Feeling Wicked

This ticket was to one of the best shows I have seen (and heard).
It tells the story about what happened in OZ before that little Brat Dorothy showed up.


It starts out great and just keeps getting better


If you get the chance, GO.

Remember things are not always like you heard.

Well after opening our Christmas presents we had the "Animals" settle in to enjoy a little peace on earth. Please note that the Demon Eyed Cat is visible under the tree in the background behind the Dog.

Hello Winter

Although we didn't get near the thrashing they did in New England we did get a fairly strong taste of winter this weekend. Joanne and the Kids stayed warm at home, and I like the fool I am made the 100+ mile trip round trip to work Saturday and Sunday.

Winter is sure a beautiful time of year, if it just wasn't so much a pain to drive in.

How Insightful

This was an e-mail from an old friend in Connecticut. If you knew her, and what she is going through right now it would become even more profound.

Please read.


The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. (not completely true) Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.


Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.


I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!
FRIENDS FOREVER!

What A Weekend

This weekend was "Play Weekend" for us. As usual the high School schedules it Fall performances on the same weekend as the College. Although Ryan still doesn't want to act again ( See knights of the Rad Table) we still support his "tech" contributions to the Owensville Drama Department. Holly was Annie in King O The Moon at ECCC.

So on Thursday Holly went to the high School to see the school performance of Steel Magnolias. She of course met resistance from the "Football" Principal Mr Keller, but finally was able to see the play. I then rushed he to ECCC for a master class in voice.

That night Joanne Ryan, Meighan (Ryan's friend from school) and I attended the opening performance of King O the Moon. Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!! Great job by the cast and stage crew. On top of that a great play with many underlying story lines. I will say though that growing up Catholic helped me understand more of the humor than somebody who has not had an affiliation with the Catholic Church. Before the play Joanne and I had dinner at Juni Moon's a small family restaurant in Union. Food was good, prices fair, and the service was friendly. I loved the Bavarian Pretzel appetizer.

On Friday evening Ryan had a performance of Steel Magnolias, Joanne and I attended.. A very good job was done by the entire cast. Super kudos go to Ashley Brunk who was outstanding as Clairee. This does not of course take away from the other cast mates, because their work was very good as well.

Saturday night I caught King again, and was once again pleased. Some very "gripping" scenes with deep messages could be found between the laughter. Ryan had another performance of Magnolias, and Joanne stayed at home.

Sunday afternoon Ryan had the Final performance of Steel Magnolias. Joanne and i once again attended King O the Moon. This time with Barb, Darrin, and Kim. We all enjoyed the show.

Anger and Dismay.

I took my little hearse in for its 6,000 mile oil change (6300 to be exact) and as the mechanic was finishing, I noticed he seemed to be looking for something. Sadly, he was. The service adviser came over and told me that I had an Oil Leak, and the mechanic was trying to find the source. Well, he searched for a while, and then got some Oil dye to put in the car so he could find the leak. When a second mechanic joined him I was worried, but when the second (more seasoned) mechanic said "WOW" I was very concerned.

That is when the service manager came over and explained that I have a "Porous leak" in my aluminum block. The only cure is a new engine. I was / am so angry about this, but the only fix is a new engine.

I spent a few hours searching the internet looking for any sign that this had happened somewhere before, but found nothing like this in any HHR search I checked. I returned the next day to talk it over with the manager and calm my fears that a new block was all I would be getting. It is a new engine top to bottom. He also stated that there was NO evidence that this had happened anywhere else in Chevy Land. Of course that was my luck......... Car should be ready next Friday (11/09/07). Until then I am driving the dealership's Chevy Uplander Mini Van. Since I am on Vacation I will spend more time behind the wheel of Ole' Blue anyway, but man am I disappointed.

Good Evening

Happy Halloween. Do you realize that the most recognizable character in all of the Horror Movie genre is none other than Hungarian Bela Lugosi.

On September 6th, 1980 I married this beautiful lady. Some 27 years later I am glad I did it, and would do it all over again. We celebrated by doing some of the same old stuff. We drove Holly somewhere, Ryan hung around the house, and Joanne and I went to the Hawthorne for some dinner. Nothing wild or fancy, but that has never been our way.

After a few months of looking I finally decided on a Chevrolet HHR. I love the style, and can't complain about the 29.5 MPG back and forth to work. Besides, I already own another Chevy that is 35 years old. How could I go wrong.

Top Of The Arch with Some Top Notch Friends

Here's a picture of the Family with Rick and Josh. We headed to the arch for the tour so Rick and Josh could experience one of St. Louis' most popular destinations.

Stories, Legends, and Myths

We were at Kim's a few years ago for a great Deck cook out, and we were discussing some old family events. As that discussion was happening I came up with the following thoughts :

When something happens within the family, or better yet at a family gathering it becomes a family "Story". It will be told over and over and over again. The "Story" will remain exactly as it happened when it is told among that generation.

As we tell that "Story" over and over and over and over again for more than ten years it becomes a family "Legend". It becomes a "Legend" as it has now been passed on to a new generation of the family to live and enjoy. The "Legends" sometimes get embellished to make them more appealing. The new generation will put their own angle on telling the Legend, but they will keep the "Legend" alive.

Upon the unfortunate demise of any family member involved with the incident or after 20 years, I believe the story then becomes "Mythical". This "Mythical" event will have more embellishments added in to it as most of the people who have heard about this event know it only second hand, and weren't there when it was just a "Story".

I will give you a few examples.

This is a Family "Story"

Two Christmas's ago Barb who like the rest of us makes fun of others who fall fast asleep after holiday dinners gave us a Story to tell for years to come when she fell asleep

This is now a Family "Legend"

Some ten years ago, Darrin slipped on some ice down his driveway, and Kim followed slipping after him on the ice as well. Neither was hurt, and they finally made it safely back to the house. Now as you can see I do not know all the details to this event, but more than ten years later this family "Legend" lives on.

Now, here is one that has become "Mythical"

Around 1980 there was a family dinner at Betty and Ernie's house on Morehouse street. Aside from Betty and Ernie the dinner guests included Barb, her husband, Kim, Kevin II, Ruthe, Ernie, Lena, Grandma Baksay, Joanne, and me. This was the dinner that the now "Mythical" family phrase was used for the first time "Ba Jo Ruthe". So you see, this story some 26 years later is now "Mythical". Even though the kids were there they didn't hear the uttering of that famous phrase, they just have heard it happened. I am not even sure of all the dinner guests, but I still tell the story as I was in the Kitchen when Betty "coined" that phrase.

Obviously the "Mythical" events live on in our own mind as we remember them. Please feel free to share a "Story", "Legend" or "Mythical" event and send it to everybody you have in your e-mail from the family. As I will end this posting now I will not go in to the "Thanksgiving Cat Litter Turkey Legend" or the infamous "Cold Spaghetti" myth at this time.

Concert Week

What a great week for music. On Thursday night I was able to attend the Javier Mendozza It's great to be Live (or something like that) concert / live album recording in Union Missouri.

Then, On Saturday Night my friend Sam and I attended the Rowdy Friends Tour in St Charles. The show was headlined by Hank Williams, but the opening act Lynryd Skynryd was absolutely fantastic......

Mr Noah

Here is Mr. Noah. Deep in thought and handling himself very well in a game of Mexican Chain domios.

Bull.... Ali

Here is Ali with our Dog Bull. He really loves her......oh so do we.

Here's my daughter just after she received her diploma. We could not have been any more proud.

My daughter Holly. Today 05/18/2007 is her graduation.

Honey Moon. Wow just tried it tonight, and is it ever good. I highly recommend this brew.

Happy Mother's Day to my wife.

Thursday May 24, 9:00pm we will be watching

I guess with two beer shots I also needed my favorite Pizza place too

There is another beer that we use to get back when we were young and lived in CT. It was excellent on tap. I am not sure if I would feel the same today, as back in that day we were underage, and buying beer for Keg parties.

So maybe it was just the keg party that was good. I am not sure, but I would just love to find a way to get some Genny Cream Ale in glass bottles, and try it to see if my memory is clouded, or if the beer is truly tasty.

So as I sit here tonight / this morning (it is 12:22am) I wasn't sure what to blog about tonight. So as I looked up, and saw a Blue Moon setting on my computer desk I decided to tell you that if you haven't tried it you should.

Oh by the way, don't forget the Orange slice. It does make a difference

Good Buya Sanjaya

With all the postings I have regarding the Va. Tech tragedy I felt compelled to add a posting that means little in comparison. However it is truly a great and wonderful thing that Sanjaya has been removed from Idol.

"We are Virginia Tech."

"We are Virginia Tech."

"We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.

We are Virginia Tech.

We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.

We are Virginia Tech.

We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devestated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.

We are Virginia Tech.

The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness.

We are the Hokies.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We are Virginia Tech."

Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor, poet, activist

Perspective Thoughts.

I have been searching the names and stories of those so needlessly murdered at Va. Tech. It is a moving and saddening search. I have a sister who use to work at Va Tech, and even though we haven't spoken for 10+ years I worried for her.

If you have anybody in your family in college, or heading to college this incident is even more frightening. Where is our world going to ?

Live well, as today is the most important day of your life.

How could America vote off Haley when we still have that no talent weasel named Sanjaya?????????????????

Happy Easter

Happy Easter. For many folks easter is a time to think about GOD, and Jesus' rising from the dead to bring salvation to our souls. It is a time to remember that Jesus became man, and died so our sins could be forgiven.








For others Easter is a time think about the Easter Bunny, and how much candy he will bring to them in their Easter Basket. Don't forget that American eats MILLIONS of Peeps every Easter. Get yours before somebody else eats them first.

A Blog, what the hell do I need a blog for. I have a boring life. I work, I sleep, I eat, I watch T.V. I surf the computer, play fantasy baseball, and that's about it. Oh well, maybe I can use my blog to update my family on what is actually going on with the kids, etc....