A Day on the Road

My friend, Pam, and I spent the day in the Cottonwood Falls area. The afternoon was devoted to the Tallgrass Prairie - you know I love it there.

Tonight we went to the Emma Chase cafe's Friday night jam session. Tonight started the 13th year. It's the first time either of us had been. It was great fun.

They had an extra large crowd tonight, but it was really cool, out on the brick streets, down the block from the historic court house.

She asked where people were from. Only about seven were from that county, the majority were from other parts of Kansas. There were also people there from Maryland, Massachusetts and Nashville. Someone asked if the woman from Nashville was a talent scout, and she was. That was certainly interesting.

A very cool evening, for sure.

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Old Fashioned Social Media

Social media like Facebook and Twitter allow us to easily connect with people down the street or around the world. A few days ago I spotted this and realized it was old-fashioned social media. We just had to go to it, instead of it coming to us via computer. The world changes.
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Steve Jobs is Dead

I have never owned an Apple product, but I feel the loss of Steve Jobs. He created Apple in a garage and grew into a multi billion dollar business. The reason he was able to do that is that he was a true visionary.

Vision is something you cannot teach. People come into the world with it or they don't.

I've had the honor of working closely with someone who's vision was daily building something in their sphere of influence. I've had the disappointment of working with someone in a place built on vision, who had none of their own. And I learned from both of them...

Vision is a gift of the universe. It is not a skill learned in a class.

Steve Jobs was a true man of vision. The world is profoundly changed because he was in it.

We should all hope to change the world positively because we passed through it. He did it on a grand scale. Maybe we can all do it in our own small ways.

To be present on the Earth at the same time as someone who impacts it so tremendously is amazing. Steve Jobs was a true visionary.

Vision. A gift.


http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html

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What You Need is Nearby

There's an old English saying: “Nettle in, dock out. Dock rub nettle out!”

It refers to the stinging nettle and its antidote, the Dock plant. Nature seems to conveniently place them in close proximity so should you have a run in with a stinging nettle, a dock plant will be growing nearby. This is also true of Jewelweed, a natural antidote to poison ivy.

A friend mentioned his quality of stinging nettle and dock some time ago and it has been rattling around in my brain since then. Tonight I ran across this reference to poison ivy. 

It seems nature provides what we need close at hand. Isn't that interesting to think about in terms of whatever you feel you are in need of in your life. Nature would indicate it's close at hand, ripe for the picking, readily available.

As is so often the case, we simply have to look around a bit, locate what we need, and be able to recognize it. That last one may be the most difficult.

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Kindnesses Needed

Many people in the periphery of my world are suffering through much sadness these days. There are loved ones just passed over, and loved ones still being missed a year later. People are in need of kindness and I'm not close enough to them to provide it. I desperately want to say to those near and dear to them, "Step up, do what needs to be done, put your own wishes aside." But, I'm not close enough to those people to have an impact, either.

It's amazing how often life seems to come down to relationship and if the one you have with someone is strong enough to make an impact. In these cases I am not close enough to help - either directly to the person hurting, or the people who are closer to them.

So, all I can do is offer what minimal comfort I can, and hope more meaningful kindnesses will come their ways. Sometimes those things arrive in ways we could never imagine in advance.

One of the days I was most intensely missing my mom after her passing it was a stranger at the lunch table next to mine who comforted me. She was not part of my world before or since. But, she was there in that moment, as if ordained.

We never know if we are the teacher or the student. Maybe it was I who needed the lesson to reach out. Maybe it was she who needed the lesson to respond. Maybe it was both. Regardless, I remain thankful for that moment of grace.

All of us have so much potential for incredible kindness. But, we are often stingy with it, as if we have only an allotted amount to last us a lifetime and we want to be sparing so we don't run out of kindness before we run out of days.

I'm confident kindness multiples, in ways we can't fathom, and could never explain. May we all share some with those who cross our paths in the coming days.

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Still Some Flowers

I went on the local photo walk this afternoon and was pleased to see there are still some blooms. I haven't had many this year because I totally and completely ignored the outdoors. Fortunately, the city was more industrious than I was.

This was just one of the many photos I took. I haven't even had a chance to look through them all yet.

I've never done anything with the photography club before, but knew some of the folks who were involved. I'm glad I went. I've realized I can get very, very comfortable just being in my own little world. I need to venture out more often.

Now that Mother Nature doesn't seem to be trying to roast us alive anymore, perhaps I'll do that.

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We're Funny... Or so we like to think...

A few weeks ago in Joplin, Greg, his girlfriend Mia, his mom, and I were out to lunch and Greg and I happened to be sitting next to each other. We were joking around about something and his girlfriend took this photo of us. We were amused by our over-the-top, Up With People, we could be backup singers for the Andy Williams Christmas show, smiling faces.

Frankly, Greg and I might have been more amused than anyone else. Regardless, Greg promptly put it on his mom's computer as a screen saver as soon as we got back.

I offered to take a similar picture of Greg and Mia, but for reasons that remain a mystery she shuddered a bit and, seemingly unconsciously, violently shook her head, before regaining her composure and saying sweetly, "Oh, no, that's okay." I assured her it was no bother at all and I'd be happy to do it. After more involuntary shuddering she held up her hand as if to deflect any further suggestion and said more firmly, "No, really, that's okay." I let it drop. It seemed prudent.

That aside, the important thing to note about this story is that we bumped the cat off as the screen saver. Yes, the cat! We bumped the cat off the screen saver. I'm not sure that has been done in years.

Okay, in reality, I'm not sure his mom knows how to change the screen saver back to the cat, but that's incidental. Had she said to change it back Greg would have. So, Greg and I are feeling pretty proud of ourselves. WE BUMPED THE CAT!

I had forgotten about the photo and haven't been back to Joplin since then. The other night Greg sent me this updated one. His brother, Steve, is there and Steve added his own notes to the screen. Apparently, he is less amused than Greg and I were. I have decided he's grumpy.

Maybe what we really need is a similar picture of Steve and Mia...

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I might be geeky...

You know how every once in awhile, you have a moment of self-awareness? At least I hope that's not just me. Well, I had one tonight while I was reading this article about Relativity and how recent experiments have turned the world of physics upside down. http://bigthink.com/ideas/40441?page=1

It occurred to me that it's Friday night and I'm reading about physics. I might be in the minority.

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Taxes

Many things in the world puzzle me. One of them is how people think our society can work without paying taxes.

I want things like interstates, libraries, regulations about cleanliness in restaurants, approved drugs as opposed to snake oil sales, public schools, and thousands of other things taxes pay for.

Do other people just not want those things? You really don't want to have meat inspectors? You don't want any rules about cities dumping sewage in rivers? You don't want doctors to have to have licenses?

All of those things require a system that relies on taxes. It's hard for me to imagine anyone thinks the world would be better without those things.

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Food Traditions speech at Hutchinson Public Library on September 29 at 6:30 p.m.

Guess what I'm doing tonight?

Yes... you're right!

I'm speaking about “Food Traditions” at the Hutchinson Public Library. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and it's free -  Thursday, September 29.

Food traditions develop because of our culture, our geography and our backgrounds. We cook with the ingredients we have readily available and we learn how to use them in different ways through experimentation and observation. Mediterranean cooking relies heavily on olive oil because it’s abundant in the region. People living near water have far more recipes for cooking fish than those of us who are landlubbers. We make use of what we have.

At one time food was far more scarce, and more valued than it is today by many people in the world. We gave the gift of food when people lost loved ones to death, and to celebrate at joyous occasions like weddings. Food connects us to our heritage and to each other.

The “Food Traditions” presentation will touch on these and other related topics. It is part of the “Preserving the Past with Today’s Technology” series at the Hutchinson Public Library. The public is invited to attend. It’s free.

I'm bringing homemade refreshments, including my mom's divinity recipe. Should be a very fun evening!

Mama's Recipe for Divinity

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Why Do You Care?

Sunday I wrote about a 140conf speaker being told to close his laptop during a presentation. The very next morning I was at the Dillon Lecture Series and attended the luncheon afterwards. I was checking my email on my phone before the luncheon got underway, and someone a few people away said in an exasperated tone, "Patsy, please tell me you are not texting!"

I replied, "No, I'm checking on the condition of a friend who had surgery this morning."

"Oh, okay," he said. Then went on to say to others nearby, "Did you hear all the phones go off during the speech?"

I did not get a chance to ask him later, and I didn't want to embarrass him at the time, but I wanted to ask why he cared if I was texting. Of course, he didn't seem too concerned that he might embarrass me, but two wrongs don't make a right. Regardless, why did he care what I was doing.

I was not saying a word, unlike the others creating an uproar in the room - talking at a volume I considered far too great. I was not disturbing anyone in any way. If I were having a text conversation with a friend, why is that any different than having a conversation with the person sitting next to me? It seems it should bother people less. Are you just concerned because you can't eavesdrop? Why do you care? What difference does it make? I wasn't engaged in conversation with him or anyone else at the time. Why is it anyone else's business what I'm doing on my phone?

For the record, it wasn't my phone that was ringing during the speech. I had turned mine off. Of course, we all forget that on occasion and I just chalk it up to the law of averages. It's not a huge deal. I find a phone ringing to be less troubling than someone dropping something. We consider that an accident. Why is a ringing phone such an assault? You would think people have been offended by an ethnic slur being slung at them the way they snarl at the person who neglected to turn off their phone. Now, when people answer their phones in the midst of a speech or something, they get some ire from me. But if they quickly mute the ringing phone it was just an accident - lets all calm down.

I've never understood why people are so bothered by someone talking on a cell phone. Why is that any different than people talking in general? Psychologically, the answer is about eavesdropping - the fact that we can't hear the conversation in context is what disturbs people. Although I'm a fan of "overheard conversation" and have cataloged some of it on this webpage, cell phone conversations only bother me if they're overly loud, which they often are.

I'm going to have to come up with some response to people, because this is becoming a frequent issue for me. This is at least a dozen times something similar has happened in the last few months. However annoyed people may be by me using my phone - which I still don't understand - I can guarantee you I'm about twenty times more annoyed by them saying something to me about using technology as a tool when they aren't equally annoyed by others doing the exact same thing without technology. One of these times some unfortunate person is going to get my pent-up ire and that's not going to be pretty. I don't want to be that person.

So, I'm trying to figure out why people care. That seems to be step one.

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Time Capsule Opened in Hutchinson Kansas - 100 Years After Cornerstone Laid by President Taft

On this date 100 years ago, in 1911, a time capsule was put inside the cornerstone of what is now called Memorial Hall in Hutchinson, Kansas. On that day, President Taft was present to speak at the event that drew 40,000 people.

Listen to Reno County Museum Chief Curator Jamin Landavazo talk with me about what they found today.








Not as many people were in attendance today, but an actor playing the late president reenacted the event when the cornerstone time capsule was placed.










Then, the box was opened in a public ceremony and residents got to see contents as the Reno County Museum Curator, Jamin Landavazo, (in the blue) was pulling them out of the copper container. They immediately placed them under protective material and allowed people to come close and look at them.



Everything was in remarkable condition. Contents included newspapers, coins, stamps, a Bible, postcards, a flag, and the President's flag. Also were some items they didn't expect, including some handwriting on cards they assume to be people who created the box. The mystery item is an envelope that says M L Grimes with some handwriting on it.























I asked Jamin about her reaction to what she found in the box, as well as plans for the new time capsule that will be created next spring. You can listen by clicking the button below.




Kudos to the Reno County Museum for a wonderful event.

See more photos by clicking here. 

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Catching Up...

It has been a busy few weeks and I've been remiss with blogging at times. I've been writing more by hand lately, and it seems I write less at the keyboard when I'm doing that. I write by hand whenever I have something I need to figure out. I do all my "mental sorting" with pen and paper. When I come to the keyboard I've generally already thought about whatever I'm writing about - with or without pen in hand. Or, it's something that I can just dash off by keyboard.



The other day I went to Wichita to meet with a new friend, Deb, who gifted me with all these wonderful pins. You may know of my decades long obsession with old costume jewelry pins - generally the more sparkly and gaudy, the better. Deb made a bouquet for her recent wedding with some pins and used others on the favors. These were some that weren't pressed into service and she asked if I'd like them. Of course, I love them! I've already worn the little heart with flowers - so sweet.

Deb is someone I connected with on Facebook. We had common friends and connected there, but this is the first time we had met in real life. I really like her. Hopefully we'll get together again soon. She's very smart and very fun - a wonderful combination.

After lunch I went to the Museum of World Treasures, to visit the Egyptian exhibit. I bought a membership earlier this year so I could do that whenever possible. There is something about ancient Egypt that speaks to my soul in a way I can't describe in words.



That evening I had dinner with Martha at one of my favorite restaurants in Wichita. There are times you connect with a friend when it seems you both are coming to it in a way that results in an amazing experience. That's how it was for us the other night. Sometimes you're called on to bring with you all you've been up to that moment, because your horizons are expanding before your eyes. It was one of those kinds of conversations. Really extraordinary. Blessed.

I left with things I'm still thinking about.



The other night, on a spur of the moment decision, Greg and I went to see Roseanne Cash at the Orpheum in Wichita. She was magnificent. I'm not a huge music fan, but I'm starting to get excited when I arrive somewhere and see a guitar, a microphone and a stool, and not much else. This seems to indicate the person in question can actually sing and play. Roseanne Cash and her husband perform together, with him playing guitar. Sometimes she plays as well as sings. She was really amazing. And it was the first time I'd been in the Orpheum. It's a beautiful old place.

I think I posted my 140conf presentation, but I'm not sure I explained much about it. The 140conf explores how real time media, like twitter and facebook, affect our lives. This was the second ever "smalltown" one. I was flattered to have my presentation topic accepted. Thanks to Jennifer Keller for taking the photo of me on stage.



It was a really terrific day. I love to connect with other people who are interested in these things. We can share our stories of being misunderstood, and find comfort in that. Kevin Honeycutt told a story of live blogging a conference, talking about how smart the speaker was, when the speaker came over and closed his laptop, telling him to not check his email during the presentation. I felt his pain. He was "accused" - and wrongly so. Besides, what difference would it make if he were checking his email? Kevin is an incredibly capable person who can do more than one thing at a time.

It's curious no one ever complains about someone rummaging around in their bag to get materials to take notes with pen and paper, and rustling around throughout a meeting, but silently pull out your iPad - not making a single noise - and watch the visual daggers fly. It was a joy for me to go upstairs at one point and look down and see multiple screens glowing as people wrote online about what was happening at the Fox Theatre in Hutchinson, Kansas.



It's also great to meet new people - like Kerwin in the photo above - who I might not ever meet any other way. You automatically know you have a lot in common when you meet at an event like this. 

I think I don't realize how much I miss making connection with people who are like me in that way until I'm with them and then they're gone and I miss them again. Fortunately, our social media group locally seems to be growing, which is nice.



I don't think I ever got around to sharing photos on the blog of the various performers at the Kansas State Fair. I think I put up photos of Kool and the Gang and Kenny Rogers and then didn't do the others. So, I'll pop a few up here of Darius Rucker, Daughtry, and REO Speedwagon. You can see more on my Facebook page if you want at facebook.com/patsy.



Those are some highlights of the last few weeks. Mark was here the week of the fair and it was good to visit with him. It seems there's something interesting happening every day. I get behind in chronicling it sometimes.

This week I'm teaching some Facebook classes, which should be interesting given the changes they've made in the last few days and the ones planned for the coming week. I was once teaching a Facebook class and it changed during the class. I hope that's not the case this week.

Thursday night I'm giving a presentation about Food Traditions, which should be fun. I just need to figure out how to make all of these things lucrative!

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Details, Details, Details

In broadcasting there's a thing called "continuity." It's a catch-all phrase that can mean a couple of different things. But, in general, it means things logically flow - characters have consistent traits, clothing remains the same, etc.

When I was in college and we had to do a video shoot, I was often the continuity person. Because things are not always shot in sequence, it was my job to make sure if someone was wearing glasses in one scene that they still had them on when the scene continued, or we saw them take them off. Continuity errors are often small - like how much water is in a glass. But they can be major, like the color of a jacket changing from one scene to the next.

Tonight I decided to watch the new show, "Unforgettable," since I was at the computer working on projects. Well, they should have hired me to manage continuity, because whoever is doing it on their set didn't do a very good job.

In one scene we see the main character from the back as she walks toward bed, naked from the waist up, as she pulls on a tank top. Soon thereafter she is seen bending over a dead body, after jumping out of that very bed, and there on her shoulder is a black bra strap peeking out of her tank top. At some point between going to bed and being awakened from a deep sleep she arose to add a bra to her nighttime attire.

It may seem like a small thing, but those little details that are ignored add up people being unable so "suspend their disbelief," an essential in all fiction - be it a book, a TV show or anything else. For a show that's all about a person who remembers everything, it was a glaring error.

Continuity errors are nothing new. Even the Canterbury Tales has one. However, I'm guessing Mr. Chaucer didn't have an entire crew devoted to preventing such things.

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Hieroglyphics and Their Modern Lessons

I stopped by The Museum of World Treasures in Wichita today, as I do whenever I can. I usually just go into the Egyptian exhibit, which is conveniently one of the first galleries. I took a few photos and it wasn't until tonight in looking through them that I noticed this one.

It was taken from the side of one of the coffins. I have tried to teach myself to read hieroglyphics, but I know only some basics. However, one of the things I do know is that hieroglyphics can be read from left to right or right to left. You can tell which way because the figures always face the direction where you start - the beginning of the line.

So, in this case, it would have been read from right to left. But, you'll note the photo I took has it slanted as if it's the other way - the way it would be read in English - left to right. It reminds me just how much on auto-pilot I am a large part of the time. You'd think a person who has studied hieroglyphics, who considers her copy of The Egyptian Book of the Dead to be great bedtime reading, would have noticed this basic thing. But, I didn't.

It makes me wonder how many other basic things I am missing.

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Celebrity and What it Means for Us

I was at a conference when I worked in the mental health field where the presenter was talking about how people like celebrities because they are a substitute for friends. They went into much science that was above my head, but the gist of it was that friends develop partially because of familiarity. And in our modern world we are familiar with celebrities - even if we try not to be.

This has a couple of obvious problems.
1. These people are not your friends and when you need a friend they are not going to be there for you.
2. While you're obsessing over what Taylor Swift is wearing, and pretending she's your friend, you're missing opportunities to make real friends with real people in your real world.
3. You could be thinking about other things that might have more long-term impact in your life.

I was thinking I see this mainly in women, but then I realized how many men own shirts with their favorite team's logo on it. It's just that I notice it more in women, not because it's more prevalent.

Now, this is coming from someone who has developed ongoing relationships with people I know largely from online. And I maintain those online by and large, although I love it when we are in the same place and can interact face to face. The difference is that it's a two-way interaction. Reading Paris Hilton's tweets is not.

My true friends are people I know I can count on in multiple ways. The people who will drive you to the mechanic's, pick you up at the airport, bring you a generator during an ice storm, or show up when you have a crisis. There's a limit to what people who are not in your physical world can do. However, people you have an ongoing interaction with can add to your life in multiple ways.

As I watch so many people try to emulate celebrities I realize just how desperate we are as a society. There must be some part of the psyche that believes if we look and act like them they will notice us. Mimicry has been well-documented in multiple mammals as a way to connect, so it's not surprising, really. However, I find it really sad.

The question I keep asking myself is why I find it sad. What does it matter to me if people want to wear the same sunglasses as Scarlett Johansson? I'm still mulling that over, but I think it's because I believe people have so much more potential than that. They could accomplish something amazing if their energy weren't going into worrying what jeans to wear.

I think it's making us dumber. Really, I do. Obviously, we have some brilliant young minds, but I think we are losing some potential to "celebrity worship." There's nothing wrong with entertainment. There's nothing wrong with enjoying an escape. It's when daily life begins to be consumed with the trappings of that. We are all fascinated by creative thinkers, people who are doing something unusual, but there's a difference between wanting to hear how an actor prepares for a role and what kind of underwear he buys.

At the conference this week I learned a couple of stats that surprised me with regard to this. In the last decade, there has been a 70% decline in the number of students studying science, technology, engineering and math. In the last 10 years. That seems really big to me. Those were the "smart kids" where I went to school. Are we just making fewer smart kids? So it would seem. There are more honor students in China than there are students in the U.S. That is a matter of scale, of course. But, it's interesting nonetheless.

I'm sure there are many contributing factors in all of this, but I don't think worshiping the Kardashians makes us brighter in any way, shape or form.
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Kiva

Kiva is a micro-finance site that helps people around the world. You can make a loan of $25 to people in developing nations. If you want to learn more about kiva.org, you can click here. I don't go to church, so don't tithe in the traditional sense, but I feel this is one way to support "God's work" in a direct way. One of the few tenants of all of the world's major religions is to care for the poor. This is just one way to do that. It gives me a sense of satisfaction to feel my small contribution can make a difference in someone's life.
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140conf

Today was the 140conf in Hutchinson and it was - in a word - incredible. I am so humbled to have shared the stage with such amazing people and their stories.

Here's my presentation:
The Nutburger Next Door
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17398889

It was such a fascinating day - loved every moment of it. So thankful to have been a tiny part of the process.
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Opportunities for small things that have big impacts

Tonight was the first gathering for the smalltown 140conf that starts in Hutchinson tomorrow. I love this event. It's so wonderful to see people in person that I know from online, or that I haven't yet met online either, but who are interested in some of the same things I am.

This evening I was talking with one of the other participants and he said, "You like rocks, don't you?"

"Yes," I said. "I love rocks."

He pulled this out of his pocket and said, "I saw that online and brought you this."

I thanked him profusely. It was so very kind that he went to the trouble to do that. I had posted a photo recently of rocks friends brought me from Colorado. He had seen the post and decided to bring me this. It was so nice he made the effort.

Allen and I haven't met before. We haven't even talked online before. But, he took the time to look at people's social media streams and saw that I liked rocks. He told me about the area it was from and it gave us a chance to visit about a number of things.

I wonder how many opportunities like this exist in daily life that I miss. Allen has reminded me I must pay closer attention. I'm grateful.

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Twitter Classes

I've had multiple requests for Twitter classes in the last couple of months. The library is coming to the rescue!

I will be teaching two Twitter Classes - for free - at the library in October.

October 19 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
October 20 from 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Hutchinson Public Library - 901 N Main Street - Training lab in the basement

It is the same class - a basic introduction to Twitter.

Sign up begins Wednesday, September 21 at 9 a.m. Space is limited. Call 663-5441, ext. 163 to register.

Please feel free to pass this information on to anyone you think might be interested.

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Smalltown 140Conf in Hutchinson

Tuesday is the second annual Smalltown 140 Conference in Hutchinson. If you're a social media lover, if you want to understand what it can do, or if you just want to meet some cool people from all over, come to the Fox Theatre and join in.

Tickets are $100 but if you use the code "friendof140" you'll get a ticket for only $40. It's a heck of a deal. I guarantee you will find it to be an interesting day. Don't miss the opportunity!

Very cool things will happen, synergy will occur, we want you to be part of it all!

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Seasons Changing

We've had our first cold snap, and it seems Autumn may really be arriving. Changing seasons always make me contemplate change in general.

Change is a constant in life. I realize some see that as a negative, but I've always viewed it as potential for something wonderful.

If we want something different, we have to do something different. Of course, the danger is that in the process we'll "upset the apple cart" with regard to something we love just the way it is.

I suppose all of life is about risk. The cost-benefit analysis to me always seems to fall on the side of jumping in with both feet, eyes wide open, heart and soul fully engaged.

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Concerts

We've been going to concerts at the State Fair this week. Tonight was Little River Band and REO Speedwagon. The Little River Band did a brilliant marketing thing - they took audience photos and put them on Facebook for people to tag themselves. By the time I looked at Facebook after the concert, it was already in my stream. Interesting tactic.

The grandstand was just trashed after the concerts tonight. I wanted to tell whoever cleans up - hey, I didn't leave any trash there. I didn't bring any in and I didn't leave any.

It was cold tonight, but that didn't seem to slow beer sales. I watched two guys in the row in front of me consume about - and I'm not exaggerating - 30 cups of beer each. I'm guessing there's about 16 ounces in each cup. I think they sell for $4 each. I will readily admit I could never hold my liquor, but I was astonished at the amount they drank and remained standing.

They arrived with two cardboard trays that hold four cups of beer each. They then made trips to get more every few minutes. They would both come back carrying one in each hand, and once brought back a new tray full of four more for each of them. Amazingly enough they were still functioning at the end of the concert.

Frankly, the beer made them no less appealing than when they started drinking. And, apparently to some it made them more attractive, because a Snooki-wannabe came down at one point and introduced herself by licking both of their faces and rubbing their bald heads. I wanted to tap her on the shoulder and say, "Hey, look, I know it's hard to believe, but even you can do better." But, then I wasn't sure that was true. After all, as far as I know, the Guidos had not gone around licking people they didn't know on their beer runs.

The music was good. The sideshow was pretty disturbing. Fortunately, the folks near me were all great. I really felt for the people the tri-state rejects were crawling over every few minutes in their quest for more beer. And I felt for the ushers who were trying to keep some semblance of order. And I feel for the people who have to clean the spilled beer, discarded cups and other trash.

People apparently forget that just because they're listening to the music of their youth, doesn't mean they can't act like adults. Responsible adults. Who clean up after themselves.

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I've Got Nothing Bad To Say... Really...

I spent some time at the fair today and bumped into a number of people who wanted to hear the story of my departure from the museum. I repeated the story - truthfully - just as I told it on the website, Facebook, etc. when it happened. But, some people are unsatisfied with this - they want to hear "the dirt."

There is no dirt.

People seem to want me to be angry. They want me to vent and say nasty things.

I am not angry. I do not need or want to vent. I have nothing bad to say - about any former employers. I've been fortunate enough to work with some incredible people with fascinating perspectives at some amazing places over the years and I'm only grateful.

Things happen for a reason, and I can only assume there are better things ahead for all of us. I wish nothing but the best for every person and every entity.

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Kool and The Gang at the Kansas State Fair

Saturday night we went to see Kool and the Gang. The guy above is Kool. Yeah, him. He was with the original group.



This is his brother, who was also part of the original group. I couldn't help thinking "More Cowbell" from the Saturday Night Live sketch with Christopher Walken everytime they used it.





They also have a couple of newer members who were both really good.





All in all a fun night. It's neat to see how different artists use the same stage. It can look very different from one night to the next.

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Kenny Rogers at the Kansas State Fair

This is me and my buddy, Ace Jackalope, with a tambourine Kenny Rogers threw me from the stage tonight at the Kansas State Fair. Greg captured the essence of "things that are Kenny Rogers" in this shot, I think.


As you might gather, we went to see Kenny Rogers tonight at the Kansas State Fair. He puts on a fantastic show. He's 73 and still sounds wonderful. He's also looking good. I like the slightly more rugged Kenny, with a few wrinkles here and there.

He's funny and charming. On the last song he threw out a few tambourines - maybe half a dozen. I didn't even realize until after the concert was over that it was autographed. Then, I wondered if the autograph was just printed on so we went up and compared with someone else's tambourine and the signatures were different. So, very cool.

We left bigger fans than when we arrived. As far as I'm concerned, that's the mark of a true performer. Very cool night! Here are some of my pix from the evening.

"Kenny Rogers" has become an adjective now. The world is divided into "things that ARE Kenny Rogers" and "things that are NOT Kenny Rogers." It's the fun way of saying something is cool or not. I don't know how long this will last, but we're having fun with it so far.  



















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