A-Walkin' We Went...

Chili-dog and I took advantage of a perfect Fall afternoon to explore some trails down south. I packed up the car and we headed down to Ste. Genevieve County. We lunched at Hawn State Park, then drove a little further over to Pickle Springs Natural Area, and finished with a short trek at Hickory Canyons Natural Area.

Pickle Springs has a WOW! factor for scenery of 10+, folks. I've been meaning to check it out for a a while but never took the time to drive down. Hickory Canyon's main attractions are its magnificent box canyons which appear almost out of nowhere.

I knew I picked the right place to hike today when, about 3/4 of the way down the trail at Pickle Springs, I happened upon Post-Dispatch travel writer extraordinaire Tom Uhlenbrock and his wife. When it comes to interesting places, Tom has been there, seen that. He highly recommended one of the long trails at Hawn State Park. I'll have to get back there soon.

Pictures are here at my Flickr page.

The Call To Serve...

I sat for an hour today with my old friend David Westmoreland today at a St. Louis BreadCo and caught up with him. It had been a while since we'd visited at any length.

David responded to God's call to serve with Campus Crusade For Christ about 7 years ago. He currently serves with their Great Commission Global Prayer Movement in Orlando, FL. If you'd like to know more, David would love to share with you. E-mail him at david.westmoreland@uscm.org .

So That's Where They Went...

...was cleaning in my office room just now. This little hamper just sits unused in the corner taking up space and I thought I would check to see if anything was in there.
This is what I found:This is what was inside: 2 sweatshirts, 2 pair of swim trunks, 1 long-sleeved t-shirt, 1 henley-style shirt, 1 sweater, and 1 pair of brown socks. I remember looking for those clothes last year and not finding them. Guess they weren't that important to me. I don't remember stuffing them inside that hamper, that's for sure.

The Dog Goes To Day Camp...

I'm going to leave Chili-dog at my local Kennelwood's Doggie Day Camp tomorrow. This will be her first time there, so my fingers are crossed. It costs $20/day but the first time is free so you aren't on the hook if your dog doesn't play well with others. Chili doesn't get much doggie-to-doggie time and I am hopeful this will be a good experience for her.

*****EDIT***** - Thursday evening

The experience wasn't the greatest for her, according to the "counselor" in charge of the dogs. "kind of stressful," "freaked out" were terms used in her little report card. She was moved away from the pack of dogs and did one-on-ones with the "counselor." I expected something like this might happen...she may need to be gradually worked into this.

Don't Write Anything You Wouldn't Want Your Mother To Read...

in talking to my mom tonight, I found out she finally found this little blog. For no reason in particular, I never informed her of the address. I thought she knew since my dad happened upon it some time ago. Guess not. Sorry, Mom!

Bringing The Heat...

Time for my first-ever blog poll! I turned on my heat for the first time this fall yesterday. I'm going to try keeping it set at 70 degrees for a while. Where do you set your thermostat?

Sunday Night Stream Of Conscsiousness...

- so after 4 years of owning a bike, I finally invested in a good cyclometer. I will now know my average speed and total mileage for each trip. why wasn't this important to me before?

- mizzou football = disappointing. The 'Horns schooled them but good last night on national TV. all that national championship and heisman talk was foolish, to begin with. you don't ascend that high, that fast after so many years of bad-ness. Reality=they're the sixth best team in the Big 12. How bad do you want it, guys?

- Who was that team that stomped the Cowboys today? That QB that filled in for Romo couldn't have been any more immobile if he was the Statue of Liberty.

- I think Chili enjoyed her her first-ever trip to Kirkwood Park yesterday morning. She surely was interested in the ducks that inhabit Walker Lake. Sans leash, she would have taken a swim to meet them.

- random freaky fact: the husband and wife who managed the Ponderosa Steakhouse I worked at in high school live down the street and around the corner from me. Discovered that when their dog ran out in the street to meet Chili-dog during our walk tonight. The man was, um, frustrated at his dog and yelled at it and kicked it in the ribs to get it back across the street. He obviously didn't remember me and I didn't feel like making a scene so we just walked on.

- knew that a video of the two St. Louis fire trucks colliding would be YouTube-d at some point...sure enough here it is.

- sure am enjoying the new Ray LaMontagne CD...the voice, the voice.

Come, Thou Fount Of Every Piano Man...

I'm at worship rehearsal at church, at the moment. The piano player and the worship leader just did an extended riff of "Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing" set to the tune of Billy Joel's "The Piano Man." It actually works if you situate the words just so...

If You Like Piña Coladas...

...and getting caught in the rain...

Don't like the former but I experienced the latter last night. Was walking Chili during a break in the rain showers. I was optimistic that we'd stay dry but alas, the wind picked up and the rains resumed while we were the farthest away from my house. Both doggie and owner got drenched. Chili didn't seemed to mind; she looked up at me as if to say, "oh, well!" and shook off the water. So glad I had clean towels in the basement.

Note To Self...

no grapes before dinner...unless you just want said dinner to be interrupted to go write a letter to your congressman*...



*expression courtesy of Brooke from Four Of Clubbs

Sleepy Dog...

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness...

- another gorgeous Fall weekend has come and gone. a little warm, but as Roy Ayers said, everybody loves the sunshine!

- spent a good portion of yesterday chiseling concrete with a hand-held air hammer. so glad I went to college...that's real man's work, though.

- Happy Birthday wishes go out to my dear dad; he had a very good birthday today. Birthday lunch of steak and potatoes with all the family gathered 'round the table. mom, me and Chili-dog, bro, sis-in-law, and adorable Lydia in her high chair. He got to spend the afternoon with the grand-baby and grand-dog. I think he was pleased. Chili-dog didn't get the chance to get up close with Lydia. They observed each other from a safe distance.

- Too bad for ol' Mizzou - I think Coach P. got out-coached by Coach G. It hurts now but they'll be better off for it in the long run. I wouldn't look forward to playing the 'Horns next week.

- My dad has mad carpentry skills...the cabinets he built to create a basement wet bar are outta sight! the maple wood for the cabinet drawers came from a tree in my yard that I had to have cut down last summer. remember: reclaimreuserecycle.

ALERT: Random Fredbird Sighting!...

Friday morning...I pulled up behind a car in traffic at the intersection of Tucker and Market on my way to work. Into my field of vision came none other than.....FREDBIRD!!

The beloved Cardinals mascot was tooling along in a red golf cart, westbound on Market Street. Same old dopey grin on his face (er...beak?)...he waved to everyone as he passed by.

Hobbes The Romantic...

POOTY PIE!!! ROFL!

I'm Undecided???...

While I was out walking Chili-dog tonight I got a call on my home phone from Angela Hunter. She was calling from an Arkansas area code on behalf of the Barack Obama for President campaign. Her message stated that she had me marked as an undecided voter and would I please consider voting for Barack Obama for President if I haven't made up my mind yet? She left the phone number of the St. Louis Obama office for my convenience.

How did this person determine that I'm an undecided voter? I've never participated in any political polling and have discussed my political preferences with exactly NO ONE.

Her phone number is on my caller ID and I have half a mind to call her back tomorrow to find out.

Gnats!...

swarms of them. Black Gnats. Egyptian Plague Black Gnats. made my bike ride on Grant's Trail yesterday oh-so-not pleasant. Totally ruined the good vibes emitted by the late-afternoon sunshine and pleasantly mild air.

An Idea For The St. Louis Rams...

HARARE, ZIMBABWE (Reuters) - A Zimbabwean soccer player drowned in a crocodile-infested river during a ritual to cleanse his team of bad spirits before a match, a state newspaper said on Tuesday.

(I'm only kidding, folks...when a team is 0-4, desperation kinda sets in!)

Saw This On A Bumper Sticker...

"Don't Wait For Six Strong Men To Take You To Church"

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness...

- fantastic fall weekend here in the midwest. sunny days and oh-so-just-right temperatures....lovelovelove it.

- Chili-dog and I had a dog-gone good time at the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge yesterday. She met lots of other dogs and got lots of lovin' from people. Wish I'd remembered to wear sunscreen, or at least a hat! Thank you God for Aloe Vera gel. Pictures are here.

- Happiness is warm peanut butter cookies, a glass of milk, and a winning MU football team on the tube. Thanks, Mom! (Chili-dog and I watched the game in Festus on the folks' big-screen TV.)

- great to see Mizzou blow up Nebraska but it would have been so much sweeter if the 'Huskers were actually a good team, as in years past. Tigers - shore up that pass defense and get ready for the Cowboys next week!

- A Disney animated movie actually won the box office wars this weekend. Yeah.

- No, I haven't watched the debates and don't plan to watch any future ones. I also don't understand all the fuss about the economy, either. That's why I couldn't do a business major in college, couldn't grasp the concepts of economics. Just keep it from crashing, boys, OK? BUT SERIOUSLY, the P-D's Dave Nicklaus wrote a very informative column for today's paper about what the problem is and why it happened. Check it out here.

- Won't say the recent rounds of layoffs at work didn't make people nervous, but it seems everyone's looking over their shoulder lately.

- I recently discovered a band from Seattle called Fleet Foxes. Recently, as in, like, last Thursday. Their debut record sounds like a collaboration between the Beach Boys and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. It's stuck in my car's CD player at the moment.

Jaydogg's First V-Blog...

Home-grown video we used in our church service today to introduce a new sermon series in 1 Corinthians called "Core Strengths." Dunno who the man behind the shades is but rumor has it he's a distant cousin of a certain blogging friend of mine...

A Great Way To Spend A Gorgeous Fall Day With Your Dog...

Purina Farms - Gray Summit, MO

Everyone Loves A Dumb Criminal Story, Right?...

Man Arrested After Fireworks Ignite In Car

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (AP) - A Central Falls man faces criminal charges after the cigarette he was smoking inside a car apparently ignited fireworks. Police arrested a 28-year-old man on Sunday after an officer found a black 1997 Infinity smoking in the middle of the street.

Firefighters were called to the scene to extinguish the blaze. No one was injured.

The man told police he was smoking a cigarette inside the Infinity when fireworks near his feet ignited. Witnesses told police they saw a passenger in the Infinity tossing fireworks from the vehicle shortly before police arrived.

The man was charged with the use or possession of fireworks under $500.

---

Information from: The Times, http://www.pawtuckettimes.com

My comment - there are easier ways to have a hot rod!

This Nice Guy Finished Last...

Yeah, I know I said I was done writing about the Rams, but I have to comment on the sad saga of our Male Sheep this season. Nice guy head coach Scott Linehan's employment was mercifully terminated in the wee hours of Monday morning. P-D sports columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote up a compelling account of the intense discussions that ended in Linehan's dismissal. Football writer Bill Coats added some juicy details in his story:

"Linehan, 45, was summoned to a hotel room in downtown St. Louis in the wee hours Monday and was informed of the decision to terminate his contract. "

"[Jim] Haslett, the team’s defensive coordinator since ’05, received a phone call from team owner Chip Rosenbloom at 1:15 a.m., asking him to take over as head coach."

I, for one, am glad it's finally over. Linehan was really never the right coach for the Rams. The team's deceased former owner Georgia Frontiere must have OK'ed his hiring out of the goodness of her soft heart. Many players reportedly tuned him out last year and never tuned him back in. The intense pressure to win was beginning to visibly affect Linehan both physically and mentally. To have it end at the Four Seasons Hotel in the wee hours of the morning is just terrible, so very awful. I can't imagine what it must have been like for him driving downtown knowing what was going to happen. He gave one last speech to his players this morning, then left quickly, a defeated man. He deserved better but will undoubtedly live to fight again another day.

Now I'm done writing about the Rams, I promise.

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness...

- Incredible weather we've been having...enjoyed my 10 miles on the Katy Trail yesterday...sure was a heckuva festival goin' on at Frontier Park on the St. Charles riverfront.

- "Casino" is a violent movie. But it's about Vegas and the mob...no surprise there.

- "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"- very moving French film, very hopeful. You should rent it.

I Might Watch More Golf...

if more golfers were like Boo Weekley:

Oh, Deer...

...was driving down Ladue Road tonight at dusk on the way to my Monday night bible study class when a deer ran in front of my car....just barely missed hitting it. That'll wake a guy up.

Thank you, Lord.

Up, Up, And Away!...

The Macy's balloon was this year's "hare" balloon that led off the race. The other balloons chased it until the pilot dropped a small beanbag in an open area. The balloon that landed closest to it was declared the winner.

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness...

- So Rosetta Stone is the best Michael Phelps could do for an endorsement deal? This after owning the first week of the recent Olympics? A real head-scratcher. His commercials aren't even that great...

- Cardinals and Rams, bleh...The one thing the Cardinals had this year that the Rams don't is....A CHANCE...there I said it. gratuitous sports humor. Now I'm done talkin' about them...

- the Great Forest Park Ballon Race was, well, a gas, as it is every year. Chili enjoyed herself, I think. Neither of us enjoyed driving 'round and 'round the park looking for a place to park our chariot. and then the search for the perfect vantage point. we did well in that respect and got some super cool pictures. upon returning home, was too tired and hungry to go out again to catch Erin Bode in concert at the Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival.

- started up BSF again a couple of weeks ago. it's me, another veteran BSFer, and 9 new guys in a group. I think my role has officially become the mentor (am I that old now?) to the younger guys in hopes that they will stick with it.

- how does my dog now weigh 72 pounds? had her to the HSMO vet clinic yesterday for a shot and butt-cleaning. put her on the scale and I couldn't believe my eyes; first, she actually sat still long enough for an accurate reading and second, the numbers that flashed across the digi-screen. She doesn't wolf down 2 bowls of food every day (i'm lucky if she eats one!) and we walk twice a day. maybe she needs longer, faster-paced walks?

It's Happening...

I noticed this while walking Chili this afternoon.

Somebody Burped...

yes, I went on iTunes this morning and purchased a song by that name. It's a kid's song by the folk singer Tom Paxton. I heard it on the "Musical-Merry-Go-Round" show on KDHX radio this morning.

Because I was a little boy.

once.

The West Wing...

I was reminded recently of The West Wing and how brilliant the writing was in the early seasons. This week Borders sent out a Rewards coupon for 40% off DVD box sets so I went out and bought TWW Season 2 last night. This was the season where actress Emily Procter was introduced as Ainsley Hayes, a Republican lawyer hired to work in the (Democratic) White House. Her first episodes were especially rich and I laughed out several times.

The Aftermath...

This is after I pulled it all off the fence and out of the apartment buildings' back yard.

Sunday Night STREAM Of Consciousness...

- "Wasn't that a mighty storm? Wasn't that a mighty storm in the mornin'?" The ghost of Ike barreled through the St. Louis area overnight and through the morning hours. Torrential rain and high winds did all the damage. Widespread flash fooding, power outages, downed tree limbs, etc... Chili and I survived mostly unscathed. Part of my backyard redbud tree was felled by the torrential rain and high winds. It was a matter of time before it went, anyway. The tree's been slowly rotting away and I think its time has finally come. Bummer.

- Wish I'd checked my church's website BEFORE I drove all the way up there and discovered services were canceled due to all the flooded roads. Happy ending though; ended up at my former church and found that a former staff pastor and counselor at my current church is now the senior pastor at my former church. Good to hear him preach again.

- Was traveling up the interstate to church this morning and a gigantic wooden boat-looking thing floated by. This old dude stuck his head out one of the windows and yelled out, "I TRIED TO WARN YOU, BUT DID YOU LISTEN???" Weird.

- Just an overall bad day for the St. Louis area. The aforementioned storm and its aftermath, the Rams' weekly beatdown, and the Cardinals getting swept by the lowly Pirates. Looks like it's really over for the Birds this time.

- Thank you, Chili-dog, for being mostly submissive yesterday while getting your nails clipped. You waited in line very patiently and behaved around the other dogs. Thanks to the good people of St. Louis REGAP for providing this service.

- Rented "Things We Lost In The Fire" last night. Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro were great in their lead roles. David Duchovny was, well, David Duchovny. I like BDT as an actor - have to check out some of his other movies.

- Never seen the QT station by my house run out of gas but it did last night.

- When approaching an obviously flash-flooded street or highway in your car, folks, take Sheriff Buford T. Justice's advice: "You can think about it, but D-O-O-N-'-T do it!"

Mr. Babysitter...

Well. The brother and sis-in-law have finally left me alone with their daughter. They had dinner plans tonight and the sitter they had lined up decided to ask an exorbitant sum. So, plan "B" was me. I'd mentioned my desire to begin babysitting now that Lydia is a bit older. I readily agreed when my brother called me this afternoon. They promised to put her to bed while I arrived and that meant all I'd need to do is sit around and watch the Cardinals on TV and keep the internet hot, while checking in on her periodically, of course.

Well, I got to their house and they were running late, so I had a bit of trial by fire when they asked me to put her to bed. Wish someone had been present with a camera as my brother and I collaborated on pajama-ing Lydia. Who'd have ever thought we'd do THAT together? Getting her to sleep was nerve-wracking. I tried to read her a couple of books and sung to her a bit but she was, um, hesitant to go into sleep mode. Fortunately, she eventually went down and is now slumbering peacefully.

The sound of a baby sleeping is one of the most beautiful sounds one can ever hear.

New Windows Are Working!...

Those fancy new windows I have seem to be working pretty well. The overnight temperatures dipped down into the low 60s over the weekend and my inside temperature only dropped a degree or two from the usual 75 degrees. Before, that would have dropped right along with the outside temperature.

Brinner!...

(shamelessly stealing Jim Barnard's word from his blog about what I am about to also blog about.)







The wedding reception I attended on Saturday was most unique. First, breakfast was served as the main course. (Thus, the new word, "brinner") It was a continental breakfast like your local Holiday Inn serves every day. Second, in place of a traditional white wedding cake, four different varieties of cupcakes were served! Yeah, the bride and groom are a fun couple, perfectly suited for each other. I uploaded these pictures and a couple more here.

Niece Lydia, 8 months old...

Safe in the arms of Grandpa!
More here.

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness...

- WOW, this weekend flew by. Started it off right Friday by getting in some quality time with niece Lydia, who is now 8(!) months old. Fire engine parade on the riverfront Saturday morning. Mad dash back home to change into wedding clothes. M & K's wedding at noon in west county. back to the riverfront for 3:30 reception at morgan street brewery on laclede's landing. shuttle brother home from said reception at 8:00ish. take wrong turn onto MLK bridge and end up in Illinois, briefly. get turned around and drop brother off at his house, home by 9:00. church today, singles group tonight. total of 178 miles of driving since yesterday morning.

- Rams take first beating of many this season, Cardinals win, desperate for wildcard berth in playoffs; wait, this is how September started off LAST year.

- Monday night bible study resumes tomorrow night. did not get placed into a discussion group, new teaching leader was nice enough to call with explanation. Since I have already done this year's study once before (way back inthe day, people) they're waiting a week to place me so new people can get in first. He stressed "we do want you" because apparently there's many more girls enrolled than guys. That's sad, guys. We need more men to step up to the plate in all things spiritual.

- So who, exactly, is Camilo Villegas and how did he win the BMW Championship golf tournament here in St. Louis today? The PGA is the only sports organization that has events where some guy you never heard of can just come out of nowhere and win. And somehow, Villegas' win today enables another golfer to win the overall championship for the year (FedEx Cup) and a $10 million prize. If I were Camilo Villegas, I'd get on the phone and ask for a share of that, and that right soon.

- The look on my dog's face last night was one of "where the @#$%^ have you been all day? This is SATURDAY." That's why you got the nice long walk today, Chili. So sorry you felt neglected.

From The World Of Sports...

- couple of items from today's sports section:

— Pitt linebacker Adam Gunn may miss the rest of his senior season with a broken neck caused when he collided with teammate Scott McKillop during a season-opening loss to Bowling Green.

NBA — Former Kansas stars Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur were sent home Wednesday from the NBA's mandatory rookie transition program in Rye Brook, N.Y., for violating unspecified league rules.

Both the Miami Heat, who drafted Chalmers, and his agent, Sam Goldfeder, confirmed that the guard left the program. Neither would divulge the reasons why the former Jayhawks standout was asked to depart early.

Arthur, a 6-foot-9 forward who was chosen late in the first round by New Orleans, was traded three times on draft night and signed his rookie contract with the Memphis Grizzlies in early July.

The Grizzlies acknowledged Arthur "was sent home ... for violating program rules" but declined to give details.

My take:

The linebacker MAY MISS the rest of the season because of a broken neck? That's not the sort of thing ya walk off like a strained hammy or sprained ankle...footballers are a different breed, though...

And if ya get traded three times on draft night that's a pretty clear indication that your career isn't getting off to a good start...

R.I.P. Snowman...

Jerry Reed died today at the age of 71. He was a Nashville guitar man in the truest sense of the word. However, most folks will remember him for his acting role as trucker Cledus "Snowman" Snow in the 1977 film "Smokey and the Bandit." This was a classic bit of dialogue from the film:
Snowman: "Now, someone's got to pay for all that beer we spilled."
Bandit: "I already worked that out. Leave a note and tell the folks to send the bill to Big Enos Burdette"
Snowman: (talking to himself and writing note) "Send bill to Big Enos Burdette...that's B-R, B-U-R....aw, @$$% I got to go!!!"

of course, who could forget that episode of "Scooby Doo" where he played himself as the owner of the "Grand Ol' Country Music Hall"??? ah, nostalgia! (Bonus points if you remember the song that he performed in the episode that was never heard anywhere else.)

Labor Day...

So why did I feel compelled to labor on Labor Day? It's my late Papaw's personality manifesting itself through mine, I guess. I painted the unpainted edge of my bathroom door that had been paintless for oh, a year? I cleaned and swept out my garage then gave Chili-dog a bath. It was a somewhat hot and definitely humid day so she didn't mind the cold water so much.

Later we drove down to my parents' house for dinner. My mom roasted a couple of pork tenderloins with smashed potatoes and green beans. Her famous banana pudding was a nice topper. My dad and I bonded by getting their home theater system connected correctly after they got a new TV a few weeks ago.

D'OH!!!!...

From Deadspin.com via Jeff Gordon's "Tipsheet" blog on Stltoday.com comes this amusing bit:

LOGISTICAL MISHAP OF WEEK

The Tar Heels football program planned to kick off their season in style yesterday. UNC hired a pair of skydivers to descend from above and deliver the game ball prior to their match-up with McNeese State. Fans and organizers waited in breathless anticipation for their arrival. Only the skydivers never showed. Why? Because they mistakenly dropped into Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium eight miles down the road.

Surprise!

I Am A Man...

who was once a boy. Therefore, I find this commercial amusing:

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness...

- Let me give voice to the silent hopes of the masses: New Orleans - please God, not again!

- Weekend recap that you've been breathlessly waiting for...nothing overly exciting to report. walked the dog, haircut, bought CD (yay Record Exchange!), washed new windows, covered the night shift at work (very quiet night, yay!), got to watch the Mizzou-Illini game, church today, sucked in by Law&Order marathon on TNT, housecleaning, groceries, now this blog.

- speaking of haircuts, apparently a holiday weekend is a great time to get one, because my shop was near empty and I got in and out in, like, 15 minutes.

- Mizzou-Illini showdown at the Ed; looked like Tigers had it well in hand at the half, turned it into a shootout in the second half. entertaining game for the sold-out crowd. if the defense rights its ship then the sky would seemingly be the limit because the offense has fascinating potential.

- Cardinals-Astros showdown; Cards out of gas, will not catch the Brew Crew for the wildcard, I think. AP will get the batting title but that's about the only positive we will glean the rest of the way.

- more layoffs at the P-D last week; ax fell on some newsroom middle management editors, 1 HR person (ironic!) others within production operations. newspaper shrinking in size almost every week. It's simple math: newsprint prices increase monthly, employee health care costs are hight, overall revenue is flat or down. Wall Street has to be soothed or else, folks. Sad but true. it's becoming more and more of a drag to stay employed there these days.

- Sarah Palin as VP for McCain. out-of-left-field choice. I don't follow politics very closely but I don't think many people expected it. On the surface it would seem like a very risky choice, but, again, I don't know about these things. Any other insights? Nice, polite insights only,please!

- If NOLA does get hit Katrina-style again, GW better respond perfectly this time or he'll need to find himself a swamp to hide in until next January.

- I love the Chicken Alfredo at The Olive Garden. had a nice dinner there with the folks Friday night. my boss let me off way early due to the holiday weekend fast approaching. met the folks at my house so they could admire my windows and drop some love on Chili-dog then we ate.

- this would have been a good weekend to do a "weekend in the life" photo series. maybe I'll remember to do one soon.

Just Go For It!!!...

OK, This bit of news disturbs me:

"Eight years after Sydney hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics, officials with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra acknowledged their stirring performance at the opening ceremony was entirely prerecorded. And perhaps even more cringe-inducing for Sydney residents: some of the music was recorded by the symphony of rival city Melbourne.

....Melbourne Symphony Orchestra managing director Trevor Green confirmed on Friday that the 2000 opening ceremony performance had been prerecorded by both the Sydney and Melbourne orchestras, saying that steps must be taken to ensure mistakes aren't made live during high-profile events.

"If you've got an event the size of the Olympics, and you've got billions and billions of people watching it, you definitely have a backing track and mime to it, because anything could go wrong," Green said. "It's just a 'safety first' thing. ... You cannot take the risk."

Am I wrong to think that the orchestra should have just gone for broke and played their hearts out, come what may? I think you can't live life in constant fear of making mistakes!

Was Mr. Green overly-cautious or was faking it the best thing to do?

From The Front...

IMG_2024
Originally uploaded by JohnJMatlock

the front of the house, Flickr-noted.

My House, Exquisitely Detailed...

IMG_2026
Originally uploaded by JohnJMatlock

Click on the picture to see a Flickr-noted picture of the back of my house.

I Can See Clearer Now...

I got my new windows installed today.

BEFORE:


AFTER:




I am very pleased with them. Thanks to New-Again Exteriors!

Potentially Shamed By The Shuffle...

Because it's been awhile and because I have the time, let's see what the ol' iPod throws into the shuffle tonight, for better or for worse...

First Song: "Eyes On The Prize" - Bruce Springsteen.

Nice cut from his Pete Seeger tribute album.

Second Song: "Out In The Country" - Roger Nichols and the Small Circle Of Friends

Three Dog Night most notably covered this tune of Roger's, back in the day. He included it on his recent Circle Of Friends reunion CD.

Third Song: "A House" - Doves

Acoustic-flavored cut that was the last track on Doves' first CD, "Lost Souls" I don't listen to it much.

Fourth Song: "Where The Wild Wind Blows" - Phil Keaggy

I received Phil's "Find Me In These Fields" album for Christmas back in 1990. This track gets a huge dose of psychedelia from Phil's E-Bow guitar solo in the middle of it.

Fifth Song: "Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord" - Lonnie Liston Smith

From 1973 comes this blast of free jazz from Smith and his group The Cosmic Echoes. His passion for all things spiritual shines through and his bandmates share it, especially George Barron, whose soprano sax solo is absolutely killer on this cut.

Sixth Song: "Maker Of The Stars" - The Violet Burning

From "Faith And Devotions Of A Satellite Heart." Michael Pritzl's way-cool praise and worship album. Nice synthy, The Cure-influenced cut.

Seventh Song: "Francesca" - John Pizzarelli

Nice instrumental ballad from his CD "Bossa Nova."

Eighth Song: "Si" - Poole

Fun guitar-pop cut - easy to sing along with in the car.

Ninth Song: "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

This is the live version from the "Live: 1975-1985" box set. Beats the studio version, hands down.

Tenth Song: "Third Time Lucky" - Basia

Finally shamed here, folks. Yes, I admit it. I'm a closet Basia fan. I'm a sucker for well-executed pop-jazz. And this is first rate stuff. Basia's vocals, the horn tracks, the piano solo, I could go on...

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness...

- This blog is getting to be a one-trick pony...one post a week leaves readers in suspense and more than a bit frustrated...will try to post more frequently, to keep at least one reader satisfied. (you know who you are.)

- Memo from Chinese government to Chinese citizenry: Thank you for your kind patience and understanding while our country was in the world's spotlight the past 16 days. We now return you to your regularly scheduled repression and human rights violations, already in progress.

- The Chinese took the most gold, the U.S. of A the most medals overall. Moral victory?

- From the department of sudden departures from this life: a truck on southbound I-55 lost a rear wheel and axle yesterday around 2:00. Said tire and axle flew through the air, and landed in the windshield of a northbound SUV. The driver was killed instantly. I happened by the scene and watched the fire dept. clean it up for a bit from a nearby commuter lot; not a pretty picture. Especially since I-55 was closed in both directions for several hours.

- pretty dull weekend for this blogger - took the doggie to Petsmart to pick up some more dog chow....did some miscellaneous shopping (found a small table lamp for my office room, yay.)

- was children's church day at church today. the kiddies showed off what they learned in the summer children's program we do every year. The older kids did a cute re-written parody of The Monkees' "I'm A Believer" that made me smile.

- The Atlanta Braves are a shell of their former selves these days...only a couple of recognizable names on their team. Don't know why the Cardinals felt obligated to give them a win yesterday when we're the ones in a pennant race.

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness, Cute Toddler Edition...

- ...she's 7 months old now, folks. Miss Lydia Joy Matlock, my niece. enjoyed the extended visit yesterday with her and her mommy and daddy and grandma and grandpa. She's an active toddler now, curious about everything, crawling and exploring her world. See more of her here.

- if you haven't read the public service announcement below this post, stop reading this post and read it first. It's Important.

- Mikey Phelps just ain't right, folks. 8 gold medals? There's an overwhelming cynical sensation rising up inside of me that insists he's doping or he's wore a greased swim suit, but could it be that he's just that good? NBC is grateful for the millions who tuned in to follow him but I reckon viewership will tail off considerably now that he's done.

- I did catch the women's weightlifting finals yesterday. Wow...those are some big girls! kept waiting for their heads to explode under the weight of the barbells but alas,...

- the weather was GORGE-OUS all weekend. Wow...sunny skies, low humidity, mild temperatures. Yeah...

- had a positively pastoral Sunday afternoon today. sat out on my deck and devoured the Sunday paper crossword, then finished one of the two John Shore books I recently purchased.

- speaking of which, I can now recommend Shore's "Penguins, Pain, and the Whole Shebang: Why I Do The Things I Do" by God, as told to John Shore. Written as if God is talking to the nonbeliever, Shore mixes irreverent humor and solid theology to answer some of the most common questions nonbelievers have about the Christian faith. This week I'll tackle Shore's more provocative book, "I'm OK - You're Not: The Message We're Sending Nonbelievers and Why We Should Stop." Umm...OK.

Public Service Announcement...

If you have any credit cards that you have online account access to, please, please, please turn on any sort of fraud alerts that are available. You should be able to have alerts e-mailed to you if any suspicious activity occurs. Tonight I discovered that my most often used credit card had been hijacked somewhere along the line and 2 charges totaling $1,402 were made last week. I tried to use it to buy groceries tonight and the charge was denied. I came home and immediately logged on to my account to find that my account was suspended. My card has been shut down and the charges will be erased but this has left me more than a bit shaken. If I'd had e-mail alerts turned on, then I could have known much sooner than tonight.

The Friday Five...

Haven't done one of these in a very long time so here is this week's edition, from The Friday Five.

1. What is your favorite song right now? Why?
"Sailor" by Hem from their very first CD, "Rabbit Songs." It's a beautiful, quiet love song with a cool french horn solo in the middle.

2. What genre of music makes you the happiest?
Jazz - because it's so emotional and improvisational.

3. What would you name your band and what kind of music would you play?
In a perfect world I'd have a jazz ensemble called The John Matlock Group, or Trio, or Quartet, whatever it ended up being.

4. What is your favorite lyric of all time? Why?
Don't have just one, sorry. Lyrics are my thing. For this question, I'll choose Terry Scott Taylor's lyric from "Art Carney's Dream" - 'then, an angel tapped me on the shoulder and said 'boy, you sure you do smell like sin and this place is pretty crowded but I, I think we can squeeze you in!'" (The entire song is brilliant; see it here.)

5. What band/artist could you never live without? Why?
Again, too many to name just one. At the moment, it's Hem. I finally bought their very first CD and have been listening to it this week. Their songs are consistently great in lyricism and tunes. Moreover, I think it's cool that they've stuck to their guns and made the records they wanted to make, no matter the cost. And they're all over the new Liberty Mutual Insurance commercials!

Sunday Night Stream Of Conscsiousness, Beijing 2008 Edition...

- SO....let the games begin. didn't catch the opening ceremonies live, was finishing up "North By Northwest." Somehow Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint hanging off of Mount Rushmore seemed more, well, gripping. Seriously, the pageantry is lost on me but seeing the parade of nations would have been cool.

- AT&T U-Verse has turned on several extra Olympics channels for my viewing pleasure. Two of them are strictly soccer and basketball in HD and broadcast at odd hours. The others offer Chinese and Japanese TV's coverage of lesser events like archery, weightlifting, and judo. I thought I'd lived a full life but then I heard Japanese play-by-play of a badminton match this afternoon. Boy, was I wrong!

- Stay tuned for Laura Wilkinson in the diving competition. She's an American from Texas who is a strong Christian and a darn good diver with a great chance of success. I still remember her TV interview during the 2000 Olympics where she quoted Philippians without batting an eye.

- So Brett Favre is a New York Jet now. This is a sad, sad turn of events and I hope he's happy now that he's soiled his good name and his future legacy. He's made his bed; now he sleeps in it. Both sides got dirty in this sad little episode and it all could have been avoided. That's all I have to say about that.

- was saddened to hear of the passing of my great-great Aunt E. this week. She was 100 years old and as such, the oldest living relative in my family on either side. This after losing one of my late Mamaw's brothers a few weeks ago. I've lost an inordinate number of family members on my mom's side this year. So many loving people from my childhood have gone on.

- But, happily, my niece Lydia is now 7 months old and growing up quickly, it seems. She's beginning to crawl and pull herself up now. My dad created a slide show of pictures he took of her last week. Interested parties my view it here.

- don't look now but the Cardinals' rebuilt pitching ace Carp might have hurt himself again. I flipped over to the Cards/Cubs game on ESPN tonight just in time to see him leave the game mid-inning. I think it's the wild card or bust for us this year, folks. You heard it here first.

- am enjoying this stretch of mild August weather. It's been low 80s all weekend and will be through the middle of the week. I took advantage of it by getting in a great bike ride around Creve Coeur lake and over to the Katy Trail and back yesterday late morning.

- am starting The Dog on Cod Liver Oil. It's specially made for dogs and was recommended by a friend to control shedding. It will also allegedly turn her coat to velveteen, which would be cool. Just a teaspoon a day is all it takes, so we'll see. At the moment, she's curled up on her bed with her stuffed animal under hear head and a bone at her nose. It's unbelievably cute.

- I end this edition with a few words about the late, great soul brother Isaac Hayes, departed from this life today. On behalf of all the babies who have been conceived to your music, thank you. There will be some tearful gravediggers this week who will have to ask each other, "can you dig it?"

To Get The Real Scoop On Your Date...

Stltoday.com (my employer's website) recently ran an online feature by the Post-Dispatch's resident data expert Jaimi Dowdell on how to background-check your date, if you so desire.

The Data Diva Says: Check Your Date Before You Go Out...

be sure to check out the short video that accompanies the story.

John Shore Land...

I just discovered Suddenly Christian today. It's the web site of Christian author John Shore. I have decided I like him and his perspective.

Gearing Up?...

I often hear people say or write that they're "gearing up" to do something or go somewhere. That's one of those expressions that just sounds strange to me.

My Free Month Of Netflix...

Here's what I've ordered up from Netflix so far during my free month (I'm part of a class action settlement w'HOO!):

Crowded House: Dreaming: The Videos
The Ultimate Carson Collection: Vol. 2 (3-Disc Series)
The Ultimate Carson Collection: Vol. 1 (3-Disc Series)
Pat Metheny: We Live Here: Live in Japan
The Best of The Johnny Cash TV Show: 1969-1971: Disc 1 (2-Disc Series)
Down from the Mountain (Live concert of "O Brother Where Art Thou" music)

and tonight I should have "Nashville" "North By Northwest" and "Poncho Sanchez: Live at Montreux" in my mailbox.

Suggestions, anyone?

It Should Be So Simple...

but I guess I had a long day. Just now, I went to re-heat (in the oven) some leftover pizza and breadsticks. The first thing I did was get some paper plates! Realizing my blunder, I got out the pizza baking sheet that I normally use. I loaded it up and proceeded to (almost) put it in the microwave. Fortunately, it's all safely in the oven now.

I think I'll go rest my brain a bit.

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness

...nothing to say, folks...not in the requisite state of mind tonight. Maybe next week?

Great Things About St. Louis...

An out-of-state reader of this blog has asked me to write on great things about St. Louis. I got to thinking about this and decided that I can't write about what has likely already been written about so I got to looking around. St. Louis magazine has a pretty definitive list:

101 Things Every St. Louisan Must Do

my own personal additions to the list:
.
the view of the Meramec River from the bluffs of Castlewood State Park.
The Katy Trail (the St. Louis-area portion)
the many bike/hike trails all over the area
watching fireworks lake-side at Kirkwood City Park

The One With The Cool Video...

(Title shamelessly borrowed from the style of HM's blog)

Today's GeekBrief podcast world-premiered a music video for Geoff Smith's new song "Only Ones and 0s. The song is about those anonymous folks who leave rude and nasty comments on blogs, YouTube videos, etc...

Check it out on Vimeo:


Ones and 0s by Geoff Smith from Cali Lewis on Vimeo.


(Ones and 0s (or 1s and 0s) refers to binary numbers which form the basis of computer machine language that is the power behind anything Internet.)

Unfortunate...

This little item in today's notes from Rams training camp stuck out at me:

SENE IS REPLACED

Tackle Stephen Sene, an undrafted rookie, suffered the ignominy of being released on the practice field. It happened Monday afternoon, just after the Rams received word that their waiver claim on Miami Dolphins tackle Julius Wilson was successful.

Sene received the bad news from personnel chief Billy Devaney, then was driven away on a golf cart.


That had to hurt!

What Chili Did On The First Anniversary Of Her Adoption...

It stormed while I was at work last Thursday. Chili-dog gets anxious during storms (as many dogs do) and followed her "denning" instinct to dig a safe hole. Usually my bedroom and bathroom rugs have to suffice.

The Dog Runs Laps...

Chili-dog loves to run laps around my yard. She was not listening to me very well, unfortunately!

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness...

While I'm waiting on my videos to upload to YouTube, here's this week's installment, straight out of my brain...

- Yes, that was Fernando Tatis you saw resurrecting his career as a New York Mets outfielder this weekend. The same Fernando Tatis who hit two grand slams in one inning as a St. Louis Cardinal in a game many moons ago. Wow.

- Don't rent "Death At A Funeral" on DVD - it's supposedly a comedy but is in fact not funny, despite the glowing reviews plastered on its case. Save your $2.99, please.

- Chili-dog checked out just fine at her annual checkup yesterday. She does not like getting blood drawn. But then again, neither do I. She weighed in at 71 lbs, which is as much as she should ideally weigh. I think we were slightly offended that the vet techs kept calling her "wiggle-butt."

- A bow-shaped mess of thunderstorm badness is rapidly descending from the north so I'll have to cut this entry short and power down. That's convenient because there doesn't seem to be much on my mind tonight.

A Dog For All Seasons...

One year ago today, I drove up to the Humane Society of Missouri and left there with a big brown dog named Chili. We've had an interesting first year together with a lot of good times shared.

She is my dog.

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness...

- Last week I scolded Aaron Miles for his human battering ram impression. Tonight I praise him for his ability to distinguish between "clutch" and "choke." That's the way to do it, folks...if the opposing team walks two guys INTENTIONALLY to get to you, on the assumption that you'll fail, do the unthinkable, the unbelievable. A ninth-inning, walkoff grand salami? Oh, it felt good to be Aaron Miles this afternoon. Especially after playing a full nine innings in the convection oven of a St. Louis July.

- By the way, I never could get the clutch and choke thing down, so I've always stuck to automatic trannys....

- it must be election season; the campaign signs and mudslinger TV commercials are beginning to appear.

- gotta love an honest man who won't sell you something you don't need, even if you think you do. That happened to me yesterday and I was most impressed.

- Memo to my Chili-dog: you're strong and athletic but tree-climbing is not something you should attempt. That squirrel in our redbud tree was making sport of you last evening and it was most amusing. Honestly, did you really think you could launch yourself into that tree?

- John Coltrane was and is The Man.

Tippacanoe and Matlockjohn, Too...

From last Saturday's canoe trip down the Meramec River.

One Year Ago Today...

...this brown dog named Chili was turned in to the Humane Society of Missouri by her unfortunate owners. What would happen to her? With her good looks, surely she wouldn't be there long! Would she find a good home?

Stay tuned...

This'll Break A Few Hearts...

Former Cardinal Jim Edmonds Marries

Classic Sesame Street...

I ran across this today by accident and it cracked me up! A spot-on spoof of "Float On" by The Floaters, from the mid-70s. Dig Bob's falsetto and Luis' "Latin Heartthrob" bit!

For those of you not old enough to remember The Floaters, (myself included!) here's the real thing:

Sunday Night SOC...

- looks like another St. Louis original is biting the bullet (the dust?) to merge with a foreign suitor. Sad. Just sad. I think I hate mergers. If any current A-Bers out there want to know about life under an out-of-town owner, drop me a line.

- One of the great things about this year's Cardinals team is their remarkable ability to come back strong from a bad game. They coughed up a 6-run lead last night and managed to lose to the *ahem* Pirates 12-11. Thanks for putting them back in their place today.

- Memo to Aaron Miles: that "run over the catcher and hope he drops the ball" trick only works if you're not, ah, Aaron Miles. Really - my dog stood a better chance than you did. I know, you were out by a mile and had to save some face. Thanks for the 5 RBIs, though. That's cool.

- Congratulations to my friends B & J on the birth of their first child, a girl on Thursday.

- This year's "PleaseDon'tUTippaMyCanoe" trip was a blast! Thanks, B & G for organizing it. One benefit of our rainy spring was good canoeing on the Meramec with a water level that was just right. So glad I didn't chicken out due to the ominous weather forecast. The air was muggy and the skies were only partly sunny but the water was cool and the fellowship sweet. If any of my St. Louis readers want to try it, check out Old Cove Canoe.

- By the grace of God and Panama Jack, I didn't get sunburned in the least.

- Yesterday's ominous weather forecast of "mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely in the afternoon" translated to a 20-minute rain shower at my house late yesterday afternoon. Yeah.

- Why did it take me so long to re-discover Waterdeep? This week I raided iTunes for several stellar tracks off their "Everyone's Beautiful" and "You Are So Good To Me" CDs which were released years ago. Thanks to the worship leader guy at The Journey - West County for playing "Those Who Trust" last week.

- "Millionaire" craziness at the P-D started today when funny money began appearing in the paper. I know it generates badly-needed advertising revenue for us but this is a rather gimmick-y way to do it and if I were an advertising genius I'd think of a better way. But I'm not.

- I'm up to 95 on the Facebook friend-o-meter. Just 5 more and I'll hit the magic three figures. Come on folks, who out there wants to help me get there?

- so when a gutter screen blows off during a thunderstorm, why does it have to be the one on the most dangerous corner of the roof? The one on the corner of the roof that's the farthest from the ground and I would injure myself most painfully if I fell off the roof while replacing it? Why?

For no particular reason, this bit of Will Rodgers wisdom popped into my brain today:

"Always drink upstream from the herd"

Sunday Night Stream Of Conscsiousness...

- Cardinals, Cardinals, Cardinals!!! way to roll over for the Small Bears. Yesterday was nice, but you guys wilted in the hot sun today...ya lost 2 of 3 but kept Jim Edmonds quiet...moral victory, I guess.

- Worshiping at The Journey- West County is pretty cool!

- grrr....I disconnected from Charter Cable 4 months ago when I connected to AT&T U-Verse but I am STILL RECEIVING BILLS from Charter!!!! I have fired off a protest letter to stevegm@chartercom.com which Steve the Charter GM advertises on TV as his e-mail address. Let's hope this works, for my credit rating's sake. This is getting ridiculous!!

- deck = freshly scrubbed and power-washed. lawn = freshly mowed. I thought of my Papaw as I was working on these jobs yesterday.

- Waterdeep was one of the great under-appreciated bands in Christian music.

- I enjoy watching sporting events in high-definition TV.

- Chili-dog sure does enjoy her rawhide bone.

- Those who trust in the Lord are a strong mountain; they will not…not be moved.

I GOT TO SHOOT OFF FIREWORKS!!!!!!!...

Happy 4th Of July, folks.

I did (almost) the complete ride of Grant's Trail on my bike this afternoon then came home and cleaned up for the evening. This year I spent the 4th of July evening in Festus with my parents and friends at a cookout hosted by some of their friends from church. I indulged in the St. Louis tradition of pork steaks and all the fixins' and dessert on the 4th Of July. I am stuffed, I ate so much. There were several kiddies present so we had a twilight kiddie fireworks show with all ground-based ammunition. The big show commenced at dusk at the neighbors' house. It was a BIG show. As in three different launching stations big. A friend and I manned one of them quite ably, thank you. I stuffed the launchers with the shells and my friend lit the fuses. I was a kid again, if only for a few minutes. It was all the stuff I wanted to buy as a boy but was never allowed to!

The Cardinals lost a close one to the Cubbies tonight, 2-1. Jimmy Ballgame made his much-anticipated return to Busch by going 0-4 with 3 strikeouts. At least he's doing it for the other team these days.

The Joy Of Baseball...

P-D sports photographer Chris Lee perfectly captured the joy of Troy Glaus' walk-off home run to beat the Mets last night.

See it here.

To The Zimbabwean Spokesman Who Told The West To 'Go Hang'...

"What we have here is, failure to communicate... some men you just can't reach"

Zimbabwe president's spokesman to West: 'Go hang'