Patrick Kanouse's Blog, page 51

Re-Modeling

BeforeMany years ago, I installed laminate flooring. I did a so-so job. It was my first floor install and I lacked the proper tools (I didn't even know what the proper tools would have been). The install has always been a bit of a let down and something I knew we would replace eventually. For the past few weeks, we have been prepping to do just that. We started with painting, for the room needed a new coat of paint, and Gina had discovered a few months ago a delightful color called Almond Cream.

We went with a dark color, and my dad, brother, and nephew assisted for 1-1/2 days in laying close to 800 sq feet of hardwood and cutting around corners. The end result, thanks to their help, turned out beautiful!
Why, go ahead Kennedy! Don't let us not disturb your sleep, Riley!
After

Anniversary: 11 Years

Eleven years ago today (look at how much hair I had then!), Gina and I were married. While I had the normal "nerves" about the wedding, not one of those nerves was about the journey we were taking--no, those nerves were more of "will I screw up reading my vows," etc.

And what a journey we have had, and I don't mean the big, grand things (like going to Italy, London, and Greece)--though those are great--but the daily things. We have had very pleasant evening weather for some days as I write this, and I delight in sitting outside on the porch after dinner and just talking with Gina. What we talk about is unimportant. Just talking and enjoying the time is.

Gina has made my life infinitely richer in more ways than I could possibly recount. I look forward to not just the next 11 years but as many more beyond that as nature will grant.

Happy Anniversary my love!

You Came Back by Christopher Coake Readings in June

Christopher Coake's new book You Came Back  is out now.  To support it, Coake is reading and signing in several venues:
June 12: Reno, NV: Nevada Museum of Art @6:30June 14: Columbus, OH:  B&N Easton Towne Center @7:00June 16: Cincinnati, OH:  Joseph Beth Booksellers @2:00June 18: Indianapolis, IN:  B&N Carmel @7:00June 19: Bloomington, IN:  Howard's Bookstore @5:00June 20: Chicago, IL:  Anderson's Bookstore Naperville @7:00

A Jared Carter Book Signing

From the desk of Jared Carter:
[Indianapolis]  Indiana author Jared Carter will be signing copies of his new book of poems on Saturday, June 9th, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at Bookmamas, in historic Irvington on  Indianapolis’s Far Eastside. “Bookmamas is clearly a center of literary activity for the city and central Indiana,” Carter says.  “It’s a privilege to be appearing there.”Copies of his fifth collection, A Dance in the Street , issued in April by Wind Publications in Nicholasville, Kentucky, will be on sale.  As a special feature,  the Saturday session will offer a limited number of several hard-to-find chapbooks of Carter’s early work. “They’re things you’re not going to find on Amazon.com or eBay,” he promises.He is the recipient of a number of national awards and honors, including a Guggenheim fellowship and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.A digital press kit containing additional information will be sent to any interested party.  Prospective reviewers may wish to consult Carter’s blog, Rushing the Growler , or his web site, Jared Carter Poetry .  Both contain background material about his earlier books.  A digital photograph may be obtained online from the Indiana Historical Society.  Additional photographs may be downloaded from Google Images or from Picsearch.  A Dance in the Street may be ordered directly from Wind Publications, from local booksellers, or from on-line vendors such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. 
For further information, please go online to http://www.bookmamas.com/  or contact jaredrcarter at gmail dot com.  (Please don’t omit the r between the two names.)

Happy Birthday to Awesomeness

Happy birthday to my wonderful, amazing wife, Gina!

Many reasons exist for why I love this woman so much, but today, I'll just comment that I've never laughed more than since I've met her. We laugh together, we laugh at each others, we laugh at ourselves. We can go on about the silliest of things. Just the other day, we had a conversation in the voice of the birds that visit our yard. Pure silliness. I laughed so hard.

She makes enjoying this life to its fullest one of the easiest things in this world.

Happy birthday awesome!

April 29th--Carter Book Launch

A Dance in the Street --  Sunday April 29th!
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Dear friends – and lovers of great beer and good company – 
This is a reminder that first-edition copies of Jared Carter's new book will go on sale at the Flat 12 Bierwerks a little over a week from today. Beer and poetry have a lot of tradition behind them, so we hope you’ll join us for this celebration!
The date is Sunday 29 April, the time is from 4 to 6 p.m., and the Bierwerks is located at 414 North Dorman Street on Indy’s Near Eastside. Jared will read a poem or two and sign books, there will be light snacks, you'll receive tickets for five free beer tastings, and you’ll be welcome to buy a pint or fill a growler. We’re sure you’re going to like this terrific new Indy brewery.
Here’s what knowledgeable patrons are saying about Flat 12:

“I'm a huge fan of craft beers and microbreweries, and this is, hands down, my favorite Indianapolis brewery. Not only are they inventive in the types of beers they brew (Glazed Ham Porter, Bleeding Heart IPA, Upside Down Blonde etc.), but they offer ample free tastings from a knowledgeable staff.” 

“In Indy's mushrooming brew scene, Flat 12 wins the award for best tasting-room vibe. From their beautiful space, to the cozy atmosphere, shopping cart chairs, and outdoor firepit, it's easy to lose an hour or two here. Their Pogue's Run Porter is one of my favorites, and the food accompaniment they always have on hand is a classy touch.”

How to get there? It’s slightly west and south of Tech High School and Woodruff Place. Just head for the center of town down Meridian and look for New York Street, which is one-way east, and located halfway between Michigan to the north and Washington to the south. 
On New York, heading east, go through about six stoplights, and past College.  After you go under the Interstate and over the railroad, look for the first left turn north onto Dorman Street. There’s plenty of parking a block farther up in the asphalt lot on your right.  If you're coming west on Michigan, Dorman is the first left after Highland.

Here are some useful links -- a map for the brewery's location and its listing for the book launch. (scroll down).  For more info about the new book, please visit Jared's blog  Rushing the Growler .   And here's a wonderful page put up by Jared's publisher, Mr. Charlie Hughes, of Wind Publications in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

The Pear Tree

When Gina and I moved into this house almost 11 years ago, not a single tree was planted. We planted several and allowed several seedlings to develop.

While the house has been good to us, I know someday we'll move on from there, and I will be OK with that. Of all the things, I think I'll miss, it just may be this tree.

A co-worker and friend of ours had convinced us to buy a "dwarf" pear tree via mail order. We did, and a very unpromising stick about a yard long arrived. Seriously, it was pretty much a stick. In the picture to the right, you can see the original thing in the middle, with no growth, leaning towards the upper right and stopping near the top.

We placed it close to our house, believing the dwarf tag and not at all expecting it to get much more than six feet or so tall. In a very short time (probably 7-8 years max), it has nearly reached the gutters on the second story.

But what I love about the tree (and my wife has commented on it as well) is the lovely sound of its leaves. I would even swear that it rustles differently in the early morning, mid morning, afternoon, evening, and night. Just ever so subtly different, but a delight. It sits just outside a couple of windows and with them open, having that tree there just being is wonderful.

A Dance in the Street: Jared Carter's Upcoming Book

Jared Carter's fifth collection, A Dance in the Street , of poems will be out April 10th from Wind Publications.A book launch will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on April 29th at the Flat 12 Bierwerks in Indianapolis, where Jeb will be signing copies of the book.

The NOOK Book--Exclusive Deal of the Day Sale

Think you don't need a book to learn the best way to use a Barnes & Noble NOOK? Think again! Today only (3/8/12) – get your very own ebook copy of the going like hotcakes, #1 best-selling, The NOOK Book: Everything you need to know about the NOOK Tablet, NOOK Color, and the NOOK Simple Touch exclusively through Barnesandnoble.com for $1.99 (Deal of the Day).

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nook-book-patrick-kanouse/1100190391?ean=9780133013382&format=nook-book&itm=1&usri=9780789748485

Rooting NOOK Tablet Article

My article about rooting the NOOK Tablet is now available at quepublishing.com. This does cover the 1.4.1 version of the NOOK Tablet.

Get the book from B&N here.