An Inconvenient Image

Air, Stale Buns and No Waitress just reached Climax together. Come back for more updates as soon as you have erased that awful visual snapshot from your mind.

Full Circle

Five years ago, two guys, whom I'll call Air and No Waitress, wanted to dine at the famous Ken's Diner in Chicago. Knowing that their wives would not appreciate their taking a day off work but not spending it with the family, the guys devised a clever scheme. They solicted some sponsors who would receive Ken's burgers and Roumanian meat, with the proceeds going to charity, under the guise of being a drive-a-thon. Air and No Waitress correctly surmised that their wives could not object to spending the day raising money for those in need, even if it was a thinly veiled subterfuge. So, the two packed themselves into a car and headed to Chicago.

To the surprise of many, including yours truly, Air and No Waitress raised a decent amount of money for charity. Realizing they were really onto something, they raised the bar each of the following three years by renting an RV and, amid great fanfare, taking a whole crew, including a filmmaker whose documentary of the day dissapointingly failed to get a deal at Cannes or Sundance. Every year, the drive-a-thon became more successful than in the past.

Today, the drive-a-thon is back on the road. Due to Air's aliyah last year, the great event is taking place in August, while he is visiting town, and without quite the publicity as in the past. Nevertheless, Burger One, with Air, No Waitress and Stale Buns aboard, embarked at approximately 6:55 this morning. Ground Control received word just minutes ago that Burger One, which this year is No Waitress' Grand Cherokee rather than an RV, just passed Jackson. Updates, including pictures, will hopefully appear here throughout the day. Meanwhile, let us all wish those aboard Burger One good luck and Godspeed.

It Was Gatlinburg In Late July

Some notes from our recent trip to Louisville and Gatlinburg:

-The giant Jesus at exit 29 on I-75 in Ohio was inspiring as usual. It even had me singing this song.

-That sign for Big Bone Lick State Park will always make me laugh.

-The Simpsons and new Harry Potter movie are both definitely worth seeing.

-We went on Sunday to the aquarium in Newport, Kentucky, right across the river from Cincinnati. The aquarium is great on its own but is also part of an amazing complex overlooking the water and the Cincy skyline. It has a top of the line movie theater and a number of good stores, all surrounding a large courtyard with limestone and cobblestone pavement. They have street performers and apparently a number of concerts throughout the summer. It really brings life to the waterfront, an area where many people like to spend time. In other words, it's yet one more thing that Detroit should have done years ago.

-We've discovered that Emma is a Johnny Cash and Diana Ross (separately, as I don't think they ever sang together) fan. They are the only musical performers thus far that can calm her when she's in meltdown mode.

-We had our first night away from Emma since she came home from the hospital when we left her with the in-laws while we spent the night in Gatlinburg. I jolted from sleep at 5:45 in the morning when I had not heard Emma, only to realize where we were.

-The lady playing miniature golf in front of us the other night in Pigeon Forge had the gall to be talking on her cell phone during her game. Talking on a cell phone during a funeral or in a library is one thing, but during a miniature golf game is another. How dare she?

-On a more serious note, I'm about a quarter of the way through Ronald Reagan's recently released diaries. Whether you loved him or hated him, I highly recommend the book. Rather than a whitewashed, after-the-fact autobiography or biography by someone with a bias for or against the subject, a contemporaneous, private diary by one of last century's most consequential men gives great insight into the thoughts of a historic person. It is also interesting to see how much some things have changed, like the collegiality in the Beltway. While they often publicly butted heads, Reagan often wrote fondly of Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill. They considered each other as friends worthy of admiration and respect, even when they disagreed on some very important issues. This is far different from the vitriol and hatred that has come from both sides of the aisle the past fifteen years or so.