ketchup

Okay, em and I put on a tropical party.
My mom sent a box of party favors and decorations.
we drank painkillers and dark and stormys through umbrella straws stuck in coconuts. We ate fried plantains and Jamaican rice and beans and everything.
we couldn't find em's camera, but our friend videoed the band playing. there was a great moment in one of the songs where em came up and told me I had my fly down. It was 4 song into the set so everyone had noticed it and someone finally passed it along to em. that has yet to be uploaded. feel free to click and paste this address to see said video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey2FGOkBibk

Also right as we finished, a beach-goer with a towel around her neck and sunblock on her nose told me that there were cops at the back door. When i announced this serious fact, no one believed me. I guess I've cried wolf before. anyway, the cop was nice and let me off the hook. she was baffled by the heat in the house. I had turned the thermostat up to 88 to make it tropical for our guests. I guess she had come without seeing the invitation em sent out. admittedly, trumpet playing at 11 on a saturday night might make a neighbor ask a neighbor to quiet down, but for our sweet neighbor,(crazy) Carla, it makes her call madison's finest, dispite having our numbers. Boo!
Props to em.
within 12 hours of the last guest departing our tropical island of happiness, em left the house to go study at our neighborhood coffee roaster. Hard working lady!

I got to drive a forklift this week at work and I tell you what, i like it. I learned that you can sweep a sidewalk clear of snow here as well, because it's cold. no shovel needed. the rest of the week was just a smear of meals and looking at daytrotter.com for new, free, and legal music.

Today we drove some of em's friends to go x-country skiing. While in the parking lot one of them came out of the honey bucket and recalled to us a time when she was inside a honey bucket and washed her hands with a bar of soap in the sink only to realize she had actually "washed" her hands with a urinal cake in a urinal. Who announces that? At that point, my day was made.

Oh, I'd like all west coasters to know that it is dry here. my skin shrivels up like a crumpled up newspaper. My hands look like my grandma's. Bad. Also, this dryness allows for more static electricity than ever before imagined. We have experienced sparking sweaters lighting up a dark room and unwrapping a pallet only to have a mighty bolt strike me in the crotch. does that count as a sign? and what does it mean? The sunny days are a decent trade off though.

enjoy your early spring!

g

Dad used to say...

No, Em and I were not forced to move to the middle of a frozen lake in order to cut costs in during these tough economic times. we'll get to this gem.
but first...
My dad is a cool guy. Through his ninja-esque spacial skills, he was able to fit an extra couch in our POD while moving here. Every once in a while (does that require a hyphen?) when I was leaving to go do some banal task, he would call to me as I sat in the car, "write when you get work." If I had followed through with that plan, he would have waited a while.

But in keeping with that spirit, I announce my employment. I am ending my short career as part-time unschool/home school teacher for two boys to pursue a full-time career at Paradigm Gardens. It's my friend's family garden shop. Over the christmas break I did some true grunt work for them. After bearing witness to the mind-crushing abilities of this well-trained monkey (to scrape gunk off a 20,000 sq ft floor), they had to hire me. I am glad. I will have to send pictures soon, but I have been busy working both jobs until my month of warning to my old job wears out.

It is snowing today.
the cross country skiing on the lakes is good, although em and I went out on sunday and were hard-pressed to find evidence of more than 3 other skiers during the last week. are wisconsinites lazy?

today I did find out that not all ice shacks (for ice fishing) are created equal. you did too. if you can't see the picture right now, I suggest scrolling until you see the pic again. A: realize someone built this and at some point said, " yup, she's done". Secondly, take a look at the lower right-hand corner of the "ice shanty". no it isn't barfing out of a devine feeling of self disgust, that's insulation rubbing against the snow. I love nature, and three-eyed fish. furthermore, the sides on the bottom are plexiglass which is painted over except for the window parts. Maybe the creators of this beast were fearing that other ice fisherwo/men would exact revenge on the inhabitants for crossing a line of decency agreed upon a long time ago. IV, they had to title it to ensure no one would think it was a castle, or part of a tossed-aside gypsy caravan. I figure there was a bet with a small sum made. "hey, I'll let you have a bite of my spam sandwich if you can build a shanty for $76" and thus, a legend was born. West bend WI must be proud.
P.S. note the lightning bolt of duct tape holding a wall together and the rattle can paint job. there are so many touches of genius. I hope that guy enjoyed his bit of spam.

On the way back in I had the chance to take this shot. I've wanted to send something like this for a while. next to the tree is a sign that says "no lifeguard on duty". I heart that sort of thing.

Also, with this new influx of work, I have been able to spend a bunch of money on Emily. First I bought a hat, so she wouldn't have to look at my other hats as often. then I went out and got a cuisinart, it came with a free VHS. Thanks craigslist! I now have the power to make emily 11 cups of pesto in moments. Peanut butter? no problem? hummus? oh yeah, I've been there. Salsa? can you say, "roasted tomatillo-pineapple"? oh, yes! Can you see how excited I am to finally do these things for em? man, I am one good guy!

Emily is busy and loving school. She is pretty busy but never lets it get to her. Em even cross country skied to school on monday. We are planning a tropical themed party for her birthday. More sooner,

G