The Panic Blog

Xmas Morning with Olivia

2011-12-25T19:01:00.000-09:00

Xmas tree

2011-12-13T19:00:00.000-09:00

in momma's bed

2011-12-02T18:58:00.000-09:00

Why I Know What I Know

2011-11-18T20:30:00.001-09:00

I grew up listening to entertainment/informative talk radio. Due to Herb Shaindlin, an Alaskan radio legend, I sought out old time radio and audiobooks and all sorts of aural entertainment. I'm addicted.

Exhibit A:

Podcasts to which I currently subscribe: (Highlighted are my favorites)

Answer B!tch

BTR: True Murder

CarStuff

Comedy Film Nerds

Common Sense with Dan Carlin

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History

The Dork Forest

Doug Loves Movies

Freakonomics Radio

Girl on Guy with Aisha Tyler

H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast

The Hollywood Saloon

Horror etc

How Did This Get Made

Judge John Hodgman

Monster Talk

The Moth

MSNBC Rachel Maddow Audio

The Nerdist

NPR: Car Talk

NPR: Planet Money

NPR: Fresh Air

NPR: Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me

Pseudopod

Real Time with Bill Maher audio

Skeptiod

Sklarbro Country

Slate’s Culture Gabfest

Slate’s Political Gabfest

The Smartest Man in the World (Greg Proops)

The Sporkful

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff Mom Never Told You

Stuff You missed in History

Tech Stuff

This American Life

This Week with Larry Miller

TV Ate My Dinner

Who Charted?

WTF with Marc Maron

You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

Add to these the audiobooks I listen to and you'll understand why I wear headphones about 20 hours a day (except on workdays when i wear a headset for 11 hours and then headphones at home for about 8 more).

And then came the sax solo and it blew my mind

2011-11-09T20:27:00.002-09:00

And here’s why I don’t post prose very often on this blog.

Since Journey was born, two years ago next week, I haven’tfrankly had the time. When she was a tiny baby she didn’t sleep for very longtherefore neither Kelli nor I got much sleep. As she’s gotten older she sleeps more but her waking hours require muchmore energy to keep up with her.

And the puppy. Alittle advice from your old buddy E, if you have a toddler resist the urge toget a puppy. I love my wife and my wifeis the dog person in the family but even she would agree on this one.

No Time Left for You

Well really I have not as much time left for me. I love being a dad and wouldn’t change it forthe world but it has meant that I have very little time to myself. Sure I can carve out a half hour here or anhour there but there’s just so much stuff to do during that time. Dishes, for instance. I can’t load or unload the dishwasher unlessthe girl and the dog are both napping or otherwise out from underfoot. Literally underfoot. Whenthe girl does something particularly cute I will try to take pictures and thattakes very little time and energy. Editing the pictures for posting online or printing takes time -timewhen I can concentrate at least a little. Writing an actual story about something? Usually not.

Wasted Days and Wasted Nights

12-hour work days leaves little time for before-work orafter work-activities, especially when I just want to sleep. Days I don’t work are spent either watchingthe girl all day or doing errands with Kelli and the girl. Again, it seems like I’m whining but I’m juststating the facts.

Working in the Coal Mine

‘Lord I’m so tired. How long can this go on?’ Did I mention I work 12 hour days? Okay, so if you are reading this you either workthe same hours I do or pretty close so I don’t expect sympathy. But back to the Coal Mine. Here’s where it gets weird: I don’t listen to as much music as I used tobut I see musicians everywhere. Forinstance, Mark Mothersbaugh from DEVO is on Yo Gabba Gabba which is one ofJourney’s favorite shows on Nick Jr. Ilove Nick Jr. Jack’s Big Music show ismy favorite but Journey prefers Olivia.

Hush

Another reason I haven’t written a lot is that most of my unusualexperiences happen at the Coal Mine. Well, the mine boss doesn’t want us to talk about the mine or mining orin any way identify ourselves as miners. Since mining feels my family, no more stories about the mine.

Comfortably Numb

What time I can steal for myself is usually just spent doingsomething mindless, even when it starts out otherwise. For instance tonight while Journey and Kelliwere snuggling in our bed watching TV and having mother / daughter time Istarted writing about Occupy Wall Street, more precisely how I feel aboutOccupy Wall Street.

Turns out the way I feel reminds me of the Mothers ofInvention song “Trouble Every Day,” written by Frank Zappa in 1965 about theWatts riots (and the media and a bunch of stuff). So here’s a peek behind the curtain of howEric’s mind works (and stuff doesn’t get written):

Step One: Go onlinefor a copy of the lyrics to Trouble Every Day

Step Two: Read thelyrics to see if they match what I hear when I listen to it. Sometimes this means going back for anothersource on Step One.

Step Three: Copy thelyrics onto the blank page and start annotating them.

Step Four: Check Wikipedia to fact-check my dates and seeif there are any links to interesting Trouble Every Day stories (in this case,not so much).

Step Five: While I’mthinking about the song I might as well listen to it while I write. Instead of listening to it from my own rippedCDs, I figure I can find a version on YouTube which I could then link right inmy post so you can listen along too.

Step Six: I see onthe YouTube sidebar that there are other versions of Trouble Every Day recordedlive on video at several different venues and times. I click on a couple.

Step Seven: Iremember how great a guitarist Frank Zappa was. I click on other Frank Zappa videos.

Step Eight: I see alink to Dweezil Zappa vs Steve Vaifrom Zappa Plays Zappa. Clicky thelink. Magical.

Step Nine: Click onhalf a dozen other videos including but not limited to: Orianthi Panagaris ( I wondered who that girlwas in the Michael Jackson ‘This is It’ outtakes), more G3Satriani/Vai/Whoever, A bunch of kids (individually) doing amazing guitarsolos.

Step Ten: Having spent all that time looking at videos andlistening to music, the Occupy Wall Street thread in my head is gone andbesides that the baby needs changed and pajama’d and put to bed.

Step Eleven: throw this together and put in some links and photos tokeep your interest.

All this being said, I do intend to write more. I just have budget time to do it and then notspend that time doing something else. See also: get back to stained glass, archive all of my music and photosso they are easily accessible on the computer, etc.

In the mean time, there’s no way to delay that trouble comin’every day.

A little Halloween, a little Bella

2011-11-04T21:38:00.001-08:00

More mustard please

2011-10-19T19:05:00.001-08:00

We're still working up to actually eating anything that requires real chewing (long story involving speech therapy) but she loves to use french fries as a ketchup (and we found out today) mustard delivery system.

Turn your back for a minute...

2011-10-12T19:37:00.001-08:00

Bella

2011-10-07T20:47:00.000-08:00

Welcome Baby Elizabeth, to the world as we know it

2011-09-22T08:00:00.004-08:00

Elizabeth Reagan Anderson was born at 9:04pm, 9/21/2011. 7lbs 6oz, 19.5 inches. Congratulations to Drew and Jennifer Anderson.  Journey has a cousin!

Fall Photo Dump

2011-09-18T21:04:00.002-08:00

Zoo pics

2011-08-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

August photo dump

2011-08-11T21:05:00.000-08:00


Pushing the PetSmart carts

and who wouldn't ?

Today

2011-07-26T19:37:00.000-08:00

July

2011-07-13T19:13:00.002-08:00

Meet Bella, the newest member of the family

2011-06-16T20:13:00.000-08:00

the pediatric podiatrist says she'll grow into them

2011-06-16T20:01:00.000-08:00

Boxing Day

2011-05-19T19:18:00.000-08:00

In the Park

2011-05-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Daniel Hardy

2011-04-30T20:26:00.003-08:00

There are an estimated 6.9 billion human beings in the universe.
Only 264 of them were invited to become players in the National Football League in the 2011 draft.

Attention Panic Blogginarians: Keep an eye out for number 238 in draft order but number 1 in our hearts, alumnus of West Anchorage High and the University of Idaho, Anchorage's own:

Daniel Hardy.

When Daniel was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers I was lucky enough to be sitting next to his very proud mother - who then proceeded to cause us temporary hearing loss in her jubilation "whoop".

All the best to you, Daniel, you've just made about 50 people I know into instant Tampa Bay fans.

Bear Necessities

2011-04-17T02:19:00.000-08:00

Basket Case

2011-04-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

Dino and Coco

2011-04-14T19:17:00.000-08:00

Spring is here!

2011-04-13T20:19:00.003-08:00

New pics

2011-03-17T18:10:00.001-08:00

shiny happy Journey

2011-02-03T18:32:00.000-09:00

The Eyes Have It

2011-02-03T18:23:00.002-09:00

Balloon at the Pioneer Home

2011-02-01T06:27:00.002-09:00

Winter Wonderland... like I wonder what I'm doing in this crazy outfit

2010-12-22T21:13:00.005-09:00

December 11th started out well enough, at Granny A's being Queen of the Castle.

I was looking cute, as per usual.

Granny A directed my gaze outside to this thing they call snow. It looked harmless enough. How bad could it be?

Oh the humanity. Is this really necessary?

My crazy granny didn't have a sled handy so she showed typical Anderzoo ingenuity and made one out of a laundry basket, a throw rug, and an exercise rubberband. I was more than a little concerned.

Anything could have happened in this backyard You wouldn't even find the bones until spring. Better be on the lookout.

One of us is having fun. I'll let you guess.

Next time we stay inside, okay? Don't make me shoot you (with my completely imaginary less-lethal gun type finger gesture).

I love you Granny!

La Mex and Mumie 12 20 2010

2010-12-20T18:21:00.002-09:00

Pink Winter Hat

2010-12-01T18:46:00.001-09:00

Fathers of among the most beautiful daughters ever

2010-11-21T22:41:00.003-09:00

Jon Voight and me at work. He was pretending to be a police detective and I was pretending to be happy that there was a film crew strolling around our building.

It was nice that he came up to say "Hi" and take pictures. I'd never have asked for one but he made sure even those of us hard at work were included. That showed some class and I was impressed.

A tip of my hat to you, sir. You are a gentleman.

Oh and he blessed us all which I guess can't hurt.

Journey's First Birthday

2010-11-13T23:31:00.004-09:00

Almost 1 year old

2010-11-08T13:22:00.002-09:00

Hammin' it up in the Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-24T22:56:00.002-08:00

Last Weekend at Granny B's

2010-10-19T17:55:00.002-08:00

Crawling is where the craziness begins

2010-09-11T20:30:00.004-08:00

New Trick: Spit Bubbles.

2010-09-08T20:34:00.001-08:00

She'll do this over and over, having the best time but not acting exactly ladylike.

Kelli and Journey at the Pediatrician

2010-09-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

Chilis and Uncle J

2010-09-01T11:00:00.002-08:00

Granny A's Pictures

2010-08-24T14:26:00.001-08:00

Bathtime

2010-08-19T19:30:00.003-08:00

With this ring I shall crush you

2010-08-10T16:00:00.001-08:00

Getting Her Learn On

2010-08-09T15:53:00.002-08:00

Mermie (great granny Nori) reading to Journey

Photo Dump

2010-08-05T22:33:00.004-08:00

Random Cuteness

2010-07-16T20:47:00.002-08:00

2010-07-06T17:01:00.001-08:00

She's so happy. We're enjoying that while it lasts!

2010-06-21T16:17:00.002-08:00

pebbles

2010-06-16T19:31:00.002-08:00

Drivin

2010-06-14T18:04:00.003-08:00

Thank you Jim and Lois !!

2010-06-01T19:05:00.004-08:00

Special thanks to Jim Tutor and his lovely wife Lois for making this fantastic cradle for Journey's dolls (or, at least for a couple of mintues, for her).

Grandpa A

2010-05-25T19:43:00.001-08:00

Eating and bouncing (not at the same time)

2010-05-25T19:38:00.001-08:00

My Girls on Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:32:00.002-08:00

Heapin' Helpin' Of Photos

2010-04-27T17:21:00.003-08:00

Onesie by CoCo, Photo by Granny A

2010-04-12T17:48:00.004-08:00

What makes it all worthwhile

2010-03-30T20:51:00.003-08:00

So True

2010-03-25T17:25:00.002-08:00

Hippity Hoppity

2010-03-25T04:27:00.001-08:00

Journey's First Movie

2010-03-10T20:52:00.003-09:00

Sorry for the crappy quality, I just got a fairly disposable still camera to carry with me everywhere the DSLR is too inconvenient. It's great for snaps but for under $100 I can't expect super quality, especially with video.

And the annoying rattle noise but it's the rattle which makes the happy face these days.

mo'Journey

2010-03-07T21:04:00.003-09:00

Journey plotting

2010-03-05T21:21:00.003-09:00

Smiling in the crib

2010-02-23T18:05:00.002-09:00

thumbs up!

2010-02-17T16:07:00.001-09:00

everything's okay at granny A's house!

and more Journey pictures

2010-02-11T16:00:00.001-09:00

My Cupcake

2010-01-24T19:26:00.002-09:00

From this couch, I rule the world.

Defy me at your own risk.

Playtime

2010-01-19T17:12:00.002-09:00

You'd never know from this picture that when we tried to give her some "face down" time, so that she could strengthen her neck and arms and therefore learn to start crawling, she would pitch a major fit. So much so that after five minutes of being on her stomach she threw a good ten minute angry, angry fit.

And here's where the attitude starts...

Great Granny Nori

2010-01-13T18:41:00.000-09:00

How could you not fall in love with this face?

2010-01-12T18:32:00.001-09:00

Simple Lesson

2010-01-10T23:05:00.002-09:00

Ladies and gentlemen, if you don't familiarize yourselves with these

Then you'll surely become more familiar with these

Just for fun:

More Journey Pictures

2010-01-07T23:14:00.001-09:00

Family Portrait

2010-01-06T23:20:00.000-09:00

Sweetness

2010-01-05T22:53:00.001-09:00

Time, time, time, see what’s become of me

2009-12-21T02:05:00.002-09:00

Baby J is currently sleeping but it’s about time for her to wake up and eat so I don’t dare try to go to sleep myself. If I try to put her down in her bassinette, she’ll simply wake up and then Kelli’s shift will start. That wouldn’t be fair since she was up the bulk of last night with baby duty. So I'll wait and feed her and see if she'll fall asleep again, thereby reseting the clock.

So I sit here and try to write a blog entry while listening to an audiobook “Terrorism on American Soil” by Joseph T. McCann, keeping an eye on Baby J who is peacefully sleeping on the couch, and occasionally looking at the television which is showing me an infomercial about some blender called “the Ninja.”

Oh and playing frapping Mafia Wars on the Facebook.

I’m not even a big fan of Facebook but Mafia Wars seems a harmless time-waster. Except that I keep looking over at the laptop to see if I have enough energy/stamina/whatever to move forward, so it’s not entirely non-addictive. Perhaps it’s a gateway drug which inevitably leads to simulated farming, I don’t know. I imagine that when I go back to work, that will be the end of the Mafia for me.

Uh oh, she’s becoming more restless and I think she’s “dropped a bag of squid*.”

Time to make the donuts.

* we have taken to calling baby bowel movement “dropping a bag of squid” due to the sound it makes when the poop fills the diaper. There’s an element of “cappuccino machine” but that phrase isn’t quite as picturesque as the squid dropping.

This is what you want, This is what you get

2009-12-13T11:52:00.003-09:00

Yeah, I Know

2009-12-04T14:13:00.002-09:00

I said that I'd try to teach my daughter that girls who sit on strange men's laps and ask for gifts are dirty hoo-ers.

Good thing I'm not really in charge, since this is pretty darn cute.

Thankful That All Dogs Go To Heaven

2009-11-26T18:00:00.006-09:00

Sugarbaby Anderson
1997-2009

If you have a pet, give them a few extra scritches today.

More Pictures

2009-11-24T13:39:00.003-09:00

Home from the hospital

2009-11-18T12:44:00.003-09:00

Actually we went home from the hospital Monday afternoon but this is my first chance to sit down at the computer and post more pictures.

As first time parents, this is all new and mysterious and sometimes worrisome.

For instance, she's been a little jaundiced but we've been told it's no big deal. It's more apparent to me when I start editing pictures. She's pinking up and either way she's so gorgeous it doesn't matter. And I know, everyone thinks their kid is the most beautiful baby in the world and they are right to think that way; it's some sort of instinctive bonding thing. But mine is the prettiest, really!

At first we were a bit concerned because she didn't cry. She cooed and made noise but no crying like the babies next door. Her routine hearing test proved she could hear just fine so that wasn't an issue but it still nagged at us.

Not to worry. She's doing her own nagging now and can throw a tantrum like the best of them. Thankfully they are infrequent and short.

I've read and heard from nearly every mom that the best practice is to read and talk to your baby right away, all the time. For me this means to narrate ever part of our time together (at least when I'm holding her and she's awake. I'm giving play by play on what's on TV while I rock her or I'm telling her every step of the diaper changing process as I do it, with little tangents and personal observations along the way.

It's like I'm her FTO but there are no daily evaluations. Although she can fall asleep to escape the blabbity blab while my recruits were discouraged from such things.

For the most part.

daddy and baby

2009-11-14T14:17:00.001-09:00

by popular demand, though I'm the least photogenic of the bunch

Journey is Here!

2009-11-13T18:00:00.005-09:00

Born at 12:50 alaska standard time weighing in at 6 lbs 7 oz and measuring 17.5 inches.

Toys !!

2009-11-08T20:59:00.005-09:00

I'm looking forward to buying toys for my little girl.

Okay, so I'm looking forward to buying toys that I can test drive for the little girl.

Let us consider a ride on the Playmobil:

Take a simple "Baby's Room Set"and add some "Jewel Thieves"

and you have yourself a perfect afternoon game of

Who kidnapped the Lindbergh baby?

Fun, fun, fun! (and teaches history too)

There are a lot of cops and robbers in the Playmobil world, which is cool, although it seems the Playmobil municipal lock-up facility has some serious security flaws.

But there are some vast pieces of history too.

Journey, would you like to play Roman Stadium?

We can feed Christians to the lions - where is that Nativity set anyway? Oh wait, those are Jews. Although are the wise men Christians at that point? Surely Mary and Joseph were not Christians during the dark manger days. See, we're asking questions and learning together!

Let's find ourselves a Playmobil fiery oven in which to stuff little plastic Shadrach, Meshach, and the Indigo Girls. Woo-hoo!

And the granddaddy of them all, in my opinion, has to be the Playmobil Pyramid.

It includes a skeleton, a sarcophagus, some Canopic jars for organs. It even has scorpions climbing up the outside of the pyramid walls.

And the gigantic Eye of Horus at the top - this is exactly the sort of toys we need for our little one.

You can't teach them symbols of divine protection early enough.

In 6 days, Everything is Possible Again

2009-11-06T19:52:00.002-09:00

With a baby fast approaching I find that I am looking forward to the newness of everything.

It’s all back on the table:

Santa

The Easter Bunny

The Tooth Fairy

Jesus

All the things I take for granted as a jaded adult will be new and wondrous to a child.

Every joke is a new joke. Magic tricks are magical and not just trickery.

She can grow up to be whatever she wants to be.

I can’t wait.

Mark Your Calendars

2009-11-05T15:37:00.002-09:00

Unless things change in the next week, little miss Journey Reese will be born:

Friday the 13th of November, 2009

Journey Pictures

2009-10-15T13:57:00.003-08:00

Today's ultrasound, the final one prior to her birth in about a month.

Barack Obama and Jethro Tull

2009-10-10T19:31:00.007-08:00

I’m a big fan of the band Jethro Tull.

You are probably at least passingly familiar with Jethro Tull from their 1971 album Aqualung which includes the classic songs “Aqualung” and “Locomotive Breath”. If that’s all you know about them then at the very least listen to the whole Aqualung album. It’s fantastic.

Yet Aqualung was one of their first albums. They have created so much great music. Here’s a small sampling of my recommendations:

Stand Up (1969): “A New Day Yesterday,” “Back to the Family”

War Child (1974): “Skating Away on the Thin Ice of A New Day,” “Bungle in the Jungle.”

Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die! (1976) One of my favorite albums. Listen to all of it (and buy yourself a copy) but pay attention to the guitars in “Salamander.”

Storm Watch (1979) Unlike Too Old/Too Young, I’m not a fan of the album itself but the guitars in the song “Dun Ringill” are beautiful. This is one of my all-time favorite songs.

The Broadsword and the Beast (1982): Another great album. Especially worth checking out are “Fallen on Hard Times,” and “Watching Me Watching You.”

Lastly on my list of Jethro Tull must-hears is the album Crest of the Knave (1987). The whole album is great, from the opening track “Steel Monkey,” to the final track “Raising Steam.” Listen to the whole deal. Buy the album. It’s fantastic.

That being said, there’s a flaw with it which has nothing to do with Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, or anyone else in the band. The flaw is that the band won the 1988 Grammy award for “Best Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Performance,” beating out both Metallica and Jane’s Addiction.

The band had a sense of humor about it, even putting out the statement “the flute is a metal instrument!”

Even so, they should have won an award for the album – just not that award.

Which brings me to our President, Barack Obama. The Nobel Foundation has awarded the 2009 Nobel Peach Prize to President Barack Obama “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

Um.. What?

I am a big fan of the President but isn’t it a little early to be awarding him a peace prize?

It’s Jethro Tull all over again. Right guy, wrong award.

Leads a guy to do some “Wond’ring Aloud.”

I donated, will you?

2009-10-01T07:47:00.002-08:00

Brother J is doing the Portland AIDS Walk and would appreciate your support:

To all my friends and family... please tolerate the following form letter, slightly personalized by yours truly...... and if you feel you know someone who might feel compelled to give to a worthy cause, send them to the link as well.

I am walking in memory of my close friends whom I have lost to HIV/AIDS, Faron Purget and Chris Jacobsen.

Please read on below for the full information.

Please join me as I take a stand for HIV/AIDS activism. On October 11th, more than 10,000 of us will come together in Pioneer Courthouse Square with the goal of raising $325,000 for services provided by Cascade AIDS Project to prevent new HIV infections, care for people affected and infected by HIV/AIDS, educate communities to eliminate stigma and shame and advocate for immediate action in combating the pandemic.

I’m writing to you today to ask for your support as I walk the 5k (3.1 mi) route and raise much needed funds for HIV and AIDS prevention, services and advocacy in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Your donation will help Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) continue their important work in our community:

Please help me reach my goal of $500 by making a donation today; any amount helps! Make checks payable to Cascade AIDS Project, or donate to me online at www.cascadeaids.org. Your donation will make a difference in the lives of individuals and families affected by HIV and AIDS. Thank you for your support!

Thanks for reading guys!

Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Cascade AIDS Project

Xrays

2009-09-14T18:56:00.000-08:00

Bear in our parking lot

2009-09-13T19:09:00.000-08:00

Sure, I don't post about work anymore but I will post this hastily taken picture of a bear in our parking lot. We get bears, usually in the spring and usually uneventfully. They act like bears, we act like humans (who avoid bears) and everyone goes home happy.

Inflation - Ack

2009-09-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

The current exchange rates between Pounds and Dollars reveals that if I took $2.93 US into the bank I could get £1.79.

Or if I took $11.99 into Sagaya City Market in Los Anchorage I could get £1.79 worth of tea. Granted it's English tea and it's in little round bags without strings and it reminds me of my brief stint as a foreign vacationer (thanks again T!)

Joseph Lostrangio - A Memorial

2009-09-10T23:13:00.000-08:00

This is a repost of my part of my contribution to the 2996 project.
I intend to post it every September 11 as long as this blog is online.

Those who have read my blog already know about my love for guitars and my complete inability to find the patience or will to master them. Today I'm going to tell you about a guitarist I never met. His name was Joseph Lostrangio.

Joe never met a six string he didn't like and he was an avid player. Friends remember him playing Billy Joel tunes with zeal.

Joe also had a love of saltwater fish. He had four tanks including a 90-gallon showpiece. Have you ever tended a saltwater fish tank? It's not a walk in the park. His enthusiasm was infectious and many coworkers learned how to care for their own fish through Joe's guidance.

Joe had a lot of enthusiasm and many diverse interests. His wife of 26 years, Theresann, called him "a life explorer."

Joe and Theresann lived in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. By all accounts he was a good father to their two children and a good husband. He encouraged the kids to follow his example of devouring new experiences and supported their talents and interests.

Speaking of devouring, Joe had another passion: food. Some friends called him a gourmet chef but others suggested it went way beyond that. He was fearless with food and tried as many exotic ingredients as he could find, often querying staff members of New York restaurants about how to find the next, weirdest ingredient yet.

Which was probably yet another reason Joe was excited about his new job in New York City. He grew up in Long Island and went to New York Law School in Chinatown. He worked as a reinsurance consultant and often visited the city but the new job with the Devonshire Group would put him in the heart of the financial district. And it put him near some great restaurants where he could learn tricks and procure new culinary delicacies.

His son, Joe Jr., was attending St John's College and they agreed to share an apartment so that Joe Sr. would have a place to stay whenever he would be unable to commute home. It was a perfect arrangement.

His first day of work was September 10, 2001. His office was on the 77^th floor of 1 World Trade Center (the North Tower). He called a friend at about 5pm that evening and left a message for them to meet at a Chinese restaurant later that week. Later he called Theresann from the apartment and they discussed family news, what bills needed paying, and that he would call her from work in the afternoon the next day, as was his habit.

I hope they told each other they loved each other. I suspect they did.

The next morning at 08:26 am, hijacked American Airlines flight 11 struck the North Tower somewhere between the 93^rd and 99^th floor. One hundred and two minutes later WTC1 collapsed.

Joseph Lostrangio was 48 years old.

I never knew you, Joe, but researching your story has made me sad that I did not have the opportunity to make your acquaintance and call you a friend. Perhaps you could have taught me to master that silly F chord.

You have inspired me and challenged me to devour life. Yours was cut way too short but you made the most of it.

"… I'm not sure about a life after this
God knows I've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That is running to the promised land

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night…"

Billy Joel – River of Dreams

This memorial is part of The 2996 Project administered by D.Challener Roe.
You have done an amazing thing Mr. Roe.

Sources:

The New York Times
Wikipedia

September 11 Victims: Joseph Lostrangio

9-11 Heroes: Joseph Lostrangio

Legacy.com: Joseph Lostrangio

September 11 Class Action: Statement of Theresann Lostrangio

The Cake Topper

2009-09-09T18:19:00.000-08:00

Did I ever post this picture? The cake topper was fun to do but I certainly couldn't do such a thing as a business.

I do like the way it came out. It was way too tall but I did the heads first and the bodies had to be a certain height or they'd look like bobble-head dolls.

Here are the blushing bride and groom, still happily married after all these months.

Gotta Love A Tramp Stamp

2009-09-08T18:20:00.001-08:00

Taken just after I got the camera. And yes, I was riding shotgun with Kelli driving so she knew I was taking a candid bent over tramp-stamp photo. What's a new camera for anyway? One has to accept opportunities as they come.

Tacky-orama.

Pete

2009-09-07T18:16:00.003-08:00

Pistol Pete is my inlaws' youngest dog.

If he were competing on a reality show and had just eaten a furniture leg or something I'd probably point out that he has a hole in is heart which means he probably won't live as long as a normal miniature schnauzer. But that would just be to garner sympathy with the voting public.

He's pretty energetic and you'd never notice he had any health problems.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-08-20T19:13:00.002-08:00

Journey as of July 1st

2009-07-08T16:11:00.003-08:00

yeah, kinda creepy.

Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Sarah Palin

2009-07-07T22:57:00.005-08:00

I was never an Elvis fan as a kid. In my world you either grew up with the Beatles or with Elvis but never both.

I missed any of the “good” Elvis years. I was born in 1969 so by the time I aware of him he had turned from the young, edgier, star to an older, bloated, caricature. He shook hands with Richard Nixon while professing his anti-hippie views. What’s not to dislike?

Looking back historically it became clear to me that in his prime Elvis was the real deal. Elvis had a much richer voice than any of the Beatles. Elvis’ music was just as catchy. Many artists whom I love were greatly influenced by Elvis, from Jim Morrison to Thin Lizzy to U2.

But Elvis had some bad advisers, Colonel Tom Parker being the worst. He isolated the young artist, turned him toward some bad decisions and away from some opportunities. That and Col. Parker dealt himself 50% of the profits from any Elvis venture.

While it may have been clear that Elvis wasn’t comfortable telling his management “no,” a lot of people seemed unable or unwilling to tell Elvis “no,” most tragically his doctors. He was over-prescribed many drugs. Clearly his death was hastened by his prescription drug abuse. I’m sure he didn’t think he had a drug problem, since the drugs were given to him by doctors. He wasn’t scoring drugs like some dirty hippie, right?

Elvis: dead on the toilet. An inglorious end to be sure.

I was never a Michael Jackson fan either.

Had I been exposed to more Motown records as a kid, I might have been a fan of Michael Jackson from his Jackson Five days. Not so much. Of course I had heard plenty of Jackson Five songs (like I had heard lots of Elvis songs) but I wouldn’t have went out and bought any of their albums.

Off the Wall came out in 1979. By that time I was a rabid KISS fan and wanted nothing to do with dance music. 1979 was all about the FM soundtrack (great, great collection of songs there, worthy of a blog post of its own), or even the Grease soundtrack, but Michael Jackson might has well have been a Gibb brother. No thanks.

So when Thriller came out, there was just no way. A ton of #1 songs is hard to argue with, but c’mon… (or “sham-on”-on, or “mama-se, mama-sa, ma-ma-coo-sa”-on) dance music is dance music. I might tap my toes to it but I’d sooner buy a Madonna album (yick).

So while Michael Jackson was clearly talented and very influential, I didn’t fully appreciate him as an artist. I might not even now but I won’t rule out feeling kinder about the music as I age, if only for nostalgia.

Like Elvis, Michael Jackson also had bad advisers, first and foremost his father, Joe Jackson. It seems unquestionable that Michael’s strange adulthood was the result of an abusive childhood. But there were more bad advisors including lots and lots of folks who were attracted to Mr. Jackson because of his money and in spite of his just plain weirdness.

If you are rich enough you can buy yourself a chimp (against better judgment) but for the love of Dog somebody should have said “no’ to his inviting children for sleepovers. No, stop, wait a minute partner, whoa hold up there little buckaroo – whatever verbiage conveyed the message most effectively.

Like Elvis, he had plenty of doctors who wouldn’t refuse his request for dangerous prescription drug and, like Elvis, prescription drug abuse contributed to his untimely death.

The similarities between Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley seem clear but why, you might ask, am I grouping my Govenor, Sarah “Skinny G” Palin with them?

Skinny G (or as she will now be known on this blog “Skinny GOA”) shared a lot of traits with The King and The King of Pop.

All three were talented, all three were lucky, all three were ambitious, all three are American icons beloved by zealous fans, and all three had some of their wackiest ideas validated by sycophants who had little regard for the health and wellbeing of their employers/colleagues.

Skinny GOA has been something of a giant-slayer for most of her political career. She beat incumbents to win the office of Mayor of Wasilla. The Republican Party old boy network didn’t like her but she still won the office of Governor of Alaska. She was the ultimate underdog. You had to love her.

Well, you might not have but I certainly did. I never had a pair of blue suede shoes or a red leather jacket with lots of zippers but I jumped on the Palin bus. Heck, I ran to catch it.

She was a true-believer and although I didn’t share either her religious or most of her conservative political beliefs, I loved her go-getter spirit and I figured that as Governor she wouldn’t be able to actually do any damage to our civil liberties. Alaska is a red state but we do things our own way. We have no problem telling our government that they are full of crap whether it’s because they are leaning too far left or right.

Then a curious thing happened. John McCain tapped her as his Vice Presidential pick for the 2008 Presidential election.

Skinny GOA had previously done things her way, following her beliefs, and ignoring any discouraging words. This had worked for her. She probably thought her string of political good luck was not just incredible but actually God’s will.

I don’t know this to be true but it’s the only explanation I can come up with for what has followed the 2008 election loss. She didn’t go home and quietly regroup. She didn’t return to Alaska to focus on serving out her gubernatorial term.

Skinny GOA had become a national celebrity and it seems there wasn’t a camera she didn’t want to stand in front of or a microphone she didn’t want to speak into. From People to Runner’s World, she was a magazine icon. She was one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People.” She flew away to attend lavish parties and give speeches and stump for other Republicans.

And since it has become clear that she would have had a tough fight for reelection she has decided to resign her office a year and a half before the end of her first term. Why? She claims she is doing Alaska a favor by not being a lame duck and that she has a higher calling.

This scares me. If she is really as unswerving in her beliefs as it appears, especially in her belief that she is always right, she’s only going to listen to people who agree with her.

Skinny GOA, I know you don’t take advice from bloggers and you’ve never taken advice from me personally (although she has stopped wearing Bono sunglasses in photos) but please, please use this new opportunity. You already have a book contract due, just take some time to lay low and reflect.

I know you don’t believe the media who berate you (and they have mercilessly) but don’t believe all the cheerleaders either.

Not everyone who agrees with you is your friend. Good fortune is not an endorsement from God that you have been chosen for some special mission. Having a higher profile doesn’t make you right, it just makes you louder.

Fame and not being told “no” killed Elvis and Michael Jackson.

It is my sincere wish that Sarah Palin’s post-gubernatorial life is long and happy and healthy.

I also hope she receives, and more importantly takes, better advice than the other mavericky icons before her.

Chromosomes

2009-06-23T20:54:00.003-08:00

Separated At Birth, the Spring Edition

2009-06-14T05:31:00.000-08:00

as in, spring me from jail due to inept federal prosecutors.

In protest to his unfair prosecution, former Alaska State Representative Vic Kohring grew his hair in jail (really, what better time to get your hippie Jesus look on?).

The result is spectacular. As in... Dude.

I love the Big Lebowski.

check out a Vic Kohring news story at: www.adn.com

Surprise

2009-06-09T20:48:00.003-08:00

For nearly 3 months I’ve been consciously not blogging about something big and in so doing (or not doing) I haven’t posted much at all.

That ends tonight.

We’re having a baby.

Kelli is 17 weeks pregnant with an itty bitty baby girl.

Understanding that all pregnancies can have problems and that we are, to put it bluntly, super old, we wanted to wait until all the basic things looked good and healthy before we made a big public deal out of it.

So far so good. Now it’s a big public deal.

I’ll have lots of thoughts to share (or maybe just record for posterity) in coming days, weeks, and months.

Things are changing. Everything will change. Things I don’t even think are changeable will probably change.

I’m starting to get a wee bit excited.

And I’m not going to apologize if this turns into a big ol’ gushing daddy-blog, it will be what it will be.

Did I mention we’re having a baby?

Mark your calendars for Mid-November at which time we’ll be giving our thanks for the birth of one Miss Journey Reese Anderson.