Our past few months have provoked inner thoughts that are both minute and ineffable. Life of stability and routine is not quite as easy to settle into mentally as I expected, but then again, it took me months to settle into a life of random traveling and short lived addresses next to my seasoned pro. Good thing the human body and mind are so adaptable, even if some of us are slower than others. Time is one of those relative non-tangibles that are different for each of us anyway, right? I am trying to get to the point where I don’t always have a list of things to do to ‘catch up’, but as Cujo says, I will probably never catch up and will always have a list. Makes sense to me, and letting it go of trivial details sounds desirable, rather focusing on the important stuff like enjoyment in great company and stimulating conversation over a good meal. I think there is nothing wrong with the pursuit of, or being engulfed by, pleasure, despite societal burdens of the need to work like a dog your entire lifetime to earn your pleasure. My bets are that’s not what it’s all about in the end. Not to say that we are all entitled to all worldly goods and destined for happiness, but instead that we are already so equipped in our core. The world is already pretty damn amazing and beautiful without our influence of decorating it differently and filling its corners with stuff. I’ve admittedly gotten mentally lackadaisical and complacent lately and am attempting to embrace a much need wake up call to remind myself of the simple things that I hold divine. Life, no matter how you live it, takes energy. Might as well expend good energy if you have the ability. To be mindful, aware and present takes effort. I hope that how life is lived provides energy back to those around you as well as your self. And so the cycle goes.
Onto the latest and greatest… oddly enough, since we ‘moved’ here, I haven’t really been pulling out the camera like I usually do. I guess I feel more like a resident than a tourist, therefore events and former camera-worthy events are not as important. However, that’s not so. I have rekindled my picture-obsessed persona, but I did miss out on quite a bit. Such as a free concert in a big park here with the Guess Who, a Cujo work party to an amusement park and a great downtown summer arts festival. The amusement park pictures we could most likely do without – it was mainly in the water park and eating and you would have gotten me confused with a beached whale. Oh and by the way, here’s a semi recent belly shot, I think this was around week 28. 
I’m only getting bigger. You know, it’s no fun carrying around an extra 30+ pounds by the way. I know, I know, it didn’t have to be this much weight, but I’ve let myself do whatever I want and will (foolishly) suffer the consequences later. My whole body feels heavy and compressed and working overtime. I’m sorry joints. And feet. Makes me think of that Bodies exhibit where they showed the effects of obesity. Ugh.
We’ve discovered a few new good eats and some groovy new places to go. There is always something going on here, which is wonderful. I’ve been honing my activity scouring here, like I have always done on the road – it’s so easy here, things to do just fall into your lap. Someone said that Omaha has the most restaurants per capita in the country – not sure it’s true – but it sure could be. There are also lots of city arts and events, which neglect to mention all the family going-ons as well. Even without family ties and childhood history here, this is a good little city that seems to suit us well so far. Besides, nothing or no place is forever in our minds, anyway. So for right now, it’s great.
- 4th of July * This town knows fireworks. Especially well, for having a citywide ban. It’s not enforced, as made obvious by every street you drive by setting off fireworks that week and fried remnants and shards in parking lots the next days. Oddly enough, the main event for the city was July 3rd. I remember growing up hoping for a Friday or Saturday July 4th – that way, we could actually see fireworks on the holiday. So this year – it WAS on Saturday, but for some reason, they had their display on Friday. Not a big deal, just surprising. Seems like each neighborhood has their own display as well anyway all weekend long – there has to be hundreds of thousands of dollars burnt up that week. Sorry to be the Debbie Downer, but that’s how I see fireworks now – lighting money on fire and cheering when it ignites. But I do like watching them. Is this adulthood or what? Probably just crabby Chazzie instead. We went over to an in-laws house for a better vantage point for the fireworks that Friday night – it actually poured buckets ten minutes before they started the show. I was sure it was cancelled, but I guess that’s how things work in the Midwest. And true – I’ve noticed that when a dark storm hits in the day, (which isn’t as common as waking up with wet ground) it generally goes back to a sunny, blue-skied day fairly quickly. The next day we went to another in-laws cabin and had a bbq on the lake complete with a fireworks show provided by family. They went all out and had the big ones in the sky like the big fireworks show. Illegal? I know nothing.
We got to take a tour of a plant an hour away that Curtis worked at, and also the drive he endured for weeks and weeks at the beginning of our stay here. And will again, at least a few times a year. Poor guy – the drive was not fun just on a beautiful Saturday, I can’t imagine doing it every day for weeks on top of working 14 hours once you get there. It’s all highway driving slowing down through a few small towns, topped with a dose of construction. But the thoughtful man took us there anyway to see what it was all about. It was actually pretty interesting. We had taken a tour of the opening of a INL building he worked at a few years ago that had to do with the technology of getting the Mars rover up, and surprisingly this coal plant was somewhat similar (probably just to me). I was surprised at how modern and clean everything was, and how proud the employees were. That’s a great sign, when employees are proud and happy. I know every place has beat down assholes, too, I’m not completely naïve. Anyway, during the dedication of the second unit here in Nebraska City, they offered tours of the plant, a ride on a trolley that took you about the property, and lunch. With cake. Oh yeah baby. This big Cat was just that – big. That’s them standing up there at the top. No, I didn’t even attempt it. And the corn – this is what children of the corn (Nebraskans) do whenever they see a corn field, they run into it and peek their heads out. Okay, not really. But they did it once.
A random synapse firing moment:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO WENDY! Love you!
Another random synapse firing moment:
You have to take a look at this thing, I had one and it was freaky. It occupied my mind for a few days but now I’ve moved on and am better. 
Now, I don’t really know the difference in rules and regulations in the Indoor Football League versus the Arena Football League, but I do know that the IFL Omaha Beef game was fun as hell. It was just a crazy night of laughing our asses off and watching a really good, close game down to the last second. Cujo said this needs to be the next goofball movie like Dodgeball or the ping pong one, and he is soooo right. They go all out, don’t start on time because the man fans are still dancing around on the field, have constant entertainment, and best of all – tickets were $6. SIX dollars. Can’t beat that combination. The fans are hilarious and bang cowbells almost the entire time and could rival the intensity of Raiders fans with their getup. (Remind me to take earplugs next time) By the way, the finished top of their division, and are now moving on to playoffs, baby.
The Grass Roots were so good a few weeks ago that we moved up a decade or two and snagged tickets for another relived concert – REO Speedwagon, STYX and 38 Special. This is Wendy with Rob Grill of the Grass Roots before they sold out of CDs and he ditched the rest of the 30 people in line waiting. 
Not to seem snotty, but when you announce on stage that you are selling CDs after the show but hey - just come on over and meet me and say hi even if you don’t need a CD, dammit – don’t leave when your CDs are gone. Maybe some of those folks just genuinely wanted to meet you, tell you how much they liked you, and wanted you to sign other albums they had brought with them? And oh – you told them to! Other than that, it was a great concert. The music was great and the crowd was fun. We all packed ourselves into a bingo hall at a reservation casino 70 miles from Omaha – is there any better way to spend a night? Negative. I swear, music and lyrics are so powerful and reminiscing, aren’t they? We just don’t know who we will go to see when we are 50, I guess we need to find someone around our age to love – that way we will have a show to see then. And I don’t care if I sound old, but music just isn’t as good anymore. I said it. And I mean it. I like to hear the words they are saying, how weird am I? And woah – the words actually have meaning? Okay, nevermind - I fold – of course there are current bands that do the same, and there were old bands that didn’t. I lie sometimes. Anyway, the point is – the concert was great, the venue was great, and the company and conversation couldn’t be beat.
