Amen Brother

Days of Summer

Being extremely busy at work is a new thing for me. Though I wasn't bored before now I find that time goes by very fast. Sad as it may be my day consists of four trips to the water dispenser, two trips to the bathroom, one trip for lunch and occasionally I'll remember to get up and stretch... It makes for a shorter day but I do miss being able to surf the internet as much as I used to.

So, as the summer comes to a close Karen and I have found that we've done a little more this summer than last - most plans were attended to and we managed to sneak in some that weren't on our radar. We wished that we would have ridden our bikes to dinner and to the park for the concert series a little more but we're still trying to squeeze in a camping trip before the temp starts to go south. We seem to be a gatherer of REI goodies inspite of the fact that we never get around to using thme all that much.

On the home front my niece and newphew have gone back to Colorado and they're now embroiled in school each with their own new challenges and headaches. Even though I didn't get to spend that much time with my niece I was really blessed to have been able to get closer to my nephew Kyle. We spent most of the summer hanging out, playing video games and stoking a new love he developed for the martial arts. I got my nephew hooked on Limalama and being able to share that with him was a great experience for me. In spite of the fact that he'll have to wait for vacations to continue his training we are going to enroll him in Ninjutsu when he gets back home so he can continue to get used to training on a regular basis and developing his skills.

So, another season waits to move on and usher in the next cycle. Time to change out clothing, bedding and get ready for the mild California Fall/Winter season. My snowboard is beginning to stir in its bag in the garage and I can't wait for a little rain...

YouTube

I am obsessed.

Aside from the unending martial arts clips there are some truly hilarious video clips available... Some of my favorite YouTube searches are:

Dave Chapelle
Lord of the Rings
South Park
Swim TV
Apple Switch

Wreck of the Day

It's not our usual thing to stay out late on a school night - but once in a while we make exceptions... Last night, some friends from work, my nephew and Karen and I got in our respective vehicles and ventured up into Los Angeles to see Anna Nalick play at The Grove. There were two things that motivated this pilgrimage, the first being it was free and second was that we would have the opportunity to meet her afterwards.



The concert portion of the night was short and sweet but for fans of musicians it was nice. All her greatest hits in a row - no commercial interruption - thank you very much. Anna played about 7 numbers and then she ran off to Barnes and Noble to host her autograph signing session.



We took the opportunity in between to have some dinner together. We had some great Italian food at La Piazza and spent the time getting to know each other better. My friend Shailesh had brought his wife, whom I had never met before and all my co-workers got to meet Karen and Kyle for the first time. Though the restaurant had good food the only issue we had was that it was too loud for meaningful conversation. It made things difficult but we managed to get through it all.



So Kyle and Cindy got Anna's autograph and got to meet her in person. By looking at her its hard to imagine her voice coming from such a tiny frame but I can vouch for her - she can sing a song like nobody's business. We wished her well and headed off to look for some dessert. All in all (except for the traffic) we had a smashing time and it was nice to break up our middle of the week routine. I had a great time and I was glad that I could spend some time with Karen seeing how she's usually running the late wednesday night crop at the Oasis.



If you get a chance to enjoy The Grove's free concert series for the remainder of the summer we highly recommend going. Its not everywhere you get to see relevant musicians for free...

Where does the time go?

Karen and I spent Saturday running around California. My cousin Mark got married in the afternoon and because my 20 year High School Reunion was that night we had to leave the party early and miss the reception... Though we were bummed about missing the great food and spending time with family and friends, we made our way back down to the Club House so I could spend time with people I haven't seen in a decade and in some cases two...

In spite of the fact we spent a lot of time in the car we had fun at both the wedding and my reunion. Most of the people I wanted to see showed up for the reunion which made it worthwhile. It was great to reminisce and tell old stories, find out what everyone has been up to and to see how people have changed and grown. Some of the people I wanted to see weren't able to make it to the reunion (Jeff Boone - you out there?), but now I have contact information so I may be sending some e-mails here and there.

After the night was over I couldn't believe that its been so long since High School. The biggest surprise of which is I'm really beginning to realize that I'm officially one of those "old people" that I saw everywhere when I was in my 20s - now that's a laugh. I guess you never really understand the other side of the fence until you're there. I don't necessarily feel that old but I have to admit that my mortality is taking on a new dimension... Seems that I have something new to contemplate...