Ben's World, Andi's Indi, My Lock, Shock and Barrel, Chris's Skull and Swords
Andi's Indi
My Lock, Shock and Barrel
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Pumpkin Carving!
We had so much fun this year! They turned out REALLY good too. Check it out.
Ben's World, Andi's Indi, My Lock, Shock and Barrel, Chris's Skull and Swords
Andi's Indi
My Lock, Shock and Barrel
Ben's World, Andi's Indi, My Lock, Shock and Barrel, Chris's Skull and Swords
Andi's Indi
My Lock, Shock and Barrel
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Discussing #2 with David Sedaris
Yes, it's midnight. And yes, I'm blogging. And yes, I'm doing it from work... at Gammage.
Tonight, the infamous David Sedaris was scheduled to read pieces of his work on the Gammage stage. In true "star-status" style, he came bursting into the Stagedoor "office" (really more of a closet) less than 20 minutes before show time and I was surprised when he didn't just trot down the stairs to backstage like 90% of the actors who come here. Instead... he stopped, stared me straight in the face and in quite possibly the most inappropriately loud voice asked me, "Do you know what the expression 'dropping a duece' means?!" To which I responded, "Of course..."
"Does it really mean to deficate?!" he asked while making a squatting motion and a hand gesture near his rear. (Chris, I know you appreciate his word choice.)
"Yes, it means to take a 'Number 2' or a 'duece'."
"That is truly hilarious. Must be an Arizona thing."
Some witty banter about Arizonans followed, after which he proceded downstairs to take the stage.
This hilarious interaction has helped me over look the fact that his end of show book signing has kept me at Gammage to this ungodly hour.
Tonight, the infamous David Sedaris was scheduled to read pieces of his work on the Gammage stage. In true "star-status" style, he came bursting into the Stagedoor "office" (really more of a closet) less than 20 minutes before show time and I was surprised when he didn't just trot down the stairs to backstage like 90% of the actors who come here. Instead... he stopped, stared me straight in the face and in quite possibly the most inappropriately loud voice asked me, "Do you know what the expression 'dropping a duece' means?!" To which I responded, "Of course..."
"Does it really mean to deficate?!" he asked while making a squatting motion and a hand gesture near his rear. (Chris, I know you appreciate his word choice.)
"Yes, it means to take a 'Number 2' or a 'duece'."
"That is truly hilarious. Must be an Arizona thing."
Some witty banter about Arizonans followed, after which he proceded downstairs to take the stage.
This hilarious interaction has helped me over look the fact that his end of show book signing has kept me at Gammage to this ungodly hour.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Brett Favre = Benedict Arnold
Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:45 am EDT
Report: Favre commits football treason, shares Packers' plans
By Chris Chase
Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports that Brett Favre called the Detroit Lions earlier this year to give them a scouting report on his old team, the Green Bay Packers. Writes Glazer:
Several sources have told FOX Sports that Favre earlier this year phoned the Detroit Lions prior to their battle versus Favre's old team, the Green Bay Packers, and gave them a rundown of the nuances of what Green Bay does on offense. According to the sources, Favre actually spent over an hour on the phone with Lions coaches, who were connected with Favre by then-team president Matt Millen.
Favre has allegedly done this with a number of teams, but his chat with the Lions was more in-depth than any other, reports Glazer. Despite the Favrian tips, Detroit still lost that week 2 matchup, 48-25.
The hour long call to Detroit higher-ups came during the week Favre and the Jets were preparing for the Brady-less Patriots. Up until that point, Favre had played just one regular season game in New York. One can't help but think that the quarterback's time might have been better spent learning his new team's playbook instead of discussing his old team's playbook.
Such insider trading isn't against league rules; teams often sign players recently cut by an upcoming opponent in order to get some insight into formations and schemes. But for Favre to call up the Lions, apparently unsolicited, to divulge information comes across as petty. Although, petty as it may have been, I'm sure Brett Favre sold out his former club like a little kid having a lot of fun out there.
Report: Favre commits football treason, shares Packers' plans
By Chris Chase
Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports that Brett Favre called the Detroit Lions earlier this year to give them a scouting report on his old team, the Green Bay Packers. Writes Glazer:
Several sources have told FOX Sports that Favre earlier this year phoned the Detroit Lions prior to their battle versus Favre's old team, the Green Bay Packers, and gave them a rundown of the nuances of what Green Bay does on offense. According to the sources, Favre actually spent over an hour on the phone with Lions coaches, who were connected with Favre by then-team president Matt Millen.
Favre has allegedly done this with a number of teams, but his chat with the Lions was more in-depth than any other, reports Glazer. Despite the Favrian tips, Detroit still lost that week 2 matchup, 48-25.
The hour long call to Detroit higher-ups came during the week Favre and the Jets were preparing for the Brady-less Patriots. Up until that point, Favre had played just one regular season game in New York. One can't help but think that the quarterback's time might have been better spent learning his new team's playbook instead of discussing his old team's playbook.
Such insider trading isn't against league rules; teams often sign players recently cut by an upcoming opponent in order to get some insight into formations and schemes. But for Favre to call up the Lions, apparently unsolicited, to divulge information comes across as petty. Although, petty as it may have been, I'm sure Brett Favre sold out his former club like a little kid having a lot of fun out there.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Into the Woods...
Erin came out to visit me for Retreat this year. Brought back some memories....
Freshman Year Fall 2004:
Senior Year Fall 2008:
Freshman Year Fall 2004:
Senior Year Fall 2008:
Sunday, October 5, 2008
"What I Learned Yesterday" by Thomas Avery
A good friend of mine posted this note on Facebook and has given me permission to share it. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
********
What I learned yesterday.
October 4, 2008
As some of you all know I have become very involved in the Obama presidential campaign. Every Saturday and Sunday during the day I go door to door talking to voters, getting preferences, and registering unregistered voters. During the week I make phone calls and work in the office, doing what I can to get Barack Obama elected president. It was at one of the doors I got to that why I am doing this really struck home.
I went canvassing last night (the technical term for going door to door) and the last door I knocked on was occupied by a named Terry. The home was a nice, older style St. Louis house with the sort of landscaping that was once very well kept, but had since fallen into disrepair. Weeds were growing in the cracks of the cobblestone steps heading up to the house and had it not been for a light on in the upstairs I would have assumed nobody was home. As soon as the door opened out walked a middle aged man, seemingly a little leery of a stranger approaching his home at 7 o’clock on a Friday evening. I started my usual shtick of introducing myself, and telling him why I was at his door, to find out who he was voting for and what issues he cared about. I expected the worst, he scanned me with a very skeptical look and he looked deep in thought. I assumed coming was some snide remark about how John McCain was our only choice or some falsehood about Obama and his upbringing. Instead Terry was looking for the right words to express how much we need Obama to be elected president. He told a story about how he was a foreman for a plant in St. Louis for 25 years. He was a proud man who worked hard and took care of his elderly parents who lived with him. At least he could until 3 years ago, when he suffered a brain injury which now impedes his ability to talk clearly and adversely affected his motor skills. He still takes care of his parents, living off of aid from the government and money he had saved while he was working. He talked for a long time, clearly nobody had taken the time to hear his story, at least nobody recently. He is an American, forgotten.
People like John McCain and the republicans tout how big a problem government is. They say we need to eliminate programs all together and come up with private solutions for all aspects of life. What a load of garbage. We live in the greatest country on earth yet we have people who have done nothing wrong, who have worked hard and are proud Americans struggling to pay their utility bills. We have more wealth that any other nation has, yet we insist that people like Terry are “burdens of the state”, and that a free markets can provide the answers to every question. Well let me ask you, if we don’t take care of people like him what good is one dollar of that wealth? Our country wasn’t founded because we wanted no government at all, it was founded because we wanted a government that represented all Americans. This is what Barack Obama supports. Right now we have a government that only represents the very rich. If you don’t have wealth, you have no influence. This isn’t class warfare, but it is undeniable that we have a tax code that so highly favors the top one half of one percent that we now have the highest disparity between the haves and the have-nots in America since the 1920s. Republicans call Obama a “socialist” and say he wants big government to run our lives. Nonsense, he wants a government that works, that cares for veterans and people who have lived their lives in ways that have benefited our nation. We need change in our nation and we need it badly. The only way the other side can win this election is if they drive a wedge between the American people. They want to make us scared of Barack Obama and scared of each other. While I hate to see how much of my money goes to taxes each paycheck, I know that because I don’t make $250,000 a year yet, under an Obama administration my taxes would actually go down. If I did make over $250,000 my taxes would go to what they were under Bill Clinton, a time of great economic prosperity in our country. This isn’t some massive tax hike, it’s a changing of the tax code to make it more fair to the middle class, to give them a chance to make it in America.
A sign on Terry’s door warned against having an open flame because Oxygen was in use in the house. He told me not to worry, and his mother puts it on when she sleeps and that it was off during the day. His nonchalance about something as serious about his mother requiring oxygen was so striking to me. Few things I have gone though in my life could nearly be as challenging as the daily struggle that he goes though each day to make ends meet.
Every presidential candidate tells stories about voters they meet and the hardships they face. It always struck me as incredibly insincere, how could someone running for the highest office in America really care about the concerns of one person? Well yesterday I learned it does. Our country is better than this and our nation needs people like us to step up and get it done.
Thank you to everyone who read this. If you want to get involved let me know. I can get you set up right way.
Best,
Thomas
********
What I learned yesterday.
October 4, 2008
As some of you all know I have become very involved in the Obama presidential campaign. Every Saturday and Sunday during the day I go door to door talking to voters, getting preferences, and registering unregistered voters. During the week I make phone calls and work in the office, doing what I can to get Barack Obama elected president. It was at one of the doors I got to that why I am doing this really struck home.
I went canvassing last night (the technical term for going door to door) and the last door I knocked on was occupied by a named Terry. The home was a nice, older style St. Louis house with the sort of landscaping that was once very well kept, but had since fallen into disrepair. Weeds were growing in the cracks of the cobblestone steps heading up to the house and had it not been for a light on in the upstairs I would have assumed nobody was home. As soon as the door opened out walked a middle aged man, seemingly a little leery of a stranger approaching his home at 7 o’clock on a Friday evening. I started my usual shtick of introducing myself, and telling him why I was at his door, to find out who he was voting for and what issues he cared about. I expected the worst, he scanned me with a very skeptical look and he looked deep in thought. I assumed coming was some snide remark about how John McCain was our only choice or some falsehood about Obama and his upbringing. Instead Terry was looking for the right words to express how much we need Obama to be elected president. He told a story about how he was a foreman for a plant in St. Louis for 25 years. He was a proud man who worked hard and took care of his elderly parents who lived with him. At least he could until 3 years ago, when he suffered a brain injury which now impedes his ability to talk clearly and adversely affected his motor skills. He still takes care of his parents, living off of aid from the government and money he had saved while he was working. He talked for a long time, clearly nobody had taken the time to hear his story, at least nobody recently. He is an American, forgotten.
People like John McCain and the republicans tout how big a problem government is. They say we need to eliminate programs all together and come up with private solutions for all aspects of life. What a load of garbage. We live in the greatest country on earth yet we have people who have done nothing wrong, who have worked hard and are proud Americans struggling to pay their utility bills. We have more wealth that any other nation has, yet we insist that people like Terry are “burdens of the state”, and that a free markets can provide the answers to every question. Well let me ask you, if we don’t take care of people like him what good is one dollar of that wealth? Our country wasn’t founded because we wanted no government at all, it was founded because we wanted a government that represented all Americans. This is what Barack Obama supports. Right now we have a government that only represents the very rich. If you don’t have wealth, you have no influence. This isn’t class warfare, but it is undeniable that we have a tax code that so highly favors the top one half of one percent that we now have the highest disparity between the haves and the have-nots in America since the 1920s. Republicans call Obama a “socialist” and say he wants big government to run our lives. Nonsense, he wants a government that works, that cares for veterans and people who have lived their lives in ways that have benefited our nation. We need change in our nation and we need it badly. The only way the other side can win this election is if they drive a wedge between the American people. They want to make us scared of Barack Obama and scared of each other. While I hate to see how much of my money goes to taxes each paycheck, I know that because I don’t make $250,000 a year yet, under an Obama administration my taxes would actually go down. If I did make over $250,000 my taxes would go to what they were under Bill Clinton, a time of great economic prosperity in our country. This isn’t some massive tax hike, it’s a changing of the tax code to make it more fair to the middle class, to give them a chance to make it in America.
A sign on Terry’s door warned against having an open flame because Oxygen was in use in the house. He told me not to worry, and his mother puts it on when she sleeps and that it was off during the day. His nonchalance about something as serious about his mother requiring oxygen was so striking to me. Few things I have gone though in my life could nearly be as challenging as the daily struggle that he goes though each day to make ends meet.
Every presidential candidate tells stories about voters they meet and the hardships they face. It always struck me as incredibly insincere, how could someone running for the highest office in America really care about the concerns of one person? Well yesterday I learned it does. Our country is better than this and our nation needs people like us to step up and get it done.
Thank you to everyone who read this. If you want to get involved let me know. I can get you set up right way.
Best,
Thomas
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)