Knock Knock!

Thank you class. Please be seated. Be prepared to take MENTAL notes.

There is just a FLICKER of hope that this posting will make any sense. This time of year I like to take at least one stab at some "stream of consciousness" scribbling.

( Did you hear James Joyce moan? I think I did.)

And this year I'm going to combine my free wheeling cognition with a lingering ambition to be a caption writer.....just give me an image and then let's "rock and roll."







I sketch light rail riders almost every day...and sometimes they get off the train before I'm finished. That may be why this guy appears to have only one eye. And then again he did stumble a little bit when he hopped off the train..... could be he really did have only one good eye.

I'm always preachin' the value of eye contact with my announcing students...but I've been noticing whilst sketching .......

that a whole lot of attitude can be expressed with dorsal posturing.....

I don't think it is necessary to be eyeball to eyeball to know which side of your head to dread. Just the shape of your hair is the hint that replaces the glint....whoops...."free verse" in reverse....call the literary nurse...see if she's got a remedy in her purse. Look at her upper lip...I think this model may curse.



Is there a name for the hair style...that lets locks drip over one eye.....I'm serious...it is such a loss....how can you know if they cry....or sigh....or LIE?

I don't get that with this guy....He's an original..can't be duplicated....I've looked....We don't need his eyes to see him show surprise......
Some of those "stream of consciousness" guys just go...on and on and on....but not me...because see ...it is getting late

...and while there is still a flicker of light I need to crawl into my nest.....and say good night.



(There will be a pop quiz on this one of these days.)

Should Auld Aquaintance be......

If you live in this neighborhood (Colorado), you likely know this guy. For those of you who don't you're missing something. And we're all going to be missing it next week.

That is because Ernie Bjorkman, news anchor here in Denver for more than a quarter century, will be re-inventing himself. Friday is his last night on the air. Less than a year ago he got an Emmy for his lifetime work. He just signed a one year contract in October. And then somebody must have taken a look at his driver's license. FIFTY SEVEN? HE'S GOTTA GO!

This is a big deal for those of us who've known and worked with Ernie. What a professional. He is one of those anchors who loves to go out and report. He loves to write. He's always cared about the product. And for some reason he keeps everyone around him talking because he hates wearing socks. ( You could understand that when he was growing up in the South, but "Ernie, these are the Rockies, where it occasionally snows.)


Now here is something that is not an exaggeration. I have never heard Ernie utter an unkind word about anyone. And here is something even more incredible in the media world. I've never heard anyone, in or out of TV, utter an unkind word about Ernie.

I've always said I judge a man by "whether or not I'd have a beer with him." Well as the years pass, beer sometimes needs to be replaced by a good stiff cup of coffee. (In the good ol' days it would have more likely been a martini. Ernie was, and may still be, a connoisseur of said beverage and has them ranked all over town.)

Well we imbibed some stiff caffeine laced liquid this morning as we shared some great memories and laughs. No Tears!

But that's the personal stuff. Even if you've never heard of Ernie Bjorkman? Hang on to your hat. He is in the process of becoming the "poster boy" of what happens to baby boomers in a tight economy.

Somehow the New York Times found out his contract wasn't being renewed and all of a sudden his likeness was on their front page last week. And in case you hadn't heard that all forms of media are symbiotic (we feed off each other)?

Well apparently somebody at ABC reads the New York Times and Ernie is going to pop up on 20-20 here pretty soon. In Ernie's words, " I never got this kind of media attention when I was working."

Elizabeth Vargas wants to fly Mr. and Mrs. Bjorkman out to New York this weekend and entertain them on ABC's (Disney's) Tab.

Paraphrasing Ernie, " I don't know Elizabeth, 'The Big Apple' during the holidays? You know all those lights, and the theatre and all that. I just don't know." I think he is going.

Is he sad age is knocking him off the air? I think all of us who've faced being put out on "Ice Floes" bemoan the trend. But a funny thing happens on the way to forced retirement. We get to reinvent who we are, and that is exciting.

Ernie, who has always been able to read graffiti (writing on the wall), has been going to school to become a Veterinarian's Technician. He has graduated and will be taking a certification test soon. And once again paraphrasing the old man , " it reaches a point where the idea of working with injured animals becomes a lot more important than being on the air."

I have the same feeling about my piano lessons. I think I'd go into deep depression if somebody took that away from me.

Now I said just about everybody in Colorado knows Ernie. But I'm noticing in class that fewer and fewer of my students ever watch TV news. They say they are getting what they need off the Internet.

Will somebody PLEASE wake that kid up sitting behind Ernie.

"Piece-uh-Cake

What'd you do this weekend? Here's my contribution.

What you're lookin' at here is the back of Brian Tiel's head. He is a cameraman for High Noon Productions.

High Noon, among many other cable TV shows, shoots and puts together Food Network Challenge.
They will probably live to regret inviting me in to watch them put the show together.


In this challenge the pastry chefs are putting together birthday cakes for one of the judges it turns out isn't universally admired.
But then a cake is a cake, isn't it.

And 10 thousand dollars MIGHT induce to you to do something nice for someone you despise. It happens.

But then on the other hand, is this an opportunity to make a statement.

Here's a DIGITAL look at Brian Tiel, who I worked with in news a decade ago.

He drew the short straw to chew me out for using my flash to capture these moments. (It was really his fault. I wouldn't have needed the flash if he'd have just stepped in the light ONCE.

Producer Lori Allred, who was also a long ago colleague in another life, had no trouble finding a spotlight.

Same is true for my old photographer colleague Greg Versphol.

That's Meagan Norris creeping across the set in bad light. That was not what I taught her to do when she was a student. She is an assistant producer for "Challenge."




She was on the move so much I had to try and capture her with pencil, too.

It was Meagan who introduced me to the shows host Keegan Gerhard. But here's why I might not get invited back. You see when Meagan introduced us. He had no idea who I was....and guess what?

Well I don't spend a lot of time watching the Food Channel.

"So are you one of the contestants here today, Keegan," I ask.

So I've pretty much sketched him from memory here.

Still I had great time. Got to see former student Jonathon, former fellow news junkies Casey, Sean, Paul, Steve, Muffy(I saw her...she didn't see me), and Glenna.

Should you ever wonder what happens to mature journalists? Wonder no more.

Leave No Leaf Behind

Three more days, and I'll bet we'll start being a little less angry. We'll cut back on attacking each other with words taken out of context. The kissing and making up will begin. Here in this subdivision, I've seen plenty of Mc Cain signs.

And I've seen plenty of Obama signs.

I'm not sticking my head in the sand, but I've decided not to show you some of the really hateful expressions. (They make me mad.)

But I did want to point out one curious phenomenon. It seems regardless of whether you are pulling for Obama or Mc Cain?

Everybody seems to be voting for (3 A) and (3 B.) In this neighborhood that means NEW taxes for schools. There also seems to be a big push on to raise taxes to support libraries in the county( 5).

Hmmmm? Special Interest? Pork Barrel? Who gets the credit or blame, Democrat or Republican, if the votes are up or down? Isn't it interesting that no matter how hard we try, we all end up on the same side once in a while? We are all a lot more alike than we seem to want to admit.

That is just a few of my thoughts racing through my brain trying to organize this new political party.

While leafing through my sketches I came upon this fallen work of nature. Yes it is a leaf, a maple leaf to be somewhat precise. And it reminds me once again that we are in the formative stages of organizing the LEAF party. In a previous missive I spoke of our numbers, and how powerful we can be if we stick together.

But to remain strong and influential we must also be diverse. Above you the Maples are joined by Ash and Aspen....and see we are only into the 'A's.

Now look up there. Leaves of all colors, shapes and sizes are comfortably huddled together. Every single leaf is making a contribution to the rainbow.

They are all making ultimate sacrifices to fertilize the healthy growth of the next generation.

Let me be a little bit careful with this next thought. I'm using caution because, while I deeply trust the source, my information is second hand. My source paraphrases a radio talk show host of a definite political bent:

"I don't like people who won't take a side, and then stand up and fight for it. They are gutless, and I have absolutely no respect for them."

What happened to looking at both sides of an issue? What happened to making rational choices through thoughtful investigation and deliberation.

What happened to letting knowledge control fear, instead of the other way around.

Don't misunderstand the author here. It would be a mistake to think that I or the LEAF party will just roll over at the thought of conflict. We'll fight, but we won't fight over fallacious innuendo and bitter diatribe.

I was pretty young in the 50's....but before we allow ourselves to slip back into that smudge on our reputation? Let's read that chapter in our history books.

(Yes, it's true, I can now confess. I was once in a room where there were reportedly three socialists....no, now wait a minute, maybe they were Republicans....no...that's not right...oh, yeah....Democrats. Were there Libertarians around in the 50s? I think somebody was smoking marijuana and inhaling in that room.)

I just hope that we in the LEAF party can keep our heads above the fray and when it counts, see the light.

I'll get back to lighter fare when this election is over. Thanks for sticking around.

The Leaf Party

Yesterday, Peggy and I decided we'd rake the front yard, today. It's not a duty I will ever happily perform. It has nothing to do with any slothful male genes. Peggy thinks it is being a good neighbor, so I go along with it every year.





[Of course it comes with a compromise I'll get into later.]




It is not a happy duty for me because I just happen to like leaves, especially those who've fallen to earth forming rustling works of art.








Isn't it odd we run to the woods to get a glimpse of nature's pallet? But only AFTER we've raked the yard?

But anyway, I wasn't going to rake a bunch of leaves up without getting some pictures? So while I'm taking them? I espy the woman in the neighborhood we all suspect is an evil member of the HOA gestapo. She is staring at me with such ferocity I can feel her virtual daggers pierce my thick hide.

"So what's this all about?," I'm thinking.




The wonderful thing about blogging, as opposed to journalisticating, is you can openly speculate. So here is what I'm thinking. Either she sees some interloper moving in on her "rat on the neighbors" role. Or, she recognizes me, and by getting ready to rake, I am blowing the complaint she plans to file on Monday.


Well the leaves are all raked now, but I've made a decision.




I am going to run for political office in 2012. I am going to run on the "Leaf" party ticket. Our driving slogan will be "LEAF" us alone.



I know that is stealing some of the "Libertarian" thunder. But here is something you libertarians might want to think about before deciding to once again just be "also rans" in the political process.


Sure, we might seem to be a small , disorganized, single issue party. "But LOOK!" (That's clearly the new political cliche of the season, isn't it? And frankly I'll look when I damn well FEEL like LOOKING!)



We in the LEAF party have strength in numbers.

A few years ago? I did a leaf count, using a formula I used estimating crowds while a working ( I got paid) journalist. I discovered, to my amazement, that in the front yard alone, there were close to 20 th0usand leaves lying in piles on the lawn. Well, I'll just leave it to you to do the math.

The Leaf party will have to be taken seriously. So you Libertarians might want to think about throwing in with us. With numbers like these, the rest of the country is going to have to take us seriously.

THE COMPROMISE?

I told Peggy I'd rake up my constituents one more time, but only if she agreed to leave the leaves left in nature's above ground cleft (in the evergreens and bushes) alone.

[I DON'T THINK THE HOA COVENANT COMMITTEE COVERS ABOVE GROUND LEAVES YET. BUT IF THEY EVER DO, I'M READY!]

So let me LEAVE you with this. LEAF through this brief MAN/WOMAN/IFESTO. Give it some thought. Don't be LEFT out. In LIEF of Libertarians, the LEAF Party may be just what you're looking for.

Say, I've already voted. Can I get some alternative programming on the TV and the internet? ( I'm even tired of Obama Girl) And may I just temporarily put a seal on my mailbox? Can I get one of those devices that sets off a siren in my phone's mouthpiece when it senses political flim flam is about to be generated?

Stick with the LEAF party, and when I'm elected head LEAF, we'll turn those requests into the LEAF LAW OF THE LAND!

Get out there and turn over a new _____? Fill in the blank.

It's Not Easy

Being Green!

On the surface the word evergreen seems so clear, so unambiguous. It's a tree or shrub that's always what? Green?

In a newsroom, "evergreen" is one term used to describe a story that in theory will last forever. You can save it and run it anytime.

Evergreen stories are like old growth Redwoods, or Giant Sequoias. They'll always be there. You can depend on them. They are time tested and reliable.

But you know what helps us not get tired of green?

Yellow!

Blue and Brown!

Red and Ecru!

Beige and Orange!

FALL!

GROW UP!

"NOT GONNA HAPPEN!"

Of course that depends on what you mean by "Grow Up!"

Geanna up top. That's Michaela up there on the piano. She and I have the same piano teacher, Ms. Rogers. I think Michaela might be a little bit ahead of me. She's not grown up, and so why should I have to be.

I'll take responsibility for my actions. I'll try to obey all the adult laws we've agreed to manage ourselves by.

I'll recognize appropriate authority. I'll make a concerted effort to respect and appreciate every human being I meet.

BUT, if growing up means behaving like 98.2 percent of the political candidates this season? Count me out.

Oh, I'll vote because it is one of those grown up things you ought to do. But I really can't feel good about the idiotic way in which we go about picking our political representatives. Please tell me this isn't grown up behavior.

I have my own little parable to share with you what I think of the process.

Tenth grade. Bell High School. 1957. Me and George Dehlmar out by the school gym. We've just finished either football or track practice and with pumped up testosterone levels...we are "friendly like" pushing each other around. Somebody standing nearby shouts something like, "HEY GEORGE you going to let him do that to you?"

"NO!," George says. He looks at me and says, "I'll meet you after school over on Flora. You better be there."

So the stage is set and the whispered announcement explodes through the school.

"Fight after school. Flora! Reinertson and Dehlmar."

Now we have to show up and fight.

[ Just a little personal background. George is tall, thin, very long muscular arms. He's an end (wide receiver) on the football team. He is a pole vaulter back when they used bamboo poles. I'm a few inches shorter and heavier. I'm a lineman (right tackle) on the football team. I'm a very poor shot putter on the track team.]

So I'm thinking about a hundred guys show up after school to see George and I bloody each other. We are in the middle of a cheering angry circle. (You've seen this in the movies fifty times.)

"Hit him. Come on you guys fight."

From the description I gave you above you can imagine George certainly has the reach and coordination on me. And, indeed, it seems like only seconds he has me on ground whaling at my head. Oddly, it is my salvation. With arms that long, he is mostly hitting the ground. And from my position I can occasionally reach up and pop him on the chin. I think the two of us think we've been at it for a half hour. It is likely more like ten minutes.

And to the crowds disappointment, instead of blood?

George: "I'm beat."

Paul: "Yeah, me too!"

George: "Wanna quit?"

Paul: "You?"

George: "I think so."

Paul: "Me too!"

So Paul and George walk off talking about fishing or swimming or something, leaving an angry crowd behind us. They want more. They want blood. They vicariously want somebody to get hurt.

Here's a prediction. Sometime within the next six months? Barack Obama and John Mc Cain will sneak in the back door of some DC hangout, sally up to some adjoining bar stools and sip some beers together. ( I think Mc Cain will insist it be beer.)

Outside the bar, furious picketers who'd lined up behind the two candidates during the campaign, will still be spewing the venom we are all wallowing in as "Vote Day" approaches.

I've been hanging out with young people lately, infants to early teens. They are openly curious about the world, they appear to like each other, they seem to be finding ways to resolve their differences peacefully. They play instruments, they sing, they hug. I REALLY like it that they've let me into their world for a while.

"GROW UP PAUL!"

NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

Go Long!

Go long, and cut towards the goal post.

So I've been reading this John Grisham book, "Playing for Pizza."

I've not always loved Grisham's work, but I've always admired his attention to detail.

I've been to Memphis, I've been to New Orleans, and I've been to D.C. And it is clear from other novels he has also been to those places.

I have lawyers in the family and it is pretty clear he must know some of them.

But "Playing for Pizza" may be the most convincing evidence Grisham does his homework.

Playing for Pizza is about a washed up NFL quarterback recruited to go play the game in Parma, Italy for virtually nothing.

But this is not a book review, rather a bizarre trip down memory lane.

You see in the last one third of the novel Grisham introduces a character, "Rat Mullins. "Rat" is described as this little high energy football coach that revels in offense, and defense be "damned."

And as Grisham gets on with his description of the man and his style of play, I'm saying, "hey, I know this guy." Except his name isn't "Rat!" It is "MOUSE."

Mouse Davis is his name. And at least for a short period of time he revolutionized the game. He built everything around a scrambling quarterback with a thousand gimmicks to make just about everybody on the field eligible to catch the football.

Every once in a while you'll see an NFL team spread the offensive line to cover the field nearly side to side?

Mouse DOES spread it out side to side, and he does it on every play. It makes it really exciting to watch. It really does. But MOUSE, when I knew him, was not coaching in the NFL.

Heard of the USFL, the United States Football League? How about the Denver Gold? The Chicago fire? Well for a while we had year round football in this country. (It was a total of three years) Denver's contribution, despite recruiting a former Denver Bronco's coach (Red Miller, and then a famous quarterback, Craig Morton,to try his hand at the helm, the win-loss scale had the wins fighting gravity. So why not give this "Mouse Davis" guy a shot at it. And so they did in 1984 to get ready for the the 1985 season.

Well Mouse, if nothing else, knew how to get attention. For that scrambling quarterback position? The coach holds OPEN TRY OUTS.

So here I am, well into my 40's, saying "why not?"

MOUSE TO PAUL

"Okay, Paul. Here is what I want you to do. You'll take the snap from the shotgun position, and then you'll retreat another 6 steps and then curl in the direction of your throwing arm and start looking for a target."

It's a good thing they didn't have any linemen rushing me or I'd be dead. I followed instructions and since nobody was rushing me I got the pass off. It fell about ten feet short of the receiver.

"Want me to try it again coach?"

"Nah, Paul, that's good. Thanks for coming out."

It's a pretty good thing MOUSE didn't give me another shot at it because, as it was? I tore the heck out something and suffered nerve damage that didn't resolve itself for another 20 years.

I've decided to post this BLOG because I always tell my students, "don't ever give up on your dreams."


But, hey, no regrets. It wasn't my dream to Make the team, just to try out. So I sure lived the dream of giving it a shot.

I know John Grisham is still writing books, but I'm curious about Mouse Davis. I'm going to go see if he is still around and I'll get back to you.

If you like football, you'll enjoy "Playing for Pizza."

[ POSTSCRIPT]

I checked on Mouse Davis. At age 75 he is the offensive coordinator at Portland State University where he was head coach back in the 70s. His "run and shoot" offenses are still cranking out more than 340 yards passing a game. Last year Portland State led the nation in passing and offensive yards overall.

"Go Mouse!"