I think I mentioned my trip to Columbus, NE in a previous post for a video competition – I was the chaperone and two of my students, Carissa and Kelsey, were competing. Here they are, hard at work.

Well, they won first place! They did an awesome job, and had a great attitude about the whole thing. So that was really cool.

The video below shows them receives their medals and such onstage, where they had to get up onto this awkwardly tall stand. Notice the teamwork they exhibited in getting to the top – that’s what wins gold medals, folks. Winning state qualified them for the National competition in Kansas City, Missouri. So I’ll be returning with an update at the end of June.

So here is the official unveiling of the video I directed for Thunder Power!!!

“Why Don’t You Go Take a Hike” Thunder Power!!! from Lindsay Trapnell on Vimeo.

Edit: Omahype, a cool Omaha music blog, also posted it with a little write-up.

Friday night Thunder Power!!!, Flowers Forever and Baby Walrus played at the Bemis. What an awesome line-up. For those of you who read this who aren’t in Omaha (which is probably most of you), please check these bands out. They all make really great and different music. You can buy the Flowers Forever album at Team Love, and the Baby Walrus one here , and you can listen to Thunder Power here. The show was to celebrate the releases of the Baby Walrus and Flowers Forever albums and also a fundraiser for Kianna from Tilly and the Wall’s bulldog Foot Foot who needs ear surgery. The Bemis is a great place for shows — it’s a basement art gallery and the shows are usually in this small room off the gallery. So it’s basically a warm, sweaty, sometimes smelly place with no stage and very little light.

Thunder Power!!! played a great set and sounded really good. Flowers Forever played their album in order. Derek was his usual energetic self, and the crowd was really into it — a lot of dancing. Baby Walrus closed with another amazing set. I’m always really impressed with how good they sound live, especially since their songs have unusual arrangements and layers and stuff.

Flowers Forever.

Baby Walrus.

In honor of tomorrow’s game:

Update: I may have been cursed by the Buckeyes. As this video was uploading I took a shower and in the shower I cut the back of my knee while shaving, which has not happened in about 4 years or so. The placement is horrible. It is near a vein, seems to be U-shaped, both of which have added to the blood loss. It really burns. We will get revenge…

Also, if you have HBO, you might want to check The Rivalry out, HBO’s first college football documentary about the rivalry between (I think you can guess it) Michigan and Ohio State. I watched it last night. It’s an hour long and it’s pretty interesting, entertaining and definitely gets you pumped for the game. The schedule for the rest of its showings is here.

Go Blue!

Second Update: I was cursed again! I uploaded the wrong video. I guess I will keep that one there and add the one I intended (the second one). More maize and blue!

p.s. The video is from last year’s Rose Bowl game.

This was taken at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch, a delightful place.

These were two of my favorite shows as a young child. Did anyone else watch these? I was having major flashbacks as I watched these intros. Both theme songs are amazing. Some of the instruments sound like they are dying in the Today’s Special theme song. And check out the forward thinking graphic effects! A mannequin outlined and filled in with a galaxy then turns into a real man?! Thrilling! However, I was disappointed that the puppet parrot that eats crackers in the mall storage closet wasn’t featured in the opening. Or did I just imagine that character?

Also, I came across a surprising and somewhat frightening discovery. Remember the show David the Gnome? I will post the opening below. I was always a bit freaked out by it. I never really trusted David or the fox, and I hated (and still do) that opening embrace between David and his gnome companion. Anyway, I was just re-watching the opening and guess what the last credit was (for executive producers in charge of the show)? None other than Harvey and Bob Weinstein. I feel tricked in some way. And more weirded out now.

Near the end of True Blue: