While still in the clutches of winter, central Indiana is trying on her spring ensemble again today. Yesterday was mild and most, but not all of the snow melted away. Today is a repeat of yesterday with higher temperatures and even more sunny goodness. Two days of non-precip!
Yesterday Jenni asked if we could grill out, and we couldn't. Today I made a trip to the grocery warehouse and came home with some items that, when placed on the grill in an enclosed grill with red-hot charcoal briquettes will indeed end up as grilled edible food. Today we can grill. Today we will grill.
Today We Grill for tomorrow we may Diet!
Today we will pretend that it is spring already and we will pretend to have no cares in the world, and we will pretend all that as long as the day lets us. It shall be grand and we will be the King and Queen of our yard domain!
Since I am so comported with pretend-ciousness, I Proclaim that I am the Sovereign King of Yardenania and I proclaim this day Proclamation day and grilling day and in Yardenania! Spring shall start on March 7th and there shall be no strife or war in Yardenania.
You may find some of our ways strange here, but as foreigners you must understand that some of your ways are strange to us as well. While much of our two languages are similar, and we can understand your tlevisbob (television), and read your newsaps (newspapers) and inter-web posits we do still have our own language and media here in Yardenania.
On Proclamation day any (or possibly all) statement(s) or shared ideas can be made into law. The Proclaimer need not walk 500 miles, and then walk 50 more, just to the nearest citizen or High Council member and speak his or her piece, which will be known as a pre-proclamation.
The High Council will weigh all pre-proclamations (or proclamations in waiting) and vote. Then a summary judgement delivered.
The Sovereigns (King and Queen) will have votes twice as potent as the High council, but all votes will be considered before the pre-proclaimed be defamed or framed as a New Yardenanian Proclamation of absoluteness.
The recognized High Council in alphabetic order are... Bela the Bashful, also known as Bela the Half-seeing, Bela the Beautifully Soft Yet TImid, or Bela the Half Blind (that from the glass is half empty crowd); Charlie the Mostly Blind, He's A Gooood Boy or Sir Pinball, and lastly but not at all leastly; Tweek the Not So Meek, or Tweek the Dapper, or Tweek the Clawing Lazy Grumbler.
In most voting situations a physical or verbal affirmation or negation is all that is required; Bela may also dignify and signify her choice by a show of paw, two quick one eyed winks, or a rapid terrified exit from the voting chamber and proceedings, which will be designated as a nay. A failure to cast a vote, or sleeping upon the Sovereigns' chair or couch arm's or backs will be listed as an abstention.
There can be no more adieu, so without further doing the adieu I leave you pondering my great nation. Later I will have to make a visit to the great country that surrounds mine and play a game (or three) of Kegling. It will be fun and challenging but not to much for the King of Yardenania, for my scores will be regal, to say the least!
Chuck Pace ©2010
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Clean slate, white board, blank canvas. I sit here with nothing on my mind worth sharing. Not that I have nothing on my mind, I always do, but it is often trivial and uninspiring, to say the least.
No major life changing events happened in the last two days. No catastrophe was witnessed by me, or told profoundly to me by another so that it could grace these clean and blank spaces. Still, I sit and type because I decided that I need the practice. I need to continue to pull words out of my mind like the medical practitioners and barbers of the early days of the Americas did with body humors using leeches. This is not a telling of a particular tale or the disgorging of a monster of literature, this is a mental blood letting.

I love words and word play. I use them as toys, tools and even weapons occasionally. I don't pretend to be eloquent, but I can turn a phrase when it seems to be headed down the wrong path. I enjoy playing with the similes and the homilies as much as the next guy, and shaping them into a cogent description others can embrace too. I never hesitate or ask to risk an asterisk, if one is needed it goes into the fray without a tear or a frazzled, nay!
Metaphor? Yes, many times, we've metaphor and we will meet again on the battlefields of verbal conflict!
It's all so silly that the human mind can be a hopper waiting for an idea or odd description to fall out and be arranged into a thought.
How do lesser beings communicate? How does the work-a-day life of a cockroach, termite, field mouse or titmouse work? Pheromones and reflexes I guess, but this is why the mice and insects aren't building libraries! I would venture to say somewhere in the world there are mice or insects eating away at someone's prized books or papers as I write! Printed paper has proteins and is palatable in situations where other nourishment may not be available, and I don't blame the mice and insects for getting something out of a good book, it's just not literature!
Who knows, some unforeseen crisis down the road may even cause me to eat my own words!
Well the leeches have done their job. They have had their fill, detached from my cerebellum and flopped to the imagined floor to digest my words while you poor unwitting readers digest them as well.


Chuck Pace ©2010
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June 5th, the 6th first Friday Art and Gallery walk day of 2009, but the first for the little brick gallery building at State and English. Downstairs a single artists exhibit, upstairs the buildings owners living quarters and a gathering of friends. The owner, Mr. Christopher West purchased the building some months ago with express desire to have a gallery and on this day a gallery he was having. While this event was not the first event held in the young gallery it was the first official first friday gallery happening in the young gallery's existence. This made it special, this is why Jenni and I decided it was our first stop on our First Friday events whirlwind calendar. As is always the case Yin and Yang were ever-present and the first and best day of the baby gallery was offset by a somewhat bad or possibly even worst day for a family just outside the space of art at English and State Avenues.
Both events, sharing the same stage brought out the contemplative nature of the viewers.

"Interesting, but is it in and of itself art?"
"The artists random movements make it seem more of a happenstance than a deliberate attempt to create a visual moment, but to be in the moment makes the viewer also a participant, and that is always random and unplanned."
"You may be onto something, I think All art requires a non participant's subjective opinion to validate its validity, right?"
"You're saying that art unseen, has no valid purpose?"
"No not really, creation is itself 'purpose', but if it is just a release of primal creative instinct, then why wish others to see what is created? The creator has to share or at least make others aware of the act, if not the object or idea in order for the creation to have purpose."
"So it's meaning is not as important as it's being?"
"Exactly, it has no meaning without being!"
"No, I think the guy in the Pontiac mini-van was trying to make a left hand turn and didn't see the little Chevy SUV coming with the setting sunlight directly behind."
"And the Firemen?"
"Planned, prepared and practiced behavior, a job. Poetic movements brought on by repetitious and rigorous training. Surely not art."

"Think there's more wine?"
"Probably, but I'm having a PBR?"
"Did Chris tell you the story about the place on the other corner?"
"You mean that it used to be a Pabst storage building? And that it'd make a great bar?"
"So he did."
"Yup, liked it."
"What did you think of The Shopping List?"
"Yup, liked it too."
Chuck Pace ©2009 
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Tonight there is another beer tasting at the Chatterbox. There is a tasting of some sort the last Wednesday of nearly every month: beers, wines, scotch's, vodka, you name it if there is enough interest there is a tasting. Jenni and I are once again attending, as are a few of my cronies at work. It is our hang-out, we like the crowd the atmosphere (sometimes a little smokey) and especially the servers and owner, Great peeps one and all. See you there?
My greatest wish for this day is not for me or any of the Chatterboxers. I wish my darling daughter Meredith a fabulous 24th birthday. I wish I could give her a hug.

Happy Birthday Princess, save me at least one more dance.
Chuck Pace ©2009 
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So last night I posted a garden, lazy day exposé, well I formatted a few more photos than I actually used, and well I want to so here they are.
Like yesterday I awoke to the thunderous roar of a hard rain. I haven't been out to see if the "dry creek-bed" is totally flooded yet but my guess is yes. Well I paused in my photo-soliliquy to look out the window and much to my surprise in the hour since I awoke the water works have been shut down for a bit and the creek-bed is much like it was last night when I shot the ripple shot in the previous post. Other reasons to post more this morning are, a renewed effort to return to blogging on a regular basis and , and I like doing it when I'm doing it. Oh and since Jenni bought and put out song-bird blend bird seeds we have two pairs of Cardinals in the yard a lot of the time these days. Not to be punny but these birds are awfully flighty, and I will have to be a patient ornitho-stalker to get some better shots. I'll have to take some cheep shots to be sure. O.K. That one was just to be punny, that time. You expected it, you waited for it and you got it, I'm done for a bit, time to fly, see you nest time.
Chuck Pace ©2009 
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Who remembers the movie Matinee? John Goodman as the huckster film promoter, during the bay of pigs nuclear attack scare? Remember the Film that he was promoting? MANT! The mutant Man-Ant created in the genre of real nuclear scare era movies? Like that movie inside the movie, it has very little to do with the story line. Well only the title of this post has any relevance to that movie or the use of any memories created by it. Like the movie promoter in the film, using Mant was just a vehicle to get me into the real post which now follows:

What is Romance? Is it a love affair,a fanciful story or whimsical narrative? Is it a diversionary adventure or a flight of fancy? Perhaps it is an intimate sexual relationship between two people? More like a strong or enthusiastic like for something? You might think it is an attempt to win the affection of someone?  The answer is of course, Yes.
According to a dictionary it is any or all of those things. Now that I have your attention I have to ask, what does it have to do with the Feast of St. Valentine, or FTD or Sweetest day?
Is Love more important one day of the year than any other day? Is a person’s romantic worth to be graded by impersonal paper sentiments distributed in grade schools? Is it more necessary to be linked to another as a romantic interest on the 45th day of each year than the 8th or 300th? Is it important to be happy on valentine’s day? Do we know why St. Valentine was martyred? Does the date of his interment make you want to feast or drink wine and eat chocolates? Are you loveless, heartless or callous if you have a bad valentines day?  Is your self esteem linked to a batter of sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, gums, coloring and flavoring pressed and baked into a pencil eraser sized heart with the words “be mine” on it?  Will you forever be a hermit or spinster if you don't recognize the power of February 14th? Do you need a hug? Do you only need or receive hugs on this very special median day of the second month? Could commercialism have played a part in the perceived popularity of this "any other day" day? Are you lonesome tonight? Would you dare play it on the jukebox at the Chatterbox on February 14th? Would you be incensed if you heard it played on Valentines day? Can you believe that I was threatened by 4 lonely hearts in that very bar, on that very day about 6 years ago because I did that very thing? How about if I mentioned that I play that song, #123 every other time I'm in there playing tunes, that I'm a huge Elvis Presely fan and I really like that song? I don't deserve LOVE or my choice of musical entertainment on the termination of the second week of February if I drop two quarters into a music machine an play a song that should be in no way offensive? I'm politically incorrect if you are lonesome tonight and I play a song that reminds you? Maybe if your panties were not in a bunch you would have been on a friggin date, and out of my face. I'm just sayin.
Happy Valentines day, Love Ya, Be Mine, how about a Hug?
Chuck Pace ©2009 
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Every year around the holidays I go looking for friends I haven't heard from in a long time and or distant family members to shorten the distances to. I usually don't fine any. Though a couple of years ago I started social networking on MySpace and guess what? Nope I still didn't find any long losts. Recently I joined up with the Facebook crowd, and like Kay I find it a bit addictive, a much better portal than MySpace.
Well I was looking Susan, a good friend of ours (Jenni's and mine) on Friday night. I googled the daughters names, the husbands name, the maiden name and the family names and locations in the North and the South. I got nothing a hole had opened in the earth south west of Chicago and gobbled up a whole family. Jenni saw my efforts and felt my pain.
Then while we wee watching the Wild Card pre-game falderal on TV the phone rang. Jenni checked the caller I.D. and said I don't know anybody in Northbrook Illinois as I frowned and thought "Who doesn't know that I am getting ready to watch Football History happen LIVE!"
At half time, when I still held out hope that a defense would be able to stop a 5'6" all purpose back I listened to the message. It was Susan less than 24 hours after all my attempts yielded no results. She was into her cups a bit, drinking wine with her new husband and feeling little pain. She got to reminiscing as people often do around the holidays, and since we are still in the same place with the same last names and the same silly habits and spouses we can be found if a modicum of effort is applied. She left her e-mail address.
I sent a long letter accusing her of being a spy and being aware of my search the day before.
Sunday morning I got my reply, apparently I am the biggest idiot in the know worlds and galaxies. I had been misspelling her daughters names in my myriad searches, and since I knew them by the phonetic pronunciations (and to my defense I know other real life women with the very spellings that I did use) and alternate spellings failed to find out that there is indeed a plethora of info to be had with just a kernal of correct information to form a search. (I kernal as the computer terminology, instead of kernel like a seedling and cliched aphorism fodder).
Susan called just before I went to the bowling alley. Jenni and Susan talked for 81 minutes.
Gotta run, Edgar Cacey and Jean Dixon are on the other lines... holding.
Chuck Pace ©2009 
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I almost felt bad about this. But not for the intended victim, for the collateral one.
Yesterday Jenni and I went to the Madison Grill for Lunch. We go there a few times a month. The food is good and the waitresses are all very friendly and helpful. You can get discount coupons online to at www.madisongrillindy.com if you want to try it.
So there we are at the Grill waiting, after Ty our waitress brought drinks and had taken the order. I tell Jenni I'm going to read her the Bowling Post I did yesterday so she can "hear the drama and the writers intention." Out comes the iPhone, and I give a dramatic reading with all the proper pauses and breaks, with all the intensity and conviction. Then the food arrives and we chow down. I slip the iPhone back into my shirt pocket and soon we are on the road.
I drop Jenni off at the entry to her work then I head to mine. In my parking lot I conceive a "funny" duh moment, and send this text (from the iPhone).
"You didn't pick up my iPhone did you? I have looked everywhere and can't find it!!!
Jenni's response: No!!!!!!!!
I get out of the car and walk in, hang my coat and send: Duh, I'm using it to Text! Gotcha
Now here is where the almost feeling bad comes in...
Jenni's response: Ty is out in the parking lot looking for it! You Ass!
Followed by another quick response: Kathy and Cindy congratulate you! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh
So, like I said I almost feel sorry for Ty, but hey, I did give her a 45% tip since we used a $5 off coupon, and because of the Holiday.
I called Jenni and (this time) she caller ID'd my incoming and answered, "Duhr." I said call and tell them anything you want, but tell them they can stop looking. She said I had to call, and I said no.... I wasn't the one who got fished right off the Pier! So she called and said we found it, and thanked them for looking.
The irony here is that Jenni has a fishing game on her iTouch, I don't even need it! I landed Gulliblefish with an ether phone line!
Chuck Pace ©2008 
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Them Pipes is made from soup cans! Says Derry Licht pointing to a public works project on Mass Avenue in Indianapolis.

Looking down got easier yesterday. There was more down to look. At least on Mass Avenue there was. In a surprise move Chatterbox owner David Andrichik claimed immanent domain over a few parking spots next to the Chatterbox Tavern at 433 Massachusetts Avenue. "There's no way they is getting this propty back," said Andrichik's spokesman Derry Licht standing on the side of the hole where the public works department had been digging. "We is putting in a hot tub, this is arn now." When it was pointed out that it was not Chatterbox property and that it was a public works project under way Mr. Licht got confessed and claimed, "We struck Gold!, Thar's Gold in them old poopin pipes" Then he said, "Its an Elevator to Atlantis" followed by "Thar's an ally gator in 'ere the size of a caddylac!" At times Mr. Licht seemed lucid at others disoriented but he insisted that his hero Mr. Andrichik would never surrender the space back to the city. " I insist that my hero Mr. Andrichik will never surrender this here space back to the sitty, besides it full of Cortez's Gold and you caint claim jump us." Again when it was pointed out to Mr. Licht that this was just a temporary infra-structure repair and that the parking spots would be back to normal in a few weeks he seemed to get confused. "I got clam dip and sody-pop in an old cigar box down there and I is eatin' it at the Mayor's Breakfist" followed by "You look like a guy I never met in Viet Nam you shore you aint married to Sally?"
When asked to move along Mr. Licht said, "I got me the title and the deed but you can have it for a sammich and a few crackers long as they aint stale." "Amelia Airhart parked her plane on the second level!" "Who has change for a two dollar bill?" "Who's Bill?" Where is my parka?"
All good questions. Real Good questions. We are bringing the sandwich and crackers
Chuck Pace ©2008 
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These Guys (?) Don't Look So Tough!
Still I wouldn't turn down a chance to visit the locker room after the game!
I don't think this is going to be to tough a match-up against the Colts at Lucas Oil Field's last pre-season game tonight. I mean look at these guys, they are just a bunch of girls! In an AFC North division the Bangles may not even make it past two of their three division rivals in either regular season game this year. Quarterback Carson Palmer (in the dreamy off shoulder pink) number was knocked out of last weeks pre-season match-up against the Saints with a bloody lip and three sacks. His pre-season record is not too impressive either with just 188 yards and a 57.9 percentage completion rating and only 1 TD matched with 1 Interception. Well it is just preseason, and this game means nothing in the grand design, and I doubt the Peyton will even step on the field with a helmet, since he is still recovering from off season knee surgery.
The Colts will see the Bangles in regular season action on Pearl Harbor Day, December 7th (Week 14) again here at the new Stadium, and that will be more of a mano et mano matchup I hope. The Colts will have 5 prime-time games this season including the "official Lucas Oil Stadium Opener next Sunday against the Chicago Bears. In contrast, The Bangals snappy dressers will only be stepping out one time this season in prime time, and its not even a manic monday night game it is a Thursday nighter against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Prediction: I Look for The Bangles to finish third in their division below the Steelers and the division champs The Ravens, leaving the Browns to cleaning the basement again this season. Oh Susanna don't you cry for me. Speaking of that the Rock Band the Bangles (down to three gorgeous gals will actually be kicking off a tour on September 1st at Dolphin Stadium in Miami (where the Colts won their first World Championship I seem to remember) before heading to Scotland for a retrofest gig.

Jenni and I have often wondered why most TV announcers and many mid-westerners can not say Bengals with a Bing or even a Ben. We often hear them called the Bang-ul-s, thus todays tongue in cheek approach to... Mmmm Susanna Hoffs, I mean Football and tonight's game.
Chuck Pace ©2008 
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Usually I am a man up to most any challenge. I tackle things that I "might" be able to do with an attitude of "sure" I can. I usually succeed to a certain extent. Put my mind to a task and I get an acceptable result. But, A dare? That is a different story. A dare usually involves doing something that is foolish, dangerous, illegal or all of the above. I rarely accept dares, once the options are weighed and the rewards are calculated dares usually are found in the deficit column of the rewards ledger. So as I received an e-mail very early this morning while my world was still crashing down over me from a day that is best just forgotten, I looked upon a 'bet' or dare I received from Stuart Florida, a challenge that my Beautiful Daughter took and chose to lay on my already over burdened shoulders, and said to myself. Sure. Why not.

Compulsory Dive. Meredith Pace ©2008
The picture above is just that dare made flesh. Lots of flesh. This person is one of Meredith coworkers, who said I would not post it on my site. I believe that this is another event being considered for the 2012 summer games in London. The platform dive into a bowl of gumbo. Obviously there is a lot of training involved, and a lot of gumbo! I believe the contestant is starting a 2 and a half inverted to a pike, and then the big finish the chomp!
There's no way he'll put that on his site. Bet on it.
Chuck Pace ©2008

Didn't I see this guy outside a Frish's?