Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas from Ed & Sarah 2011

It's another Christmas video from Ed & Sarah. You must have been really good this year! Or -- depending on your point of view -- really bad.


Thursday, December 01, 2011

Meet & Greet, 11/30/2011

Today's post-show Meet & Greet was especially productive. And by productive, I mean a lot of people said some really inappropriate things to me. In the show, I play a Jewish guy who is dating a Gentile. Her Southern conservative parents don't know we're dating...or that we live together...or that I'm Jewish, and hence hilarity ensues.

So, of course, after the show as we were shaking hands in the lobby an old woman came up to me and whispered, "A friend of mine has a daughter who's dating....a Jew!" Please note that the phrase "a Jew" was dripping with disgust, as if she was saying someone fed her a glass of Metamucil with poop in it!

I also got a few "Not bad for a Jew" comments which are becoming surprisingly - and unsettlingly - common. I responded to one old man, "I'm not sure how to take that," and he just laughed and laughed.

Of course, I also get my fair share of Jewish people who come through the line and make it a point to let me know that they know I'm not Jewish. One lady, who sounded exactly like Mike Myers's Linda Richman character, said to me in all of her New Yawk accent, "You don't sound Jewish to me."

This isn't the first time I've heard that comment and I always find it intriguing since none of my Jewish friends sound like the stereotype I can only assume she was talking about (and sounded like herself) and the only people who tell me I don't sound Jewish are people who tawk like this, as they tawk about cawfee and dawgs and dawtahs.


Finally, a woman came through the line and asked if I was Italian. I told her I wasn't, and she got a look on her face like I just punched her in the spleen. I don't know if she was offended, disappointed, or just surprised that her profiling-by-looks had failed her.

Either way, it was a blogworthy day.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Meet & Greet, 11/29/2011

During today's Meet & Greet after the show (in which I portray a Jewish guy), a man came up to me and asked, "Are you really Jewish?"

"No, I'm not," I answered, to which he immediately responded,

"Ah, you're a real American!"

Huh? What?

What the flip, old people?

Monday, November 28, 2011

Subtle

The nice thing about Facebook is being able to connect with people with whom you went to elementary, junior, and high school.

The not-so nice thing about Facebook is when those people start sending you weird, creepy, poorly-written private messages. And then, when you don't respond, the messages keep coming, each one getting more and more unsettling. You know, like these:


"Use it if you want?"

Whatever, creeper. I'm happily married. More than happily married.

So you can go wait by your phone for me to not call if you want. Or just fall in a hole. Whatevs.



*PS. The phrase "you were always my director for play time" refers (I think) to a class play I directed in Mrs. Bickley's 5th grade English class. I especially enjoy how she managed to give that sweet memory a gross, icky connotation.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Now All I Need Is A VCR

As their Black Friday sale continues, Amazon tried to be sneaky and unload THIS bargain on us this morning.


What? Only 10% of them have been claimed? That's crazy!

Of course, I don't now if I'm more amazed by the fact that they still make and sell VHS tapes or that Marty McFly is here from 1985 and getting a bargain on some "Standard Grade" Maxells.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

B

I just saw this exchange on Facebook between two people who went to high school with me. Twenty-two years later and they're still playing the exact same roles.

Meet & Greet, 11/17/2011

During today's Meet & Greet, I got two awesome comments.

The first came from an old guy who exclaimed as he shook my hand, "Aw, you Jewboy!"

The second compliment came from an older gentleman who gave me a knowing wink, as if he were in on a big secret. "Not bad for an Italian!" he smiled.

Never in my life have I heard so many borderline (and not so borderline) racial slurs directed at me that had nothing to do with my actual ethnicity.

I think this is gonna be fun.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Meet & Greet, 11/16/2011

I am currently in a show out at a local theater and it's a cute little comedy about a girl living in NYC whose Southern Baptist parents drop in for a surprise Christmas vacation. What her parents don't know is that not only is she living with a guy (yours truly), but the guy she is with happens to be Jewish (gasp!). Of course, as the lies and the sneaking around pile up, more and more shenanigans ensue.

After the matinee performances, the cast assembles in the lobby to shake hands with the audience and thank them for coming. I've gotten some very, very nice comments from the people who came to see the show but what I would like to share here are the comments that I found straight-up confusing.

Like this one:

Today an old man ran up to me and said, "Aw, you Jew!"

I wasn't sure what that meant, but as soon as he said it I knew I would be sharing it with you.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Veteran Luncheon

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

Hey...I'm not totally cynical. Sometimes, like when Dad makes the paper, I'm just proud.

Friday, October 28, 2011

4th Anniversary

Last night was just a random Thursday as far as most people were concerned, but for Sarah and me it was special. Wednesday was our four-year anniversary, but we both had to work that night so we postponed the celebrations a day.

And, by celebrations, I mean "random night on the town."

As you can see, it doesn't take much to make us happy. Just hanging out with each other is always a celebration.



Wednesday, October 19, 2011

MADly Influenced

I don't usually post a new blog every time I upload a new doodle to my Flickr account, but since this one is a little different (and since it's been a while since I've blogged something that wasn't poking fun at the newspapers from the Indiana town I grew up in), I thought I would make an exception.

When I doodle, 99% of the time I use a pen. I'm not comfortable sketching in pencil, but I've been reading an amazing new book by Tom Richmond, The Mad Art of Caricature! Compared to my other doodles, you can see the book has really had a bit of an influence on my style. Sarah and I have also gotten hooked on the new FX series "American Horror Story," so Dylan McDermott was a natural choice for the subject of my attempt at a new style.

DYLAN MCDERMOTT

I haven't completely finished Richmond's book yet, so who's to say how my doodles will be affected on a long-term basis (if they are at all...I've been known to regress a time or two) but I was pretty impressed with my progress so far.

By the way, if you have any kind of interest in art, caricature, or MAD magazine, I highly recommend Richmond's book. He pulls the curtain back on this oft-overlooked style of art and opens your eyes to how you see the world. Even if you don't draw or consider yourself an artist, you'll appreciate Richmond's outlook and you just might find yourself seeing the people around you with a new -- and entertaining -- perspective.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Martial Arts Day

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:


Ah, National Martial Arts Day, how you make me smile. Mostly because you're so easily confused with Lounge-Around-In-Your-Blue-Bathrobe Day.

Saturday, October 08, 2011

Imprecatory Prayer

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

This little ad was found in the section of the newspaper where local churches usually advertise for an upcoming event like a potluck dinner or a special speaker. What I found most intriguing about this ad is it was sponsored by Miller's Merry Manor, a local nursing home. You know, it's the way they care by praying for their enemies to die.



Blue Suits & Bible Stories

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:
I still don't quite understand what the big easel/covered square object has to do with the big announcement. All I know is it looks like I'm in for the best, most color-coordinated flannelgraph re-telling of the story of Noah ever.

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Good Dog

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

Just a hunch, but something about this picture tells me that dog will never ever misbehave again.

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Jumping For Joy

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

This was on the front page. No story, just this picture and the cute lil caption.


I'll say it again: THIS WAS ON THE FRONT PAGE.

Saturday, October 01, 2011

You've REALLY Come A Long Way, Baby

I've been doing our family genealogy this week and I've really been enjoying it. I would tell Sarah the stories I uncovered and how excited I was that I was able to trace my mom's family all the way back to 716AD. But, when we began peeling away at Sarah's family line, that's when she really got excited. And for good reason.

So sit back and enjoy this historic look at just how much it took, and just what people went through, to bring us the woman I'm so much in love with. Keep an eye out for the guy with my favorite name, Fulk the Rude.
Marcomir I, King of Sicambria SICAMBRI (449BC - 412BC)

relationship to you: 89th great grandfather of Sarah



Son of Marcomir I, King of Sicambria



Son of Antenor II, King of Sicambria



Son of King Priamus, Prian IV,Priamus Ilium



Son of Helenus



Son of Diocles, King of the



Son of King Bassanus Mangus Ilium of the



Son of Clodomir I the



Son of Nicanor



Son of Marcomir



Son of Clodius I, King of



Son of ANTENOR ANTINOR III



Son of Merodachus Clodomir II



Son of Cassander King of



Son of Antharius



Son of Francus King



Son of CLODIUS II -



Son of Marcomir III Sicambrian King of the



Son of Clodemiro III Penardim the



Son of Antenor IV the West



Son of Rothaerius



Son of Richemer I King of the



Son of Odomir King of the



Son of Marcomir IV King of the



Son of King Clodomir IV



Son of Farabert



Son of Sunno Hunno King of the



Son of King Hilderic of the



Son of Bartherus King of the West



Son of King Clodius III du West



Son of King Waltherus Walter



Son of Dagobert I King Of The



Son of Genebald I, des FRANCS, 1st Duke



Son of Dagobert II "The Younger"



Daughter of Clodius IV Duke



Son of Ascyla Queen of Lombardy



Son of Flavius Richomeres, Comes domesticorum, Consul to the Roman Empire



Son of Theudemeres one of the leaders of the Salian Franks and King of Thérouanne



Son of King Clodion Clovis I



Daughter of King Merovech I



Son of Basina I



Son of Sigimaerus "Bishop"



Son of Tonantius Ferreolus, Senator de Rodez, Governor



Son of Ansbertus "The Senator," Prince of the Sicambrian Franks



Son of Garnier, Erchinoald I



Son of Bodilon



Son of Guerin Warinus Count Of



Son of Lambert



Son of Robert



Son of Guerin



Son of Milo de



Son of Milo De



Daughter of Francon I



Son of Mrs Lieven



Son of Mayeul



Son of Aubri



Son of Count of Macon



Daughter of Alberic Comte



Son of Beatrice Countess



Son of Count of Gastinois



Son of Fulk the



Son of Fulk V The Younger Of



Son of Geoffrey V



Son of Henry II King of



Son of John 'Lackland' King of



Son of Richard Plantagenet de



Son of Richard De John Plantagenet



Son of Geoffrey



Son of Richard



Son of Geoffrey



Son of Richard



Son of Edmund Planetgenet



Son of OTIS



Son of Thomas



Son of Lawrence



Son of Robert



Son of Richard



Son of George



Son of Richard



Son of Thomas



Son of John



Son of Joshua



Son of Joshua



Son of William



Son of Quimby



Daughter of Mathew



Son of Hannah



Son of Oliver Pettibone



Son of Jasper O



Son of Elmore Eli



Daughter of Elmer J



Daughter of Suzanne Marie

I gotta tell ya. It was all worth it.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Lazy Mower

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:


DUDE. Seriously. With all of that landscaping in your yard, you have like 3 square feet of mow-able grass. Is it really necessary to purchase this monster of a riding lawn mower - with a roll cage, no less? Get off your butt and buy a push mower. It's not like you couldn't use the exercise.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Correct Way To Make A Documentary

Discuss:

Headless. Armless.

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

Heck with the truck, why is there no mention of the headless, armless midget in the photo's caption? Are we seriously just gonna pretend he's not there?

In God's Praise

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:


Praise God, indeed.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Anniversary Hair

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

A sincere "congratulations" on your 50th. And a very sincere "whoa" on the hair.

I Love A Parage

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

This little gem was found on the front page, in the upper left-hand corner. What exactly is a "parage?" I'm pretty sure it's a parade, only French-ier.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Smoke the Jets!

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

It was a big game for the Railraoders this weekend. So big, in fact, that they completely missed the irony of the banner the cheerleaders made for the big 9/11-anniversary game.

But, in retrospect, I have to admit it's better than "It's 9/11! Ram those jets into a building! Go Team!!"

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Pamper Your Pet!

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

I don't know if your pet really considers some kind of weird human/animal wedding ceremony a "perk" but....whatever.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Racing Pants

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

Judging by their pants, Nic's friend's must have been standing too close to his car's exhaust pipe when it zoomed by.

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Uh Oh.

I just logged on to the UPS website to check the status of my shipment. This doesn't look promising.


Look,  I understand people are drowning in their cars, but seriously, is my Conan mug OK?







Friday, September 02, 2011

Hubcaps To Go

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

Hubcaps To Go was at a local swap meet. The local paper ran a photo of two customers browsing while the Hubcaps To Go guy looked on. I'll give you three guesses as to which of the men in the picture below is the hubcap company representative. (HINT: He's not wearing a shirt)

Thursday, September 01, 2011

USA Softball

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

If you ever wonder what kind of small town I grew up in, the guy in the middle of the back row (or rather, that's guys shirt) says it all.

Worshipful Master

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

Who comes up with the rankings at the lodge? "Worshipful Master?" Really? Humble much?

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A Teacher Once Told Me...

Tonight we were playing a game called "Truth Be Told" with some friends. The basic gist of the game is, one person reads a fill-in-the-blank statement out loud. The Reader writes down their answer while everyone else also writes down an answer they think The Reader might say. Then, everyone tries to guess which one is The Reader's actual answer. It's a lot of fun and we had a lot of laughs.

During one round, Sarah was The Reader and her statement was "A teacher once told me _____."

It was funny to see what everyone said, mostly because we all had a similar idea of what a teacher may have said to her. Also, read out loud one after, it just sounded funny.

As a side note, no one guessed Sarah's actual answer ("To be quiet!"). So close.


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Dorkiness Throughout The Years

I think it's safe to say at this point in time, we've all Googled ourselves just to see what happens. Tonight I took that a step further as I was scouring the archives of my hometown Indiana newspaper, The Garrett Clipper. Garrett is a pretty small town in the northeast corner of the state whose population in 2009 was a whopping 5700 people.

So yea, pretty small.

The Clipper runs a time capsule-like feature where they post the headline from 50, 25 and 10 years ago and I came across a few choice articles that included me as a youngster making my name in print. Please enjoy this window to my extra-curricular (and curricular) activities as a youth.

***

November 24, 2010
25 Years ago
Dr. Kurt Doughtery and Alan Koldeway were inducted into the Garrett Lions Club in November 1985. Garrett High School senior drama club members Joe Carlin and Ed Placencia presented a humorous skit, “The Odd Couple” following dinner at the Railroad Inn.

***

November 15, 2010
25 years ago
Garrett freshman Ed Placencia was appointed to the All-Region Junior Band in November 1985 to perform the alto sax. He and band director Paul Marlow would travel to Bourbon, Ind. later that month for a day of rehearsal and a performance the following day. Ed is the son of Ed and Toni Placencia of Garrett.

***

October 11, 2010
25 years ago
Garrett High School students were busy rehearsing for the fall play, “The Dutch Detective” by Walter Ben Hare. Cast members included Doug Ahr, Joe Carlin, Brian Getts, Angie Jacobs, Shelly Lantz, Kris Miller, Mike Peters, Ed Placencia, Lisa Wambsganss and Jamie Witherspoon.

***

March 10, 2008
25 Years Ago
Sixth-grader Ed Placencia won the local spelling bee when he correctly spelled the word “necessary” and went on to spell “information.” He beat out runner-up John Jones, also in sixth grade.

***

Plays, humorous skits, and awesome alto sax abilities. Does nothing change?

Monday, August 15, 2011

Back to Gettysburg

It's been a year since Sarah and I have been to Gettysburg and recently we got a chance to head back to the town we have grown to love. It's less than 90 minutes away and we haven't been able to get there nearly as much as we should.

We started off the weekend by checking in to The Brafferton Inn, a great Bed & Breakfast right in the heart of the city. Sarah and I were greeted by Joan, one of the owners, and we immediately fell in love with the place as she gave us a tour of the grounds and finally led us to our room. It had its own private entrance right off the street, so it was almost like Sarah and I had our own little apartment for the weekend (and people who walked by were jealous and thought we lived there).

We didn't have time to relax, though, as we had an appointment for a ghost hunt - not a ghost tour - with the Gettysburg Paranormal Association. Although this wasn't technically our first hunt (you can read about that experience here) it was the first time we were on a location with actual ghost hunting tools (digital recorders, temperature guns, ghost nets, and dowsing rods) and we had a blast.


We were investigating at the Hoffman Mansion, a large empty house with quite a history. Between serving as a makeshift hospital during The Civil War and the site of a grisly suicide with a heartbreaking story, the estate has become quite a hotspot for ghostly sightings.

Our small group of amateur investigators was given free reign of the property and we spread out. The group leaders Pat and Kelly would roam from person to person, answering questions, giving tips, and sharing their stories and personal experiences. Given my past in radio, I truly enjoy interviewing people and finding out where they have come from and what they do, and these two did not disappoint.


Sarah and I started off in the basement and not much happened. I say "not much" because I thought I saw something. I have no idea what it was but it was something. Although it was pitch black in the basement, we were armed with a flashlight and a "ghost net," which is basically a green laser pointer that emits a large pattern of light in the room. As we were nearing a small room just across from the stairs (as seen in the photo at right) I saw something dash out of the room and disappear on the other side of the stairs. It was small and gray-colored, and about the size of a cat. It moved very fast and it was also blurry, almost as if you put a gray blob of paint on a canvas and then just smeared it with your finger. That's about as much description as I can offer.

I'm not saying it was a ghost or a spirit or something supernatural. Heck, for all I know, it was the beam from someone's flashlight swinging by.  All I'm saying is, I saw it and I didn't know what it was.


The only other time "something" happened was up in the attic. It was dark and creepy and as I climbed the stairs, I felt an oppressive air around me. I described it to Sarah like I was diving into a lake that was covered with a thin film of Jell-O. Once I got through the weird "gelatin barrier," everything felt fine. We sat down for a few seconds and were joined by Pat, one of the lead investigators. He told us the story of a young woman, deserted by the love of her life, who committed suicide in the attic. I said something to Sarah and, right after I did, Pat said, "You know, the girl who committed suicide up here...her name was Sarah, too."

As soon as Pat said the name "Sarah," I heard a loud click come from Sarah's hand. In fact, we all heard it. Sarah felt it.

"Was that you?" I asked.

"No," Sarah said, and I could see her looking down at the thermometer gauge in her hand illuminated only by my small flashlight. "It was this." Sarah studied the device in her hand.

I forget exactly what our conversation was at that point, but the loud clicking noise we all heard came from the thermometer gun. The click sounded like a piece of plastic being snapped in two, but everything was in tact. Sarah said afterward she felt the unit move in her hand as it "clicked" but couldn't quite figure out how it made the sound. The only moving part on the laser thermometer is a little trigger, but it doesn't make a clicking sound when it's pulled, and try as she might, Sarah could not recreate the sound.

After that, the night was fairly uneventful. At least for us. At the end of our two hours, people told stories of pictures they caught of eerie faces in the windows, ghostly figures walking through rooms, and a roomful of eerie apparitions seen en masse. We didn't experience anything like that, and my first reaction when I heard that was, "You liars. We were in the basement, too, and we didn't see anything like that." But of course, I didn't say that. I just nodded my head and said, "Oh wow."

The ghost hunt finally came to an end and Sarah and I made it back to our Bed & Breakfast. It's funny how, after a couple of hours of ghost stories and eerie happenings, you become very aware of every noise you hear in a strange place. Every creak and  squeak demanded an explanation and we even had a bit of a scare with a closet door that appeared to open and close on its own. As it turned out, the night shadows in the room play some very convincing tricks on the eye.


The next morning, Sarah and I woke up to an amazing breakfast courtesy of the chef at The Brafferton Inn. After a late night running around chasing things we couldn't see, it was exactly what the doctor ordered. The food was amazing. Fresh fruit, homemade pastries, raspberry-stuffed French toast, meatlover omelettes....man, it was nice. It's making me hungry again just thinking about it.

Fully charged with breakfast and coffee, Sarah and I set out on the town. Although this wasn't our first time in Gettysburg, we never took the time to actually see the town. We not only enjoyed looking at the shops, the theater, and the people (if you're a fan of people-watching, Gettysburg is the place for you), we also had fun looking for a good cup of coffee. I won't go into it too much, but...suffice it to say, we didn't find one.

We continued our exploration and eventually made our way down to the Gettysburg National Cemetery. It's a beautiful property that felt more like a park than a burial site. I still haven't figured out if it's weird to say we enjoyed, even had fun at, the cemetery. The statues, the cannons that surrounded the grounds, even the headstones, were beautiful and although we didn't always understand exactly what we were admiring, we admired it all nonetheless.

We weaved and wound our way through the paths inside and didn't even come close to seeing all of it when we decided to head back. The sky was getting darker and darker and rain was imminent.

Also, we had to go to the bathroom.

Gettysburg shops are notorious for not having a public bathroom so we decided to stop in at O'Rorke's Eatery and Spirits, a warm and friendly Irish pub. We were still pretty stuffed from our breakfast but figured we'd order something small from the appetizers menu so we wouldn't feel too guilty about popping in just to use the restroom. We ordered veggies and dip and a crab dip plate as well.

We severely underestimated the crab dip.


It was huge and, although it was listed as an appetizer, could have easily fed six grown men.

Not only was it a very generous portion, it was also delicious. I wished I was hungrier than I was so I could inhale every last bite of it. Fortunately, I was able to restrain myself and we ended up leaving the majority of it untouched.

That's one thing I didn't expect from Gettysburg: amazing food. We walked by a bunch of places we wished we were hungry enough to try. Sarah remarked that she wished our stomachs were larger so we could just eat everywhere and I had to agree.

Sarah and I walked back to our B&B from there, about a 20 minute walk, and kicked back for a couple of hours before it was time to hit the road and investigate ghosts once again. Sarah took a nap and I read a few chapters of The War for Late Night. I left my laptop at home for this vacation and this was my only pop-culture moment of the weekend. It was nice, and being away from the internet and being "instantly accessible" was a welcome change of pace. It was also a lot easier than I was afraid it would be. There's something to be said for occasionally unplugging from the matrix.

One weird thing happened before I started reading:

I sat on the couch, prepared to look through the photos we had taken so far that day. I took my camera out of the left pocket of my cargo shorts. It seemed awfully light for some reason and when I tried to turn it on, nothing happened. I had just changed the batteries earlier in the day but nothing had seemed amiss during our investigation of the museum. Because the weight of the camera was so light, I pressed the battery-release button on the camera and was slightly shocked to find that the battery compartment was empty.

To say I was baffled would be an understatement.

I checked the pocket for the batteries and they weren't there. Strangely enough, I did find them in my opposite pocket. I know for a fact I didn't take the batteries out, put them in one pocket, and then put the camera in another. I had just used the camera in the restaurant to take a picture of the mountainous crab dip and it never left my sight (or pocket) after that. I would have blamed Sarah trying to be sneaky, but both of my pockets were snapped shut, something I always take care to do when I've got any kind of equipment in them (I habit I picked up when I began filming on a regular basis).


After re-charging our batteries (no pun intended), we walked down to The International Museum of Spiritual Investigations for their "Night at the Museum," a 3-hour ghost hunt within their history-laced walls. Fred, the president of the museum, was our fearless leader this time around and we spent most of the night huddled in the pitch-black darkness of the basement, a back room and yes, the bathroom. All senses were on high alert but unfortunately we didn't come across anything concrete. There were a couple of "I wonder if" moments, but they were only moments and it's hard to say for sure. Of course the audio footage that was recorded here (and on the previous night's investigation) still has to  be gone through by the investigators, so who knows. If they find anything interesting and post it on their website(s), I will be sure to share that with you here.

At the end of the investigation, we had a great conversation with Fred, who genuinely didn't seem to mind that my questions were extending well past the three-hour slot we had reserved. He enjoyed sharing his past stories and experiences and wanted nothing more than to help out however he could.

Fred asked us if Sarah and I had been to Sachs Bridge and when we told him we hadn't, he seemed surprised. Sachs Bridge (a red covered bridge on the outskirts of town) was the site where, while the Confederate troops were retreating, they came across some deserters. The deserters were hung from the rafters of the bridge as punishment and it is now one of the most-common places for ghost hunters to gather. He told us if we ever went out there we would not be alone, mostly because there's usually someone out there looking for ghosts 24/7. Sarah and I decided to go out the next day before we headed home to see for ourselves.

Sarah and I made it back to The Brafferton in one piece that night and hopped across the street for some late-night Chinese takeout. We had done a lot of walking that day and were ready to hit the hay. If there were any strange noises in the room that night, we were too tired to notice them.



The next morning after enjoying another amazing - and filling - breakfast before checking out of the B&B (we'll definitely be seeing you again, Brafferton!), we decided to see if we couldn't find the covered bridge Fred told us about the night before. It was built back in 1852 and, as we learned, was destroyed by a flash flood back in the late 1990s. However, over 90% of the original truss and lattice was recovered and an amazing restoration was performed.

Sarah and I walked the bridge, this time with my own digital voice recorder, asking questions and hoping to hear something. After about ten minutes of taking photos and reading the graffiti on the inside of the bridge, we made our way down a little path we were also told was jumping with "activity." We hadn't gone too far when we saw an orange "U.S. BORDER" stake in the ground. We had been warned that the government is very unforgiving to people who cross onto government property, especially in that area, so we were mindful to stay on our own side.


We spent another ten minutes in the woods, along the riverbank, as a symphony of insects played on around us. There was plenty of wildlife to take in but neither of us experienced anything more other-worldly than that. Occasionally another person or two would pull up in their car, take photos of the bridge, and then leave but for the most part we had the area to ourselves.

We decided to head back and, before we got in the car, Sarah said "Five more pictures" and we went back onto the covered bridge. I turned on my digital recorder once again, we walked the length of the bridge, and then took some goofy photos before hopping in the car and bringing our weekend to a close.

Or so we thought.

That night, safe in the confines of our apartment, I began reviewing what I had recorded on the digital audio recorded. Besides the two of us (obviously), we didn't seem to catch anything else besides the water below us, the occasional gust of wind, a car pulling up and leaving, and - of course - the never-ending chorus of insects. I was kind of bummed that we didn't catch anything.

That is...until I got to the last track, on the bridge, right before we left. I don't know what I caught, and I'm still not 100% certain it's anything. I know sometimes our mind tries to make sense out of gibberish, even when there's nothing there, and I'm not saying that isn't the case here. I found two instances on the recorder; the first one neither of us noticed at the time. The second one I was the only one to hear and it's so loud, it actually showed up as blips in the visual audio track of my  editing software.


What do you think? Did you hear something different than what we thought we heard? I'm not saying it definitely is or isn't something and am very open to your thoughts and interpretations.

All of that being said, Sarah and I had an amazing weekend. Although the thrust of the weekend was primarily to do a little ghost hunting, what I ended up enjoying the most was the simple act of spending time with Sarah. I always enjoy myself with her and she always makes me laugh. She's so much fun to be with and travel with and even hunt ghosts with. Where most people use the "Is there anyone with us in this room?" ghost-hunting approach, I couldn't help but smile at Sarah's less-formal, "OK, ghost, I'm serious, let me take a picture, I promise I won't look" method.

Whether we're taking silly photos of ourselves with a statue of Abe Lincoln, clowning around next to Civil War cannons, or just strolling down the street hand-in-hand, our little trip made me treasure once again how blessed I am. I love her. She loves me.

Considering all the time we spent "hunting" that weekend, I'm more than happy to report that I didn't have to search long to find that the most valuable treasure was the woman who came to Gettysburg with me.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

A Poop Story

Sarah's nieces are in town and they made up a story. Of course, I decided to illustrate it. Enjoy.

Once upon a time there was a man named Poop. He made friends with an alien named Diarrhea. Diarrhea floated around and saw an alien named Root Beer Float, who looked a lot like his friend Poop. 

Diarrhea said to Root Beer Float, "You look like Poop."

Root Beer Float said, "That's not nice."

The End.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

There's A Frappe For That

Well, it finally happened.

No, the Cubs didn't win a game, let's be realistic.

The Placencia household now contains a smart phone.

Sarah's phone became eligible for an upgrade this month and we went to Costco to check out our options. When I first mentioned this - and the idea of getting a smart phone - to Sarah she was a little hesitant. However, once we were there in the store, it was a no-brainer.

After we settled on a phone, got the contacts from her old phone transferred, and got the new one all connected, we headed home and Sarah was busy in the passenger's seat exploring her new toy. Neither of us have really messed around with a smart phone before so it was all brand new to her and maybe even a little intimidating. Sarah is not one to back down from something just because it's foreign to her, though, and she dove in fearlessly.

I wondered what would catch her eye first. The accessibility of her Gmail account? Her calendar? Facebook? Angry birds?

We only got a couple of minutes away from the store when Sarah broke her silence, held up the phone triumphantly, and declared, "We're only 2 miles from coffee!"

That's my girl.

Friday, July 08, 2011

My Phone Is More Important Than Your Face

I went to the coffee shop tonight. The entire time I was there (about an hour), this couple who appeared to be in their late 40s/early 50s was seated near me. Despite the fact they were at the same table, right across from each other, they barely acknowledged each other's existence. Instead, they spent the whole time staring at their phones.

They just sat there in silence, engrossed by their phones.

Not talking to each other.

Just...looking at their phones and ignoring the other person.

It made my heart hurt a little.

I blacked out their faces to protect their privacy and also reflect their empty, empty hearts.

If I had a copy of it with me, I would have given them this.

Creeper

I haven't blogged for a while. Maybe it's because all of my creative energy has been going into my other blog where I review comedy albums. Maybe I haven't encountered any "good" stories lately. Or maybe I've just been lazy. Maybe it's been a mix of all three (anything to throw you off the whole "'lazy" option).

Whatever the reason, I share with you now the cute little story of a crazy woman in the car in front of me while I was driving to work this morning.

See, there was this crazy woman in the car in front of me on the way to work this morning.

She had started annoying me by randomly swerving and intermittently slowing down to 10 mph. No, before you even ask, I wasn't tailgating her, so I don't attribute the fact she kept slowing down to her trying to get back at me for driving too close. In fact, after seeing the mad driving skills she displayed, I was giving her plenty of room; I had no idea what was going to happen next. What I found particularly entertaining was the "NO CELL PHONE ZONE" bumper sticker on her car. In this case, it probably wouldn't have hurt.

We approached a stoplight with three lanes: a left-turn lane, an I'm-going-straight lane, and a right-turn lane. As we approached the light, she turned on her left turn signal and stayed in the going-straight lane (as fate would have it, the one I needed to take, too). I just assumed she wasn't familiar with the intersection and thought both left lanes were left-turn lanes. She stopped at the red light and then began to creep. Her front tires rolled past the white "Stop Here At A Red Light" line and she kept on rolling. I wondered if she thought it would make the light turn faster. It didn't. So she continued to creep forward.

Soon it got to the point where cars in the cross-traffic had to swerve out of the way as she continued to creep and creep and creep. Being familiar with this route, I knew the light wasn't going to change soon, so I grabbed my phone and snapped a quick photo, just because. Believe it or not, she began behind the white line.

This was taken before she crept even further into traffic. If you look closely at the picture, you can see that her left signal is on.

Incidentally, she ended up going straight instead of turning.

She continued to drive all crazy-like and I eventually got to pass her. She was older than dirt. She may even have been dead, I can't be positive. Either way, it made for nice little blog-worthy commute.

Saturday, June 04, 2011

RWE #3: Travel

Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they’d like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?

How vague am I allowed to be on this one? Can I give a continent, or do I have to name a specific street location? And if the two places I want to visit most aren't in the same country, can I at least narrow it down to a hemisphere?

My initial thought process went like this:

"England! No, Australia! No, Spain! No, back to Ireland! But Australia....and New Zealand! What about Italy? Italy! But the English countryside seems so...how about just all of Europe! But that leaves out Australia! Awwwwwwww man!"

As you can see, it's exhausting living in my head.

Sarah and I are currently trying to save up to hit all of those places one day, and in the meantime we'll continue to travel a little closer to home. But one day...guaranteed.

 

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#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Use this as an opportunity to reflect on your now, and to create direction for your future. 30 prompts from inspiring thought-leaders will guide you on your writing journey

Friday, June 03, 2011

RWE #2: Post-it Question

Identify one of your biggest challenges at the moment (ie I don’t feel passionate about my work) and turn it into a question (ie How can I do work I’m passionate about?) Write it on a post-it and put it up on your bathroom mirror or the back of your front door. After 48-hours, journal what answers came up for you and be sure to evaluate them.


Bonus: tweet or blog a photo of your post-it.

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#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Use this as an opportunity to reflect on your now, and to create direction for your future. 30 prompts from inspiring thought-leaders will guide you on your writing journey

Thursday, June 02, 2011

A Strong Unique Belief

Q: What’s one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it?

A: I gave this some thought, as the answer initially seemed pretty simple. So simple, in fact, that the it seemed too obvious. The more I pondered it, though, I realized my initial response was obvious for no other reason except it was obvious.

I don't have any strong beliefs that aren't shared by my family and/or closest friends. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so. If nothing else, I think it speaks highly of the way I was raised and it made me realize how grateful I was that I didn't grow up in the South like some people you see on daytime TV who train their kids from birth to be racist. I'm also glad I wasn't raised to think that Full House qualifies as entertainment. I was brought up with a definite sense of what is wrong, right, good, bad, admirable, and not-so-admirable. Now that I've been on my own for some time and have had the chance to exercise my free will and genuinely question why I believe what I believe and live how I live, I'm proud to say that my parents (and those closest to me in my formative years) done good.

I don't know if it's a common thing for people my age to say, so I don't know how normal - or abnormal - it is that my parents brought me up and instilled me with a belief system that 40 years later, I still adhere to and hold in high esteem.

The same goes with my closest friends. I think it's only natural that those I am closest to people who share similar beliefs. Not that I don't have friends who have differing opinions on a wide variety of topics,  but I think it's safe to say there isn't a single strong belief I have that isn't shared with anyone else in my inner circle.

Sure, we have our differences on the little details; things that, at the end of the day, aren't going to make a huge difference, but when it comes down to brass tacks (whatever THAT means), we all see pretty much eye to eye. It's nice to have that common ground. I believe it makes for a much stronger foundation on which to build.

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#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Use this as an opportunity to reflect on your now, and to create direction for your future. 30 prompts from inspiring thought-leaders will guide you on your writing journey

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Twitter: Suggest THIS

If by "Suggestions for you" you mean "Hey, here are some pictures of people and organizations in whom you have absolutely no interest," then yes, Twitter, these are indeed suggestions for me. You can rest assured that your automated robots are working perfectly.



Oh, how well you know me.

Monday, May 16, 2011

A Thousand Words

I Know That Car

I was reading an article a friend sent to me about the car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang being up for sale. At the end of the article, they quoted a guy saying, "I think it's the most recognizable car in the world."



Really? In the world?

Wow, I don't know. That's a bold statement. Especially since I just saw the movie for the first time a couple of weeks ago and before that, if shown a photo of it I don't know if I could tell you what it was from.

That got me wondering what actually is the most recognizable car in the world. The first one I thought of is the DeLorean from the Back to the Future movies.



I mean...there's no way people don't recognize this car, right? And maybe I'm simply judging it from my own personal movie-going experience, but I would think more people would know this car than the Chitty car.

The next one I thought of was this guy:


I also thought of KITT from Knight Rider, but to be honest (and despite the attempted re-boot a little while back), I don't think  people really know who/what Knight Rider is unless you watched it when it was originally on in the 80s.

So....those are my thoughts. What do you think is the "most recognizable car in the world?" Did the original article get it right? Is it the car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or do you agree with my DeLorean pick? Or...is it something that slipped my mind?


And are there any worldwide-recognizable cars from anything that's come out after the 80s?



I'd love to hear what you think.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Watch the Preview, Read the Book

A couple of weeks ago I read a book co-written by a good friend of mine, Tim Willard (along with Jason Locy). It's called Veneer: Living Deeply in a Surface Society and I devoured it. I guess it's easy to lose yourself in a book when it's saying things you've thought before...just a lot more eloquently.

It spoke to me because I too am frustrated with Facebook - and social media in general - and how it's changed the way I interact with people. I admit I've been guilty of creating a picture-perfect profile that doesn't reflect my true reality. We all want people to focus not on who we are as people, but what we're doing, thinking that's what defines us as people. I think the links in the right-hand side of this page are proof of that (Yep. Busted on that count, too).

The more connected we become with each other's online profile and pages, the more disconnected we become with each other as people. It makes me sad to see so many people out with friends and instead of interacting with each other, they're glued to the screen of their smart phone.

I blogged about the book here and talked to friends about it, but to be honest, I don't think I captured the essence of it and its message very well. Fortunately, they've just released this video that encapsulates it the way I wish my blog(s) did.



So yea, check it out and let me know what you think. Let's talk about it. Not via IM or Facebook or text or even email, but face-to-face over a cup of coffee.

I'll leave my phone in the car if you will.

Monday, May 02, 2011

Osama's Last Post-It

Don't ask me how I got my hands on this (let's just say I have some very powerful friends), but I present to you an exclusive look at the last known note left behind by Osama Bin Laden.