hunter/ gatherer

[photo reluctantly taken by amanda, from a distance]

yes, that is me pictured above... the cold hearted bastard that shot bambi. actually, his name was frank. while at the farm in iowa, david [amanda's grandpa] took me out on their land, determined for me to shoot my first deer. we went out just before nightfall & waited at the edge of the timber, where the deer warily emerge at dusk to try to find beans & corn that were not harvested. what a surprise to find me waiting in the bushes! as i lined the crosshairs up just behind his front shoulders & pulled the trigger, with a puff of white smoke & loud bang, frank met his end. actually, he apparently jumped up in the air [i didn't see for a second because i was still looking through the scope & the smoke obscured my view] & with all the other deer, scrambled for cover. i watched as he [or what i later realized was him] ran off into the brush more slowly than the rest, but wasn't sure in all the confusion of 4 or 5 deer which was which. david & i looked all around the bean field, but i finally decided to go back & follow where i saw the slow deer go in. about 20 yards in, near a barbed-wire fence i could see the white of his belly lying on the ground. up to this point, i thought i had shot a doe. i approached & was relieved to find that he was already dead, & not struggling or in pain. i stood over him for a moment to kind of take it in, but i felt nothing. no bloodthirsty thrill of the kill, no overwhelming sorrowful remorse for what i had done. everything was very still & quiet. i bent down & patted him, told him i was sorry, & then went to find david who was still looking on the other side of the field. i'll spare you the details of field-dressing, skinning, & cleaning... but needless to say, it was an experience i won't soon forget. by the way, this was not just a sport-kill, we will be eating the spoils of this victory, i'm told iowa deer taste much better than those from around here because they are corn-fed... then again, iowans think all the crap that comes from their state is better. maybe its because they are corn-fed...

tickets

feb 22 • uptown theatre, kansas city, mo
thanks to my wife's incredible gift-giving, i will be seeing sigur rós live in feb!
i also have been enjoying aqua teen hunger force dvd's, thundercats, a variety of books, sweet t-shirts & more. good times with family & toys.

season's greetings

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

weeping & gnashing of teeth

so the free ipod maybe on its last legs. i bought a car charger & an fm transmitter so i could listen to my new guns n' roses greatest hits cd in the car on the way to iowa... & my ipod kept locking up, NOT playing any music. finally, about an hour outside of des moines, it locked up completely & stayed that way for about 4 hours. just before bed, i pulled out the owner's manual & 'reset' it, hoping to unfreeze it & enjoy some sweet child o' mine. after nothing happened, i gave up & went to sleep. when i awoke this morning it was unfrozen, but in the process, i also erased ALL of my music, so i got that goin for me.... while i know i can load it all back on with no problem [WHEN I GET HOME IN 7 DAYS!] i can't help but worry that this is a problem that will not go away. maybe instead of guns n' roses i should listen to the doors' -this is the end- please pray for me during this tragic time. if you have an ipod, cherish it, hug it, because you never know when it could be gone...

cybernetic ghost of christmas past from the future*

[photos by jenn]

meet santos; holiday cookie villain/ timetravelling cyborg assassin. i must say that anytime santos reveals himself in my dessert creations, not even i know what form he will take. it is not i that works, but santos' spirit working/channeling through me... it's ok, don't feel bad, i don't know what the hell i'm saying either. he was mighty tasty though, vanilla/ cream cheese icing on a gingerbread cookie... mmmmmmmm sacrilicious.....!*

congraduations

[telephoto by amanda]

i have many more photos of the triumphal day, but for some reason blogger is taking forever, so this will be all for now. the commencement was long, but once we headed across the stage, it seemed to be over so suddenly. mayor cornett spoke for about 45 minutes about God knows what, seemingly without any one point. good times with friends, family, dr. gresham, and the Lord. hope everyone else had a good weekend.

for andy & joe

just seemed appropriate in light of recent events. tribute.

sigur rós

sigur rós, accompanied by amina & a nine-piece brass band, held a concert in their hometown reykjavík. seventeen musicians were on stage at once, & the audio & visuals, backdrops & lights all came together magnificently. in the words of the band: "our best concert this year". this is a link to a full webcast of this 132 minute concert, as well as photos & a review of the show.

altruism

i prefer Hiland, but this is the only good photo google offered

so the season is in full swing, you've seen the cookie, i have successfully drank my first half-gallon of egg nog, the tree is up, & today we begin buying presents. Christmas music is everywhere i go, & i already got in trouble the other night for mockingly singing along with Elvis at home, guess it kinda ruined it for amanda. what one must understand is that i worked at kay-bee toys for several holiday seasons in a row during high school & college. until you have worked on what retailers call black friday, you can't possibly understand what that does to a person. listening to the same 4 hours of canned Christmas music over & over throughout a 16 hour workday while angry parents who have been lined up at the door since 4:30 am desperately scavenge for the current year's furby or bite-me-elmo. it is a circus as everyone knows. what everyone doesn't know is the Post-Traumatic Stress that ensues for those who survive. certain songs trigger flashbacks that i can't even begin to describe... it is a delicate line that we veterans must walk during this trying time. for these & other reasons, i have set up a charitable organization to raise funds to help those afflicted by SAD [SEASONal Aversion Disorder]. your donation of $10, $15, or $50 will provide a former seasonal employee with Christmas cheer by enabling him to buy more books, music, & toys with which to distract himself until this years' conflict has ended. we also accept new, unwrapped psychology books, gift cards for music & dvds, as well as your used car or boat [no tax receipts will be given]. to donate, send a check or money order to Jöe Sjölin Ministries, P.O. BOX 12255 OKC, OK, 73003, or call 1-800-SAD-NO-MORE to arrange pick-up/ drop-off. to reward your selfless giving, our organization will send you a window cling stating "i gave to Jöe", clearly proving to your neighbors & friends that you are better than them.

no cling will be sent to participants. Jöe is likely to use this $$ for his own selfish gain. all check info WILL be used to drain your account.