A Late Christmas Party! Haha

Saturday was an eventful day for me.
Lionel came over around 10 am and delivered the promotional video which I recently posted, how exciting for me. I think it turned out really great!.
Couldn't wait to share it with everyone so I posted it on youtube and facebook almost immediately.
Later that evening Joan, Katie, and I went to our friends the McDowells for their annual Christmas party. Usually this is a December party, but circumstances caused it to be delayed until now. Last year it was held in December, but because of the vast amount of snow... not many people braved the inclement weather to attend, for those few brave souls that did attend last year, I took the opportunity to perform some nice magic.
This year I didn't perform magic, just enjoyed eating and visiting.
My brother and his fiance came, it is good to spend time with my brother. We have enjoyed a strained relationship since the passing of our younger brother a couple of years ago.

Magic Promotional Video_FC.mov

This turned out GREAT! My nephew Lionel did a tremendous job putting this together. We shot about ten hours of video to put together this 7 or so minutes of video!

Now that was fun...

I realized last night that I really enjoy cutting up wood! Saws and there loud whining. The power of it all. Making a big saw dust pile, sweeping the floor afterward. The smell of wood being cut, I love working with wood.
This "carpentry" stuff runs in my family, my father and his father, and on and on, my brother has been a professional carpenter his whole adult life. If I could choose another life, I would have worked right along side him all these years. Our younger brother had that opportunity for several years.
I don't know... maybe if it was my "job" I wouldn't enjoy it so much. I am in the process of putting together some more "magic" tables. A friend requested a green one. He saw some nice ones at the Magic Castle in L.A. This caused me to do more research and purchase some pool table felt and some other supplies.
Something called Volara foam Padding. Didn't know about it. It is used under the felt on many gaming tables. I found some on Ebay. It's in the mail and on the way.
I think I have enough wood to make about six tables... but who will buy them?
My wife thinks I am crazy to build stuff with out a secure order... but hey, I like doing this stuff, and if you haven't guessed it already... I am crazy! :)

Clownin'

Tuesday was our first Clown Alley meeting of 2010...
We had a good time. lot's of fun and laughter.
Kris Desimone started things of with a nice teaching of two of her favorite, quicky face paintings, a Polar bear, and a Penguin, These are nice, quick, "easy" to do face paintings. Not too elaborate and a nice beginner painting!
Melon-E brought a bag full of hats, I passed them out randomly to everyone. Hats of all different kinds, big hats, small hats, colorful hats... each person had to get up and say something in character of the hat they got. It was an opportunity to speak in front of others, also to do a little improv. Everyone had fun with it. Then we put all the hats on the floor and if you chose too, you could pick a hat and do some improv.
After that, Melon-E shared with us her birthday party show. Melon-E has lots of fun and great ideas, Wetting your whistle, Do Nothing, a belt trick? A flashlight as a dead battery holder? Hmm, guess you had to be there!
I think the most fun was when she taught everyone how to pull a table cloth out from under some dishes... Not everyone did it very well... But it was fun!


We also had the pleasure of a new clown "presenting" at this meeting. That means they come dressed in clown, and show themselves off, so to speak. It is an opportunity for some soft critique on their presence, their costume etc. The only thing that was mentioned in a negative light was the lack of more pockets on "Snookie's" outfit. What a colorful Clown!

It's Blue!

We have been shopping for a 1st car for Katie...
she initially was interested in Jeep. We tried several times to dissuade her and get her looking at cars. Toyota's, Honda's etc. She had no interest in any cars... she was only interested in trucks and jeeps... something about the "look." I guess.
I showed her the 1998 VW Jetta. She said, "I like the look of that."
So, now I had a car she might be interested in...
Craigslist, here we come.
Research, and many hours of phone calls and emails. Sifting thru the many Craigslist ads. Deciphering the meaning of what people write in their ads.
We got lucky (I hope) and only physically looked at two cars.
We purchased a 1999 Jetta with 92000 miles on it.
The previous owner was a young man from China going to college here in Seattle. He washed his car weekly. Changed the oil every three thousand miles. He loved his car.
The man washed the car and had it ready for us in his garage.
too bad it was pouring rain to drive it home.
Joan and I had had only told Katie that we were going to go look at "another" Jetta. We had looked at and arranged to purchase this car the day before. We invited Katie to come look at it, not telling her "it was the one!"
We wanted to have it be a surprise. She declined coming, so Joan and I went and picked it up, drove it home and then surprised her by telling her to get a gallon of milk from the garage. (we have a refrigerator in the garage)
I video taped her going into the garage, it is really funny! She couldn't stop giggling! A precious moment in her life!

Now it is Katie's car!

Blatant Liberalism!

I went to watch the movie "Avatar" yesterday.
I went with an open mind. I wanted to really enjoy the movie, I tried to let "my Hair: down and enjoy the awesome computer effects that are capable with today's technology.
The movie was fantastic in many ways. The graphics were really good.
A nice, action packed movie.
I used to love Science fiction books, and belonged to the Science Fiction book club for many years.
I was offended by the blatant liberal slant though.
The often used swearing of "god damn" and the "green" theme. The over used bashing of the so called "right" as depicted by the people trying to mine the resources of the planet Pandora. The female goddess structure too. The evil corporation of course is the English speaking Americans, always taking without giving anything in return.
We have already destroyed our own "mother" Earth, and now will destroy the goddess on Pandora. All hail the female goddess of Pandora!
I find it insulting that it is o.k. to bash the "God" of Christianity in everything, but how dare you say anything derogatory about anyone or anything else.
Men are stupid, ignorant creatures, and lesser beings in Pandora... got to be protected by the woman folk....
Being reborn on Pandora is capable too... just bow down, pray and submit yourself to the all encompassing female goddess of Pandora.
Wow, for those of you that watched this movie, did you notice the meshing of all religions?
Mother Earth, Born again, New age, all things are one...
Our sixteen year old daughter didn't notice any of this, she and I am sure the many children of her age, have no idea of the brain washing going on...
It reminded me of watching an old cowboy's and Indian's movie when I was a child, oops, did I say Indians?
I'm sorry, I meant Native Americans...
Oh my... I'm so sorry to anyone reading this, I'm not allowed to be offended... I'm a white, Christian, and male...
Too bad, ,the movie was really fun in many ways!

Points to Ponder, Pictures included!

You've all heard the line...
:A picture is worth a thousand words!"
Sometimes a picture with words is worth a thousand postings.
I am worried about the direction our great country is taking.
Our present administration has sold our country out.
AND happy campers, it is going to get worse.
Click on picture to enlarge