Vincent news

Earlier this week Meemaw Nancy (Stephanie’s mother) and Grandma Mary stopped the Graceland Bob Evans where Vincent now works (inside of a Bob Evans restaurant pictured above) for lunch. They often stop at Bob Evans, but this time went to a different one so they could see their grandson/great-grandson. Vincent came out and gave them hugs and they got to chat for a little while. Stephanie also talked with him later: The job is hard but he likes the people. He says he’s been taking the laptop his father got from another family member and – since the restaurant has WiFi – been working on his on-line classes on break or after work when he waits to be picked up. Thursday Vincent said he also went from working at Bob Evans before, during, and after lunch to working on a moving job with his father. Perhaps Stephanie’s father will stop by some time.

-- Perry

New job

Since Stephanie’s mother helped Vincent get his now repaired cell phone back last week, Stephanie and I have talked with him periodically by cell phone. Stephanie heard distressing news about Vincent’s phone calls to his former prom date and former girlfriend, Jessi, and his hairbrained scheme to come back someday to Louisville to live with a different woman. Vincent landed a new job Thursday, at the Five Guys restaurant in Easton (which Mom and I ironically noticed a Tallahassee version of earlier this week), the gigantic mixed-use residential, shopping, and entertainment district, about a mile from where Vincent and his father lived. He won’t tell us how he’s been getting back and forth. But today he started as a French fry specialist at the restaurant, also helping prepare hamburgers and so on. He burned or cut himself on the first day and Stephanie said Vincent said it was hard work. The work reminds me a little of that of what we called a “fry boy” when I worked as a waiter at Ouy Lin Chinese Restaurant in Tallahassee. (Landing the job makes it very unlikely he’ll go with us to Florida and likely he’ll be staying in Ohio for at least a while into the new year.) Stephanie has been trying to arrange connecting with Vincent and both of her parents this weekend. Stephanie may head to Ohio Saturday morning, hopefully see Vincent after work both nights and then leave for Florida Monday morning. In the mean time, my sister and her family, slated to leave for Florida next Saturday, may have some plans change because the very bad winter weather has already changed their weekend. Good luck to them dealing with the weather, to Vincent cooking those fries this weekend, and to Stephanie traveling this weekend.

For more on Vincent’s restaurant chain, click here: http://www.fiveguys.com/home.aspx

-- Perry

Tough season

We've stuck with the Seminoles and embattled Coach Bobby Bowden throughout this difficult college football season (tough for University of Louisville fans) and have gone to several Kentucky Seminole Club events. Vincent of course missed the disappointing Clemson game this past Saturday night. Above our president, Mark, and we helped his girlfriend - they met on Facebook - celebrate her birthday. Below one of the more serious fans ponders the second half. Behind him is John, the former club president, who's active in local Republican party politics. I'm on afraid on this night - during a rare not close game - we drowned our sorrows in a little too much food.

-- Perry

Zombie walk

A week ago Saturday night in Denver, I more or less happened upon this event. Thousands of - mainly young people - descended upon downtown Denver's 16th Street outdoor mall and environs, clad in all manner of outrageous zombie outfits, those undead creatures from such recent movies as "I Am Legend" and "Zombieland." Unfortunately, with my new camera, I took no video, and so didn't get the many kids with the halting zombie gait, growling "Brainzzz" (apparently zombies' favorite food), or the occasional time a group of them would chase oen of their friends or hapless passerbys (yikes!).

Below is something like an alien zombie.

And below - a zombie couple outside of Taco Bell!

Two zombie victims (?). At one point the Ghostbusters stationwagon drove by. The one bus line that sends buses up and down 16th Street actually had police escorts - police cars cruising in front of the buses.

These two young women - zombie victims? - stayed perfectly still throughout the whole time I could see them.

This young zombie was apparently eating through a victim's neck to get to the victim's brainzzz (yech!).

The zombie bride outfit was one of the favorite costumes.

I looked out for a slice of pizza and finally wound up on Market Street, where I had to wait quite a while for them to make slice to order - after making whole pizzas that came before it. There were a number of zombies in there, and so I was essentially having a slice of zombie pizza!

-- Perry

Early October weekend

For the past three years, this was the weekend that the Danish exchange students arrived - and then there was a five-day weekend - but we're done with Danish exchange students, Vincent is not at Brown, and the exchange program is no longer. We've often gone to New Albany (IN)'s Harvest Homecoming Parade and Huber Farms on Saturday (and I've sometimes gone after work to Old Louisville's St. James Court Art Show Friday). We ended up not making it up for the parade but Stephanie and I did go to the art show Saturday afternoon. Stephanie asked me not to post the pictures of her eating, but there's a picture of the famous St. James Court fountain during our visit above and a scene of an artists' alley below. The art show was packed! I can see why I often go late Friday afternoon. Cool, fall weather has descended upon us. Although it rained some Friday morning - which no doubt complicated things - it's been clear since.

Next we picked up Vincent and headed to the KY Seminole Club viewing of the Florida State-Boston College game. With the recent losses, the crowds have dwindled - and some die hard members were actually in Boston for the game - but we hung around almost to the end, when a would-be turnover turned out to be for not and BC was able to run out the end of the game. A questionable call and a blown interception also punctuated the parts of the game we saw. We had too much food and Vincent took turns playing us in pool (where we meet for game viewing pictured below). The Buckeyes beat Indiana, which of course some of Stephanie's colleagues root for, but Louisville and Kentucky lost this weekend.

On the way home we stopped at Choi's Korean market (below) - in Linden, just a block from Pizza by the Guy, and some 3/4 of a mile from the Corner Cafe, where we celebrated Sarah's birthday the previous evening.

Stephanie - feeling somewhat better - and I - ailing - spent a decent amount of time at church today. I helped represent veteran members at a smallish potential new members' class - and then I said "Korea" in a World Communion Sunday opening celebration of where we're all from. This was a good service, complete with everyone in a circle at the end and cool music with Brad on percussion, Doug on the flute, and Kendra on the tambura) during the Lord's Supper: http://www.dougyeager.com/samples/DougYeagerCHPCWorldCommunion.mp3. Then at 4 p.m. Stephanie (for the first time this school year) and I were back - this time with Anna and Dawn - for Children's fellowship - sans "Debbie time" - the Children's choir part of it - because Lewis, Debbie, and Jessi went to Evansville after church. In the regime we've moved Children's Fellowship from Wednesday 6-8 to Sunday 4-5 and our seminary student intern, Rebecca (child of former Crescent Hill pastors) is leading it. Stephanie has been sick and two weeks ago we had just the two of us (Rebecca and I) and some 12-13 kids. This week we had nine kinds and four adults (much better)! After church I had noticed the church sign with a long-awaited new interior (below).

There's Rebecca, with Naomi (from New Albany) on her right, and Cara on her left.

Oden, Ethan, and Dawn attacked an art project.

I decided to skip a Southern Indiana United for Change gathering at 5 p.m. in Jeffersonville because I had started to feel sick (and now have a fever).

-- Perry

Happy birthday, Sarah!

For - I think - the third year in a row we got to help our friend Sarah celebrate her birthday. For the 2nd year in a row we were at the Corner Cafe in Linden, near Sarah's Y. Sarah is always incorporating new people into her circle, and this year there were a number of people from the Y and Sarah's new salsa dance class, which turns out to be in town right near where the church where we're doing the English as a foreign language ministry. We were just about the last of some dozen plus people there to arrive (sans birthday present, but with a card). Below Stephanie shares a laugh with Sarah's friend Sara, with whom we've rollar skated and who we're Facebook friends with.




Below is Sara's husband Jonathan, who's talked with Vincent (who was elsewhere at a movie) before.

Below is one friend of Sarah who left early.

Like last year, Sarah put on her de facto cruise party director hat and engaged us in party games. Dennis and I - who had not met before - tagged a variety of colored M and Ms with quetions and discussed things in the questions like our pets and funny times with Sarah. Dennis is a Southern (Baptist) Seminary student who is from Wisconsin - and has 10 brothers and sisters!

Julia (sitting) and Sara (standing) helped Sarah (sitting, right) arrange the party, and Sara brought carrot cakes (I confess, I had two pieces). My camera is acting up and has no video capacity so there are not videos this year - and us singing "Happy Birthday" to Sarah, of her blowing out the candles, or of her and Wayne demonstrating salsa dancing.

But, with some effort, Sarah did blow out all of the candles - on BOTH of her cakes!

Another red-headed friend of Sarah stopped by before leaving a little before we did. Julia, Sarah, Stephanie, Sara, Jonathan, and I stayed on until the restaurant was closing. I didn't get a good picture of Dean, who was also there.

Happy birthday!

-- Perry

Interesting Thursday

In the midst of a very busy end of the week at work with the deadline for a big project and the departure of many of my colleagues looming, I took time to do a few unusual things. Several weeks ago a former Swarthmore College classmate who I had only talked with about 10 years for a college reunion called out of the blue from Seattle, where he lives, and said he is a "foodie" who was going to be going on a food tour of Kentucky. In fact, on the way from Seattle to St. Louis, to help organize Farm Aid, who was flying into Louisville to drive through Kentucky on the way to St. Louis. First on his list of food things to do was to have a Louisville special - a "hot brown" - I think Stephanie has blogged about this before - at the Brown Hotel (a signature downtown Louisville hotel featured in the movie "Elizabethtown" and on the downtown Louisville ghost tour that we've been on). And so - a little late, in the midst of all of this busy-ness - Zach and I did meet at the coffee shop in the hotel and he had a hot brown and I - more nervous about my calories - had a falafel sandwich. Then he was off to the other downtown hotel and then to somewhere in Central Kentucky for the evening. Zack is pictured at the hotel above. Click here to see his food blog: http://freshgroundpepper.wordpress.com/

By the time I got back to work, we were just about ready for really the second birthday party for my manager, Jack. You'll recall that we had ice cream and blindfolds last week. This week Ida helped organize a 1950s adn 1960s themed birthday party for Jack, who was born in 1949 and turning 60. Jack had deliberately told her not to ham it up - so no "60 is Sexy" sign on the building front door as with another colleague - but colleagues made cakes and cupcakes, I wore jeans and a white T shirt and a baseball jacket and brought Beatles CDs and a boom box, Joelle ran a 1950s and 1960s Toastmasters-style "Tables Topics" extemperaneous speaking activity that four of our colleagues did pretty well at - and some other 1949, etc. - themed touches. Below Susan takes pictures of us on an instant picture Polaroid - invented in 1949 - while Ida and Hilary cut and distribute the cake and birthday boy Jack sits at the end.



After work I went late to do health care reform phone-banking in New Albany and on the way stopped by the neighborhood where Stephanie had found the house for sale on the Web (after I had foudn another hosue for sale last weekend). I found three others for sale before finding the one below, and it is cute/interesting, but we can't afford it.

I only called for half an hour but got several people to commit to calling and e-mailing Senator Bayh and/or Congressman Hill. I left early to get home by 8 p.m. and walk the dog, but had ended up leaving something there and I had to drive back to the home of the volunteer organizer (Bruce) in Louisville's Germantown neighborhood (near Vincent's ex's family's home - blast from the past) and chatted with him (including more about real estate). Not a dull day.

-- Perry

Stephanie's birthday

Thank you everyone for the birthday messages. It was a wonderful evening seeing a Titanic IMAX documentary, Joe's Crab Shack dinner (above), and a romantic walk along the Ohio River waterfront before heading home to (opening presents and) Graeter's banana split ice cream pie (far below). (Sorry - no picture or video yet of Stephanie dancing in the hula skirt at Joe's - Perry).

-- Stephanie

Fiesta Latina 2009

You might recall that at least twice a year we're in or around New Albany's St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, scene of one of Southern IN's few Latino Catholic ministries. In the spring we're there for mass with first communion for many of Stephanie's students. In the fall we're there for the Fiesta Latina - sometimes with Stephanie's colleagues and sometimes with our own church members. A year ago Saturday by days of the week Vincent had run away from home hours earlier and so he was not there. Stephanie has started having students not only graduate - by leaving intensive English as a new language instruction - but also going onto middle school. Above is a favorite student of Stephanie - Maria - who's done both. She's no longer in intensive ENL instruction, and she's in middle school now (she was in Stephanie's first class of students at Mt. Tabor elementary). Below is a 5th grade student whose work I'm told is improving. We like Benji - all the more so when he's doing his homework. He gave us some food suggestions. The scene was slightly different from usual - more tables - less space for dancing, maybe cooler weather, no Father Thomas in charge (instead he was taking pictures)- but lots of people and lots of food to choose from as usual - and good dancing!



Father Tom (below) - the priest to the ministry (and a parallel ministry in Louisville) - was still there of course - just not MC-ing.



Stephanie had gone out with her colleagues the night before - to Fourth Street Live - and none of them appeared - maybe still sleeping - but her principal and most of her family (more than usual were there) (not great picture). Susie hinted that she might have liked to have gone the previous evening.

Stephanie talked with another former student, Karen (below). She talked with some younger kids too (and a few parents).

Pictured below is one of the good dances - this one with little kids. Stephanie saw none of her students among any of the dancers.

Maria and her familiy - including her Mom - were selling fruit, corn, and tamales. We tried some of these. We tried to buy things we want and things most of her students' families were selling - although we missed some. The authentic Mexican tacos (very different from Taco Bell) were good. We checked in briefly twice with the extended family of Saul, who we visited after the May 2009 first communion. Below was the woman who helped persuade me to drink tequila back in May who sold me some sweet tamales and some pistachio pudding. I was a little shy about talking in Spanish with these folks we had talked with at great length in their houses in May.

Below was soem of the extended family - including Susanna, our hostess in May - and the playground where one of Susie's daughters eventually played with Benji.

These are two of the dancers we saw dancing - informally, with others - to the music of the Mexican band at World Fest last weekend.

The four-person dancing group danced as we left. Alas, we didn't get to talk with Susanna and Saul or see any of Stephanie's colleagues but Susie or see Stephanie's former colleague Annabell - here or at World Fest - with her husband and their new baby. Maybe next time.

-- Perry

World Fest 2009

On the way to our annual pilgrimage to World Fest - downtown Louisville's Labor Day weekend international event - we stopped at the "Fireside Gallery' at church for an openin gof paintings by Lalitha, a church member (left above). Ada (right) curated. Arriving at the festival some 20 minutes later - sans our friend Sarah - our out-of-town friend who usually goes with us - we immeidately ran into several friends, including Laura from church (below right) and a horse character who hung out with us for several minutes.

We also ran into Andrew from church - and - later - brother Stephen and Ada. Then Gail (below and below below) from work (with her kid, originally from Mongolia, somewhere else at the festival). Later we ran into someone who had volunteered for the Peace Corps in Mongolia. Stephanie has one Mongolian American student. Gail told us she's taking her kid to the speedway in Clarksville (IN) next weekend.

Although there was plenty of overlap across some places, there were a lot more places to get food around the festival than I had remembered before.

And the bands were great - a Mexican band with a great fiddler and a NYC Celtic rock band with a great fiddler. Below were a folk Anglican pastor couple whose adopted African American son danced with other (white, female) Irish dancers to a couple of the latter band's tunes.

Below you can almost make out the fiddler on the left.

And, below, the Irish dancers.

On our way back to the car we caught the last couple of minutes of a funk band too (including Ada from the gallery opening and spouse Stephen dancing) - three good bands, lots of people and lots of great food - Friday night - World Fest 2009 (sans Vincent - who later regretted he'd stayed home)

-- Perry