Holy Crap, the summer is almost over...

I don't know why I'm surprised that the summer has, once again gotten away from me. It hasn't been all that eventful, but the season flew by faster than Miley Cyrus saying yes to dancing like a skank on the Video Music Awards. (That was my 40+ year old voice speaking). Anyway, when last we spoke I had been explaining my love/hate relationship with landscaping. For the most part everything has survived the summer after my careful love and attention. The thorn in my side hasn't been my lack of a green thumb, but more the battle with what became my arch nemesis....the rabbits. Those little bleepity...bleep..bleep...bleepity, gosh darn bleepity....bleep....bleep God's creatures found themselves a smorgasboard of deliciousness from almost every last thing I put in the ground. After several sprays and granules, many episodes of me flinging open the back door, running, flailling my arms and screaming like a mad man to send them scurrying from the yard, only to turn, once safely on the other side of the fence to stare and look at me like I was, indeed a lunatic. I found myself standing at the kitchen window singing (in my best Elmer Fudd voice) "kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit". We have lapsed now into a somewhat blissful coexistence and now I await the ripening of the (what looks like at least 100) tomatoes. So I think my landscaping/gardening this year would at least get a passing grade.
In other summer news....
I drove to Denver the end of June to make a wedding cake for my friends, Mike & Elena. Shawn and I took some day trips to Oakbrook for some shopping at Oakbrook Center and IKEA. We also spent a couple days in St. Louis where we visited the Art Museum, History Museum, Botanic Gardens, Cathedral Bascillica along with a little more shopping. We also had some great meals...one of which was at a place called Franco.
It was so delicious. You can see pictures from the trip on my facebook page. Yesterday we took a trip to Peru (IL) to the antique mall and I found some really cool 1950's enamelware photo developing trays.  
I think they will make really great trays, but I'm also thinking about other things to use them for. ..stay tuned.
So, I guess the the upside to the dwindling summer season is that my favorite season of the year is next on deck. So if I have to say good bye to summer at least we have Fall to look forward to.
night night
greg

Stop It, Stop It and Please, Please Stop IT!!!

Dear Men who wear pajamas in public,

I feel like we have had this conversation before, and I just don't see your side of the story.   I have often heard that you should begin any kind of confrontation with a positive.....so here goes.  I get that it takes someone totally confident in their fashion sense to walk out of the house, down a street or through the aisles of any store wearing beer logos, cartoon characters or sets of lips scattered up and down your legs...so I'll give you props for the confidence.  Now, the truth....I don't really think it's confidence...I think you've given up.  Wander back with me, if you will, to your childhood.  If your mother had presented you with a pair of pants that had any kind of embellishment you would have locked your self in your room and refused to leave the house for fear that your friends would forever torment you, banishing you to the corner of the cafeteria, dodge ball would become target practice and you would forever be the target.  Ahhh, yes, it's all coming back to you now isn't it?  Somewhere along the line you forgot, stopped caring or maybe you have a much higher vision of how you appear to others....

 

This is not you!  You are not Hugh Hefner.

Maybe, you are going for an odd quirky persona to share with the world...

 

You are not the King of Pop!

So, I ask you "What is wrong with a pair of blue jeans?"  Or a plain old pair of sweat pants.  At least it looks like you just came from or are headed to work out.  That you had some sort of will to live when you left the house.  That maybe you at least planned to shower...

 

Isn't that so much better? It is just as easy to put these on as those pajama pants.  ( But don't wear those kind of shoes with your sweatpants...it screams predator or convict or something....just go for some good old tennis shoes).

I will give a pass to anyone who is perhaps on their way home from the hospital after some sort of surgery and is desperately in need of milk or medication..that's pretty much the only time pajamas should show themselves outside your front door.  So please men, I beg you....you are a grown man, start dressing like one. 
Love Always,
Greg

I got... I mean "had" the Moves Like Jagger

Something happened.  I don't know how recently it happened.  I can't really pin point it, because up until a few days ago I didn't know it happened.  Let me explain.

First, let me take you back to a time when life was simple.  Well, simple in a general, no internet, kind of way.  I was in junior high.  I can't quite remember why, but in junior high chorus, we would get to dance.  Not like a glee club performance of dance, but like turn the lights off in the classroom, no singing and play popular music and dance.  For whatever reason, Mrs. Lindstrom would pick people who she thought were doing the best job of dancing....sort of like a primitive version of "So You Think You Can Dance".  I remember how excited I was when one Friday, I was one of the dancers chosen...I along with a handful of others had been plucked from the crowd for my wicked, cool dance moves.  I wore that crown for years.  Anytime I found myself on a dance floor, I was more confident than Danny Zuko dancing the Hand Jive with Cha Cha in "Grease."  Although my opportunities to dance (in public) have become less and less, I was still quite confident in my abilities...I mean come on, I wasn't one of those old guys who dances like he did in high school and all the youngsters stare at....or at least I didn't think so.  As chance would have it, I (like all the hip kids are getting these days) got a Wii for Christmas.  ( I know, I know, welcome to the 2000's).  I couldn't wait to get the latest "Just Dance 4" and bust a move.  I mean, those commercials were like my dream come true...all those people dancing in unison to the latest dance tunes.  ( I have often spoke of my desire to participate in an impromptu dance number ala Jennifer Garner's amazing "Thriller" number in "13 Going on 30" or any random episode of "Glee").  So, I was going to learn how with the help of my fancy new Wii.  Paula Abdul move over.  What happened next still cannot be explained in real words.  The music started "Hey I just met you...and this is crazy"...wait, I have to move my hands and feet like THAT?  At the same time?  Stop, slow down...what the?   And the song ends.  Maybe it was just the song choice....let's try another.   Slow down!!! The result of my first "Just Dance"...me sort of marching in place and twirling my arms around to keep up.  Shameful.  My dance crown, lay shattered on the floor.  Paula Abdul has won this battle.  But I shall not giveth upeth.  I shall practice like the "Black Swan" and I will finish one song if it kills me.  Look out "Solid Gold Dancers"....I'm coming for you.