‘Twas the Night Before Yule

‘Twas the night before Yule, when all ‘cross the heath, not a being was stirring; Pagan, faerie, or beast. Wassail was left out & the alter adorned, to rejoice that the Sun King would soon be reborn. The children lay sleeping by the warmth of the hearth, their dreams filled with visions of belov’d Mother… Continue reading ‘Twas the Night Before Yule

Dan Zanes Concert

Saturday was our big day for the Dan Zanes concert followed by yummy food at the Varsity in Atlanta. Hard to top that! Balthazar didn’t get quite as much out of the concert as we had hoped; he was tired and hungry. But he did get to hear his favorite song, Catch that Train!, before… Continue reading Dan Zanes Concert

How to Kill a Kiln

This evening marked the time of the week in which I get together with some friends (sometimes strangers) and play hand drums. If we can put together an decent collection of people, we’ll call it a drum circle. It was getting cold out tonight, so we took the noise inside the Main Street Market where… Continue reading How to Kill a Kiln

1/10 of a Century

As of this evening, I will have been married for 10 years to my lovely wife, Amy. We’ve accomplished a great deal during that time, but in retrospect it doesn’t seem that we’ve been together for so long. The Internet tells me that tin is the appropriate gift for ten years. Perhaps when those guidelines… Continue reading 1/10 of a Century

Monster House, A Review

We took Balthazar to see “Monster House” this past weekend. He really enjoys watching movies, so when there’s something appropriate on for his attention span, we love to take him. This time was a little different. He’s been watching the previews on TV and specifically requested “Monster House.” We were so impressed that he made… Continue reading Monster House, A Review

The Heat is Here

Summer has officially landed and to mark the event, the Sun moved 1 million miles closer to Earth. I can tell because how damned hot it’s been lately. If this is any sign of what’s to come by August, nothing green will survive. My lawn is already crispy and brown.

Think You’re Hot, Check This Out…

Scientists just created (and recreated) the hottest temperatures in this solar system. Our sun is luke warm compared to the 3.6 billion degrees Fahrenheit reached within Sandia National Labratory’s Z Machine. This is hotter than the interior of our sun, which is about 15 million degrees Kelvin, and also hotter than any previous temperature ever… Continue reading Think You’re Hot, Check This Out…

David Copperfield at the Fabulous Fox Theater!

Amy and I went with a Jeff and Amanda to see David Copperfield at the Fox Theater in Atlanta on Sunday. Jeff has seen him countless times and Amy and I have seen him once before. Amanda had never seen him. We were all blown completely away! His tricks are always over the top. Jeff… Continue reading David Copperfield at the Fabulous Fox Theater!

Free Chapel Presents The Story of Christmas

My wife, a good friend of ours, and I were hired to perform for Free Chapel’s production of The Christmas Story in Gainesville this past weekend. The show was probably astounding, though I’ve haven’t seen it yet. It works out that way for those of us that are actually in the play. Getting it together… Continue reading Free Chapel Presents The Story of Christmas

Drum-Filled Weekends

As I’ve said before, October is a busy month for the Gradin household. This year, drumming events take a great deal of our time in the fall. On Friday, Alchemy Drumming and Dance put together a drum circle for the Georgia Theater Conference at Brenau and on the square. We were asked to come in… Continue reading Drum-Filled Weekends