C Note(s)

So, my manager and friend, Mari, managed to lock herself out of her house on the day of a gig. A gig, she and I, were working together for the first time in a long time. It reminded me a "getting locked out of your house" story that wasn't my doing. When my sister isn't living with me, she usually finds trouble at some point. And I mean big trouble. Then she'll call me. When I answer, her greeting is the tell-tale sign that's she's in trouble: "Big brother, are you sitting down?" At the moment of the call, so many years ago, I wasn't, but I quickly made myself to a sitting position. "I am," I replied grimly. She blurted out, "Pumpkin (her cat) locked me out of the house!" My eyes furrowed, "But you called me from Dad's home phone. So you're not trapped outside of your house is not a possibility at this point." "True. I'm in the house now, but it took me a few tries to get in. Are you busy...

A couple of years ago I had the rare opportunity to visit the Central American country of Costa Rica. It was strictly for business, but hey, a trip is trip and for a guy who loves to travel - I wasn't gonna say no, let's be honest. There were many stories that originated on the trip. However, the one I'm focused on today is the Bye Bye Costa Rican Birdie! Bye Bye Costa Rican Birdie One of the last days of the business trip was one of adventure seeking, and boy did we get it! This story is part of a larger tapestry of fun. The entire day was spent at Adrenaline Adventure Tours. Our tour guide, Arturo, and his trusty sidekick that drove the bus were fantastic. The "bus" was 15-passenger vehicle with large windows to ensure everyone had a great view of the passing landscape and animals. For example, birds in the tropical forest. As in, bye bye Costa Rican birdie . Speaking of windows, whenever the bus was stopped we would open the windows to cool off sin...

My early opinion of Bluetooth technology (wireless) was not favorable. It stems from etiquette, or lack thereof, regarding cellphone use. I’m not a fan of broadcasting my conversation to anyone other than who I’m speaking to despite what my friends and family tells you. So the following incident is still hilarious to me...  If memory serves me, this happened in the early 2000’s. I was in the Lynnwood Half Price Books for a reason I can’t seem to remember. I approached the wall of videos and video games. There was another patron crouched down in front of the Western type of movies. He turned his head slightly to face me. He asked out loud. Random Man: “Hey man, who was more cowboy? John Wayne or Clint Eastwood? “ I waited a beat before answering with, “Well, they didn’t call him the Duke for nothing but as far as grit goes I’d haveta say Clint. “ He replies, “I think I’ve made my decision. It’ll be John.” I nodded my head in acceptance, “Solid choice. “ He stands...

Hot summers like this one in the Seattle area always reminds me of the summers I spent at the Fire Mountain Boy Scout Camp . My favorite memory is the... Canoe War at Fire Mountain that broke out between Boy Scout Troops. Camp was only a week long but for a young teenage boy it seemed longer. While there was several entire camp involved activities, you were mostly on your own. In other words, you decided how you spent your days. The activities were geared toward earning merit badges. There's a man-made lake as a centerpiece of the camp. It's obviously the location of all the water activity. One of the merit badges available was canoeing. I knew this would be my only opportunity to earn this one. First, I must confess at the time of this story I swam like a 40 pound anvil. Honestly, still do. Â As you can imagine, that water safety was the top priority of the staff. Thankfully, life jackets were on hand for our use. The culmination of the canoeing merit badge was to p...