Corn Weenie: the birth of a star

A bit of a silly post here. But it occurred to me that it could be one worth sharing. Besides, how many times in one's life are you likely to be able to use the words "corn weenie" in a story of any kind?

At the end of January, a call went out from a friend of mine that just screamed of urgency. And only a select few of us could come to the rescue. To make a long story somewhat short, it seems that radio station WFMU (found on the dial in some areas or through the internet) was reaching out to listeners to produce a remix of a classic old recording (rumored to be created in the 80s at some point?), I believe entitled "Learn How to Speak Hawaiian," and referred to by some as the Corn Weenie song. This clip (or song) had been played for some time on the station and tortured listeners. So it turned into a remix challenge -- results of which would be aired, posted for play on the website, and later available on a CD compilation.

Anyway, Intangible Arts (my favorite blogger) reached out to many of us on January 31st ("Time-sensitive CORN WEENIE alert!") asking for a contribution -- namely the audio of us saying the words "corn weenie." Whether it be via MP3 or by telephone answering messages, the goal was to collect various versions of the words and form the "Corn Weenie Chorus" needed to complete the remix.

Incidentally, Intangible Arts is also Chester Hawkins (aka Blue Sausage Infant), perhaps my favorite experimental musician (and friend since the late 90s). His mission was to capture some of the original recording and put his own stamp on the mix, incorporating these added chorus contributions.

As many of you know, I spend a bit of time in the studio myself and saw this as a chance to have a bit of fun. I decided to incorporate Su's help! I fired up the basement studio mixer and asked Su if she wanted to give dad a hand with a new recording. Of course, she thought that sounded "sweet," so we proceeded to rattle off a few different takes on the corn weenie theme, laughed hysterically all the while. We anxiously sent our final MP3 results out to Washington D.C. via email and waited for the final product.

The end result was 3:30 minutes of pure fun. The original loose recording (see link near the top of the story as a reference point -- if you can get through the early bits) was transformed into a sort of corn weenie psychedelic stomp -- complete with corn weenie chorus -- and the addition of other weenie contributions added in as the song builds.

But for fans of Su, the payoff is at the very end of the song. Play it out through to the final seconds. Just when you think the song is about over and fading, you'll hear Su's starring moment.

It's a riot. It's fun. A star is born.

Also, I became aware this week that the CD compilation is available now through WFMU (with contributions to the pledge drive). I, of course, sent in my cash just to have the actual full-fledged release, forever showcasing Su at 6-years old. Well, there's that and about 100 different interpretations of the Corn Weenie song. Not for the faint of heart, I suppose.

At her young age, Su is already reaching an international audience. Something old dad never accomplished in all his years of playing.

So for your listening pleasure, I present EPIPHANY AT PORT SAID -- or the Corn Weenie Song -- by Blue Sausage Infant. Just click on the link here and enjoy.

Opening of the eyes

This past Sunday was a pretty special day for the family. For those few of you actually peeking at this blog once in a while, you might remember a post I wrote up in November about our visits to the Chicago Nichiren Buddhist Church. Around September or so of 2008, after about 8 years attending a temple in West Chicago, we started making the journey into the Chicago area instead. A lot of research and examination went into this decision. And it only took a few visits to realize that we had truly found our home. For a little background on that discovery, please read the earlier post.

At any rate, we reached a point as a family where we decided that it was time to actually become members and give up that "guest" status. This decision actually was arrived at sometime in December, but it took nearly 2 more months to make it back to the temple location. January's service was canceled due to extreme cold and the early February make-up date was canceled due to a water pipe issue in the sanctuary. So that brings us to this past Sunday.

The path to membership is actually an easy one. And probably made all that more more so because of the previous years of practice and having already a solid grasp on the teachings of Buddhism. It wasn't like we were thrust into anything altogether new -- just improved! And all it took was a verbal exchange to the priest, Rev. Hosho Higuchi, expressing our wishes.

So on Sunday, we traded in our old Gohonzon and enthusiastically accepted our new Shutei Gohonzon, bestowed on us after an "opening of the eyes" ceremony. The Gohonzon is a calligraphic mandala used by members in their households and they generally are inscribed by Nichiren Shu clergy. The link included here connects to a youtube.com video that displays the remaining undamaged 125 copies of the Gohonzon that Nichiren wrote between 1271 and 1282. Kind of cool. The copy dated the third month of 1280, regarded as the most significant, is now preserved at Myohonji Temple in Kamakura, Japan. The incribed Gohonzon then resides in an altar display at each member's home, where daily practice occurs. Members face the Gohonzon while reciting Lotus Sutra passages and chanting the Odaimoku (Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, or "Adoration to the Scripture of the Lotus of the Perfect Truth").

Anyway... Enough historical background.

In addition to our membership and receiving our Gohonzon, we also participated in the New Year's ceremonies (Setsubun), also postponed earlier due to the weather conditions. The Setsubun ceremony is another important date for Buddhist believers. So it made for a very celebratory day.

Setsubun literally means “seasonal division” but it usually refers to the Spring Setsubun. Close to the Lunar New Year, the Spring Setsubun can be thought of as new year’s eve. Therefore, it has a special ritual of cleansing away all the evil of the former year and drive away disease-bearing evil spirits for the year to come. This ritual is called MAMEMAKI (bean scattering or bean throwing) and it is performed by those who are born on the corresponding year of the Animal Zodiac (2009 is the Year of the Ox /the cycle runs every 12 years). The beans are thrown and people shout out “ONI WA SOTO! FUKU WA UCHI!” (“Demons/Evil Spirits out! Luck/Blessings in!”). It is also customary to eat the beans one for each year of one’s life plus one more for bringing good luck for the year to come.

Because of the length of the morning ceremonies, the "bean throwing" did not take place, else there would have been quite the cleanup effort required afterword!

In addition to these ceremonies, good friends Kent and Daryl (shown below) decided to undergo the eye opening ceremony for their two new statues -- one representing Nichiren and the other Sakyamuni -- that will be placed at their home altar. I've included a photo of the two statues, shown alongside the temple Gohonzon, basking in the incense and good vibe of the ceremony (photo shown above).

Last was the lunch, served downstairs in the lower level under the sanctuary. Every month, members contribute meals, desserts, drinks, saki (!), and good conversation. Many of the meals are served in more of a Japanese style and can be hit-or-miss for someone more discerning, like Su. But this week was a variation of chicken strips, along with rice, egg, some fruit, and even cake! So Su ate very well and really enjoyed herself over the course of the day.

After cleaning up and saying our goodbyes, we drove the nearly 1 hour journey back home and settled in for some quiet time and naps. A very festive day for all -- and a memorable one.

Holy sombrero, Batman! It's...

Sunday morning came with the revelation that Winfield seems to have a new superhero in town. Louder than a speeding locomotive. Able to leap piles of Polly Pockets in a single bound. Armed only with her blanket/cape, sombrero, thundering feet, and booming voice... It's, it's...

Anyone got a name?

Ring in the new year

I know. I know. Nothing has been posted here since just after the holidays. And the last flooding episode. Unfortunately, I offer no real excuse worth beans. It's just been hard to sit down, sort through photos and get this site up to date. Since the new year, work has been a struggle, weather has been a downer, and there seemed very little to report.

In fact, the pix for this particular post are already a couple of weeks old. Not exactly current events!

We just had our annual Chinese New Year bash in West Dundee. Every year, Ron & Wendy -- our most gracious of hosts -- voluntarily agree to take on a household of parents, growing kids, high volumes of noise, and add that to an already active mix of children and dogs currently residing in the home. Every year, Wendy puts together a feast for the eyes, filling the place with the aroma of incredible Chinese food. And every year, about 5-6 families make the journey from various part of Illinois (and sometimes Indiana) to share in these festivities.

As seems to be the case every year, we arrived at the scene first -- and were immediately greeted by 2 lovely little gals, all decked out in their Chinese dresses. With each passing year, these two darlings just keep getting taller -- and prettier. And they made wonderful greeters. Within moments, Su had her shoes off and was rushing off upstairs to what would be an evening of non-stop playing.

Over time, one family after another arrived, until the house was pulsing with noise and thumping with feet. And if you've ever heard Su's feet... well, you know what I'm talking about!

This was an interesting night -- in the fact that it seemed over almost as soon as it began. With all of the socializing, eating, and chasing of little ones, the evening leaped from snacks to dinner to dessert and then soon to home... in what seemed like mere moments. Of course, it really had been 5-6 hours. But perhaps that's the true sign of a great time?

The one surprise in all of this was that Su really didn't eat. In fact, right around dinner time, she was complaining that her stomach hurt. I sat with her a while and sensed she was pretty tired, too. She didn't even want to resume playing OR sample any desserts... so we KNEW something was up. I eventually laid her down on the sofa and within minutes she was fast asleep.

In fact, she didn't so much as budge when kids came storming through the room. She didn't even lift an eyelid when the yelling and screaming were a couple of feet from her. And she wasn't awake when the annual kids photo in the stairway was taking place. At first, we were disappointed that Su wasn't able to be part of this moment. But then a solution to the photo arrived: The kids lined up behind the couch where Su was sleeping! So we had our group photo after all. And Su still didn't wake up.

At least she had several hours of playing in before being overtaken by this little "bug." From what we can tell, it was just some sort of stomach thing, mostly gas. Her stomach was bloated like a basketball. But by morning, she was back to her old self.

Loud.. and thumping through the house.

No bones about it

A photo of Max. And why not?

Are you kidding? Flooding in December?

Enough is enough. We've been in the house nearly 6 months now. A little over three months ago, we had the supposed 100 Year Rain and the flooding that resulted. As some of you might remember, we were almost a house-boat at that time. But we managed to get through that and, in the process, make some upgrades (although costly) to the house that would help with extreme conditions. New drain tile system in the basement. New sump pump (1-1/2 horsepower) with a high-end backup system. We figured it would take one heck of a storm -- and perhaps power loss -- to reproduce those results.

We didn't expect to be tested in December.

The previous week or so had provided much snowfall. Five inches here. A couple of inches there. All told, we had quite an accumulation of the white stuff. I had already cleared the driveway numerous times. And we even had snow pile up and block our back doorway (see photo inset later in this story). Driving to and from work was always an adventure. And one "rush hour" evening produced tales of 4-6 hour drives for commuters. Ugh.

That snow was then followed with a below-freezing day on Christmas Day. Our high probably reached about 15-18 degrees.

And then the fun started. Temperatures started warming up. And they kept warming up. And the rains poured throughout the first half of Saturday. Snow piles were melting rapidly and, with the freezing cold ground, had nowhere to go. So the result was flooding. Lots of it. Houses backing to the river were faced with similar problems from a few months ago. The river rose to the backs of these homes. And the snows piled up at the end of the street produced a visual not unlike last September.

The water kept filling the ditch by the roadside until it overtook the ditch, rose over the driveway and partially up into the yard. Again, no river running down the road, but the effect was nearly the same: the pump just kept on running -- trying to keep up. And then later in the evening, the 2nd pump kicked on. And the two worked together for two solid days without a break, trying to push out the water just pouring into the sump system.

Unnerving? Without a doubt. I even pulled a few important items out of the basement. And I just hoped that these pumps would keep the water at bay until the ground could start handling some of it. We barely slept for two nights as we listened for the pumps, continually checked water levels -- and even had a scare when the 2nd pump had stuck and wasn't pumping out the water. I caught that just before it reached the top of the sump pit. Yikes!

Anyway. By Monday, the 2nd pump had dropped off to mere back-up status. By Tuesday, the main pump was finally getting a break, although only about 5 seconds between pushes. The basement stayed dry. The drain tile system held with no water seepage. And the music studio lives on for another day!

Just a few days prior, Su and I had a chance to hop on the huge snow hill at our nearby park. I'm sure glad we took some time out of the day for that. A day later, there wasn't even a snow hill remaining. Just water. Everywhere.

Reportedly, 2008 was a record year for our area, with over 50" of rainfall. I'm really hoping that 2009 doesn't end up being another record year.

Home for the holidays

2008 brought us many changes. New digs. New neighborhood. New schools. New life - sort of. But with the new digs also brought us a new role, or at least one that hadn't been in effect since about 1997: Host of Christmas Present.

With mum feeling a bit under the weather of late and not really having the stamina for the yearly holiday hosting, we agreed to take it on and see where it all goes. It would be the first time that the humble abode would take on so many live bodies (instead of the usual "not-so-live" bodies?) indoors at one time. And with cold, cold weather in the forecast, we knew that it would be pretty cozy and everyone would need to be on their best behavior.

And I do believe it worked. There was much merriment in the household. Music drifted in and out; the aroma of warm food or cool desserts swirled through the kitchen, and the cold beers made regular appearances from the walk-in cooler once operating full-time as a garage. Yep, it was all quite enjoyable. Kids played well together -- with only the occasional "I'm bored..." spewing from the lips of some pre-teens. Nothing that wasn't handled with the click of a TV remote control. Hey, I'm not their parent, right? What do I care if they harmlessly watch some of the tube from the back room.

All in all, a success. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. And grandma went home when SHE wanted to -- not having to wait for everyone to leave, as she would have had to do in past years. Hopefully she found it to be to her liking. And we'll just see what 2009 offers.

And how did Su make out? Wonderfully, as usual. Some of her favorites are shown here. The digital drum set was a fun surprise for her. Cheap entertainment and not much volume. Good combination for beginning drummers.

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The day before (Christmas Eve) was spent out at Anita's parents' place. It's been our 20 year tradition to travel down there for the holiday eve and spend the following day here locally. And it's worked out so well all of these years. Never a conflict in scheduling between parents. Never having to do the "two Christmas" thing like some families. A full day dedicated to each side of the family.

Christmas Eve always ends up being the more relaxing of the days for me. Anita's family tends to get along really well. It's been that way for several years. None of the same tension that seems to come with my own family gatherings. It almost seems -- dare I say -- normal? Good conversation, good food, and just a lot of fun watching Su play with her cousins.

And sometimes, depending on the Bowl schedules, you even get to catch a glimpse of a Notre Dame football game -- and witness their first bowl victory in what seems like decades.

And the weather cooperated with us, too. The predictions for a snow-filled day and messy travel were squelched and all we really had to contend with were strong winds that reduced gas mileage in the Santa Fe considerably. Other than that, a pretty uneventful trip to and from. You have to like that.

And after a full day of running around, eating, and opening gifts, the drive home was a quiet one. Su was fast asleep within about 10 minutes -- and mom followed a short time after that.

Yep. It can be lonely being dad. Or just quiet. Happy holidays.