Dear God...

The passing of the 15-month old son of a close friend of Aaron's. I cannot imagine having such optimism & resilience if such a similar unthinkable event happened in my family, but we all must and do grieve in our own ways. Please, drop in on the blog, shed a few tears like me, and offer your condolences. In the midst of awfulness, the outpouring of love & sympathy from strangers across the blogosphere is quite heartening...

Well, We've Done Everything We Can Do

I'm of increasing belief that, for all the talk of steadfastness, the Bush administration is going to find a way to "cut and run" sometime before his term is up. It's bad on so many levels:
1. The thing that is awful and scary as much as anything else, is how much history is repeating itself. Our history after WWII, unfortunately, is of meddling in the affairs of people on the other ot the globe and them leaving them up shit creek with a turd for a paddle. What happend to the Kurds has been noted a few times in the past few years, but so often, people forget about the near genocide for which we were almost entirely responsible with the Hmoung people who so courageously and heroically risked their lives assisting our troops in Vietnam, only to be left helpless and unaided after we withdrew. Anyone who has a problem with their immigration to our country needs to remember that we owe them lots.
2. The other thing for which I am now "calling my shot" is how our withdrawal will coincide with a PR blitz by the right wing and all it's subservient talking heads about how "our job is done," with no shred of credible evidence that it is, indeed, the case. Expect this turn of events to begin unfolding in the early spring. This administration has shown no hesitancy to have a policy of purporting absolute contradictions to reality, and a certain segment of the population is more than happy to eat it all up. The rest of the world will NOT eat it up. Our credibility is nearly shot and I'm afraid this will be the nail in the coffin. Iraq is not close, not close to being able to counter the "insurgency" and maintain a stable, democratic government on their own. I fear for the Iraqi people (think all those people with "Liberate Iraq" signs really care about the well-being of the Iraqi people for one minute?). And I fear for our nation's standing in the world, as well as for our safety. The damage wrought by this adminstration will take years and years to undo. Perhaps generations.

The End of the Album?

Gibbs & I had a nice discussion yesterday that turned, of course, to my current iTunes craze. I was mentioning a few sort of "house rules" I have developed as I import my CD collection; and one is that I never add a "Greatest Hits" version of a song for which there is a duplicate on one of my albums. I have stated before that I wish I had far fewer "Greatest Hits" collections, and that it's just not my style of buying music in recent years.

I must say, however, that my newfound love of the iTunes Shuffle has got me thinking more and more about the whole concept the "standalone single." Gibbs actually ventured not only that we are witnessing the fracturing of "the album," but that future generations may look back at the concept of "the album" as a curiosity. I'm not sure I entirely buy that, as there are still a number of artists out there with the need to craft a collection of cohesive songs, and a number of people who yearn to listen to the same. However, it is a simple reality that, in all the thousands of years of music, the album has really only seen its heyday from the 1960s on. Everything else, ever: singles (albeit, there have been Operas, Symphonies, etc.)

Summary of what I take from the discourse: I will remain primarily an album guy, but I will no longer diminish the value of the individual, stand-alone single.

Big O at the Udupi Cafe

So, Sharon's birthday was yesterday, on Thanksgiving, so we celebrated as a nuclear family the night before. Given her choice of any restaurant at which to eat, she chose the Udupi Cafe.

Indian cuisine has been skyrocketing up our list of preferred ethnic food choices, and I have to say that this restaurant is far and away my favorite in town (though, admittedly, we've only been to four or five). This is actually the one that Mixdorf & I ate at during his visit last summer. It's a pure vegetarian menu; which, for vegetarians accustomed to hunting for only three or four vegetarian options on a given menu at traditional restaurants, the variety seems mind-boggling.

I am continuing to expand my horizons. It's been difficult to make the break away from Paneer (the primary style of cheese used in Indian food), but I have been utterly rewarded for my uncharacteristic adventurousness. We began the meal with Garlic Paratha (whole wheat bread stuffed with garlic), and some lentil patties for Lucy. With everything, you are given your choices of three or four dipping sauces so that by the time they accumulate through an appetizer and three meals, you have 12 little bowls scattered about on the table. A little overkill, there, but we felt free to dip gratuitously with no fear of running out of anything. I, then, ordered Onion Masala Dosai , which was a rice crepe with onion topping filled with potatoes and onions and cooked in butter.

Great Mother of Pearl, but I nearly had an orgasm eating that fine dish! The crepe was light, flaky, and crispy and tasted like the crust of a pot pie nand-made by God. And the filling was hearty, perfectly spiced, and immensely delicious. To wash it down I had a lemon soda-fresh lemon squeezed into club soda and sweetened. Even that was rich and full-much more strong and deeply satisfying than I expected. Wow. We're trying to keep eating-out excursions under control, so I'm not sure when we'll be back there next; but whatever the date is it cannot come soon enough.

We are considering experimenting around with cooking Indian food at home, but I'm somewhat leery of both the difficulty and eventual success (or lack thereof). I'm just thinking there'd be a major shift from the types of spices & other "staples" that we usually have on hand. In any event, I very much look forward to visiting this restaurant with anyone who chances to visit me next and would like to go there.

ed. note: No Udupi cafe in Winona.

Anti-Consumer in a Technophile's Body

(ed. note: I intended to make this one of my customary brief essays on a topic that had been mulling around in my head. Reading back after it was written, I think some interesting topics came up, but that it seemed more like a ramble that didn't lead anywhere. Sorry)

Only one of the very many contradictions that makes up my being, but one about which I feel the urge to speak a few words.

In high school or thereabouts, I think I would have been placed in that category of consumer that is referred to in the retail world as "The Early Adopter." My parents were around my current age during the height of what could be referred to as the "age of modern convenience," or that period of time where we erred just a bit on the side of technology. Breast milk bad-formula good. Antibiotics for everything. Crop dusting. Indeed, it was "better living through science" that quickly and decisively won us the Pacific arena of WWII and, mad scientist character in Sci-Fi movies notwithstanding, our country was more than happy to embrace a technological advance in any form. I will say that I think we, as a society, have stepped back from the brink a bit, but may be still just a little too ready to embrace those aspects of science that appease our yearning for instant gratification to the exclusion of another very important aspect of science, which is testing and long-term study.

That's getting a bit off point, however. What I'm getting to is that I personally "stepped back from the brink" sometime late in college. While I continued to build on my music collection somewhat steadily through the years, the only new technology adoptions have been a 19 inch TV (in 1996, to replace the 13 inch that died), a DVD player, and a car CD player, last year. Of course none of them necessary, but all relatively basis components of a early-21st centruy "wired" individua in the first world. I've not always succeeded, but I've striven to live the "less is more" philosophy; made more difficult because of this trait that was nurtured in me combined with working at the premier Technology Made Fun retailer in the world, but maybe a little easier with money never having flowed particularly generously into my bank account.

Moderation may really be the key, here. There are lots of possessions and clutter in all our lives that are simply not necessary. But it may well be that, even while I'm striving to make various aspects of my life and house a little simpler, a 32" letterbox-format TV and set of wireless computer speakers (for listening to my iTunes collection in various parts of the house) are important-enough reflections of my taste in lifestyle that they do justify purchase (to the extent that any luxury item in our society can "justify" such a thing) . Not that I have money for either at this particular time...

Making the Crossover: Tonight at 7:30 CST

I will be appearing in my first dramatic (e.g. non-comedic) role in at least the past 16 years tonight at the Patrick Henry Theatre in North Minneapolis. This is my second play with the emerging Camden Civic Theatre, and I am playing the role of Joe Summers in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery."

In this day and age, where people's sensitivities seem to get disturbed by all manner of daily affronts (all the while, the number of violent & vile images increases daily on their TVs), I am expecting a little shock and maybe even an unpleasant reaction from at least some of the audience to this quite dark play. Anticipating this, we will be doing a Q & A with the audience after the show in an effort to put the story and message in context.

My character is kind of the "head-man" of a small, rural village. Most likely one of the wealthiest figures in town, he holds a position of power and influence and coordinates the yearly "lottery." I really step outside of myself for the part (I hope). I play him, hopefully not over-the-top, as a smarmy, smiley gladhander that is aware that everyone in town works hard for a living so he doesn't have to. I pretty much model him after some sort of amalgam of my least favorite politicians. One scene I particularly enjoy is when he has a little argument, apart from the rest of the villagers, with his sister who resents and preaches against town tradition.

The promise of good theatre sponsored by Community Education should be enough to drag everyone away from the Vikings-Packers Monday Night game for a couple of hours, don't you think?

Understanding the various reasons my readers can't attend, I wish you all could be there.

Where it All Goes Down

www.brightwatermontessori.org

Lucy's school has a nice, new, and revamped website. You can get a pretty good idea of what the Montessori philosophy is all about by reading the Main Page & About Montessori sections. It really, point by point, is in philosophical line with the beliefs Sharon & I have about childraising. Obviously, as with any type of education, a lot depends on how well the schoo/teachers interpret and enact the theories, but we feel they do a great job at Brightwater.

You can see the really cool classrooms (all kid-sized things, no plastic or "commercial" stuff) in Program Descriptions, and you can also see busy little Lucy (background, in yellow) working away in the top picture.

In 2004, it's a Slam Dunk. Now? Hmmm...

Think Bush is gonna make any headway on his new full-time strategy: attacking those who said he misled the country?

Seems to be critical whether people buy the two lies:

1. They (Democratic Senators) had access to the same info as Bush.
2. The vote was to go to war (as opposed to give the President authorization to go to war, so that he would have more leverage in getting Iraq to let the inspectors to their work).

This is the classic sort of "controlling the message" situation the Republicans have excelled at in recent years. Very simple, memorable lies for their talking points. The refuting of the lies is wordy and nuanced.

However, the President hasn't had many successes in the past number of months. 57% of the people in this country believe he misled them and Republican Senators & Representatives that could have been counted on to fall in line are thinking of their own political futures. How does this play out?

To Quote a Wise Man: Craptastic

The windy, snow-blown scene in Minneapolis this morning.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

So funny to be on the "parent" end of the legendary Parent Teacher conferences. And also very exciting. So many hours of the day, many days, we're not able to see what she's up to. How does she interact with others of her age? What sort of developmental change do they see at school and how does it compare with home? And so on and so forth.

Actually, one of the most interesting things for us-especially as first time parents- is to see what sorts of behavior are kind of standard for toddlers across the board, and which are unique to her emerging little personality. According to the administrator of the school & primary toddler instructor, Ann, here are the things that Lucy loves: art and all sorts of fine motor skills, nature and the outdoors, books, and talking & telling stories. One of the things she also talked about at some length is Lucy's independence. In Ann's words, Lucy is "resistant to adult suggestion." Of course, that is a very common trait for toddlers, but Ann believes this is going to be a trait Lucy carries with her for the rest of her life. She resists doing anything that she did not, herself, decide to do. She's very specific about her preferences and, though she gets along with other kids, does not position herself in the hiearchy as either a leader or a follower; she prefers to work alone and accomplish things on her own. Obviously, how this trait manifests itself at home can be frustrating at times-as daily rituals such as naptime or getting ready for bed become classic battles of wit and will, but there is much to appreciate there, in a trait that I see as positive, if nurtured and kept within bounds. Some of her greatest creativity comes in her delaying and manipulating tactics when trying to avoid "getting with the program." Man, oh man, as I look back at my own history as a kid who went to the sick room EVERY DAY OF FIRST GRADE in an attempt to stay home at school. Man, do I see myself (and Sharon) in her. And I know where she's coming from. I'd rather her be Pippi Longstockings than John Cusak's love interest in "Say Anything" any day of the week.

Anyway, a very enjoyable and fascinating conference, overall. The teachers seem to be such fans of hers. And, as we were talking for a little about what a positive experience Montessori has been for Lucy so far and how intent we are on keeping her in that environment (especially in light of my own experience of being utterly, totally turned off by school), Ann remarked that she "couldn't imagine Lucy in a traditional school."

Fascinating-FASCINATING!

Ingafunis

Including much forest football, a few beers, a trip to Pizza Hut, and a single glaring incident of buffoonery, there was little that happened down at camp this last weekend that could be considered unexpected. But it was defniitely a good time.

On orders from The Clogger, I was down to camp by 9 am Saturday morning. That meant getting up at 4:20 after having guests over till late on Friday night and not going to bed till 12:45. Additionally, that was after having gone to bed post-12:00 am every night the previous week. So I came into camp a little bleary-eyed. Unbelievably, I had held off from a coffee purchase until Waverly. No Twin Cities coffee shops are open at the hour in which I left town, but there is nothing but gas stations and Perkins-clones the entire distance between the F.O.B. and destination. Around Mason City I started struggling a bit, but thoughts of that one funky, ethnic coffee shop we all had stopped in for our last visit kept me truckin'. I was very disappointed when it wasn't there where I expected it to be upon my arrival. I stopped at a place called "Higher Grounds" just across from the Wartburg campus, but their coffee was kept in those giant gas-station-style warmers and they served it in a styrofoam cup. Predictably, it tasted pretty shitty. But enough about coffee.

I rolled into camp at 9:00 on the fucking dot. Reminded me of how on-time I used to be for everything, especially trips, pre-Sharon. Cory had already set up at the cabin (Arrow-the one farthest from HQ that overlooks the big ridge). We loaded supplies into the cabin. Perhaps due to extreme tiredness, I had forgotten my camera (rats-no movies to be made nor no pictures to be took). But I did bring two bottles of October ale and four bottles of Winter Ale to help us ring in the fall Equinox. I also brought a fishing pole and a single weedless spoon lure. We then wasted no time in tramping on down to the confluence of Wikota Creek & the Cedar where we cast a few in. I should have brought my logless lure, however, as I was hung up and lost the damned thing after about six casts. I then borrowed a lure from Cory and lost that on the very first cast. That was enough for me. Cory didn't lose a lure, but caught no more fish then me. We then kind of just pulled up and kicked down at that spot for awhile. Next to the pine forest; and perhaps instead of the pine forest, ever since its thinning-out; this is my favorite spot at camp. It's a great flyover for migrating birds-and we saw a few. Cory spotted a great blue heron nest, and we just watched clouds roll overhead as we sat there in t-shirts in the unbelievably warm November day. As planned, we had a nice and in-depth conversation about religion. Neither of us probably giving the other much more information that has been given before, but rolling our various thoughts into as concise-a package as we could. I think it ends with the "irreconcilable difference" being our take on the Salvation. A couple things I was probing for were "do you think non-Christians go to hell" and "how did you arrive where you're at, belief-wise," and (not that he was on trial or anything) I think Cory addressed them to my satisfaction. In his focus & comittment to exploring his faith, I challenged him to become a self-educated "professor of theology;" to read texts and explore other faiths in an effort to understand the context and history of his own religion. It will probably meet success like my encouraging of Mighty Tom to get back into the field of natural resources, but hey-I'm the self-appointed life-coach of my friends-it's what I do.

We then headed back to the cabin and got the rock for a couple of hours of forest football. Generally good stuff, with a couple of amazing 4th-down tosses by me (including a 40-yarder that threaded a couple of trees to get to Cory, waiting around the corner of a path). We also discovered a box of tiles over at the archery range and took a few shots at exploding individual ones we set up on a fence. A little destructive and pointless, perhaps, but thoroughly irresistable.

Then off to Waverly for pizza. Only remarkable thing about that is how we restrained ourselves and went with a single medium pizza (in addition to the family order of breadsticks). Then, heading back through town-with some rain starting to come down and me desperately needing a cup of coffee (I ended up drinking very little of the cup I'd had earlier), Cory noticed a place. We went in and: LO! BEHOLD! It was that funky place, after all, in a new, downtown location. We had a nice conversation with the lady, and Cory even bought an overpriced (but tasty) cup of hot chocolate, and may have had a moment of truly appreciating the case of the small, locally-owned single proprietorship, as she explained that she's just not getting business. Unfortunately, an African-themed world cafe just isn't bringing in those white-bread Wartburg business administration majors. I do think she'll make it over time, though...

Then it was back to camp for a game of "who drops the ball," which Cory won-even disregarding the single controversial decision that would have brought me closer. Then it was off on a late afternoon, early evening hike with the weather threatening. This is the one where we hopped a fence or two and went along the creek. When we emerged (and really-Cory's got to take the majority of blame for this-I had no clue where we were and he knew exactly), we were far, far out of camp property. While hiking back in its general direction, we were met with the heil of "Would you mind telling me what the fuck you're doing out here?" The big buffoonery. We were walking right under the tree stand of a hunter that had been watching us for a long, long time. He may have stretched the truth of the degree to which we screwed up his hunt, but we definitely didn't help him. As much as it may have been Cory getting us into the mess, all credit to him for one of the most classic exchanges in history. When he demanded our names, Cory said, "Cory...what's yours?" to which the guy had no alternative but to give him his: "Dave." After we were on a first-name basis, things were diffused considerably, and we gave him profuse apologies and he pointed us in the right direction (which Cory already knew). When I look back and consider that we were walking around, not in blaze-orange, on private forest land a week into the deer-hunting season in a northeast Iowa forest, it may have been the dumbest thing either Cory or me has done in recent memory-maybe ever. I think my illicit fence-hopping days are over. It was after that (or before that, I don't remember) when we stopped by the top of Challenge Hill. Nice view over the river bottoms, and I took the Challenge upon myself and sprinted, as much as one can sprint up loose sand, all the way up. Cory took on the challenge of talking to his wife yet a third time in the day-good Lord does the man call home a lot!

Back to camp again and a decision about whether to head to town (yet again!) for supper. It'd been a late lunch, and tornado warnings/watches were abounding. We ended up deciding we'd be super hungry late at night if we didn't go in, so we did. We brought back a sub for me, & some Hardees for Johnny Seedcorn. Found out the worst of the weather would miss us, got the fire going, & played some chess (which I won). We listened to some Cyclones (Cory's idea) and some music (my idea), and talked to 12'4" of Pat. Talked some more, and off to bed.

Next morning, we had exchanged minds. Cory was up early and ready to go out for a hike. I was snuggled in my sleeping bag complaining about the cold. We ended up getting caught in a conversation by the long-winded, but great, ranger. Tossed the football a few more times, and headed into town for, perhaps, the worst small-town diner in which I've ever eaten. The "cheese omlette" consisted of a couple of scrambled eggs with a melted cheese-slice on top. And that was that.

I do feel compelled to say that I think I may be ready for an Ingawanis hiatus. It's a neat slice of land, but it IS pretty darn developed and there's so much-SO MUCH- more out there in the world to give you your nature-fix. Even in the little world of northeast Iowa, there's so much more. Staying in the cabin is OK-but really, it's only OK. The cots are terrible, and every flat surface is peppered with rat shit. I'd rather camp-and really camp and achieve the solitude, which is one of the main reasons for being out in the wilds, or just go out for a day of romping through wood & vale & return to comfort of home or hotel. I understand the connection Cory & to a lesser degree, Gibbs, has with the place-but (though we've created our own history there on a few occasions), the connection is really just not there nearly as much for me.

Great Sadness, Followed By Profound Joy

So, we tried some canned dog food with the hope it would help Kuna-i's appetite. Well, when I walked into the kitchen this morning, it was as though a shit matter universe collided with a shit antimatter universe. It took me about 30 minutes and half a roll of paper towels just to get it to the point where I could mop. Good Lord, that sucks.

But then, on a whim, I decided to swing by Camden Coffee Company a few minutes before 7:00 (their old open time), thinking that maybe, under new ownership, the hours had changed. O great wonders of all that is good in the world, they now open at 6:00!!!! I no longer have to come into work way, way late in order to enjoy a nice sit-down cup of coffee in the morning!

On a side note-heading off tomorrow morning to Ingawanis for a romp in the woods with T-Clog. Full report Monday, I'm sure.

When the Gales of November Come Early

Today is the 30th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I love the North Shore of Lake Superior (as has been well-documented), and I have a keen interest in its lore and history, which includes everything from early explorers and voyageurs to mining, logging, and shipwrecks. A few of years ago (around the time of my first visit to Methuen, in fact) I read a book about the event, which is still quite compelling now, all these years after the original tragedy. But that reading led me on to explore the more history of North Superior shipwrecks/boatwrecks, of which there have been a crazy number (over 200 in the past century seems to stick in my mind). Just a big, cold, and dangerous lake it is.

Anyway, I would encourage others who have any interest in this fascinatingh history to read up on North Superior shipwrecks and, indeed, just the history of North Superior shipping & its related industries in general. A good & fun place to start is a series of books pairing North Shore artist Howard Sivertson (a favorite of mine) with companion stories. There is one on voyageurs and one on shipping for sure and there may be others.

PastDan calling FutureDan...

My readers may or may not be aware of a couple of crazy moments I've had in which it seemed that a past version of myself made a conscious visit to my present (at the time) version of me and had a discussion; both times seeming like they may have not been completely unrelated to some significant, life-altering decisions. I have no basis for thinking those occasions have been anything other than particularly compelling daydreams, other than a sense of "I know what I know," and knowing that there was something very out-of-the-ordinary about the experiences.

Anyway, I came across this opportunity just today, and it seemed right up my alley. I'm putting down what I consider to be the burning questions about my future, which is particularly uncertain at this time. A rundown of the questions, but not the entire message to myself...

So, did you...
1. Do anything exciting with "The Secret of HIM" (or whatever the album was called)? Your 4 songs in and feeling pretty good about it right now.
2. Do anything exciting with Camden Civic Theatre? The opportunity is there, as the theatre company is just forming right now.
3. MOVED TO ZEPHYR??? You're sort of leaning there, but there's a lot of unknowns (jobs, how to get a loan)
4. More broadly, moved anywhere? Seward? Victory? Bryn Mawr? Longfellow? Other? God forbid, are you still living in the same house?
5. How has your relationship changed with Lucy as she has changed from a toddler into a little girl? I can barely conceive of it right now.
6. Where are you working? Still for "The Man" or did you find a way to get into something more aligned with your values?
7. Was there a Democratic revolution? How have the tides of time altered our culture, both politically and from an ecological & religious standpoint? It's a pretty depressing state of affairs right now, but there's little hints of hope...
7. How has your life changed in ways you wouldn't have guessed; particularly if you're living in Zephyr?

I chose the five-year capsule, as I think assuming I'll be accessing any particular email account in 10 or 20 years is assuming a lot. Plus, I think there's not a one of my burning questions that will not be resolved in that time.(of course, were I to add that last sentence to the time capsule, it would probably end up being my biggest surprise...)

Taking it to the Next Level?

So, the guy that heads up my theatre group is interested in finally breaking off from the community education classes through which the plays have been produced (which has allowed us practice and performance time-albeit limited-on a stage). He would continue to run classes through that venue, but would form an independent theatre company-The Camden Civic Theatre. He asked me and a couple of others if we would be interested in launching into this, and I'm torn.

It would be awesome to explore this artistic venue for awhile; but, as I remember the pressure & annoyance of having to bring a "business edge" into trying to make it in a band, I'm not so sure I'm fired up for a duplication of that experience. Promoting, grant-writing, call-making, etc. Ugh.

The upside, however, is a very wide-open artistic space in which to explore this craft and the excitement that comes with performing live & the possibility of "catching a break."

The practices would be more & longer on plays that we perform. On one hand, I dropped out of college because I wasn't getting enough time with my family. On the other hand, I dropped out of college because I didn't have enough time for personal projects...

Other X-factors:
Am I living here 7 months from now? I guess I'd better tell him about the possiblity of Zephyr before he counts on me too much, long-term.
How does this affect my tentative plans to take a class or two at "Brave New Workshop?"
How does this affect my recording schedule?

Much to mull over. Anyway, don't know if I mentioned it, but our current play we are getting ready is "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. You may remember it as a short story from an intermediate school reader, but it's a real dark show. So much so that we're planning on a Q&A with the audience afterwords to cool those who may get a little disturbed by the ending. Hopefuly kids won't be in attendance.

http://home.mn.rr.com/jjredman/

Minnesota Zephyr

Another Zephyr weekend. We went down on Friday morning to check out a K-8 Montessori charter school in Winona (the first of its kind in the nation), and it was wonderful. We then hung out for the day in town, doing a little more exploring and trying to get a little more feel of what, according to residents of the coop, is the "lifeblood" of everyone in the rural communities of the area. An amazing little town, Winona, for being only 27,000 people big-but I may have documented that already.

We spent Friday night through Sunday morning at Zephyr, and the our mood, for the majority of the time, was actually just a little down from where it had been for our last couple visits. We had a breakfast with some residents in which we discussed some of the difficulties in obtaining house loans for building houses without "property" or deeds, and then everyone had their various daily responsibilities to which they needed to attend. It was spitting rain & pretty dreary.

We still went for a hike, having not circumnavigated the large south bluff yet, but still weren't able to make it all the way around. We came across a hunter at the extreme far southern end of the property, up on a bluff top. Hunting would be one of the weird things to get used to at Zephyr. It is very common down there, as it is in the midst of a large state forest; and hunters abound in the properties-both wooded and farmed-surrounding the coop's land. I've never been as supportive of hunters, from an ecological sense, as I currently am. That is, if they are conservation-minded and follow regulations and so on. I do fear that the majority (and I really do mean the majority) of hunters that are out there are there for all the wrong reasons, and do not care the least bit about conservation, ecology, or even simple human courtesy. This guy was technically legal, with his tree stand being set up just on the other side of the property line; but even I know enough to know that's really bad form. Especially considering the bluff top-all Zephyr property-is a big open field. Open sight lines. In other words, he intends to shoot the deer on Zephyr then run over & get them. And the path we were on would have taken us right by his feet. Lucy was snoozing in the backback and we just didn't even want to deal with the hassle of a confrontation (especially since it's not even our land that we're dealing with-yet), but we left the hill feeling more sullen than ever. Later we confessed that we were both sort of gearing up for the "what are we doing, anyway" conversion we would have in the car on the way back in the morning.

Anyway, morning came around and we headed over to drop off some orange vests at the house of this woman, who happened to be entertaining a couple of friends that had dropped in from Iowa (she's originally from Iowa City). They invited us in for a pancake breakfast, and we couldn't refuse. It was a sunny morning-with sun hitting the bluffs in the most stunning and beautiful way-clouds rolling by just above the hilltops, and there was an ease and hospitality in the air. Pancakes were big & awesome; coffee was steamin', and syrup was real maple. Lucy (who is totally at ease down there) just started running around doing her own thing while we all talked after eating-great conversation. Went from blood sausage to the ills of Wal-Mart (kind of a big issue in Winona, where they're a fairly recent presence). As things were wrapping up, I was like, "wait a minute-what's that music?" and I realized it was "Concerning Hobbits." Our host's 10-year old son had the Fellowship of the Ring CD in the stereo while he was making his way through a first reading of "The Hobbit." As it turns out, he & his mom are big fans. We talked just a little LOR (mainly books vs. movie-the standard conversation), then he showed us how he has the sheet music and started playing some on the piano. I ended up getting some video of him playing that Shire song while I panned the camera around the room and out the windows to the landscape in the distance. I'll try to set up a link or something so you guys can check it out.

Anyway, we left with an "anything is possible" attitude, and that's maybe where I am as the trudge & bludge of a workweek in the cities is upon me once again.

Wellstone! & Clint!

Monday night, Sharon & I watched a documentary on the life of Paul Wellstone, a two-term Minnesota Democratic/Populist senator until his death in 2002. Any words I could try to come up with for the man would fall far short. I will simply say that he may have been the most conscienable, genuine, and passionate congressperson in our nation's history. If anyone ever has the opportunity to learn more about him, I urge you to do so. I would even be happy to find a way to get you the VCR tape on which we had just recorded the PBS special. Man, the crash of the plane he was on may not have been orchestrated by the Bush regime, but if you consider what we know about this administration's tendency to use whatever means to achieve its ends, combined with the timing (shortly before Wellstone's re-election bid vs. a hand-picked Bush lapdog; also very shortly before our Iraq invasion); well, I don't think there's a person left of center in this state that hasn't considered it as a possibility. One other possibility is that we really ARE heading for the rapture and that everything that has happened, politically, in the past 6 years is God's way of telling us: "Don't bother. I WANT you all to be fucked."

A couple days before viewing the non-violence preaching Wellstone, I indulged myself with a viewing of the violence promoting Clint Eastwood movie, "The Eiger Sanction." For some reason, I had some totally way-off base idea about this movie. Somewhere along the line, years ago, I had gotten this idea it was considered one of the all-time great suspense thriller movies, along the lines of Femme Fatale, The French Connection, etc. And while the movie did offer some thrilling mountainside action sequences, it was for the most part a campy, rompous, over-the-top affair with crazy numbers of one-dimensional characters, funky 70s settings (complete with a desert training run in jeans & long-sleeve shirt), and enough one-liners (some OK, some putrid) to fill 20 movies. It was very much like a Roger Moore James Bond-which isn't always terrible, as long as you're not filling your DVD shelves with it. So, if you guys are looking for a movie to see that is an enjoyable way to pass time and that your wife won't mind missing, this may be the ticket.

I Hope I've Not Just Taken a First Step into a Bigger World

I just posted a "reply" on a Yahoo! message board. Usually so full of vitrol & hate & perjoratives I cannot even stand to read the subject lines, I have a policy of not ever, ever opening one that is directly political. Too much danger of getting sucked in and actually caring about the words of someone who may or may not even mean what they say, and is using, perhaps, the most cowardly forum ever known to humankind in which to have a "voice."

That said, I took my first post pretty seriously. hylton44 is pretty much my thing, so if I was ever "Googled" or researched in a smear campaign, it probably wouldn't be too hard to put all the pieces together. The subject was actually one of WalMart vs. the other "big boxes" in consumer electronics for the upcoming holiday season. Very, very interesting to you-I'm sure. But it was an article for which I had both a professional and person (personal being my hatred of WalMart). I checked the message board since there were only 20 posts, and I wanted to see what the general vibe of the discussion was. Pleasantly genial and, for the most part, WalMart haters. The only two "dissidents" were two people that were using the ol' "I go where I get the best deal." One guy, in two separate posts, made two patently false statements (one, about Best Buy and Circuit City employees getting commission and both of them marking up products 30%-40%) that, weird to say, compelled me to answer and refute (genially, also, I hope).

I did add this tidbit at the end, however; which I like so much I may recall for future use...

For those really interested in saving that extra 1%, consider the extra money you contribute to subsidize public health assistance for their 50,000 some-odd workers in your state.

Inexplicable Motivation

I've been really motivated to get down into the studio & record for the past week or so. It's great while it lasts, but motivation to do this (or running, or anything else) is a bit confounding in general. Is it just a feeling of "OK, I've had enough of this lollygagging" or what?

Anyway, I've been down there, and I am currently well on my way for the 4th song from the upcoming "The Secret of HIM."

song #1: 100% done, except for final mix
song #2: 95% done
song #3: 80% done. Possibly more done, but I have some hard decisions & possible re-work on some vocals
song #4: 50% done. Everything except some original drum pattern programming has been done in the past three days, so I'm cutting a pretty good pace.

So far, so good. I'm really excited about the direction of the new album. I promise the "most Dan-like" collection of music you will have ever heard. Rock, and maybe a little "poppier" & catchier than Camden Garden. Explore as I might & be inspired by different genres as I might be, rock is really rooted deep in my soul. When I write songs, they simply go in the direction of progressive/alternative rock, and I'm not sure I'll ever do much sustained work (original, anyway) in another style of music. Hopefully, though, the influences of these other styles are in there and will shine through in their own way.

You Went WHERE????

Wisconsin. It was Sharon's & my first night away from Lucy; a belated anniversary celebration. We wanted a spot within an hour or two, and a way to enjoy fall colors,. We ended up deciding to head to Hudson, Wisconsin (right across the St. Croix River, about 40 minutes from home), and had ourselves a nice little time. Hudson was a quaint little river town, but (like all quaint communities within arm's reach of Twin Cities commuters) is struggling with the influx of new disgusting subdivisions and expansive, culturally-bankrupt homes. The heart of the city, though, includes a beautiful riverfront and business district, where we stopped first.

We had sandwiches & coffee at a coffee shop. Coffee shops are a part of most of our visits to a new town. The vibe in such places is pretty consistent throughout the places we travel, and this was no different. There was a display of "protest art" painted by Hudson High Schoolers. Some were quite good, and some were quite funny. There was one that reminded me of 3rd prize in the Springfield Art Competition in the "Marge Painting" Simpson's episode; the one where there was a smokestack sending pollution into the air & a unicorn with tears in its eyes and a thought balloon with the word, "Why?" It had two guys shaking hands to conclude the purchase of an SUV with a starving African child superimposed in parking lot next to them. Again-kind of funny in it's insubtledy. Anyway, nice lunch.

Next we headed off for the main activity of the day, which was a fall color bike tour, doing a loop that took us off into the country-amazing rolling hills of the "driftless region" there-down pretty much to River Falls and back on byways and country roads. Wonderful day of biking. 60-70 degrees & sunny & fall colors were definitely at their peak.

We also had about the best meal at a restaurant that night that I can ever recall. Not much else to say about that.

Rumination: T.V. Land is my addiction on vacation. Cable-less at home, it's a total fixation for me when traveling (though, not something I've been able to indulge much since Lucy's been around). My entire understanding of SportsCenter, for instance, is based on what I've experienced on vacations, but T.V. Land, is where I always end up. Saw an episode of Three's Company Saturday night that involved the cast getting into a misunderstanding of some sort.