I get a lot of double-takes when I'm coming around the corners

Owen, our quieter twin who is easily startled and upset by loud noises
and generally the more timid of the two - is also a thrill-ride
enthusiast.
He shocked us by asking to ride a roller coaster in Disneyland that
his reckless brother refused to go near, and continues to amaze.
That's him with the ear-to-ear grin with his feet in the air in front
of the word "theater"

He is full of laughs and surprises, that one.

Seeds get planted, hands get handshakes. Damn straight, gonna keep going 'til the man breaks

Here it is, folks. You may have already seen this circulating the Intertubes and ye olde Facebook but just in case there are readers at this little outpost in the blogosphere not otherwise connected I am obligated to post yet again.
Don't worry, this blog isn't going to turn into my attempt to capitalize on my readers' interest in hearing about stupid raising a teenager drama or some pointless rambling while I lose my mind in an airport somewhere. I have my integrity.

Give if you can, read more if you like, re-post if you're so inclined.

The long-talked-about, finally-arrived time where we turn to everyone for help getting this monster off the ground. For everyone that has asked how they can help, here you go. I wish the answer wasn't "give us money" but for right now it is.
If you can't give what you think is a large amount, consider giving $5. Seriously, every little bit makes a difference. Think of it as "buying HUGE a beer" if you like, it sounds more fun (we won't actually spend it on beer, we're not a ballet company).

Thank you to everyone that has already given and passed this on to others. This is just the beginning.

The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council has issued HUGE Improv Theater a challenge, and there isn't much time. If we raise $4,000 by January 24th, they'll honor our commitment to improvisational theater with a $5,000 grant to create a season of original improvisational theater.

Our plans are big. HUGE is actively working toward establishing a theater space for improvisational theater, and every show we produce increases awareness, raises money, and adds equipment to get us closer to that goal.

HUGE's new production for 2010 is Overheard in Minneapolis, inspired by the website of the same name where users submit conversational snippets overheard throughout Minneapolis which strike the casual observer in a memorable way. The show will consist of these dialogues, randomly chosen to start scenes which will weave together to create a theatrical improvisational show filled with depth and texture, unifying themes and memorable characters. We'll employ staging and lighting technology to create a scripted, rehearsed feel to an unscripted production and showcase the possibilities of unscripted theater.

We need your help. In improvisor dollars, $4,000 is an awful lot of money. Here's just a few examples of where your donation will go for Overheard and the future HUGE Improv Theater

Item and Estimated Cost
Lightboard and dimmers $3,000
Soundboard and cables $750
Marketing $1500
Space and Equipment rental $5,000

You may donate online with your PayPal account or credit card at
http://tinyurl.com/hugedonation

Or send check by mail to:
HUGE Theater
296 Norman Ridge Drive
Bloomington, MN 55437.

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so you will receive a receipt for your taxes.
On behalf of the board of Huge Theater - Nels Lennes, Jill Bernard and Butch Roy - I thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely, and thank you all for your continuous energy, support and now, money.

P.S. Mark your calendars for the March 5th Fundraiser Bash, hope to see you there!

Pure, Simple Happiness

Every 108 minutes, the button must be pushed...

Hiking the rainforest

You're neck deep in the sweat-wet confetti

Goodnight, 2009

No, no. Dont get up, i was trying not to wake you, I'll let myself out.  What? Oh, yeah....I had a lot of fun.
I'll totally call you again. Sure. Now where are my shoes...

If she said we partied, then I'm pretty sure we partied. I really don't remember...I remember we departed from our bodies.

post holiday blog

Well the big day came and went and overall the holiday season this year has been one of the best in recent memory, if only because all I really wanted this December was time spent at home and I got lots of it.

The kids are in a really fun in-between age in their magical holiday beliefs and it's interesting to listen to them both assert their logic over the crazy things adults tell them and, at the same time, hedge their bets just in case it's all true.
Owen decided that the elves, of all things, were the least plausible part of the whole concoction and told us that he saw through our story, he knew that Santa makes all the toys himself. The last couple weeks have been full of stuff like that, the kids have these moments that are just so damn cute you have to laugh at them, give them a big hug and remember that all this is still pretty fantastic to them - and that makes the rest of it pretty damn worthwhile.

This is what helps me settle calmly into middle age and the quieter things instead of missing the "fun" of the keg-party we used to look forward to every Xmas day. Nothing says Merry Chistmas like not having to wonder if someone's going to get wasted enough to pull a gun over a cigarette or slash their wrists open. Quiet middle age certainly has its appeal.

oh, and we got snow.
Leading up to the whole thing there's the usual hype, the usual bitching about the hype and the usual preparing for the stupidity that is snowfall in Minnesota. Got my scraper, bookmarked the City of Minneapolis Parking Rules page, left plenty of extra time to get everywhere to do anything, no matter how close. Check, check and double check.
In the middle of all that it's really easy to be a grumpy adult about the whole thing - until you wake up with 2 little kids that are excited to get outside and just PLAY in it. They don't care about the cold, they don't care if they get wet, they don't think about shoveling or anything else. And it was a nice reminder.
I got on a sweater and flannel pants (didn't even need a coat, it was actually the warmest you're ever going to get on a nice, snowy day) and boots to shovel the sidewalk and was fully prepared to just grumble about all this white crap until the boys got waist-deep in it, got pulled down to the mailbox in the sled by mom (it's like we live in a Norman Rockwell painting sometimes) and were just having fun.
It's good to get a reminder not to be such a curmudgeon and to enjoy it. It'll be -30 and potentially fatal to play outside soon enough. I don't really care if it takes me a little longer to get places, since it's the holidays and I don't really have anywhere to be anyhow. Sledding and snowballs and snowforts ensued. Life is good.

Winter here is always funny.
I know it's a matter of regional pride that we bundle up and endure what, on paper, sounds like the last place you'd ever want to choose to live. When I see places like northern Alaska or the Arctic in movies and catch myself thinking "how the hell do people LIVE there?" I also wonder if that's what we look like to the rest of the country. Like a bunch of insane idiots that have just tuned out the fact that we're standing in the middle of something that would pass for a mediaval version of Hell on the right day. But no, we can't tune it out, the shock on people's faces when we casually tell them it's going to be -40 with a -75 windchill is our only real reward.
That's right. We're crazy....and you should really be afraid of our hobos.
When the zombies and robots come and the bombs fall we will be protected by an wall of indestructible panhandlers.
Seriously, I'm going to make billions as soon as I can figure out how to weaponize those people..... ahem.

Anyway.

The tree is now packed up and put away with the rest of the decorations, the new toys have been assimilated into the house and almost everything is assembled correctly - the family is taking a little trip over New Year's Eve that the wife has been dreaming about and, even though the thought of being away from home usually fills me with dread these days, I'm excited to depart for a bit and keep this stretch of concentrated family time going in a warmer setting.