These are few of my favorite things...

I always suspected that eventually, some of my hobbies may turn into big-time, professional-type, money-making businesses. Two of these seem to have now done so, except for the "big-time", "professional", and "money-making" parts. I never expected that it would take having children to do this.

The first hobby is juggling. My friend Mark turned me on to it, or maybe I turned him on to it. I can't remember. What I do remember is working at Bob's Big Boy and spending my lunch hour in the walk-in refrigerator with three lemons. After months and months(and lots of bruised lemons) I finally got the hang of basic juggling and started on tricks. (Maybe Mark did catch the bug from me, because I distinctly remember the jealousy I felt (and still feel) when he quickly outclassed me.) I always imagined we'd hit the stage as a comedy juggling duo. Well, there's still time. Maybe after retirement. We can do a senile act. "Mark, what are we doing here in front of all these people with these clubs?" "Hell if I know. Seen my antacid?"

Anyway, I ended up getting a gig as a juggler. Unpaid. At my daughter's school. For the spring fair. And more than juggling, I'll be teaching it. Someone is bringing a boatload of yarn balls for me to use to teach kids how to juggle. Well, it's a start.

Another hobby of mine is decorating cakes, which until recently I thought I could actually make money from. I say recently, because I've just tuned into a cable show on the Food Network called "Ace of Cakes", and whereas I once thought I was getting pretty good, I now realize that in the grand scheme of things, I'm still only fooling around.

Anyway, I'm making a wedding cake. Sounds auspicious, until you hear who it's for. It's for Q and U.

No, that's not the initials of the bride and groom. Those are their names. Q and U.

My son is finishing up kindergarten. They have "Letter People", like Mr. M who has a munchy mouth, and Mrs. T who has big teeth. Well, the last two Letter People they are covering this year are Q and U. And next week, Q and U are getting married. The kindergarten is having a party, and needs people to bring cups and plates and juice and snacks. And cake.

I really don't think the teacher is expecting an actual wedding cake, but hell, why not? It's good practice, and I've never done a tiered cake before. It's a good way to try it. If it works, great, and if it doesn't, not a big deal. I won't have ruined someone's wedding.

Although I'm going to have to work a little bit to find an appropriate cake topper. A matched figurine set of a quail and a unicorn might be hard to come by.

3,2,1, Contact!

This is an unusual post. Its only purpose is to appeal to one particular person reading this blog. Belgarion Longbow, you know who you are. I'd love to hear from you again, but for the life of me can't figure out how to use your comment to my last posting to respond or contact you.

Although I'm not going to put my email address up here, for anyone to see, you know my name and hopefully remember how to spell it. Look me up! If you happen to contact the people at the address I lived when we met, they will be able to tell you how to get in touch with me.

There are others from that same summer I am still in touch with who would also love to hear about/from you.

(I'm putting the onus on you because my last name is much more unusual than yours, and you are more likely to find me than the other way around. Besides, last time I heard about you, you were in Germany!)

Call, write, email, something! I look forward to it.