I Smell Like Mesquite

I smell like mesquite on account of we grilled out tonight. We didn't use the mequite chips tonight. We used them on Sunday night when we made baby back ribs on the grill. Tonight, we made sausage on the grill. It was sausage made by the good folks of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church of New Melle, Missouri. Good stuff! Even better with fresh sweet corn.

I have a lot to look forward to this weekend. It will be Dan's birthday and we will celebrate a birthday for a two-year old. So you know that it means CAKE! YES BIRTHDAY CAKE!

Now I'll head downstairs to play a little rock and roll and get ready for something that I've wanted for a long time. Rock and roll band... YES.

St. Louis

A very quick visit to St. Louis this weekend.

Spent the day with Uncle Joe and hit some golf balls and got a tip on my golf grip. I hit the longest drive I've ever hit... 250 yards on the range. Thanks Uncle Joe. Met up with my cousin Ryan and off to Schlaffly's Bottle Works... yum. We went for the second Cardinals/Brewers game yesterday. Home today... nice enough drive. Dan is mowing the lawn and I am typing to you and keeping the laundry going.

More on Good Friends

So if you have a very good friend who has the same aspirations as you, that is very cool. If you have a friend who encourages you, that's even more very cool. If you have a friend who can make a difference and help you to acheive your dream, that's about the coolest friend that you could have. I am fortunate. Paul, if you didn't catch on, this is about you.

Good Friends

Here's to good friends. Tonight is kind of special. We did get the chance to spend the evening with our good friends and neighbors. Their house for a BBQ and our house for a fire and s'mores. We are very fortunate to have good friends close by that we can hang out with at a moment's notice. It's kind of like being in high school or college again. Good friends just two doors down... only thing missing tonight was Big Mike. He's close by too. We have friends close and we have friends far. Same for family... near and far. When I was a child, I always thought that if I were rich one day, that I would have a hotel where everyone I loved would live. What a great idea, huh?

YES! THE DOTS!

So now many months later... we have done it! The Dots have played live in front of an audience. I am so grateful to my bandmates. They rule! Couldn't ask for two better people to be with me. We have fun. That's the rule. Have fun. I would be remiss if I didn't thank my family and friends for coming out to supports us for five songs. I am very fortunate to have good people all around me. YES!

My Time, Your Time, Our Time

In most cases I would say that my time is our time. Your time isn't always my time. My time is always someone else's. I want to give and spend my time with the people who are special. We are doing that right now. It's been good. Wish that it would happen more. I guess that my hardest division of time these days seems to be finding that balance. To acheive the perfect divide between sustaining activities and necessary activities. Meaning what it takes to pay the bills and do that well and what it takes to keep my heart and head straight.

Summer is Almost Over

Well Friends, summer is almost over. That means we are half way through the year 2007. So far, so good. Life is alright. I feel like that guy in Oklahoma, everything is going my way. Does that mean life if perfect. Aw heck no. It isn't. Life always throws you some curve balls. So what? If you're not laughing, you're crying. Life is too short. No crying now. Savor the moment. Reflect. Be cool. Nothing is so crazy it has to consume you.

The Dots

We're ready to rock. Here's our website for all thing Dot-ish.
www.myspace.com/thedotsbandmusic. Yes, we are excited.

I Like to Rock

April Wine said it simply... "I like to rock." What more do you need to say? So on Sunday, we rock. That's a great thing. The drag is that it means missing my Godchild's Birthday party. We've missed two parties this year. That's a drag. The good part is that in a few weeks we will get to celebrate with Ava. I like that. We'll see how Sunday goes for the Dots. I'm excited. I think that we'll do well.

Now Your Vacation is Over

And then, depression sets in. It's not that having to go to work isn't fun or cool or whatever. It's that you don't get to do whatever you want whenever you want. It's time to be at work, then it's time to do whatever you want. You just can't do it whenever you want. Now I am tired and staying up too late. Means that the alarm clock rings early in the morning. Never been much for sleeping but I guess I'd like to do it once in awhile.

Well You're Lazy

It does appear to be a lazy Saturday at Dan and Ann's. It's after 9:00am and all I have managed to do is check e-mail and mess around on the internet. I did do some banking business this morning so that isn't all bad.

I've been on vacation this past week. I am just trying to rev up for next week. The funny thing about vacation is that I can really get used to doing what I want to do at any given time. Our next couple of weekends are busy, that's a good thing. Summer time is the right time, baby.

Next weekend my band The Dots will make our first ever appearance (other than someone's basement) it's at an open jam that our drummer hosts every Sunday.

The weekend after that, we head to St. Louis to see the Brewers take on the Cardinals. Should be a good match up this year.

The next weekend it is off to Green Bay. We'll celebrate two birthdays that weekend. Dan's and our god daughter, Ava. She'll be two. We just saw her last weekend. As we waved goodbye, she bid me a farewell too, "Goodbye, Koo Koo Head." Awesome.

Vacation in Michigan

So why would someone from southern Wisconsin take a vacation to the northern shores of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan? There's really nothing like it. It's gorgeous. It's not gorgeous like a "tropical" resort (would love to do that one day) or fun the same way an empire built by a mouse is (I love Disney World and can't wait to get back). It is a different experience. Makes me want to go even futher north.

Imagine falling asleep to the sound of gentle waves against the shore. Imagine the sun going down at 10:30pm. Imagine waking up to a long sunrise on that same shore. It was truly a great experience. We spent a few days in Munising, Michigan. I would go back in a heart beat. We spent a morning canoeing up the Au Train river and the afternoon hiking through the Hiawatha National Forest. Seeing waterfalls and the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Went on the Tahquamenon Falls (and a brewpub there in the park!) A brief side trip to St. Joseph's Island in Canada (deer) for a few hours. Then, we were on to Mackinac Island. It's pretty, but quite touristy. The best part of the trip was everything especially coming home. I am very glad that we spent our time there. We began to think about retirement... and even closer to what we want to be doing in five years.

Impulsive

Sometime I hate myself. I can be impulsive. I don't always read "the fine print." Doesn't matter what it was in this case. Got too excited. I thought I had thought this decision through. No. Didn't take the time to read. Hopefully I can make the best of a $375 decision and learn more than to take my time and read things, think it through and then smack myself.