Some people ask what I do when not on the road. This is it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwcKeR5XPkA
Friday, August 22, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Candy
I like trying out new kinds of candy when I travel. I always tell myself that when I'm in Canada and I reach out to try a Big Turk candy bar that I'm broadening my mind, but the truth is that I just like sugar.
The Big Turk, by the way, is a chocolate bar with a gummy, fruity filling that's not unlike a giant grape Dot - maybe not quite that chewy though.
The only other country I've really ever been to is Canada, so that's where most of my foreign candy experience comes from. I've had a few bits and bobbles of Asian stuff from foreign exchange students, but I don't remember much about it other than there was some sort of corn flavored Jolly Rancher-type thing.
No, Canada seems to have a much better assortment.
I notice that in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, and Neerlandia that if you want a Milky Way at a gas station, you have to settle for a dark chocolate one. It's fine by me since I prefer dark chocolate, but it seemed strange not to see a regualar Milky Way anywhere.
Kit Kat's only seemed to come in one large Kit Kat as well, instead of the four smaller connected ones. I've seen the one large Kit Kat here in the states, but I have yet to see anyone sell the smaller versions in Canada.
Don't even ask for Smarties in Alberta if you're an American. You won't get'em. At least, not the tart little treats that we know and love here. No, in Canada, Smarties are like giant M&M's except they have a little bit of a Sixlet's taste to them. Not all that pleasant. If you mention that though, they seem to get very defensive.
Our Smarties are called Rockets to them, and I think everyone can agree that that's just silly. They don't look like Rockets at all. Why can't they just call their Smarties "Rockets", and the whole thing will be settled?
What's even stranger right now is that I've typed the word Smarties so many times that it doesn't even seem like a word anymore. Stare at it. Say it aloud a few times. Smarties. What the heck does that even mean?
Andrea and I bought some Runts a few years back when we lived in Rock Valley. It was right after they discontinued the lime pieces for the larger watermelon ones. Don't get me wrong, watermelon was a great addition, but getting rid of lime? Those were my favorite and they were the easiest to chew! How many times have you grabbed a cherry or an orange and almost broke a tooth because it didn't have that give that the lime always had?
There was a 1-800 number on the back so I dared Andrea to call it and complain. She did without hesitation, and said the woman on the other side seemed quite interested in her tasting opinions. Two weeks later she got an envelope in the mail from the Wonka company filled with coupons for Carnation Instant Milk. I don't see the correlation at all, and I pity the poor child who might have tried the same thing only to recieve powdered milk coupons as a reward. It seems more like they were trying to discourage any further candy unrest.
I bought an Indiana Jones Snickers bar at Dollar General a couple days ago. I'd seen them on display for awhile. They boasted a special spicy flavor boost and coconut flavoring. I hate coconut, so I always passed right by. But then I realized that it wasn't the flavor so much as the little bits that get stuck in your teeth. Maybe I actually liked coconut flavoring?
I bought one, not for the coconut experience, but more for the chance to taste the special spicy flavor boost. Let's just say that the taste of the coconut kind of overwhelmed the entire experience, as it often does. I could barely even taste the chocolate and caramel compared to the coconut. End result: I dislike the flavor just as much as the little bits in my teeth.
The only coconut I eat willingly comes in those little chocolate and caramel Girl Scout Cookies. What are they called? I can't remember and I'm too lazy to look it up. But for some reason (Wait, I just remembered they're called Tagalongs while checking on Carson who was making crying noises during his nap) I don't mind the coconut bits at all. I think it's cause they've soaked up so much caramel, they're not quite as rigid.
And lets get this out on the table right now - orange has got to be one of the least desired flavors on the planet. It's a good flavor when you're chewing gum, or having a cough drop, or, let's say, eating an orange, but as far as candy goes, I tend to eat everything else first. (Except for Runts. With Runts I always eat the bananas last because I borderline loathe artificial banana flavoring.)
Andrea brought home one of those giant packs of super cheap Flavo-Ice freezer treat things with all the different tubes of fruity ice. Typically, our bag will end up with six or seven oranges left after everything else is gone. Sure, along the way you might grab an orange or two in an effort to keep the bag from becoming overrun with them - some sort of sham equality emotion taking over - but they're always the last ones left.
Not last week though. Last week I pop open a bright yellow Flavo-Ice all ready to enjoy my absolute favorite artificial flavor - LEMON - and guess what? B-A-N-A-N-A. I almost threw it away. Almost. It was Flavo-Ice afterall. After it was gone though, I grabbed a slightly less yellowed icee and guess what? Coco-freakin-nut. I kid you not. I go back to the freezer and look and low and behold they're not Flavo-Ice's but some cheap knock off. And no lemons to boot!
Let's get one thing straight: There are exactly six - count'em SIX - artificial flavors to be considered for icy pops - Cherry, Grape, Orange, Lemon, Lime and Blue. Anything else is a gross misjustice to the taste buds.
So for the first time in our freezer, there remain two oranges, four coconuts, and three bananas. I have a good feeling that someday when we move from this house, we'll open that freezer, ice pick past three inches of frost, and find those coconut icy pops right where they are right now.
Till next time,
Jason
The Big Turk, by the way, is a chocolate bar with a gummy, fruity filling that's not unlike a giant grape Dot - maybe not quite that chewy though.
The only other country I've really ever been to is Canada, so that's where most of my foreign candy experience comes from. I've had a few bits and bobbles of Asian stuff from foreign exchange students, but I don't remember much about it other than there was some sort of corn flavored Jolly Rancher-type thing.
No, Canada seems to have a much better assortment.
I notice that in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, and Neerlandia that if you want a Milky Way at a gas station, you have to settle for a dark chocolate one. It's fine by me since I prefer dark chocolate, but it seemed strange not to see a regualar Milky Way anywhere.
Kit Kat's only seemed to come in one large Kit Kat as well, instead of the four smaller connected ones. I've seen the one large Kit Kat here in the states, but I have yet to see anyone sell the smaller versions in Canada.
Don't even ask for Smarties in Alberta if you're an American. You won't get'em. At least, not the tart little treats that we know and love here. No, in Canada, Smarties are like giant M&M's except they have a little bit of a Sixlet's taste to them. Not all that pleasant. If you mention that though, they seem to get very defensive.
Our Smarties are called Rockets to them, and I think everyone can agree that that's just silly. They don't look like Rockets at all. Why can't they just call their Smarties "Rockets", and the whole thing will be settled?
What's even stranger right now is that I've typed the word Smarties so many times that it doesn't even seem like a word anymore. Stare at it. Say it aloud a few times. Smarties. What the heck does that even mean?
Andrea and I bought some Runts a few years back when we lived in Rock Valley. It was right after they discontinued the lime pieces for the larger watermelon ones. Don't get me wrong, watermelon was a great addition, but getting rid of lime? Those were my favorite and they were the easiest to chew! How many times have you grabbed a cherry or an orange and almost broke a tooth because it didn't have that give that the lime always had?
There was a 1-800 number on the back so I dared Andrea to call it and complain. She did without hesitation, and said the woman on the other side seemed quite interested in her tasting opinions. Two weeks later she got an envelope in the mail from the Wonka company filled with coupons for Carnation Instant Milk. I don't see the correlation at all, and I pity the poor child who might have tried the same thing only to recieve powdered milk coupons as a reward. It seems more like they were trying to discourage any further candy unrest.
I bought an Indiana Jones Snickers bar at Dollar General a couple days ago. I'd seen them on display for awhile. They boasted a special spicy flavor boost and coconut flavoring. I hate coconut, so I always passed right by. But then I realized that it wasn't the flavor so much as the little bits that get stuck in your teeth. Maybe I actually liked coconut flavoring?
I bought one, not for the coconut experience, but more for the chance to taste the special spicy flavor boost. Let's just say that the taste of the coconut kind of overwhelmed the entire experience, as it often does. I could barely even taste the chocolate and caramel compared to the coconut. End result: I dislike the flavor just as much as the little bits in my teeth.
The only coconut I eat willingly comes in those little chocolate and caramel Girl Scout Cookies. What are they called? I can't remember and I'm too lazy to look it up. But for some reason (Wait, I just remembered they're called Tagalongs while checking on Carson who was making crying noises during his nap) I don't mind the coconut bits at all. I think it's cause they've soaked up so much caramel, they're not quite as rigid.
And lets get this out on the table right now - orange has got to be one of the least desired flavors on the planet. It's a good flavor when you're chewing gum, or having a cough drop, or, let's say, eating an orange, but as far as candy goes, I tend to eat everything else first. (Except for Runts. With Runts I always eat the bananas last because I borderline loathe artificial banana flavoring.)
Andrea brought home one of those giant packs of super cheap Flavo-Ice freezer treat things with all the different tubes of fruity ice. Typically, our bag will end up with six or seven oranges left after everything else is gone. Sure, along the way you might grab an orange or two in an effort to keep the bag from becoming overrun with them - some sort of sham equality emotion taking over - but they're always the last ones left.
Not last week though. Last week I pop open a bright yellow Flavo-Ice all ready to enjoy my absolute favorite artificial flavor - LEMON - and guess what? B-A-N-A-N-A. I almost threw it away. Almost. It was Flavo-Ice afterall. After it was gone though, I grabbed a slightly less yellowed icee and guess what? Coco-freakin-nut. I kid you not. I go back to the freezer and look and low and behold they're not Flavo-Ice's but some cheap knock off. And no lemons to boot!
Let's get one thing straight: There are exactly six - count'em SIX - artificial flavors to be considered for icy pops - Cherry, Grape, Orange, Lemon, Lime and Blue. Anything else is a gross misjustice to the taste buds.
So for the first time in our freezer, there remain two oranges, four coconuts, and three bananas. I have a good feeling that someday when we move from this house, we'll open that freezer, ice pick past three inches of frost, and find those coconut icy pops right where they are right now.
Till next time,
Jason
Friday, August 01, 2008
Convention
Long time, no post.
MC'ed, led seminars, and did some late night entertainment in Bozeman, MT for about 1,000 teenagers and adults with Youth Unlimted's yearly Convention. I had a blast.
Met all kinds of great new people. Tiger McLeun, Chap Clarke, Shane Claiborn, Olive Aneno, and the worship band Pocket full of Rocks.
Got to know Pocket's lead singer and songwriter, Michaelf Farrin a bit. He was a lot of fun to hang around with. He's written about 1 bajillion songs that have been recorded by lots of fantastically famous folks in the record industry, but my favorite bit of info I gleaned from Michael was that he's a fan of country music. And not just a fan - but an old school country music fan.
So I put this info to good use and at one of the late night entertainment shows that I led, I grabbed Michael and Jonah's Wale leader Troy Kooima for a little impromptu Morgan Valley Social Club performance.
We all took turns telling stories and singing songs. Troy and I thought we were bringing Michael along to class the show up a bit, but that guy's crazier than we are. His road stories, self written music (Ghetto Christmas, I want to tinker with you) had us rolling in the aisles and we had a great time. I lamented to Troy afterwards that I really wish we could have recorded it.
Shane Claiborne was fantastic. I had fun getting to know seminar leader JR Pittman who's just as funny as a guy can get. Getting to hang out with Dawn, Troy and Happy the Dog friend Danny Fergen was just a real blast.
We were in Montana, so the scenery was great. I got to see the new Batman. I got to sneak in to a Casting Crowns concert for free! I got to hang out with a lot of cool friends from Neerlandia and some folks from Pella, Brooten, MN, and all sorts of places we've been blessed to travel in the past.
Troy spoke at Monday night's worship and knocked it out of the park. Truly the most spirit moving Convention main stage I've been a part of in three years with the group.
My flight got delayed on the way home, but that was fine as I got to spend some quality time with YU's own Carrie Ypma at the airport. We had a great conversation about family.
What else. . . lots of YU folk there. Millie, Les, Lenny, Kristen, Jeff, Carol, Bob, and many, many others that I'm sure I'm forgetting.
I got to dance on stage with Pocket's crazy tune, Now I Sing.
I got to sing Momma, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys with Troy at a mainstage. It didn't rock as hard as Ring of Fire did last year, but it was definately a highlight for me.
Jet lag knocked me around something awful. Carson's got my inner clock waking every morning around 6 a.m. Iowa time, so I was waking up at 5 a.m. like clockwork out in Bozeman. It wouldn't have been so bad, but I wasn't going to bed until between 1 and 2 a.m.
What else, what else?
I led some seminars on journaling and poetry and then emcee'd a late night entertainment session open mic for creative writing. Wow! What great stuff we heard from so many kids and a even a few adults. Original music, poetry, and hilarious stories. I hope they let me do the same thing again if I'm asked back next year.
There's probably a ton more I'm forgetting.
My reading for the weekend was The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz which won the pulitzer. It's about a Dominican family and their trials over the last fifty some years. Just fantastic, sad, hilarious, and thought provoking all at the same time.
Thought the new Batman was great, but not quite as good as the hype. It should have been two movies, with Two Face dominating the second. With everything shoved into one, it felt rushed in some scenes.
okay, signing off for now. I'm sure Troy and/or Dawn will write more about the event on happythedog.com if you're interested.
Till next time,
Jason
MC'ed, led seminars, and did some late night entertainment in Bozeman, MT for about 1,000 teenagers and adults with Youth Unlimted's yearly Convention. I had a blast.
Met all kinds of great new people. Tiger McLeun, Chap Clarke, Shane Claiborn, Olive Aneno, and the worship band Pocket full of Rocks.
Got to know Pocket's lead singer and songwriter, Michaelf Farrin a bit. He was a lot of fun to hang around with. He's written about 1 bajillion songs that have been recorded by lots of fantastically famous folks in the record industry, but my favorite bit of info I gleaned from Michael was that he's a fan of country music. And not just a fan - but an old school country music fan.
So I put this info to good use and at one of the late night entertainment shows that I led, I grabbed Michael and Jonah's Wale leader Troy Kooima for a little impromptu Morgan Valley Social Club performance.
We all took turns telling stories and singing songs. Troy and I thought we were bringing Michael along to class the show up a bit, but that guy's crazier than we are. His road stories, self written music (Ghetto Christmas, I want to tinker with you) had us rolling in the aisles and we had a great time. I lamented to Troy afterwards that I really wish we could have recorded it.
Shane Claiborne was fantastic. I had fun getting to know seminar leader JR Pittman who's just as funny as a guy can get. Getting to hang out with Dawn, Troy and Happy the Dog friend Danny Fergen was just a real blast.
We were in Montana, so the scenery was great. I got to see the new Batman. I got to sneak in to a Casting Crowns concert for free! I got to hang out with a lot of cool friends from Neerlandia and some folks from Pella, Brooten, MN, and all sorts of places we've been blessed to travel in the past.
Troy spoke at Monday night's worship and knocked it out of the park. Truly the most spirit moving Convention main stage I've been a part of in three years with the group.
My flight got delayed on the way home, but that was fine as I got to spend some quality time with YU's own Carrie Ypma at the airport. We had a great conversation about family.
What else. . . lots of YU folk there. Millie, Les, Lenny, Kristen, Jeff, Carol, Bob, and many, many others that I'm sure I'm forgetting.
I got to dance on stage with Pocket's crazy tune, Now I Sing.
I got to sing Momma, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys with Troy at a mainstage. It didn't rock as hard as Ring of Fire did last year, but it was definately a highlight for me.
Jet lag knocked me around something awful. Carson's got my inner clock waking every morning around 6 a.m. Iowa time, so I was waking up at 5 a.m. like clockwork out in Bozeman. It wouldn't have been so bad, but I wasn't going to bed until between 1 and 2 a.m.
What else, what else?
I led some seminars on journaling and poetry and then emcee'd a late night entertainment session open mic for creative writing. Wow! What great stuff we heard from so many kids and a even a few adults. Original music, poetry, and hilarious stories. I hope they let me do the same thing again if I'm asked back next year.
There's probably a ton more I'm forgetting.
My reading for the weekend was The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz which won the pulitzer. It's about a Dominican family and their trials over the last fifty some years. Just fantastic, sad, hilarious, and thought provoking all at the same time.
Thought the new Batman was great, but not quite as good as the hype. It should have been two movies, with Two Face dominating the second. With everything shoved into one, it felt rushed in some scenes.
okay, signing off for now. I'm sure Troy and/or Dawn will write more about the event on happythedog.com if you're interested.
Till next time,
Jason
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
A conversation I overheard on the road in front of my home.
10 yr old girl #1 on bike: I don't want to play anymore!
10 yr old girl #2 on foot: Why?
#1: Because your mom is going to play!
#2: So what?
#1: I don't want to play hide and seek with your mom. (Rides off)
#2: Have fun playing by yourself! (Storms off the other way)
#1: (Over her shoulder) Have fun being a stupid idiot!
A conversation in the hall where I work.
(Mother and six year old son coming off the elevator.)
Mother: Your shoes are on the wrong feet.
Son: (Looks down at his flip flops which are a good three sizes too big and CLEARLY on the wrong feet, pointing outwards.) Oh. They were ouchy.
10 yr old girl #1 on bike: I don't want to play anymore!
10 yr old girl #2 on foot: Why?
#1: Because your mom is going to play!
#2: So what?
#1: I don't want to play hide and seek with your mom. (Rides off)
#2: Have fun playing by yourself! (Storms off the other way)
#1: (Over her shoulder) Have fun being a stupid idiot!
A conversation in the hall where I work.
(Mother and six year old son coming off the elevator.)
Mother: Your shoes are on the wrong feet.
Son: (Looks down at his flip flops which are a good three sizes too big and CLEARLY on the wrong feet, pointing outwards.) Oh. They were ouchy.
Lots of stuff
Behind on blogging again. . .
A couple weekends ago I went and did some worships with RISE on the Road with good friend Rob Rozeboom. Rob got abotu thirty kids or so to come to Knoxville, IA and work a service project and then had a big music festival on Saturday night.
Improv buddy Steve Hydeen came over from Omaha and we got to do some drama/talks together. I love working with Steve and every time we get together, we get to experiment a little more with biblical drama stuff. It was a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, I never made it to the music festival for my emceeing part due to a small flare up with my past illness. But I heard it went great.
On the topic of illness, I'm almost fully recuperated with just a hint of spleen swelling now and again. I had some blood tests done two days ago, and things looked really good. The doctor seems to be labeling it as a mono-like illness that just didnt' show up on the tests.
I also just got back from Sioux Falls SERVE and had a great time. I can usually go on and on about my SERVE weeks in big long posts, but I don't have a ton of time today as I'm leaving in a few hours for a three day service project with my own youth group.
But I will say this, Sioux Falls SERVE continues to be one of my favorite weeks of the entire year. So many good friends coming together with lots of new faces to work, worship, and have fun.
I took a good share of ribbing from a few people about my "weak spleen" since I was on doctor's orders not to rough house or lift much. But other than that, it was fine.
Good friend Jacklyn Punt had challenged me to do more talks about women from the Bible, so that's where I spent most of my talks. It was far easier than I thought it would be and I really liked the results.
What else? Man, there's so much. I'm going to just have to make a longer post when I get back from Kansas City. Although, I hear there's a blog at sfserve.blogspot.com about the event, but I haven't checked it out yet.
In a crazy turn of events, I was only gone one week and Carson learned how to eat with a spoon, say new words like eat and bubba, and make the sign for "more" when he'd like more food to eat.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Correction
Yes, everything in the previous post happened, but as I feared, it was not in that order. What do I know? I had a 103 fever at the time and was on painkillers and sleeping aids for most of it!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Missed two shows cause I was sick. . .
Woke up a couple weeks ago on a Sunday and had a bit of a fever. Didn't think much about it. I had a church meeting that morning and my nephew's birthday party that afternoon, so I figured I'd trudge through the day. Afterwards, I wish I hadn't as my temp had reached 103 and I felt just plain horrible.
Woke up the next day with the same fever and now a pretty severe headache. Since it was Monday, it was my day to watch Carson so that Andrea could work. I figured I'd trudge through the day. Afterwards I wish I hadn't as my temp was still around 103 and I still had a bad headache.
This is where everything starts to get a little fuzzy for me. I remember going in to work on Tuesday morning for a couple hours but heading home right afterward because I felt so rough. I think it was at this point that we decided Andrea and Carson should spend a night at her folks because I was going through some pretty severe sweats and chills with the bad fever and headache and we thought I was probably contagious.
If I'm remembering right - aw forget it. I'm not remembering anything right. The whole first week was just one long day for me as I had the fever and couldn't really sleep.
One night in there, I hit 104 degrees and decided I should probably make a trip to the emergency room. They drew blood, did chest x-rays, checked for pnemonia, mono, lyme's disease, strep, and menengitis, and came up with nothing. They told me it was a bad flu and sent me home.
I think it was at this point I called Troy and told him I wouldn't make our scheduled youth rally the next night in South Dakota.
Two days later, I visited my doctor after the symptoms hadn't passed. They did more blood work, checked for everything again, and came up with nothing. I had to wait a few days to find out about hepatitis though. My white count and platelets were low, and my Billy Rubin and liver enzymes were off. They scheduled an ultrasound and more blood tests for the next week and the doctor seemed a little nervous. It was at this point, he prescribed me some medication to help me sleep as I was averaging four or less hours a night because of the fever and headaches.
I made the mistake of taking one pill. I had the most crazy, vivid dreams I've ever had. When I woke up, some of the things from my dreams were still in the room with me. As I tried to crawl out of bed to get a drink, possessions, ideas, and people began to pour out of my ears onto the bed. After about 30 seconds, I realized it was a hallucination, and it was actually sweat that was pouring off of me. I made the decision to never take those pills again. I still only got four hours sleep that night.
The next night (I think), I woke up with pretty bad pain right under the bottom of my ribs, right where the doctors had been feeling my liver, gall bladder, and spleen. I tried to ignore it for a while, but finally decided that since the doctor had been worried about those organs, I should probably go in.
I headed into the emergency room for the second time in three days around 2 a.m. maybe? They took some blood work and asked me how bad the pain was on a scale of 1 to 10.
Now, I've had bad back problems for a long time. I've had mornings where it hurt so bad, I couldn't roll out of bed. I've had days where I had to let my legs drip dry from the knees down after a shower because I couldn't bend over to dry them. I've had one or two times in my life where someone else had to tie my shoes for me. I would say my back pain has reached a 10 on several occasions. So, in all honesty, I had to tell the lady that my stomach area was only around a 5 or 6.
This is when I got my very first I.V. and shot of morphine. The pain ebbed away. I awaited the ER doctor to come in and take a look at me. He decided to push up the ultrasound to the morning, and I settled in to wait the next four hours in a hospital room.
The ultrasound showed an enlarged spleen that seemed to be causing the pain, so the doctor gave me a prescription for painkillers and sent me home.
The pain killer was interesting. I can see how people might get addicted, and not for the reasons you might be thinking. I didn't get that rush of a high like the morphine had given me. It didn't mellow me out, and make me goofy. In fact, the only really good thing it did was make me wake up for the first time in ten years with no back pain what-so-ever. I rolled out of bed that next morning and it took me about 10 seconds to realized my back pain was gone. Completely gone. And for about the next four days I remembered what it felt like to move as I pleased without shooting pain in my lower back. I went off the pills a couple days ago, and am now back to the realization of what that pain is, though.
My favorite part of the pain pills came with the instructions. I always have a morbid curiousity with any medications I recieve to see what kind of side effects are listed. This one was a doozy, and the hands down all time winner:
Possible side effects - anxiety, constipation, diarrhea (How can they list both? That's just covering your bases if you ask me.), dizziness, dry mouth, gas (with constipation and diarrhea, no kidding), headache, heartburn, increased sweating, loss of appetite, nausea, nervousness (I'm guessing any and all nervousness begins after reading listed side effects), stomach pain (THAT'S WHAT I'M TAKING THE STUPID PILLS FOR!), upset stomach, trouble sleeping, vomiting, and weakness.
But it doesn't end there. I'm supposed to call my doctor if I get any of these side effects which have been known to occur:
Bloody, black, or tarry stools; blurred vision; change in the amount of urine produced; chest pain; confusion(one of my symptoms already); dark urine; depression; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever, chills (already have fever and chills), or blistered peeling skin, seizures, severe headaches or dizziness (already have both), severe or persistent stomach pain (again, isn't this why I'm on the medication?) or nausea, sever vomiting, shortness of breath, slow or shallow breathing, stiff neck (another symptom I already have), sudden or unexplained weight gain (yeah, yeah, doctor, ever since college), swelling of hands, legs, or feet, unusual bruising or bleeding, unusual joint or muscle pain (already a symptom), vision or speech changes (I'm now speaking french in a dutch accent. Is that bad?), vomit that looks like coffee grounds, (WHAT???) yellowing of the skin or eyes, rash, or itching.
I had a Morgan Valley Social Club show that night (at least I think it was that night) at the home church in Pella, and I was really bummed that I was going to miss it. We had a ton of extra music lined up besided just me and Kyle, and I knew it was going to be a great crowd. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend, and like I feared, the show was apparently fantastic. I'm really sore that I missed that one. . .
I went in that afternoon and had some more bloodwork done. I finally got some good news. My white count, platelets, Billy Rubin, and liver enzymes were all almost back to normal. That meant that the more serious tests the doctor had mentioned, like bone marrow sampling, wouldn't have to happen.
He told me they were gonna check for the three viruses that cause mono, check my mono spots, and do the hep tests and get back to me.
They all came back negative. This meant they have no idea what went wrong in me, but the blood work was all coming back much better. I was finally diagnosed with an unknown virus that settled in my spleen and messed with my liver, gall bladder, and blood, that may or may not have caused mono, which they didn't catch if it did.
I spent another week recuperating at home as the fevers and headaches faded away, and Andrea and Carson were able to return home after spending most of the week with my folks.
After two weeks, I finally was able to return back to work (two days ago, Tuesday) with a giant pile of work on my desk.
That's all for now. If anyone actually made it through this post, you're probably suffering confusion, irritation, heachaches, and depression. If so, call me immediately and I'll give you a few of the pills I have left. Just let me know if you have constipated diarrhea that looks like coffee grounds. I'd like to see it for myself.
Jason
Woke up the next day with the same fever and now a pretty severe headache. Since it was Monday, it was my day to watch Carson so that Andrea could work. I figured I'd trudge through the day. Afterwards I wish I hadn't as my temp was still around 103 and I still had a bad headache.
This is where everything starts to get a little fuzzy for me. I remember going in to work on Tuesday morning for a couple hours but heading home right afterward because I felt so rough. I think it was at this point that we decided Andrea and Carson should spend a night at her folks because I was going through some pretty severe sweats and chills with the bad fever and headache and we thought I was probably contagious.
If I'm remembering right - aw forget it. I'm not remembering anything right. The whole first week was just one long day for me as I had the fever and couldn't really sleep.
One night in there, I hit 104 degrees and decided I should probably make a trip to the emergency room. They drew blood, did chest x-rays, checked for pnemonia, mono, lyme's disease, strep, and menengitis, and came up with nothing. They told me it was a bad flu and sent me home.
I think it was at this point I called Troy and told him I wouldn't make our scheduled youth rally the next night in South Dakota.
Two days later, I visited my doctor after the symptoms hadn't passed. They did more blood work, checked for everything again, and came up with nothing. I had to wait a few days to find out about hepatitis though. My white count and platelets were low, and my Billy Rubin and liver enzymes were off. They scheduled an ultrasound and more blood tests for the next week and the doctor seemed a little nervous. It was at this point, he prescribed me some medication to help me sleep as I was averaging four or less hours a night because of the fever and headaches.
I made the mistake of taking one pill. I had the most crazy, vivid dreams I've ever had. When I woke up, some of the things from my dreams were still in the room with me. As I tried to crawl out of bed to get a drink, possessions, ideas, and people began to pour out of my ears onto the bed. After about 30 seconds, I realized it was a hallucination, and it was actually sweat that was pouring off of me. I made the decision to never take those pills again. I still only got four hours sleep that night.
The next night (I think), I woke up with pretty bad pain right under the bottom of my ribs, right where the doctors had been feeling my liver, gall bladder, and spleen. I tried to ignore it for a while, but finally decided that since the doctor had been worried about those organs, I should probably go in.
I headed into the emergency room for the second time in three days around 2 a.m. maybe? They took some blood work and asked me how bad the pain was on a scale of 1 to 10.
Now, I've had bad back problems for a long time. I've had mornings where it hurt so bad, I couldn't roll out of bed. I've had days where I had to let my legs drip dry from the knees down after a shower because I couldn't bend over to dry them. I've had one or two times in my life where someone else had to tie my shoes for me. I would say my back pain has reached a 10 on several occasions. So, in all honesty, I had to tell the lady that my stomach area was only around a 5 or 6.
This is when I got my very first I.V. and shot of morphine. The pain ebbed away. I awaited the ER doctor to come in and take a look at me. He decided to push up the ultrasound to the morning, and I settled in to wait the next four hours in a hospital room.
The ultrasound showed an enlarged spleen that seemed to be causing the pain, so the doctor gave me a prescription for painkillers and sent me home.
The pain killer was interesting. I can see how people might get addicted, and not for the reasons you might be thinking. I didn't get that rush of a high like the morphine had given me. It didn't mellow me out, and make me goofy. In fact, the only really good thing it did was make me wake up for the first time in ten years with no back pain what-so-ever. I rolled out of bed that next morning and it took me about 10 seconds to realized my back pain was gone. Completely gone. And for about the next four days I remembered what it felt like to move as I pleased without shooting pain in my lower back. I went off the pills a couple days ago, and am now back to the realization of what that pain is, though.
My favorite part of the pain pills came with the instructions. I always have a morbid curiousity with any medications I recieve to see what kind of side effects are listed. This one was a doozy, and the hands down all time winner:
Possible side effects - anxiety, constipation, diarrhea (How can they list both? That's just covering your bases if you ask me.), dizziness, dry mouth, gas (with constipation and diarrhea, no kidding), headache, heartburn, increased sweating, loss of appetite, nausea, nervousness (I'm guessing any and all nervousness begins after reading listed side effects), stomach pain (THAT'S WHAT I'M TAKING THE STUPID PILLS FOR!), upset stomach, trouble sleeping, vomiting, and weakness.
But it doesn't end there. I'm supposed to call my doctor if I get any of these side effects which have been known to occur:
Bloody, black, or tarry stools; blurred vision; change in the amount of urine produced; chest pain; confusion(one of my symptoms already); dark urine; depression; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever, chills (already have fever and chills), or blistered peeling skin, seizures, severe headaches or dizziness (already have both), severe or persistent stomach pain (again, isn't this why I'm on the medication?) or nausea, sever vomiting, shortness of breath, slow or shallow breathing, stiff neck (another symptom I already have), sudden or unexplained weight gain (yeah, yeah, doctor, ever since college), swelling of hands, legs, or feet, unusual bruising or bleeding, unusual joint or muscle pain (already a symptom), vision or speech changes (I'm now speaking french in a dutch accent. Is that bad?), vomit that looks like coffee grounds, (WHAT???) yellowing of the skin or eyes, rash, or itching.
I had a Morgan Valley Social Club show that night (at least I think it was that night) at the home church in Pella, and I was really bummed that I was going to miss it. We had a ton of extra music lined up besided just me and Kyle, and I knew it was going to be a great crowd. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend, and like I feared, the show was apparently fantastic. I'm really sore that I missed that one. . .
I went in that afternoon and had some more bloodwork done. I finally got some good news. My white count, platelets, Billy Rubin, and liver enzymes were all almost back to normal. That meant that the more serious tests the doctor had mentioned, like bone marrow sampling, wouldn't have to happen.
He told me they were gonna check for the three viruses that cause mono, check my mono spots, and do the hep tests and get back to me.
They all came back negative. This meant they have no idea what went wrong in me, but the blood work was all coming back much better. I was finally diagnosed with an unknown virus that settled in my spleen and messed with my liver, gall bladder, and blood, that may or may not have caused mono, which they didn't catch if it did.
I spent another week recuperating at home as the fevers and headaches faded away, and Andrea and Carson were able to return home after spending most of the week with my folks.
After two weeks, I finally was able to return back to work (two days ago, Tuesday) with a giant pile of work on my desk.
That's all for now. If anyone actually made it through this post, you're probably suffering confusion, irritation, heachaches, and depression. If so, call me immediately and I'll give you a few of the pills I have left. Just let me know if you have constipated diarrhea that looks like coffee grounds. I'd like to see it for myself.
Jason
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Refusing to Take Their Money. . .
Let's say you're a pilot. Maybe small, single engine planes. You do a lot of independant work, here and there, for whoever calls. One day a major airline phones you up and says, "We need you to fly our 747's for us."
You politely decline. You don't fly 747's.
They say, "Come on. You can do it! We'll give you this big wad of cash!"
You again politely decline. You even point out that the last time you tried to fly a plane that big, you had to make a crash landing and the plane was ruined.
They say, "Come on! We've heard good things about you! What if we add another big wad of cash to the first big wad of cash?"
This is tempting. Isn't a risky plane ride worth that much cash? But in the end, you must decline because you really shouldn't be flying that type of plane. The airline folk hang up in a huff, and you can tell you've made them mad.
Can you even imagine that scenario happening? Of course not! There isn't an employer in the world that would hire a prospective employee if that employee specifically said, "You shouldn't hire me for this. Not only am I not qualified, but the last time I tried to do this specific kind of job I messed it up royally!"
Yet, that doesn't seem to be the way it works in stand up comedy. I can't tell you the amount of times I've had to tell someone that it would probably be better if I didn't do their show.
250 elementary aged girl scouts in the wilderness for an hour? Hmm. While it sounds interesting, and your GIANT check looks nice, trust me when I say it's probably not my crowd. Five minutes of polite arguing later, and double the money turned down, and all of a sudden I'm the bad guy.
Would you hire a firefighter in inner city New York if they said, "I don't perform well any higher than a first floor house." But what if we double your salary?
I'm sorry, I can only work in your veternary clinic if I spade and neuter cats. I've never been trained to do dogs. But if we offered you enough money, wouldn't you be willing to give it a shot?
I'm a pediatrist. I'm not qualified to do open heart surgery. But we've heard such good things about you! I bet you'll do just fine.
I don't know, maybe it happens in more professions than I know.
I do my best to have something ready for every age group, gender, club, church, youth group, and gathering. But there are few key demographics that I just don't do well for. As time goes on, I try to be a little more honest with my employers about what I can and can't do, but they just don't want to hear it most of the time.
Are we that desperately short on clean, low income, midwestern, Christian speaker, poet, storytelling, comedian, youth directors in America?
For all of our sakes, I hope not.
Jason
You politely decline. You don't fly 747's.
They say, "Come on. You can do it! We'll give you this big wad of cash!"
You again politely decline. You even point out that the last time you tried to fly a plane that big, you had to make a crash landing and the plane was ruined.
They say, "Come on! We've heard good things about you! What if we add another big wad of cash to the first big wad of cash?"
This is tempting. Isn't a risky plane ride worth that much cash? But in the end, you must decline because you really shouldn't be flying that type of plane. The airline folk hang up in a huff, and you can tell you've made them mad.
Can you even imagine that scenario happening? Of course not! There isn't an employer in the world that would hire a prospective employee if that employee specifically said, "You shouldn't hire me for this. Not only am I not qualified, but the last time I tried to do this specific kind of job I messed it up royally!"
Yet, that doesn't seem to be the way it works in stand up comedy. I can't tell you the amount of times I've had to tell someone that it would probably be better if I didn't do their show.
250 elementary aged girl scouts in the wilderness for an hour? Hmm. While it sounds interesting, and your GIANT check looks nice, trust me when I say it's probably not my crowd. Five minutes of polite arguing later, and double the money turned down, and all of a sudden I'm the bad guy.
Would you hire a firefighter in inner city New York if they said, "I don't perform well any higher than a first floor house." But what if we double your salary?
I'm sorry, I can only work in your veternary clinic if I spade and neuter cats. I've never been trained to do dogs. But if we offered you enough money, wouldn't you be willing to give it a shot?
I'm a pediatrist. I'm not qualified to do open heart surgery. But we've heard such good things about you! I bet you'll do just fine.
I don't know, maybe it happens in more professions than I know.
I do my best to have something ready for every age group, gender, club, church, youth group, and gathering. But there are few key demographics that I just don't do well for. As time goes on, I try to be a little more honest with my employers about what I can and can't do, but they just don't want to hear it most of the time.
Are we that desperately short on clean, low income, midwestern, Christian speaker, poet, storytelling, comedian, youth directors in America?
For all of our sakes, I hope not.
Jason
Thursday, April 24, 2008
My Choice, Alton, IA
Drove up to Orange City, IA yesterday to speak at a My Choice event early this morning at the middle school in Alton. My Choice is a middle school youth group that started a few years back with one guidance counselor and four kids. Now it's one guidance counselor and about 175 to 200 kids.
It's a pretty amazing group run by a pretty amazing guy - Scott Starkweather. It's a secular school. It's at 7am on Thursday mornings. Its attendance reaches 200 at times. That's just amazing. I have enough trouble getting 9 kids to show up on a Sunday night, let alone 175 on a Thursday morning.
We had fun. I even got to stick around and give a message to a home room class during second period. Good friend from RISE Ministries, Rob Rozeboom was there pitching his RISE on the Road that I'll also be speaking at come June in Knoxville, IA.
On the way home I broke out the old Willie Nelson and Family Live CD, and had a honky tonking good time grooving out. Willie's sister Bobbie Nelson plays a pretty mean country, honky tonk piano, and it reminded me of a story that I just shared with the Fergen brothers a few weeks back.
Last year, Troy, Dawn, and I all went up to lead a retreat in Oh Canada. We were staying at a camp that's made up like an old west town - including a worship room that's set up like a saloon.
Well, long story short, Dawn (Happy the Dog's resident piano player) obviously can't pack a piano to bring along, so she's at the mercy of whatever the host has to offer. We walk in, and they show Dawn her electric piano. A little casio jobby that's still in the box, kind of like one you'd buy at Walmart to learn how to play.
Dawn just stood looking at that box with her arms crossed for a bit with a look on her face of, Dawn not happy. Which, if you know Dawn, can be pretty amusing as long as you're not the one Dawn's not happy with.
Well after a bit of hemming and hawing, Dawn looks over at the saloon piano in the corner. It's a real old honky tonk job. Barely tuned. The "ivory" on the top of the pressboard keys is coming off of several keys. But Dawn bangs away on it a bit and finally declares it usable.
Now, I don't know if Dawn was completely satisfied with the sound, but I loved it. It added a real honky tonk sound to the songs that weekend, and I felt right at home.
I think my next show is May 7 in Dell Rapids (South Dakota?) with Jonah's Wale, and then I have a Morgan Valley Social Club show in Pella at the home church on May 9.
I also have my own middle school overnighter tomorrow night, and . . . I'm . . . not . . . quite . . . ready for it. I don't know how I'm going to stay up all night. I stayed at the Dutch Colony Inn last night after eating dinner with one of Happy the Dog's best friends - Jacklyn Punt - and the motel was a bit cold and noisy.
My room was right next to the door, and lots of people came and went all night. I would have switched rooms, but I'm lazy that way. Seeing Jacklyn again was great though!
Till next time,
Jason
It's a pretty amazing group run by a pretty amazing guy - Scott Starkweather. It's a secular school. It's at 7am on Thursday mornings. Its attendance reaches 200 at times. That's just amazing. I have enough trouble getting 9 kids to show up on a Sunday night, let alone 175 on a Thursday morning.
We had fun. I even got to stick around and give a message to a home room class during second period. Good friend from RISE Ministries, Rob Rozeboom was there pitching his RISE on the Road that I'll also be speaking at come June in Knoxville, IA.
On the way home I broke out the old Willie Nelson and Family Live CD, and had a honky tonking good time grooving out. Willie's sister Bobbie Nelson plays a pretty mean country, honky tonk piano, and it reminded me of a story that I just shared with the Fergen brothers a few weeks back.
Last year, Troy, Dawn, and I all went up to lead a retreat in Oh Canada. We were staying at a camp that's made up like an old west town - including a worship room that's set up like a saloon.
Well, long story short, Dawn (Happy the Dog's resident piano player) obviously can't pack a piano to bring along, so she's at the mercy of whatever the host has to offer. We walk in, and they show Dawn her electric piano. A little casio jobby that's still in the box, kind of like one you'd buy at Walmart to learn how to play.
Dawn just stood looking at that box with her arms crossed for a bit with a look on her face of, Dawn not happy. Which, if you know Dawn, can be pretty amusing as long as you're not the one Dawn's not happy with.
Well after a bit of hemming and hawing, Dawn looks over at the saloon piano in the corner. It's a real old honky tonk job. Barely tuned. The "ivory" on the top of the pressboard keys is coming off of several keys. But Dawn bangs away on it a bit and finally declares it usable.
Now, I don't know if Dawn was completely satisfied with the sound, but I loved it. It added a real honky tonk sound to the songs that weekend, and I felt right at home.
I think my next show is May 7 in Dell Rapids (South Dakota?) with Jonah's Wale, and then I have a Morgan Valley Social Club show in Pella at the home church on May 9.
I also have my own middle school overnighter tomorrow night, and . . . I'm . . . not . . . quite . . . ready for it. I don't know how I'm going to stay up all night. I stayed at the Dutch Colony Inn last night after eating dinner with one of Happy the Dog's best friends - Jacklyn Punt - and the motel was a bit cold and noisy.
My room was right next to the door, and lots of people came and went all night. I would have switched rooms, but I'm lazy that way. Seeing Jacklyn again was great though!
Till next time,
Jason
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Comedy in Lincoln, NE
Buzzed down to Lincoln, NE last night for a stand up show for a church volunteer appreciation night. Had a great time and met lots of new people. It's crazy how small of a world the Reformed Church really is. Pastor PT (I'm not sure what it stands for) at Hope church knew my Pella pastors and my Pella Pastor's father, and he'd also come out of Northwest Iowa and knew ministry guy Bob Cleveringa and several others. PT and his wife had also gone to Iowa State University just like I had. So many connections.The show went well.
The crowd laughed at all the laughy parts. Great food was enjoyed. Prizes were given out. Puzzles were solved that seriously hurt my brain to look at.
As my portion of the show ended, I thanked all the volunteers for having me out and for volunteering their time at the church. I asked how many of them volunteered with children or youth and about 1/3 of them raised their hands. I asked how many of them volunteered with adults and got about another 1/3. It certainly made me wonder what the last 1/3 did. Animals perhaps? Maybe that's why the pastor's name is PT . . . they have a circus ministry!
In all seriousness, they were a fantastic church and it looks like they've got a great ministry going on in Lincoln. PT shared some really cool stories with me about their recent relocation and how the old church is now being used for a Hispanic ministry.
******************
On a side note, I'm always looking for new things to keep my mind occupied on LONG lonely car drives. Music can only take me so far. Ricky Gervais podcasts can only take me so much farther. Last night though, I downloaded about eight hours of NPR's comedy news quiz show Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! What a fantastically funny show. I listen on Saturday's whenever I get the chance, but to have it as a free down load is just superb. Thanks NPR and itunes!
In two weeks I'm in Alton, IA for the My Choice youth group at the middle school in Alton. I may blog before then, but we'll see what the week brings.
The crowd laughed at all the laughy parts. Great food was enjoyed. Prizes were given out. Puzzles were solved that seriously hurt my brain to look at.
As my portion of the show ended, I thanked all the volunteers for having me out and for volunteering their time at the church. I asked how many of them volunteered with children or youth and about 1/3 of them raised their hands. I asked how many of them volunteered with adults and got about another 1/3. It certainly made me wonder what the last 1/3 did. Animals perhaps? Maybe that's why the pastor's name is PT . . . they have a circus ministry!
In all seriousness, they were a fantastic church and it looks like they've got a great ministry going on in Lincoln. PT shared some really cool stories with me about their recent relocation and how the old church is now being used for a Hispanic ministry.
******************
On a side note, I'm always looking for new things to keep my mind occupied on LONG lonely car drives. Music can only take me so far. Ricky Gervais podcasts can only take me so much farther. Last night though, I downloaded about eight hours of NPR's comedy news quiz show Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! What a fantastically funny show. I listen on Saturday's whenever I get the chance, but to have it as a free down load is just superb. Thanks NPR and itunes!
In two weeks I'm in Alton, IA for the My Choice youth group at the middle school in Alton. I may blog before then, but we'll see what the week brings.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Justin
Had a very busy long weekend with Happy the Dog. We started last Thursday in Estelline, SD, and ended up on Monday in Rock Valley. If you want to read all the details, you can. I'm in a little bit of an awkward spot right now as I'm currently blogging on three different sites right now for three different reasons . . .
I'm updating Happy the Dog Trips right here: http://happythedog.com/index.php?page=blog for the ministry. But I feel it important to keep updating this site because I know there are a lot of you out there who come here for the non Happy the Dog engagements. So until it becomes too big of a burden, I'll be doing some double posts. I'm short on time today, though, so I'll just comment on a few things, and then you can check out the Happy site for all the crazy details of the fun stuff.
Yesterday, the Happy the Dog crew had a very solemn morning as we attended the celebration of life for Justin Bousema. Justin, as you'll remember, was a guy from my former youth group in Rock Valley that had become a pastor. Happy the Dog had the privelage to go up and do a benefit for him a couple months back while he was in the hospital battling aplastic anemia.
Unfortunately, last week, Justin lost his battle and passed away early Thursday morning. Jonah's Wale led worship at the funeral, and it was nothing short of an amazing experience. Justin's wife Bethany not on spoke, but sang - even singing a song that Justin was supposed to sing on CD until the CD skipped! It was a powerful and moving testament to her faith.
The main sermon was from Justin himself. It was recorded from a Sunday message he'd given quite a while ago. Hearing his voice and confidence as he delivered the message was very emotional, and we send out our love and prayers for the entire family.
Justin will be sorely missed.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
New CD and Book
So the Church of the Brethren show was recorded, and Pastor Tim was nice enough to send me a CD of the show. The audio quality was great - for one of our shows, anyway. And overall, it was a great show.
Long story short, I used a freebie web audio editor and came up with pretty good CD for the show. The plan right now is to include it in the back of the new poetry book (as of yet untitled because Andrea didn't like my last title) as a bit of a freebie, although the book will cost a little more anyways. The book is in the final stages of development, and we hope to bring it and the CD out at our next show at Second Reformed Church on May 9.
The show is a fundraiser for a group our pastor works with during the year, and we're going to have a TON of great music. Lots of extra high quality down home bluegrass musicians are coming on board for the show, and it should be great. When I get a specific time, I'll post it on the blog to let you know.
We've also done a major revamp on our ministry site - happythedog.com - so check that out. Soon you'll be able to navigate our ministry a little easier, and there'll more than likely be another blog attached to that site where several other cohorts I work with will post. Not to mention that the donation and merchandise buttons will be a lot slicker to use. Troy said he just got some great new stuff in, so in about a week when the site is fully operational, check it out and support some great worship.
Jason
Long story short, I used a freebie web audio editor and came up with pretty good CD for the show. The plan right now is to include it in the back of the new poetry book (as of yet untitled because Andrea didn't like my last title) as a bit of a freebie, although the book will cost a little more anyways. The book is in the final stages of development, and we hope to bring it and the CD out at our next show at Second Reformed Church on May 9.
The show is a fundraiser for a group our pastor works with during the year, and we're going to have a TON of great music. Lots of extra high quality down home bluegrass musicians are coming on board for the show, and it should be great. When I get a specific time, I'll post it on the blog to let you know.
We've also done a major revamp on our ministry site - happythedog.com - so check that out. Soon you'll be able to navigate our ministry a little easier, and there'll more than likely be another blog attached to that site where several other cohorts I work with will post. Not to mention that the donation and merchandise buttons will be a lot slicker to use. Troy said he just got some great new stuff in, so in about a week when the site is fully operational, check it out and support some great worship.
Jason
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Yeah so. . .
I stink at all things computer related, as I spent the better part of tonight trying to figure out how to add music to the blog. Instead, I just did this:
http://www.myspace.com/themorganvalleysocialclub
It's a myspace page for the Morgan Valley Social Club with a little audio up. It includes the audio from These Boys in the Car (The Great Story) poem that I posted earlier along with a few songs from the fundraiser show we did at the Brethren Church a few weeks back.
One song is Kyle and Brian singing "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard. See if you notice when Kyle forgot the lyrics.
The other is "Life is Like a Mountain Railroad" with the whole crew that was there. The audio is not quite a loud as they weren't on the main microphones. But it give you the flavor of what we do.
I accidentally redid the template, so the links are in the lower right now, below the archives. You'll see The Morgan Valley Social Club's site is now earmarked. Whoop Dee Do.
Jason
http://www.myspace.com/themorganvalleysocialclub
It's a myspace page for the Morgan Valley Social Club with a little audio up. It includes the audio from These Boys in the Car (The Great Story) poem that I posted earlier along with a few songs from the fundraiser show we did at the Brethren Church a few weeks back.
One song is Kyle and Brian singing "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard. See if you notice when Kyle forgot the lyrics.
The other is "Life is Like a Mountain Railroad" with the whole crew that was there. The audio is not quite a loud as they weren't on the main microphones. But it give you the flavor of what we do.
I accidentally redid the template, so the links are in the lower right now, below the archives. You'll see The Morgan Valley Social Club's site is now earmarked. Whoop Dee Do.
Jason
Daren Streblow is funny. . .
This is a link to a comedian I've had the blessing to work with a couple times. They're cartoons he makes, and they're funny. FUNNY.
http://www.darenstreblow.com/toonplayer/
If the link doesn't work, it's because I don't know how to use a computer.
http://www.darenstreblow.com/toonplayer/
If the link doesn't work, it's because I don't know how to use a computer.
Some fresh ideas. . .
Here's what good friend Nathan thinks I should post about:
1. What every young person should know about gastropods.
2. How your choice of socks can make or break your ministry.
3. Should the 11th Commandment be "Thou shalt not speculate about any additional commandments"? (Classic Nathan humor. This type of joke sums up the genius of Nathan's humor.)
4. The top four and a half Bible stories about public speaking.
5. Home-made ziplines - a fool proof recipe for fun.
(I actually tell a homemade zipline story while speaking.)
6. Why does God allow cool things to have stupid names like "walkie-talkie"?
(More classic Nathan humor.)
7. People named "Chris" should be able to cut hair without any special training.
(Referencing the time in college when I let my older brother cut my hair and I actually looked worse than Jim Carrey on Dumb and Dumber.)
8. Why you shouldn't take suggestions for blog topics.
9. Lederhosen?!? Lederhosen.
10. Rocky Mountain High, Colorado. COLORADO!!!!
(Another inside joke to college where we'd call up good friend Mike and procede to destroy the John Denver classic into his answering machine. Nathan would hit the highest, most off pitch "COLORADO" on the echo. We made sure that each message went on for three or four minutes minimum.)
1. What every young person should know about gastropods.
2. How your choice of socks can make or break your ministry.
3. Should the 11th Commandment be "Thou shalt not speculate about any additional commandments"? (Classic Nathan humor. This type of joke sums up the genius of Nathan's humor.)
4. The top four and a half Bible stories about public speaking.
5. Home-made ziplines - a fool proof recipe for fun.
(I actually tell a homemade zipline story while speaking.)
6. Why does God allow cool things to have stupid names like "walkie-talkie"?
(More classic Nathan humor.)
7. People named "Chris" should be able to cut hair without any special training.
(Referencing the time in college when I let my older brother cut my hair and I actually looked worse than Jim Carrey on Dumb and Dumber.)
8. Why you shouldn't take suggestions for blog topics.
9. Lederhosen?!? Lederhosen.
10. Rocky Mountain High, Colorado. COLORADO!!!!
(Another inside joke to college where we'd call up good friend Mike and procede to destroy the John Denver classic into his answering machine. Nathan would hit the highest, most off pitch "COLORADO" on the echo. We made sure that each message went on for three or four minutes minimum.)
Friday, March 21, 2008
Fairly new poem. . .
These Boys in the Car
I’m thankful for the conversations you have
with the people who talk to you first
because I am the worst
at being the one
who has to talk first
And so this is the story
told to me
in the back of a church sanctuary
from the very last pew
by a woman I knew
through her husband
and because I didn’t get up the nerve
I almost never heard
the greatest story
that I’ve ever heard
she says,
“These two boys!
These two boys!
High school age
come flying over the hill
by our place
these boys are driving
90
just flying!
Over the hill by my place
And as they come over the hill
what do they see standing right in the middle?
Right on the double yellow line?
But a bull
a full sized, brown bull with horns no less
and they hit that bull head on,”
she says
“Boom! The bull drops dead in the middle of the road
and the boy’s car goes
and skids into the ditch
an front of my home
and now over the hill comes a semi
from the other way.”
“No, way,” I say, “No way,”
“Yes,” she says, “This semi
now it comes flyin’
over the side of the hill
and there is the bull
still
lyin’
right in the middle of the road
right front of my home
and the semi just annihilates this poor bull
launching it into the air
and this mass of blood, meat, and hair
comes crashing down
where?
Right on the hood
of the car
of the boys in the ditch
it’s just staring
through the cracked windshield
with it’s big, dead, bull eyes
blood dripping
as both boys try
to get out of the car but they can’t
because the doors are stuck
and then the semi,” she goes on,
“Slides over the ditch
and it skids onto my lawn
and tears through the grass I just mowed
until it comes to a stop
just feet from my picture window.”
As she’s talking
I’m leaning more and more forward
on the pew where I sit
and I think this story is so freaking fantastic
I can’t wait
to steal it
“There’s more,” she says
but I don’t know if I can take any more
there’s speed, and wrecks, and blood, and gore and stupidity galore
what more
could you need in a story?
She says, “I’d been asleep
and I hear this crash
so I make a mad dash
to the living room
I throw open the curtains and look outside
and staring back
are the eyes
of a man of a man in surprise
behind the wheel
of an enormous semi
just three or four feet away, maybe five
so I run over
and throw open the door
and see the boys with the bull on their hood
screaming in horror
for someone to open their doors
and I think for sure
this is the end of the world
and the bull. . .
starts. . .
to moan. . .
Arrrruuuuuuuuu!
And those boys fly
into that backseat so fast
as the bull raises his head and looks right passed
them
almost like he’s looking at me
and thinking
This isn’t how I thought my day
was going be
and now the semi driver is out on the lawn
between the truck and my home
standing there
stretching out his arms
as if measuring the distance
from his grill
to the window glass
as if it were the distance
from his first breath to his last
and I just called 911
and by the time I get done
telling them what I’ve seen
all three town cops come
because this story’s too good to believe
and as the first cop car approaches the site
the guy gets so excited
that he immediately slams on his brakes
and the two cars that are behind
can’t stop, and they collide
with his backside
causing the fourth and fifth wrecks of the day.”
and so she finishes her story
this wonderful story
with such bravado and blazing white glory
and I cannot think of the words
to show appreciation for the story I’ve heard
so I just give her a hug and say
thank you
I’m thankful for the conversations you have
with the people who talk to you first
because I am the worst
at being the one
who has to talk first
And so this is the story
told to me
in the back of a church sanctuary
from the very last pew
by a woman I knew
through her husband
and because I didn’t get up the nerve
I almost never heard
the greatest story
that I’ve ever heard
she says,
“These two boys!
These two boys!
High school age
come flying over the hill
by our place
these boys are driving
90
just flying!
Over the hill by my place
And as they come over the hill
what do they see standing right in the middle?
Right on the double yellow line?
But a bull
a full sized, brown bull with horns no less
and they hit that bull head on,”
she says
“Boom! The bull drops dead in the middle of the road
and the boy’s car goes
and skids into the ditch
an front of my home
and now over the hill comes a semi
from the other way.”
“No, way,” I say, “No way,”
“Yes,” she says, “This semi
now it comes flyin’
over the side of the hill
and there is the bull
still
lyin’
right in the middle of the road
right front of my home
and the semi just annihilates this poor bull
launching it into the air
and this mass of blood, meat, and hair
comes crashing down
where?
Right on the hood
of the car
of the boys in the ditch
it’s just staring
through the cracked windshield
with it’s big, dead, bull eyes
blood dripping
as both boys try
to get out of the car but they can’t
because the doors are stuck
and then the semi,” she goes on,
“Slides over the ditch
and it skids onto my lawn
and tears through the grass I just mowed
until it comes to a stop
just feet from my picture window.”
As she’s talking
I’m leaning more and more forward
on the pew where I sit
and I think this story is so freaking fantastic
I can’t wait
to steal it
“There’s more,” she says
but I don’t know if I can take any more
there’s speed, and wrecks, and blood, and gore and stupidity galore
what more
could you need in a story?
She says, “I’d been asleep
and I hear this crash
so I make a mad dash
to the living room
I throw open the curtains and look outside
and staring back
are the eyes
of a man of a man in surprise
behind the wheel
of an enormous semi
just three or four feet away, maybe five
so I run over
and throw open the door
and see the boys with the bull on their hood
screaming in horror
for someone to open their doors
and I think for sure
this is the end of the world
and the bull. . .
starts. . .
to moan. . .
Arrrruuuuuuuuu!
And those boys fly
into that backseat so fast
as the bull raises his head and looks right passed
them
almost like he’s looking at me
and thinking
This isn’t how I thought my day
was going be
and now the semi driver is out on the lawn
between the truck and my home
standing there
stretching out his arms
as if measuring the distance
from his grill
to the window glass
as if it were the distance
from his first breath to his last
and I just called 911
and by the time I get done
telling them what I’ve seen
all three town cops come
because this story’s too good to believe
and as the first cop car approaches the site
the guy gets so excited
that he immediately slams on his brakes
and the two cars that are behind
can’t stop, and they collide
with his backside
causing the fourth and fifth wrecks of the day.”
and so she finishes her story
this wonderful story
with such bravado and blazing white glory
and I cannot think of the words
to show appreciation for the story I’ve heard
so I just give her a hug and say
thank you
Friday, March 14, 2008
Brooten, MN
I've fallen a little behind in updating since my last post. Andrea's had a nagging flu, and my office time has suffered a little bit. So when I've been at the office, I've been doing . . . well, office stuff just to keep up.
Went up to Brooten, MN last week Thursday for a one night worship with Jonah's Wale for a little church there. Lots of old friends from Prinsberg, MN made the trip up as the band had played for their chapel that morning.
Had an interesting experience finding the place as instead of using my directions, Mark decided we should use his fancy-smancy GPS device.
Oh, it was fun at first. This beautiful British woman's voice guided us along our route for two hours, saying things like, "Turn left in four miles," and "Destination in 75 miles." Her voice was so pretty, it was easy to take directions.
That is, until she said, "Turn left now," and it meant leaving the blacktop for a gravel road to nowhere. We took the turn anyway, and heard our lovely guide advice, "Destination in five miles."
The only problem was that we could see for five miles and there was no town in sight. Eventually, right there in the middle of this gravel road, right in the middle of nowhere, she said, "You have arrived at your destination."
Right. . .
Mark did a little reconfiguring and we eventually got to our destination, but I think I'll stick to yahoo maps for a while.
Had a bit of a disappointment last week as well as I had a poetry show canceled because of weather on Monday. It was an especially big disappointment as it was the last one on my calendar at the moment. A bolt of fear ran through me that no more may come.
While I don't have another on my list yet, Pastor Sophie at the home church asked if I'd get some musicians together for a fundraiser - date to be determined! So that was great news. Pastor Tim, and choral director Jim from the Brethren show have already agreed to be onboard, so this may be the MVSC's best show to date, we'll see.
On a side note, I've been thinking a lot lately about the blog and how I wish it was a bit more interesting. I don't feel that I've ever really found my voice on it yet. So if you're game, feel free to shoot me a comment in the comment box about any ideas you have. For instance, "I really liked it when you talked about this. . ." or, "Enough talk about this kinds of stuff, I'd like to hear about this. . ." Anything you want I guess.
And yes Kyle, Nathan, and Mark, that's you're cue to start leaving wildly sarcastic comments now.
Jason
Went up to Brooten, MN last week Thursday for a one night worship with Jonah's Wale for a little church there. Lots of old friends from Prinsberg, MN made the trip up as the band had played for their chapel that morning.
Had an interesting experience finding the place as instead of using my directions, Mark decided we should use his fancy-smancy GPS device.
Oh, it was fun at first. This beautiful British woman's voice guided us along our route for two hours, saying things like, "Turn left in four miles," and "Destination in 75 miles." Her voice was so pretty, it was easy to take directions.
That is, until she said, "Turn left now," and it meant leaving the blacktop for a gravel road to nowhere. We took the turn anyway, and heard our lovely guide advice, "Destination in five miles."
The only problem was that we could see for five miles and there was no town in sight. Eventually, right there in the middle of this gravel road, right in the middle of nowhere, she said, "You have arrived at your destination."
Right. . .
Mark did a little reconfiguring and we eventually got to our destination, but I think I'll stick to yahoo maps for a while.
Had a bit of a disappointment last week as well as I had a poetry show canceled because of weather on Monday. It was an especially big disappointment as it was the last one on my calendar at the moment. A bolt of fear ran through me that no more may come.
While I don't have another on my list yet, Pastor Sophie at the home church asked if I'd get some musicians together for a fundraiser - date to be determined! So that was great news. Pastor Tim, and choral director Jim from the Brethren show have already agreed to be onboard, so this may be the MVSC's best show to date, we'll see.
On a side note, I've been thinking a lot lately about the blog and how I wish it was a bit more interesting. I don't feel that I've ever really found my voice on it yet. So if you're game, feel free to shoot me a comment in the comment box about any ideas you have. For instance, "I really liked it when you talked about this. . ." or, "Enough talk about this kinds of stuff, I'd like to hear about this. . ." Anything you want I guess.
And yes Kyle, Nathan, and Mark, that's you're cue to start leaving wildly sarcastic comments now.
Jason
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Prairie City Church of the Brethren and the MVSC
The Morgan Valley Social Club descended on the Prairie City Church of the Brethren this past Saturday night, and we had a great time. New poems were read. Kyle sang a song he'd never heard before. And we were joined onstage by Pastor Tim Peter playing the mandolin, worship leader Jim Jones playing guitar and singing a little Joan Baez, and Brian Gumm playing guitar and making Kyle look a lot better than he probably is. (Note to Kyle: insert sarcastic snipe in comment sections now.)
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We were raising moolah for the new playground equipment for the church, and I haven't heard a final total yet, but I'm hoping they got a lot.
For those who haven't seen the show, or saw it for the first time past weekend, I introduced everyone to the MVSC with some quotes from people who've seen our show in the past.
For instance, a guy at our last show in a big Pella church commented after a show:
"When the show started, I didn't know if I was going to like it or not. But when it was over, I think I did."
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Or the teenage boy who heard my poems as part of a two hour show of gospel music and commented:
"My parents had to drag me here tonight, but I wanted to tell you that you were the only thing that was halfway decent to listen to."
Or my personal favorite, from an orgainzer at a church we performed for:
"We have a lot of elderly and shut ins that don't get out much, and they really loved your show!"
So I guess what it comes down to is this, you might think our show is halfway decent if you don't get out much.
A big thanks goes out to all the family (Brummel's, Kain's, and Taylor's) and friends (Kyle's friends really, as I don't have many) who came out in support of the show and the kids of the church.
Where am I next . . . ? I'm not really sure. But if you really want to know, as I do, you'll just click over on the Happy the Dog link and check the calendar as I am also going to do momentarily.
Until next time, I remind everyone that I will no longer be posting pictures of Carson on the blog.
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Jason
Monday, February 18, 2008
Brethren Church Show This Saturday!
For all (both) of you that read this blog, we've got a big Morgan Valley Social Club Poetry/Music show this Saturday, February 23 at the Prairie City Church of the Brethren five miles south of Prairie City. Lots of new poems and songs debuting.
There's a baked potato supper fundraiser at 5pm, and then we go on at 6:30. It's going to be a good time, I promise. And it's for a good cause! Playground equipment for kids! Come on! Get the coal off your heart and show up! Who doesn't want to help kids?
There's a baked potato supper fundraiser at 5pm, and then we go on at 6:30. It's going to be a good time, I promise. And it's for a good cause! Playground equipment for kids! Come on! Get the coal off your heart and show up! Who doesn't want to help kids?
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