Someone Call Fox News

I've Got A New Philanthropic Endeavor...


I was flipping around between TV channels tonight in a fit of old aged induced insomnia when a story on Food Network caught my eye. The moment I saw the idea that the people over at the Canstruction organization had I knew that I had to organize a local event here in Knoxville.


At least I'm going to try...


What they do is enlist local Engineering and Architectural Firms, and even schools and churches to solicit donations of canned food, and then they have a competition where the individual teams build intricate models, structures, and artwork using nothing but the cans and a little wire and tape for support.


Then after much fanfare at the local mall or other public venue and judging of the work by a jury of local dignitaries, the structures/artwork are photographed, torn down, and the can goods donated to local food banks and charities.

Stuff like this is possible:

You'll have to excuse me while I go play in the pantry now...

Living Off Broadway

Working In The Theater Again...


The ironic thing about our move last month was that I landed here on Alabama Street on our little Island. (I'm FROM Alabama originally...GET IT?)

Around us are streets with other original names like Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and nearby Broadway that runs parallel to Peachtree Street one block over. I'm not sure if I'm just lost on the globe in the southeastern US, or wandering somewhere in Atlanta sometimes, but then I snap to my senses and remember that we live here in paradise.

Thank GOD...

This morning I'm taking time off from my scientific research to head over to Brunswick to do some stage prep work for my buddies Rob and Heather at the Ritz Theater. I've spent a good deal of time over the past year or so making sawdust on their behalf building Theater sets and things to support their ongoing presentations, and they have some platforms they need put together for an upcoming show and I volunteered to fire up some of my new tools and "get er done.".

I may stop by Lowes or Home Depot and get a few more things to blow up this afternoon, or I may just come home and screw around in the yard doing some pruning and other maintenance that's been festering while I contemplated my research efforts.

Good gosh the weather is wonderful--I can stand outside for a couple of hours and not break a sweat.

Monsoon Season On The Georgia Coast

Anybody Have A Human Sized Zip Lock Baggie?


Well, it started raining about 5 PM on Friday, and has only let up for a few hours at a time since then.

I worked my butt off from noon till about about 4 PM putting the finishing touches on the big pyramid sections, and then breaking them down to load into the equipment trailer. My heart was sinking as the sky's turned darker and darker

Kickoff was supposed to be at 7:30, but by then there was at least two inches of water standing over half of every grass and concrete surface in south Georgia.

The professional jock wannabe's "officials" that were in charge of the proceedings held off until it quit lightening, which was about 8:15, then the two football teams took the field while the band members sat in their buses and my pyramid lounged in its bungee corded position in the trailer.

Meanwhile I paced around from water puddle to water puddle in a throw away poncho wearing wet shoes and socks, and come halftime the band was on the field and my masterpiece was relegated to stay out of sight for the evening.

Dang it...the next three games are away games and I really don't want to start traveling with the team, but I also need to be there the first time to show the other volunteers how to handle the assembly and dis-assembly.

Meanwhile, the rest of the labor day weekend has thus far been cloudy and soggy--I bet we've had four or five inches of rain since Friday, and the pool and the beach has been out of the question.

The only good news thus far has been, confined indoors, that I've cooked some killer food, including a funky Portabello/Shitaki mushroom pesto pizza last night that ROCKED.

In fact, I think that it's time to go reheat some pizza slices for a leftover lunch...

Bought, Cut, Gutted, And Delivered

I'm Glad To Be Rid Of That One...




This is what the kids saw just before I hauled the hulking thing over to the local seniors home.



I'm TIRED...time to go practice scaring the squirrels and calling whales playing 10 Hz noises on my Digeridoo

It's The Great Pumpkin--Day One

Have I Bit Off More Than I Can Chew? Bought More Than I Can LIFT?


Well, the official weight is in, courtesy of our friend Ski's bathroom scales...

131 POUNDS, and ten pounds of it was SEEDS.

The "plug" I cut out of the top to get to the seeds and insides must weigh over ten pounds all by itself.

I loaded it onto a borrowed garden wagon and wheeled it in the front door of the school about 9:00 AM, and by noon I was freaking out because it took an hour to shave the thickness of the carving wall down to something thin enough for my drills and saws to cut through.

My "PumpKing" is now another 20 pounds lighter, and this is the condition I left it in at 3:30 today:



I have permission to return at 7:30 tomorrow to put in another two or three hours, and I'm certain now that I can pull my performance out at the last minute.

After all of the classes get their picture taken with it and my ever greying, ever balding head, I'm delivering it over to the local retirement home for their enjoyment Halloween night.

I think that I'm tired of Pumpkin...