stepping off the path

i want to know more. not about anything in particular....just about the world around me. it's a pretty incredible world...and is full of so much to explore. there is a lot that i just don't get...and beyond that, there is just a lot that exists that i don't even know about. so i can't even get it!

so part of my plan for a happier 2012 (which is going really well, actually...thanks for asking..) is to expand my mind. (please save the wisecracks!) i want to step off the path and explore more of the world around me - and find more of that happiness that comes through the process of learning.

so in january i started a project along these lines that i read about in a book last year. (i kind of took it and adapted it to my life and my plan for increased happiness in 2012...and it works for me!) i went to my local barnes & noble and i stood in the magazine section and i chose 3 magazines about things that i know nothing about. nothing. and i spent the rest of the month reading them...like i was a subscriber who just got their long-awaited new copy of that month's periodical. but aside from that, i spent the month telling people about this new project and not only talking to them about how it fits into my plan, but about the things i was learning in the magazines.

i am going to do this once a month...and thanks to the generosity of some friends as a birthday gift in january, i got a couple of gift cards to help out with the first couple months. (your average magazine is gonna run you $5-$8, so it's not a CHEAP plan to increase happiness...but i feel like it's a worthwhile investment.)(gift cards to B&N are always accepted here at the manderson report....)

so let me tell you about my january start. i had a couple of set backs when i first went to get my magazines, because the line was long and i was meeting people and couldn't wait...so i quickly replaced 'LaCrosse International' and 'Metal Jewerly Making'...and when i returned a couple of days later, i couldn't find them! (were they bought? cancelled? misplaced? I will never know!) so i stood and waited for something to speak to me, and eventually, i walked out of B&N with: Track and Field News, Moment - Jewish Politics Culture Religion, and Backyard Poultry. (you can see all 3 below.)

i don't really know what i expected to learn...so my bar was pretty low going into it. but this exercise of stepping off the beaten path of my life was a fascinating, informative and really happy experience.

-TRACK AND FIELD NEWS taught me all about the collegiate recruiting world of track around the country, as well as the argument in the sport of the 3-per-nation rule competing at world and olympic events versus the truest top athletes in the world (it's a HUGE debate!) i also learned who to watch on Team USA for this summer at the london 2012 summer games. AND i ended up with a poster of dwight phillips (triple jumper?) fold out, if anyone wants it.

-MOMENT was named by elie wiesel after a vibrant independent jewish magazine (Der Moment) in warsaw, poland from 1910-1093. It was the most fascinating find to me because of two articles i read in it: one that was an inside look into the lives of jews living in iran today (a photo essay that was so interesting) AND an incredible article/story about a catholic priest who has made it his "holy mission" to travel across eastern europe - mostly in the ukraine - to identify the unmarked and sometimes unknown graves of more than 1.5 million jews murdered during world war II. his story is remarkable, as he searches out people who lived in the area who are still alive and will finally, after 60 plus years, tell what they saw or know. amazing reading.

-BACKYARD POULTRY i decided would be a fun laugh...but was maybe more eye-opening than the other two. WHO KNOW this world existed? the sub-line on the magazine says it is "dedicated to more and better small-flock poultry." the edition not only gave owners tricks and helpful hints for winter egg production, but there was a fascinating look at the fight to legalize chickens in your community and what you can do. my favorite of these suggestions on the legalization article was tip #12: have a few gorgeous mellow hens that can go to neighborhood and community meetings to show off. sold. "my that's a gorgeous hen. and so mellow. i vote yes!"

january was full of lots of learning, in so many ways....but particularly with this journey. like i said, i didn't set out to LEARN anything specific...but was open to whatever came along. and in the process of doing this, i'm not looking to become an expert in any of these things. but i just wanted to step out of what i know to learn about what i didn't.

next time you're in a barnes & noble or a grocery store magazine aisle, take a look at the vast world represented there. vast amounts of knowledge exist...and many of it is printed on a monthly or bi-monthly schedule...and it is yours for the taking. just make sure to pay for it first!

up in february: VELO News 2012 Olympic Cycling Preview, Popular Communications (Shortwave Listening, Scanning, AM&FM, Radio History), and ODE Magazine - for Intelligent Optimists. feel free to join my magazine revolution!!!!

JANUARY 2012

catching up on 2012 in pictures....

january 23, 2012
life. organized. for a moment.


january 22, 2012
gold mine of old photos FOUND!

january 21, 2012
sneak peek of new ford's center for education and leadership

january 20, 2012
feeble attempt at winter, mother nature...

january 19, 2012
yarn. duh.

four-thousand words

my year of pictures continues...

january 15, 2012
the fleet


january 16, 2012
i live in a rough neighborhood.

january 17, 2012
the window is speaking to me.


january 18, 2012
something for everyone in the various shops in georgetown.

the unexpected hero

yesterday, i was walking in georgetown and i stopped into a small candy store that had posted that they were closing and having a clearance sale. don't mind if i do.

as i stepped in, i found myself the only customer in the store, and got a quick hello from the woman in charge who was trying to keep track of her very active grandson, who seemed to be about 4 years old. he would run from the back of the store to the front of the store to the back again, on a never-ending loop, while grandma shouted warnings the entire time, "don't trip!" "watch out for that gentleman!" "not too fast!"

after what seemed like 100 trips back and forth while i scanned the gummis and clusters, the little boy stopped RIGHT beside me and i could feel him starting at me. i turned and said, "well hello there." and he said "you. look. like. BATMAN!" and took off running again.

now i think we can all agree that i look like a LOT of things, but BATMAN would be no where on that list. (and knowing how honest kids can be, i can only be thankful that something else didn't come out of his mouth.) i can't for the life of me think what would possess him to see Batman in me and my layers of black and brown winter clothes, but it was a delightful surprise, nonetheless.

as i left the store, with a new-found desire to fight injustice and protect the unprotected and this little man continuing his laps, i said "see ya, buddy!" and he replied without even missing a beat, "bye BATMAN!"

i'm happy being a superhero for a day...even if it is to just one kid, hopped up on sugar at his grandma's failing candy store.

now, to the bat bus! were did i put my farecard?

picture post

January 13, 2012
Eddie from Ohio is even good from behind a post.

January 14, 2012
Computer screen....meet floor....

i took an unexpected walk...

on a unexpected beautiful january day, and found an unexpected gem in a completely unexpected location....and i thought to myself, "i need to take more unexpected walks."

i just might.

seriously, how cool is this thing? at some random office building on 20th street?
start walking...see what you find!

january 12, 2012

the side of a building tucked away on sunderland place NW between 19th and 20th in washington dc. a nice surprise on a thursday afternoon.

happiness and the law

part of my reason for re-starting my blog is because when i think back to things over the past 10 years or so that have made me happy, i realize that the time i spent blogging, both on my tour and after, was filled with a lot of joy. this year, i decided to focus on being happier in my life (which i think you will see is a common theme going forward.) that's not to say i'm unhappy now - i've had my ups and downs (and 2011 was rife was both), but all things considered, i'm happy and always have been. but i want to take the chance this year to harvest even more happiness in my day to day life.

this idea of happiness has been on my mind a lot this week because i was explaining this 'new outlook on being happy in 2012' to a friend last week and they asked, very honestly, "why is this so important for YOU personally? right now?" and at the time i didn't have the exact answer, but i found the answer earlier this week in the strangest of places.

i was on jury duty monday and tuesday at dc superior courts. now, if you live in washington dc, you know that it's not uncommon to get called to jury duty every 2 years or so. since moving into the city 8 years ago, this was my 4th time being called...but the previous three times, during jury selection, i was released and didn't have to serve. but my luck changed this time...and i was selected to sit on what turned out to be, as far as serving on a jury goes, a pretty light and easy case.

the issue at hand was one count of possession of an illegal substance (for those of you wondering....it was PCP....which does not stand for 'primary care physician' in this case.) the judge in the case was very specific when it came time for us to deliberate and laid out guidelines we were to follow when deciding the defendant's fate. the biggest thing he gave us was the definition of what 'possession' is, according to our legal system. breaking it down, there were 2 possible types of possession: either 'physical possession' which means the drugs are on your actual, physical person (in a pocket, in your hands, on your lap, etc.) at the time of arrest, OR 'constructive possession' which means the drugs are in your immediate area and you have demonstrated the power and intent to USE them at some point.

as we engaged in a rather spirited discussion about this case, i started to realize that in this legal definition of 'possession', i just might have found my answer for my friend. you see, i think that happiness is out there for all of us. we are all going to find it different ways, and it is going to mean different things to each of us, but i have a firm belief that it is one of the most basic, simple reasons we are here. to be happy. we have a father in heaven who loves us unconditionally, and has given us a life full of happiness all around us. the only thing we have to do to cash in on that happiness is to (excuse me for the borrow, nike) just do it. find that happiness in our day to day life and share it with others. it's a pretty basic tenet of living. and it's not a matter of 'physical possession' of happiness - you're not going to leave it in your pocket at night or have to water it to grow it so you can actually pick it - but it's more a case of 'constructive possession.'

to my friend who was wondering: it's important to me right here, right now in my life because i'm finally realizing in my mid-thirties that i can decide each day if i want to be happy, no matter what is going on in the world around me. it is my choice...i have the power and intent and i just have to decide to utilize what is there. and by doing that, by choosing constructive possession, i feel like i am strengthening my relationship with my father in heaven, in a very simple way that i was missing for 37 years. like the days in idaho falls, idaho when i was little, and my dad sat around our living room playing his guitar and singing and sharing his music with me, bringing me closer to him and making me want to be like him (and now having a career for the past 7 years where i have used that gift of music he gave me). music wasn't anything that i could physically possess, but it was around me, and the power of it has always made me think of my dad, and has made me want to be the kind of man he is. so it is with the power of happiness - i want to be happier because i want to be better. i want to be more like my father in heaven. when the time comes for me to return to live with him, i want to be found guilty of unfathomable counts of constructive possession of happiness.

so i am going to turn my mind more to the good. i want to explore more of what makes me happy and focus on sharing my happiness more with those around me. i want to love more, laugh longer, take more pictures, see more cities, catch up with more old friends, make new friends, write more things down, sing louder, dance more often, eat delicious things, and the list goes on and on and on.

in 2012, i want each of us have the power and intent to possess as much happiness as possible.

January 11, 2012
a pin...up close and personal.

ps - we found the dude in the PCP case not guilty. he got lucky the prosecution's case was so weak. he had the power and intent to possess that PCP, but the silly prosecutor couldn't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.

January 10, 2012

another reminder to look UP....the top of the temperance fountain structure in DC where pennsylvania ave, indiana ave and 7th st NW all meet.

a new year...a new outlook

well hello there, 2012. looks like my old blog is still here...who knows if anyone still checks in here. but that's not what is important. what IS important is that we survived 2011...and i am back to kick my blog back into gear. low? middle? high? i guess only time will tell.

one of my new projects for 2012 is a picture a day. why? because i'm learning that it's making me look at the world around me more often and with new eyes. and after 9 days, i'm loving how the world is looking.

right now, i want to share MY first 9 days of 2012 with you through the pictures i've snapped on my iPhone. 357 photos left! if you're doing the math...remember...it's leap year!

and i'll be back soon to expand on my new year and new endeavors and new thoughts...and probably some old ones, too!

January 9, 2012

a day of jury duty at DC superior courts

January 8, 2012

wacky january weather made for a beautiful sunday in DC.

January 7, 2012
a lunch with emily levey is a perfect saturday.

January 6, 2012
sometimes, to find beauty, you just need to look up.

January 5, 2012

sometimes, i just can't believe people on the metro.

January 4, 2012

lights are OUT in glover park for part of the night.

January 3, 2012
a perfect day with josephine block.

January 2, 2012

celebrating new years with dale rainville...as he models some of my handiwork.

January 1, 2012
a new year...a new hobby....

happy new year...and new adventures!

A Video

Here is a quick video of our director, Matt August, talking about the show on the first day of rehearsal.

Livin' The Dream....2011 Edition

friends! family! random followers!

so it's kind of been a long time! last we met, i was traipsing around the vancouver 2010 winter games in canada, and you were all off on your various adventures. since then, a lot has happened - to all of us, i'm sure - but what has brought me back to the blogosphere is a new show i started working on a week ago. i thought it was something big enough and exciting enough to get the blog out of the closet and dust it off - and give you all a front row seat to this latest adventure.

so - remember THIS? in the summer of 2008, i worked on a workshop of a new musical that ford's theatre was developing and thinking about doing. fast forward to 2011, and that workshop has turned into a full-blown production, and that production is now in full-blown rehearsals, and we are slowly but soundly marching towards our first preview of this world premiere on march 23rd! opening night is march 30th! the show is called LIBERTY SMITH - and the quick explanation is that it's basically a character like forrest gump - who meets the american revolution. and hilarity ensues. naturally. and since you're dying to know, i play the role of that ol' statesman, sam adams - as well as a slew of other characters throughout the show!

it's been an exciting first week! on our first day, last friday the 11th, we did a read/sing through, and it was fun to see everyone - meet all the folks who are new to me and see the group of good ol' friends who are in the show - and hear the script with everyone reading it. a lot of the music is the same from when we did the workshop - and one of my favorite songs is still in place. i found myself especially touched by it that day, for i'm sure of a variety of reasons. the song is called 'i was here' - and is sung by the title character. part of that song says:

people will say i'm an innocent fool,
living my life for a dream.
i'll never listen to those who will doubt,
living a dream is what life's all about.

all i'm saying is that it struck a chord with me that day. that's all. it just reminded me of this crazy journey of being LTD - of living the dream!

anyway, since we started, there have been costume fittings, music rehearsals, marching with guns, sword fight staging, staircase rollings, homemade pop tarts, baby tossings, a really long country ball, and we are still just in the first week! the cast is fantastic, the creative team has an incredible vision of the show, and the ford's staff has been amazingly professional and so easy to work with! after a few....shall i say 'challenging' show experiences, this is a delightful and welcome change.

so come follow the process of watching this world premiere musical go up at ford's theatre - as seen from my perspective. i'm excited to be on this journey - and hope to bring you all a glimpse into the magic and excitement of it all....this Little Bit of History!!!!!

first day - cast around the table listens to the director and other designers explain the look of the production.


Top: our enthusiastic director, matt, explains the set. Bottom: my dear friend, donna, looks at the costume designs.

L: lauren gets her rehearsal skirt on with the coaching help of michael. R: gia shows off her marie antoinette skirt.

a couple of scenes from staging the opening number of the show. liberty (geoff) on his knee in the top picture.

celebrate ireland

yesterday, the 24th, was the birthday of one of the sellers in my box office, joanna. joanna is from dublin, ireland - and is here in canada working and traveling for a year...and has ended up working for the games...and has been such a fun addition to our cypress mountain staff! our box office had a surprise little birthday party for her...and we made it a red-n-white celebration, in honor of her celebrating her birthday in canada!!!!

colleen shows off our mad decorations.


more decorations.



the incredible cake.


joanna walks in and is totally surprised.


joanna inspects her canada cake!


the party of the century.


joanna attempting to cut her cake.

lessons from norway

the other night, after we were done with another fun day up at cypress, i went with 2 co-workers to a chain here in vancouver called 'boston pizza.' we went to watch the canada/germany men's hockey game...and it was a lively, spirited crowd that had assembled in the bar to watch the game.

the two guys in the picture above were two of the most vocal people in the room (and clearly the most active, as you see them standing on their chairs, drinking and watching the game.) they were both from norway - and were in the bar celebrating their country picking up a medal in women's ski cross. but as the game started, these guys started chanting and cheering, "WE LOVE CANADA!" over and over and over again - walking around and getting others to cheer and clap and celebrate, as well. then they came to the table behind us that was full of russians...and when they found this out, they changed their tune to, "WE LOVE RUSSIA!" over and over and over again...getting that table into the cheering. they even found the lone german, sitting at the bar, in his german-flag-colored suspenders and his german flag draped over his chair (dejected, because his team was getting clobbered), and starting chanting with him, "WE LOVE GERMANY!" over and over and over again.

i sat back and watched these norwegians working the room, professing their love of every country they came in contact with - and really believing that they did, INDEED, love all these countries - and it struck me that these guys are what the olympic experience is all about. they aren't athletes....they aren't coaches...they aren't here competing for a gold medal and endorsement deals. they are part of the spectating masses that have come to connect to the world they live in, in whatever way they know how. (this night, it just happened to be over hockey and pizza and beer and standing on chairs...but it varies from location to location.)

i came to vancouver thinking i couldn't love the olympics anymore...but thanks to experiences like the ones with the fans from norway, or with the awesome dutch fans who have let me get pictures with them and laugh with them, or with the aussies standing in line while it sleets as we sing and clap and cheer, i have found an increased capacity to love the olympics in my life.

and knowing it makes me want to stand on the table and shout, "WE LOVE OLYMPICS!" for everyone in the bar to hear.

olympic sights

enjoy some images from the past 11 days....


me and the swiss curling team. i helped get them into the men's aerials, and they were overjoyed. i got a picture and a swiss curling team pin!


we see so many crazy fans outside our box office...and this was a particular favorite today!


a shot of the "controversial" australia flag on the side of the olympic village.


me, on cambie bridge, post-US hockey win (over canada)...science world all lit up in the back.


the view of the crowd watching the hockey game with me. total count? 3 americans and 4 billion canadians.


a team USA fan - walking the streets along granville...loving the fans...


me at pacific colliseum....after the first night of ice dancing.


a look down from our suite to the ice and the rest of the colliseum.


ben bennet, quatchi and i...kickin' it in vancouver...


a look at the full half-pipe.


loving some team USA fans in the stands!!!


me and halfpipe...old friends...


the ticketing staff from CYPRESS - on our venue walk-through....


me, out front of BC place. getting ready to go into the opening ceremonies. amazing.


me with my drum of goodies AND white poncho at the opening ceremonies...


some fans from ghana stop for a quick picture!!!


i mean....i love the dutch fans. how could you not?


a practice day in the fog.


2 more dutch fans. they rock.


amazing....eh?