all while in front of the groomers, which happens to be next to the DMV, which happened to have a line outside the door waiting for them to open. "Sweetie," I assured her, "It's okay to leave the dog at the groomer." No dice. She still screamed and the people in line laughed. Which was kinda rude, but probably the most pleasant thing that can happen at the DMV so I let it slide.

Anyway the whole ride back to the house she was screaming at the top of her lungs, pointing back behind her, saying "That way, Daddy! That way! My Jake!"

So, the lesson here is to explain what we're going to do before we do it, or leave Tessa at home when it comes to Jake stuff. It all worked out. Jake's fur is cut and he's back home. When she saw Jake she ran up to him and hugged him. "I missed you Jake." Awww. Sweet moment.
Totally not worth the screaming.

So that was Wednesday.

Big Babies

2010-04-22T22:38:00.003-05:00

So we had an ultrasound yesterday (well, Valerie did but you know what I mean) and they measured the babies. Keep in mind this is an estimate, but at this point the boy is 6lbs. 11 oz,. and the girl is 6lbs. 6 oz. That's over 13 pounds of baby in my wife's tummy-not to mention all the extra stuff like placentas and fluids and what not that goes along with it. No wonder the woman can't walk across the room without being short of breath.

Now, I'm carting around an extra 20-30 pounds myself these days and I can make it across the room just fine. But then to be fair, my extra weight is a little more evenly distributed. Also, it doesn't kick me.

For those of you keeping track Valerie is currently 34 weeks pregnant. The doctors want her to keep the babies in for as close to 38 weeks as possible. This is, of course, the best thing for the health and welfare of the twins. This way, we'll know that they are mature enough to come out and not be in the NICU. The only question is the health and welfare of Valerie. At this point of the pregnancy the babies are gaining about half a pond a week. Each. We could be talking 8-9 pound twins here. Talk about feeling miserable.

If she's having trouble catching her breath now, she'll need oxygen by the time these babies come out! The doctor said that shortness of breath is normal and okay. Really? Last I heard, not being able to breathe is not generally considered "okay", but what do I know? I'm not a doctor. I didn't go to Med school (Community college baby!), so I'm just operating on a goofy little thing called common sense. Which is probably why I don't understand the world most of the time.

Anyway, everything is going well with the pregnancy, and Valerie shows absolutely no signs of going into labor anytime soon. So the "Preliminary Date" for the scheduled c-section is May 17th. This can still change, but that's where we are right now.

As always, any prayers, good wishes and positive vibes you can send our way are welcome and appreciated. We'll keep y'all posted. I'll try to post something funny or ranty here next time.
For now, sleep.

New Neighbors

2010-04-16T22:51:00.003-05:00

We have some new neighbors on our court. Well, actually they moved in this past winter but nobody really gets out and talks when it's cold out, so as far as I'm concerned they're new. Anyway, the other night we took our daughter Tessa out front to play and wound up in a conversation with the mom, Sophia, and four year old daughter Faith. As we talked, Faith tried to play with Tessa, but they're just a little too far apart in age to play well. Faith doesn't understand why Tessa can't talk to her very much or play her games, and Tessa sucks at Tag. I mean, she's only two so it's perfectly okay, but the girl just didn't get it.

So we decided to get out the sidewalk chalk and let the girls draw in our driveway, something they could do together. Now, at this point it should be mentioned that Faith just got a new baby brother just a few weeks ago (not sure how to spell his name but it's Aivin, I think), which is how we started up a conversation to begin with what with the wife being all preggers. So Faith decided to draw her family. She took extra care to draw in her brother.

Me: What's that picture of, Faith?

Faith: This is my brother, (draws a fairly large oval shape) and this is his penis.

Sophia turned bright red and buried her face in her hands.

Faith: And this is his pee.

She then proceeds to draw like a three foot line down my driveway. Her mom says something like "Faith, stop." To which Faith replies "Don't worry Mom, it's not really pee" and continues the line down my driveway.

And that's how we met the new neighbors!

With Apologies To Tim Allen...

2010-04-14T22:29:00.004-05:00

Tessa got her slide today. I had to build it. I hate building things. I get frustrated very easily and curse a lot. Which invariably makes the experience a bad one, especially if there's someone else involved who's just trying to help. Today wasn't so bad, I didn't really snap or say anything too out of line, but then my helper is amazingly pregnant...Anyway, Tessa enjoys the slide and I'm glad we could get it for her.

The thing is I'm just not wired to be a tool guy. I mean, I can use them well enough, I just don't enjoy it. If a tool is in my hand then either something is broken and I'm trying to avoid calling a guy, or the kids got a new toy. Now, some guys work on stuff around the house because they actually do enjoy it. I mean, sure, everyone wants their house to look nice but I take on projects out of necessity...these guys actually like doing that kind of stuff. I can't imagine.

And then there are some men who build stuff for fun. Not like cars or anything like that, they just make things. My father in law is like that, give the man some wood and tools to use on it and he's a happy guy. Which is fine, he does good work. There's nothing wrong with being a tool guy...I'm just not one. Now, I do like gadgets...but that's a whole other thing.

I know this goes against the conventional thinking but then conventional has never been my strong suit. It's supposed to be all manly to fix everything inside your house and out, build furniture, dig a pond, pave a path across the back yard to the combination garden shed/guesthouse you built after cutting down the trees yourself, and on and on...but I don't care. I think it's boring, tedious, and often unnecessary.

Now, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with physical labor. I did it professionally for years. What can I say, being paid helps. But I did enjoy being a maintenance professional (that's fancy talk for janitor), and there are other labor jobs that I'd consider doing if need be. Often times those types of jobs are referred to as "menial labor", mostly by people who sit in offices and have an unhealthy obsession with titles and plaques on the wall.

Well, I'm here to tell you, it ain't menial if you're the one doing it. There is a physical toll to be taken, as well as having to do a lot of problem solving (no two days are alike-you never know what's going to come up), all while dealing with special requests from clients which often make little sense, smiling and being friendly with the clients so the company looks good, and taking a whole heaping pile of sh*t via complaints about jobs that were done right (and usually messed up by the suit and tie guy doing the complaining). I did this type of job for most of my twenties and have given myself considerable damage to my back, knees and feet because of it-not to mention the lump in my lung from all the chemical exposure. It's not just the janitorial jobs either, this applies to construction, assembly lines, landscapers, etc. So when I complain about this stuff, it's not because I'm some candy-assed, lazy slacker who just can't handle doing "man's work". I've done plenty of it.

But I still don't enjoy it. I can do most projects around the house that need doing-and even if I've never done it before I can usually figure things out. I'd just rather be doing something else, like reading a good book, watching a film, playing or listening to music, writing, or venting on my blog to people who got bored about three paragraphs ago. That's all.

Have fun on the slide, Tessa. I (well, we) built it just for you. You do have to share with your siblings and cousins, but it's still your present. Daddy loves you lots. You can tell, I actually built something for you. Now, Valerie, about that cabinet...

Babies And Stuff

2010-04-08T22:24:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to post for a while now, but I'm just so busy lately that every time I get a few minutes at night I'm too tired to bother with typing. I'm here now though, so I'll try to catch up.

There has been a lot of work done around the house in anticipation of the twins. So far we have purchased furniture (a rocking chair for their room, a new kitchen cabinet unit to make more storage space, and an awesome new couch with hide a bed), a new mini-van (2009 Town & Country, very nice, practical and powder blue. My inner punk rocker just kicked himself.), and lots of stuff. I mean, baby stuff. Clothes, diapers, room decorations, etc. So we are in the process of getting the house ready. Some days it looks a little like a disaster area, but things are moving along. Besides, with three small children the house will never be clean again, so unless there are at least four people coming over as company I'm not sweating it.

Now, with time as limited as it is, we've been feeling the crunch and been a bit overwhelmed. Up until just this past Tuesday, we were thinking we had about 3-4 weeks. However, our children are doing splendidly. They are both healthy and strong, and Valerie's health is doing just fine. She's tired a lot, but that's to be expected. So now Valerie's doctor, who is the queen of the worrriers and tends to err on the side of caution almost to a fault, has had a change of heart. She now believes that we can keep the kids in longer since everything is going so well. The timetable has shifted from 3-4 weeks to 3-6 weeks, which takes us from a target date of May 4th to May 21st. Don't worry Derek, your birthday is still safe.

Of course, this could all change. After the next ultrasound in two weeks we'll probably have a better idea. Valerie's seeing doctors weekly as is, with check-ups and non stress tests and whatever else they do with pregnant ladies. Right now the boy is bigger than the girl, which is fine, but if he gets too big or she doesn't get big enough, the doctor might take the twins out early. If, God forbid, Valerie's blood pressure gets too high or she becomes too weak or gets sick they'd probably come early too. Or Valerie could just go into labor early, as far as that goes.

The bottom line is we're not really sure when things will happen yet, but everyone wants what's best for the babies. Obviously the longer they stay in the healthier they'll be. So we're fine with the twins staying in as long as they need to. It will help them grow, it will give us a little more time to get things ready, and if I'm lucky it just might free me up to go see Pearl Jam. That's a low priority over my family of course, and is a decision that would be made close to or on the day of the concert, but it'd be cool.*

In other news, Tessa's birthday is coming up. She'll be two years old, and her entire world is about to change. That's both good and bad, so we're going to try to give her a very cool birthday this year. We've got an idea for a big gift for her which would involve yours truly putting stuff together and a toddler sized structure for the back yard. Again, that's both good and bad, but she'd love it and in another two years her siblings can share so I think it's worth it. Wow, I just realized I'm trying to hint around the gift as though she could read this-I guess I'm used to spelling it around the girl. So nobody tell her about the s-l-i-d-e. Especially if she doesn't get it, 'cause that'd just be mean.

Okay, gonna wrap this up. Talk to you later.

*About that concert, I also need to figure in that Rush is coming in August and I'm pretty sure I can make that one, so it depends on when tickets are on sale for that if I can see PJ or not...and also there's my Chicago Iron Maiden road trip...and I think I'm going to try and start some sort of continuation of the band with my brother...lots going on music-wise as well.

Not A Concert Review

2010-03-28T22:39:00.006-05:00

In my last post I mentioned that I would be putting up a review of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club concert. Turns out I didn't go. I was supposed to attend with my brother, but he got sick and couldn't make it. This left me with the option of going by myself but I didn't want to be that guy. You know the guy, look around at any show and you'll see him. He'll be standing at the back of the venue, drinking a beer and clutching a t-shirt, looking around for a familiar face (in vain). He'll go down front when the band is on, and he'll get lost in the crowd. But he'll never feel completely comfortable and it won't change the patheticness of being alone at a concert. It's kind of like being a teenager and going to a party with a friend where you don't know anyone. Then your friend disappears for hours. You may still have a good time with the music and food and all, and you'll find a way to be included in the festivities, but it's never comfortable.....

Now, I've been that guy before. I've seen some great concerts as that guy, like David Bowie/Nine Inch Nails, The Damned, Alice Cooper, The Supersuckers and Tower Of Power to name a few. However, at this point in my life I don't really need to do that anymore. I've seen plenty of shows, so it's just not necessary, unless of course, it's a "can't miss" show or one of my all time favorite bands. B.R.M.C. doesn't qualify. Not that they aren't great, and I know from their live CD that the show would have been really good...I just didn't feel like being that guy on that night. I'd already been home, had dinner and put my daughter to bed. Going back out to a concert just didn't appeal anymore.

So what did I do? I went to Wal-Mart. I bought 2 liter sodas, milk, cookies, and a Who CD. It looked like I was throwing a bad party. The Who CD is a new compilation called "Greatest Hits Live". And that's what it is. the band released a live compilation exclusive to the fan club a few years ago that I was somewhat disappointed with, but this one is much better. Disc one is all the original band doing their thing so you know it's good. disc two is interesting...the first half is recordings from the 1989 "big band" tour. I've always complained that this tour gets glossed over in retrospectives but it's represented well here (some would say too well). The remaining songs are from the last few tours-a few with Enthwistle and some with the latest line-up. But it all sounds good. Well worth it-and I didn't have to join a poorly run fan club.

So there you go. Otherwise, we've been buying stuff for the babies and to get ready for the babies which I'll cover next time.

What's What

2010-03-21T14:37:00.004-05:00

Haven't posted anything for a while, so here's a catch-up.

Life Section:
Wednesday was, as we all know, St. Patrick's Day. For the first time in I don't know how long I had the day off from work and was actually able to celebrate the holiday. I went to the St. Patrick's Day parade in Dogtown with my father and brother. Dogtown is St. Louis's Irish neighbourhood (although most of North County would have qualified when I was growing up). the city of St. Louis has a parade too, celebrated the weekend before, but it's pretty lame. Lots of big floats and a long parade route, but basically what you'd expect from a big city parade. Dogtown is different.

First of all, Dogtown is a relatively small place for a parade so there's much more of a crowd and it's more of a party atmosphere. Also the people who march are basically in their family clans or with official organizations, so it just feels different. And any floats that happen to come by are pretty much flatbed trucks with kids step dancing, or SUVs with persons of local prominence inside them. That's it. But it's a lot of fun specifically because of how basic it is. These are people who have heart, celebrating their heritage and community, as opposed to the "Everybody's Irish on St. Pat's" bullshit you get from other parades and parties. It's the real McCoy, or O'coy maybe in this case.

Anyway, at the end of the parade route is St. James the Greater Catholic Church. This is the meeting place for families at the parade, as opposed to the front half which is where all the bars are and is the meeting place for drunks (not that there weren't a few to be found). This is where we spent most of our day. Beginning about an hour before the parade officially starts they begin serving corned beef and cabbage with those awesome little potatoes. You can get other stuff too I think, but why? There's also Irish coffee and whiskey shots. Now, for some reason there was no Guinness. Makes absolutely no sense under the circumstances and is completely inexcusable. Someone ought to be excommunicated for that. Well, maybe not, but it needs to be fixed.

The entertainment inside the church was a pretty decent Irish folk band called The Irish Aires. They played two fairly strong sets with a few of my favorites thrown in. Unfortunately they were playing for old ladies and kids, who applauded lightly when prompted, and were mostly uninterested. I'd like to see them in a bar or with a larger audience-or with a Guinness in hand-it'd be fun. there was also a festival of step dancing with two or three local schools represented. All in all a fun time and a good way to celebrate your Irishness-and yes I've got quite a bit, from both sides (some from Dad's side and a lot from Mom's). I tend to gravitate towards my Irish roots more so than anything else, because it's more fun and more comfortable than the German-though Strassenfest is being held closer to home this year so I'll probably visit that too.
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We're getting a minivan on Wednesday to hold our three kids. Thanks, Johnny!

Speaking of getting stuff for the kids, a shower was thrown for Valerie on Saturday afternoon. Normally one doesn't have a shower for a second child but with twins, well, an exception can be made. Got some nice clothes and some very useful stuff. thanks to Dad and Susan for getting it together, and to everybody who came!
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Music section:

This was also a big week for CDs for me too. In keeping with the Irish theme, the Dropkick Murphys released a new live disc this week, "Live On Landsdowne". Anyone familiar with DKM knows exactly what to expect. Punk rock flavored with traditional Irish arrangements and instrumentation and a lot of fun. This set focuses on their last few albums, and while I prefer the earlier stuff, this is still pretty cool. A little too heavy on the Boston thing (the band's hometown-not the 70's group), but that's a minor complaint. Worth the cash-I give it 31/2 out of 5 Daves.

Another big release was from a band called Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with their new one, "Beat The Devil's Tattoo". It's a little difficult describing this band. Their sound mixes garage band rock with psychedelic effects, adds some Muddy Waters style blues-stomp stuff and throws in a little pop for good measure. It's an interesting mix, and it doesn't always work. When it does, however, it's really, really good. This new record is growing on me more with each listen-it might be their best yet. "Conscience Killer" "Evol" and "Bad Blood" are great songs. 4 out of 5 Daves. I'm going to see them Tuesday night so I'll post a review here.

Finally, the new CD from Drive-By Truckers called "The Big To-Do" came out on Tuesday. It's a solid effort, focused on the gritty rock side of the band. The opening emotional punch of "Daddy Learned To Fly" is worth the price alone, and songs like "After The Scene Dies", "This F**kin' Job" (which has no f-bombs in it oddly), "The Fourth Night Of My Drinking" "Get Downtown" and the guaranteed smile producing "Drag The Lake Charlie" make it worth staying. Maybe not their best release, but certainly not the worst. I just can't help but like these guys. Four out of Five Daves.
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So that's pretty much it. If everybody in the house can just get rid of these colds we've been fighting for a week plus we'll all be great. Talk to you soon.

Good Day

2010-03-10T15:49:00.004-06:00

In contrast to my last post, today's weather is fantastic. It reached just over 70 degrees today. I actually prefer it in the upper 80's, but I like this too. Jacket weather, Nice. As I type this the sun is shining brightly, I've been able to open the windows in the house (one of my favorite parts of Spring), and Tessa took a trip to the park with Grandpa and I which we all thoroughly enjoyed. Darn near perfect.

Now I know we're not out of the woods yet. Beginning tomorrow it's supposed to rain for like five days straight, and temperatures should be back down in the low 50s/high 40s. Plus, all us native St. Louisans know that another cold snap could be just around the corner. A late March snow is not unheard of-and I recall a few Aprils that felt more like February. But today is good.

Got some stuff to write about soon, but for now this will do.

And, despite the post title, I resisted the urge to write this whole thing as Doug McKenzie.

Winter Bringdown

2010-03-03T09:07:00.005-06:00

So February's gone. I tend not to blog much in February, but then I tend not to do much at all. I'm just not a Winter guy. And you can't get more Winter than February.

Lately I've been reading "Ghost Rider" by Neil Peart (Rush lyricist and drummer extraordinaire). In the book he mentions his "soulscape", which he believes to be the lake house he purchased in Quebec. There are passages where Peart describes the snowfall (in feet no less!) around the lake in terms of it being nearly perfect. His soulscape in winter during the winter season of his soul. Nice and poetic. perhaps, and certainly appropriate for that man at that time, but not for me. Ever.

For those unfamiliar with Neil Peart's story, he lost his only daughter in a one car accident. Then his wife succumbed to cancer a year later, though everyone close to her say that she died of a broken heart. Once cancer invaded her body couldn't fight the infection, but it's possible that she just didn't want to. The loss of her only child was too great and this gave her the excuse she needed to just give up and die. It's all so sad. And probably not the greatest book to read while expecting children.

Anyway, as a result of losing his entire world, Neil took off on a motorcycle trip from Canada to Mexico in search of the "healing road", if such a thing exists. He made it back home after Christmas and spent the winter in his lake house. However, when the first signs of Spring came, it was too difficult for him to handle and took off again for more travels.

The whole thing got me thinking. If I ever hit that level of depression and desperation I would have to do the opposite. I have a hard enough time with winter weather as it is. The cold temperatures settle into my bones bringing aches and stiffness. Winter wind just rips right through me, making me wear coats hats and scarves as armor against their sometimes brutal force. I don't view snow as a beautiful white covering on the ground that brings the clean fresh start of Spring. I see it as the white linen sheet that covers the dead and dying like in a hospital. The cold, grey days seep into the soul and make the spirit cold and grey as well. Depressing, I know, but that's how it feels. Sorry.

So if I ever get there, do everything you can to get my butt down South for the season. Depression in the winter would kill me.

Okay everybody, don't freak out. I'm not actually that depressed-I have a lot to focus on that takes my mind off of the Winter blahs. I feel them, but I don't revel in them. I have a wonderful family who I plan to keep around for all my years, thank you very much. There are always new things to discover and learn, new music to hear, books to read and movies to see.

Besides, March is here so the thermometer should be on the rise soon, usually a week or two after St. Patrick's day we can start putting away the heavy coats. Tessa's second birthday is coming in April. The twins will be here in May. Iron Maiden is doing a U.S. tour.

Life is good for me. And in case you're wondering, it's good for Mr. Peart too. He's returned to drumming and the musician's life he loves, and has remarried and has a new baby girl (the events in the book are about ten years old).

So yay for happy endings.

Not Exactly An Olympian

2010-02-13T19:38:00.004-06:00

Dave:2, Asian Ladies:0

Apparently I have re-entered the sport (?) of accidentally biffing Asian ladies in the forehead with inanimate objects. Since no one else seems to be participating in this activity I currently hold the record at two. To be fair, I don't suggest that anyone take this up as a hobby. After all, it's taken me six years to get this far, and it's not exactly politically correct. Plus, it requires such a colossal accident that it's not very easy to do. Besides, I never really wanted or even intended to do this, but I seem to have a gift.

For those who are interested, here's the recap.

Dateline: June, 2003

It was in the Summer in which I would meet my wife, and the dying days of my punk rock band Uncle Dick. After a rehearsal three of us (my brother Derek, bass, and our friend Tim, drums) went out to the local Chinese place. We ordered and sat in the chairs in front of the counter waiting for our food. In the corner there were those little quarter vending machines that sell super-hard gumballs and crappy toys. One of the machines had super balls in it. Being grown children, we all went and bought a super ball each. As it was taking a little longer than normal to get our food, we all started playing with our balls (stop it-no laughing), by bouncing them up and down (I'm serious-quit snickering you perverts) in front of our chairs. Now, I was quite tired that evening and possibly annoyed by something-two natural states for me- and my ball control was not as it should be (oh, grow up).

Instead of bouncing the ball straight up and down I threw it at an angle and a little harder than I meant to. So it bounced back over my head, hit the wall and before I could catch it hit the girl behind the counter on the forehead. Ever try to apologize while laughing your butt off? Doesn't work. She gave me quite an evil stare. She also kept my super ball, which kinda ticked me off. After all, I did pay for it. I was going to go back and ask for it once we left, but was persuaded otherwise.

I never went back to that establishment, and didn't eat the food that night either-just in case.

Which brings us to today. Dateline:Februrary 2010.

In a clever twist, I was at work behind the counter waiting on two Asian ladies who wanted to sell their scrap gold. One spoke English quite well, the other was only limited. Or, at least she didn't speak much in front of me. Anyway, I'd quoted them my price on their gold, but they'd expected much more. This is quite common, as most people don't really understand how selling gold jewelry works-the differences in karat weight as it relates to spot price on gold and the whole retail vs. wholesale thing can be a little confusing and off putting to those who are new to the business.

So I printed a buying chart for them so that they could see the numbers and understand what we were doing and how I arrived at my offer. Again, this is not uncommon, and the explanation usually requires some circling on the chart and a few notes in the margins as well. I grabbed a pen and, very nonchalantly, began to remove the cap. Well, I've been quite tired lately and somewhat annoyed...and I must have gotten my thumb under the cap because it flew off of my pen.

It hit the lady who didn't speak much English right in the forehead. She does know the word "ow". Her friend, however, began laughing so hard she cried as I once again apologized, while trying not to laugh myself. I wound up giving them a higher offer, and making the bare minimum amount of money on the deal. That's called customer service. It's also called covering your ass, which is often the same thing.

So there you have it. The ludicrousness of the situation floors me. What a coincidence-and what are the odds I could do that twice? It's just nuts, man. Anyway, that's how I came to hold this prestigious, albeit dubious, record. I don't want a trophy, no sponsorships or even financial reward.

But I'd still like that super ball back.

Blue Tattoo Update

2010-02-03T08:49:00.002-06:00

As of last night, Blue Tattoo is down one member, and its future in question.

Chris Teague left the band, citing financial/family issues and informing us that he would not have the ability to commit the time needed to be a full functioning member of the band. To his credit, he told us to our faces, which is how all business dealings should go down. We parted as friends, after all, I've known the guy for about fifteen years now and we've always been friends. We've had very few arguments along the way, and relatively minor ones at that (including the band meeting last week) and I will remain in touch with him band or no band.

Now, this leaves the rest of us with the question of what to do now. We have gone on hiatus to sort of figure things out. Are we going to look for another guitar player (one with virtually no ego like Chris--good luck on that). Do we forge ahead as a trio? Should Derek, Johnny and I call it a day and move on to other projects? We'll see.

Either way, Derek and I will continue to work together in one form or another. He's going to have some solo shows coming up and I might play bass for him. The one thing I'm sure of is that the songs we've written won't go away. Assuming we continue with another version of Blue Tattoo they'll obviously be used there, or maybe the songs will turn up in a new project. One way or another, they're too good not to use-especially the newer songs that Blue Tattoo haven't worked up yet.

So that's where we are. Big bummer about the CD not coming out now, bigger bummer about Chris. But it gives us a chance to sit back and think about it for a while. And possibly a chance to start over-or take a new direction. One door closes, one opens, all that stuff. Stay tuned for details.

Sometimes You Blog About It

2010-01-27T08:31:00.003-06:00

Sometimes being in a band isn't always what you think it will be. Sometimes you go along thinking that you're all working towards a common goal, and that everyone is committed to said goal the same way you are yourself.

Sometimes you're wrong.

Sometimes you find out that your band mates see things completely differently than you do. Sometimes you discover that the goals are different and that the methods to reach them are at odds with your own. Sometimes you discover you're all doing the same things for different reasons.

Sometimes you realize that the communication in the band is lacking. And sometimes you realize that you're just as guilty of the communication problems as the others. Which is probably what led to all the other problems in the first place.

Sometimes you have to fight it out. Sometimes things get a little heated and friends raise voices when they shouldn't and people take things personally. Sometimes you have to offer an apology if things got a little out of hand.

Sometimes a compromise has to be reached. Sometimes, of course, the compromise feels more like a sacrifice and a sell-out. But then sometimes that's what you have to do for the band.

*************************************************************************************

Sometimes you get tired of the idea you had to keep typing the word sometimes.

Anyway, that's where we are with the band as I see it. We had to hash out a lot of things last night, but we got through it without being too shitty to one another. I'm not happy that our CD won't be coming out and is put on indefinite hold, but we have a new plan of attack.

We are still a band, and a good one. Measures are going to be taken to raise our profile here in the next year, and we are hopeful that things will turn out for the best.

So at the end of the day a new course has been mapped out, and we're focused on making 2010 a good one for Blue Tattoo. More news to come.

Sittin' On My Butt On Sunday

2010-01-21T17:09:00.002-06:00

Hey, that sounds like a song...

Anyway, this Sunday is the final day of Playoffs for this Football season. Remember that bold prediction I made about the Jets? Well, they're in a position to make it come true this weekend. And since I'm seldom right about such things, it'd be nice to see that.

Look, I'm not normally a super sports guy, I'm a rocker/media geek. In fact, Football is the only sport I follow with any regularity. Not the only one I enjoy mind you, but the only one I'll clear my schedule for. Which is what I'm doing Sunday.

As a football fan, there are three days that are all important. Opening day, Super Bowl day, and Playoffs, especially the final round. With my work schedule being what it is I haven't seen much of the Playoffs this year. I've missed most of the Saturday games and had to do lots of stuff for the house on Sundays.I therefore reserve the right to sit on my butt this Sunday and in two weeks for the Super Bowl (which the greatest live band of all time, THE WHO will be playing).

So if you need me, that's where I'll be. I may answer the phone, but only between games and during halftimes. Now please, people, no emergencies on Sunday. Let me have this one okay? Thanks.

And just so you know, here's my BOLD PREDICTION for the rest of the season. The Jets will pull off an amazing upset over the Colts. And then they'll lose horribly to Drew Brees and the Steelers because that's how life goes for underdogs.

Okay, Tessa just yelled "Booger nose" at me. Gotta go.

66th Post

2010-01-14T21:03:00.002-06:00

Hello and welcome to my 66th post. How do you like it so far? Strong opening I think, but the rest has just been filler.

So what do I have to talk about? Well, let's see...

Still getting things ready for the twins. We were given a whole bag of sheets, clothes and what not from one of Valerie's co-workers. We also now have two cribs in their room. They don't match at all, one is wood and one is wood-ish, but they're here. Everything is going well so far, so all prayers and good thoughts sent our way are still appreciated.

Speaking of prayers and good wishes, what a horror scene in Haiti. Just terrible. Many people are sending money, which is great. But I'd like to send water. From what I hear there is almost no access to water in most areas, people are drinking from puddles, sewers, whatever they can find and have no idea if the water is clean or not. Bad enough, right? Now, add into that all the dead and decomposing bodies lying literally everywhere. At this point the danger is minimal from the bodies, but if it rains, which it's bound to sooner or later, the water situation is exponentially worse. Once I figure out how to send water I'll let y'all know. Otherwise it's Red Cross time.

Okay, now let's really get random.

Just so you know...I'm on team CoCo.

Does Mark McGuire actually think that anyone believed he wasn't on steroids? Even at the time people should have known it-the guy's arms looked like tree trunks. So now he's made a "confession" that we all knew about, and then immediately back tracked and claimed that the steroids didn't help him beat the home run record. Okay, so why'd you take them? Because, maybe...you're lying? Again? And you know what's most upsetting? I hate baseball and it still ticks me off.

Saw "Inglorious Basterds" yesterday. Great movie. Now, having said that, many people won't like that the movie plays with history. As Brad Pitt said, the movie is set in World War II, it's not about World War II. Normally I'd agree with the criticism, but I enjoyed this movie enough that I'll let it go. And yes the violence is pretty graphic, but there's not nearly as much of it as one would expect. As with all of Tatantino's work (which in fairness I'm not always a fan of) there is a dark sense of humor at work here, and a lot of playing with conventions. I mean, really, a David Bowie song? In 1945? Actually that kinda makes sense in a weird way.

Anyway, here's what makes the movie so good. First, it's just incredibly well done. The drama is intense, the humor biting and the action scenes gripping. The sets and costumes are top notch. Plus, each and every actor is great for their roles...all the way across the board. I especially liked that the Germans spoke German, and the French spoke French, only switching to English when absolutely necessary. And if Cristoph Waltz doesn't win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (or actor for that matter) something is even more seriously wrong with Hollywood than we thought. Yes, he's that good and you should see it for his performance alone.

Oh yeah, and "The African Queen" finally comes to DVD in March. About time.

BOLD SPORTS PREDICTION: The Jets go to the Super Bowl. Remember, I said "bold" not "smart". Also remember I told you so.

That's it.

Update On Stuff

2010-01-07T21:29:00.003-06:00

Here's a bunch of stuff that's going on.

1. It's cold and it snowed. I hate both of those things. I also hate shoveling snow which I did tonight. In the dark. With my face and lower ears exposed. Risking frostbite so my trash can be picked up is a stupid necessary evil. Winter makes me grouchy.

Speaking of grouchy, I am currently watching a rerun of 1 Vs. 100. Actually Valerie is watching it, but that's not the point. The point is Oscar the grouch was just on and he got eliminated by a question that involved numbers and the alphabet. Which is ironic, and makes me happy.

2. Valerie is beginning to feel the babies kick. So her tummy is upset. Our dog Jake's tummy is upset too, but he just farts a lot. In a weird way, that evens out.

3. The Blue Tattoo CD is almost done. We should be receiving the first "tester" mix next week. Then it's just a little fine tuning and hey presto, CD time. Apart from the music end, the artwork is being compiled too. It looks like it's going to be awesome...more on that later. Watch this space.

4. In the last week I have purchased two CDs. The new Pearl Jam CD "Backspacer" is one of them...and it's very good. shoulda been on the top ten. Curse you, time restrictions!

Also picked up the Tom Petty live anthology. Got the stripped down version at Wal-Mart (evil store I know, but I needed some stuff before the snowfall and it's right by the house) for cheap. It's 4 CDs of music for twenty bucks. Not too shabby. Only about halfway through right now, and it's pretty good, but I'm a casual Petty fan at best. So some of the extended versions of songs don't really do much for me, especially the slow ones, and I'm not getting some of the cover choices. But still, there's some good stuff. Looking forward to discs 3 and 4.

There's probably more to talk about, but I'm tired and need my before bed snack. Tonight: Triscuits. Cuz we're out of cookies.

Top 10 CDs 2009

2010-01-01T23:40:00.002-06:00

It's been officially 2010 for almost 24 hours now, so it's about time I turn in my official best of list for the year. There was a lot of juggling position this time out, and a few things that were on and off multiple times but I think it's pretty accurate now. So here's the list along with a few words about each selection. Enjoy! I did.

1. U2-No Line On The Horizon
-Hands down the best CD of the year. Not too many bona-fide hits, but as a complete work it's about as good as it gets. Experimental, soaring music with lyrics to match and a few just for fun numbers thrown in as well makes this one well rounded CD. And "Moment Of Surrender" gives me chills every time.

2. Cheap Trick-The Latest
-Another fairly experimental CD from a slightly unexpected source. The disc is supposed to call into mind "Abbey Road" by The Beatles, with a lot of full songs mixed with short connecting songs to make one complete work. While it's nowhere near the fab four's masterpiece it works, though in a different way. It almost feels as though the guys have been doing this so long that the shorter songs are just economizing-here's the good part and that's all you get. Recommended for CT fans and anyone who likes a good dose of pop rock now and again. Which sets us up nicely for...

3. Tinted Windows-Tinted Windows
-The first "supergroup" on the list, Tinted Windows is formed from the likes of the aforementioned Cheap Trick, Fountains Of Wayne, Smashing Pumpkins and Hanson. Most critics dismissed it as pop rock by numbers with no real artistic merit to it. Which is exactly what it is...and good thing too. This is a tribute to band like The Knack, Slade, T. Rex, the list goes on. I listened to it all summer long. Catchy and fun.

4. Patterson Hood-Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs)
-Solo record by Drive-By Truckers head honcho has a similar feel to that band's work. These songs are a little different in that Hood allows himself to explore areas both musically and lyrically that show sides of himself that DBT really doesn't allow. A little sweeter in some places, yet a lot darker in others, observational yet personal and served up with a definite Southern sense of humor throughout. Quality stuff for the Alt-Country/Rock crowd.

5. Anti-Flag-The People Or The Gun
-Best punk record I've heard in years. Combines the angry political tirades of early English and California punk (Clash/Dead Kennedys) with Dropkick Murphys style sing ability and a touch of early Minor Threat for good measure. The result is something familiar and modern at the same time. Now, politically these guys are almost too Liberal-even for me. But that's okay, good punk should have something to say and be as uncompromising as possible when saying it. Great record.

6. Cracker-Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey
-Cracker has always been just under the radar for most people, with only a few minor hits along the way. This CD won't change that but it should. The band plays a mix of indie/alternative rock mixed with country, blues, soul, and whatever else they can sneak in there. The rock is definitely in the spotlight here (some of it is borderline punk!), but there's enough variety here that everyone can enjoy. Also Patterson Hood guests on it which makes it that much cooler.

7. Reverend Horton Heat-Laughin' and Cryin' With The Reverend Horton Heat
-Always good to hear something new from the Rev. This is probably as close as he'll ever get to a bona-fide country record, and it's a fine one. Personally, a few more of his standard "Psychobilly" style songs would have been welcome (and raised it up the list a little), but most of what's on the disc is gold.

8. Monsters Of Folk-Monsters Of Folk
-Another supergroup, this time a bunch of guys from indie rock bands, most notably Bright Eyes and My Morning Jacket. This is a CD that's great for relaxation time or those early morning drives when you needs to ease into the day. There are some interesting ideas here, both musically and lyrically, and more than one listen is required to take it in. Okay, so it's not exactly folk music-in fact only a few songs are anywhere near folk, but it's still good. Improperly named, but good.

9. Them Crooked Vultures-Them Crooked Vultures
-Egad! Yet another Supergroup! A trio formed by Josh Homme of queens Of The Stone Age, Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters, and John Paul Jones from Led Friggin' Zeppelin, there was very little chance that this wouldn't be on the list. I must admit that at first I was a touch disappointed in that I expected something much different than what I got. I wanted it to have a little more pop flair from the Foos side of things, and maybe Jones would put in a few blues based numbers. Instead I got what sounded like basically a stripped down QOTSA album. But then I hit repeat and opened my ears. It's still heavy on the QOTSA, but the expected input of the other two is there if you really listen. It's weird, but it rocks.

10. Wayne Hancock-Viper Of Melody
-Wayne "The Train" Hancock sounds more like Hank Williams than Hank III could ever hope to. His voice is uncannily similar, the music sounds like vintage Hank, with a little Ernest Tubb thrown in, even the arrangements are done in the same style(no drums). But make no mistake, this is no rip-off artist at work. Nor is it mindless nostalgia. Hancock is about preserving the tradition and keeping the travelling hillbilly minstrel music alive. Not only is it alive, but it's doing quite well, thank you, and there to be enjoyed by those lucky enough to seek it out. This is the kind of music that you have to be in the right frame of mind for but when you are it will definitely get to you.

RUNNER UP:

Chickenfoot-Chickenfoot
-If not for the last minute entry by them Vulture fellas, this would have been on the list. A mega-supergroup featuring Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith, the Cd is highly enjoyable and full of good stuff. My chief complaint is that there seem to be too many mid-tempo numbers on one disc. A few more fast songs would have made all the difference. Also, I think Sammy kinda half-assed the lyrics. I mean, it's not like the guy's a poet or anything, but he's proven that he can do better. It seems as though once news broke about the group that they felt a little pressed for time and maybe another few weeks in the studio would have done them some good. Anyway, I like more of it than I don't and it's certainly worth the 10 bucks that Best Buy charged for it. Not a top ten-but a definite eleven.

OTHER STUFF I LIKED:
Riverboat Gamblers-Under The Owl, Silversun Pickups-Swoon, Wilco-Wilco (the album).

STUFF I MISSED:
Neko Case-Middle Cyclone, Mastodon-Crack The Skye, Pearl Jam-Backspacer
Meant to get them. Didn't. Not sure why.

LIVE CD OF THE YEAR:
Drive-By Truckers-Live From Austin, TX

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR:
Bruce Springsteen-Workin' On A Dream
-Not that it's bad, there are about 5 songs I think are excellent. It's just that the rest don't come anywhere near the quality level one would expect. Especially since his last disc, "Magic" was so good. this just doesn't measure up.

Okay, that's the roundup for this year. Feel free to leave a comment and tell me how crazy I am.

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T22:17:00.002-06:00

2009 is going, and 2010 is almost here. It promises to be a humdinger of a year. Yessir, a humdinger.

Sorry, I have no idea what that was.

Valerie and I have learned that the twins we are expecting are fraternal-one boy and one girl. This is probably the best combination, especially for Tessa. Also there's virtually no chance of mixing them up like with identical twins. Which is good for all of us.

So needless to say it's going to be quite a challenge. We are already getting their room together slowly but surely. We are also doing our best to prepare Tessa for what's about to happen to her little world. It's hard to explain to a 20 month old, so we're just getting her used to the idea of 2 babies in the house (and in Mommy's tummy). For Christmas we got her twin baby dolls whom she promptly named Princess and Chicken. She's off the naming committee. But it's cute.

And as if that weren't enough, it appears that the Blue Tattoo CD will finally see the light of day this coming year, which means a lot of work to get it into people's hands and some gigging to promote it. On top of new babies, one very cute toddler, and a full time day job. I am going to be busy. Looking forward to it though-who needs sleep, right?

Anyway, I'm kinda glad to see this new year approaching. I've never been much of one to do the whole New Year's Eve thing. I don't like dealing with the drunks on Amateur Night (it's only slightly better the rest of the time), and midnight on the 31st of Dec. in any year doesn't mean much to me. Sure, the calendar moves but I don't feel any different. My new year begins on my birthday (July 18th-mark your calendars now people) and yours starts on your birthday too. But still, I understand the hype and since I am a member of society I accept the convention-if nothing else just for organization's sake.

So happy new year everybody. I'm hoping it's a good one for my family-and for yours too.

Your pal,
Dave

P.S.-Best of 2009 year in wrap up coming soon.

Have Yourself A Groovy Little Christmas

2009-12-17T22:35:00.003-06:00

Hi. My name's Dave and I'm a Christmas Music addict. I'm not proud of it, but I am. Eleven months out of the year I'm a musical elitist, focusing on rock and roll (all types), outlaw country and whatever else comes my way that's got some integrity to it. But round about the end of November I spaz out and get lost in fa-la-la-la-la-la land. Fortunately my wife does the same thing so we're all good over here at the Brink household.

Between the two of us, Valerie and I have amassed roughly 40 different Christmas CDs, and we're not done yet. Of course, some get played more than others as we each have our favorites. Which got me thinking...what are my all time favorite Christmas songs? An almost impossible question, as there are only a handful I don't like. Besides, favorites change year to year.

So I can't make a list of favorites (not an honest one anyway) but I can make a playlist. Now, I've made many Christmas comps over the years, most of which have the same title mentioned above. I'm not doing one this year (just did some last year and I need more new stuff to choose from until I do another), but if I were to make one tonight here's what it would be.

1.Step Into Christmas-Elton John
2.It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year-Andy Williams
3.Holly Jolly Christmas-Burl Ives
4.Sleigh Ride-The Ronettes
5.Silent Night-Elvin Bishop
6.Please Come Home For Christmas-Pat Benatar
7.Fairytale Of New York-The Pogues w/Christy MacColl
8.Christmas Is Coming-The Payolas
9.It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas-Perry Como and the Fontane Sisters
10.Jingle Bells-Frank Sinatra
11.Home For The Holidays-Perry Como
12.God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen-Th' Legendary Shack Shakers
13.Here Comes Santa Claus-The Mills Bothers
14.Run, Run Rudolph-Dave Edmunds
15.Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)-The Alarm
16.I'll Be Home For Christmas-Aimee Mann
17.Silver Bells-Dean Martin
18.O Come All Ye Faithful-Nat King Cole
19.Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas-Robert Goulet
20.The Christmas Song-Tony Bennett

And put that sucker on repeat.

I know, there's lots of cool stuff I missed. And I used some odd versions there, but I stand by them all. Y'know now that I think about it, these might be my favorites. Well, at least for right now. I guess I could've put some more country songs on "Pretty Paper" springs to mind...and one of those Rev. Horton Heat songs would be cool...maybe The Kinks...okay see, that's how it works. I could do this for hours. So let's just leave it how it is for now, okay? There's always next year.

Feliz Navidad!

Damn, forgot that one too.

These Halls Could Use Some Deckin'

2009-12-08T23:00:00.002-06:00

The lights are hung outside. Presents are being bought. Carols are being sung. The decorations are out (though not all up yet). This means only one thing. Christmas is fast approaching.

So is Valerie's birthday (Dec. 12th). It is tradition in the Brink household that we buy our tree on her birthday, or as close to it as possible. That's right, we're real tree people.If you've ever been in our house come December, you've been near a real honest-to-goodness Christmas tree. Just as God intended.

Okay, I know some of you are fake tree people and I'm sorry. Not that I may offend you, but that you're all cheaters. No, only joking. I would like to discuss the matter a bit though. Let's look at the arguments for and against the real trees.

1.The most recent argument is from the environmental crowd who claim that it's wrong to kill a tree for decorative purposes, and harmful to the environment to boot. Phooey. A real tree can be reused. Some small trees can be replanted and take root again if done properly. Larger trees are generally ground up and used for mulch. From the earth back to the earth. Artificial trees are usually made of plastics and other materials which are non-biodegradable. So once they've lived out their usefulness, these things just sit in a land fill taking up space. Forever.

2. Artificial trees are easier. Granted, finding a tree, putting it up, watering it, caring for it and decorating the real tree can be laborious. But, with the fake trees you still have to put them together and decorate them each year. Plus, after a few years the "branches" begin to loose their shape and you have to fluff each one up individually (virtually guaranteeing a mouthful of dust). We'll call this one a tie.

3. The smell bothers my allergies. Okay, I'll give you that one, although many trees have a very light scent. Also, we have had people with severe allergies over to the house during Christmas and no-one's ever complained or felt poorly. Besides, I have winter allergies but I take a pill daily and I'm not bothered. So come on over-I've got extra Claritin.

4. Real trees are messy. Yes, they are. So wear gloves when you move it, vacuum the needles and quit whining. The points go to the real trees on this one because only sissies and lame-os make this argument.

And the last argument to be made is for Tradition. With a capital T (which rhymes with P and that stands for presents. Sorry.) Anyway, tradition. That's a big part of Christmas. A real tree decorated for Christmas dates back to the 16th century in Germany and 1851 in America. How much more traditional can you get? Real trees can be a wonderful tradition for families. I used to love going out with my father to find the perfect tree-whether we cut it down ourselves or found it on a lot. It was a bonding experience at Christmas time. As a child, I was always in charge of checking on the water each night and helping to fill the stand when needed. Caring for the tree combined with the fragrance in the air made me feel good all month long. And that's how we should all feel when we see our trees. An appreciation for nature, family and love at Christmas time.

So, have I changed any minds? Gonna stick with your artificial tree? Or are you ready to make the plunge and get a big awesome tree this year? How about a raggelly ol' Charlie Brown tree?

Well, either way, enjoy your tree. Make sure it looks really nice, and maybe sing some carols and make some popcorn or eat candy canes while you decorate it. Make it a special part of your Christmas celebrations. Deck them halls people. Deck 'em.

Back soon with a Christmas music post. And maybe I can use the word "phooey" again. That was fun.

Thanksgiving Wrap Up-Come On Christmas

2009-11-29T22:31:00.002-06:00

Another Thanksgiving is in the books. Or blogs. Whatever. Anyway, as usual we (meaning my wife, child and brother) went to Cape Girardeau for the family Thanksgiving. It's kinda like a family reunion for my mother's side, except it only lasts one day and we don't play any retarded games.

Anyway, it was a good turnout this year, a few no-shows but a good sized crowd nonetheless. The best news was that my great aunts Stella and Marguerite (or Deet as we call her) made it this year. As I've mentioned before Stella had a stroke earlier this year and Deet has Parkinson's disease. They've both been in and out of hospitals and rehab for months now and them showing up was a question mark. Stella appeared to be doing well, though a bit weak. I realised after we left that I don't think I actually spoke with her. I meant to, and feel bad that I didn't, but I know she was able to see Tessa for a little bit, so that's good. Sometimes when you're in that situation with so many people you just don't get to visit with everyone like you should. I will rectify my error next chance I get...even if that's next Thanksgiving.

I'd heard that Deet wasn't doing well and was having trouble focusing in on conversations. In fact, my brother said that when he spoke to her she was almost incoherent. Fortunately my brief conversation with her was perfectly fine. It felt good to see her again. Deet got to hold Tessa from her wheel chair, which would have been a great picture had I been able to find the camera. Oh well, still a nice moment.

Then there was Uncle Bob (who I like more and more as an adult). He decided to get my wife Valerie, and cousins-in-law (if that's a thing), Julie and Jennifer to stand together in a picture. Because they're all pregnant. His exact words were "Maybe we can figure out what's causing all this." Which is funny. I mean, I can't speak for the others, but I'm pretty sure I know what happened in our case.

In all, it was nice to see everyone and of course the food was awesome. Rich, home cooked Southern comfort food can't be beat. It was a good day. And Tessa argued with the prayer.

Let me explain that. We have been teaching her to pray at home, but we don't shush her if she talks during the prayer. Well, in public she needs to shush. So as we were trying to get her to sit still and pray, she kept saying "no" and it sounded like an argument.

Here's pretty much what it sounded like when my brother began to pray:

Derek: Lord, we're so grateful to be here today...
Tessa: No.
Derek: If you were to ask anyone here what they're thankful for, the first would be your son...
Tessa: No.
Derek...And the second would be this family.
Tessa: No!

And that was my family's Thanksgiving.

Valerie's family celebration was last night. The food was good (though not like Cape-sorry), and everyone seemed to have a good time. My evening started off questionable when Glen thought I called him Mike which I didn't (I was saying "hi"). No big deal, but always a weird feeling when that happens.

My Brother and Sister-In-Law Ron and Stephanie brought us an old crib they're not using so we can get a head start on preparing for the twins. My trunk didn't exactly stay closed on the way home but we made it. Thanks guys!

The Seibert family (our hosts) have a Wii system and the "Rock Band" game. Tessa was fascinated with the drum set. She probably played it on and off for an hour...with sticks! Johnny, you've got competition. Kidding!!! It's nice that she has such an interest in music though.

So now that Thanksgiving is over we can move on to my favorite holiday...Christmas. I am a Christmas guy. I'm a sucker for it. I love the music, the decorations, the shopping malls (and I don't mind the lines either), the T.V. specials...all of it.

I guess I just never lost the magic of Christmas. You know how you felt about it all as a kid? I still have that. But there's even more to it now.

You see, Christmas is what you want it to be. If you choose to focus on the headaches and stress involved you won't enjoy the holiday. I choose to focus on the fun stuff, the whimsical side of the secular, and the peace of the religious side. We sing carols in my house. We decorate. We tell The Christmas Story. We watch "A Christmas Story." And we give gifts to show our love for one another. We also give to honor Christ in this season. We put money in the kettles and participate in our church's Christmas programs. It really is my favorite time of year-except for the cold and snow which I normally can't stand, but even that's acceptable. Until Jan. 2nd, at which point I want it back in the 60's. Unlikely. but a man can dream, right?

Anyway, the season's upon us and I'm sure I'll talk about it some more, along with whatever else pops into my head. See you soon, have a good one.

Dave.

P.S. For those it concerns, Valerie now has my list and you should get it soon. Sorry for the delay-been a bit busy.

A Pox On My House

2009-11-18T21:31:00.002-06:00

There's a lot going on in the Brink household these days.

First and foremost, Tessa has Chickenpox (that's what we said, "Chickenpox?!!"). We noticed it first on her chin last weekend and thought it was just a break out due to teething. The next day it was all over her body and she was clearly not feeling well. So off to the doctor we go and it's Chickenfoot. Pox, sorry.

Valerie and I were under the impression that with all the vaccines out there that the disease was not nearly as prevalent as in the past. We were wrong. According to the doctor it's still quite common. Which is why they still vaccinate for it I suppose.

Anyway, my girl's got it. She's lucky in getting it so early, but she's still kind of miserable. She goes from being her sweet self to being a screaming, crying terror. Completely understandable of course. Her fever comes and goes, as does her coughing and runny nose, and she's obviously quite uncomfortable. Fortunately we should only have a few more days of this, so we're looking forward to the weekend.

In other news, I've gotten three estimates on my crack in the basement. That came out weird but you know what I mean. Hopefully we'll be able to get it repaired in the next week or two and can get our basement family room back before too long. There's a little more drywall to be removed (which I can totally do now, thanks Ron) but it should be fairly painless and not nearly as expensive as I originally had feared. The problem will be getting drywall put up, but we want to leave the crack exposed for a while (heh) just to make sure everything is okay, so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

On top of all of that the dishwasher started acting up. I think I've got it fixed now, but that's all we need is for the dishwasher to go out too. I mean we just bought a new dryer a few weeks ago, and with the basement to fix and Christmas coming up there's not much more that we can handle here.

But there's good stuff too. Valerie had another ultrasound today and the twins are doing well. Thanksgiving is around the corner and it appears as though my great aunts Stella and Clara are going to be able to come after all, even though most thought that the health issues surrounding them would prevent it. So that's good news. And as I said before Christmas is coming which is always a happy time in our house. We might have to watch the budget a little more than in years past, but we will still make it a great holiday.

That's all for now. I'm tired. G'night.

A Few Things

2009-11-05T21:46:00.003-06:00

Haven't blogged for a while so let's catch up.

First and foremost, it seems as though as of Sunday the basement will be a step closer to having the basement fixed. My brother and sister in law are coming over to help tear down the drywall. Apparently it's grown into a family gathering as Valerie's parents and her other sister are coming as well. I never knew drywall was so popular. Since Ron's taken down drywall in his own house, he and Stephanie graciously offered their help to Valerie last week on the phone, and we of course took them up on it. It will, after all, save us some money and maybe I'll learn me a thing or two. All I really needed was an extra pair of experienced hands, but now it appears I'll have more hands than I'll know what to do with. That's okay though , I appreciate everyone's willingness to help. Besides, maybe we'll get done a little earlier and have time for a visit too. Pizza's on me!

*****

Anyone who's been following knows I promised a horror movie roundup for Halloween. Didn't happen, and if I know me it probably won't. However, I do have a recommendation. For those who maybe didn't get their scary movie on last week, or who aren't ready to make the transition into Christmas yet, fire up the Netflix and get a movie called Trick R Treat.

Tick R Treat is a horror anthology film with a twist. There are four main tales, all happening on Halloween night, and they intertwine with one another. The timeline of the film is also done out of order, which is normally a device I can't stand but here it works to great effect. Characters that seem unimportant fade out of the picture only to show up later in a big way. Small clues and references to the other stories are dropped throughout the movie, almost begging for a second viewing to play "Spot the tie-in".

Nothing is as it seems in Trick R Treat. Not only do characters change, but situations do as well. And it's all monitored by a creepy little guy named Sam. Sam looks like a little kid with a Charlie Brown head in a raggedy costume, but he is more. He is the protector (embodiment?) of Halloween who makes sure that people are following the Rules Of Halloween. Don't feed them after midnight, never get them wet...no, wait, that's Gremlins.

Anyway, as you can probably tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this flick. It's what I call fun-horror. Not much in the gore department, dark humor and fantastical ideas. This is the type of movie that can be a lot of fun in the right circumstances and with the right crowd. There are a few scenes that some may find objectionable(dealing with kids and the mentally disabled), but the intent is not negative or derogatory. Plus, it's only a movie so get over yourselves. The movie may lose some of its Halloweeney magic after October, but it's still a treat. And it deserves to be a seasonal classic. Like It's A Wonderful Life.

*****
Watched bill Cosby receive the Mark Twain prize for American humor last night on PBS. Pretty entertaining. The Cos may be a little older and grumpier but he's still pretty funny. As the first African American comic to really hit it big, all accolades are deserved. And he did it all without addressing race in his routines. By focusing his comedy on universal matters, he made race almost a non issue, thus furthering the civil rights cause without shouting, insults, or violence.

So what the f--k, Dick Gregory?

*****
Going to a reception on Friday at Church for all volunteers. It's a desert buffet. Yay desert. And yay volunteering for the Church. And yay desert.

*****

According to all sources, things have stabilized with my Great Aunts in Arkansas. Stella is getting better after her stroke, slowly but surely. Marge's Parkinsons disease is getting worse, but she seems to be over her bout with pneumonia, so that's good. It's a bummer that they most likely won't be at Thanksgiving this year, but we'll be thinking of them and wishing the best.

*****

The twins seem to be doing fine. Tessa's still cute (she went as a duck for Halloween-though some mistook her for the Dirt Cheap Chicken). So everything at home is good. hope it is for you all too.

Halloween Songs

2009-10-28T20:58:00.003-05:00

I promised a Halloween movie post tonight, but scheduling conflicts have made it impossible to view some of the movies I planned on blogging about and I want to do this properly (even if it shows up in November!). So as a substitute, here's my idea for a Halloween playlist along with a few words about the selections. I'm doing it as I go along but I think it'll be fun.

DAVE'S HALLOWEEN PLAYLIST 2009

1. Science Fiction/Double Feature-The Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack
-How else would it start? Fun mood-setter, and more socially acceptable than Sweet Transvestite.

2. The Number Of The Beast-Iron Maiden
-A classic song. Contrary to popular belief the band are not devil worshipers, they just throw in a little dark stuff in from time to time along with their history and literature based songs.

3. Welcome To My Nightmare-Alice Cooper
-The master of Shock Rock with one of his signature songs, and a quintessential tune for All Hallows Eve.

4. Halloween-Misfits
-The premier horror rock/punk band. Almost any song would do (Ghoul's Night Out and Skulls come into mind), as it's all required Halloween listening.

5. Fire-The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
-Alice's predecessor. Freaky song, especially that intro.

6. Boris The Spider-The Who
-Creepy crawly. Also funny. Dig that voice from Entwhistle. Cool.

7. A Ghost To Most-Drive By Truckers
-Okay, so it's got nothing to do with scary, but there are ghosts and skeletons mentioned. Besides, any chance to get some DBT into a playlist.

8. The Legend Of Wooley Swamp-Charlie Daniels Band
-More of a true horror story than Devil Went Down To Georgia, but that one is certainly an acceptable alternate.

9. The Man Comes Around-Johnny Cash
-What's scarier than the Apocalypse and final judgement?

10. Night Prowler-AC/DC
-The scariest character on the Highway To Hell.

11. Nasty-The Damned
-A celebration of scary movies, and it was on The Young Ones T.V. show. Awesome.

12. My Girl Wants To Be A Zombie-The Briefs
-More great pop punk, and it's the only Zombie song I can think of that's not by Rob Zombie. Wow, that's a weird sentence.

13. Murder By Numbers-The Police
-Inside the mind of a killer. Surprisingly dark stuff.

14. Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath
-Genuinely creepy song, don't listen late at night with the lights off.

Okay, I think that's enough. There are certainly more I could list here but I think that's a good little mix of fun and slightly scary stuff. Maybe we'll do this again next year and I'll actually think it through next time.

And yes, I know that Monster Mash isn't listed. Too easy...and I'm sick of it before I even hear it. Sorry. Have fun with it if you gotta, but I'll stick to what's above. And Midnight Rambler by The Rolling Stones. That should've been on there too.

Quick Updates

2009-10-26T22:02:00.001-05:00

Here's a quick update as to what's going on lately.

1. Valerie's grandmother passed on last week. Condolences go out to all of the family. I only had the privilege of meeting Grandma Garvin on a few occasions but she always struck me as a kind, generous, intelligent woman with a good sense of humor and pleasant outlook on life. I know she will be missed by many but she will still be with us in our hearts, and once again in Heaven. I plan to have a cherry/vanilla Dr. Pepper in her honor (even if I have to make one).

2.. My basement is leaking again. The water seems to be coming in from the same place as it was last Spring, so apparently building up the grade of the yard didn't do it. My yard just holds water, so I suppose sooner or later it would find its way to a crack in the wall.

So I have to get someone out here to look at the problem and give me an estimate on fixing it. Here's the thing though, no-one will come have a look until I take down the drywall. I'm not sure why...must be an insurance thing. What I want is for someone to come to the house, take down the drywall, fix the crack and put the drywall back up. I am not giving up on this idea, as all I've talked to are waterproofing/crack repair specialists. My next step is to try a basement remodeling company and some general contractors.

However, the possibility of having to do most of the work myself looms large. I have never worked with drywall before, nor have I wanted to. All I know is it requires special tools and requires goggles, gloves and possibly masks. Doesn't sound like fun to me. I may need some help on this one, but let's see if I can't hire a guy first.

3. On a lighter note, I've been watching the six hour documentary "Monty Python:Almost The Truth" on IFC. Still haven't caught it all but that's what DVRs are for, and I'm sure I'll get the DVD when it comes out. I've been enjoying it immensely. I've been a fan for years, and it was nice finding out a little bit of information I didn't know (us Python geeks already knew a lot of this stuff), and being reminded of sketches I haven't thought of in quite a while. For some reason I haven't been watching as much Python as I used to, I'll have to remedy that.

4. As an addendum to my list from last time, I've also seen Extreme and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Oh, and Manda and the Marbles, and the 45s and probably more.

6. Just realized I promised a Halloween themed post, but I haven't been catching up on my scary movies like I should have been because of all the Monty Python stuff. I'll get to it on Wednesday.

That's it, and that's enough. Going to bed.

Bands I've Seen Live

2009-10-19T22:14:00.004-05:00

Okay, so my brother totally sniped me and printed a list of bands he's seen. I had been working on my own list for a while now, completely without knowing that Derek was doing the same thing. So not to be outdone I present my list of bands I've seen live. I've tried to include only national artists (obscure some of them, but national!), and bands that I remember clearly seeing. I know I've forgotten a few, and there are some bands not on here because I can't actually remember if I saw them or not-now that's a guy who goes to too many concerts! Many of these artists I've seen multiple times. Some I've only seen as headliners, some as openers, some at festivals. A few of them I've been drug to kicking and screaming...but for the most part I've gone to by choice...and overall I've had a really good time!!!

The List:

AC/DC
10,000 Maniacs
Aerosmith
Alabama Thunderpussy
Alice Cooper
Alice In Chains
Allman Brothers
Anthrax
April Wine
B*Witched
Bachman Turner Overdrive
Bad Brains
Bad English
Bare Jr.
Betty Blowtorch
Big Head Todd & The Monsters
Billy Joel
Black Crowes
Blues Traveller
Bob Seger
Bon Jovi
Bongzilla
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Charlie Daniels Band
Cheap Trick
Cinderella
Corrosion Of Conformity
Damn Yankees
Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds
David Bowie
Def Leppard
Dio
Dog's Eye View
Dokken
Doobie Brothers
Dream Theater
Drive By Truckers
Drivin N' Cryin'
Dropkick Murphys
Eddie Spaghetti
Elton John
Enuff Z'Nuff
Eric Johnson
Ernie Isley & The Jam Band
Fates Warning
Fear Factory
Fight
George Jones
Georgia Satellites
Gin Blossoms
Glenn Tillbrook
Glimmer
Great White
Gretchen Wilson
Hayes Carll
Hank Williams III
High On Fire
Hurricane
Iggy Pop
INXS
Iron Maiden
Jackyl
James Taylor
Jamey Johnson
Jason Mraz
Joe Cocker
John (Cougar) Mellencamp- under both names
John Fogerty
Johnny Lang
Judas Priest
Kenny Wayne Sheppard
KISS
Lars Fredericksen & The Bastards
Little Jimmy King
Living Colour
Los Infernos
Loverboy
Lynrd Skynrd
Mastodon
Metallica
Monster Magnet
Motorhead
Mr. Big
Murder By Death
Murray Hammond
Nasville Pussy
Neil Young
Night Ranger
Nine Inch Nails
Old 97's
Page/Plant
Pearl Jam
Pink Floyd
Power Of County
Power Station
Primus
Puddle Of Mudd
Queensryche
REO Speedwagon
Reverend Horton Heat
Rolling Stones
Roxette
Rush
Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses
Sammy Hagar
Scorpions
Sheryl Crow
Soul Asylum
Spice Girls
Spin Doctors
Spineshank
Stray Cats
Supagroup
Supersuckers
Swampass
Testament
The Commodores
The Damned
The Eyeliners
The Hacienda Brothers
The Immortal Lee County Killers
The Lost
The Marshall Tucker Band
The Pretenders
The Tragically Hip
The Who
Tower Of Power
U2
Unband
Union
Van Halen
Vince Neil
Whitesnake
Widespread Panic
Wilco
Will Dailey
Willie Nelson
Yes
Yngwe Malmsteen
ZZ Top

Interesting Call

2009-10-14T22:13:00.004-05:00

So as most people know I spent about six years or so performing stand-up comedy. I stopped in 2001, roughly the same time I got serious about being in a band. I'm not sure if the two were really related or not, but I do know that the frustrating parts of being a comic were becoming much bigger than the fun parts. And if I wasn't having fun on stage telling jokes then I didn't see much point in continuing. I was angry when I got out.

I was angry at bookers who would bump comics off of shows with no warning, even when the comics traveled for the gig. I was angry with the promoters who completely misrepresented themselves and the shows they booked, be it financially or otherwise. I was angry at the audiences for only wanting to laugh at the easy jokes-and by this I don't necessarily mean dirty jokes or blue humor (I never minded that)-but lazy comedy. I mean, if I'd have heard one more comic say "The difference between men and women is...", or do any type of airline humor ("Why do they have to call it the terminal?") I would have gone ballistic. And these hacks were getting the biggest laughs while I saw tons of really inventive and genuinely funny comics die a horrible death at the hands of a brain dead drunken public. It got to me and my sense of integrity,

Most importantly though, I was mad at myself for letting this stuff sour me on this artform that I loved and harden me to the point of not wanting to do it anymore. Sure, I punked out, but I was miserable and I made the only decision I could at the time. I still beleive it was the right one.

As a result of all this, I didn't set foot inside a comedy club for about three years after I quit. When I did go back it was because some friends wanted to go, or because a comic I used to work with (and enjoyed) was in town. Over the past few years, though, some "edgy" stand up comics (meaning offensive to prudes and requiring a brain to appreciate the jokes) have gotten big enough to make me pay attention again. Mitch Hedberg (RIP), Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifinakis, Maria Bamford and Steven Lynch are among those who are making me laugh and making me feel that there is still some good left in the whole comedy thing after all.

I mention all this because I had a message on my machine tonight from Jim "The Dad" Keith, a local open-miker I used to work with back in the old days. He said that Art Vieluf (comedy club owner/booker and all around swell guy) was back in town and had reopened Comedy Etc. in Fairview Heights Il., my "home" club where I worked consistantly. Tonight was the first open mike night and Jim was calling a lot of the old gang, thinking it would be a hoot to get us all back together again. Nice thought.

My first thought was that it sounded just like Jim, not only the sentiment but also the last minute info. I thought it was interesting and I hoped it worked out well for all involved, but I have passed that point in my life. And I have.

But, y'know, in the back of my head I started to wonder if I could get five minutes together to do onstage. Hey, I've got the Library story, right? And there's gotta be something that's not totally dated and still funny from the old act...but...no...not now anyway. It would be nice to see Art again, and if I ran into any of the old crew it'd be fun to catch up. I'd even be up for trying to top one another's jokes offstage again.

I called my good friend and old comedy partner Tim Heeley and he kind of had the same idea that I did. We'll probably go out there one night here soon, but I'm not sure either of us will get onstage. Maybe just for the heck of it, for the challenge of seeing if I could do it again. I don't know that I could get back into it, I'm not sure I could go through all that again. To be fair, a lot of the same problems listed above exist in the music world too, but it's different somehow when you've got your band around you, like a gang. The responsibility, the disappointments and the victories are all shared. In stand-up, it's all on you. So be in a band, have a day job, be a father to a one year old and soon twins, be a responsible husband and get back into stand up comedy? Probably not gonna happen. But I still might go.

Completely Unrelated Stuff:

1. The debut record from Monsters Of Folk is really good. Not entirely folk, but not anything else either. Great for morning drives.

2. Halloween movie based posts coming up. Stay tuned, kids, oooh, it'll be scary! Heh. Count Floyd reference.

3. There is an organisation that I think we should all be aware of. Go here to support FSITO. Be sure to click on the media section to see all the PSAs. They are worth your time, trust me.

4. If you didn't understand that link, you weren't supposed to. See? that's the attitude that kept me out of comedy.

Later.

P.S. Spellcheck not working. Apologies.

Two Eggs Are Better Than One

2009-10-10T22:04:00.003-05:00

For those readers I may have who don't already know, my wife Valerie is pregnant.

With twins.

That's right. Twins. And we have an 18 month old with Tessa. That makes three kids under three. Three in diapers-at the same time. Conventional wisdom says "never let your kids outnumber you." Oh well.

I went from looking at Mustangs to looking at Mini-vans overnight. Useful, but not cool.

We are both excited about this, though a little daunted by the changes that are coming. At first it just seemed overwhelming (especially to Valerie-can't blame her, she's carrying them!). The big questions all hit at the same time. How can we afford this? Who will watch them while we're at work, and can we afford a sitter? Will anyone babysit three kids under three? Is our house going to be big enough? How do we get the extra cribs, high chairs and other furniture and supplies? How can we send three kids to college a year apart? Can we have a full term pregnancy physically? How about mentally? Do we really have to get one of those big ugly strollers?

We quickly calmed down, however, and began to get a grip. We totally can do this. It's actually pretty cool when you think about it. Having twins is special. Twin births are on the rise (I believe it's something like 1 in 300 births) but they're not the majority. It's a whole new way to look at parenting but I believe we are up to the challenge. And it's a nice feeling to know that your kids will always have one another-twins are like that. Also, since Tessa will barely be two years old when they come along, she won't remember ever being without her siblings. They'll all be close and that's a good thing. It's going to take a lot of work, patience and love. It's something that one never sees coming, but it's amazing what you can do (and what you want to do)when it's in your heart and all about family.

Now, at this point it should be stated that there are some areas of concern. The biggest concern is that although the ultrasound did show two fetuses, only one registered a heartbeat. The plus side to this is that due to Valerie's doctor having vacation scheduled the tests and ultrasounds were done about a week or so early. As a result the confirmed heartbeat was quite faint, which means it had just started. With twins, it's possible that the other is a little younger, possibly as much as a day or two, and the heartbeat just wasn't there yet. We have another appointment in a week and a half to confirm both heartbeats and it is highly probable that we'll do just that.

But there are no guarantees. We are confident that both twins are in there and are growing, but we would still like to ask for any prayers and good thoughts you can send our way. Healthy, strong and full term. That's the saying around our house these days. Make it one of yours, too, we'd appreciate it.

There are also health risks for Valerie involved. No risks that aren't there for any pregnancy but with a multiple pregnancy the risks are higher. Please keep her in your prayers as well.

So that's the big news. Things seem to be falling into place fairly well already. We've got lots of people willing to donate furniture to us, and our sitter has already expressed her delight in the pregnancy and is more than happy to watch them. We've received lots of love and support already from family, friends and co-workers and we are looking forward to sharing our joy with you all.

Oh, and as long as we're on babies-congratulations to Chris and Amy Teague on the birth of their son Mattingly. And congratulations to Mike and Bridget Wildscheutz. Glad you were finally able to bring Faith home.

That's all for now.

Farm Aid

2009-10-05T17:00:00.005-05:00

Farm Aid was yesterday. As with most festival type gigs there were ups and downs, but all in all it was a good experience, and I'd like to think we did a little good for the cause (I think Valerie said that the T.V. news said it raised a million dollars, but I don't know if that's official).

Here's a bunch of random thoughts from the show.

The Good:

-Wilco put on the most surprising set of the evening for me. I've never been a fan of theirs, a few songs here and there but nothing that got me too excited. After hearing their set though, I may have to take a closer look.

-Nobody got booed. Sometimes at these events the artists go on tirades that start off about farming and then get political. John Mellencamp and Neil Young have both been booed from the stage before. Nice to see them both stay on topic, though a little disappointed that they didn't rile up the neo-cons, prudes and squares. (Why do people go see artists who are very vocal about their opinions if they don't agree with them? Do they want to get mad? Are they that clueless? I've never understood that.) However, that wasn't why we were there and they both stayed on topic so fair play to them.

-Speaking of Mellencamp, his set was great. Bookended by hits with a few new songs and a rather challenging acoustic number in the middle. Exactly what a festival gig should be. I've always been a closet fan of his, and now I can officially go public (still don't like "Hurts So Good " though).

-Didn't hate Gretchen Wilson.

-Thought the earlier bands made the most of their limited time and may actually check out some stuff by Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses and Will Dailey.

-Neil Young did a country set, and I'd actually heard some of those songs. Nice set.

-Willie Nelson rules. Even with a set that was clearly off the cuff the guy delivers.

-Apparently my brother and I were on channel 4 news in a crowd shot. So that's cool.

The Bad:

-Verizon Wireless Amphitheater St. Louis still sucks. It's much better than it used to be, but still not good. The show started at 1:00. We got there before the doors opened at 12:30, and stood in line for over an hour to get in, missing the first three acts. Don't you think somebody there would have the sense to realize that a sold out show with lawn seating (where people bring backpacks and blankets that need to be checked) would require an earlier door time?

-Jason Mraz and Dave Matthews. Both completely boring and terrible. I thought very briefly(and foolishly) that Matthews might deliver a decent acoustic set and that maybe I just didn't like the sound of the band. Nope, still sucked. And Jason Mraz sucked harder. as I've always said, never trust a soccer mom when it comes to music.

-Didn't hate Gretchen Wilson. She was actually fairly entertaining. Not good, but entertaining. And not country music either. Writing songs about rednecks (and being completely stereotypical while doing it), singing with a slight accent and throwing in a little twang doesn't make your songs country. It's pop with a rock/country sheen on it. You can't open with the main riff to "Rock You Like A Hurricane" and call yourself country. You can't be taken seriously either, but that's beside the point. She also included an instrumental version of "The Star Spangled Banner" in her show. It's pure pandering to the lowest common denominator and it's insulting to Hendrix and America. Other than that her set was okay.

-The idiot behind us who kept yelling out inane comments all night, and yelling at people in front to sit down. I got into it a little with him because of how rude he was. His arguments were that he paid for a seat and wanted to sit. He claimed not to like the same behavior at sporting events too. Well, first of all, sports are entirely different than a concert. In games you only stand when something good happens and points are scored, so I'll concede that prolonged standing is rude in that situation. But a concert is a different animal. You do what the crowd does. If I'm at an arena show and the crowd as a whole decides to sit all night and only stand after certain songs and during the encore, then fine, in that case the two or three people who insist in standing are wrong. However, if we all decide to stand and there are a few cranks who get pissy about it, I don't care about them at all.

True concert goers know the score. We go to see our favorite bands not because we just like a good tune, but because we feel a connection to the music/artist. It's part of our lives. As such, standing/dancing/headbanging/air guitaring is a logical and natural reaction. Also, it's been my experience that once the crowd starts standing and getting into the show the band on stage begins to give a better performance. I've seen many shows where the band has chastised the audience for not standing. A rock concert is supposed to make you feel good and be a form of release. So no-one should be upset by people standing and enjoying themselves. If someone stands up in front of you, move your head so you can see. Even better, get up and join in. You just might enjoy it.

-Billy Joe Shaver apparently missed his plane or something and didn't go on when he was supposed to. It's okay, things happen, but it was disappointing. It also led to major pauses in the show as the event still needed to stick to specific times for the Direct TV broadcast. Shaver wound up getting in late and Willie Nelson brought him out during his set for a few songs, so it worked out all right in the end.

-All the people who left once it started getting late (as if 10:00 was late for a concert) and colder (as if we didn't know it'd be upper 50's in October in St. Louis). It's stupid to leave a ten hour festival with one act to go, and disrespectful to boot. You morons walked out on a friggin' legend. Shame on you. Willie deserves better. Prob'ly a bunch of Dave Matthews fans. You know, idiots.

The Funny

Quotes from the stage:

"This song goes out to...well, y'all know who you are."
-Ernie Eisley

"This is our second appearance at Farm Aid. Or as my band calls it, Willie Aid."
-Jamey Johnson

"With all due respect to Gretchen Wilson, is there anybody here who's not a redneck?" (Lots of applause)
-Jeff Tweedy (Wilco)

"I change my guitar after every song and then play the same thing. It's the same, but it sounds different. Showbiz."
-Dave Matthews

Quote from some random girl:

"Who's the douche bag in the hat?" Said loudly to, and as she passed by, Jason Mraz.

So, a decent day at the ol' amphitheater. Got to hear some good music and see some legends perform. The good stuff outweighed the bad making Farm aid a worthwhile experience, and one I'd repeat if the opportunity came up again.

List Of Ten

2009-10-03T21:38:00.003-05:00

Okay, I promised to post something here in between the Farm Aid stuff. There's a big post or two coming up soon but I'm not ready to go with that stuff yet. So instead here's a list.

TEN THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME

1. I have globophobia (fear of balloons).

2. My favorite classical composer is Vivaldi.

3. There is a non cancerous lump in my left lung. I named him "Lumpy".

4. Favorite snack: milk and chocolate chip cookies.

5. At age 37 I am still afraid of the dark.

6. When I feel depressed I go and buy something. Got that from Mom.

7. Last year I got very sick and thought I was dying. I asked God to let me live so I could take care of Tessa, and promised I'd read the Bible start to finish and spend more time in the Word. So far I have failed. Reading the Bible is hard for me. Any suggestions?

8. One of my earliest memories is of being driven to the hospital by my father after falling and cutting my head open. I remember being in the backseat yelling "Faster, Dad, faster!"
I'm sure it scared the crap out of him, but I was just enjoying going fast in the car. Sorry Dad.

9. I still think the band can "make it".

10. I have always been a bit of an introvert with low self esteem. I've just been good at hiding it.
However, in the past few years I've begun to be much more comfortable with myself, and I now like not just aspects of me but me altogether. Flaws and all. I credit my wife, child and most importantly God for helping me turn it around. Thank you.

There ya go. Enlightening? Interesting? Waste of time? Whatever it was, it's been a quick peek into this jumble of contradictions and wonderment that is Dave. At least the stuff I don't mind you knowing.

Farm Aid tomorrow!

Farm Aid Preview

2009-09-29T21:50:00.003-05:00

Farm Aid is this coming Sunday. My brother and I are taking our father for his birthday, which is cool. The final line up for the concert has been announced, and a lot of people are disappointed in it. Initially, the headliners announced were Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews. That's a good show in and of itself. Soon added were Wilco, Jason Mraz and Jamey Johnson. Then...nothing. For like two months absolutely no-one. Finally, last week the remainder was announced. People had been waiting, spreading rumours and chomping at the bit to hear the rest of the line-up. What other top acts would be added? We just couldn't wait to find out.

Well, about as close to major acts as we get are Gretchen Wilson and Billy Joe Shaver. Everyone else are more or less unknowns, at least to the mainstream fan. At first I was one of the disappointed people but then I got to thinking about it. The reason most people are upset is because Farm Aid has such a reputation for bringing on top artists, and I think maybe people built it up too much in their minds. The extra long wait didn't help either. However, if one looks at the different shows over the last 10 years or so, lots of smaller acts have appeared who have gone on to be something. For example, the Drive-By Truckers, Tegan and Sara, The Supersuckers, Los Lonely Boys, moe., and Guster were all bands with a big question mark attached to their names for most people and now they've all gone on to decent sized followings. So in that sense it's kind of interesting to think that I might be seeing some acts that are going to get big soon, and maybe a few who have been around for quite a while who I should have been listening to all along.

The other interesting part of the booking is that it seems to be a bit short. Most Farm Aid shows have about 20 performers or so. I count 15. So does that mean that maybe there might be a special guest or two coming in that we don't know about yet? Knowing the nature of benefit shows (and the nature of Willie Nelson) it's certainly possible. It is also possible that with fewer performers we might get slightly longer sets by the headliners. Or maybe both scenarios are wishful thinking.

Anyway, the whole music discussion misses the point of what's really going on here. The bottom line is that we're all gathered together to help the small family farmer to continue providing good food to our local communities. Our ticket money is also being used to help further the organic food movement that's taking over your local grocers as we speak. Er, type. Whatever. Anyone with kids these days knows the importance of Organic milk. And the eggs are good too.

Farm Aid and its artists are also on the front lines in the battle to get Bio diesel fuel into more cars on our roadways. While I'm not 100% sold on the idea (and I still want a muscle car Mustang), I'm all for cleaner fuel. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going all hippie and environmentalist here but I do think we all have a little responsibility towards our planet and our fellow man. Now I may only be dipping a toe into all of this stuff, but it's a start and I'm more than happy to give a few bucks towards the cause.

So there are my thoughts five days out. I'm sure I'll do a wrap up on the concert next week, and I'll try to post something else in between so those of you who aren't interested in this stuff can have something else to read. Maybe Tessa will say another dirty word or something.

'Bye.

Thank God For Earplugs...and Rock And Roll

2009-09-24T22:04:00.003-05:00

Last night was the big show...Motorhead and Reverend Horton Heat at the Pageant theater, St. Louis MO. It was everything I expected and more.

The night got underway at 8:00 with opening act Nashville Pussy. I've never been what you'd call a fan, but I was big into the underground scene when they broke through. I'd seen them before and was less than impressed. However, last night's set was pretty cool. I'm not sure if it was my mood or the choice of songs or what, but I thought it was good. Not good enough to run out and buy all their CDs or anything but an enjoyable way to kick things off.

Next up was the Reverend Horton Heat. For those not in the know, the Rev. is a psychobilly artist combining the style of rockabilly with the swagger of punk rock with a little swing and country thrown in for good measure. During their set, the band hit on all these styles and managed to win over a crowd full of metalheads in the process. Onstage, the band is among the tightest and most entertaining units you'll see. From the excellent guitar work of the Rev. himself (real name Jim Heath), to the upright slap bass of Jimbo Wallace and the rock solid drumming of Paul Simmons it's always a good time at a Horton Heat show.

After their set, the Rev. announced he'd be at the "t-shirt place in a little bit". Well, that's all we needed to hear as my brother and I high-tailed it out to the annex of the theater where the merch is sold to meet the Rev. We waited patiently for him to arrive. And waited and waited. Then Motorhead started their set and he still wasn't there. About 3 songs into Motorhead's set he made good on his word and came in to meet the fans. Which was good, because I was about to give up on the guy and go back inside the venue. so while it bugged me not seeing some of my favorite Motorhead tunes, how often do you get to meet one of your favorite performers? So I got a photo snapped (not the best picture of either of us-no offense Derek, much thanks for snapping the cell phone pic), chatted for a few minutes and went back inside.

Me and The Rev.

Motorhead. Wow, what can I say? Motorhead is one of the classic bands in heavy rock. Part metal, part punk, all attitude, and it's all for real. Bandleader Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister is the personification of the rock and roll ethos. He is a walking middle finger to the establishment, a true original amongst all the fake rebellion of your so called rock stars. He is ugly, obnoxious, funny, slightly perverted, surprisingly intelligent, and above all a man who holds honesty and honor above all else. He's exactly what all true rockers wish they could be, except for the ugly part, 'cause dude, the guys just scary looking. And this is not a man crush, thank you, just appreciation of the real deal. I don't always agree with Lemmy's world views or even conduct, but I respect him, and I love his music.

Motorhead's music has been a constant in my life since the mid 80's. Whenever I need a dose of pure, straightforward rock n' roll a Motorhead record will always do the trick, and the live show is phenomenal. The music is intense, but also a lot of fun and a great way to release any built up stress and tension in your life. No matter what line up the band is using (and there have been many over the years) it's always worth seeing. In fact, Motorhead's regular drummer isn't on this tour due to a scheduling conflict and Matt Sorum (The Cult, Velvet Revolver, Guns N'Roses) is filling in. It was still awesome.

And LOUD. Good God it was LOUD. I mean, I've seen probably upwards of 200 concerts in my lifetime and this was possibly the loudest. I have seen Motorhead before, in clubs and theaters both, and they've always been loud but this was a whole new level. I decided to put earplugs in when I could hear the band perfectly well from the annex through heavy wooden doors. Once inside I could feel it in my chest, and that was just the between song chatter. Some songs literally hurt. At one point I decided to pull out the earplugs just to see what it was like, and all I could hear was a high pitched screech. So that's what it sounds like when your eardrum shuts down. Instant tinnitus. The earplugs went back in, and the show rocked hard.

Sometimes you look forward to a show and it's a little anti climactic, or just downright disappointing. And then there are nights like this one, where the music is great, you have as much fun as possible and leave with memories that will stay embedded in your brain forever. The kind of show that makes you feel ten feet tall and makes you believe in the power of rock and roll.

So, how was your Wednesday?

Working

2009-09-20T20:24:00.002-05:00

Haven't blogged for a while. Not because I haven't had anything to say, but because I haven't had the energy to do so. I've been pretty wiped out lately because I've been working a lot.

A few weeks ago one of my co-workers, Jennifer, left to go do some student teaching. Good for her, bad for us. Our company does quite a bit of e-bay sales in addition to our storefront and nationwide phone orders. Here's how that system has always worked. John (the co-president) photographs the items, describes them and launches them on e-bay. Then the items come to me and I check the listings, making sure the items are correctly described and all the numbers match, and then I organize them by launch date and stock number. Once the items are sold, Jennifer processes their payment through Paypal, sets up all the shipping info and puts them on the mailing desk where Nikki ships them off.

So clearly someone needed to take over Jen's part of this equation. And clearly said person is me. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind doing it, and now that I've got the hang of this job (after making a few costly mistakes of course) I kind of like it. But here's the thing. Jen and I had always worked on this stuff independently, yet simultaneously. Now that she's gone I have to find time to do it all.

And that's the key to the whole thing. Time. We launch anywhere from 10-30 new auctions at a time on e-bay, often three days a week. The auctions are, of course all timed, to about a week or so, though sometimes it's a little longer. So as some are going up others are selling and need to be processed. Once an item has been sold, it's supposed to go out within 48 hours. All while double checking the new stuff that just launched. It's a lot to keep up with, and when you add in the fact that I'm also still in charge of watch batteries and repair, and inventory of all of the
.999 product in the vault, oh, and waiting on customers all day, you can see how complex my days have become. My workload has essentially doubled.

So the only way to really get a jump on this stuff is to create more time to complete the tasks. In a business such as ours the open and close times have to be pretty strictly observed for security reasons. So I am now arriving at 7:00 a.m. in order to have an hour to get things done before the doors open. I already stay until 5:00 p.m. when we lock the vault and leave. This happens about 3-4 days a week. The other problem is that I've had to rearrange the morning routine so Valerie and Tessa can leave at the right time too. Therefore, I'm getting up at 5:00 a.m., a good 45 minutes earlier than normal. Needless to say I've been pretty wiped out lately.

So that's why the blogs haven't been coming. Not that there was ever a steady stream of posts here anyway, but I've been trying to be a little more consistent recently. There's lots of events coming up that I'll want to talk about (Motorheat!) and a few opinion pieces I've been thinking of so hopefully there will be more frequent postings, and hopefully better than whatever that last one was. Seriously, I have no idea what that was. Super sorry.

'Bye for now.

09/10/09

2009-09-10T21:09:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I've been trying to figure out something to blog about that will top the last one. I have come to the conclusion that I probably can't. Therefore, I'm not even going to try. Here's a bunch of random crap.

*****
I am currently watching the football kick-off game. NBC just used a full three minutes and five seconds to promote Jay Leno's new show. I'm already sick of it and want it to fail-just because of the hype. Then they showed a commercial for Hardee's fried bologna biscuit which is kind of appropriate and made me hungry.

*****
Speaking of television, the MDA telethon was last week. It actually wasn't too bad this year considering. Jerry Lewis was actually in pretty good form for an old guy, and apart from an unusually high number of Beatles songs being ruined by what passes for talent on that show it went fairly smoothly. Well, at least until the last couple of hours when everything kinda slows down and people are too tired to think, much less perform.

A few things stuck out to me:

1. A few hours in, the band WAR payed, who look and sound like this: http://www.wartheband.com/. For about a second and a half I thought Jerry introduced GWAR, who look and sound like this: http://www.gwar.net/. I almost pooped. How much fun would that have been?!!

2. Ric Flair showed up which was awkward. And awesome.

3. There's a guy named Auggie who comes on every year. He suffers from ALS and we have basically been watching him deteriorate over the past several years. He's the guy who started the Club Fitness chain and now he's lost the use of not only his limbs but also his voice. It's a sad story, and each year his wife and son come out with him to help raise awareness for ALS. Used to be he'd do his best to say something to the camera, now he can't even mumble. He just cried. Sad.

Here's the thing, during the Sunday night part of the show, hours before Auggie came on stage, I was inspired to write a song about ALS. After it was written I briefly thought it should be dedicated to the Augster but decided against it. Then on Monday afternoon, they surprised him by premiering a song written for him by the guy from Five For Fighting, who I refuse to link to. I was annoyed by the whole thing. Five For Fighting suck, the song sucks, and so does the guy who wrote it. Auggie deserves better. I'm not saying mine is brilliant (and it isn't even about him actually), but come on, Five For Fighting? Really?

*****
There have been three more commercials for The Jay Leno show since I started typing this.

*****
I vote we change the expression to "Honky Dory." No real reason, it just makes me giggle.

*****
Valerie and I were given free tickets to the Cardinal's game tomorrow night, but can't find a sitter. I'm not a big baseball fan, but Valerie likes it. I like spending time with my wife, and as long as the game isn't too long and I can eat crappy stadium food (and I mean that in the nicest way possible), it can be an enjoyable evening. It doesn't look as though we will be attending unless a babysitter comes through soon. It's okay, the tickets were free, but it seems a shame to waste them. I put in a call to some friends but so far no takers either. And I got them from my uncle (hi Ron!) who also got them for free and can't use them either. Sometimes things just don't work out.

*****
Good Lord, another Leno commercial. This is driving me crazy. I'm gonna go eat bologna and see if the Steelers can't get it done and beat the crap out of the Titans here in the fourth quarter.

Bye.

The Library Story

2009-09-03T20:37:00.002-05:00

The thing about sixteen month old children is that they are just learning to talk, and they have no volume control. So when they try to say words, they sometimes come up with something that sounds vaguely like the word they were going for, usually involving the first syllable. And if they're excited, happy or proud of themselves they say it at the top of their lungs. Every parent can attest to this, and they all have a story. This is mine.

Yesterday I had the day off, and took Tessa to the library. She loves the library, she gets to look at books, explore the aisles and play with the toys in the kids section. There are some plush toys that are just about as tall as she is, mostly of PBS and Disney characters. This is, of course, her favorite part.

When we entered the kids section she made a b-line for the dolls, and since she's under 5 she thinks Elmo is the greatest thing ever. So she ran to the toys yelling "Memmo! Melmmo! Memmo!" Which was cute. And then she saw another toy, a giant plush Cookie Monster. Tessa's eyes lit up, she looked at me with the cutest little smile on her face and said, at the top of her lungs...

"COCK! COCK!"

"Um, no honey," I explained, "you mean Cookie. That's Cookie Monster. Cooookieee."

"COCK!"

Daddy's little angel.

She then proceeded to make things worse by running through the library yelling "cock" as loud as possible. And I had to chase her. Being sixteen months old, Tessa is small, and speedier than she looks, which she used to her advantage. And all I could think of was the casual observer who only saw a grown man chasing after a small girl who is screaming something about cock.

All in all, not my proudest moment.

This week

2009-08-30T21:15:00.003-05:00

My cell phone broke the other day. I don't mean it stopped working, I mean it broke. Physically. I have a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone. The design is a one piece, with a flip down cover. The cover is only over the keys (natch), but also doubles as the control for the Walkman. It is very thin, and if you're not careful, it will fall the hell apart when you open it. Seriously, it just, like disintegrated in my hands.

Not only did it come off, but it broke into pieces. One of the hinges is extremely important as it, well, acts as a hinge, but also sends the signal to the phone that the cover is open or closed. Kinda like the button in your fridge that registers the open door so the light will come on. Anyway, this hinge is now gone. So the phone is always open and I can't use the Walkman function, not that it ever really worked anyway. Worse, since there's no cover, there's no way to lock the keys and I'm pocket dialing. So the phone is pretty much useless, and the warranty is questionable. Wear and tear and whatnot.

Fortunately I still have my old phone. It's seriously out of date, but it works and it'll do for a while. Being on the in-laws family plan, I might be able to switch come spring, so we'll see. Thanks to Elizabeth for advice on switching the phones, and thanks in advance to my mother in law, Janet, for getting the warranty info tomorrow.

So what else?

The T.V. in our living room broke as well. The power does not come on to the television. In the past I'd have looked into fixing it, but I think we spent like 80 bucks tops on it, and it'd probably just about even out. So we're moving the television from our bedroom down. It's bigger than the previous one and really pops out in the room. We'd always said no television in that room, but things change. Now there's no television in our bedroom, but we probably don't really need it anyway, and it sets a good precedent so we don't have to give one to Tessa someday. Of course, by then she'll watch T.V. on her phone or it'll beam straight into your head or something like that, but whatever.

As far as the sleep goes, I suppose it's been getting better. I am still waking up at weird hours, but I seem to be staying in bed, so that's good. Thanks to everyone who asked.

And that's pretty much been this week.

Sleep

2009-08-24T20:41:00.003-05:00

I remember sleep. Seemed to enjoy it at the time.

I have not officially slept through the night for weeks. I know other insomniacs aren't impressed, but stick with me here.

Used to be my insomnia was the standard type like my brother has, where you just can't fall asleep (and to his credit, his is much worse than mine). It comes and goes too, so there's hope. Lately, however, it's changed. I do still stay up late not being tired, but I've also started waking up a lot during the night. Sometimes for an hour or so at a time, sometimes for about 10-15 minutes, multiple times a night. I've never done that before.

I've also become a light sleeper, which is weird because I used to be able to sleep through almost anything. Probably that's just because I'm a dad now and you learn to keep one ear out for your child. Tessa is waking up a few times a night herself because she's teething, but that's a quick fix, you just go in and rub her back for a few minutes and she calms down and goes back to sleep.

Okay, so nothing too far out of the ordinary yet, but dig this. Friday night we awoke around 2:30 to a dog barking outside. Kinda sounded like Jake. I sat up and thought I saw him in the closet, but that was just a pile of clothes. He was outside. But here's the thing, he wasn't when I went to bed. Valerie doesn't let him out overnight, that's become my job. So apparently I got the dog up, went downstairs, let him out, locked the door and went back to bed without being aware of it.

And just last night I woke up in the bathroom. I mean I had to go so it was well timed, but I didn't remember going in. Had a book and everything. So logically there's only two explanations. Either I've been drunk (which isn't likely as there's currently no alcohol in the house), or I'm sleepwalking. Again.

I had a brief period of sleepwalking as a child. I remember waking up in the living room a few times. And then there's the story my mom used to tell. She awoke to find me in the master bathroom adjoining my parent's bedroom. I was busy emptying a full tube of toothpaste into the sink. Mom quite rightly asked me what the hell I was doing. I chuckled at her (as though she were the weird one) and explained that I was looking for a place to put the mayonnaise. And then I went back to bed.

So yeah, I'm not having the best nights here lately. I'm going to try to get to sleep early tonight. Who knows, I might have some sort of Grand Adventure tonight, maybe I should rest up for it.

Music One Liners

2009-08-15T21:26:00.003-05:00

I haven't really been able to come up with a good blog topic this week, so here's a bunch of one-liners about music and musicians. You don't necessarily need to be a musician to get these, there should still be a few chuckles for you. Here goes.

What do you call someone who hangs out with musicians?
A drummer.

What do you call a guitarist without a girlfriend?
Homeless.

What's the difference between a harmonica player walking down the street and a duck in a taxi cab?
The duck's probably on the way to a gig.

What has 9 arms and sucks?
Def Leppard.*

How do you get two piccolo players to play in perfect unison?
Shoot one.

What's the difference between a violin and a fiddle?
Who cares, neither one is a guitar.

How can you tell the stage is level?
The bass player is drooling out of both sides of his mouth.

How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?
Two, one to do it and one to show him how Entwhistle would have done it.

How many guitar players does it take to change a light bulb?
None, they just steal someone else's light.

What do you say to a drummer in a 3 piece suit?
"Will the defendant please rise..."

What's another name for a gay toilet?
Elton John.

Ever hear the one about the guitar player who was in tune?
Me neither.

What do you throw your bass player if he's drowning?
His amp.

Why are so many musician jokes one liners?
So the musicians can understand them.

How many guitar players does it take to cover a Stevie Ray Vaughn song?
Apparently all of them.

What does a stripper do with her asshole before she goes to work?
Drops him off at band practice.

Did you hear about the keyboard player who hooked up with the hottest chick at the gig?
Of course not, it never happened.

And finally, my favorite...

What did the Grateful Dead fan say when he ran out of weed?
"Man, this music sucks."

I'll do something more relateable next time. Or at least more accessible jokes.

Cheers!

*Actually, as a child of the 80's I like Def Lep, but that's a good one.

Dave's Super Excited List

2009-08-04T23:19:00.002-05:00

Here's a list of some stuff I'm super excited about these days:

1. Farm Aid

For those who have been living under a rock, Farm Aid is in St. Louis this year at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. My brother and I are taking our father for his birthday. We got our tickets first day, and it's a good thing too because last I heard there are only individual seats left in the seating section, everything else is on the lawn. We are sitting in the upper right corner of seats, and though certainly not close, it's better than being on the lawn all day.

I'm super excited about this show for a few reasons. First of all, how often do you get to see Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp on the same bill? Wilco has also been added to the line-up, with more artists T.B.A. There are usually about 20 artists on the bill, which is cool because even if half of them suck (Dave Matthews anyone?) you're still getting a lot of music for your money. Now, this does mean that most of the sets will be short, say 20-45 minutes but that's okay, it should still be fun.

Also, I believe in the cause. I'm not necessarily against factory farms, but I do feel that we should help out the family farmer. As Charlie Daniels once sang, "He's the American Farmer/And he's damn hard to beat/You better wake up America/'Cause if the man don't work the people don't eat." Farmers deserve to sell their crops for a fair market price, and deserve a little help when the crops fail due to a bad year. The main sponsor of the show is Horizon Organic Foods, who not only use family farms and pay a fair price, they also have higher safety and environmental standards than factory farms do. And you thought the organic thing was just for health nuts. So not only do I get a good show, I help out some good people too. It's a win-win.

2. Man v. Food Season Two

My favorite show and my t.v. hero Adam Richman are back beginning Wednesday night August 5th. Yay! Food, it ain't your day.

3. Motorheat

Two of my favorite rock bands, Motorhead and Reverend Horton Heat, are touring together this year. Miraculously enough, St. Louis is actually getting this show. You see, this is the type of ultra cool show that normally skips us in favor of Chicago or Kansas City. St. Louis is often deemed not hip enough (by promoters) to get awesome stuff like this. Two legendary(if fairly underground) rock bands, one night. My face is already in pain just to train for how much it's going to get rocked Sept. 23rd.

4. Watchmen

Just saw the Watchmen DVD and I really liked it. I was a bit concerned as I haven't read the graphic novel and had heard from several sources that I would probably get lost. Well, no worries there, I had no problem following it. Valerie could follow it as well, and she was sewing at the time.

So anyway, I thought overall the movie was really well done. It looks absolutely fantastic, and moves quickly. It also rewards you for paying attention, which I love. I don't like it when movies require I turn off my brain to enjoy them (well, unless it's a silly B movie with big dumb rubber monsters or something like that), and Watchmen is just the opposite. Now, that doesn't mean it's perfect. I did see most of the reveals coming a mile away, and some of the casting choices didn't really do it for me. I also could've done without Dr. Manhattan's wang. However, the themes of violence (of which there is much, and it's graphic to boot), justice, political and personal power, psychosis and the nature of time and humankind make for a rich experience.

Even at 3 plus hours, they had to leave stuff out that was in the original comic (it's a big one folks), and they changed the ending for the film too. So now I'm looking to read the original piece and see what all I've missed. Anybody feeling generous can send me a copy. Okay, I didn't really expect that to work, but it's worth a shot.

5. Blue Tattoo

My band is currently recording a bunch of songs for our next project. The form isn't totally decided yet, but it'll probably be a self released CD with 11-14 songs, and I'm sure we'll do something digital on our website as well but we haven't really talked about that yet. So far we've got about 5 or 6 songs in the can minus backing vocals, and have scratch/drum tracks for more. Hopefully we'll get the recording part done in another three or four weeks and then we can start approaching clubs again. We haven't had much luck in the clubs as of yet, but if we can get a little more disciplined and really attack it, I think we'll be successful. A few weeks ago I was feeling kinda down about it all, but here lately I've started to get a lot more excited about the whole thing again. There will be more news soon...watch this space.

6. The Happy Dance

Apparently Valerie and Tessa have their own happy dance they did earlier tonight (8/4/09). It was a happy dance. In the potty. I missed it. I'm not sure what's involved, but I'm already fascinated. The story I got was that Tessa peed in the potty (accidentally, but she did it), and she was so proud of herself, as was Valerie, that a dance broke out. Now don't get too excited, she's too young for potty training to stick, but that doesn't mean we can't dance about it. Perhaps we do the dance of joy as taught to us by Balke from Mepos. Or maybe we do the Time Warp. The Funky Chicken? The Thriller dance? There's so many to choose from!!!

Anyway...

There's your list of what's keeping me excited and entertained lately. Actually there's other stuff too. but I thought these were the most interesting. At least I hope it's interesting. Otherwise, I've wasted your time dear reader, which you probably find quite boring. But either way I'm still entertained. So there.

Smoky Mountain Pictures

2009-07-28T21:05:00.017-05:00

A little later than anticipated, but here are some pictures from our vacation.

Road Trip!

Shaking It.

Dig that vista.

Tom Branch Falls.

You call this hiking?

Indian Falls

The Davettes at Laurel Falls.

Let's go wading.

Ooh...cold.

Dancing in the water...and rockin' her D.B.T. onesie.

C'mon, get out of there already!

There ya go. Up next: Farm Aid, I watch The Watchmen and other stuff.

Birthday Blog

2009-07-20T21:26:00.003-05:00

Just had a birthday this weekend. Yay! I love birthdays.

Many people, however, do not. I don't really get that. I mean, your birthday is the one day it really is all about you, yk'now, as opposed to the other 364 days of the year when you just think it is.

Most people who don't like birthdays tend to fall into one of two categories. The first one is people who just hate the fact that they're getting older. For some reason our society is youth focused, as opposed to the way many foreign cultures operate in which the elderly are actually looked up to for their wisdom and experience. Anyway, I think it's sad that people are so uncomfortable with their own lives that they can't deal with being a year older. As if it was a crime or an embarrassment of some kind. Age is not an embarrassment until you start crapping your pants. Of course, by then you're too old to care, so where's the problem?

Hey, I miss being able to do some of the things I did when I was younger, but I'm having a really good time right now. I've got a great wife and awesome child, I've got my band, a job, and it's all going well. I'm on the downside of my thirties now and I'm happy. I don't see that changing. But some people are so insecure that the idea of age terrifies them and they don't want anyone pointing it out by doing something so kind as to wish them a happy birthday or buy them a gift. Sad. They also don't want to be a part of your celebration either. Double sad.

The other group I just don't understand at all. That's the "birthdays are for kids" group. Apparently, after you turn 18, you only get birthdays at 21, 30 , 40, 50 and 65. The supposed "important" ones. Well, newsflash for ya sparky, they're all important, because the alternative to having birthdays is being dead. Pass the cake, please.

So anyway, my birthday was pretty cool. My birthday was on Saturday, and I went to see the Old 97's play at The Pageant (great show, really energetic and fun. Plus I got a birthday discount on a t-shirt.) Then on Sunday we had family over to the house to celebrate. Upon reflection, I should have okayed the singing. I decided it could be optional, and we opted not. Turns out I kinda missed it, so next year y'all best get to singin'. Thanks to everybody for showing up and for all the gifts. It's all much appreciated.

Our Smoky Mountains Vacation Part Three-Let's Wrap This Up

2009-07-16T22:08:00.003-05:00

Our final two days in Gatlinburg were spent in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

On Tuesday we decided to drive to the North Carolina side of the park to visit the waterfall trails we'd discovered on our last trip. The park in that area is just outside of the Indian reservation town of Cherokee. There are a lot of exhibits of Native American history to visit, everything from an outdoor drama telling the Cherokee story to history museums. As of yet we haven't seen any of them, but I think it would be interesting to do someday.

Once we hit the park our first stop was the Juney Whank Falls trail. Unintentionally, we'd picked the steepest trail to begin our hikes. Good plan. You want a workout? Try pushing a baby in a stroller up a friggin' mountain. On the way up we encountered two people riding on horseback along the trail. Tessa's eyes got huge, you could just see her thinking, "That is the biggest doggie I have ever seen!" The falls themselves are fairly small, but beautiful and seen from a bridge that goes just in front of and over them. Great, but the others are more impressive, so...

Next we went to the trail that goes to both the Tom Branch Falls and Indian Falls. Tom Branch Falls are seen from across the river. It's a popular spot for sitting and relaxing on the many benches, photographs and splashing around in the river. This trip however was much different than our last as in March it's a nice peaceful spot. In the summer though, it's over run with inner tubes and the people who use them.

Okay, I expected the trails to be more crowded than last time, but I didn't expect about a hundred plus tubers glutting the trail wearing swimsuits designed for bodies they didn't have. Not only were they pervasive on the trail, but there were so many people on the river that they wound up getting into clusters of people uglying up the scenery. You see, the river that runs through this part of the park is a little on the small side and it's full of giant rocks. So naturally when one person gets stuck on a rock, about five or six others get stuck too, until somebody can get the first person unlodged. Is it just me, or does this not sound fun? I mean, on a patch of clear river with a few rapid spots I can see where tubing could be an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon but this just seemed like a waste of time.

Also, it kind of made me sad that most of these people are only concerned with the tubing part and not taking in the beautiful scenery around them. In fact, I heard more than a few people being annoyed with, and saying rude comments to the people who wanted to stop and take it in. "Daddy look at that waterfall." "I see it. Let's keep moving." Just sad.

So, having the first falls somewhat spoiled I was kinda down about the day and only going up to the next set of falls out of obligation. Much to my relief we passed a sign that read "No tubing beyond this point" and were rewarded with the last part of our hike to Indian Falls in relative solitude. Best of all, when we got to the falls we were all alone to take in the beauty. If you blink you'll miss the entrance to Indian Falls, but it's worth looking for. I was able to take Tessa to the far side of the falls and let her enjoy playing in the pond a little. I must admit it was worth all the other stuff to get to that place of tranquility and family togetherness.

Wednesday we decided to start the day with a hike to Laurel Falls (we love us some waterfalls in the Brink household!). Sometime on Tuesday I caught a bit of a stomach bug, which hadn't been too big of a problem so far, but that morning I was feeling pretty sick. I didn't want to spoil the trip so I went ahead with the hike. Although the trail wasn't quite as steep as the previous day, it was a little too much for me to push Tessa up the mountain in that state, so Valerie and I pushed her in shifts. They say that waterfalls release negative ions into the air which causes a reaction in people and makes them feel happier. The temperature also drops at a waterfall, which will definitely help a sweaty hiker feel better! Even though it decided to rain on us about halfway up, the Falls were quite enjoyable. Once again, we were all able to play in the water a little, and we even got to bring Tessa right up to the falls and let her touch the cascading water. Pretty cool. And after leaving the falls-I felt fine the rest of the day. Yay ions!

After lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, The Old Mill (where we discovered Tessa likes lemons), we got all spontaneous and decided to head back into the park for the Sugarland Valley Nature Trail. It's a small looping trail, paved, flat and it follows the little pigeon river for the first half. Here's where Tessa had the most fun. We went off the trail to the river banks and let her play for almost half an hour. She loved wading in the water, splashing it on her face, and throwing river rocks. Once again, here we were mostly on our own. This one little off the cuff trip wound up producing the best family moment. We got to enjoy the majesty and beauty of God and his nature as a family-you can't get better than that.

Thursday was back to Nashville for a night, but we left via a detour through the GSM park via the Little River Road. It follows the Little River (duh) and is a slightly winding road, with lots of great scenery and if you roll down the windows, the sound of the rolling river is about as peaceful as it gets.

Did you know wild turkeys can fly? Yep, it's true. We saw three different turkeys on our trip, but as we left the park one flew across the road from one tree to another, like about ten feet in the air. Apparently the farm raised turkeys are too heavy to fly as they're being fattened up for Thanksgiving, but wild ones actually sleep in trees and fly. I googled it. So we didn't see any bears, but a flying turkey is still pretty cool. And less dangerous.

Sorry for writing a novel here, but i wanted to get everything covered. I've kinda been busy the last two days, what with our three year anniversary (thanks Valerie for 3 wonderful years) and watching Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog (thanks Elizabeth for loaning me the DVD). I'll try to get some pictures up here soon of the vacation.

Peace out.

Our Smoky Mountain Vacation Part Two

2009-07-13T20:43:00.003-05:00

On Monday it was supposed to rain in Gatlinburg. Therefore, we decided that this would be the best day to visit the Craft Loop. For those who said "what's that?", it's an eight mile loop just a few miles off the main strip full of mountain crafts; quilts, carvings, paintings, knick-knacks etc.
Pretty much anything hand made one could want while on vacation. Clearly, this is one of Valerie's favorite parts of Gatlinburg.

Our first stop was the Brush and Pen gallery. It's an art store run by Mr. Bobby and Mrs. Bobbi Moose, he does sketches of scenes around the area and his wife does wildlife paintings. Valerie has already bought two paintings in the "Bear Pause" series (yep, a painting of a bear by a Moose), which features bears in scenes from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Because we'd bought before they had one reserved for us. Unfortunately, the painting was available but not matted or framed. So, the painting is purchased, the frame on order, and we should be seeing it in a few weeks. Oddly, I haven't seen any paintings of Moose in the shop, but then they're not exactly native to the area, But still, you'd think there'd be one...

Next we visited the King Daddy of all shops in Gatlinburg-Alewine Pottery. If you've ever been to Gatlinburg you know this shop, and you know who Robert Alewine is.

In short, he's the man in Gatlinburg. When you turn on television and tune in to channel 20, you will see the logo of the Gatlinburg Arts and Craft channel, which is Robert Alewine making pottery. The channel only shows old documentaries about early mountain life and commercials for Alewine Pottery. The dude owns the channel!!! These commercials not only show the shop, but often the pottery being made, all interspersed with nature scenes and old-tyme music from the house band. That's right, the store has a house band. I told you, he's the man.

By including his family in the commercials, you kind of get the feeling you know them before you even go. Then when you do make the trek (which you will) because you've watched this channel for, like, hours (which you will), everyone there treats you so well you feel as though you do know them. You can watch the pottery being made right in front of you on one side of the store, and then walk through the rest to see literally hundreds of pieces-and no two are alike. The feeling of the shop is exactly what you want it to be and they do quite a brisk business.

Now, I'll admit that when we first saw the commercial a few years ago for "gen-u-ine Alewine" pottery we made fun of it like everyone else. But once you get into the whole relaxed vibe of it all, the Alewine family will win you over.

So, as we were shopping the lady behind the check out counter (whose name I don't remember) was complimenting and talking to Tessa. She liked the pigtail in Tessa's hair, and when you mention the word hair Tessa reaches up and touches the top of her head to show you where her hair is. Well, the lady thought that was just precious (which seems to be what most Southerners say about her), and called Mr. Alewine himself over to compliment the girl's hair.

Now, at this point Valerie was all smiles, thinking it was so cool that Robert friggin' Alewine was talking to her daughter. I could tell that she wanted to speak up, but she kept her cool. I was trying to make sure Tessa performed on cue for a local celebrity. Tessa couldn't have given less of a crap. However, with a little coaxing, she did her cute hair thing and got the appropriate response, and we purchased a few items. But Tessa wasn't done yet.

The aforementioned band have a makeshift stage outside the shop (next to the free freshly popped popcorn) and we stopped for a while to listen. Tessa was given a shaker to play along , which she did with total abandon and lack of rhythm just as she should have. She danced around for a while and was the center of attention. I gave her a dollar to put in the tip hat and we went on our way.

Dinner that night was at the Bear Creek Grill, a fairly new restaurant by the same folks who run Howard's, my favorite steak house in the area. The creek side dining was nice, and Valerie enjoyed her chicken Parmesan dinner, though my grilled trout was a little dry. Tessa's favorite part was the bear shaped salt and pepper shakers and the swing out front which she sat on with daddy. After dinner, we went back to the condo and hit the swimming pool (even me and I haven't been swimming since my teens!) which Tessa loved and I must admit was quite refreshing.

All in all, quite a pleasant day. And it didn't rain a drop.

Next time: Adventures in the park.

Our Smoky Mountain Vacation Part One

2009-07-12T20:26:00.004-05:00

Sunday Jul. 5th.

We started the day by going to mass at the Mother House for the Dominican Order of nuns in Nashville. The house itself is beautiful...and huge. Apparently the entire house exists because of donations-the order don't run any fundraisers. The oldest section of the house predates the Civil War-in fact the residents were able to watch some of the battles right from the balcony. The rest of the house was built up over the years and it is now the size of a boarding school. Which is good, since the nuns live there most of the time, but they are a teaching order so many sisters are sent out to other cities for the school year.

The grounds were also beautiful, lots of flower arrangements, gardens, a volleyball court and a big statue of Jesus, which only makes sense. Tessa and I walked the grounds quite a bit during the mass. She was a little noisy and restless so I took her out just before it started. We were going to go back inside once mass began, but as soon as I opened the door she screamed "Hi!" at the top of her lungs and I went back outside, not out of embarrassment so much but because I was laughing too hard. So while we were walking around I took her to look at the Jesus statue which is a very good one by the way. Sometimes artists can really use their medium to bring life to their subject and whomever the artist was really did so. I told Tessa who we were looking at, and she said "Jechut." Close enough. She ran back to him before we went inside for a second look, and told him bye which I thought was just too cute.

When we finally went back inside, mostly because I was sweating severely due to the humidity from the previous night's storms, the homily was just about over, Valerie took Tessa with her for communion, so Tessa could look around and see everything and she seemed to enjoy it. The choir of nuns sounded really good but I did find it difficult to find my note and sing along with the hymns.

After mass we were able to visit for a while with Valerie's friend Karen, and she told us all about the house and her life as a teaching nun. We also snapped a picture of the girls together at Valerie's mother's request. Sister said it was okay as long as it didn't turn up anywhere weird on the Internet, so I'm not sure if this blog counts or not.

Anyway, after that it was back to the hotel to pack up and move on to Gatlinburg. The drive went pretty well, except for more rain. Tessa did fairly well, and once again enjoyed playing with the beach ball at our rest area stop.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Club Vacation resort, which was called Crown Park Resort when we made our reservations. We had stayed there before and were impressed by the layout, particularly enjoying the mountain cabin look of the resort and condos. My fear was that Holiday Inn upon buying out the resort would gut it and make it look bland and predictable like every other hotel in the country. Fortunately this has not happened, at least not yet.

Upon our arrival we checked in and decided to get dinner. We chose a Texas Roadhouse right down the street from our condo because we knew what we would order and it seemed easier. However, we didn't really consider that by this time Tessa would be about ready for bed. As you can imagine , getting the child to sit and eat proved quite the task. eventually we gave up and just got our food in to go boxes to eat at the condo. Did I mention that it was raining heavily in Gatlinburg this whole time? Oh, and one of our umbrellas broke between the parking lot and the restaurant. Not exactly a great start, but we were there, fed and ready for the rest of the week.

Up next , shopping on Monday and Tessa's encounter with The Man himself.

Checking In

2009-07-04T21:25:00.002-05:00

Hey, cool, there's a computer in the lobby. I am currently at the Best Western Suites Opryland/Nashville. Nowhere near where that McNair guy got shot, by the way.

Anyhoo, we left at 10am and got here at like 6. It rained buckets for the first few hours of the trip, slowing us down considerably. We stopped in Mt. Vernon for lunch at Arby's where Tessa ran around making new friends and playing bongos on empty seats. At that point we thought the rain had stopped, but it caught up with us again shortly after we left. It kept up until we were well past the Rend Lake area.

Next stop, rain free, was at a rest area just outside of Paducha, KY. We let Tessa run around for about 30 minutes or so, chasing a ball and whatnot. This nice little diversion let her spend some energy and helped make the car ride more bearable for her. She did fairly well in the car today, a little fussy from time to time but well behaved all things considered.

By the way, does anybody else find it funny that Kentucky still uses the abbreviation on all their signs? I mean, KY Lake? C'mon.

Once we'd checked in, it was decided to go get dinner at the Cracker Barrel just down the way. A full meal and fairly inexpensive, always a good idea on a road trip. Literally 3 seconds after we got under the awning guess what happened? Torrential downpour. Hopefully this is not an indicator of the rest of our trip. It's been raining on and off all night.

Tomorrow, we're going to go visit Valerie's friend Karen the nun (also known as Sister Marie Terese), attend a mass at the nun house (that's the term, right?) and have a short visit. Then we check out and it's on to Gatlinburg. I'm not sure whether there'll be a computer at our condo or not (we didn't bring our own as we didn't want the hassle). If so, I'll keep checking in. If not, you can read about it next weekend.

Okay, gotta go. Tessa's still a little restless, and I've been in the lobby a little too long. see you all soon.

Traveling Music

2009-07-02T22:40:00.003-05:00

In a few days we leave for another vacation in the Smoky Mountains. As per usual, I am in charge of the music for our trip. This year I'm not bringing many CDs with me as I've decided to just use the ipod. I know, I've complained about the ipod ruining the music industry (which may or may not be a bad thing depending on how you look at it) for years, and I still maintain the sound quality is sub-par. However, my ipod is loaded from CDs I already own, and I only bought it to use on road trips because it's much easier and neater than bringing 30 compact discs with me.

Anyway, in preparation for this trip I cleared the ipod and started fresh by downloading a crapload of stuff into my itunes, making lots of playlists and downloading the playlists into my ipod. That process was harder than just loading up a bunch of songs and letting it go, but it did make me be a little more selective about the songs. I had to keep in mind that it's not just for me this time (hence the absence of most of my punk and metal collection) and so I put on some things specifically for Valerie. Don't get me wrong, I had to approve all choices of artist and I got to pick which songs were used, but I still compromised quite a bit for someone who's such a music Nazi.

So for those interested, here's a list of all the artists that will be keeping us company on our road trip(in alphabetical order as listed on the ipod). I had intended on publishing the playlists themselves, but this project has taken much longer than anticipated, so this will have to do.

Alice Cooper, Alice In Chains, American Hi-Fi, Audioslave, The Band, The Beatles, Billy Joel, Billy Squier, Bruce Springsteen, Buddy Holly, The Buzzcocks, The Cars, Charlie Daniels Band, Cheap Trick, Chely Wright, Chickenfoot, The Clash, Corinne Bailey Rae, Cracker, Creedence Clearwater Revival, David Bowie, The Derailers, The Drams, Drive-By Truckers, The Eagles, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Costello, Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Faith Hill, Foo Fighters, Frank Sinatra, The Fratellis, The Gaslight Anthem, Genesis, George Harrison, George Jones, Gin Blossoms, The Go-Gos. The Goo Goo Dolls, Hacienda Brothers, Hank Williams, Hank Williams III, Hayes Carll, Huey Lewis and The News (go ahead, lie and tell me you don't love it), INXS, The Jayhawks, Jerry Lee Lewis, Joe Cocker, John Lennon, Johnny Cash, Julianne Hough, Kaiser Chiefs, Kings Of Leon, The Kinks, KT Tunstall, Lee Ann Womack, Live, Merle Haggard, Mr. Big, Old 97's, Pat Benatar, Pearl Jam, Pixies, Queen, R.E.M., The Ramones, Reverend Horton Heat, The Rolling Stones, Rush, Sara Evans, Sheryl Crow, Shooter Jennings, The Smithereens, Soul Asylum, Soundgarden, Squeeze, Steely Dan, Stone Temple Pilots, Stray Cats, Superdrag, Supersuckers, T. Rex, Tift Merritt, Tinted Windows, The Toadies, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Traveling Wilburys, U2, Van Halen, Waylon Jennings, The Who, and Willie Nelson.

Once again, the alphabetical listings are as they appear on the ipod. Wow. You'd think the geniuses over at Apple would have at least sixth grade English skills. Oh well.

Now go make your own mix.

More Randomness

2009-06-28T22:21:00.002-05:00

There's no rhyme or reason at all to what I'm about to type-just stuff going through my head. And now it's in yours.

-Can we slow down on the celebrity deaths already? We just barely processed Ed McMahon when Farrah Fawcett died. Then Michael Jackson swooped in and stole all the attention, and today pitchman extraordinaire Billy Mays checks out. It's too much. Hell, I'm still mourning Dom Deluise myself, gimme a minute to catch up.

I'm going to avoid any cruel jokes here because you can get that other places, but I will pass along a funny comment involving Michael Jackson's death. When I got in my car Thursday night, I heard the disc jockeys talking about it, but they just kept using his last name. So while on the cell phone with my wife Valerie, I mentioned that someone named Jackson had died. Her reply: "Oh no! Farrah Fawcett and now Kate Jackson? It's a Charlie's Angels conspiracy...who wants to kill the angels?"

Okay, one more thing. Since Michael Jackson died VH1 has been playing nothing but M.J. videos all weekend. Does that mean the cable access stations will run a Billy Mays Infomercial marathon? I'd watch it.

-We went to a wedding last night for one of Valerie's co workers. Congratulations to Andy and Heidi and best wishes for a happy ever after. The ceremony was pretty, and the food at the reception was really good. Free booze and prime rib, can't go wrong. Also I got to hang out with drunk teachers all night which is always fun.

-Attention moviegoers: If you arrive after the previews have started YOU ARE LATE! It is then your responsibility to find somewhere to sit without disturbing those of us who showed up on time. Yes, this may mean sitting in the front row, or in the seat on the far left right under the speaker, but that's how it goes. I have no problem letting people in and out of the row but common courtesy should prevail. I've made people shut the hell up for talking too loud (often by yelling at them louder or having management threaten them with eviction), so I have no problem telling you to go to hell if you're being a douche. And don't give me any of this "two wrongs don't make a right" shit, because sometimes they do.

Okay, enough of my bitching. I've actually go t more to bitch about (Hardee's at Boone's Crossing I'm looking at you), but it can wait for its own post. It will come though, after all what's the Internet good for but looking up obscure trivial bullshit that you don't really need to know and bitching online about trivial bullshit that no one really cares about?

-I strongly suggest anyone reading to check out the self-titled CD by the band Tinted Windows. Crappy name, excellent music. If you like rock songs with catchy choruses, loud guitars, melodies that won't leave your head and music that sounds great blaring out of the window all summer than this is for you. For those who aren't in the know, Tinted Windows is made up of members from Smashing Pumpkins, Fountains of Wayne, Cheap Trick and, um...Hanson. Don't let that last one bug you, because the MMM Bop kid has grown up and sounds good here. The only negative is that it's a side project so no major tour, and no guarantee of more music. Still, this could be the record of the summer, so check it out.

-Tessa update: Seven teeth now, two in one week. And there's a molar on the way. She's also beginning to show some early signs of counting-at 14 months! She can already say "two" and "nine" and there's something that sounds like "four-five". She's also mostly saying them in the right places, although "two" seems to come up a lot. Now having bragged, she probably won't do anything of the sort for months, but it's pretty cool right now.

That's it. I'm done for tonight. I'll check in a few times this week before I take my time off.

See ya.

'Nother Update Post.

2009-06-22T21:21:00.003-05:00

I've been meaning to update for a while now, but have been super busy here lately, so here's a quick update.

1. My great Aunt Stella had a stroke about two weeks ago. At first the doctors gave her only a fifty per cent chance of even surviving the surgery to stop the bleeding. Fortunately for all she made it through as well as can be expected. Apparently she's had a setback a few days ago but I didn't hear much info on it so I'm assuming it's a minor one.

For those who might not know, Stella lives in Arkansas with her two sisters, and she pretty much looks after them. Marge, the oldest, has been suffering from Parkinson's for years, and her twin, Clara is losing bone density (also her hearing). Stella is the only one who can drive and to the best of my knowledge the one bringing most of the money into the house through benefits. There are some other family members nearby who can help out for the next 6-8 weeks while Stella's in recovery and longer if need be. Still, trying times indeed.

This news all came out of nowhere, and was a shock to the system. When my brother called and asked if I'd heard the latest family news, I'd assumed Marge was gravely ill, but when he said Stella I was almost speechless. In fact I was surprised by how gutted I was. I'll be the first to admit that I don't do enough to stay in touch with that side of the family, but I love them all dearly. Just thought that needed to be said.

2. We have officially moved back into the basement. The regrading of the yard seems to have worked--no leaks! So we've moved all our furniture back into the basement family room, and even rearranged a bit. So the leaking is gone, but while mowing the yard tonight I found three new rabbit holes. They won't leave me alone, it's like I'm their king or something. Wow, what a lame thing to be king of. Even if I built myself a giant rabbit army, how far could I get? Oh sure, I'd be rolling in produce, but that's about it. Anyway, I need to fix this problem soon as one of the holes is in the regraded part of the yard, right by the house, where the leaks were. Ah, the joys of home ownership.

3. Father's Day was yesterday. I got some nice new t-shirts (black, white and maroon-useful and always in style), and I also got new cds by Tinted Windows ans Silversun Pickups. Valerie made me an awesome card and took dictation from Tessa as to what was written inside. The girl loves me more than cheese, which is good as cheese is just about her favorite food on the planet. Although we just introduced chocolate so that might change. All in all, a good day. And I got my cake!

That's pretty much the main points of the last few weeks. More soon. As always, thanks for your patience and for reading. Love ya!

P.S. The Father's Day/cake thing will never stop being funny to me. You'll suffer through it every year. I'm not sorry.

Vance, Me, God and The Homeless. LONG Post..Sorry.

2009-06-07T21:37:00.009-05:00

Disclaimer: all quotes in the following post are as accurate as I can recall.

Something's been bugging me all week that I've tried to write about but haven't been able to figure out how to say what I want to say. I still don't really know, so let's just see what happens.

On Monday, I found myself in the middle of a political themed discussion at work, which I try not to do, but sometimes it's unavoidable. I try not to judge people because they have different political opinions than I do, in fact I have some good friends and family who are on the other side of things than I am, and that's okay. I believe most conservatives are good folks, I just happen to whole-heartedly disagree on some issues. Usually, it's just the issues that get under people's skins, not the people, but sometimes you just have to wonder.

My co-worker, we'll call him Vance, was complaining about the current President as usual. That doesn't bother me so much, I complained for the last eight years so I guess it's someone else's turn. Besides, Obama's not perfect and to be honest I'm not 100% sure about all of his decisions myself. Anyway, Vance starts in on how he hates how the government is mandating that we all pay to help "professional mothers" on welfare and the homeless in the streets. A common complaint, but it didn't stop there.

Some of us pointed out that we felt those people should be getting help, not the welfare abusers mind you, but the people out on the streets. After all, we're all Americans and we look after our own. He then shot back by saying that it's not the American way to be required to help someone. The American way in his estimation is "if you are poor I can choose to help you, but I don't have to." Essentially, it's up to the individual to make it on their own and handouts are not guaranteed nor should they be. So far it's a classic ideological argument, right? Okay, here's where Vance went a step too far.

He said that if a person is out on the streets and draining the public funds we should just "let them die."

"Let them die?" I asked, to make sure he said it.

"Yes. I place no intrinsic value on human life." Nice talk from a Republican. Vance then said something to the effect of if you can't get with the program "take yourself out of the equation."

The conversation went on from there, with much more rational people trying to trap him with questions like "where do you draw the line" and comparing his ideas to China's killing and mutilating babies to control population, but I removed myself at that point. I had work to do, and Vance had already made my head hurt so I just threw up my hands and saved the arguing for a time when I might actually be able to talk some sense into someone.

You see, the thing that disturbed me about the whole thing is how serious he was. It would be one thing if the comments were a bad attempt at humor or ramblings of a drunk, but that's not what this was. A man gets a look in his eye when he's speaking his true beliefs, he's telling you what he feels in his heart of hearts (icy though it may be), and no amount of arguing is going to by-God change a thing. You can't fake that look, and you can't escape it either. Over time those ideals may change but in that moment he's right, you're wrong and anything you say or do will only prove it in his mind. There is no arguing at that point, so don't waste your breath.

I didn't.

But it still bothers me that a man can actually think that way. The sheer lack of empathy for fellow human beings just blows my mind. I mean, I've heard people say "Get a job ya bum" when encountering the homeless, and I understand the "make your own bed and lie in it" philosophy of life, but wishing death on people is just wrong. Morally, logically and theoretically wrong. How much hatred and arrogance can a person be filled with to feel so passionately about leaving others to die? This goes way beyond any political affiliation and gets into psychological instability. There are probably others who feel the same way but I've never met one before.

Then again, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Most people think Vance is kind of a prick, and he'll be the first to say so (which in a weird way I kind of respect). However, in the past year or so I had begun to think that Vance wasn't necessarily a bad person, he just wasn't very good at the whole social aspect. He has had a few experiences that soured him, and I've tried to take that into account all along. Now though, I just don't know. In the end I'm not the judge, God is, but my opinion has been altered and it's a shame because I really have been making more of an effort to get along with Vance. So the rest of the week has been fairly normal and I've even joked with him a little, but it's been weird.

The other weird thing is that I didn't keep up the argument. I'm not usually one to back down, but there have been a few instances in the last year or so (not involving the same person) where I have chosen to step aside. I have turned the other cheek even though every fibre in my body was screaming to do the opposite. Obviously at work I've subdued myself so as to not endanger my job in this economy but there were other times I didn't have to back down but did anyway. Maybe it's because I'm a dad now. Maybe it's because I'm getting better at picking my battles. Maybe it's because I'm older and smarter...well, older. Or maybe, just maybe, God's working on me to help me be a better person. I haven't been seeking after God like I'm supposed to do, but sometimes when you're not reading the Bible and sleeping through church and your head is filled with other things, that's when you hear God the loudest. I guess even though I'm not always seeking after Him, He's always seeking me.

So it's been a weird week, but it's given me a lot to think about. Sorry this got so long and weirdly religious at the end, but I wrote this as a sort of catharsis and I do feel a little better having worked through it all. And, hey, at least you didn't have to read about Mr. Big again, right?