Another Visit

Last night we spent the evening with the Gagliano/Leonard household. Carol and I made dinner. They provided the space and entertainment. Chloe was our entertainment for most of the night. At four and a half years of age, she has outgrown her hide-behind-mommy days and is ready to play. She has a very cool new swing that is attached to the doorway. She loves to spin around, swing, or both at the same time. She even invited the adults to try it out, however most of us were getting dizzy just watching her. Tom and I were content to play with the top that whirred! Oh to be young again.

This is Thatcher and Owen.


Carol and Tom. Amore!


Ellen.


Chloe in her swing. It's basically a cloth sack with a pillow in the bottom. It is a sturdy design and is available at IKEA. Get yours today!

A visit

Last night we visited the house of Prudich the Elder. There we enjoyed dinner with the whole family and friends. Seeing Phil and Stacey here in Athens was a real treat. We got to catch up without the chaos of frisbee, which is the only venue we've seen them since last March. Zachary was a doll as well. He told me that he is prepared to take over the dynasty of OU Ultimate when his time comes. What a great kid.

This is Zachary. Looks ready for frisbee to me.

Stacey, Phil, Lori and Kent.

The Prudiches had the coolest ornament which did not escape our notice. I made Kent take a picture of it. It had a button that when pressed, vader said "Obi-wan has taught you well. But you are not a Jedi yet." Craaashh, woomp. Oh yeah and the light saber lights up too. It's almost as cool as the piggy bank Tim gave us that says pretty much the same thing.

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!





Jeff was right at home with his new remote controlled helicopter!






Kyle and his GreatGrandmother....

Merry Christmas!

Lori and I spent the holiday in Cincy and then returned home today, after dinner at Nonna's (Lori's Grandmother's house).

We had a great time visiting with family, catching up, eating yummy food and cracking jokes. It wasn't easy watching the Browns suck as they lost to the Bengals....while in a room full of Cincinnati natives.

I hope that you enjoy the quick post.

Friday was filled with a fun visit to see Roy, Tiff and Hazel. Santa brought us Joy & Otto late that night as well. Un-be-known to me, Otto and Joy were driving north from Atlanta to see family/friends. They knocked on Roy's door at 11:30 at night, and I thought, "who the heck is that knocking on your door at this hour, in this neighborhood?"

We hope to put more photos up from the weekend.

Duane and Fisher Ray.

These are some photos we took when we were out in the country with Duane and Fisher Ray. We tried to put them up before but the computer gods were uncooperative. Duane lives out in the country, so I think this was taken on the way there. We visited just after Halloween. It was a beautiful autumn day.

Fisher and I were carving pumpkins.


This is a pumpkin bat.

Saturday news

We traveled to exciting Covington, KY yesterday to meet up with a young man to purchase a used lens for our Canon Camera. After we bought the lens we went down to the river front and took some shots of the city. The new lens is a wide angle so Kent was lovin' the landscape shots that the city skyline offered.

This is my nephew kyle with his grandma.


Kyle.

It's official!

Kent was inaugurated into the Athens city council yesterday. It was a momentous occasion. The paparazzi were there, even a special presidential candidate honored us with her presence. Here is Kent taking the oath.

The crazy Athens paparazzi. I have to look my best now that I am in the public eye. Everyone is going to want to know what the first lady of the first ward is wearing, you know.



Who knew she had a sense of humor.

Happy winter solstice. The days are getting longer now!!!

In case you are wondering...

Santa ain't going nowhere this year. Looks like Blitzen, Donner and all the others garden-eating bastards got their due.

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch

This is for all you ba humbugs out there! If you click on the photo to make it bigger, then you really get a good shot of the Grinch's nostrils. It's quite evil looking.

No Impact

Check out these websites.

http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/

http://sfcompact.blogspot.com

They profess having less impact on the earth. Most of you know me as a treehugging-hippy liberal, so I won't try to disquise these posts as something else. I want you to think about what you consume, where it comes from, and where it goes. And you all know that I usually don't shove this sort of thing down your throat, so consider this some obligatory reading, if you are interested.

Oh yeah, one more. it's really informative.

the story of stuff

Sunday

Well, it didn't quite reach 60 degrees today. maybe 40 if we're lucky. But it doesn't matter because the rain has been relentless. We even heard thunder earlier today, which is unusual for December, don't you think.

Kent and I attended 2 basketball games this past week. We watched the men beat St. Bonaventure and Delaware. Both games were somewhat close in the first half, but then OU came out strong in the second and dominated. Which is good, because that means they can play through and finish. As long as they don't dig themselves a deep hole in the first half. Of course, we'll have to see them against some good competition to see how they really measure up. Though, I don't know if they play anyone of consequence prior to the MAC season.

Not that any of it matters until the MAC tournament because the MAC only gets one stinkin' bid to the NCAA, so you need to win that to go anywhere. Which is ridiculous, but I won't rant about that right now.

It's Snowing!

Yeppers! We are getting a good snow. Too bad it's going to be in the 40's on Friday and 60's on Sunday.

It has been snowing all morning and afternoon. There is about an inch and it is sticking. Of course the schools around here closed. They freak at the sight of a flake. Plus those buses go on some pretty nasty back roads. I guess it's all for the safety of the kids. It's very pretty. I love the sight of fresh snow. Definitely looks like winter (for now).

Tree time

We decorated Carol's tree again this year. She gets a tree from her sister's land in the country, so these trees are getting bigger and bigger every year. We hack off some here and part of the tree there, but it's starting to take up the whole room no matter what we do. That's part of the challenge. I don't know if you can see it in these pictures, but there are popcorn strings on the tree that we strung 3 years ago. It's holding up well. Plus, I don't thing we want to string it again. We would rather pop it in Carol's whirlypopper (I think that is what it's called) and then eat it!

Tonight tonight...Weekend

Ha!

It appears that we were unsuccessful in our attempts to blog daily for the month of November. Last night, Lori and I went over to a friend's house up the street and got caught up in the conversation. Upon arrival home, we neglected to blog. We spaced out. Simple. I then made a late late night entry trying to fool the clock. However, the computer/ internet thing is smarter than I gave it credit for. Thus, our entry was then thrust to today. So, I am blogging twice today, it appears.

This evening, Lori and I ventured uptown for some holiday cheer and festivities. The holiday Christmas tree was lit uptown at the court house. Vendors were pedaling free drinks, cider, hot cocoa, pie, etc and the shops remained open a little later. It was nice. I enjoyed the conversations that entailed. I was also curious about the two football games on tv...one of which was Dallas and Green Bay both 10-1 teams facing off in a titanic battle for supremacy of the NFC. Funny though...both tv markets for those respective cities were blacking out the game. Goofy.

This weekend, we will be cheering on the OU Women's volleyball team as they face off with Purdue for the first round of the NCAA trny. OU is hosting the first two rounds. Should be exciting competition.

hello

Is this working?

November is dragging

Is it December yet? For crying out loud. Who decided to have Thanksgiving so early. I thought it was supposed to be the last thursday of November. Now, Thanksgiving is years ago and it's still November.

Okay, so maybe the month is dragging because Kent and I decided to post every day this month, and I am getting tired of blogging. You see, it's some sort of National Blogging Month, and if you post everyday, then you get a prize. I don't know what the prize is yet, but I hope it's edible. Preferably chocolate.

Do you call it blogging or posting? We say blog. "Hey hon, did you blog, today?" Not "did you post". But technically it's posting. Since that is what the icon says.

more thoughts from the ROAD

Hello - Kent here, giving ya the friendly shout-out.

Often, when on the road for a long trip, we try to pass the time by listening to music, enjoying the scenery, and philosophizing any number of topics.

Recently, we have been engaging in a creative banter about screenplays and movie making. On a whim, Lori and I try to come up with an interesting concept for a movie. Sometimes we have enough thoughts and ideas for a valid full length feature film. Other times, our ideas seem more like a short-film or a skit for SNL.

As we run the initial idea by each other, we then try to envision some of the shots, actors, dialogue, scenery, etc. It can be fun to come up with an idea that is interesting and has enough merit to keep one's attention.

On our return trip home from South Carolina, we envisioned a movie / screenplay that would be shot from the viewpoint of an anonymous perspective...as one is driving on the highway, passing by the many unknown people in cars, wondering who they are and what their stories might entail. I consider it a study in stereotyping or labeling. (C - Copyright idea)

Imagine driving in a car, and looking off, through the window, as you pass by someone in the slow lane. Perhaps the person is a Caucasian male, scruffy-looking, unshaven, wearing a flannel shirt with cut-off sleeves, sunglasses on, and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Additionally, imagine that he is driving a beat-up pick-up truck, with a NASCAR sticker on the rear windshield and a Dale Earnhardt "In Memory" sticker on the rusted bumper. OK- got the picture in your head? It is easy for us to label or stereotype this person as we drive by him at 75 mph...only glimpsing at him briefly. But what if he has a story that is compelling...Perhaps he is actually a lawyer on his way to a costume party. Perhaps he is an organic pig farmer who is college educated and environmentally conscious. Perhaps he is a redneck.

You get the idea.


We imagined a couple of different messages that one might ascertain from such a project. Could be fun. Sometimes if it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck...then it is likely a duck. But that duck might actually be a bull-frog.

On the road...home

Hello to all of you out there in cyber-land...your host Kent is here to spread the gospel...

We were successful in our return trip home from Edisto, SC. We had been visiting with my parents, Uncle Jim & Linda, and my In-Laws, the Gromens. Fortunately we enjoyed each others company, or at least did a good job acting like we did. It was a nice Thanksgiving weekend. I savored the time with family, catching up, swapping stories and watching football. Overall, the weather was pleasant, warmer than in Ohio undoubtedly. We were able to walk along the beach, bird watch, eat good seafood, attend a parade, play golf, run and yuck it up with the locals.

On the road during our trip home, I tried to break the sound-barrier, but fell short and hovered around 110 mph most of the way home. (ok, I'm kidding). However, I shared with Lori about my plan to get a large LCD screen/monitor bolted to my car door...with the capability of texting messages to it that the passengers and drivers of other vehicles can read. I would also like to place another large LCD screen on my hood or front bumper. The messages would kindly inform others of their inferior driving skills and poor decision making. For example, as I pull up next to someone who has chosen to drive a crummy, measly 5 mph over the speed limit in the fast lane, I would like to notify them of the fact that they have chosen the wrong lane...and it would behoove them to return to the slow lane. That way, a more decisive driver, like myself, who has determined to definitely drive more assertively, can do so unencumbered.

Other messages might signify my gratitude to those for their kind acts and acknowledgment of thanks for their proper driving etiquette. I think that all of us would welcome a little praise or thank you in the form of a brightly flashing red LCD message upon letting someone in to a lane or through busy traffic.

Sometimes, simplicity is best. I like the following messages, and think that you might find yourself using them too.

Check these out:




MOVE OVER !



QUIT BRAKING for NO REASON



DRIVE FASTER



Hey JACK-ASS (Phil P's favorite)



What are you doing?



...so there you have it. If you can think of a few others, feel free to leave them in the comment section. Enjoy! Take care, and thanks for reading.

Tybee Island

As I mentioned, yesterday we went to Savannah, GA. We also went to Tybee Island which has a pristine example of an East Coast Lighthouse. It was open to walk to the top (178 steps) and there was also a museum that included the keepers house and an outside kitchen. Of course there was memorabilia and photos of the lighthouse and surrounding area. Below is the current state of affairs.
First up is the lighthouse itself.

"pronto" she says.


This is looking straight down at some palm trees and their shadow. I thought is was an interesting composition. I hope you do too.

What's happening

Here is a picture of our dinner plate setting for our meal yesterday. Very festive.
We went to Savannah today. It was beautiful weather, sunny and about 60. Kent and I walked around town while the Butlers and the Gromens went to Mrs. Wilkes, a famous restaurant in these parts. The architecture is amazing. Lots of iron works and big
brick homes. The river front is booming with restaurants and shops. We witnessed Santa arrive on a steamship. So much for the reindeer. Savannah has a lot of character and I highly recommend it. I think I could spend some time here.
This is Forsythe Park.
This is the Mercer Williams house where "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" took place and was filmed. We talked to some locals who were around during the filming. I have to read the book again to refresh my mind about the story. Or I could rent the movie that might take less time.

happy thanksgiving

We made it to Edisto Island with relative ease. Long drive, traffic jams here and there, but we got in at a decent hour.

Today, we've walked the beach, watched a little football, and we are about to eat dinner. It's nice to be able to spend time relaxing time with family.

We are taking plenty of pictures, but we haven't downloaded them yet. I am sure we'll get them up soon.

peace.

We are off!

We are leaving for Edisto Island today. We will be down there for the long weekend. We do hope to blog from there but you never know. There is only one place on the island that has wireless. Maybe two. Anyway, have a happy Thanksgiving if we don't blog.

Pizza Review

Kent and I have talked about doing food reviews on the blog and since we went to Lucky's tonight I thought I could write about the Pizza scene in Athens. Now, since it's a college town, pizza is way overdone here. However there are a few saving graces when it comes to a good pie.

Usually, my go to pizza place in town is Avalanche. They have a great crust, organic sauce and yummy toppings (sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, pesto to name a few). But, you can only get it to go. Tonight, we met up with Jenny and Travis for a night out before we all left for the holidays. Originally we were going to go to Salaam but they were closed, Casa had an hour wait, so I mentioned Lucky's. (I haven't been to Lucky's since the mid nineties when Sean Lynott and I would go there for pizza and beer. I always remembered it as being some fine pizza, but it was a smoky bar too.) Now with the smoking ban, that made it a viable option. We decided to give it a try and I got to relive some of my fond memories.

The pizza was pretty good. The crust tasted garlic-buttery. The toppings were fresh and the cheese and sauce in good proportion. I would have to say it's second best in the city behind Avalanche but above Courtside. Then I would have put Goodfellas (but only if it's late at night and you have the munchies after a beer or two.) Then the chain pizza places, Papa Johns, Pizza Hut and Dominoes dead last.

There is one other pizza place in town that we haven't tried yet. It's new and I like the concept. All the ingredients are from local sources. It's called Della Zona (from the area). Great in concept and it's owned by a local bakery that has quality stuff. I am sure it's good pizza too.

So there you have it. Lori's guide to pizza in Athens.

*This review does not reflect the opinions of Kent.*

** Although, he did manage to eat 7 pieces of the pie tonight **

Is that my Subconscious Mind?

Hey-Kent here...

Earlier today, I awoke to some strange thoughts and premonitions. I proceeded to not give the thoughts much weight or significance. Until now.

Later, I was at work when I tried to understand what my subconscious brain was attempting to do. I am still not exactly sure, but will share these thoughts with you now.

This morning, my thoughts startled me out of a pleasant slumber. My brain had worked out some extravagant, corporate plan for success. Placed in front of me, by my subconscious mind, was a detailed executive blueprint for a new professional sport league that would piggy back a current established league. My mind raced with ideas, sub-plots, and profit driven motives. It was overwhelming. ...and The PLAN seemed seamless...a date with blue-ribbon destiny. Wow.

As I stumbled around, getting dressed quietly in an effort to not wake my sleeping wife, I tried to imagine this plan of my mind actually stepping into reality. Could this be? Can I make this happen with hard work, big-time networking, and venture capital support?

Every physical step I made took me further into reality, further into the day and real responsibilities. The PLAN, created and coaxed in my creative slumber seemed to slip away the more I thought about the mundane..."what to wear?...do these socks match?....is it cold outside?...do I need gloves?...I'm hungry...what should I eat?.."

I lost it. It's gone. Why did it seem so important. This silly thought. What was it. It had me in it's grip, but then it disappeared. But why. It seemed so brilliant. It seemed so air-tight.

Then somewhere around noon, The PLAN revisited my conscious mind. I was in the now, the moment, the Zone, eclipsed with thoughts of extravagance and success. I thought, "My goodness, I must share this with someone now, or it will be lost forever!"

Getting to know...

Name: Jed Thomas

Occupation: Environmental Engineer/Consultant

Favorite pasttime: Sports (and I now count bowling as a sport)

In ten years I will...be wondering the same thing.

Ten years ago I ... just got adjusted to college life. Figured out how to have a good social life, play competitive sports, and maintain respectable grades.

I have been most influenced by...Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Jerry Nelson.

If I am bored at work, I also visit this website...espn.com, cnnsi.com, bucknuts.com (All these are true unless Ohio State loses…can’t get myself to read the sports. Then I only use the internet to check my bank statement.)

Question on your mind??? Why is our moon named The Moon? Why is this not questioned more often? We consider ourselves sophisticated beings but have the lamest name of a moon. I personally think we need some global competition to name that thing.

Thanks Jed. You are a good sport.

Bucks

Hello and happy Saturday to you all out there in tv land....uh, rather, I mean www land.

Today the Great State of Ohio can rest better. For some reason, the whole state has become enamored with OSU football. ...and today saw the Ohio State Buckeyes defeating their big ten rival, the Michigan Wolverines, better known as that "team up north".

Depending on who you talk to, there are any number of theories to explain this phenomena and love affair that the citizens of Ohio exhibit.

Theory #1: Lori's oldest brother, Keith used to live in Columbus after he graduated from Ohio University in Athens. He was never one to conform too much, often engaging in non-traditional sports such as Rugby, and Kayaking. Keith is also a good counterculture man who is well read, with an interest in Jack Kerouac, the Beat Generation, and prefers to sport a well broken in pair canvas Converse All-Star tennis shoes. So, Keith's theory is that there must be something in the water of the city of Columbus, Ohio...because he found himself drawn into to the OSU Buckeye nation Vortex. People at work talk incessantly about OSU football...it's in the papers, on the radio, www, etc. If you live in Columbus, you can't escape the grip.

Theory #2: For the longest time, there were no other professional teams in Columbus, thus leaving the door wide open for OSU to soak in the spotlight. Columbus now has a professional hockey team and arena football ? I think.

Theory#3: People from Ohio, especially Cleveland and Cincinnati, are starved for a winner. Cleveland has a strong history of football, the Browns and it's famed running back Jim Brown won numerous championships...before the merger. The Cavs and the Indians have come close, but no cigar. Cincinnati has a pro football team that managed to make it to the superbowl, but alas....losers in the end. So, kids grow up in the state of Ohio, knowing that OSU is going to win most of its games and they have also won the national championship.

Theory#4: The proliferation of cable TV, the internet, and easy access to mass information make it easier to cheer on teams and follow them throughout the season...for better or for worse.

Cabbage

Cabbage is not one of my favorite things. In fact it's pretty low on the food chain and I'm a vegetarian. However, I mistakenly bought some cabbage plants last spring that were mixed in with the broccoli. I planted the cabbage in a poor part of the garden that doesn't get sun and I rarely water. I thought, if they live, they live. More power to them, but I doubted that I was going to harvest anything for myself. Maybe I could pawn them off on someone who eats that cr*p. Well, they did grow. But not great. Honestly, they were eaten by the bugs and not very big. Not worthy to give away. So I thought I would compost them, because I was still not enthusiastic about cooking them.

Well, now it's mid November and the peppers and tomatoes are done. Zucchini and squash and cukes have succumbed to the frost, and I am looking at the cabbage still sitting perky in my garden. I open up my trusty Mollie Katzen (she was a cook for Moosewood, a well known vegetarian co-op restaurant in Ithaca, NY) cookbook. I found some soups and stirfries that looked promising.

In the end I settled on a Caribbean Stew to serve with homemade foccacia. It was delightful. I was able to use the last of the sweet potatoes from the garden as well. Now all I have left is what's in the freezer, lots of dried tomatoes, some peppers, lots of pesto and some broccoli. I will be buying a lot more at the market now, or (last resort) Kroger.

Sorry I don't have a photo of the soup. It was quite colorful with the oranges and reds, greens and purple (from the onion). Maybe next time.

Thurs

My thoughts are scattered...here are a few more photos & sketches.






















My thoughts are scattered...here are a few more sketches.

November Rain

Hello. Kent here...

We are being pelted by a November rain. It has been a steady rain most of the day. Yesterday, it was raining on my way to work, but the forecast had called for it to clear up later in the day, with an anticipated visit from the sun, YEAH. ...so I brought my camera with me on the ride to work, hoping to photograph the evening sun and accompanying fall scenes.

Then I had an epiphany, of small scale and optimistically determined that, heck, why not go ahead and shoot photos in the rain....why not try to capture the gray sky, and gloomy conditions....why not try to be creative with the environment & weather around me.

Here are some of my efforts to have fun, despite the weather. It did make the trip to work more fun. On the way home I photographed a few night shots.

PBS

You gotta love it. Last night, Monday,which is generally a good night of television, Antique Roadshow at 8 and then usually American Experience at 9. However, AE wasn't on and instead it was the Mark Twain Award presented to Billy Crystal. It was HI-larious. Robin Williams opened the show, which kind of sucked for the rest of the entertainers, because it's hard to top him. Then the guy who does Ed grimly on SNL. He was funny because he did a spoof of Billy who would always do the Oscar Awards. That was a good little musical number. Then the others were mostly there to do intros to some of Crystals finest work. Jon Lovitt was there. He frickin funny. And Whoopi Goldberg. Anyway, if you can catch the reruns, look for it.

Tomorrow night is the last night of the Ken Burns War documentary. It's the only one we missed when we were watching them all last month. So don't bother me after 9 PM Wednesday, I have a show to watch.

Owen L. Interview

Your name: Owen

Your occupation; Librarian/web developer

Name one life goal: I'm not much for life goals. I'm off goals since my earliest one never
panned out, i.e. astronaut. I'm in favor of being where I want to be, with the people I want to be with, doing something that keeps me interested. And if that doesn't pan out, First Man on Mars.

If i could be a star wars character i would be...: Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but Han Solo, hands down. I'm a Han Solo kind of guy since a brief Luke Skywalker period in 1978. That is to say, I would be Han Solo if I could, because I'm not like Han Solo in any way shape or form. No, I take that back--I do have brown hair.

Sure, I could have said Darth Maul, but he got cut in half, right? He looks like a bad-ass with that fancy light saber, but when it comes down to it, it doesn't do you any good to have a double edged light saber when you're at the bottom of a Lucasfilm Patented Industrial Shaft(tm) using your own feet as a pillow. Jango Fett? Decapitated, anticlimactically. Boba Fett? Digested, anticlimactically. I figure Han's the only one who made it out of Star Wars with any street cred left.

Pet peeve: People who drone on and on about Star Wars.

List 2 bad habits you have and which one would you give up first.

The internet and Dr. Pepper. The first one's a toughie, because it's also my livelihood. But it's also my biggest time-waster. It's too easy to get lost on the internet instead of doing something productive. Hence, here I am. I'm going to have to vote Dr. Pepper, on the assumption that no one has actually scheduled an intervention.

Do you give your pets birthday or christmas presents? The dog maybe gets a bone. The cats, no (sorry gals). The cats would mostly just like to be left alone anyway, and the dog is going to get her Christmas cheer in the form of foil-wrapped chocolate that she will steal or have fed to her by a small child. Thank goodness for cheap holiday chocolate that doesn't actually have enough chocolate in it to hurt my food-stealing dog.

Shameless website plus: The Little Czech Primer!

Thanks Owen. You are a good sport.

Fall Colors and ART

I hope that you enjoy these shots from my sketchbook...




The image above is an oil pastel that I drew in October of 2005.




Hey, Kent here...

I spent some time drawing today. I am very fond of the autumn season, and the changing colors of the leaves. When I am on a run, I often look around at the trees and observe the dynamic colors, often in contrast with the blue sky. Occasionally, if so moved, I will pick up a leaf on a run and transport it home with me, so that I can draw it. This particular maple leaf is actually from our yard. It is a relatively young tree, which has been doing well, growth wise....at least from what I can tell.....we haven't talked or anything, but the little bugger looks ok.

Pandora

I am here to enlighten you all to a website called Pandora.com. Maybe you have heard about it. Maybe you use it. If so, you can stop reading now. For those who are in the dark about this sweet "station" read on.

Pandora.com is the music genome project. Go to the website. Sign up. And then you create your own radio station by selecting the music yourself. You start out by choosing a song or artist. Then the website, in all it's wisdom, selects music that you would like that have similar traits to the original song you selected. You can add other songs. You can give the "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" to the songs it chooses for you.

I have 2 stations for my home listening pleasure, and one station at work. My favorite so far is my home station of "Emperor New Clothes" by Sineaid O'Connor. I love this song. It is probably the most played on my itunes. Then I added more artists like The Cranberries, The Cure, Erasure, Depeche Mode, 10,000 Maniacs. It will also come up with new artists I've never heard of or some that I have. The smiths were recently added as well as Sun 60 and Sonic Youth. Forget Satelite Radio. This is what I want to listen to.

One other added feature. If a song keeps getting played a lot, you can tell it "hey, I've heard this too much, don't play it for a month". Plus there is a fast forward feature.

Alanis Morrisette just came on, sweet.

Doctor, doctor

Give me the news....

I, yes, I, Lori Gromen, went to the doctor today. I went for some manipulation. Which sounds kind of funky. Anyway, I've been feeling out of balance. Off kilter, if you will. So I went to this Doctor that Adrienne recommended. (Adrienne, for those who don't know her, went through the DO program at OU and knows all the docs. Plus she is found of osteopathic manipulation and she said that this guy was one of the best in Athens.)

I went in with an open mind and explained my aches and pains. He pointed out some discrepancies in my leg. They are all twisted up (go figure). And my ankles were out of whack. Oh yeah, and my left lower leg had no mobility (Adrienne, if you're reading this, you noticed this as well, remember!). So, the doc untwists me by pulling and yanking and pushing on my legs in all different directions. After he was done, he showed me the results (straighter legs), which I could see, but we'll see how long they last. You see the ankle problem is caused by a lot of stopping and going (aka, cutting in Ultimate). But he showed me some techniques to do that should keep the ankle in place.

The weird thing about the whole visit, is that he said I have a high pain tolerance. No really, I think he wrote it down on my chart too, so I have proof. I personally, think I have a low pain tolerance. I hate pain. It makes me cry.

Invasion

If you see any of these creatures in your vicinity, don't worry. As long as you don't get them wet they won't reproduce. and you can kill them by exposing them to sunlight.

Fisher R.

This past weekend, Lori and I visited with my Godson, Fisher and his father Duane. They live in the country, specifically, a big valley, deep in the heart of Meigs County Ohio.

Duane had invited us out to carve pumpkins, eat good food, and cook smores over a roaring camp-fire. The offer was irrasistable. We did a few chores on Sunday, passed up the Colts-Patriots game, and drove our old Toyota pickup truck to the farm. The weather was great, sunny sky and brisk temperature.

I snapped a few photos on the way. The views this time of year are spectacular. Lots of color changes.

This picture is of Fisher, excited in anticipation, as he and Lori were working on their surprise project!!!






Lori and Fisher created the pumpkin-bat, above.

DEMS WIN

Here is a photo of Lori and I at an OU Ultimate get together. I will post more election images tomorrow.

Democrats in the City of Athens were victorious tonight, winning major races for the Mayoral position as well as the City Law Director.

I, Kent, won the First Ward City council position with an un-official total of 344 votes. Which is on par with some of the other ward members who ran unoppossed for their wards. The Dems celebrated tonight at Casa and the Blue Gator. The Mayoral race was hotly contested. Paul Whiel won the race and ran a clean campaign. I am happy for him and look forward to his leadership in our community. He is a West-Sider.

Nationals photos

Here are some photos from Nationals. A little late, but never-the-less interesting.

"buff" Amy Young. I have played against her for many many years. It was nice to be on the same side for once. Heck of an athlete and fierce competitor. I have seen her take over games.
Keely "Wobbles" Dinse. She is the next Amy Young. Lays out for anything and everything. I love going into battle with her.
Team huddle shot.
Julia Wienert. (sp?) She is such a solid player. Heck of a receiver and who wouldn't want to throw to that target. I think her wingspan is longer than mine.

This is the team. Yeah, we rock.
This is a shot of me pulling the disc. Check out those arm muscles.

Rock-a-billy

Yo-Kent here...
Here are some more photos from Athens. We have been blessed with a wonderful autumn. The sky has been bright blue during the day, with colorful sunsets in the evening. The nights have been chilly, but the days are comfortable.

Last night, Lori and I, and our friend/neighbor Tony Xenos went to a CD release party for a local band by the name of Southeast Engine. They have been playing together since they were in college together at Ohio University. Last night was my first introduction to them. I have chose not to see bands in smoky venues....but now, with the state law/smoking ban, I am able to catch a show...fortunately, it was not even an issue last night, because the band played out OU's new student union, Baker Center.

Here is a link to there Myspace site:

http://www.myspace.com/southeastengine

...and a link to one of their videos (silly) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiTmiw-PVmo

A round of golf anyone?

Today I golfed for the first time and I think I did pretty well, -2. I started out with 4 balls and I ended with 2. So that makes it a -2 kind of day. Whenever I would hit a ball and I couldn't find it(quite often) I would throw another one down and hit away. Then I would either, find my ball, or find someone elses. So in actuallity I lost way more than 2 balls, but found enough to keep me near even.

Golf is an interesting game, all these etiquette rules. Then there is the fact that I really suck and impatient, so it doesn't play to my strengths. Yet, I had a good time. Enough of a good time to play again sometime, oh maybe next decade. I will however go to the driving range because that's the real fun. You don't have to find your ball. You can just wail away. And you don't have to walk, walk, walk. Besides, I have to get my use out of those clubs that Sutee gave me. I feel like they have good mojo. And who knows, I may need something to do in my old age.

My Name is Kid....

CHAD as KID ROCK

Kent here...sharing some stories with ya...

My co-worker Chad dressed up as Kid Rock for our Halloween festivities. The kids got a kick out of his costume and feather boa. We had a good time at work....acting goofy and playing our roles....I dont think any of us were very productive.

I dressed up as an Irish Golfer (see photo below in yesterday's post). My clinical supervisor teased me if I spoke out of accent. I spent most of the day speaking in an Irish accent. I watched some youtube clips in the morning before work, practicing my Irish accent. "Kiss the blarney stone..." "You are a fine lad..." I hope to get some more pics up tomorrow.
Stay tuned....cheers.