Two things:

1. Yanking out earhairs makes a weird sound
2. Yanking out nosehairs makes you cry

I've been thinking a lot about my Father recently...

Dad's well read copy

Tomorrow is the 3rd Anniversary of my Father's death.  I usually unpack my Red/White/Blue Bunting and hang it on my balcony on April 5th, and leave it up until the 4th of July to honor my Dad.  I will do this this year also.  I picked up two books to look at that I had brought back to Missouri with me from Texas.  One: THINGS I BELIEVE IN, I had purchased and given to Dad.  The Second: GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL, Dad had bought for himself and talked about a lot when we were together.  It was a bestseller in my Bookstore but I had never gotten around to reading it.  When I saw it in Dad's old study I brought it home with me.  Yesterday when I picked up this book I was surprised to find Dad's notes in the margins and his scribbles on maps and charts in the book.  He treated it like a text book and underlined passages he liked or thought important.  It was like going back in time to see his hand writing and ideas written in his book.  I can hear his voice talking about the ideas expressed about our civilization in Jared Diamond's book.  I just finished reading a book (reading is a generous term, I ended up skipping through the parts that I didn't like), so I'm ready to start a new read.  I am looking forward to reading this along side the notes by my Dad...

My Dad's hand written notes

This is me early this Friday morning...

SIX FLAGS OPENS THIS FRIDAY!

David<~~~~~~~~~~will be the first person in line!

Things I learned on Sunday's Bike Ride...

1. If you ride too fast your hat will fly off.
2. Do not smile as you ride thru swarms of tiny insects.
3. The Meramec is high and muddy.
4. New logs have washed into Simpson Lake for the turtles to perch on.
5. Missing two days of biking makes riding 6 miles tiresome.
6. Some people are amused when I bike past with flags flying.
7. Some people think I'm weird and avoid eye contact when I bike past with flags flying.
8. There are more families using the trail on weekends.
9. Biking makes me happy.
10. Biking makes me very happy.

Rambler...

(Those of you in the know, know who Rambler is.  Those of you who do not know who Rambler is need to read more of my blog)

Yesterday Tiffany asked me to go biking with her.  Biking is not her thing.  She really was trying to jump start me.  It worked.  Biked 3 miles yesterday and 6 miles today.  I will bike 9 miles tomorrow and 16 miles on Friday (weather permiting).  The 16 miles will be on Grants Trail and all other rides are on the Greenway.  Did I mention that I love my Girlfriend?

Notes on yesterday's ride:

1. I thought that my butt would be sore after not riding in a long time.  I was wrong.
2. I thought that I would be exausted after not riding in a long time.  I was wrong.
3. I thought that I might not want to ride today after not riding in a long time.

I was wrong.

Notes on today's ride:

1. I love riding my bike.
2. I love listening to music as I ride my bike.
3. I love watching my flags flutter in the wind as I listen to music as I ride my bike.
4. I love watching Nature as I ride down the bikepath.
5. I love watching other people as I ride down the bikepath.
6. I love watching the Meremac River as I ride down the bikepath.

Twigs decide to become garter snakes and race off as I ride down the bikepath!

David<~~~~~~~~~loves riding his bike!

(Anyone guess the name of David's bike?)

Watching theCOOLtv...

ABC's
(K'NAAN featuring CHUB ROCK)

Bundle up my whole style is so cold
I glow like old guys who go bald
My flow got no front in the vocal
Your flow got no button it's so old

I don't mean to sound like a showboat
But it's true my persona's no joke
I stepped into some kinda portal
I'm legend and sometimes I'm noble

I'm from the most risky zone, oh
No place is more shifty global
More pistols, Russian revolvers
We shootin' all that is normal

But it ain't just because we want to
We ain't got nowhere we can run to
Somebody please press the undo
They only teach us the things that guns do

They don't teach us the ABC's
We play on the hard concrete
All we got is life on the streets
All we got is life on the streets

They don't teach us the ABC's
We play on the hard concrete
All we got is life on the streets
All we got is life on the streets

Rock, you know my era
B-boy seasoning, salt-n-pepa
Grown and sexy, come with the extra
Crushed up linen, fly like Cessna

This type brew, I gave it birth
Now it's time again to give it a verse
Jamaican born, not a fan of the ganja
Boulevard, Brooklyn to Somalia

And it goes in the background
Playa, that is my sound
The green doesn't symbolize I made it on the top
Pioneer legend and they call me Mr. Rock

No B word or N word, I don't need those words
Respect for hers
The game dried up, so we come with the grease
Leadin' ya right and treatin' ya right, so peace

They don't teach us the ABC's
We play on the hard concrete
All we got is life on the streets
All we got is life on the streets

They don't teach us the ABC's
We play on the hard concrete
All we got is life on the streets
All we got is life on the streets

Superman is known by the locals
As this dude who's so fly it's global
Attitude that came outta struggle
Destitute but I make it hopeful

You real but my real is tenfold
My real will make yours a rental
Gangsta if at ease, essential
Fight with guns or utensils

So bold, nothing's confidential
Breakfast was not continental
And lunch could not compliment all
We still become competent souls

These streets ain't paved with no gold
Matter fact someone stole the light bulb
Nobody fat enough for lypo
They don't teach us to read and write, so

They don't teach us the ABC's
We play on the hard concrete
All we got is life on the streets
All we got is life on the streets

They don't teach us the ABC's
We play on the hard concrete
All we got is life on the streets
All we got is life on the streets

David<~~~~~~~~~~~still dancing!

Just got back from seeing a FREE movie!

Local Jazz Singer Erin Bode invited me to see the movie SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN.  Would have been a great date except she also brought her Husband and some odd 100 people to the free screening by GoFoBo.com.

PLUS

PLUS

EQUALS

Its raining, its pouring...

So of course I'm heading out to the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in Faust Park.  It's part of the MOBO Gardens so I get in free (a big TY to Tif's Parents for the Membership)!  They are in the middle of the MARCH MORPHO MANIA and have over 3,000 free flying Morpho Peleides butterflies in their dome.  I'm taking my camera...

David<~~~~~~~~has always loved butterflies!

(Here is the link to the Webshots Album of my pictures)

http://travel.webshots.com/album/582440316YcaUSU

New haircut...

can you say...

FLAT TOP!

HAPPY ST. VALENTINE'S DAY!

Noises from the Vivarium

One of my Flying Geckos

has caught a mealworm

and is currently

beating it to death

against the tree bark

in it's Vivarium...

I'm in a ZULU frame of mind...

http://www.martinihenry.com/files/goingtodie.wav 

David<--------just got his restored Martin Henry rifle!

VIOLENTLY HAPPY

WOW

THE SPACE BETWEEN

The Space Between

Verse:

Maybe if you hold my hand as we walk through

I know I can trust you

Here now we go again

I want to help you understand the world that I know

Surrounded by angels

Here now we go again

Pre-chorus:

And in the dark our eyes never know if they will see again

But when the stars come out I can feel the light creeping in

Once again

Chorus:

oh, oh

oh, oh

Verse:

Music playing in my head feels like something

I recall loving

Here play it once again

There must have been a melody I can't remember

I only know the beat beat beat

Here play it once again

Pre-chorus:

And in the dark our eyes never know if they will see again

But when the stars come out I can feel the light creeping in

Once again

Chorus:

oh, oh

oh,oh

You and I,

Living in the space between

You and I,

Living in the space between

Bridge:

If I ever see the light of day,

I'll never close my eyes again

But lift my head,

And soak it in

Chorus

oh, oh

oh,oh

You and I,

Living in the space between

You and I,

Living in the space between

You and I,

Living in the space between

You and I,

Living in the space between

MARTINI HENRY RIFLE!

My brother Mark has finished restoring my antique Martini Henry Rifle.  This particular rifle saw service with the Gurkas in Nepal and is approximatily 130 yrs old.  This type of rifle is most famous for it's use in the defense of Roarke's Drift in Natal in South Africa.  Very famous battle immoralized in the movie ZULU...

The trigger assembly removed for cleaning

BLOOD RED ROSES

I am SUCH a nerd...

I LOVE THESE FIGS!

Pictures...



First picture of Dad holding Conner.

Conner's first Christmas!

The Smith Family is always serious...

I beat Mom & Dad down to the Hospital so I could photograph them
as soon as they saw their 1st Grandchild for the first time!

Smith Family circa late 60's

My Nephew CONNER!

I'm still working on improving myself...

1. QUITTING CUSSING
2. MORE TOLERANT
3. LESS JUDGEMENTAL

I'm watching a lot of Republican Presidency Candidate coverage, cussing too much, and writing really negative/hateful blog entries.  I just went through my journal and removed the uglier blog posts.  Quitting cussing is really hard.  For one thing I like cussing.  I like the instant gratification of the release of it.  I think of it as "blasting" something.  Usually while watching TV I blurt out the most offensive thing I can think of to insult the person I'm looking at.  Really ugly.  If I was ever filmed "blasting" the TV it would probably turn your stomach.  You can't be a Liberal and be Intolerant.  I am a Liberal, so I have to improve myself and quit the behaviors that make me look the ogre.  Nice guys don't cuss, judge people, and are intolerant....

(don't want to be this guy)

DAVID<~~~~~~~~TRYING to be a better person

I just found out that Mitt Romney ran BAIN CAPITAL when they squeezed their profit out of KB TOYS which ultimately killed the company that I loved working for...

My Guinness World Record length finger nails tear and break off during my Competitive Eating Tournaments...

Heading out to a 2 yr olds Birthday Party...

Think I'll get her a STARBUCKS gift card!

David<~~~~always thinking of other's well-being!

It's early in the morning, and nothing is as lonely as a train horn in the middle of the night...

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Recently I installed a nifty 3-D hit counter in the sidebar of my journal.  For the first time (right now) there is someone reading my journal at the same time I'm messing with it! 

HELLO DUBLIN!

David<~~~~~tickled that people read what I write!