"I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now. . ."

The Last Homely House.

Leaving my mom's tomorrow morning for points west. Three days on a train will put me in Portland, OR, and two days after that will put me at a wedding and one more day after that will put me on the rim of the Pacific Ocean, the shelf of North America. I've missed the ocean terribly since I have been out here on the plains, but have been consoled by various lakes and rivers along the way, some of which I have even had the pleasure of immersing myself in.

Have had a little frog in my throat since this morning and I am worried I will be running a fever by the time I hit Grand Forks.

Said goodbye to my father this afternoon and my brother this evening. So tired of seeing people walking or driving away.

Wondering what is really awaiting me back in San Francisco. Looking forward to discovering what I have missed.

Found this great poem by Kenneth Koch that I would like to share with you:

Pranks!

V A C A Y !

Greetings both my dear, faithful Nackebuhs followers. It's been quite some time since I rapped at you, but I've had my reasons, large and small. Mostly I've been daydreaming about / gearing up for / in the midst of my three week summer vacation!

It's the longest I've been away from cutting cheese since I began cutting cheese almost 8 years ago. Loaves of cheddar and wedges of parmesan have been replaced by the hands and cheeks of friends and family and the green green grass of home. This post finds me squarely in the middle of my vacation at my mom's place in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. There will be a thunderstorm tonight and I plan on sleeping out on the back porch to capitalize on it. Some highlights of my trip thus far include: 

Kayaking, leap-frogging, and zip-lining with my brother in the South Bend Urban Adventure Race 2009. We came in 10th! Out of 175!! WTF!!!

Discovering the Red Panda. Also called the Wah (because of it's distinct cry),  the Cat Bear (because it was thought to be related to a small bear and washes itself like a cat by licking its entire body), the Fire Fox, the Himalyan Raccoon, the Gambawarella, the Petit Panda, the Poonya, the Crimson Ngo, and the Ailurus Fulgens ("Shining Cat") in Latin.

Hearing my grandmother talk about the time she shook JFK's hand. This is a story that never grows old, even though she unfortunately is.

The grand and stately culemonimubus clouds of the midwest skies.

Humidity.

Laurie's Planet of Sound, which is me if I were a Chicago record store.

Alligator Dogs topped with St. Pete's at Hot Dougs.

Point Special on draft.

Witnessing an entire drum set be simultaneously played and carried off stage only to be put down in the center of the audience for exactly one more song.

Squeeze kisses at various bus stops around the windy city.

Pirouetting at Millennium Park.

Much laughter and lightness and other wonderful things.

Listening to the entirety of  Townes Van Zandt's "Live at the Old Quarter" at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Deep dish and Oz Park.

Vegetarian "pulled-pork" sandwich with my brother at the Chicago Diner followed by 4 sliders at a White Castle on our way out of town.

Standing in my mother's garden this morning and witnessing two hummingbirds alight on a fence directly in front of us for a full 30 seconds. That's almost 2 years hummingbird time.

I am looking forward to thunderstorms, fish frys, summer sun, train rides, friend marriages, beach houses, and everything else good that follows. . . 

Quiet, lackadaisical, and somewhat frivolous late night web surfing at your mother's house in rural Wisconsin can sometimes totally be worth it.

"It gets kooky in there. . . It gets a little nutty."

Why my Wednesdays and Thursdays have been especially insane this year.

PS If you pause it at 1:51 you can see me wrapping up some Brillat Savarin!

Dancing Lessons With Mr. James Brown.

Some funny things I have heard over the intercom at work. . .

1. "Reefer to register seven. Reefer to register seven please."

A SIMPLE EXPLANATION: "Reefer" is short for "Refrigerated Department," so this seemingly subversive page is simply a call for assistance for an expert in all things tofu, dairy, and kombucha.

2. "Could someone on CRAC please call extension 351?"

A SIMPLE EXPLANATION: CRAC is an acronym for the Civil Rights Advocacy Committee, one of several democratically elected committees at Rainbow Grocery. This makes a misunderstanding of this page all the more disconcerting.

3. "Has anybody seen my brown stool? I left it in the bakery back stock. Please call extension 620 if anybody's seen my little brown stool."

A NOT SO SIMPLE EXPLANATION: A classic from Tom Healy, may he rest in peace. There will never be another pager like him.

Recently been discovering the joys of listening to my Ipod whilst bicycling.

Some great genres for this include krautrock, old school hip-hop (and when I say old school I mean old school, ie. anything before Run-DMC), and afro-beat. Of particular note is Tony Allen's monster slice of Lagos funk Road Safety, where he proclaims:

Today were hear. . . accidents, they happen. Tomorrow, accidents, they happen. But road safety, which you and me. . . must keep. This is a law, because. . . let's die a good die. Good death is very good, not dying on the road. So. . . brothers and sisters. . . and you children, take care on the road. Listen. You got to look to the l-e-e-e-eft. You got to look to the r-i-i-i-i-ght. Ah! You got to look to your fr-o-o-o-ont. Oh yeah! You got to look to the b-a-a-a-ack. Take it easy! Take it easy on the road!

Another great listen is Bruce Springsteen's album Darkness on the Edge of Town, as long as you replace all of the car references with bicycles.

Tonight, tonight the strip's just right

Out of our way mister you best keep

'Cause summer's here and the time is right

For racin' in the street