Jackie's Web Space

Pictures of The Nursery

2011-01-20T18:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I've been absent for a while, but here are some pictures of the nursery!

42nd Rainbow Division Memorial in Kansas City

2010-05-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

I finally took the time to search for the Memorial Arch dedicated to the 42nd Rainbow Division, of which Grandpa John was a member during his service in World War II. The arch is located in Rosedale Memorial Park in Kansas City, Kansas. To see a few other pictures of the Memorial, including a close up of the plaque, please see my gallery on smugmug.

This blog has moved

2010-04-28T12:45:00.001-07:00

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The Rock Boat Addiction

2010-01-28T18:49:00.000-08:00

I get ribbed quite often for my Rock Boat enthusiasm. It's a topic I never tire of, and I will bring it up in conversation with just about anyone.

Maybe it's because I work hard, and this is the best vacation for letting loose.

Maybe it's because my shipmates are 10 to 20 close friends and I make new friends from across the nation every year.

Maybe it's because the rocking goes from noon until sunrise, with 30 different bands to choose from.

Maybe it's because rock stars are so dreamy.

Whatever the cause, I'm addicted.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-06T09:12:00.001-08:00

Halloween - The Holiday of Insecurity (And You Thought the Holiday of Insecurity was Valentines Day)

2009-10-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

I spent the last couple of weeks trying to decide what I want to be for Halloween. Actually, I've known what I want to be. A character from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Alice, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, the Duchess, the Mock Turtle, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the Caterpillar, etc.

At first, I thought I wanted to be Alice. I must have perused hundreds of Alice costumes. Alice is unmistakable: blue dress, white apron and a bow for the hair. Sadly, my internet shopping has nearly corrupted a long-lived memory of one of my favorite childhood characters. The very clever, curious and innocent Alice was found in online costume stores to be a busty and leggy blonde wearing a mini ruffled skirt, a french peasant top, and an apron with a reavealing cut (among other variations). I suppose Alice could still be clever and curious in that attire, but I don't think "innocent" would fit.

In search of a longer skirt (and because I didn't want to totally ruin my image of Alice), I decided to Google for the Queen of Hearts costumes. Same story there, only black and red instead of blue and white. For days, I searched the net, incapable of settling on either an Alice or Queen of Hearts costume. This turmoil was really starting to frustrate me.

So I posted my frustration on facebook: "Jackie wants to know why 90 percent of women's Halloween costumes have really short skirts." I got a few different answers. My aunt suggested, "Because men made them." Someone else commented soon after, "Because men like them."

I got another answer:

"Maybe its because Halloween is all about being naughty, so if ya got it, flaunt it! And if you don't got it, flaunt it anyway."

It was the "if ya got it, flaunt it...if you don't got it, flaunt it anyway" part that struck me - a glib statement with a serious nugget of truth in it. I was looking at my inner turmoil about the costumes as if it was all about innocence lost. But no...it's just my insecurity about the way I think I would look in those short skirts and tight fitting halters. I'm not blond or busty, and I'm certainly not leggy at 4 feet and 11 inches tall.

But there it was in that statement....encouragement to flaunt it even if I don't got it.

I settled on a Queen of Hearts of Costume. She, at least, is a character worthy of corruption.

Update October 21: Received the costume in the mail. Tried it on. Chickened out and sending it back. Skirt so short, may as well be wearing nothing.

Belize 2009 Vacation Book Ready for Purchase

2009-09-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

The long awaited photobook is now ready for purchase online.

Belize 2009

By Jackie Nugent

Book Preview

Diving in Belize

2009-09-08T11:25:00.001-07:00

We spent three of our days diving in Belize. Below is a video that my friend Rick took of me. You can see a nurse shark in the background following us around. We had chummed the water and several big nurse sharks responded. We also attraced some very large groupers and an overly curious green moray eel (ask me about that sometime!).

More pics and video to come!

Buddy Boy and Little Boy Blue

2009-07-23T06:18:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to two little kittens adopted from Wayside Waifs. The white one is named Blue (for his blue eyes) and the tabby, Buddy. This is exactly how I envision seeing the group on most nights: Bryan in his recliner, Lucy faithfully at his side, Buddy purring on his lap, and Blue on his shoulder nuzzling into the crook of his neck. Who couldn't smile at this sight?

UPDATE (9/7/2009): Buddy was claimed by feline distemper and was mercifully put to rest by the veterinarian.

Sex-and-the-City Closet

2009-07-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

I can't claim to be anything close in personality to the character Carrie from the movie Sex and the City, but I do understand how wonderful it is to have a roomy closet and a Mr. Big to build it for you. Bryan expanded our closet from 7x7 to 14x7. He framed the addition, and then we sheet rocked it. With a little help from ClosetMaid, we added shelves, cabinets and rods. Now we have his and her closets! The photos below are from my half of the closet. Thank you, Bryan!

So it has been a while....

2009-05-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

Not that anyone reads this besides my mom (love you, Mom!), but I intended to write something on this blog on a regular basis. It's sort of a stress reliever for me. So, what's been going on lately?

Well, my brother just took a job in Kosovo (a newly recognized country in Eastern Europe). Incidentally, Vice President Biden is visiting Kosovo today (to help give some authority to Kosovo being an official state). Before Chris left, we threw a small going party for him at my place. It was also a party to celebrate his 30th birthday, which he attempted to signal in the photo below. See, Mom, we're keeping up the tradition of taking a picture of Chris with his birthday cake while he holds up his fingers to indicate his age. There's also a third arm, courtesy of Caleb, bearing the cake cutting knife.

Also, I've learned to play disc golf. Bryan guilted me into signing up for the disc golf competition in Corporate Challenge this year. I had never played before, so we bought discs and practiced at courses during our vacation. We played in Phoenix, San Diego and San Francisco. The first time I played, I hated it, and after the just two throws, I yelled that I didn't want to play anymore. Then, because I hate to let a game beat me, I got obsessed with it. I started watching YouTube videos of the pros and lessons from the disc manufacturers (namely Discraft). Bryan had also suckered one of our friends at work, Melanie, to be my partner. So, we all went out and practiced a few times at Swope Park, where the Corporate Challege competition would take place. Long story short, Melanie and I ended up taking first place in our division. Who would have ever guessed! Honestly, it was a game of who stunk the least, I think. So, I'm still obsessed with the game because my skills are still quite lacking, and I'm learning to have fun even though I'm not very good yet.

There have been other fun times, but over the last couple of months, I have been primarily consumed by work at the Federal Reserve. With TARP, the deteriorating commercial real estate market, and the current economic impact on banks, I've been busy. I'm learning a lot! But I'm working hard too. And now that the weather is good again, it's getting more and more difficult to keep such a serious focus on my job. Fortunately, I have my little Lucy to go home to every day. Here she is looking as tired as I feel everyday after work. But don't let it fool ya! She'll bounce right up and run circles around you. I wish I had that kind of energy.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

iLike!

2009-02-19T19:01:00.000-08:00

I am STILL in love with Alternate Routes, so their songs are at the top of my list. I keep playing them over and over in the car and on my iPod. Two of my favorites aren't available on iLike yet: 'Love Me for Nothing' and 'The Futures Nothing New.' Check those out on MySpace. I especially love 'Please Don't Let It Be,' which I always remember as 'We're Standing on the Edge of Something Good." That's my motto for 2009.

Enjoy!

Add a playlist to your page using iLike

Shark Dive and Snorkel!

2009-01-27T13:43:00.001-08:00

IMG_0719, originally uploaded by wenuell.

We are back from the Rock Boat, and it was quite a special one. Not only did we have great music (I'll save that for my next post), we swam with sharks!

When we stopped in Nassau, Bahamas, several us booked private excursions with Stuart Cove. Half of our group did the Shark Snorkel and half did the Shark Dive.

This is a picture of Bryan during the dive, and those are the Carribbean Reef Sharks right next to him. The photo was taken by Rick Cloues.

During the snorkel adventure, the staff of Stuart Cove took us to a dive spot near a wreck. Once there, they instructed us to get into the water one-by-one and hold onto a rope tied onto the end of the boat. I was the first one in line (how that happened, I don't know). Just as I was about to get in the water, one the sharks surfaced within two feet of the ladder I was about to climb down. "Are you sure I should get in now?" I asked the guide. He affirmed, so I stepped into the water and pretended to be brave and unaffected. Then the guide instructed me to slide out to the end of the rope in the water. We were also instructed not to splash about or kick. At the end of rope, I tried very hard not to shiver but the fear and adrenaline was hard to overcome. My buddy Andrew was next in the water with me. As we waited for the others to get in, we put our faces into the water and watched the sharks, who expected to be fed, begin to muster near our boat. I first saw three, then ten, and then I stopped counting. When one came from behind us and about five feet under our noses, both Andrew and I popped our heads up out of the water and with our eyes wide said, "They're getting close!"

We spent about 15 to 20 minutes watching the sharks gathering about us. Then we were instructed to get back on the boat. Once we were all safely aboard, the Stuart Cove staff threw some fish food (which was actually dog food) into the water. The Yellowtail Snappers scurried to the fish food in droves, which made for an easier target for the sharks. So, at the end of our snorkel excursion, we got to watch sharks, with their fins slicing through the water surface, feeding on yellowtail snapper.

The sharks we saw during the snorkel trip were actually coming from the feeding they just got during the dive that Bryan and Rick and the rest of our buddies did about 300 feet away. Those guys actually got to dive 40 feet down and watch a trained person feed fish to the sharks. They told us that the sharks were close enough that their fins would sometimes hit them in the head.

Two Remarkable Things

2009-01-03T20:37:00.000-08:00

1. One of my orchids has a bloom on it! This is the first time this orchid has ever gotten a bloom in the several years that I have had it. I'm thrilled and hope this is a sign of good things to come in the new year.

2. It was 65 degrees this afternoon! When I finished my workout, I left the gym wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

See more NYE photos.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

Bruce the Bald Frog

2008-12-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

(An Answer to Blogger's Random Question: The children are waiting! Please tell them the story about the bald frog with the wig.)

Once, not very long ago, there was a great big frog whose name was Bruce. Bruce had a very good job, and he lived in a hip neighborhood called Waldo. Although Bruce had every other reason to have the utmost confidence, his ribbit was so resonating that, instead of attracting the lovely lady froggies, it frightened them away. In fact it wasn’t really a ribbit at all but rather a deep bellow like that of the bulls in the countryside.

One of Bruce’s frog buddies suggested that he simply never speak. He tried that but then his best characteristic, his story-telling ability which was loved by all who knew him, could not be expressed. Any attention from the frogspawners was fleeting because Bruce's lack of conversation made him appear to be lower on the evolutionary ladder.

Then one day, he met the Love Frog. Had the Love Frog been a human, his profession might have been door to door vaccuum salesman. The Love Frog saw immediately that Bruce's watering hole was spawn-less and began selling Bruce a solution. "Bruce, my main frog, your problem is not your bellow but your baldness. Look in the mirror, fellow, and what do you see? You are bald as bald can be."

This was certainly true, thought Bruce, so he asked, "You're the Love Frog. What would you prescribe?" The Love Frog pulled out his rubber gloves, placed them on his webbed digits, and felt all around Bruce's head. "Not a single follicle, I'm afraid. Propecia will not work for you. We must get you a wig." Poor Bruce swallowed the sales pitch just like he'd seen the fish in the water fall for the fisherman's hook time and time again. Never once did it occur to him that all frogs are bald, even the Love Frog.

Two days later, the Love Frog returned with a doozy of wig. Bruce looked at it hesitatingly and asked, "Was this all you could find for me?" Although the wig was certainly detestable, the Love Frog in all his icky slipperiness replied, "My dear Bruce. This is Waldo. You can't have just any old do. This spiked look, brought to fame by the punk rockers, is all the rage these days!" Bruce couldn't argue with that, so he donned the wig and waited for his love to arrive. He waited and waited and waited.

Then one day, along came a bright green lizard, one of the omnivorous kind, charging right at Bruce. Bruce looked behind him, thinking that perhaps she had set her eyes on someone else, but there was no one behind him. No one to the right, and no one to the left. Then he suddenly realized the lizard's gaze was directly on him, but it wasn’t a look of hunger but a look of desperate love! Bruce looked in the water at his reflection and saw a spiky-headed lizard looking back at him. “Oh, no! When she finds out I’m not really a lizard, I’ll be her dinner!”

Within moments of the lizard's reaching him, Bruce swiped the wig from his bald head and let out the most guttural, loud and awful ribbit ever heard in herpitology. It was so loud that the bulls in a nearby field echoed his call. Shocked at the sound and embarrassed by her mistake, the lizard turned and ran away.

Bruce, whose intellect is sound although perhaps a little naive, understood then how silly it was for a frog to wear a wig. Just as he was laughing at himself and shrugging off any chance at reproduction, the lovely frogspawners began to appear in the dozens. To Bruce's surprise, they weren't afraid of his bellow any more. In fact, they loved his ribbit, for it was frightening enough to scare away a predator that loves to feed on frog eggs.

Ever since then, Bruce has been considered the father of all the generations of bullfrogs, with their distinct mating call that ensures their existence in perpetuity.

Spreading Good Cheer

2008-12-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Bryan, Jackie and Lucy went to Elf School and learned a couple of dances!

Elf Yourself Here.

Kansas Jayhawks Under Warrant for Arrest

2008-11-30T07:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.themaneater.com/blogs/sports/2008/11/29/columbia-police-chief/

The Jayhawks are innocent. That win was earned!

#1 in Fantasy Football!

2008-11-18T19:19:00.000-08:00

This is likely to be very short lived, so I have to celebrate now! That's me, the Two Two Sevens, at the top of the standings after Week 11.

Now, my next game is against the Redeem Team, and he is favored to win 106 to 97 (see the Matchup below). He's got some on-fire players with very good matchups, so my chances of winning aren't good. But this is the NFL, Baby, and anything can happen!

Babies

2008-11-15T09:30:00.001-08:00

It's in the water. Our friends are beginning to have babies. Here's a couple of photos!

This is Bryan holding newborn Elodie. Elodie is Matt and Jamie's sweet little girl.

This is baby Charlotte and her mom, Dana. John and Dana are my good friends in Arlington, Virginia. Charlotte has a great smile!

More baby pics to come! Stay tuned for the Christmas-time stork.

Fantasy Football

2008-11-11T05:14:00.001-08:00

Just a few years ago, the only NFL football player I knew was Marcus Allen, and the only reason I knew of him is that I met him once at a holiday party for Commerce Bank, where I worked as a financial service assistant. I have this photo of proof. I'll never forget the day because he approached me at the party, extended his hand to me and said, "I'm Marcus Allen." As if I didn't know! Well, ok, so maybe I wouldn't have known if it weren't for the fact that it was widely announced at the bank that Marcus Allen, our newest spokesperson, would be at our holiday party.

Today, I'm a crazed Fantasy Football fan!

Do you see that screen capture of the scoreboard? My team, The Two Two Sevens, is in second place after a major whipping of Jim A's Assasinators, and has the same record (7 - 3) as the league leader, Shocker's Revenge. This probably won't last long, so I'm going to enjoy it for this one week.

I'll be honest here. This is absolutely dumb luck. Every Sunday, Monday and now Thursday, as I'm glued to tube, I'm asking all kinds of questions. What's a tight end? Why do they call him that? What's a duck? What's that flag for? Basically, I have a lot to learn about the game of football. So, when it comes to Fantasy Football, I'm definitely a rookie.

This honest assessment, however, doesn't keep me from celebrating the fact, for example, that my week 10 pick-up of the Carolina defense gave me 21 points compared to my benched Chicago defense which would have had 3 points! The decision to bench Chicago and pick up Carolina was a conscientious decision.

Next week, I play Shocker's Revenge, which has stood at the top of the league since the beginning of the season. He's got a great line-up, and the match-up is in his favor. Maybe luck will be on my side again. That would be trouble! Two weeks at the top? I might start thinking I know what I'm doing.

Lucy

2008-11-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

If you have spent any time with me in the last year or so, you've probably heard me talk a lot about Lucy. Lucy was a birthday gift to me from Bryan, and she turned out to be the best birthday gift ever.

We met Lucy last summer at our friends' house where we sometimes play volleyball on Tuesday nights. One of the girls who plays volleyball with us had rescued Lucy from a woman at a Walmart somewhere in the Ozarks. The woman was trying to give the puppies away. She said they are the offspring of a beagle/rat terrier mom and a black lab dad. Even though our friend already had dogs of her own, she couldn't stand the sight of this little pup in such bad condition (she was covered in fleas and ticks), so she took her home with the hope she'd have a better chance of finding the puppy a beter owner.

Lucy was soooo cute, that it didn't take long for her to get adopted. Fortunately for me, Lucy's new family brought her to volleyball one night. I was out of town for work, but Bryan had gone to play volleyball and saw Lucy there. Later that night, he called me to say that he had seen a really cute puppy, and its too bad she was already adopted. I had been trying to convince Bryan for about a year that we should get a dog. He was dead set against it. But this Lucy must have tugged on his heart strings just a little.

A week or so later, I went with Bryan to play volleyball, and Lucy was there again with her family. She really was a cute and lively pup, and I really wanted her. Bryan said out loud, "It's too bad she's already adopted." To which, Lucy's new owner said, "Actually, we're looking to give her away again." Apparently, one of Lucy's new family members was allergic to her.

Well, you know the end of that story! Lucy was then given to me as a birthday present just a few days later.

We think Lucy is about a year-and-a-half old. She's one of the happiest dogs I've ever seen. Some people think she has a permanent smile on her face. Not only did Lucy turn out to be beautiful dog, she's really smart. I'm amazed at her vocabulary and her ability to learn new tricks. Our favorite trick is "stick 'em up!" We aim our fingers at her like guns, say "stick 'em up," and she sits on her hind legs and puts her front paws up in the air.

I don't know how I'll ever be able to have another dog. As for Bryan, who never wanted a dog, he too is smitten!

See more pictures of Lucy.

I'm a scuba wienie!

2008-11-08T06:10:00.000-08:00

While we were in Florida, our group (Rick, Stacy, Jesse, Mary Ann, Bryan and I) planned to do some scuba diving in the Atlantic. The first day, we dove at Key Largo. When we arrived at the dive shop, the staff there informed us that there were four foot swells and asked if we still wanted to go out. Without hesitation we said yes. After all, it had been well over a year since my last dive, and I didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to get some practice. How bad could it be? It's fine once you get in, right?

The dive shop took us out on a big boat with a few other divers. Our ride on the rough water to the dive site should have given me warning. I was feeling pretty woozy by the time we arrived at our first dive site and anxious to get in and under! It wasn't so bad once we got in the water and down about 30 feet to the coral, but getting out and back into the boat wasn't so much fun. As you are trying to get back on the boat, the waves are beating you up. You're trying to hold on to the tie line for dear life while carefully removing your fins so that you don't drop and lose them. Add to the commotion the fact that the boat is bouncing up and down on four foot swells.

I was absolutely exhausted by the end of our two tank dive, and I told my dive buddy that if our second day of diving had rough water like that, I was probably going to skip it. And what do you know? On our next day of diving at Key West, conditions were even worse. I think the swells were twice as big. I might be exaggerating. Maybe they were only six feet swells. It was certainly raining more, and the wind was blowing a lot harder.

We had chartered a small boat for our second dive. As we were boating out to our first dive site, a wreck, the boat ride was jarring on those very rough waves. Our captain and dive master said, "We should probably turn back, but that's kind of hard to do once you're two-thirds of the way." In my mind, I thought, if you're leading me to my death, we should definitely turn back! Someone in our group, maybe Stacy or Mary Ann, wondered rhetorically out loud why there weren't any other dive boats out. The captain ignored her. As I was bracing myself against the pounding of the water, I was also bracing myself for the inevitability that I was going to be getting into that water. As much as yesterday's experience told me I did not want to get in the water, I knew that I would try to be brave for the sake of my diving buddies.

Once we were at the dive site, our captain got the boat tied to a rope anchored securely 90 feet below. Shackled like that, the boat was then a slave to the pounding waves, wind and rain. It was decided that Stacy and I get in the water first. We were instructed to roll into the water, swim to the back of the boat and hold on to a tie line to wait for the others to be put in one at a time. We did the first step successfully but holding on to the tie line and waiting for everyone else turned out to be a colossal challenge. In my mind, holding on to that rope was like holding on to the tail of an angry Tyrannosaurus Rex. As the boat was jumping up and down on the water, T-Rex's tail yanked us all over the place. It felt like my arm was going to separate from the socket. At some point, I must have let go of the rope, because after messing with my regulator and BC, trying to keep my head above water so that I didn't use too much air at the surface, I looked up at Stacy and realized that I was starting to drift away.

That was my initial moment of panic, and I let out an audible whimper and stretched out my arms desperately for Stacy to grab hold of me. Fortunately, Stacy has long arms....or maybe the true story is that I hadn't really drifted that far away. But it was enough to cause me panic!

Stacy pulled me in, and I forced myself not to get absent-minded and let go of that rope again. In the meantime, Rick had gotten in the water, and he was making his way to the front of the boat to the tie line that would take us to the wreck 90 feet below. Rick seemed to be having success maneuvering to the tie line in spite of the boat that was crashing down seemingly over his head (he later referred to it as the washing machine). But for me, it was back to Tyrannosaurus Rex, clinging to that rope and trying to breathe without consuming too much air. The dive captain told me to air up my BC to give me more float, so I did. Then my BC was too tight! I thought it was a bit small for me when we tried our rentals on back at the dock, but everyone said it fit perfectly. So, my BC was now constricting my lung capacity, I was being tossed and yanked, and finally, I was convinced I was going to die.

I gave the wave of distress. I don't think anyone believed me at first. The captain kept asking over and over again, "Do you want to get in the boat? Are you sure?" I affirmed vigorously. With regret for time lost perhaps, he instructed me to swim to the ladder, where he pulled me back safely into the boat. By now, Stacy, who had also been suffering with the tail of the angry Tyrannosaurus Rex, was exhausted and decided she, too, wanted back in the boat. She didn't think she'd have enough air or energy to complete the dive in an enjoyable fashion. So, our dive captain assisted her back into the boat as well.

Before we even got to the dive site, I think Mary Ann had made up her mind that she wasn't going to get in. Bryan and Jesse made it into the water, successfully maneuvered their way to the line in spite of T-Rex and the washing machine, and joined Rick who had wisely descended twenty feet to wait for them. The dive captain followed them down the tie line to the wreck at the bottom of the ocean.

While they were exploring the wreck, we on the surface were certainly not getting our money's worth. Stacy was leaned over one side of the boat, and Mary Ann was hunched over the other side of the boat. The fish were getting treats from both of them. I chose to plant myself in the middle of the boat on the highest seat, in the captain's seat, and struggled to keep my breakfast on those choleric waters.

There are so many things I learned that day on the water. Foremost, I learned that it's important to know your limits. I'm a scuba wienie! Before that dive, I only had 8 dives under my belt, and half of those were with a dive instructor. And, I already knew that the first day's dive conditions were too taxing on me. I should have obeyed my inner scuba wienie.

That said, can you believe the surfer in this photo survived a ride on a 41 foot wave?!?! Read the story here.

The Bad Idea Bears

2008-10-31T07:19:00.001-07:00

For Fantasy Fest, Bryan and I dressed one night as the Bad Idea Bears. We got our faces painted too (btw, I think we look CREEPY...and we were supposed to look cute), and we carried around our homemade version of the Bears (converted from Care Bears). As the night progressed, I was truly surprised at how most people didn't know who the Bad Idea Bears are.

The Bad Idea Bears are puppets in the Broadway musical, Avenue Q, which is a comical, musical perversion of Sesame Street. Avenue Q is probably my favorite musical of all time, and the Bad Idea Bears, in my opinion, stole the show! The Bad Idea Bears are personally known by all of us. For example, you know you shouldn't have any more to drink, but suddenly, another round of Long Island Ice Tea sounds like a great idea! After all, it's only ice tea! Here is one of the lead characters, Princeton, face to face with the Bad Idea Bears. Let's see how he fares:

If you can't see that video, go to this link.

While you're here, check out these other Avenue Q videos. In particular, check out, It Sucks to Be Me, Everyone's a Little Bit Racist, and The Internet is for Porn.

Tell me what you think! I think you'll love these vignettes as much as me!

Savannah and Key West

2008-10-29T16:59:00.001-07:00

I'm exhausted! Last week, I went to Savannah for a few days to visit my brothers, Chris and Ricky. After that, I headed down to Key Largo and Key West for some scuba diving and Fantasy Fest. Thanks to my brothers and the gang at Key West, I had a fantastic time.

Girls' Trip to Austin City Limits

2008-10-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

Kristie, Res, Sherri and I ventured to Austin, Texas to attend the Austin City Limits Music Festival. We had a fantastic time! Besides the headliners (Foofighters, Beck, the Raconteurs and others) in a jam packed line-up, I really enjoyed Band of Horses, Vampire Weekend, Old 97s, Electric Touch and the South Austin Jug Band. These are on my list to check out further. The best part, though, was getting to experience the festival and the city of Austin with my awesome gal pals.

Res and Kristie down the large Heinekens!

Sherri and me in downtown Austin.

Work. Work. Work. Fun. Fun. Fun. Free. Free. Free.

2008-09-15T18:02:00.001-07:00

Since I've returned from Washington DC, I've been busy every day at work, and summer events have consumed my nights and weekends. With all that's going in the financial industry, it's tempting to tell you about my line of work as a bank examiner. Every day at work has been an eye opener. Things I had previously only read about, I'm seeing, and it hits hard...how it all could unravel. I'd like to flesh out my own thoughts about everything here, but some fool out there might take seriously my words as an employee of the Fed. So, I have to skip the work, work, work talk and move on to the fun, fun, fun talk.

Since returning from DC, I have seen a ton of music concerts, primarily at Kansas City's Power and Light District. The concerts are free, and my friend Sherri and I have tried to take advantage of that as much as possible. Anyone who knows Sherri knows that she LOVES free stuff, and I think she has infected me with that bug as well. So, together, we have seen Seven Mary Three, Say Anything, The Pat McGee Band, The ACBs, Ludo and other local KC bands. Sherri and I signed up for the weekly drawings Buzz 96.5 holds, and I have won VIP tickets (free food and beer) and tickets to the Kansas City airshow. We have also gone to concerts at the Beaumont Club, including the much anticipated The Hush Sound, which I love despite their youthful audience. There have been some music festivals too at Westport and the Crossroads District...but I have now forgotten some of the great bands we saw. Ah, speaking of the Crossroads District, we did see Live and Collective Soul. I loved Collective Soul. And of course, there was the Kansas City Irish Fest at Crown Center, where we saw Gaelic Storm! Sherry and her sister Tammy snagged their handwritten set list for me as a souvenir. We picked up some other free stuff there...more on that in a bit.

Outside of concerts, we have gone to a number of Royals games. Last Thursday, our department at work took it's staff appreciation day at the K, where I FINALLY saw a winning Royals game. After seeing several losses, I was beginning to think I was cursed never to see a winning game at the K. Sherri has gone with me to a couple of games, and she taught me how to get a free soda (by signing up for the Good Sport of the Game contets) and free Sheridan's Frozen Yogurt (if the Royals score in the 7th inning). How I would miss out on all this free stuff, if it weren't for Sherri! If you ever meet Sherri, ask her how she and her sister Tammmy got 11, yes 11, free Royals t-shirts at fan appreciation day.

I've already mentioned camping at Wakarusa, so no need to mention that again. We did go camping one more time for a weekend canoe trip somewhere on the Niangua River in Missouri. Just like last year, we brought Lucy. I was curious to see how Lucy would handle the water and the canoe this year. Last year, she was only a few months old and didn't seem to like the water very much. This year, she fell in the river and it was evident by her frantic swimming back to the canoe that she hasn't outgrown her dislike for swimming. We did find out, thought, that she likes running in shallow water. We stopped at a shallow spot to wait for the others to catch up with us, and Lucy would run as far as she could run until the water hit her chest, and then she would run back. She ran in circles like that for quite a long time and drew cheers from the passing canoers. Funny dog. Anyway, here's a pic of Lucy after she had hopped onto Rebecca's canoe (the trip organizer and official photographer).

Lucy's typical perch on the canoe was right on top the cooler in the middle of the canoe (as high above the water as she could get) or right next to me at the front of the canoe, squeezing me out of my seat. And what a social butterfly she was. Any canoe that came along-side us, she would happily hop on, without fear of being dognapped on the river. That Lucy! Every group has it's canoe hopper.

I had a few visitors this summer. My brother Chris is back from his deployment to Iraq, and he took some leave from the Army to spend time with family and friends. I was fortunate that he was here to share in my birthday dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Yum! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to share, but I have an upcoming trip to Savannah next month to visit Chris, so I'll be sure to take some then. My good friend Sarah also came to visit. That's her picture at the top of this post. While she was here, we went to the Kansas City Irish Fest at Crown Center and the KU Football home opener against Florida International. Continuing with the "free" them, we got free stuff at the Irish Fest and the football game. In particular, I was excited to get two free KU t-shirts, and at the Irish Fest, while the Boulevard t-shirt I got wasn't free, as Sherri put it, "It was cheaper than my fricking beer!"

There were a ton of other summer activities that I'm leaving out, but I am running out of writing steam. Though summer is officially over, I have two more "summery" events coming up....Austin City Limits next weekend and Fantasy Fest and a scuba trip in October.

Hula Hoop Hippie Chick

2008-06-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

Some would say that attending my third Wakarusa Music Festival over the weekend would automatically classify me as a hippie chick. But there's alot about hippies I don't understand. How can someone consider themselves individualistic, bucking of convention, (Yahoo!Education) yet look like all of his/her other friends? Why are dreadlocks so popular? How can someone go that long without a shower? What's up with the Hula Hoop?

As I was watching a cool performance by State Radio, I was also audience to two really good hula hoopers. It was mesmerizing the way they worked the hoop to gyrate around the waist and up the body to their wrists held high above their heads and then back down to their legs. Throw in hops and turns and twists. There are no words to describe the physical and perpetual movement of the hula hoop...I can't think of any that do it justice. Later in the weekend, I saw the same girls hooping to the Reggae music of Jah Roots. Music makes all the difference, and Reggae hula hooping is like love-making.

I want a hula hoop.

True hippies love mud, and this Wakarusa, we had plenty of it. It stormed so heavily the first night of the festival that many of us abandoned our tents to mother nature and slept in our vehicles. The next morning, mangled tents everywhere required reconstruction before the morning shower (for the few of us that actually took showers). Despite the enormous tents over the music stages, the ground was saturated, and muddy feet and legs were unavoidable. Mud anywhere else on the human body was simply an accessory, an outward sign of the free spirit. I like to think of myself as free-spirited, but...

There's no mud love in my soul.

Apparently, though, hippies and I share a few passions. One would be a clean earth. I'm making a sweeping generalization, but recycling and proper placement of rubbish is important to hippies. One particular festival goer demonstrated this after he blotted out his cigarette in the dirt. Instead of leaving the butt on the ground like so many smokers, he placed it back in the pack in order to, I assume, throw it away properly. Hippies are also passionate about getting out the vote. I admire their concern for this aspect of the democratic process. I too often hear in this cynical world that who we vote for doesn't matter.

Hippies and I also share a love for much of the same music.

The Wakarusa line-up had some old favorites. My favorite headliner was Cake, who has the best sing-along music. The Flaming Lips and Ben Folds headlined as well. Of course, for me, Wakarusa wouldn't be the same without the Dewayn Brothers. In addition to these, I met some new bands (new to me anyway). At the top of my "explore further" list were Keller Williams, Backdoor Slam, Old 97s, State Radio, Brett Dennen, Mates of State, Limbeck, Steel Train and Leftover Salmon. My first download, as soon as I can find it on the net, is going to be "Doobie in My Pocket" by Keller Williams.

I don't do doobies, but that song is flipping hilarious!

So...am I a hippie chick? I'm still not sure. I guess I'll have to go again next year. Someone get me a hula hoop.

The Alien Song

2008-05-26T20:59:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a piano bar with a group of my friends. Desirous of putting in a successful request, I tried to think of a song that everyone knows and loves. This can be a difficult thing after a few spirits. I had a particular song in my mind, but I couldn't think of the name or the exact lyrics. So, I petitioned my cronies for help.

"What's that song that's played at dance receptions all the time? The one about the guy who comes home, and he can't get in because the doors are locked?"

That clue was no help. In fact it was terribly misleading as that sounds more like Barenaked Ladies' "Old Apartment" than the song I was actually trying to come up with. Try again....

"You know it's that alien song."

The countenances of my dear friends were twisted with confusion at this bizzare hint, and they did not hold the laughter. Finally, after failing to get any better hints from me and mulling over what could possibly be going on in my childish mind, Bryan correctly deduced that I was referring to "I Will Survive."

Well...who has a boyfriend that comes back "from outer space"? An alien!

I did a Google search because I wanted to see if anyone else thought the song was about an alien. For search words I typed "I will survive alien," and the results indicated I'm not alone in this idea. In fact, Victor Navone produced this animation:

Don't see the video? Try this YouTube link.

If you're interested, check out Mr. Navone's Alien Song website. He sells some alien merch too! I am seriously pondering the "Death by Disco" t-shirt.

My Last Weekend in DC

2008-05-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

See more of my DC photos.

This weekend I'll be driving the Mini Cooper back to Kansas City and moving home. I was fortunate to spend my last weekend in DC with two of my favorite people, Rick and Kirsten. On Saturday, we revisted the major monuments for the benefit of Rick, and Kirsten introduced me to a monument I had never seen, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. The Korean War Memorial used to be my favorite, but I now think the FDR Memorial holds that spot. In addition to seeing the monuments, we went to a Leg Warmers concert at the State Theatre. The Leg Warmers is a phenomenal 80's music tribute band. On Sunday, we braved the rain and went to Baltimore to see the Orioles and the Nationals play. We closed out the evening with dinner at Papa Razzi in Georgetown.

Rick and Kirsten, thanks for making it such a wonderful weekend.

I love Spring.

2008-05-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

My outlook improves so much when Spring arrives. This is a photo of a bleeding heart. Bryan gets the credit for the photo. We planted the bleeding heart last fall, and the bloom has returned this spring. This is one of my favorite flowers, as it reminds me of my Grandma. There was a bleeding heart in front of the porch of my grandparent's house, and I could count on seeing a bloom every spring. I miss my Grandma, but it helps to have these little reminders of her. Here also is a photo of a little family of geese that I saw at Great Falls Park, Maryland.

Here's a 30 second clip - listen to the little squeak the goslings make.

See more photos from my stay in DC....

I Needed a Good Laugh Today

2008-04-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

And I got one...from this cute video titled, "Korean Baby Singing Hey Jude."

The DC Metro and the Bobblehead Pope

2008-04-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, my brother and I were in a metro station and soon realized that filming was going on. Filming at the metro stations probably happens alot, but here's a commercial specifically about the metro. The commercial, previously posted on the Metro's website but since removed, was intended to encourage people to take the metro when Pope Benedict XVI is here on April 17 to deliver mass at Nationals Park.

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK! NATIONAL CHAMPS!

2008-04-08T07:03:00.000-07:00

I watched the game at Crystal City Sports Pub, and there was an entire floor full of Jayhawk fans. What an absolutely electric game! If you love college basketball, you had to enjoy that game.

At 00:00, the game was tied but the Jayhawks had won! That comeback was the harbinger of bad news for the Tigers, as I had full confidence KU would control OT. Memphis was tired, and the Jayhawks were wired. 75-68!

When overtime ended, the phone started ringing. The best call was from my brother, who was on Mass Street in Lawrence, broadcasting the revelry so that I could share the moment.

Congrats to the KU Men's basketball team! Congrats to Bill Self! And Thank You!

Monkeying Around in DC

2008-04-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

First let me say...ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK GO KU! BEAT MEMPHIS! Now that it's out of my system (for the moment)....

One fantastic benefit to my assignment in DC is the opportunity to tour the Nation's capital. I bought a guide book, highlighted the things I wanted to see and do, and set out on the weekends, especially when I had visitors, to check off my to-do list. When Sherri, Res and Lori visited, we enjoyed a concert at Clarendon Ballroom (Kegs and Eggs with DC 101), VIP'ed it at Shamrock Fest in RFK Stadium, lived it up in Georgetown, and shopped in Old Town. When Mary came to visit, we walked the Air & Space Museum and the Holocaust Museum, hit the nightlife in Georgetown pretty hard, and cheered on our college basketball teams in the NCAA tournament at a cool sports bar. When my brother Chris and Judith came, we walked and paddle-boated the Tidal Basin to see the Cherry Blossoms, wore out our legs at the National Mall (where there was the annual Smithsonian Kite Festival), and saw a BoDeans concert at the famous 9:30 Club. When Shane made a stop in DC on his way to Mexico, we watched KU beat Davidson at McFadden's in Foggy Bottom and then played pool at Whitlows on Wilson in Clarendon. When Bryan came on a couple of different visits, we we went to the Natural History Museum (to see the Hope Diamond), the Portrait Gallery (where Stephen Colbert's portrait is hanging...among other famous portraits!), and to the National Zoo. Check out my orangutan video below or see it on YouTube! This little guy, climbing above us on the O Line, gave the zoo-goers more than just a great photo opportunity. Fortunately, no one was directly in the line of fire on the sidewalk below! I have a little less than two months to go and lots more monkeying around to do!

How is DC? And what are you doing there?

2008-02-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

Several of my friends have asked, "How is DC?" and "What are you doing there?"

DC is just fine. Lucy and I are taking our time getting adjusted to big city life. Metropolitan DC people tell me that DC isn't really a big city, but it's all about perspective.

An example of Lucy's adjustment: Back home, Lucy was accustomed to being immediately let out to do her duty. Now, Lucy's new home (and my new home) is an apartment, and it takes a more than a few minutes to get down the elevator, through the lobby, out the door, and around two sides of the building to (finally!) a small patch of grass. Fortunately, this new set-up has not been the cause of an accident. Unfortunately, Lucy's owner (me!) forgot to bring the bell that Lucy would normally ring to let her owner know it was duty time. Luckily, there has only been one small accident as a result, and a bell has since been installed for Lucy's convenience. There are other stories to tell about Lucy, but we'll save those for another time.

I, myself, have had a little bit of an adjustment. I've learned to ride the metro, and I have figured out that you will get icy glares and harumphs if you stand on the escalator and do not move to the right to let the locals charge past you on the left. I've even become one of those people charging past on the right (but I don't glare or harumph at the tourists). I've also learned that a paperback is a necessity for your rides on the train. Everyone has one. Unfortunately, I only brought one book, Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, which is a thousand pages and way too big and awkward to carry on the Metro. Luckily, I have not been too lonely. Of course Lucy is here, but I am blessed to already have friends in the area, some that I have met through work and others that I have met through the Rock Boat. My first week in DC, including the weekend, I was busy with a social event every night.

So, why am I in DC? I'm here participating in an interchange program in the Federal Reserve System. I'm working with the our training department. There are many classes that bank examiners take as part of the examiner commissioning program or as continuing education, and the training department oversees and administers that training among other things. It has given me an opportunity to get a different perspective of the Fed, and of course, it gives me the opportunity to live the DC life for a few months.

Back to the fun stuff.... For the next three weekends, I'm fortunate to be entertaining visitors! My girlfriends are coming next weekend to go to Shamrock Fest. The following weekend, another girlfriend will be visiting to see the DC sites with me, and then my brother will be visiting the third weekend. What a busy March!

Rock Boat

2008-01-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, if you've spent more than 30 minutes with me in the last three years, it's more than likely that you've heard me talk about the Rock Boat which is a Carnival cruise produced by Sixthman. The Rock Boat, to summarize, has dozens of rock bands on board to perform shows throughout the cruise. This year, I got a fantastic little surprise!

Several of my friends agreed to meet for dinner in the formal dining room on the second night of the cruise. Three of them were more than fifteen minutes late, and the rest of us were starving. So, we went on without them. As our first course was delivered to the table, Mary Ann finally found us and explained they were late because they stopped to listen to a bluegrass band in the hallway. My ears perked up because I love bluegrass. "What was the name of the band?" I asked. "The DeWight Brothers," she said unsurely. "You mean, the DeWayn Brothers?" I asked, disbelieving my ears. "Yeah, that's it." "No way! Shut up! The DeWayn Brothers?" I challenged her for confirmation. She answered, "Yeah, there's a girl with a really strong voice...." and before she could finish describing, I cried out, "That's them!!! It can't be. Can it be?!?" And for the rest of the meal, I could hardly sit still and finish that REALLY LONG dinner. I was anxious to verify that my favorite little bluegrass band from Emporia, Kansas, was truly on the Rock Boat!

And, yes, they were!

As it turned out, not only were they my fantastic little surprise, they were a Rock Boat surprise altogether. Oakhurst, another rock/bluegrass band, was invited on board by Sixthman as one of the official line-up. As Oakhurst had additional room, they invited the DeWayn Brothers to join them as guests. The DeWayn Brothers, not being an official Rock Boat band, planned to play in the hallways and in the elevator banks. One of the Sixthman staff heard them play and added them to line-up to at the Promenade stage (a small venue near the casino that gets alot of foot traffic). No matter where the DeWayn Brothers played, they always drew an excited crowd. And everywhere I went, people were commenting about the DeWayn Brothers and how they were really cool.

I was loving it! This was a little band that I've seen play in dumpy little bars in very small Kansas towns with only a handful of people in the audience. The first time I saw them play in Emporia, Kansas, I thought they had something very special and wished that more people could see them. Now, here they were on the Rock Boat. Three years ago, I sent them a photo of me wearing one of their band t-shirts and hot-tubbing with my friends on the Rock Boat. I never would have thought that I'd actually get to see them play on the best rock music cruise. You know.... I can't help but feel a little proud that I saw them "way back when," and I hope they, too, were glad to know that at least one person out of the thousands on the boat knew who they were.

But the secret's out now! My best wishes to the DeWayn Brothers, who will be traveling with Oakhurst this Spring. I hope to see you guys on Rock Boat Niner!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2007-12-26T06:25:00.000-08:00

Here's Lucy sniffing at here newly hung stocking. May your Christmas and the new year be full of treats!

Fantasy Football

2007-12-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

This is my first year participating in a Fantasy Football League. A year ago, I didn't know who Peyton Manning was. Today, Peyton Manning and my other draft picks have me tethered to the flat screen pulling my hair out over every yard. Tonight I am in the play offs. It's my team, the Two Two Sevens, versus Dippin' Dot Dan. I have a 9 and 5 record, the highest total points in the league, and a crew of superstars in addition to Manning: Reggie Wayne, Willie Parker, Greg Jennings, Braylon Edwards, Edgerin James. I have the San Diego Chargers defense. The current score is 100 to 100, but he has one more player in Monday Night Football: Minnesota's RB Adrian Peterson. It's looking grim. Well, there's always next year!

Lucky Break

2007-12-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

I'm a Jayhawk. And, as I have discovered, I am a proud Jayhawk. Do I really need to admit to all the MU fans that Mizzou should have gotten a BCS bowl game instead of KU? I am celebrating a great KU Football season (despite what was a very depressing loss to MU) and KU's lucky break to go to the Orange Bowl. Hey, we all like getting a lucky break! Most people can appreciate a lucky break everyone now and then. We'll take it, and we'll enjoy it. Please don't try to ruin my fun with talk about what was deserved. Next time, it might be your school that gets better than it deserved.

Snow Dog

2007-12-06T13:48:00.001-08:00

It was Lucy's first romp in the snow today! She was loving it. As much as Lucy loves to eat ice cubes, she likes eating the snow too! Check out her other pictures. We played in the snow a little bit, and now she's laying at my feet fast asleep. Exciting day for a 6 month-old puppy!

Christmas Wishes

2007-11-26T19:44:00.000-08:00

Hey, you asked for it. Here's my book wish list.

Don't laugh...I know...some people think asking for books for Christmas is like asking for coal, but I love to read. PS....I posted here because I couldn't figure out how to email it to you like you wanted.

Welcome Home

2007-11-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hi, Everyone!

I needed an easy way to keep my home page up to date, so here it is. Blogger is great!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Jackie