*Edited: new and improved additions at end of post!

September… It is the first month of the best quarter of the year. The months of September through December have always been favorites. My birthday and most cherished holidays are in the last few months of the year which probably went a long way towards fostering my childhood attachment to this part of the year. Despite what the thermometer might say the 21st of September marks the beginning of autumn, the time of year I look forward to with great anticipation.
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September brings with it a plethora of outdoor activities that I love to attend. This September offers the Santa-Cali-Gon Days Festival, the Blue Springs Fall Festival, and the Kansas City Renaissance Festival.

I love outdoor festivals for three reasons: craft/gift ideas, people-watching, and festival food! I absolutely crave turkey legs. Those big fat hunks of grilled turkey meat are to die for! I intend to have my first of the season this weekend and I almost cannot handle the anticipation. Another favorite is the fresh lemonade you can get at the festival. There is none better. Not to mention funnel cakes, kettle corn, and all the other un-healthy delicious food that festivals have to offer. The food, the games, the rides, the crafts…it all mingles together to create a magical sense of community that I look forward to every year. My favorite is the small Blue Springs Fall Festival for any number of reasons, the biggest being that we can walk out our front door and down a few blocks to attend it! Now if they would only bring back the racing track (cross your fingers, Mike!)

Every year I intend to go to the Renaissance Festival and every year things get complicated and I miss it. I am determined to attend this year!
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I have been extremely enthusiastic for this September to arrive for many other reasons as well. I get to see my friend Scott (who lives in NYC) twice this month. The first is at a wedding in Tulsa. The second will be when I travel with Jeff to Chicago to attend the September 22nd reading and book signing of Neil Gaiman for his forthcoming novel, Anansi Boys.

This is sponsored, ironically enough, by Anderson’s Bookshop. I am thrilled to be getting the opportunity to hear one of my most favorite authors in person as well as having the chance to introduce new friends to old.
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Also three of my most highly anticipated films of the year hit theatres this month:

(You can click on each of the above pics to go to their respective websites)

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride is scheduled for release on September 23rd. Both the cutting edge Dave McKean/Neil Gaiman/Henson Company collaboration Mirrormask and the highly anticipated Joss Whedon film Serenity open on September 30th. I am so psyched about all three of these movies…it is a geek’s dream come true!
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Welcome to September 2005 everyone! Don a peasant shirt, a corset, or a pair of faerie wings, grab a turkey leg, and join me in celebrating this fantastic time of year!
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*Updated

James rightly pointed out in the comments that I neglected to mention that this is the season in which the great tasting and hard to find Samuel Adams Octoberfest beer is available.

I could never describe it as well as the brewery does itself:
“The first thing you notice when pouring a glass of this seasonal beer is the color. Samuel Adams® Octoberfest has a rich, deep golden amber hue which itself is reflective of the season. Samuel Adams® Octoberfest is a malt lover’s dream, masterfully blending together four roasts of barley to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee. The beer is kept from being overly sweet by the elegant bitterness imparted by the German Noble hops. Samuel Adams® Octoberfest provides a wonderful transition from the lighter beers of summer to the winter’s heartier brews.” Amen!

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I was very tired last night and neglected to point out that September brings with it the joy of all joys: Football! I love college and professional football and get giddy with excitement this close to kickoff.

College football kicks off this evening and my home-state Nebraska Cornhuskers open their season September 3rd. My current home-town Kansas City Chiefs open next weekend on September 11th. I’m looking forward to Saturday afternoon, Sunday afternoon, Sunday evening and Monday Night Football! I’m also looking forward to some exciting games of Madden football with the fellas…you know who you are!

This month just gets better and better!

This special day marks the birthdate of my brother-in-law, Mike. Mike is married to my only little sister, Abby, and has been a welcome addition to the family. Prior to Mike the few boyfriends that my sister would bring to visit were nice, but seemed less than enthusiastic about spending time with us ‘older folks’. Then came Mike. He played with the nieces and nephews and actually appeared to enjoy having conversations with the rest of the family. We were sold immediately. They moved to the Kansas City area a few years ago and we are so happy to have them living in this area.
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As far as history goes, Mike, August 25th, 1875 marks the day that merchant navy captain Matthew Webb became the first known person to swim the English Channel, arriving in France a mere 21 hours and 45 minutes after beginning. And in 1944 Paris was liberated from the Nazi’s by the French 2nd Armored Division and the U.S. 4th Infantry Division. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Germany since 1940.

You share your birthday with quirky director Tim Burton, supermodel Claudia Schiffer, Mr Millionaire himself Regis Philbin, devil-tongued Kiss rocker Gene Simmons, achy-breaky Billy Ray Cyrus, the consumate 007 Sean Connery, and the first Czar of Russia, Ivan the Terrible.

Today also marks what would’ve been the 100th birthday of famous silent screen actress Clara Bow.

Clara Bow dominated 1920’s silver screens and became known as the first “It” girl, the first actress to flaunt her sex appeal on screen and the model for actresses and performers who followed her.

And that’s just a small sampling of the famous people you share your birthday with Mike!

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It was a bit of a worry wondering who my baby sister would pick out to share her life. I’m sure it was much more of a worry for our parents. Being the baby of the family and our only sister made it a no-win situation for any guy who came along and didn’t meet with our expectations. Mike, however, was great from the very beginning. He is a personable, kind, funny and friendly brother-in-law. And more than that he has become a very good friend. I am so happy that you are a part of our family, Mike, and enjoy the time that we spend together. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and want everyone to join me in wishing Mike a “Happy Birthday!”

We love you very much and are glad you are a part of our family!

Let me start off by saying that I am not among the group of people who bash the President. In fact, regardless of who the President is at any given time I may grumble and complain but I endeavor to respect the office of the President and am proud to be an American, yada, yada, I don’t like talking politics. Anyway, I spent part of my weekend reading The Complete Peanuts 1953-1954 and found the above cartoon extremely funny.

Especially in light of the fact that I had seen the following book on Friday at Barnes and Noble and just knew I had to post about it because I found the title and image quite funny in an unsettling/bizarre sort of way.

No offense, but she looks a bit scary so if I was her I’m not sure I would trust that either!

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Colin, the neighbor boy across the street, is approximately 10 years old. Over the years that we’ve lived in our current residence he has graduated from yelling “Hi Tori’s Dad!” to “Hi Carl” on the occasions when I see him. Our conversation rarely goes beyond that though I do recall talking briefly about Star Wars Episode I when it came out and also the first Spiderman movie. The other day he rode up on his bike while I was outside to ask if I had seen the movie Garden State. I confessed that I had not and he proceeded to give me a blow by blow of the first several minutes of the movie and ended with a comment about the main character making out with Natalie Portman.

“I like Natalie Portman”, Colin proclaimed, “She’s hot!”. Colin then expressed his great desire to see Closer, a movie I highly doubt is appropriate for a 10 year old. I saw Colin again yesterday and he yelled across the road that he had been looking at pictures of Natalie Portman on the internet the previous evening until his computer crashed. He then introduced me to his friend Gary.

It was all rather silly and fun and I felt the need to share. It also served to deepen my thankfulness that I have a daughter and not a son. Puberty issues and all.

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Lastly, if you are a Harry Potter fan and/or a fan of tattoos, I invite you to visit Janet at her site, Fond of Elves where you can see her newly acquired, self-designed, Harry Potter-inspired tattoo.

Happy Monday everyone!

My Precioussss….my love……the One Ring, the Ring of Power, “One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.” The One Ring has been in my possession since my true precious, Mary, presented it to me as a Christmas gift in 2003. With it I’ve ruled over many…or at the very least been subject to their jeers and at the same time found comfort in the number of people I’ve run across who recognize, appreciate, and even possess a One Ring of their own.

My reign nearly came to a tragic end when I removed the One Ring to wash my hands after a session on the throne in the company washroom. Oblivious to the loss of my precious I went about my daily routine. Thankfully a fairy-god-coworker, Jamie, heard the call of the precious and ran to its rescue. Being of chaste and upright character she returned the One Ring to me and was somewhat merciful in her jesting. Ironically Jamie recently misplaced her own precious and I believe my words of comfort during the brief period of loss before she discovered it in the lining of her purse tempered her desire to laugh at my expense…I guess we’ll see if that is still true on the morrow.

This is one of my most cherised gifts from Mary. I’m truly thankful it wasn’t lost. Thank you so much Jamie, I owe you!

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

Earlier I regaled you with the tale of our weekend getaway to St. Louis to see Celtic Woman. At the time I hinted of a story to come surrounding our pre-show meal and with no further ado: The Tale of a Donkey and Fine-Dining (or, An Ass goes out to Eat).

Not knowing the city of St. Louis, Mary and I opted to eat at one of only 2 restaurants in the immediate vicinity of Fox Theatre. We chose Gary’s. Gary’s appeared to be a slightly upscale jazz club designed to maximize every bit of its small space. Consequently tables were very close together. Close enough that, in reality, you were seated with other people rather than next to them. We had the good fortune of being seated at the table with the Donkey of our tale and his date. This couple appeared to be in their 50’s, well-dressed, and wealthy. The date in question was an attractive lady who did not appear to be the sort of woman who needed to settle with just any old donkey. There was nothing particularly eye catching about this donkey.

Throughout our 45 minutes of fine dining we were witness to the most obvious case of verbal abuse that I have ever seen. And I work in the mental health profession! Despite our practically sitting in these people’s laps he berated and abused her through the entire meal. He berated her about the way that her children treated her, he went on a tirade concerning how he would walk out of a fancy restaurant were the owners to allow someone in that didn’t meet up to his dress code standards for said restaurant….at one point, trying to change the subject, she asked him if he had a tie tack. His braying response was “A tie tack? You tell me what you think a tie tack is!”, insinuating that he and he alone knew the proper definition of a tie tack.

I’m in no way doing this story justice, because he was terrible. I have never been witness in person to a man treating a woman so poorly for such a long period of time in my life. Throughout the meal she pleaded with him to change the subject from whatever it was he was railing about at the time and when he would finally acquiesce he would then put her down in relation to the new subject of conversation. She also spent a great deal of time complementing him in an effort to appease him. It almost put me off my feed. I haven’t wanted to punch someone in the face so much in a long, long time. Like the soldier caught by the bumbling constable in the Branaugh version of Much Ado About Nothing I wanted to get up and scream “YOU ARE AN ASS!!!!”

The only lesson of this tale can be, ladies, DO NOT ever, ever settle for a donkey for a companion. They may be a wealthy donkey and may get dressed up in fine clothes but at the end of the day they are nothing but an ass.

On a lighter note, when returning from St. Louis we stopped in Columbia to pick up Tori and visit with our niece and nephew, Haley and Elijah. Columbia is home to what looked like a very cool public library. Being book fanatics Mary and I were dying to get inside so we took the kids to the library to exchange their books. The Daniel Boone Regional Library is amazing.

This library is conducive to spending time and experiencing books. It is 3 floors with the entire first floor devoted to media and to the children’s section.

The children’s area was decorated and arranged to draw children in and to accentuate the joy that is reading. Wonderful, funky, comfy chairs were everywhere and they had great, creative arrangements of the new books that were available. They also had very modern self-checkout machines in which the kids scanned their books and swiped their library cards ala’ the self service lanes at Wal-Mart.

Freebies were available throughout the floor and I was quick to pick up these bookmarks.

The upper floors were devoted to all the other things you would expect at a library including warm, inviting and stylishly decorated study areas.

More pictures of the library can be found here.

Despite my niece and nephew’s report that it “wasn’t that big inside” we were all suitably impressed and I for one am quite jealous and ready to move to Columbia.

It was a wonderful end to our mini-vacation, spending time with the kids and encouraging the joy of reading…plus there were no signs of donkeys anywhere.