The Clothes Make the Person, Whether We Like It Or Not

I’ve come to realize that I have an alternating love/hate relationship with clothes. Not that I mean I don’t like to wear them, I do (it certainly beats the alternative where I live; were I in Tahiti year round we may be having another discussion), but honestly, I go through cycles where I either care a lot about what I wear or I don’t care at all about what I wear.

The reason this topic has been center stage for me over the past few months is two-fold. The first is that my kids are growing up and they are expressing their individuality in ways I’m honestly not that crazy about. Yes, I know this coming from the former glam performer who walked around in pseudo-drag for close to ten years… I get it, I’m a hypocrite (LOL!). Still, try as hard as I might, there is absolutely no denying that you look at people and you react to people based on what they choose to show the world through what they wear. The second is that, I’m actually having to give very focused attention as to what I’m going to wear for something for a change (more on that later ;) ).

This is not to say that I don’t understand the desire to be unique or be one that fits in, or at the very least doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb. Believe me, I lived through a bit of that when I was younger, and I grew to see things on lots of different sides. Case in point; my parents had kids later than many of their generation by comparison (not *lots* later, mind you, but in general, the average American family in the 1960’s had their eldest kid around age 23… my parents, because of just the nature of their chosen careers and how they met, didn’t get married until they were nearly 27 and I was born about two months before my mom’s 28th birthday. Thus, my parents were not part of the baby boom generation as so many of my friends parents were, and their mores and attitudes about style and dress reflected a slightly earlier time and ethos. That came into effect when we were growing up. Long hair was strictly discouraged on boys, and they weren’t too dialed into the whole “California” vibe or look, either (not surprising since my Dad was from Detroit, and my Mom’s reality was steeped in the Italian areas of San Francisco, so again, different reality). Thus, I tended to look odd or out of place when I was younger as compared to many of my friends. Not to say I lived in rags, not at all; my family was pretty well to do, all things considered, but they just had a different attitude about it all.

During my teenage years, when I could have a little more autonomy on how I looked, I definitely strove to find my own style and identity, much of it being cobbled together from different styles as preppy, slash-punk, new wave and some B-Boy thrown in for good measure (Chess King was the “great equalizer” in the 80’s  ). Later on in life, modeling, music, and snowboarding all contributed tremendously to variations in my look, and sometimes extreme variations. The point is, everyone dresses to validate themselves, until the day comes when clothes are no longer relevant to validation.

Somehow, I think I finally stepped into this category sometime around my 35th birthday. Maybe it was the enormity of going back to school, maybe it was just the nature of having three kids get old enough where the focus on them was more important than any focus on me, you name it, but roughly around that time, I came to the realization that I had little time or energy to impress anyone else, and frankly, most people really didn’t care anyway. I think this was also the time I realized that a lot of money went into “keeping up appearances” and that, with being a single wage earner in a family of five (our choice, mind you, not talking badly about that at all), I really needed to evaluate what mattered and what was appropriate for various things and events. Thus, my identity really no longer revolves around what I wear and where I wear it, so long as it’s clean, neat and appropriate attire for the situation.

I admit it, I’m struggling a bit watching my kids care so much about the clothes that they wear and what “image” they project. Maybe it’s just that we finally see things differently when we transcend something; we want others to transcend it, too. While I must admit that some of my son’s clothing choices annoy me a little, none of them fall outside of the standards of the church, and he even makes an effort to not let his hair be a distraction. I’m a bit less hardcore about hair; I figure you really only have your youth to enjoy it, since circumstances surrounding work or genetics will make the choices later in life. I have some very simple rules; no multi-color hair unless nature gives it to you (calico highlights from the sun, fine; colored streaks or fake color, not fine). Hair must be above the collar, and out of his eyes when he’s at church and doing anything church related. That was a request from his Young Men’s President and I make sure he honors it. I leave it up to him to determine how to honor it, otherwise, I don’t mind the bangs in his face look (heck, I had the same haircut in the early 80’s :) ).

My tougher challenge is with my older daughter, Karina. I find it both sad and frustrating that the only clothes she can wear are found in the women’s juniors departments (she’s *ten* for cryin’ out loud) and that the clothing that is offered is mostly borderline scandalous; am I the only dad that does not want to have his daughter looked at as though she’s a streetwalker?! At the same time, I have to be a realist, and work with her (as does her Mom) to fins things that are appropriate and modest enough to wear (this is compounded by the fact that Karina frequently gets confused for being a 16 year old by people, or at least in High School; they tend to do a big double-take when I tell them she’s ten and just completed the 4th grade!). Again, it’s a challenge, but it’s one I realize I have to keep working on, cause Heaven help me, there’s *lots* of people willing to help out in the opposite direction.

This whole post is somewhat ironic in the sense that, over the next several weeks, I will actually be in the process of very targeted clothes shopping… I’ll be appearing on stage for the first time in 17 years! And as such, do you think I’ve given a lot of thought as to what I’ll be wearing? You better believe it (LOL!). See, in this case, I get a pass. I’m not dressing for the everyday, I’m dressing to be an entertainer, and as such, I’m constructing a stage outfit that will be, let’s just say, a bit unique ;). For those who have already seen it… SHHHHHHH!!!!!

Madd Money: Would You Go The Thrift Store Route?

I used to think I was super frugal with clothes; not really flashy, not spending a lot on stuff, looking to get good value at low price whenever possible, but I tended to turn up my nose at the notion of going to a Thrift store or consignment store to buy clothes.

I’m not entirely sure where this attitude came from, or why I developed it, but for some reason it just stuck with me. Shopping at thrift stores was for cheapskates and losers, or it was for seriously overachieving hipsters looking to cash in their street cred by buying the tackiest stuff. This was definitely standard fare when I was in High School in the early to mid 1980’s. The Thrift Store Chic look was huge with a certain circle of people (especially those who tended to worship at the altar of the Paisley Underground… which I did, of course; it was sort of required if you were a fan of the Three O’Clock, Dream Syndicate or The Rain Parade, etc. Still, I think that always colored my impression of what I’d find there).

Earlier in May, I made plans to go out to a club with my band mates and check to see what was going on, and to that end, I wanted to somewhat look the part. Now, I have not really kept up much of a rock and roll wardrobe since I stopped performing, but I figured I might want to get something that at least wouldn’t make me look too much like a Silicon Valley styled nerd (which, lets face it, that’s exactly what I am today (LOL!) ).

I quickly became frustrated when I realized I’d need to spend a fair amount to get an “interesting” enough outfit to my standards... and that’s when it hit me… just for fun, see if you could construct an outfit from stuff at Goodwill! What?! But I don’t shop there! Well, heck, what do I have to lose but perhaps a little time to peruse? So off I went to the Goodwill Store in South San Francisco on El Camino Real.

First, I noticed something... there is a surprising amount of upscale and darn near almost brand new clothing at Goodwill! As I pondered this, I remembered what I did when I lost 50 pounds in 2007… I gave most of my clothes away in celebration. These clothes were also very new and relatively unused, but they just didn’t fit me anymore. I realized that I’m probably not the only one who went through these processes (not to mention on both sides of the spectrum) and thus, there are quite a few items that are practically new. As I was perusing I came across the following finds:

A pair of Gap 1969 black jeans
A super nice collarless long sleeve black shirt by La Strada Pavo.
A pair of Steve Madden “Bosco” boots, barely used
A Wilson Black Leather overcoat, mid thigh length

Were I to go to a store and buy these items new, I could expect to spend over $400. Instead, I got everything for just over $60.00. For the math nerds, that’s like getting those items at 15% off the new, retail price.

Yeah, but dude, their used clothes, and I’m sure they look it… well, just for grins, I decided to put them on and show Christina. She dug the look, especially the jacket (she said it gave me a bald headed Criss Angel look (and yeah, my wife has a thing for Criss Angel... I can’t explain it either (LOL!))). I didn’t share with her where I got them, just to see what she would say. After a bit, she came to ask me “by the way, where did you get the money to pay for those things?” She thought I went retail and got everything new. When I said I got them all from Goodwill, she was a little incredulous at first… I don’t think she believed me (LOL!). That clinched it!

Now do of course be aware that this was a good trip, and it was one where I was looking for a particular effect. One thing I can say about Goodwill is that sizes and merchandise vary considerably. It’s not like a department store where there’s one item in many different sizes. If you find something you like but it doesn’t fit, you’re out of luck for the most part. On the bright side, there are often enough items like it that you can find a good substitute. Your savings can also vary considerably depending on what you get. Shirts and shoes may be anywhere from 50% to 70% less than what you might find in stores. In the case of my boots and jacket, the savings were closer to 90%.

So yeah, I consider this particular outing a success. I picked up durable clothing, some a lot nicer and from brands I don’t normally buy, but I feel confident that they will last a long time, and I still have money in my pocket. Not bad for a half an hour’s perusing ;).

Eagle Court of Honor

I know this was ten days ago, but I wanted to record for posterity the fact that, On May 30, 2009, Nicholas Larsen received his Eagle scout award, officially (he was designated an Eagle Scout on April 29, 2009 by virtue of completing his Eagle Scout Board of Review).

This was an awesome day, and one I have been wating a long time for. I know that may sound silly, since he's only 12, but really, I've been waiting to pin an Eagle Scout pin on Nick since the day on August 14, 1996, when I heard the words "it's a boy"! Before you think this to be excessive, please remember that on that day, I was the Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 92 in San Francisco, so this line of thinking really isn't all that excessive (LOL!). Add to that the fact that I have been, in one way, shape or form, Nick's Boy Scout leader since the day that he officially became a Tiger Cub on June 1, 2002. So Nick has been a little "fast tracked" in this pursuit, partially by circumstance, and partially by design.



Nick pins the "Eagle Scout Mom" pin on Christina's shirt.

For some, the idea of becoming an Eagle Scout is a daunting experience. For Nick, it's been a daily expectation. He's been a scout now for about 60% of his life :). that's not to take away from the fact that this is still a big achievement for any young man, whether he earns it at 12, 14, 16 or just shy of 18.


A Dad and Son Moment (yeah, Dad's big time proud :) )

I am happy that Nick decided to take on the challenge when he was young, and I am also happy that he has decided to continue with Scouting and wants to go into Venturing and earn the Bronze, Gold, Ranger and Silver awards. I'm hoping to be there every step of the way with him.

For the Love of (Dan) Carlin

OK, I confess, I’m a History Geek. I love history, I love reading about history, I have many different eras and areas that fascinate me. I’m a longtime geek of Ancient History as it relates to Egypt, Greece, Anatolia, Meso-America, India and Celtic Britain (in no particular order), and thus I’m a fan of books, publications and media that talk about those things. I can now add to that a podcast that, not only do I enjoy, but I’ve even committed to buying and owning the episodes, because I love listening to them again and again and again. That podcast is “Hardcore History” and it is produced and narrated by Dan Carlin.

For those of you who have followed my blog or other comments in other areas, you may already know that I’m a fan of Dan Carlin’s, especially when it comes to his political commentary (his other podcast called “Common Sense” is best described as “an independent’s non-partisan view by way of Mars”). Over the past several years, I’ve grown seriously weary of partisan bickering between Dems and GOP, so I enjoy Dan Carlin’s commentary because he doesn’t pretend to be on any one side. He calls a spade a spade and does so without any party affiliation. If he thinks Republicans are doing something praiseworthy, he says so. If he thinks Democrats are being idiots, he says so, and vice versa. His point is that he’s a fan of the political process and of the Constitution, and that is what drives his shows and his commentary. I don’t always agree with him, but he brings interesting stuff to the table.

It’s this same intensity and drive as a “fan of history” that makes his Hardcore History podcast so interesting and appealing to me. Dan makes no bones about the fact that he is not a historian, he is a fan of history. Because of that, he can go into places a historian likely wouldn’t go. He is willing and able to dissect history’s wild bits in a way that brings it to life, and in a way that is both deeply engaging and very entertaining (his delivery has been described as “William Shatner on crack” (LOL!) ). But the real power of his program is that he takes topics that could conceivably be dull and lifeless and fills them with so much life that you can’t wait for the next episode. Example: he did a three part series on the Punic Wars, each program averaging an hour in length. To some, I’m sure the thought of hearing a three hour monologue on the causes, effects, and aftermath of the Punic Wars would be a snooze-fest. Not in Dan Carlin’s hands! He made it so that I wanted to hear each episode without interruptions, and then I could not wait for the next one to be available. As of this writing, his latest topic is “Ghosts on the Ostfront, Part 1” and it deals with the ramifications and developments surrounding “Operation Barbarossa”, Hitler’s army attacking Russia during the Second World War, and all of the details that surround it. Check it out, it makes for fascinating listening.

Dan’s not content to just ramble; he also posts his references and encourages others to read and learn from them as well. I find this to be incredibly valuable, as it allows me to also see things that I may not have ever seen before, and learn from sources I hadn’t considered.

So for those who have a similar “geek streak” like mine, give some time to check out Dan Carlin’s “Hardcore History” and if you like it, give him some love by dropping $1.00 for each episode you listen to and enjoy… as his outro line says “A buck a show… it’s all we ask!” :).

When Gaming Gets Out of Hand (LOL!)

So I’ve finished a grand quest, and it’s one that, upon reflection, probably took me way too much time or exposed way too many of my tendencies. What could this be? Was it some grand Scouting project? No, but I did complete two weekends of Wood Badge training which were a blast an I did host my son’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Was it some amazing home project? Well, I did do some weeding and restructuring of our backyard, and I did replant an apricot tree that I think is finally ready to survive in the big boxes in the back and thrive (knock on wood). No, the activity I’m referring to is one that, on the average, took two hours out of every day for 70 days. I completed “Suikoden: Tierkreis”.

Now, before people look at me and wonder “dude, you did what?!”, it helps to understand a little bit about how I am wired and what engages me. Many people love to joke that I’m the epitome of “short attention span theatre” but that’s not entirely true. In fact, I can point to many times in my life when I have been “bitten” by something and that bite has driven me to make huge investments of time and interest in something. I know this about myself, and my family knows this about me, too. When I become fascinated with something, it tends to become all encompassing and all-consuming. I’m not content to be a dilettante; I want to do everything, learn everything and know everything about a topic. When it comes to camping, I want to explore every scenario and try out every experience. When I discover a series of hikes, I want to do every one of them. When I was asked to advise the Order of the Arrow Dance Team, I went headlong into learning how to make the clothes and create the outfit, learn the songs, and help the kids present the material. I wish I could better control this particular aspect of my brain, as it would be incredibly helpful if I could actually apply it to other areas of my life, but alas, it’s highly selective… I don’t know I’ve been “bit” until it happens.

“Suikoden: Tierkreis” is the first game I have played in awhile that has had that effect, and I think I realize why. There’s something about the RPG experience that just gets me, especially when there’s an interesting story that surrounds a lot of characters. And in the Suikoden universe, you are guaranteed to meet a lot of interesting characters. For those who have never heard of Suikoden, it’s the RPG franchise of the company I used to work for, Konami. Many different game companies have long running RPG franchises, Square Enix has Final Fantasy (another of my favorites). Atlus has Shin Megami Tensei (again, another of my favorites). You can add many other companies and games to this list as well, and Konami’s flagship RPG series is Suikoden. Suikoden is a series of games that in format in structure are all similar to the Chinese classic Shui Hu Zhuan (水滸傳), a story that was written in China in the 13th or 14th century. The core of all of the stories is the banding together of “108 Stars of Destiny”. In other words, while much of the gameplay revolves around standard RPG fare of quests, battles, story development and area discovery, the biggest aspect of the game, and for someone like me, the most entertaining, is the actual recruiting of all 108 Stars of Destiny (in this version of the game, they are called “Starbearers”). The same idea though is in each game, that the 108 characters band together for the cause of a righteous goal or purpose.

The first time I played the game, I made it through to the final level, and realized that I only recruited 78 total members. I restarted the game after 70 hours of play and this time, I went with a GameFAQs guide to make sure that I was able to find all of them. I was very happy to have done this the second time, because while many of the characters are obvious, there’s a lot of them that are not, and can be missed if you don’t have the right combination of people in your party or other story elements in place. While it’s possible to complete a Suikoden game satisfactorily without recruiting all of the characters, for me, that’s kind of the whole point (LOL!). On Sunday, I completed the second play through with 100% completion, and all 108 Stars of Destiny recruited. Total game time the second go round, 70 hours, which meant I’d put in 140 hours of total play time in two months, or on average, two hours each day.

On one hand, I feel happy that I beat and completed the game. I definitely feel like I got my money’s worth out of the title (at $35 retail value, 140 hours of game play translates to $0.25 per hour… pretty cheap entertainment, if you ask me). Most of my play time was done on the train to and from work during this time, so it really averaged about an hour outside of my commute times. Still that’s a fairly large chunk of time, no matter how one looks at it. What could be done in 140 hours? By comparison that’s the equivalent of 3 ½ weeks work time using 8 hour days as the comparison. Did I figure I would spend this much time? Yes, but I figured it would be spread out over 3 or 4 months. Instead, my brain clicked in a way with it that made me want to complete it much faster (well, faster is a relative term, in my case it meant I was willing to spend more time with it). Thus some early mornings, late nights, and commute times all went into this “quest” of mine. What could I have done otherwise? It’s pretty obvious that I could have easily written 140 blog posts in that time (don’t get me wrong, I’m not sure anyone would want to be subjected to 140 blog posts by me in 10 weeks, but I’m just putting that out there ;) ). I could have been much farther along in my study of Japanese. There’s many other projects that I worked through that could have had more attention and more focus has I not spent so much time on this.

Understand, I’m not complaining, but I am highlighting a factor about me and how my head works. I understand it (somewhat) and I am not saying I felt like I wasted my time playing this game. It was fun, it was engrossing, and in many ways it gave my brain some great exercise in problem solving and vicarious adventure. Still, at the end of the day, it’s a game, nothing more and nothing less. While I’ve enjoyed playing it, and perhaps it may give me some additional insights into solving future puzzles in future games, it’s not going to ultimately give me a leg up on life… well, even there, that’s not entirely true, because if playing the game put me in a better and more focused mood after completion, then perhaps, yes, it did serve its purpose, even if that purpose is to remind myself that “playtime is over” and there’s a bunch of stuff I need to do… that is, until the next game comes along ;).

Scoutmaster Mike: The Kente and the Generations

Note: this entry last updated on Monday, October 13, 2014

A few days ago I off-handedly spoke about a tradition that we have in Troop 250, wearing the Kente Neckerchief. Where did this tradition come from, and why does Troop 250 use it?

As far as the tradition, it was my development that I brought to Troop 250 when I became its Troop Committee Chairman back in 2001. At the time, there were few long standing Troop traditions, and I wanted to see if I could help make something that would both energize the boys and create a sense of tradition and continuity within the Troop, a way for the boys to more directly remember those who had gone before.

Back when I lived in San Francisco, and was Scoutmaster for another Troop (Troop 92), I was asked to lead the Explorer Post that met in Pacifica that consisted of all the Youth members over 14 from all of the Wards in our Stake. Since I didn’t want to duplicate what they were already doing, I went to the scout store to see if they had something unique. When I was there, I saw that they had a neat multi-patterned African style kerchief. When I asked what it was, they said it was called a “Kente”. I asked if it had any special significance, or if it was just a unique looking kerchief? Other than the fact that it was popular with many of the Troops that had a strong African-American membership, they said no, it was freely available for anyone to purchase and to wear, but that it was originally designed to not be a “troop kerchief” per se, but should be something special or reserved for special individuals, as befits the original Kente cloth that is made in Ghana.

When I got to the Crystal Springs 1st Ward, I thought I’d get the chance to work with Scouts immediately, but instead I was asked to serve as a Stake Missionary for two years. When I came back into active service with Scouts, I asked Tim (our then Scoutmaster and current Bishop) if we could do something unique. I remembered the Kente cloth and over the ensuing years, I kept coming back to it and wanted to see us do something with it. When I learned Kente cloth was given to and worn by men of status and bravery, I thought “A-ha! I know how we could use it!” I wanted to find a way to encourage boys to earn their Eagle award, and likewise find a way to encourage other boys to do the same, and also remember past Eagle Scouts, more so than how a plaque or desk statue would do. I wanted something they could internalize, something they could make their own, carry with them anywhere, and then give to others later on.

With this, the idea of the “Kente” and the “Generations” came into being. It started with one boy, the first boy that I approved and signed off on to sit for an Eagle Board of Review. As this boy had actually already been away at college for a year, he was put on deferment until he came back. Since I was able to help get him a Board of Review date, and he had his uniform but no kerchief, I gave him the Kente Kerchief that I had held onto for all these years, and suggested he start this tradition of the Kente and wear it to his board of review. As he was easily accepted as an Eagle Scout, we were able to hold his Court of Honor shortly thereafter. Since there is a common tradition in the Eagle Court to offer “Scouting’s Flame” to another member of the Troop and have them join them in the "Eagle’s Nest", a way of promising help and guidance to that boy so that he can himself become an Eagle, I felt that giving the Kente to this boy would be a great way of developing this tradition. Thus, the boy who first had the Kente signed his name on it, then gave it to another boy, and he would wear it until he in turn became an Eagle, at which time he would sign his name on the Kente and give it to another, and so on, and so on, and so on. We also decided a consequence if a boy received the Kente and did not earn his Eagle. The Troop would allow that Kente to “stop its Generations”, meaning that it will not be passed on to another. The boys decided that the right to pass on a Kente would be reserved for those who finish the work.

In the nearly thirteen years that this tradition has been in place, only one youth has received the Kente and not completed the Trail to Eagle. Every other youth who has received it has become and Eagle Scout or is still active in the process of becoming an Eagle Scout. Names are not listed to protect privacy, but I have used initials to denote who has received the Kente and the Generations represented (edited: this list is current as of October 13th 2014):

JV (I) --> EB (II) --> JO (III) --> SC (IV) --> SC (V)  (who is currently a Star Scout in the Troop)

SP (I)/BN (I)/AG (I) --> MK (II) (Life, did not get his Eagle) --> [X] (This is the one time that multiple boys chose to give their Kente to one person, and that one person decided to not get their Eagle. Thus three Generation lines ended here… this was also when I suggested, and the Troop decided, that only "one to one" transitions would happen; no more groups.)

AP (I) --> JK (II) --> PS (III) (Current Life Scout)

WJK (I) --> SN (II) --> JW (III) --> RW (IV) (Current Star Scout)

JD (I) --> ND (II) --> JD (III) (Current Life Scout)

AF (I) --> NL (II) --> HF (III) --> AF (IV) (Current 1st Class Scout)

BS (I) --> KS (II) (Current Star Scout)

JW(I) --> CF (II) (Current Star Scout)

TM(I) --> HM(II) Current 2nd Class Scout)

BJ(I) --> TBD (II) (Court of honor to happen soon)

RS(I) (Eagle board of review to happen in December)

ZJ*(I) (this was a special presentation, in that he did not earn his Eagle rank in our Troop, but since I've known his family from before he was born, and had his family not moved away, he would have been one of my scouts, I made a special presentation at his Court of Honor and presented him with a Kente on our behalf :) ).

In the course of a little under 14 years, 31 boys have worn (or are wearing currently) the Kente, and of those 31, 22 have completed the journey, 8 are in process and 1 never finished. It will be interesting to see how many more boys will be “marked” by the Kente in the coming years, and I truly dream of a day when every boy in the Troop will have one or will have worn one at one time or another. It’s also my hope that this will be a tradition that will be practiced for decades in this Troop, until the kerchiefs can no longer hold any more names. While I know it’s not practical to think every boy will make Eagle (statistically only 4% of all scouts ever reach that rank), I am heartened by the success that the "Generations of Kente" has to show. I’m hoping to see us record many more years and many more Generations of honor to these young men.

Some Shots of Eagles

With May 30th coming up *really* fast, Chris and I are in the process of trying to get invitations out to people and to make sure that we have everything arranged. To that end, we tried this weekend to get some neat pictures of the boys for their program and invitations. You'd think that going out to get good pictures near and around San Francisco wouldn't be a big deal... you'd be wrong in this case (LOL!).

It's May, and for some reason Mother Nature picked *this weekend* to give the Peninsula a healthy dose of fog and drizzle. Ocean Beach? Covered in fog, no visibility. Seal Rock and Sutro Baths? Not visible through the haze. Golden Gate Bridge? Fuhgeddabout it! As I was thinking what might look cool on the Eastern side of the City, as we descended into the Marina District and the drive to the East Side, the skies parted for a bit and showed the Palace of Fine Arts clear as a bell... and with that, we decided we'd found our backdrop. The procession of Wedding photographers and brides and grooms that were there at the same time confirmed for us that, yep, this would be a good place. we had to be patient and work around the wedding parties, but I think it worked out pretty well.





These are a couple of close-ups of Nick. The shift in hair part was necessitated by the wind, in case anyone is curious :).




I like this shot of the two of them together. There's an inside joke they were constantly going on about and it made getting pictures tricky after awhile because they kept cracking up laughing. Still, even though this is right on the edge of a giggle fit, I think it captures their personalities perfectly.


These two are so young, I decided we *had* to get a shot of them just being silly. This will very likely be in the back of the program :).

Moral of the day is "don't give up on an idea, even when it looks like everything is working against you. Your golden opportunity may be just around the corner". Glad we didn't just give up when all the other areas we thought of didn't pan out as expected.

Nicholas Larsen is officially an EAGLE SCOUT!!!

On Wednesday evening, Nicholas Larsen and his friend Nick Duehring sat for their Eagle Scout Boards of Review. This is the last part of a multi-piece puzzle that challenges boys to set goals, accomplish some pretty tall tasks, and then meet with a Council led advancement committee to decide if they have earned the right to be Eagle Scouts. I am happy to say that, as of Wednesday, April 29, 2009, Both Nicholas Larsen and Nick Duehring are the newest Eagle Scouts in Troop 250!!!



This is a shot of Nick Duehring and Nicholas Larsen in front of the Pacific Skyline Council Service Center, where the Boards of Review were held. They certainly look the part, don't they :)? I'm also proud to see two "Second Generation Kente's" at this point in time... the neckerchief the boys are wearing is called a "Kente", and it is patterned from colorful cloth that royalty and special people in the African country of Ghana wear. It's a Troop 250 tradition. There are only two ways to receive a Kente in Troop 250; be a "First Generation" Eagle Candidate, or to have it passed down by a previous Eagle Scout who wore it, with the promise that you will achieve the rank of Eagle Scout yourself. Both Nick's are 2nd Generation Kente recipients. Nick Duehring received his from his older brother Joshua (himself a First Generation Kente) and Nick Larsen received his from Andrew Ferris (also a First Generation Kente). It's very likely that, when Nick Duehring receives his Eagle Kerchief, he will pass his Kente on to his younger brother Jacob. Nicholas Larsen has already told me who he plans to give his to, but he has sworn me to secrecy (LOL!).



A very proud dad and Scoutmaster stands with his soon to be Eagle Scout :).


Long time Disctrict Advancement Chair Frank Colthart, Leo McArdle, and a tag team between Chris Duehring and myself (we can't review our own boys, but we could review each other's boys :) ) allowed our guys to be reviewed and discuss the path that each has taken over the past two and a half years (Nick Duehring is a little older than Nick Larsen; he joined the Troop on his 11th birthday in October of 2006. Nick Larsen joined the troop at 10 1/2 after earning his Arrow of Light on March 19, 2007). Both boys laughed a bit and said afterwards that their LIFE Board of Review was way tougher... of course, their Life Boards of Review were held at Camp Oljato, and that Board of Review was conducted by the Camp Staff, not by any of us (tough crowd, (LOL!) ).

Each of the boys had the opportunity to reflect on the Eagle projects that they performed. Both boys took different approaches as to what they wanted to do. Nicholas Larsen conducted a Pet Needs drive for the Peninsula Humane Society. Nick Duehring did a construction project of planter boxes for Burlingame Intermediate School. Both projects required the boys to be the leaders, and to call the shots as to how they were performed and to make sure that all steps were accomplished in a timely manner and to completion. Both boys earned high marks for their efforts.



Nicholas Larsen standing between Chris Duehring, Frank Colthart, and Leo McArdle, the three men who gave the final approval to him being certified as an Eagle Scout. He's holding his Eagle Project plan.



Nicholas Duehring standing between me, Frank Colthart and Leo McArdle, the three men who gave the final approval to him being certified as an Eagle Scout. Likewise, he's holding up his Eagle project plan.

Thus, as of April 29, 2009, two new Eagle Scouts join the list of Troop 250's High Fliers. To say I'm proud of both of these boys would be an understatement. Not only do I have a lot of admiration for their achievements, I'm also proud of the fact that these two boys (often referred to as "Nick-squared" or "the two bodies that share the same brain") made a commitment to each other to work together to achieve these goals, and to help each other along the way. For the past two years, they have helped, competed, and occasionally cajoled and cat-called each other to step up and make the grade. Both said they couldn't see doing it without each other, and I hope that this is a bond that both will carry with them for the rest of their lives. It's great to see boys reach for the stars. It's even better to see two boys decide to reach for them together. Now we have a little matter of an Eagle Court of Honor to hold... it is in the works. The date will be May 30, 2009, exact location to be determined. One thing is for sure, though, it will be a memorable event, and we would love for family and friends to come and share the day with us. More info on where to be posted soon :).

No Room In Heaven -- Available NOW!!!

OK, first things first... "HIGH WIRE -- No Room In Heaven" is now officially available through Demon Doll Records. Right now, the only way to get it is through the record company's site, so if you want to order it, please do (but read the rest of the blog first :) )...

It is such a weird sensation to be able to write this today... 14 songs that my band recorded between 1989 and 1992 can now be purchased as a single CD. This was the result of a very unexpected turn of events back in December of 2008. An old friend of ours from the San Francisco club scene, Robbi Black of the now retired band Alleycat Scratch, contacted us and told us about a record label that he was working with. This label was dedicated to the scene that we were part of, the glam/hard rock/heavy metal scene (what is ubiquitously referred to today as the "hair band scene"). Robbi asked us if we would like to have a track on the record label's compilation album... "Glamnation, Volume 5". I got in contact with my former band members, asked them if they would be game to include the track, and we all agreed to do it. We figured that would be the end of it. Turns out there was more karma to come :).

Shortly after signing the agreement to include the song "No Room in Heaven" on "Glamnation, Volume 5", the label's president contacted us and said he'd heard our songs on our myspace page (which, by the way, is here), and wanted to know if we would be interested in a deal to distribute our old material as a full length CD. Well, since this was one of the things we all wanted from way back in the beginning of the band, we thought about it, and then said "yeah, we'll do it!". What followed was a couple of months of gathering masters together that had been dispersed and getting them converted to digital media (remember, 1989 was around the advent od the CD as a regular distribution medium; most bands still pressed vinyl or released cassettes, CD's were crazy expensive to produce). The process of getting these old masters and getting them ready for release was, honestly, a reclaimation project; our masters disintegrated through the rendering process, and now the digital files are the only masters left (20 years is rarely kind to acetate tape).

What was interesting about this process was that we let Demon Doll design a cover, CD layout and track order that we left up to them. While we were very familiar with our material, we were not sure as to what or how we would sound to outside ears, or how other would choose to package our songs. To be honest, I was a little concerned... the glam scene was not really known for subtlety (LOL!). When I saw the album cover, it took me a bit to realize what they were going for, but I like the styling a lot. As the label explained to me, they wanted to go with an almost Victorian feel with the cover model, yet still have it be current and hip by today's standards. It definitely has a "Gothic Lolita vibe to it, no question there. The red apple coloring on the B/W photo is also a really cool touch. The song order is roughly chronological, but they made some changes to how we originally released them and moved a few tracks to make for a better flow, as though it were all recorded as one album. I like the order they decided on, and for the most part, I like all of the tracks they chose to use (some more than others, but as they reminded me, I'm my own worst critic, and things I think are great or weak will get different reactions from different people. Overall, though, it is a balanced disk and covers our "career" accurately.

A word of warning to my LDS friends... these songs were recorded in a time and an era when I was not active in the church, so you may expect that there are some words and some topics that are a little less than "For the Strength of Youth" sanctioned. To be fair, we sound like the Osmond's compared to may of the bands of the time, but salty metaphors are to be found in some songs, and I throw an outright F-bomb in "Throwaway People" (though, to be balanced, the context was within an actual quote, but ye have been duly warned).

So here it is, 17 years after our last performance as a band, High Wire can be heard again, and for some, heard for the very first time. I'm happy that this project has finally seen the light of day, and that it can now be purchased (and yes, if you can hang with the proviso above, I wholeheartedly encourage you to purchase it :) ). For those who choose to get it, please drop me a line and let me know what you think of it. As to the material presented, let me borrow an oft printed line from Seal... "It was the best we had at the time" :).

Been Awhile, Time To Get Back In the Game

Sorry for the long drought between posts for those who enjoy reading this blog, but I needed to focus on some other things, and generally clear my head and get back into the groove of things. Some interesting things have been happening in my reality, many of them I'll be able to talk about in the coming days, but let's start with these:

* Nicholas turned in his Eagle Scout application last week. He's completed all of the requirements for the award, now he needs to sit for a board of review with the Council Advancement Committee. If he passes the board of review, he will be an Eagle Scout :). Here's hoping we hear news of a review quickly.

* I just finished my first course weekend as a Staffer at Wood Badge (WE3-31-09), and I have to say, I have a great Patrol (the Bobwhites are my group, and I had a lot of fun helping get them settled and develop the items for them to get into the spirit of the course and have fun with it). We convene again in 4 weeks to complete the 2nd weekend of the course. It's also been a lot of fun to have my friend Andrew C. be on course (Andrew is a Webelos Den Leader in our church's Cub Scout Pack. He's not part of my Patrol, but he's an Owl, and he has an awesome Troop Guide :) ).


* HIGH WIRE now has officially published material available. Our first foray into having our music published appears on the compilation album "Glamnation, Volume 5". Our Track "No Room in Heaven" is song number 5 on the CD. A huge disclaimer with this... many of the songs on this are straight up raunchy (which shouldn't come as any surprise to fans of 80's and early 90's hair metal), so if you are sensitive to such things, you may wish to steer clear or rip and edit your play list dramatically.

* HIGH WIRE will have their full length CD "No Room In Heaven" available to be ordered from Demon Doll/272 Records on August 22, 2009 if all goes according to plan (at least that was the last update that I received a couple of weeks ago). Once it's officially shipped, I will post updates on how to get the CD.

So there's a little bit of my immediate reality, more details on these topics and others as the days move forward.