Do this place is official dead eh?

I'd trade 5 Facebooks, 3 MySpaces, a couple of Google+, and a Last.fm to have Livejournal back.

There was never a noisier seat on an airplane. No one could sleep in a seat like that. I did, for a bit. But when the drink cart came around, I woke up. I woke up to find the cart had just passed. I missed my chance. Peanuts are important up there, but the syrupy cran-apple juice was what I was really going to miss. I hoped to make eye contact with the flight attendant as she served the passengers seated in the row in front of me. I was sure she was intentionally averting her eyes. I didn't blame her; she can't enjoy her job. She doesn't have time to mollycoddle oblivious passengers. I stared up at the yellow call button above my head. Should I? Definitely not. For some reason I've always felt that button was for emergencies. Some passengers press the button for another gin & tonic. Is that what it's there for? Surely not. As I contemplated the circumstances which could give me cause to press the button (going into labour and head wound were all I had come up with), the flight attendant turned and asked me if I would like something to drink.

She asked without malice and as if it were no burden upon her at all. I said, "Cran-apple please." Or I tried. It came out meekly – half mouthed, half whispered, a bit croaked by sleep-paralysed vocal cords. When she handed me back the plastic cup, she whispered, "Would you like peanuts or pretzels?" "Peanuts please." But there was something about her whisper. It was delivered with pity. Pity. She hadn't whispered to the other passengers, just me. Was it in response to my own passivity? Her whisper made me feel like a pediatric cancer patient whose bald head guarantees that he or she will only be spoken to in soft, even tones. Kids who must endure not only a devastating illness, but the fact that every sentence spoken to them, no matter how mundane, will be punctuated with an empathic head nod and sorrowful smile.

Her pity was not without consequence. As I drank my juice, its ice cubes aggravatingly rushing towards my top lip with ever tip of the cup, self doubt enveloped me. I fumbled for the case that held my noise-cancelling headphones and placed them onto my head. They were nothing against the moan of the airplane, but I had to get back to sleep. Waking was mistake that had to be righted. I told myself that I'd feel better when I was off the plane, away from that kind flight attendant and her hushed words. Away from that noise.

I thought I might be working this weekend, but I'm not. So I'm in Milford this weekend. I entertained myself tonight by eating too many rolls at Bertucci's then seeing Hesher at a cinema in downtown New Haven.

Lovely theatre. No giant seats. No retractable arms. But nice. $11. $6 popcorn. Paid $3 to park. $20 night. No "trivia" or "first looks" before the feature. Just music. Good music with no announcers. No commercials. Just trailers. These ones:

Beginners:



Tree of Life:



Page One:



Paris at Midnight:



I will see all four.

So today. Let's run things down. I flew back to CT (well into LGA) on Sunday night. I'm back in Milford until June 3rd.

First step. Get food. I took my shopping list:



to Whole Foods last night before the show and finally tried this:



I had seen it listed for years at Vegan Essentials but never wanted to pay for it. Umm consistency ain't so good, but it tastes very blue cheesy and it was delightful in my pasta.

Then I made vegan Rice Kirspie Treats and took them to see to John Vanderslice and Damien Jurado. The show and treats were good. You can see photos and video of my night here:

http://toomuchrock.com/shows/jvanderslice5.html

But the real excitement was this morning. First there was this:



Oh no! Where did the rest of it go?



Then tried this:



But that still didn't get it. So I confessed to my coworkers that I had a cotton from a swap stuck in my ear. They laughed. A lot. It's sad not having your wife here when you get your head stuck in a honey pot or lose a Q-Tip in your ear. So tomorrow I'll go to the Walk In Clinic and see if some qualified doctor can get it out for me before I end up with an infection. There are worse things to act a doctor to remove from your body I guess. And I COULD go to a rock show tonight and only use one ear plug. That'd be nice.

Anyway so I came home and at 6pm watched Cash Cab. At 6:30 was Cash Cab. At 7:00 was Jeopardy. That's a good run. I ate these while I watched:



My ear hurts. The end.

Cold with drizzle today. Woke Kate up early then off to Wall Drug to fulfill her dream. It was smaller than I expected and not good in any way. It didn't even have the things we needed like warmer hiking socks or a warm hat.



Afterwards it was back to the park, back through all the overlooks and vistas, past small herds of deer and big horn sheep, and on a few hikes. Aside from one trail, the hikes in the park are short -- so short you probably walk further to your bus stop or from your parking spot to the mall entrance than you do on these trails. Most of them are boardwalks as well. Great for the wheelchair set. We went off trail for a while, hopping from crumbly rock to wet clay and had a lovely time.



After leaving the park we stopped by a ethically reprehensible, but still awfully cute, roadside attraction and fed "wild" prairie dogs unsalted peanuts sold as "Prairie Dog Chow" by the purveyors. When we had our fill of that it was on to Mitchell. While we hoped to go down to Alliance NE, the thunderstorm had thrown us off schedule. Instead of Carhenge, we'd see The Corn Palace. But first some grilled asparagus, steamed broccoli, and a baked potato at Ruby Tuesdays and a decent night's sleep at a Days Inn.



The Home Stretch: Woke up to another rainy day and made our way to The Corn Palace. Not as much corn as you'd expect. But hey maybe I'm just jaded being from Indiana and all. Also I was disturbed that Mitchell's proximity to Sturgis may have confused them as to the meaning of "Freedom Riders."



Now only 7 hours back to Kansas City. The weather cleared up around Sioux Falls, SD. And by the time we got to a rest area in Iowa to eat the rest of our supplies, things had heated up so much that we were using the AC in the car instead of the heat. Sioux City, Omaha, Kansas City and home. Open all the windows, mow the grass, eat at Waldo, watch last week's SNL, go to bed. FIN.


(click here to get the zoomable version)

Things that we missed: Devil's Tower National Monument. Wind Cave National Park. Carhenge. Nebraska's Sand Hills. Ingalls Homestead. Iowa's Loess Hills. When to go back?

As I said before, all my photos are here and Kate's photos are here.

Bismarck has lots of parks. Some seem pretty nice. As fellow residents of the Missouri River we visited a park on the flooded Missouri in Bismarck. There were small shore birds I didn't recognize that sang nicely and ran curiously. Beavers liked it there. I didn't. So we left and went to Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park. There was one old fort here for infantry and one newer one for cavalry (man everything is Custer all over this part of the country) and a Native American (Manden) village that was really cool. It looked like it might rain all morning.



Afterwards Kate took us the wrong way and a 2:35 trip took 4:23 instead. Kate likes to point out it was a lovely drive all the same. I like to point out my back hurts after driving so much. Really though the western part of ND is beautiful and the Enchanted Highway with it's giant metal art sculptures is a must see.



We planned to make it to our cabin in the Badlands that night, but were forced to stay in Faith, SD to weather a severe thunderstorm. After all the flooding we saw, driving through the middle of nowhere in the pitch black amidst reports of flash flooding and golf ball-sized hail smashing windshields, we were happy to dine on burgers (without the burger) at Linda's Drive In and stay at the Prairie Vista Inn. Turns out Faith is where Sue and Bucky the T-Rexes were discovered. T-Rex capital of the world the sign says.




Sunny and clear the next morning. Plans have changed. We're heading straight for Mount Rushmore, through Sturgis and Deadwood. We didn't stop at either as we had no need to gamble at a saloon named for a motorcycle Mount Rushmore was kick ass. Don't believe the people who tell you it's lame. The Black Hills are nice but not much different than the ranges in the Rockies. Though the Iron Mountain Highway, with its tiny tunnels and pigtails, was great. I needed a scooter. The Needles Highway was good and those are some neat rock formations. Crazy Horse Monument was sad. Not very complete, controlled by a crazy Polish family, not linked with native people, and umm just embarrassing to be at. Avoid.



Then a drive through Rapid City (not much there) including some bland massaman curry with tofu at Coco Palace. Then it was straight into Badlands National Park at dusk. LOVELY. Not like anywhere else on the planet I've ever been. Have you been? Why not? Go! After nabbing the key from the drop box out front of the lodge, we dropped out stuff off in our tiny, CCC-built cabin, and headed back out for some night photography in the park. I was happy to take advantage of a place with so few lights.



As with last time, all my photos are here and Kate's photos are here.

Yesterday morning Kate and I left for a quick vacation to the prairie. Here are things I have learned:

North Dakota is a long ways away. In North Dakota, there are not leaves on the trees yet. There are lakes in every field where there should be crops. The sun doesn't go down until 9:15. When I'm cold enough to need a jacket, locals are happy in shorts. I'm sure I'll learn more soon.

Highlights?

We spent last night and this morning in Fargo. I like that town. Quite a bit. We stayed at a hotel off the interstate on points, and ate at vegan cheese at Xtreme Pizza right around the corner. You, however, should stay at the Donaldson right downtown. We saw Super at the renovated Fargo Theatre downtown. It is, umm, yeah. I bought You're a Horrible Person But I Like You at Zandbroz Variety before we left town.



Then we drove to Bismarck making sure to stop at the World's Largest Buffalo and the World's Largest Sandhill Crane on the way. There were some lovely hills en route.



Bismarck, seems to be a craphole. Downtown is abandoned and useless. Finding anything vegan here is ridiculous. We had dinner at Olive Garden. The grounds of the state capitol are kinda nice. Tomorrow we'll visit a few parks and then head down to a cabin in the Black Hills.



All the photos are on Flickr.

I bought a new lunch box today. I bought one last time I was here, but it's in Kansas City. I could have brought it, but Kate uses it when she takes her lunch to work, and it looks cute. Besides the company was paying for it. Turns out the Stop & Shop clerk didn't ring me up for it anyway. So no one paid for it (or we all did right?). It's green. Same make and model as the last one, but much sportier. Kate will be jealous when it comes home in June.

The treadmill says I'm jogging at 7.0mph but it lies. If I had a fancy iPod like Kate's I could prove it wrong, but mostly I just know it feels like 6.1 or 6.2. George runs outside already. There's still snow here in Milford. Big piles of it block the view from my hotel window. I'm definitely ready for it to be over.

Last weekend I was in Cocoa Beach for this: http://www.usscooteralliance.com/ It was sunny and warm and I swam in the ocean, I rode my scooter, I saw the shuttle launch.



That's all for now. Start small. Slow and steady.

Put on your way-back hats kids. Think back twenty years. Think about when you used to move. About the packing that you'd do. I remember a particular dilemma: should I bring the yellow pages to my next house, or should I leave it for the next resident? Seriously. This was something I gave thought to. I didn't want to doom the next resident to a costly future of 411 calls, but Lord knows I couldn't afford that either. Would I get a new book when I set up service at the new apartment? I seem to remember that wasn't the case, that the phone book came once a year and that was that.



Of course it's 2011 and I haven't looked a phone book in 15 years. Still, every year some poor Labor Ready-scouted ex-con comes by my house with a plastic bag containing the massive Yellow Pages (the residential listings have been mercifully discontinued). I cringe when I see see the workers canvassing the neighbourhood, knowing that soon they'll visit my door step, leaving me with a burden that I'll be responsible for recycling. How does one opt out of this? Is this even legal? Really. I mean if I went around and left a 12lb copy of my epic memoir on everyone's porch, would that be okay. What is the definition of littering?

Of course this is all pretty banal right? Why waste time thinking (or especially complaining) about this, but this year I was particularly insulted by the whole process. Not only was our front door hit, but also a door that connects our bedroom with its deck. Yes the worker went around to the back of my house, climbed up a massive set of stairs that rise 30', and left a phone book at my bedroom door. Gee, thanks.

Hello.

Everyone seems to begin their LJ entries with "I haven't written here in..." confessions. I echo that and agree with the sentiment; this is a bad thing. So let's fix that in 2011 okay? It's the time for resolutions after all.

Although I have ignored LJ for a while, I've not been AWOL. Most of you got a holiday card and letter from me. If not, then I guess we're not friends IRL. As e-friends are pretty lame, I'd like to change that if you're game. We'll meet at Blanc Burger from some truffle fries or head to a random show at Record Bar that might be great, or I can be dragged to just about any film as long as I'm promised the presence of popcorn (ask Kate who took me to Wolverine last year). Is that how you make friends? Is that what friend's do? I'm confused by the process as Kate and I are trying to make some new friends just down the street from us, but right now it's as much stalking as friendship. Man the internet makes these things odd. Thanks to Flickr I know what the couple's bedroom sheets look like, but I've never spoken to them. That's weird right? Gotta fix that now that the holiday rush is slowing down.

Speaking of popcorn, I got two 5lb bags of it as Christmas gifts. I guess my friends and family know what makes me happy. I think I did pretty well by others even though one big gift to Kate was a fail. Hopefully she'll find the ukulele I gave her to be life changing, earning it the title of best gift ever received. Currently she seems a little afraid of it and would like me to enquire about lessons. And in case you're wondering, yes, Big Dudes will provide ukulele lessons. No word yet on a beginning kazoo seminar.

Kate and I spent the holiday in town this year, making it only the second time that I haven't woken up Christmas morning with my family present. It was rough, but it was nice to have a bit of Christmas at home, as well as lots of it with Kate's family. As with their Thanksgiving dinner, their Christmas brunch is an absolute feast. Om nom nom nom.

The holidays were generally pretty relaxed as I finished my gig in Connecticut in early November. I left work Friday November 5th – a week earlier than I intended – so that I could accompany Kate to Los Angeles for a filming of Jeopardy. While I got to enjoy the studio audience, she got to play the game and did quite well. While I can't say what happened, I will say start watching on Friday March 11th, 2011 and continue watching until she loses. There is talk of a large viewing party at a bar here in Kansas City, so get in touch if you'd like the particulars. I know that Kate and I would love to have you in for the weekend.

Trivia in general has been pretty dry though. As soon as I came back, our regular trivia night at Czar Bar ended abruptly. We've tried a few other nights out (Buzzard Beach, Record Bar) but haven't found home yet. We were supposed to do Bulldog yesterday, but somehow we blew it off without realizing it (until this very moment). Instead we stayed home, I made pancakes for dinner, and Kate emptied her inbox in preparation for a new year of incoming clutter.

I'll return to work in CT next week for a few days, and then it's back home for a few weeks, then out again for a week, then back home for a month or two then back out for three months or so. It's all up in the air though after these first two short work excursions. As I probably noted in your xmas letter, 2010 was pretty good to us work wise, so I'm not so terribly worried about the particulars of work in 2011. If it's slight, we'll be fine. If it's big, well we may spend more on a remodel than we bought the house for. Can you say dream kitchen?

The gym has been going pretty well. I make it about 6 days a week, though lately I've been considering occasional 2-a-days. If only I had my high school wrestling coach here to drill the hell out of me (wait that made wrestling sound even more gay), I'd be in shape in no time. A number of friends seem to be running marathons, half marathons, or just 5Ks. While I'm not sure I want the 26.2 version, I should really go do a 5K. I mean it's a half hour, who can't jog for a half hour? I say that now, but after all those months at work, with very little time spent in the very little hotel gym, my 5K time was like 50% off my pre-work pace. I'm back in form now though. Let's hope the 8lbs of gut I gained disappears just as easily. I'm starting to dread the "resolution rush" that will crowd my gym through January.

Too Much Rock is going well. Plenty of time to listen to music so the weekly podcasts have been just that. I also kicked out a "Top 30* Songs of 2010*" list that I defend on the website. If you're curious, peek over there. A list of top albums has been created but not yet posted. iTunes tells me that I added 149 albums released in 2010 to my library this year. This sounds like a lot of new music until you remove the 2010 release date limiting criteria and then it's 251 albums added in 2010. So five new CDs a week. This tops Kate's pace this year which has put her at 51 movies (new or revival) in the theatre this year. We're both likely to create a list of 2010's top films sometime in the coming week. I'll be sure to share it.

Well there's lots more to report, but mostly it's because I haven't kept anyone updated in months and months. Oh well, as Kate is fond of saying "We'll make better mistakes tomorrow."