Like Robert Goulet on my Stereo!

For a while now I've been telling everyone who will listen how amazing Robert Goulet's Wonderful World of Christmas album is. I even put it in a song for heaven's sake. For those of you whose eardrums have not been tickled by this excellent music, I give you a small sampling after the break:

Strung Out - Matchbook - Best post break-up song for young dudes ever?

I think most people would agree that mixing all the growing pains of youth and young adulthood with romantic relationships is a recipe for some pretty strong and emotional heartache. With that in mind, I present you with the best post-break-up-song-for-young-dudes ever. This song was a favorite of mine for years, and still strikes a chord. The .mp3 version below doesn't quite do the sublimely aggressive yet melodic guitar tone justice, but you'll get the idea.

Find more artists like STRUNG OUT at Myspace Music

Matchbook
by Strung Out (lyrics by Jason Cruz)

I can see it in your eyes
I can hear it in your voice
the signs are obvious
that all we had has run its course
and I don't mind giving up the upper hand
in this little charade
cause I've spent too many nights here on the floor
waiting for something inside you to change

Don't look back in anger now is all that you can see
cause angers all I got to keep me warm when you're away
and I know that this is nothing new
but tonight it's all I know
disconnect myself from your memory
and never feel anything at all
to justify with all your words
don't mean anything to me
cause I've cut you off

So here we stand and face each other
we've got nothing to say
a flashback to another time
when silence was a welcomed friend
now I'm sorry I can never really say
all the things going on inside my head
silence is a justified expression of my war
now nothings like it was before

Don't look back in anger now is all that you can see
cause angers all I got to keep me warm when you're away
and all your words and all your actions
don't mean anything to me
cause I've cut you off

Don't look back at anger
Don't look back at anger
Don't look back at anger
It's just a memory

It's easy to forget your face
and it's easy to survive in this place
without you, without you
I just comb my hair and wash my face
keep straight ahead and keep my pace
just think about nothing, I might never be alright
well I got my friends, I got my pen
got a million distractions to keep me warm
and I know that I'll be alright, that I'll be alright

Dustin Kensrue | Sufjan Stevens

These songs were a big inspiration to starting Herod the Fink last year.

Random Christmasness

> This year, I've learned that if you focus on protecting your precious time, you end up with a lot of empty hours. If you try to find a way to good things and stretch yourself, time issues have a way of working themselves out.

> Natalie and I have went to Hale Center Theater's production of "A Christmas Carol" on Saturday. I had forgotten how beautiful the language is, and what a poignant message of Christ is within. It is amazing how often this classic story is redone (or butchered as the case may be) and how in almost every case Christ is removed altogether. Give me the original or give me nothing. A Muppet Christmas Carol might be my lone exception, but even that version uses lots of passages from the original text.

> I have been amazed at the response at our living room shows. It has been so much fun to share this music with so many people, and to realize that the world is full of really good souls.

> Growing up, I knew the right "Sunday school" answers as to why Christmas is special, but is has only been much more recently that it has really sunken in. The Creator of the world condescended into the humblest circumstances in order to allow his Father's most prize creation (us) to reach our full potential. He came into a world that was lost, and claimed victory for all who would follow him. I can't put it any better than Dustin Kensrue in his song "This is War."

This is War
by Dustin Kensrue

This is war like you ain't seen.
This winter's long, it's cold and mean.
Where hang dark hearts which stood condemned,
But the tide turns now at Bethlehem.

This is war and born tonight,
The Word is flesh, the Lord of Light,
The Son of God, the low-born king;
Who demons fear, of whom angels sing.

This is war on sin and death;
The dark will take it's final breath.
It shakes the earth, confounds all plans;
The mystery of God as man.

We Want to Play Your Living Room

So the Christmas season is officially upon us. I understand that there is a large segment of strictly "only after Thanksgiving" people, and that's okay but the fact is that the big day is just around the corner. Herod the Fink is looking to book a few more house shows this holiday season. We will come and play an acoustic set for free. All we ask for is a few friends, some egg nog or hot chocolate, and a few claps after songs. If you are curious what this show will look/sound like we've recorded some video:







We put together a list of dates that we would be available for said shows.

NOV: 22, 29, 30

DEC: 2, 6, 10, 18, 20, 21

To book a show, you can either email me directly or use the contact form on our website.

Randomizations

• I've been thinking about doing a "life lessons from solitaire" post.
• Abby makes us laugh out loud multiple times a day. I am so lucky to have the family I do.
• I had a lot of fun coaching a co-ed middle school aged soccer team this fall. We did pretty well, and I gained a much greater appreciation for coaches.
• Construction is driving me batty. 7800 South has been torn up since the beginning of summer. I've heard from a reliable source that the sewer pipe they just finished installing was an experimental material and it failed so they are digging it all up and replacing it. Awesome. I feel like a lab rat every time I head home. UDOT is watching to see how creative I can be when finding cheese home.
• I'm sad that County Cup did not happen again, but if you really don't have the time and means then you just don't have it. Sorry guys.
• Real Salt Lake are a really fun team to watch. Every time I leave a game, I think how incredible it is that we have a team, a stadium, and that they are both excellent.
• I've had a handful of people ask, and yes, Herod the Fink is looking to play some shows in November and December. Our set will probably run from 45 minutes to an hour. We will just play acoustic so it won't be terribly loud. We are thinking "living room" type shows. Low lights, some egg nog, some fun original Christmas tunes, with some covers thrown in. Contact me if you want to set one up.

HTF Tracking Done

So we wrapped up the tracking for the new Herod the Fink album this weekend. We pulled an all-nighter Friday, worked most of Saturday, and finished up the vocal tracks on Sunday evening. I had hoped to get 10 songs finished, but rather than sacrifice quality we will release 8 original songs that we are really happy with. We are shooting to have the finished albums in our hands the first week of November.

Just Because

Sometimes you don't need a good reason to make an awkward dance animated gif.

Classic Classics

So I want to listen to some classical at work from time to time. Any suggestions?

Getting with the times

So Jason and I have once again caught the fever, and Herod the Fink is running at full steam. We have two more recording sessions then lots of mixing and mastering for what will turn out to be a 8 or 9 song album. We are getting very excited to share these songs with the world.

We have also finally constructed a website and a blog. Jason posted on the website that we hope to "tour," which of course means playing a few street corners, coffee shops, and or living rooms in the next 3 months in hopes of sharing these songs with a few people besides our nearest and dearest.

He has ordered a pretty amazing percussion instrument all the way from Australia. It is a Rockbox brand cajon hand drum and it sounds amazing. Get the bongo sounds out of your head right now, because it is not at all what it sounds like. Think rock and roll drums. This box has a snare mechanism as well as a deep "kick" drum sound. Listen to one in action here. We are going to have a lot of fun playing these songs, and I can't wait to see how full we can make our little duo sound.

Psyched Out of My Mind About

I really don't get to use that phrase enough. Lately, I have been way into Jeff Buckley's cover of this Leonard Cohen song so I thought I'd share.

That's What Friends Are For

My good friend and former band-mate brought to my attention the hypocrisy found in yesterday's post. I was on one hand trying to promote discussion while on the other hand I was taking jabs at a certain point of view.


I admit, that I was taken back a bit my Mr. Luhn's comment on my previous intelligent design post. It seemed weird to me that he was searching around the internet trying to find any reference to a movie that shows certain ideas are being suppressed in the scientific community. To me, his actions were only strengthening the points made in the "Expelled" movie.

Dusty, I stand corrected. I really appreciate your feedback, concern, and input. You are a good friend, and I'm glad you called me out about it. I should have held off actually publishing until I had a chance to really read through it again. I felt kind of uneasy about it all day yesterday worrying that my words would not come across as intended.

Reading back through my post, it kind of morphs from trying to promote discussion and being open minded to being argumentative and snarky. There was an attempt at humor thrown in there, but I don't think it came across as intended.

The term "believe in Science" is linked to the Nacho Libre scene on YouTube. I was trying to lighten the mood a little, but it definitely comes across as a jab. I don't know why I even write about stuff like this. I think I miss my philosophy classes.

I feel that all of these big ideas are not mutually exclusive, which is why it should make for great thought-provoking discussion. I apologize that my words were counter productive to their actual intent.


I really don't want to make this blog a place of argement. It should be a creative outlet with perhaps some thought provoking discussion here and there. It should also be funny when intended, and yesterday's attempt at humor failed because it was mixed in with an argumentative voice. I thought about going back and editing the post, but I think it is best left as a reminder to me of what this blog should not be.

Intelligent Design Part II

This is really great. Thanks for the interesting feedback on my previous post. I love hearing honest and open discussion about this stuff. Even Robert Luhn from the NCSE thought it was worth his time to post a comment on my highly influential blog with a world wide readership of 10. Robert, feel free to chime in more on this topic, I'm interested in what you personally have to say more than what the anti-Ben Stein documentary has to say.

Yeah, I guess my issue with it is that there seems to be all this heated opposition to the possibility that there was a designer to account for the design. Is it really so bad to say, "we don't have all of the answers. Something like this is a possibility."

Robert Luhn mentioned in his comment that "While there are some scientists who simply dismiss ID out of hand, there are many many many more scientists who can tell you precisely why creationism/ID don't hold water." Wow, THREE "many's," Robert must really really really believe in science. These things happened millions of years ago, can you really prove to me that there is no POSSIBILITY of a creator/designer? Lawyers couldn't prove to a jury that O.J. Simpson killed his wife, despite the fact that everybody on Earth was 99% sure he did.

It seems that either way it comes down to faith. On one side, you have faith that a creator, designer, or even "alien" if you want to call it that is responsible for known creation. On the other side, you have faith that known creation came about completely spontaneously.

You really can't prove either. One side certainly seems more logical to me. I could read a million books about how spontaneous creation occurred would not be convinced because, according to my logic, known creation would not currently function according to laws that were not followed during its inception.

As in all things in life, it is up to us what we put our faith in. We should think, study, discuss, form opinions, and make judgments for ourselves independently. We shouldn't be afraid to state our opinions. We also shouldn't repress other people's opinions.

Is It Really Too Much to Ask?

All we want to do is make a classic, timeless holiday album. How hard could it be? I think I'm starting to side with the majority who think we're crazy for making such an attempt. There's a good chance it will just fall on it's face, but we'll be sure to make it fall with grace. Ooo, I like it. I actually might use that line in a song. Anyway, the songs are progressing and I hope in the end they come across sincerely.

I thought it might be interesting to attach the song notes Jason and I put together for our next session. I don't think it gives too much away.

Intelligent Design

I watched an interesting documentary last night called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. It tackles a lot of the things that really bother me when it comes to the intelligent design debate. One of the most interesting parts of the film is the interview above featuring Dawkins, a leading evolutionary biologist and Ben Stein.

Something else that really struck me is the animosity that some scholars and scientists have towards the idea of intelligent design. They don't actually attack the actual idea that someone or something put all of this into motion. The don't even argue against it, they just repeatedly call it "idiotic" or "ignorant."

I am not in any way a scientist, but this fact does not keep me from thinking or forming my own opion. In my limited experience, one thing has always been true: that nothing comes from nothing. The very fact that we exist stems from two basic ideas. Either something put everything in motion or nothing put nothing in motion and it happened anyway. I'll leave that argument up to logic.

I couldn't help but be reminded of times on my mission when I defended the doctrines and beliefs of the LDS church. Sometimes the more reasonable and rational my answers were, the more unreasonable and irrational the responses became. The behavior in my estimation comes from insecurity. If you are secure in your thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and endeavors, you will welcome discussion, debate,  and exploration of other ideas, thoughts and beliefs.

I like to think. I like to think about big ideas. I don't like being called names for thinking something different than the current trend. I'm not trying to bash Darwin. I think it's time to start thinking about him like we have other brilliant scientific minds, that he made valuable contributions that helped us gain a better understanding of the bigger picture. The fact that we've expanded on, further developed, and sometimes cast doubt on or disproved theories of scientists such as such as Galileo, Newton, and Einstien does not in anyway diminish their legacy or value.

Still Life Flags

We had a military-themed family reunion on Natalie's side in July. To raise money for the campsite fees, there is a craft fair among other things. I contributed this patriotic still life.

Abby 2.0 + Blog Theory

I received a gentle reminder today from mi amigo Jeremy that I hadn't blogged in a long time. I had planned on posting this video I made for Abby's 2nd birthday, and I decided now would be a good time.

Lately, I just get the feeling that blogs for a lot of people are "so last year." Facebook seems to have overtaken blogging lately. I'm not complaining, I enjoy Facebook. It is an interesting way to keep tabs on friends and acquaintances from pretty much any period of life you could imagine. It just seems to be a little more superficial. Blogging has a tendency to draw a little more depth from the poster and the reader/commenter. 

For me, blogging has become a bit of a conundrum. I like love being creative. There are no less than 10 creative activities on my mental wish list at any one time, and while I enjoy writing it doesn't come as naturally as some other things.

In my mind, writing takes away from music/painting time. I'm sure that is not exactly the case. My blog can be a means of sharing such creative activities. Rather than hindering them, it could be an added motivation to complete said projects. In summation, I will attempt to blog meaningfully more often.

Holiday Inspiration...

It's tough to write holiday lyrics in July I am finding. That's where you my beloved family and friends come in. I need some lyrics inspiration. Please post a favorite Christmas story or tradition in the comments. I will give you a digital hug if you do.

BIG BRANDS

• With all the upheaval in college sports conferences this week, I've come to further realizations of the awful branding involved here.
• "We need a name for our conference, and we want it to sound important."
• "I've got it, THE BIG CONFERENCE!"
• "Oooooh, I love it, but we need to differentiate ourselves from the 9 other conferences also using BIG in their names."
• "Oh, oh, I've got it, we add a '12' for the twelve teams in our conference."
• "That's why we pay you the big bucks, Simmons you are a genius."
• "Excuse me, but don't schools sometimes switch conferences, thus throwing off our numbers and brand."
• "Switch from the BIG 12 CONFERENCE, ha! Simmons, fire that intern."

That's right, from what I understand, the BIG 12 now has 10 schools and the BIG 10 now has 12 schools. I propose a straight logo swap between the two parties involved.


Notice how the Big Ten handled the fact that they've had eleven schools for the last few years. It's like the visual puzzle with the old lady's face or the young lady in a fancy dress. Depending on whether you are a traditionalist or a stickler on facts, you will see what you want. Makes me wonder if the big twelve will drop the two II's from the Roman backround of their mark.

Incidentally, I'm thinking of starting a college conference called the BIGGEST INFINITY CONFERENCE.

In 24 Hours

I will be in the midst of watching the US vs. England. I'm not really excited. Not at all.

Song for Millie

Brady is a good friend who I have known since my high school days when we thought we we're 80's skaters (it was the late 1990's). Anyway, he and his lovely wife Amanda have a beautiful young daughter named Millie who is currently battling leukemia. I had been wanting to do something special for their family, and had toyed with the idea of recording a song for her. A few weeks ago, when Amanda posted this request for letters and well wishes, I knew I needed to act. I contacted Amanda for some inspiration for lyrics and sat down with a couple of rough ideas in my head. It probably sounds cliche to say that the words and music poured out of me, but that's really how it felt. I tried to think of the message I would want Abby to hear if she were in the same situation. It was a truly unique and humbling experience. I recorded it at my house with minimal equipment and some great help with back up vocals and claps from Natalie. You can listen to the song here. (Lyrics after the break.)

Trinidad and Tobago Take City Cup 2010

Another City Cup has come and gone, and everyone at this house is completely exhausted. It was so great to see so many good friends in one place. Unfortunately, I was constantly running (literally) to  one place or another so my conversations tended to be very brief.

This year The champion came from the 8th seed of the knockout stages. Brothers Garrett and Grant Davis, and Jeff Petty formed the red clad Trinidad and Tobago. Like Italy in the 2006 Wold Cup, they seemed to find better and better form as the tournament progressed.

Having lost their first two games, they were not expected to advance past the first knockout game vs. the heavily favored #1 seed Greenland United who were led by the goal scoring wizard Scott Riddle. T & T shocked everyone, dominating the game from the opening whistle. They powered through a tough fought semi-final match verses the talented (and good looking) Amish Country Football Club. In the final, they faced The All Blacks who had advanced thanks to a controversial but correct (sorry Chad, John, and Jayden) decision on the game winning goal.

Old School Crew

Today, I created a new blog header for postfontaine. I think my favorite is the Imogen Heap guy. I would love to see a tough guy in a denim jacket sporting a giant Imogen Heap patch.

The Cup

Let the trash talking begin...

Good Ol' Denim Jacket

Just Rolling With It

As I was perusing the Mother's Day section in the card aisle at Macey's tonight (only the best for my wife and my mom) I was once again amused by cheesy aesthetic of every Mother's Day card on display. It was as if each design had been through several rounds of modification to ensure it had obtained a sufficient cheese level. I decided in this special holiday post, I would just roll with the established aesthetic. With no further adieu, I give you a creative writing project (poem?) where each line begins with the letters of my wife's name spelled from top to bottom.

N is for neat because you are in every sense of the word.
A is for accomplish because you always finish what you start.
T is for temper, because I know you must have one. I just haven't seen it yet.
A is for I already told you what "a" stands for and I don't want to be redundant.
L is for laughter because love is a given.
I is for me because you take care of this being in every person, tense, or application.
E is for everything else I ever have or ever will thank you for (which is a lot.)

A note to the reader: In order for this to be a true Mother's Day post, I must ensure that this selection meets the required cheese standards. Please inform me if I need to ramp up the cheesy goodness to KRAFT macaroni levels.

Stuff I Admire About Dad

• I have to think hard to remember a time I heard him complain about anything.
• When he had the chance to move to Samoa, he took it. (Despite having a very young family of five.)
• He made sure we had a boat so we could have something we could do together as a family.
• He can quote large portions of Joseph Smith history and certain sections of D&C.
• He is a walking encyclopedia with extensive sections in (transmissions, cars, gospel, church history, general wisdom, morals, family management.)
• He followed the personal revelation that he should serve a mission despite not being an active member of the church in his youth.
• He was a powerful, effective, compassionate, and forward-thinking missionary.
• No matter how big or small, he has always risen to the occasion and magnified his church calling.
• He is a great leader.
• He grew up in Southern California in the 1950's. (Okay, maybe this one is more envy than admire.)
• He is his kids and grand kids' biggest fan.
• He is amazing with Abby, it is so fun to watch them interact.
• He always makes a big deal out of his kids' birthdays.
• I've learned from experience that he will always be MUCH stronger than I am.
• He always has time to help, or listen, or just relax together.

Happy Birthday Dad! You are the best.

Somebody is Excited for the Home Opener

used tv's

Diva

We were treated to a lovely rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" this morning, sung by Abby. Apparently she learned it at Blanca's house because we haven't taught it to her. The only bad part she will probably be too shy to perform it to anyone besides Natalie and me, so you'll just have to take our word for it. It is pretty amazing.

Cash and Rubin

I came across the last batch of Johnny Cash songs produced by Rick Rubin here. I'm only 3 songs into it, but I'm already blown away. The fact that the songs on this release generally deal with death is made even more poingnant by how close Cash was to the end of his life when he recorded them.

3 Games That Changed My Life

The votes came in, and this was the clear winner. As most of you know, I have loved soccer since I was quite young. This love reached new levels as a result of watching 3 soccer matches in my life.

Preface: Soccer has had its ups and downs through the years and I was born during a down time. The US had not been to a world cup in decades. The top level soccer league (NASL) had just folded, and generally soccer was ignored in this country as a serious sport. It was something for boys to play until they were old enough to wear tights, protective pads, and a helmet so they could play throwball. Soccer coverage was non-existant, but I was able to get a pretty decent rundown on World Cup and English Football history through VHS cassettes we ordered from a catalog. I saw Pele score two goals in the 1958 World Cup Final as a 17 year old. I saw Maradona dribble through the essentially entire English team and score probably the greatest goal of all time in a 1986 World Cup semi-final. I saw the brilliant George Best in his greatest moments for Manchester United in the 1960's.

GAME 1. USA vs. GERMANY (US Cup - June 6, 1993) I happened upon this game while it was in progress with the US losing 1-0 in the first half. I was blown away first of all that soccer was on national TV. I had never seen that before, and it was incredible to me. The USA had a team, and we were playing against a country with the second richest soccer history (next to Brazil.) The Germans clearly had more talent, but the US team was relentless and opportunistic. They pulled the game level on a nice sequence before seeing the Germans pull ahead 4-3 on the strength of a hat-trick from Riedle. The US clawed their way back into the match with goals from the speedy Ernie Stewart and the aged Thomas Dooley. They actually made quite a game of it. I came away a proud fan of the US Men's National Team. (The highlights are on youtube here.)

GAME 2. MANCHESTER UNITED vs. BARCELONA (Champions League - October 19, 1994) I still remember moments from this game nearly 15 years after watching it. My brother James borrowed a tape of this match from his best friend Chad, and we watched it together. The atmosphere and pace of the game were beyond what I had ever seen (including World Cup matches). I became an instant fan of Manchester United and I was mesmerized by their stadium, Old Trafford. The game featured two unbelievably talented sides. Romario (of Brazil) and Stoitchkov (of Bulgaria) had been stars in the 1994 World Cup. They led the attack for Barcelona and proved to be a handful for United. The Red Devils on the other hand had great players, but were very much a team. They worked extremely hard on and off the ball and were unselfish and creative. The roller coaster of a game ended in a hard fought and well desered 2-2 draw with the equalizer coming from the heel of the supremely talented United winger, Lee Sharpe. (See the moment of utter brilliance here.)

GAME 3 REAL SALT LAKE vs COLORADO RAPIDS (MLS - April 2005) Sure, the season may have been a bit of a disaster from a competitive standpoint, but the first home game in franchise history was truly magical. Seeing thousands upon thousands of people decked out in red RSL gear with faces painted, flags, drums, and the like. What's more, James had organized a huge group of friends and family to all buy tickets together. It was amazing to realize how many people in Utah share my passion for the game. I will never forget seeing Brian Dunseth dive and head home the winner. The place went crazy and I think I started dancing uncontrollably. (You can see the goal in this highlights video. It is the second goal on the video and it also shows the great crowd on hand that day. It still gives me chills to watch.

"Change my life" may seem to be a bit of an overstatement, but I can honestly say that these three matches have left a lasting impression on me. The ups and downs of being a fan are pretty incredible. It's fun to see an organization push for excellence and respect and in some cases perfection. Manchester United's unbelievable treble in 1999 (EPL, Champions League, and FA Cup Champions), USA's incredible run in the 2002 World Cup (though I experienced it in 2003 when I returned from my mission), and RSL's seemingly impossible capture of the 2009 MLS Cup (in person) were made sweet in contrast to the disappointments I had experienced through the years with these teams.

Posers

(This doesn't count as my next post, just my next picture.)

You Decide

So it has been months since I've really written anything interesting, so I thought I would give you my faithful readers a chance to choose the next post topic.

"3 Games That Changed My Life"

OR

"Why Music? Why Christmas?"

Let me know in the comments which blog you would like me to write next. Hopefully this little experiment will inspire me to start writing a little more consistently.

Track of the Day

So we posted our latest Herod the Fink track to an online review site, and we were awarded with the track of the day today. I don't really know what it means other than the track being featured on the rock/pop page. It is fun to get some outside feedback though.

Old Friend

Listening to a favorite album from my high school years. Man, it feels like I'm catching up with an old friend.

At the Movies

Nerdiest Band Photo Ever

We only got one photo of our performance at the Herod the Fink CD release party in December, and I realized we had captured the nerdiest band photo ever taken. Keep in mind, it was also a Christmas sweater party before you judge us too harshly.

Facts Humans Love to Divulge

This is more of an observation than anything. Certain facts (I assume they are facts because they have been divulged so much to me) just seem to be really popular to share, and I wonder if I'm alone in this line of thought. My prime example is the fact that "a dogs mouth is actually cleaner than a humans. In fact if you get a cut, you should have a dog lick it off." I have heard one or both of these companion statements somewhere in the neighborhood of 143 times.

Yesterday, a co-worker informed me about a friend of hers who tried to stop a couple of dogs from fighting and received a minor bite from one of them on his thumb. The bite became infected and he ended up need to have a portion of his thumb amputated! That seemed to contradict the clean mouth theory I had heard so often.

Anyhow, my point in this post was to discover other facts (or "facts" as the case may be) that you've noticed people around you including perfect strangers are willing to share. In fact, did you know that (insert number between 1 and 99) percent of statistics are made up?

Really Growing Up

I swear she looks older every day when I get home from work. It's kind of scary how fast it's happening.

MLS CUP 2009

At Pioneer Square before the march to the match.

Oh heck yes.

Die hard fans / friends.

Brothers who are really happy.

This doesn't really do the march justice. It was amazing.

Sharing pregame festivities with Coach Kreis at Pikes Market prior to the match. If you notice, I'm telling Kries to have Robbie Russell kick 7th if it goes to penalties. I don't really want to take all the credit here, but I'd like to think I contributed to the victory.

The Kid Cracks us Up

I realize the lack of Abby posts over the last few months. I apologize. She is growing up so fast, and I don't have time to fully document at the moment. I do have time to briefly address her fun personality. She makes us laugh out loud every day without exception. Here are some examples.

1. She is very cute when she is looking for something. When she tries to find something on the floor, she will bend over so far that the top of her head is resting on the ground as she searches. Sometimes, by looking between her legs, she will then notice us on the other side of the room and chuckle to herself.

2. Natalie just bought a jump rope, and Abby has decided it is her microphone. She drags it around with her with the handle to her mouth and the cable dragging behind, "shuush, shuu, shuush, shush..."

3. She loves when we bless the food (and makes sure we do it even at restaurants.) Sometimes she will whisper some syllables. She loves the ending the most. She used to say "menmen" or something like it, but now "done" is the preferred ending word.

4. She helps conduct the music at church. She is very serious and deliberate in her motions.

5. She can already carry a tune. She has the ability to match a note we are singing, and sometimes even mimic a string of notes. I am a proud papa for sure.

I'm Just Going to Say It...

Scouts is so weird! Example: If you're at a scout meeting and they tell you there's a "Cracker Barrel in the multipurpose room," it means there's doughnuts or some other type of refreshments in that room. Why wouldn't you just say that?

Desperate Husbands Chorus

I'm writing a song for next year's Christmas album called Desperate Husbands Chorus. It is about last minute gift shopping for your spouse. Should be good times.

Stonehenge Revealed

Resolution

I'm not going to make a resolution to blog a certain amount per week or month. It has been a while, and I haven't really written much of interest for a couple of months. I haven't lost interest in blogging, I've just been more interested in getting other things done. My creative endeavor time recently has been dominated by making Christmas music, painting, freelance work, and cover band stuff. I do like the idea of being a guy who gets things done, and hopefully soon I can balance everything out to the point that I can get back to blogging a bit more consistently. After all, it is in fact another thing that I can "get done." My resolution for 2010 is simple: be a man of action, not a man of intentions.