"The Canned Ham"

All year long I wait for my favorite time of year, Camping Season!
Nature always seems to amaze me with all the visitors we seem to attract in our campsites. To name a few, we have had of coarse Brokeback- mosquitoes, chippies, deer, elk, and even a black bear.

A couple of years ago we decided to start a project to improve our outdoor experience. It’s called the “Canned Ham”. A 1969 - 15 ft camping trailer which got its unusual name from its shape.

Last year we rebuilt the undercarriage and added a 5” lift to the suspension for clearance. Since then we have gutted the interior and replaced all the paneling / cabinets, as well as new wiring gas lines etc. to bring this antique into the new millennium safely. We still need to finish the bathroom and exterior of the trailer.

Some of my favorite features are the solar panels on the roof, the new refrigerator, queen size bed, and of course the flat screen TV / DVD. Even though we are not done with the restoration at this point, we have been camping with it all summer long. It sure feels like princess camping to me!

Well there is only a few more weeks left in this year’s season, so I better get back to my menu planning. What do you think goes better with Beer-Can Cornish Game Hens and Wild Rice, (white wine or a jug of Buffalo Gold beer from Rock Bottom Brewery)? Place your votes on the return comments.

Chris Ex - Aug. 31, 2009

Home

A week from today I will be traveling back across the country to visit “home”. Even though I have lived in Denver for 6 years I still refer to the house and town that I grew up in as “home” and my bed there as “my bed”. It’s not that I don’t love Denver; it’s just that I can’t bring myself to think that I no longer live in Kennebunk. The day I had to change my license and license plates was a tough one. It was so tough that my Maine license is expired sitting in the back of my wallet.
Trips home are always so relaxing, just being in a place that I know and love more than anywhere. However, at the same time there is a lot to fit into a short period of time. Next weekend is sure to be filled with hours on the boat, walks on the beach (one can be hopeful for a beach day but it is September in Maine!), Bennett’s subs, cocktails at the wharf, a round of golf, dinner at the yacht club, and BBQ’s with family and friends. I’m sure Saturday night we will find some time to sneak to Fed’s, the town bar, and catch up with everyone we grew up with.
One of the biggest highlights of going home is seeing my parents. Of the 72 hours I’ll be home for Jack and Mere will be with me for almost every waking moment. They even come to Fed’s and leave their marks on the dance floor! They make coming home as special as can be. The dinner table at home or at the yacht club will be perpetually interrupted with friends joining and as they pull up chairs my dad will be busy opening a beer for whoever the joiner is. Inevitably on Sunday while my parents drive me back to Boston to Logan Airport I will get teary eyed. When I hug them goodbye my mom will without a doubt remind me “Boops, next time you come back, it will be exactly the same.” While Mere is normally right, she’s been proven time and time again that this is one thing she’s never wrong about. That’s why Kennebunk is and always will be HOME.
Safe Travels to all over the long weekend!
Bailey

Another Late Night!

Monday night, we ventured off with our Colorado Springs Co-op to Coors Field. Well, yup another late night in the world of advertising! We witnessed Rockies history and one heck of a game. Ilene, Ann, Mike and I entertained our group and hung in there for 15 innings. After the 9th, the score was tied, and Ilene was out of beverages. Just another long day in AdLand, "Peanuts for all" is what she shared.
I was delighted & proud that the InLiners hung in for the home team. Mike, our "IT" Guy, made sure we all stayed put - after all, we had clients to tend to, AND had come for a game. It was well past 11PM, and we had our doubts...Mike let out a shout as "Spilly" got up to bat. The bases were loaded, a "Grand Slam" he ordered! Yes, that's what we got. I guess it pays to listen to your IT Pro! We left the stands at 11:45 - WOW.
In reflection, an outing intented just for fun, will be long remembered by everyone.
Ann Bremer added her color commentary, and I learned a lot.
Ilene Nathanson was our water (beer) girl, and boy can she schlep. Mike, the IT Guy, brought us good luck, and today is still talking of "ducks". At the end of the day, I'm glad to proclaim our team is a winner - inside and out. We hung in there together and would do it again.

The Next Chapter

I live in Arvada with my husband of four years. We have a condo in Skyline Estates that has a beautiful view of the front range. We were in the right place at the right time because the original buyers backed out of the purchase.

My job outside of my job for the last 10 years has been taking care of aging parents. My dad had a stroke in December 1998 and needed more care than my mom could give him. My sister and I worked part time for as long as we could so we could pitch in with care. Through the years I have become an expert on all elder are issues: medical, financial and residential. We even tried to show my mom how to operate a scooter around her apartment in January even though she had never driven a car. My mom lost her battle with pancreatic cancer on June 29 so both my parents are angels now. I was luck to have wonderful parents.

My other interests include writing contemporary fiction and wine tasting. My husband and I went to the California wine country last October and had a great time. We are "wine of the month" members at Balistreri winery here in Denver. They laugh at us because we show up right on the first of the month to get our wine. But we say, "Why wait?"

TGIF!

Thank Goodness it's FALL! Well, almost. I'm excited, at least, for September and the many great things the month brings. The return of college football , NFL football, the start of baseball playoffs, and most importantly- the return of great TV! No more are we subject to watching questionable reality shows like 'There Goes the Neighborhood', 'Wipeout', and 'The Great American Road Trip'. We finally get to see who survives between George and Izzy on Grey's Anatomy (OK, we know the outcome thanks to the much publicized departure of one of the cast members, but we get to see HOW it happens), and watch Ted FINALLY meet the kids' mother on How I Met Your Mother.

As a media professional (and a healthy consumer of the television medium), I would like to think I am certainly qualified enough to make some assumptions about ratings and how certain shows are going to perform. But if there is also anything I've learned in my 8 years planning and buying, it is that nothing is guaranteed or certain. Some shows I would have never thought would survive, have not only survived but thrived! And some shows I thought would do really well have been pulled after a year, or less! (I still miss you Lipstick Jungle and Cashmere Mafia).

So, without any more ado, here is the first installment of my critique/thoughts on the fall TV schedule (4 primary networks only). Starting with Monday & Tuesday...

* schedule as published today! all times listed as central/mountain- these are my thoughts only and should not be used against me ;-) Station reps, if you are reading this, I am sorry if I offend your network's show(s)!

MONDAY
7p- I think FOX will win this hour, although it will be close between House, Dancing with the Stars on ABC (they have a weak cast this fall in my opinion though), and Heroes on NBC. Keep an eye on How I Met Your Mother on CBS, though, from 7p-7:30p. The show has grown in ratings every year its been on, and is finally getting the credit it deserves for being a REALLY great sitcom with a great cast (see Emmy & Golden Globe nominations). It's my personal favorite show on TV right now so maybe I'm a little biased...
8p- CBS takes this hour fairly easily I think. DWTS second performance hour is on ABC, then Lie to Me on FOX (a good show that benefits from the House lead-in), and a new show on NBC- Trauma (think ER with less time spent in the emergency room and more time spent out at the accident scenes). But the strength of the two CBS sitcoms (2 1/2 Men & Big Bang Theory) are too much for the other shows.
9p- The first time I will mention Jay Leno. His primetime show is much-hyped (Monday-Friday from 9p-10p, so NBC basically eliminated 5 prime shows from last year), but we really don't know what to expect ratings-wise. I think Monday is actually one night he has a chance to perform quite well. It just will greatly depend on guests- a lot of viewing will probably be tune-in, tune-out (viewers will tune in for a short period of time to either sample the show and see how they like it, or to see one guest, one feature on the show, etc.) So, back to Mondays... Jay is only up against the weakest of the CSI franchises on CBS, and Castle on ABC. I was actually surprised to see this show on the fall schedule, as I thought for sure it would be canceled. I think CSI: Miami will win the hour and Castle/Jay Leno will be neck and neck to finish second.

OVERALL: CBS wins the night. NBC struggles.
SHOW(S) TO KEEP AN EYE ON: How I Met Your Mother, Trauma, Jay Leno

TUESDAY
7p- Expect a tight battle with NCIS (CBS) & The Biggest Loser (NBC). NCIS started somewhat slow, but has actually gained ratings and share each season and even spurred a spin-off this fall (see 8p Tuesday). ABC is airing Shark Tank (a weird combination of various reality shows featuring people trying to convince millionaires to invest in their inventions) and then V once Shark Tank ends. I am not very familiar with V (stands for 'The Visitors'), but I won't be tuning in as I'm not into sci-fi. A second 2-hour reality show, So You Think You Can Dance, is on Fox. SYTYCD is a strong summer show, but I think it won't perform nearly as well in the fall.
8p- Second hours of Biggest Loser and So You Think You Can Dance. ABC airs the Dancing with the Stars results and has a good chance to win this hour! CBS, though, launches NCIS: LA, a spin-off of the popular NCIS, and I expect this show to do as well, or better.
9p- All 3 shows are new! (Remember FOX airs local news this hour). Starting with CBS, The Good Wife really intrigues me. It doesn't match at all with the previous 2 hours of programming, but I think its stars are going to appeal to NCIS viewers and after watching the pilot, I would say the plot (think fallen from grace politician's wife has to go back to work as a lawyer, something she hasn't done in 15+ years) is actually quite strong. The Forgotten on ABC looks REALLY confusing- another sci-fi show that I won't be tuning in to. Finally, Jay again on NBC.

OVERALL: CBS/NBC tight race 7p-9p (CBS wins 9p easily); ABC stuggles 7p & 9p hours
SHOW(S) TO KEEP AN EYE ON: NCIS: LA, The Good Wife

:-) AB

First Day of School

This week, I took my “baby” to her first day of high school and could not help but reminisce about the Nathanson Family First Day of School ritual.

First, we enjoy a special homemade First Day of School breakfast. We all do our chores: make beds, straighten up and organize what we can for dinner. The children grab their brand new backpacks, filled with sharpened pencils, brand-new folders and binders. You can just see in their faces, the excitement that they will get to share their most favorite aspects of their summer reading assignments.

Adorned in their most favorite brand new outfits and haircuts, they stand three in a row, smile and click --- we have our memory.

Well … WAKE-UP! Wouldn’t that be a really boring memory!

So, here comes reality … First of all, “nowadays” the First Day of School is still summer in my book … at least that’s what I call mid-August. Its hot, the buildings are not air-conditioned and who takes anything seriously before Labor Day. The kids are still on summer hours, so we pry them out of bed, dust them off, throw them a stale Power Bar, run around looking for the tattered backpack that has last year’s crumpled, moldy (not going to lie) supplies and head out the door nagging about how they actually should try their summer reading instead of cramming on the Spark notes last night. We all run out, leaving the house in its usual shambles.

We beg and bribe the kids to be serious for the First Day of School photo, “stop sticking out your tongue”, “don’t hit your sister”, “come on, BE serious”. And yes, finally … they stand three in a row, smile and click --- we have our memory.

Ilene

Downhill from here?

I've been having a pretty good year. Being the superstitious type, it scares me to even type that, but it's true. In May I celebrated my one year anniversary here at Inline. On July 3rd my fiance of 18 months and I purchased our first house.This past weekend, I was back in Michigan for my bachelor party. It was one of the most memorable days of my life. In October I'll have another unforgettable day when we say our I do's. I have much to be thankful for.

To be clear, I'm doing my absolute best to enjoy the ride. But every once in a while I hear from that little voice. You know, the one that you hear from time to time that reminds you of Newton's laws of physics? Yeah, that one. Occasionally he likes to do his best Jack Nicholson and ask "what if this is as good as it gets?" He's also been known to put together PowerPoint presentations with graphs and charts illustrating the ups and downs of life. There are even photos of roller-coasters to jazz it up and make it fun. I'd like to tell that little voice not to quit his day job, but then I realize that reminding me of these things is his day job, and well, it all goes downhill from here.

Wedding Bells in Grand Lake

Only a few weeks ago, I became the "mother of the groom" for the very first time. Our daughter, the oldest of our three children, was married three years ago and that was hard enough - a strange mixture of happiness and tears, excitement for a newly-launched family and a bit of melancholy for the child that was now all grown up! As parents, our job is to work ourselves out of a job - taking a completely dependent infant and turning them loose on society some 18 years later as, hopefully, independent, moral, loving, productive members of society.

A son's a son till he takes a wife, but a daughter's a daughter for the rest of her life! I'm sure you've heard this before and it's true. My son, Stephen and his sweetheart met each other for the first time in 5th grade. They started dating as juniors in high school and the romance endured 4 years at CU Boulder. Finally, this summer, they officially became husband and wife in Grand Lake, Colorado with Mt. Baldy and the Rocky Mountain National Park in the background. For the record, my new daughter-in-law is easy to love and has been part of our family for years before their wedding on June 26th. Still, it was a little hard releasing my little boy to another woman, I must say. For years, I was the only woman in his life. Whether I was wearing a cocktail dress or an old bathrobe, hair color or jewels, he always told me I was "beautiful" and that one day he would marry me. Aah - unconditional love. My adorable new daughter-in-law is a wonderful cook, sweet as the day is long, funny, intelligent and, not surprisingly, beautiful! As it should be, she is the new woman in my little boy's life. After multiple viewings of "Mother of the Bride" (conditioning myself so as not to cry) I behaved myself and did not dissolve into a puddle of water. Those precious memories are mine to keep, but my little boy, now a Man - is all grown up and he's going to make my dear Tahnee a wonderful husband and father.

Sturgis, SD

Sturgis, SD
Annually, I ride to Sturgis the first week of August for one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the world. It is always an incredible experience traveling by motorcycle and seeing old friends. I ride a 1999 Harley Davidson Softail (Night Train).

This year was the first year I didn’t catch any rain for the 426 mile trip. I meet up with people just like you and I, like John and Deb from MN who are farmers and Larrs who is a gravedigger (yep!) a real live gravedigger.

Sturgis, South Dakota is an amazing place for a small town of 50,000 in the Black Hills to host over 500,000 bikers in one week. There are several places of business that only open for one week during the rally. To name a few of my favorites: (and the name really says it all)

The Road Kill Café: This is a place you just have to stop by. The food is usually cold and is served on paper plates along with plastic silverware, but the name brings me back every time.

The Full Throttle Saloon: is one of the largest biker bars in the world where they let you ride your motorcycle inside the bar. This bar offers several live bands, naked bull riding and the best full on burnout competitions inside where I have watched people burn the back tires right off their bikes.

The Dungeon: is an underground bar where the patrons have /will remove their underwear right in front of you and hang it from the ceiling. There are also other things that occur down there, but I am trying to keep this clean.

Last, is the Broken Spoke: A really interesting biker bar as it has antique motorcycles throughout the bar, some dating back to the early 1900. I always like to stop by here to see the map they set up for everyone that visits from around the world. They encourage you to place a stickpin from where you have traveled. People come from all around the world (ie. Europe, Australia, Russia, China, etc.) Of course Colorado is the largest supporter of the Rally. So, the next time you are driving down the road and see a bike give them a little room, it could be me.

Chris Ex, Aug. 2009

I live in the Lodo area of Denver in a one-bedroom apartment by myself. However, most nights I’m anything but alone. Two of my closest college friends, Jimi and Cheese, (Craig’s name has been pretty much formally changed thanks to a few years in a fraternity) live below me one floor and 6 doors to the right. Upon moving into my new apartment I knew I should give a spare key to someone in case of lock out, emergency etc... Well, there were two likely candidates. Ever since that moment our other friends haven’t let any of us live down our Seinfeld living situation.
In Seinfeld, Jerry’s apartment and refrigerator have revolving doors. Jimi & Cheese have been grocery shopping a total two times since I moved in upstairs. Some days, I will come home thinking about a cold beer in the fridge only to be greeted by a beerless fridge and a text from Cheese “had a tough day, grabbed the beer”.
When I told them I was going to blog about us it was unanimous that Jimi is without a doubt our Kramar.(Hes on the left in the picture) Jimi has gone through a lot in the past year but his sense of humor and out look on life have kept all of us entertained. He is one of the most astute people I know from 9-5 (although he’ll tell you he works 7am-7pm) then all of a sudden work is over. “Jim” is put away and “Jimi” comes to life. He tells us though that “Jim” is always around cause you never know when you’re going to have “talk shop.”
Our Seinfeld story is coming to a close because, I am moving out next month to an apartment closer to downtown and only 5 blocks from the InLine offices. Although I would never tell them, I am going to miss their constant company, laughter and family feeling they’ve given me. Moving merely 3 blocks away I know not much will change. I have little doubt there won’t still those nightly 6pm phone calls “Hey Bails, what’s up, what’s for dinner?”

Off to start the weekend with a cold beer, hope there is one in there!

Kick Ball

I consider myself lucky because unlike Robbie, I don't have to wait once a year to enjoy my favorite activity. I spend every Wednesday night with a great group of friends, cold beers, feisty banter, and a big rubber ball.
This summer I have joined WAKA, the premier (and only) World Adult Kickball Association. This is my team’s first year playing kickball together. We are all seasoned athletes, who developed our skills in a long and arduous training process called “Elementary School”. However, it seems the 20-30 years since that training have left us a little rusty. Despite our full roster of 25 aggressive players, team “So is Your Face”
has yet to win a game, but we are all learning key tips for next year. For example: if you fill the outfield with girls- you cannot later be surprised when we all throw "like girls".

Now, don’t let our record fool you. We are serious competitors. Let me take you back to a time and place not too long ago (specifically two weeks ago at the City of Cuernavaca Park. It was raining and it was raining hard. Team "So is Your Face" refuses to forfeit. Clothed in our battle armor of sweatbands and random warm clothing from everyone’s trunks we take the field, beers in hand. Teammates are slipping, falling, and struggling to overcome the mud. After an epic battle, the last inning is upon us, score 1-0, we are up to kick and down by one. The first two balls are caught in the air. High fives are passed around the field. This is crunch time, we send in our big kickers...we load the bases.... this is it, everything is set, perfect for a big win. Our best kicker is up. The first ball goes out of bounds. The next ball bounces across the plate, the ref calls a strike. The pitcher is getting cocky; you can tell the next one will be a strike. Our best kicker kicks the final ball, it’s going, going...but is it gone? There is a scramble in the outfield by the other team. “RUN!” is all you hear from the sidelines. The person on 3rd runs for home, everything seems like it is going in slow motion. Team “So is Your Face” is perched on their first possible tie, or even victory, and the runner from 3rd… slips in the mud, is tagged out, and the game is over.


Yet another loss for “So is your Face”. Luckily we get to play again, next week.

That Time of Year...

My story consists of a tradition. A tradition that many people might consider laughable or pathetic, is an annual ritual that I crave. Magazines hit shelves in mid July as my emotions begin to tingle with excitement. Once August 1st passes, the countdown begins as if there were going to be a lunar eclipse in the near future. However, this is something different. Something magical. Yes, that's right, it's the world of Fantasy Football.

Every year my close college buddies from all over the country travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan for our annual fantasy football draft (5 years in the making). With notebooks, magazines, and excel spreadsheets in hand, we select what seems to be the "greatest fantasy football team" ever assembled. Hours and hours pass by as if you never want the draft to end. As some hold their heads high, others crumble into their magazines with disappointment.

As sad as this may sound on paper, this event is held with the highest regard by my friends and me. It's a time where laughs are contagious and where men can be boys. But more importantly, it's an excuse to get together once a year to remember the great times we spent in college. So for all of those fantasy football fans out there: have fun, laugh a ton, and choose your team wisely!