New Year's Eve gets pretty crazy around the Lindeman household—these pictures were taken as we all prepared to head out to the local Moose Lodge to raise some hell (however at the last second we decided to stay home when we discovered that even that group of revelers planned to actually stay up until midnight).
We all have them. Growing up in the Howard house, our Christmas traditions consisted of decorating the tree to Kenny & Dolly's Christmas album (don't mock it until you've heard it), Erin and I helping dad find the perfect gift for mom and then Erin blabbing what it was before the big day (in her defense, this happened MOSTLY when she was younger), and to top it off, spending each afternoon counting down the days until Christmas with Santa and Toy Boy from Santa's Workshop.
If you didn't grow up in Kansas, or at least in the areas that the local ABC and then CBS channels covered, you missed out on one of the best Christmas shows. Ever. This locally-produced hit featured Santa in his workshop full of the coolest toys of the year and with the help of his little sidekick Toy Boy. (To be exact, Toy Boy was originally Kake Man when the show was on KAKE channel 10. When the show moved to KWCH channel 12, he became Toy Boy ... the one and only.) Craig and I both remember sending in our grade school photos to appear on the wall of the workshop on one episode. And we would listen at the end of the show to see if our names got called from Santa's "good" list. (I'm pretty sure "Carrie" made a more frequent appearance than "Craig.")
Here's a clip from one of the original episodes:
After years of being off the air, the show was back this year with eight new episodes. Santa is played by the original actor's son, and Toy Boy (or Kake Man) is the same actor. Really, no one could ever replace Toy Boy (although Craig can do a pretty good impression). The workshop is pretty much the same, too. Except instead of Cabbage Patch Kids and Tinker Toys they're featuring marble games and lead free instruments.
So now you know why you didn't get a Christmas card from us this year. It was nothing personal, we've just been busy getting caught up with Santa and Toy Boy. But seriously, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the new year.
I've been ignoring the warning signs for quite a while, but now I think it's official.
I'm old.
What started out as a mere repulsion to anything on MTV and an unsatisfiable hunger for fresh-baked bread recently escalated to reading. That's right, reading. In fact, since Carrie and I went on vacation last month I have read a total of four books—all of them non-fiction (which I think I should get bonus points for). And, not that it means anything, but the book Carrie's reading still smells like sunscreen.
I guess the really troubling thing is not that I'm reading, it's why I'm reading—to learn. I think that in a nutshell is the death of youth.
So, what have I been reading?
First off was Bob Dylan's autobiography Chronicles, Volume 1. It offered an amazing look into a virtual recluse who also happens to be one of the biggest icons of the past century. One image from the book that I can't seem to get out of my head is one of a struggling, and basically homeless, Dylan eating free hamburgers in the kitchen of some folk club alongside Tiny Tim.
Next was Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation. If you don't recognize Sarah's name, she's a regular contributor to This American Life, and for you parents out there, she's the voice of Violet in The Incredibles. Like a lot of her books, this one took a first-person look at history and traced her steps as she visits various historical sites. For this book, it's sights related to the first three presidential assignations—that of Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley (see, I've already learned something). Fun fact: Robert Todd Lincoln (Abe's son) was connected to all three either as a witness or just in close proximity.
After Assassination Vacation I carried out some daddy duties and read The Guy's Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth and the First Year of Fatherhood by Michael Crider. It sucked. It was supposed to be funny. It wasn't. Instead it read like a Jay Leno monologue. Just how bad was it? After I finished it, we returned it just to ensure that this tool wouldn't profit off such a hackney piece of crap and attempt to write again. And no, I don't feel bad about it.
To get the taste out of my mouth, I went back to Sarah Vowell, a real writer, and read her newest book, The Wordy Shipmates. This one was about the settling of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 1600s and while I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Assassination Vacation it was a pretty good read. So much so, that the other night I actually turned off Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby just to read more about Puritans. If that doesn't say I'm old, I'm not sure what does.
My brother Curt and sister-in-law Cheryl were in town this past weekend and surprised Carrie and I with some early baby gifts—one of which was this cool little flip video camera that we got to test out over lunch today as we played with the dogs in a couple inches of freshly fallen snow. It's not necessarily must-see TV, but here's a peek into how we normally spend our lunch hours.
This first clip is what happens when Luka decides to steal whichever toy Zoe is presently playing with—even though he has absolutely no interest in playing with it himself. He's kind of like that jerky little kid on the playground who runs off with the four-square ball.
In this clip, Luka has completely lost interest—deeming his little game of keep away no longer fun—leaving Zoe with an opportunity to play without being tormented.
The rest of our lunch hour pretty much just consists of Carrie and I warming up leftovers and the usual "how was your morning?" crap. The magic of those moments just can't be captured on camera.
Our friend Molly had her fifth annual cookie swap this weekend, and every year I go home with a plate full of various cookies and my hopes high that maybe next year will be the year I'll go home with a prize for one of the best cookies. The cookie swap is always a fun time to get together with the girls, load up on sugar and participate in a little friendly competition for one of the elaborate prizes awarded for three categories: best tasting cookie, best decorated cookie and most unique cookie.
After we all go around the table and sample bite-size pieces of everything from the traditional sugar cookie to aunt Betty's fudge, we cast our votes and then fill up on more food and warm drinks. This year, when it was time to announce the winners, I never expected to hear my cookie called. I tried a new recipe I found online earlier in the week and there was some stiff competition. But in the category of "most unique" cookie, my chocolate candy cane entry won! Now, I'm not sure if "most unique" is exactly a good thing or not, but hey, it's a win. And I owe Craig a big thanks for helping shape the cookies and drizzling the icing with perfection. Lucky for him, he gets to help me make more next week for family and friends.
I hate to say it, but I think our poll has been compromised. Someone who must have had some sort of insider information (and you know who you are) changed their vote to feel better about their apparent lack of baby picking prowess.
Therefore I guess we have no other option but to now reveal the results of yesterday's sonogram.
While we had fully intended on having the technician write the sex of the kid down on a card so that we could open it at a later, more intimate time, all of that went out the window as soon as the jelly hit Carrie's belly.
First of all, we're very happy to say that everything looked good. All of the necessary parts were there and appeared to be working just as they should be. In fact, the images were extremely clear and the technician spent several extra minutes just "playing around" to see what she could see. (Apparently Carrie swallowed a quarter when she was three.) As for the big question, we're happy to announce that little baby Gertrude will have to be born to someone else because we're having ourselves a little boy.
The following pictures don't provide any photographic evidence, you'll just have to take our word for it.
OK, this last one is a little scary, but so is the idea of us having a kid.
Alright, it's way too cold for a garage sale so we're going to try and have our first-ever blog sale. Here are some items we're ready to part with in our attempt to make room for the baby. If you see something you're interested in, send us an e-mail (lindeman3@yahoo.com) and we'll make you an offer you can't refuse.
Let the bargain hunting begin!
Yamaha Keyboard with Stool - 76 keys - Over 250 voices and 100 styles - Like-new condition (it obviously didn't get practiced on much)
Lane Recliner - Gently used: fabric is in perfect condition but feet have a couple of scratches
Black Sony Trinitron 27" TV - Great condition; comes with remote
Black Magnavox 13" TV - Great condition; comes with remote
White Round Table - 23 1/2" tall - could use a fresh coat of paint
White Wicker Table with Glass Top - 30" L x 17" H x 18" W - Could use fresh coat of paint
Queen Mattress, Box Spring and Bed Frame - Sealy mattress set - Like new condition
During our vacation in the Keys, Carrie and I routinely hit the sack around 7:30 (remember there is a time difference, so in our defense it felt like 6:30). However one night we got a little crazy and decided to watch some TV to let our fifth helping of Bob's Buns settle a bit before setting out to shake hands with Mr. Sandman.
Big mistake.
Because as it turned out, I got sick to my stomach anyway. But the icing wasn't to blame … it was all TLC's fault.
You see I was in charge of the remote and opted to watch an episode to "Little People, Big World" over Spanish infomercials and public-access fishing shows. And for a while, it was a good choice. Then the show ended and a new one began. One called "17 Kids and Counting." As the title would suggest, it's a show about a family with 17 kids (all their own) who are expecting yet another bundle of joy. The opening of the show started with the mother (who looked like she belonged on a compound in rural Texas) introducing the family as follows.
Her husband Jim Bob and her kids:
Joshua Jana John-David Jill Jessa Jinger Joseph Josiah Joy-Anna Jeremiah Jedidiah Jason James Justin Jackson Johannah and Jennifer
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit … again.
I'm putting my money on #18 being named LaQuisha.
As you might guess, these people were a tiny bit religious, not that there's anything wrong with that. It just all seemed a little hypocritical. Instead of worshiping the Golden Calf it seemed they were worshiping her Golden Uterus. Oh and don't forget that they don't let their kids watch TV yet it's OK to have their own TV show and take a check for doing it.
More than that, I was insulted as a tree-hugger. With the world already over populated, the last thing we need is a family with 18 kids—each with their own carbon footprint and apparent addictions to Aqua Net (not to mention the rock band touring bus and the five cars they need to haul their sect around town). Oh and did I mention that they're not stopping anytime soon? They're going to continue to have kids as long as they are blessed to do so. Now I'm about the most sqeemish person you'll ever meet, but given the opportunity, I'd tie her tubes myself.
The bright side? After watching one episode, Carrie and I can now return that book of 100,001 baby names!
Craig and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary last Friday, the 21st, by going back to where it all started: Islamorada in the Florida Keys. This is where we tied the knot and we've been trying to go back ever since. We stayed at the same resort,Cheeca Lodge & Spa, and were thrilled to see that the place has only gotten better over time. The photo above shows us eating dinner on the beach at the resort, just steps away from where the ceremony happened in 2003. And that cake is a smaller version of our wedding cake, which was made by Bob's Bunz across the street. I have been dreaming about those white chocolate shells for years!
Speaking of eating, that's pretty much all we did all week (which made wearing elastic-waisted maternity pants a great thing!). This picture was taken at Morada Cafe, a quaint little oceanside cafe with the dining tables in the sand and a live band.
We also made time for some some adventure, too. Here's Craig trying to climb a palm tree. We were much more successful during a snorkel trip (saw lots of beautiful, big fish and avoided the jellyfish that stung two people that were with us) and we spent a day in Key West touring Hemingway's home, avoiding all the tourist shops and standing at the southernmost point of the U.S.
While we didn't bring home many souveniers, we did get some great photos. Craig captured the essense of Cheeca and the Keys through the lense of his camera. Here's one sample of what he captured. To see some of his favorite pics from the trip, check out his Web site. While you're there, if you see an image anywhere on his site that you'd like for yourself, he'd be happy to have a print made for you, just let us know the size and we'll let you know how much it cost through Smug Mug.
And last but not least, the little fetus (the size of a bell pepper this week), made its first journey by plane. I'm guessing this will be the easiest flight with him/her we'll have for a while.
Here's to five fantastic years and many more to come!
The agency where I work has certain traditions for celebrating 5, 10 and 15-year anniversaries for employees. I first worked at SHS right out of college for two years. After I left for a few years and came back as a member of the second-timers club, I realized that hitting the five-year mark would take me longer than usual since I was starting over at 0. But five years (and 8 or so months) has flown and the agency surprised me with the five-year celebration on Tuesday.
The recognition of this milestone can come in many forms -- mine happened to come as one large shock of wheat with a crazy smirk and bad hair style. They called in WU to deliver the goods. I wonder how they got his number ...
"The goods" included a box filled with gummi worms (I haven't weighed the box but estimates are around 8 lbs.) and the traditional SHS personalized C-clamp with a few crisp bills attached. (If you're not a frequent visitor of Home Depot, check out the practical uses of a C-clamp here.)
My personalized flair included everything from a picture of the dogs to running shoes and a WSU basketball net to a plastic baby.
Side A Flair:
Side B Flair:
Here's to five+ years of having a great job and working with really good people.
Its eyes have begun to move to the front of its head, its tail is fully dissolved and its grown to approximately the size of an apple—but beyond that, our little fetus is developing in much more important ways.
Since experiencing its first concert, our little bundle of amniotic fluid has had several other firsts over the past couple of weeks— its first taste of Tabouli (not to mention its second, third, fourth … well you get the point, mama likes the bulgar wheat), its first time being labeled a "liberal" (sharing nutrients obviously indicates prenatal Socialist tendencies), its first wedding (coincidentally also its first exposure to chicken fingers) and its first college basketball game (I have to admit, the face paint was a bit tricky to apply).
Carrie is also beginning to show a bit and has resorted to what I've been introduced to as "the rubber band trick" which I think has little to do with the baby and more to do with the aforementioned Tabouli—either way it seems to make life more comfortable for everyone.
All politics aside, last night was historic. For me, and my entire generation, it was the first time we had a chance to witness (and become an active participant) in a positive aspect of American history. My grandparents witnessed the freeing of Europe, my parents saw man walk on the moon, but up to this point my connection to American history revolved solely around space shuttle explosions, wars, natural disasters—and of course one of the worst man-made disasters the world has ever seen. But now, no matter what happens from here on out, I can hold on to last night.
Neither Carrie or I broke out a costume this Halloween, so we're living vicariously through our friends the Dennelers. Carrie and Sandra used to work together at SHS until I stole her away earlier this year and since that time she's really bought in to the whole "Shocker" thing (pretty impressive for a Ft. Hays grad who's married to a Wildcat). She and her husband are incredibly creative—to the point that they kind of make me sick.
Check out the costumes Eric hand carved out of foam. (We may be looking to borrow them in seven years or so.)
First of all, Carrie and I would like to thank everyone for their comments, e-mails, phone calls and preemptive notes of concern to child services—we appreciate them one and all. We spent the weekend deciding on our future room assignments, and while we think we've come up with a plan, I'm going to wait to post anything due to the fact that it most will likely change three or four times before noon. At that point we'll probably just revert back to our original idea of just spreading some newspapers out on the laundry room floor (don't worry, we'll use the comics).
For those of you bargain hunters out there, keep checking in as we plan on posting a few items we're going to have for sale—however don't get too excited, the Schlitz beer light will not be among them.
Moving on, my office just finished another TV spot (we've been cranking them out lately) so check it out and see if you can spot my cameo.
We picked up a little something at the Joshua Radin concert last weekend that we'd like to share.
Yes, that's a onesie. And no, it's not a gift for someone else.
That's right, we're thrilled to finally announce that we're expecting a little Lindeman. The due date is May 1, which means we're going on just about 13 weeks of keeping the secret and making preparations. And we're slowly adjusting to the idea of becoming a party of five (hopefully this kid won't be as hairy as our other two).
While we really enjoyed the concert on Saturday, it was extra special because it was the first time the kid was exposed to live music. Joshua Radin coined his own genre as "whisper rock" -- and we anticipate his CDs making perfect lullabye music for many late nights to come. But as mellow as the concert was, you wouldn't know it by the heartbeat we heard Monday morning. We were told the average rate is 150-160 at this stage. Little Lindy came in at 164 -- we can only imagine he or she must have been dancing to one of the U2 songs dad and mom have been playing at high volumes whenever possible.
Just like this onesie is the first thing we've bought for the kid so far, this is also the first of many blog posts to come about our new adventures in parenthood. We hope you'll enjoy the ride with us.
The past couple of days have been pretty full for Craig and I. On top of getting a bunch of yard work done and the usual house projects, we broke out of our normal routines and had all sorts of mini adventures around Wichita. The first was a visit to the season's last Farm and Art Market. Well, we thought it was the last. When we got there and saw only two tents up, we learned that last week was actually the last Saturday. That didn't stop us from stocking up on homegrown veggies from one of the two lone vendors. In a downtown frame of mind, we continued the adventure and had lunch at Old Mill Tasty Shop. This original Old Town soda fountain has been in business for over 72 years and we try and take out-of-towners there when they visit to experience their famous green chili, smothered sancho or ice cream treats. While we didn't indulge our sweet tooth at Old Mill this time around, we did indulge in a cherry pastry from Jaurez Bakery on North Waco -- a random stop we made while driving around and seeing sides of Wichita we hadn't yet explored. Yummy.
But the highlight of Saturday was that night when we caught Joshua Radin in concert. If the name doesn't sound familiar, his work probably does. This singer-songwriter has had his songs featured on a number of TV shows and movies like Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, and The Last Kiss (which stars his good friend Zack Braff). If you aren't familiar with Joshua, check him out here.
(Click here to see more of Craig's pictures from the concert.)
The concert extended our new Wichita adventures by taking us to a venue called The Avenue. It was a cool old warehouse on South Commerce next to a number of art galleries that we've frequented during Final Friday events. But for those events, the area is usually crawling with hundreds of people. This event was different. There seemed to be very little promotion for the concert -- in fact, Craig found out about it from someone on Facebook. So for just $14, we spent the evening at what felt like our own little private party (with about 60 or so guests) with Joshua Radin serenading us with just his acoustic guitar. It was awesome -- one of the best shows we've been to. And to top it off, Joshua was gracious enough to stick around and pose for photos afterwards.
A while ago I blogged about our TV shoot with the local media—now it's showtime.
Each of the following spots are exactly the same except for the fact that they end with Wu at the anchor desks of different local news broadcasts.
Also, yesterday we had the had the unique honor of being given the run of Cessna Aircraft Company for a future spot featuring Wichita State's role in local aviation (over a third of all of the engineers in this town are WSU alumni).
Here's a still of Wu hanging out with a group of test pilots between shots—you wouldn't believe the trouble I went through to get Wu a matching flightsuit. But it was worth it.
Last Thursday, Craig and I went to hear Dr. Ed Cook (my friend Shayna's dad) give a presentation on Global Climate Change. The presentation had some elements from Al Gore's 2006 "An Inconvenient Truth" documentary, but it also included more recent data and information on how Kansas is contributing to the problem. It was eye-opening, but it was also encouraging to hear that Ed is opening the minds and eyes of others in this city by giving his presentation to groups of 2 people and up to 200.
Whether or not you believe in global warming and if it's caused by man, I think we can all agree that there are benefits in making our carbon footprint smaller on this planet -- benefits to our health, benefits to our pocket book and benefits for how we leave this place for our grandchildren.
Dr. Ed shared some easy changes we can make that just might add up to a whole lot of good:
1. Replace incandescent light bulbs in your house with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFLs). 2. Maintain good tire pressure. 3. Use less hot water. 4. Plant a tree. 5. Use a programmable thermostat and set it 2 degrees warmer (in summer) and 2 degrees cooler (in winter). 6. Drive less. 7. Turn off electronic devices when not in use. 8. Recycle. 9. Reduce consumption. 10. Spread the word.
I try not to get too political on here (I said "try," I know I'm not always that successful). But just now, some information about Sarah Palin got me too worked up to mind my internal censor.
In June, after gunning down 14 adult wolves from a helicopter, officials from Governor Palin’s Department of Fish and Game rounded up 14 orphaned wolf pups and methodically shot each one in the head in clear violation of a state law. The Defenders of Wildlife Fund posted the following video about her policy which brings its terribly inhumane actions to light.
Disclaimer: While not particularly gruesome, this video may not be appropriate for everyone.
I believe even the most hard-core hunters out there will agree that this is not right.
Last March, in the aftermath of Erin and Scott's wedding, I stumbled upon SmugMug an online service that would provide me with an easy way to post my photos and order prints. At the time, I just signed up for a free trial, but a few months ago Carrie's mom showed me the prints she had ordered and I was so impressed with the quality that I decided to pony up some money and join on. In fact, I was so enthusiastic I even signed up for an upgraded membership—one that would allow me to customize my own site … a bad move for someone who knows little to no html and has the patience of an ADHD-riddled three year-old. However, after a month of cussing, I'm ready to show what I've been up to.
I plan on making a few more adjustments, but check me out at www.craiglindemanphoto.com (you just might see someone you know).
Oh, and in the future, I plan on adding a "Recently Shot" gallery so that you can check in and see what I've, well … recently shot.
I was in Kansas City last weekend, helping my sister and mom host a wedding shower for a friend, and experienced a Kansas City tradition since 1945. Unfortunately, it took me until 2008 to discover it. The tradition is McLain's Bakery, "home of the chocolate cup cookie." Sadly, I never got to try this chocolate cup cookie, but we did pick up several dozen of these little sandie cookies topped with chocolate frosting. Yum. If you're ever in the neighborhood (Waldo, to be exact), be sure to swing by and try one. It's worth the calories.
Last week my office shot a fifth spot in a series of commercials featuring Wu rubbing elbows with people out in the local community. I developed the concept last year as an attempt to draw attention to the huge impact Wichita State alums have in south-central Kansas. The basic idea is: everywhere you go, there we are—with Wu serving as a kind of a visual metaphor for all of the Shockers living and working in the area. Anyway, we've already produced spots that focused on the business community, public education, health care and research—so this time we directed our attention to the local media.
I was afraid this was going to turn into a nightmare. First of all, the shoot extended over three days (usually these are shot in one day). Secondly, it required the coordination of a lot of local celebrities (and their egos).
However, much to my surprise, it went extremely well. Maybe it was due to the fact that the campaign has been pretty well received in the community, but it's been shocking (pun intended) just how accommodating people have been. For this particular spot, we got the run of the Wichita Eagle newsroom to shoot a scene with fashion columnist Bonnie Bing; share a studio with Wichita's #1 morning DJ, Brett Harris; and belly up to the anchor desk with Anita Cochran, Dave Freeman, Jeff Herndon and Susan Peters (all of whom were extremely nice and unassuming—it probably helped that a lot of them were WSU alums or huge supporters).
Anyway, the spot is not edited yet, but here's a photo of Wu with Susan Peters and Jeff Herndon at KAKE.
OK, this last one is a little scary, but so is the idea of us having a kid.
While you're there, if you see an image anywhere on his site that you'd like for yourself, he'd be happy to have a print made for you, just let us know the size and we'll let you know how much it cost through Smug Mug.
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Last Thursday, Craig and I went to hear Dr. Ed Cook (my friend Shayna's dad) give a presentation on Global Climate Change. The presentation had some elements from Al Gore's 2006 "An Inconvenient Truth" documentary, but it also included more recent data and information on how Kansas is contributing to the problem. It was eye-opening, but it was also encouraging to hear that Ed is opening the minds and eyes of others in this city by giving his presentation to groups of 2 people and up to 200. 
