visual placebo

due to a lack of time (and desire) to spew forth all that encompasses my earthly existence of late, i instead purport to "share" some of my life in the form of some recently uploaded photos. hope you like them.

what? you say the photos are too contrasty and saturated to be natural? i don't know what you're talking about.


here's some of the scenery from delta when i visited my folks.


nothing like a good campfire (in the rain).


same camping trip, looking out over nancy lake as she melts rapidly.


here you go lindsay – now you're famous!

tis the season

this is my brother. he's displaying his holiday cheer in a very bold and rawalt kind of way. the suit belonged to my father, who wore it every year at the appropriate time to the dismay and embarrassment of his entire family. but my brother has continued the tradition, and now the shock and awe we've known for generations can be shared with you and everyone you love and hold dear.

three dozen

so today i have some assorted thoughts about impending birthdays...

i'm excited to finally say the exact age, instead of saying that my birthday is coming up and that i'm ALMOST that old. ok, well, maybe "excited" isn't the best word, but i do hate the dilemma that arises when asked about my age near a birthday. at what point are you "close enough" that you simply round it up to the next number???

and i guess it still amazes me how often my age comes up. it's almost a novelty. maybe if i got fat and married and responsible then people would leave it alone. unfortunately, the only progress i can report is a slight weight gain since being able to afford ice cream bars.

my friend lindsay has gone to the trouble of planning a get-together of some kind for the day, and i have been trusted with the task of handing out invites that i am not supposed to read. i know when it is, but i have no idea what is in store. secretly, i am hoping for one continuous backrub, so i'm trying to invite people with strong hands.

my feelings about the day have become increasingly indifferent. when you're a kid, the excitement regarding each new age is nearly tactile. when you get older, you develop a more "bah, humbug!" type of attitude. now i see no reason to make a big fuss either way.

that's all i got today.

love and affection

so i can think of no better thing to blog about than twix ice cream bars. i have found them to be delicious, addictive and absolutely wonderful. when i die, they may be the one thing i miss the most.

weekend events (with comments!)

wrote a moody and cynical song on friday. (fancy that!)

helped at a jr. high all-nighter friday night (and saturday morning).

during which, i sunk 3 backwards half-courts! (1 in the dark!)

went to a hockey game with 2 friends for free. (we lost.)

watched "touching the void" with joel. (horrific story. great movie.)

drummed at kids church sunday morning. (hooray for monitors!)

took an afternoon nap. (zzzzzzz...)

talked with my mom. (my folks are back in the state again.)

that's about it (for now).

word of the day starts with an 'f'

i was trying to decide what i could possibly write about that wouldn't get me frustrated just thinking about it.

after a long and thoughtful pause, i decided that i can say something nice about drumming. drumming is fun. i love drumming. i drummed last night, and it was wonderful. of all the musical endeavors that i have attempted, nothing has been as emotionally and spiritually fulfilling as drumming with actual musicians.

i just wish i could be a better drummer. and it's difficult to get better when i don't have a drumset, or even a place play it, should i ever become lucky enough to possess one. heck, if i were asked to play drums more often, i could conceivably improve just by playing more regularly. but the requests are sporadic, which of course, is frustrating, and i was trying really hard not to be any more frustrated today.

screw it. i'm not writing anymore.