Blog du Wren

Twas the Night Before Christmas 2009

Twas the night before Christmas as we pedaled along
The wind and the rain were frightfully strong
The wind was no problem for it was blowing due east
It help us to cruise at 18 mph at least
The rain however was not quite as nice
Despite the warm weather the drops felt like ice
The trip to this point has been almost a breeze
We earn every mile but when we please
We take in the sights for to me it's all new
I on the beaches and take in the
But now the sky grows darker and threatened still more
We see an oasis just down the shore
The casinos of with their neon light
Might be our savior on this dreary night
We duck in the first one for a big bite to eat
Those epic are a real treat
It's still raining so I try my luck
At the gaming tables, I win 15 bucks
So now stuffed to the gills with shrimp and ice cream
Our thoughts turn to sleeping for our sugar plum dreams
We could sleep in a field or a barn brought to ruin
But tonight is not last night so a hotel we'll be pursuing
In the lobby of the Hard Rock we work internet and phone
To find some cheap beds before we're soaked to the bone
Now as all my clothes hang o'er the sink just to dry
My thoughts turn from practical to friends far and nigh
For tonight is a night that goes beyond chimneys and toys
It's more about sharing life's little joys
So I offer this wish to my friends near and dear
Have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thursday December 24 2009

File under: holidays, poetry

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Ready Set Eat

A big thanks to Andrew for the pictures!

What could be more American than gathering together on the 4th of July for a BBQ with friends? Doing exactly that but adding in an eating contest, of course. That's exactly how I spent my 4th and I have to say it was a hoot.

Recalling antics from college, I decided to put together a watermelon eating contest and get as many people to play along as possible. In the end, I could only convince 3 others to join me, but had a good time with it. As we all stood by with our first piece at the ready, the proverbial gun sounded. We all dove in and immediately burst into such hard laughter that our times suffered dramatically. Perhaps competitive eating and having a sense of humor don't go hand in hand.

With the exception of me (who couldn't stop long enough to get down more than 3 pieces), the competitors were neck and neck until the end. While Tone looked like he had it sealed up, judges ruled too much meat left on the bone so he had to go in for a second pass. Nater, who had been meticulously cleaning the rinds as he went, pulled ahead for the win.

The whole thing was so much fun that I'm inclined to do it again next year. In the meantime, I've got some practicing to do (and that's no laughing matter).

Wednesday July 8 2009

File under: holidays, food

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3rd Annual Roses are Red Poetry Slam

Red roses and candy
Is what she really wants
Instead of this poem
Written in funny fonts

I'm posting this a little earlier than usual in hopes that it gives everyone a chance to get their entries in for the 3rd annual BdW Roses are Red Poetry Slam*. As always, your poem must:
    * be 4 lines long
    * follow the standard ABCB "Roses are red" rhyme/stress pattern
    * make reference to either "red" or "roses"
For inspiration (or glorious, glorious diversion) check out entries from year 1 and year 2.

Submit your entries via the comments portion of this post. Feel free to use a pseudonym if you'd rather not have people know it was your poem. Feel free to submit more than once. Feel free to cover any topic and be as creative as you like, as long as you follow the rules*.

Now let the poems roll!

Monday February 9 2009

File under: poetry, holidays

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Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the bay
All the cruisers were snoozin' for it'd been a long day
Up with the sun for coffee and the Net
Gossip, news, and weather more fun you'll not get
Breakfast in the cockpit is and fresh bread
We chat and we laugh til the sun's overhead
Next we load up the dinghy and head to the dock
To get Maggie to her flight, we keep an eye on the clock
She makes her flight and soars o'er the sea
And now just like that, our four becomes three
But no time to dawdle there's more work and more play
Then over the radio hails a boat 'cross the way
"Can we borrow some milk to make up our pie?"
So I swim it over, hey what a guy
Along with the milk, we send a bone for their dog
As I paddle I chuckle, This'll go on the blog.
Next on the list of our social to-dos
A picnic and , bring whatever food you choose.
The dinghies all convene and tie off
Luckily for us it remains such fine
Now back to the to settle in for the night
Sure it's only 6:30, but we're losing light
Sea cruising people are quite social it's true
But its safe to say they'll be in bed before you.
So now all is quiet, we do our own things
Steve's on the computer checking on the Vikings
Hope reads her book, the third one since noon
Luckily there'll be a book exchange soon
Me, I just sit here and soak it all in
Reflecting on what a great day it's been
And I think of my friends wherever they be
Wishing them the same happiness and wonder as me
So now this is posted I'll sign off just right
Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Wednesday December 24 2008

File under: poetry, holidays

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Panoramic Overkill

Over the past week, as I've been thinking* about what I am thankful for, I came up with a great number of things. If I was to list them all, it would take from now until next Tuesday. Instead, I thought I would just call out one thing that I am thankful for, which happens to have a fitting picture to go with it.

I'm thankful for this place which I get to call home. So taken am I with its beauty, I went a little overboard with the camera yesterday. Here was my view , , , and .

The beauty of Anacortes, Washington: just one of the many things I am thankful for.

Thursday November 27 2008

File under: holidays

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Rate My Mullet

I'm usually not one to dress up for Halloween, although recently, I've been getting more into it. When I commented recently how I was due for a hair cut, someone suggested that I do a mullet for Halloween. A good idea is a good idea, so I put the plan into action. Since a mullet by itself isn't really a costume, I tried to branch out a little. is what I came up with. 72 hours later and the mullet and mustache are still here. The question is how long should I keep it?

Halloween is slowly growing on me. While it used to be one of my least favorite holidays, I'm realizing how neat it can be when you surround yourself with creative, cool people and lots of candy. I hope you all had a great Halloween too. (If you have any leftover candy, I know someone who could give it a good home.)

(P.S. Occasionally, over the weekend, I joked about rateMyMullet.com not knowing that it is a real site. Weird.)

Monday November 3 2008

File under: holidays, beard

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Happy Pi(e) Day!

I've been looking for an excuse to post this picture for almost a year now. This is a glorious fruit pie we made down in Portland with all local berries. It was delicious and beautiful!

Okay, so maybe Pi(e) Day isn't for another 2 days, but we all know what I save Friday posts for. And since today is Wednesday, unofficial crossword day, I thought I might as well go for it.

For some reason, this crossword* really took a long time and it didn't turn out awesome. It was my plan to submit this one for publication because I really like the theme, but a few of the answers weren't up to snuff*. That said, it still ain't bad so I encourage you to give it a try: Crossword - Happy Pie Day.

I also should thank Dan B. for saving me from using the answer "Radu II"*. His suggestion is quite a bit better, although still not NY Times material (which isn't his fault at all. How many things can you come up with that fit the form _ad_ _ i?)

As always, I would love your feedback (too hard, too easy, too many specific knowledge clues, etc.). Also, have a wonderful Pi Day on Friday. Bake a pie. Recite pi. Go to a Pi Sig frat party. (Oh, and for those of you who aren't following the whole Pi Day thing, check out last year's post on the subject for further enlightenment*)

Wednesday March 12 2008

File under: misc, holidays

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2007 - A Great Year

Monday December 31 2007

File under: holidays, pics

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Twas the Day Before Christmas

Twas the day before Christmas and all through the bus,
All were doing their own thing, all 12 of us.
Ukoiya and Lindsay were stretching on the floor.
Three days on a busacan make you quite sore.
Kelsey and Jules drew doodles here and there.
Now our plywood table/bed doesn't look so bare.
There is engine talk from Islando and Vern.
To get the bus running again is their main concern.
Joselynn and Paul are looking into flights,
Concerned we might not make it by Christmas night.
Hallie's in bed with a book. Amiel is online.
We can't get the bus working, but the internet works fine.
River is zonked from a late night at the wheel.
And I, our "head chef", reluctantly ponder our next meal.
What's that? It's a rumber from down below.
The engine guys are trying another go.
We all cross our fingers, and hold our breath,
But the egine quietly sputters to death.
Wait just a sec. It seems to be getting stronger.
The time between sputters grows ever longer.
It was air in the lines that had to be bled.
It's always something, we just shake our heads.
Now we're back on the road, we'll hit the border by dawn.
Here's hoping for smooth sailing from this point on.
So as we roll out of Palm Springs on Interstate 10.
I wish Feliz Navidad to you and your kin.

Monday December 24 2007

File under: holidays, poetry

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The Christmas Crassula Ovata

Among our family's Christmas traditions, I think the Christmas Crassula Ovata (that would be jade tree to you non-Latin speakers) has got to be my favorite. Okay, I better make that second favorite right behind pfeffern�sse*. It is something unique, it save cutting down a live tree, and there are no dropped needles messing up the floor*. Anyway, I mentioned it in an earlier post so I thought I would post a picture.

It turns out that combining my second rate picture taking ability with a camera that always seems to have trouble with light and exposure results in some shoddy pictures. But since a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe a shoddy picture is worth 134 words or so. Yep, just about right for a blog post. (Oh, and here's another at a picture of the tree. Notice how we've gracefully phased out the juice concentrate lid glitter ornaments.)

Monday December 17 2007

File under: holidays

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