missionfromdog

Schroeder Audio, Inc.

2011-06-06T09:22:00.001-05:00

via schroederaudioinc.com

Amp fixing by the best in town...

Posted via email from caseyhess's posterous

Involver: The Web's Most Trusted Social Marketing Platform

2011-06-06T09:19:00.001-05:00

via involver.com

Seems like a useful tool. Time for a little R&D.

Posted via email from caseyhess's posterous

Back on a Floyd Kick...

2011-01-30T17:39:00.001-06:00

Song of the Day:

Posted via email from caseyhess's posterous

on bandcamp finally...

2011-01-11T12:56:00.001-06:00

Check it out:
http://caseyhess.bandcamp.com/

Posted via email from caseyhess's posterous

2010-09-01T08:23:00.000-05:00

latest lakai in copenhagen

Montrose Beach

2008-06-23T20:15:00.002-05:00

Just another day at the beach. I love this one... Pretty proud of this photo.

Never Too Young to Work

2008-06-07T13:06:00.000-05:00

Just another day watering your troubles away. In a moment of genius, Dad figured a way to begin sharing the yard duties. Granted he's starting with my favorite job, but it's at least something. Next stop, the litter boxes... (please note the camoflague and plaid trend he's starting.)

Red Wings!

2008-06-04T22:14:00.002-05:00

This was my house tonight. Finally, I can rest.

I Heart Goats

2008-06-04T20:00:00.004-05:00

If there is one gem that jackson *taught* Otto before he passed, it was to love animals. The only thing Otto could think to do while posing with the goat, was to show the same love that he gave jackson (probably more often than jackson would've prefered.) As you can see, a side of the haed to the belly is how this is expressed, regardless of species... There was a series of "awwws" behind the camera from other zoogoers during the capture of these digital bits.

Mount Whitney - Memorial Day Weekend '08

2008-06-01T14:04:00.002-05:00

Here's the pictures from my trip over Memorial Day weekend. We started in Lone Pine, at the base of Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada range. We had a great time, even though the weather got a bit scary for us urban dwellers that aren't used snow AND mountains. It was a total whiteout near the 2nd camp, so we left the next day and went through Death Valley, Barstow (can you say Crystal Meth?), and then Joshua Tree National Park. We ended our trip with a visit to my college roommate in LA and cheered on game #2 Red Wings victory of the Pens. All in all a successful trip.

MtWhitney

Stanley Cup Finals!!!

2008-05-20T08:09:00.003-05:00

Last night couldn't have gone much better. Home-made mexican food for dinner. Dad and Otto watched The Wings dominate the Stars once again. And somewhere during the first period Mom crept off and made chocolate chip cookies. It was like a birthday... Next stop, Stanley Cup Finals. I've even watched a few Penguins games in anticipation of finding a few players to replace the Forsberg/Lemieux hate of years past. Go Wings!

What a nut!

2008-05-07T11:39:00.001-05:00

This Blaine character...

Warm, but not that warm yet...

2008-05-05T20:05:00.004-05:00

Someone still thinks he's in Sanibel. We were watering some plants on Sunday, and Otto thought it was the shower, his favorite place on earth. In an unplanned soaking, he later learned it's not quite summer yet.

Wreck your feet!

2008-04-28T11:01:00.003-05:00

Stumbled (no pun intended) on this article that is worth reading on how we're "wrecking our feet."

Sanibel 2008

2008-04-21T10:59:00.002-05:00

Sanibel 2008

We had another great week with family on the beach in Sanibel. We did miss one group of cousins that couldn't make it this year, but still managed to have fun in their absence. Otto is truly a beach kid, never complained once from sand in the eyes, salt water in the mouth (he actually enjoys the extra sodium...), and was content being lubed up in 50 sunblock. Didn't take too many pictures this year, but nonetheless, here's a quick album of a few of the shots.

Look Dad, Hot Dougs (again.)

2008-04-07T13:34:00.006-05:00

My son is now taunting me at 19 months. He and his mom were once again able to repeat a fun series of events that proved successful last time. The need: Haircut. The want: Hot Dougs.

The haircut thankfully is not an issue for him as he pretty much enjoys the barber shop. Hot Dougs however, continues to elude us 9 to 5ers. We drove past there on a sunny 60 degree Sunday afternoon and the line was more than 100 feet down the sidewalk out the front door. Today is a different story. Both haircut and hot dog are manageable, especially on a Monday, as seen here in the action photo below:

He almost looks like he's taunting me. Like he's basking in the glory of being VIP. Like the soup nazi actually likes him. Like haircuts aren't that cool. Like "Hot Doug's is just another hot dog dad... like, dude, bring it down a notch. This place is so last year."

The Run vs. Chubby Hubby

2008-04-03T17:10:00.003-05:00

So my mom unknowingly sent me on a mission: to determine how far my runs will need to be offset my chubby hubby intake. (RUN=CHOFFSET VALUE)

If you take a look here, you'll see that the Hubbie's serving size is a measly 1/2 cup, of which there are 4 serving sizes, or 2 cups in the pint. Unfortunately I can easily put down a whole pint, but traditionally sink a half pint in one sitting. Doing the unpleasant math, that means I gulp down nearly 700 calories and 40grams of fat. Double that and you see why I've required tums late night...

What all this means, is that I have to either hit the pavement (or treadmill) at 6.0mph for 55 minutes. That's pretty much a six mile run, of which I've yet to accomplish in one workout in years. Yikes.

I've had to settle for these for now, but they only require a 7 minute run. Not so bad...

Might be scary to require an "Exercise Offset" on the Nutrition Facts. There doing it with Carbon, why not?

Map My Run

2008-03-31T14:42:00.003-05:00

Haven't been doing very much running lately, but did run yesterday, and found this site recently that's pretty decent for seeing how far you went... in an effort to determine how much chubby hubby is acceptable...

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/il/chicago/1058235073"&amp;gt;4 Mile Addison/Montrose lap&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/il/chicago"&amp;gt;Find more Runs in Chicago, Illinois&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Like father, like son.

2008-03-21T09:35:00.002-05:00

Otto has finally started pointing at the 'birdy' on Dad's arm. Let's hope he doesn't go down this path.

To all my nephews - better watch yourself...

2008-03-17T09:14:00.001-05:00

The Fashion Show

2008-03-16T20:09:00.003-05:00

Today was not like every other. Today I attended a fashion show that my wife and child were participating in. Here's a group of shots you can check out - pretty awesome! While my wife wore some Mark Shale stuff at average prices, Otto wore clothes that cost more than what I wear in a week. He's donning Oilily, each outfit totalling over three hundred smackeroos. Enjoy Jon-Benet Hess and his Tennis Mom.

Contest entry...

2008-03-12T17:54:00.004-05:00

So randomly I saw a contest on the Mountain Hardware site today, and decided to enter a shot I had and play along in the contest. I had a total 'ad' for them, a shot of their tent way up on Mt. Wheeler when I made my first hiking trip. I think the web interface is pretty cool regardless, but please hop over to the results page and vote for my ad - which I also think is pretty good if I don't say so myself.

You'll find it posted by Casey, and you'll see I misspelled the entry and probably a bunch of other language no-no's. If it wins I'm sure their copywriters will handle the smart people stuff.

Just a day in the park

2008-03-10T08:26:00.003-05:00

We're getting tired of the indoors. We want it to be warm, but it's not. So we suited up anyway, knowing a good portion of our family was enjoying warmth down south.

Mister Hipster

2008-02-18T15:53:00.004-06:00

I got this picture of my son at the infamous Hot Doug's down the street from our house today from my wife's phone. He and his mom were finally able to eat at the always-packed hipster hangout today. They had to eat lunch at 230, but that's what it takes to get in - a weekday in the middle of the afternoon. Mister Hipster surely made the encased meat snobs sick when he ordered a veggie dog with cheese and ketchup, but we're not there to make friends! That's my boy.

How Time Flies!

2008-01-10T08:59:00.001-06:00

I was going through the log files of my web site to see how many (or how few actually) hits and clicks I was getting. Turns out a favorite of most web surfers is not what most of you were surely thinking - my platinum album Long Live Tragedy, but rather this photo and few others from Otto's early days when he and the cats lived in harmony. Unfortunately he stills tries to strike this and many other poses using The Gumbus as a prop, but said cat is less than pleased with following suit. The cats have all asked that we purchase a large dog to suit Otto's growing interactive needs.

One funny over the holiday...

2007-12-26T13:59:00.001-06:00

Blackout!

2007-12-26T08:21:00.001-06:00

We're going to pause for a moment. Spew. Then move on.

It's the day after.

Christmas.

No one is stirring, not a creature, a mouse, the cats, my whole effing family, neighbors, most of chicago, the nation, the world, even the planets are sleeping.

Not me.

I was up at 6, showered, ate my breakfast and out the door in my routine of driving to work. Why? Because I have to work. Why not get an early start? MAKE THE MOST OF IT. BE POSITIVE! RA! RA! RA!

I'm going to get a TON today. You can't hold me down. I will win. If I have to work, I will work, god dammit.

I arrived at work, sat down, sipped my coffee, read a few news posts to get back on track, then opened up the proposal I need to get a head start on. The clock said 7:32am. I'm awesome. I'm the best, most dedicated employee out there. The office is still empty. But I'm here, working. Already. The Day After Christmas. I would totally be Tom Hanks if that was the movie title.

Then the power goes out.

I sit in the dark until 3 minutes ago. Now it is 8:30, and the other dedicated drones are all here. There is nothing magical about this moment. The darkness reminds me of the bed I was sleeping in. The anger spots I see cloud my vision. All the work that goes into making THIS GUY (points thumbs at chest) the earliest riser, the super employee, the ultrakissass that arrives early after Chrismtas, the most dedicated, is gone...

(Fucking) Sigh.

Back to work.

Happy 35th!

2007-12-20T08:17:00.000-06:00

Today marks 35 years for my lovely wife. Here's to my wonderful lady, my soul mate, best friend, and fantastic mother. If you're out surfing the family blogs today, Happy Birthday P!

All I Want for Christmas

2007-12-19T11:19:00.000-06:00

The Wonder Sauna Hot Pants. Say no more.

What's up Bro...

2007-12-03T20:01:00.000-06:00

So what's the big deal. Like, bro, I told you I would walk. On my time, bro. My watch. Now, what say you go fill up this sippy. I'll be listening to Sticky Fingers on vinyl.

Reason #8,565,135 to live by the Mediterranean Diet

2007-11-15T09:16:00.000-06:00

Seems like we've all heard this now 500 times, but once again polyphenols as found in red wine and fruit and veggies is good for us. Is this still news? Apparently.

What they're not mentioning, is that part of the Mediterranean diet includes the geography - warm weather, oceans, beaches, etc. Cold, dank-ass Chicago for the next 5 months has been scientifically proven to be bad for your health.

No Money To Afford No Country

2007-11-12T15:52:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, we actually proactively got a sitter to come and stay with our 14-month old charmer while we got out for a movie. The movie, No Country For Old Men, was outstanding. There's great reviews all over the place, so I won't really get into that, but it is worth noting what a monumental commitment it is to go out to the movies today:

Dinner at Chicago Diner - $40
Movie tickets (w/online surcharge) - $21
Parking at Theater - $12.50
Sitter for 3.5 hours - $40
Walgreens-bought contraband for theater snacking - $6
Total - $120

As I type this, I'm listening to "I just wasn't made for these times" by the Beach Boys...

This ain't me...

2007-11-12T09:11:00.000-06:00

Why can't I wake up living in this place...

It's another monday heading deep into November in the Windy City. Another day on flat ground, another day with lines of traffic. It's another day in my dark, crap-ass house. It's another day.

I'm done with it. I'm ready to move. If not into the mountains (which ain't happening in this life unless my entire extended family agrees to move with me...), then at least into a decent house. That may be the next goal. A decent, cool, modern house in the woods. Is that too much to ask for? I'm ready to begin the next phase of the working man. The telecommute. Everyone will be doing it soon. My dream is to live up on a ridge, in a forest, in a decent modern mix of log cabin and modern dwell home. I'll wake up, make some coffee, open up the email, and look out over the trees, mountains, and shoreline. I'll work more efficiently, happy, and with purpose.

Right now, I wake up in the dark. I fight the cat shit odor on my way down the stairs to our country kitchen. I pull out into the alley after breakfast and wave to the rats in our neighbors overstuffed garbage bins. I drive 9 miles in 45 minutes across the flat concrete jungle. I don't climb mountains or hills, I climb stairs. I sit in a small drab cube with no windows, and I input data as fast as I can. Tomorrow, I'll do the same thing, but I might have hazelnut coffee from Panera - that would be insane. I can't wait.

Halloween 2007

2007-10-31T20:24:00.001-05:00

This year we headed over to my brothers place in Bucktown - had a blast. Even the bunny lightened up a little...

Halloween 2007

Kettle Moraine 2007

2007-10-24T13:22:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we made another trip into Southern Wisconsin to the same place we were last year - when Otto was six weeks old. Just one night, but we had fun.

Some pix:

Kettle Moraine 2007

Friedman's Op-ed

2007-10-22T09:20:00.000-05:00

This is just a great article from Friedman on using your vote as a way greenify your life without spending money. It's a nice quick read too, as opposed to some of his longer novel-columns.

Something lighter...

2007-10-22T08:57:00.000-05:00

Compliments of Tomato Face that brought you the Lemon Party, not to worry, this is completely unrelated. We've all seen movie trailer remakes, this is one of the best I've seen:

Is it me, or is it the Media?

2007-10-11T08:56:00.000-05:00

Of late, I'm noticing that everything on the planet costs more, or is not spun in any positive light by the media. The Chicago CTA is about to get completey messed up, fare hikes, new budget, etc. Daley is raising the property taxes again. My medical bills have been ridiculous - even though we've got Blue Crass Bull Shithead, I'm regularly paying more to see the doctor and for any blood tests or other tests I've had (and lord knows I've had tests this year...)

Fruit and Veggies were on the news lately - they're not touring no, they actually cost more too.

Gasoline is still over 3 bucks, Oil is always at a record high. Even though Ethanol is not a viable solution for long term fuel replacement, we're still marching down a path with it - sort of...
Foreclosures are up, houses not selling, and home sales are really dropping.

My local coffee joints mutually raised their prices - both starbutts and pantera bread cost me more than a dime more for a small coffee, if I buy one at all.

Both my parents are getting jobs.

Google's stock is over $600, though. Somehow, that's a good thing.

That's my Andy Rooney commentary for the day.

Long Live Tragedy Finally Sells Internationally...

2007-09-27T16:38:00.000-05:00

I suspect this is probably some of my parents friend throwing a few dollars my way, but regardless, this is a first. Our neighbors to the north are the first to show their good taste in music!

Sadly, please note that my 2007 sales are off to a slow start. Must be all that intensive marketing i'm doing is off the mark.

Boy is this site a Bummer

2007-09-26T16:55:00.000-05:00

This site on stressing buying dogs used over new is fantastic in it's effort, but unfortunately another hit of reality on how many and how often dogs are being put down. Thankfully, as a dog lover with 3 cats, I was unable to find my model within 250 miles.

The Lemon Party

2007-09-24T19:51:00.000-05:00

This was requested to be posted on my blog by dubious commentor 'tomato face'.

I have to say I was unfamiliar with the term, but came up with the answer here shortly after seeing the movie... Feel free to ask him why he was searching for video on Youtube for the term...

Enjoy.

Shock Therapy

2007-09-18T08:31:00.000-05:00

This video will surely cause quite a stir if it hasn't already... I'm sure thousands of bloggers like me are posting this video as well. From what I could see: Guilty. Taser and for good reason. That'll teach his ass to shut up when he's told. Zap!

The best part is the nervous chatter that John Kerry is mumbling in the background.

Rocky Mountain National Park

2007-09-06T21:39:00.000-05:00

Spent labor day weekend in Estes Park, Colorado. Here's some shots from the trip. Enjoy. (Editor note: There are many pictures of random trees and mountains that will begin to bore you to death. Each one makes the author happy.)

RockyMountainNationalPark - 09012007

Craig over the Crag...

2007-09-06T17:34:00.000-05:00

two interesting pieces of media on the senator. first the article here.

second, the video here:

Happy Birthday Otto!

2007-08-26T09:58:00.000-05:00

Today marks one year of being the happiest dad around. We had a little family backyard pizza party last night to celebrate Otto's first birthday. He knew something special was up, but didn't know it was for him. The adults enjoyed the first ever "Vottoka" Tonics with the forementioned Soda Club product.

Here's my whole gallery. Please send us any other shots you have.

Go Daley Go!

2007-08-17T10:59:00.000-05:00

Score one for the Mayor. Ultimately this will end up costing us more, but better than polluting the entire lake. Why would Indiana say ok, in fact, why does the EPA say it's ok in general to have a solution called "dumping pollution in the lake" as the answer.

Fish Spa anyone?

2007-08-15T08:26:00.000-05:00

This just doesn't seem that fun to me.

In the end, it's about the numbers...

2007-08-08T12:21:00.000-05:00

Another interesting read on why not to buy some of the newer hybrids.

I love my country, but...

2007-07-20T08:32:00.000-05:00

This is the first legitimate gripe I've seen in a while... Happy Friday :)

How Big?

2007-07-19T19:30:00.001-05:00

Throw them to the dogs

2007-07-18T17:19:00.000-05:00

here's a fun topic to get arguing on... dog fights. Was reading this from cnn. People that make dogs fight, or kill the 'weak losers' -- as the alleged Vick and Co. did -- should, in my most humble, tiny, pacifistic opinion...

...be shot.

Seriously, as my mom would say. "What's the matter with these people."

We've been watching all these National Geo Supermax and Prison/Gang shows. I love that we go to great lengths to not kill people and lock 'em up, but at the same I'm conflicted as I watch the money, time and energy we put into people that do these horrible things... It just doesn't make any sense.

Doing my homework on AIT

2007-07-06T10:45:00.000-05:00

So we finally watched Gore's Inconvenient Truth. Interesting, but now I'm required to read on and on seeing what's true, what's not, what others say, which side of the political fence they're on. What a mess.

Here's one interesting one - although this one feels a bit slanted to the right, but I like it.

http://www.cei.org/pages/ait_response-book.cfm

Don't know much about CEI, but there's a good video response to Gore's appearance on Oprah, and a good quick summary of points contained in the pdfs.

PETA to Michael Moore

2007-06-26T11:27:00.000-05:00

Here's a good quick read of a formal letter from the founder of Peta to foundfatfoodagain filmmaker Michael Moore. It's a PDF. The stats are pretty amazing in terms of cholesterol and cancer. You don't have to become a Plantatarian, just eat less meat, milk, and cheese. That's not what the makers of lipitor and vytorin would tell you, but it works...

How the World Really Works.

2007-06-25T12:57:00.000-05:00

This is a long read, but worth it not so much for Murdoch's latest move to buy Dow Jones, but rather as a reminder of how business, money, media, and politics really work.

Join the Club!

2007-06-18T16:39:00.000-05:00

Recently we joined a new club. It's called the Soda Club, and it's the best purchase of the year. As you may or may not know, we drink loads of La Croix and various other seltzers, and decided to take matters into our own hands. We purchased a carbonator from them, and have been making it by the truckloads at home. A liter from the store usually costs about $1.25 or more, and we're now paying roughly $.20/liter. We paid $100 for the device, and will pay $19 for the carbonation tank, but we get fresh seltzer right from the tap, basically. I also like the concept that I'm not paying for the freight costs of transporting water across the country, but rather getting it right out of the tap. It speaks to my urbanhippie side. They have a bunch of colas, and sent us a sample, which we'll likely drink up then not reorder, but they do have some good ones.

My family is all pretty much die-hard Coke drinkers, so it may not be for them, but I'm hoping my viewership has surpassed those six or eight individuals...

Happy Fathers Day!

2007-06-14T20:10:00.000-05:00

Now that its been delivered, I can finally post an outtake picture... For Fathers Day this year we headed over to Wrigley to take a photo of last years gift which was a brick to be installed over at the friendly confines. They sent him a replica brick in the mail last year and told him it would be put into the ground at Wrigley over the next year. My older brother had the idea to snap a photo of the actual brick and frame it for this years gift, which my wife, son, and I went and did last Saturday. Tonight our dad unwrapped a (rather giant) box with the picture framed in it. He's happy, we're happy, and we really got some mileage out of that one... Anyhoo, a happy day and weekend to all those dads out there, and a special one to mine as well.

Happy Fathers Day Dad!

My Three Things List

2007-06-11T09:07:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by my wife to fill this out, so I've finally found the time.

three things that scare me:

1. fire
2. alligators
3. heart attacks

three people who make me laugh:

1. eddie murphy
2. my friend greg
3. me

three things i love:

1. saturday morning
2. rain
3. chubby hubby

three things i hate/severely dislike:

1. fat people
2. mean people
3. close-minded people

three things i don’t understand:

1. religion
2. soduku
3. fame

three things on my desk:

1. camera
2. messy pile of papers
3. upside-down cd's

three things i’m doing right now:

1. trying to tune out super-loud oprah
2. staying home sick
3. leaning back

three things i want to do before i die:

1. save a life
2. raise happy, healthy kids and see their kids
3. speak in front of 10,000 people

three things i can do:

1. play guitar
2. wash dishes
3. find a way to win

three things i can’t do:

1. put things away
2. be mean to people
3. watch the view

three things i think you should listen to:

1. your heart
2. the beatles
3. my cd

three things you should never listen to:

1. politicians
2. any of laurel's "things you should listen to."
3. when your wife says "'it's cold in here."

three things i’d like to learn:

1. how to write
2. how to enjoy weddings
3. how to have a photographic memory

three favourite foods:

1. pete's pizza
2. p's pasta copy of eileen's thing she made us after otto was born
3. roma bark

three shows i watched as a kid:

1. laugh olympics
2. abbott and costello
3. falcon crest

three things i regret:

1. this past mother's day - i whiffed.
2. not trying a job in music after berklee
3. not staying in touch with john woods

Now this is more like it

2007-06-08T16:40:00.000-05:00

It didn't seem right when she just went to jail with no major drama event attached. Now this is more like what I expected.

Reason #279 I'm happy to not be eating meat...

2007-05-02T13:20:00.000-05:00

I'm sure many of the veggies I'm eating have been shat on by quite a few animals, but this article just gives me the creepies.

Sanibel 2007

2007-04-29T09:24:00.000-05:00

Just back from 9 days in Sanibel - took less shots this year, and apparently I can't get enough of my own kid - enjoy the fifty odd pictures of him, him and paula, etc.

The New Maestro

2007-04-08T20:31:00.000-05:00

There's a new maestro in the Hess house. Billy Idol Wolfgang Hess has taken a liking to the piano. His technique needs a little work, but something tells me he already gets the concept of musical phrasing. He lets his notes breathe, listens to them ring out, then bashes the next set, as if he understands a bit about melody. Our piano has now been played by four generations. A friend's grandmother gave us this piano, so it's nice to see another set hands make "mikic" as my nephew would say. I'd prefer him to punch away on a graphing calculator, but you can't take the music out of the soul!

Early Morning or Late Night?

2007-04-04T07:35:00.000-05:00

Here's a question for you. If you wake up at 33oam, lie in bed until 5am, then get up and shower and go to work, did you:

A) Wake up "really early in the morning."
or
B) You've "been up since the middle of the night."

If you answered (A), what time becomes (B) for you. If you answered (B), what time becomes (A).
There must exist an exact moment when it's neither early or nor late.

Regardless, last night I had an extreme case of what I like to call Brain Diarrhea. The trots started with my son's typical middle of the night (or morning?) cries for help, which were answered in the form of a boob to the face. From there I relived the angry client call I had the day before, and anticipated each moment of the coming Sanibel trip. During that time, I reminisced scenes from last years trip, then, while listening to the winds outside, wondered if the tree branches might come down. I wondered if I should call the city to remove the branches above the house... After all it is on city property. Wow. I like my new car. They should make a solar-powered ethanol distiller so we're creating stored energy from a free source. I'm going to record a new song tomorrow. Jackson, stop licking your tits. Gosh, I wish these six blankets weren't on the bed, I'm sweating. Ok, 4:40, If I slam my eyes shut I can get another hour-twenty before work. 1-2-3-4. You're getting sleepy. That makes almost six hours of sleep. I'd be gold. Gold is expensive. Are my glasses done yet? I need to call the tax guy, what's his name Mike? Hmm... I still have that check for 33 bucks from my birthday. You're bad. You're lazy and shouldn't watch tv with all these outstanding issues. That movie was kind of good. I like Garrison Keillor. Lake Wobegon days. Wobegon? W-O-B-E-G-O-N. We be gone soon too. To Sanibel. 5:10, shit. Sleep asshole, sleep. F**k it. If I get in the shower now, I can read that proposal. No traffic. Maybe I could leave early? Great idea. And so on...

Blood Pumping Action!

2007-03-30T14:15:00.000-05:00

I saw this on Drudge this morning, but thought it worth posting. My wife is very afraid of blood and needles, and this started as an email thread to her "This is your worst nightmare." Worth a read, but what's most odd to me, is that the company actually has a permit to dump it.

My Little Swimmer

2007-03-19T22:17:00.000-05:00

Meanwhile, while I'm pretending to be a mountain man, my wife is off in Florida with our little man for a dip in the pool. I haven't seen him in 4 days but my dad was kind enough to get out the camera we bought him for Christmas and snap this one. I miss him already.

New Mexico Pix!

2007-03-19T20:04:00.000-05:00

Here's the quick summary. Flew to Albuquerque, drove to Taos, hiked up 11,500ft. on the Bull of the Woods trail to Wheeler Peak, but never made it. Altitude sickness hit pretty hard (see yours truly in the tent.) Stayed overnight, sleepless in 40mph winds on a ridge a few miles from the peak, came back down, shot photos and enjoyed friends, traveled to Los Alamos, Sante Fe, and back to Albuquerque on Sunday night. A great trip. Enjoy! Make sure to hit the slideshow button - it's pretty sweet.

NewMexico

Off to New Mexico

2007-03-15T15:54:00.000-05:00

See you next week - I'm off on my 2nd attempt at being outdoors-ey. Wheeler Peak.

Fastest Train to Hell World Record

2007-03-15T13:06:00.000-05:00

This is just sick.

Open Wide

2007-02-24T16:37:00.000-06:00

There is no better food than avocado. These days we're sitting up in chairs, we've been for a swim and we're big fans of the green stuff. A shot of pear juice and a little yogurt and we've got a happy man.

2007-02-13T19:08:00.000-06:00

A new pantera fan has joined the ranks.

Starved Rock

2007-01-29T13:18:00.000-06:00

For those that missed on the holiday photos page, I've also uploaded a set of pictures from a recent winter trip to Starved Rock. Sweet place, probably much better camping when it's not six degrees outside.

Starved Rock

Figuring it all out...

2007-01-22T21:41:00.000-06:00

Getting photos up finally - first installment is photos from the holidays. Let's see if I can figure this out.

Check em out - :
(using the new picasa web album - you can dowload, order, etc.)

Holiday Season 06

Happy Man!

2007-01-02T15:55:00.000-06:00

I pilfered this image from a gallery from my sister-in-law of young Mr. Hess. We're back to the grind already after the holidays, but we're trying to maintain the smile and enthusiasm that the young charmer seems to carry in this shot. My camera is loaded with images over the past few weeks so expect more soon.

Hope you had a Happy New Year.

Happy Holidays

2006-12-23T12:44:00.000-06:00

Have a Happy Holiday - we're off to Three Oaks, then Detroit over the next week or so.

I am smart, and you are stupid

2006-12-15T16:10:00.000-06:00

I love this article.

Chillin Yer Coke

2006-12-15T14:21:00.000-06:00

This is actually useful to me - so I thought it worth a post. If you've ever grabbed a warm coke out of the garage (or beer for that matter) and want it cold quickly, put it in icy salt water in the freezer. Check it out.

A giant blow to the collective Indian Male Ego

2006-12-12T08:31:00.000-06:00

This is worth a giggle.

Is it just me...

2006-12-07T13:09:00.000-06:00

... or is this Russian Spy case more interesting than any Jon Le Carré novel. Unbelievable. I'm finding myself reading every story, every word with mouth wide open. Who'd of thunk we'd be reading a true story going down with sushi, poisoning, radioactive material, airline searches, traces in the embassy in Moscow. I hope someone in Hollywood is taking notes.

I see a potential business opportunity

2006-12-07T08:39:00.000-06:00

First off, this woman is a stinkin' idiot. Her ass cost the airline tons. Probably a million bucks! Here's a newsflash for you, stinkybutt. Do you remember nine eleven? Second, I see a business opportunity. Glade or Ozium could surely find a way to market FAA-approved flight flatuence freshener, or something similiar.

Lindsey Slowhan

2006-11-30T09:08:00.000-06:00

I'm probably late on this one, but I just finished reading Lindsey Lohan's words of condolence to the late Robert Altman and his family. I'm not one to critique spelling and sentence structure, but holy cow. Two good articles here and here. I feel bad for her, what a mess of a life.

I wouldn't be a movie star if you paid me.

Long Live Tragedy takes over the World

2006-11-14T08:30:00.000-06:00

I was checking iTunes this morning and my album is finally available everywhere. Via my friends at Tunecore, I sprung the additional $3.96 to go worldwide a few weeks ago. I found the tab at the bottom of the iTunes store and switched to the different stores around the world. I'm guessing with no marketing whatsoever, it'll be slim pickens, but hey... Who knows, maybe Long Live Tragedy will be the next Levi's in Tokyo. We'll see. Until then, if you have friends in the UK, EU, or Japan, please do point them to this fine collection of songs.

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T08:38:00.000-06:00

Long Live Marketing

2006-10-16T16:55:00.000-05:00

I just received my 3rd report from Tunecore and I have to say, I suck. I've got a disc, I played everything, I recorded everything, I pressed 500 CD's and that was the end of it. I sent out a batch of initial discs to about 30 publications, friends, websites, and have had minimal press. The only thing I've done nothing about is marketing, and it shows. I'm taking orders here for a few ideas to get noticed.

Camping in Kettle

2006-10-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

Here's some pictures from our successful weekend of camping up in southern Wisconsin. We aren't campers, have never played one on tv, but do wanna be... After some major prepwork and trips to the sporting goods stores, we left for wisconsin Friday afternoon. Thankfully our six week old kid Otto seemed to like it even more than we did. It was 40 at night, but he could've cared less.

Here's some more photos.

The PC Guy

2006-10-05T16:11:00.000-05:00

This quick article was interesting enough to post. Little backstory on the guy (John Hodgeman) that places the PC in those new clever mac ads.

Otto - 1 month

2006-09-28T20:04:00.000-05:00

Not much time to post anymore... Here's a few shots along the way to his first month. First bath, some fun faces, hot hair shots, and his new cool blanket from my old boss and his wife.

Click here for the photos.

Unlike A Rock

2006-09-12T20:10:00.000-05:00

You know your country is in in an odd place when Bob Seger drops Chevy after he took his kids to see Al Gore's Inconvenient Title for a Movie. "Green" is definitely in when Mr. Seger is "dropping those environmentally unfriendly gas guzzlers." Check it out.

Oldie But Goodie

2006-09-05T08:17:00.000-05:00

I remember seeing this a few years ago and finding it mildly amusing. It was passed around at my new job over the weekend and I was reminded how good it is, staged or not...

Dance, White Boy, Dance!

Otto & Company

2006-09-02T20:52:00.000-05:00

We made it through our first week, snapping pictures along the way. He's a cute kid for sure, but his cousin Vaughn really takes the cake. Here's some more pictures from the first week. We walked, we played with cats, we took our first bath, we tried to sleep, and we ate. Then we ate some more. We're still eating as I type. They should call it Chubby Daddy, not Chubby Hubby.

Otto's pix pt2, click here.

Otto Walter Hess

2006-08-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

The picture that changed my life forever.

His name is Otto. He's my son. He joined us on Saturday just before lunch. He's gonna be with us for a long time. He's only 19 inches long and weighs less than a can of Pepsi. I don't really have any other words right now, but am just completely overwhelmed with all the love and support we've received. It's like the entire world has been saving a nice gesture and a few nice words for us. Our family has been absolutely the best, our friends so involved and kind, and strangers just root us on. We're still trying to get the word out, so please feel free to spread the news.

Here's a few pictures from the first few days.

Lightning Up My Life

2006-08-24T07:54:00.000-05:00

On my way into the new office this morning, I stopped off and headed into the local overpriced coffee shop establishment. Just as I ordered, there was a flash and the loudest boom I've heard or felt. The lights dimmed, everyone nearly hit the dirt, and our ears collectively filled with that familiar post-concert ringing. Lightning must've struck literally right outside the door. Never experienced anything like it.

I of course, looked it up a few minutes ago:

How far away was the last lightning bolt?
How close was that lightning bolt you just saw hit the ground? Count the seconds between the flash and the bang, and divide by 5, and you have the answer in miles. Sound travels at about a mile in five seconds, so by timing the interval between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder is a pretty good indicator of how close you were to the strike point. If the flash-to-bang time is 30 seconds or less, the last strike was within 5 miles. And statistically in many storms, the following strike usually strikes about to 3 to 5 miles from the last…meaning you could be next!

We didn't need any 5's. It was literally flash, bang. And it sort of smelled funny after too. I'm fairly certain I've come as close as I'd ever like to being struck by lightning.

No love for the IRS

2006-08-22T16:44:00.000-05:00

'Nother article to skim through about the IRS and their outsourcing of collecting back taxes. So as I read it, us taxpayers are funding the outsourcing of some slightly crooked Texas law firms to (without the efficiency of the internet) collect back taxes.

Because the IRS wasn't allowed to just hire the investigators to collect this cash directly, they're going to lose $300 million of our money in the collection process. Now that's efficient. Nice work boys and girls. Keep it up!

"Sexy, Your Order Is Ready."

2006-07-31T15:49:00.000-05:00

While cleaning out my desk earlier today, I was reminded of something I've been meaning to post. At the local Baja Fresh, where I've dined at least once a week over the past few years, it goes something like this:

"Your name please", she says.

"It's Casey, that's See, Aye, Ess, Eee, Why. Casey," I say as loudly and succinctly as I can.

"Ok, Casey, thank you. Your order should be up in five to seven minutes," she says.

Here's all the variations on my name that they've come up with:

Kaycy
Cassie
Casi
Kassy
Kayse
Cassil
Caycy
Keyyssi
Cassy
Cescy

It's the last one that gives us the great story. "Cescy," or as I would read, "Seskee." But no, that's not how they say it. With the place packed to the gills, I sat and waited for them to call me. Then it came.

"Sexy, your order is ready. Sexy."

The place shut down. Everyone began laughing and looking around for "Sexy". Including me. Then it dawned on me. I'm Sexy. And my order is ready. Oh well, could be worse. So Sexy got up from his seat, moved over to the counter and picked up his burrito. As I reached the counter it was dawning on a few of them, and the girl that belted out "Sexy" over the loudspeaker was rather embarrased.

I said, "I'm Sexy."

The Boob Police

2006-07-28T09:49:00.000-05:00

People have simply lost their minds. I'm not sorry if I offend anyone when I say that women should be able to breastfeed their babies anywhere they want to. My wife has the breast pump greased and well oiled as we wait for our first, and provided he'll take a tit, we're in the boob business.

I expect to feed our baby whenever and whereever we need to. I'm not dying to whip out a tit so we can get our kicks, but if it's feeding time and junior needs to eat, well then... (t)it's on!

I don't understand it. Just don't get it. It's the most natural thing in the world. Babies need food. Boobs make baby food. Period. Surely my wife's not planning on taking her top off and doing a lap dance before she feeds, or doing the double-boobed face mush either. She won't have Janet's pasties on, and likely won't be whipping a tit out of anything lace or fishnet. It's purely business. Just like pressing the diet coke button at Mickey-D's.

So if you see us 'out there' with kid, and your own guilt, shame, or fill-in-the-blank childhood experience overcomes you, or makes you hit the panic button, then run. Run for your nearest Psychiatrist. This is precisely why they drive nice cars. We all have issues, and we need to work them out, just as much as we need to do laundry. The next time you're offended by the boob, check yourself. Before you attack others, really try and think if it's more something about you.

All we want to do is feed babies. Is that really so bad?

Humans 50,000,000 | Marlins 1

2006-07-24T13:38:00.000-05:00

This is just so bizarre - but you have to root for the marlin just a little.

Headspin...

2006-07-11T16:24:00.000-05:00

Gave my notice at work. New job starts in August. My wife is 8 months pregnant. Leaving for LA in the morning. I'll be in Detroit again this weekend. Heading to Europe on the 23rd for six days for current employer. New employer wants me to start 'getting up to speed.' Oh, I'm up to speed alright. I might actually get a ticket at this rate.

Any press is good press...

2006-07-07T09:40:00.000-05:00

Retired Singer-songwriter gets 50 words. Hooray!

"Casey Hess‘ easygoing way of crafting acoustic-based music on Long Live Tragedy results in a number of instantly likable tracks. Hess, who plays all the instruments on the CD in addition to singing, isn’t as gifted a lyricist, especially on slower tunes like “The Good Life.” His best work comes on the catchy pop of “Room With A View” and “Fatal Flaw.” (www.missionfromdog.com)"
– Terrence Flamm

From the Illinois Entertainer here.

Excuse Me, You're Peeing on My House

2006-07-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

I'm not really sure what to do with this one. My last month has been something like this. Add in Tuesday night at the hospital with my very pregnant wife (relax, it looks like it's nothing to worry about...) and you can start to get a sense of how much patience I have. So my wife is on bedrest, I'm slammed at work on Thursday, head straight home after to the grocery store and so on... I grab my backpack, all 6 bags of groceries and head through the back yard for the back door.

Excuse me. Excuse me! You're peeing on my house.

I walk right past the door to the front gate, where a middle-aged Asian man with nice dress pants and a tie is relieving himself, or should I say, drowing my gate and bushes in the front yard.

"Hey! What the F**K are you doing!"

"I'm very sorry sir," he says as he continues to firehose my house.

"Well... F**king stop! Get the f**k out of here" I say as begin to contemplate knocking him across his face with 2 quarts of soy milk. I could just kill him.

"I'm sorry sir I can't just stop midstream."

"You s*n of a b*tch, you're still going."

"Afraid so sir, I can't stop, really had to go. I feel bad."

There I stood, five feet from a stranger, hose-in-hand, just across the other side of the fence. So you're just gonna DO that right there. With me standing there. Yep.

I almost felt like tackling him and twisting his head around in circles, like in the Exorcist, waiting for it to pop off. Then I'd eat his face and gouge his eyes out with my thumbs, spitting half-eaten face meat all over him, all while I curse and degrade he and anyone in his family. I'd pee on his twitching headless body and then cut it into five thousand pieces and light it on fire. That'll teach him.

It was right at this point where I actually had a moment of clarity. If I do that, I'll probably get pee'd on, because he's still fucking peeing on my house!

My wife came out, we shamed him and went inside.

Do they pee on houses in the suburbs?

PhotoPhriends in Chitown

2006-06-23T11:55:00.000-05:00

Chicago friends and readers: Here's a friend of ours new photography business. If you're in need of pictures, she's available. Her spin is natural light. Best to our friend Jill!

Ninety Five Percent

2006-06-23T11:50:00.000-05:00

We were talking lately after some tv show about how we're only something like 5% different from apes or chimpanzees or something. I saw this picture from my favorite yahoo page (here), and then it quickly reminded of the chinese workers I saw in Chengdu squatting and smoking outside their factory. With a little photoshop, I put the two together for effect. Pretty interesting. That chimp really knows how to take a drag!

Histor-interesting!

2006-06-23T09:27:00.000-05:00

History is becoming really interesting to me. I think that officially makes me old. Seeing our strengthening alliance in Japan over the North Korea mess is pretty fascinating to me. I watch Modern Marvels on The History Channel a bunch now too. Love the WWII stuff. Pretty soon I'll grown a beard and smoke a pipe.