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)

backlash backlash

I'm getting sick of the politically correct backlash. More and more I'm hearing people on tv and radio say things like "It was so much easier when you didn't have to watch what you say so carefully." Or "Watch out for the PC police." Inevitably the people saying this are white men. Of course it was easier when you didn't have to worry about offending women or minorities. Keep up with the times gentlemen or get run over by them and become irrelevent.

some photos from around the house

Independent Art Market

Downtown St. Louis the second time around

I've experienced the revitalization of St. Louis first hand. Neighborhoods making a comeback isn't much of a story though. Downtown is where the headlines are made. Articles like this one in USA Today, for better or worse can have an impact. They affect public perception. Public perception affects convention booking, event scheduling, etc. Hopefully this article is a sign that public perception is changing for the better.

One thing about St. Louis that is encouraging is that all of this revitalization has been done without reinvention. St. Louis isn't known for any one thing. It hasn't become the next "silicon valley" or resort destination. There hasn't been a huge influx of out-of-towners. It was done with hard work and slow growth. Real estate prices have remained reasonable. This is a good sign for the future. We won't have to deal with any one industry taking a dive and taking the city down with it. We won't have to deal with real estate bubbles bursting or another city becoming the next hot thing and everyone moving out.

Good luck St. Louis! Hopefully you've learned from your mistakes and this will make you stronger the second time around.

What I'm Up To

What I'm wearing: It's starting to warm up now, but I wore the shit out of my jean jacket this Spring. My Chuck Taylors that were new last Spring are falling apart this year. Got to look for something to fill that void. I've been wearing a lot of workout stuff (previous 2 posts). I got a pair of cheap jeans from H&M that are fantastic. Much better than the more expensive pairs I've purchased recently. Buying jeans seems like a crap shoot to me. And of course T-shirts, t-shirts, t-shirts.

What I'm listening to: The Hard Lessons. There are a lot of things I don't miss about Michigan (roads, weather, driving distance), but I do miss the music. Detroit has a vibrant music scene and always has. The Hard Lessons are just my latest favorite band from Detroit. They play music that has a soul. Most music today, in my own personal opinion, is soulless, or has "fake soul". The Hard Lessons are the real deal. I also learned that the organist/vocalist went to my high school and college. A full decade and a half after I went, but still.

What I'm working on: Still finishing up a few things at my house but spending time looking for my next rehab project. I'm hoping to find something smaller that I can turn around quicker than previous projects. Some little piece of crap in a great neighborhood. That's what I need. Along with every other rehabber in this city!

What I'm eating: Lots of grilled chicken breasts and whole wheat pita with some Paul Newman Lite Honey Mustard salad dressing. Makes for a quick and healthy lunch.

What I'm watching: American Idol (Chris Daughtry seems to be the favorite), the Office, My Name is Earl, Survivor, Lost and a lot more children's programming than I thought I'd be watching with a 6 month old. Nate's favorites include Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go and Wonder Pets.

What I'm not watching: Another David Cronenberg film. Ever!

What I'm reading: Lots of magazines. Dwell, Metropolitan Home, Modernism, Paste, Giant, Inspired House, Domino, Readymade

What I'm hoping for:

Workout Guy II

I am enjoying the gym. It's rather difficult for me to believe, but it's true. I always thought that joining a gym was a waste of money. I've got 2 feet, a pair of shoes and the street. Why not just go running to get in shape? It's free for crying out loud. At the gym though they have these sophisticated machines that tell you how many calories you're burning and your heart rate among other things. It really motivates you. Running on a treadmill on a nice day seemed like a thing for idiots to do, but it's different than walking in the park.

I've also been hitting the weights more than I thought I would. I have to be careful because I was born with bulky genes. The last thing I want is a thick neck. But I've been able to build muscle in the last 2 weeks. I always thought my legs were one of my best features and couldn't improve much. I've actually toned them up quite a bit.

It's an interesting place too. It's a gym in the city on Hampton and has a more city-looking crowd. Varied races, level of tattoos, age and lifestyle. I swear that if I ever start wearing tank tops to the gym though they should take away my membership. Guys that wear wife beaters are just trying to impress with their muscles and tattoos and those are things that should be left for your home. There are a couple of guys that pose a lot in the gym. Do they know that everyone is laughing at them? I'm glad you work hard and feel confident but maybe you should join Gold's Gym if you want to get in a pose off with a bunch of wankers.

One of the funny things that I've noticed is the large number of bald men. Being a bald man myself I notice these things. Out of 9 guys in the gym the other morning 5 were bald. And that doesn't include the old guy with the Friar Tuck look. That was just the 5 guys that are clean shaven like myself. I guess I'm not the only one trying to compensate for the things out of my control. And, to be clear, by compensate I'm referring to my hairline.

I'm sure before long I'll plateau and then burn out, but in the meantime I'm taking advatage of the motivation. This feels good. Surprisingly good.

Workout Guy

I saw this thing on TV (20/20 maybe?) about game theory and losing weight. They had people on there who agreed to either lose a pre-determined amount of weight or have their picture shown on national television in a speedo/bikini. I'm not about to post a picture of me in a speedo, but I have decided to join a gym and thought that posting my results here may encourage me to work harder.

My reasons for trying to get in better shape vary. Being a dad and husband I want to stay healthy and live a long time for my wife and son. I am also an older new dad (I'll be 38 this year) and want to be able to throw a football around with my son when he's a teenager (whether he wants to throw a football around with me when he's a teenager is an entirely different animal). I generally feel pretty lousy too. I'm sore often. Feel really thick in the middle. My doctor said I should weigh about 170 and I'm closer to 185 on a good day and 188 on a bad one.

2006 would also be the year of my 20th high school reunion. I don't know if we'll actually have one. I haven't heard anything and my class was never really tight the way others were. But if I do get an announcement I want to look my best. I have often said that I don't want to be "fat and bald". Since I can't help being bald I had better take care of the one thing I have more control over.

Tommorow, April 4th, is day 1. Let's see if I can go 30 days and get my money's worth at this gym.

You mean I'm not just a plain ol' loser?

http://newyorkmetro.com/news/features/16529/index.html
Just when you think you've grown out of labels they invent a new one. The Grup. This was actually a pretty interesting article to me. Having been a retail buyer/marketer (my corporate gig) I learned all about predicting behavior. You had to have the right mix of product at the right time for the right person. It was amazing how predictable people really were. It was my first introduction to trendspotting on a macro level. And as it turns out leaving the corporate job was part of a trend as well.

Here's a small sample of how it works. You hear a song on the radio and say to yourself, "That sounds different and unique and like someone I'd like to hear more of. That Norah Jones really appeals to me. I'm going to go to the store and see if they've heard of her." You get to the store and there is an endcap featuring her that month. The radio station (one of hundreds owned by the same company) is playing her cd all over the country at the same moment. To you it is a very personal connection with an artist. To a record store employee you are a drone coming in just like dozens of others that day asking if you've heard of this jazzy female singer named Norah Jones or something like that.

We all think we are special in our world that we have created and we make decisions on our own that shape who we are. Then we wake up one day and find that we are one of millions just like us. Enough so that they create a name that describes us. I guess it's kind of comforting knowing that so many of us are heading in the same direction and are not alone. What the hell is 40 going to look like? 50? Impossible to imagine! But we're going to get there as a group like good little drones wearing our uniform of Echo and the Bunnymen t-shirts and Chuck Taylor All Stars. Just don't expect us too early in the morning. We like to sleep in a little.

photographic updates

It's still very much a work in progress but here are a couple of shots of where we stand with the house/project.

We built some shelves into the living room to add character and seperate it from the dining room.

Here's a shot from the family room through the dining room and into the flex room which is off of the kitchen.

One thing we did was open this doorway up wider and add French doors. It gives us the choice of closing off the back of the house or opening it up. We like choices. That's probably why we have so many lights on dimmers.

A Revolution by the People

Urban areas of the country have been experiencing a boom over the last decade. My guess is it's cyclical. People like myself had parents that grew up in the city and moved to the suburbs for all the usual reasons that I don't intend to go into. Their offspring grew up in safe environments with good schools and not much to do. We couldn't walk anywhere worthwhile. It was too far to ride our bikes to anything enjoyable. Now that we are old enough and able to live where we want we've decided to move back to the cities.

Suburban areas are feeling the new vibe of urban living as well. Many older suburbs are reviving their Main Street and building urban style housing. Subdivisions are being built with sidewalks, streetlamps, center courtyards and thankfully garages in the rear off of alleys.

The great thing about St. Louis' rebirth in particular is that it has been instituted by individuals. People, couples, families moved back into the city for reasonably priced housing stock. They renovated houses and brought back streets and neighborhoods that had been written off for dead.

Big time developers followed the little guys. They came in and took on high profile projects. Turning old warehouses into lofts, and former offices into high end dining. These guys get the press. These guys get a pat on the back from the mayor and their day in the sun for being so forward thinking and "saving" our city.

I wish I could post a picture of who actually is saving this city. The picture would be a group shot of thousands of regular people. They'd be wearing their weekend work clothes and holding their power tools and smiling. Smiling because they are proud of the work they've done.

All things being cyclical (including this blog) I just hope that the flight to the suburbs will be a little less harsh the next time around. If we can put into practice some of the truths we've learned about urban living in the last few decades maybe people will have a more difficult time deciding where to live because they have so many great options.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I went to St. Patrick's school for 8 years as a child. The girls had to wear green polyester pants or skirts and a green vest with a white shirt. The boys were more fortunate in that we had a choice of wearing blue, brown or green slacks in solid colors and a solid color shirt. I went to a University whose colors were green and white also. I sort of burned out on the color scheme. It's taken me some time to get over my fear of "the wearin' o' the green". I'm over it now and my Irish Grandmother would be proud. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!