The Concert: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's free recordings of classical music performed live in the museum’s Tapestry Room. It is one of the best classical music series, and THE best classical podcast I have heard yet. I remember living in MA and would go to the ISG. What a lovely place, and what a lovelier place to hear music. Please subscribe and give it a try, won't you. It's on iTunes and from their website.

On March 30 we found out we are going to be parents. Cool parents, from what others have said about us, too, and I hope they are right.

Today was the 12-13 week ultrasound, and that means that for all intensive porpoises, we are free to announce to the world we had sex. It is also the right-of-way for us to begin taking as much advice as possible on how we need to get as much sleep as we can now, and go to movies now, and concerts now, because after the baby is born....

I remember the the day we decided that we were going to try to have a baby. I got on Half.com and bought 10 books. I bought the classics, "What to Expect when Your'e Expecting, to "The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for Dads-To-Be", and "The Mother of All Pregnancy Books"...to name a few. It is so fun to check and see each week where the baby is in developmental stages. Oh, look, at week "?" "his" penis is developed. Fun, fun stuff.

When we first arrived at our new house, we had two sets of neighbors come over and introduce themselves. One of the first questions they both asked was "so, do you have any kids?", and we just looked at each other and said, "well, we have one on the way". After the congratulations, they immediately said, "well, you have built in babysitters because we have 12-15 year-olds. YIPPEE! Although we are still not even parents yet, we understand the importance of getting out and having date nights alone even with a baby. It's hard to leave the dogs with other people, yet alone your own baby, but I think you have to eventually let go and spend time alone. But hey, we have 6 more months of preparing for this to even worry about it.

We are very excited as you might guess, and Christy just posted about it as well.

Here are some pics from today's doc visit.

"Hey look, I can already suck my thumb"



"Chillin' like a little villian"

This long, beautiful Memorial Day weekend was perfect for landscapingand Christy and I realized we are a good yard work team. First, we went to Home Depot and picked out some plants and flowers. Christy also went to our local garden shop and picked up a bunch of flowers and ground cover as well. Then came the processes. I am good at planning the idea and some of the flowers/plants, and christy proved to especially good at the placement of some of the plants. Here is the result. Although we are still planting more in the space but you can get the idea.

From the street.


From the house.

Since christy and I got into yard work/gardening a few years ago....in prep for our wedding parties, I have done a lot of research on how to best enhance and, I guess, enrich our lawn and garden with natural, all-mighty mixtures. In my readings, I have found a few educational sources and thought I would share them with you.

Two of my top reference books are:

1) Jerry Baker (blog) and his website

2) This Old House

I have been experimenting with certain mixtures and they seem to work very well. I am trying to dig up a digital copy of Jerry's yard tonic and once I do, I will post it here. For now, here is an example of one garden/lawn tonic that will help most of you Coloradans. I know what you will be thinking when you read this list...dish soap and coke in my garden? YES, and it works. You will have an extremely healthy and vibrant lawn and voluptuous veggies.

The secret formula is actually just a mix of common household ingredients. All mixed into a 10-gallon hose-end sprayer. Each ingredient does something different, it feeds the lawn, penetrates the roots and promotes growth, and even kills bugs and grubs.

Recipe:

One can of soda - not diet
One can of beer - not light
1/2 cup liquid dishwashing soap (don't use anti-bacterial soap!)
1/2 cup mouthwash
1/2 cup household ammonia
Mixed in a 10 gallon hose end sprayer
*Apply every 3 weeks
Mow lawn in evening then make application

A lot of people thought it sounded too good to be true.

NOTE: A ten gallon hose end sprayer does not contain ten gallons of liquid. It is a sprayer with a reservoir that attaches to your garden hose, and when the reservoir is full, mixes evenly with ten gallons of water that flows through the hose.

YES F'N WAY! Finally an IKEA close enough to do a three-day road trip for.
Dooce has the goods here.

I do not want to be one of those Americans that says "man, let's stop going to gas stations today and boycott high gas prices." I am also not the guy that says "dude, I am so over these prices, we should be able to fill our humongous SUVs with Super Plus Unleaded Gold and not have to empty our trust funds to do it!"

BUT when oil is cheaper now than in 1981 an the oil companies are getting richer, that is a problem.

from a MoveOn.org email but also on CNN's homepage today.

As of yesterday, gas prices are the highest in U.S. history—we just passed the 1981 record, even adjusted for inflation.1 Prices could reach $4.00 per gallon in parts of the country, just in time to crimp summer vacation plans. As consumers suffer, the oil industry continues to reap the windfall—breaking profit records on an almost quarterly basis. It's outrageous!

Enough is enough. Hearings start today on H.R. 1252, a House bill that would make gas price gouging a federal crime, punishable by 10 years in prison. Speaker Pelosi has said she'll move the bill to a vote this week—if there's the two-thirds majority required to fast track the bill through the process.2

Oil company lobbyists are frantically trying to stop the bill. Your representative needs to hear from you today. Will you sign our petition asking Congress to pass the price-gouging bill—and then send it to your friends?

"Gasoline price gouging should be made a federal crime before the summer price increases hurt more American families."

Clicking here will add your name

It was a busy weekend. Hiking, yardwork and hanging with my little lady...Tica. Isn't she adorable?

It's my wittle thither's birthday today! Happy 28th Birthday Jin! We love you!
Now go celebrate in style and let everyone know of your special day!

Last night Gilmore Girls finished up a 7-year run. The series finale ended pretty much the way the the series started but also the way the last season has been. We all knew that Lorelai and Christopher would never get back together, but we surely thought that Rory and Logan would make it. Both did not happen. You can check all the GG blogs out there and they will most likely be reiterating what I could say here so I will focus on what was going on in our family room last night while we tuned in to the show. I found myself full of tears. I cannot describe it or comprehend it, only that I guess I was severely attached to the characters.

I think what caught me (us) off guard was that the series finale came rather quickly and was only announced two weeks prior to the end. As empty as we all felt when Seinfeld ended, we all were prepared, and one of our clients planned and threw a "Seinfeld Finale" party complete with big-screen tv ( and back in 1998, that was an anomaly), food from the show, and everyone dressed as their favorite main or bit character. We had time to prepare to mourn. And with Friends. They advertised the finale season all season long. They milked the end. We had time to prepare to say goodbye. Like knowing our friends are moving to a new city, or seeing your dog sitting between your parents backing out of the driveway to be pet sat for the next two weeks, you have prepared yourself for the emptiness that will follow.

But this show was different. We had seasons that you could not get enough of and watched over and over. You had one season that you looked at each other and said, "oh yeah, GG just jumped the Shark," but then they came back. This past season was love/hate. We knew that Lorelai and Christopher were meant to be together, but they catered to the love-messed-up with Lorelai and Luke. The two were never meant to be together and the writers knew it too, but kept taunting us with it. Finally when Christopher marries Lorelai you thought, FINALLY this is realistic...for TV show. But when Christopher's jealousy prompts him to leave, you think, "what a puss" and this is NOT realistic. I could go on and on, but the fact remains that even though we were all fed up with this season, we really did not want to see it go. This could be proven by watching me sob during the last 10 minutes and the 10 minutes afterwards while Christy and I were trying to make sense of why what happened did. We will miss you Lorelai, Rory, Richard, Emily, Paris, Kirk, Lane, and ok, Luke and Christopher. I will even miss Sebastian Bach's semi-regular appearances.

This states clearly my many views of the finale

Here is another good take

and here, too.

Here is a great alternative to using your old grocery bags to pick up the poop in your yard or on walks.
BioBags

While moving last friday, the movers ripped off the nameplate of my guitar case. Coincidentally this is also Gibson's namesake. I had it sitting on the ledge going up to the living room/kitchen when he came over and started looking at me. I ran downstairs and grabbed the camera just in time to catch this shot. Happy week after moving.



Bloom and Jinnie came down to visit. They stayed long enough to play in the new yard, pick dandylions and eat Chipotle and ice cream. Aren't they adorable?

Here is a helpful cleaning link from CNN.
As I mentioned in my last post, I have three bathrooms to clean now. I love to clean but I can always use new approaches and procedures to make it easier, funner, and more natural. No, natural does not mean cleaning in the nude, although, I have been know to do this.

Hello readers,
Well, it has been a busy week. We moved this past Friday. What fun! We are in, we are getting settled, the kitchen is upacked and semi-dysfunctional, and the yard has been mowed. I only have one piece of advice if you are moving in the Denver area. Do NOT use the movers we used.

After the euphoria of moving into a new lovely home has begun to wear off, I find myself reflecting and comparing old to new.

You know how when you have something, you always think you will be happier or things will be better if you had something else?
Well, here are a few recent changes in my life that represent that I need to change the way I perceive and think about current stages and things in my life.

1. Riding the bus

I used to complain about the bus all the time. The smell, the language, the noise, and the pop-capping. I couldn't wait to get on the light rail to enjoy solace, peace and quiet and a more smooth ride. Well, today, was my second day on the light rail and here is what I witnessed: Someone, obviously from Highlands Ranch, listening to one ear bud and his girlfriend had the other in her ear. He had it so loud, obviously mega-cheezmo metal, that I could almost air guitar and drum the entire song, but didn't have to because he was doing just fine himself.


Yesterday, the train was so crowded, I had to stand the entire 26 minute trip.


I miss the bus...for now.

2. Bigger house

For three years, we have been living in 840 sq. ft. The Kitchen was a galley style and could not fit two butts abutting each other without sucking in. I was scared to be in there for fear of being stabbed innocently when Christy was dicing dinner.


Now, we have this ginormous kitchen. Enough room to have a dance party or hey, even a break-dancing contest. The trouble with this kitchen is that it is not laid our correctly. It is one big square. Some of the cabinets open the wrong way, preventing you from easily emptying the dishwasher into the cabinets. Our old toothpick of a kitchen, despite it's size, was quite efficient. OR maybe because of it's size we made it that way. AND possibly once we get used to our new acre of a kitchen, we will find the perfect workflow based upon usage.

3. Neighbors

Ok, our neighbors are swell...for now, until I wire up the outdoor speakers.

4. Nicer car

You never like the car you have. Or at least I don't. I have to wait for people to tell me I should like my car. I miss my Toyotas though. A lot. The Volvo is grand in safety and styling, but it rides like a tank, or better yet, a steel-wheeled covered wagon. I thought before I got my Volvo, that What could be better? I need a new wagon, for style and safety. I loved Toyota but really didn't want another sedan. Now I have this and wish I had the old Toy back.

Yes, this is a glorified whiny bitchfest and I am sorry. I have no reason to complain given the fortunate life I have. Obviously, I do not take change well. I love change, but it is always hard. I am sure in a few months, I will not be able to fathom HOW we ever lived without the dance-floor kitchen or the ease of riding the light rail. I love our new house, the backyard is amazing, we have neighbors dropping by with flowers and namecards, and I have more bathrooms to clean than anyone could possibly ask for! Now if the dogs would stop marking the house, we'd be all set. Spare me!

Last Thursday night, my boss and I attended the New Denver Ad Club event at DU. It featured Alex Bogusky of Crispin Porter + Bogusky being interviewed by our own John Temple, the publisher/Editor of the Rocky Mountain News. What a fantastic event.

CP+B just opened an office in Boulder and Alex runs the show there. They are the magicians behind the new Burger King, Volkswagon, and Mini Cooper campaigns. You have seen them, yes you have.

I was skeptical of how Alex would present himself. Usually ad agencies boast big, fat egos and snobbery beyond any level of tolerance I have. I also was eager to see what kind of attitude and mantra he approaches each project. I was blown away. I came away from the event with more inspiration and knowledge than I knew I had in me, lately. I was especially intrigued and inspired with the use of the word "we" in all his talk. He never spoke about "me" or "i" except when absolutely imperative. It is obvious why CP+B is so successful. They showed videos which to me were basically testimonial white papers on how they started a project and what it grew into over the course of creativity, production, distribution and results. Amazing.

Alex gave us more information that I think he intended which, by no means, will ever come back to haunt them, but I cherish all I learned from his talk. One of the biggest bits of info I gained was that to really succeed with a client's wishes to build brand, or indentity, you must BECOME your client. You must eat, sleep and breath your clients business. I have always tried to follow this with my clients, but never to this degree. I believe that you do not necessarily have to give up your own life but you must spend a good portion of your day transforming your thought processes to what your client's AND your target audience's motivations are. There are different degrees to this, too. If you are building a website and new brand, you must dig deeper than say, if you are just designing a business card, but there is a level of submersion for each project you go through.

Thanks Alex Bogusky, and to Mr. Temple for the intriguing questions.

Last night, our buyer backed out from the sale of our house.

Obviously this is frustrating and aggravating. We want to just go kick some ass, but the trouble is, who's ass do we kick? His ass, or the mortgage lender who initially gave him approval for the loan, then backed out at the last minute. We can only assume that he was a "strong buyer" based upon what his realtor said to us in the beginning. We did receive a loan letter of approval so it was legit, but what happened two days before closing? AND why does he not have to forfeit his earnest money? Isn't that what it's for? You screwed up our process and now are making our lives more stressed? You should have to pay for that – IF it was your fault. We feel aweful for our buyer too. If you were in his shoes– IF he intended to buy, you would have already fallen in love with your new, cute house. You would have been planning your first housewarming party, and had possibly put in for a change of address through the USPS. I know we did.

It would also be a little easier to take, but, this is the second time this has happened to me in three years. The first time, the $#@*! owner of the Ogden Theatre had agreed to buy my house. We went through numerous hoops throughout the process and he watched me move out of my house, and then the next day, called and cancelled the sale, due to "financing problems." To coin a phrase from Christy last night, "This is YOUR luck, not mine." She has good luck and fast home sales. She also has amazing job luck and parking kharma.

Anyway, there are many fraudulent lenders out there so seller/buyer beware. We do have a good one on our side, if you need a recommendation. But be careful.

Here are some references:

After a recent series of Boston Globe investigative articles on the mortgage industry the Massachusetts Division of Banking has issued 17 cease and desist orders against mortgage companies and brokers all over the state. Most of the orders concerned falsifying information to allow borrowers with insufficient income to qualify for loans although some were for operating unlicensed companies or unlicensed branches of duly licensed companies

and a good story: Predatory Lenders Targeted in Augusta, Maine