Mindful Musings

My parents are leaving for home next week. Life is going to get a lot busier and I will have to get used to being by myself again (for a while). But that is what I start dreading the minute my parents actually come to visit me so I guess I am used to it by now (NOT!). I will however, be able to get more work done on WordPress and my other projects. Travelling is not easy for me parents and I always worry when they fly for long periods of time. Jennifer is going to be purchasing some Jobst stocking for them as soon as she finds some time.

We had a really nice weekend overall. Jim Coronado was visiting. Jim is an old family friend of the Molenda’s and is a really nice person. Linda, Jennifer’s mom, had a bunch of people over at their house through the weekend and we had a lot of fun driving around in the golf cart, taking pictures and jamming to music. Jennifer took some pictures of our family and they are posted here.

I miss my parents a lot when they are gone and though I like being a loner, their presence is very reassuring and leaves me with a lot less worry for them. When my parents left for home after their first visit five years ago, I felt sad for not having spent a lot of time with them when they were here. I distinctly remember that evening at the airport when I had dropped them off and was driving back home to my apartment at Wooster. Since then I make it a point to spend a lot of family time with them in spite of prior engagements/work, especially towards the end of their visit. I love my parents too much and the fact that Jennifer likes them as much as she does and will miss them, makes me very proud of her and brings us closer together as a couple (mushy, I know).

Jennifer and I went to the Valentine Theatre Gala Celebrations last night and had a really good time. It was a very classy event with good wine, good food, lots of top level executives of sponsoring companies and some good music. There were a few things about this Gala that caught my eye.

The performers were Karrin Allyson and Steve Tyrell. Everyone was extremely excited to hear these two perform. Karrin had a very nice and warm stage personality and her voice was soothing. She sang a few jazzy tunes, most of which fall under the “soft rock” category (101.5 The River or elevator music)

Steve, on the other hand, had the persona of a sleazeball on stage. All of his songs were written by other people from his “American Songbook” and he kept throwing out his “little stories” of being pals with Rod Stewart, Jack Nicholson and Steve Martin. My first impression of him was of a “name thrower” whose claim to fame was a song from the Steve Martin Blockbuster, Father of the Bride. He has been riding his fortunes ever since. His voice was so-so, his banter was terrible and his choice of music was very cookie cutter. I think I am a little more critical of Modern American Jazz because of my love and taste for classical Jazz and Blues. Every song/composition that I hear in the soft rock category, sounds to me like it was meant to be played in the elevators and lavatories of 5 star hotels.

If you are in the Toledo area and would like to listen to some “real” jazz, head over to Rusty’s (do they still exist?) or take a day trip to Cleveland and visit some of the Jazz clubs in the flats. My favorite memory of live Jazz music dates back to 2000 at Wooster where our music class had invited a bunch of Chicago Jazz and Blues musicians to jam with us.

Jennifer and my dad, along with John and Linda flew to Columbus day before yesterday to attend the pharmacy banquet for new graduates. John flew them there.

Now, I had already known that my father was really excited about their trip and has always encouraged me to learn to fly. This trip simply solidified his views on the subject. They had a really good time and my dad could not stop talking about it after he got back. All in all it was a very nice experience for him.

Pictures for the trip are posted here and as an FYI I am starting ground school soon!

In the last 3 days I have received over 300 emails, NONE of which are legitimate and yet I have kept upto date on my work, friends and family.

Methinks the email medium is silently becoming inconsequential.

Three comments/questions for the day and I’m done for the weekend.

1. Server moves are never fun!


2. Anyone looking for hosting?


3. Is it illegal (copyright, whatnot) to ask people if they have a copy of MT 2.61 that I could download or get emailed to me? EDIT: found, thanks to everyone

Accompanied by really nice weather, we had a really good time at the Michigan Ren Fest. The pictures from our visit are posted here. Enjoy!

Jennifer and I, along with my parents and Luckey are going to visit the Michigan Renaissance Festival tomorrow. We have visited the festival a couple of times and it has always been a lot of fun! The fact that I can bring my dog with me just tickles me pink. The costumes are elaborate, there are lots of visitors and if the weather holds up, we hope to have a really good time there.

It has been a busy holiday weekend and the next week is going to be even worse at work. I am working on a couple of “secret” projects with some friends and am also concentrating on finding a dedicated server for myself and my projects. I actually have just dabbled at one of the projects that I really need to get some work into.

A constant source of income has been really nice for me. After paying all my bills, and buying a couple of items of “want”, I am back in the red again. However, with a constant flow of income, I am hoping I will stabilize my financial situation soon. My parents are here for just about another month and I am already starting to miss them. I am hoping that they will go home, get real lonely and come back soon to visit me again. I know that Jennifer and Luckey will really miss them when they are gone.

My dad has just had a blast with garnening this summer. We grew two different kinds of championship roses that he just adores and we have had chilli peppers, egg plants and tomatoes grow in our garden this summer. He is even planning to take a tomato home with him to show his friends back home. We have lived in the city all our lives (in highrises) and have never had the chance of having a garden of our own. My dad loves gardening and he had always hoped that once I grew up and had a place of my own, he would be able to exercise his gardening skills. My teeny tiny back yard in the condo was a dream come true for him.

He is a very proud father and it gives me incredible pleasure and satisfaction to know that I have been able to give him the opportunity to enjoy all of this.