Ramble ramble

Change of plans

2009-05-19T14:08:00.001-05:00

As I've been wicked-bad at updating this thing, I think I'm going to try messing around with a shorter-form blog over on tumblr. Details to follow.

I'll still be updating here, though. Just less frequently.

Cote d'azur.

2009-05-07T00:06:00.002-05:00

I'm in Nice. I'm working, but it sure beats digging ditches. Yesterday was a hard day. Long meeting schedule. Botched dinner plans. Etc.

Still, it's tough to get too upset when, even on a bad day, you're still in the friggin South of France.

I may be a chub chub for saying this, but one of the best parts is the food.

A few things I have eaten in the last day and a half:

A fillet of John Dory with some sort of carrot custard, rosemary, roasted lemon, and a really nice cream sauce.
Lamb terrine with microgreens.
A great peach tart.
Delicious serrano ham.
A Clif bar. (It ain't all glamour).
Steamed mussels with aromatics.
Frites. Which are what french fries aspire to be when they grow up.
Espresso by the gallon. (And by 'gallon', I mean 'tiny cupful'.)
Croissants. Naturally.

And this was all stuff that found its way into my belly despite missing what probably would have been the best meal of my trip.

Still, work travel is always vaguely lonely. I wish I could go fetch some folks from back home, and then come back and continue this trip.

School, Again.

2009-04-21T16:54:00.001-05:00

Those of you who read this blog with any regularity are probably in touch with me otherwise, as well. Therefore, it's not exactly breaking news that I will be going back to school starting this fall.

I'll be chasing down a PhD at the University of South Carolina.

I'm a lot of things, all at once, regarding this decision.

These are a few of my feelings about my return to the academic world.

1) Excited. It's a thrill to get a chance to get the sort of personal attention a PhD program provides. I'll be on a path to the next segment of my life. A career, even. In addition, I'll be closer to my family and old friends and Jen, so the location of the program is exciting, too.
However, that doesn't detract from the fact that I'm (2) terrified.

It's been a long time since undergrad, and I don't know how it'll be. Still, I feel (3) oddly prepared. I've been writing researching and teaching and performing for years now, and all of that will help me in this program, whether directly or tangentially. Still, I can't deny that I'm (4) sad about the idea of leaving Chicago, where I've built a life. I'll miss my friends, and I'll miss the city. (Well, I'll miss it 7-9 months out of the year...).

Either way, I've got a few months left to enjoy the city. Plus, it's not hard to visit.

So. Yeah.

School, again.

Hitchhiker.

2009-03-26T12:56:00.002-05:00

I was walking downtown today and felt something in my shoe. I got to the office where I work part-time and de-shoed to check out the situation.

It was a British coin.

5p.

It's been almost a year since I was in the UK. I have no idea where this coin came from.

Let's cleanse.

2009-03-24T23:23:00.003-05:00

I feel like admitting some things.

- I get separation anxiety like a needy beagle.

- I've been reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" for a million years, and am really enjoying it... but still can't shake an addiction to soda. I drink very little alcohol these days, and eat very little red meat. I've never smoked, except for the occasional big stupid stogie on a nice summer night. But soda? This pointless, bubbly corn syrup? Hooked.

- I think "Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby might be one of my favorite songs ever. (though that's not really a secret. I've told lots of people how ridiculously great I find that song...)

- On my television right now? "Sleeping with the Enemy".

- I sometimes just get on Google Maps and wander through towns and cities to which I've never been.

There. I feel better. Thanks internets. You are the lapsed protestant's trivial confessional.

Things you should do in the next week:

2009-03-23T21:54:00.004-05:00

(Based on a list of things I've done in the last week, and really enjoyed. These are things that are cheap or free, and these days, that sure helps... )

1) Go to the zoo. Especially if you have a cheap or free zoo at your disposal.

2) Roast a chicken. A whole chicken is relatively inexpensive, and if you rinse it well, dry it to prevent steaming, season it with salt and pepper, truss it up, and put it in the oven for an hour or so, it will bring you nothing but joy.

3) If you are fortunate enough to have a living grandparent, call that grandparent.

4) Ride a bike.

5) Make faces at a little kid (preferably one you know, and the faces shouldn't be too scary).

6) Write a letter. Not an e-mail.

7) Clean something out. Anything. A closet. A toilet. A drawer. An ashtray. Anything.

8) Listen to the following songs: Good Man by Josh Ritter. This Must Be The Place by Talking Heads. Let it Whip by the Dazz Band. Concrete Schoolyard by Jurassic Five. Life Is A Highway by Tom Cochrane. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man by Mr. Prince Rogers Nelson.

9) Lay a smooch on someone.

10) Offend cynics with an overly saccharine list of things to do.

End of Dispatch.

A few words on the Oscars.

2009-02-23T16:55:00.002-06:00

- Let no man ever say that Hugh Jackman is talentless. Singing. Dancing. Comedic timing. Beyond thinking he made a pretty good Wolverine, I've never really thought about the guy, but now I'm convinced.

- The coin that Phillippe Petit (from Man on Wire) made disappear was found this morning off the coast of Argentina.

- I came in second place in a winner-take-all Oscar pool, and fully blame the Academy for underappreciating the sound mixing and editing in Wall-E.

Most entertaining Oscars in a long time, in my humble opinion.

Adobo a-go-go.

2009-02-21T17:20:00.003-06:00

I listen to this great podcast called "The Splendid Table" with Lynn Rosetto Kasper. It's a show about food and cooking and all that jazz, and it's great.

I know. I'm a party animal.

She's been really big on this recipe for this Filipino dish called Chicken Adobo. (Adobo from the Spanish word for 'marinate'... Chipotle peppers, for example, are canned in adobo sauce. Which is mexican, but from the same Spanish root.) I've been meaning to try it and finally did.

It kicks ass.

You take chicken thighs (I used chicken quarters, and seperated them first into thighs and drumsticks) and marinate them for about a day in vinegar and soy sauce with a ton on garlic and black pepper. (You can also put in a tomato. The recipe calls for a whole canned tomato, but I didn't have those on hand. Instead I peeled and cut up a fresh tomato and threw it in the marinade. It turned out really well.)

After it's all marinated and awesome, you cook it in the marinade for 25-30 min at a low bubble, then pull out the chicken and brown it in olive oil.

Cook, then brown. It's a killer thing.

You skim off a little schmaltz from the marinade, boil it down by half, and pour it over the chicken on a bed of rice.

Full recipe here: http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/20985

It's tangy and peppery and garlicy and really good. You use around 5 times as much vinegar as soy, because if you use too much soy it gets stupid-salty when you reduce it. It all seems like too much when you put it in to marinate, but I can vouch for the fact that it is not.

I ate half for dinner last night and the other half for lunch today.

2009-02-19T16:56:00.004-06:00

My cat, Sunkist, has been chilling down South for several months now, as I've been running all over the place being a deadbeat pet owner. That's okay, though, because she's been hanging out with Jen and Jen's giant cat, Stanley.

Stanley must way twenty pounds, and that's not twenty pounds of fat. It's twenty pounds of feline muscle.

Plus a little fat.

Anyway, I miss her, and miss having another creature in the apartment that has a pulse.

Jen just sent this picture, and I like to imagine that it's a picture of SK flying, ninja-warrior style, through the air with a smokey, overcast sky in the background.

Kitty-San! Attack!

Bizarro World, courtesy of the economy.

2009-02-07T17:27:00.002-06:00

So, economy in shambles. 20,000 jobs a day going down the crapper. People freaking out.

Still, one of the strangest parts of this whole economic situation is the elevation of Paul Krugman to household-name-status. He's a star. It's only a matter of time before there's a calendar of hearthrob economists floating around out there.

"Hunkonomics"

"Kandid Keynesians"

"The Invisible Hand-some"

Sure, we'll all throw up in our mouths a little when we see them, skinny and pasty wearing only suspenders and cut-off chinos, but we'll all be smarter for it in the long run.

Tempeh.

2009-02-03T17:07:00.002-06:00

So I'm trying not to eat so much red meat.

I know. It tastes amazing. I still love beef and REALLY love pork (more than anyone should love the meat of any animal that doesn't sweat), but both are pretty bad for you and pretty bad for the environment and generally better left as "sometimes food".

(Having said all that, I do have plans of one day building a structure on property I do not yet own specifically dedicated to curing my own ham. I'm especially interested in crafting my own proscuitto or serrano, and would love to make nice, salty country ham, too... but I digress...)

Still, cutting down on red meat has me trying some fun new things with fish, chicken, and... tempeh.

Now, for those who consider tempeh a pretender to tofu's crown as the top of the meat substitute heap, I say nay. Tempeh is a nice source of body and substance in a vegetarian dish, but should NOT be considered a meat substitute. It's nutty and hearty and really nice marinated and pan-cooked. It's got texture ENTIRELY different from tofu, which is good. Tofu is usually fairly gross.

My favorite lately is this:
Take tempeh (which, if you have a Trader Joes nearby, especially, is really inexpensive. 1.69 or so per package) and slice it into strips, each maybe a quarter to a half inch in thickness. Marinate that in some soy sauce, adding plenty of cinnamon, ground mustard, and paprika to the mix. Cook that in a nice hot pan for a few minutes per side, trying to get a nice crispy outside on the tempeh. ( use a non-stick pan with no added oil, but that can sometimes get a little problematic with the soy runoff burning in the hot pan. It doesn't hurt the tempeh, just might make your kitchen a little strong-smelling for a bit.)

Take some nice bread (I like a sourdough or tuscan pane) and put a little chevre or other creamy goat cheese on each slice of bread. Don't overdo it on the goat cheese, but make sure each slice has a nice coating. Add the cooked tempeh, make a tasty sandwich, and then grill that, either in a sandwich press or in a pan. Cut in half. Enjoy.

Flavorful. Filling. A nice meat-free dish is which even I, a raving omnivore, don't miss meat in the slightest.

"All the single ladies, All the single ladies."

2009-01-26T18:28:00.005-06:00

Ok, Beyonce.

Seriously. Please, sit down for a second and listen to what I'm about to say. Get your producers in here. They need to hear this, too.

The fact that a song gets stuck in your head all day long doesn't mean it's a good song. Ask anyone who's ever heard that "song that never eeeeeends" from Lamb Chop's Playalong.

Therefore, when I'm walking around, unable to get "If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it" out of my head, I don't think you're a talented performer or a savvy marketer. All I think of is that I'd love to get that song out of my head without using a claw hammer to do so.

Furthermore, that song has usurped "Bombs Over Baghdad" as the top of the list of songs that white people like, but have no idea how to dance to. If we can't step-touch, we're basically lost. I'm sure people go nuts when that song comes on at a club or what-have-you, but roughly thirty confused, Caucasian seconds later, they're standing in a confused circle, moving erratically to syncopation their hips can't comprehend.

(Which leads me to another topic: White people insisting on standing in a circle on the dancefloor. It happens at every wedding where there's a DJ, and it never fails. I blame some sort of pagan-druid instinct in our WASPy reptile brain.... but I digress....)

So. In short, Beyonce, et. al., that song is annoying. And not in a good way.

Thanks for your time. You're really pretty and have a nice voice.

State of the New Year.

2009-01-12T18:37:00.002-06:00

'ello, all.

It's been a bit. It's 2009 now. I'm not sure why we I'm not writing this from Low Earth Orbit, petting my robot dinosaur, but oh well. I guess the future isn't the future.

Then again, we also haven't had to fend off any zombie apocolypses, either, so take the good with the bad, I suppose.

What's new? Well, the above image is of an igloo that used to be my car. Its transmission decided to take a break before Christmas, so now it's just a tidy little curb ornament. That's useful, however, because it serves as an awesome snow collector. We're getting pounded here, people.

Pounded.

Christmas was great. So was New Years. My Grown Man brothers and I bought each other toys. Good toys. Remote controlled helicopters. Transformers Mr Potato Head. Belt-fed Nerf guns that fire 3 darts per second.

I guess it is the future.

I got to spend some time with the lovely Jen. We went up to the mountains for a bit. All great stuff. 2009 is fairly solid so far.

What's next? This week, I have a deadline, am participating in a mock trial, and am performing at Sketchfest. That's all by Thursday. Yowzers.

More on all that later. Here's a cool little random thing. I heard about this on an old This American Life on NPR. Back in the late '90s, a couple of artists (Komar and Melamid) hired a market research firm to find out what people wanted to see in a painting. They did this in several countries, and below you can see what they produced for the US, based entirely on poll data.

A blue-hued landscape with mountains, deer, a family, and George Washington.
You can see the most and least favorite paintings for all the countries here:
http://www.diacenter.org/km/painting.html

If you want to hear the episode, I recommend subscribing to the This American Life podcast.

Subscribe to Radiolab too. And The Splendid Table. And Filmspotting.

Mutterings.

2008-11-13T23:57:00.004-06:00

Hey dudes.

Life's been crazy lately. I've been extremely busy.

I took the GRE today. I did okay, but am eager to take another crack at it. (In case we don't actually talk regularly, I'm looking into grad schools. It's... terrifying. And great.)

I've been working a lot, too. Which is fine. I work from home, though, so my apartment is taking on a distinctly den-like feel. Plus I've been talking to myself.

Add to that the fact that my cat is vacationing down South, and I walk around like this guy:

http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/

(If you've never checked this out, it's genius. Actual Garfield cartoons with Garfield and his dialog taken out. John looks cuh-razy.)

Check that out. Laugh. Cry.

Shark "Virgin Birth"

2008-10-13T12:24:00.001-05:00

This story is wild. Apparently, a female Atlantic Blacktip shark at the Virginia Aquarium carried a pup that contains no genetic material from a male.

Two things make this even more interesting:

1) It's not the first time this has happened in captivity. According to an AP article on MSN.com, "The first documented case of asexual reproduction, or parthenogenesis, among sharks involved a pup born to a hammerhead at an Omaha, Neb., zoo."

2) That same article made zero biblical references. I don't know if I could have shown that same restraint.

Link to the full story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27107721/?GT1=43001

Also, I'd just like to say that this story makes me glad I'm not particularly afraid of sharks... because now they're replicating at will....

2008-10-05T11:21:00.004-05:00

I realize only now that I never really gave an account of Joe and Shelby's wedding down in North Carolina (which was a month ago now... Crazy).

The wedding was amazing. Cowlick, pictured above, got together for the wedding (and for those who haven't been playing along, Cowlick is one of the improv teams I'm involved with in Chicago. They were the first team I joined here, are still the team with whom I play the most, and are basically like family to me...).

Knauf (first row, making the ridiculous face) lives in Denver now and Scotty (back row, center) lives in the NYC area, so it's a rare thing for us to all be in one place at one time.

I was honored to be able to deliver the remarks at the wedding, and take part in a few other ways as the officiant. There was also a minister on hand (Joe's uncle) to handle the religious and legal bits of the ceremony. I've included a few more pictures below.

The rehearsal dinner was pretty excellent. It was catered by Woodlands BBQ, based in Blowing Rock, NC. (One of my favorites back in college...) Apparently they nickname their catering trucks, and this one, "Trigger", happened to share the nickname we have for BJ (pictured here, far right) and Janelle Tregoning's lovely baby girl, Elyse.

BJ and Janelle don't think it's that funny that we have referred to the child as "Trigger Tregoning" since months before her birth.

The actual ceremony took place on the front steps of the Taylor House Inn outside of Valle Crucis, NC. The couple wrote their own vows and delivered them beautifully.

They are a very happy, and completely hilarious couple.

There was, of course, dancing. There was a kickass bluegrass band at the rehearsal dinner, and an amazing old-timey ragtime-style Jazz band at the reception. Great stuff. This is me dancing (sort of) with Jen, who was kind enough to accompany me to this crazy wedding. I'm sure you'll see more from her in future blogs.

After all was said and done, Shelbs and Joe took off on a bicycle built for two.

All said, it was quite the event.

Pimpology

2008-09-30T19:30:00.002-05:00

Well. The last week has been crazy, in terms of national news. Economic woes. Presidential debates. Failed bailouts.

Still, my very favorite quote from the week was from George McGovern, former US Senator from South Dakota and several-times-defeated Presidential candidate.

On NPR's "Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me!" (The "NPR News Quiz"), McGovern said a lot of funny stuff (especially for an 86-year-old man). However, this quote, in reference to Mo Rocca referring to the fur-wearing Davey Crockett as "Pimped out", takes the cake:

"You can see I know very little about Pimpology."

You can hear the whole episode here: http://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait/

Mom

2008-09-22T13:08:00.002-05:00

My Mom's under the knife today. Hip replacement. Should be totally routine, but keep her in your thoughts, eh?

If all goes according to plan, she'll be feeling like she did in the above picture in no time.

Odds and ends.

2008-09-17T14:34:00.009-05:00

Blogs are truly bizarre. However, they keep you sharp, keep you writing, and mark time in a way that few other strange 'net constructs can. Therefore, I'm going to try to beat back my misgivings and, more importantly, my laziness, and blog more often.

(That, without fail, is the sort of thing you always see in the most recent post on a blog that hasn't been updated in months... Still. It's something to work towards.)

With that, here are a few random pictures that I found on my camera. They encapsulate some of the bits and pieces of my crazy summer.

For a week in June, I hung out with some great people on the Gulf Coast of Florida. We were in a particularly remote and, if I may, redneck section of the panhandle. I've gotta say, though... a week in Alligator Point, FL ain't too shabby. We got tans and saw cool thunderstorms and generally vegetated, enjoying every bit of it. Above was the view out of our back door.

I was also fortunate enough to spend plenty of QT with my family this summer. Above is the porch of the lake house that my family has had for God-knows-how-long. It's nothing fancy, but I spent just about every day of every summer there as a kid. This picture was taken sometime around my Grandmother's birthday, which is just a few days away from the 4th of July, and the two days serve as a sort of framework around which my family builds some reunion time.

My niece, Bailey, just turned 3. I figured I'd celebrate this event by putting up a picture from this summer of her doing something really weird. She made this whacked-out, avant-garde sculpture out of play-dough and a creepy back scratcher. I'm convinced she's a visionary. Who happens to love Cheetos.

This is just a random shot of the preparations for a party my Dad had at his place on July 5. There was music. There was fun. There were literally HUNDREDS of hot dogs. I think I ate at least 10 that day. In fact, over the week containing July 4, I probably consumed 20-25 hot dogs. I'm basically made of nitrates now.

I'm not a gambler. It has always struck me as pointless and destructive. However, if it's your birthday, you're in Vegas for work, and you've got a few hours to kill before your redeye back to a version of the world in which sin is generally frowned upon, why not lay out a few bucks and feed 'em into a one-armed bandit?

Just after this picture was taken, I won 50 bucks. I used to to screw around in the casino for the next few hours, and eventually gave it all back.

So there you have it. Some odds and ends. I'll have more soon.

Random Acts of Random Strikes Again.

2008-08-29T18:31:00.003-05:00

A few random rumblings:

- I was walking to my part-time gig downtown today when I saw a guy on the street selling (wait for it) live iguanas. This was on Michigan Ave in the middle of a workday. Live iguanas. He had a cardboard box which contained (I assume) iguanas, with a handwritten sign on it declaring that these iguanas were, indeed, for sale.
The 3 foot long iguana on his shoulder seemed okay with it.

- I went to a Cubs game last night. The tickets were free, we were 13 rows back from the grass, the weather was nice, and the Cubs rallied in the 8th to win it. (Simple formula, really. Load the bases and hit the ball past where anyone can reach it.)

-I really enjoyed Barack Obama's speech last night. I don't often get political on this blog, as I prefer discourse, but I think it was one of the best speeches that I've seen at a political convention for as long as I've been interested in politics. If you disagree, hit me up sometime and we'll discuss.

- Appalachian State plays 2007 BCS Champion LSU tomorrow. Due to Hurricane Gustav, the game will begin at 10am. If, by some miracle, we win it, prepare for me to talk about ASU football for the next 11 months. If we lose, prepare for me to pretend the game either never happened or doesn't matter.

- I haven't left Chicago in two whole weeks. That must be why I'm ready for a road trip in a few days. I'm heading to NC for the wedding of my friends Shelby and Joe. I'm involved in the ceremony and am extremely excited.

- I had quail egg nigiri (sushi. Just a quail egg atop a lump of sushi rice wrapped in seaweed) the other day, and while I'm not positive I loved it, I've been thinking about it ever since.

- Pay your parking tickets. As soon as you receive them. Thats advice from someone who has seen the pain of avoidance and barely survived to tell the tale.

Reread.

2008-08-22T15:48:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I got rid of some of the books I "read" in high school.

I have no idea what I did with them.

I, you, and everyone else we know must... must pick up a copy of something they were assigned in their teens but couldn't have hoped to understand or appreciate.

Then read these things again. Repeat that process.

I read The Sun Also Rises for the second (and apparently the first) time recently. Now I'm repeating that rediscovery dance with some other books. It's worthwhile.

I'm torn on what the hell we should assign 15-year-olds to read. Masterpieces they won't get? Tripe that'll do nothing for them? Fudge? At this point, no one reads anymore, so we should probably just pray that they can get through three pages without sending or receiving a text message.

Kids today. Someone bring me my Metamucil.

Oh.

2008-08-21T12:46:00.002-05:00

This has nothing to do with anything I posted yesterday, or ANYTHING I've done in the past few months, but can we talk about this?

http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2002/apr/spies/index.html

Julia Child was a freakin' spy?!?!?!

That's amazing. My world is richer for knowing this.

2008-08-20T13:55:00.001-05:00

July 19, I rolled back into Chicago after 2+ months all over the place. My Dad was with me.

4 days after that, my Dad left, and I started to finally feel like I could start settling in.

9 days after THAT, I took off again for a weekend in NC for KegPig. (See previous post.)

On the way down, our muffler fell off and we spent hours on the side of a remote stretch of I-75 in the middle of the night... but that's for another post....

I got back the wee hours of August 4. On August 6, I headed to NYC.

I got pretty sick while I was there, but had a great time. (That'll be yet ANOTHER post...)

After yet more travel mayhem, I got back to the city on the 11th. I've been getting settle in ever since. Again.

It's strange to feel so out of place in your own apartment. Your own bed. Your own skin.

I'm excited to get some sense of normalcy back, but I have plans to leave town again at least once a month for... the rest of the year?

It seems appropriate, really. It feels like the right time for some changes. A little more vagabonding.

Anyway. That's the status. More to come.

2008-08-01T09:16:00.002-05:00

KegPig '04: Boone, NC

KegPig '05: Bristol, TN

KegPig '06: Burnsville, NC

KegPig '07: Burnsville, NC
What is KegPig? To repurpose a classic TV theme song:

You take a pig
You take a keg
You cook the pig
and then you'll have
The Keggy Pig.
You'll eat a lotta pig...

(Ok. If you didn't get it on the first pass, go back and sing that to the tune of "The Facts of Life". Stay with me here.)

It's a tradition.

I'm off to KegPig '08. Our fifth annual. Wish me luck.

Just too much.

2008-07-21T10:58:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm back in Chicago.

I was gone for two months and three days.

I documented some of what's been going on with me over the past few months, but it's tough to sum it all up.

I'll continue to give some highlights after I get settled back in here in Chicago.

For now, I feel like a total outsider.

Ah well. Here's a picture of me with my good friends Carson and Christy. They've recently moved back to Boone, NC where we all went to school. Boone's the kind of place that makes you want to do stuff like this:

2008-07-13T20:51:00.000-05:00

I'm a bad blogger [stop]

Lots going on [stop]

Go see Wall-E [stop]

Back in the day.

2008-07-02T10:53:00.002-05:00

Today is my Grandma's 81st birthday. My brothers and I got our hands on some old family photos and scanned them so we could print some out for my Grandma. We're going to give her a disk full of the scans, too.

It's nice to have copies of these old pictures. There are some great shots. I like this one of me, Jason, and Mom.

Witten Wedding

2008-06-30T22:11:00.002-05:00

Ah, wedding bells. My old buddy Adam married his lovely sweetheart Nicole on June 21. They got hitched in lovely Sarasota, FL, and I took the trip down for the festivities.

It was a blast.

It was supposed to be an outdoor wedding, and it rained all damned day. But you know what, rain? You can't drown love.

They moved the ceremony indoors. It was the same place the reception was to be held. What's that mean? Break the glass, shout "mazel tov", and start the party.

It was so nice to see all the people at the wedding. Sarah Fried Chicken, Jen, Carson and Christy, Dave and Shannon, the Cliftons, etc. (Know who any of those people are? If not, you're missing out.)

There was food and beverages and dancing. And! Since it was a Jewish wedding (well, half-Jewish anyway...), there was this!

Hava nagila, hava, baby. I'm such a gentile. I unabashedly love the novelty of lifting the bride and groom in chairs and dancing them around. (Well, novelty for me...)

Weddings: Fun parties, plus all that forever togetherness stuff. Fortunately, I'll get to go to roughly 6,000 of them in the next few years.

Not for me, so much.

2008-06-29T16:36:00.002-05:00

I spent my birthday in Vegas.

I was there for work.

I spent most of my time in interviews and meetings.

About two hours before I left for the airport, I laid out five crisp dollar bills as my gambling allowance. On my fifth quarter, I won fifty bucks. I used that fifty to putter around the casino losing money and drinking ice-cold beer for free. I ended up giving it all back to the casino.

I left Las Vegas two dollars in the hole, a year older, and both wondering and sorta knowing why people love the town so much.

Pawley's

2008-06-26T09:29:00.004-05:00

Hey guys. I fell off the blog wagon, but it's time to climb back aboard.

In the interest of continuity, I'll give you guys some info on the next phase of my journey.

The weekend of June 7, my mom, brother Tommy, sister-in-law Amber, and their daughter Bailey all jumped in a car with me and we headed down to Pawley's Island, on the coast of SC.

Pawley's is a great place with beautiful wide beaches and beautiful old houses. The self-described motif at Pawley's is "arrogantly shabby", and even though it's just south of Myrtle Beach, strict zoning has helped it maintain its quaint and homey mood.

The house we went to, which belongs to some close family friends, is well over 80 years old, and has survived hurricanes and erosion and family reunions. It typifies an old breed of beach house that's disappearing. It's simple in its design: Central hallway, bedrooms along the hall that also open onto porches that wrap the house. Scrubbed pine floors. Cypress wall paneling. Boardwalk to the beach.

These days, new construction tends to be bland condos or inflated megamansions. I'd take an old-timey beach house any day.

Anyway, the star of the show, as usual, was Bailey.

She seems really at home on the beach. She's not afraid of the water at all. She's not afraid of anything, really, except for the dark and moths.

We kicked back on Pawley's for the weekend and enjoyed every minute of it. These pictures will come in handy on a stressful winter day. There is such a thing as warmth and relaxation.

Boiled Peanuts

2008-06-12T23:44:00.003-05:00

Perhaps my favorite thing to eat on the planet are boiled peanuts. (Then again, there are a lot of other things on that list, but let's talk about the peanuts for now.)

Some of you guys aren't that familiar with these little goobers, so howsabout a primer?

Boiled peanuts are just that: Peanuts that are boiled (in-shell) in salt water. They can be served hot or cold, and are a popular snack in a lot of the South, particularly in the summertime. Because they're boiled, they're soft (not unlike a cooked bean).

They can be made with any raw peanut, but the best ones are made with green peanuts, which are fresh peanuts that haven't been dried. They create these wonderful little boiled peanuts that are fresh-tasting and impossible to stop eating. They're very hard to get out of season or away from where they're grown, so summer time down South is prime time for these little guys.

You can also make boiled peanuts with dried raw peanuts, but these don't turn out as well. I can get dried raw peanuts in Chicago, but because they don't contain their own moisture, you have to soak them overnight before cooking, and then cook them in a crock pot for about a day. Still, beats nothing.

You can find boiled peanuts in roadside stands and small grocery stores throughout the South, but I'll let you in on some of the very best boiled peanuts on the planet.

Seriously.

1) Lakeside Market: Sumter, SC
This is a little market that sells fresh produce and potted plants and such. It's run by an older gentleman that grew up on the land on which the market now sits. He ran several other stores, and eventually moved back to the corner on which his house once stood and built this little place. They boil their own peanuts in the store, and he says they have it down to a science, so the peanuts turn out consistently good, batch after batch. They're a little on the small side, but they are good. If you like your peanuts hot, this might not be your spot. They keep their peanuts in paper bags in a refrigerator.

2) Allsbrook's Boiled Peanuts: Manning, SC
I grew up on Allsbrook's. This place made the peanuts by which I will always judge all other peanuts. They were made at a little roadside market on the way to Lake Marion, and were sold all over Clarendon County. At some point, the business changed hands (I hear there was scandal involved), the business lay dormant for a few years (known as the Great Boiled Peanut Drought of 19-odd-something) and later the daughter or daughter-in-law of Allsbrook started turning out peanuts (though not under the Allsbrook's name. They were Funny's Boiled Peanuts. They were almost as good, though). Of late, I understand that someone in the Allsbrook family has gotten their hands on a peanut pot again, and Allsbrook's peanuts are back. I haven't gotten my hands on any yet, but maybe soon.

3) The cooler in the back of a pickup truck: Near Eastover, SC
Where highway 378 meets highway 601, there is a little parking lot of an abandoned store. In that lot, a dude has been selling peanuts for at least a decade. He's got signs out on 601 about a hundred yards from his spot in either direction. The signs are hand-lettered on plywood. "boiled p-Nuts". Lowercase, except for the "N" in "nuts". You can get "new crop" or "old crop" peanuts. He has two big metal cookers on a trailer where the peanuts get the business, and I have a suspicion that he might use just a tiny touch of fatback in process, because the peanuts are uber-flavorful. I recommend the 'new crop'. He keeps the peanuts in ziplocks in a cooler to keep them warm after cooking, so warm peanut lovers take note.

This is just a tiny cross-section.

A full book is in the works.

Anyway. Boiled peanuts are good, man.

2008-06-10T14:44:00.003-05:00

So, in keeping with the intent of updating you fine folks on my travels, let's review:
1) London
2) Nice
3) Crazy trip from Nice to Charleston.
4) Charleston for Spoleto
5) Sumter to hang out with the fam and roast in the heat.

That takes us up to about May 31, when I went to Wild Dunes, down on Isle of Palms (near Charleston) to celebrate Adam's Bachelor party.

Here's the only picture I took:

There are pictures out there of Adam wearing a sparkly bachelorette tiara, but, sadly, I don't have those.

Rest assured, it was a good time. A little time on the beach. Some fun.

Enjoyable.

Yowza.

2008-06-10T01:52:00.000-05:00

For realz.

Kid

2008-06-08T13:05:00.000-05:00

So, in between all of these travels, I've gotten to spend a good deal of time with my niece, Bailey.

I talk about her all the time, and a quick perusal of this blog will turn up posts from many chapters of her two years and nine months on the planet.

I last saw her this past Christmas, and the five or six months intervening between then and now have made all the difference. She's moved from Bailey the Toddler to Bailey the Kid.

She's enormous. 99th percentile, heightwise. Her legs are, conservatively, 17 feet long, and she can dunk a basket without lifting her arms.

Seriously, though. The kid's tall.

And talks. I don't mean "makes noises with her mouth". She really talks. Complete sentences and a ridiculous vocabulary and all that. I know these things are pretty standard for most humans, but it's amazing to see all of this coming out of such a young person.

She's funny, too. Sometimes unintentionally. Sometimes totally on purpose.

She's really sweet, too. She's affectionate and polite. She's giving. She's crazy. (In a good way).

As our entire family says, with every bit of love and affection we're capable of, "She's something."

I'll be back soon with more highlights from my various trips.

Chaaaalston.

2008-06-03T12:02:00.003-05:00

After all that insanity that accompanied my trip back to the States, I was ready for a little relaxation. Fortunately, that's exactly what I found.

The Fowler Family Radio Hour did three shows at the American Theater in Charleston as a part of the Piccolo Spoleto Fringe Festival. The Harrelsons (some close friends of mine from Sumter) and their sister Lucy are some of the sweetest people on the planet, and Lucy saw fit to let us stay in her beautiful home in Mt. Pleasant.

We sat on porches (the house has 3) and took walks and ate lazy brunches on the porch.

We made trips into Charleston before the shows (which got solid reviews), and hung around after for nice dinners and other diversions.

We also got down to the beach! That was a first for Kevin (pictured below. He's the furry young gentleman between my friends Joe and Shelby .)

Kevin wasn't the only guy who was making a first-ever trip to the ocean. Devin, who was awesome enough to come down and play piano for us, is a Michigander and was an ocean first-timer. I think both he and Kevin dug the seashore.

Good food. Hospitality. Some sun and salt and sea and sand.

It was exactly what I think we all needed.

We hope to return to Spoleto next year. I, personally, only stayed away from Charleston for a couple of days. We left on Tuesday, and by Friday night I was on Isle of Palms near Charleston yet again.

More on that later.

Hard to leave.

2008-06-01T21:50:00.003-05:00

It was hard to leave France.

Seriously.

Not "I'll miss the moonlight on the Mediterranean" hard.

More like "there are strikes and solidarity strikes on top of those strikes, and I can't actually make my flights" hard.

First: Transit workers strike in France. They're not Sarkozy fans over there. I mean, in case you haven't noticed, we have a somewhat unpopular president in the good ol' USofA as well, but he's not eliminating 35,o00 gov't jobs and divorcing his wife to marry a hot 20-something. Sarkozy on the other hand... less shy on both fronts.

Taxi drivers were largely striking, too. There were some cabs, but not many. Plus I was trying to get to the Cote d'azur airport in Nice, and it was the week between the Cannes film festival and the Gran Prix in Monaco, so that airport was the spot.

When I got to the airport, my plane hadn't taken off, but the flight was closed. They wouldn't let me on.

Well, I was trying to get to London in time for my flight from London to Washington, and on to Charleston. It was Thursday, and I had a show Friday night at Spoleto.

So? Time to catch another flight to London, right?

Well?

Second: An air traffic controller strike that started just after my first flight left delayed every flight by a couple of hours. No hope of making Heathrow in time for my flight. I rescheduled for the first flight out Friday morning.

I snagged an EasyJet flight to London (couldn't get to Heathrow, so I had to hit Luton, and then take a bus between the two airports. That was kinda cool. I was the only one on the bus, so it was like having a giant cab all to myself. )

I got to Heathrow around 11pm (after getting to the Nice airport around 7am...) and found a dark spot in a corner, unfolded my garment bag and used it as a mattress. I caught a couple of hours of airport sleep, and then grabbed my flight from Heathrow to Dulles.

There were no flights from Dulles to Charleston that day. I got one to Columbia instead. My brother Sam picked me up in Columbia and we drove down to Charleston. We hit a big wreck on I-26 and my car started to overheat while we were stuck in traffic.

We ended up getting to Charleston around 5:30pm (11:30pm Friday, Nice time. 40+ hours after getting to the airport in Nice, according to my math....). I was several hundred dollars poorer from the fees and fare differences associated with my changes.

I got a shower and headed hit the stage by 7pm for the first night of the Fowler Family Radio Hour at Spoleto in Charleston.

Crazy.

Seriously.

Nice, if you pleace.

2008-05-29T09:57:00.003-05:00

After London: Nice.

If you haven't been to Nice, or any other spot in the South of France, you should know that it's really beautiful. It's an amazing mix of French culture with other Mediterranean influences. Lots of Italian touches (especially in the food). Some Spanish flavors creeping in, as well.

An event I attend annually takes place in the main convention center in Nice. Though Nice is a two-hop flight for most North Americans, it's an easy journey from most European cities. I generally fly through London, but others opt for Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, etc.

The architecture is pretty neat there. I posted a lot of it in my blog post about Nice last year (which I'll link later), but it's a cool mix of the above influences, plus a weird sense of past-its-prime modernism. The whole city looks a little mildewed in spots and rough around the edges, but it's an amazing place, overall. There are Roman ruins, casinos, yachts, beachfront hotels, and other ridiculous bits and pieces.

My activities this year included a black-tie gala, a beachfront party, a rooftop party, and a late-night pool hall session. And the food! The food was amazing. A sort of French-Italian-world-foods amalgamation of deliciousness. All great stuff.

Most of the trip, though, was just work. Meetings. Conferences. Nothing too exciting.

Here's a photo of the outside of the tiny little hotel I stayed in. It's basically a bed and breakfast. It's one floor of an apartment building, and I love the place. I stayed there last year, too. This year I got the Dali room.

The window just to the left of that top balcony was my room. This was the view.

Oh so Fraaaaaainch.

Getting to Nice was easy peasy. Staying there was lovely.

Leaving?

That's a post for another day.

It was.... rough.

Fog not included.

2008-05-27T10:58:00.001-05:00

Man! It's been an intense week. I'll tell you all about it as we go, but I'm going to break it up into a few small doses.

First dose: London.

Saturday (5/17), I boarded a flight at O'Hare around 6pm. (Kudos to my buddies Matt and Virginia for taking me to the airport. Big ups.) I took a little valerian root (Merz Apothecary recommended it. It was a big help. Better than narcotics or hormones.), ignored the terrible movies they were showing (Oh boy! 27 Dresses AND National Treasure: Book of Secrets! Followed by The Golden Compass?!?!?!?! Is this a flight to LONDON or HEAVEN!?!?!?) and spent most of the flight either sleeping, reading, or talking to my awesome seat-neighbor. (Part-owner of a Sri Lankan tea plantation. I want that job.)

I arrived in London the next morning. (The local clocks said 9am. It was still 3am in Chicago, but getting a little sleep convinced me that I had time traveled.) My buddy Liam gets the award for awesomeness for meeting me at Heathrow. We took the train into Paddington, and then hopped a double-decker for the ride to his place over by Canary Wharf. That took us right through the thick of things. Not the quickest route, but certainly the coolest.

We grabbed some Carlsbergs and made our way through the super-modern bank complex that is Canary Wharf. (Watch 28 Weeks Later. That's it. Isle of Dogs.) Liam lives right by the O2 Dome and the Reuters Building (which was the CIA hq in 0ne of the Bourne movies).

Here's Liam in front of the building where he works.

And a shot of me with the O2 Dome in the background:

We hopped on a boat and made our way up the Thames to Embankment. Along the way we spotted the Traitors Gate at the Tower of London:

Tower Bridge, of course:

And some more modern bits and pieces of London:

After getting off the boat, we puttered around town. We hit Trafalgar Square (the first pic in this post), Covent Garden, Chinatown (below), SoHo, Five Points, etc. We popped up to Harrod's. We went all over.
We made our way up to Camden to check out an area with a different feel. We walked through the crazy market stalls and into the all-too-hip stores, surprised that people still buy rave clothes. Who goes to raves? It's right by a really pretty section of canal, though.

There's a cool set of manual locks right on the canal. I was too close to get a good picture, but these houseboats will motor right up to the locks and a dude from the boat will hop out (drinking a beer) and begin the process of opening the locks for an incoming boat. There's no one on duty. No control booth. I have a feeling that wouldn't fly in the States.

We had a few pints in Camden and hopped the tube back to Liam's. We had some grub (frozen pizzas, boyee!) and hit the sack. I had to grab a taxi for Liverpool Station, then a train to Stansted Airport, and a plane for Nice very early the next morning. (Cab left at 4am. Yowza.) I made it, though. London was very good. It was even a nice day for us. A tad cloudy, but really warm. Thanks, London.

Next stop: Nice.

So far!

2008-05-21T11:57:00.002-05:00

I'm writing this from a cafe in Nice. I don't have my camera USB cable, so I can't post pictures yet. I will say, however, that London and Nice have been lovely.

I hope to head towards the States tomorrow, but there are rumors of an airline strike.

We shall see.

A few highlights that I'll tell you more about later:

- I won a fancy bottle of wine at an event. I didn't drink it yet.
- Food, food, food. Everything I've eaten has been delicious. In Nice, anyway. London? Less so.
- I NEED to get more than 3 hours sleep some time soon.

Hey dudes.

2008-05-16T15:04:00.002-05:00

So I'm about to embark on a few months of travel and such. I'm leaving Chicago tomorrow (Saturday the 17th), and will visit the following before returning:

London
Nice (for work)
Charleston (Fowler Family at Spoleto!)
Various other locales in NC and SC
Sarasota, FL
Some other area of the Gulf Coast of FL
Vegas

... I think that's pretty much it. My bags are packed and my Pops is taking care of my cat. We're all set.

I'm going to start blogging again during the trips.

Stay tuned.

Tim's Truths for Today.

2008-03-19T12:52:00.005-05:00

1) Brothers are rare and sometimes maddening, but those who take them for granted have my sympathies. (Sam came to town for almost a week, and we had a great time.)

2) Newborn babies all look the same unless you know them. Then they all look amazing. (Please welcome to the world Elyse Hampton Tregoning, the first of many from BJ and Janelle Tregoning).

3) It's a lot easier to work out at home if your cat doesn't get all judgy every time you do it. (Next time i'm trying to shed a couple of belly pounds, kitty's going in the linen closet.)

4) If you're ever having a lousy day, sing along with "No Woman, No Cry" (doesn't matter if you can't understand the lyrics.... do your best) at the top of your lungs in the car with the volume way up. It's cathartic.

Edited to Add: Good lord. I just read this post after publishing it, and have decided that I am a woman. If you replaced "brothers" with "sisters" in item one, and "No Woman, No Cry" with some Dixie Chicks song in item 4, I'd be straight off of Lifetime.

Coffee, Prius, and Oscar parties.

2008-02-27T19:01:00.002-06:00

Hey guys. I've been busy.

Rather than read my blog, read this blog: http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

God it's funny.

"Stuff white people like." It's a list that describes a great many, well, white people.

I'm ashamed to say that a great many of these things indeed apply to me.

Existential Question

2008-02-14T15:22:00.001-06:00

I bought a package of bacon the other day. Regular bacon.

It was made in Canada.

I wonder if that bacon has ever had an identity crisis.

No picture, only word.

2008-02-12T11:28:00.001-06:00

Remember when I had pictures in every post? Lovely little snapshots of life? Well, I'll get back to that (I have some good ones) as soon as I.... find my camera.

It's somewhere.

Somewhere not in my apartment, methinks.

Here are a few things on my mind right now:

1) The writers strike looks like it's history. Good thing, and not just because I want my "Lost" fix to keep on coming. There's been a sort of freeze on projects people I know have been involved in, and now they're free to resume.

2) My beloved ASU Mountaineers will be running up against LSU in their season opener. It'll be intense.

3) My car doors have been frozen shut for 3 days. My toes and knuckles have been hurting for a week from sheer force of cold. My Dad told me it's been in the 70's in SC.
Sigh.

4) Stephen Colbert deals with condescension in a way that makes me love the guy. Last night, the author of The Lucifer Effect, Stanford professor Philip Zimbardo, was on the show. He was arguing the contentious point that God was responsible for the creation of Hell. Stephen responded with a discussion of free will that seemed to transcend "Stephen Colbert"the character and get down to the real Stephen Colbert. When Zimbardo responded, condescendingly, something to the effect of "Well, you've certainly learned your Sunday School lessons well", Colbert replied,

"I TEACH Sunday School, mother****er!"

It was hilarious. And true. I'd attend Colbert's Sunday School class. Weekly.

Compadre.

2008-02-06T22:44:00.000-06:00

http://www.wltx.com/sports/story.aspx?storyid=58145

The fellow above, Anthony Graham, was an assistant principal at my high school. He passed away yesterday due to some sort of illness. The article above was sketchy as to what kind of illness, but that doesn't really matter.

He was the sort of guy who'd see you in the hallway after school and buy you a can of coke and talk to you about your college plans. He was tough, but a lot of fun. Called everyone 'compadre'. I remember him standing in the middle of the gym floor along with me and about a dozen other teachers and seniors doing the "Men in Black" dance at a pep rally.

Yeah, pretty cool, huh? I was super awesome in high school. Senior Class Presidents don't get any cooler... while dancing to a marketing tool. Mr. Graham made it seem pretty cool, though. He was the sort of fellow who could break up a fight OR bounce with it, just bounce with it (and let his neck work. And freeze).

He left my high school some years ago, and was the principal of a middle school in Columbia, SC. I'm sure his students will miss him. He was pretty great.

Portly Tuesday. (Because no one likes to be called fat)

2008-02-05T20:37:00.000-06:00

I voted today.

It's raining.

The ground is covered with dirt-flavored sno-cone.

I'm about to go see some bluegrass.

Happy Mardi Gras, everybody.

Beads and paczki for everyone.

And I feel fiiiiiiine.

2008-02-04T22:48:00.000-06:00

So.

Let's talk about the end of the world.

Hello? Where'd you go?

Hmmm. Conversation killer?

Well, that bit of conversational kryptonite is a mainstay of modern American art and entertainment.

I've been thinking about it since I read The Road. That book is a real stunner, and if it doesn't make you tear up, you need to get your heart checked out. If you aren't familiar, it's about a father and son making their way across the charred ruins of America.

Cheery, huh? Well, it's not the only example.

It's everywhere: The Mad Max movies. The Terminator movies. The Matrix. Pretty much any piece of anime. Any movie starring Charlton Heston movie from the late 60's or early 70s. Or any Kevin Costner movie that no one went to see. There are tons and tons more. We're OBSESSED with this stuff.

Why we, as a society, think about this stuff is a discussion for another day. Blame the cold war if you will. Blame the millennarians. Blame Stanley Kubrick.

I'm not as interested in apocalypse as a cultural obsession as I am in finding out if that cultural obsession filters down to the everyday person.

When I was a kid, I'd lay in bed and strain my ears, listening for the trumpets signaling the end of the world. That's probably because the church my family went to at the time was OBSESSED with it. It'd be a part of most sermons and a subject of discussion in Sunday School well down to the elementary school level.

To this day, I sometimes wonder what I'd do if society completely crumbled. Make my way down south? Head for the Canadian border? Would I drive? What would Armageddon do to gas prices? Would I still be able to pay at the pump, or would I have to barter 2 chickens and a bag of feed for a gallon of premium? Hopefully pay at the pump. Chickens would ruin my leather interior.

When I start wondering about this stuff, my inclination is to ask: "Is this normal?" "Do other people worry about this junk?"

The truth is, I don't really WORRY about it, either. I'd be a liar if I said I didn't think about it, though.

Am I alone on that one? Am I the only one who lets the doom-n-gloomers creep into my subconscious?

Just wondering.

2008-01-29T15:45:00.000-06:00

So I got good and sick the other day and have spent a lot of time on the couch nodding in and out of feverish sleep while AMC is on in the background. Fun, huh?

AMC runs a lot of commercials for an acid reflux drug called "Aciphex".

Here's a hint, drug companies. When you pick a name for a medicine, consider how it will ultimately be pronounced.

In my feverish dreams, I just kept wondering what "ass effects" were and why AMC was trying to sell them to me.

rubs eyes

2008-01-24T22:23:00.001-06:00

*Yawn, grumble*

hmpf. Good morning. Izzat coffee I smell? Mind if I have a cup?

What's today?

JANUARY 24?

Holy crap.

*looks down*

Does that say December 22? I haven't blogged since then?

Sheesh. That's a lot to cover. Lotta pressure.

Ah well. I'll get you guys all caught up. For now, a few things to know:

1) It's freakin' freezing outside. I think it's officially 0 degrees with a windchill around -20. That's stupid.

2) I just started reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Sarah got it for me for Christmas. It's really good.

3) I need to see There Will Be Blood. Stat. I saw a bunch of movies since we last talked. I hadn't seen a movie in the theater in a good while, and over the break I saw several. No Country for Old Men and Juno were great. I am Legend was fun but forgettable. Walk Hard was funny in spots, but mostly because of John C. Reilly, Paul Rudd, and Jenna Fischer's cuteness. Sweeney Todd was pretty great, and I still can't believe it got made. Bloody. Bleak. Sing-songy?

Anyway. More soon. You're adorable.

Vote, eh?

2007-12-22T09:20:00.000-06:00

Hey guys! Hope everyone is having a great time with families and friends. I am having a blast with mine. I'll have tons of pictures of my fun times and adorable niece soon.

For now: A request. Appalachian State is one of the finalists for the "Pontiac Game Changing Performance" of the season. There are only 4 teams left, and the winner snags 100k, which would come in handy. If you get a second, hit up pontiac.com/ncaa.

That's your gift to me.

Oh. What did I get for you?

Um. Something SUPER good. Totally.

Boonies Loving Life.

2007-12-13T17:25:00.000-06:00

Hey there, Blogfriends.

Long-time-no-see-etc.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a pretty big fan of my alma mater's football team. Well, Appalachian State is poised to make history. Tomorrow, we play Delaware in the Div I-FCS National Championship. App State is coming off a scorching playoff run, which began with a down-to-the-wire game against James Madison a few weeks ago, and continued through ever-more-convincing victories over Eastern Washington and Richmond.

This picture was taken last week, as some Chicago ASU Alumni got together to enjoy the game at The Full Shilling. While we were enjoying adult beverages, ASU QB Armanti Edwards was busy rushing for 313 yards and 4 touchdowns and throwing for an additional 182 and 3 TDs. That's 495 yards of total offense. My first kid may be named Armanti Jerrymoore Young.

This week the Chicago folks will be at Feed The Beast. That's at 4300 N Lincoln in North Center.

Come join us, eh?

2007-11-29T23:54:00.001-06:00

I went to Dallas a couple of weeks ago. Work stuff. Nothing exciting. Hence my post about banks heists.

I'd been to Dallas before, but this time I went to Dealey Plaza. The infamous grassy knoll.

See those buildings above? The one more prominently featured? Count six stories up.

It was a sunny day. I sat outside and enjoyed the warmth.

There's an 'x' in the road. Bizarre memorial.

Missing no more.

2007-11-14T00:11:00.000-06:00

My cat went AWOL twice recently. First, she took off for two days. She came back looking rained-on and shame-faced like an off-the-wagon drunk resurfacing after an 8-day bender.

A few days later she took off again. She was gone for nearly a week. I put up posters. I called the shelters. All that.

I got a call from someone who had seen my posters reporting that someone a few blocks away had posters up reporting a cat found. She had wandered into the back door of a sandwich shop and one of the staff members took her home. She was missing for almost a week, but only outside for a grand total of a few hours.

Charmed life, that.

Anyway, here's a picture of her in recovery mode.

2007-11-12T19:03:00.001-06:00

Jason came to town over Halloween weekend. Jason , for those of you not down with the Young Brothers, is my older brother. Tommy's the sensitive one. Sam's the complicated one. You know. Like N*Sync.

He was in town for his birthday. 31, Ladies and gents. 31 years old and he can be seen here with shoes strapped to his knees as a sort of "Dorf on Golf" tiny person.

We went to a lovely "Heaven and Hell" Party thrown by my friends Jason and Freddie. Great time. Don't believe me? Let's go to the reel.

Martin as a G. Kara as white trash. Jason again and Charley as a lazy asshole who can't be bothered to wear a costume. I'm not sure it was intentional, but Kara and Martin have a nice K-Fed-B-Spears thing going on.

In the corner? Sexy Lincoln.

Matt as Terry from Reno 911. Also, note my sweet Fu Manchu. You are WELCOME.
More Terry and lazy dude.

Fun night. Great to see my bro.

Black Saturday

2007-11-11T23:30:00.000-06:00

October 20: At App they have a tradition called "Black Saturday". Get rid of the gold, and sport black on game day. It's a blast. I went down this year, and had an amazing time. I decided to go at the last minute, but made it safe and sound.

Some of my very good buddies were there for the festivities. Adam and Nicole. Dave. Sarah Fried Chicken. Rachelle. Carson and Siege. Ray. Shelby and Joe even came down. Definitely good times. The Cliftons brought along a pop-up camper, and many of the hardier kids slept in the parking lot. Great people. I made a few new friends, too. That's always nice.

Oh, and beer pong/flip cup tables are fully portable.

I skipped the parking lot camper sleeping and bedded down at the Morrison's mountain house. They were up for the weekend. They're like extra parents for me. Lovely people. I spent Sunday hanging out with them and recovering from around 36 hours of drinking and ridiculousness. Coffee. Hot tub. Food. And this view:

Notice I didn't mention the actual game much. It's still a sore spot. We lost at home for the first time in 30 games. The last home game we lost was in 2002. Ah well. It happens. It was a blast of a weekend, and if we had to walk away without a "W", so be it. Not my preference, but so be it. Great weekend.

Bizzike.

2007-11-09T10:45:00.000-06:00

So when it was still warm out, I got myself a bike. It's pretty great. Vintage '83 Trek. Ridiculously light for a vintage bike. Nice and fast.

When I was a kid surrounded by dirt paths and gravel roads, road bikes seemed pointless. In Chicago? Road bikes work just fine.

I like this bike a lot. Too bad it'll be too cold to ride it in about 12 minutes.

Capers

2007-11-07T10:33:00.000-06:00

I'm in Dallas for work.

Downtown Dallas really makes me want to rob a bank. Seriously.

I was walking around last night, and I passed big fat banks filled with lots and lots of oil money and there was NO ONE AROUND.

I want to meet a guy named "Big" or "T-Bone" in a blues bar and get him to be my lookout. I want a guy in a van guiding me through the process as he screws around on a computer and eats Twix bars. I want a former Ukrainian gymnast to crawl through an air duct and somehow come out inside the vault.

I'll be the guy who always walks. Never runs. Always walks. I'm already wearing a suit. I might as well be the cool, never runs, suit guy.

So yeah, Dallas. That's what you get for making me feel like I'm on an abandoned movie lot set from a movie about a downtown instead of actually having stuff going on. You get your banks robbed. In my mind.

Smoking Chimpmama!

2007-10-30T08:30:00.000-05:00

Hey dudes. Believe it or not, I'm going to update this thing soon. I want to tell you all about my trip to ASU, Halloween, my brother Jason's visit, and all the rest. I'll probably get some of those up tonight or tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's a picture of a chimpanzee with little regard for the effects of second hand smoke.

d'ja ever notice?

2007-10-16T14:47:00.000-05:00

What is this thing? I have a blog?

Oh yeah. I do.

Let's make this more interactive. Chicago people, chime in if you feel it. Seriously.

I run into people downtown all the time. I come down to the loop about once or twice a week, and it seems like every single time I do I see someone I know. It's weird.

Sure, there are lots more people downtown, but that means lots more people I know AND lots more people I don't. And yet. Lots of random street convos.

Anybody else notice this? I really want to know.

And yes, this is half interesting observation, and half confirmation that I am still alive and still have my blogger password.

Some Bailey Shots

2007-10-07T18:10:00.000-05:00

Amber (my sister-in-law, not my girlfriend. The Young boys are an unimaginative bunch...) sent me some great shots of Bailey from her 2nd birthday extravaganza.

I thought I'd share.

She looks thrilled with this gift. My two-year-old niece is a jaded rocker.

She graduated from the crib. Sweet bed, yo.

It breaks your heart, don't it?

Tucson

2007-09-30T22:58:00.000-05:00

So I won't bore you with the details of why exactly a went to Tucson. It was a work thing, so it involved lots of panels and presentations (some of which I introduced or moderated). I did get a chance to spend a little time in the city of Tucson, though. More importantly, I got to spend some time out of the city of Tucson. The conference was at a resort outside of Tucson in the foothills of the Santa Catalina mountains.

The last day of programming, I packed up a group of beautifully multi-national dudes and took a trip up to the summit of Mt. Lemmon. One of the highest peaks around Tucson, it also has a road that goes all the way up to its peak. The drive is only 15 or 20 miles from the edge of town, but climbs several thousand feet and takes you from this:... to this:

(The second one was taken through the windshield, but it's enough to get the staggering difference in flora.)

We made the drive right around sunset, and got some great shots. I didn't take most of these, but that's because I was at the wheel and many of these were stop-and-clicks as we tried to race the sunset up the mountain.

Here are some of the pretty ones.

From the car:

The moon (which was full, though this doesn't capture the color):

Looking down at dusk:

Tucson below:

I spent my last night in Tucson proper near the University of Arizona. I went to a bar by my hotel and drank beers, played photo hunt, did a crossword puzzle, and wondered if all dudes in Arizona were that obnoxious and wore that much hair gel.

I know that they probably aren't. And don't.

Took a little trip.

2007-09-30T13:02:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday I had a really nice day with Amber. We went to see Across the Universe (I can't honestly recommend it. The musical bits were neat in spots, but the narrative was weak and the whole thing felt a little contrived. Still, good music) and had some good food and some laughs.

The next morning, I flew to Tucson. I was there all this past week at a conference. It was my first trip to the bona fide desert, and I really enjoyed it. I'll post more on that later.

Random Acts of Random. Volume II, Issue I

2007-09-21T17:00:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. Remember that time I posted a bunch of random stuff on my blog? Here's another one!

I have really lost my sense of narrative. Time to insert a throughline. From now on, posts like this aren't random brain puke, but rather a segment we're calling:

"Random Acts of Random".

(Like that? It beat out "Brain Beat" and "A Visit to the Hodgepodge Lodge".)

- Well, those who know me know that I've been using "App State" as a verb since basically the day after their defeat of U of M. It's catching on, people. Here's the coach of the Kaneland High School soccer team (from the Chicago burbs) on their upcoming game against nationally ranked New Trier High:

“It’s a great opportunity for us,” Kaneland coach Scott Parillo said. “We’re gonna try to Appalachian State them.”

Beautiful.

-A few other current events nouns-as-verbs: "Larry Craig". As in, "I think some dude was totally trying to Larry Craig me in the bathroom." Also, "Britneyed". As in, "I shouldn't have gotten so drunk last night. I try not to get so Britneyed on the weekend."

- My roommate, who shall remain nameless, came home today and explained to me that she didn't realize yogurt was dairy. Wonderful. Explanation?

Nameless Roommate: "I guess I knew it was dairy, but when I think dairy I think milk and cheese."
Me: "Milk! Cheese! Yogurt! Butter!"
Nameless Roommate: "Oh yeah.... butter..."

I laughed harder than I have in a while.

- The weather in Chicago is so nice right now. I went to the beach on Tuesday and had one of the nicest beach days I've had all year. I'm going to miss you, summer.

2007-09-12T00:12:00.000-05:00

This is Bailey.
This is Bailey wearing a hat.

This is Bailey after a nap.

This is Bailey being a daredevil.

Bailey is my niece. She is two today. Three cheers for THAT kid, huh?

RAN-DOM

2007-09-08T19:24:00.000-05:00

Some randomness:

-I have a toothache.

- Fun Hogwash (kid's improv) show today at the Bailiwick. I played a car with two HEMIs. And a male model. With a sparkly hat.

-The only downside about the extra App State coverage is that people keep calling it "Appy State". No one at App called it that. Just like no one in Chicago says "Chi-Town".

-Amber got her hair cut really short. Well, short for her. I know that's a big deal for girls, and I want her to know it looks really good.

- I just listened to a couple in my building argue for ten or fifteen minutes while trying to move a couch into the building through narrow doorways. Well, they weren't arguing. She was just yelling at him. Favorite quote? Her: "I DON'T underSTAND why you don't have LOGICAL THOUGHT!"

- I am craving White Caste like a fiend.

- Fall is coming. Despite my best efforts.

New Chapter

2007-09-03T20:46:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a couple of days, but this win is still making my days a little brighter.

In addition to a beautiful win, which may be among the greatest upsets in the history of the NCAA, it also marked the first get-together of the brand new Chicago chapter of the Appalachian Alumni Association. This is a great bunch of guys and gals. The only thing that can make me prouder to be a Mountaineer than our performance on the field is being around a talented and impressive group of people who are just as proud to be ASU alumni as I am.

Living in Chicago, far from the sphere of influence of ASU, you meet a lot of people who have no idea where App is or why it's so special. After this weekend, people are learning. That means a lot to all of us.

I promise I'll move on to other subjects soon. For now?

It's GREAT to BE a MOUNTAINEER!

2007-09-02T00:36:00.000-05:00

I can't even begin to tell you how exciting it was to be this deep in Big Ten territory and watch App State beat Michigan 34-32.

The best.

More details tomorrow. For now, time to pass out.

Wow.

GO APP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-09-01T10:06:00.000-05:00

Alright, App State. Season opener vs. U of Michigan. Let's do this thing.

I'm going to be waist-deep in Beg Ten fans. Wonderful.

Good news is this is the first get-together for the new Chicago App State Alumni Chapter.

Awesome.

2007-08-29T22:31:00.000-05:00

A few cool things lately.

Last night, Amber and I went to Wildfire to celebrate our anniversary. The food was delicious. Seriously. I had a blue cheese encrusted filet that made me cry. Sob, even.

The moon was near-full and we drove up Lakeshore, stopped at Montrose Harbor, and checked out the moon. There were tons of people out enjoying what may be among the last of the gorgeous summer nights.

Weird bit: We heard what sounded like waves moving out of the harbor and into the lake. It seemed clear that there was something dark in the water. At first I thought it was a rowboat or some other small boat with no lights, but when it passed into the moonlight, there was no boat. If we'd been in salt water, I would have said a dolphin or whale. They do call the August full moon the "Sturgeon Moon". Maybe a big ol' fish was catching some moon rays.

Great night.

Also, Sunday night Charley, his friend Brooks from Atlanta, Amber and I went up to Alpine Valley to see the Dave Matthews Band. Go on. Make fun. It was a great show. They're great live. I hadn't seen them in years. We went up to Milwaukee first and had some food and some beers. It was my first time going to rather than through Milwaukee. Good town, it seems. I look forward to going back.

ALSO! This weekend App plays University of Michigan. We're meeting at Bowman's around noon to watch. Send me a note if you want details.

Boom.

Anniversary.

2007-08-28T11:37:00.001-05:00

Amber and I have now 'officially' been dating for one year and one day.

Fun times. Good year. A+.

By the by, if you can guess which major holiday this picture is from, you win the prize. Hint: Christmas.

Thun-dah!

2007-08-24T17:58:00.000-05:00

Man. These storms have been out of control. Floods. Downed trees.

Intense.

I was downtown with Charley and his friend from Atlanta when we looked up and saw a curtain of rain approaching.

Drip.

Drop.

Downpour. 0-100 in seconds. We picked a door to the Nordstrom's mall downtown and darted in out of the rain, water pouring from our clothes, glasses fogged and streaked with rain.

We'd ducked into the street entrance of an upscale boutique.

We attempted to walk through the store as if we were shopping for a new cashmere scarf. Our shoes were filled with water.

Car Trouble

2007-08-21T22:51:00.000-05:00

I had set aside a little money, and was tossing around a couple of options. Pay some things off. Maybe take a little trip. Update the ol' wardrobe.

My car was kind enough to decide for me. New starter and a new serpentine belt.

Awesome!

grumble grumble.

An afternoon trip to Rockford turned into two days, a rented Buick, reworn clothing, and a revamped week's schedule.

The plus side was that I got to spend some extra time with Amber. One night included some beers, grilled vegetables, and a five grown men and women playing a game of hide and go seek.

Another night included buffet food and 'Superbad'. Fun, really.

It would only have been more fun if it had been less expensive by hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

Zugswang

2007-08-18T11:40:00.001-05:00

Last night, Cowlick had a show at the Playground. It was fun, but the aftermath was even more fun. We went to Guthrie's, which is a pretty great bar with a big cabinet filled with board games. People come and drink and play games. They allow (and encourage) you to order food from the takeout joint of your choice. It's a good place.

Cowlick has a tradition of playing Balderdash (shown above in a stock photo from holy_crap_that's_pixelated.org) and it gets.... I think.... pretty hilarious.

You know the game, right? You get an obscure word and everyone makes up a definition, writes it down, and hands it in. Then a reader reads all of the definitions without telling anyone whose is whose or which one is the correct one. Then everyone guesses. Funny, right?

I can't post most of the answers here. The later it got and the more beer we had, the more likely they were to contain euphemisms and not-so-euphemisms.

One cleaner example. I forget the word, but Martin's definition was: A method of curing bed-wetting during the Spanish Inquisition. Hint: It involved stakes. Sharp, sharp stakes.

Guess you had to be there?

ALSO!!!!!!!!!!! Saw the first pictures of BJ and Janelle's baby-to-be. He/She is around an inch long and looks suspiciously like a bean. BJ hopes its a boy because he'll be a wreck if it's a girl, wrapped firmly and securely around her tiny digit from the word 'go'.

In Defense of Leisure

2007-08-14T05:36:00.000-05:00

I came upon this blog post this morning and find it really interesting. The blog is part of a site called 'Vagabonding', dedicated to long-term world travel, and this particular post references an article from the New York Times on the phenomenon of the vanishing summer vacation and whether or not it's a good thing.

I'll spare you the time of reading the NYT piece unless you feel so inclined; It's painfully 'yacht-club' and snarky and just the sort of article that causes people to eschew editorials by waspy Times contributors.

The underlying point of the NYT piece is that vacations are unnecessary in the States because our lives are filled with leisure, from strip-mall day spas to summer homes. (Whose lives? My life?) Furthermore, he indicates that mandated vacation time is a creation of the Nazis.

yawn. The 'Nazi' argument is tired. The Nazis didn't invent vacations. It's a red-herring, nonsense, inflammatory argument. The traditional US summer vacation is not tied to mandated time off anyway, since the US doesn't mandate paid leave. Summer vacations long predate WWII.

Besides, Volkswagens were invented by the Third Reich. Should they be junked too?

I suppose the thing that sticks in my craw about the NYT piece and a lot of other conversations about vacation has a lot to do with priorities. What are we doing here? What makes our time on Earth unique? What do we remember about our days and lives? I doubt any of us will say that "xeroxing" makes the cut. What ever happened to 'Work to live, don't live to work"? Is that not capitalist enough for the times in which we live?

I think we all need a vacation. Not 12 minutes in a tanning bed or a yoga session. A vacation. A hammock. A book. Or, if not relaxation, how about adventure? Travel? Excitement? A sense of place!

The NYT piece also mentions that we feel as if we can't take vacations or else some young ladder-climber will usurp our position back at the office and leave us jobless upon return. Good lord. If that's the sort of level of replacability we all enjoy then how can we ever relax. Let's just sleep in our offices, clutching our Blackberries and sobbing silently.

The value of the money we earn is limited by what it can buy. And what can it buy? Things we need? Sure. A lot of it does. Still, if you had to live poor and cut out a lot of your spending, I'd be willing to bet that you'd be surprised by how little we sometimes value the money that we spend so much of our time (a much more valuable commodity!) making.

Speaking of time, that most valued commodity, you've spent enough time reading this and I've spent enough time writing it. Go take a break. Even if there is a mailroom clerk eyeing your desk. Even if you can take a break next week at a shopping mall massage chair. Even if it's what Hitler would want you to do.

Click

2007-08-13T22:18:00.000-05:00

Speaking of other bloggers:

My friend Mac used to live in Chicago and do improv. He dabbled in photography here and there, but was, I think I can safely say, only moderately serious about it? It seemed to rank somewhere between Little Caesar's Pizza and Xbox on his priorities list.

High praise, when you think about it.

Since, he moved to Jacksonville and now out to Southern Oregon and is taking some really cool and very beautiful photos. He's been getting into portraits lately, and the level of work is pretty amazing. Visit his blog. http://www.macisaguy.blogspot.com/

And I promise my next post won't be about somebody else's blog....

Sayonara Bloggy-woggies.

2007-08-11T18:13:00.000-05:00

So right over there -----> among the links are a couple of blogs that belong to Sarah and Arnie. Those two are pretty intense bloggers and have each finished year-long blog projects. It's sad to have them end at the same time like that. They're both great blogs. If you're ever feeling froggy, check both out.

Sarah's chronicled her move from Chicago, where she was born and raised, to Boston and back to Chicago.

Arnie's dealt with life in the working world and is a follow-up to his very excellent blog from the previous year, which dealt with the aftermath of a broken engagement and a cross-country move.

I hope they both start new blogs, though I can understand the fatigue maintaining a consistently updated blog must induce.

I guess I don't really know from experience, per se.

I think I went a couple months there with an average of 4 posts a month? And those posts were things like "I enjoy toast. That is all."

At any rate, we the readers of those blogs bid them a fond farewell.

Also, I stole the picture from Sarah.

And a meow morning to you.

2007-08-09T06:20:00.000-05:00

My loud, awful, terrifying alarm clock can't wake me up, but my cat can.

She is such a jerk, dude.

KegPig 07

2007-08-07T22:32:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have... never had a conversation with me, one of the highlights of my year is a reunion with my college friends known as KegPig. It dates back to the final day of exams my senior year of college when we decided to have a good old-fashioned blowout.

Kegs of beer. A whole pig. Why did we call it KegPig? "KegPigPalooza" didn't get the go-ahead from our copyright attorneys.

It has become an annual event that brings the old App State crew together from all over the place. What could besides a pig pickin'? It's worth the drive to North Carolina, and is an excuse to visit the mountains, play beer pong, and purchase FiberCon.

This year it was around a 140 lb pig. The tastiest yet. My friend Charley made the trip with me and we had a blast. I am, of course, looking forward to KegPig '08.

On the way back, we got stuck in traffic because a semi truck loaded with lemons crashed on I-40 and shut down traffic for miles and miles and miles.

Have the urge to make lemon puns? Don't bother resisting. The local paper didn't. (Looks like they don't keep stories for more than a couple of days. The headline was "I-40 Wreck Ends on a Sour Note", and the lead-in was the old chestnut about life handing you lemons....

Charley and I, after getting free of the wreck, serenaded the still-stuck eastbound traffic with shouts of "Don't Stop Believin'".

I'm sure that brightened up a day or two. It would have if anyone could hear our shouts as we flew down the opposing lane at 70mph. Suckers.

of lemons.

Dirge without music...

2007-08-01T23:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I found out that an acquaintance from my hometown died by his own hand over the weekend.

I won't go into many details because who needs 'em.

It was a guy I always genuinely liked and respected, and who had gone through some rough times that, I guess, got a little too rough.

I was friendly with him, but my own loss isn't the most unsettling part of the ordeal for me. I have many friends who were very close to him and his family, and it will be a rough few days and weeks for all involved before the long-term effects even set in.

To the Fiennings, and to all others who are touched by this, my regards and my sympathies.

And Henry... the world will be a little dimmer for want of your talent, your wit, and your general presence.

Here's a bit from Edna St Vincent Millay's poem, from which I gracelessly cribbed the title of this post:

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.

-Edna St. Vincent Millay

Rolling.

2007-07-30T17:16:00.000-05:00

Shot a video over at Charley's Sunday. It was a lot of fun.

Um... there was some fake blood.

Delightful.

Daylight

2007-07-26T17:22:00.000-05:00

Tuesday morning, I woke up nice and early. It was pleasant out, I had a nice healthy breakfast, and I decided to go work downtown for a while.

I rode the Brown line to Belmont, and an improv friend happened to be on the same car. We chatted. I transferred to the Red line and continued toward the Loop.

Just before North/Clybourn, however, the train stopped so abruptly that everyone who was standing had to move quickly to avoid falling. (A few fell anyway.)

Then the air shut off.

Then the lights died (except for the emergency lights.)

It got warm, then very warm. It was a full car.

A recorded announcement told us that there had been a medical emergency. Then a live announcement told us to pull the emergency exit and move towards the station. We were on the second-to-last car, and were therefore still in the tunnel.

Our train had 'brushed back' someone who was standing too close to the incoming train.

He was on a stretcher with his head covered in bloody bandages as we exited the station.

Mr. Postman, check and see.

2007-07-24T07:25:00.000-05:00

A few open letters on a fine summer morning:

Dear CNN,

YouTube wants you to quit beating around the bush and just ask it out already. I mean. It's really obvious. Everyone knows.

----------------------------------------

Dear YouTube users involved in last night's Presidential debate,

Thanks for being involved in politics. That said, stop saying what you did was revolutionary and that it's the first time it's ever happened. If we, as a nation, have waited until 2007 to actually let the electorate ask questions to the politicians, we'd be in a bit of trouble.

That's kind of... um... what that whole democratic republic thing is about.

That is all.

-----------------------------------------

Dear Dell, Motorola, and OneTouch:

I don't know what iPod told you, but having your laptop, cell phone, and glucose meter come in different colors is no substitute for having actual features.

Work on that.

-----------------------------------------

Dear Fiber,

Thank you.

-----------------------------------------

Summer-so-far Scrapbook

2007-07-20T18:57:00.001-05:00

I found my camera! Here are some bits and pieces that were kicking around on it that can teach us some lessons about summer.

Lesson 1: Here's what happens when you REALLY decide to put an anti-smoking label on some cigarettes (straight from London).

Lesson 2: Here's the difference between a Fowler Family group shot:
....and a Fowler Family album cover.

Lesson 3: Here's what happens when you get a severe eye infection on a Saturday. Lovely ER.

Lesson 4: Here's what happens when you go to Six Flags on a weekday when they are working on the Batman roller coaster, causing them to only run one train at a time.

Lesson 5: Here's what it looks like when you pack more beer than water in your Six Flags lunch to help alleviate the frustrations of said long line.

What happens? Fun.

It's been a good first-half-of-the-summer.

My Parents.

2007-07-18T12:44:00.000-05:00

Monday, the Daddy Man turned 52. He paints houses, prefers short stories to novels, and blasted us full of REM and the Pixies from the moment the albums were released.

Mom turned 51 today.

She hates cooking, loves her sons ferociously, and may or may not know what a blog is.

Happy Birthday, folks.

In Gauge Mints

2007-07-18T08:04:00.000-05:00

I suppose it's that time of year.

In the last week, I've been informed that two of my friends have decided to take that big next step towards marriage. (.... two couples, anyway. In one case, both are friends of mine. So I guess it's three friends. You get the idea though.)

It looks like between Shelby and Joe, Adam and Nicole, and Amy and Ricky, I'll be down south for at least three separate weddings next summer. That's cool, though. Should be good times all the way around.

Anyway, congratulations, everybody!

WuhSconsin.

2007-07-17T08:28:00.000-05:00

This weekend, Amber and I went way up into Wisconsin to go rafting with Nick (Amber's brother) and his friend Katie, along with a group from Katie's church.

We went up to the Nicolet National Forest, which is actually the farthest north I have ever been (in the United States, anyway. London is actually a lot farther north than people realize, at around 52 degrees N. The spot where we were was only at around 45 or 46 N. Even Nice is at 43N.

wow...

What a geek salad digression...)

There was camping and rafting and all that jazz. It was a lot of fun. Amber, cracked out on too much fresh air, was keeping the gang in stitches and we did all the fun things you do outdoors. I am a sore old man after rafting and ultimate frisbee, neither of which are a part of my usual work-eat-poop regimen.

There were quite a few folks there in the 'post-college to early thirties' age range, but there were also some high school types that were occasionally begging to be karate-chopped in the throat. Then again, we were all teenaged and preposterous once, I guess.

Also, this trip solidified my need to purchase a school bus, turn it into a camper, and maybe even convert it to run on vegetable oil and such. Word on the street is that the whole operation can be done for a couple thousand dollars, and it sounds like just the sort of project that will entertain me when i'm suffering from empty nest syndrome one day.

Wheeeeee

2007-07-16T22:58:00.000-05:00

Speaking of surprise parties, some friends of mine weren't around for the first round of birthday festivities, so they threw me a surprise shindig.

I'd never had a surprise party before. To those who think I've been drawing out the birthday thing (ahem...), rest assured that if I had any inkling that the party was being planned, I'd have had none of it. It was, however, a good time and a great gift. Thanks to Charley, Amber, and the rest for the yuks and the cake and the beer and the joy.

I snagged these pictures from Sarah and Lindsay's blogs.

Grandmama's 80th.

2007-07-11T11:40:00.000-05:00

July 2nd was my Grandma's 80th birthday. I went down to SC to help her celebrate it, and a huge portion of my family made the trip as well. All of my brothers were there, as were all of Grandma's living children and a huge number of her grandkids and great-grandkids.

Grandmama raised nine children, and has, as far as I can count, 24 grandkids (plus 7 grandkids-in-law), and 11 great-grandkids. While raising this army of children, Grandmama also got her masters in education and taught public school for 30 years.

She makes the best pork chops, macaroni and cheese (casserole style), chicken salad, potato salad (she makes mine without the hard-boiled eggs), and (insert dish I forgot here) in the world.

To honor her, we had a surprise party and took photos of the kids, grands, and greats. We also went to church with her on Sunday (Pinewood Baptist was filled to the gills) and had another feast at the lake on Monday, which was her actual birthday. I even wrote a poem for her. Reading it in front of the family was terrifying.

It was a great time.

Sunday, July 1, was also my Uncle Harry's birthday, and this is the first birthday that he hasn't been alive to celebrate. It was good for our family and our Grandmother, to spend this day with the rest of the clan.

Map of the Online World

2007-07-07T16:34:00.001-05:00

This map is fairly funny and interesting. If you are a dork. Which I am not.

It came from the strange maps blog (here), which is awesome. Very cool blog.

Birthday Shoutout.

2007-07-07T08:46:00.000-05:00

During my blogging hiatus, we also celebrated the birthday of Ms. Amber.

This picture is from nearly a year ago, but I don't have any pics from the festivities, and I like this one, blurry or not.

To celebrate the anniversary of her popping out of her mom, we went to Six Flags: Great America. We had a blast. The Raging Bull may be my new favorite roller coaster (.... or among them...), and it was a good crew that went.

Afterwards, we went to Slainte down in Lincoln Park, whose 5 dollar pitchers on Monday nights made for an optimal post-rehearsal spot. We used to hang out there a LOT, though only on Mondays. We hadn't been there in a while, so it was fun to hang out and have some beers with Zoran, Charley, Cash, Jake, and the rest of the gang. I know Amber had fun.

'Appy Birthday to Me.

2007-07-06T22:22:00.001-05:00

(I stole this picture from Sarah's Flickr. I'm a thief. Who can't find his camera.)

For my birthday, my swell friends took me to Ravinia to see a taping of 'Prairie Home Companion.'

I've always been a fan of Garrison Keillor (if you're even remotely progressive, but still respect personal responsibility, his 'Homegrown Democrat' is a great read... and an even better audiobook read by the author), PHC, radio shows, NPR in general, and anything kinda old-timey. While PHC wasn't necessarily a direct influence on 'Fowler Family Radio Hour', the old radio variety show format was, and both FFRH and PHC use such a format, so PHC was the most relevant contemporary example of what we were going for. Shelby and I were taking notes like crazy.

It was really great. We took Sheridan all the way up, which runs along the lake through the ritzy North Shore suburbs. The cicadas were crazy in the trees and we had the top down and some good music.

We brought wine and cheese and crackers and popcorn and Italian Blood-orange soda. (Which is amazing. I had it in Nice and fell in love. They have it at Trader Joes. w00t. )

The music and the stories were great. We relaxed on the lawn and ate and drank. We took Sheridan back home just as dusk started to settle in, and it was a beautiful ride.

Then we went to Gio's, sang karaoke, and got snookered. Good birthday, everyone. You win.

Spoleto

2007-07-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

My trip to France was followed immediately by a trip to Charleston. Actually, the timeline went like this:

Friday, May 18: Cowlick performs the last night of Cowlick: The Musical.
Saturday, May 19: I teach a morning class and hit the road by 2pm. I drive to SC.
Sunday, May 20: After getting into Sumter in the wee hours of the morning, I go to Charlotte and get on a plane and fly to London.
Monday, May 21: I arrive in London, go from Gatwick to Victoria Station in Westminster, and mill around. Then I fly to Nice.
Thursday, May 24: I fly back to London. I crash in the airport.
Friday, May 25: Back to the states. Drive back to Sumter. Finish copy for issue of magazine. Drive to Charleston.

It was a long one. The Charleston time was amazing, though. We stayed at the 'Notso Hostel' (God, you're cute, Charleston), which was cool because it was in an old Charleston house with a big front porch adjacent to our room, complete with rocking chairs and a rope hammock.

Our shows were well received (review) and we ate and drank well.

It was a blast to have my family and friends from back home actually able to see my work. I'm used to assuming that no one will see me play outside of Chicago, and that's a long haul from SC.
We also met a girl who knew/ knew of all of us thanks to Arnie's blog (which is linked right over here ======> and worth a read if you aren't familiar).

She did the sheepish thing of "Well, I don't actually KNOW him.... but I read his blog."

Ah, strange internet world.

Anyway, I can't find my camera, and forgot to take many pictures anyway, but you get the idea.

France... at last.

2007-07-04T08:57:00.000-05:00

Well, for the seven of you who haven't totally given up on this blog, how about an update? First thing's first. Let's talk about France.

I went to Nice for business. Most of my time was spent in a convention center (which was just like American convention centers, only with good croissants and decent coffee.

My nights were spent at a tiny hotel/hostel called Hotel Wilson. I highly recommend the spot. Delightfully inexpensive (3 nights in a room with a double bed and a single bed, a private bathroom and shower, a great breakfast of toasts and muffins and croissants and fresh baguettes and coffee, all for around 140 euro. That's around 180 bucks in a place where hotels are usually very expensive. Awesome.) No frills, but I dig that. The owner, who lives there, speaks 6 languages. The whole place has a homey feel. The TV only gets 6 channels and only 2 of those are in English, but that includes CNN International, which is way better than the CNN in the US. Who watches TV in Nice, though? Go eat and drink.

No AC, but this was my window:

And these were my cacti. They lived on my window. I named them all Jean-Pierre.

My hotel was on this street:

This is the sort of thing that you can see in Nice. Lovely. This was carved into a cliff face right by the sea.

This is what was immediately behind me as I took that last photo.

Amazing. I can't wait to go back.

Do stay tuned. More updates are coming.

Just de facts.

2007-06-08T19:05:00.000-05:00

I'm going to update my blog soon. Seriously.

For now, here's what you need to know:

Europe was fun, Spoleto was fun, and they're filming the new Batman movie in the lobby of the building where I work part-time.

All undeniably cool.

Dispatches from across the pond.

2007-05-23T18:57:00.000-05:00

Hey guys.

I thought I'd give you all some updates from my first-ever trip to Europe. I'm in Nice now, and I absolutely love it, but there will be more on that later. For the moment, let's chat about London.

Backstory: Since I needed to be down in SC for next week's Fowler Family Radio Hour (see previous post!) shows, I drove down to Sumter on Saturday and flew out of Charlotte on Sunday. I had to teach Saturday, so I didn't get to Sumter until almost 6am. No biggie. I wanted to be tired on the plane so I could sleep.

Sunday I ate Chinese food with my family, and Sam and Mom took me to the airport. The flight from Charlotte to Gatwick was uneventful. I didn't get to sleep much, but that's because I was flying coach and had about an inch and a half of space between the window and the Halliburton contractor sitting next to me. (Might not have been Halliburton, but he was a DoD contractor headed to Dubai and then Afghanistan, so you do the math.) The two hours I got on the plane plus the 4 hours I got in Sumter mean that between Saturday morning (around 6am) and my arrival in London on Monday (around 8:15, London time), I had banked a total of six hours of sleep. That explains why I nearly passed out in the TATE Britain and took a 300 year old portrait with me... but that's a narrowly avoided international incident for another day.

I had an 11 hour layover in London, so I headed into town. Why not?

The first picture I took before doing so? I picture from the restroom, because I think international signs are hilarious.

.. ahem...

Anyway, the time on the town was great. I took the train into Victoria Station, and had neither a map, nor a gameplan, nor a particularly clear consciousness due to the sleep delerium I had on the back burner.

I wandered some. I stopped off and had a cup of tea. Darjeeling. It was good. I figured it was a must in London, plus it help put me in the mood for some sightseeing.

I caught Westminster Abbey. Beautiful. I didn't go inside, but it was pretty amazing just to be around it.

... and another portion of it....

Here's one of one of the other churches on the Abbey grounds (St. Michael's?) with Big Ben in the background...

This also began my comedy of errors of trying to take a picture of myself.

Could be worse.

Next I strolled over to Parliament where I took this gem.

What a tool.

I took some shots of the Thames next, and you can see the London Eye in the background.

I also made my way to Buckingham Palace and took these classics.

What a moron.

There were red phone booths....

and tiny cars that looked like red phone booths....

(That's a Prius behind it... that's how small this thing was....)

and men dressed in red with hats like phone booths....

and red buses. I didn't take a picture of those....

I also ate Fish and Chips and had a pint of Old Speckled Hen at the Bag O' Nails Pub.

Is all of this cliche? Sure, but give me a break. It was a few hours in London.

More to come.

Fowler Family Radio Hour @ Spoleto!

2007-05-20T10:05:00.000-05:00

Hey there cats and kittens.

My blog has lain fallow for long enough. I've been swamped with all sorts of work and play, but it's time to get back on the pony.

How better to do that then through shameless self promotion?!?!?!

A show that I, along with five other native-Southern Chicago transplants, wrote and perform is coming to the Piccolo Spoleto Fringe Festival next week! The show is May 26-29 at Theatre 99 (280 Meeting Street, 2nd level.) Tickets are 15 bucks, and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (though we all know how much TM loves their fees...) or by going to the Piccolo Spoleto Box office at the Gailliard Auditorium. More details on that here.

The show is a good time. We've performed it at several theatres in Chicago, and it has always been well received.

Find us online at www.myspace.com/fowlerfamilyradiohour.

Also, if you aren't sure what I'm getting you into, there's a preview on youtube. Find that here.

From now until the show, I'll be in France for work, but feel free to email me or leave comments here if you have questions.

I hope to see you there!

-Tim

Back to it.

2007-04-24T22:06:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't notice... and I am sure you did, but were too polite to mention it.... I had a long lapse in posting, and just played catch-up to get posts about the trip home up and running.

After the trip, I was pretty much toast.

Too much food. Too much beer. Too many nice people. Too much nice weather.

It was a great break. So great that it was tough to face the absolute madness that I encountered upon my return. Deadlines. Class wrap-ups. Show openings. General insanity.

I'll post on all of that later. For now, I need to prepare for more daily grind nonsense.

The Wedding.

2007-04-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

Bruce's Wedding was some of this:

A bit of this:

And a lot of this:

Food.

2007-04-15T19:05:00.000-05:00

When you've been away from the south and you come back to visit, you are barraged with an incredible bounty of delicious food. Food you can't find in Chicago.

Before the wedding, we were going to hit up Mac's Drive Thru, a Clemson institution. Gorgeous greasy heart-stoppers. Delicious.

It was packed. Therefore, we went here:

What are the odds?

Good food. Not Chicago-style.

Which is fine. For the record.

Bachelor Party

2007-04-11T18:59:00.000-05:00

In lieu of the standard ridiculous bachelor party debauchery, Bruce, Ray, Jason, and I went up to the mountains and had a few days of giant steaks, good beer, stogies, xbox, chicken wings, table shuffleboard, and good old fashioned Boone relaxation.

It was pretty fun.