some place green

My family has been gone for a week now. And what I always think are going to be laid-back times turn into busy times. I have to say that our house seemed incredibly empty when they all left, and very lonely. I feel that when we discuss bonding with our children and how they bond to us is really measured well by how much I miss them all when they leave. Shirley has called and left a couple of messages, which I saved and listened to them again later on. Her messages are always so cute. I discussed this with our friends Josh and Becky when they had me over for dinner last Thursday; Josh recalling trying to decipher Shirley's lengthy message to them in Spanglish inviting them to Brad, Traci and Joel's house for dinner. So I miss them terribly, finding that filling my time with movies and video games are not what they used to be. I will see them soon, though, leaving Thursday morning and spending a long weekend in PA. I am looking forward to it and thought about trying to extend the days there for three days longer, but I don't know what the reality of that would be...

So I have been busier than I thought I would be. There have been plenty of invitations to do things, so many that I have had to turn some down just so I could do my own thing here. And my own thing has consisted of a variety of movies, vids, recording music and reading screenplays for movies. My favorite, by far, has been recording music. I got in the zone last week and recorded four songs (not all complete) and have been dabbling with them since then. One completely drives me crazy, and Josiah asked why I don't just get rid of it, but I always like to hold on to them for the chance that they evolve into something else later. My favorite is a song that I recorded 10 years ago over Thanksgiving break while in my first year of Bible college. I have long since lost the tape (recorded on a borrowed analog four track) and had difficulties remembering the parts in my head. But memory prevailed and I was able to lay down the tracks and roughly master the song in about 3 1/2 hours. I plan on doing more today, perhaps even helping Josiah with three tracks that he has wanted to record. We'll see. We tried to do another Frog Brother recording yesterday, but it just wasn't working out, so we scrapped our ideas. We'll see.

I did end up going to Built to Spill last Saturday night. Josiah came through and met me at the venue. The Boggs opened up for BTS and were entertaining, but overall not that great. They had two drummers and a keyboard/singer who really did very little either. One of the drummers looked like he was about 6'10", which was really accentuated when he stood next to the other shorter, more portly drummer. Interesting. I am not going to buy their album. BTS arrived late due to their van breaking down on the way to the venue. It seemed that they were already in a bad mood when they started, so when Doug Martsch's equipment began malfunctioning it was a recipe for disaster. He was not pleased and displayed his frustrations by flailing his arms and kicking his equipment. I thought we were going to get completely ripped off because of his attitude, but it got better after about 6 songs. They played for about an hour and forty minutes, which was very nice. I had hoped for a couple of songs that they didn't play (The Plan, Goin' Against Your Mind), but was extremely pumped up when they played "You Were Right" as the finale of their set. They encored with a fifteen minute jam session which left the crowd in a frenzy. It was a good show, for sure. Late night, though.

This week will be a short one for me. I will only work two days, even taking off early on Tuesday to get good positioning for seats at RYAN ADAMS! I am excited. My buddy Turner is going to pick me up around 3 and we will go stake our claim in line in anticipation for the show. I have heard terrible things about Ryan Adams shows, that he is ________(fill in whatever derogatory term you would like), and that he shows up drunk half the time. I read recently, though, that he is sober, so I am hoping that we are not disappointed. They are calling for afternoon storms that day, so it might be a damp show. Regardless, we are going to push through and hopefully have a great time.

So one of the movies I watched this past week was Fast Food Nation. I found it to be utterly disturbing. I would not recommend it for everyone, mostly because of some of the material within the film, but for the presentation of the peripheral implications of the fast food industry, I would recommend it. I have eaten Chick fil'a since then, but I don't think that I will eat at other fast food places, nor will I make CFil'a a common stop anymore. I can't even begin to describe the film, other than to say that the impact of our convenience and ease at getting what we want when we want it has more ripple effect than we might possibly consider. Sometimes you receive information and you don't really know how to react, what to do, or necessarily even want the information, but with this, there are really few options if you believe the artist's picture: a stand must be taken. Most people that I have talked to who have watched the film have not eaten fast food since. Maybe it is worth your time.

The screenplay I read was one that was given to me by a friend at work. He loves film and has filmed two shorts that he submitted to Sundance and other film festivals. I watched one of them recently and was impressed what he did with a budget of $1000 (which he filmed both for under that price). He gave me the script hoping I would know someone who might be interested in investing in his next film. He has worked on several movies already and has connections in the industry with actors/actresses. He already has some b-list actors who have accepted his invitation to take part in this film. . .if he gets funding. I read the script and found it to be good. I would recommend re-writes in a couple of places, and he seems very willing to do that, which is good. Overall he is looking for $300,000. Any investors out there? It doesn't have to be the full amount. He does have a good eye for directing. Just checking.

Anyhow, I hope all is well with you all. I hope it is cooler than the weather here, too. We need to move to some place green...

be cool

I saw Yo La Tengo on Thursday night. It was a free show in downtown SLC, which was pretty nice. The Fiery Furnaces opened, which was okay. I really didn't dig on them too much. It was easily in the high 90's early on, and possibly in the 100's, but before too long my buddy Josiah and I were in the shade. The place pretty much packed out before too long, with many, many people showing up just for the scene. I always find them to be quite annoying, as I am there for the music. They talk. I listen to the band. Anyhow, Yo La Tengo, from the moment they hit the stage, absolutely rocked. They played very hard and very well for a mostly indifferent crowd. I enjoyed it thoroughly, though, and would gladly go see them again. Especially if it was free.

So Janine's mom and sister and her two kids have been here for about a week now. It has been good to have them all here, as they have been able to get out and do things and the kids have all been getting to know each other. It really looks as though they have been having fun together. They have filled their week up with things to do, most of which has involved small trips to outdoor places in the morning while it is still cool. Last Sunday we went to the zoo, which was quite fun. All the kids seemed to enjoy seeing the animals, and Juancho Panco (as he now insists on calling himself) wasn't afraid of the elephants this time. Now we only have to tackle the fear of the primates, then they will have conquered Hogle Zoo. It is always fun to take the kids out and let them be outside. We are very fortunate to have kids who absolutely LOVE to get out and do things. Anyhow, it has been a good week with family here.

Brad, Traci and Joel left early last Saturday (5 AM flight) to go to Costa Rica for five weeks. It has been odd to not have them here. The boys are constantly asking about them, wondering where they are at, and when we answer "Costa Rica" I am sure they are wondering where the heck that is. Every time I walk Pakak now, she always wants to turn toward their house before heading out around the block. She obviously misses her buddy Rufus. We miss them, for sure, but I am pretty sure that the five weeks will go by quickly. And I hope that they are having a blast with language school and the birds of central America.

So Janine and the kids will be leaving to go to PA when her family leaves tomorrow. It will be very odd to not be around her and the kids for the ten or eleven days that we will be apart. I realize my attachment to the kids is strong when I don't see them for a day (like Thursday when I went from work to the show downtown and got home at 10:45, well after the kids went to sleep) and it seems like forever since I have seen them. I know that I will be anxious to be with them when I fly over in early August. We will be having a little reception for the kids when I get there, so that should be pretty nice. It will be boring around here without my family, though. I know that Janine will be busy with many things, and I am hoping that the kids get to do a lot of fun stuff while they are there. I also hope that Juan flies a little better this time than he did in February. I don't know how many readers remember that blog, but he is not the avid airman. We'll see what happens. There will be three adults and five kids flying, so hopefully it will be fine, even if there are some apprehensions regarding flying for Juancho Pancho. It will also be a gauge to see how things will be on the way home when it just Janine and me and we have a layover in Cincinnati. Layovers + five travelers = possible trouble. We'll see.

The Rocky Mountain Revue just finished up here in SLC. It is the summer league for rookies and players trying to improve or lesser players trying to land contracts with NBA teams. I didn't go to any games, but watched a little bit on TV. I found it ridiculous that there were actually people heartily boo-ing the referees in a stinkin' summer league game! Utah fans, of course. Can we act a little more spoiled? These games don't count for anything at all! I am pretty sure that the coaches don't care about winning or losing, and any player who says he cares is lying, so why should a crowd care about summer league? I am at a loss for a reason, but there they were, boo-ing the game, boo-ing the refs, and I just shook my head in disgust. Get real. I can't stand Utah fans. Their team has never done anything wrong. Ever. Get real.

So tonight I am supposed to go see Built to Spill. I have been planning this concert in numerous ways with friends for quite some time now, but it all fell apart yesterday as anyone I was planning on going with cancelled on me. It was disheartening, but I understood all their reasons. Regardless, I am now stuck with ticket to a show that I really want to see, but have no one to go with. I feel kind of lame going by myself, but I would be extremely disappointed to not go, as I missed the band each of the last two years, and you never know when they will be back. The thing that makes it somewhat difficult is that it is downtown and starts at 8 or 9. So I wonder if I should drive or take Trax (public transport) and how that will all work out. I think I am pretty much determined to go (I already bought my ticket) so I need to figure the details out soon. That's what I get. It was bound to happen in the summer of the shows...Ryan Adams still to come on July 31...Calexico August 23....Son Volt August 26...Def Leppard Sep. 8....just kidding about that one...

I have enjoyed a couple of documentaries lately. "Our Brand Is Crisis" focuses on a campaign by twice former president of Bolivia, Goni. It is interesting to see McCarthy-ism in action in a campaign and to make the transition from another place and another culture to see how that makes itself manifest here. The other was "You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train" which was an historical account of Howard Zinn's journey from beginning to present. Certainly a good film to watch, and one that will entice one's desire to at least begin to read his writings. I would recommend this one to all.

Anyhow, I should get going. I feel the coffee drawing me in. So I better drink a cup or two.

Be cool.

mercy, mercy

What day is this? Seriously. These days have been running together, as I have worked too much and have felt as though I am running this way and that way. Oh well. A good thing that happened is that we determined in a meeting yesterday at work that Saturday work will no longer be required where I am contracted to work, except for on special occasions, which should only happen once or twice more in the calender year. The bummer part is that I will most likely not be full time in my current environment of work at the end of August. Too bad. I enjoyed it and will miss the steadiness of the work. What can you do, though?

So July has started, and really a third of it has passed already. It is amazing. It has been a strange July here, hot, to be sure, and very smoky. There are some big fires around the area that has added to the usual pollution of the SLC/Utah County valleys. The skies are very thick with various particles and microns in the air. The air levels, as far as health risks, have been pretty high. It is gross. It is thick enough to change the color of the sunlight from the clear to a yellow-ish tint. We await a front or two to come in and move this junk out, but there seems to be no end in sight. 100 degree days for the better part of 10 day forecasts, every time I check. I miss cool weather.

I also shaved my head again. After growing my hair without a trim since January 25, the heat became to much for me to take. It is kind of a bummer, as I was going to see how long I could go, but the temperatures as of late pushed me to the edge. So I am bald again. It is much easier.

The kids have been doing pretty well. During the heat we have been sleeping in the basement, which has had its ups and downs, for sure. It is always nice to sleep in a cooler place (often times 17 degrees cooler than our rooms upstairs), but it really took the kids out of their element. It was much more difficult to put them to bed, as they felt that because their bed was on the floor that they pretty much had free reign to the basement. There were nights that they were falling asleep at the same time we were (10-11 PM)! Needless to say, it kind of made for interesting times when they weren't getting enough sleep. There were moments of crankiness, crabbiness, and all around mayhem, but it worked as far as being cooler. Tonight will be the first night that we try being back up in the upstairs. I slept there last night, as the air mattress that we have been using has not been kind to my sleeping patterns or my back. So I finally got some amount of good rest last night when I slept on our own bed. I used no covers, though, as it was warm.

We bought our own little inflatable pool the other day. The kids have so much fun when they are able to play around in the pool of our friends Rich and Corina, so on these hot days in which there is little relief, we thought it would be nice for them to have one at their disposal. We tried it out pretty quick and the kids love it. They have so much fun jumping in and out and splashing around; it is also quite fun to watch them. It gives them something to do other than hanging out in the basement, too, which has been a refuge lately. I have to say that when we shuffled stuff around down here to accommodate the sleeping, it really cramped the computer room. We put a table in the room which really made me feel claustrophobic . . . part of the reason I didn't write. I didn't feel comfortable being in the room for too long, and it always takes me a little bit to write all this stuff down. So I obviously didn't write much.

Last night we participated in a welcome of two youth groups from outside of our area. The welcome was a barbecue, so we packed the kids up and hit the library on the way to our fun time with others. It was a beautiful evening and another chance to let the kids get out and be outside in a different environment than the usual places we go. It is always fun to watch them interact (or not interact) with others as they overcome their unfamiliarity with our church family. I really think that the members of our church get a kick out of it, too, to see the shy eyes and smiles of Shirley, Andres and Juancho Pancho (a name he often calls himself now). So it was a good time and a good chance to visit with some of the church folks in an environment in which we don't always interact. It was good.

So I don't usually celebrate "Independence Day" in any particular fashion. I am, at best, indifferent on the holiday because of what the drawn out implications are for such a day for the indigenous people of this country. My buddy called me up and declared it "interdependence day", which really sounded much better to me, so my celebratory acts of the day (including charring burgers and lighting fireworks that the kids absolutely loved--thanks Sherri!) were in support of interdependence day: a day in which we recognize our interdependence with each other. "Independence Day" certainly feeds a certain characteristic that is blatantly propagated by many Americans: That we are self-made, autonomous, and the holders and keepers of our destiny (sometimes backed up by Manifest Destiny). While some may scoff at such a notion, I would offer that such an idea is not only truly encouraged but is at the very root of much of our economy, politics, and social structures. And in that it certainly has invaded our theology and our ability to actually be formed by community or even in our consideration of communitarian acts (...that's not my problem). Indeed, "Independence Day" is simply a day off for me, not something in which I participate in such a way as to continue the overarching goal of social Darwinism (of which free-market capitalism is a large part, by the way). Anyhow.

So has anyone here ever heard Gillian Welch's cover of Radiohead's "Black Star"? It is incredible. It is available on iTunes, if anyone is interested. Did I mention that it is incredible? Well, it is.

T-Shirts and Coffee: Still in the works. I have been busier than I have wanted to be lately and have not had the chance to investigate as much as I have wanted to, but I continue on in thinking in such a direction. Who knows, though. Designs are in the works, though, and a phone call needs to be made to discuss economics with the coffee supplier. Any web designers out there? I need a domain.

AND THE FLYERS! They signed a few key players for the upcoming season (October 4). First of all, they landed a smallish, but outstanding player in Daniel Briere. Briere spend last year with Buffalo and was pivotal in their appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. He is an incredible center who should be paired on the first line with Simon Gagne to form quite an imposing scoring line. Also acquired were a pair of defensemen: Jason Smith and Kimmo Timonen. Smith, who is a career +33, and Timonen (+20 last year) should help to shore up a blue line that was porous and imobile this past year. Joining them will be James van Riemsdyk, who was the second pick in the recent NHL draft. Obviously being picked this high, they are expecting good things from JVR. Also joining the forwards is Scott Hartnell (+16 career) who was the sixth pick in the 2001 draft. While he has not yet lived up to expectations it is far too soon to write him off, and the Flyers are hoping to catch him as he elevates his game. Centers Jeff Carter and Mike Richards now have another year under their belts, which should prove valuable as the team presses on this year for improvement and hopefully moves in the direction of the playoffs. It should be noted that the Flyers also acquired Joffrey Lopul, a seventh pick a couple of years ago. He is a skilled offensive player who needs to improve his defense. Needless to say, I am excited for the new year. I was disappointed that they didn't try very hard to re-acquire Michael Handzus (my favorite player) as he ended up signing with Los Angeles. Could that be any farther from Philly? Go Flyers.

anyhow, enough rambling. I won't even get into my thoughts on the Portland Trailblazers. I still miss the days of mercy, mercy Jerome Kersey, though.

Keep on rockin'.