Banzai!

Yep, that's my caption for this photo: "Banzai!"

Basket Case

The other day, Jackson locked himself (and Neala) in Neala's dog kennel, where they proceeded to wrestle.

Today, I found Jackson hiding out in my laundry basket:

It's just another (fun) day with Jackson.

Bacon Sundae

Two of my all-time favorite foods have now been combined into one. That's right, folks; there is now such a thing as a bacon sundae! And it tastes better than it sounds.

I discovered this last night when members of the Improvables made our post-Saturday night performance visit to the local Denny's in Layton. A bacon sundae is, in fact, just one of many bacon-related items on their special bacon menu, which also included bacon with ice cream and a brownie, as well as a bacon milkshake.

Keenan gave the bacon milkshake a try, and Rickey could only react (in horror? disgust? silent awe?):

As for me, I found the bacon sundae (with a maple syrup-y type caramel sauce) to be magically delicious.

And, so, today I just wanted to document this momentous discovery so that future generations could look back and be jealous of one of the groundbreaking discoveries and delicacies of our day.

The Improvables Branch Out

For those who haven't heard - and I average somewhere between five and 10 page views per post right now, so that's quite a few of you out there - the Improvables now have a Saturday night home in addition to our regular Friday night home at CenterPoint Legacy Theatre in Centerville.

The good folks at Playbills' Theater, who recently opened their doors to the public in Clearfield, contacted us about providing late night entertainment on Saturdays. We thought about it for, oh, about .5 seconds and enthusiastically replied that we were more than happy to oblige by scheduling a team to perform there each week.

It's now been a month, and we are slowly building a fan base for 10 p.m. Saturdays in the northern end of Davis County. If you haven't been up there to see us yet, won't cha do so soon?

The Nennas Go Exploring

At yesterday's bi-monthly family dinner at Mom's and Dad's new abode in North Salt Lake, the kids went exploring out in the backyard. Kira claimed that she saw a rabbit and that it was foaming at the mouth. Since Mom and Dad are the first to build and move into a home on their new street, and there are many more yet to follow, their backyard remains quite extensive - and muddy - at this point.

On their way back to the house, both of the Nennas (aka Jenna and McKenna) got their shoes stuck in a particularly muddy part of the yard that they called "quicksand." Because of this, they had to take their shoes (in Kenna's case, boots) off in order to get free.

 

 

As Kenna shows in the above photo, the mud was not very forgiving.

Jacob's First Birthday

Today was my youngest nephew Jacob's first birthday, and we (both Plowmans and Woodburys) gathered as a family earlier tonight to celebrate at Dave's and Jessica's home in Woods Cross.

As far as one-year-old birthday parties go, it was an fun night. Jake was most happy to eat cake and play with the wrapping paper from his gifts. He also received a good amount of clothing picked out for him by thoughtful grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins.

Good times were had by all.

The Second Epistle of Jon

For those not in the know, Disconcertingly Choppy has now expanded. Of sorts.

When I began this blog in the fall of 2008, I chose the name "The Epistle of Jon" and also chose that as my Web address, though the Epistle, thanks to a "thoughtful" comment from a co-worker of mine, has since been renamed Disconcertingly Choppy.

At any rate, I recently created a second "Epistle" at: http://angrywhiteloner.blogspot.com/, where I plan to post more of my deep thoughts, feelings, opinions, musings, etc. I will still update Disconcertingly Choppy from time to time, but it will now focus on the kinds of things I focused on with 2012's Project 366, aka recent photos and family news and that sort of thing.

Don't worry, folks. I'm still the same old Jon/Paco/Osote/etc. you know and love, and I'm not particularly angry - at least, not at the moment - about anything in particular. Who can be at all upset on a Sunday evening well spent with family members and a dinner that included Yorkshire pudding and roast beef?

The title of this second Epistle is merely a reference to an improv character I have played a few times in the game "Press Conference."

Crystal clear? After all, the only thing better than maintaining one blog that people largely ignore is maintaining two of them.

You have been warned.

Ben's New Glasses

At Sunday's family dinner, Ben showed off his new pair of glasses.

I think he likes 'em.

The Improvables Class of '13

If you had told me, back when I first tried my hand at improv in my Acting 1010 class in college many years ago, that I would not only one day be performing improv semiprofessionally but also teaching others how to do it, I would have said that you were plumb loco. Come to think of it, I would have said the same thing during my tenure at ComedySportz, which was somewhat more recent than that.

Anyhoo, we (meaning the Improvables) just wrapped up our first beginning improv skills workshop of the year, and I must say that it was a very rewarding experience for me. For one thing, I got to work with these very talented people:

Some pictures really are worth a thousand words, aren't they?

For another, it always recharges my batteries for my own improv work to review the basic skills and to see others (many of who had never had any previous theatrical experience to speak of) take to them with so much gusto and excitement. I look forward to continuing to work with some of them, as we expect to extend a few invitations to join the Improvables permanently.

So, thanks, gang. I may have helped teach you, but you taught me a lot in return, too.

Day 366: 525,600 Minutes . . . Plus 1,440 More

How do you measure, measure a year?

It's rare for me to make a New Year's resolution that I stick to and keep all year long, and though deciding to do Project 366 has not been the traditional resolution, per se, I do feel a sense of satisfaction because I kept at it faithfully, even on days I was not up to it; because it (mercifully) comes to a close with today's post; and because I won't have to keep pestering you with daily posts about some inane thing or occurrence in my life - for the benefit of all three or so of you who have consistenly been with me on this journey through the year 2012.

I guess that's been one of the main things - knowing who my real friends are - that has kept me going throughout this endeavor. It's been encouraging to have your feedback about the project and to know that at least one person other than myself has been interested in its success.

Looking back at the past 366 days, I guess the prevailing question is: Where did the time go? And then I look back at the posts from Day 1 to Day 366, and I see - in my family alone - the addition of a new nephew, two sisters-in-law, three dogs, and a hamster; another cousin who got married; Mom and Dad finally moving out of their Bountiful home after 18+ years; four moves for yours truly, to different parts of Davis County, and (thankfully) mostly love and happiness, mixed with some sadness and tears - for into each life, a little rain must fall, too.

Going forward into 2013, there will still be a Disconcertingly Choppy, though I will not be posting as frequently.

As the future comes, one day at a time, I am again reminded of the words of the late Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin: "Come what may, and love it."