Cache of the Day - My Pal

After being the best pals in college, my friend Andy Anderson met up again in Phoenix last year. Andy - being the tech-wiz he is - found me by googling the Internet and then sent me an email. Taylor and I went to Phoenix last year for Danny and Ally's wedding, and Andy and I had a chance to get together.

And this year, Andy came to Indiana. Being the world traveler that he is, he knew that he just couldn't pass up Bloomington.

Although I was working while Andy was here, and then got SICK, we still had a chance to explore Bloomington. Andy went off to Louisville by himself, as well as French Lick, and then we had a chance to visit Indianapolis together, and got to see the U23D show at the IMAX.


Here we are at Spring Mill State Park near Mitchell.

Best of all, we had some great "catch up" time. We're not planning to wait 30 years before we see each other again!

Cache of the Day - A HOT Night in Old Vienna

Saturday was a great event, with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra playing throughout the night during our annual fundraiser "A HOT Night in Old Vienna". We played three sets of music, including Viennese waltzes, rhumbas, tangos, foxtrots, and cha-chas. I mostly played flute and piccolo, but I did get to sing a tango called "Hernando's Hideaway", and I did get to dance a bit as well.


The food was very much comfort food (a Viennese-style buffet) and a cash bar was available as well. Taylor and Davie came but I don't think they danced much. I think they (well, Taylor) just enjoyed getting dressed up.


Which of course, is always fun.

Cache of the Day - Real Snow for Skiing

Last week I had a chance to get some Real Snow Skiing at Powderhorn in upper Wisconsin by the U.P. of Michigan. Having most recently - and for the last several years - been resigned to skiing on a pseudo-hill with fake snow in southern Indiana, this was a real treat!
Although Paoli Peaks (the pic of Taylor is at that resort) has its advantages (close to home, easy runs), it doesn't provide nearly the thrill of higher elevations, fresh snow, and a great variety of runs.

The weather was perfect for skiing as well! What a fun day!

Cache of the Day - dot dot dot

I must admit. I'm a bit limited in my music preferences. I've had friends educate me and I am generally open to listening to something not in my preferred genre (Broadway show tunes - that's about it, and the occasional classical composer and Christian songs). I've discovered Chris Botti and Jamie Cullum and Straight No Chaser and Jon McLaughlin and like them all. But nothing prepared me for dot dot dot.
My co-worker and good friend, Erin Waltz and I, were "exploring" Bloomington after a Chamber After Hours this past summer and we ended up at Jake's, a club catering to the Indiana University crowd. If I'm out with Erin, I'm usually just along for the ride, and honestly not too crazy about these places. The band is too loud, the floor is too sticky, and the patrons are generally obnoxious.

But when we got in the general vicinity of the stage, something happened. I think it was the music first (80's and 90's cover), and then the general look of the band (an awesome Asian girl on lead guitar, a buff mountain-biking female bass player, and a crazy looking drummer). But then I saw Adam, the lead singer, and was entranced. I walked to the stage like I was a zombie possessed. I loved Adam's voice and his smile. I was pretty sure he was a guy, but that was questionable. That didn't matter. There was no guy-gal attraction for me. It was all about how Adam was drawing in the crowd, the physical-ness of the performance, the obvious enjoyment he got from entertaining, and how he loved the audience. I was hooked.

Erin and I kept track of their visits to Bloomington (the band is from Chicago) and didn't miss any of their subsequents gigs. We started to get quite a following of others we would invite to the shows, and now there is quite a slew of us that open up our calendar to make sure we see them when they're here. We are the most faithful fans!























During one of their visits this past Fall we had a chance to meet them after that show and they told us they wouldn't be able to come back for awhile because they were going to Los Angeles. They were fairly evasive about the trip, but next thing we know, they're a finalist on The Next Great American Band! We kept up with their weekly performance and were quite impressed with that they were one of the last four (although CLEARLY they should have placed FIRST!).




Adam promised, when we saw him last, that they would be back to Bloomington as soon as they were done, and Adam has kept his promise! We are looking forward to seeing the show on January 25 at The Blue Bird. Join us if you can!

Cache of the Day - Christmas Festivities

Yes, I had two weeks off from work for Christmas, but somehow I was busier than ever. Sharing the holidays with friends and family are of course what is most enjoyable, so I've been a little neglectful of my blog.

I do have some pix of New Year's Eve - a lush evening at a Masquerade Ball in Indianapolis - but, until then, here are some memories of Christmas 2007.

I hope your holidays were as enjoyable!



Here's a shot of the luminaries along the path leading to my front door.



Santa was generous in his giving but he also received his share of gifts.



Taylor surrounded by Christmas cheer.

Cache of the Day - The Ornament Exchange

One of our holiday traditions is around Taylor's birthday, which was this past Monday. After her 25 minute band concert at the high school, we went to the house and every family member brought a wrapped ornament. We drew numbers and each participant got to pick out an ornament in the order of the number that they drew. A certain amount of stealing went on as well. If it was your turn to draw and you liked a previously drawn ornament, you could steal that ornament in lieu of choosing a wrapped one.


Of course everyone tries to be clever with their ornament contribution, and there was a wide range of ornaments - ugly ones, beautiful ones, unusual ones, and ones that you just said "What IS that?".


I actually ended up with the ornament I brought - a delicate turtle dove that I wear in my hair. Here are some of the other ornaments as well.


Happy Birthday Taylor! I'm glad you were born!

Cache of the Day - Finding Lost Things

Everyone loses things, but I seem to be the biggest loser of all. Everyday - no kidding - I seem to lose something. Yesterday I lost my wallet while out to dinner, and some kind person found it and - identifying that I am a customer of Monroe Bank by my credit cards - put my wallet in the night deposit box of my bank. My bank called me today and let me know that they had it.

I had to laugh, because this is nothing unusual.

To show you how unusual this is not, I am starting a new side post, of everything that I have lost. I just need to keep track of these things.

Most of the things I lose I find, and that is the funnest part! Someone is watching out for me. And thank you to whoever found my wallet last night and rescued it!