April 2005


Personal17 Apr 2005 09:43 pm

So last Thursday night I took Jewel to class (in her car) and then I went to Big Lots in Mishawaka. I got a few bags of groceries and then I went back and hung out in the library, connected to the wireless network of course.

So then we go home and I forget my groceries in her trunk. The next day she went to school way down in Warsaw with my groceries.

That night the whole family goes to a fundraising fish supper at Bethany Christian School here in Goshen. [interrupt] Just got off the phone with my blogger buddy Vern! [/interrupt] Did some other stuff, long night, details I won’t go into here.

Saturday we’re all over the country. Jewel had to go up and take care of a friend’s dogs, so we were up there a while. We were sitting by the lake, and there’s these ducks out there. I start calling them with my own natural God-given duck calling ability, and I called in 3 ducks! It was astounding, at least if you didn’t believe I could call in ducks. Then the dogs chased them away.

So I finally get home Saturday night, but I forget to bring in the neglected groceries. I’m away all day Sunday, taking the groceries with me again of course. Finally tonight after three full days and hundreds of miles I bring in the neglected and forgotten foodstuffs. Lucky there was no ice cream, huh.

Philosophy14 Apr 2005 08:06 pm

And for the worst idea ever category, I nominate the “spork.”

What ever in the world could have possessed a person to think of such a foul notion as the combining of fork and spoon? It’s hideous.

Many examples could be made of the joining of two opposites resulting in the enhancement of their respective benefits and advantages. But not this time. It’s not that this union somehow results in a summary of the negatives of each utensil, though there is always that risk in a delicate combination. But a spoon has no negative, it is perfect in every way.

Rather the characteristics of the fork so rashly forced on the sublime spoon simply tarnish and taint this most noble of instruments.

Misc13 Apr 2005 07:04 pm

So last weekend was the Gospel Echoes Benefit Auction, like I said. Had a wonderful time. I wanted to go on a helicopter ride, almost did in fact. Probably should have. But that would have been another fifty big ones (for 2 people) that I couldn’t afford.

I bid on a few things, Jewel wanted a hall tree so I went for a few of those. Never did get them though. She really surprised me. She hated it whenever I would quit bidding! Judging by her attitude going in to it, I thought she’d have my hands cuffed to my chair. But I was mistaken.

She was hounding me to bid all the time! One time I wasn’t bidding when she wanted so she bid herself! It scared me, I had to quickly grab her hands and hold them down. I almost went and had a word with Wendell the spotter about ignoring her bids!

I like to stay until the end and get the cheap odds and ends. I missed it in the preview, but here came this Presto Multi-Cooker. I wasn’t even sure what it was, but it wasn’t moving so I picked it up for a song. I got it and realized it was a deep fryer! I’ve been wanting one for about a year! I was very pleased. These things retail for $42 on Presto’s official site.

That’s Wendell on the right, he’s my favorite spotter. I remember him from last year.

Music11 Apr 2005 04:37 pm

I have a note in my blog ideas file to do a post on Cathedral Quartet bass singer George Younce. Today I’ve been inundated with emails bearing the news that he passed away early this morning. The Singing News has a good biography and photo album on their site.

The Cats were probably the greatest southern gospel quartet ever. I grew up listening to their classic ’80’s albums “Oh Happy Day” (Go Jonah!) and “Something Special” (Let Freedom Ring). I went on of course to acquire tons more of their recordings. They were very influential in my musical development.

They used to come out to Oregon every year or so for awhile, and I went to hear them every time. When they hit the stage, the atmosphere was just electrified. One of the last times I saw them was up in Portland. They came out and opened with “Echoes from the Burning Bush.” They did a verse and at the end of the chorus, George walks his way down and just pounds a monster low one. The place went nuts, you couldn’t help it! I don’t know if there ever was a group that established a rapport with their crowd like the Cats did.

George was a master emcee, he always had the crowd in the palm of his hand, it was amazing. Everybody just loved him and Glen.

Monster bass that he was even throughout the nineties, George was in his prime in the eighties before his heart attack (in ’87 I believe). He was nothing short of a powerhouse. He had rock-bottom solid low ones, but yet his voice was still very melodic. He had a defining cut, and still his voice had warmth.

He was hard to beat in unbridled and genuine enthusiasm. As soon as they’d wrap up a trademark rip-snort Cathedral ending, you could count on George: “Yeah I tell you what I like that song right there!” Or like this from “Travelin’ Live,” “Yeah I tell you what boys I tell you what, now that’s the way to sing that song right there! His love is a boundless love! Do that trio part again, I love that trio!”

I’m not really sure about this, but the Cat’s may have been fairly innovative in their vocal harmony stacks. Starting at least with early Mark Trammel days (post ’79 or ’80), they’d often have Mark take the high harmony note/part above Glen (lead). This opened the door for some really cool turbo-charged pin-you-to-your-seat tags. I don’t know how many other groups were doing that kind of thing, but maybe they were. I do know the Blackwood Bros. in their prime (1960’s) did a lot of switcharoo stacking.

There probably will never be another group like the Cathedrals, or a man like George Younce.

This has been a fairly sappy and sentimental post, but I really don’t care.

Music09 Apr 2005 05:50 pm

EG did some research and came up with some third-party evidence of Razorburn’s existence. Here and here are a couple of articles in the Eugene Register-Rag about the show that that last RB pic came from.

Misc08 Apr 2005 10:27 pm

This weekend is the annual Gospel Echoes Benefit Auction. Tonight was the haystack supper and concert and auction beginning.

There was a ton of people there, that isn’t near all of them. Most though.

I bought some chocolate chip cookies to take in to work on Monday (if there’s any left) and a fundraising box of Krispy Kreme donuts. I ate four of them on the way home, had another just now, and will have one more before I go to bed. That leaves six for in the morning.

I’m going back early in the morning for the auction. I love auctions. Hopefully I can buy a bunch of stuff, I did last year. Auctions are even more fun if you buy a bunch of stuff.

Music08 Apr 2005 10:06 pm

This is for my skeptic buddy Vern. He seems reluctant to believe Razorburn was an actual quartet!

This is a live shot from a show we did. I think it was the Eugene Cascade Chorus show in ’04.

Do you think this pic is photoshopped Vern? Is it any more convincing?

Misc08 Apr 2005 10:00 pm

Just got an email from my brother, we’re selling Dad’s pickup. I’ve spent many an hour and mile in this rig, it’s hauled my bikes all over the place.

1983; V8; automatic; needs new carburetor and brakes. If you’re interested, let me know. “No reasonable offer refused”

See that reddish hedge in the back? It doesn’t seem that long ago that me and Dad planted it as a few scrawny little stick-bushes.

Poetic Masterpieces06 Apr 2005 05:32 pm

The ITF constituency has waited quite some time for this momentous occasion, and it is with great pride and pompousness that ITF brings you an Ode to the Egg — a study in the average American male’s connectivity to his deepest emotions.

There’s something immensely gratifying about reaching down into the deepest part of yourself and gathering essential substance from the core of your emotional being and releasing it in poetic form. It doesn’t happen without cost, no, in fact it is quite emotionally exhausting. But certainly worth every effort.

I feel this is one of my most polished, elegant, and dignified poetic works. Some day I hope to publish a leather-bound volume of my poetic masterpieces, suitable for display on coffeetables everywhere, ready to take the forefront in America’s living room conversations.

Iced Tea Forever is proud to present:

Ode to the Egg

Eggs are fluffy, eggs are neat,
Eggs are healthy, what a treat!

A boiled egg is truly fine,
I could eat them all the time.

Cayenne pepper, but a dash
is how I add a brilliant flash!

Give the shell a solid whack,
Soon you’ll have a healthy snack!

High in protein, low in fat–
Eggs are really where it’s at.

Eggs a’cooking on the stove,
a culinary treasure trove!

Salt and pepper, just a shake,
Then your eggs will take the cake!

Eggs for supper, eggs for lunch,
Give me eggs, I need a bunch!

–Tom Troyer, Copyright April 2005

Here is a zip file of some dictation notes (0.2MB) I made when I first started working on this masterpiece. These audio notes date back to early June of ’04.

« Previous PageNext Page »