I remember a Bed of Water

This article's title is a question: Whatever Happened to waterbeds? Typically, I don't like that structure, but I'll make an exemption today because I don't know what happened to the waterbeds that my parents and my brother and I had in the 1980s. While my parents had a waveless waterbed, I had a waveful (?) queen size in my bedroom. I remember that in my brother's room, there was a waveful (?) single waterbed. 

I liked having a waterbed. I don't remember sleeping on a mattress not made of water before I moved out of that house. I am pretty sure it was in my bedroom when I moved out to live with Karen but it was gone after we were married. I know there was a period of time when there was a waterbed, taken apart, and in the basement. I'm unsure whether it was my waterbed or my brother's waterbed. The only reason I remember this is because it was in the video I have of playing drums while Kenny Schmitt played guitar in that basement and you can see the waterbed frame on the basement floor. 

I wish I had a waterbed - it would be awesome.

Call and Respond

This was the call for ideas:

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This was my answer:

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The reference to "finding a bassist who would actually come to rehearsal was a struggle in the early days" is a blind swipe at the first bassist in the first band I was ever in - Assume - in the summer of 1989. The reference to "two guitars" is a salute to Kenny Schmitt and James Goodrich for the hours the three of us spent trying to hammer out tunes.

I used to think I was "good" at documenting my drumming, but I have come to believe I could have been better at it. I should have started a spiral notebook to document every time I jammed with a guitarist or took my drums to someone else's house for a jam session or took my drums to Saint Pius X in Cedar Rapids when I played in a group called "The Disciples of Soul." Doing that would have built a list to reflect upon, especially now when I can't go to Cedar Rapids and jam with RPM (Randy Paul Mark) in Randy's basement. I miss jamming "Cortez" with them. Skip to the 4:15 point in the video below:

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Most Definitely

Yes, I was on vacation from work (and this blog) from Saturday, July 29th until arriving home back in North Liberty yesterday. I most definitely had a good vacation and, at the same time, I am glad to be back at work.

At work, I have a lot to complete between today and next Tuesday, August 15th. I need to get my disaster recovery project 'ready' for the IT Audit on Wednesday, August 16th.

Actually, that day is going to be nuts. We are getting up "early" to take the kids' things to UNI. I will help unload the big stuff and then return home in time for the IT Audit meeting at 4 PM. It's going to be nuts.

Of all the things that I did or thought or found out during vacation, the most emotional was reconnecting with Ken Schmitt. I talked to Tim, his cousin, at Karen's class reunion on Saturday night. I had not been able to find him on Facebook and I didn't have an email address or physical address for him. Thus, I asked Tim about him at the reunion. Tim is Ken's Facebook friend and pulled up his page. I sent him a "Friend Request" which he accepted and now we've messaged each other. As you may or may not recall, Ken was the guitarist in Assume, my first basement band. He moved from Cedar Rapids in 1994 - the last time I remember speaking to him was in my basement in our first house in North Liberty. I missed talking to him and am really happy that we've reconnected.