Dad’s Night

Doodles and I have Dad’s Night tonight, a pre-school tradition we have loved. One of the best things about it and Mom’s Night has been the artwork produced by the boys about us. The kids draw the picture and tell a story or answer questions which the teachers write down. Here’s Doodles’ latest about me:

This really nails my slovenly Winter slide as seen through my child’s eyes. At least it was Wii Fit with all those chips I guess I ate. It’s always funny to see what details they remember and discuss. You can’t hide anything. I am not saying this is totally accurate, but if perception is reality and my youngest perceives me this way…

Tonight I will get a fake shave with real cream, too. Perhaps I’ll have more on Dad’s Night after the event. I’ll bring the Flip.

After Dick accidently cleaned his rifle in class

he had to flee the scene on his homemade wind vehicle, the BreezeMachine as he affectionately called it. (Sadly he never copyrighted it.)

But Principal Churchill & the Crossing Guard Brigade gave good chase in their Model T. Unfortunately many more souls were lost at the one stop sign in town when their post was abandoned. At what cost this pursuit?

The Brigade found Dick building his own school where he would be
free to bear arms.

Now Pablo enjoys his freedom at Dick’s K-5 Elementary Rifle Range
and Finishing School. He hopes one day his younger brother Doodles will, too.

Yes, these are the other three photos in the series on the kindergarten hall.
Apparently, Heather said there is a true story that gets told on tour. We’ve actually taken the tour twice, but both times had to leave because it was taking too long. We had to get back to work or the sitter. Anyway, if you know it, share it. Otherwise I’ll have to ask Mr. C myself someday.

Can you top it? Anything more curious hanging in your school? Except for the gun and the homemade bomb these are not that weird, I guess.

Hibernation turns Fat Tue Lent

Among the hibernation projects has been catching up on TV on DVD/streaming. The aforementioned Breaking Bad and Dexter were great, and the latest craze has been Battlestar Galactica. BSG reminds me of that feeling you had as a kid watching Star Wars wishing you could pilot the Millenium Falcon. BSG is that rare show that deals in adult themes and issues, asking big questions of religion and science and the meaning of life, but also just makes me want to shoot a frakkin’ (BSG curse) gun, pilot a Viper spaceship, and kick some Cylon ass. It’s simply thrilling to want to project myself into the action again. It’s been a while, for as much as I love Dexter, I don’t want to do what he does. But I’d be Apollo or Adama just like I wanted to be Han or Luke.

And the other show stealing the hearts and minds of those in know is Lost. Funny to see the same method of marketing employed on both shows final seasons. Lost is using this currently:

But they both totally ripped off Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code which did this one a few years ago. That amazing movie adaptation was the first time most people saw this image:

Does anyone give up anything for Lent anymore?

Fat Tuesday always reminds me of the one gloriously debauched weekend we spent in New Orleans after driving straight through the day and night from college in Milwaukee. It’s a town which allows everyone in the car to drink except the driver. A town with drive-thru frozen alcoholic beverage stops. And it allows drinks in the streets like the Hand Grenade and Hurricane.

Once we arrived in the Big Easy we drove to different parades with a keg on the back of a truck, stopping at signal lights to get out and refill along the way. It was like the classic un-PC named, Chinese Fire Drill.

For the Beads! Crappy plastic beads and the women who wanted them. What we all would do to get more beads. Why? Does Mardi Gras even “work” on a person over the age of, say 25? Could I ever go back and enjoy it the way I did my senior year of college?

I doubt it. Just like I keep saying that if I don’t go to the SXSW music festival before I turn 40, I won’t be able to fully enjoy it. I can’t even imagine experiencing (at least enjoying) that many live bands now.

Maybe I’ve missed my window on that one. But I’m still holding out for Sundance and Cannes someday. I know I can enjoy watching movies at 9am and classy parties at night. I know it. Invite me, someone. But I want to go with a purpose. What’s my purpose? I gotta find it.

And to conclude the ramblings of a mad (men fan) man…

I ask you what, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

And are you eating Filet O’ Fishes on Fridays?

Embracing Winter

Winter. I hate it. Most of the time I hate Winter in Minnesota from Jan 1 –> start of April. Except for the times I embrace it.
Embracing Winter is difficult to do when it’s wind chillin’ below zero. But when you get “used” to zero, 25 seems balmy enough to embrace. Embracing Winter involves forcing yourself out of hibernation to do the things you can really only do in Winter. It’s about doing things like skating, sledding, skiing, snowball fighting, snowman making, snowfort building, snow-shoeing, and even the dreaded shoveling.

One of the more interesting and unusual Embracing Winter activities we’ve found here is the Art Shanty Projects on Medicine Lake. Picture the ice-fishing shacks you see dotting the lake filled with modern art of a sort. Actually many of the shanties had a very improvisational theater vibe as the artists acted out their parts for the visitors. One of the coolest ideas was there was the Art Swap Shanty in which you could bring any piece of “art” and trade for another on display. Check out the highlight reel below featuring a visit with The Gundersons (spies or not, you decide) and the Dance Shanty among others.

Next year we may even go if it’s only 20 degrees outside instead of 25.
It was almost like a Staycation.

Legoflage

Lego iPhone application turns your photos into changeable colored Lego tiles. The boys loved these because they were close to camouflage or “army”.

The Lost Art

Will album covers become a lost art? In some ways I think the album cover may actually get more attention now as the mp3s shuffle on your iPod. When you hear something you like and glance at the screen, maybe you’ll see a beautiful illustration by Adrian Tomine on this Luna compilation.

I felt I was losing the art of the album cover until I got an iPhone and started listening to much of my music through it, over the Remote program at home, in the car hooked up to the FM dial, and on headphones. I like the Luna album cover because it combines my love for comics like Optic Nerve with good music.

Going through my year end wrap up mix, I pulled a few of my fave album covers. (Only from what songs were in my final fifty.)

Wait, really stare at the Merriweather Post Pavilion cover in a bigger format. Whoa.

And then there’s what I think were the worst album covers of music I liked. Can you spot them? Yes, those last two. Don’t let them escape.

Maybe they were trying to be funny, and they are mildly amusing, but mostly just
ugly.
I think as a rule you don’t want to be pictured on your cover anymore,
let alone holding your instrument,
unless
you are a female pop country star.

How about yours?
Post your fave album covers of 2009 in the comments.
I’d love to see them pop up on my touch screen sometime.

If you need help finding some, check out this handy site: AlbumArt
http://www.albumart.org/

Second Grade Robots

We were visiting another local public elementary school when we came upon this awesome display of talent. You just can’t fake a kid’s artistic style. These are the real deal. Color me impressed.

Doodles’ First Day of Nursery School (Pre-K)

This pretty much sums it up better than I could. He was so excited, the first one there, running around the halls. Just loved it. Also, probably the tallest boy in his class. (yeah)

Cleanliness is next to Godliness, especially at Lutheran Nursery School.

There’s a section of the day where parents can observe the children’s outdoor play. My first time watching Doodles, he bolted from the door, grabbed a toy lawnmower and brought it up the playground equipment set. Probably to ride it down the slide. Two teachers converged, cornering him and taking it away. All this happened before I could shoot the video. But we parents had a good laugh at his valiant effort. In this photo you can see the lawnmower in the background but Doodles is in yellow/white in the middle.

After the first week of school he was so tired he ended up just napping on my office floor accidentally. I didn’t even know he was asleep at first.

So I had some free time and decorated his school bag for him:

When he woke up, I asked, but he said, “No mustache.”

Reinventing the book club tonight.

Books & Bars meets tonight. We’re back in the theater at Bryant Lake Bowl to discuss a bubbly romp through 50s Paris, The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy.

Check out what Metro Magazine had to say about us today:
http://www.metromag.com/0p178a3447/the-dud-avocado-books-bars/

It’s been a long time since I had a business card. Work-at-home dad just didn’t seem to warrant a printed card. I certainly wasn’t looking for more work – like other people’s kids to watch. And my freelance work was so sporadic based on the time I had. Anyway, now that Books & Bars has really taken off and I’m doing a radio show, I asked my favorite artist friend, Roxie Speth, to design some sharp looking new cards. They’re on the way. One side is B&B and the other Mustache Robots. I’m excited. You want one? Just ask.

But for now, check out Roxie’s sites and see what she can do for you:
Roxie on Etsy
and on MNArtists.org

Monday rock pic-a-nic

This event is sure to be worth the bike ride and family picnic effort. Join us?
Halloween, Alaska plays a free show in Loring Park on Monday at 7pm as part of the Walker’s Music and Movies in the Park series. After Scooterbus, I’m something of a pic-a-nic expert, you know.

“Hot Pink” – Halloween, Alaska from Tim Morgan, Adam Celt on Vimeo.