Big River. . .Little Girl

I'm sitting right now in my office at 12:30 in the morning after seeing my daughter in her first high school production. They staged the play "Big River". It's a musical adaptation of Twain's "Adventures of Huckelberry Finn". It's really kind of her first time in a real full scale production.

She's at the cast party right now enjoying herself after a lot of hard work. She was only a member of the chorus for this show, but she told us that it is a fairly big deal because she's a freshman, and freshman usually don't even make the cast.

It's also exciting for her because it's a musical. She's very big into the whole singing thing. The musical productions at the high school are usually done in the early part of the year (Feb/March) by the chior people---and only Juniors and Seniors can be cast. But this gave her a bit of a head start on that. The drama teacher undertook this musical, which is a pretty big project for just the drama department to take on.

But she did seem to capatalize on some talent she had at hand. Of course, there is the reqirement of a black man to play Jim, the runaway slave. And being in a small midwestern town we don't have a real high population in that respect. But she kind of had a ringer. There was a Presbeterian minister in town whose kids had been in some productions. She must have gotten wind of how he could sing and lined him up ahead of time. And man could he sing! That dude has some serious pipes.

I think she also knew where some of the other cast were coming from. The show is a little unique in that it has several strong vocal leads and not much chorus action. Usually with a high school show they try to do a large cast/large chorus with the idea in mind that they want to involve as many people as possible. This goes against that grain, but it meant that you really didn't have a weak singer in the show. And you could balance most of the show on the shoulders of the Huck and Jim characters---and those two sounded great together.

It was interesting for the wife and I too. We were watching our daughter perform on the stage where we first got to know each other. Last night when I got home from work, the wife was fretting a bit. We had tickets for Saturday's show, but it opened on a Friday night. She said, "It just doesn't feel right that our daughter is having her first opening night and we're not there". I felt the same way. We'd sent flowers, but I was antsy that we were all here holding up at home, and she was off setting sail without us. So I sent the wife out to represent for us, and I stayed home with the kids.

Now our daughter has sailed her maiden voyage into the theater world, and of course she's smitten. We had a talk about setting some balanced time management paramaters for future participation. This has taken a lot of time away from her studies and has been a bit of a struggle for her, and without lines to memorize or a whole bunch of scenes to rehearse. So I don't think this will be her last show, but I think this is going to take some real wisdom and guidence.

Her present to the cast is a video she made from footage she shot at rehearsal. We'll be posting that on the vlog soon. Following in her daddy's video footsteps as well.

16 years ago today

October 28, 2005--16 years
Originally uploaded by CyberJazzDaddy.

Yep, 16 years ago today we made magic with a white dress and a couple of gold rings.

It's been one of the best decisions of my life.

I got the wife a special gift she's been asking for. A Oxford English Dictonary. Hey, that's what she wanted. She was quite pleased.

I got her the American Collegete version. I went shopping for the full OED---it's a twenty volume set that sells for almost $1000. the Collegete had 400,000 entries---I told here those were all the words I could afford to get her right now.

We'll work on the rest of the language later.

Rosa Parks

Just wanted to post a note that I did mark on Monday that Ms. Rosa Parks had merged with the infinite.

I had always taken some small quiet comfort knowing she was still around for the past several years. That there was still a common man hero among us, and that there was an actor that emerged from the populace to effect history who wasn't yet simply a notation in a book. It seemed that somehow that meant that heroism was still possible and it wasn't just something that was thoughy about in 4th period or on a cable news channel.

This seems to be the year for losing icons. Makes me feel all the more that there is an even greater need for new luminaries to emerge. But I don't despair. I know they are coming. They will come from unexpected directions. I am excited with the anticipation of becoming aware of them and living to witness their endeavors. It will be quite thrilling, I have no doubt.

The banner at the top of this post is from Apple's website. That group can be classy in more ways than just their hardware. I can't think of one other company that would dedicate that much homepage real-estate to a cultural tribute.

Rest well, Ms. Rosa. And thank you.

Note: Blogger is being weird with my links right now. If they are broken, please just go to Apple.com. Thanks for your patience.

What goes around. . .is coming

My Dad, my bro and me. Can you guess which one is me?

The other night I had a dream that my wife and I were living in the room in my parent's house where I slept as a kid. We had to go to some important get together and all I could find in the closets were trendy clothes from the 80s. I'd get dressed up in the outfits and my wife would insist I wasn't going out dressed in those clothes.

And I looked good too! (for 1985---think Andrew McCarthy's window dresser friend in the film "Mannequin" or Ducky from "Pretty in Pink").

Dude, one thing I can say for the 80s---I sure loved the clothes. And the hair. Yes, the hair. The other day Robo came to me to tell me, in honest astonishment and dismay, that he had seen a rock band where the members had hair as long as his sister! Now, I ask you, what is wrong with this world when the youth don't see the natural connection between hair and rock and roll?

I've had a problem with this for the past 10+ years. It's just not right when the artist and the agent and the guy at the record label all have the same haircut. How can you stick it to the man when you look like the man! It's time to bring the universe back into alignment.

You might be recoiling in disgust. And you might be screaming protest right now. I've heard it all before. I just consider those the noises associated with birthpains of the next phase.

Just like back in about 1995 when the preludes to the return of the hip-hugger and bell bottom jeans started coming. Everyone was so horrified at the thought. Bell bottoms were so disgusting---good riddance. Those will never come back. Well we know what happened to that sentiment.

Bell bottoms are now the fashion norm---again. Now days it's almost impossible for a woman to buy jeans that aren't bell bottom, or hip-hugger, or both. Now they are oh-so slick; a fashionable must have.

Kids aren't laughing at the 1970s year book photos, they're ironing their hair to make themselves look like those photos. And now is the beginning of the next wave---or should I say the New Wave (snicker-wink).

But it's not like I want to go back. Not a chance--I'm having too much fun right now. Consider: As a kid I wanted to run around with headphones on all the time like Johnny Slash on the early 80s show "Square Pegs" (does anyone remember that show, with teen age Sarah Jessica Parker). Except his headphones were plugged into a Walkman cassette player---how much cooler when I can run around with earbuds plugged into an iPod.

(At church we had a singer who was using a background track on cassette. I work the sound booth and so when it was time I popped in the tape and hit play---releasing the pre-roll tape hiss into the sanctuary. My daughter looked at me with a moments panic and asked "Is it supposed to be doing that?" Oh, yeah. That's what tape does. I said a silent prayer of thanks at that moment that we have been delivered from cassette tape. Hallelujah.)

I just want it to come back. It can't come soon enough for me. I haven't had any fun with clothes the last 15 years. In my opinion we're still reeling from the early 90s dumbing down of the wardrobe response to 80s excess. Thanks Seattle. Boring has been trendy for too long---especially for men. Oh look, what's new on the runway for men; a shirt. And slacks. Wooo-Hooo. I remember when my fondest fashion dream was to have Adam Ant's wardrobe. I've never quite outgrown that.

I remember a suit I had back in the day. White coat (yeah, with shoulder pads. When you have shoulders like mine you'll take all the help you can get), grey shirt with white poka-dots, white tie with grey poka-dots, and grey slacks with white pinstripes. Poka-dots with stripes---now that's rebellion at it's finest, I'm saying. Especially when you add colored Chucks. My dad was mortified when I showed up to an all city outdoor church service dressed like that. He thought I looked like I was in the circus. But mom had paid for all this stuff!

Of course, I don't have any of those diggs anymore. Not because I didn't try to save it. It's because all the 80s clothes were made as flimsy as possible and all ended up falling apart.

But dang it, I ask you, if a Dad can't go shopping with his sons for dangley saber tooth ear rings and teach them how to blow dry their hair upside down and braid their rat tails----then what's left?!!

Consider yourself warned. It's coming. Soon. Prepare. Start stocking up on hairspray.

And check this out. Yes, I do believe that this is a percursor for the apocalypse.

New post over at the Vlog.

See. . .I'm not the only one

For those of you who were with me earlier in the year, you know that there is a season that starts for me with Superbowl weekend. You'll remember it isn't the next sporting season. It's iTunes bottle cap season!

Why bring that up in October? Well, I just ran across a little video blog entry in my wanterings that proves that I'm not alone in that.

Watch and enjoy. (Thanks Josh Leo)

I Am. . . .What?

It seems like people are getting a little introspective at the moment around the corners of the bloggosphere that I haunt. Trying to figure out who we are really and what it all means. It caused me to become reflective as well. So I went to the place that all mature, responsible pilgrims do when they are in existential crisis---Google!

Or rather I let Googlism.com Google me. This is what it returned:

Will is a myth
Will is the dynamo
Will is important
Will is your pop idol
Will is a beast
Will is the dynamic soul
Will is up to date
Will is prosperity
Will is the pole star of my life
Will is not lost
Will is lacking in fight
Will is easy
Will is the safeway
Will is life
Will is the effect of divine grace
Will is not enough
Will is a way
Will is an idiot
Will is clear
Will is always much better
Will is pretty fly for a shy guy
Will is the only answer to terrorism
Will is one of those things that everyone should have
Will is an illusion
Will is missed
Will is there
Will is nigh
Will is great
Will is strong
Will is lacking
Will is especially important if you have young children
Will is healing
Will is not enough in Utah
Will is weak
Will is a definite maybe
Will is testing--please excuse the noise and any involuntary profanity
Will is wrong about money in politics
Will is upset
Will is a beast of burden
Will is lacking in the fight against aids
Will is causing poor country debt relief to fail
Will is essential
Will is a legal document you use to dispose of your property at your death
Will is great--we all have to admit that will is totally amazing
Will tricked everyone into liking him then told them he's gay
Will is the greatest good his infinite wisdom can devise
Will is government property
Will is caused by God
Will is to heal you as the foundation of your faith
Will is lawlessness
Will is mine
Will is love

. . .And don't you ever forget it. ;-)

(It has kind of a poetic quality, in a non sequitur sort of way. Don't you think? Thanks Sherri.)

5 on the 5th in '05---Waaaaay Behind

Well, just getting around to the 5 on the 5th. Little behind this month, but what else is new. October's photos are from homecoming. We had everyone over for Kitten's birthday party in the afternoon, and then after they had gotten ready for the dance they decided that it would be cool to take pictures at the museum that we went to the other weekend, and then the playground. This is the result. Much fun!

Even with no special hair treatments, I thought Ms. Kitten was loverly. :-) Pretty much everyone in the group went without being dates---just as friends. So one of the boy's mom brought corsages for the young ladies so they wouldn't be without. Very nice thought.



Relaxing for a moment. Apparently the stays in that red dress were a little uncomfortable.



The whole gang!

Fun on the playground.

Now off to the dance.

What better way to celebrate the release of the Video iPod. . .

. . .than by starting a video blog! Well, whatever. Here I am, doing my geeky dork thing. I've got no misapprehension that I'll end up on some one's iPod (unless my mom buys one). It's more a symbolic gesture.

This is what I meant a couple of posts ago when I mentioned I'd get back to what happened on the rest of that Sunday. This is a little video of us on a trip to a farm owned by some friends from church. They were having a cookout that we were invited to. As you'll see, I was on Bear duty---he was quite fascinated by the chickens.

So here I am, jumping with both feet into the wonderful wild new world of video blogging on the web. I'm still getting my feet wet on the posting part, but I've been working with video for several years in my failed attempt to make a home based business as a videographer. Not failed because I didn't know how to produce video, but failed because I didn't know much about how to run a business.

At any rate, here it is. This is kind of a test episode, so hopefully it'll get better from here on out. Enjoy. (Quicktime required)

Click to Watch

(or you can also click the picture)

"One More Thing" happens TODAY!

Very excited. Lots of anticipation today. No, I'm not talking about the new "Lost" episode---ok, not only talking about that (though it is something that makes Wednesdays special). Today is the day for "One More Thing"! The new Apple announcement.

Apple sent out a cryptic press release last week that said it would make a new product announcement today, Oct 12. The title of the release is what is important to me---it said "One More Thing". If you are a total Mac Geek and have followed all the Steve Jobs Keynotes streamed on the web in the past, then you know the message behind the message.

This is the phrase that Jobs has used when he was giving his keynote addresses to prelude the announcement of the most exciting product. The one everyone had been waiting for. He would spend all the lead up time telling about little new things, like improvements to the video chat that works with the isight, or how many songs had been purchased on the iTunes Music Store (iTMS). All very interesting I suppose, but that's not what people where there for. Then he would look like he was finishing, thanking everyone for coming, and almost as an after thought he would look up and say "oh, and one more thing. . .", and then he would introduce the thing that would make headlines for the next week.

It became one of his little trademark gimmick. Everyone at these things started to know that they were all there for the "one more thing". It was becoming as signature as the Fonz saying "Ayyyyy" or Mork's "Nano Nano" (and if you got those references, it dates you as much as it just did me---ether that or you just are staying up way too late watching Nick-at-Night).

So now there is a whole press conference on the One More Thing. It seems, coming so soon after the Nano announcement to be an addendum to that meeting. I believe it. Every one was expecting a iPod Video then and it didn't materialize. But now everyone thinks that what will happen today---all the tech pundits anyway.

I think it will be an iPod/iTMS announcement for sure. How can I be so sure. Because the iTMS didn't update yesterday. I think I've mentioned before that every Tuesday I pop into the iTMS to see what new stuff has come out on New Release Tuesday (if you don't know, Tuesdays are the day when all the record labels and movie studios put out there new products ---new DVDs and CDs. So that's when iTunes updates too).

I used to get frustrated when I would find no updates on Tuesday from iTunes. Slackers! But then I started to see the correlation between the lack of update, and the soon following announcement about something iPod or iTunes. It happened with the Nano announcement---and now this week. So, we'll see.

I am so excited if it is a video iPod. The reason being that this opens up a bottleneck in the whole digital video revolution. With the ability to make very affordable digital video and movie projects on the desktop, that was one obstacle to entry overcome. But then there was still the distribution problem. Sure you could put your video on your website, but how would you get people to come and see your efforts?

Enter podcasting. Mostly audio right now, but the same concept works for video. And there has been a grassroots video-casting effort that has been gaining steam and attention. But it's only been laying the groundwork. Just like with audio podcasting, when Apple and the iTMS pick up the video thing and provide a fabulous, attractive, easy to use video product----that's going to blow the doors out on this thing. Suddenly if you have a movie, or short form video, you also have a power house low-cost (read "no-cost") distribution service and suddenly people are seeing your work.

Well, we'll see. The wait begins. I'm just trying to figure out who, if anyone, is going to be blogging the event live like they have had in the past. I can't find anyone who is doing it this time. Sheesh.


Update: It's True! It's True! Oh, and did I mention Lost on the iPod Video? I love this country. (And they come in Black now too. Sooo cooool).

So Much. . .Too Fast

Man, you blink and a week goes by. Seriously. It's all going too fast. I have so much I want to write about. . .

. . .like that my wife decided to go through with the double biopsy last Friday. My wife couldn't just feel comfortable with re-assurances knowing that mamagrams and other external detection methods weren't 100%. Because of the nature of what was being done she ended up needing to have general anesthesia and full incision. The doctor and staff were wonderful putting her as much at ease as they could, given the circumstances. We get the results this afternoon.

. . .that my daughter helped out fantastically while mom was out of commission. All the time not knowing that we were brewing a surprise birthday party for her. When I sent her out to lunch and shopping for a couple hours with her grandma, she was touched that I would allow her to go get some R & R for her efforts. As soon as she was gone we called for her friends who were planning the party to come over and decorate. When Kitten returned she was honestly surprised (which is the point, right?) .

. . .That her friends were so thoughtful in their selection of gifts that it actually brought her to tears.

. . .That for some reason I could get no record of this event. When she came in the door, my video camera pooped out just as they shouted 'surprise'! Then I got the digital still camera, and it's batteries died just as she blew out her candles.

. . .That as soon as the party was over, it was time to get ready for the Homecoming Dance. Kitten said that this was one of the most excellent days in memory.

. . .That my mother has been fantastic helping out with the kids even though it's adding to her burden with all her day care kids. I don't know what I would have done without her.

. . .That a friend we've made as a result of the Community Players is taking the wife into her appointment because of the concern of driving while healing from the incisions. I'm in Omaha already and it would be quite a drive to get her and come back. Now I just have to meet them at the doctor's office. It's a blessing that this friend stepped up and offered help, and nice that we could humble ourselves a little to ask.

Like I said, it's been busy. I don't know if I can take it getting much faster.

Just have to ride the wave, dude.


Update: The report back from the biopsy was immensely positive---because it was negative. Completely. Totally. Not even a hint of anything that has the possibility of being a concern. Whew. God is good. Life is good. Moving on.

Rockin' and a Rollin'

Well, concert season starts (for us) again tonight. We're off to see:

Thousand Foot Krutch

(Click for link to their music in iTunes)

However, something that changed with my daughter's entrance into High School and the world of Drama is that she will probably in rehearsal when we try to go to concerts. She is tonight so it's just daddy and the boy. Should be a good time, though. And even though she'd like to go to the concerts, she seen these guys twice before with us, so I think she's going to enjoy being on stage more than watching one.

Keep on Rockin'!

The Slide Continues

Time is just slipping away faster and faster, it seems. The retail settings have changed color to black and orange, even if the leaves haven't started yet. I've never seemed to get back into my stride since I took my little hiatus. It is my conviction to change that. I used to post twice a week. I'd like to get back to that. I'm trying.



This weekend found us at the Homesteader's Days at our local museum here in town. It's the substantial building in the background in this photo. It used to be a mansion back when our little town was established as a railroad stop on the trans-con. It's kind of got that "Gone with the Wind" vibe minus the slavery, the cotton and the war. Once a year they host sort of a day retrospective.

People bring out their old farm equipment and cars, now restored to pristine condition. There's a blacksmith, quilters, and a man who demonstrates making brooms by hand. There's even a man who rides around on one of those bicycles with the really huge front wheel and really small back wheel. We were there to see my dad.

He does historic re-enactment--sort of a living history thing. He's done a lot of American History periods--Mountain Man, Civil War, Lewis and Clark and other military of that period (and even Scottish Highland just for fun). It's pretty impressive. He makes everything from his clothes to the guns. He even gets so authentic that he'll eat squirrel for lunch when he's at a demo where they'll let him start a fire (which he lights with a flint and steel).

These historic functions really like him because most other people doing this historic stuff generally are real good at demonstrating it, but not so good talking to the spectators. So generally it's just a watch-and-see kind of event. But Dad will engage the crowd and talk to them for as long as they'll listen to him. And he's good at it. You'll look over and he's always got people around him, listening, laughing and interacting.

But it was all over when the kids caught sight of the ponies.



We had bumped into a friend who we went to school with that was in town from Maine. We wandered over to the horse ride with her because her nieces and nephews were riding. By the time their ride was over, Lemur and Bear were begging us for a turn. As we were figuring out if we had the cash and our friend was generously covering for our shortfall, we looked around to try and see where the Lemur was. There was no question in his mind---he had already found a horse and mounted it.

And boy was he cool riding around. I don't think he's ever seen John Wayne or a John Wayne movie, but he reached down deep inside of himself somewhere and found his inner Duke, and put it on like a long dusty slicker. While he rode he was all alone on the open prairie. The civilized world couldn't touch him. Till his 5 minutes were up, of course. That darn ticking clock gets the best of us.



The Bear was just as tickled as could be. We had to leave after his ride was over because his screams of desperation to be put back on were disturbing the other guests. After consideration, though, we thought a college education was more important than an afternoon of pony heaven. Those things ain't cheap, y'all.

However, our day wasn't to be without more adventure on the homestead. More on that later.