Pixelated rants...

21 hours...

2012-01-19T10:47:00.004-06:00

4:45am - (3:45 central) Up, shower, check email in South Bend IN.
5:30 - Show rehearsal call time.
7:00 - 10 Client show.
10:30 - 1:30 strike show and load truck.
1:30 - 5:45 - drive to Peoria.
6:00 - 12:45 - Set show for a 5:30 call that morning.
1:00 - 1:45am - Gin and Tonic, talk about the day with Schmitty, then bed.

Long Day...

18 months...

2012-01-12T21:24:00.004-06:00

It's been just about 18 months since I have posted here....why?
Heck in the past years if I sneezed four times in a row, I'd post about it.
So much has happened in the past year and a half, why not write about it?
Been thinking about it for a long time and I think I have pin pointed a few
events in this timeline that may have had an impact on my blogging. I will say one easy event to identify is me being let go from the Church I helped start and served for over 20 years. I was the arts director at our downtown Naperville campus.I was given notice when we were shutting down for a move into a new facility. I was told I was up fro the full time position but it would be up to the new campus pastor coming in. He takes me out for coffee to let me know that I was not up for the position. "We need someone who can relate to the college kids and we know that's not in your skill set" Huh? I have the terminal humor of a 7th grader.I felt old and useless.I was not going to go to my old friends and plea my case but after a few months I at least tried to explain how hurt I was that I was just tossed aside.Nothing but a
"Your departure should have been praised cause you did a great job, not feel like a punch in the gut". That was it....okay then.All they talk about is Church planting with their friends but what if one of your friends isn't good enough or young enough?
I haven't been to my home Church in an year and a half and only one staff member stayed in contact with me for about a month, after that? Nada...
I told many people that I wasn't phased that much, heck I even told Kim I wasn't phased that much. I'll say...I was phased.
How odd is this? I have many friends. I have had many people hunt me down after a service just to say they wish they could play like me or that my enthusiasm on stage is fun to see. I don't say this in a prideful way, I'm just saying, I know I can play. I'm not doubting my abilities, I'm just completely baffled that my years of friendship and service has been so quickly dismissed.
There are so many things that have taken place and I will get to several more in the near future. This first post is just something I had to get off my chest.
Here's to an interesting 2012

Three months since a post...

2011-07-31T23:01:00.002-05:00

My sister kind of nailed me down a few weeks ago.
Donna - "You're in a funk aren't you?"
Me - "What makes you say that?"
Donna - "When you're in a funk you don't blog"
Wow she's right. Much going on, plate full trying to escape a bit in creativity but that's not an easy task. I guess I need to blog about my parents, the grand kids, the crappy bar job.
I'll get to it soon...

D

NAPP

2011-04-14T23:31:00.001-05:00

National Association of Photoshop Professionals...

My portfolio there.

My NAPP Gallery

2011-04-09T23:31:00.001-05:00

Don't really even need to say anything...

Missed February...

2011-03-10T14:03:00.003-06:00

So I missed it eh?
That's a wee bit embarrassing. Quite a few things have happened since my posting.
I spent over twenty days in February on the road for TriMarq. Very very thankful for not only the work but that I didn't get fired from the bar for taking so much time off.
I got stranded in Atlanta again but it was the snow storm of he decade on the Chicago end that messed that up. It was quite a sight to land at O'Hare seeing dozens and dozens of snow plows working the runways. Green Bay, Chicago and Pensacola rounded out the shows for what turned out to be a very busy but good month.
The big news as it turns out is that my parents are moving in with us the first weekend of April. Mom's dementia is getting progressively worse and needs more attention.
They will basically take over the upstairs and with our work schedules, Kim and myself will be able to help them with the day to day tasks of living.

More to come...

Atlanta Rev.2

2011-01-31T10:26:00.003-06:00

A full crew a great show and no gear...
It's noon and we're all ready and assembled to do a show build and I see one of our lead techs with an odd look on his face, "we don't have our truck". Apparently, the driver bringing our gear down took the advance money and never picked up the truck. Our crew (8 peeps) waiting for the truck find out it's never left Milwaukee. The gear company who hired the guy, hired two guys that could drive straight through. We got the truck at 12:30 this morning. We unloaded and started the build around 1:15. I got to bed around 5:30. A full blown blended image wide screen show with all the bells and whistles set up in less than 4 hours with minimal griping. I love working with professionals that have the all for one, get it done mind set. The rest of the crew is resting and I'm manning my four breakout rooms. I'm tired but love the fact we nailed this set up.
The weather is now saying horrible snow and cold when I am supposed to be traveling (again) I'm starting to think I'm a snow/travel jinx. Maybe I should hate snow more but I just can't help it, I love it!
Stay tuned to see if I make it home!

Retro fishing post...

2011-01-24T14:49:00.004-06:00

I found a few old pictures and these three reminded me of an ill fated fishing afternoon with Steve Bailey.
We were in the thick of it...Fish and mosquitoes. Fish after fish. On one of my casts I pulled hard over a weed bank and got a hook caught in my shoe lace. I couldn't get it out so I just cut my line and re tied so I could get back to the action.
About 20 minutes later the mosquitoes were really attacking. One bit on my right calf and I scratched it with my left foot. Forgetting there was a hook in my shoelace, I embedded the hook deep in my calf. I was so shocked I couldn't even speak to tell Steve what was going on. He saw me hopping on one foot and ran over to help. He helped me get my shoe off and we made our way back to the car. I leaned on the car with a pair of fishing pliers and tried and tried to pull the hook past the barb. I couldn't do it.
Giving up I made my way to home to so Kim could take me to the ER. After some local pain killer, the doc whips out a cheap pair of pliers. 20 seconds later I was getting a tetanus show and was sent on my way.
Gotta love fishing!

Atlanta

2011-01-16T15:00:00.010-06:00

What an eventful work week down in Atlanta.
I flew down to video interviews and floor exhibits.
I found it sort of sad that me, not being an agriculture type person, got to hang out with farm equipment while Kim stayed home to hold down the fort. Walking among millions of dollars of tractors and combines really made me stop and think about and industry that I've always taken for granted. The job? fine, how can running around getting B roll of displays and talking to a few people NOT be a good gig? After the first day I was able to have dinner with my cousin John White, his wife and son. One of the things I will always remember about my Uncle Len was his devious, sarcastic humor. Oldest son John carries the torch quite well. Great food and many laughs made for darn nice welcome to Atlanta. Met salt of the Earth farmers that most Americans take for granted.
Most of us are all about instant gratification. They want that burger, loaf of bread or salad....NOW! If any of us really knew the amount of labor, technology and passion it takes to provide us with the simplest of needs, we'd be ashamed that we don't support them more. As I finished my shooting duties, I thought my adventure was over...

The rumor mill around the show floor was of the upcoming rare winter storm to hit Georgia. Snow happens but melts pretty quickly. I made my way to the airport about 3 hours before my flight to make sure I didn't get caught in panic traffic.
Side note. 1 suitcase, a computer bag, a travel case for microphones, a camera bag and to top it off? a tripod bag. Checking three bags with Delta? 185 smackers, thank you very little. So where was I? Oh yes, flying home. The inbound flight from New Orleans was about 45 minutes late. By the time we boarded the plane, I could hear sleet hitting the jet way. Fifteen minutes later I was sitting in my seat over the wing watching snow accumulate with every passing moment. Thirty minutes passed and the pilot came on saying we are in cue for de-icing and to hang tight. Another thirty minutes passed and he comes on again with the same announcement. The whole time I'm sitting there I'm watching three inches+ pile up on the wing. I knew we weren't going to take off so there I sat just waiting for that announcement. Finally the pilot comes on and tells us that the flight is now canceled. We grab our things and get off the plane. It was very surreal watching thousands of people in the terminal all filing off the various planes at the same time. I went into "B" mode and called my boss to procure a car before they were all gone. I talked to an agent and he said the soonest he could put me on a flight would be Wednesday night. Hmmm..... Three days in the Atlanta airport just was not going to happen. Jim calls back with a car....phew.
I creep my way out of the airport I got to witness my first Georgia residents driving in snow. The good folks down there just don't get enough snow to be proficient snow drivers. I saw three accidents before I even got on the highway.

Turning on the radio, I find out that there are only eight plows for the entire metro Atlanta area so my hopes of seeing a plow on the highway weren't too high. Traffic is moving, it's slow but it's moving, the time? 11:30pm. The Toyota I have is doing quite well in the snow so I'm only worried about the other cars. I felt it necessary to try and get as far North as possible. I lost count of the accidents I saw but I just forged ahead. In the four+ inches of snow on the highway I could only get up to about forty miles an hour and maintain control. On my tedious drive I passed over one hundred cars on the side of the highway. No trauma anything just neat tire tracks showing these people just pulled over and abandoned them. Very odd indeed.
On an entrance ramp I slowed to see a jackknifed truck and a car sideways with 5 guys trying to right the car. I saw that there was enough room to squeeze by so as bad as I felt, I passed them all by and got on 85 heading North. The snow just kept falling and by the time it reached 4am and I'm haven't even hit Tennessee yet. I decide to give up and find some food and a bed. Turns out I'm only about 10 miles South of Tennessee so I decide to pull off. The first ramp I attempted had a stalled truck blocking it. The second had a four car accident. The third? clear. Across the street from each other was a Waffle House and a Holiday Inn Express. I took that as a sign. I ate and checked in. Nine thirty came and I woke to about six inches of snow piled up on my fellow cars in the lot. I only had one inch and it was still falling. I decide to risk it to get to my goal of Nashville. I get back on the highway and see a sign "Chattanooga 15 miles". There's a mountain highway towards Nashville that I was a bit worried about but as soon as I crossed the state line, the roads were clear. the GA/TN line was just that, a line, Georgia? snow covered, Tennessee? Plowed concrete. The roads were all clear and just fine. I was trying to figure out how much money TN could make by renting a few plows to GA...all very odd. I made to the Nashville airport. I checked in and had two hours to kill. I was so stressed that as I walked through the airport. I saw two establishments, a message place that had magic fingers and a airport bar that had Jack Daniels. Sorry fingers, Jack won. I made my flight, Kim picked me up at O'Hare and I spent two days getting my luggage back from Delta. Would I do that again?
In a heart beat... I love my job!
Notice there are no pictures? With all the video gear I had to take, I had no room for a camera, now THAT part sucked!

Christmas in MN...

2010-12-28T06:57:00.017-06:00

We drove up to Austin to share Christmas with Kim's family. With Kim's brother coming up from Texas and us coming from IL, this was the first Christmas Kim's folks had all the kids together since Kim's sister Pam passed almost two years ago. Needless to say a very important time for the family. The drive up was uneventful until we got off the highway into Austin. The amount of snow on the ground was staggering. I now know why the Dome collapsed. Plow drifts of 6 feet+ covered the entire city. Here's a shot of a car from Paul & Carole's sidewalk.

Not much to do with Christmas but the snow sure was impressive.
Everyone was so excited to see each other. Paul broke out some shrimp cocktail and the party began. So many people to talk to it was hard to know where to begin. I guess the biggest deal was that Kim's brother Eric brought a very sweet girl named Sarah up from TX.

She fit in just fine and I don't think we scared her too bad. Carole crushed the tip of her finger in the kitchen and Sarah stepped in with an extra pair of hands to help with all the food prep. The front door opens and in walks our nephew Derek, fresh from Afghanistan in a crisp Marine uniform. The young kid has already made it through an IED incident and we sure were glad to be able to have him around for a few days.
Some presents and then time for midnight Mass. We took up an entire pew and still had one left over. The choir presented about a half an hour of music before the service started and you sure could tell how hard they worked to get ready for it...well done. Back home for a few more laughs and one by one, people started heading off to bed.
Christmas morning comes and slowly the house came to life. The first thing I noticed was the smell of fresh coffee. There's something about that smell that evokes a sense of peace and calm, a nice way to start the morning. Surrounded by family, food and laughs is one heck of a way to spend a holiday.
Kim's mom sets a beautiful table and with so many of us this year we had to move the furniture to make room for all the tables. What a fantastic problem to have.

Kim's dad kept disappearing to lovingly baste the ham that he's pretty dang famous for. The smell of everything coming out Carole's kitchen was planting the seeds of desire to overindulge. The time came for Paul to carve the ham. I sensed he needed some help so I quietly followed Kim's brother Eric and Paul to the sacred shrine of pork to carve that bad boy. The gleam in Paul's eye was almost blinding as he carved a small sample for both Eric and myself...with approving nods and grunts the ham was carved and we all took our places at the table. All the effort put in to this meal did not go unnoticed,
I can't imagine a better compliment for Carole and Paul than to have the whole family that can't seem to shut up at all, quietly cramming all the deliciousness we can muster into our faces. Well done folks...well done.
One devious thing Sarah helped Eric and I do was pick out a house of ill repute...huh?
Kim's mom has an amazing Dickens Christmas village collection.

She spends hours setting it up for us all to enjoy and we really do. On a run to the store we found a super cheap house with a gleaming red light to add to her city. I figured she wouldn't notice it until she was putting it away for the season. She sat on the couch and glanced over to the village, it took all of 15 seconds or so before she exclaimed "What is THAT?" I tell ya, the woman knows her village.
With the dishes done, the stories told and the memories shared, once again, we all slowly drifted off to bed.

The next day with a few tears shed we made our way back to Illinois to mark Christmas 2010 as one of the best we've had.

Yet more kid pics...

2010-12-08T22:29:00.002-06:00

It was a good sleep over with the girls. I had a pro level camera for another shoot and thought I'd try and get a few pics of the girls.
The following are my favs...

2010-12-01T11:46:00.005-06:00

Kids Video

Music by Uncle Daddy and Caitlin Coffelt

Monday Funday!

2010-11-29T17:58:00.023-06:00

The girls spend Monday's here while Laura is in school. Today, Kim had a full day's activities planned and I just hung on for the ride.
First on the agenda? Tree Trimming!

On to sewing with Meema time!
Kim let them pick some fabric out and made them quick bags...

Then some craft time...

No compound in any of our carpets so it's a win!
What a great day...

Meema is still going...Papa needs a beer.

CHEESE!!!!!!

Wet...

2010-11-23T09:43:00.001-06:00

Perhaps one of the finest beers I have had...

Groped in San Antonio...

2010-11-11T20:26:00.011-06:00

Yup, you read that right.

The San Antonio airport opened a new terminal on the day I had a flight home. Outfitted with the latest equipment in the war on terrorism, the TSA's were ready to do battle. Along comes "Dangerous Doug" (that's me) ready to fly home. I fly quite often and have a system of taking everything I have on me and putting it in my computer bag. All I carry on me going through the metal detector is my drivers license and my boarding pass. I never get stopped, never. This day however? Quite a different story. I stood in the new fancy x-ray machine and held my arms up just like the picture in the machine told me to and for some reason, I "triggered an alert" I was then asked to stand on a mat with two foot prints on it. I complied and was then told I needed to submit to a physical search. I was taken in a small room with two TSA men in it to get my search. I was then warned that I was going to get a complete body hand search. Torso, arms, legs, rear end, crotch, hands run all the way around my waste, inside my pants. By the time the search was ending, I was pretty angry. I got a little smart and told them they could at least buy me dinner before they get in my pants...dumb I know but I was not thrilled with having the only metal on me being my fillings and I still get targeted. Here's the kicker. On the way down to Texas, I go into my backpack on the plane to get my iPod and what do I see? my 4.5 inch folding knife and a 7 inch Phillips screw driver...nice job TSA's.
If it happens again, I'll assume it's because I'm big. We'll see...

*EDIT*
Okay, I have now seen many reports on the unconfirmed safeness of the x-ray machines.
I will now refuse to use them which is a 100% grope session. It will be up to me to get creative on what they find on me...heck we all know I'm no stranger to women's under ware and such. I may just wear a bra also and give the TSA's something to talk about on their coffee breaks.
Stay tuned!

*Edit II Feb.7*

Opted out of the x-ray machine on another flight.
This time I got frisked in public. That made all the difference in the world.
I was totally okay with it. Maybe being taken into a locked room was the difference?

November status...

2010-11-03T21:51:00.002-05:00

I walked around in the back yard today and saw all the gardens put to bed. I saw the
four month supply of wood stacked and ready to burn to keep us warm. November can be a dark, cold, gray skies and no snow. Being a transition month it can be tough to get out of Summer mode and prepare for Winter. Kim is in the air now leading a group of 146 to Egypt and Israel and I leave Saturday for a 5 day show in San Antonio. Does this mean work is getting better? It just may. The production company I have been doing some work for has me booked for work out through February with shows in pencil beyond that.
I am down to 10 days at the bar for this month and I am thrilled.
My parents are getting older every day. Yes, they have been doing that for a long time but Mom is slipping a bit. Oldest sister Donna has stepped in to help organize doctor visits and such and I know it's frustrating her but I'm glad she's here.

We'll see what the future holds...

Another cool opportunity...

2010-09-26T10:36:00.003-05:00

Through Face Book, I have reconnected with a high school alum who is a photographer.
I went to her studio for a quick test shoot. I am going to use the studio for a model shoot with one of the servers from Palmers.
Here's a demo of the quality that can be attained if you have the right gear.
With about five minutes of prep, I saw all I needed to see.
Stay tuned for future pictures...

A good gig...

2010-09-22T16:33:00.012-05:00

With the production company I am working for here and there, I have to make some concessions. They have some of the best AV guys in the biz and there's no way I can compete with them, they really are amazing guys. When I am on these shows. I am a basic stage hand building sets and jumping in where needed, then run cameras for the shows. This show in Park City UT was a wee bit different. After building sets, my job was as a still camera guy. I just ran around documenting as much of the events as I could. I shot around 1100 pictures but one of the coolest things was shooting individual shots with Tom Brokaw and the various company execs and clients. After the shoot I asked if I could take my picture with him and he was more than gracious.

Here are a few more samples of this weeks job...

Waiting on a flight back home and grateful for the opportunity to spend a few days shooting and getting paid for it. More about Park City in a few.

La France Cafe and Crepes...

2010-09-04T13:29:00.005-05:00

One thing both Kim and myself love is to see people passionate about what they do.
Be it the visual or audible arts, agriculture or a profession, we try our hardest to support that passion.
Moroccan born, French ex pat, Chef Ben is one of those people that just gets it.
A classic French trained Chef, Ben has opened a cafe right here in Lombard.
I challenge you to find a better breakfast. The crepes are tender and filled with the freshest ingredients. Sweet or savory, we have not been disappointed.
Kim and myself have fallen in love not only with his food but his genuine love of life.

Honor Flight

2010-08-27T13:07:00.010-05:00

There's no way I can put in to words how amazing the people who organize and support the Honor Flights are.
A nice send off, a great welcome in DC, the memorials, an off the hook reception back in Chicago. I am speechless.

Chicago Fire and Police are on hand to greet the plane...

A lesson here and there...

2010-08-23T15:37:00.019-05:00

Today is Laura's first full day of Nursing school. We have the three kids here and decided to take a little walk uptown to the candy store.

On the way we passed a small hill and Kim decided that today was the day to teach the kids about hill rolling. After demonstrating it herself she helped Olive and Amelia. It won't be long before their hill rolling skills are honed.

We then stopped into the store where Kim used to work for a little play time. Elle loaded her diaper and Kim's old boss sure enough had a spare, perfect. On Kim's trip to the dumpster to make a deposit, she saw a kids bed frame with "free" sign on it by the Catholic charities office. Once again just what we needed.

We have an adorable little candy store in town so we figured it's time to jack our grand kids up on sugar before Laura gets here.

Time to walk home...
Sometimes when things are hard, taking time out to teach wee ones how to roll down a hill is just the thing you need to remind you of the important things in life.

A cautious post...

2010-07-04T23:24:00.004-05:00

There's a realistic fear of posting thoughts and feelings that anyone can read.
So how to say things without sounding like a bitter person, I'm not sure.
I think the issue is how to deal with the fact that my own Church that I've been a part of for the past 21 years let me go. To be fair, the job was only supposed to go through April but the campus pastor liked what was happening so I was asked to stay on only to be let go a month later. It was all very corporate. "We like you, We couldn't have been more happy with what you've done but your last check is on the 15th". When you get fired from a corporation, it's simple you are not supposed to keep going to that building and hang out with the employees. A Church firing is a whole different ball game. Now I go to Church and am not a part of what's going on and then I see the peeps that made the decision to let me go. How do I not take that personally? Being in a church situation, am I allowed to gripe? Am I not seeing the bigger picture? Am I supposed to just accept it and hang around like nothing happened? I'm very confused right now.
Part of my thought process was hoping that this would be a vehicle to get me out of the bar. I have been praying for that for a long time so to have it taken away and actually have to ask for more shifts flinging drinks, makes for a grumpy Doug.
I am trying to be faithful and I want to vent but feel like I don't have the right. I am trying to stay "up" for Kim but I have to admit I want to scream at times.
There's another sobering reality. I can't really hang at the new campus. When I took over, it would have been awkward having my predecessor there diluting any authority. I need to step back and let the new guy do his thing. There are five services at the main campus but with my increased bar hours I can't play there either. All our other campuses are too far away to really contribute so there's not much for me to do now.
A very odd situation to be in. The folks in my band have been incredibly supportive and we are playing one of our remote campuses this coming week so I am very excited about that.
So there it is...
I am trying to get out of my funk but I'm not sure how to to that.
I'll bounce back, be patient.

"The Band"

2010-06-26T13:20:00.004-05:00

So I thought I'd throw out another positive post...
A band called Drops of Jordan have been playing with us for a while.
Great people.
They have asked me to part of the fun. I readily agreed.

Dave Rice - Keys/Vox
Donna Rice - Lead Vox
Al Novak - Electric Guitar
Jerome Walker - Bass
John Scarzone - Lead Vox
Jessie Scarzone - Lead Vox
David Powell - Drums
Doug White - Acoustic Guitar

Everyone sings lead vox?....Yup, they switch off and cover harmonies when not singing lead, very cool indeed.
We've been practicing every Monday night and I have to say it's been a blast.
Here's an original

Speak to Me

Facial Hair...

2010-06-26T09:59:00.004-05:00

I have some things I want to write about but I'm not sure how to put my feelings in print without me sounding like angry old man so I'm putting it together in my mind.

UNTIL THEN!!!

My facial hair Yoda (i.e. Mark Aubry) was able to grow a full beard by third grade. It's always been a toy for him. I have not been able to join in the fun until recently. I decided to see how long I could grow my Goat...
This was about as long as I could take it.

Soon after this picture I was eating cereal in the family room holding the bowl beneath me. After I was finished I realized my beard was wet and had been hanging in my milk for most of my breakfast. I trimmed it 2 minutes later.
I have no idea how the men of the Civil War era were even able to eat at all...

I'll save Donna Mo a trip to the comment page.
From Donna: "It was about time! Gross"

More to come.

Orlando Show...

2010-05-14T11:55:00.009-05:00

My old friend Jim from Tri-Marq took me on another Red Prairie show.
One thing I know is Tri-Marq produces one heck of a show. They are meticulous on how the show looks and sounds, how the client is treated and how the crew is treated. One thing that makes this show look good is the use of white sheer panels that with the use of back and front lighting, the Lighting Director can change the vibe of the show simply with light.

Larry Miller (actor/comedian) was brought in to entertain the crowd one night. Funny guy but pretty nice to boot. I had to watch the show from my camera position.

Another thing that sets Tri-Marq apart is the quality of the crew.
I am in awe watching the lead techs work their craft. Colin (lead audio), Glen (lead video) and Ian ( Lighting Director) know their craft.
Jim and Chris treat us very well with comfortable rooms, great food and plentiful drink.

A good show...
A dedicated crew...
Amazing gear...
That all makes for a great experience.

What, no yellow sprinkles?

2010-05-03T21:12:00.009-05:00

Okay, so she really didn't notice...

Tonight we celebrated Amelia's fourth birthday. The festivities started off around mid afternoon with Mealz getting her first ride in the two seater while Meema baked the requested birthday cake. A round, tall chocolate cake with white frosting, pink, purple, blue and yellow sprinkles. Topped off with four pink and white twisted candles.
the only thing we didn't have? Yup, the yellow sprinkles. Jim grilled some burgers to perfection then it was cake time. We sang to Amelia and she blew out the candles. We then hear Olive, "what about me?" so we lit the candles again and let her blow them out. Since it was Amelia's birthday we lit the candle one more time for her to blow out again. She stood there just waiting, we were all confused until Kim figured out we had to sing again, so we did.
I sure love my family...

Well????

2010-04-22T08:25:00.002-05:00

My how a few events can change just about everything...

The Wentz contract was quite a bit higher than was originally quoted. It's still going to happen but the decision was made close down the campus for 3 months to re group and do an official re-launch rather than just a move.
Then I find out that my boss is moving to a different area of CCC and a new guy is coming in. It's his choice on who to hire for the different positions.
So now I am back to job limbo....we having fun yet?
I officially have a gig until the end of May.
Guess I can't quit the bar yet...

Music, Admin & Wentz Hall...

2010-03-29T14:37:00.006-05:00

We got the date...
It's too soon... HA!

As of May 2nd The Down Town campus of Community Christian Church will be holding our services in the performing arts center at North Central College known as Wentz Hall.
I'm still the acting arts director there and have not been asked to leave so since a full time job has not come through yet....here I am.
I've got a good set of musicians to work with and things have greatly improved since some of my previous posts.
Wentz Hall is going to expose all shortcomings of anyone who isn't up to the task of raising the bar of their musicianship. With that some tough decisions are going to be made. I'm not thrilled with the position I am in but I can do it.
New auditions will be held in the next few months.
I had a 15 piece Orchestra this past Sunday playing with one our better rhythm sections.
It was a great morning.
Our church move qualifies us for some new gear so new inner ears are coming along with a wide screen format projection system is going to make for an amazing experience for the future attenders.

The Bar is still, well the bar...
Pianos are slowly increasing...
The next few months will be an interesting but fun ride!

The rut...?

2010-03-08T21:40:00.005-06:00

Well how interesting is this...
I'm in a rut.
There's hasn't been anything really new going on in my life for a month or so now. How weird is that?
Tend bar...
Work at the Church...
Babysit...
Kim left for Israel last night while I was tending so I came home to an empty bed. Babysat today, came home and took a mess load of garbage to the curb. uhhhhh yeah, I seem to have become quite boring. I have to say that makes me a bit angry. I work hard enough that when I get home I don't feel like doing anything else, throw in I make 1/4 of the money I used to and you have all the makings of an unhappy Doug. On a plus side, I am fitting into a groove at the Church. The musicians and such are accepting me a wee bit more. Friendships are growing. That's good.
Olive turns two this week and Elle has cut two teeth so she's happier.
Hard to believe that Mealz is going to be four in May, she still seems to be my buddy, not sure how long that will last but so far so good.
On the amusing side of things, Kim's rooster (Kiev) absolutely hates me and wants me dead. I can't go around him without his neck feathers flaring out like the spitting dinosaur from Jurassic Park and charging after me with talons, spurs and beak doing everything in his power to draw blood which he has done several times usually ending up with me holding it by the neck and handing it back to Kim. He's just fine with her...me? not so much. With her gone. I have to take care of them, dang talk about biting the hand that feeds you, it's gonna be a long ten days...

This and that....

2010-02-11T22:08:00.007-06:00

This is the longest I have gone without posting at the very least a kid picture or something.
Steve Aubry promptly has scolded me for slacking here and I must say I don't really have an excuse. I just haven't been in a blogging mood. I guess I could give a wee update on life in the White house...
I am still bar tending,tuning,taking shots and yes, working at the Church.
Four gigs...no benefits, gotta love that. Bitter? I have to say a little. I'm working very hard but feel like I have job ADD. "oh yes, we have a fine Belgian trappist ale..MUSIC! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY CAN'T PLAY THAT SUNDAY!!...oh, sir would you like a glass with that beer? I am all over the road. I feel like am not giving any of my gigs the attention they need. On the up side I seem to be settling into the Arts Director job.
People are being nicer and I have had some amazing players stepping up. A rare treat for me was having Jon Glista come up from Dayton to spend some time with our old friend Wayne McGee. He offered to play guitar with us but knowing he leads worship at a pretty big Church down in OH I told him to just plan on leading for us. I haven't played on stage with him in about 27 years. What a treat.

Another group of players have also stepped up to take over music one Sunday a month.
To have a Hammond endorsed player offer to well, play. You gotta take hi up on it.
These fine folks also bring four serious voices to the table...seriously good.

Oh this picture reminds me that yes, I know my beard is getting stupid, I'm just going as along as I can take it. I was eating cereal the other day, finished realizing that my beard had been resting in my milk...interesting. I have no clue how those Civil War dudes ate with the crazy face hair they used to sport...I digress.

I actually really am liking the music job. A far departure from a month ago when I wanted to kill 60% of the people on the music team.

The bar is the same...no need to go on.

The wee ones are great to play with, they came over after this weeks snow for some play time. Kim is really learning how to get some great shots with the camera, I only afraid she's going to want to claim it as hers...ha.

Well great now I can't shut up!
I guess I did have a couple of things to blog about.

Perspective...

2010-01-08T09:14:00.007-06:00

Have you ever had a light bulb moment? One of those times that isn't necessarily an earth shattering event but things just seem to become clear. This morning that happened to me. With a fresh eight or nine inches of fresh powder on the ground, I went out to clear the drive so Kim could get the car out to go to Church. Dressed in a flannel and a sweater, I decided that the 25 degree weather wasn't that bad so I stayed out to do the walk also. After about 20 minutes I stopped, leaned on my shovel and looked up. I saw smoke drifting from my chimney and a wave of peace came over me. Missing Christmas in Minnesota was hard on us and Kim's family. Carole sent a lovely package that arrived a couple of days ago. I have an incredible collection of unique Santa's that has been growing mainly thanks to my Mother in Law. Why should this year be any different? I received a stunning Father Christmas in the most perfect colors.

Our Niece Kellie Beth joined in this year and provided me with a new nightlight that has floating sparkles that move as it heats up...

What does some smoke and a couple of Santa's have to do with my moment? Everything. Seeing smoke means my house is warm. I am thankful for that. A couple of amazing Santa's means we are loved and I'm really thankful for that.

Many many people don't have such luxuries. We are fortunate indeed.
I always try to live by the adage "You can't always control what happens in life but you can control how you react to it" Time to see what 2010 brings...

The first post of 2010

2010-01-02T06:13:00.010-06:00

Well I guess I should put a few things down to start this year off...

Not gonna lie, 2009 sucked...sucked pretty hard.
Thank goodness for love and faith. Kim and I have been challenged like never before but our love for each other and our faith in God has not wavered.
We wonder what 2010 will bring. I am already in the habit of saying 20 10 not two thousand ten just in case you were curious. I have four part time gigs with no benefits at any. Kim and myself are flying without an insurance net. I am hoping this year brings a full time gig.
Job one....the bar.
Yes, I am still tending bar. I must admit I really love 90% of the social aspect of the place. Meeting new people and winning them over with a few jokes and a well made drink has people coming back. Each of the bar tenders has a few regulars and then there are the communal regulars that we all get and wish would leave...ha.
I also LOVE the sommelier aspect of pairing beer or wine to what people are eating. The look of enjoyment at my selection gives me an indescribable pleasure. There is a course you can take to become a beer sommelier, to be Cicerone certified would be pretty cool. Would it make me more money probably not. Would it make me more beer geeky? Absolutely. Being the old guy at the bar, working with an entire server staff that is as old or younger than my daughter has been interesting and I even got invited to my first party being thrown for a few of the girls birthday's. I'm not going but it was nice to be asked. Being at the bar, I get to eves drop on a slice of society that I have found pretty interesting. I will continue to do my job there with as much passion as I can muster until something comes along. The bar...not much money but I am grateful for every shift I can bring home a few dollars.
Job two... The Church
Each of our eleven campuses has a person called an "Arts Director" I am filling that position at our down town Naperville campus for the next four months or so. It is a no training job so being thrown into this position is confusing and frustrating at times.
leading the bands, organizing the services, tapping into the talents of our particular congregation is my job. At times I feel like I am begging for people to participate. I don't like that. So one of my biggest prayers lately has been for God to bring the right people to me. We are moving into an amazing facility in March/April and we have to bring an "A" music game over there, right now? a strong "C/B+" Getting to see the inner workings of Community Christian
has been very interesting. I admit I have taken what goes on in the background for granted, what an operation! I'm sure future "rants" will be coming from this job...ha.
Job three...photography
My hobby of taking pictures has branched out a bit. A few cd covers and such has given me a boost to start marketing myself a bit more aggressively. A digital signage company has been sending me to different locations to shoot display demos of their work. Pay? well they financed my new camera so I'm totally cool with that.
Here are a few examples

A few more examples...

So far in my photographic career I have brought in a whopping 250.00 to the family coffers. I am feeling better about charging. I have a band and another food shoot coming up in the next few weeks.

I have a photo club I belong to, here's my page
My Folder

Job four....piano tuning

Yes I am also still tuning a few pianos. I would like to get more. We dug out my old books and are going to start calling a few people. It's been 8 years since the books have been used so most everyone has wither died or moved on to another tuner but who knows we might dig up a couple.

So what does 2010 hold for work? No clue. I just hope and pray the marketing dollars are released from companies so I can get back out producing shows. Sorry for the long windedness of this but what else do you do when it's 5am and you can't sleep?

Christmas Day...

2009-12-26T05:11:00.010-06:00

After playing the 11pm service on Christmas eve, I got into my car at 12:20am Christmas day. A very surreal 20 minute drive back home, deserted streets with no commerce establishments open, always a special time for me. Since our Minnesota plans crumbled like a house of cards because of the weather, we had no plans for Christmas morning. We did presents with the kids a few days ago thinking we weren't going to be here.
Kim made her way too rich and way too good cream cheese coffee cake so after sleeping in a bit Kim and myself shared a nice slice. My Mom and Dad were having all the kids over to their retirement home around 2, so we cleaned up a bit and crashed that party on the South side. Some nice food and family catch up time...very nice.

Seven of the Eight Grandkids with Grandma and Grandpa, Missed you Jen!

John explaining that the present this year from he and Donna was a donation in all our names to a foundation that fixes cleft pallets for kids, enough for a surgery, ones of the coolest gifts I have ever seen...

Donna on post knee surgery Vicodine pretty much says it all...

After leaving, Kim, Evan and myself caught the Christmas day release of Sherlock Holmes. A well done flick.

Christmas 09 didn't quite go how we planned, we terribly missed having Christmas with Kim's folks but were thankful my family was doing something so close.

Merry Christmas!

Bitter sweet...

2009-12-24T15:46:00.006-06:00

Seems like this has been an odd year for us, why should Christmas be any different?
We were supposed to leave today to spend Christmas with Kim's folks and Sibs.
Why does the the worst storm in years have to hit Minnesota/Wisconsin/Iowa on Christmas Eve?
Kim's folks and Kim made the call to postpone our trip over to see them.
We are pretty bummed, Kim's family is fun to hang with AND Kim's Dad, Paul makes the best ham on BOTH sides of the Mississippi! One thing that can make a sad situation better is a wee one. Kim gathered her cookie making supplies and grabbed Amelia for an afternoon of baking.

A good way to spend an afternoon...

Eve...eve

2009-12-23T23:46:00.002-06:00

Tonight was our Christmas Eve, eve service at our potential new venue Wentz concert hall at North Central College. I didn't have to do anything but show up and take a few pictures...a very nice evening, nice job Carson on producing.

The Dark Side...

2009-12-23T23:40:00.002-06:00

Wow, that a night I had last night. If all my bar nights were like last night, I'd have to find another job.
My bar partner Mary and myself had more than our fair share of drunks and nut jobs stop in and stay too long. I can't describe how uncomfortable our shift was. Not a great night at all.

Bar Tending - Helping the socially challenged become more challenging...

Le' Poop...

2009-12-17T07:05:00.001-06:00

Pardon my French...

It seems I have been thrown into the deep end of a shit pool with the new PART TIME Church gig.

What a mess...

Meema's tree...

2009-12-01T11:48:00.005-06:00

Kim has been the holder of the tree decorating for a long time.
Feeling it time to involve the girls more, last year Amelia joined her. This year Olive came over to lend a hand to her big sister. You've got to love seeing dozens of ornaments all on the bottom branch...

A new venture...

2009-11-29T08:43:00.003-06:00

Out at Community Christian Church we have multiple sites. I believe we are up to around 11 now with around 6000 people attending the various campuses. The downtown Naperville campus meets at Naperville North High School and is working on a deal to take over Wentz hall at North Central College. Wentz is a state of the art brand new concert facility right in downtown Naperville. Our music guy there is leaving in a few weeks and I've been asked to fill in as actual staff for four months while they figure out what in which direction they want to go. The money isn't great but I guess it's better than a poke in the eye.

We'll see where this goes!

Not many people can say they are both a music minister AND a bar tender. Might make rehearsals more fun?

Thanksgiving 09...

2009-11-26T19:02:00.016-06:00

What a long long day. It started with me at the bar, yes that's right, the bar. Along comes five minutes before last call and the decision is made to stay open an extra hour, wonderful. I get home and make it to bed around 2:30 only to have to be up by 7 to make it to my sisters house by 8:30 for our annual breakfast, so I start the day off tired. My first "thanks" was for Kim. She prepared all the sides while I was flinging suds, great job Kim!
Seeing the family for a great breakfast is something I always look forward to. This year was the introduction of our youngest addition Elle. Jim and Laura got all the girls up and over to join us so Laura saw it fitting to let her try the famed tradition known as Aunt Donna's pumpkin mush.

So then a pass the baby session ensued

Olive and Mealz were in wonderful moods...

After breakfast, Kim and myself raced back home to get a couple of turkeys on the grill.

I get off easy every year. I get to play with fire and Kim takes care of the details.
That girl sets one heck of a table.

This year Steve & Barb Bailey joined us along with our good friend Jim Goodrich.
Evan and the kids rounded out a perfect attendance list!
Steve and Barb provided us with a couple of home made pies, a pumpkin and a killer pecan pie...I sure hope they didn't take those with them when they left...ha!

Jim is quite the vocalist so Kim demanded he sing for his supper...he did, heck he sang good enough that we gave him dessert too.

One thing Kim and myself are very thankful for is that Jim and Laura are such wonderful parents. We sure love that family!

The guests are gone...
Our appetites are satisfied...
The dishes are clean...
We are exhausted...
Trade this day for anything?

No way.

From my friend Denise...
"This may not be the best of times, but here we are, blessed with the gift of life, surrounded still by beauty, and capable, still, of love. Reason enough to be grateful."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well how cool is this...?

2009-11-19T14:55:00.005-06:00

Last night at the pub, Steve Dresler made a two hour appearance. Who is Steve Dresler you might ask? Steve is the Brewmaster at Sierra Nevada brewing out in Chico CA and he was tapping this years Celebration ale. Celebration is a little more "hoppy" than their pale ale with mild oak nuances and a little spice.
Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale is my benchmark IPA that I judge all IPA's against so to have him there was really very cool. My boss then gave me the nod to receive the second pint of the new offering. The first Steve D sipped himself, the second he poured and gave to me for a toast and taste. A good night for me...

CD Shoot...

2009-11-14T21:28:00.004-06:00

Chicago actor/musician Rick Pickren gave me the nod to shoot stills for an upcoming CD jacket. A great day...

Another Tri-Marq show

2009-11-11T09:31:00.004-06:00

What can I say, Jim and the Tri-Marq boys do a great show.
The location? The Wisconsin Expo center in Milwaukee. The client? Aurora Health Care. A big hospital group 20,000 employees of which 1900 "brass" were at this show.
There is so much going on backstage that the client never sees to pull off a blended image background. The thousands of dollars in just fiber optic DVI cables is mind boggling. Jim has all the lead areas covered with regular guys so all I do is float around and assist who ever needs an extra set of hands at the time and then run a camera for the show. Odd but it's better than standing behind the bar.
On to the social side, Jim treats his crew very well at every show, simply amazing.
The first night, dinner at Crazy Water, a wonderful dinner cooked by two chefs in a bay window smaller than my bathroom, amazing. Our flop house? The Iron Horse Hotel oh my, what a place, check out the pics on the site.

Back home after a whirlwind 2 days...

All this...

to get you this...

Silos or facets?

2009-11-02T22:56:00.002-06:00

An event company in TX hired me to be a concierge at a Microsoft event in Oak Brook.
They actually needed two of us so I brought Kim with. Heck let's double dip if we can right?
So on to the title of this post. Remember when I had to put a sticker over my glowing Apple so as not to offend all the people I worked for?
Well dig this, the show was a 7 launch but for the AMD chip set. All laptops that had an Intel processor had to have a piece of tape over the name Intel.

COME ON!

I then had a guy complain that I didn't have his size in a t-shirt. My reply?
"So, how much did you pay for this show?"
He had nuthin...

NEXT!

The Banner

2009-11-01T13:35:00.002-06:00

Kind of cool...

I had a Taylor 555 guitar. I sold it to Mikey Heaton. He was playing in Batvia.
A Batavia rep took a picture of the guitar and made it into a lamp post banner.

Halloween...

2009-11-01T01:14:00.002-05:00

The kids stopped by before I had to leave for work...really nice of them.
Olive was her favorite thing in the whole world...a bag of jelly beans, cute.

TriJangle

2009-10-23T10:59:00.002-05:00

The Greats...

2009-10-16T21:34:00.006-05:00

Laura wrangled the kids together for a little trip to the South side to visit the Great Grandparents. I'm not sure who giggled more, Mom or baby Elle...

Olive took a liking to Great Grandpa Don.

uhhhh.....

2009-10-16T01:57:00.001-05:00

I really don't have anything...odd.
I could rant how I got the job I applied for but they diverted the funds for said job to an IT director job that I am not up for. Ranting here won't really get me anywhere.

next...

September kiddies...

2009-09-19T15:03:00.009-05:00

French toast, bacon, OJ and a quick run to Willowbrook makes for my favorite way to spend a Saturday morning...

Elle stayed home and doesn't look happy about it.

Work status...

2009-09-18T11:22:00.002-05:00

I'm still at the pub. I really do love the social aspect of meeting people, chatting it up and facilitating a nice experience for them.
I don't like the time away from home or being on my feet for 8 to 9 hours at a time. I have pulled a few doubles...13 hours no sitting.
I dig the concept and the tastes achieved in mixology. I don't like seeing people tasting too much. Steve B forwarded a job posting from my church of all places. I read it over and it seems like a good fit for me, Technical Arts Director...
I had a 2 hour interview yesterday and I think it went well but you never know.
I'm not holding my breath on this one. Things just don't seem to be going my way as of late. A project based tech job....perfect.

Well? I'll be in touch.

That thing she does...

2009-09-11T18:04:00.006-05:00

Kim has many talents but one of the areas that she shines in is teaching.
I guess I will rant a little to say shame on Brookfield Zoo for making things so
miserable with their policies and "new style" teaching methods that good teachers like Kim just give up. The zoo has lost many talented people.

So here's Kim doing what she does best, teaching little kids about critters.
Today's critters? Her Chickens of course.

Norway...

2009-09-11T01:27:00.020-05:00

I've had a few people ask me where my Norway post was and I have to admit. I have been confused on what to write because the trip didn't go quite how I wanted it to. So I'll just throw it out there.
The fight over was uneventful but across the isle from me was a member of the H.E.double sticks Angels and half way through the flight he whips out some hand lotion and proceeds to soften his hands. Why do you need soft hands if you're in that club? I was confused.
I arrive in Oslo and after a short wait for Wayne and his crew we checked into the hotel to spend the first night. Arve is the guy who invented the fly rod we were there to film and fish with. He picked us up and took us to a local sport store to see the Zpey display.

We then had dinner in an American pub...actually good food but I almost did a spit take when I learned that my simple beer was about 13 dollars...too spendy to spit out.
After a good nights sleep, we headed back to the airport to catch a plane up to Bodo (Buddah), again, a good flight. A two hour bus ride after landing and we arrived at camp Arctic.
The fly fishing store that sells Zpey gear has a few guys that are amazing fishermen and they set up the camp for us. Sleeping tents, a kitchen tent, eating tent and such made for a very comfortable camping experience.

They even had a bar set up for us.

The toilet dubbed "Thunder Log" was an engineering masterpiece.

On to the people...
Wayne is putting a deal together with Zpey to represent to gear here in America.
So having the owner of Spey, a few investors and some of the best guides around pretty much made this not your average fishing trip. Much at stake here.
The guides were two Norwegians and a Swede that really knew their business, amazing guys. I tried to stay out of the way and just do my job but dang that's hard especially when it rained most of the time AND I come to find out that the main quarry we were after starts biting around 9pm and goes until 1am, not very conducive to taping. My main lens on my video camera started fogging up internally....crap. I had to leave it by the propane stove in our tent to dry and dry out.
The other obstacle is that the still water "pools" that the fish were holding in were spread out over 4 miles. I didn't know which of the pools to go to. I stuck with Wayne and Arve to try and capture something but these were tough fish to catch. Eight high end fishermen only caught 5 fish over the 4 days. It was a crap shoot on where I was supposed to be, frustrating.
I shot as many stills as I could and will try and get some previously filmed footage to put together some kiosk videos for Wayne to use on the road.
For each meal there were always crackers laid out and nearby a big toothpaste tube of some condiment. I finally got up the nerve to ask what it was, caviar in a tube. I was urged to try it and not wanting to offend my hosts I did. It's a combination of Cod eggs and mayo. Think of fishy tasting Cheeze Whiz and you'll be in the ballpark. It was pretty good. I liked it enough that they sent me home with an unopened tube. My only Norwegian souvenir. I'm sure my brother in law will help me eat it.

Here's a Norwegian breakfast, eggs, bacon, lunch meat, swiss cheese, sausages, cigars and beer...
MAN UP!!

Four days of tough fishing were over in a flash and I don't have much to show for it but I will put some things together for Wayne out of old and new footage. Here are a few shots from the gig...

Wayne with the inventor and owner of the Zpey rod Arve

Thank goodness I got one fish on tape...problem, it wasn't on a Zpey rod

To answer a couple of questions,
1. No, I didn't get to fish.
2. The jury is out, if I would do this trip again (I need better weather and fishing conditions, a tough shoot)

A great trip but glad I'm home, as my sister Paula put it "At least I wasn't at the bar for a week"

A surreal opportunity...

2009-08-30T10:34:00.004-05:00

Where to begin.
Most of you know of my friendship with Wayne McGee. We were in a band together back in our senior year of high school and just after, I became a piano tuner and he a missionary. After many years in Africa he and his family settled in London and Wayne became a gem merchant, an interesting transition that is a whole other post.
One passion that Wayne and I have always shared has been fishing. Me fishing small American lakes for bass and such, Wayne leaning towards...well, 100lb Nile perch to 1500+lb Sword fish of the coast of Senegal. Throw in many Salmon trips to Scotland and Alaska and you can defiantly say that Wayne is an exotic fisherman. So where do I come in on all of this? Wayne belongs to a group of guys that are all exotic location fishermen. They live all over the world and are meeting in Norway to chase Sea trout and Atlantic Salmon above the Arctic circle. The host? The inventor of a new type of fly rod, Zpey. With a chance of Wayne marketing the rod in the States they decided they wanted this trip documented. They all chipped in to pay my way to video and photograph this trip. What an amazing opportunity seeing as I have never been out of the country (Canada doesn't count). With a passport in hand and my hard drive cleared off, I am ready to leave on Tuesday.

(an interesting side note to this trip is that the town we are going to up in the arctic circle was mostly destroyed by the Nazi's in 1940. So this is also my first WWII battle site visit)

Stepping up...well done Christ the King Parish!

2009-08-24T02:06:00.006-05:00

What an unexpected day!
Some of you know I made friends with Father Tony Cortesi who operates a Hospice/Orphanage down in Haiti. On a day to day basis he deals with more heartache than most of us experience in a lifetime. He sees the face of Jesus in every dying child he takes in to give the most comfort and dignity until it's that time for them to pass. What a compassionate man. He had no web site to promote his cause so I conscripted Lonnie to set up a blog to look like a website. Holyangelshospice.org was born.
Father Tony came to town to raise some support and stayed with us last night so he could speak over at Christ the King in Lombard where Kim goes to church.
Being tough economic times, I didn't hold out much hope for much money being raised.
Kim arranged for Father Tony to speak at all four Masses this weekend.
My oh my...The good people of this conservative, aging parish stepped up and opened their hearts and checkbooks. Let's just say in this one weekend Fr. Tony raised enough money to pay for food, pay the rent AND pay the staff...

Well done people....well done!

The three wee ones...

2009-08-17T21:11:00.003-05:00

Got the new camera...

Got all three of these tonight.

Baby Elle...

2009-08-03T19:04:00.016-05:00

Decided to join us at 6:41 on Aug 3rd. Weighing in at 7lbs 2oz. 20 1/2 inches long.
She did a great job...
I wasn't there but I have been given the task of trying tell the events of the past 30 hours (or so). Laura had been one miserable pregnant lady and was reaching her wits end from passing her due date by only a few days. She read online that castor oil would speed things along. Sunday she went for it. I didn't hold much stock in this technique but along comes 10pm Sunday night and her water breaks. Timing or oil?
An epidural to ease the pain gave her some relief throughout the night.
By 6am I get a ca from Kim that she should start pushing within fifteen minutes or so.
I then get another call by 6:45 saying that Elle was born. I ran from the bar to the kid's condo to spend the night with the girls so that Kim could be at the hospital.
Not much sleep and an emotional day make for one tired Doug...

Kin Folk...

2009-07-16T09:09:00.002-05:00

The social network that is Face Book has taken a turn, a very good turn.
What started out as a way to keep up with friends has turned into a tool to find many family members that I have not spoken to in years. It's sad when you get so involved in your own microcosm that you lose contact with people that you grew up.
From the Long side, Betty Johnson, Ruthie Pudlo, Candy Winkle, Lynn and Jerry Zimplemann.
From the White side, Jerry White, John White, Bill White and his daughter Allison and Larry White's wife Jamie.
I have seen pictures of kids that I have never met before or have met when they were babies. Now they are grown and having kids of their own.
What a treat to see all these family members coming back into my life.

An amazing stat...

2009-07-11T10:54:00.003-05:00

Mom and Dad celebrated their 61st anniversary by joining John, Donna and myself
at Chucks BBQ on the South side for fabulous breakfast.
As easy as it can become, I try not to take their lives and relationship for granted.

July kid pics...

2009-07-04T12:15:00.009-05:00

Got to spend a little time with Laura and the girls at the zoo the other day.

work...

2009-06-19T09:24:00.002-05:00

Let's see...

I am working twice as hard for 1/4 of the money...not good.
Networking at the bar. Met a camera man for Fox. His best friend is
staffing a documentary crew for two up coming project. So I bought him a beer.
If I keep thinking of the bar as a transition situation I might just make it.
I played at church last week just on Sunday at the downtown campus. This week I play the whole weekend at the Box. Late nights at the pub and early sound checks don't mix. I am tired...

Chris T...

2009-06-08T21:34:00.006-05:00

Tonight Chris Thompson brought his girlfriend Payal out from the city for a cook out.
A delightful evening of conversation, stories and yes, a few laughs.
He even supplied me with some Oberon...good boy!

He has a blog over in my links...
The kid's a clever writer with a keen sense of political awareness.
Good Stuff.

Hard to come over here and NOT meet a few of our critters...

This recession...

2009-06-06T09:34:00.001-05:00

It's hitting everyone...

Fr. Peter...

2009-06-01T09:11:00.007-05:00

Our dear friend Father Peter Jarosz celebrated his 20th anniversary of service as a Priest on Sunday. He's a good guy, we are fortunate to have him around. I'm not sure I've ever met a more generous man. He's been very kind to Kim and myself. If you need? He'll do his best to provide.

Congratulations!

A send off for a drummer...

2009-05-31T12:44:00.010-05:00

How do you say goodbye to a drummer?
Bill Carroll, his wife and kids are heading off to build churches in France. They will soon be leaving us. So how do you say goodby to a drummer?
You put together a team of 6 other drummers to play on his last Sunday as worship leader (for now). I knew I was in trouble when at 6:30 am I saw this...

So much drum gear was flying all over the place that they even needed a piece to hold doors open.
So here's the make up of the drum ensemble...
Four yes count em, four kits.

A couple of percussionists.

A few guitarists, singers, a bass player, a great sound guy and you have a rhythm heavy music morning that kicked some serious music butt.

Here's to you Mr. Carroll, we'll miss you

The garden trend...

2009-05-25T11:41:00.012-05:00

For several years now Steve Bailey has been studying different ways of being more self sustainable. Kim has also been making the transfer to growing our own produce. We have been enjoying eggs laid by our hen for a while now. Along comes an economic downward spiral for the country and sure enough more people are following suit. One of the employees of our local nursery was mentioning how more and more people are starting "Victory Gardens". We are looking forward to onions, squash, snap peas, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, strawberries, garlic, shallots, chives, cantaloupe and a host of herbs. Kim even pulled up a rose bed to make room for tomatoes. Between what Steve B grows and what we can produce, we are hoping for a nice co-op of crops to share.
As a matter of fact Kim is upstairs making a strawberry/rhubarb pie to share with Steve and Barb (which is only fair, it's his rhubarb).
Through the magic of social networking I have stumbled across gardens from Steve Mochel in NY to Troy McMahon in Kansas City. I think I like where this is all going.

Part of Steve Bailey's garden

Steve's Rhubarb

The Mochel/Shuler/Bradley garden

The McMahon garden

Part of Kim's handywork

Our egg maker

Wow...
Here's part of the Greever gardens in IL.
peppers, eggplant, beets, kohlrabi, carrots, radishes, cabbage, cauliflower, strawberries, broccoli, spinach and several types of lettuce.

A few girl pics...

2009-05-19T01:06:00.009-05:00

I just can't put it into words how bad I feel if I don't see these guys every few days or so. These are from Saturday.

New kid on the rail...

2009-05-19T00:46:00.004-05:00

Well, I finished my second shift at the Pub.
I have to say it seems to be a young persons game. My trainer is younger than Laura...woo hoo!
She is patient with me. The refrigerators under the bar hold about 150 different bottles from all over the world. I do my best to find the brew and about 60% of the time I have to cry uncle and ask where it is. I haven't caught her rolling her eyes at me yet but if I don't get up to speed on the location deal, she might kill me. Case in point. I had to find a something or other "negra" in Spanish is dark or black. I am scouring the Mexican section and simply can't find it...."uhhh, Mary?" "Dude, that a Spanish beer" Now the Spanish beers are over by Ireland. But of course they are!
I better figure it out soon. There about 40 beers on tap, if I can't find them, I better look for even more different work. Now the tenders get order tickets that we fill and put the drinks by the server window. When we tenders serve people sitting at the bar we take the fill the order then enter it into the computer. The ticket then prints up over by the glasses. Now we have already filled that order so we just grab the ticket and pitch it. My first and second training nights. I filled drink orders that had already been filled because I didn't look to see the name on the ticket. Last night I only made that mistake twice. Tonight I was doing so good but then Mary walked up to a lonely pint of beer sitting at the window and yet again duded me..."uhh...dude? you filled your own drink order that you already filled.
uhhh....well? I was practicing?...crap.
Until the next shift...

My boss Steve

Heading home...

2009-05-14T16:02:00.006-05:00

Red Prairie 09 is a wrap.
A good show to be a part of. I am very thankful indeed for the work.

Some of the best production guys in the biz...

Status...

2009-05-09T16:29:00.002-05:00

It's Saturday afternoon and I'm sitting in a Starbucks because the lousy Marriott has no free internet anywhere. They used to have lobby internet for free but no more. I can stay in a crappy hotel most anywhere and get free internet. Hey cool! another rant!

I am in San Antonio doing a 4 day show for an RF id tag company called Red Prairie. I hope to get more production work from the guys I'm working for. They use me for about 3 weeks a year. I sure could use some more. I mentioned in a previous post that I wound up going to bar tending school. I sent Steve Palmer form Palmer Place an email asking for some restaurant referrals and he wrote me back saying that he was desperate for a tender for the Summer. I finished my training last night and jumped on a plane this morning for this show. I find out what kind of hours I will be getting when I get home.
I find it interesting that being around all that booze, I have absolutely no desire to drink at all. I was thinking it might be the opposite. I had to take a course called BASSETT covering all the liquor laws and responsibility of bar tenders in IL. It really opened my eyes to making sure we don't over serve people.
I hope the tips are ok, I'm afraid I might be working my tail off for not much scratch. That kind of defeats the purpose of getting the job...lol.

More later...

Happy Mothers Day to all who read.

D

A job well done...

2009-05-07T08:47:00.002-05:00

Looks like I owe Mealz a trip to Toys-R-Us.

She used the potty chair!

Amelia turns three!

2009-05-05T16:19:00.013-05:00

I can hardly believe that three years has passed since the birth of my little buddy.
Jim is starting her off early with Baseball. A Grand Slam, a Cubs win, some Dad time and some cake made for a pretty dang good day.

Cubs fans are a little too loud!

A well deserved nap on the way home.

Maybe should have taken her to a Sox game?

Maybe should have taken her to ANY game!

At lease someone got some good Mommy time!

A new diploma...

2009-04-30T22:52:00.004-05:00

Well I needed to try and find a part time gig to try and get some income into this sinking family economy.
I took a little of our money that Kim gave me to buy food and instead I bought some magic beans. After thirty two hours of lectures and rail time, the instructor said I was ready to test. This morning I passed my drink making speed test. By noon I passed my written test. By 1pm I had my bar tending diploma in my hand. Now let's see if I can get a restaurant to give me some hours.

We'll see where this goes...

*EDIT*

I am now tending at Palmer Place in LaGrange for at least the Summer.
Not a bad Birthday present.

Mommy Nugget...

2009-04-25T10:50:00.003-05:00

This is crazy,

Nugget became broody about a week ago. Kim got on the phone and offered "egg sitting" services to a rare breed chicken operation not too far from here. They didn't need us so Kim called the guy who gave us Nugget to begin with and asked if he needed her.
As it turned out, he did. Nugget is now sitting on two, yes two Peacock eggs...

What a good mom.

More as the eggs cook.

Nuff said...

2009-04-18T23:51:00.001-05:00

Easter Weekend...

2009-04-14T23:13:00.004-05:00

What a busy time for the both of us. Usually me with music and Kim responsible for making sure her Church is decorated, so most years the afternoon is celebrated and revered nap time. I didn't nap this year but went over to play with the girls.
A very laid back day. We had 8 tunes this year, I am so fortunate to be in this particular band!

OH BOY! A RANT!

2009-04-09T21:59:00.002-05:00

What the heck is with theater ticket prices??
I thought it would be fun to try and take Amelia to see Mary Poppins.
Nose bleed crap ticket prices? 70+ Main floor? 400+
Let's price a show so high that the common folks can't go.
400+ per ticket? Are they out of their minds?
The show "Rent" at least is trying to throw a few bones here.
Show policy for the 2 week run at the Oriental Theater.

1. A select number of tickets in the first two rows will be released two (2) hours prior to curtain.
2. Tickets are $22.50, cash only.
3. Limit two (2) tickets per person.
4. Do not block doorways while in line.
5. No saving spaces in line.
6. No overnight camping allowed.

At least they are trying.

Two words....dry hopped

2009-03-25T19:37:00.002-05:00

My dear friend Steve is a great educator. His latest effort has been teaching me all the ins and outs of brewing beer. The one thing I have learned has to be about dry hopping. Now hops are a part of every beer, it's what gives beer it's "bitter" characteristic and is usually introduced in the "wort" part of the process (the boiling of the malt and hops). Most all US domestic beers brew this way. The mass American market is not very hop friendly. I have blogged before about my love of hops here. Steve knowing about my love of hops taught me about "dry hopping". After the boiling of the wort, it is cooled and then more hops are added to the cold wort for the fermentation process. The advantage? Why I'll tell you. The aroma is not destroyed from the heat. It carries over so that when you lift that glass to your nose you are hit with a floral/green essence that enhances the taste like none I have ever had.
The front runners are Hop Devil, Hazed and Confused from Boulder Co. and my favorite as of late is Surly Furious made in MN. What a great beer.
Steve, if I am mistaken in any of my info, please feel free to correct....oh Obi Wan Kanbeerme.

Through Amelia's eyes...

2009-03-24T18:06:00.007-05:00

Took Amelia in to the city to have lunch with Mom, Dad and Aunt Virginia. Lunch was fine and more than a few stories of relative situations were shared. I broke out the trusty camera to grab a few shots and Amelia wanted to take some pictures. I hand her the camera and off she goes. Not expecting much, I did a double take at what she captured.
I think we have a future photog in the making. I'm very excited.

Mid March catch up...

2009-03-17T20:51:00.008-05:00

It's funny how when I'm sitting around frustrated with the way things are going, all I have to do is look at the recent pictures I have and I'm reminded of how blessed I am.
Here's what's been going on.
1. Still been applying to many job positions, not much return activity.
2. Olive turned one and is now walking a whole bunch.

3. Amelia is well, Amelia. My little buddy, 'nuff said.

4. The weather seems to have broken. Today reached the mid 70's. We took the cover off the rag top and went for a very nice drive.
5. Kim made her pond about 20+ inches deeper to have the ability for me to have a few fish....YEAH, FISH!
6. Craig Lickliter's wife flew him in to town for his 50th bithday and we were able to
pull a few strings to get him in the Sunday morning band.

My Mac guru Brian and myself, decided to shoot a project once a week just to keep busy.
This week we are shooting Brian's different coffee gadgets.
I'll post some of our videos as they come.

Notes from Sunday

2009-03-08T19:06:00.007-05:00

Community Christian Church has seven locations. I usually play at the main campus (the Yellow Box). Bill Carroll heads up the music over at the downtown Naperville campus and he asked if I would consider becoming part of the second Sunday regular band. I thought if I could still do a weekend over at the box also, why not?
The killer part is that the regular guys in the band I was asked to join are amazing players. Chris Stell was 3 years old when I first started playing at the church. He's now 23 and a monster player. Wonderful organ parts(on his guitar) to color fills in any style AND rip your face off rock and roll makes this guy a serious force.
Steve Schneck is an solid Bass player that leaves my mouth hanging open every time he plays. Dan Knighten is the new kid on the block. A 20 year old drummer that is rock solid and a humble man. This is one good band and I am a fortunate man.

Chris Stell

Steve Schneck

Dan Knighten

Money, music and meat...

2009-03-07T01:07:00.003-06:00

A few friends of mine were comparing "pay for play" situations in our musical lives.
We all have made a little money playing weddings and such but when it comes to being paid for providing music for an evening, my friend John has the best story.
He was hired by a group to play a show in Montana. They paid for his travel and such with the promise of financial compensation after the show.
The show ends and the people sheepishly explained that they didn't make enough on the show to pay him the agreed wage.
They handed him a little money, a used pair of cowboy boots and a bag full of Elk meat.

John wins, how can we ever top that?

An actual rant?

2009-03-05T20:55:00.002-06:00

What is it with companies that they are so full of themselves that they can't even send a rejection of a job application? I know there's a glut of people out of work but come on. Out of the slew of jobs I have applied to I finally got a nice rejection letter from a company. You would have thought I won the lottery, I was thrilled. I wrote the HR people and thanked them for at least treating me with enough respect to tell me I wasn't right for them. If I am ever in a situation of being applied to, I hope that I would have the common courtesy to let people down with the utmost of respect.

Be thankful for a few bones being thrown...

2009-02-21T18:40:00.010-06:00

Last week I worked downtown for my friend Jim. I have known him since 4th grade. Up at 4:30 to catch a train was not too fun. I feel bad for the people that do it all the time. Over all a good show.
This week I am up in Green Bay for Jim again. Long days but again, a good show and Jim's company treats me very well.
I really am thankful for the work, no jobs since Thanksgiving. I just wish I had something more consistent.
I don't like not knowing when my next gig is... yes, I am an "oh ye of little faith".
I don't feel good about it but that's just how I'm feeling right now.
I'm home tomorrow....miss Kim.

Chicago:

Green Bay:

Galoots on ice!

2009-02-02T22:32:00.008-06:00

In Steve B's blog he threw out the challenge to go ice fishing with him. I accepted.
What is it about standing on a frozen lake with a length of 2 pound test dangled through a hole drilled in water? Ice fishing is more of a crap shoot than regular fishing. So why go? BECAUSE IT'S DANG FUN!
Steve has the best toys, I mean the best. A gas powered ice auger, a very comfortable shanty with molded seats, it's black and absorbs the heat of the sun and makes it very comfortable to sit, fish, have a beer, talk about life and dreams.
I'm ready to go back out.

Thanks for taking me!!

What? a big girl too?

2009-02-02T22:29:00.002-06:00

Thought I'd mix it up by throwing in an image of the biggest little girl...

Enchanted Castle...

2009-01-30T15:20:00.009-06:00

So I went to Enchanted Castle...
I got to leave my shoes in a bin...
I got to climb a net ladder...
I got to crawl through a tube...
I got to slide down a slide...

oh and yeah, I guess Kim and Amelia were there also

ok...

2009-01-28T21:57:00.002-06:00

I have reviewed the past few posts and I do realize it's just the kids only because nothing much has been going on. I haven't been out on a show since the week before Thanksgiving, very frustrating. Microsoft scaled back on many things including a bunch of events. Then I find out that they are using another AV company that for political reasons is an approved vendor, not sure why we weren't but it has sent many of us in scramble mode. How have I been keeping busy? well? my face book page gets daily attention. I've been tuning a few pianos but more are needed. I am applying like crazy but as you all know this is kind of a bad time to be looking for a job. So say a prayer that something will come along.

Ol Stink Eye...

2009-01-28T18:22:00.002-06:00

Just one soggy Olive...

2009-01-23T00:43:00.004-06:00

I am again guilty of being Amelia heavy so to appease my mother in law here's one toothy grin.
I promise to post more of her in the future...

If her two teeth were on top she'd be able to pull off a pretty good Sponge Bob.

Amelia's beard

2009-01-17T21:01:00.004-06:00

Things that keep you warm...

2009-01-15T11:53:00.004-06:00

Two things come to mind right now...

1. My buddy Steve Bailey has worked very hard to turn his backyard into a sanctuary not only for wee critters but for big ones too. A few grills, a great arbor and a hand built fire pit in the center of it all. I have invited Kim and myself over for several spur of the moment evenings of relaxation, conversation and as always, a few laughs. Steve and Barb invited us over this past week to share a pizza with them and we jumped at the opportunity. I walked into their living room and looked towards the backyard and to my delight what do I see? Steve sitting out in the snow next to his fire pit. I don't even think I greeted Barb, I just ran outside to join him. A dark blue winter night sky, tons of snow, a local brewed IPA. I could have sat there all night but alas it was pizza time and we had to go inside.

2. Steve got his most recent scans back....still cancer free.

Steve also joined the blogging world SteveBailey.org

Ok, I'm warm now...

Mema & Amelia...

2009-01-10T15:46:00.009-06:00

*edit*
What do you do with a fresh 9 inches of show on the ground?

YOU MAKE COOKIES!! (and drink Mexican hot chocolate)

*EDIT*
I looked at this post this morning and realized I left so much more out.
1. Jim and the kids came over.
2. Made pancakes and sausage.
3. Bundled Amelia up and sent them on their way to go for a "snow boat" ride
4. Olive naps
5. Amelia bursts through the door and demands a bath.
6. THEN, cookie time with Mema.
There I feel complete. This was one of those perfect days, one for the books, (or blog)

Retired...

2009-01-02T20:38:00.008-06:00

Yes, it has happened. Don White finally retired from being a professional musician after playing for over 59 years. To be eligible to receive a military sponsored stipend he can't have any income. So up in Barrington on New Years Eve. Dad played his last paid gig. Hard to believe. We'll see how much people will be able to get him to play for free...

The Greats...

2008-12-31T15:39:00.009-06:00

Amelia played with the Great Grandparents for a little while today, fun.

Old Friends...

2008-12-30T00:09:00.007-06:00

There are certain people that come into your life that just kind of, well, stick.
Wayne McGee is one of those people. We met at church camp way back when and just hit it off. We both bonded with some music and a wicked sense of humor. Wayne was in a band called "Cornerstone" and when Mark went off to college, Wayne and Jon invited me to fill the spot. We had many adventures including breaking into Matt Davilla's apartment at 4 in the morning (with Matt and his wife sleeping) so the 3 of us guys could get some sleep in their spare bedroom. To this day I still have no clue what we were thinking...
I spent many nights under the McGee roof and fell in love with his family. I went to piano tuning school and Wayne went to school in Kentucky. He and his bride raised a family living in the bush of Africa, then in London. 26 years later I'm sitting in an eatery with Wayne and his beautiful wife Sue sharing life stories and many laughs. The years seem to have disappeared and I was having a hard time with the concept of how much time has passed.
Wayne and Sue, fortunate to be able to call them friends...

Labor of Love...

2008-12-27T07:34:00.001-06:00

What a great song.

A 3x5 tradition...

2008-12-26T08:50:00.006-06:00

One of my favorite recipes Kim has up her sleeve is her cranberry salad. It arrives every year and I enjoy it very much and am always sad when it's gone. This year it was 2 batches. When putting things away I noticed Kim's recipe card and was amazed at the condition. I then found out that the card itself is over 25 years old. A simple 3x5 card that has been around the block a few times and is still holding up. It was kind of a surreal moment to think how many holidays this card has been a part of. A simple card transformed into a tradition....interesting.

1 13oz can of crushed pineapple
2 small packages of cherry jello
1 cup of sugar
2tbl lemon juice
2 cups of ground cranberries (raw)
2 small peeled and chopped oranges
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped walnuts

Drain pineapple and save the juice. Add water to the juice to make 1 cup.
Dissolve jello and sugar in 2 cups of boiling water, add pineapple juice and lemon juice. Chill until partially set
Add fruits, celery and nuts and mix together.
Fill your favorite mold and chill overnight.

A Christmas day audible...

2008-12-25T22:15:00.011-06:00

We had the kids over for breakfast and presents, very nice. By the time 11am hit we were supposed to head over to Michigan to have dinner at my sister's house. Fighting a bad cold there was just no way I was going to make it. After everyone napped, Kim, Evan and myself watched "The Quiet Man" and those two watched me sneeze and blow my nose for the rest of the day. I'm sure we missed a great meal because of me but there was just no way I was going to make it.

Desert island Christmas top 6

2008-12-22T22:51:00.002-06:00

Taking a cue from Mark I decided to post my top 6 Christmas CD's. How do I choose do you ask? I'll let my iPod play count do the talking...

1. Lowen & Navarro - At Long Last...
2. Dave Grisman - Acoustic Christmas
3. Mel Torme - Christmas Songs
4. Magnatune Christmas Compilation From Steve Aubrey
5. Eric Tingstad and Nancy Rumbel - The Gift
6. A Canadian Brass Christmas