Why seek thee the living among the dead?

Fresh mulberries from the cemetery. Thanks, Bernie!

Glen Mar gardens. Sunday. 8:10 a.m.

Last day of July...and a few snaps of the garden this morning. For more pictures (and my rhetoric), click on READ MORE! Enjoy your Sunday.


When I moved here in mid-November, I had only seen the garden once in September. I really had no clue what was planted and what and where things would pop up as Spring and Summer arrived. So this is sort of a work-in-progress year. Now I can see what's planted where, what needs to be divided and moved, and what I can remove.

I'm keeping the area to the right of the patio "wild" until I get more ornamental grasses planted there this fall. I like the wildish look in the garden - as long as it doesn't overly encroach on anything else. It's subjective.


The salvia (in front, blue spires) that I planted are doing well, as is the lavender and Russian sage. The creeping thyme is....struggling. And that's being kind.

The Hakone grass I planted in front isn't growing to the expectations I had but it's growing. It needs time to spread out. I've let whatever that white and green flower is get wild to fill in spots. Maybe that's why the Hakone grass isn't flourishing like I thought it might. Though, it make take a season or two, as is the case with the Karl Foerster grass I planted.

The Ircink co-op garden. Jewel of the block. Really. 26 of the 28 tomato plants I got survived. The green beans and peppers....iffy. Got them in late and something chewed at them. Bastards. But the women's hose stuffed with Irish Springs soap seems to be doing the trick (thanks, Cousin Julie). And I'll be damned if I'll hurt the little bunny that makes its home in my yard.

Garden now.


Garden then. The "watcher" had to get up on all fours.

Where have you gone, Rob Grill?

Lead singer of the popular late 60's and early 70's rock band, The Grass Roots, passed away earlier this month as a result of a fall suffered from a stroke. Here's Rob's obit in the New York Times.

Are you fucking kidding me? The Grass Roots are performing on The Happy Together Tour at Wisconsin State Fair on August 7th and I've only been waiting YEARS to see Grill perform.

This is sad. Very sad. Dammit.

Here's The Grass Roots performing my favorite tune, "Midnight Confessions" in 1972. The audio's a tad off but I like how this was filmed. Here's another link of Grill singing the same song a couple years ago.

You will be missed, my friend. God must be one helluva Grass Roots fan as he couldn't wait to take you from us until I saw you perform.

TGIF! presents...Neil Young's "Harvest Moon"!

My favorite NY tune.

Glenn Beck..."now you've done it!"

Some things Glenn Beck says I agree with. Some I don't. It's like a seminar - if you take one good thing away from it at the end of the day, great.
But Beck's recent comment, regarding the shootings at the Norway kids' camp, comparing that camp to Hitler's youth camps? That's about as asinine and ignorant as a comment I've ever heard.

...sounds a little like the Hitler Youth or whatever. Who does a camp for kids that's all about politics? Disturbing.

I'll tell you who puts on a "political camp" for kids, Beck, you dumb fuck - the American Legion Boys/Girls State program. Every state (except Hawaii, I wonder why?) has one and it's been going strong since 1935. I've been affiliated with the Badger Boys State program in Wisconsin since 1981 and I've never been prouder of what it stands for and what it impresses on boys (and girls).

That's me - top row, far left - on the Ripon College campus back in the, ohhh...mid-80's...at the Badger Boys State program while I was a counselor. Now if by Beck's comment, he means to extrapolate and say that I was akin to a Hitler youth counselor, than here's my standing invite for Mr. Beck to come to Glen Mar (my home) in Greendale, WI so I can kick his ass. 

Beck has defended his comment, so....but hold your horses, liberal-folk...this doesn't mean I'm against everything Beck says.

But this is truly moronic.

PROSZĘ PRZEKAZAĆ SOLI, głowy do Polski!

Figure it out? It'll be our European premier....of our short film, PASS THE SALT, PLEAS, which has played to very, very happy audiences at festivals in Sydney, Palm Springs, Big Sur and Los Angeles.

"Rollergirl". 2009.

4/10 limited edition print by Erin Frost that I purchased at the Seattle Erotic Arts Festival a couple years ago. Need to find a frame for this bad boy. Or bad girl, as it were.

Erin's website is here. Her site contains some nudity (really?). But it's art, so...

"Kepeli"

(I first published this post on July 17, 2007, then again on June 19, 2008, then in 2009...so I'm a bit late this year. It's a good tradition - summer. This is one of my all-time favorite posts on PASSION = TRUTH. Read it.)

"Kepeli" means, "Jeffrey", in Hawaiian. It also means...it's Summertime! Did you forget? Come on! Remember how you enjoyed it as a kid? Just 'cause you're longer in the tooth than you were 20, 30 or 40 years ago doesn't mean you have to be wallflower. So - "Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow"! Let's make it a tropical, surf's up, Hawaiian summer and I'll supply the lei! Wink, wink.

1.) Rent Blue Hawaii - my favorite Elvis movie. Featuring classics like Blue Hawaii, Ku-u-i-pu, Rock A Hula Baby, Ito Eats, Slicin' Sand, Can't Help Falling in Love and the gorgeous Joan Blackman who plays Elvis' love interest (and who I heard is a bit cuckoo these days).

2.) "Aloha". Learn to speak Hawaiian. Seriously, this website is one of the oddest, most useless websites I've ever been on. But you've gotta check it out.

3.) Go ahead - try a fruity drink. Mai Tai, Blue Hawaiian, Hula Dancer, Pink Panties Dropper, Sex on the Beach, Waverider or Zombie. (Ask my Aunt Evelyn about Mai Tai's ...ralphhh!). And throw an umbrella in it (if it's not there already). No one will question your manhood, boys. At least, not in front of you. Mmmmmmm...good!

4.) Go to the beach, lake - or pond...pond would be good for you. And live for once and use Coppertone #4 Dark Tanning Lotion. It won't kill you - at least, right now it won't.

5.) When was the last time you did The Twist or The Swim? Slap a Beach Boys (my favorite) or Jan & Dean (2nd fav) CD on and let'er rip! Here's a classic Beach Boys' tune, "Do It Again" to watch on Youtube. Also there's plenty of other surf music to choose from - The Chantels, The Ventures, The Surfaris, Dick Dale, The Hondells, and plenty of 80's and modern surf music to get those chicks a-dancin'.

6.) Learn to surf. Easier said then done, according to my best friend, Tom Kazar. My brother, Jason, is itchin' to learn - me too, actually. But it's the sharks, you see. Fear not! You don't have to be on the coast to "shoot the curl". There are a ton of waterparks with wave-makers that will simulate surfing. Cowabunga, dork!

7.) Get a vintage Hawaiian print shirt. Or look in your dad's closet to see if he's not using his.

8.) The Endless Summer. A 1966 classic surf documentary you should check out. Was re-made in 1994 and updated.

9.) Oh, yah. It's time to take down those gorgeous Christmas icicle lights hanging off the rain gutter and replace them with Tiki lights and other assorted Tiki decor. Go ahead - it'll all be OK. Christmas is only five months away.

10.) Now...with your movies & music, fruity drinks, Dad's vintage Hawaiian print shirt, you smelling like you just Hung 10 down at Rincon - throw a barbecue and impress your friends with your surfing expertise and your knowledge of the native Hawaiian tongue. This is a "surf-fire" way to welcome summer with open arms in the hopes she'll never end.

(And if you see a tie hanging outside my little grass shack, don't come a-knockin'!)

TGIF! presents....PASS THE SALT, PLEASE teaser!

Headed back to Los Angeles tonite for the screening of our short film at the LA ShortsFest International Film Festival. The screening's on Sunday at 3:15pm at the Laemmle Sunset 5 on the Strip in Hollywood. It's gonna be great watching it my my LA pals. Click here for a teaser of the film we ran on Kickstarter earlier this year.

Garden fresh.

I'm up to about 5 pounds of these bad-boy bastards...frozen. Having a jam-session fairly soon. Wanna come?

"Go ahead...feed the animals. We could give a shit."

Here's a video of a waterfall I took in Sequoia in June 2010. Maybe it was Yosemite. I can't recall. You've seen one waterfall - you've seen them all, right?

You've heard, I'm sure, about the three church members from the Mar Gewargis parish, part of the Assyrian Church of the East, who were swept over the falls in Yosemite this past Tuesday. Yep, signs posted...big metal railing barrier. But no...apparently these Middle Easterners couldn't read. I'm guessing, right? I mean, why would they cross over to that little island for a candid?

Now click here to see the Vernal Falls in Yosemite where these three yokels fell over the side. Toward the end you'll see the island that Moe, Larry and Curly just had to get to for that picture.

Wonder how those pictures turned out?

Flower garden at Teachín Ircink's.

Pork bellies no more!

No more pork bellies on the Chicago Exchange. I liked saying that..."pork bellies". Maybe the exchange should consider "gefilte fish". I like saying that as well. "Gefilte fish!"

My brother - the beekeeper.

Jason not only makes his own maple syrup but is now into bees. Check out his apiary at an undisclosed location in western Wisconsin.

FB users click here for link. And here's another view of the bees bee-ing.

Dion! Hey man...Happy Birthday!

72 years young - and one of the coolest guys in town! Click here for my favorite Dion tune.

Gotta have Hope. My latest vice.

Hope Solo. Goalie. USA Women's Soccer team.

PTSP @ LA ShortsFest July 24th!

Our short film, PASS THE SALT, PLEASE (based on my play), will have its Los Angeles premiere at the LA ShortsFest International Film Festival, the largest short film festival in the world. Jury Prize Winner at Palm Springs Int'l. Shortsfest Film Festival (Special Citation - Best OnScreen Pairing). Screened in Sydney, Big Sur, Rhode Island this fall and our European premiere in October (somewhere in Europe - can't say yet). Stars Fionnula Flanagan & Seymour Cassel. Directed by Tatjana Najdanovic, written by Jeff Ircink, ex. prod. Radha Mitchell & Jonathan Rhys Myers, prod by Max Maksimovic & Diana Jackson O'Keeffe. Sunday, July 24 @ 3:30 at Laemmle Sunset 5 on the Strip in Hollywood.

I will attend. You? Click here for fest, venue and ticket information. You have to go to the theater and get tickets there - in advance, in case it sells out. Don't wait 'til the last minute!

PASS THE SALT, PLEASE heads to Rhode Island International Film Festival August 9-14!

Click here for updates on the festival. Never been to RH.

TGIF! presents...CJ Boyd @ the Big Sur Film Festival!

CJ played prior to the Big Sur International Film Festival a couple weeks ago - the evening our short film, PASS THE SALT, PLEASE, was screened. It was a rousing success! My brother Jas loves CJ Boyd.

FB people click on this link.

"I don't need no stinkin' Farmtown!"

I picked my first batch of black raspberries - spent 15 minutes or so laboring - and there are literally hundreds that are ready to be picked or will be in the next 2 days AND there's hundreds that aren't ripe yet. Started with nothing but vines (is that what you call them?) on the ground and a rickety fence I built. Gonna freeze many of the berries to make jam. If you want some, come to Teachín Ircink's in Greendale.

Happy 4th of July, America!

Check this out - the largest fireworks display in the United States.

Happy 74 years, Dad!

Today. We're imbibing at the Greendale 4th of July beer tent. In the Village by the gazebo @ 6:15 pm tonite. Come on, down. Free beer. Kidding...it's cheaper than Summerfest though.