Wedding for couple No. 3262338509215000

So the wife and I are headed back southeast this weekend for what could turn out to be the wedding of the year. Our Charlotte pal Luke (or the man behind the LUUK link to the left ) and his gal pal are tying the knot Saturday in Little Rock, ArKANSAS (wife's spelling, not mine). As I look now over our travel schedule, it goes something like this: take American Airlines flight from the Oakland airport, connect in Dallas, take American Airlines shuttle to Little Rock, catch mule-drawn carriage from dirt-packed runway to downtown motor inn. Beware of the locals. Kidding. Jokes. Laugh.

Anyway, in case you're wondering, yes, our friend has decided to get married on April 1, otherwise known to the general public as April Fool's Day. You may think this is "cute" or "interesting" but anyone who knows Luke knows he's bad with dates and this is to keep from any future embarrassment with the future wife. Again, jokes. Seriously though, Luke is a man who is always full of surprises, so I'm guessing there is something slightly sinister afoot. Stay tuned.

And for our non-wedding entertainment there's this advertisement for the city that says: "Learn about the President of the United States or POTUS at the entertaining and family-friendly Clinton Presidential Library and Museum..." POTUS? Have we really come that far as a society that we need an acronym for the freaking presidential office? Kind of PO-dunk to me. But of course with little else to do in Little Rock, we'll be there.

Half Moon Bay...

The wife and I ventured from the warm, dark cavern that is our condo this weekend in order to dip our feet into the breathing wonders of the Pacific Ocean. The largest ocean on the planet rises and falls a mere hour's drive from our home and the ride through the rolling, green hills mesmerized us to the point that few words were spoken during our trip. The ease at which we progressed from hazy skies and overpopulation to sun-drenched heavens and quiet beaches pressed away any weariness the weeks before had amassed. The violence of crashing waves upon an outcropping of rocks nearby calmed us, as did the gawking of white sea birds circling above. Deep sand stung our bare feet, but smoothed in areas where the water recently receded. But there, where the water ebbed and flowed, we cautioned away. Along this stretch of northern California coast, the salty water is freezing and a single touch is enough to permanently chill your core. We laughed as if tickled by this cold, and then rushed to find comfort by burying our feet into the warm sand. We sat for several silent moments on a thick, black rock and allowed the ocean to speak for us. We had come here to offer our tidings and receive the blessings of the ocean. The energy of the waters filled us. The walk at Half Moon Bay made us whole again.

New Deserted Cartoon...

Check out the newest installment of my buddy Rob's web cartoon Deserted on his site (There's also a link to his site in the link bar at left). If you haven't already taken a look at his stuff, you should do that immediately. There are about a half dozen original shorts that will make you smile.

The Raconteurs rock

Been meaning to deliver this not-so-new-anymore-news for some time. (Thanks to my good friend in the know — Tball, who shared the facts months ago. I know blog, smog!). Anyway, here's a link to the new Jack White side project, The Raconteurs, which also features Brendan Benson. The site has two songs and a video for the first single "Steady as She Goes." The song is great. UPDATE: After you enjoy that wonderfully designed site (just love the early-80s-type interface) you can slide over here to listen to BBC DJ Dermot O'Leary Saturday night broadcast featuring a live, in-studio spot from the band. Who says I'm always late with news? Enjoy.

And there was a dance ...

We were younger then. High school prom. She was beautiful even in one of those fluffy Jackie-O pink dresses that's sole purpose was to ensure teenage girls with particularly well-off parents didn't get pregnant after the prom. I was not as well-off, nor did I struggle to make the $80 payment on my basic tuxedo. Of course, the prom picture-taking was frightening. Two of us, dressed better than we would be on any other day save our (separate) wedding days. My arms curved around her waist in the most uncomfortable way, as if my parents were making me hug my sister after some long, drawn-out fight instead of holding on to someone I'd had a crush on for most of my life. But she was just as tense. The smile wrapped gently below her cheeks seemed disingenuous, which was hard to imagine for someone so sweet in all other aspects of life. There we stood, uncomfortably waiting, wrapped in each other's arms, under the sliver of an alumnium-foil-covered, cardboard-cutout moon, as close as we'd ever been, waiting for the photographer to give us one final cue before the flash froze this awkward moment in time.

FLASH

The photo now speaks volumes. The space between us grew as the night progressed. During the photo opportunity, the space measured maybe two inches, max. By the time the night was over, that space measured a lifetime. [ STAY TUNED ]

Something about the people you meet ...

I'm entranced by the novella I'm reading at the moment, "A Month in the Country" by J.L Carr. While there are many reasons to enjoy the feathery read, the story is most inviting due in part to my mental state as of late (and at 135 pages, it's been easy to pick up). The story follows a man close to my age who leaves the loud, manic streets of London to restore a medieval mural found recently at a church in a small English town. Simply written, the book has been a tremendous joy. But the theme of simplicity is what has caused the book to resonate. My life has been pretty loud lately (as if you hadn't noticed by the lack of blogging I've — or we've, if you follow the current theories of my multipersonality — done). Lots of stuff at work, very little time to myself and some family happenings from back home thrown in to the mix. For all the dissonance around me, this book takes me back to how I felt while reading Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises." It's a treasure.

So, there's a passage that reminded me of people that have passed through my life and how at times I've treated them and that got me to thinking that this represents those dealings painfully well. And as much as I like the book, this passage made me hate it just as much.

"I never exchanged a word with the Colonel. He has no significance at all in what happened during my stay in Oxgodby. As far as I'm concerned he might just as well have gone round the corner and died. But that goes for most of us, doesn't it? We look blankly at each other. Here I am, here you are. What are we doing here? What do you suppose it's all about? Let's dream on. Yes, that's my Dad and Mum over there on the piano top. My eldest boy is on the mantelpiece. That cushion cover was embroidered by my cousin Sarah only a month before she passed on. I go to work at eight and come home at five-thirty. When I retire they'll give me a clock— with my name engraved on the back. Now you know all about me. Go away: I've forgotten you already."

We're back and all new-and-improved-like

Ok. So I wasn't going to promise much, but I can't help but say that in the coming weeks you'll be hearing much more from me. Needless to say, my sleeping patterns have cycled back to the insomnia side and I'm quickly growing tired of watching old episodes of Family Guy on Cartoon Network (OK. That's a lie. I'm not really tired of watching Family Guy!, but I'm running out of shows I haven't seen). Anyway, take a look around, you'll notice a new look to the site, another sign that my insomnia has returned. There will be more improvements, more diary-like entries and other stuff that will prove I haven't actually found a remedy to my sleepless nights. Damn seasons. Can't trust them. I mean look at what happened after I moved to the Bay area. For the last two weeks we've gotten freaking snow. We never get snow. Never. Oh well. It's only March. Spring's getting loaded as we speak. So on to a quick update. Since we last spoke I've: Seen Norm McDonald at the Improv. Skied Squaw Valley! at Lake Tahoe (there a story coming on this). Been promoted at work. Driven down Highway 1 from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. Got the news that two of my best friends are getting married (to each other). Gotten addicted to a new gadget (my Blackberry, there's another couple of stories there). Gotten two bad haircuts (and one good one). Saw all but one of the Oscar-nominated Best Picture films (story there). And now written one more blog entry than I have in the last four weeks. So there. Updated. Stay tuned, there's more to come.