Hello Everyone,

I will be performing this New Year’s Eve at Howard Johnson’s in Toms River, NJ. The price will be an amazingly low price of $40 per person if tickets are purchased in advance and $45 per person if purchased at the door. This includes a Buffet Dinner & Show and Champagne Toast at Midnight! The show is my Special Music & Comedy Show of about 2 hours plus. Doors will open at 8:30 PM. This is going to be a fun show, to say the least. (They also have package deals available of Room, Dinner & Show) Call Andrea at 732-244-1000 Ext.508 for more info or tickets. START THE NEW YEAR OFF WITH LAUGHTER!!

AND NOW FOR MY UPCOMING SHOWS:

Date: December 31, 2009 (NEW YEAR’S EVE)
Venue: Howard Johnson’s — Toms River, NJ
Phone: (732)244-1000 Ext. 508 Ask For Andrea
Other: Dinner & Show plus Champagne Toast at Midnight ($40 in advance & $45 at the door) SPECIAL: Room, Dinner & Show Packages Available to make it a special evening!!
Other: THIS SHOW WILL DEFINITELY SELL OUT FAST so BUY TICKETS EARLY!!

Date: January 7, 8, & 9, 2010
Venue: Wiseguys Comedy Club –Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315)477-9898
Other: Located at 201 South Salina Street

Date: January 15, 2010
Venue: Toms River Elks Club — Toms River, NJ
Phone: (732)240-2711 Ask For Becky
Other: Fundraiser Show For The Special Children’s Committee

Date: January 16, 2010
Venue: Port-Au-Peck Fire House — Oceanport, NJ
Phone: (732)921-8025 Ask for Jim Gallo
Other: Fundraiser For The Oceanport Firefighters

Date: January 22 & 23, 2010
Venue: Wisecracker’s Comedy Club — Scranton, PA
Phone: (570)788-8451
Other: Located in The Clarion Hotel off of I-81

Date: January 29 & 30, 2010
Venue: Wisecracker’s Comedy Club — State College, PA
Phone: (814)238-3001
Other: Located in The Ramada Inn on Atherton St. (Route 322)

I hope one of these dates is near you and that you can attend. As always, thank you so much for all of your past support!

Don’t forget that my BRAND NEW COMEDY  DVD that was recorded at The Strand Theater this past July is out now and doing very well and I wanted to thank everyone who have purchased it so far and thanks also for the great e-mails about it. I am very happy with the response thus far. If you are interested in purchasing it just go to my online store at www.comedytornado.com/merch.htm. It is called ‘Hanging By A Strand’ and it is the live show plus added bonus footage of the question and answer session I had with the audience at the end of the show… Makes a great Christmas gift stocking stuffer.

Also, speaking about the holiday season, for people interested in hiring me for your Holiday & Chrismas parties, whether it be private or corporate, let me know soon because my December dates are almost gone.  All I require is a 10 ft. wide by a 6 ft. deep area and I bring my own P.A. System & Lighting, all you have to bring is the laughter. I also can book other acts if you are looking for something different than my act.

Thanks for being on my mailing list,

Paul Venier

www.comedytornado.com

www.myspace.com/paulvenier

July, 1908 -Night view of Elk's Court of Honor, at intersection of Main and Akard Streets, Dallas, Texas - Grand Lodge Meeting

I like the way the night shots turn out in the animations.  I think because they’re more simplistic, there’s less to distract the eye, the lines are clearer.

To view the complete collection in full resolution, visit clicksypics.com To find out how these are created, go here.

Sometimes a little extra work in the evening isn’t so bad….in fact, it can be a darn good time!  One such time is going out for a little 3500 foot moonlit climb up one of Colorado’s most scenic roads.  I’m talking about a late night ride up the Old Fall River Road in the Rocky Mountain National Forest.  It’s only possible about 4-5 times during the riding season and perhaps the last available option is September 4th, however the 5th was close enough for me and four others to enjoy the moon’s light. 

I wasn’t kidding about the work… Old Fall River Road is, well “old”, as in before pavement, and a mountain bike is the weapon of choice due to some soft spots hidden in the shadows.  The fun starts at about 8,500 feet and climbs to 11,800 feet through some grades of 16%.  At times, the tree cover casts some pretty good shadows on the road and riding in the dark can tend to flatten some of those grades, but the drops of sweat on the top tube tell the real story.  This road is also one way so once you start…….there’s no turning back and the park ranger who asked what we were doing at the Lawn Lake Trailhead at 9:30PM made sure we knew that fact! After arriving at the Alpine Visitors Center, 11 miles away from the car, the way down involves descending Trail Ridge Road, so bring lights and red flashers.  Not so fast though! The visitor’s center is at 11,800 feet and Trail Ridge tops off at 2,200 feet, so you have a bit more climbing before breaking out the warm clothes.  Yes, 12,000 feet can get mighty chilly so bring a pack with some extra layers!

Now you’re ready for the fun part.  If you’ve ever driven this road during the day you know how much traffic it can see.  Descending it at midnight you’ll be lucky to see three vehicles on the way down but be careful when opening her up all the way… Elk are mighty big and don’t use headlights…however, they do have horns! (I know, I know, but antlers didn’t sound right!)  The total mileage for this ride is 29.5 miles so that means 16 miles of it is pure adrenalin pumping downhill all the way back to the car.

Visit http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=650125246420066949 for complete ride details.

Another adrenalin filled event this past weekend was the Fort Collins Tour de Fat.  Each year I attend this spectacle and each year I am even more amazed at the engineering marvels and costumes that show up better than the year before.  The size of the crowds both taking part in the parade and lining the streets are also hard to imagine if you haven’t experienced the event first hand.  This year an estimated 10,000 characters took part in the festivities, so you better start thinking now for that original get up for next year.  Check out some of the pictures from the day here – > http://www.flickr.com/photos/frenchista/sets/72157622150157735/show/

If you missed the event, or just can’t stand to put the cruiser up just yet, there is still time to sign up for the LEE’s sponsored Tapas ride.  Cruise to three of the areas finest destinations for fine food and drink while dressing in your “finest”  cruiser garb.  Space is limited and there is a fee.  Visit LEE’s more more information and registration.

Ok, I admit, I don’t always wear my helmet when riding my bike, but this weekend I witnessed countless numbers of families riding with the kids wearing helmets and parents NOT!  Now you may not be riding fast with your kids, but things happen, and if you think it is possible for your child to bang his/her noggin from three feet off the ground there is a good chance mom and dad could do it from six feet of the deck. Just sayin’…..

Enjoy the sunlight while it’s here and get out and ride… just remember to put a lid on it!

Steve Lacey

Permanent Green Returns on Saturday, September 12th, with special guest disc jockeys Scott DeRoche (Beak Full of Rubies, Saturday Looks Good To Me) and Aaron Lindell (Dark Matter). All proceeds from to door benefit 826 Michigan, a non-profit tutoring and writing center.

Poster=Sean Patrick

Permanent Green Light
Elks Lodge
220 W Sunset
Ann Arbor
10pm-2am
$3 21+

7:30 am (Now on Mountain time) Awake, dressed and having eaten a surprisingly good breakfast given the quality of the rest of the hotel.

7:40 am  Went to get a Super Big Gulp at the 7-eleven in town.  On the fountain for the Mountain Dew it said “A caffeine free product”.  WTF????

8:00 am  Viewed the biggest Easter Egg in the World.  Quite the way to start the morning.

8:30 am  Our first moose sighting.  Poor thing looked like it was freaking-out trying to get back onto the other side of the National Park fence.  I could totally sympathize with it at this point

9:30 am Get to Edmonton.  First really large city that we have seen this trip.  Takes about 45 minutes to get through.

10:30 am  Still flat, but there are a lot more trees.  We have finally turned more Northern.

11:15 am  Trees and hay bales.  Hay bales and trees.  Yet my father still manages to find things that he finds so interesting to stare at that he nearly drives off of the road.

Soundtrack for today so far: “Cornflake Girl” by Tori Amos, “Elevation” (we are finally getting some!) by U2,  as well as a bunch of stuff that made mom purse her lips at me…

12:30 pm  Lunch at an awesome rest stop outside of (I think) Valleyview, Alberta.  Had a nice picnic area as well as a cute gift shop in it.  Saw an RV towing a car with Florida plates on them.  Damn.  First bear-proof garbage can.  Think I am going to take a nap for a few hours as I didn’t sleep well last night.

2:30 pm Nap is abruptly over as I am unceremoniously dumped on the floor of the backseat.  In Grande Prairie with traffic.  Not sure that it should be called Grande Prairie rather “Grande Shopping” as that is what it seemed to mostly be composed of.

Soundtrack since awakening:  “Northern Lad” (seems appropriate for the area) and “Taula (Tornado Mix) by Tori Amos , “Club Thing” by Yoav,  “Bubble Toes” by Jack Johnson (It always make me waggle my toes), and the Lime and Violet podcast.

2:45pm  Have seen lots and lots of farmed Elk here.  Almost more farmed Elk than cattle.  I think I need an elk burger for dinner.

3:45 pm Pacific Time   At our hotel in Dawson Creek which is mile 0 of the Alaska Highway.  Had a scotch and a bath.  Life is good.

Travel Knitting:  Finished Dishcloth the 3rd.  I know, boring.

What a crazy week(end). Celebration Iowa was in town most of the week so we could get CD recording done. We decided to give recording a shot at the High School Auditorium which was logistically nice as we only had to load in / set up once instead of moving a couple times. We also got our DVD recording done during Nordic Fest Shows in the same room, so hopefully that will keep things moving along in CI production land.

I’m headed out to Mason City bright and early in the morning to mix Celebration Iowa for a show at the  Iowa Choral directors convention. It should be an interesting night as we are essentially doubling PA with another performing group in once space – mostly due to our 25+ channels of wireless, etc. I’m thinking I should be asleep right now instead of writing a blog, but oh well. Hopefully my patience meter will show full for tomorrow’s activities!

The Nordic Fest Weekend here in Decorah was a blast. So much fun being out and about downtown, seeing lots of friends, spending lots of QT at the Elks Lodge and general merriment. Aryn & I need to buckle down now this week and get our next magazine done – which was an impossible task over the weekend, but I know it will come together, as it always does!

Oh yeah  – Almost forgot! I co-hosted the KDEC FM 100.5 morning show with Tim on Friday and we did a live interview with Brett Dennen – you can listen to it if you’d like on the KDEC MySpace Page- fun stuff!

Over and out for now….

According to the latest edition of Colorado’s registration list, both the “Denver Firefighter” and “Elks Care, Elks Share” issues have been retired as of June 30. Neither of these issues has seen much success, but then these are some of the very few Colorado special issues outside of the military series that require specific proof of membership.

They are also just outside the window of some earlier special issue plates that were allowed an exemption from any quantity requirements to stay on the roster (including the Greyhound, Raptor, Indian Scholars and a few others). Hence, the ones you see now on the road will be the last.

As of the final tally, there are 1,363 DFD and 1,021 Elks plates still out there — which means there are probably somewhere under 2,000 sets of each out there if you count expired issues. (I’ve got one of the DFD plates, but I can’t say I’ve ever even seen the Elks issue in the wild…)

A comment of Azahar’s on my last post provoked me to e-mail Az privately with a few examples of how amusing politicians can actually be, yea even here in the armpit of the Nation’s Capital. As with birds, you have to watch them patiently and quietly in their native habitat. I did that for a while and it was either edifying or appalling, I am still not sure which.

My late and ex, a musical stage performer, referred me during this period to the too little revived musical Fiorello! (it actually won a Pulitzer), specifically the third number Politics and Poker. The only decent online rendition I can find involved an Elks Lodge charity fundraiser at which some Elks lip-synched the original cast recording, which in itself is so goddam surreal that I had to post it. These Elks guys actually catch the spirit of the number perfectly, though there’s a blip at 2:38; the lyric there is “nobody likes a candidate whose name they can’t spell.” Which exactly described my stint as a campaign manager, but that’s a story for another time.

Ah, I appear to have made a bit of a balls up. I was supposed to pick up the hire car yesterday morning and not this, buggery. I realised this late last night and as is my mandate for this adventure, decided not to get stressed and just see what happens.

The logistics of this trip are on par with that of Operation Barbarossa if you ask me. I think I need a PA. All applicants considered and renummeration to be given in the form of a firm handshake and plenty of blog mentions.

So I Skyped Alamo (the hire company) this morning and they said it’s not a problem which has me semi-relieved. I’m on my way to the airport now and until I’m sat in the car without having had to pay a fresh wedge of green, I’m not going to be overly confident.

If all goes well this will have worked in my favour a fair bit as it will mean 2 less bus rides to/from the airport (which are 10 bucks a pop) and also that I don’t have to pig about with buses tomorrow morning and can just drop the motor off and go straight to my flight. Jobs a good ‘n.

I should also mention that I’ve kind of picked up 2 hitchhikers from my room; a nice fella from Finland named Jalmari and a cool skater dude from Canada named Mathieu. I just invited them both as they seem like good geezers and it makes no difference to me, plus it will be more fun with company.

Speaking of hitchhikers, a young genuine one turned up from San Francisco last night. Seemed a good kid, though man did his feet reek. He started out over a month ago with just $45 and now has $50 without having done a day’s work, pretty impressive. The night before last he slept in the desert and was worried about rattle snakes.

He’s off down the railroad today to chance his hand at freight train jumping. I gave him a few tips (like watch out for the botomless suicide carts and get hold off the unofficial schedule going about that some guy spends most of his life compiling) that I’d previously garnered off other dudes on my travels. Good luck to him I say.

I got very excited yesterday when I learnt that just outside The Rocky National Park is The Stanley Hotel. Big deal I hear you hark but maybe if I say The Overlook hotel an ear or 2 may perk up amongst you. It was used for the exterior shots for the hotel in ‘The Shining’ (not Kubrick’s version) and was the hotel that King stayed at to inspire the whole thing. I love stuff like that and can’t wait to see it.

So the hire car company were absolutely fine about me being 24 hours late which was nice. The motor they gave me was a Lincoln MKS, I didn’t like it quite as much as the Volvo but it was a hell of a step-up (in looks and power) from the Chrysler.

We got to The Stanley an hour or so later and were dissapointed to learn that ‘The Shining’ tour was fully booked for that day. So when no one was looking we sneaked up the stairs for our own little tour. We got our snaps of Room 217 and that was us happy.

Rocky National Park is gorgeous, I’ve been so impressed with America’s diverse and epic landscapes on offer all through this trip. We got to drive right up into the snow capped mountains, some photos with majestic backdrops were our reward.

I’ve taken that many pictures of elks today that anyone could be forgiven for thinking that I’ve become an …… wait for it ……. elkaholic. Oh dear, parka at the ready.

So Portland tomorrow and to be honest I won’t overly miss Denver (and certainly not this awful hostel!), it’s nice enough but nothing special by any means. The Colarado country around it is it’s best offering by far.

Many believe that Las Vegas already provides the best ‘Hell on Earth’- but it’s all good clean Old West fun when the Helldorado Days celebration comes to the middle of downtown Las Vegas this weekend in Las Vegas.

Things come and go in Las Vegas, however, Helldorado Days, sponsored by the Las Vegas Elks Lodge, has been a local tradition and favorite since 1934.   A parade, rodeo, carnival and Whiskerino contest – competitors are judged for the best and largest beards and mustaches – are featured events.

A variety of entertainment will be ongoing today through Sunday at the Fremont Street Experience throughout Helldorado Days.

The PRCA sanctioned professional rodeo, which started in 1944, but has been on hiatus for the last 12 years, will be centerpiece anchor of this year’s event. Local companies donated 2,700 tons of dirt for a temporary rodeo arena that holds 5,300 people.

Hopefully, the rodeo and many other activities will provide paydirt for the Elks Lodge, which uses the proceeds from Helldorado Days to fund local nonprofit organizations. The Elks hope to bugle if they raise their goal of $100,000 to give out college scholarships, support for nonprofits and a summer Santa program for children at Child Haven.

Carnival – 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday, noon to 11 p.m. on Sunday. Carnival tickets cost $, but free with purchase of rodeo ticket.

PRCA Rodeo – 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Sunday; 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $12.50 for adults, $6.50 for children 12 and younger.

Whiserkino contest – 4:45 p.m. on Friday at the Third Streeet stage at Fremont Streeet Experience.

Helldorado parade – 7 p.m to 9 p.m. Saturday, travels north on Fourth Street from Charleston Boulevard to Ogden Avenue.

For more info, www.elkshelldorado.com

Don’t miss this great opportunity to support Decorah’s independent arts center. Silent Auction from regional artists, live theatrical performance, food, beverages, Live Art Auction, and more! Catch all of the excitement at the May Day Garden Party hosted at the Decorah Elks Lodge in  downtown Decorah. May 1, 2009  – 6pm

Check out the latest post, Awakening, from guest author, Robin Ross, at our Rural Biographer page!

Check out the latest post, Enlightenment, from guest author, Robin Ross, on our Rural Biographer page!

Check out the first post, Uncertainty, from another guest author, Vea Loy Ross, on our Rural Biographer page.

Elks Eligin American Lighter…Ronson Adonis Lighter…Tabletop Lighter…Pocket Watch,Leather Case

Link to My eBay Store to view and bid.
Now listed in eBay Store

SOLD

Not relisted
Now listed in eBay Store

Check out my newest listings on Roses Postcards and on eCrater

In college,  the guys I lived with had an in depth conversation about words like suave and ointment.   Who invented these words — or any words, for that matter.   Lip balm.   Uvula.   Tweed.  We can only blame the French and Latin so much in this regard.

My first job out of college was in insurance.  Thanks dad.  Many of us had contacts through our parents.  Big,  exciting companies.  My dad had contacts with insurance companies.   I have no problem with insurance.   But insurance had a problem with me.  I was yanked into the personnel department (that’s what they used to call it) within my first month.   They were concerned that i lacked professionalism.   I whistled at my desk.   didn’t wear socks.  had a “free Nelson Mandela ” bumper sticker on my cube wall.

I would yell out awesome when my friends would call.   At lunch I had a lawn chair that i would put in the back of my pick-up.   I would take off my shirt and lounge in my chair whilst eating my lunch in the parking lot.  Apparently they felt this was inappropriate.   I just wanted a tan.  So I got my warning, which scared the crap out of me.

Then they sent me for training to Wausau.  Wisconsin.  Way up north.  A city that embraced women’s pool leagues.  My pick-up truck was trendy and expected.

The first night there I found a couple of similarly misplaced guys and hit the bar.   great time.   Hit on the teams of pool gals from the league.  they were hot as hell in flannel shirts, Wangler jeans and heads like pumpkins.  too many cheese curds in fact.  Carhartt was the Northface of Wisconsin.   When we got back to the Marriott we busted into the first aid room and got the CPR baby out.  Put it in a tree in the lobby.   It made sense at the time.

I once hired a graphic designer for our art department at Kelly Services.   It was a really conservative company with pretty traditional designers at the time.  Not their fault,  that was just what they had beaten into them.    So I interview this total hippie with hair down to his waist.   I wanted to hire him simply to freak out the building.   His design was pretty good,  but what I really wanted was the shock factor.   Make us look like an ad agency.  So I did.   He showed up the first day and they took him to get his ID badge.  When they asked for a finger print he went absolutely nuts.   Yelled  “Conspiracy!   Bay of Pigs! — Nixon will be back!”.    And that was it.   My brother stormed out and never returned.

Awesome.

So for class this week I was tasked with creating a press release to promote the book we use for my social media class.   “The New Rules of Marketing & PR” by David Meerman Scott, is a decent read on the topic of social media marketing.   As stated in previous posts,   the vast majority of us are complete bafoons on the topic.  Further frightening is the plethora of presentations on social media proliferating society all of a sudden.   Hell,  the Kwianas are even having meetings on it to talk about how they can better network.   When the clowns take over it is,  undoubtedly,  over for us all.  Unfortunately or not,   this book from Scott could actually enable this.   He could unknowingly be linking and arming grown men in red hats,  driving around in tiny go-karts, swinging plastic pitchers of Strohs in basement meeting halls.   Tootsie roll anarchy.    i may be confusing the Elks,  Shriners, Kwianas with Mary Poppins but I think you understand.  But his book is that good.

I used a couple of free distribution sites to get my press release out online.  He explains how the content should contain keywords that will help draw attention.   I included Angelina Jolie, creamcicle and holiday casseroles by Martha Stewart & Snoop in my copy.   should get me optimal relevancy and drive some traffic.

Always have the penchant for nature ~ this is a beautiful scenery in the wild.   Though not far from the office block where Bernard works,  I thought these elks are lucky enough to have a huge area of free land to wander around! Locate in Southeast Boise ~ and lucky elks, aren’t they enjoying the beautiful and peaceful surroundings too?

Dear Friends,

It’s that time again! Come ring in the new year at the Decorah Elk’s Lodge – Wednesday, December 31st, 8pm until it’s all over!

Featured musician’s The Reptile Palace Orchestra, Mike McAbee, and Amalia Vagts! Fun, food, free champagne at midnight…

Ticket’s available NOW at Fancy Pants and the Oneota Food Co-op in downtown Decorah, $15 advance, $20 at the door.

Dance away 2008 and ring in 2009 in style, brought to you by Zelda Productions, Blues Singing Dog Productions, Mike McAbee, KDEC FM 100.5 and the Decorah Elk’s Lodge BPOE #443.