What? No "Danishes for Dad" Day?

This past Thursday, Su's kindergarten class had a special "Muffins for Mom" day in celebration of Mother's Day. Of course, Anita was thrilled to be able to spend some time with Su during one of her school days. But what was even more fun were the events lined up to pay tribute to "mom."

Miss Lefevre and the kids all worked hard to put together quite the production for their moms. There were several songs sung and even a very touching story read by a couple of the students, complete with on-screen photo support. Anita was able to bring along the video camera and capture some very special footage. And if I had any kind of free time, I'd convert some of the video and post it here.

Considering how little I've been able to contribute to this blog of late, just be content with what I can provide tonight. Su and mom are fast asleep and dad now has an opportunity to sort through the photos and place a bit of narrative alongside.

All in all, a very fun day for Anita. Su also prepared little gifts: a flower, a little piece of jewelry, and a beautifully colored butterfly. And, of course, there were the goodies. My understanding is that there were more than just muffins there. Sounds like many tasty treats were offered.

Note to Su: I'm expecting donuts on Father's Day!

Aluminum tunes and dusty vinyl

So, in case anyone missed it, Saturday was Record Store Day around the nation. I had mentioned it in an earlier posting, hoping it would drum up some excitement about an often-overlooked establishment -- and the true music shopping experience.

A quick link to the event website provided a list of participating stores. Our own suburban location was represented by Geneva's very own Kiss the Sky, located on 3rd Street in the downtown district. I was actually surprised that there had actually been a little press written about the event, too. Granted, no giant billboards or planes circling delivering messages in smoke. But, considering the state of the music world, any kind of recognition is a plus.

I managed to get over to the store late in the afternoon, probably close to 4:00 p.m. To my surprise, the place really was hopping. A wonderful mixture of young and old pouring through merchandise: CDs, old and new vinyl (yes, new vinyl is on the rise again...), t-shirts, posters, and other assorted items. There were snacks available like sushi, cookies, pastries, and a few plates that were already quite picked through (my punishment for arriving late). There were drawings for t-shirts, goodie bags with purchases, and sales on vinyl.

I managed to come home with a few goodies myself. I arrived carrying my 3-page long "wish" list and was able to cross a couple of the items off, as well as finding a few new releases.

If I had any complaint at all about the event, it was that ONLY the vinyl purchases were celebrated with discounts. And only when reaching a certain total. Now I do understand that vinyl is an important part of past glory -- and is even starting to find an audience with younger fans again. However, the bulk of the store is CDs. And considering that the CDs are already priced higher than any online source, it would seem to have been a great time to pass some savings down. The vinyl available at the store, while pretty tasty, wasn't extensive enough to satisfy the wish list anyway.

I did find one wonderful 3-record vinyl import release by Stereolab (Aluminum Tunes) in pretty good shape. And I picked up 4 CDs as well. But not the stash I was hoping to return with -- especially after saving my pesos for so long in anticipation of the event. And the record I did buy (not cheap by any means) did not produce any discount.

So, overall, I do feel some satisfaction in helping contribute to the bottom line of a local establishment. And I'm very excited to see that so many people came out to take part in the celebration. But I would like to see more done next year to make it worthwhile. There were a lot of folks there buying CDs for $16-$19 that commented on the cost. I can get a far greater selection and price online. So please make it just a TAD easier for me to justify paying out some bucks. I have a budget. And I crave music.

Also, I really wanted the Record Store Day t-shirt. When I asked, I was told it was only something that could be won with the drawing of names later. Employees were wearing this wonderful shirt and it was hanging up on display by the counter. What better way to advertise for next year's event? Sell me (and others) a shirt!

Better start saving now for next year's event.

A little bit of catching up

[Su's cousins, L to R: Joey, Reese, Noah, Su, Holly, Tommy, and Shelby]

I actually don't have much of a post. At least not in terms of providing exciting news. But I figured my long-haired photos of yesteryear were probably sitting at the top of the page long enough and it was time for something a bit more interesting.

Since the last posting, things have been busy in kind of a "quiet" way. Easter came and went. The daytime work schedule has been keeping me more than busy, with too many late trips back home. The construction has resumed on I-88, so now my drive has crept back up to being near unbearable most days. I've been supplementing with a lot of extra freelance work of late, too. A couple of large projects came up near the same time and I've been struggling to keep up. One large design project wrapped up last Thursday. One is in review mode by the client and I'm putting the finishing touches on one last smaller job. Then it's time for a break.

No news on the house. We had quite a bit of activity in the first 3 weeks after listing. About 10 showings to date. But this past week produced only 1. Weather was uncooperative, but I suspect that it's just an overall slowing period. While interest rates remain low and existing home sales aren't totally bottoming out, the pace isn't the same here in Geneva right now. It's pretty much hit-or-miss. A house near ours sold in about 2 weeks. Others sit for months. So we wait and remain a bit frustrated.

Su is doing well. The rapid rise to "girl" status is amazing. And spending a couple of nights with her cousins (Anita's side, not pictured) last month during a sleep-over brought about new additions to her vocabulary like "dude" and "awesome." Her cousins are teens. She's not yet 6. It's pretty strange to hear the words coming out of her mouth. But it's fun. She's doing well in school and her personality is strong and confident. She's also just started up in gymnastics this past week. So the confidence continues to grow.

And she has joined Dad for one more session of Tae Kwon Do at the Geneva Park District. You can read the earlier entry on the success of that program. It should be another 7 weeks of fun for the two of us. And I think Anita enjoys the small break. She continues to handle all in the household without complaint. She keeps everything running near flawlessly. And with so much going on between school, house showings, family events, and fulfilling all of the household needs, that's no small feat.

I don't really have much to add. It's kind of a scattered summary to throw out a few nuggets while hoping for free time to do more with the next entry. Hmmm... Record Store Day is fast approaching. Perhaps an update to the blog will be forthcoming. Plus, more birthdays and even a family trip to the dentist. OK. No dentist details.

Noise on the web

[editor's note: all pix are old. very old.]

If you've been looking at some of the other "links" available on this site, you may have noticed a new area I've added called IMPORTANT NOISE. Over the last few months, I've found myself getting more involved in the world of music out in the myspace universe. Aside from the countless people sites out there, which I've never participated in, I was surprised to find what a large music community was out there. Not just never-before-heard artists with home studios, but also some of the biggest names in music. I was first made aware of this network through communications with good friend HAWKINS (bluesausageinfant). After a bit of time, I finally decided to take the plunge and resurrect some of my own musical ambitions, past and present.

You'll now see some links to what I consider to be some of the more interesting artists producing music in recent years. I'm not talking about mainstream. And I'm not even talking about music with vocals. Heck, a lot of it isn't even in the old verse-chorus structure. This is abstract. Emotional. Spontaneous. Some loud. Some soft. There are a lot of incredible artists out there trying to redefine musical boundaries. Some of the artists have been around for decades. Others much newer but no less ambitious. I'll be adding more over time as I continue to network with various artists.

What I decided NOT to do was use this as a forum focusing on past efforts. My history of rock and alternative rock goes back to about 1985 or so. And, at least for the time being, it's had its day. I have nothing but great memories from those efforts. But I elected to use this music area as a way to break away from my past and focus on more of the experimental work I've dabbled in the last few years. It's not all polished. It's not all concrete. But it's all me. It's not radio-ready. Some take time to develop. Some don't develop much at all. It's music for music's sake.

Anyway. There are 6 tracks out there on the reanimation link currently (myspace limit). They are likely to change over time. The first 3 are recent solo efforts. Just spontaneous compositions based on a small foundation. RISORGIMENTO, MELD, and THREE MARTYRS OF ATSUHARA are just me and a little bit of free time. A lot of fun to create. Heck, THREE MARTYRS was spawned entirely because I couldn't get the rhythm of our old clothes dryer out of my head. In fact, the intro and outro sounds ARE the dryer! The last 3 songs do pay homage to my past, as I have to, for the time being, show where it all began. The tracks here aren't necessarily the big hits (well, one is), but are there because of what they mean to me. CANVAS was early Every Part of the Animal and one of the highlights of the days as a trio. I NEVER SAID was the college radio "hit" from latter-day EPOTA and, to this day, is the best pop/rock effort I ever wrote. Radio-ready in almost every way. AFTER ALL was a solo effort that eventually was recorded with the other half of my first band, Quixotic. Not a radio hit, but a song I've always loved.

These aren't for everyone. Can any music be? I certainly don't apologize for the efforts. I enjoy the art and hope that some of you might elect to share in some of the experience. And please take a listen to some of the other artists out in the community. There are a lot of exciting results being posted out there and you're not likely to hear much of this through everyday music outlets.

Enjoy. Maybe? Play Loud!

Winfield bound?

OK. Don't tell me if you've heard this one before. Moving? Yes, moving. What do you mean, "Are you moving AGAIN?" It's not like we move every year, right? It just feels like it. I guess there have been more than a few times in our past where U-Haul or Ryder has benefited from our circumstances. Let's review the history, shall we? It's kind of a fun journey:

1) Wheaton, IL apartment: 1988-1989
2) Glen Ellyn, IL rental home: 1989-1993
3) Dallas, TX townhome (rental): July 1993-January 1994
4) Rowlett, TX rental home #1: January 1994-March 1994
(to be fair, we found out on our 2nd day here that the house was under foreclosure)
5) Rowlett, TX rental home #2: March 1994-June 1995
6) Tucson, AZ rental home: July 1995-May 1997
7) Winfield, IL house purchase: 1997-2004
8) Muscatine, IA apartment: February 2004-May 2004
(company-paid housing for job relocation)
9) Muscatine, IA rental home: June 2004-July 2004
(this was to be a purchase, but seller failed to disclose plenty)
10) Muscatine, IA house purchase: July 2004-June 2005
11) Geneva, IL house purchase: June 2005-present
12) ???

So what's next? Actually, it's not that big of a deal this time. No out-of-state moves. No job relocation. Well, sort of. A lot of this move has to do with getting closer to work. Some has to do with just going back to an area we love. And part of the motivation to do it now is to be settled in before Su starts up school in the fall.

When we moved back to IL in 2005, the circumstances were entirely different. I was self-employed, working from home, and could really just pick any affordable place to live and exist. And that's what we did. We found an affordable pocket in Geneva. I worked from home for the better part of 2005 through May of 2007. But when work slowed, I found new employment that required a lengthy drive to work. Unfortunately, it's been a time-consuming and costly one.

I've spent far too many hours sitting in my car and far too many dollars spent on filling up the tank. We decided it was time to get back some of that free time and pull back some of those dollars going toward gas and tolls. Also, we've spent a lot of time daydreaming about returning to an area like Winfield again. With it's more centralized location to the things we like to do, its close proximity to wonderful running trails, and the quaint, quiet wooded feel of the area, it's a more natural fit for us. While it's a great city, Geneva has just never quite felt like "home" to us.

So the process started all over again. Our house went up for sale officially on Tuesday and immediately produced a couple of showings. Our sign wasn't even out yet, so it was like our little "secret" from the neighborhood. This morning, the sign was up, so now the word is out. But we already have an offer on a place (contingent) in Winfield. And we're hoping we can keep up the activity level on this house and maybe find our way to a solution soon.

I'll try to keep everyone posted. At least this move is local!

Save the date!

Where do you plan to be on April 19th? After reading the news today in the entertainment section of our local newspaper, the answer became more than obvious. The ONLY place you should be is at your local vinyl-and-CD authority. For April 19th is...

RECORD STORE DAY!!

I didn't know there was such a day. And maybe not before this year (although, as a youth, I would proclaim almost ANY day to be Record Store Day). I saw the little blurb in the paper. Local merchant heroes Kiss the Sky were participating! And my eyes lit up when I caught the phrase, "...when Kiss the Sky joins indie stores throughout the country to pay homage to record-store culture via live music, mega sales, and overall "High Fidelity" camaraderie." Geez! Camaraderie, too?!

For grins, I visited the Kiss the Sky site and was surprised to see an actual banner ad for an actual Record Store Day web site (graphics above). When I linked onto the Record Store Day site, there were the words right in front of me:

"On Saturday, April 19th, 2008, hundreds of independently owned music stores across the country will celebrate 'Record Store Day.'"

Additional:

"On this day, all of these stores will simultaneously link and act as one with the purpose of celebrating the culture and unique place that they occupy both in their local communities and nationally."

So do you need any more encouragement to take a journey to your local participating establishment? Not sure if one near you is involved? Just visit the Record Store Day website for a complete list of stores that are sharing in this milestone day. Do your part. Get involved. Share in the fun. Make some purchases. Keep these key members of our community in business for a long, long time.

A little tiger

This past Saturday was the last class of Tae Kwon Do for Su this session. It's hard for me to believe I'm actually disappointed. While I had a feeling that the "family" class would be good for Su and I, there was no way for me to know just how much fun we'd actually end up having together.

Last fall, we had signed Su up for a Tae Kwon Do class for individuals -- kids whose ages ran from about 5 years to 9 years. The class was through the Geneva Park District and run by Bill Cho's United Tae Kwon Do Center in St. Charles. We initially decided to try out the class because: A) we figured an additional winter-time activity wouldn't be a bad thing, and B) I figured the class could go a long way into developing some confidence and coordination. I had taken lessons some time ago and had accumulated a few belts before hanging it up, but knew that it could be a lot of fun for her.

Su did seem to enjoy the class, but like with a lot of activities, wasn't sure if she really wanted to do it again. And that's fair. We have given her the chance to try out different activities and only want her to experience something new once in a while before ruling it out. When that particular session was up, we decided to give it one more shot -- this time as part of the "family" class, giving the parent a chance to participate with the child.

This seemed like a great opportunity to spend some time with Su, keep her interested, and also add a little bit more exercise to her winter-time routine. Su wasn't sure about another class but at least was a good sport about trying it again.

And we had a blast. Working through routines, bonding exercises, counting to 10 in Korean, reciting the 5 tenets ("Courtesy, SIR!..."). We had so much fun together. And I witnessed the changes in Su as she became more confident in her abilities and also did a fantastic job of memorizing routines and language. For me, the class was a lot harder than I thought it would be. The routines came back to me quickly, but the hard part was performing a lot of these exercises with a 5-year old on my back! Running relays, push-ups, all with Su hanging on my backside. It was hard, it was fun, and the 8-week session seemed over before it began.

We're thinking about trying one more session together in April. I'll see how Su feels about doing this with Dad one more time. Su especially loved the interaction with Master Han (Master Yong Soo Han), who was especially great with the kids, and Master Jeff, who added additional assistance and training.

Tae! Kwon! Do!