Guest Booked for Thursday Night's Taping

Thursday night, we'll be interviewing Steve Bridge of Sportsradio 1450. We're excited to have Steve on the show, and we're looking forward to peeking into the life of a local broadcaster. Steve is one of the co-hosts of Sportsradio 1450's Press Box. He is on the air live from Sammy's Sports Bar ever Thursday afternoon from 4-6 PM.

Sorry, Hilton.

New Show Tapes This Week

We're gearing up for another round of tapings, starting with a taping on Thursday night. At this point, we're in the process of booking a couple of special guests. If that falls through, we're going to work with one of our contacts to get Springfield's angriest poet/blogger, Hilton Hightower, on the show. We've already confirmed that he will be available, but we will only call on him if we can't book our first guests. He understands that terrible poetry will always have to take a backseat to "real" entertainment.

One thing I know will be a real treat for you viewers out there is the wardrobe for this next show. Micah's already picked out his gear, and I'm going this afternoon to pick out my gear. I won't tell you what this show's theme will be, but let me just say we've moved our typical look forward a few years.

The last couple of months, I've really been stuck in a rut. I've had a lot of stuff going on in my personal life, and my work life has never been busier than it is right now. Writing tests has never been more lucrative. It's been tough to find time/energy to keep this little blog thing moving along. Well, I'm recommitting myself to finding at least a few minutes a day to devote to blogging. This may not mean a new post every day, but it will mean more regular updates.

I'm glad we're gearing up for a new show. It'll be good to get back in the studio. I always love taping.

Celiac Awareness Month

October is Celiac Awareness Month. If you don't know, and many of you won't, Celiac Sprue (aka Celiac Disease) is an autoimmune disorder of the small bowel. It is caused by the small intestine's inability to digest the proteins in grains, i.e. wheat gluten. People who suffer from celiac disease are forbidden from eating any sort of wheat products or any products that contain ingredients derived from wheat. Celiac sufferers are also not able to tolerate barley, oats, rye, and often are unable to tolerate rice.

The problem with celiac disease is not that it makes it difficult to live in a world that lives on wheat products. Rather, celiac disease is a serious disease that if left untreated can lead to many other autoimmune disorders, such as hypothyroidism and Crohn's disease. Another common symptom of untreated celiac disease is the prevalance of migraines (often increasing in severity over time) as well as osteoporosis.

You may think, "Hmmm. Osteoporosis. That's weird." But it's really not. You see, as celiac worsens, the small intestine's ability to digest food properly becomes diminished. You may intake the required daily amount of calcium through a balanced diet or the intake of supplements, but the body is unable to digest them. Many celiac sufferers are often anemic, osteoporitic, and otherwise malnourished.

Celiac disease is a serious affliction that affects many people. It is currently estimated that over 1 million people are suffering from undiagnosed celiac disease. One out of every 133 Americans has some level of gluten intolerance. And here's one more interesting fact for the record books, of the 8 million people in America currently suffering from autoimmune disorders, 3/4 of those sufferers are women.

My wife suffers from celiac disease. It is an issue very close to my heart. I don't want this post to come off as preachy, but informative. Micah and I have agreed that this blog is not a place for our "soapboxin'." I just felt that it is important to share some of what I know about a disease that doesn't have Lance Armstrong or Michael J. Fox as it's spokesperson. It is an important issue. After knowing firsthand how difficult it can be to find a diagnosis and begin proper handling of a wily and hard-to-identify disease, I thought it might be helpful to put a little knowledge back out into the world.

The Best Fingerpicking Guitarist I've Ever Seen

Several years ago, I had the pleasure to work with a true poet among men. He was a writer, and I was an editor. We worked for a testing company in Richmond, Virginia. He wrote poems and stories for kids, and I decided what went where, what needed tweaked, and what needed thrown out the door. He was a musician. At the time I started, he was touring the country, playing music at small folk festivals, and writing in his spare time. As I worked there a bit longer, he became a regular part of the office. He went "straight" for awhile, working a 9-to-5 to make ends meet. I think, in a lot of ways, it was the 9-to-5 that gave him the money he needed to really get his music career off the ground. He had no lack of talent. It just seems that with young, new musicians the problem is always time and money. He is the best fingerpicking guitarist I've ever heard in my life.

Let me introduce you to my friend. His name is Paul Curreri. He playes blues-country acoustic guitar with influences that range from Mississippi John Hurt to Bob Dylan, Blind Willie McTell to Joni Mitchell. I haven't spoken with Paul in years, but I think of him often, and I always wish him well. Here are a couple of video links to Paul doing what he does best.

Part One


Part Two

The Highwaymen Part 2

Here's a little more:

The Highwaymen

This has been a very busy couple of weeks for John and I. Professionally speaking of course. We are planning our new shows and they are very slowly coming together. We are trying to book a few guests but nothing is solid yet. We will keep you updated on that business as soon as we have some news.

During the State Fair Q&A, John asked me a great question. If you could put on a concert, what three bands would you have play? I loved it. It did not have to be a current band so unfortunately the key musicians to most of what I chose are dead. I chose The Doors, The Highwaymen and Stevie Ray Vaughn. I have been in more of a country mood lately. I'm not a big country fan at all. I couldn't name five current country stars if I tried and I don't even know what radio station to listen too. However, I have always loved the old stuff. Before it got too twangy. And that means Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson are huge on my favorites list. I am not ashamed to admit that I have been to at least 10 Willie concerts. THE HIGHWAYMEN. Above is a little taste of how they were.

I Think Micah's Stealing My Socks

Now I'm not trying to throw stones here, but I am starting to seriously wonder if Micah is making off with my socks when he comes to visit me. Every time Micah comes over to my house, the next day I don't have any clean socks. I wash all the laundry and find my supply of socks is severely diminished. For quite some time now I've been trying to figure out a pattern. "Where are my socks going?" I ask.

Then this weekend, it occurred to me. My supply seems to dwindle every time Micah comes around. Next time he comes over, I'm going to have to see if he has any enlarged bulges anywhere as he exits the premises.

For One Night I Lived in the World of Giants

A few weeks ago, Aubrey and I went to a 30th birthday bash for a good (old) friend of ours in St. Louis. The main event for the night was a roller skating party at this old roller rink in a seedy part of town. It was great. The directions to get to the place had us traipsing all over the place. The rink was once a functioning roller rink was recently reopened and can be rented for private parties and such.

The night belonged to us. We had the full run of the place. The skates, the music, the rink. It was BYO, so everyone brought their own beverage of choice and skated the night away. We ran the joint. (I've never roller skated in my life, but I loved it. It made me feel so young and alive. )

But here's my favorite part. The bathrooms were absolutely Lilliputian. I mean, the toilet bowl didn't even come up to my knee, and there's no way I could have sat on the thing. And the sink: it was nearly impossible to fit both hands into the sink at once.

If they ever tear that old roller rink down, I want to get those bathroom fixtures. It would be cool to have a "mini" bathroom in your house. A closet, maybe, with all these tiny bathroom fixtures. You could really mess with people.

Just Two Guys PSA--Canine Vulvar Conformation

This is our puppy Lucy. She is cute, well-adjusted, and healthy. She's affectionate and friendly. She doesn't always come when called, but she's a joy and a treat every day.

She suffers from Canine Vulvar Conformation (i.e. folded vulva). Basically her vulva grew in such a way that she has a flap of skin growing over the vulva lips. The pocket created by this extra skin stores dirt and grows bacteria. The result is urinary tract infection and skin infection of the afflicted region.

In her first year of life, Lucy has suffered from chronic urinary tract infections. We've treated them with antibiotics, and we've worked hard to clean the vulva. But no amount of work on our end has helped Lucy's painful urination and skin irritation. Our only choice is to keep her on antibiotics her whole life or to have the wonderful vets at Coble Animal Hospital perform a vulvoplasty surgery on her. The vulvoplasty will cut the excess skin and pull it back away from the vulva lips, leaving the vulva open and free of debris accumulation, infection, and irritation.