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Henderson Life in 3 Acts
July 3, 2008 – 10:23 pm
With weddings to edit, intermittent Internet service, and a new car to research, my lovely blog has had precious little attention. For starters, I have to warn you that the pictures here were taken on my 5-year-old point and shoot. I dropped my camera last Saturday while shooting a wedding. I carry a back-up SLR body so I was ok for the wedding. My friend Val is using the back-up during non-wedding days so I’m left with an ancient point-and-shoot and a camera phone.
Act 1
Last week I skipped through our backyard, where we hang out with the kids all of the time, to pick-up an item from our neighbor. On my way back through our yard I was stopped by the sight of 2 pit bulls loitering around our door. A 3rd pit bull, tied to a stake, began barking at me, this riled up the loose 2 who began charging me, barking and growling. I lowered my head and carefully walked back to my neighbors house. They ended up driving me home (all of 50 yards). We called the cops, who came out and picked them up.
3 days later Jared and I were sitting outside eating dinner with Win and Harriet when these 2 dogs, which we now know to be 1 pit bull and one pit bull labrador mix, come parading into our yard. Jared and I immediately grabbed the kids and walked the 10 feet into our house. They barked and growled as we went. We called the cops again. They picked them up again and we quizzed them on our rights. Basically, we have no rights until these predatory animals actually attack us. Hmm…
Now, I know that some people have pit bulls and rotweillers and other such breeds that they take great care of and raise to be kind to children. These dogs are more of the neglected caged inner city type that get hit and rarely fed. Yeah, can you tell that I’m a little mad?
Not wanting to feel like large vicious mammals may or may not join us as we play with our 2 young children in our own back yard, we put up a fence. It’s not a nice suburban fence, the kind that you put up to keep suburban dogs in. It’s more of a ghetto fence, the kind that slows the entry of the 3 pit-bulls that live adjacent to our back yard.
Act 2
A couple of weeks ago our beloved ‘86 Mazda B2000 was determined to be unfit for travel. Needing more repairs than than one should reasonably put into an ‘86 pick-up with really cool racing stripes, our truck, Ahab, retired.
With plans for another kid, we’d been saving for a minivan. Although it was a little earlier than we had hoped, we researched and located a ‘05 Toyota Sienna that met our needs, and a little more. We wrote the biggest check of our marriage to date (bigger that our down payment, gulp…) and drove home in leather seats. It’s really nice!! It’s really a treat to have a vehicle with air, power steering and shocks! Our truck was 22, and our car has nearly 190,000 (it’s not a young 190,000 either). This van feels very new and foreign. I don’t think that it’ll take me too long to get used to it ;-) 
Act 3
This evening we received a knock on the door. It was Randall. If you don’t know who Randall is think of Kramer, Erkel, Barney Fife, Alf, or any other sitcom character that fits that profile. That’s Randall to our house. You never know what’ll happen when Randall’s around. So he knocks on that door and says, “Would you mind if I buried this fish in your garden?” He was holding a 15 pound fish in a garbage bag. When we asked where he got it, his explanation was, “someone gave it to me, he had lots of them.”
R.I.P Flipper
Could he get any cuter?
New Michigan Tourism Radio Ads
June 27, 2008 – 9:25 pm
So, has anyone else heard these new, high-budget radio ads for Michigan tourism that have started airing recently? They play incessantly at our gym, and I’ve been laughing to myself all day about this one:
I don’t even know where to start, honestly. Why do I get the feeling at the beginning of this ad that this is a a SNL Jack Handy piece?
“…[swelling piano and strings]…each one of which will break your heart, as you step up to the first tee…at dawn…”
Don’t deny it, Dad, you’ve got a little tear running down your cheek right now, don’t you?
So I came home tonight and was telling Rachel about these pieces of sheer unintentional (?) comedic genius, so naturally we googled them and then came across another in the series and we both about fell off the floor when we heard this one:
Radio Ad for Flint Michigan (not a typo) tourism
So, who wants to join us over the long July 4th weekend for a trip to the Flint Farmer’s Market and Solarium? I know we’ll be there.
Again, speechless. I can’t wait to see what this marketing firm could come up with as an ad campaign for Gary, Indiana.
“…[swelling piano and strings]…with more than 150 thriving strip clubs and the historic ruins of long-departed industry…”
Oh, and the voice you hear? None other than Michigan’s favorite son, Tim Allen.
I’m back!
June 26, 2008 – 12:50 pm
Our Internet has been down for 5 days but it is back on and I’m alive. I’m close to drowning in emails and little things that I need to catch up on, but I’ll get it done. As proof here is the top of my Google Reader. I usually read it everyday and it stays at 0. 324!!!! unread posts. 
Our Internet was down because I decided to cut ahead of the crowd and sign up for this new technology. The switch cause our Internet service to quit. You may have heard of this new technology, it’s called a cell phone or “handy” for you Europeans. I know that you might think that I’m jumping the gun by getting one of these, but I’m certain that in a couple of years nearly everyone will have them. I want make sure that I’m the first one around to get one of these things. ;-)
If you want to know a little about my feelings for AT&T check out this post from Seth Godin. I love that guy. If you don’t know who Seth is just remember the 5 “B”s: bald, black, brilliant, business, blog.
For those of you who are interested on more than a picture of my cell phone, Harriet crawled half-out of her diaper the other morning. I thought that it was pretty cute.
They say that it’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day.
June 9, 2008 – 10:04 pm
If that’s true then Jason and Lisa are going to have the best marriage that’s ever been had in Holland MI.
On Saturday I shot the wedding of our good friends Jason and Lisa. Their outdoor wedding came through with out a sprinkle but the reception was another story. I was outside trying, unsuccessfully, to get pictures of lightning when the floods began. The sky opened and let forth a rain so heavy and constant I doubt I’ll see rain like that again in half a lifetime. For the next several hours we were “trapped” on an island, in a tent with nothing but a 10 piece band and cupcakes. The energy during the reception was amazing. The rain never let up. At the end of the night guest had tired but the rain hadn’t. Guests were being shuttled to the parking lot so that they could get in their cars. I can’t even describe the unbelievable downpour.
Driving the 1 mile back to our house was treacherous. We weren’t sure whether or not we’d make it. 17th street, our street, was completely flooded. Water was literally coming over our hood as we drove. I grabbed a couple of pictures at about 11:00pm. You would have had no trouble at all canoeing down our street.
Our basement is a little worse for the wear. The water rose up on the hot water heater and now it’s not working. We’re hoping that it’ll start againg when the water recedes. It’s been a little crazy around here.
My new body
May 28, 2008 – 12:02 pm
Just before Christmas I took up a new hobby. Inspired by a really great deal at a local health club, winter blues, and a chance encounter with a personal trainer, I began weightlifting. Many of you know that I am a marathon runner. Marathoning is fabulously fun but quite time consuming and injury laden. Frustrated by a sore hip and realizing that 2 little kids and 18 mile training runs don’t mix well, I thought that a little weightlifting might just do the trick. I feel fabulous! The baby weight was easier to lose with weightlifting than with marathoning. And I have abs!!!
Three times a week I visit Ultimate Fitness for my workouts.
Once a month I meet with Matt Owen, a personal trainer. He’s great! I couldn’t have done this without him. My experience that meeting with a personal trainer is SOOO worth it. I’d have lasted about 1 month without his direction. He’s super encouraging and totally not scary at all. Plus, I get to feel like Oprah when I say things like, “My personal trainer told me that…”
Some of the benefits:
- I’m back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
- My hip doesn’t hurt anymore.
- I feel REALLY GREAT!
- I’ll say it again. I have abs!!!
- I’ve met new friends.
- I’m so much stronger. Which is great going into the wedding season. A full day of shooting is VERY strenuous.
So, what do you think of my new body? Is it too much? ;-)
Ha! That’s pretty…um…impressive.
I felt like I needed to put a picture of myself up on this post. But it’s a little difficult to take a picture of myself. And it’s a little embarrassing to put a picture of myself on the Internet in a post that is about my body. You’ll have to wait.