www.uden.org

This summer I made the jump into the wild world of social networking websites. Some friends wanted to share a few pictures and had them hosted on Facebook, so I jumped in and set up an account. I tended to avoid such sites as I was afraid of getting sucked into a "high time involvement" activity.

Ryann and I survived the first annual Palatine Area Community Marching Band performance. Reception from the crowd was very positive!

For a few highlights, we have pictures and video from friends, PACMB members, and others. Check it out!

• Video 1
• Video 2
• Ryann's Flickr Album

Thanks to all who were watching! We'll be back next year. :-)

Independence Day is one of my two favorite holidays of the year (the other being Thanksgiving). Both holidays are somewhat unique to the USA, and a trip or two outside of the US makes you appreciate these holidays even more.

Both holidays focus on five important F's. For the 4th of July, those are:

• Food
• Fireworks
• Freedoms
• Family
• Friends

[As a side note, Thanksgiving substitutes "Football" and "Forefathers" for the second and third F's.]

Our adventure with the Palatine Area Community Marching Band (PACMB for short) has gotten a bit more interesting. The PACMB had a very strong low-brass section, but we lacked for percussion. After some discussion with the directors, I am now playing bass drum! It is a lot of fun and a great way to strengthen your lower back. We have also been joined by a cymbal player, so we are nearly well balanced.

Now, we just need to learn some cadences...suggestions welcome...

Ryann and I are now members of the newly formed "Palatine Area Community Marching Band"! It's the first year for this band, and we will be marching in the July 5th Parade.

Article about the Band: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=195878

Details about the Parade: http://www.palatinejaycees.org/fourthofjuly/parade.html

Marching bands are an interesting sub-culture. It continues to amaze me how regardless of age, location, or band, each instrumental section often has certain "personality characteristics." It facilitates quick friendships. :-)

Learning how to use Drupal has been an adventure. Before selecting it as a CMS for our website, I did quite a bit of research and reading of various reviews & opinions. Drupal can best be described as an amazingly flexible framework, but its not as easy to get a simple website up and going quickly.

It allows so much flexibility that understanding it, learning it, and using it can be a bit confusing and intimidating. But, once you get the hang of how Drupal works, it can provide you just the right combination of flexibility, organization, and content creation functionality.