Mentos and Diet Coke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdguFhJ2eq4

YouTube hit

Wow! Since Decmeber 18, 5,928 people have looked at my little home movie about the Decemberists vs Stephen Colbert! Scary numbers!

Here's the movie:

New movie: More Molokai Beach Fun

Sierra and her cousins on Molokai, Thanksgiving 2006

Jack the movie star

Here's a link to learn about Jack's latest movie, which is part of the Honolulu Film Festival:

http://starbulletin.com/2006/10/24/features/story01.html

The film premiers tomorrow, and concerns the internment of German Americans in WWII, a little known topic.

A day at the beach

Spinning cube

Jack's new play!!

Sierra and dad in music video

Click on the image to see the new 3 minute movie of Jim and Sierra in their first music video for one of Jim's new songs:

42

Hi Lynn and Bill,

I am very happy with how birthday 42 went for me this weekend. I had a big party, with so many diverse friends that I felt wealthy in the best sense of the word. I combined an idea from Lord of the Rings with Hitchiker's Guide. Such high literature, I know.

I like Tolkien's idea that Hobbits give away presents on their birthdays, so I did that. I had a table by the door with my new CDs, my band t shirts, and a pile of nice print outs of one of my paintings. I encouraged people to take a "mathom" on their way out. Mathom is Tolkien's word for something that's just sitting around in a closet, but you can't throw it out, which is what all of those items are for me.

All the musicians I know have piles of their CDs in their closets. I can afford to just give them away to those who are interested without pushing them, which is nice.

So no one gave me presents, and no one sang happy birthday to me, and I loved it!
It was kind of a blur, though.

I was honored that such a big crowd came. It was loud and fun, with good food, and people did whatever they wanted. We had a nice circle of musicians for awhile, and it was folks who hadn't played together before, like Gerry from the Daytrippers, Jim from Don't Panic, and assorted hangers on. This was in by the piano.

I remember being one of the loudest, most obnoxious fans for the big foosball tournament. Jack and Kehau were scoring on Kirby and Kale, and I was shouting "Go Blue!" and other inanities.

Sierra had a bunch of other little girls to pal around with, including dress up in her room and a trip to the park at night.

Some teens and adults monitored the U.H. volleyball game in the TV room.

Mostly people were just talking, eating, and drinking in the back yard. The weather was great, and talking out of doors, meeting new people, and sampling the various delicacies was the favorite activity. Lots of Punahou folks came, and my musician friends like Dave, Gerry, and Martha. Bob and Ginger came down the hill, and several other neighbors. The usual suspects like the Miller/Watkins clan, Dane and Lisa, Bob Tam, etc.

People snapped the mathoms up, and instead of the traditional birthday stuff, we just had a great time eating, playing games, music, talking and drinking. Definitely my best birthday ever, and I feel great about being 42.

more later,

Jim

The passing of Terri

Sad news, folks. Our friend and colleague, a great fellow English teacher and all around sweet lady passed away yesterday. She was too young to die, and the shock of it all is how fast it happened. In June she was a healthy teacher getting ready for a trip to stay with our friend Herbert in Innsbruck, Austria. In July some medical test results prevented her from going. She had cancer, and each test result was progressively worse. Now in August, she is gone. My brain reels trying to comprehend the suddenness, sadness. This is what I meant when I wrote a song that "live is in a minor".

Here's Lynn's e mail about it. Lynn and Bill had taken her to Brazil for some alternative healing, since the doctors gave her no chance:

Dear Jim,
Glad to know you got home safely.
Terri passed away peacefully this morning in a hospital in Anapolis Brazil, where we brought her last night. Yesterday was an amazingly remarkable experience, which I´ll relate later. We are in the funeral home now making complicated arrangements to have her body sent home for cremation ... a nearly impossible task here.
I´ll call later.
Love,
Lynn

new camp photos

We are back in Hawaii now, admusting to new time zones and enjoying our five-ness.

Photos from the end of camp:
http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/Treetops.2006.3.html

violin stealers, you're on notice!

Sad news. The violin player in my band has had his instruments stolen:

http://starbulletin.com/2006/08/15/news/story06.html

Camp fun

Hi folks,

Another great week at camp in the Adirondacks. The latest photos are here:

http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/Treetops.2006.2.html

Treetops photo page

Jay loves his Captain Jack Sparrow pirate hat. I had the pleasure of a sailboat voyage with him in command while wearing it.

See more photos at:
http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/Treetops.2006.1.html

Our first week at camp together

We miss Jack!

Sierra at Camp Treetops

Sierra loves the garden. She first focused on raspberries, an old favorite. It's early in berry season, so you have to learn where to look. Sierra knows that the bushes with red gold are near the cows.



She also likes the peas. She eats them raw, in the pod.




It's great to let her run wild at camp, free from the usual worries of parenthood like strangers and cars. Strangers and cars are two things that don't fit camp.

Now she wants to ride the horses.

Fire in the Forge!

Jay's latest thing at camp is making iron things with an old fashioned forge. Alex the counselor helped him master the ancient arts. Soon he'll be making swords and rings of power.

Dad's new CD

JIM SMART: Seven Fathoms His string tinged rock music lets your brain wander the fine line balance between the pain of old timey musicals and the foolish pleasures of acoustic punk rock, with power pop nods to artists like the Kinks, the Decemberists, Wilco, and Nick Drake.

Arrival at Treetops

Shari, Sierra, and I are now at camp. We are staying in the same rooms in Cascade House. Instead of George and David Turner, we live with 4 gigantic dogs. 2 belong to Julia, and 2 to Bill L.

George is doing well, and Senior Camp has a nice tone. The kids are a biit more innocent than last year in general.

Jay seems to be thriving as a Super. He is more interested in socializing with them than us, though he likes a hug a couple of times a day. He has a guitar which has mostly stayed in his tent so far.

We heard that the Supers did a funny but very long skit at the bonfire based on Bob and George. It had something to do with George having to fill big shoes. Ergo, Jay played the part of George, and he wore very very big shoes, or slippers, or something. Anyway, you'd best ask someone who was there if you want to know about it.

Yesterday was the Ironman, with the usual fun scene out at the street. I thought of Lindsay's year. Shari and Sierra were too tired to get up for breakfast, so there's no way she would have made it to the start like that year.