You Don't Know Jack-O-Lantern!

With the coming of October, we decided it was also time to do a little pumpkin carving. To at least get warmed up for Halloween. Darcy had a little trouble with the guts of her pumpkin, but then discovered the handy trick of using an ice cream scoop to get them out. We later found out Martha Stewart recommends making your initial cut on the bottom of the pumpkin, to help get all the gunk out, and so you can light the candle and put the pumpkin over the top. Clever. We will be trying that out on our next go round.

Look at my precision and skill with the knife!

Darcy finished way before I did. The only think I can say is that I pulled out all of the gunk from Jeffreys' pumpkin before I started mine. But I will say Darcy did a fine job of carving the kitty pumpkin. The ears were my idea, though.

Once we got them lit, we were proud of our accomplishments. They have been standing guard outside our front door for a week and a half and are getting close to the stage known as "totally rotted." No matter. These were warm ups for the real deal. Another helpful tip we learned after we finished these was to rinse out the inside with a mixture of water and anti-bacterial soap to keep the pumpkin from rotting so soon. We will be trying that next time as well. Look at how scary my pumpkin turned out.

And Darcy's.


I did bake the pumpkin seeds, but I think I have a new technique after talking to a co-worker. Mine were great right out of the oven, but didn't stand up to an overnight stay. They got a little bit chewy. They still tasted ok, but weren't quite crispy enough. Again, this will be resolved on the next go round.

...By the Way

I got married on September 8th. I'm indescribably happy. The wedding was awesome, tons of family and lots of friends I haven't seen in a long time. Thanks to everyone who came out, it was amazing. I wish it could have lasted longer.

Now I'm busy building desks and tables and buying new couches. Some days I feel like a real life grown up.

Trip To Seattle

I was in Seattle this weekend dropping off Turnips with his rightful family. Highlights included seeing my old roommate Tyler, 50 cent Pabst, having a fire scare at a bar, not calling anyone I knew there and one creepy picture of me with a mustache.

Turnips The Cat

The last week I've been in a two-cat household. I never thought I would see the day, but Jeffreys now has a friend, albeit temporarily. Turnips is Darcy's sister's cat. (Hey Casey!) He may be the freakiest cat I've ever spent time around. He's long, and meows a lot. He and Jeffreys had a really tough go of it at first, but now they're buddies. During the day they stay quiet, but at night I hear them playing upstairs. He's not too bad, and he gives me a good excuse to drive out to Seattle this weekend to drop him off at his new home. Plus I think Jeffrey's really enjoys the company.


Also, here are some pictures of me playing with the Seattle band BOAT a week or so ago (thanks Candice!) and Black Velvet Elvis playing last night. Don't sleep, they are coming up in the Missoula music scene in a big way!

Breaking Radio Silence

I've really let this blog slip, and I'll spare you my usual, "but I have been busy!" excuse. I don't have time to write about everything I've been up to, and you wouldn't want to read it anyway, so here's the last month and a half in pictures. Concerts, Touring, and just hanging out being my cool self.

Kickin' It Old School

Tonight I decided to remember what it was like surviving college, and didn't feel like cooking or having much to clean up, so I made some Top Ramen. Cajun Chicken style.




Easy as one two three, eh? And a swift and easy clean up. And for 20 cents, it is quite thrifty as well.
Notice the Ubuntu boot screen behind the Ramen...

Also easy as one, two, three and quite thrifty. You can download it here.

My Lonely BBQ

A quick update on being in the apartment alone. I think this picture says it best.

A delicious New York Steak all alone on a grill. I'm not altogether sad, in fact I've been getting a lot done I wouldn't have otherwise. What I am, however, is lonely. I can't wait until my fiance gets home. What have I been keeping myself occupied with in the meantime?

-listening to Arcade Fire - Neon Bible. In spite of the hype they put out an incredible record.
-reading Chuck Palahniuk's new book Rant. Awesome. Fight Club wishes it could be this book.
-watching Run's House on MTV. I don't feel like an explanation is necessary.
-watching rap battles, lots of rap battles. I understand they don't appeal to many people, so I try to get my fix when I'm spending time alone.
-setting up a Linux computer. Still not done, but I think I have the problem narrowed down. Expect a long, boring post about the process of getting this done.
-drinking Sparks. Seriously, did you expect any less?

Graduation Weekend

It was a busy, action packed weekend. Missoula experienced its final throngs of bustling before settling down into the summer. I love all the college kids, but to really get an idea of what the town is all about, you have to spend a summer here. The bars will finally be relaxing, and going out for just one drink will become a real possibility.

Saturday, I went to my friend and former roommate Sienna's graduation. She got a psychology degree with a minor in Fine Arts.

Her ceremony was quite a bit longer and more formal than my History graduation was. It took about an hour, but I was glad I went. She sat through the main ceremony when I graduated, so I owed her.

Then it was off to a plethora of Graduation BBQs, I wore flip flops all day long for the first time in as long as I can remember.

But don't worry, I put shorts on before I left the house. I'm not one to wear long pants and flip flops. Although I don socks and sandals when I BBQ, and I make no excuses.

The parties were fun, but I had to head into work at six, so I settled on two glasses of sangria, and then moved on to water. I hosted a night of music at the library. I initially dreaded going, but it turned out to be really fun. 63 kids ended up coming out. Wes from Riddlin Que opened it up and made up songs as he went along. Then the Sherlocks played their noisy rock. They were a bit hampered by technical difficulties, but came out on top. Then the Basic Practicalities played and impressed the hell out of me. I saw them when they were called Happy Unit Gang about two years ago, and they have come leaps and bounds since then. They are going places for sure.

Then some well deserved rest, and off to Hot Fuzz today. Go see this movie! It was super fun and well edited. I thought it was funnier and smarter than Blades of Glory (which I've seen twice) in terms of comedies this year. Totally worth the $7.50.

Congress Killed the (Internet) Radio Star

I love the idea of Internet radio but the RIAA and others are trying to jack up the royalty fees paid by these companies 300 to 1200 percent. Internet radio already pays more than satellite radio, so why do some people see the need to increase the fees even more?

My guess is that this bill was spawned by a group of humorless, old codgers who don't understand the "tubes" of the internet and think this is an easy way to get more money. Click the link below for more info.



One more reason why I think the RIAA is the worst organization possible for the music industry, they really just seem to hate music.

My Ultra Cool New Grill

Sorry. I've been busy. Really, I have. What with work and all the grilling I've been doing lately, not to mention my new gig of spinning records at the Palace, I haven't had time to post a blog. But never fear, I'm back again. My parents dropped off a great new BBQ Grill for my birthday a little more than a week ago. We set it up in the backyard, and my grilling has taken off to a new dimension. Check it out:

Jeffreys overseeing the construction of the grill.
And the new guy all ready to get this fire started.
How about an action shot?
I'm still thinking up a good name for him. Any suggestions?