...........The Life and Times of Crazy Uncle Mitch...........

No, really...

2012-01-18T15:25:00.002-06:00

I'm not dead yet, I just haven't posted in a long dang time.
Stay tuned, I promise it'll be worth it. Eventually...

Moustache, Mayhem and MORE!

2010-05-25T15:41:00.079-05:00

So, last year I devoted an entire post to the the glory of facial hair. This year, my summation of May will be split mostly betwixt the glory of the moustache, and the agony of de-flood. You see, on the morning of May 2nd, Tasie and I woke up to the following scene.

***SIDEBAR***
Moustaches are great! I grew a horseshoe moustache this year, after much debate on whether to go for the Frank Zappa, or another Charlie Chaplin. I ended up cutting this (slightly My Name Is Earl) horseshoe, which resembles an inverted Imperial.

I suppose we should have expected it. It had been raining the night before, and we had some water come up through the french drain in the shed. But, we had tickets to the symphony, and dinner reservations to celebrate 3 years together (hoorah us), so I wrapped a rag around a beer bottle and stuffed it in the hole, and off we went. The rain continued, and come 8am we found ourselves in a bit of a problem.

Long story short, the big 100 year Nashville flood flooded our street. More specifically, our shed and crawlspace (and never made it inside the house). Others were not as fortunate. We spent most of our day trying to help friends in the neighbor hood keep their homes and belongings above rising creeks and water tables (some more successfully than others).

As we began the next day of "recovery mode", I received a call from my boss Brian, saying that I shouldn't bother going in to the Symphony Center, since it's basement was underwater, and the water was still rising. In fact, the water rose within 5 inches of entering the main floor of the hall. All said and done, the SSC suffered 42 million dollars in damage, including pipe organs, one-of-a-kind equipment, musical instruments, a fully equipped kitchen, and a LOT of gear. That was May 3rd. As of publication, the SSC isn't projected to be up and running until 1-1-2011. Fortunately, I'm still employed...

A short while later, I took Tasie to see Norah Jones at the Ryman. While this was not my first time there, it was the first time there that did not require me to 1) wear stage blacks, 2) carry a c-wrench, or 3) watch the show from a booth or side stage. Good show, a lil' bit sleepy time-time for me, but the lighting was interesting enough to keep me awake. PS- the folks at the Ryman take their gig seriously, from the ushers who lambasted the lady who climbed over a bench (hey, they are over 100 years old), to the one who told me they were going to kick me out for taking too many pictures (it's hard to get a good shot sometimes) even though it was ACTUALLY video, to the band that did a full-on Opry style encore.

Dave and Tina West came down for a week to visit (that's 1/2 of Tasie's folks), which was neat, because Tina hasn't had the chance to swing down since Tasie moved here in '05. Unfortunately, we both had to work, so they got the opportunity to do some, shall we say, self guided tours of Nashville and the mid TN region. They also (very generously) painted our bathroom (which we STILL would not have gotten around to) among other not-so-vacation-oriented things. We did get to spend some time with them, and had a lot of fun. "Thanks fer comin' down south ya'll!"

Tasie had a(nother) birthday in June. While we won't share her age ("God's Banker" is your clue...), we will share the events that perhaps highlighted it: Food Processors, and H orses. Mitch has been told one of the two was the best present ever. Can you guess which...?

So every summer for the last 4 years, Mitch has found some time to volunteer for a local non-profit summer camp called SGRRC. You may remember hearing about it, probably in conjunction with a brightly colored Mitch-mohawk. Well, this year, he swung for the fences, and volunteered his 4 years of experience to a different camp. Tennessee Teens Rock Camp (or TNTRC) had its inaugural season at the University School of Nashvi lle. This was really neat for Mitch, because not only did it open new possibilities (that better depicts a town full of musicians) by being co-ed, but allowed him to save an hour a day in driving, and still let him work with many of the same people he'd gotten to know and love over the last 4 years. He taught bass in the morning, songwriting in the midday, and managed a 5 piece (complete with a 2 bass player attack) Ramones cover in the afternoon called "The Remains." All in all, a very fun week, and one of the highlights of his year.

July 4th rolled around again, and after last years camping debacle, we decided to stay in and celebrate with friends and food INSTEAD of fireworks (much to Tesla's delight). Sooooo, we lit some tiki torches, put the patio furniture in the driveway, and grilled some vegetarian fare with Andy and Lee from up the street. A lovely evening, occasionally punctuated by the neighbor kids setting off some bottle rockets and whistling fountains (Tesla did much better inside the house at that point).

After the 4th, it was time to get to work on the albatross better know as "the creepy shed." The shed had suffered from a lot of abuse over the years; from being an 8 person living space for rowdy Latinos (purportedly), to insect infestation of all types and plenty, to more recent record flood-levels. Truth is the structure, which had most likely been structurally sound at one point, had become an amalgamation of general half-assery and liability through the serious of occupants and owners. Tasie refused to go in, and Mitch didn't particularly like spending his free-time in a work space of that inferior quality. So when the tree fell during the flood and knocked out the power to the back-building, we took it as a nail in the coffin cue. As of publication, the top level has been removed, as has the debris behind the building, the new(er) portion of roofing, the concrete pad for the utility (now residing inside the house), doors, windows, etc. All that remains is the skeletal cinder block walls. And so the plans for a lovely 14x25 workshop-musical space-man cave-garage marches on with head held high, hoping to come in (slightly) under a 5 figure price tag....

One of Mitch's dearest and oldest friends breezed through town for a few days, one Ms. Susie Shults. Escorting her as they travel about the country in "The Egg" (her white Metro) was Collin, a lovely fellow fresh off the pacific trail due to some unlucky timing. We spent a few days of out and about, ate at some fantastic restaurants, and Tesla made some new best friends (of the human variety). All in all, another lovely visit. Hey Suzzle, don't wait 3 years between visits!

In order to accommodate a full time school schedule for the fall, Tasie has quit her job at NADC after 3 years. She was sad to leave in a way, and will miss her co-workers. Mitch is excited for her to continue on in her formal education, and will miss a second income (just kidding). Actually, this fall should bring a host of new challenges, schedules and activities into our "regular" schedule. Wherever Tasie finds part-time work will have to be balanced with classes, and her ambassadorship program (ie, full ride scholarship with duties attached), and her regular life. Mitch will have to juggle whatever the symphony throws at him, and whatever the rebuild throws, while trying to pick up any loose ends that get left behind. Phew, wish us luck!

On a lighter note, one thing that we did do before cinching our belts, was to commission a new bed from some friends of ours at Whitson Brothers. They make pretty much anything wood and skilled; cabinets, furniture, and I just found out that Ezra is also a talented luthier. So, we commissioned a large under-bed-storage platform bed, in maple with a black finish. It looks awesome, and it's HUUUUUUGE. It solves massive amounts of storage needs, as well as looks nice, and would probably double as a good tornado shelter if need be. we were rather excited to get it into the bedroom, which now requires some aesthetic catching-up to do (paint, shelving, and refinishing the armoire). We'll let you know how that goes.

Here's a few other thing's we've done of recent. Since the months of July and August were so bloody hot, we decided that a certain person of the canine persuasion was due for a haircut. We've acquired some excellent clippers, and this time the daunting task fell upon Mitch to put them to good use. While the actual body trim went very well, Tesla's face was a different story. Whilst giving his beard a scissor trim, Tesla moved, then had to be evened out, then evened again, then evened again (you get the idea) until there wasn't much left (actually nothing at all). Tasie was visibly distraught at the sight of her cute dog being reduced to "an ugly dingo" for lack of a beard. So, in an attempt at solidarity and some levity, Mitch turned his beard clippers on himself. The rest is history.

So, all work and no play makes Jack (or Mitch and Tasie) a dull boy. In keeping with tradition, we attended the (17th?) annual Hargrove Brothers Labor Day Block Party. Weather was perfect (as always), food was good, and we didn't spend well into the evening (as we had in previous years). But wait, THERE's MORE! We also got to attend some concerts with our new-official-not so new-unofficial concert pen-pals... The Crawfords. Tasie and Jackie went and saw Ray LaMontagne with David Gray at Bridgestone Arena (while Mitch was lighting Herbie Hancock at the Ryman), and Mitch and Joey went and saw The Toadies at Exit In (while Tonic was opening this season's "Live On The Green"). Both shows were great, and both duos got to spend a concert accompanied by someone with appreciation for similar musical tastes.

As you can see, we've been busy. More has been the operative word for a while; whether it be more to do, more accomplished, or just more in a general sense. And while this particular post is already approaching 2 months behind schedule, we are still managing to hit most of our marks and deadlines. Most of 'em at least.... The important ones..... Like, ummmm..... Most of 'em.

Surprise, Surprise!

2010-03-11T18:34:00.046-06:00

Well, welcome to 2010. According to the Mayans, we only have 2 more years til we place our tray tables and seat-backs in the upright position, so lets try and enjoy the view from 30,000 feet until then...

It dawned on us (right after the holidays ended) that it had been an exceedingly long time since we had taken a vacation that didn't include some of the following: the TSA, 12+ hour drives, uncomfortable tents, entertaining/being entertained. So, we decided to take a mini-vacation, just because. A few years back, Tasie and I went to a cabin outside of Gatlinburg. It was nice, but driving through Pigeon Forge is like driving through the drunken neon red-necked Reno of Appalachia. So, we turned left (as opposed to South) before we hit K-ville, and ended up in a massive cabin outside of Jamestown. Massive is an understatement. It's amazing what you can rent in the off season. We barely even went up to the 2nd floor. The bedroom was bigger than our living room. It had a jacuzzi, and a fireplace, and a hot-tub, and a huge deck, and a blah blah blah... It was great to get up in the woods, and spend time watching the rain fall outside.

What do Neo-Conservative Politicians and Nashville winters have in common? No warmth and a million shades of gray... No really, it's cold and ugly here from late December to early April. Cold and snow rarely come hand in hand, and the sun takes the blue skies to Tucson to snowbird for a while. Meanwhile, we get left with gray, and a lot of of it. However, this year we actually got some of the white stuff. Truth told, we got more of it that all the years I've been here put together, all inside of 2 weeks. I'm not going to harp on Southerners and bad driving (it's really a universal trait folks), but I will say that nothing brings it out like a sheet of ice on the road. Luckily, we made it through unscathed.

After 18 months at the SSC, Mitch finally got on full time (ie- HOORAY New Job!). Starting Feb 1st, I'm the Lighting Director for the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. I even get my name printed in the programs (I circled it in one program and Tasie demanded we take it home, so other people couldn't see me being "tacky"). There are some distinct advantages to the position: I get to retain working in a professional atmosphere that's fairly laid back, I'm still in the same field, and I get to see some (really) great shows. The commute is even short enough that (when I'm not feeling lazy, and the weather holds out) I can ride my bicycle in to work.

Just a quick sidebar; remember Mitch's friend Darren? Well, he and his fiance Robyn got married over a trip out to see her sister in UT. I can't remember what canyon it was, but it was just east of Ogden... Congrats Fosters! Valentines day has come and gone (again), and whilst this year Mitch did indulge a bit of chocolate, the whole holiday was escaped without weight-gaining tragedy. We did manage to make it to the Country Music Hall Of Fame (yup, we're tourists) and a new Thai restaurant. Good times... Joey's B-day rolled around again (dang that sucka's gettin' OLD!), so we all went out and lamented his status as "1 year closer to dead." Joey, being an aficionado of things brewed" took us to The Melrose (we hadn't been) and we enjoyed his "special day," or at least the evening of it. Shortly thereafter, Mitch got to do something with Jackie that he always can make time for: dressing up like a PIRATE! Jackie's ELL class got the special treat (sure, special, that's the word for it) of being read a book by Mitch's buccaneer alter-ego, Shortshanks Rebello. Eventually, these kids will stop having nightmares. Eventually. I hope...

Andy and Lee got their chance to paint the town red with the Shotgun Scooter CD release party for their new album "Heathen Gospel." The show went down at Matty's Alley (a new club experience for us) right before salsa dancing night. Special kudos to Lee for playing the set despite having recently breaking her foot, and basically being told to stay immobile. Secondary points to her for creative use of a rolling chair as a crutch around the house. The show was great, and SS brought a fair amount of folks out, all of whom had a good time, and some of whom had a GREAT time (here's looking at you Mr. Whitson).

Tasie got a chance to spend her spring break with her sister (aka the Johnsons) eating lots of food and playing with her niece. She even got to go to Grey's daycare, and witness baby-finger painting (which may as well be called body painting or finger-food painting) among other events. While she was gone, Mitch used the time to be sneaky and do some surprise remodeling of the office. Whence she returned, the built in closet had been removed, trim-work replaced, and walls painted purple (a shade which apparently brings to Tasie's mind a certain NFL team of northern pers uasion). Special thanks on the remodel goes to Mr. and Mrs. Crawford, one for helping with the work, and the other for allowing her husband to be stolen away for the better part of a weekend. Thanks you guys!

It hasn't been all work and no play, we have had the chance to go to 2 concerts recently. First, we saw Muse at the local arena-dome. The show was great, the production was pretty spectacular, and Tasie may now be a Muse fan. When asked by the nice couple next to us asked why we weren't down on the floor with GA, we could only reply that we were too old. Then we looked to our left and met a nice couple in their late 50s. Tasie's highlight of the show: giant confetti filled eyeballs dropping from the upper deck. Mitch's highlight: turning around during the singer's guitar-feedback-wankery-solo to see Tasie (and the nice lady behind her) cringing and plugging her ears with a worried look.

We also got the chance to see someone on Mitch's bucket-list of concerts, George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers. Ol' Georgie puts on a fun lovin' rock and roll show, true to form, with all the energy you would expect of a 30+ year polished showman. Kinda 180 degree different approach from Muse, but even more entertaining. And since it was amateur drinking awareness night, he offered up the following PSA: "Don't drink and drive. If you've had too much to drink, get your buddy to drive you home, or get your girlfriend to drive you home, or get your buddy's girlfriend to drive you home. But don't drink and drive..." Good times, rock and roll!

I may have already mentioned how Nashville ranks (according to one lackluster publication) among one of the most depressing cities in the US. That said, it seems this years winter has stretched itself long and cold. Enter our old missing friend "The Sun" and it's compatriot "Warmer Weather." As of writing this (a month after I started this draft), we've been enjoying some fine and fantastic weather. Very little cold, even less clouds and virtually no rain. In fact, April showers are practically nonexistent, and today may be the first day this year that I felt the old sticky pains of humidity. Mark these words: It's gonna be a hot summer.

Easter came, and Easter went, all with very little consumerism. In fact, despite a few smuggled Cadbury Eggs in the preceding weeks (entirely Mitch, I assure you), this year we celebrated the holiday by being candy free. We did however spend most of the day toiling in the garden, as we have decided to plant some flora that will hopefully give back in the form of fajita fixin's or garden salads. Somewhere around 20+ hours and $200 later, I guess we'll see how that goes.

What do Isaac Mizrahi and Alexander Pope have in common? Very little I assume. Unless, of course, you are us, in which case they both represent recent milestones of accomplishment. One being a term paper (Tasie chose "The Rape of the Lock"), and the other being a Fashion Show (NSO's annual Spring Fashion Show). As of the print deadline (ahem, well, yes, I don't REALLY have one of those) for this blog, Tasie has scored well on hers, and Mitch has worked hard enough on his to get a 4 day weekend. Tasie's accomplishment is made sweeter by the probability of not enrolling in summer semester, and Mitch will hopefully spend his free time on the last "workend" for a while, by finishing up unresolved projects.

So, whilst the nights transition from long to short again (like Tesla's haircut), as the rays of the rising sun breathe fresh vigor into the world, just as the last remaining light of day accents all that we have accomplished with our time, so we submit to our efforts; Not all are fruitful, seamless and pain-free, but all serve well as examples of what can be done, why hope (in the true sense of the word, not a slogan) can be as rewarding as it is dangerous, and that "you can't grow if you don't stretch." Besides, I fully believe that the universe could end instantly if we had a project that went according to plan or finished early. It would be the equivalent of a black hole created by the Flying Spaghetti Monster dividing by zero....

"The Perfect 10"

2010-01-04T11:02:00.056-06:00

Perhaps this is wishful thinking, perhaps I am being overly optimistic, or perhaps every dog has his day, and when the cards go out this year, "everythin g's coming up Millhouse."

Thanksgiving rolled around this year and Tasie's dad Steve rolled back through town. We spent a couple of days doing what family does best: gorging ourselves with everything in sight. Fortunately for us, we planned it all around a socially accepted gorging holiday for the least amount of interruptions and post-gluttony guilt. In addition to festive traditions involving whole fowls, we also were treated to pie. A lot of pie. My friend Montara brought by no less that 3 pies (in addition to the one Tasie made), for an allotted 1/2 a pie per person. Sadly, this set the tone for the (excessively overindulgent) weeks to follow.

After the turkey/pie/"geez, how much have we eaten" coma wore off, we did get around to being productive. Steve helped us accomplish a rather belated milestone: we painted a room in the house for the first time. Good things come to those who wait, so 1 1/2 years later, this paint was gonna be friggin' awesome! It's blue, and it looks fantastic. One day we'll even get around to finishing the trim on the windows (blush blush). Thanks Steve!

About a week after Steve left, we celebrated another semi-national holiday: Mitch is gettin' older (again) day. I actually worked for the first time (in a while) on my birthday. Tasie made me a fantastic cake (did I mention we started diving into the sweets for a while?), and afterward we caught some (live) music at a local club. I was even home and asleep before 1am (hey, I'm gettin' old). Good times...

So, a short while back, some thief jacked a bunch of our stuff. By mid December it had all been replaced (or recovered) except for Tasie's laptop. So, Happy Birthday Mitch, Merry Christmas to us, and "It's only money, live a little," we got ourselves a fancy new laptop. I do mean fancy. I'm currently typing this (much belated) blog update on it whilst I listen to the symphony perform at work (Tasie is home, purportedly watching a Lorenzo Lamas movie). I'm also doing about 6 other things on the computer at the same time, and Windows 7 seems to be running along at a nice clip. also gave us an excuse to get a printer at home, which lead to getting a new desk (which is supposedly leading to a whole overhaul of the office in the near future). Computer(about 3.5 times more oomph than the last one)+Laptop=$700ish shipped. Not bad.

While the new laptop was arriving at our house in TN, we were arriving at Veronica (Mitchs' sister) and Phillips' house in LA (that's L.A., the city, not LA, the swamp/bayou). We got right down to brass tacks of our list of things to do in LA (that we can't do in Nashville). Here's some of the highlights in no particular order (anti-climactic drum roll PLEASE!): Portuguese Bakery, Amelia and Ben, Phil's high rise office, State Route 23 (now in my top 5 roads EVER), Malibu Beach (on Christmas no less), Hollywood Blvd, Walk of Fame, Graumans Chinese Theatre, LA Zoo, Awesome Sushi (sorry TN, you got nuthin' on this one), Tide Pools, Seafood on the Coast, and grillin' (Silva) Linguiça. Some honorable mentions to: Jewish Deli (OK OK Nash-villains, so we have Noshville, whatever!), Christmas Skyping, Christmas morning (it's not that we can't do this one in TN, it's that we haven't in 3 or 4 years), Polar Bear Club (just Phil and Mitch), Hereditary Sweet-tooth Excorsims, Dominoes (Phil is a CNTB!), Dirty Jobs DVR Marathon (Cool show, almost worth gettin cable. Almost...), Overeating as an art form, Killer Bunnies, and sleeping in (Veronica has even trained her kids to do this), and an overall great time. Thanks Bagleys!

A few days after we got back, we had yet another important day to wedge in to our schedule. Teslas' 1st Anniversary/Birthday. Hard to think that it was only a year ago that this furry, garbage sniffin', sock stealin', cat hating, wall bankin', rascal of a lady killer came to our place. We've been through a few times, even more baths, a lot more chew-things, and 1 DVD remote with the fella, but we seem to laugh more when he's around. He's also an excellent foot warmer in the winter, and year-round floor cleaner (wink wink). Tasie tells me that I have to admit that I even like Sir Stinks-a-lot, but I don't (have to admit that I do, that is). We're glad he's decided to stick around.

New Years this year lacked a certain panache that in previous years we may have over-indulged in. Actually, we rather enjoyed keeping this year's transition to a lower key than previous attempts. We made it out of the house at 11:20, went to our favorite haunt, and were home (sleeping no less) before 1 am. Where did we go? Why, the Family Wash, but of course. We sat amongst the 6 or so regulars, and even got to watch Jamie make the last pie of '09, and the first pie of 2KX (they were even on the same ticket!). We're not really getting old, we've just re-prioritized how sleep fits into our daily schedules...

So as we slide into the 2010, let's all think of ways that we can, as individuals, make this year better than the last. Nothing fancy folks, just pick 10 simple things that you have the power to change in your life, and smile more often. That's less than 1 a month, and who couldn't use to smile more?

¡Tempus Fugit!

2009-10-26T11:24:00.071-05:00

And so it goes.

About 3 months later I'm updating the blog. Believe me when I say I have no intention of this devolving to a quarterly exercise. Lets see what has transpired since August...

Did I mention the camera died (again)? FrankenCamera + Exploding Battery = Electronics Fail. Although we have purchased a new one in time for the holidays. This one is shock proof, water proof, freeze proof, crush proof, and generally Mitch proof. So, sorry for the general lack of photos this time around, we'll make it up to you in the next post with any luck.

We were burglarized. Let me start off by reminding the good folks at home that the difference (as was so casually pointed out to us on our neighborhood webgroup) between a burglary and a robbery is presence of both parties and coercion. So, we were burglarized, somewhere between 11am and 5pm on August 30th. They saw the TV through the window (from the street no doubt), pried open the back door, took the TV (and remote), laptop (and webcam), and a guitar. We ended up getting the guitar back (long bitter story), purchased another TV, and haven't yet bought a replacement laptop or webcam (which is why we haven't Skyped you, we promise). This also led to us getting 1: new doors, and 2: an alarm system. All in all, they didn't even steal enough to make it worth filing a claim, we recovered most of the data lost on the laptop (backup your computers in at LEAST 2 places), we got the (signed) guitar back, and the dog was unhurt and still home when we got there. MORAL: CLOSE YOUR FRONT BLINDS!

Mitch (that's me!) has picked up a lot of hours at the Symphony, now that his schedule has opened up a bit. They also are going through a personnel transition, which has given him even more hours than he expected. This is a two edged sword. Stable income, networking opportunities, opportunity to see some cool shows, a quiet house without interruptions (Tasie's homework)=GOOD. 16 hour-2 job days, juggling professional commitments, lack of social interaction, failing household duties and personal goals on wait=NOT SO GOOD. I'd still say it's leaning toward the positive. I have a job (heck, I have 2!), and in these times, that's good.

Before the weather changed, we did manage to squeeze a little fun in between the cracks of an otherwise hectic schedule. Tasie got to go to the Tomato and Art Festival in 5 points with Jackie and Tesla (who doesn't play nice with other dogs). There was a send-off for "Diddy" (a co-worker of Mitch's) who was heading to China for a year. Mitch got to go on "one last ride" to Clarksville with the Crawfords and check out a local winery. This was also in celebration of Jackie completing her Masters Degree in Education from Lipscomb University (good job, Master Jackie!). We also went to another local winery (owned by some country superstar guy) with our friends Seth and Sara, which had some amazing sunsets, despite the crowds...

Speaking of cutting back, we sold Tasie's Suzuki Aerio (to a nice chap who works for Joan Jett). Fast forward a few months of carpooling, motorcycling in cold and wet weather, and general transportation frustration, and Tasie bought a Saturn that she found on Ebay. Ironically, we are now back to two red vehicles, both found on Ebay (my truck was an auction, hers was not). It's a 98, with 100k (and change). Where it is inferior to the truck (no power steering, really Saturn?) in some ways, it exceeds it in others ("No pleasure, no rapture, no exquisite sin greater... than central air."). Plus, it should run some time, and be a lot cheaper to fix and maintain than the Alero was (yes, we are talking about you $400 window regulator). Mostly, it's just nice to give Mitch the "option" of riding the bike in cold weather (his coworkers have told him he looks like a spaceman for some clandestine planet with all his winter gear on).

We also were graced by a lovely visit from Tasie's sister Petra, her husband Todd, their daughter Grey, and their dog Ivan. It was a fun week, despite Mitch working a few days, and Tasie having to hole up to do some homework. Whilst Ivan and Tesla spent most of their time practicing play-wrestling and Dog-fu, the Johnsons got to go to the Parthenon, Celebration of Cultures, watch the Vikings beat the Packers (the first time), and spend some time relaxing in Nashville's rainy month. As always, it was nice to see them, and Tasie already complains that she misses her niece (which has displaced the complaints that she misses her sister).

On the subject of Fall in Middle Tennessee: Fall is the nicest time of year here, and definitely the time to come visit if you are stopping by. While it's true that this fall began with an unusually long stint of wet and gray (even for Nashville), October usually means "near perfect weather." This isn't even taking into account Tennessee's famous "fall colors," a time honored tradition in these parts. One of my favorite fall drives is only minutes away, which makes for a nice and quick weekend ride or drive. One of our neighbors has a party on Labor Day every year. This year he mentioned that for 15 years straight, Labor Day in Nashville has had the perfect weather for an outdoor party, even well into the post-midnight hours.

So midway into the evening's events, we realized that we have spent 3 Halloweens in a row with our friends the Crawfords. This hasn't been planned, nor unwelcome, it just kinda ends up that way. It is worthy to note that each year we become more and more impressed with Jackie's ability to instantly conjure a "his and hers" costume set, from random things in their attic. While Tasie was a wind up doll (who's dress she sewed herself), and Mitch was Perseus (complete with Medusa's head), the Crawfords went as Professor Proton and his Robot of Death (Jackie was the Prf., Joey was the Robot). Gray jumpsuit + latex gloves + styrafoam cooler = costume, in 10 minutes flat. We attended a party thrown by a friend of Mitch (Staci) back in the 'Boro, and a good time was had by all.

One of the advantages to living in Music City is the ability to catch really great shows fairly often throughout the year. In January, Mitch had to work, so Joey got his ticket to see AC-DC with Tasie. Well this time, Joey was on tour with his new gig, so Mitch got to use his ticket to see Leonard Cohen with Jackie (which was awesome!). A few weeks later, and Tasie informed Mitch that she doesn't particularly care for electro-ish music, and especially hates vocoders. So, she gave her ticket to see Imogen Heap to the Crawfords, and Mitch and Joey had a (rather metro) guys night out. We also went to The Toadies, who were the first band of Mayor Deans' new "green concert series" with the Crawfords, who have become our de-facto concert buddies. I'm pretty sure that this isn't the last time this ticket/friend/concert companion swapping will happen, but all the ones that have so far have been very enjoyable. One of the shows we did see this year (sans-couples-night-out) was the 15th anniversary of Jeff Buckley's "Grace" album. This included a stellar band and about 6 stellar vocalists (what an amazingly well done show that was)!

Tasie has proven herself a very adept student, constantly reaching for the "A" and staying at the head of her online classes. Translation: More and more and more homework (and more and more and more...)

As we slip toward T-day (we are just going to pretend like I got this published before then, and not over my lunch break on my birthday), we are thankful for many things, and yes, we are still hopeful for the future. Here's a quick list of some of what we are looking forward to: Thanksgiving with Tasie's Dad Steve, A whole new lease on the life of our living room (new coat rack, and finally some paint), (the day after) Finals, Christmas with Mitch's sister Veronica (aka The Bagleys) in LA, Tesla's 1st Birthday (with us at least), The possibility of having New Years OFF!

"Please place your tray tables and seatbacks in the upright position..."

2009-08-04T13:55:00.037-05:00

So, it's been a bit since I posted again. No surprise we have been busy. No surprise we don't seem to have a lot to show for our time spent. And no surprise we feel like we could use a vacation that doesn't involve sleeping bags. Here's what you've been missin'.

June:
Tasie's Birthday falls in the month of June. On the 19th to be exact. Same as Paula Abdul(a). But while the former Laker Girl may have been crying into another aperitif looking forlornly at glossies of contestants, Tasie and I were hittin' the town, after all, you only turn 27 once (or 22 five times in a row). Thai food from the ethnic corridor (Nolensville Pike for you Nash-villains), followed by a funny movie. We sure can let loose when we let our hair down (whew, 11:47 is a late night to turn in)! Yeah, we're gettin' old.....

We did manage to do a lil' bit of relaxin' during the month, whilst it was unseasonably hot, before it became unseasonably cool. We even got to visit my former employer (thanks to one Mr. D.S. Foster). This was a nice break from the routine that we have been following for most of the summer, which includes (but isn't limited to): Math, allergy testing, polynomials, early mornings, dog shaving, the "foil method" (ie first outer inner last), the other "foil" method (ie baked potatoes in the oven), more math, very tall grass, sunshine and thunderstorms (which lead to a new mower), and even more math.

July:
July was actually just as busy as June, but it seems like we took more pictures the second time around. We started the month by going camping. This was Tesla's first (at least with us) camping trip, which he seemed to enjoy mostly, save for the fireworks and thunderstorms. Nothing like waking up with 40lbs of puppy on your chest. Sadly, on the 2nd day, Mitch waded into the lake to launch the HMS Hull (Adams bass-boat) with a pocket full of electronics: the camera did not survive. The trip was fun; we even went to Burgess Falls one afternoon, and Tesla got his first (and last) ice-cream afterwards. Despite the din of powerboats and diesel trucks at the campground, or getting rained out the final night, we had an OK time. Our next vacation will definitely not include hauling coolers up and down hills, or sleeping on a gravel pad.

In preparation of SGRRC, Mitch cut his perennial Mohawk. Rather, Mitch got Tasie to color it, and his boss Arthur to cut it. Then Mitch got to spend 20 or so minutes every morning being high maintenance and bogarting the bathroom to style it for a week and a half. As Tasie so dutifully pointed out, male pattern baldness has sunk it's teeth into my scalp, and this years may be the last time I go for it. But at least I got to go out democratically: the masses spoke, and they said they wanted GREEN!

We also took the opportunity to catch Gogol Bordello, for a sold out show, at Exit In off of West End. Great show, high energy, and packed with sweaty people. But for the first time, somebody seemed to have enforced the smoking ban, and we didn't come out smelling like an ashtray. What a pleasant surprise!

The very next day was volunteer training, which is technically my first day of Southern Girls Rock and Roll Camp '09. I was only able to be at camp for the afternoons this year (my 4th year at SGRRC), but was able to lead Songwriting along with Mr. Chris Freeman (just like last year), as well as manage a band of creative and promising young women. The later was especially neat for me, because one of the band managers with me was also a former camper that I had managed my first year of volunteering. Camp was a high energy, tiring whirl wind of activity, that ended well and all too soon (as it always seems to). This just left me looking forward to next year, and the cool people I will get to meet and work with then.

Unfortunately, not all remains sun-shiny all of the time. While we have felt very fortunate to have been relatively unaffected by the current economic climate, the reality of things finally caught up to Mitch. Having almost made it 1 year at his new job, we found out that his position is being scaled back to part time. Don't go shedding any tears of concern yet, we are doing fine, and this will only be a temporary setback of minor inconvenience. It does remind us of how fortunate we have been thus far, while keeping us grounded with a firm (yet not so subtle) reminder that all things, good and bad, come to pass.
As we look toward the end of the summer and onto the upcoming fall season, we feel hopeful for opportunities, born of hardship or of plenty, that are ahead.

Moustache, Mustache & My-'stache.

2009-06-04T22:33:00.051-05:00

So for those of you not in the know, May=Moustache. That's why they call it Moustache May. There's "the" Website, Facebook, even a Google map. And since I already hit on (most of) the big events in May, I'm going to take the opportunity to devote an entire blog entry to one topic. Moustache, and what it means to me. But since I don't think I could ever sum into words such sentiment, I'll let others do it for me, and show you a whole bunch of pictures. Enjoy!

British literary theorist Terry Eagleton writes of a small class of objects which "exist entirely for their own sake and for no drearily utilitarian purpose—a category which along with God includes art, evil and humanity." To this list, we might add the moustache—a superfluous efflorescence of male facial plumage that represents a rebellion against the generic bleakness of mainstream guy fashion.
Emily Bartlett Hines

I'd always intended for MM to be a creative endeavor reached through the celebration of the moustache and this year could not have been better proof of that.
Michael Eades

I don't think 'staches are respected enough. It's political. It's a political statement.
Brad Pitt

A man without a moustache is like a cup of tea without sugar.
English Proverb

2 amazing years (see what I mean).

2009-04-29T10:43:00.038-05:00

Not quite the laundry list as last post, but a bit of catching up still.

We got to go to North Dakota for Easter this year. I admit, I was concerned about having to wait to take the winter clothes we hadn't worn in a month up to the attic until after the trip, but the weather was very nice the whole time (in stark contrast to when we left Nashville), and wasn't even windy. We spent 3 great days with Steve (who fed us a lot), Pam (who fed us sweets a lot), Todd (who's birthday made for convenient extra cake eating), Petra (who helped breakdown all of our satiety instincts with the "tour of desserts"), and Grey (a true champion of the eating cause). What did we do? We ate, we went to church, ate with the family, napped, ate again, we ate, watched a movie, ate more, slept, woke and ate, walked the neighborhood, nibbled, looked at the beautiful sunsets (Tasie says they are the upside to pollution), snacked, ate, went to the store for something to eat, came home and ate, and dyed Easter Eggs (most of which we didn't eat, surprisingly enough). It was a great relaxing getaway, and eventually my pants will fit loosely again.

Want great American made sandals with superior customer service? Okabashi! I bought a pair last year. They broke a few weeks ago. I didn't even have to send them back, I just had to email them a picture and they sent me a new pair. I am a forever customer now, I will never wear another pair of flip-flops. That is how a business should be run.

While on the subject of good customer service, we had our first ever custom built furniture completed this past weekend. There is a guy named Terry on the Nashville Craigslist that sells Asian style console tables. Nothing too fancy, painted black, made of Poplar, Birch and Maple I believe. We got one for the kitchen, and liked it so much we had him build us a pair for the living room to use as end tables. So if you live in Nashville, and want to stimulate the local economy, do a search for console table on Craigslist. We like them so much, we have 3. C'mon, did you expect anything less from the Craigslist junkies?

Here's my buddy Adam Hull in his Beatles cover band 64 (just for you Mollie). For those of you who don't know much about it, the Beatles were four English guys who (unknown to their early fans, did some drugs and) made some pop rip-offs of American artists. Later, they did a bunch of drugs publicly and fought with each other (in between making highly over-rated music). Adam gets the role of (nope, not John, George, Paul or Whats-his-nose) Billy Preston, the 5th Beatle! Except for the late Mr. Preston being black, rich, and multi talented, Adam was a pretty good foil, even with his white boy uber-fro. Props buddy, your band may have packed out the Bunganut Pig, but you sir made the other 4 guys on stage look good!!!

While on the topic of shows, we went to see the Rock and Roll Circus at the Mercy Lounge with my buddy Joey. Fun event including Team Illuminati, Playing By Air, live artists, a magician (he pulled me up to verify his disappearing act), and some face painting. Joey got a purple Chewbacca watching TV in a wheelchair, and I got pink hearts by surfers on red waves. Abstract face painting. Went along well with the cut-out picture frames.

We went to see the Dave Matthews Band. It was a beautiful night in Nashville, the kind that makes you remember why the allergies are sometimes worth it. Nashville sax-man Jeff Coffin was/is filling in for the recently departed LeRoi Moore. The band put on a great set, including a cover of the "Burnin' Down the House" by the Talking Heads. It was a nice way to celebrate a 2 year anniversary, even if we did get a bit of splatter from the frat-idiot behind us puking his inebriated brains out on the bleachers. This is why sometimes you shouldn't drink in public. Great show though.

So if you didn't catch the reference, it's been 2 years since Tasie and I got together. 2 long, great, tumultuous, fantastic, growing, whirlwind years. It's strange for us to think of all the things that have happened to us in 2 years sometimes. We have both changed jobs, got a promotion, quit, moved, bought a house, adopted a dog, bought a motorcycle, bought and sold a car, started school, graduated, had a new niece, had a new nephew, made new friends, had old friends move away, gained weight, lost weight, gained it back again, and sampled numerous hair styles and colors. It's been a good 2 years, the best is yet to come.

This Isn't A New Trend, I Promise.

2009-04-23T16:28:00.026-05:00

Well, it's been a few months again since I posted, so I thought I'd give another go. I'm not slacking for once, I was actually busy. Speaking of trends, here's a preview of possibility for Mustache May (do you Whiskerino?).

Feb-
Valentines- I got stuff, so did she. Hoorah for spending in a spiraling economy.

So I have a buddy named Adam, and he's a pretty cool guy. Among cool things about him, is his knowledge of wine. In anybody else, this would be pretentious, but in Adam, it's his passion. He got the winery he works for to set him up with a gig making wine in New Zealand, and possibly other places to come for the next year or so. How cool is that, tour the world, drink great wine, meet some of your contemporary-professional-heroes (maybe I overstate that last part). He's been there a while, taking great pics of funny stuff and doing a LOT of sightseeing. I wanna tour the island on a moped....
Good luck to you buddy, be safe and come back well experienced.

March-
I did some work in March. This by itself means nothing, but stop to consider the film Office Space. No, I didn't unscrew my cubicle, but I did have a run in with our company's version of "the Bobs" so to speak. Actually it sounded a lot worse than it turned out to be. There was much talk of "efficiency experts coming" that we hyped ourselves into thinking that we would be let go. After all, the shop has less than half the people at it now as when I got there late August. Turned out to be nothing, but it made me grateful for: 1) having a job, 2) having a job where I get along with my co-workers, 3) Not being financially overburdened or overextended, 4) having a partner who is a great support net, 5) just being downright fortunate and privileged on a larger scale. I have made some good moves in my life in the way of future planning, but for the most part, I have also managed to avoid catastrophe that perhaps should have hit me.

Oh yeah, Tesla started to shed his winter coat (in huge frightening clumps at a time), so I shave the dog. Enjoy this picture of him mid haircut to get a sense of the fluffiness that Tasie bemoaned the loss of. And yes, that's her "new car" in the background.

Also, our (and many others) favorite server "closed out his tab" so to speak. Jaime Merthan, aka Jimmy, went back to Ecuador with the expiration of his visa. Since most of you reading this didn't know him, let me speak on Jaime for a minute. He was here in the US for 9 years, most of that time working as a server. The money he earned here helped him build a huge house for his family back home. He spoke near-perfect English. He always smiled, everyone was his friend, and he loved music and dancing. He also won server of the year for Nashville in 2008. And when it came time , he didn't try to stay in some deceitful manner, nor did he badmouth the US. I'm sure after living somewhere for 9 years and not being able to stay longer, I wouldn't have behaved so gracefully upon being declined. We enjoyed his company out and about with a mutual friend on a number of occasions and at a bunch of parties. What a great guy! We missed him instantly, and not just at the restaurant. Best of luck Señor.

April-
Somewhere in April, we went down to Franklin, TN. Franklin is about 20 or so miles SW of Nashville. It is the seat of Williamson County, one of the most affluent counties in the US (18th, just below Santa Clara, CA 14th). We are always both joyed and dismayed when we visit there (for whatever reasons), especially if we came direct from our 'hood, where customer service, selection and quality control are most often overlooked for convenience and pricing. Franklin seems to have better everything, albeit a a slightly higher price. One of the things they do have is a Publix, which stomps all over our local Kroger for the previously mentioned reasons. While wandering through for some groceries, I happened across linguiça. Now, it wasn't Silva, nor locally made, but c'mon man, linguiça in TN? I immediately texted my entire family, whom all responded with the same word in common, "jealous".

Thanks for those of you who contacted me a few weeks ago about the tornadoes. Unfortunately, I have come to learn that these entities are an annual part of life for Middle TN in late spring, and last on through to late summer. For those of you (like my brother) that saw it on the news and felt for those who were harmed, may I suggest this. We were fortunate to get no more than a show of rain, wind and lightning, as were all of the people I know. But three degrees of separation apart, things weren't so lucky.

Lastly, one of the joys of spring in Nashville is allergies. If you haven't heard, Nashville is one of the worst places you can live for allergies. Consider this; USA Today named Louisville KY as the allergy capitol of the US, Nashville is a few hours drive, and is usually in the same air shed (depending on the weather that week). Davidson County (greater Nashville area) has more species of trees than the Great Smoky Mountains Natl. Park. I have never had problems until moving here. My first spring in M'boro, I called a friend back in St. George who worked in a doctors office, and begged her to send me every free sample of every allergy med they had. My eyes burn to tears, my throat itches to constant swallowing, and the sneezing (usually two, pause, one more) go in excess of 7 or 8 times. I actually thought something was wrong with my airways, but the otolaryngologist reiterated what he had said to countless other transplants; "Get tested." So here's to you o' area of the allergens, o' precinct of pollen, o' district of dust. We raise our Zyrtecs high, and snort that Nasonex with ire.

Hey brother, can you spare a little change?

2009-02-11T11:17:00.030-06:00

Welcome to 2009, even though this is being posted in February. I like what Petra and Todd said on their newsletter, "we'll just make it an annual groundhog day letter, that way it doesn't look late." Apparently the theme for this month (and possibly this year) is change, and I don't just mean the political catchphrases, real changes are on the move.

New president + bad economy = change / same ol' Washington = politics as usual = 'nuff said.

The biggest changes for the three of us (that's right, 3, we count the dog now) is Tasie deciding to go back to school. I'm very proud of the fact that she has set her eyes on a new career, and Chiropractics is the name of the game. So, down the road she goes, beginning with the TBR's online degree program. Lets see, 24 hours in a day, -2 hours nightly for school, 2 hours to cook and eat 3 meals, 8 hours at work, 2 hours to wake and drive there, 1 hour with Tesla, 1 hour with Mitch, 1 hour of housework, 1 hour of miscellaneous errands, leaves 6 hours to sleep. Riiiiiiiiight..........

January wasn't all work (although it is worth saying that we are both very fortunate and thankful for full time employment as we watch hard times fall all around us). we also had a fair smattering of fun mixed in here and there. Tasie got to go see ACDC on the last show of their sold out tour, right here in Music City ya'll (that's right, I'ze countrified!). Due to an unfortunate snafu in scheduling, I was unable to attend, and legitimately disappointed. We didn't have to eat the ticket though, Joey was able to go with her (on a day where he could have really used a boost) and they had a great time watching Brian, Angus and the rest of the boys, while 2 blocks away I set some lights for a Beatles tribute band. Cest la vie.

Tasie's new car just got a little newer, at least the transmission did. Apparently Freeland Chevrolet doesn't stand behind the things they sell very well, because if they did then they would want to check on things like manufacturers warranties and overall conditions of fluids and drivetrains. Cost of check up from Precision Lube around the corner, $30; New transmission from the dealer, $70; Losing a customer's trust who is sure to blog about and post bad reviews on Citysearch AND write a letter to the manager, priceless.
Speaking of warranties, we did have a nice thing (kinda) happen. Our heat pump died on us. This wasn't unexpected, it was slightly pre-columbian technology, in fact it was so old that GE (manufacturer) sold of their intersts to Trane over 10 years ago, whom doesn't support this model anymore. Luckily, the house came with a 1 year warranty on major things (like heat pumps), and after a $300 refrigerant fee, we got a brand new Carrier, with a 5 year warranty on it. Hey Freeland, are you paying attention, because that's what customer service is supposed to be like!

We are excited about our new heat system, and the potential for it to bring down a $300 heat bill, but we can't use it just yet, and we aren't complaining. See, for the last 1-2 weeks, Nashville has been enjoying a very unseasonable stint of warmer weather. Warm enought that my bike fired up without having to heat the block overnight. Warm enough that when I rode it home from work I didn't have to stop halfway to regain the feeling in my fingers (no really, 22 degrees plus a 70mph windchill gets cold quick). Warm enough indeed. Unfortunatley, today may be the last day of that beacause even as I type this, the wind is trying to pry the roof off of the building I am in. Word of the day: Squall.

And just for fun, here are some fun and older pics I found floating around (Thanks Jared for the really old one with me and V eronica in it).

Better Late Than Never.... (part 3)

2009-01-22T16:31:00.001-06:00

So, since gas made it's way (all the way) down to 1.50, and since we both had a bit of time off around the holidays, we decided to make our first ever holiday road trip. A new radio installed, a new car to return home to, and a whole bunch of new cd's, and we were ready to go. Wheat thins? Check. Gummy worms? Check. Peach rings? Check. Pillow? Check. Winter jacket for when we get to the land of the frozen white North? Ummmm...... Re-route to home base, and return to the Interstate. While we didn't get off to a perfect, or on time, or good weather conditions start, we did make it out of Nashville on Christmas eve (really really early), and a bit after 12 noon, we were through KC, MO and heading North on I29. Fast forward another 7 hours and we made it to Rachlle's house in SD. We got to spend the evening with The Brindleys, who helped us prepare for the arrival of a certain guy in red, and even got to see the Christmas Train go by (someone in her neighbor hood has made a train, complete with lights, that he tools around through neighborhoods on for the 24th). In the morning, The jolly fat guy (no, not Uncle Mitch) had brought a Wii fitness for the kids. Uncle Mitch got a gift card to a certain orange colored retailer (soon to become a fancy new toolbox for the truck), and the traditional exchange of the Yard-O-Lard took place. It was really very nice, but we had to hit the road again. We made it in to Rothsay (near Fargo, don't even pretend like you knew) just in time for Christmas dinner with the Tasie's family and some friends. Upon arrival, Aberdeen got a heartfelt hug from her Aunt, and I got a heartfelt hug from Todd. We stayed very comfortably at Tina and Dave's (Tasie's Mom and Step-Dad) house for the next day and a half playing cards, eating alot of cookies, working on my truck (Thanks Grandpa West), eating more food (no lutefisk, thanks), playing with Ivan in the snow, and eating more (again and again). Saturday rolled around, and it was time for us to begin the long drive home. By long I mean 26 hours in the truck long (yeah that's long). Surprisingly, we didn't argue at all on the way up (other than some wiper malfunction complaining), but after trying to sleep 3 fitful hours in the parking lot of a McD's, were rolled back onto the road just in time to get the sun in our eyes. This led to us not being able to read the signs, missing our exit, and getting 45 miles down the road, only to try and bootleg some backroad route to get to where we needed. I hate back roads, Tasie loves them. Guess who won? So off through the countryside we went, where I promptly fell asleep in the passenger seat. All said and done, we lost about 4-5 hours on the trip back, and returned home around noon on sunday, for some much needed rest in a real bed. The trip was great, the family was better, and we wouldn't have missed it for anything.

Months prior to New Years, Tasie had begged me for a dog to replace the one she had. I have never been a pet owner, nor wanted to. I have seen the horror of a black sweater wandering into a den of pet hair. That sweater will never be black again. I have witnessed firsthand the destruction of a nice couch from chewing dogs, scratching cats, and peeing ferrets. I did not want an indoor dog. Little did I know that my defenses would be worn down, my arguments refuted, my will would so subtley shift and succumb to that of my mate. I went and wrote a check with my mouth that would have to be cashed sooner or later. Come 2009, we would have a dog. I wanted a nice, non shedding, mellow dog, who would live outside and go jogging with me. Well, 3 out of 5 isn't bad. May I introduce Tesl a, our new dog. He's a mix of Who-knows and Whatever, although I suspect him to be Schnauzer and Akita. He's mellow, hardly barks (ok, so he isn't the best gaurd dog), has a great fun personality (incidentally thinks he's a cat), a gentle mouth, and loves walks, rides, yogurt and tennis balls. He's salt and pepper gray, 37lbs, and has one blue and on e brown eye. He'll sit down if you touch his tail, and he always want to touch you (he even gets jealous of the laptop). If anyone is looking for a dog, go get one from a kill shelter like the one Tasie went to, the dogs know what's going to happen there, and just can't wait to be rescued. We love him, and I'll get over my own need to be OCD clean eventually.

For those of you who weren't there, Crazy Uncle Mitch was once in a band. Actually, I've been in more than one band through the years, but one of the more fun and memorable bands was 21-C.P.M. One of my buddies in said band (or atrocity against harmony, whatever seems more fitting) was Dan Hedquist (aka DanHed or Danny Boy). After years of prodding and coaxing, Dan finally made it out to Nashville to hang out and spend some quality time. We did much of the usual for those of you who have been here (the aforetomentioned honky tonking, the Parthenon, Habanero Butterscotch Bread Pudding), but also at the chance to go to a New Years Eve party thrown by our friends Andy and Lee (who live up the street). Most of the time, we just hung around and tried to relax and regroup after what was a very busy holiday schedule for all of us. Regardless, we had fun, and Dan got to spend not only a few days with us, but the new dog (and new car) as well.

All in all it's been a crazy few months, hopefully you can see why it took me so long to get the blog updated. As always, don't hesitate to give me a call, or drop me a line. You can even video-chat with us on the interwebs now, thanks to the fancy web-cam that Steve got everyone a few months back (ok ok, it was Pams idea). That is, assuming I don't delete her hard drive on accident again.......

Better Late Than Never.... (part 2)

2009-01-22T16:29:00.001-06:00

Shortly after the Thanksgiving leftovers were gone, I had my 26th Birthday Bash. Tasie bought me a waffle iron, one of the best gifts I have ever received from anyone (EVER!), and a book about building guitars. Darren stopped by, as did Teresa, and later on we went in search of some live music. I have seen live music played on my birthday every year since I turned 19 (a tradition I hope to keep up til I am dead), and this year, after deciding not to stay and watch a bluegrass band, we went to Gothic/Industrial night. I can't say we fit in (I was wearing a velor jumpsuit), but we did have a great night. Thanks to those who made it happen.

Somewhere along the way, I got a great idea. I have 2 other friends (yes I only have 2, Joey and Kyle) who ride (motorcycles), and play (instruments) but don't have much time for either. So, I decided for them (because I am an officious jerk like that) that we should grow some notoriously stereotypical biker beards, and start a biker band. The prerequisites were as follows: 1.Bike Ownership, 2. Ability to Grow Facial Hair. Musical ability was not factored in because none of us have enough time to practice, and it would have nixed me from the lineup anyhow. Watch for our as-of-yet-untitled eponymous release some time soon.

Only 22 months after it was so politely stolen, my truck radio lives again! 22 months of riding around listening to cell phone speakers. Got it with the TV, only took me 1 and 1/2 days to install (and still resets when you turn of the engine), which was only 1 and 1/4 days longer than I said it would. It is amazing at how something as simple as a car radio changes your whole demeanor after driving in to work. It has a remote (overkill), 4 channel amp (overkill) and a whole bunch of (to quote a much better writer) "esoteric lights & dials & meters that I would never understand." All of this would come into play on the road trip (more to come on that too).

So, Tasie has had an Olds Alero for as long as I have known her, and a while before that. While she states that she'd never really "loved" the car, she does like it a lot. This is here her and I differ. I have never been that impressed with that model, not hers in particular. I'm not going to say anything about a discontinued model, from a company that went under, I'm just going to say it wasn't my cup of tea. I say "wasn't," because after developing a leak in the head gasket (an expensive fix this engine was prone to, that she had done once before) she decided it wasn't road worthy of our holiday trip. The time was nigh for new wheels! After some searching, and a lot of research, she found an 03 Suzuki Aerio from a new (recently re-named) dealership in town. It's everything that she wanted; 4 doors, hatchback, small engine, low miles (40K+) and priced to sell (due to some minor cosmetic damage). I won't say the experience with the dealership has been flawless, or has re-affirmed my faith in car salesmen, nor has the Aerio tickled every bell and whistle to suit my (or her) fancy, but thus far it seems like a good vehicle. And now that we sold the Alero (way under book, ouch), there's no goin' back, so suck it up soldier!

Right before we were leaving for the holidays, we decided to run a last quick load of laundry. For those of you who aren't in the know, the laundry is out in the detached garage, which we commonly refer to as "the shed," which Tasie won't go into after dark (for fairly good reason, ask me about stray cats and my secret ability to scream like a schoolgirl). The shed is not only in bad disrepair, but there is no heat out there, and the cold water has always come out of the tap at less than 1/3 the volume of the hot. Well imagine my surprise when, after adding the soap, the washing machine put out neither hot nor cold water. Guess that means it finally got cold in Nashville. No worries folks, we have a small heater on low keeping our pipes from freezing up again, which shows Tasie's true dedication to clean laundry (it came from her frigid workspace!).

Better Late Than Never... (part 1)

2009-01-08T10:45:00.000-06:00

Holy calendar-tastic crap Batman! It's been three whole months since I updated my blog. I'd like to say that it was because I was very busy (in part, I was), but it's probably more to do with me also being somewhat lazy. Blame the eternal darkness of Nashville winters: Gray all day, Dark all night. Either way, I fully intend to fill you in on what's been going down (but I can't do it all in one breath). So, whats happened since August? Glad you asked....

Work, work, work. I still like my job, and the folks I work with. The company tightened it's fiscal belt, but they kept me. Economy is going to crap, looks like I'm going to lay low and work through it. Here's hoping for you America.

Tasie's Dad Steve and his lady-friend Pam came out and had a wonderful visit in early October. We took them honky-tonkin', which is a mandatory Nashvegas activity, as well as ate at Go-Kart-Thai (you may know as Sukho Thai), wandered Opryland's atriums, and did a few other things. One of the coolest things we did was go for a drive on the Natchez Trace, in the sweet Sebring convertible that Steve rented. While it isn't a Mustang, it does have the super spiffy Robo-Car roof that we took full advantage of (once we figured out how to work it). The Trace was great (despite my best efforts at getting us lost on the way there), we stopped at a few places on the way, including a waterfall. We finished up our day-trip properly, at the Loveless Cafe, for biscuits and pie. Thanks for coming out you too, it was most certainly our pleasure!

Last year, I used my birthday as an excuse to shop on Black Friday for the first time ever. I made out pretty good, and got my dream guitar. While being fairly easy by consumerism standards, the experience wasn't something I was looking to duplicate. So, since the Guitar Center card is now paid off, we decided that this year we'd keep up with the Jone's ahead of schedule and get a fancy new flat screen before Turkey-Day. It was also a good excuse to take out another line of credit (sarcasm) and get my stereo fixed (not sarcasm). I managed to roll a new radio for the truck into the deal (more on that later), and now we are watching HD broadcast TV! Don't ask if we have cable (no), don't ask if our DVD player is reliable (no), don't ask if all the components integrate without a mass of wires (no) or if I have mounted the thing to the wall yet (no), don't ask if we got the best deal in the world (ahem, Jackie and Joey), and don't ask how many hours it took to re-arrange the room to a configuration we could agree on. Just sit back and enjoy the glow, and bask in the American dream folks...

We were fortunate enough to spend Thanksgiving with some friends of our from just up the street, Andy and Lee. The typical pre-gorging preparations were made, and whilst we prepared our side to bring, they prepared a tofu turkey (or a Tofurkey for those who are hip to the lingo). We had a great time with the two of them, and their friends Jason and Shaynee. We also ate number of other incredible foods like stuffed grape leaves (Andy makes them once a year, and they are stellar) and jalapeno potato soup (soooooo very good, we argued over leftovers). Then we proceeded to relax and digest over a nice game of Double Barrel Gambler. For those of you who don't know what DBG is (and that should be just about everyone), it's a game that Jason designed, and if he ever puts it into mass production, it will wipe monopoly straight off of the map. It's kind of a cross between Candyland, Life, and card games your family would play (if you were raised in a seedy casino motel). We had a great time.

The Five A's

2008-09-25T23:25:00.000-05:00

For those of ye that don't' know, here be the five A's.

So, I am beginning to see a pattern emerge through the chaos that can be my life. A very admirable man once told me that you can't grow if you don't stretch. Well, I tried to stretch my septum too far too fast, and now I have to let it grow back (alas, no more nose ring). But that could still be taken as an analogy for my life, so I think I will be 30 ft tall soon,cause boy am I stretching myself. Oh, and before I forget, I'm an uncle again (hooray Bagleys), I'm just bad at my job and forgot to include it in the last post.

First and foremost, I got a new job. So long Riverboat, boat friends, boat food, terrible party bands and laid back evenings on the Cumberland. Hello office job, 9-6, daily commute (at least it's against the grain), weekends and evenings free, as well as all the other trappings of middle-age (receding hairline, expanding waistline, 30 yr mortgage).

Actually, the job is pretty cool, and so are the people. The name of the company is PRG, which stands for Production Resource Group (or Pirates-ARR-Great, more on that later). They are a big, multinational production company, that keeps swallowing up other companies every day. The Nashville office used to be an office for a manufacturer called Vari*Lite. But the company is the real deal, we do everything from Tom Petty, to Victoria Secret and all points between. I have been trying to get on with this company for a bit less than a year or so, so it felt great to make the switch. I even get to keep my hand as an LD with my part time gig, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

One of the really cool parts is the people in the office, and the overall vibe of the company. As you all know, Sept 19 is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, And this was the 9th anniversary of the holidays inception (anniversary, not birthday, because anniversary has 50% more ARRR!!!). Well our office celebrated in high style. I can't tell you how nice it is to come in on a Friday and hear "Ahoy me hearty, Cap'n on the watch." "Aye, tis a fine day for sailin the seas at a blood dawns first light. Be ye afeared to die?"

There was costumes, a pirate feast (full of plundered bounty and appropriate food, like scurvy prevention and the Cap'ns parrot) and a treasure hunt. There was even an epic naval battle. The whole thing was great, which is to say, "Aye, Jim lad. These salty sea dogs be ship-shape hoistin the missen mast, and laughin to the thought of ol Davy Jones."

Get your motor running.....

2008-08-19T12:52:00.000-05:00

That's right, this is my music.....

So I recently acquired a 1981 Kawasaki 550 LTD. Don't ask how much, too much is the answer, just ask Tasie. It has 20,000+ odd miles on it, some rust, and new tires. It doesn't have a lot of bolts and nuts that it should have. After working on it for 2 weeks (in my spare time), it didn't run. Then I did some other stuff, and voila, it still didn't run. So I threw more time (and parts) at it, and I got it to limp a bit. At this point, Tasie had had enough of that "piece of junk in the garage" and I was told to take it to a mechanic. At this point the story deserves a bit of background, allow me to indulge...

You see, the country is at war for oil. Sugarcoat it, argue it, still doesn't change the facts that we are occupying foreign countries for interests in oil. So we decided that the most support we can give our troops, is by reducing our consumption. We look for recycled products, we bought a reel mower, and we considered using metro buses. Well, about that time, metro started cutting routes, so we decided to find cheaper and more efficient transportation instead, ie a motorcycle. Being the avid craigslisters we are, we scoured for weeks, until one day (much to her chagrin) I became impetuous and impatient and just bought one. I was driving 60 miles round trip for work, her car was showing some mechanical issues, and I convinced myself that it was the best course of action, not to mention an economical one. I told myself a rougher bike would be a good learning experience, and less worry should an accident occur (both of which I still stand by). Long story short, she's been miffed at me about the bike since, and until very recently, it wasn't running, which made all her points more valid. Now back to the story....

So on my way from work to the mechanic (who assured no less than a 3 week wait), the bike started running fine. Full power, top speeds, yes this was what we wanted. Since then, with some adjustments and tinkering, we have enjoyed easier parking, evening rides, smaller fill-up costs, and some manly manly fun. That's right, manly manly fun. So here it is folks, the bike, in all its glory!

Real-Estate, on DEMAND!

2008-07-28T08:54:00.000-05:00

So, by popular request, and about 2 months late and counting, here are some shots of the new house, ahem, that is our new home. If you do a Google street view, we show up as the north side of the street with the address as 1278; don't ask why, I don't know, but it's mostly obscured by the tree and the hedge. The house has a checkered past; The previous owner Steve Bozarth (in my best southern drawl, "like Motzart, with a b and an h at the end") owned it for a large span of years, and rented it to a guy who further subleased it to a lot of people, all at the same time. So, the neighbors seemed very happy to see that neither Tasie nor I were Latino (despite the fact that there is an awesome Mexican restaurant at the end of the street). We had a heck of a time getting into the house. Tasie found it on craigslist listed for sale by owner. We looked at it and said "what could it hurt to drive by?" That led to, "what could it hurt to walk through," and "what could it hurt to make an offer?" After a PROLONGED AND PAINFUL loan process, we finally got everything straightened out, and got into the house round the middle of May. It's a work in progress. This means, as of writing this (months later, bear in mind), we are drying up on allocated funds. The living room fan is uber-noisy, the attic needs all sorts of insulation, the bedroom fan I installed sits too low and tries to cut off your hands, most of the windows are still painted shut, and the bathroom sink leaks (and is without hot water). This is a small list, but you get the idea. Really, all those minor things aside, we love the house, and even more so the neighborhood. Inglewood is great, it's super convenient to about everything, and has some great local businesses (that's right you wal-mart shoppers, LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED!). Stop by and visit us some time, we have an extra room and a fairly comfortable futon if you need to crash the night.

Begin the Beguine

2008-04-02T14:53:00.000-05:00

Howdy from Nashville Tennessee!

My name is Mitch, I am 25.
I am the youngest of 4 kids. I have a sister Rachelle; her husband Bowen, and her 5 beautiful kids (Jacob, Naomi, Spencer, Eliza and Caleb) live in South Dakota. I have a brother in Salt Lake City named Jared, who is starting his own company. I have a sister, Veronica, in L.A., who has an adorable little girl named Amelia; she and her husband Phil are expecting a little boy later this year. My Aunt Louise lives in northern California with my cousin David, and my other cousin Aaron lives in DC, where he is about to graduate college.

I work as the Lighting Director on the Gen. Jackson Showboat here in Nashville. I graduated from MTSU with a degree in Music Business in 2007. I moved to TN in 2004 after spending a few years in southern Utah as a wildland firefighter. I also went to high school and college in St. George (Snow Canyon High '00, Dixie State College '01).

I drive a red truck (very fast), play a black guitar (very loudly), and wear the same black hat I had in high school.

I have great friends, they are my constant support and enrich my life daily. My girlfriend is a real keeper, her name is Tasie, she's from North Dakota, she's smokin' hot and super funny (she's also smarter than I am, but don't let her find out). We are excited about the life we are building together. One of my best friends in TN, Darren, works with me on the boat; he runs the sound, I do the lights, and together we look like that Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder movie. My two best friends, Jared and Marc, still live in St. George where they are raising their own beautiful families.

My life is great, and I am really blessed to have the things I do and know the people I know. Drop me a line or give me a call anytime, or just keep updated on my life here, if I can ever get around to keeping it updated!!