Anyway, what tripped it tonight was two things.   Andrew Peterson & the violent death of a former high school classmate.

Every time I see or listen to AP I quickly regain my focus on what really matters in the grand scheme of things.    God, family, friends and then everything else (including my businesses and anything else that I might have my hands in at any given moment).  That’s a good thing except for the fact that I’m always eagerly (and impatiently) looking forward to the next chapter and potentially miss out on some memorable moments of the current one.

Then the violent death of someone I once knew just compounds that by making me see my own mortality through the example of their life.  Even though this wasn’t someone I knew real well, it was someone that I had spent hours working side-by-side with while we were interns one summer (not to mention being classmates for four years).  While I don’t know all of the details, the main detail is the one that concerns me the most.  Death.

I don’t care who you  are or what your relationship is to the person, if you have any sense at all that is going to get the wheels turning upstairs and you’ll begin to ponder “what if today is my last?” and all of the questions that follow that.  And frankly, I don’t want to have to answer that one right now…I’ve got a good forty plus years ahead of me, right?  As proven by this latest tragic event, that answer is clear.  No, not necessarily.

Anyway, I’ve not formulated many organized thoughts beyond that just yet.  But rest assured, God has my attention and I intend to savor every bit of this life he has blessed me with.

It only happens once every four years.  Sometimes not even then.  If you’re lucky enough to make it to eighty, you’ll only see nineteen or twenty of these in your lifetime.  Go, enjoy your extra day.

I’m personally taking the day off to get out of the “office” and I am instituting Leap Day as an official holiday for Watershed Studio.  (Yet another nice thing about running your own business.)  And for those of you who’ve not been to the Watershed site lately, we’ve given the site a much needed face lift.  Take a look and let me know what you think.

Well, I was in the midst of something tonight and missed the total lunar eclipse, but at least I was able to snap a few photos of the partial lunar eclipse. We have to wait for 34 months to see another one of these, so hopefully it will be clear that night as well.

And I missed the space shuttle landing too. I’m just not on it today.

Anyway, they better release some video footage of them shooting the satellite out of the sky…that might make up for it a little.

Turning twenty hit me pretty hard, mainly because I loved nineteen, the age where you’re an adult and have some freedoms, but where you’re still young enough to where people don’t expect a whole lot of you yet and you don’t have any “real” bills. Nineteen was great, though not very fulfilling.

Fast forward a decade.

While I dreaded them at first, my twenties were great. They weren’t easy by any stretch of the imagination, but they were great and full of learning and personal growth/maturity.

In my twenties I graduated from college (AS from Purdue University), got an entry level job (in my degree field with Indiana University), got married (to my “high school sweetheart”), graduated from college again (BS from Purdue University), bought a house, got a promotion to a salary position, became a father, started my own consulting business (on the side at that point), got “laid off” from my “day job”, nurtured my business (with help from above, family & friends) into a “full time” job during my unemployment period, spent a ton of time with my kids during the days and most recently, started another business (I’ve not “officially” announced the details of that though).

So yes, my twenties were not always easy, but they were action packed and far beyond what I could comprehend could take place in a ten year span of time and I stand amazed at how much I’ve learned and grown. Those years will always bring back fond memories, but it’s time to press on and see what my thirties have in store for me.

I look to my thirties not in dread, but rather in anticipation. And maybe that’s just a part of being a little more mature. Yes, the road probably won’t be an easy one (remember, I said that I have kids…and they’re getting older along with dad…AND I’m a small business owner), but I know that it’ll be worth it in the long run and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Stay tuned after these brief messages (for the next ten years)…

While I know that I have already accomplished a lot, there is just something “there” that drives me further each day in the pursuit of whatever the bigger picture may be for my life. It’s a little hard to put that “fire” into words, but for anyone who has been following Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy’s football career, it’s sort of like that. (This is what I do…for now. If I can’t continue to do it well, I’d rather step aside and let someone else have a shot. This isn’t what I want to do forever, but as long as it is where God wants me to be, I’ll continue. And at the end of the day the two most important things to me are my God and my family.)

Now that I’ve set a somber tone for the day, throw open the curtains, bask in the sunlight, then at some point head outside into the brisk January air, close your eyes, arms wide open, head towards the sky, take a deep breath and just thank God for the opportunity to live and breath yet another day. You never know how many more you might have, so treat each day as it is your last and as the gift that it is.

• Jeff & I had a DJ gig which was fun and interesting at one point. It’s just a hobby and both of us are extremely busy, so don’t expect that to be a common activity for us. And for those of you wondering, I’m the DJ, he’s the rapper. (And if you don’t get the reference you’re either too young OR you’re too old.)
• I had dinner at Hard Rock Cafe for the first time since the sale and I have to say I like the old menu better and the prices seem even higher than before.
• I saw Trans-Siberian Orchestra down at the Fieldhouse. Great two hour and forty-five minute show. A little loud at the end (how old am I?) and probably not for everyone, but if you’re into “rock opera”, you’ve got to check it out.
• My wife and I celebrated our anniversary. (Christmas weddings are awesome by the way.) Man, do the years pass quickly and looking back at the photos, there’s no denying that I’m looking older.
• I saw Sweeney Todd (for my anniversary). If you’re not familiar with the story line I’ll just say that it’s NOT appropriate for children AND it is NOT appropriate for some adults. Johnny Deep did an excellent job and Tim Burton worked his usual magic. But it is a bit bloody and “dark”, so don’t see it solely on my “thumbs up”.
• I ate at the Rathskeller for the first time (and also for my anniversary). German food is excellent, though I’m not sure why it is a bit pricey (at least it has been at the German restaurants that I’ve been.)
• Christmas shopping, Christmas parties, Christmas get-togethers’ & family time.
• My wife and I had our annual viewing of How the Ghosts Stole Christmas, guest staring Lily Tomlin and Edward Asner, while we wrapped presents on Christmas Eve. Even if you’re not a fan of the X-Files, this is a must see episode and in my opinion the best of the bunch (and I’ve seen them all).
• For the second year running, I watched It’s a Wonderful Life by myself very late Christmas Eve while I was finishing up my own wrapping and Christmas projects (that’s what happens when you procrastinate). This year it occurred to me that this is more of a “guy movie” and why just about every female I know would prefer to watch White Christmas or Holiday Inn (both of which I don’t have to watch every year). But It’s a Wonderful Life resonates with me and I’d guess that’d be the case with just about every male who has a family to take care of. And the whole small business vs. big business conflict also draws me in.
• Also late Christmas Eve I put in the short old version of Miracle on 34th Street. Classic.
• I watched A Christmas Story with some friends. That movie never gets old. “My old man … worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium; a master.”
• We watched The Polar Express while we put up the tree. Excellent family movie.
• We watched The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. Nowhere near as good as the first two and I’d only suggest buying it to complete the trilogy.
• Jeff & I recorded a few Trolley Dodgers and Utter Oddcast episodes.
• The Future Karnies of America wrote, recorded, mixed and released Karnie Christmas 2007 (a.k.a. Karnie Christmas 3). A fun time was had by all. (#2 is still my favorite, though the recording of #3 is a step up.)
• I started some new blog ventures which should be a bit more “there” within a few months.
• Football, football and more football. Man I love December and January football.
• And of course the usual being a husband, father and small business owner.

So, that give a limited idea of what I’ve been up to. Normal posting should resume shortly.

Last week the Holiday season bug bit me hard, as I’m craving all of my favorite holiday foods (Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years). Thank goodness tomorrow is Thanksgiving.

Salivate with me if you will…

Snacks & Appetizers

• Summer sausage, cheese (cheddar, swiss & mozzarella) & crackers (Keebler Club & Town House). And toss in a cheese ball for good measure.
• Deviled eggs. Is there a more tasty, more addictive food that’s not that good for you? I could eat deviled eggs.
• Ham roll ups. My mom has made these for years, usually on New Years Eve.
• Ham salad on tiny pumpernickel bread. Addicting for some reason.

The Main Course

• Turkey and dressing (and possibly stuffing if I’m in the mood). Good tender, juicy & moist turkey with that awesome aroma.
• Spiral sliced, glazed ham. Need I say more?
• Mashed potatoes. The real thing with plenty of butter. Topped with gravy or noodles or just plain, it’s all good.
• Rolls. Warm and soft also with plenty of butter.
• Cranberry Sauce. Yes, I like the stuff that comes out of a can. But if you want to whip your own up, knock me out.

Treats

• Pumpkin pie. I’m not sure what it is about pumpkin pie, but it just hits the spot. And that’s even after being in a pumpkin pie eating contest last year.
• Peanut butter fudge. Truly tasty.
• Bourbon balls. For some reason Jack Daniels laced chocolate treats hit the spot, even for non-drinkers. In the “liquor foods” category these have to be right up there with rum cake and bread pudding (with rum soaked raisins).
• Buckeyes. These aren’t something that are a common staple at functions that I attend, but when I find some you’ll know I’ll dig in.
• Cheap “holiday cookies”. You know what I’m talking about. The box or bag of colored sugar coated cookies that you can pick up for a buck at any grocery store. These aren’t the best thing in the world, but they bring back childhood memories, as my grandma always seemed to have these around. Eat them with a cup of coffee and they suddenly seem a bit more fancy.
• Mint M&M’s. I am so disappointed that these are a seasonal item, but rest assured, there’s an extremely good chance you’ll find a bag of these in my house well into the next fall. Last year I think I bought about a dozen bags and have just now broken into my last one since they’re on the shelves again. (Tip: store these in the refrigerator or freezer.)

So, what makes your personal favorites list? I left a lot of options off of the list, so please chime in.

For those of you who’ve not caught it yet, we’re doing a Halloween/October themed episode series all month on Utter Oddcast titled October Oddness 2007.

These episodes are scheduled to be released each Monday in October, for a total of five episodes. AND we’re looking for your contributions to include in the remaining episodes. Please see the website for the full announcement.

Episodes

• #1 – Utter Oddcast #27 (October 1, 2007)
• #2 – Utter Oddcast #30 (October 8, 2007)
• #3 – Utter Oddcast #32 (October 15, 2007)
• #4 – Utter Oddcast #34 (October 26, 2007)
• #5 – Utter Oddcast #36 (October 29, 2007)

August arrives on Wednesday and I am reminded this Monday morning why I’m not usually fond of the weather in early August in Indiana…it’s hotter than Hades, mostly dry and often humid.

But luckily this usually only lasts a few weeks and by mid-September things get much more comfortable and it is quite enjoyable to be outside (until mid-November anyway).

But hey, training for the new football season is underway and the Indiana State Fair is just around the corner, so it’s not all that bad! Bring on the pig skin and pork burgers!

UPDATE

Within a few hours the weather prophets change their mind…

Is it just me or are “Home Owners Associations” (HOA) pointless for the most part, at least in “middle class” neighborhoods?

I think my biggest peeve with our HOA is the fact that our neighborhood is actually three neighborhoods AND the “covenants” all differ to some extent (according to a friend of mine who used to be on the HOA Board, that’s supposed to be resolved sometime) AND I have not seen a place that is easy to find the updated versions of the covenants (how about a PDF on a web site?).  That’s not very helpful at all.

My question is, what can the HOA actually do to a home owner that refuses to abide by the covenants?  Sure they can constantly bug the home owner, put their name in some sort of report and threaten some sort of legal action, but do I really want my HOA fees going toward that instead of snow removal in the winter?

Does anyone have a HOA that actually works AND has the backing of the home owners?  It would seem to me that you’d really need the home owners to care about home values and such for covenants to be effective.  For example, you’re not seriously going to sue the numerous home owners in the neighborhood that do not have the correct mail boxes installed.  Sure, it may look tacky for “Vinylville” to be so nonuniform, but how do you make people understand that AND make them want to conform to the covenants?

I seriously don’t know what would work, especially in what would be considered a “starter” neighborhood where people move in and move out like there’s no tomorrow.  Ideas?

I’m sure that a certain thought is running through people’s heads right now, so I’ll address the whole unemployment/self-employment situation first…

Getting “RIFed” (”Reduction in Force”, a.k.a. “Layoffs”) was a blessing and what I was praying for AND what I instinctively knew was coming. In relation to my former employer, it is becoming more apparent as I stay in touch with my former peers that if it hadn’t been last year, it would almost certainly have been this year. But I feel the timing was just right in my case.

By now everyone has heard me mention that the job market, especially in my specialty, in Indiana is horrible at best. And in order to land a decent “day job” it may come down to knowing someone who knows someone. But I’m at ease with that as I know that I’m not the one in control. Bottom line, I’ll do what I have to do to support my family. Times may get tough and sacrifices may have to be made, but we’ll make it through God willing.

With that said, my heart is sold on pursuing Watershed Studio as long as God keeps the green light on. While I had the idea in my head years ago, it had to die for some time as I became more knowledgeable in the field. Once it was resurrected close to two years ago with a slower and steadier course charted, things really began to fall into place. And during the past six months (once the layoff kicked in) the pace began to pick up and God has truly been blessing me with business opportunities from all over the world.

Also, I must mention that the unemployment checks have been a tremendous help, as you are allowed to make money being self-employed AND are still considered unemployed in weeks that you don’t have any revenue since you don’t have a formal full-time employer. That surprised me a bit since that does actually make sense in regards to allowing people to be productive and not penalizing them for it.

So in a nutshell, that is the whole “job” situation. Once my unemployment balance is drained in about a month or so, we’ll definitely be stepping out in faith that God will continue to provide what is needed. While that part of being self-employed is a little nerve wracking at times, it is a great reminder that we are not in control and that there will be peaks and valleys in life.

Beyond all of the job specific stuff (which truly is the main event of 2006), it has been amazing to be able to be at home with my children during the day. Ole’ dad can be a little boring at times, especially when he’s trying to answer work related e-mails and phone calls (as you can imagine it is a little hard to work while watching toddlers…so many late nights are spent actually working on the programming projects that I have going on), but I hope the kids enjoy the time spent together as well (and I think that they do). If I had to make a resolution this year (I hate resolutions since they’re really something you should be doing anyway) it would be to do more fun stuff with my children during the day. While I’m loving the fact that my snow shovel has sat in the garage all year, I’m really looking forward to a good snow storm to take the kids out in and then to come back inside and throw on some sweat pants and warm back up.

Other than that, the other item that might be of interest would be in the church realm. Our “house church” gets together quite frequently for various activities (and more than just on Sunday). The community aspect is great and it’s been nice being able to help others out in major ways (by our standards anyway). I would say that we still have plenty of room to grow as a group and as individuals (I’m no exception), but we’re slowly moving along and are seeking after God. My prayer is that 2007 will usher us father down the path in pursuit of Him.

And to answer the “Why did you still have uncarved pumpkins outside at Christmastime?” question…

Short answer: Procrastination that lead to my “creative” oddness (which I don’t think anyone else was into)…and more procrastination.

Longer answer: I never got around to carving the pumpkins at Halloween this year and thought they made nice Thanksgiving decorations. I was certain that they’d be mush or some neighborhoodlums would have done something to them by Thanksgiving, but that didn’t happen. So while sitting out the Christmas decorations I thought, maybe I could carve them for Christmas (like luminaries). And of course, that didn’t take place either.

With some nudging I threw them away this morning, which was a good thing as they started to *finally* become a little mushy. But now that the idea has came and past, maybe others can run with it next year and let the new “red, green & orange” Christmas tradition take on a life of its own.

Anyway, I am a little glad to see December coming to a close and 2007 peeking at me from around the corner. While I do like December quite a bit, it does get a little overwhelming towards the end after the umpteenth event that is squeezed in, not to mention all of the traveling. But it is good. My only real complaint is that the older I get, the less it “feels” like Christmastime. Maybe that’s just me though since I have way too much going on “upstairs” and can hardly distinguish one day from the next anymore…maybe I’ll formulate a Cyborg conspiracy later.

Through my Comcast Digital Cable receiver I am now seeing a large black rectangle from the middle to the bottom of the screen on what would be considered your analog channels (2-99 and some low 100’s). The “Music Choice” channels as well as the “On Demand” programming do not have this issue. Also, on my TV which is hooked up to the analog cable jack I do not have this issue. So my guess is that it has to be something to do with the digital receiver. I have a request into Comcast to see what they say, but any pointers would be greatly appreciated in the meantime, as we kind of have a big football game here in town tonight (complete with the Indianapolis Police Department picketing).

UPDATE [1:41pm]

I sort of figured it out…I turned closed captioning completely off on my television and the black rectangle went away. Though that doesn’t really pinpoint the behavior that I was seeing. Oh, well, it’s back to normal now and I can watch the fool’s ball this evening.

“That’s ridiculous. That is a black cloud. That is a punch in the gut for Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird.”

“You shouldn’t stand behind a player that is someone slapping you guys in the face during the middle of training camp being out at a strip club at 3 o’clock in the morning shooting it up like it’s the Wild, Wild West.”

…could we please get some players on the team again who have some common sense? I’m disgusted with this and you can bet that there will be some ranting by Jeff & I on this week’s Trolley Dodgers Podcast.

Federal health officials want you to get rid of any bagged fresh spinach you may have. They want to stop an E. coli outbreak in nine states, including Indiana.

No problem. And I think that’s probably a good idea regardless of an E. coli outbreak.

You see, I had just given my “grass” its biweekly (at best) scalping (it is no secret that I hate mowing my hill with a push mower). When my lawn is cut, it does look OK if you don’t actually walk on it or look too closely, but if you look at it at all you’ll notice that it is nothing but a bunch of weeds with a few pieces of grass scattered about. It has been that way ever since we bought the house five years ago. I’ve tried seeding, fertilizing and watering with no luck and I’m at the point of just wanting to till it all up and start anew with some decent soil and grass seed.

Anyway, I sent the guy away (apparently to his amazement) and I spared him my smart aleck remarks since I wasn’t really in the mood to push any buttons today.