Multi-tasking

Nathan is getting tubes in his ears on Friday. The poor little guy has had 10 ear infections in the last year. Here's a picture of him calling all his friends to let them know he'll be unavailable to hang on Friday.

Off We Go

I've been working on a plan for over a year now to buy and renovate a commercial building in the city. For as many reasons as there are buildings in St. Louis it just hasn't worked out yet. I can finally announce that I have found a building that: a) is in an up and coming neighborhood b) that was actually on the market and c) I have been able to negotiate a reasonable price on.

I'm very excited. I'll have many posts as the long process progresses, but for now I just want to finally be able to discuss it in public. Yay!

There are still many hurdles, and it may not happen the way I am currently envisioning it, but it has the best chance of working of any project I've been trying to make happen to date. And for the record I don't think the Indian statue comes with the building. It is quite a marketing tool though. Everyone knows the big indian at Jefferson and Cherokee! Want to rent a space? Call me now! Get pre-construction pricing!!

2006 Favorites

I've put together my list of favorite songs for 2006. It can be downloaded here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=R4QLNP36

Unfortunately the megaupload program puts the titles in alpha order. Below is the order in which I intended.
1. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me
2. Tapes 'n Tapes - The Iliad
3. Tilly and the Wall - Rainbows in the Dark
4. Cat Power - Living Proof
5. Gentleman Auction House - A Hospital or Heaven
6. The Hard Lessons - Bamboo
7. Band of Horses - The Funeral
8. Eef Barzelay - I Wasn't Really Drunk
9. Ray LaMontagne - Three More Days
10. Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins - Rise Up With Fists!
11. M. Ward - To Go Home
12. The Avett Brothers - When I Drink
13. The Raconteurs - Steady As She Goes
14. Beck - Nausea
15. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
16. Yo La Tengo - Mr. Tough
17. Ben Kweller - Sundress
18. Jack Johnson - The 3 R's
19. Ray LaMontagne - Can I Stay (live) bonus

Pillow Fight Club

I never did get in an adult kickball league. Maybe this Pillow Fight Club will be more my speed. If that doesn't take off I may start a Professional Kick-the-Can League. The advertising possiblities on the can alone can fund the whole league.
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pillow-fighting-now-a-sport/

faves

Happy New Year! 2007 is going to be the year that comes before 2008 and after 2006!! You can be sure of that.

I'm working on my year end mix cd. I've done it for the last 4 or 5 years. It's probably geeky, but I enjoy it and subject my friends to it. The thing I find hard to believe is how many titles I put on my year end favorites list that I don't see on other lists. I listen to podcasts, read magazines, etc where critics list their favorites and see a lot less duplication than I would expect.

I'm not sure if critics are being honest with themselves or if my taste is too mainstream. Then again I see a lot of major label titles on the top lists that just don't interest me in the least.

This year I'm picking songs from albums by Jenny Watson, Band of Horses, Ray LaMontagne, Cat Power and Tapes n' Tapes among others. Once I finalize the list and order of songs I'll publish a link here.

Poinsettia

I was out in my front yard one evening this summer and noticed a car driving by real slow. It got my attention as I try to be observant and aware. As it got closer I noticed it was a couple of little old ladies staring at me. They drove around the block and came by again sizing me up as either a friend or foe.

The second time coming by they decided to pull over and get out. One of the women was on crutches (not the broken leg kind, but the aluminum ones with the arm cuffs). They came up to me and said that the woman with the crutches grew up in my house. She lived on the first floor with her parents. Her aunt and uncle lived on the second floor throughout the 40's and 50's. The other woman, who was behind the wheel, was a high school friend of hers who now lives in St. Louis Hills.

I invited her in to show her the work I had done on the place. Since I completely gutted the house before moving in I didn't think she'd recognize much. She loved the condition the place was in and pointed out things like which room was hers. She also recognized these 2 massively heavy armoires that came with the house. She said that her Dad bought them for $5 each. They are both beautiful cross cut oak and would be worth hundreds today. She had polio and told me about how her Dad would lift her in and out of the tub a couple times a day and that she got bumped out of her room and had to move her bed to the hall when her cousin moved in with them.

She mentioned she went to Roosevelt High School, which is where my mother-in-law went. She recognized the name and it turned out she graduated with my wife's Uncle. She said he was very handsome (a very difficult thing to imagine now), and that he was a little odd back then (he's a lot odd now and is rarely seen by the family since he lives in Germany).

She now lives in Washington, D.C. and her husband is a retired diplomat and they did a lot of world traveling. She doesn't get back to St. Louis very often, but was happy I happened to be in the yard because they wouldn't have had the guts to knock on the door.

I think she told me her name when she first pulled up, but I'm terrible with names and it felt rude to ask again before she drove off.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago. There is a young woman pacing around on the corner near my house smoking a cigarette. I pull up with my son and am getting him out of his car seat when she walks up and asks me if I live here, pointing unfortunately to my house. I noticed right away she was missing a front tooth and had a black eye. I reluctantly said...yes, imagining her pulling a gun, forcing me into my house to rob me or steal my baby.

She said she lived in the house for 16 years in the 80's and 90's. She was embarrassed about the black eye and missing tooth but was trying to get a friend off drugs who wasn't cooperating. Unfortunately I had a tired and sick baby in my arms and had to cut it short. As she was walking away I asked her name and she said "Jennifer".

Yesterday I get a poinsettia delivered. The card said: "Thank you so much for letting my friend and I visit your home which was my home from grade 6 through college. What lovely changes you have made and how nice it is to know your lovely family lives there." And it was signed "Jenny Bergsten".

It seemed odd that 2 woman approached me about living in my house. One named Jenny and one named Jennifer. I had to remember to tell my wife, Jen, about that.

I'm not bald I'm Bold!

It's funny that I seem to be forced into "clubs" that I never had any intention of joining. One of those clubs is the bald man club. If you're not bald you pay no attention to new products or positive and negative portrayals of bald men. Bald guys are almost exclusively bad guys in the media. You have your occasional Jean-Luc Piccard but it's certainly rare and that character was 10+ years ago. Watch Law and Order or CSI and the bald guy ends up being the serial killer. It's easy to spot him and guess the conclusion if you know.

Sports end up being the only place where bald men are portrayed positively. But let's face it Matt Hasselbeck and Brian Urlacher are just one DWI away from being a villian. Anyway, I noticed this new line of products labeled as "Ideal for head shaving" and just wanted to thank them. They are attempting to capitalize on a niche and I wish them luck.

If your life were a movie your soundtrack would be...

I love the strange coincidences that pop up with something like this. It gives new perspective to old material which is something art is supposed to do. Some songs work, some don't and some are just plain funny. Have fun and comment on what came up for you. I'm anxious to do it again, but these were my first attempt.

So, here's how it works:
1. Open your music library (iTunes, MusicMatch, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool.
**********
OPENING CREDITS: Graveyard Shift by Uncle Tupelo
WAKING UP: September Song by Willie Nelson
FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL: They Never Got You by Spoon
FALLING IN LOVE: Waiting For the Sun by the Jayhawks
FIGHTING: Hotel by Broken Social Scene
BREAKING UP: Here Comes My Baby by Yo La Tengo
PROM: After it All by Cat Power
LIFE'S OK: Paper Aeroplane by Kasey Chambers
MENTAL BREAKDOWN: Bizarre Love triangle by Frente!
DRIVING: Hash Pipe by Weezer
FLASHBACK: Lizzy by Ben Kweller
GETTING BACK TOGETHER: Turn a Square by the Shins
WEDDING: Speaking of Happiness by Gloria Lynn
BIRTH OF CHILD: Kiss Off by Violent Femmes
FINAL BATTLE: U Mass by the Pixies
DEATH SCENE: Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (with Lovin' on your mind) byLoretta Lynn
FUNERAL SONG: Don't Get Around Much Anymore by Sam Cooke
END CREDITS: Halloween by Ryan Adams

Independent Art Market Dec 8, 9 & 10

the perfect storm

Craptastic! That's how I would describe this week. It started with Nate getting a stomach virus that leaves him puking and with the worst diarrhea ever. We thought it was a 24 hour bug, then a 48 hour bug, then 5 days in we realized it was much worse. That however is not why it was a bad week. That was just a small contributing factor. Nate is a trooper and for the most part has kept his spirits up.

My wife is travelling for work this week. She goes to NY/NJ a couple times a month. It's all become pretty standard. That is until the worst snow/ice/freezing rain storm to hit St. Louis in the last quarter century happens and she can't get home. This is but one more factor in the perfect storm that hit this week that nearly succeeded in breaking me.

You see the storm brought with it widespread power outages. We were hit by a big wind gust in July and never lost power. That may have played a part in me being totally unprepared for this outage. As I mentioned Nate has been sick. Frequent vomiting in his crib has become commonplace. I heard him on the baby monitor losing his dinner at approximately 11pm Thursday. I went up to change him and it was a sad state of affairs. He puked and then rolled in it. It was in his fuzzy hair and he wasn't happy. I picked him up out of his crib and he felt really wet. I took off his pajamas and he was covered from chest to knees in diarrhea.

That, dear loyal readers, is when the power shut down. I had a naked baby on the floor covered in excrement when things went black. I froze. Nate sensing this wasn't a normal occurrence froze as well. A moment later the power flickered. I took that opportunity to open the shades in his room. Then it went dark for good. Even with the street lights blacked out it was lighter outside than inside. By the pale light of the cloudy night sky I grabbed fist fulls of wet wipes and began to clean the baby. He stood up and clung to me as I searched for something fresh to put on him. He's been sick all week and we were running low on fresh outfits to sleep in. I found one and got him in a new diaper and some pajamas. I was feeling pretty good.

It was then that I realized I wasn't going to be able to clean up his crib, give him fresh sheets and put him back to bed. For one thing he wasn't letting go of me. I had to do everything with one hand. Also with the power out the temperature was going to start dropping. He couldn't sleep in the crib by himself even if I could clean it up. I decided to put him to bed in my bed. I placed some pillows down the side to keep him from rolling off and put a towel under him in case he got sick again and we snuggled in, a little daddy/son team, working together. Then he puked again.

I picked him up and set out to find some candles and matches. It wasn't as easy as I had hoped, but I got my hands on some and lit up the room. By that point I could feel the temperature dropping. It was probably in the 50's in the house, but I began to worry. I wanted to find someplace safe for my baby.

I have 2 cars. One is great in the snow and was purchased with snow emergencies in mind. The other is an old Ford pick up that has rear wheel drive and is atrocious in the snow and ice. I'm sure you can guess which one was at the airport while my wife was stranded in NY and which one was sitting out front with it's doors frozen shut.

I called Jen and she went to work. It was late but she started calling her family and organizing the troops. At about 1am my brother-in-law picked me up in his Landcruiser and drove me to my Mother and Father-in-laws in the county. We were total refugees. Nobody wanted a sick baby. They were understandably protecting their own families.

My in laws were also without power, but they have 3 woodburning fireplaces in their house. I set up the portable crib and put Nate down in the family room. After all this excitement he had no intention of sleeping. I tried rocking him, but it wasn't soothing. The fireplace needed to be stoked and logs needed to be added. Every time it would wake him. Every time an ember would make that popping and crackling sound he would wake up. If I let the fire get low it would get too cold. We finally both collapsed at about 3am and woke to a chilly room at 7am.

Little Nate was sick, tired and out of his element. He was understandably not himself. It was a difficult day and we were running low on diapers, juice, patience and all the other things a parent needs to have on hand. While I was out picking up supplies I received great news from my next door neighbor via my barely charged cell phone...it read...Let there be light.

The power was up. It was very good news. I can deal with all of these hardships much better if I am on my own turf. Packing a duffel bag in the middle of the night by candlelight wasn't exactly ideal and we weren't going to have enough clothes to get us through another night. Thank goodness we could go home.

Jen's Thursday evening flight was cancelled and she was hoping to get on a Friday afternoon flight. Unfortunately many people were trying to get to St. Louis from LaGuardia. Nobody was giving up their seat. She is booked for a Saturday morning flight back to STL. She did what she could for the family from afar. She proves herself to be a great parent and partner time and time again. If she were able to be here, if the power hadn't gone out, if the baby wasn't sick, if my 4 wheel drive vehicle were here, if any one of a number of things had been different it would have been a much better situation. As it was it was a perfect crap storm and although it's dying down I'm still here by myself taking care of a sick baby. But at least I'm doing it under my own roof!

When life throws you a curve

Friday afternoon November 3, 2006 we had an appointment with a pediatric dermatological specialist. Our pediatrician had some concerns about Nate's progress at his one year appointment. The specialist instantly diagnosed Nate with a rare genetic disorder known as Ectodermal Dysplasia. She was able to so quickly diagnose him because the disorder carries with it some specific external characteristics. Ectodermal dysplasia refers to defects in the development of the ectoderm, which is the layer of cells in the embryo that develops into skin, hair, teeth, nails and secretory glands (tear glands, salivary glands, and mucous glands in the throat, larynx, respiratory system and intestinal tract).

Nate's fuzzy hair may never get any thicker than it is now. His toothless smile will most likely stay that way for awhile and when or if his teeth come in they will most likely be sparse and shaped differently. There is a great degree of variance in the disorder. We have reason to believe that Nate has a milder case. He does in fact have tear ducts as witnessed just about anytime we try and strap him into anything. (He hates to be contained.) He most likely has no sweat glands and that can be a serious problem resulting in fevers and overheating. We are learning what we can on our own and have appointments with specialists and geneticists to try and learn what we can about Nate's specific symptoms.

What isn't impacted by the disorder is Nate's personality and life expectancy. It is not a disease. It will not progressively get worse or become unpredictible. The disorder is part of his DNA and is what it is. We were devastated by the news and are thankful for caring family and friends and know that they will come through for us when we need them. We are slowly becoming accustomed to the changes that this news will mean for us. Nate is full of life and full of energy and we cannot predict at this early stage what kind of person he'll become, but we can guess that he'll be very special and loved by all.

Life threw us a curve. It was high and inside and brushed us back from the plate. It's time for us to get up off the ground and hit the next one out of the park.

Time flies?

I had a really fantastic weekend. Last year at this time I was celebrating my birthday in the hospital waiting for Nate to be born. This year Nate was eating cake and playing with his new toys. What a year it has been. Someone was saying to me that this must have been a quick year. That it probably flew by. I had to disagree. This was one of the longest years I can remember. I experienced so many things for the first time that I have twice as many memories from the last year than I have for the last 10 years.

My birthday is the day before Nate's. My request this year was for a night out with Jen and some of our friends. A Detroit band that I am fond of was in town at the Duck Room and we went to see them Thursday night. The Hard Lessons put on a great show. They stuck around town for a couple of days to do an instore performance too. Saturday night they came over to our house to enjoy some of Nate's birthday cake and sit around a backyard fire pit and shoot the breeze. They are good folks who know how to put on an entertaining show. Go see them if you get the chance.

Nate's party Saturday was well organized by my wife to make it enjoyable for kids and grown ups alike. Things moved along and nobody got bored. Nate got great presents and was exhausted by the end of it all. Most of Nate's fans were there to witness it. We have great friends.

random photos

I am not a photographer. I do, however, like to keep a camera with me to document things I find interesting as I explore the city. Here are some current photos of things I 've found intresting.

100 Songs, 1,000,000 Memories

100 songs that I love in no particular order. I didn't use any artist twice to get as much representation as possible. What are your favorite songs?
1. Joe Henry - Short Man's Room
2. The Stooges - No Fun
3. Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares for Me
4. Charlie Rich - No Headstone on My Grave
5. Brendan Benson - Tiny Spark
6. The Shins - Caring is Creepy
7. John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom
8. Tapes n' Tapes - The Illiad
9. Big Maybelle - That's a Pretty Good Love
10. The Kinks - Milk Cow Blues
11. Neva Dinova - Yellow Datsun
12. Son Volt - Tear Stained Eye
13. Andrew Bird - Satisfied
14. The Long Winters - Blue Diamonds
15. Sly & the Family Stone - If You Want Me to Stay
16. Kevin Russell's Junker - Somebody Bring Me a Flower (I'm a Robot)
17. Superchunk - Detroit Has a Skyline
18. Blonde Redhead - Equus
19. Willie Nelson - I'm Not Trying to Forget You Anymore
20. Cat Power - Free
21. Smoosh - Massive Cure
22. Jackson Browne - Late For the Sky
23. Ben Kweller - Lizzy
24. Gladys Knight & the Pips - I Heard it Through the Grapevine
25. Weezer - El Scorcho (goddamn you half Japanese Girls!)
26. Clem Snide - Messiah Complex Blues
27. Pixies - Mr. Grieves
28. Stevie Wonder - Superstition
29. Nirvana - Sliver
30. Urge Overkill - Emmaline
31. Hazel Dickens - West Virginia, My Home
32. M. Ward - Helicopter
33. Tom Waits - Gun Street Girl
34. Old 97's - Wish the Worst
35. The Hard Lessons - That Other Girl
36. Neil Young - Southern Man
37. Lightnin' Hopkins - Jake Head Boogie
38. Uncle Tupelo - Graveyard Shift
39. The Monkees - Stepping Stone
40. Fugazi - Waiting Room
41. Iron & Wine/Calexico - A History of Lovers
42. Bruce Springsteen - Used Cars
43. Yo La Tengo/Daniel Johnston - Speeding Motorcycle
44. The Jackson 5 - Who's Loving You
45. Ryan Adams - Halloween
46. Afghan Whigs - Debonair
47. Public Enemy - Fight the Power
48. The Replacements - I'll be You
49. Metallica - Fade to Black
50. Cowboy Junkies - Murder, Tonight, in the Trailer Park
51. Dangermouse - Encore
52. The Gourds - Gin & Juice
53. Richard Buckner - Rainsquall
54. Dave Dudley - Six Days on the Road
55. Beck - Where It's At
56. Tom Petty - American Girl
57. James Brown - Papa's Got a Brand New Bag pt.1
58. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Scar Tissue
59. Dave Alvin - King of California
60. Athlete - Vehicles and Animals
61. Otis Redding - These Arms of Mine
62. Michelle Shocked/Uncle Tupelo - Shaking Hands
63. Bettie Serveert - Palomine
64. K's Choice - Not an Addict
65. Elton John - Where to Now St. Peter?
66. Aqualung - Brighter than Sunshine
67. Rolling Stones - Ventilator Blues
68. Elliott Smith - Somebody that I Used to Know
69. Buffalo Tom - Birdbrain
70. Low - When I Go Deaf
71. Sam Cooke - Please Don't Drive Me Away
72. Sloan - Underwhelmed
73. Violent Femmes - Kiss Off
74. Al Green - Love & Happiness
75. the White Stripes - Red Death at 6:14
76. Ike & Tina Turner - A Fool in Love
77. the Jayhawks - Waiting for the Sun
78. Pavement - Trigger Cut
79. Beastie Boys - Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun
80. Crowded House - Four Season's in One Day
81. Gillian Welch - Paper Wings
82. Jay Farrar & Kelly Willis - Rex's Blues
83. Cat Stevens - Wild World
84. Etta James - Something's Got a Hold on Me
85. Kasey Chambers - The Captain
86. Olabelle Reed - You Led Me to the Wrong
87. Vic Chesnutt - Isadora Duncan
88. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
89. Louis Armstrong - A Kiss to Build a Dream on
90. XTC - Dear God
91. Evan Dando - Why Do You Do This to Yourself?
92. The Black Keys - Hurt Like Mine
93. Steve Earle - Feel Alright
94. Nick Drake - Saturday Sun
95. Neal Casal - These Days With You
96. Ray Charles - What'd I Say pts 1&2
97. Tilly & the Wall - Bessa
98. Louis Prima - Wanna Be Like You
99. Robert Earl Keen Jr. - Then Came Lo Mein
100. Aretha Franklin - Baby I Love You

Magic House

Nate took a trip to a children's hands-on museum in Kirkwood called The Magic House. He loved the place as you can see. I especially like how he's so comfortable driving the boat that he chooses to do it one handed.

Project Runway?

I watch a lot of tv. I watch a lot of reality tv. I'm bored with reality tv. My wife recently set our dvr to record Project Runway on Bravo. The next day Bravo ran a 6 hour marathon of Project Runway. There are a couple of reasons why I am enjoying this show even though I have no interest in fashion.

One reason is that the "contestants" are actually skilled. They have worked in the industry and proven themselves capable. Unlike contestants on a program such as Big Brother. The only skills those people have are either hotness or annoyingness.

Also the competitions to this point have been legitimate. They are real world tasks. Creating the ballgown for Miss America to wear at the Miss Universe pageant. As a fashion designer that has got to be huge. They are not tasks such as eating pig testicles while treading in a pool of cockroach infested cow's blood surrounded by rabid raccoons. Anyone can do that.

The reward is also worthwhile. Getting startup funds for your own fashion line. That is like teaching a man to fish. Giving a redneck a million bucks is the equivalent of giving a man a fish. A fish that he then uses to buy cocaine and Jet Ski's. Which is not a good combination no matter your location.

I'd like to see more reality shows using this same formula. There are other industries in which I'd like to get an insider's view. Even industries where I have no interest can be made interesting and offer me something other than a waste of time. Show me some artists trying to get a one man show at a big NYC gallery. Show me some dirt track racer's trying to get a shot at NASCAR. Show me some minor league players trying to get a shot at the major's. Show me some people who have worked hard and just need a little luck to get that big break before they give up their dream. That's good television.

Tilly and the Wall at the Creepy Crawl July 17, 2006

I've never been filled with the spirit of comraderie and rock n roll happiness like I was last night. Thank you Tilly and the Wall for renewing my faith in live music. I needed it.

These Pretzels are making me Thirsty

I spent a day this week working as an extra on a film being shot here in St. Louis. It was fun for awhile but got old after 8 or 9 hours. The movie actually takes place in Minneapolis in the Fall so I had to wear a denim shirt and a sweater. The scene we did was shot in an empty building downtown that didn't have air conditioning. They had big tubes pumping cool air into the building but it didn't help all that much.

The set was right across the street from Jen's office. She said everyone at her office was freaking out and calling her in NY because they knew I was in there and wanted to know what was going on.

I also ended up doing a bunch of stand in work. I stood in for 2 different actors while they set up the camera shots and lights. That was not easy. Standing under hot lights for long periods of time in a sweater. We worked from 6:30am until 7:30pm and only got 3 shots with different angles of each shot.

Aaron Eckhart plays the lead character and was there for all of the shots that day. His character is troubled by his deteriorating personal and professional life and I think he tried to stay in character all day. He seemed annoyed and angry, but I am going to reserve judgement on whether he is a jerk or not. He did yell at one of the extras during a scene for making too much noise and distracting him, but the extra was a pompous ass so I was cool with it.

There are a couple of kids in the movie that are on tv shows I've never seen like Jack and Bobby. The guy I did the stand in work for was in High Fidelity. He played one of the record store clerks, Barry, along with John Cusack and Jack Black. Jessica Alba is in the movie but had completed her scenes by the time I was working on it. Jason Sudeikis and Kristin Wiig from Saturday Night Live are also attached to the film but, again, weren't in any of the scenes I worked on. Timothy Olyphant from Go and Deadwood is in the film. He plays a news anchor named Chip Johnson and they actually erected a billboard of him on highway 270. Wish I would have gotten a picture of that.

I spent most of the day standing in line at a bank. The wardrobe lady said I'd be the "cool guy" so the prop guys gave me a video ipod to wear while standing in line. Unfortunately it didn't actually have anything on it. We came up with a funny back story about how I was the assistant manager at a night club and my boss was a drug addict so I have to do all of the work and that's why I kept going to the bank to make deposits. I stood in the same line for scenes that were supposed to take place at different times of day. You come up with anything to pass the time.

While on set you have a lot of time to think about what you are doing since there are so many takes. On the first take you shift from foot to foot like you are impatient with how slow the line is going. The second take you shift from foot to foot and look at your watch. The third take you shift from foot to foot, look at your watch and sigh real hard. If there are 5 takes then by the last one you look like a neurotic freak with a bunch of tics.

Not surprisingly Ricky Gervais hit the nail on the head with his HBO show Extra's. It's totally like that. You keep trying to find ways to get in the shot. Just so you can prove that you were on the set. Then the rest of the time you spend sitting around talking about stupid things. It was a fun change of pace and a good experience. I made $100. Woohoo. I don't think I'd be doing it again real soon though. Maybe if Jessica Alba were in any of my scenes I would have had a more enjoyable time?

33 Things I Love*

This list is not in any particular order. It's just a list of weird things that make me happy.

1. Getting my son out of his crib in the morning. That smile lasts me the whole day.
2. My Wife. She totally rules.
3. Ted Drewe's Big Apple concrete
4. Random coincidences
5. Television. This heading includes all of my favorite shows, tv shows on dvd (Freaks & Geeks) and my DVR which records everything I want to watch.
6. Otis Redding. Most soulful male voice ever.
7. Being from Detroit.
8. Euro Pez

9. My iPod on shuffle. It's like a really great mix cd every time. I love the new juxtupositions of old faves.
10. Target
11. Dwell Magazine
12. The idea of guitar shaped pools. In reality they probably aren't as great though.
13. The Hard Lessons.
14. Jay Ryan gigposters

15. Myspace
16. Willie Nelson's "Spirit". Great "post breakup" album. (ie. I'm Not Trying to Forget You Anymore)
17. Joe Versus the Volcano. "I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
18. Abbrevs.
19. Completion
20. Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly)
21. "The" bands (The White Stripes, The Hard Lessons, The Who, The Kinks, The Band, The New York Dolls, The Shins...)
22. Milky Way midnight minis
23. John C. Reilly
24. Rushmore

25. Tilly & the Wall
26. Ferdinand the Bull by Munro Leaf
27. Tim Russert
28. Seeing a great movie in the theater.
29. Ikea
30. Snopes.com for debunking urban legends
31. Pepsi Vanilla
32. Marlo Thomas














33. Supporting friends in their artistic endeavors

*This is an ongoing list and will have to be completed with future installments.

The most important survey of your life

Feel free to fill it out and post it in the comments. Make up your own questions and add them or replace other questions you don't want to answer. There are no rules.

1. You have 10 bucks and need to buy snacks at a gas station, what do you get?
Mountain Dew, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Good & Plenty
2. If you had to be reincarnated as some sort of sea dwelling creature, what would it be?
Coral
3. Who's your favorite redhead?
Adler Caroline Bowman
4. What's on your fridge?
A poster of me and baby Nate that I got for Father's Day and lots of pictures of Nate and my nephews and nieces and a calendar.
5. How many miles are on your car?
122,000 & 71,000
6. Do you own a bike?
A mountain bike that hasn't been ridden in 5 years and a motorcycle that's inoperable
7. When was the last time you were on a plane?
3 weeks ago
8. Describe the last time you were injured:
I got 5 stitches during a demolition mishap.
9. Are there any weird things that turn you on?
Are glasses weird? I like girls with glasses.
10. What is the wallpaper on your cell phone?
Picture of Nate.
11. Favorite Soda?
IBC Cream Soda
12. Flavor of pudding?
Fudge
13. What type of shirt are you wearing?
wife beater (but only in private, never in public)
14. Prescription medication?
clean
15. If you could use only one form of transportation for the rest of your life?
Teleporting
16. What are you listening to right now?
David Letterman in the other room, the refrigerator running and these keys as I'm typing.
17. Most recent movie you've watched?
Underworld: Evolution
18. Name 3 things you have with you at all times:
wallet, glasses, cell phone
19. What is a saying that you use a lot?
Thanks Babe!
20. What is your favorite part of the chicken?
The nuggets
21. What's your favorite town/city?
Toronto is cool but too far away.
22. Favorite kind of cake?
Frosted
23. What's the first word that comes to mind right now?
CAKE!
24. What's your dream car?
The Hummer H3 is nice. I mean that new little hybrid that is good for the environment.
25. What did you have for dinner LAST NIGHT?
Fajitas
26. How long have you been at your current job?
self employed for 2 years
27. What's the last thing you said out loud?
Good night.
28. Look to your left, what do you see?
1,000 cd's
29. Who is the last person who spent $100 on you?
My wife I would guess.
30. Who's your favorite villain(s)?
Jesus in Big Lebowski
31. Whats the last piece of clothing you borrowed from anyone?
not a clue
32. What's the last piece of clothing you bought?
PJ shorts from Target
33. What was your first concert?
1984 Huey Lewis and the News and the Neville Brothers
34. What was the first recording (record, tape, cd, etc.) you bought?
ELO Discovery (not a sign of future taste)