Ken in a Kilt
I stood up for my friend Scott's wedding last weekend at Kloc's Grove. (We've been colleagues in Tai Chi for about 15 years.) The food was some of the best I've ever had and not only did I eat way too much, I danced too much. I'm surprised I kept it down. In my downtime, I kept the bartender from being bored and it turns out she went to high school with Christina. And for the first time, I wore a kilt. The kilt...
Visible Grey
Last week, I really could see the grey in my hair. I've had some up there for years, but could never see it at all unless under bright lights at the hairdresser. My beard, on the other hand, must be reduced to a goatee, since it looks like neopolitan icecream otherwise -- grey, reddish-brown, and dark brown. My friend and chiropractor Mimi said the grey hair would be distinguished without looking old if I got...
On Mortality and an Empty Nest
Jeff's Granfather died 13 days after his grandmother. Anne and Tony were wonderful people who I wish I had known better. Tony was a WWII Navy veteran who invented a Moog synthesizer guitar that earned him a place in the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. I worked with Anne at Hill's Department Store in Depew -- I was there the day she quit from being badly treated and she talked me out of walking out with her. And my...
Bikes, Block Party, and a Bad Cold
Merry bought us mountain bikes, which are consistent with the state of Buffalo's streets. It was cheaper than fixing up her old one for a much more advanced design -- I never had one with shock absorvers before! We started biking most evenings for a few days and then it hit -- oppressive humidity. It was just too much. However, we've had milder days, such as the Sunday of the block club party. It was a...
Summer Update
We had very little Spring, fast-forwarding into Summer, with humidity high enough to not breathe well and hide in my (air conditioned) office or the basement for most of the day. I finally finished the deck staining. This time we let it dry for many days, but that is why it didn't get done sooner. The garden crops were in the way until it was too cold to have room to do it, and it rained an everage of every...
Parkview Private Library, Phase I
Ever since we decided to buy the house, we also decided that the living room would become our library. And so it was -- the old entertainment center and the three upright bookshelf towers from our former bedroom did the job ... sort of. We just needed more space, even after putting up long shelves near the ceiling on two walls for antique editions. I estimate we have between 1200 and 2000 books, of every...
My butt calls dead people.
A few weeks ago at the mechanics I was putting stuff in my car when my phone rang. The screen told me it was "Grandma Evelyn" who died a couple years ago. Now I know logically that there was a non-psychic explanation, but when you answer a call like that, part of you really wonders what to expect. They were calling me back. "Are you a nursing home in California? Sorry, I still had her programmed in my phone...
The answer to what?
My 42nd birthday was one I will always remember. Mer and I were going to go to Taffy's, but they don't take credit cards and we didn't have cash on hand so we went to Shanghai Buffet instead. Just a pleasant day ... then Christina met up with me and after picking up a couple her friends, we headed to Woody's where her friend Dave was celebrating his 31st birthday. He was already lit, shaking my hands every few...
Two Holidays and a Funeral
We don't celebrate Valentine's Day really, and in any given week we could be broke and not able to do anything anyways. But I was inspired. There was some story on the radio of a couple that meet each other Valentine's Day cards. Apparently, merry was inspired as well, as she made me one. I've made many cards in my time, but it's not my favorite gesture and I thought of something more appropriate for women with...