Responsibly Wild Blog

Long ago, when I first became enamored with Marvel comics my first childhood instinct was to try my own hand, drawing a superhero comic. I was terrible and what's worse? I never got any better. I tried following comic drawing guides, starting with basic shapes and hopefully progressing but it was all for not. I have the fine motor skills of a four-year-old. It's okay, I resigned myself to this fact long ago. Still this didn't stop young P@ from producing some of the goofiest comics ever drawn. So after decades of being stored in a closet, I give you some of my finest work. Behold, the comics of Pat Boberg: (The Unstoppable Glue Stick may be my favorite)

Yesterday I celebrated my 31st birthday. While 31-years-old is not a milestone, any birthday is a reason to take a personal day from work and have some fun. So how did I celebrate? The best way to phrase it was coined by my good buddy, Jordan Jensen, when I made this birthday breakfast post on Facebook. He was right! My birthday was totally a five-year-olds dream. Let's break it down. Breakfast: Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Cotton Candy milk (yes, that is a real thing and readily available in Kansas City.) Lunch: Pizza at Fongs (grown up toppings, but pizza is every kid's favorite) Afternoon Snack: One Dozen Donuts . No, I did not eat them all. Dinner: BBQ Ribs the Big Steer in Altoona. No 5-year-old is going to eat ribs, but look at that ridiculous steer. Plus, when they heard me say it was my birthday, Marieta and I go to split a free hot fudge sundae ! Booyah! If only there was a go kart place to hit up, my day would have been perfect....

This song represents a musical dream come true; one of top five favorite bands, The Dismemberment Plan, has reformed after a 7 or 8 year hiatus and writing new music. In college, I had the privilege of seeing the group preform four times and each concert was a pure-joy bomb. And as you may recall, I once listed their album "Emergency and I" as one of the top 15 albums that had a profound effect on my life . A few months back the Plan played Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and it was the most bittersweet experience. The crowd was jamming to their tune " The City " and I was so happy to see them in action, but kind of sad that it's been 10 years since I saw them live. Thankfully they're playing a string of dates, so it's probably only a matter of time before they hit the road for real and I get to see the guys I once asked to play my wedding. D-Plan frontman Travis Morrison and myself at Gabes around 2003. D-Plan Bassist Eric Axelson and I at th...

  Hey you're headed to Las Vegas, fantastic! Now before you book your hotel/resort there are a few things you might want to consider.   Should I stay on or off the strip? You absolutely want to stay ON the strip. The best kept secret about Las Vegas is how deceptively far apart all of the casinos and attractions are. By the time you end up hitting the sheets after a day/night on the town, chances are you'll have walked over four or five miles. Do you want to double that by adding walking to the strip? Do you want to blow your gambling money on cabs, rental cars and shuttles? You're going to Vegas to see the strip, stay there as well. The rooms cost more on Las Vegas Blvd but it is worth it. The Hard Rock Hotel may fit your personal style, but it is a 40 minute hike from the HRH tower to Planet Hollywood . Don't waste your time or money anywhere but the strip. Should I stay in a classic or modern casino? For a town that appears to ape everyone else's culture...

My Mother and her six sisters have been posting Christmas memories each day this month, leading up December 25, and while I want to join in, I don’t want to over do it, so i will share just one. My most vivid and painful xmas memory.  When I was nine years old I got the coolest gift in the world, a multitrack audio recorder designed for kids, complete with headphone and instrument inputs and built-in noises (think laser and animal sounds). I've received cool gifts since, but that recorder hit at the perfect age to be historically amazing. I don’t remember how much attention it got on the day of Christmas, but had I known it’s fate, I would not have put it down. The day after Christmas I went out to run errands with my mom and siblings. I’m sure the days events were the trivial post-Christmas errands everyone does who doesn’t have to go to work- the things that quickly fade from memory. Kind of ironic actually, because what was awaiting us at home I will never forget.  O...

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on my film blog - Filmcast Without a Cause for those who aren't in the know- about three trendy films that came out this year that used time travel in interesting ways ; Looper , Sound of my Voice and Safety Not Guaranteed . As the year is coming to a close, top 10 lists are trickling out and each of these films is getting some love. While I'm not here to rehash my thoughts on these films, I would like to go super nerdy on you and talk about my preferred time travel logic, which can be best described through parallel universes. I could use my wikipedia knowledge of the Novikov self-consistency principle to explain it, but instead I'll go with the poetic words of Jurassic Park's Dr. Ian Malcolm when he said "Life finds a way." Before I go to deeply into this thought, allow me to present one of my favorite illustrations of how traveling back in time to change the past would impact the future. Where do I turn for my ex...

Add caption Meet Merv. a snowman ornament who now is warming the heart of one kind, elderly resident of the Green Hills Retirement Community in Ames, Iowa. The story of Merv's journey to Green Hills is short, but very heartwarming.  Merv was born at 10:50 a.m. on Monday, December 3, 2012 with a solitary purpose; to bring unexpected joy to someone endowed with the Christmas spirit. His inception came from a company retreat where embracing change, cultivating a positive mind-set and "Positive Intelligence" were the topic du jour. Before Merv came to be, attendees of the retreat were tasked with finding a partner they don't normally work with, and partaking in an act of kindness exercise; making ornaments. Here is a silly little poem to commemorate Merv. As partnerships were formed and teams descended on the crafting supplies, one duo waited patiently for the ruckus to die. After a 10 minute delay, the partners approached the craft table and set about ma...