If I was half the man my wife is...

As you will remember from a couple of weeks ago, this is my wife shooting a big ol' manly rifle...
And, here is my wife driving a big ol' manly truck...

As for me, I play my little tooty thingies...

And make stuff out of shiny bits of metal...

Weird, eh? I guess "normal" really is just a setting on the dryer. My father-in-law is a very patient man. He wanted a son-in-law... he got me. I don't golf. I don't watch sports. And, I knit. I think he likes me in spite of it all, but sometimes ya gotta wonder.

What a weird life. :-D

To gig, or not to gig?

So, here's a question for all 2.37 of you that read this thing... Is my music the sort of thing that you'd go out to hear?

Lemmie 'splain. I started to play in coffeehouses last March, and since then I've noticed one trend: nobody shows up. :-D No - that's not totally true. But even the owners of the places have noted that it seems REALLY empty on nights that I play. So, this begs the question - is the type of music I play live the sort of thing that people will take an evening out of their busy lives to come and hear?

My show schedule is getting light again, and I'm just wondering if it's worth the time and effort to fill it up again. Or, should I concentrate on other things. Coffeehouses don't pay to have an artist appear - revenue comes from tips and selling merch - CDs, etc. And, although everything in life isn't about the money, it is a factor.

Or, do I just need to do some major marketing, and give this thing a real go? I'm just not sure if the type of folks who would listen to my music are the type of folks who would come out and hear it at a coffeehouse.

So, anybody want to weigh in on this one? :-D

Why you should NEVER mess with Vicki...

Let's see... what quotes should I do here?
"Say hello to my little friend..."
"Hasta la vista, reptile..."
"It's an 88 magnum - it shoots through schools..."
"Be afraid... be very afraid..."
"Goodbye, Mr. Anderson..."
"'How was that?' 'Not bad.' 'For a girl' 'For a girl?? That was not bad for RAMBO.'"
"First you put your two knees close up tight..."
(oops - that last one was from later in the evening, whilst watching Haunted Honeymoon)

Thanks, Dan and all the IS folks - a fun time was had by all. And no, I'm NOT going to buy Vicki a rifle. She's WAAAAAAY too good with it.

First ride, first fall...

The Anla'shok came home today. It was here last week, we worked on assembling it Friday and Saturday, decided it had a couple of issues that needed professional help, took it to Freewheeler on Monday, and it came home today. Vicki rode it home, and she did a fine job even though it was kind of like watching a 3 year old trying to ride dad's bike.

She went back to work, I adjusted the seat a bit, and took it to the end of the block and back. Oi. I thought I knew how to ride a recumbent, but this bike is very VERY different. Not in a bad way - just different.

Then, coming back to the house and up the driveway, I answered the question of when the first crash would be. :-D Fortunately, it was on the grass, and the bike didn't seem to get any damage. Took me a while to figure out how to get up off the ground, but there we are.

And yes, I did get back up on it and try it again. If you fall of the horse, and need a forklift to get back up, get on the bike again before the horse poops on you. Or something like that. Almost ditched it the second time, but I managed to stick the dismount.

Opinion? There's a learning curve, but this thing flies. :-D The guy at the bike shop said, "the steering is a little weird at first, but once you get going, this thing flies - I was going about 25 mph without much effort at all." Pretty much sums up the recumbent world - when you get going on them, they haul shell.

Pictures soon. But for now, the Anla'shok is in da house. A gift from some folks who want me to be around for many years to come. I know the snow will fly soon, but until then, I'll be hitting the trail on the new ride.

Just as long as I'm not hitting the trail... literally. *ouch*

Happy birthday, beloved...

I'll admit it - in all the fervor of celebrating Talk Like A Pirate Day, I did let something slide by. But I wanted to save it, to give it a proper place. So, here it is.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VICKI!!!! (yesterday, that is...)

So, stealing an idea from Amelia (who's blog you'll find a link to over on the right), I'm going to make a list. Now, Amelia only had to do 30, for Ked's 30th. But, without revealing Vicki's age, I think I'll go for a bit more than that... Say... Um... oh... 45. Don't have ANY idea why that number popped into my head. Really. No clue...

45 things I love about Vicki...
1) She's a true technogeek
2) She likes to fix things. LOTS of things.
3) She makes amazing grilled cheese sammys
4) Her singing voice is lovely
5) She rocks on the tympani
6) She's a good pianist too
7) Her problem solving skills are truly great
8) She has GPS DNA - if we need to get there, she'll find it
9) She loves to drive
10) Her taste in music is eclectic as mine
11) She's just as crazy as I am
12) Her laugh - which can be heard over great distances
13) Her smile, which brightens up my day
14) Her eyes, lovely green - I sometimes call her Bright Eyes
15) She gives great hugs
16) And back scratches
17) She loves God deeply
18) She serves others selflessly
19) She cares about others deeply
20) She has mad math skills
21) She is patient... very VERY patient
22) She loves dogs
23) She cries at movies
24) She loves me unconditionally
25) She will drop everything to help someone else
26) God has gifted her with a servant's heart
27) She is in this marriage for the long haul
28) She wouldn't mind being an OTR truck driver
29) She looks at me, and doesn't see my weight first
30) She's very curious
31) She makes the "monkey face"
32) She loves with her whole heart
33) She works with her whole heart
34) She lives with her whole heart
35) She always does what's right even when no one else is watching
36) She shows me what God's love looks like
37) She was (and is) a true daughter to my mom
38) She's as into quotes as I am
39) Her sense of humor - we laugh a lot around here
40) Her intuition - I always trust her instincts
41) She's beautiful - both on the outside and the inside
42) She's my #1 fan
43) In any situation, her thought is, "how can I help?"
44) She is exactly who she is - never false, never unkind, never petty or cruel
45) She's The World's Best Kisser!!!!!! (T.W.B.K)
(What, Amanda? Did you think I'd leave that one out????)

Happy birthday beloved. I love you more each day...