I wouldn't mind being Ben Gibbard.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Song of the Day
The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group - Be My Valentine
So, again, the world is small. I discovered The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group way back in college on a "Made in Minnesota" compilation disc, and have loved 'em ever since. They only have two albums (that I can find anyway), but I've kinda kept my eye on them periodically to see if I might get to covet anything new.
I hit their myspace page, and discovered how small the world is again. Under the "Band Members" section, there are two names I recognized: David Schelzel (again) and Mark Greenberg. Mark has done the music and sound effects for many of our games at HAM.
The older I get, the smaller the world gets, and the cooler everyone I know gets.
I hit their myspace page, and discovered how small the world is again. Under the "Band Members" section, there are two names I recognized: David Schelzel (again) and Mark Greenberg. Mark has done the music and sound effects for many of our games at HAM.
The older I get, the smaller the world gets, and the cooler everyone I know gets.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Redemption By Billboard
Interesting juxtaposition of messaging on two sequential billboards on
94 on the way to Bismarck. Choose your path:
Billboard 1: "Nothing's too hard for God."
Billboard 2: "1-800-NOT-GUILTY. One Call. That's All."
Hmmm.
94 on the way to Bismarck. Choose your path:
Billboard 1: "Nothing's too hard for God."
Billboard 2: "1-800-NOT-GUILTY. One Call. That's All."
Hmmm.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Song of the Day
Figurines - Hey, Girl
I really, really dig the Figurines. They know exactly how simple things really are.
Me, I'm still learning...
Me, I'm still learning...
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Hunka Hunka 'spensive Soap
So, I had lunch downtown today, and afterward found myself walking through Macy's where I happened upon the Lush handmade soaps display. If you know me at all, you know I kinda have a bit of a penchant for handmade soap.
That does not make me any less of a man.
But it is the key ingredient in a recipe for trouble when I happen upon a display full of them and then get approached by the helpful, young, just-persistent-enough and friendly sales associate.
She totally played me.
I remarked how I thought the names of the flavors such as "Porridge" and "Sultana of Soap" and "I Should Coco" were great. She replied that she thought it was cool that I called them flavors because she did too.
I picked up a hunk of one that had a really interesting stuff in it. She remarked how she knew exactly what parts were edible and which weren't, and that I really shouldn't eat the translucent orange-y bits she was pointing at.
I said, "You've seriously eaten this stuff?" She said, "Oh yeah! I popped a whole vanilla bean from a bar of soap in my mouth and sucked on it for awhile."
I laughed.
She smiled.
She said, "Would you like a complimentary hand treatment?" I said, "Um, no, that's okay." She rephrased, "Well, let's call it a hand massage then..." I said, "Maybe I'll come back some other time and take you up on that."
By then, she'd established a rapport with me and I'd let down my guard, and I was a goner.
By the end, I willingly handed over my check card for a $17 hunk of "Demon in the Dark" that was barely twice as thick as a normal bar.
Note to self: Do not talk to sales people. Especially cute, little, funny ones.
That does not make me any less of a man.
But it is the key ingredient in a recipe for trouble when I happen upon a display full of them and then get approached by the helpful, young, just-persistent-enough and friendly sales associate.
She totally played me.
I remarked how I thought the names of the flavors such as "Porridge" and "Sultana of Soap" and "I Should Coco" were great. She replied that she thought it was cool that I called them flavors because she did too.
I picked up a hunk of one that had a really interesting stuff in it. She remarked how she knew exactly what parts were edible and which weren't, and that I really shouldn't eat the translucent orange-y bits she was pointing at.
I said, "You've seriously eaten this stuff?" She said, "Oh yeah! I popped a whole vanilla bean from a bar of soap in my mouth and sucked on it for awhile."
I laughed.
She smiled.
She said, "Would you like a complimentary hand treatment?" I said, "Um, no, that's okay." She rephrased, "Well, let's call it a hand massage then..." I said, "Maybe I'll come back some other time and take you up on that."
By then, she'd established a rapport with me and I'd let down my guard, and I was a goner.
By the end, I willingly handed over my check card for a $17 hunk of "Demon in the Dark" that was barely twice as thick as a normal bar.
Note to self: Do not talk to sales people. Especially cute, little, funny ones.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
My Brain Sucks
So, does this happen to everyone?
You're talkin'. Telling a story. And while you're setting it up, you say one thing that just completely derails your whole line of thought and soon, you're dead silent, unable to recall a bit of what you were just about to say.
I think I have a problem.
You're talkin'. Telling a story. And while you're setting it up, you say one thing that just completely derails your whole line of thought and soon, you're dead silent, unable to recall a bit of what you were just about to say.
I think I have a problem.
Song of the Day
Tito Puente - Ti Mon Bo
Tito!
PUENTE!
Nothing like some gratuitous bongo playing to lighten one's day, eh?
PUENTE!
Nothing like some gratuitous bongo playing to lighten one's day, eh?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
So Much For Being Sneaky
Well, I'm busted.
Mom found out I've been blogging again and hadn't informed her yet.
I kinda wanted to "sneak" back into the blogosphere so there were NO expectations, ya know? So you, interested reader, Mom or not, could one day stumble on the blog and be pleasantly surprised that the "What My Personal Hell Will Look Like" picture wasn't on the main page anymore.
But she knows I'm back now, so I best not disappoint.
Again.
So, I had the boys this weekend, and Mom & Dad were in town too. We had a full weekend! Friday we all went to Cole's school for the Dad's Spaghetti Dinner which was tasty as always. Afterward we came back to Little House and the boys and Grandma & Grandpa played Wii into the wee hours.
(Well, not really that late, I just wanted to say Wii into the wee...)
On Saturday night the boys both ended up at sleepovers, so Mom & Dad & I went to the casino and I played most of the night on $5. Did alright there at first and walked away from machine #1 with $40 extra in my hand. However, machines #2, #3, #4, and #'s 5-8 took all of that back away from me, including the initial $5.
As if I'm surprised.
I picked the boys up at about 10:30 or so this morning from their respective sleepovers and found Cory'd had only ONE hour of sleep and so much sugar and junk that he self-proclaimed he wanted only to eat healthy today. I think Cole fared better in terms of sleep, but showed some signs of being a little overloaded too. And although I have limited patience with them after they do that to themselves, I suppose that's what sleepovers are for when you're youngins.
After I got them home, we quickly got cleaned up then met Mom & Dad again at Aunt Laurie's for a nice brunch Laurie had prepared. I totally thought I'd cheated and went against the advice of Dr. Mike when I ate two pieces of sausage there, but turns out it was TURKEY sausage, not pork.
That Jennie-O... She can turn turkey into anything.
After brunch, we patronized the newest Trader Joe's off of 394 and Hopkin's Crossroad with Mom & Dad, as well as a Game Stop where the boys helped Grandma & Grandpa pick out a birthday gift for each of them.
Although, mean ol' Daddy made Grandma take the games with her until their actual birthdays instead of letting the boy's crack their new games open right there. I mean, come on! Doesn't some of the birthday specialness wear off when you hand-pick your gift and get it handed to you weeks before your birthday??
I think so anyway.
When we got home around 3:30, Cory zonked out for a couple hours and drooled all over himself, while Cole tackled his homework and his birthday invites.
After we ate, I dropped the boys at Jo's and Mom treated Dad & I to see "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" at Illusion Theater downtown. It was pretty durn funny, if I do say so myself.
And now, since I know she's reading this again, I can say "Thanks Mom!" again right here in the blogosphere!
Thanks Mom!
Mom found out I've been blogging again and hadn't informed her yet.
I kinda wanted to "sneak" back into the blogosphere so there were NO expectations, ya know? So you, interested reader, Mom or not, could one day stumble on the blog and be pleasantly surprised that the "What My Personal Hell Will Look Like" picture wasn't on the main page anymore.
But she knows I'm back now, so I best not disappoint.
Again.
So, I had the boys this weekend, and Mom & Dad were in town too. We had a full weekend! Friday we all went to Cole's school for the Dad's Spaghetti Dinner which was tasty as always. Afterward we came back to Little House and the boys and Grandma & Grandpa played Wii into the wee hours.
(Well, not really that late, I just wanted to say Wii into the wee...)
On Saturday night the boys both ended up at sleepovers, so Mom & Dad & I went to the casino and I played most of the night on $5. Did alright there at first and walked away from machine #1 with $40 extra in my hand. However, machines #2, #3, #4, and #'s 5-8 took all of that back away from me, including the initial $5.
As if I'm surprised.
I picked the boys up at about 10:30 or so this morning from their respective sleepovers and found Cory'd had only ONE hour of sleep and so much sugar and junk that he self-proclaimed he wanted only to eat healthy today. I think Cole fared better in terms of sleep, but showed some signs of being a little overloaded too. And although I have limited patience with them after they do that to themselves, I suppose that's what sleepovers are for when you're youngins.
After I got them home, we quickly got cleaned up then met Mom & Dad again at Aunt Laurie's for a nice brunch Laurie had prepared. I totally thought I'd cheated and went against the advice of Dr. Mike when I ate two pieces of sausage there, but turns out it was TURKEY sausage, not pork.
That Jennie-O... She can turn turkey into anything.
After brunch, we patronized the newest Trader Joe's off of 394 and Hopkin's Crossroad with Mom & Dad, as well as a Game Stop where the boys helped Grandma & Grandpa pick out a birthday gift for each of them.
Although, mean ol' Daddy made Grandma take the games with her until their actual birthdays instead of letting the boy's crack their new games open right there. I mean, come on! Doesn't some of the birthday specialness wear off when you hand-pick your gift and get it handed to you weeks before your birthday??
I think so anyway.
When we got home around 3:30, Cory zonked out for a couple hours and drooled all over himself, while Cole tackled his homework and his birthday invites.
After we ate, I dropped the boys at Jo's and Mom treated Dad & I to see "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" at Illusion Theater downtown. It was pretty durn funny, if I do say so myself.
And now, since I know she's reading this again, I can say "Thanks Mom!" again right here in the blogosphere!
Thanks Mom!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Song of the Day
The Ocean Blue - Denmark
I have the coolest intellectual property lawyer EVER.
So, this song comes up randomly tonight and I'm tapping my toes, nodding my head to the beat and thinkin', "Damn, the late 80's makes me feel goooooood," and although I know I've heard the song before in my collection of some 26,000 songs, I just HAD to see who this was.
It was a band called "The Ocean Blue" and I have all of two songs from them. Songs that I'm almost certain I downloaded from a promotional Indie band site like in 2006. So I Googles 'em.
The first link is their Wikipedia page. The second sentence on their Wikipedia page mentions their lead singer, David Schelzel, and I'm like, "Hmmm, that's odd. One of my laywers is named David Schelzel."
And then I remember my lawyer has told me he's in a band.
And then I go through a moment of shock and horror in which I realize I've had HIS FREAKIN' MUSIC in my collection for 3+ years and didn't even fucking know it!
Now I do. And I think I have the coolest intellectual property lawyer ever.
Although, hopefully he won't sue me for posting this song on my blog. Or for thinking the song was from the late 80's when it was actually from '99. Seriously Dave, cut a guy some slack.
David Schelzel. Call him up for your intellectual property needs. And buy his albums. I just did.
So, this song comes up randomly tonight and I'm tapping my toes, nodding my head to the beat and thinkin', "Damn, the late 80's makes me feel goooooood," and although I know I've heard the song before in my collection of some 26,000 songs, I just HAD to see who this was.
It was a band called "The Ocean Blue" and I have all of two songs from them. Songs that I'm almost certain I downloaded from a promotional Indie band site like in 2006. So I Googles 'em.
The first link is their Wikipedia page. The second sentence on their Wikipedia page mentions their lead singer, David Schelzel, and I'm like, "Hmmm, that's odd. One of my laywers is named David Schelzel."
And then I remember my lawyer has told me he's in a band.
And then I go through a moment of shock and horror in which I realize I've had HIS FREAKIN' MUSIC in my collection for 3+ years and didn't even fucking know it!
Now I do. And I think I have the coolest intellectual property lawyer ever.
Although, hopefully he won't sue me for posting this song on my blog. Or for thinking the song was from the late 80's when it was actually from '99. Seriously Dave, cut a guy some slack.
David Schelzel. Call him up for your intellectual property needs. And buy his albums. I just did.
A Smidge of Everything
I had a pretty busy, eclectic but fulfilling day today.
The business day started with an early coffee and pastry with a good friend from college, and ended with a new business call that I think will lead to some great things.
A group of us @ HAM got to tour the MN Opera Center this morning too, which was pretty awesome! It is really amazing how much goes into putting on a production. I'm kinda fascinated by the real-life behind-the-scenes stories of what goes on, what goes wrong and how they get around it because it is all handled SO well that the audience never even notices.
I think we'll be able to do some really cool stuff for the MN Opera peeps, who are just plain cool by the way. They understand that if you're gonna have something hurled at you while walking through their administrative space, it may as well be candy.
w00t!
I also met with the Principal Peer Group (which is a group of fellow creative business owners) over lunch today, and for the most part the news was uplifting. Things are not getting worse. In fact, there are signs that things may be getting better.
About Freakin' Time.
Tonight, the boys and I devoured a bunch of leftovers for dinner, played around with some school pictures, and I took care of dishes and some other stuff while they littered my tiny living room with Legos.
Had a little bit of "user error" tonight as well which caused this tiny little crackerbox of a house to be hotter than Hades. I have been repeatedly turning down the thermostat to adjust until I thought I had it set at 70, but just realized I'd been turning it UP. It has been set to 80 since like 7:00!!
Time to open some windows.
The business day started with an early coffee and pastry with a good friend from college, and ended with a new business call that I think will lead to some great things.
A group of us @ HAM got to tour the MN Opera Center this morning too, which was pretty awesome! It is really amazing how much goes into putting on a production. I'm kinda fascinated by the real-life behind-the-scenes stories of what goes on, what goes wrong and how they get around it because it is all handled SO well that the audience never even notices.
I think we'll be able to do some really cool stuff for the MN Opera peeps, who are just plain cool by the way. They understand that if you're gonna have something hurled at you while walking through their administrative space, it may as well be candy.
w00t!
I also met with the Principal Peer Group (which is a group of fellow creative business owners) over lunch today, and for the most part the news was uplifting. Things are not getting worse. In fact, there are signs that things may be getting better.
About Freakin' Time.
Tonight, the boys and I devoured a bunch of leftovers for dinner, played around with some school pictures, and I took care of dishes and some other stuff while they littered my tiny living room with Legos.
Had a little bit of "user error" tonight as well which caused this tiny little crackerbox of a house to be hotter than Hades. I have been repeatedly turning down the thermostat to adjust until I thought I had it set at 70, but just realized I'd been turning it UP. It has been set to 80 since like 7:00!!
Time to open some windows.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Song of the Day
The Dodos - Fables
The Dodos first caught my ear on The Current back in August. The song that got me was "Fools" which I still do not own unfortunately, but I did get the newest album and THIS song has caught my ear from that.
Gooooooooood stuff.
Gooooooooood stuff.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Return of the Bluebird
With as nice as it was outside today, I felt I should really get out and run on the path in the sun rather than the suffer the treadmill again, which has just seemed tedious lately.
On the return leg of my loop, I was visited by a bluebird again for the first time since July of last year. Call me superstitious or "out there" or whatever you will, but there's meaning in things like this. And the fact that I saw one today literally stopped me in my tracks.
Last year when he appeared, a few reader-folk let me know some of the meaning behind it, but with his timing it seemed like I should maybe dig a little deeper for some additional meaning.
"The bluebird is a guardian of all passages and transitions that we make or are about to make. We speak often of the bluebird of happiness, and this is rightly so. It makes our movements more fertile, productive, and protected so that we can attain the happiness we need in life."
"Although once common, they are now quite rare. This often is a reminder that we are born to happiness and fulfillment, but we sometimes get so lost and wrapped up in the everyday events of our lives that our happiness and fulfillment seem rare."
Ya know, you can take a jaded view of the world (which I most certainly have in the past) and say that it is just coincidence, having seen this bluebird today. But you can also look at all the little micro-events that had to happen to allow for it and the context in which it happens and kind of be amazed.
I mean, I really didn't feel like working out today -- I had been out last night and had a few drinks. I didn't get enough sleep. I could have taken a nap instead, and thought about it seriously.
But I didn't.
I could have gone to the gym again instead, and maybe should have because I get a $20 discount if I get enough visits in each month.
But I didn't.
And so I ended up there, on the path. With a bluebird fluttering about me.
There has to be meaning in it. All things are tied together by little microfilaments that we don't understand, but it is in those connections where the meaning lives, so I'm choosing to pay attention.
I'm also going to be paying attention to every song that comes up on random on my iPod today. That little magic box knows things too.
On the return leg of my loop, I was visited by a bluebird again for the first time since July of last year. Call me superstitious or "out there" or whatever you will, but there's meaning in things like this. And the fact that I saw one today literally stopped me in my tracks.
Last year when he appeared, a few reader-folk let me know some of the meaning behind it, but with his timing it seemed like I should maybe dig a little deeper for some additional meaning.
"The bluebird is a guardian of all passages and transitions that we make or are about to make. We speak often of the bluebird of happiness, and this is rightly so. It makes our movements more fertile, productive, and protected so that we can attain the happiness we need in life."
"Although once common, they are now quite rare. This often is a reminder that we are born to happiness and fulfillment, but we sometimes get so lost and wrapped up in the everyday events of our lives that our happiness and fulfillment seem rare."
Ya know, you can take a jaded view of the world (which I most certainly have in the past) and say that it is just coincidence, having seen this bluebird today. But you can also look at all the little micro-events that had to happen to allow for it and the context in which it happens and kind of be amazed.
I mean, I really didn't feel like working out today -- I had been out last night and had a few drinks. I didn't get enough sleep. I could have taken a nap instead, and thought about it seriously.
But I didn't.
I could have gone to the gym again instead, and maybe should have because I get a $20 discount if I get enough visits in each month.
But I didn't.
And so I ended up there, on the path. With a bluebird fluttering about me.
There has to be meaning in it. All things are tied together by little microfilaments that we don't understand, but it is in those connections where the meaning lives, so I'm choosing to pay attention.
I'm also going to be paying attention to every song that comes up on random on my iPod today. That little magic box knows things too.
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