The Flaming Lips Downtown Dsm on a beautiful night.

I know I’m a little late in writing about this. My Honey Bee wrote about it the day after just a glimpse be sure to check out the photo that looks like the stage exploding. She’s a great writer and her blog keeps getting more readers every day. I really enjoyed the FLips that night. Its the best concert I have seen yet. I was able to see the FLips in ‘94 (when Donald was still playing gtr, He’s my absolute favorite noise finder, just listen to ‘clouds taste metalic’ and ‘transmissions from satellite heart’) at lolapalooza on harietisland(the second stage and it was Packed) eating a love supreme fried rice with my future wife.

I almost had to drag my wife and sons to 80/35. They all were glad afterwards. I’d have to say the high points were they balloons, streamers and confetti. Sounds cheesy, but it’s an overwhelmingly spectacular sight to behold. At one point I really liked what Wayne said about Love not being an abstract thing were you feel good about sending money to a starving kid across the world, but helping someone down the street who needs it, aka your neighbor, that is real tangible love and living. I think that is what out forefathers meant when they proclaimed the Pursuit of Happiness, it makes you happy helping, and they see you happy so they help with their gift and the pursuit spreads. Speaking of spreading happiness the FLips sure did on the 4th, and without gun powder.

balloons, fog machines, confetti and streamers

It also ended up being the absolute easiest festival to park at and the fastest exit with no traffic at all, a surreal experience if you have been to any other festivals or concerts for that matter. Kudos to the DMMC for organising it and I pray that the pappa john art sculpture gets moved to the river front. The gateway is a stunning venue to see music and events. I think bands would want to play it just for the view.

part II pappa abba day

Reading my last blog I should include why I chose to honor my Dad with including a big bubble maker to the Kite thing I’m thinking about doing. I have tons of cousins literally. My Dad came from a family of 8 and my Mom a family of 9. Most of our vacations included visiting as many relatives as we could. My Dad loved kids mostly because it was an excuse to play, especially with fun toys.

Every summer we would visit Grandma Kuepfer who lived with my Uncle Irwin and Aunt Freda. The best part of this is that they were Anabaptist Mennonites which meant no radio or tv. Dad and I could usually polish off a couple of books each while all the others were getting chores done. Then the food, which was a foodie’s idea of a paradise, was as fresh as could be.

One year my Dad or Uncle Fred to all my cousins decided to give all of Freda’s children a couple of big bubble makers. I think they went through the 2 bottles of joy we included in a couple of days. When we came back the next year Freda was excited to tell us they’re experiments to find the best Canadian dish soap for bubbles. You wouldn’t think it, but there are a lot of differences in the same product names b/w Canadian products and products from the States.

The big bubble fun is one of the stronger memories of my Dad having Joy watching the Joy of children making huge bubbles with Joy dish soap (sorry I couldn’t resist).

I do miss going up to Canada every year and setting up home base at Irwin and Freda’s, then traveling to Trollbridge, Caimbridge, London, Wingham, Listowell, and pretty much everywhere in central Ontario. We would save one day to go to Lake Huron or Toronto.

btw its my birthday and a thankyou goes out to my cousin Myron a true Canadian Patriot, go Candiens.

pappa abba day revisited

Alright something, or should I say someOne made me check my devotional email today. I haven’t been keeping up on them lately. I’ll probably start to check them more often now. This is what it was:

Psalm 68:4-5

		Psalm 68:4-5
				“Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds – his name is the Lord – and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.”

Amen.

I have never known kites to be a symbol of fathers day. The only thing I can think of that ties into kites is the month of March.

I was also thinking of including a giant bubble maker in the kits in honor of my dad, Fred to pass time when there is no wind or to take a break from making kites.

pappa abba day

     It started on Friday hearing the sudden death of big Tim. His having a massive cornary while doing what he loved to do hit close to my heart because my dad died the same exact way when he was 47. My Dad died while he was working on his wildlife refuge. So Fathers day was a little harder this year than others. We were supposed to go to the Omaha Zoo with my Wife’s family but I asked if we could go to church instead.

     I played my heart out on the drums for the service. I was extra limber from playing a jazz gig the night before. The gig was a 55 yr HS reunion which was ironic because my 20 yr was happening at the same time. I learned by attending my Wife’s 20 yr, that it wasn’t worth the money spent to attend my own. At church I was a little emotional and there was a Fathers day video about our Heavenly Father. In the video there were multiple pictures of a dad with his child flying Kite that is specific kind of kite. I had seen it in a story about an organization that provides kites and kits to make kites to refugees in camps who are low on hope and bored out of their minds. I have loved this idea ever since I have heard this story, because it piques the interest of young, old, boys, girls, soldiers, and pretty much everyone and anyone. This year our VBS is providing soccer balls with a message. The problem I see with the soccer balls is the places that they’re sending them, girls and women are not allowed to play. Seeing these Kite pictures with the message of Hope and Joy I felt like God was poking me with large plank. A message appeared to me plain as day, “Hope and joy raised by His Spirit”, the hebrew meaning of spirit meaning breath or wind.

     Nothing can make you forget your troubles like flying a Kite. They attract curious people. It’s like a poor man’s sailing where people can walk on water up to you and ask ‘what ya doin’?’

Blessings to everyone on this Father’s day.

Recognize the tag line?

It comes from my one of my favorite Ren and Stimpy fake commercials. The new toy Log, hours and hours of fun for the whole family.

mp3/iPod/Cassette/Lp

Just bought the remastered Fragile with the extra bonus track ‘America’ (yes it’s the Simon and Garfunkel epic). Its worth it just to have that previously unreleased track. As far as the remastering goes, vinyl is where its at. I thought some of the first cd masters such as, Dark Side of the Moon and Rastaman Vibration were spot on. They really got the vinyl mix on Rastaman Vibration. In fact Dark Side was one of the first CD’s I bought. I took it home and started playing track one with the heart beat fading in and what do I hear, all the windows and floor boards rattling to that specific frequency. That was my first experience to the media of digital, well, except for my snooty ‘Direct Digital’ classical vinyl.

 

Book’s

I am reading C. S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy. Right now I’m on the second book. So far I highly recommend it. More in the next installment of Book’s.

The down low on synthetic drum sticks.

Unless you have a good cymbal endorsement deal, DO NOT USE synthetic drum sticks! They have less give than traditional hickory sticks and tend to crack cymbals left and right. Use them if you love breaking cymbals and blowing all your bread on buying new ones.