Danny sucks at writing his blog (part deux)

Hi everybody. As promised, here is Part 2 of my attempt to catch everyone up with news from the West. I could bore you with most of what I've been up to with more hiking stories but I realized that people simply do not care about hiking, "You live near mountains, we get it". So I will simply skip over all that "Bullsh" and just hit you with the highlights.

THE BIGGEST NEWS OF LATE
Another Curtis!

Beautiful Samantha Jean was born on Thursday (Congrats Ben & Kels!) and as far as I can tell from the stream of picture messages, appears to be "THE cutest little thing" ever.

This news of course shifts the titles around in the Curtis Family, launching us all into the new and unusual territory of assumed-maturity.

I have been stripped of my title as "Brother Danny" and now bear the unusual load of "Uncle".

I must say, this changes the ball game considerably.

Even as I write, I do so as an Uncle, which in my opinion is a little weird. No one wants to know what someone's uncle is talking about online.

But I'm afraid there is no running from it. I fear that I have been becoming an uncle for some time now. Just the other day I donned a newly groomed mustache and thought for a second "hmm, I could pull this off".

I've realized that the recent liberation of my facial hair is only one in a slew of  rights, nay, responsibilities I now possess as an uncle.

The List Continues

As an uncle, I now feel it enabled to....
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1. Drink lite beer unabashed at any gathering deemed a "function" "event" or "big moment" no matter what the occasion or reverence.

"There's an open bar at the Christening right?"

2. Wear Jean Shorts and the occasional fanny pack to tee ball games.

"C'mon UMP! Let the kids play for Chrissake!" 

3. Supply my nieces and nephews with highly innapropriate movie choices when they spend the night at my house.
"Terminator 2 anyone?"

4. Directly neglect any house rules my brother or his wife have established in the way of diet or danger to assure my spot as "favorite uncle".
"Dirt-bikes and Doughnuts!"

5. Smoke cigars whenever outside to "keep the mosquitoes away".
"It's not bad for you if you don't inhale" 

6. Buy a fishing boat, and attempt to drag a tube behind it. 
"Just watchout, it's an outboard, wouldn't want you kids to get chopped up. Your parents would kill me"

7. Tell the scariest damn ghost stories ever.
"And he's still out there to this day, hackin' kids up with a hatchet..." 
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 SO excited to see you next week Sammy!!


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Okay, Wow, where to pick up the rope.

Umm like I said, went hiking again BUT we also went cliff jumping at the end which makes it more exciting, so I will allow some pictures.

45 ft. drop

 And moving on, 

As many of you may have heard, the 405 Freeway (America's busiest road) closed for a couple days recently. This event, dubbed CARMAGEDDON, was purported to be the most catastrophic event ever faced by mankind, in classic LA fashion. 
The result? 
Some of the lightest traffic reported in LA in the past few years. 

This news story was blown so out of proportion that a group of people actually set up a table and ate dinner on the empty 405.

 And why was I not surprised at this overreaction? In January, LA weathermen warned residents a week in advance for a "Severe Winter Storm Warning" that amounted in 2 inches of rain.
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Lizard Story:
Steph's landlady Melanie wanted to plant some tomatoes but she was wary squirrels were going to eat them.
I stepped up and built a sweet cage thing around the plants using chicken wire and stakes.
My contraption worked so well that it not only prevented animals from getting at the plants, but captured and tortured any that were foolish enough to try, a lizard being its first victim.
The lizard got his body stuck in a hole in the wire and sat flailing for hours.
I grabbed his back legs and crammed him through hole.
Then the idiot ran to the other side of the fence and got his head stuck.

Having no way to reach in and free him, Melanie provided me with some grill-tongs.
I pulled and pulled but his head was stuck.

I was getting pretty pissed that I freed this lizard only to see him get stuck again so I reached in again and really cranked on him.
His tail snapped off and started squirming around.
I thought I killed him but I finally got him out and tossed him on the rocks.
He scampered away with a little stub, which is more than he deserved.

You're Welcome

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Wedding season...

So I kicked off a summer full of weddings a couple weeks ago when I returned to Minnesota to play music for the Wedding ceremony of David and Beth Benjamin.

A quick meal before the knot was tied. I love this picture.

Great Wedding

Eric's looking "fly"

When I got back to my room at Ben and Kelsey's,  I had quite the welcome party.

Another great trip to Minnesota, one wedding down. Steph and I head to Wisconsin this Thursday for cousin Kasey's wedding.

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Notable Mentions:

1.The Rommies' parents came to town, we headed down to Long Beach and had a killer bon-fire. This was enhanced by the church-group that shared our fire, providing entertainment as they danced around the fire singing worship songs led by two 60 year old guys named "Terry and Justice" - which I kind of think would be a sweet band name.

"Terry! play 'light the fire' again!"

 2. My work situation has improved I suppose. I haven't had to call any Zoos lately as I have been stuck in a the room with the accountants, filing, copying, sending, paper-jam. We are being audited so I have the wonderful task of tracking down seemingly every expense report and receipt we've had. Repetitive - YES , Boring - Incredibly, But did you get to see Halle Berry on your way to the bathroom - yeah, three times in 2 days!

3. Steph's hometown Kansan BFF Becky came to visit. It was great for Steph to see a familiar face and have someone to shop/gab/and girl-out with. I make for a pretty lousy gal-pal. The one downfall was that all that Southern chatter caused Steph to backslide into her high-speed unpolished Southern-talk, I haven't understood one word she has said since. 

This freaked me out - Get tested people

All right! All caught up. Off to Wisconny this week! Seeing my niece, playing music at a wedding. Good things on the way.