Very special shorts

We are one month out from the Jimmy Buffett concert in Vegas and some people have questioned whether I am a true Parrothead or not. To that I have only one answer: Feast your eyes on these Margaritaville boxer shorts, know I have worn them, and be assured I will wear them again! If that's not true devotion, I don't know what is.

Nickfest, continues

For those keeping score, I'm about five weeks out from the Jimmy Buffett concert in Las Vegas. This is the key event in the first six months of Nickfest, which is the yearlong celebration leading to my 50th birthday next March.
To prepare, I've been drinking Land Shark beer and Margaritaville tequila, reading Buffett novels, listening to his dozens of albums and to Radio Margaritaville, wearing Buffett boxer shorts with a big parrot on them (I'll try to post a pix asap) ; planning to eat at Margaritaville on the Las Vegas Strip, and trying to decide how many official prefunctions I should attend down there.

Battle in Seattle

Publicity for the new movie ``Battle in Seattle'' has given me a chance to reminisce on going there to cover the original street demonstrations. It was a wild couple of nights, and perhaps my best chance to experience what the street demonstrations of the 1960s were like. One strong memory is the strong smell of vinegar emanating from many people. They dipped their bandanas in vinegar to cut the sting from tear gas.

For those wondering, other big stories I covered over the years include the last bombing by Unibomber Ted Kaczynski in Sacramento, followed by his capture in Montana; the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco; the 1985 Super Bowl season of the Chicago Bears; three executions, several serial killers and the opening of Al Capone's vault by Geraldo Rivera. I'm not making that up.

lucinda

went to see lucinda williams last night with some friends at Riverfront Park. She was one of the free acts at Pig Out In the Park, spokane's annual outdoor food fest in which local restaurants charge $8 for a sandwich that normally sells for $5.

Lucinda was good and the food, of course, was huge.

Pleasant pasttimes

Sigh. i do suffer during the summer months. On Friday, I played the new golf course at Washington State University for a feature story on the spread. That's me admiring one of the few drives that I didn't shank into the wheat fields that serve as the rough. Note the amazing shirt.

On Saturday, Ann and I and some friends rode the Trail of the Hiawatha, a 13-mile rail-trail that passes through numerous Rocky Mountain tunnels and over trestles near Lookout Pass on the Idaho-Montana border. Ann and the Lemckes (both in black) rode both ways. I (red shirt with beer gut) and the Johnsons (lighter clothes, goofy looking guy) rode the 13-mile downhill portion, then rode the shuttle bus back up to our waiting beers. A guy from Logan, Utah, offered us money for a beer, but Bruce gave him a free Kokanee. Dude was very grateful.

Afterward we ate buffalo burgers at the Snakepit in Enaville, an ancient and colorful restaurant where the owner gave us free huckleberry ice cream. The end of a perfect day.

Halfway to Nickfest

This morning, I followed a flatbed truck containing one of those concrete grave liners during my commute to work on I-90.

That reminded that we are nearly halfway through Nickfest, the year-long celebration leading to my 50th birthday that will climax next March 9. I got to thinking about progress on my list of tasks to complete for this momentous event. Here are the findings:

1, Hot trophy wife: check
2, Cute kids: check
3, Lose 20 pounds: Still working on that.
4, Career fulfillment: I cry with happiness each day.
5, Nickfest location: Still debating over Cancun, Vegas or my house.
6, Sports car: My Durango is looking more sporty.
7, Jimmy Buffett concert: Upcoming in late October.
8, Regular receipt of presents: A dismal failure.

Photo: Still searching for the prefect Nickfest location.

Karaoke King of Spokane, Part II

Many of you know that my wife Ann has left Mother AP after 14 years of service to launch her own business, known as Preps2Go.

Many of you may also suspect that her going-away party was another golden opportunity for the Karaoke King of Spokane to unleash a custom-written and performed tribute song.

However, enormous technical difficulties (I forgot to bring speakers) prevented this song from being properly heard at Annfest because the throngs were busy stuffing their faces with the delicious smoked and BBQ foods created by John and Brian. Also, the batteries on my digital camera were dead, preventing a recording that captured the manic energy of a live Nick performance.

Because of that, I was forced to record a version of the song in my office, with only Cameraman Carey as an audience. (If Carey were more successful with the ladies, the audience might have been bigger). The video was rushed onto youtube, and below is a link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9_96mUhLdg

You have been warned.