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The unpleasant, acrid smell of burnt poetry.
Young Men in Spats, 1936

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April 29, 2010

9:39 p.m. - Well, kiddos, we find our intrepid hero still wracked with this darn cold/allergies/whatever. Sudafed, cold medicine, voodoo - all worthless. The only thing I can do is muddle through. Quiet evening after work, thankfully. Yesterday I caught up on the various TV shows I've recorded on DVR. Justified, airing on FX, has let me down, quickly becoming the murder of the week, with just enough story arc, witty writing, and interest to keep me hanging on. Survivors on BBC is still a fascinating program, though the arc with the mysterious postcards inviting the elect few to safety is a bit thick to me. I love the new season of Doctor Who on Saturday - can't understand a blasted word those Scottish actors say but who cares? The red head girl is really hot, and in that circumstance, does the linguistic purity of her accent matter? And Lost. I've totally lost track of the details. Jennifer whips out something said in Season 2, episode 4 or a fact revealed to us in Season 4, episode 12. I can't reconcile heads or tails on who's doing what, what year they are in, who's good and who's bad. But it's fun to watch, and I like to yell at the characters on the TV screen like some old timer.

Jennifer isn't feeling too hot and has retired for the evening. Meanwhile, I continue my sneezing and sniffling act and have spent the last hour paying bills and reconciling my debt. Earlier I spent some time playing with the new Canon, learning the settings and honing my lack of mad camera skillz.

April 27, 2010

Gryffindor proudly wears his neckerchief.

Gryffindor leaps onto the table to get the remains of last night's Lo Solo Mio.

8:31 p.m. - Still down with a cold or allergies or a flu or whatever. Sneezing, sniffling, coughing, sore throat, the whole enchilada. I feel absolutely rotten at the moment. I should have gone to the Trustees meeting at OHB tonight, but I am barely up. Even took a little lie down earlier after dinner (and kept snoring myself awake), but I could go to bed right now and sleep the sleep of the just until about noon tomorrow.

Jennifer is working late tonight for some event or another, leaving me to fend for myself. I made chicken strips with the chicken breasts that were on the verge of heading south, and the house smells delightfully of deep fried things. Meanwhile, I watched a few episodes of Weeds, Season 5 and am now about to doze in the black chair.

7:16 a.m. - Blech. I hate allergy season. Sore throat. Runny and sniffly nose. Allergies with all the trimmings! Lucky me! Plus, I'm still crazy tired, having logged a mere 6 hours, 40 minutes of the dreamless last night and barely that on Sunday night. I really need a nap right now.

Meanwhile, when faced with the prospect of a piece of dry, uninteresting chicken last night for dinner, Jennifer cleverly suggested we get carry out from Lo Solo Mio. Normally I balk at having to get dressed in the evening and schlep out, but I readily leapt for my shoes last night. Had the pasta alla carbonara (again. and again.), and it was, as always, de-freakin'-licious! Left overs for lunch today! Nom!

April 25, 2010

5:38 p.m. - Saw the movie Kick Ass at Marcus Theater this afternoon. Great fun! One of our fellow movie-goers described it as "gratuitous violence," though I thought the violence was wholly necessary and thoroughly enjoyable. There is nothing like watching an 11-year old with a potty mouth that would make a Russian sailor blush shoot and kick her ass through a room full of gangsters! Nicholas Gage was enjoyable as a Batman knock-off named Big Daddy, who sounds - hilariously - like a low rent Adam West. The basic premise is: What would happen if a real high-school doofus sent away for a costume and tried to become a masked avenger? Definitely not a movie for the kiddies, but a very funny one and a very enjoyable one!

I had a bagel and eggs on Friday morning. Turned my back for a moment to clean up after myself, and Crookshanks immediately went to town on the cream cheese on the table!

We looked in on the Garden for a few minutes for Jennifer to do a bit of problem solving, with a quiet afternoon afterward. I watched a bit of TV, followed by an episode of Weeds on DVD. Jennifer is now watching a bit of Doctor Who.

7:29 a.m. - Quite reigns in my valley. Nothing new to report, or at least little of great pitch and moment, as that feller Hamlet once said. I took Friday off and spent the day cleaning the old homestead from top to bottom. Laundry, mopping, vacuuming, etc. etc. Imagine that! I spent a fair eight hours cleaning the house, just so that we could show it to out-of-town guests for 30 minutes in the evening. Of course, the house needed eight hours of cleaning (and probably another eight hours of cleaning), but it wasn't quite how I envisioned spending rare time off. Afterward, we went to Surfside Club for catfish and corn fritters. I love going there, but even speaking for my own general lack of nutritional eating at the ol' trough, that place is fine about once a season. I can't do that any more than once in a given year! I don't think they serve anything that hasn't been deep fried. I was so tired afterward, but we went to Dad's house for dessert. Any other time, I'd've figured out how to tamp a slice of cheesecake down the gullet, but I had to get up the next morning at 4:30 and the last thing I needed was more sugar to keep me up before heading to bed.

So, April 24, the Scottish Rite reunion. Up at 4:30 and at Scottish Rite by 5:30 to help prepare breakfast. Of course, one of the members had nearly everything done (which is frustrating because I may as well have slept in and came rolling in at 7), but I helped serve breakfast, followed by my regular part in the 16th Degree, a meeting afterward about the May 8 B/R/W breakfast, visiting, sluicing, and browsing until the 30th Degree, and then home for a well-earned nap.

The day also happened to coincide with my 38th birthday. Thirty-eight. Who'd've thunk it? Three-eight. In layman's terms, OLD. Jennifer got me a Canon Rebel SLR camera, which I can't wait to learn and master! That will kick my camera-ing skills up a notch. I grilled porkchops and hotdogs for J in the evening for dinner, and we had Tim 'n' John, Julie, and Greg, Maureen, and little Natalie and Jillian over afterward for cake and punch. Great evening with great friends!

In spite of a nap, I was still knackered by 10:30 and was out like a light last night. I could stand a nap right now, as well. Jennifer is still sleeping, and Arabella and Percy are both snoring like little banshees right here with me.

April 21, 2010

Ahhh, the sights, sounds. . . and smells. . . of New Orleans.

8:20 p.m. - I promised I'd update you after my triumphant return from New Orleans, and after a great deal of false starts I'll give you a brief precis of the Leadership Conference. Quite fun, in spite of the royal pain air travel has become: extreme early morning flights, red eye flights, long lines, crowded and cramped planes, and every manner of inconvenience and travesty along the way. Had a great time in New Orleans, learned quite a bit along the way, and came back with some ideas about how to engage the membership. And yes, we did crawl down Bourbon Street once or twice. It's a 24/7 party, and if I were a drinking-and-partying 22-year old, it would have been a blast. The food was amazing, incidentally, and I am still recovering from the gastronomic pleasures of New Orleans.

As it was, it was a curiosity to be seen, fortunately in the company of friends. The stories I could unfold - though I won't, because what happens in Nawlins stays in Nawlins. One day the world will be ready for the tale of Spindles the Banker, the curious incident of the suit made of Sangria, the jesters, and the pirates. And lordy, they love pirates in New Orleans! But that day is not today.

The town reeks of garbage and pee, litter every where, and hucksters throughout the French Quarter working double time to part tourists from their dimes. I think I'd enjoy visiting New Orleans with Jennifer, but other than the interest of seeing Bourbon Street with Jennifer, I can skip that sight again. Still, the Conference was the reason I was there, and it was a good time and reinvigorates my love of the Masonic fraternity.

And of course, my friends, pictures. Here.

. . .

This was the logo I designed for the Ethics Through the Eyes of SciFi presentation, but alas, it was not adopted.

Busy few days upon my return. The Scottish Rite meeting was the following Monday, which was rather nice. We had our "ethics through the eyes of SciFi" panel discussion. We showed an episode of Star Trek DS9, and followed it with a panel discussion of the complex ethical issues presented in the TV show. Unfortunately, we had intended about 15 to 20 minutes of discussion but only had 5 minutes, but it was a great first start for the series, and we'll try again in a few months.

On Tuesday, I had the Omaha Home for Boys new trustees' orientation, which was a nice time with the CEO and COO, including an impressive tour of the facilities.

Tonight, I brought pizza home on my way back from work. Jennifer went to bed right afterward, and I've been catching up on various TV shows on DVR, including Justified on FX. Quiet right now. The dogs are fast asleep and the house is quiet.

 

April 13, 2010

9:18 p.m. - I grilled the most perfect chicken this afternoon, lightly marinated in Italian dressing. Julie looked in and between her and Jennifer, they made a fantastic salad out of romaine leaves, Chinese sweet and sour sauce - don't ask - Italian dressing, honey, and goat cheese. Those two could make a great salad out of a few wild leaves, a squirrel turd, and a couple of pepper corns, though I hope it will never come to that. Afterward, Jennifer worked on a project and I watched a bit of TV, followed by a great episode of Lost.

April 12, 2010

7:56 a.m. - Late start today. Had to run to the dry cleaners, only to find my gas tank was howling on empty, so a stop for $30 worth of gas. How do two errands take 30 minute?! I'm glad I don't have a real commute or I'd never get to work!

7:10 a.m. - I paid for having two diet cokes at Scottish Rite's officer's meeting last night, followed by a big glass of water in the evening. Not only could I not fall asleep easily last night, I got up to use the bathroom at 3:30 a.m., and didn't fall asleep until about 5:30ish. And every time I nearly fell asleep, I thought I had heard Percy barking in his kennel, so I'd wake up with a start and spend 15 minutes listening intently. (Last night, he barked and barked around 3 a.m., and Jennifer had to take him out - I took him on a long walk last night to hopefully tire him out and as far as I know he didn't bark.)

April 11, 2010

Simple Old School pleasures. . .

9:52 p.m. - Had to break out the old badger-hair shaving brush today, being out of shaving cream. I forgot how much I enjoy lathering up the old beak with that stuff. Very old school, and you get a great shave with it, too. I've probably had that sandalwood soap since 1996 or 1997, which shows either how durable it is or how little I actually use it.

6:46 p.m. - Busy afternoon, in spite of a brief 30 minute nap around 12:30ish. I tackled tons of laundry, cleaned up downstairs, and spent some time sitting outside with the dogs, enjoying a Glenmorangie and a pipe. The weather has been perfect all day, an absolutely perfect afternoon. Jennifer got home at about 4:30, and I grilled excellent porkchops with onion rings, sweet potato fries, and green beans with feta for dinner. We sat outside while the dogs ran around and chased the birds. Afterward, we went over to see Tim and John and baby Blue, who is twice as big as he was last January! He was adorable and full of feistiness until after his bottle when he promptly fell asleep.

Meanwhile, one of our neighbors - a loose term, I fear - acquired a rooster which has been crowing all afternoon. At first I thought it was the sound of children yelling or crying. That chicken has been driving me crazy half the afternoon, and I am going to find it and KILL IT!  Tomorrow, we're having fried rooster for dinner. I presume they got the chicken from Bomgaar's farm supplies in Fremont or Plattsmouth or somewhere. Time to start profiling and refusing to sell freakin' farm animals to people who live in Omaha. It will take a month for the authorities to find and locate this goddamn chicken and make the owners get rid of it. In the meantime, if I find that rooster first, I will be the Chupacabra!

 10:35 a.m. - Nice weekend. We had Chinese take out on Friday and a quiet evening. KSA on Saturday morning. When I got home, Jennifer went out to the estate sale at the old Emmy-Gifford Theater, and then we went out for lunch at Qdoba's. She went off to work around 3:00ish, and I alternated between a nap and working on the Master Craftsman II self-study program. We went to my mother's house for dinner - she made fresh osso bucco - and then stayed to watch Sherlock Holmes, which was just as bad (if not worse) the second time as it was the first time.

This morning, I made bacon and fresh waffles for breakfast. Excellent breakfast, and too much of it! Jennifer is watching another disaster movie, Atomic Twister, on cable, and I'm catching up on the news.

April 9, 2010

9:58 p.m. - Quiet evening around Casa de Evans. We had Chinese take-out for dinner - too much of it, followed by a bit of quiet TV with the puppies.

Meanwhile, the market is a hair's breadth away from 11,000. New World, in my perennial check, is close to the $50 mark, and has recovered to about March, 2007. We continue to recover, slowly, and I'm still about $15k down from the high in mid-2008.

11:43 a.m. - Didn't make it to the gym this morning because of a 7:30 meeting at work. I think I will start going to the gym on mornings like this, and simply do a shorter work out so I don't miss the momentum of going each morning. Next week, back to the full time gym schedule! Meanwhile, I slept somewhat poorly last night, and am dragging today. Need to plan a day or two off, to catch up on house projects, rest, and relaxation.

April 8, 2010

I am filled with loathing and disgust at this architecture.

6:14 p.m. - I've rated burgers, movies, and now it's time to lend my powerful blog to aid in civic beauty. That's right, True Believers, I'm going to review a building. I had a meeting out west, which took me to a ghastly imitation of Greek Revival architecture. It was, in a nutshell, tawdry. In every capacity, the building had no architectural merit, and that's saying something based on the usual crap they design nowadays. First of all, I am calling out Carlson West Povondra for designing this travesty, and shame on you. If I'm wrong - I'm going what I found online here - you have my apologies for pinning this on you.

I had originally called them to task for not being unique. That's not a fair critique. By virtue of being Greek Revival, they are being derivative. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Look at the Georgian Revival First Unitarian church at 30th Street, designed by John and Alan MacDonald in about 1917. Yes, you can argue that it is derivative of Bullfich-era churches in Boston, and even though that is the case, First Unitarian is graceful and elegant. So lets not tar them with this brush.

The real crime is that this building is so damn plain. It's a cardboard box with a portico and columns slapped on the front entrance. But c'mon, they didn't even spring for the extra cost of Ionic or Corinthian columns. If it is possible to get cheaper than Doric, they found it. Perhaps they might have designed the building with pilaster columns, embedded between the windows, adding a bit of depth to the structure as a whole. That would not have been out of line with the whole classical thing they were attempting here.

A case study. The Masonic building, designed in 1916 by Georg Prinz in a Classical Revival/Beaux Arts style. The building plainly and proudly speaks every inch of it's 105,000 square feet of space. The real trick is that it's mass is distributed horizontally through seven stories and vertically by the Corinthian pilasters. Notice the multiple styles and stone finishes which so skillfully draw your attention from one section to the next. The distinctive cornice gives it a finishing touch, and it's mass is hidden by its ornamentation.

Instead we have. . . this. So boring. So plain. So uninspired. With difficulty, I can find beauty in a lot of modern buildings, if they have creative or unique elements, or if they echo old styles with elegance. Going back to Carlson West Povondra - their own offices rehabilitate a hideous 1960s square office building with a creative and modern glass front entrance that makes you want to peer in. Their Security National Bank compliments its surroundings, and almost feels like a lodge in Yellowstone with broad wood beams protruding from the roof. So for our building in question, whiskey tango foxtrot?

The truly horrible part is the failure of the style to elicit the nationalism and local pride Greek Revival originally evoked when it first came to America. Look at Alexander Parris's Quincy Market and St. Paul's Church or Ammi Young's Custom House in Boston. Locally, we have Thomas Kimball's original Burlington Station, built in a neoclassical style (and remodeled extensively in 1898 and again in the 1930s). The style reminds us that we are a modern Athens, and our earliest stone buildings built in this style were the most prominent buildings in town. Styles change, and elements of these past styles and taste enter the fabric of our architectural discourse. We find modern buildings encompassing the clean lines of Arts and Crafts, simple columns borrowed from Greek style, and even the lack of ornamentalism in International style and modern architecture. All well and good. This building, however, has none of that. Nothing good has been borrowed from these styles. A classical building might bespeak mass rather than volume. A modern building might stress volume rather than mass. This building is both mass and volume. It is, simply put, a box. Slapping a few columns on the front doesn't in any way cover up that this is a very, very large box. It screams 25,000 square feet of space, like an elephant on the dance floor. A Vanbrugh mansion might scream it's mass, but it is so well designed and apportioned, you'd think the elephant was a petite ballerina.

I had to drive through the Gold Coast to clear my palate on my way back to work, and even 8 hours later, my delicate nerves are still jangling.

April 7, 2010

12:42 p.m. - Stepped out of the office over the lunch (half)hour and came home. Took the dogs outside, and am sitting enjoying peace and quiet for a few minutes before heading back. Dogs are being extra playful right now!

April 6, 2010

7:15 p.m. - Fired up the grill tonight and made burgers. Julie came over, and we had hamburgers, chips, and beans. Or rather, they had beans. I hate pork and beans. Very good burgers, if I say so myself, grilled ever so slowly on the lowest of heat. Jennifer has a wicked sinus headache, and is resting up before Lost,while I am taking time to play online.

For your amusement, I am going to post a few action shots of the dogs playing in the back yard. Gryffindor treed a squirrel and had a grand time arguing with him about whose property this is. Click on the thumbnails on the left or right to see them full-sized.

7:58 a.m. - Great work out this morning at the Y. Did my 30 minutes on the treadmill and was sweating like a demon by the time I hit the half-hour mark. Or perhaps I was sweaty more because it was so warm in there rather than by sheer exertion on my part. Either way, it felt good.

April 5, 2010

9:36 p.m. - Long day. Did the gym this morning, but I wasn't feeling it at all. I did my full thirty minutes, but at a slower setting than usual. This evening I came home, ran the garbage out, and headed straight to the Plattsmouth Masonic Home, where Florence Lodge #281 held Lodge and invited residents who were Masons. Fun evening, but a long one! I got home around 9:00ish or so. We're keyed up to do it again in May, 2011.

Meanwhile, time to get ready for the gym and thence to bed.

April 4, 2010

Arabella enjoys the great outdoors a few days ago.

8:58 p.m. - Quiet evening. Jennifer got home around 4:30ish, and more or less went right to bed after a very long day. I had intended to make burgers for dinner, but that will have to wait until Tuesday. I made spaghetti for myself and then spent a while sitting out back, enjoying the weather. Arabella sat on my lap and then fell asleep on the backyard table, while I smoked a pipe and talked to my brother. Afterward I packed my gym bag for tomorrow and have been watching a bit of TV. Arabella is passed out on the floor next to me, cute as a button!

Quite a crowd for the Youth Art Auction this year!

10:39 a.m. - So here we are in the second quarter of the year. Every time we start a new month, I'm amazed at how fast the last one zipped by. Before I know it, it will be September. Yikes!

So, peacefully quiet weekend. For me, at least. Jennifer has been toiling like a navvy, with the Easter egg hunt on Saturday, and the Easter brunch for 600+ people today. I've been enjoying the long weekend, though I've tackled a ton of laundry, mopped downstairs and upstairs, puttered about cleaning this 'n' that, watched Pineapple Express, and have taken the dogs to Hanscom park for a walk. On Friday, we went to the Crescent Moon with Julie for dinner. Last night, I grilled steaks, carrots, and onion rings for a great dinner. Today, I'll grill hamburgers weather permitting. And tomorrow, back to the gym and clean living.

On Thursday, I went to the 5th annual Youth Art Auction, which is a fundraiser for the Neighborhood Center. Congratulations to their development director, who gave us another perfect and successful evening! Next week will be a busy one, as well, with a trip to Plattsmouth tomorrow evening for Lodge, followed by the Neighborhood Center board meeting (the first one I've been to since October last year! - I was sick in December and February's was cancelled for the strategic planning meeting). I should be working on committee stuff today for RiteCare, the scholarship committee, and the Centennial committee, but I'm slacking right now. Perhaps later. . .