Are you kidding me?

Ocho Cinco (aka Chad Johnson) has really put this whole day in perspective on Twitter...

"Okay, first Mrs. Fawcett now Mr. Jackson, please tell me that this is a mistaken rumor, if not this is just as sad as 9/11"

Concert in Memorial Park & Joslyn Art Museum Scurlpture Garden

I'm really liking this photo and video format I've adopted. It's always nice for people to have something to look at, plus I'm usually tired of writing by the time I get done writing at work and spending time after work writing my book. With that said, look at these:

Amy, Isabella and I went to a concert with some friends in Memorial Park on Saturday. Isabella's dad was playing in one of the bands (Mal Madrigal), and she made this 'Go Dad' sign out of a styrofoam plate.

The guitarist in the black t-shirt is Isabella's dad.

On Sunday, we went to see the new sculpture garden at Joslyn Art Museum. Here's a view of the garden with the Museum in the background.

This is the fountain in the center of the sculpture garden.

A view of Joslyn's main entrance.

The building in the background is where I went to high school. It sits next door to Joslyn's sculpture garden.

Remember you saw him here first...

This guy used to work as a delivery driver for the Omaha City Weekly. He lost his car but wanted to keep his delivery route and rent a van each week to deliver newspapers. His profit would have been around $25 a week. As you can see from the video, he is super normal and a very talented singer. You can check out his entire Myspace page here. Trust me, it's an interesting read.

AGT on Myspace video submission

Minka the Prague Ratter battles a racquetball

I brought a racquetball in from my car the other day and Minka tried to teach it a lesson. I think the racquetball won this round.

Next time, we'll see Furbie the Cat battle the racquetball with much more aggression and skill.

Our Sunday trip to Omaha's Durham Museum

On Sunday afternoon we went to the Durham Museum, which is Omaha's former Union Station and a really impressive example of classic art deco architecture. Union Pacific Railroad donated Union Station to the city of Omaha in 1971, and four years later the museum opened its doors. The Durham is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute, and has strong ties with the Library of Congress and National Archives, which means it gets many traveling exhibits and special speakers' series on some of America's most compelling subjects. The Museum is about two miles from my place and I really don't get there as often as I should.

I would recommend expanding these photos for better viewing.

The photo above shows the Great Hall where train passengers used purchase tickets, view train schedules, and wait to board the train.

This is the ceiling of the Great Hall.

Here is one of the last street cars to run in Omaha around 1955. Plans are in place to resurrect the streetcar system in the downtown/midtown area sometime in the next few years. This car will likely not be put back into circulation.

Here's Isabella in the kids' money exhibit making a $100 bill with her face on it. I didn't realize until after I left this exhibit that I wasn't supposed to take photos in here. Oops.

Here's a clear box full of $1,000,000.

This photo was taken in the lower level in what used to be the main train depot. The Durham allows visitors to climb through several restored passenger train cars.

Luxury car.

Dining car with a bar at the front.

Some sort of non-private passenger car with seats below and beds above.

Private sleeping cabin.

After the train, I went to the exhibit showcasing Omaha's Trans-Mississippi International Exhibition, held just north of downtown near the Missouri River in 1898.

This is a model of the temporary structures constructed for the Trans-Mississippi Exhibition. You might have to expand this photo to see anything worthwhile.

I went back through the train when the kids wanted to see it. Here's Isabella's cousin Dillon pretending to use a toilet in one of the train cars.

Isabella and Dillon in one of the train bunks.

On the way out I took a photo of the other end of the Great Hall.

Here's a better look at the ticket counter. Behind the counter is now a gift shop.

Here's a view of downtown from the Durham parkin lot.

Outside the Durham Museum.

A distant view of the Durham Museum.

Memorial Day Nature Adventure

Amy, Isabella and I hit the road on Memorial Day for a quick little trip to the Lee Simmons Wildlife Safari near Mahoney State Park about 22-miles from Omaha. The main attraction was a four-mile drive where we came face-to-face with animals like elk, white-tailed deer, buffalo, pronghorn antelope and waterfowl. About halfway through the drive is a little pull-off area where we stopped and took a short hike to the bear and wolf canyon. Bonus - I'm a member of the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo so we each got a whole $1 off our admission!

The first animals we encountered were the elk. They were mostly lying around in the tall grass 'like cats,' according to Isabella.

The next animals we ran into were the cute little deer.

Turkeys are ugly, but it's still cool to see them from time to time.

Isabella decided to name this one. Her name is now Dawn the Deer.

This deer tried to hide from me, but I got him...I got him.

Next up was the Wetlands exhibit.

These guys were standing just next to the road and didn't budge when our car passed.

Next, we parked and hit the bear and wolf canyon. At this point, Isabella decided to name every animal we came across. This guy's name is Blackberry the Brown Bear.

That's not an illusion...those sunglasses are absolutely heart-shaped.

Isabella and Amy might just love nature more than Mother Nature herself.

This is Oak the Owl.

This one got a long name. She calls it 'Puffy Evil Squirrel with Horns the Owl.'

Warrior the Wolf

Midnight the Black Bear.

Animals obviously don't understand the rules of wet concrete.

Glaze the Crane.

Evian the Crane.

Maple the little golden buffalo (far right). She didn't name the others.

Cotton and Acorn the Pronghorn Antelope.

A view of the park from the visitor's center area.

The was some sort of Black Elk (the American Indian chief, not the animal) serenity garden.

There were two bald eagles in this enclosure. Their names are now Screech and Talon.

Hazel the Swift Fox.

Storm Cloud the Bobcat.

Flame the Swift Fox.

You know it's a good day when it ends atop a life-size bronze buffalo statue.

Friday's Photos

Isabella (in blue) is ready to dominate.

This photo may have been much more effective if the referee wasn't standing there. Just mentally remove the referee and replace him with some grass and a ball.


Remember when you were carefree enough to fly a sleeping bag like it was a kite?

Amy thought it was funny that I rocked this look to take out the trash.

Would the French be mad about the British flag flying atop our Eiffel Tower replica? Probably.