Fellow Kennett expat Michael Spooner is sharing his art at his new blog, Spoonerville. I reconnected with Michael back in May and you can listen to the interview here if you missed it.
His blog appears to be more of an online portfolio at this point but let's hope he share some thoughts and links, too.
Strange/muted tension at work today. I am one of a handful (five? six?) of out-of-the-closet Obama supporters in our office. Two years ago, Bush supporters roamed the hallways like Senior jocks, administering titty-twisters to freshmen Liberals. As Bush devolved into the pariah he has become, they shed their Neocon uniforms and melted back into the crowd.
Today, the morning after the majority of Americans said they'd had enough of W and his ilk, I gave the gop'er's lots of room and resisted the Snoopy Dance. And they found other things to talk about as we passed each other in the parking lot.
A few have dropped a little chum in the water to see if I'd bite ("Boy, the country is in trouble NOW"). But it's hard to lay this shit-storm at O's feet after only a few hours.
But it's coming. A few of my pals are already looking forward to playing "I Told You So," but I'm ready.
I'm encouraging them to chronicle every misstep of our new president. If they don't have a blog, I'll help them set one up. They can share their anger and despair with the world. And me.
For those that insist on sharing their political angst with me in person, I'm introducing a new feature on my politix blog:
"I Told You So."
I'm keeping an audio recorder with me at all times. When the subject turns to President Obama's latest terrorist/socialist/liberal sin, I whip out the recorder and let them have their say. Which I'll post to the politix blog. Unedited and unfiltered. A bully digital pulpit.
Don't want to go on the record, no problem ("Did you see 30 Rock last night?").
Seriously, hope it doesn't come up. I HATE talking about politics. Or religion. Or my sexual fantasies. I've posted on this before.
So, if you love me... if you enjoy my company, but hate my politics... don't read my blogs. And I won't read yours. But we can both have our say and spend our time together talking about movies or books or that smokin' hot intern.
Some months ago I mentioned to Henry that he could have his blog printed as a book. He checked out a few services, pulled out some of his favorite posts and had them crank out a hard-cover book. I think they even have a name for this, "vanity press."
I was impressed by the quality of the paper, binding, etc. The only thing that prevents me from doing one of these is having to select the posts. I'm all about digital and online and all that but I do love the smell and feel of books and it would be fun to have one on the shelf that I wrote.
Spent most of Saturday morning at the Coffee Zone with George, Tom and assorted pals, while George migrated files from the old Mac Book to the new one. There are Windows utils that will copy a lot of your stuff from one PC to another, but then you have to go back and reinstall all the apps, one at at time. Yes, I know there are ways to avoid this but not for Joe the Dumbass (me).
My my first hands-on impressions of the new Mac Book Pro are extremely positive. Too soon for me to try to share much here but once I stop stroking the case, I noticed the new multi-touch pad is amazing. WAY better than even the most tricked out mouse. I'll show you when I know enough to do so.
And the new NVIDIA graphic cards make everything damned fast and beautiful.
From the Coffee Zone it was out to the Prairie Garden Trust to work with Henry on a little video project. We'll post it here when it's done (assuming it doesn't suck, in which case you'll never hear another word about it). We had a beautiful fall day for.
So no post on Saturday. A rarity. Sometimes life just gets in the way of blogging.
A tree house is a frivolous thing. No practical value (unless you're living in the African bush). But if you can recall that childhood rush of climbing to the top of a tree for absolutely no reason other than the joy of doing it, you can appreciate what brings four good friends (and friends of) together every year to re-experience that feeling.
Three House III (this is the third year of the project) is in the middle of the Prairie GardenTrust, which is managed by my friend Henry. He invited me to to come and be part of TH3 this weekend, which was perfect in every way.
The project was well-blogged (with minimal help from me) with iPhones, cameras and MacBooks everywhere you looked.
We finished the day yesterday by climbing up to the third level (about 30 feet up) to enjoy the view and reflect on project.
It's easier to see the beauty of the photo above (my friend Henry's sister) if you don't know the back-story. The photo was salvaged from a house fire that destroyed thousands --a lifetime-- of family pictures. Only fifty survived.
Henry has avoided photographing these images. Too depressing. But he's gotten around to it, before they are completely gone.
If you have precious family photos sitting in shoe boxes, gathering dust... scan them. Or have them scanned. Put them on flicker. Or somewhere. But scatter them to the wind (with as much metadata as you put on board). That is the only way to save them.
I approach blogging from the perspective that everyone has something to say... if they want to say it. And say it publicly. I take undeserved satisfaction from helping (or just encouraging) someone get started. Perhaps it's a bit like midwifery (which sounds like a Harry Potter word). You didn't create the baby, and you don't get to raise the baby, but it is satisfying to play even a tiny role in the process.
Trish Wareing is friend from long ago and far away. A year or so ago (?) she found her way here and a tiny blogging spark began to glow. After twittering away for a bit she has waded into the blog pond. She would have us believe she is the Ted Kaczynski of blogging (reclusive). We hope her ideas will be less explosive.
Please approach this new blogger as you would a a small woodland creature. No loud noises, no sudden moves.
I had a feeling Henry might enjoy making a few videos. He's a gifted digital artist (that's a photographer who doesn't have to take assignments) but has always focused on still images. The video above (4 min) is a walk around the lake at the Prairie Garden Trust with Pete, Sam and Boots.
I think this is only Henry's second video and I predict we'll see some very cool stuff once he gets the hang of a different medium.
My favorite part is when Sam stops to take a leak.
Webcast hijinx at the Coffee Zone this morning. I chatted briefly with Kevin and Sally from the ShowMe Yoga Center; George and I shot the breeze with Jefferson City Mayor John Landwehr; and finished up with a visit with the Coffee Zone's own Taisir Yanis. Audio much better than previous efforts. Still need to work on framing the shot. This clip runs long (15 min) because I thought I had stopped recording when I had not.
It's always fun to showcase talent from "down home." Neal E. Boyd is from Sikeston which is just up the road (from Kennett, MO) in Sikeston, where he's an insurance salesman.
He's also a competitor on American's Got Talent, the show I've (never watched) but always thought of as the poor man's American Idol. Neal sings opera.
And from our Small World File, Neal attended choir camp at Arkansas State University under the direction of my old friend Viretta and he sang at the Christmas Eve service of the Presbyterian Church in Kennett a couple of years back. A gig made famous by frequent appearances by Sheryl Crow. [Thanks, Nancy]
Dave Morris shows off the HP Elite webcam. This little bugger ($60?) does face-tracking and auto-zoom/auto-focus. The audio on this demo is with a pro mic, however. Not sure what you get on the webcam
Update: I misunderstood. Dave says the audio was recorded with the webcam's on board mic.
Side note: I'm surprised the Blogger video didn't offer option of embedding. Perhaps Dave simply didn't have that enabled.
This might be the most painful five minutes of video ever recorded. It features an old friend, Leigh Mullen. I grew up with her husband Larry and shared some of my best times with one or both of them. As so often happens, we lost touch over the years. This photo is from their wedding.
Leigh has resurfaced in this YouTube video (shot by her son Will) of her trying to free her (middle) finger, which somehow got super glued to a vent behind her bathroom toilet.
This is a powerful testament to patience, good humor and long-suffering mothers everywhere.
Remember that kid that sat behind you grade school that was always drawing? Ever wonder what happened to him? Well, if he (or she) was as talented as Michael Spooner, he did okay.
Michael (we knew him as Mike back then) and I were classmates 45 years ago in Kennett, MO. Michael and I ran in different crowds but Kennett was a small place and everybody knew everybody.
In a previous post I mentioned that Michael stumbled across smays.com a few days ago and pinged me. He included some old snapshots and his resume, to let me know what he's been up to.
He got into animation as a Layout Artist with Ralph Bakshi’s feature production of Tolkien’s, Lord of the Rings. He spent some years at Disney where he worked on --just to name a few-- Goof Troop, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Emperor's New Groove, Treasure Planet and Lilo and Stitch. He also assisted on early development design of Dreamworks' Shrek. And he Co-Art Directed Warner Brothers first full-length animated feature, Quest for Camelot. If you have kids or an appreciation for animation, check out his bio. He was also kind enough to share a dozen or so examples of his work.
I called Michael up this morning and asked him to share some of his adventures and we wound up talking for an hour. I've cut the interview into three segments about about 20 minutes each.
Today, Michael owns Spoonerville Animation Design, an independent visual development studio, providing both traditional and CGI design concepts and lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with his writer-wife Beverly, and son Philip. Michael is a visiting artist and lecturer, presenting in universities, art schools and animation studios throughout the United States.
I went skeet shooting with Scott and Christi yesterday. Technically, I went "skeet-shooting-at," since I didn't actually hit one of the little clay targets (in the air). Scott placed a couple on the ground about 20 feet from the shooting area ("home intruder range") and I sent them to the ER if not the morgue. [Video runs 90 sec - Flickr set]
I haven't shot a gun in 40 years. Last time was during training for the Postal Inspection Service. We had to qualify with a sidearm (a very un-sexy .38 revolver back in those days) and got an hour or two of training with a 12 gauge riot gun.
I really enjoyed yesterday's outing and quickly became the designated clay pigeon flinger. Used a little plastic launcher to sling tiny clay Frisbees into the air where Scott and Christie blew them to smithereens.
I was impressed by the skill exhibited by both Scott and Christie. She wielded a 12 gauge pump (is there anything hotter than a woman with a 12 gauge?) and he switched back and forth between a couple of shotguns.
In case you're wondering... no, I'm not a hunter and don't plan to be. I've never owned a gun. But in the unlikely event someone showed up in the middle of the night, uninvited, I'd like to greet them with something besides my MacBook in my hands. Scott recommends a side-by-side double-barrel 20 gauge.
I know. I'm as surprised as you are.
Bonus Image: Ejectile Dysfunction
I gotta face it. I'm a radio guy. I have neither the face nor the concentration for TV. That's my take-away from this morning's live webcast from the Coffee Zone. Just too many things to keep track of. Watch the chat stream, monitor the audio (which is several seconds behind what is being said), look at the camera... whew!
As I replayed our half-hour chat I found myself thinking, this would have been much easier (and less painful for all concerned) if we'd just streamed the audio. Pictures added nothing to our little experiment.
We had 9 or 10 people watching, giving us encouragement in the chat room like parents at a grade-school production of 12 Angry Men, whispering our lines from the wings ("Turn up the mic!").
I think I'm going to look for some sort of live event for the next webcast. Perhaps the 4th of July parade or something. Stay tuned.
My friend David hopes to "eliminate unwanted speaker interference noise and government brain intrusion" with the new iFoil Hat for iPhone
I really like this photo by my friend Charlies Jolliff. More of his pix from the 2006 Delta Fair in Kennett, MO.
Chinese for lunch. As we were leaving, Scott dropped some quarters in The Claw Machine. JUST missed the purple elephant on the first try and got him on the second.
I have NEVER seen anyone beat The Claw Machine. They make the "claw" so feeble it can't hold any weight. But Scott beat it. As we left, the owner was coming over with a screwdriver to loosen up the old claw.
NYT: "Howard D. Schultz, the chief executive of Starbucks, announced sweeping changes on Wednesday for the company as it seeks to reconnect with customers who have left for competitors or pared back their coffee budget in hard economic times. The initiatives are intended to restore an authentic coffeehouse experience to the stores and, in turn, re-energize an ailing stock that has lost half its value in the last 15 months."
I've never thought of Starbucks as "an authentic coffeehouse experience." You can still find that in some cities. Madison, Wisconsin has some great coffee shops. And we have a nice one here in Jefferson City.
The Coffee Zone is my favorite hang-out. Taisir is the owner and he's there every morning at 6:30 (that's when he opens, I'm sure he's there earlier).
He knows what his regulars drink and often has it for them by the time they step up to the counter. He's got free wifi and plays an eclectic mix of music that beat's Starbucks hands down.
When I come back from a trip I sometimes tease, "I got me some Starbucks while I was in (wherever)." To which Taisir replies, "Tastes like Maxwell House, yes?"
The Coffee Zone is home of The Rocket Fuel. Doctor's note required. A medium size cup costs two bucks but we all know that we're getting more than coffee. For example, here's something you don't get at Starbucks.
Photographs aren't really memories but they are as close as we can come to a tangible manifestation. Perhaps a razor thin slice of memory. During our glory days, we took a lot of photos. I feel fortunate to have so many and get great satisfaction from putting them online.
The images seem somehow more alive than those in albums or shoe boxes. I especially like looking at them in a group. The memories connect and link back and forth like a page full of hyperlinks.
smays is feeling a little nostalgic in the final run-up to the big six oh. If you recognize yourself in any of these images, you know what I'm talking about.
My friend George and I get together most Saturday mornings for coffee and conversation. While chatting this morning, George gets a call and he unholsters his iPhone. He gets a funny look on his face and says, "It's from Steve Mays."
I'm thinking it's from Barb. She couldn't call me for some reason, so she rings up George.
"No," he says, "It's from your cell phone."
I pull my Tracfone from my coat pocket and, sure enough, it's calling George.
If you are unfamiliar with Tracfones, I should tell you it doesn't have a "redial" feature. And while I have George's number in my phone, it's about six down in the list. So how could this have happened?
I would have had to bump (against my chair) the down arrow six times... and then bump the "dial" button. Now, I ask you... what are the chances of that happening and the recipient of the call be the person I'm talking to? Hmmm?
Jim Lipsey was one of Learfield's first employees. He was part of the KLIK gang (Derry Brownfield and Bob Priddy) that helped Clyde Lear get the company up and running. No way Clyde could leave Jim out of his History of Learfield posts on the company blog. There's also a summary on the corporate site.
On Friday we got Clyde, Jim and Bob in a studio to talk about those early days and Jim's contributions (there were many). Jim will be 87 his next birthday. I want to be him when I grow up. When I joined the company in 1984, Jim showed me the ropes of affiliate relations. It was a privilege to work with him. Here's 10 minutes from a half-hour chat.
As part of his training to become a police officer, our little buddy Andrew had to subject himself to a few thousand volts from a taser. For reasons not clear to me, they video the experience.
This clip (Quicktime) only lasts 7 seconds but you can watch it over and over.
Rather than go with the department-issue Taser, Andrew decided to spring for something that would make a statement on the street.
Nice profile of my friend Kay at chicagotribune.com:
Candidates and their campaigns take pretty seriously the ubiquitous reporter with the black flip hairstyle and the rectangular glasses.
"She's the voice of Iowa," says Tommy Vietor, the local spokesman for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. "If you want to deliver a message and you're not talking to Kay, you're not doing it effectively."
Kevin Madden, spokesman for Republican Mitt Romney, says he was "star-struck" when he met Henderson last summer at the Ames Straw Poll. Along with other national political junkies who cyclically train their focus on Iowa, he'd been reading her blog religiously for months.
As David Yepsen, the Register's political veteran, puts it, "Kay's a double-barreled reporter. She instinctively understands how something will play with average Iowans," he says.
A lovely Christmas Eve at Susan's with her family and friends. Janny (an anglicized version of her Chinese name) gave several us Lucky Money Toads. From the Wikipedia entry:
"Chan Chu means "toad; frog", especially the "Lucky Money Toad" or "Three-legged Money Frog", a popular Chinese symbol for prosperity. It is often portrayed with red eyes and flared nostrils, sitting on a pile of traditional Chinese cash, with a coin in its mouth. According to Feng Shui lore, it is believed to drive away evil, protect wealth, and increase income."
I like that drive away evil part. Thank you, Janny.
Learfield shoptalk: O. Kay Henderson --a longtime coworker at Learfield-- has been in the thick of the endless campaign going on in Iowa. So she's quoted and interviewed and shows up on the cable news channels and some of the big websites with some regularity.
Last night she got some airtime on ABC's World News Tonight. It's about a 3 minute package and a pretty big file (40 meg Quicktime). I'd put it on YouTube but the guys at ABC might object. Hope they're okay with this. I'll yank it if anyone hollers.
I'm amazed at how many really good bloggers I know (personally). Like Dave Morris, who shares some pix from a snowy night in St. Louis.
In the 17 years I did affiliate relations for our networks, I was on the road a lot. Typical trip would have started early Monday morning (sometimes Sunday evening) and ended late on Friday. I might have have extended a trip over a weekend once or twice but that was very rare.
The new Endurance Record for an affiliate trip has to go to Scott Brandon, the head of operations for Learfield's news division. Scott has been on the road --continuously-- since September 17th. He's been in seven states; 45 towns (and counting); covered 4,500+ miles; eaten 13 Chinese buffets; stayed in 8 really bad motels; 4 really, really bad motels; consumed three bowls of beer cheese soup; two glasses of beer (Miller); attended one Packer's game and lost one iPod. And saw some sights:
"A camel grazing on the side of the road in Fond Du Lac; a giant fish thing in Hayward; and two truckers sharing a one bedroom at the Super 8 in Park Falls. But, by far, the strangest and creepiest was just outside of Phillips, WI. You round a bend and see a field full of... well... concrete people and horses and deer and dogs. Very Adams Family-ish. I walked through the park just to make sure it was really as "chill down your spine" as I thought. It was." [Photos]
Scott's long journey comes to an end next week as his affiliate ghost ship comes back into harbor. He's going to need a lot counseling and time to adjust. We assume he's working on a book.
Henry has been kind enough to sell my IBM Thinkpad on eBay. Proceeds will be donated to the local Humane Society. This baby is in mint condition but you just don't get much for a 3 year old (?) laptop. I paid $3K for the thing and the bidding is at $50.
I'm told that's likely to jump up near the end of the bidding period (Oct 14) but I shouldn't count on it. So, if the thing is gonna go for peanuts, I'd rather it go to someone I know. Might be a good box for student or your grandma. Built like tank. I'm only selling it because Henry nagged me into it : ].
"While walking to our mailbox along the gravel road today I had my head up to enjoy the fluffy clouds. Then circling overhead silently a Red-tailed Hawk appeared." Check out the photo Henry snagged. Reminds me of this photo by Jackie.
Radio Iowa News Director O. Kay Henderson will be doing a weekly shot on XM Radio's POTUS'08 channel (XM 130). Few details yet, but looks like her bit will be around 1:10 p.m. Central time. I'll try to remember to record and share snippet here.
Update 8-Oct-07: And here's the snippet. Kay gives the low down on the campaign in Iowa to XM host Rebecca Roberts. Runs about 10 min and my apologies for the audio quality. I recorded on the nano, holding the wee microphone up to the car speaker. But this clearly illustrates why the Big Kids can't get enough of Her Kayness.
Roger walked into my office this morning, flipped open his MacBook Pro and showed me a little video he whipped up over the weekend using the new iMovie '08. This might be the first video Roger has edited. He created a little iPhoto slideshow and saved that as a video... but this might be his first run at creating something we'd think of as a short movie.
And since he hadn't messed with iMovie HD (the previous version), he didn't feel a lot of the bumps that users have been wailing about, comparing '08 with '06.
I have to say, after watching this little movie (family ski trip), I'm gonna give iMovie '08 a try. This is probably exactly what the Apple folks had in mind when they redesigned iMovie. This is not your dad's home movie.
Henry has posted the first of three video clips (and some kind words) he and I shot with the idea of giving his clients/fans a sense of his creative process. You look at his images and think... "Damn! How'd he do that?" This little micro-documentary (3 parts) takes an amateur stab at explaining.
I shot it with the Sony (on a tripod). Rather than mic Henry, I used a little shoe-mounted mic that did remarkably well. The lighting inside kinda sucked, but this was a quick-and-dirty project from the git-go. Edited in iMovie.
These little videos work because Henry's passion and enthusiasm for his art transcends the technical short-comings. And one final thought...
Before YouTube and Google Video et al, this would not have been as much fun. We could have posted the video files and anyone with enough patience (and the right codec) could have downloaded and watched. Plugging the Flash player into a blog post for one-click viewing... much better.
Kay Henderson was back in the digital Green Room following ABC News' debate this morning in Des Moines. The "other guys" in the headline were: Actor Ron Livingston; the LA Times' Mark Barabak; ABC News Political Director David Chalian and ABC News senior political reporter and author of "The Note" Rick Klein.”
Livingston is an Iowa native who gained international stardom with his leading role in the movie “Office Space.” He was also one of Carrie’s boyfriends in “Sex & the City” plus he did a fine job in “Band of Brothers.”
At no time during the 9 minute video was Kay and Ron in the same frame.
Ran into Kevin O'Keefe at Gnomedex. Kevin is the president and founder of LexBlog. The subject of video and cameras came up and I recorded this minute of jerky, noisy video during a break at Gnomedex with my wee Casio EX-S770.
I can't wait to see what kind of video ideas Kevin comes up with for his lawyer clients.
Radio Iowa News Director O. Kay Henderson (friend and co-worker) took part in the autopsy following Sunday morning's debate by GOP candidates in Des Moines. The debate was hosted by ABC News' This Week. Following the live broadcast, Kay and three other reporters (I think they were all reporters) appeared in The Green Room segment [video].
Update: Others featured in the video are Rick Klein, ABC News senior political reporter; David Chalian, ABC News political director; Holly Bailey, Newsweek; Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune.
Every four years, the national media spotlight burns hot and heavy on Iowa. Never more so than this year. And savvy network reporters frequently call on Radio Iowa News Director Kay Henderson for on-the-ground perspective and insight.
She was part of an 8 minute segment on MSNBC's Hardball Wednesday night. The rest of the show pretty much sucked. Lance Armstrong's non-answers to Chris Matthews questions made Lance sound like the politician he will someday be. But someone at Hardball had the good sense to bring Kay on, so we'll forgive them the rest.
Radio Iowa is a Learfield network and I've worked with her for the past 20 years.
Dr. Manny Alvarez writes/reports for FoxNews.com. I'll forgive this sin because he had the good judgement to include Dr. T. Everett Mobley's blog ("Your Pet's Best Friend") in his list of favorite pet-related blogs.
If you detect a note of pride it's because a) Everett is friend and Kennett boy and b) I helped him (a little bit) get started blogging. Everett has always been creative and the blog just provided a new outlet. He's a funny guy, a good writer and "your pet's best friend."
Radio Iowa is one of several state radio news networks owned by the company I work for. The first newscast went up "on the bird" on July 1, 1987. So the network is twenty years + 3 weeks old. I dug out the "start-up" file and took a little stroll down memory lane.
In the newsroom that first day: News Director Dennis Sutterer, O. Kay Henderson and Todd Kimm (Kay and Todd are still there, grinding out the news and sports). We leased two tiny rooms from an advertising agency in Des Moines. One for a studio...one for a very snug newsroom.
Planning for the network started in October of 1986. In February of 1987, we mailed our first packet of info to radio stations throughout the state:
"Radio Iowa will be Iowa's first full-service, satellite delivered state news network. Headquartered in Des Moines, Radio Iowa's three person news staff will cover the legislature and state government.
The enclosed packet includes brief descriptions of Radio Iowa programming; a schedule of feed times; affiliattion contract and clearance declaration; and a demo cassette."
There was more, but you get the idea.
In March of '87, Roger Gardner and I started in-station pitches. A few of the stops on that first swing: Bill Wells, KSO, Des Moines; Mark Mennick, WOC, Davenport; Kevin Kelly, WDBQ, Dubuque; Betty Baudler and Rich Fellingham, KASI, Ames; Larry Edwards, WMT, Cedar Rapids; Glenn Olsen, KQWC, Webster City; Mary Quass, KHAK, Cedar Rapids; John Carl, KCOB, Newton; Don Tool, KRNT, Des Moines.
I think we went on the air with 32 affiliates airing our reports.
I solemnly pledge to put a recorder in front of Kay and Todd for an oral history of the network (to date). Watch this space.
When George left me at the Coffee Zone Saturday morning, his iPhone lust was coming off him in waves. And he found the cure. Tuesday night's meeting of the local Mac users group should be fun, with several of the regulars packing The Hot New Thing.
Doc Mobley shares this bit of Zen-like insight in a recent post of Your Pet's Best Friend:
"I thought of (the advice of my former professor) when a little kitten came unglued, jumped into the air, executed a 180-degree mid-air pinwheel, and latched onto my neck-tie (I had neglected to zip my lab coat). As the kitten swung back and forth like Tarzan, I was transported in time to hear the voice of the master: "Never wear a neck-tie around a monkey." Words to live by."
Doc Mobley reports his staff suggested a re-enactment for YouTube. He declined but I think he should seriously consider a series of short (3-5 min) videos about pet care. His droll, quick wit would be perfect for this format. Ad libbed, no script. Think Marlin Perkins meets Bill Murray. These would kill!
The hang-up is time. He doesn't have much to spare. If I still lived in Kennett I'd propose we collaborate. I'd shoot, edit and post to YouTube. He handles the monkey.
Dave Morris took the plunge and writes an excellent review of his new iPhone:
"How many phones do you have, and am I too late?" It was 5:55 pm, a full FIVE MINUTES before the doors opened. He gave me this little wink that was simultaneously geeky and cocky... and one of those dorky tongue clicks. The only thing missing was the finger-as-pistol "Shooter McGee" motion. He fished around in his pocket. This was his moment to shine!
"Here ya go." He handed me a voucher that guaranteed me the right to purchase a phone. A little quiver passed through my body... much the same feeling as when you find out your application for auto financing has been approved."
We celebrated Joel Clardy's 40th birthday yesterday. His Learfield co-workers did their best to make him feel ancient with black balloons and funny cards. Pam captured his arrival at work and a few shots from his (not-quite-a-surprise) party last night.
The woman smiled, waiting patiently. My mind is frantically processing data, running through thousands of images and names. I bullshit for time...
"Hey, I almost didn't recognize you! Man, how long has it been?"
But people can always tell.
"You have no idea who I am, do you?"
(Click!)
"Debbie! Debbie Elting!"
Debbie and I attended Southeast Missouri State University in the late 60's. Worked on college plays together, partied together. Haven't seen each other in 30 years. Turns out we've been going to the same dentist all these years. She drives down to Cape from St. Louis, I drive down from Jefferson City. The staff thought it would be nice to arrange a surprise reunion and scheduled our check-up's on the same day.
The next time a woman I don't recognize asks, "Do you know who I am?, I'm going to say --without hesitation-- "You're Jennifer Anniston. What are you doing here?"
Barb and I love Golden Retrievers. So when Andrew Lear called to tell us they had a new pup, we jumped in the car and raced over for a look. Sadie is 7 weeks old and has a great new home with Ben, Jack, Maddison, Leigh and Andrew.
And here's proof positive that everyone looks better holding a puppy.
If you were marooned in space and your life depended on getting the computers up and running again, who (whom?) would you want jammed in there with you? Let's make it more interesting by limiting your choices to people you personally know. In no particular order: Phil, Andy, George and Jim. And Charlie. Charlie isn't really a hardware/software guy... more of a MacGyver-type who doesn't get rattled and has a knack for finding and fixing problems.
I still have several hours of work to resurrect The Basement Diaries, but have the site back online. It has been something of a nostalgic deep dive in that I created the site in 1998 (almost ten years ago) about events that took place in 1968 (almost 40 years ago).
Most of the work involved rescanning images. We had really crappy cameras in those days and I did little to optimize the scanned images back in '98. So I rescanned about 100 photos, but this time I parked them on flickr. I still have a good bit of caption'ing and tagging to do. Basement Diaries alums might enjoy the slideshow of our Halloween party pix.
This rehab has moved me a little closer to my goal of 1,000 images on flickr. A target I'l easily reach when I get around to KBOA830.com.
