Pondering Friday, or, This Ice Pack is Cold

So, I just wrote a terribly long blog, and my computer apparently decided it wasn't good enough, so it sent it to that cyber-netherworld in the sky.

I'll attempt to re-cap. But, know that I am immensely irritated.

My apologies for my failure to keep this blog up-to-date have become daunting. It seems to me it would be easier to just update the damned thing than answer to people every time I enter a coffee shop or a Crimson rehearsal. Well, we all have our cross to bear.

Again, it's not a lack of love that precludes me from my cyber-duty... it's the sheer exhaustion, the crumpling into my bed at the end of a long day... the bed, which as of 4:00 today has been adorned with a feather-bed top... guess who's excited? It's been a busy time in the local arts, and a busier time in our downtown mecca... I'll recap in a bit.

For the first time since jr. high football (I don't want to hear about it), I visited a chiropracter this week. The tragedy of the entire experience is that I had no cause or reason for the three rotated vertebrae that plagued my very existence. Be sure that I am the worlds largest pain-pansy... and that I made every one around miserable, just to share in my glory. When asked what I was doing at the time I noticed the injury (or the hours leading up to it) I really did want to conjure a lie, some grand escapade that would immortalize me in the mind of this man with the magic fingers. My A game was not on, however, and I was forced to tell the truth. I was walking to the bathroom to take a shower. Unless, of course, the fact that I was visiting my parents made my vertebrae do the twist, but I highly doubt that.

Now, I search for answers to the anomaly in my back. Really I do. I had been up for several hours... watched a bit of TV with my mother, gone for a bike ride with my nephew (who was ever-so excited about the new kickstand Uncle Ben just got him), and played some Lego's with my niece (who will either be a WWE wrestler, or an architect... or ride a Harley - it's very much up in the air at this point, but she's cute and she's two, so we allow it). Now, the fact that said bike ride and Lego excursion is the most physical activity I've gotten in awhile aside, I was playing it pretty safe.

Be sure there was ample amounts of mockery from all who found out. To borrow a phrase from the grand dame of tragedy, Jerri Blank: G'Times! Mmmmph.

Time is relative here in Grand Forks... while the city seems to move at a slower pace, life is a flutter...

Strike that. I don't want to be remembered as the guy who dropped "a flutter." Oh well.

The 3rd Street Galley's art auction has come and gone, and by virtue of the wine, I thought I had more money than I do. If I look to my left, I can admire the Memo "Thinker" sculpture that is now a part of my permanent collection. Granted, I had to wrestle some lady, and take out BG in the final moments of bidding, but dammit, I won, and that is all that mattered.

Seasons are taking off here, and most arts groups launch their new offerings this month. Downtown is packed as well, as fall draws close. (Okay, really, who am I with this pretentious writing style?)

It's nice to see people downtown - and varying scenes too. The 2nd Annual Rock Fest brought GF's teen scene to the downtown with 11 bands in 11 hours (I used teen scene because it rhymed, and that makes me clever, but really, adults were representing as well). A few days before that, Gilly's shut down 3rd with the Johnny On The Block street party. I attended, adorned with a VIP pass which gave me access to my own port-a-potty.

As I was pondering life today, my college friend Marc called me from the set of CSI where he was somehow involved. He's an actor down in LA. He was wondering what "Southie" meant - since several people were wearing "Southie Pride" jackets. I told him it had to do with Boston, and he immediately became enraged. This happens a lot with him. He had a virtual breakdown about the lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne" once, and couldn't understand how there could be a "First Noel" with there has clearly been no noels since. I like him a lot... he keeps me grounded. He was also quite annoyed with an actor, who shall remain nameless, because he didn't know his lines. He'd been on the shoot for 11 hours, and was a bit delirious. He made me talk to an extra named Emily. It was all very confusing.

Stay tuned for some cool things that are up and coming. The MSP project is coming to a close, and we're quite proud of our accomplishments - specifically CulturePulse, which couldn't have been done without the help of the North Valley Arts Council, the UND College of Arts and Sciences and my boys down in San Hose (holla). The future holds some interesting things for me, all of which I talked about in my previously-deleted blog, so you don't get to know about them at this point.

Just know that as I sit here pondering to my laptop, apparently with a case of keyboard diarrhea, with an ice pack on my back, I am awaiting the unknown adventure that tomorrow will bring. I've got a smile on my face, and a g'times on the tip of my tongue.

(okay, I'm lying... I'm far to anal retentive for that... I've got tomorrow's pre-approved agenda printed, laminated, and taped to my fridge.)

Peace::Ben::Team CulturePulse