Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Sam the Cooking Guy
I like my new TV. So shoot me. I sometimes sit there and watch cooking shows late at night while Jaime falls asleep on me. Stop laughing. The other night, as she dozed, I found "Sam the Cooking Guy" on Fit TV.
I've been subjected to a lot of Food Network and plenty of cooking shows (do you know my roommate?), but this one stuck out at me. I remember several months ago telling Jaime that I thought TV was lacking a good, funny, realistic, down-to-earth but delicious cooking show. All of those things in one. She thought Alton Brown fit that bill. I think Alton Brown is a geeky hoser most of the time.
Turns out Sam Zien is in his San Diego home cooking tasty stuff with his kids and dogs running around, while someone rolls a camera. And Sam may just be old enough that I could fill his shoes when I'm ready for my mid-life crisis career change. Until then, I'm waiting for my craptastic stomach flu to be fully exorcised so I can make this.
I've been subjected to a lot of Food Network and plenty of cooking shows (do you know my roommate?), but this one stuck out at me. I remember several months ago telling Jaime that I thought TV was lacking a good, funny, realistic, down-to-earth but delicious cooking show. All of those things in one. She thought Alton Brown fit that bill. I think Alton Brown is a geeky hoser most of the time.
Turns out Sam Zien is in his San Diego home cooking tasty stuff with his kids and dogs running around, while someone rolls a camera. And Sam may just be old enough that I could fill his shoes when I'm ready for my mid-life crisis career change. Until then, I'm waiting for my craptastic stomach flu to be fully exorcised so I can make this.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Westy on a whim
Jaime and I have been talking about going to Europe together, more specifically Germany and Austria, ever since we were married. I've been slowly racking up the not-so-frequent-anymore flier miles with plans of cashing in on just that. After a bit of research today I realized that although I have almost 85,000 AA miles, we couldn't both get round-trip tickets to Europe with any kind of reasonable itinerary that agreed with my employer's "time theft" policy. Not to mention the weak dollar (and our weak budget) that would be continuously tapping us on the shoulder every time we we required any sort of lodging or transportation from city to city. I always stifled these roadblocks in my reluctant subconscious until I sat and did the math today.
I know we'll get to Germany someday. I'll show Jaime stuff I'm dying to see again, and we'll both experience things anew. But not this next year. Not without a very hefty Christmas bonus and another raise. Yeah right.
So I started thinking about other ways we could escape in '09. Where would American Airlines allow me to use my limited AAdvantage miles and what mutual destination would allow us to afford transportation and lodging? Oh, and it has to be distant and awesomely awesome.
Then it clicked, and I subsequently clicked around the interweb until a few hours hours later it was in the bag.
Nine days of September 2009 will find us on Maui, putting around in our very own (rented) VW Westfalia camper van. No hotels needed. No set plans. Just a bag of local groceries, a GPS and my camera. The flights are already booked, totally covered by points, with some to spare. Surf, dive, hike, swim, chill, nap, cook, eat, drive around, whatever. See the real Hawai'i. Get a real ocean front room.
I've been dreaming of renting one of these puppies and making a week out of it. Deutschland can wait, but I'll still be able to fulfill my Wanderlust in einem VolksWagen.
I know we'll get to Germany someday. I'll show Jaime stuff I'm dying to see again, and we'll both experience things anew. But not this next year. Not without a very hefty Christmas bonus and another raise. Yeah right.
So I started thinking about other ways we could escape in '09. Where would American Airlines allow me to use my limited AAdvantage miles and what mutual destination would allow us to afford transportation and lodging? Oh, and it has to be distant and awesomely awesome.
Then it clicked, and I subsequently clicked around the interweb until a few hours hours later it was in the bag.
Nine days of September 2009 will find us on Maui, putting around in our very own (rented) VW Westfalia camper van. No hotels needed. No set plans. Just a bag of local groceries, a GPS and my camera. The flights are already booked, totally covered by points, with some to spare. Surf, dive, hike, swim, chill, nap, cook, eat, drive around, whatever. See the real Hawai'i. Get a real ocean front room.
I've been dreaming of renting one of these puppies and making a week out of it. Deutschland can wait, but I'll still be able to fulfill my Wanderlust in einem VolksWagen.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
All you want for Christmas (Hanukkah, Kwanza, and so forth):
All I really want for Christmas is to have powder days off work, and no car troubles for the next 18 months. Somehow, Jaime has packaged these up and placed them under the tree (which we economically "borrowed" from the church storage), because I spy wrapped boxes with my name on them. She's always pulling off the impossible, that corker.
So don't worry about me, but if you're looking for an original stocking stuffer for somebody else, I've got a few semi-obscure gift ideas for you. Give what they didn't even know they wanted, and they won't forget you when they're rich and famous. That's a campaign promise.*
Teresamia
Unique hand-crafted bags and jewelry for the ladies. I mean "unique" in the actual definition. As in, there is really only one of each item shown on the website. It bothers me when people use the word unique in a non-unique context. Or when they say something is "very unique." There's no such thing as "very unique." It's either unique or it isn't. I digress. No templates and duplicates at Teresamia. Just one of each. Teresamia was founded and it's creations are designed by my sister-in-law, Francesca Forsyth. Warning: One let-down is that they don't actually sell children on the website as the homepage suggests:
Waiting for Monday's debut album
For anyone that likes great music from good people. Rob and Kendall are a simple, yet perfectly refreshing acoustic duo and I love their new album. I used to share shows with these guys in the rock and/or roll mecca of Rexburg, Idaho, and I can vouch for their character - proceeds from CD sales will not go to hookers and drugs. I already picked up this CD, so I'm not just plugging my friends' music. I'm plugging my headphones into it as i type this very moment. Support good independent music and your karma and soul will support you.
The Things You Think You Need by Jay Nash
Jay is a friend who's fourth or fifth album (who's counting?) was released earlier this year. It's kind of amazing. This guy is an independent music trooper that has worked hard and it's starting to pay off. But I think he still needs more ears. The Things You Think You Need is on sale at Barnes & Noble as well as iTunes. I really like the CD packaging, so get the real deal shipped to you or pick it up at your local B&N.
Trees and Other Shady Things
If you're on a real musical stocking stuffer frenzy and you haven't got it already, my album Trees and Other Shady Things also has the physical benefit of being easy to hide until 12/24: It's very flat and specially designed to only be about the size of a "compact disc." And it often ships the same day you order it. How's that for excellent product and service in one?
Oh, it's going to be a good Christmas. Can you feel it?
*not really.
So don't worry about me, but if you're looking for an original stocking stuffer for somebody else, I've got a few semi-obscure gift ideas for you. Give what they didn't even know they wanted, and they won't forget you when they're rich and famous. That's a campaign promise.*
Teresamia
Unique hand-crafted bags and jewelry for the ladies. I mean "unique" in the actual definition. As in, there is really only one of each item shown on the website. It bothers me when people use the word unique in a non-unique context. Or when they say something is "very unique." There's no such thing as "very unique." It's either unique or it isn't. I digress. No templates and duplicates at Teresamia. Just one of each. Teresamia was founded and it's creations are designed by my sister-in-law, Francesca Forsyth. Warning: One let-down is that they don't actually sell children on the website as the homepage suggests:
Waiting for Monday's debut album
For anyone that likes great music from good people. Rob and Kendall are a simple, yet perfectly refreshing acoustic duo and I love their new album. I used to share shows with these guys in the rock and/or roll mecca of Rexburg, Idaho, and I can vouch for their character - proceeds from CD sales will not go to hookers and drugs. I already picked up this CD, so I'm not just plugging my friends' music. I'm plugging my headphones into it as i type this very moment. Support good independent music and your karma and soul will support you.
The Things You Think You Need by Jay Nash
Jay is a friend who's fourth or fifth album (who's counting?) was released earlier this year. It's kind of amazing. This guy is an independent music trooper that has worked hard and it's starting to pay off. But I think he still needs more ears. The Things You Think You Need is on sale at Barnes & Noble as well as iTunes. I really like the CD packaging, so get the real deal shipped to you or pick it up at your local B&N.
Trees and Other Shady Things
If you're on a real musical stocking stuffer frenzy and you haven't got it already, my album Trees and Other Shady Things also has the physical benefit of being easy to hide until 12/24: It's very flat and specially designed to only be about the size of a "compact disc." And it often ships the same day you order it. How's that for excellent product and service in one?
Oh, it's going to be a good Christmas. Can you feel it?
*not really.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
SuperHeroes
Every year, CP+B throws a ridiculously extravagant and awesome holiday party. Each year there's a different theme and coming in anything but a thematic costume is frowned upon. Last year's theme was "Circus," So we were circus animals, appropriately walking around on our "hind" legs. Jaime a bear and I a zebra:
The 2006 theme was simply "Red" on account that the Agency was holding some big raffles and donating a bunch of money to The Global Fund. We decided to turn it into a toga party:
This year's party is on December 18th and the theme is SUPERHEROES. Jaime's out shopping for fabric now. In true humorously wholesome and educational fashion, Jaime's excited to be WORD GIRL ("Word up!"), who I had never heard of until she told me last week. She wanted me to be WORD GIRL'S sidekick, "Captain Huggy Face," who - get this - is a break dancing monkey.
Tempting. But I had my heart set on one caped crusader: STUPENDOUS MAN (Friend of Freedom! Opponent of Oppression! Lover of Liberty!). If you don't know who STUPENDOUS MAN is you have some reading to do. I feel sorry for you, so I'll make it easy to repent. You can do that by clicking here.
Stay tuned for heroic images after December 18th.
The 2006 theme was simply "Red" on account that the Agency was holding some big raffles and donating a bunch of money to The Global Fund. We decided to turn it into a toga party:
This year's party is on December 18th and the theme is SUPERHEROES. Jaime's out shopping for fabric now. In true humorously wholesome and educational fashion, Jaime's excited to be WORD GIRL ("Word up!"), who I had never heard of until she told me last week. She wanted me to be WORD GIRL'S sidekick, "Captain Huggy Face," who - get this - is a break dancing monkey.
Tempting. But I had my heart set on one caped crusader: STUPENDOUS MAN (Friend of Freedom! Opponent of Oppression! Lover of Liberty!). If you don't know who STUPENDOUS MAN is you have some reading to do. I feel sorry for you, so I'll make it easy to repent. You can do that by clicking here.
Stay tuned for heroic images after December 18th.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
the terminal
My last 6 days:
Friday: Denver to Philly. I took my guitar on the plane and Southwest took my checked luggage to Portland. Played two shows and came home on Sunday afternoon.
Monday morning: On the way back to the Denver airport well before the sun came up. Off to LAX. No more guitar. No more checked luggage. TV shoot for the VW Sign Then Drive spots. Stayed in the Inn at Laguna Beach and I highly recommend it. Back to Denver very early this morning (Thursday). Drove straight to the office. Work. Back to DEN at 7:30pm.
And here I am on a plane again. 9:26pm Back to California. SFO. Molly's wedding. With a new sweet tri-fold garment bag Jaime got me for my birthday. Or anniversary. Or some Saturday. I should remember. I don't at the moment on account of the fact that my brain is randomly bouncing between "acutely sharp" and "completely fried."
We'll see if Friday and Monday end up actually being vacation days away from my computer and crackberry.
At least I'm not bored. In fact, I haven't been bored in several years. Taking off. See you in SF.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Thinking
Thinking is nice. I don’t think enough. Between work, media, other responsibilities and simply staying alert in order to not miss opportunities life throws at you, there is little time for thinking. There are opportunities, but they are always cut short by the next thing on the day’s agenda, whether it was planned or a blitz.
That’s why I tend to go to bed so late. I finally find time to think and I’m being ask to shut my brain off? I don’t think so (no pun intended).
Here’s the irony. The lack of sleep and need to get up at a normal rat-race hour can leave me pretty tired. Not refreshed. And that’s not so conducive to good thinking. But it’s not completely detrimental, just not ideal. I think that’s why I justify choosing the lesser of two evils by sleeping less. I take Emergen-C and eat an okay breakfast to try and fill in some gaps for my brain and body’s defenses.
My recent Longs Peak climb was another opportunity to think. I was sometimes annoyed at the chatty nature of my hiking companions, but that’s nothing against them. I set myself up for some good chi harnessing time and it’s annoying when it’s interrupted by talk of something I consider less important than the silence it killed.
Still, I got some good time in. The physically repetitive act of trekking in a beautiful natural setting triggers my mind to wander and think about things that the hustle and bustle sometimes fails to.
When I do get a chance to really think, it always ends up in one place. Jaime is amazing. No thoughts about future plans, dreams, music, career, politics, money, food (yes, I think deeply about food, especially on the tail end of descending Longs), have any problem quickly finding their way back to this girl and how crazy I am about her. And since she pretty much always falls asleep before me, she has to live with the fact that her sleep will always be interrupted by a kiss or six on the face before I finally crash. ‘Cause that’s when I have time to think.
That’s why I tend to go to bed so late. I finally find time to think and I’m being ask to shut my brain off? I don’t think so (no pun intended).
Here’s the irony. The lack of sleep and need to get up at a normal rat-race hour can leave me pretty tired. Not refreshed. And that’s not so conducive to good thinking. But it’s not completely detrimental, just not ideal. I think that’s why I justify choosing the lesser of two evils by sleeping less. I take Emergen-C and eat an okay breakfast to try and fill in some gaps for my brain and body’s defenses.
My recent Longs Peak climb was another opportunity to think. I was sometimes annoyed at the chatty nature of my hiking companions, but that’s nothing against them. I set myself up for some good chi harnessing time and it’s annoying when it’s interrupted by talk of something I consider less important than the silence it killed.
Still, I got some good time in. The physically repetitive act of trekking in a beautiful natural setting triggers my mind to wander and think about things that the hustle and bustle sometimes fails to.
When I do get a chance to really think, it always ends up in one place. Jaime is amazing. No thoughts about future plans, dreams, music, career, politics, money, food (yes, I think deeply about food, especially on the tail end of descending Longs), have any problem quickly finding their way back to this girl and how crazy I am about her. And since she pretty much always falls asleep before me, she has to live with the fact that her sleep will always be interrupted by a kiss or six on the face before I finally crash. ‘Cause that’s when I have time to think.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Work hard, play hard.
Jaime was in California during a pretty busy work week of mine last week. It's a good thing I brought Annie in to work with me a couple times, because those were late nights burning the midnight oil and she would have gotten pretty antsy had I left her at home during my 15 hour work days... I must say, Annie was a peach all week. She was great at home. She was great at work. Just a total perfect dog and companion.
I did escape before sunset one evening and got one good walkabout around Louisville's good old Davidson Mesa.
The way work was shaping up on Friday I wasn't sure if my weekend plans were going to happen. On top of some big work that doesn't seem to want to complete itself, I've been fighting a cold for almost 3 weeks now. But Saturday was slated to be epic and I wasn't about to miss it. Longs Peak is the highest point in Rocky Mountain National Park. A 14,259 ft. summit and 5,000 ft. elevation gain to get there on your own steam. To say this is a "hike" would be like saying Jaws is a fish. Jaws is a fish. A Fish that will eat you if you treat him like a trout, and may eat you even if you treat him like the man-hungry Great White that he is.
After two hours of sleep Friday night I met Alex Kayne and Josh Mantooth for a 2:30 am drive and a 4:00 am hike. I admit, it does start as a hike at about 9,000 ft. By the time you're at 11,000 there's no more trail. By 12,000 it's die-time. But a darn good time.
[Click on the images to see them in full glory.]
The boulder field. Get a glimpse of perspective when you look for the tiny people scattered further down the field:
On the summit:
The narrows on the way back down ("trip and die"):
Here are three photos I took and Alex stitched together into one panorama, taken from the back side of the keyhole:
Longs has a 30% summit success rate. We made it to the top, We couldn't have asked for better weather, and I wasn't one of the average of one people who die on the mountain each year. That's a good day in my book.
I did escape before sunset one evening and got one good walkabout around Louisville's good old Davidson Mesa.
The way work was shaping up on Friday I wasn't sure if my weekend plans were going to happen. On top of some big work that doesn't seem to want to complete itself, I've been fighting a cold for almost 3 weeks now. But Saturday was slated to be epic and I wasn't about to miss it. Longs Peak is the highest point in Rocky Mountain National Park. A 14,259 ft. summit and 5,000 ft. elevation gain to get there on your own steam. To say this is a "hike" would be like saying Jaws is a fish. Jaws is a fish. A Fish that will eat you if you treat him like a trout, and may eat you even if you treat him like the man-hungry Great White that he is.
After two hours of sleep Friday night I met Alex Kayne and Josh Mantooth for a 2:30 am drive and a 4:00 am hike. I admit, it does start as a hike at about 9,000 ft. By the time you're at 11,000 there's no more trail. By 12,000 it's die-time. But a darn good time.
[Click on the images to see them in full glory.]
The boulder field. Get a glimpse of perspective when you look for the tiny people scattered further down the field:
On the summit:
The narrows on the way back down ("trip and die"):
Here are three photos I took and Alex stitched together into one panorama, taken from the back side of the keyhole:
Longs has a 30% summit success rate. We made it to the top, We couldn't have asked for better weather, and I wasn't one of the average of one people who die on the mountain each year. That's a good day in my book.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The ivory may very well be ticklish
I like this band. I like this song. And I really like this music video.
Boo. but i don't like how they disabled embedding of their YouTube video. Some people just don't know what's good for them. You can see it HERE.
Boo. but i don't like how they disabled embedding of their YouTube video. Some people just don't know what's good for them. You can see it HERE.
Monday, August 25, 2008
My very own Nigerian scam attempt
You get five gold points for every red flag you find.
It starts with a simple posting on Craigslist. I won a Zune at work and would like to sell it.
Wednesday morning, I got a biter:
Jennygray80@gmail.com: Hello, Is this item still up for sale???.
Me: It is indeed. Would you like to pick it up in gunbarell today?
Eric
-------------
One minute later I received a blank reply. Kind of odd.
Then, 32 minutes later, a real reply. I'll precede the rest of this correspondence with [sic], so I only have to write it once:
Jennygray80@gmail.com: Then a real reply: Thanks allot for the reply........actually i supposed to come and check the item out but im out of states right now so i wont be able to come over but i will pay $250 for the item and please note that am shipping the item to an overseas partner so i will include $150 shipping fee,i will arrange for the payment of the item via paypal,it is very secure and fast mode of making an online payment or transfer,to proceed with
the transaction asap send me your paypal email address so that i can proceed with the payment of the item.
Thank you very much hope to hear from you soon
Me: Where do you need me to ship the item exactly? I will ship the zune only when I see that you have posted sufficient funds in my PayPal account to cover the Zune and shippng.
My PayPal email address is ericsforsyth@gmail.com.
thanks,
eric
Jennygray80@gmail.com: Thanks for the mail,by the time i send $400 to your account i am sure it will be enough for you to ship the item via USPS EXPRESS MAIL INTL,here is the shipping info
Name:Adedipo Sola
Address;block 11,academy road
City:Ibadan
State:Oyo state
Country:Nigeria
23402
i will email you once i have sent payment.
---------
Within 45 minutes I received the following email from "PayPal." Click on the screen shot to read it.
Sure enough, "Jenny" was right on the ball, back in my inbox within minutes:
Jennygray80@gmail.com: Hello
I just wish to notify you that i have sent payment from my PayPal account
(mounlade@hotmail.com) into your PayPal account (ericsforsyth@gmail.com) i also included shipping cost so that you will be able to ship to the address given below ...check your email under paypal.Hope you have gotten notification from PayPal regarding the payment and i want to believe that i have done everything right for you to ship out the item ASAP because as am talking to
you now the payment has been deducted from my account ,so i will be waiting
for the USPS EXPRESS MAIL INTL shipments tracking number, Here is the
shipping information you need.
Name:Adedipo Sola
Address;block 11,academy road
City:Ibadan
State:Oyo state
Country:Nigeria
23402
PLS SEND IT VIA USPS EXPRESS MAIL ONLY
THANKS.
Me: Hi "Jenny."
I will not consider sending "the item" (as you continually refer to it) until I see the funds posted to my PayPal account. You don't need to send $400 (as you originally offered), let alone $500 (as your supposedly real PayPal email claims.) I just need $150 + shipping, in confirmed funds.
Oh, and I need it to be real. I logged into my PayPal account to see if the $500 had been posted - or if it was even there as PENDING confirmed shipment of "the item". It was not. I am very familar with how PayPal works. And it does not work that way.
This is an obvious fraud. I will still sell you the zune in exchange for ACTUAL PAYMENT. If I receive actual payment in my US PayPal account, I will not report all the details of your scheme to the FTC and the PayPal International Fraud Prevention team - as no fraud will have taken place. Only attempted fraud.
Not even a very good attempt, although I'm sure you dupe countless victims every day, which is why PayPal would be very interested in seeing the details of your scheme.
If actual payment is not posted in my PayPal account by 2pm mountain time, I will take this entire chain and the fake paypal.co.uk email to the proper authorities.
You have a choice. Good luck.
-------------
Needless to say, I didn't hear back.
It starts with a simple posting on Craigslist. I won a Zune at work and would like to sell it.
Wednesday morning, I got a biter:
Jennygray80@gmail.com: Hello, Is this item still up for sale???.
Me: It is indeed. Would you like to pick it up in gunbarell today?
Eric
-------------
One minute later I received a blank reply. Kind of odd.
Then, 32 minutes later, a real reply. I'll precede the rest of this correspondence with [sic], so I only have to write it once:
Jennygray80@gmail.com: Then a real reply: Thanks allot for the reply........actually i supposed to come and check the item out but im out of states right now so i wont be able to come over but i will pay $250 for the item and please note that am shipping the item to an overseas partner so i will include $150 shipping fee,i will arrange for the payment of the item via paypal,it is very secure and fast mode of making an online payment or transfer,to proceed with
the transaction asap send me your paypal email address so that i can proceed with the payment of the item.
Thank you very much hope to hear from you soon
Me: Where do you need me to ship the item exactly? I will ship the zune only when I see that you have posted sufficient funds in my PayPal account to cover the Zune and shippng.
My PayPal email address is ericsforsyth@gmail.com.
thanks,
eric
Jennygray80@gmail.com: Thanks for the mail,by the time i send $400 to your account i am sure it will be enough for you to ship the item via USPS EXPRESS MAIL INTL,here is the shipping info
Name:Adedipo Sola
Address;block 11,academy road
City:Ibadan
State:Oyo state
Country:Nigeria
23402
i will email you once i have sent payment.
---------
Within 45 minutes I received the following email from "PayPal." Click on the screen shot to read it.
Sure enough, "Jenny" was right on the ball, back in my inbox within minutes:
Jennygray80@gmail.com: Hello
I just wish to notify you that i have sent payment from my PayPal account
(mounlade@hotmail.com) into your PayPal account (ericsforsyth@gmail.com) i also included shipping cost so that you will be able to ship to the address given below ...check your email under paypal.Hope you have gotten notification from PayPal regarding the payment and i want to believe that i have done everything right for you to ship out the item ASAP because as am talking to
you now the payment has been deducted from my account ,so i will be waiting
for the USPS EXPRESS MAIL INTL shipments tracking number, Here is the
shipping information you need.
Name:Adedipo Sola
Address;block 11,academy road
City:Ibadan
State:Oyo state
Country:Nigeria
23402
PLS SEND IT VIA USPS EXPRESS MAIL ONLY
THANKS.
Me: Hi "Jenny."
I will not consider sending "the item" (as you continually refer to it) until I see the funds posted to my PayPal account. You don't need to send $400 (as you originally offered), let alone $500 (as your supposedly real PayPal email claims.) I just need $150 + shipping, in confirmed funds.
Oh, and I need it to be real. I logged into my PayPal account to see if the $500 had been posted - or if it was even there as PENDING confirmed shipment of "the item". It was not. I am very familar with how PayPal works. And it does not work that way.
This is an obvious fraud. I will still sell you the zune in exchange for ACTUAL PAYMENT. If I receive actual payment in my US PayPal account, I will not report all the details of your scheme to the FTC and the PayPal International Fraud Prevention team - as no fraud will have taken place. Only attempted fraud.
Not even a very good attempt, although I'm sure you dupe countless victims every day, which is why PayPal would be very interested in seeing the details of your scheme.
If actual payment is not posted in my PayPal account by 2pm mountain time, I will take this entire chain and the fake paypal.co.uk email to the proper authorities.
You have a choice. Good luck.
-------------
Needless to say, I didn't hear back.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Hey Mission Prez, CIO! Sweet Ringtones!
I just logged into Facebook to find that my former Mission President (from my service days in Germany) left me a comment. I was excited to see what he wrote to me, as I don't hear from him very often.
I found this comment from LeRoy S. Wirthlin, whom i usually associate with the phrase "great-grandfather":
OMG! Thanks for the tip Prez!
I'm usually annoyed at my not-so-internet-savvy friends that get duped into these links and subsequently unintentionally send them everyone else to whom they are connected. This one just made me laugh out loud, and I almost didn't want to delete it of my page, because it looked so priceless. Alas, I knew that if I left it up some sucker would click on it. Thank goodness for screen grabs and blogs. Deine Schlauheit geniest ein ewiges Leben auf meinem Blog.
I found this comment from LeRoy S. Wirthlin, whom i usually associate with the phrase "great-grandfather":
OMG! Thanks for the tip Prez!
I'm usually annoyed at my not-so-internet-savvy friends that get duped into these links and subsequently unintentionally send them everyone else to whom they are connected. This one just made me laugh out loud, and I almost didn't want to delete it of my page, because it looked so priceless. Alas, I knew that if I left it up some sucker would click on it. Thank goodness for screen grabs and blogs. Deine Schlauheit geniest ein ewiges Leben auf meinem Blog.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Where to Start....
Well, it's been a while for me (Jaime here). I have spent this summer nannying for a family in Boulder. Very sweet girls, but it does take a lot of time and energy. So I apologize for the procrastination. I guess I will start from today and work my way back. Today we had our friends Matt and Christy over for a little Birthday celebration. I made Eric some "no such thing cake".
Go for the gold (or silver-ware)
One weekend in June was spent up in Vail, Colorado at the TMG. This was Eric's fourth year attending, but his first year not working there. We had a blast, we found a cute little Deutsch restaurant, (very yummy), and we got to go camping and eat some Keebler s'mores.
Camping in June, right? Yeah. We woke up in the morning to a nice layer of snow everywhere. You'll have to take my word for it. It melted quickly.
Chillin' at the Dog Competitions
Happy Doggy
Annie loooves camping, getting dirty, and swimming.
"Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy" Yes, the light sabers light up. (Editor's note: Photos and the written word cannot justify the shameful geekiness that this photo portrays. You'll have to see this pop-up madness first hand to understand. Suffice it to say, I wouldn't let small children play with this book unsupervised. Click on the photo to see larger - but that still won't do it justice. - Eric)
Go for the gold (or silver-ware)
Eric is deciding between the cake and me...guess which one he chose?
TEVA MOUNTAIN GAMES IN VAIL
One weekend in June was spent up in Vail, Colorado at the TMG. This was Eric's fourth year attending, but his first year not working there. We had a blast, we found a cute little Deutsch restaurant, (very yummy), and we got to go camping and eat some Keebler s'mores.
Camping in June, right? Yeah. We woke up in the morning to a nice layer of snow everywhere. You'll have to take my word for it. It melted quickly.
Chillin' at the Dog Competitions
Happy DoggyRANDOM
Annie loooves camping, getting dirty, and swimming.
"Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy" Yes, the light sabers light up. (Editor's note: Photos and the written word cannot justify the shameful geekiness that this photo portrays. You'll have to see this pop-up madness first hand to understand. Suffice it to say, I wouldn't let small children play with this book unsupervised. Click on the photo to see larger - but that still won't do it justice. - Eric)Also, Eric has been lining up and playing gigs around Denver and Boulder this summer. He is doing so well with his music and I am so proud of him (but that's a whole other post)!
Well, that about sums it up. Eric will probably make some changes to this, but all in all, I must say we are having a fantastic summer and look forward to every weekend's new adventure.
Well, that about sums it up. Eric will probably make some changes to this, but all in all, I must say we are having a fantastic summer and look forward to every weekend's new adventure.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
It's been too long...
I've been blog-delinquent. I'm a deadbeat blogger. I have SO many relevant and blog-worthy events to catch you up on! But alas, This is why I got bad grades in high school. I don't want to. I'd rather post this awesome 8-bit animation video my friend Eric Fowles showed me. If you are an Atari child of the 80s and you have 10 minutes...
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
KBCO NEW! Discover Music
KBCO 97.3 FM is one of the constantly best radio stations I've ever heard. I was added to their NEW! section of their website today. Check it out here.
The more that listen, the higher my ranking climbs and i could get my own feature on the KBCO NEW! homepage and be played on the radio.
Lots of great artist have been given a fair shot by KBCO, and that fair shot has often turned into a career. Tristan Prettyman, G. Love, Shawn Colvin and many more.
So click on the link and listen! To share the link with others, copy and paste this:
http://www.kbco.com/cc-common/artist_submission/player.html?art=167067#
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
CDs are for (and ON) sale!
Hi kids, I'm ecstatic to announce that trees and other shady things is available for sale on my website! It's a fun little CD in a fun little jacket made from fun little post-consumer recycled content.
Any orders made THIS WEEK GET FREE SHIPPING! The early bird gets the free shipping worm, indeed.
Also, if you're in the Denver area, I've got a show at the Soiled Dove Underground on Saturday night. It's bound to soft rock you like a hurricane, and CDs will be discounted at the show. The Soiled Dove is such a cool venue. You have to check it out. I'm opening up for the amazing Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband, so it's bound to be unforgettable.
Thank you so much for all your support. You guys are the lifeblood.
'til we meet again,
eric
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Eric and Co: 1, Indoors: 0
Annie (my dog) and I have an amazing amount in common.
- There's no guarantee that we'll come when we're called. But we love you. We do.
- We both have the gift of discernment / sense when danger is near.
- It's obvious in our countenance that we like Boulder more than Miami.
- We both think Jaime's the coolest.
- We both like to be rubbed.
- We both like to steal cookies and brownies off the counter when we're not supposed to.
- Soft green grass makes us happy, but not as much as fresh snow. And the more, the better.
- We are both happiest outside.
On that note, below are some pictures of our Memorial Day weekend trip to Moab and it's surrounding wonders. Jaime and I (and Annie) met Dave and Jessica Nieman and Dave's sister Kaity in Moab for a weekend of camping, off-roading, national parks, slick rock mountain biking, hiking and plenty of open space. The six of us made our way to spots both populated and desolate on foot, bikes and crammed into the Subi. Good times.
Moab, Arches and Canyonlands NP's are where I imagine Bill Watterson waxed fantastical about his Martian Spaceman Spiff comics. It is like another world. Only it has the Colorado River on loan. I'm back home now but I'm still soaking it in.
For all the pictures go to my facebook albums here and here.
- There's no guarantee that we'll come when we're called. But we love you. We do.
- We both have the gift of discernment / sense when danger is near.
- It's obvious in our countenance that we like Boulder more than Miami.
- We both think Jaime's the coolest.
- We both like to be rubbed.
- We both like to steal cookies and brownies off the counter when we're not supposed to.
- Soft green grass makes us happy, but not as much as fresh snow. And the more, the better.
- We are both happiest outside.
On that note, below are some pictures of our Memorial Day weekend trip to Moab and it's surrounding wonders. Jaime and I (and Annie) met Dave and Jessica Nieman and Dave's sister Kaity in Moab for a weekend of camping, off-roading, national parks, slick rock mountain biking, hiking and plenty of open space. The six of us made our way to spots both populated and desolate on foot, bikes and crammed into the Subi. Good times.
Moab, Arches and Canyonlands NP's are where I imagine Bill Watterson waxed fantastical about his Martian Spaceman Spiff comics. It is like another world. Only it has the Colorado River on loan. I'm back home now but I'm still soaking it in.
For all the pictures go to my facebook albums here and here.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Never Knew and forthcoming EP
I'm sitting here, pretty excited and I had to share it. As I type, a song I wrote over 2 years ago is getting a make-over. Never Knew is my only tune I didn't record myself with my shabby set up out of my closet. The talented Ken Dudley helped me track and mix that song from start to finish in a couple hours. We used at least one mic that had previously recorded Aerosmith tunes and now they were filtering my musical musings.
As I sit in Boulder, CO the very talented Amber Lynn is in Dudley's Idaho Falls studio recording her pipes over mine. It's a little scary, not being there, not being able to provide feedback and ideas, but something insde of me is comforted. Both Amber and Dudley are super talented in their own rights and I'm stoked to hear the result. Never Knew should be a better tune tomorrow than it was last night. It's an expiriment, and I'm the mad scientist, only i'm not even in the lab. The lab's in another state.
If you haven't heard Amber's music, click here. She's got some great stuff of her own, but I'm especially partial to her cover of Ernie Halter's Whisper. If you like what you hear, buy a CD.
Tonight's little project on Never Knew is just one step along the hurried process of getting my EP done in time for my show on June 14th. All the songs are being mastered later this week and the talented Eric Fowles of Voltage Design in Louisville, CO is working on my album art. I'll be sending all the music and album art into the ether by the end of the week and I'll get a bunch of beautiful CDs back a couple weeks later, just in time (I hope) for my show with Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband in Denver.
Here's to the process. If you're reading this Monday night, May 19th, mumble a prayer to the dubbing gods for Amber and Ken. If you're reading this after June 14th, say a prayer for me in the form of buying a CD.
Oh, and keep checking back to my music website for more updates on the forthcoming EP. (Title TBA. I know! I can't wait either.)
As I sit in Boulder, CO the very talented Amber Lynn is in Dudley's Idaho Falls studio recording her pipes over mine. It's a little scary, not being there, not being able to provide feedback and ideas, but something insde of me is comforted. Both Amber and Dudley are super talented in their own rights and I'm stoked to hear the result. Never Knew should be a better tune tomorrow than it was last night. It's an expiriment, and I'm the mad scientist, only i'm not even in the lab. The lab's in another state.
If you haven't heard Amber's music, click here. She's got some great stuff of her own, but I'm especially partial to her cover of Ernie Halter's Whisper. If you like what you hear, buy a CD.
Tonight's little project on Never Knew is just one step along the hurried process of getting my EP done in time for my show on June 14th. All the songs are being mastered later this week and the talented Eric Fowles of Voltage Design in Louisville, CO is working on my album art. I'll be sending all the music and album art into the ether by the end of the week and I'll get a bunch of beautiful CDs back a couple weeks later, just in time (I hope) for my show with Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband in Denver.
Here's to the process. If you're reading this Monday night, May 19th, mumble a prayer to the dubbing gods for Amber and Ken. If you're reading this after June 14th, say a prayer for me in the form of buying a CD.
Oh, and keep checking back to my music website for more updates on the forthcoming EP. (Title TBA. I know! I can't wait either.)
Saturday, May 10, 2008
let this be a warning.
It starts with a social networking site. Eventually it doesn't seem customizable enough. Or private enough. Or "you" enough. So you start your own blog. This is a space that you can really make your own. But you still belong to a larger network of blogs, all vaguely linked to each other. All with similar layouts. The blog is not good enough anymore. Still nice to have, but not ironic trucker hat enough. Not custom enough. You need your own web address. Your own URL. You need to start from scratch.
It's a slippery slope. If facebook and Myspace are the pot of the internet, my new website is heroin. Yes. It's that good. I mean bad.
Introducing ericforsythmusic.com.
Huge, ginormous thanks to my brother Daniel for listening to what I had in mind and putting this together for me. He is as self-sacrificing as he is talented. Just too nice.
So go now and share with your record label and touring management friends. I know you have tons.
www.ericforsythmusic.com
:)
It's a slippery slope. If facebook and Myspace are the pot of the internet, my new website is heroin. Yes. It's that good. I mean bad.
Introducing ericforsythmusic.com.
Huge, ginormous thanks to my brother Daniel for listening to what I had in mind and putting this together for me. He is as self-sacrificing as he is talented. Just too nice.
So go now and share with your record label and touring management friends. I know you have tons.
www.ericforsythmusic.com
:)
Monday, April 21, 2008
nostalgia in newport beach
Last weekend was Dave and Jessica's wedding. I've known Dave a long time. I've known Jessica long enough to be really excited for Dave to pick her as a wife. Together they are a power couple, but in a cool way you could only understand if you know them both individually, and have see them together. It was so nice attending their sealing and unforgettable playing in their wedding band.
I think it started as a joke. And I wasn't vain enough to be the one to bring it up. "Hey Dave, why don't you reunite my funky freshman jazz trio and we'll crash your wedding party?" No, it didn't go down like that (I don't think). When Dave learned that his three mutual friends Jared (keys), Taylor (low notes) and I (skins) would all be around for his wedding in Newport Beach he pitched the idea to Jessica and I was surprised to hear she actually thought it would be cool to have us be their wedding band. Dave was one our most loyal fans in 2001 when we revolutionized the live music scene in little Rexburg, Idaho. But Jessica wasn't around then. She had to trust Dave. That's love. She took an awful risk on us. And so did Dave, since I figure it would be his signature on the annulment docs if we botched it.
Good times. Not only was I a groomsman playing drums, but i was suckered into playing Emcee and DJ as well at the last minute. Such a great weekend of friends, couch surfing, midnight ocean dips, hot tubbing, In-N-Out Burger, great weather and some plain good jazz.
Here are some snapshots:
I think it started as a joke. And I wasn't vain enough to be the one to bring it up. "Hey Dave, why don't you reunite my funky freshman jazz trio and we'll crash your wedding party?" No, it didn't go down like that (I don't think). When Dave learned that his three mutual friends Jared (keys), Taylor (low notes) and I (skins) would all be around for his wedding in Newport Beach he pitched the idea to Jessica and I was surprised to hear she actually thought it would be cool to have us be their wedding band. Dave was one our most loyal fans in 2001 when we revolutionized the live music scene in little Rexburg, Idaho. But Jessica wasn't around then. She had to trust Dave. That's love. She took an awful risk on us. And so did Dave, since I figure it would be his signature on the annulment docs if we botched it.
Good times. Not only was I a groomsman playing drums, but i was suckered into playing Emcee and DJ as well at the last minute. Such a great weekend of friends, couch surfing, midnight ocean dips, hot tubbing, In-N-Out Burger, great weather and some plain good jazz.
Here are some snapshots:
Monday, April 14, 2008
I'm so famous, you don't even notice.
So I have to point it out.
Go to vw.com Then click on the Jetta SportWagen button on lower right hand corner where all the models are listed out. Or just click here to go directly to the Jetta SportWagen model landing page, as we call it in the biz.
I'll post the screen grab here, but let's face it - it's cooler to see it in real life on the world wide web.
If all my creative content managment proves to be a waste, at least I can pretend like I'm selling VW's with my huge box-hefting muscles and dapper good looks.
Go to vw.com Then click on the Jetta SportWagen button on lower right hand corner where all the models are listed out. Or just click here to go directly to the Jetta SportWagen model landing page, as we call it in the biz.
I'll post the screen grab here, but let's face it - it's cooler to see it in real life on the world wide web.
If all my creative content managment proves to be a waste, at least I can pretend like I'm selling VW's with my huge box-hefting muscles and dapper good looks.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Cushy Jack London Calling
Explored a wanna-be Teton Pass today. Good times. Just an hour and a half away is Loveland Pass. Close, descent backcountry access with options and convenience. I parked at the bottom of the pass and hitchhiked to the top. From there I had the option of simply strapping in and riding back down to my car or hiking up and around the cirque and dropping in the huge bowl at whichever point I dared. I chose the latter, three times. No matter what you choose it's all but impossible to lose your way and end up anywhere but the car at the bottom of the pass. Unless you drop down the other side of the mountain, all paths lead to your car. That's quite the perk for a directionally challenged solo rider like myself. I even carried a topo map in my pocket, just in case.
Click on the images to see them larger:
And there she is. From I-70, just a couple minutes up Highway 6. The picture below is from about a quarter way around the cirque looking northwest to the rest of the bowl. My trecking poles proved necessary as the wind was pretty strong (my board on my back can rival a sail) and there wasn't much of a beaten path up and around the cirque, so traversing was a bit sketchy at points, but cake with poles. Just enough adversity and solitude to provide the Jack London challenge I need every now and then to clear my head. But cushy enough for the whole trip to fill only half of the day and leave me satisfied, but not wasted.
Next time I'm bringing Annie and letting her chase me down the mountain. I already know she's a faster hiker than I am, but I'm excited to experience what it would be like to ride down with her chasing behind me. In my head, it'll be bliss.
At the end of the day, I'm just happy that I can eat a late breakfast at a pleasant altitude of 5,335 ft. and drive and hour and a half and stand at the top of a 12,400 ft. pass mine for the taking. Then back home for an early dinner. Not too shabby.
(Buckle up back there. Blasting zone ahead.)
Click on the images to see them larger:
And there she is. From I-70, just a couple minutes up Highway 6. The picture below is from about a quarter way around the cirque looking northwest to the rest of the bowl. My trecking poles proved necessary as the wind was pretty strong (my board on my back can rival a sail) and there wasn't much of a beaten path up and around the cirque, so traversing was a bit sketchy at points, but cake with poles. Just enough adversity and solitude to provide the Jack London challenge I need every now and then to clear my head. But cushy enough for the whole trip to fill only half of the day and leave me satisfied, but not wasted.
Next time I'm bringing Annie and letting her chase me down the mountain. I already know she's a faster hiker than I am, but I'm excited to experience what it would be like to ride down with her chasing behind me. In my head, it'll be bliss.
At the end of the day, I'm just happy that I can eat a late breakfast at a pleasant altitude of 5,335 ft. and drive and hour and a half and stand at the top of a 12,400 ft. pass mine for the taking. Then back home for an early dinner. Not too shabby.
(Buckle up back there. Blasting zone ahead.)
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