Being Sick Is No Fun

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

I don't think anyone truly likes being sick; I know I don't.

It's bad enough being sick in cold weather and feeling miserable; being sick during the summer is worse. Add to that being sick over a weekend...Just not cool...

Not only are you not feeling well, you're missing out on all the good weather. Granted, if the weather during the summer isn't that great, I guess you're not missing that much. Either way, for me it just comes down to I don't like feeling sick. Stupid, yucky, sick germs anyway! BLEAH!

The whole reason for today's blog is because I haven't felt good since last Friday. Just really feeling icky, yucky and blah. I had to have a blog for today though, because today's has to have a word for KUPL Nation members to get points.

Therefore, I've provided my blog for today, complete with the 5,000 point word. Now all I need is to feel better. At least I'm feeling a little better than I was. Not much, but a little.

Have You Seen This Bear?

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

Wednesday was a sad day for Doug, a co-worker of mine. It’s the day his bestest buddy, Germaine the mini German Bear ran away.

The day started out okay, the usual work and chit chat. Then Doug went to do some work away from his desk. When he returned, he noticed Germaine was sitting on the back of his chair. Doug moved Germaine back to his normal spot on the wall of his cubicle, and returned to work.

Once again, Doug returned to his desk, this time to find Germaine sitting in his chair. Doug then taped Germaine to the metal post of his cube. However, Doug had taped Germaine around his throat. Not wanting anything bad to happen, we finally convinced Doug to untape Germaine; though the consequences of this turned out to be worse. Doug then PINNED Germaine to the wall of his cube! When that didn't work, Doug hung Germaine from the ceiling! Evidently this is what caused Germaine to go missing.

Doug had left for lunch, and when he returned Germaine was nowhere to be found; there was only a note that he had typed out to Doug and left on his desk.

According to the note, Germaine had had enough of being posed in silly positions at Doug’s desk, by his co-workers. The final straw had been when DOUG himself had wedged Germaine’s feet into a crevice in the ceiling leaving Germaine suspended upside down. Germaine’s note said it was that act that had him fearing for his safety. He felt that if his best friend, Doug, could do that to him, he was in grave danger and felt it best to leave.

This made Doug really sad, especially when he discovered that Germaine hadn’t even taken his favorite blankie with him.

Doug honestly hadn't tried to hurt his buddy, he thought he was protecting him.

Off and on the rest of the day Doug would talk about Germaine; how he first found him along the roadside, where the little bear was picking up cans, things like that. He explained how Germaine had come from Germany where he’d been a world famous Olympic skier. Doug even showed me one of Germaine’s “lucky” ski caps that he’d left behind. Very stylish indeed; though it does kind of remind me of the rubber finger covers we use at work.

I tried to reassure Doug that if Germaine left these things behind, maybe it meant he’d come back. Doug wasn’t so sure. Just in case though, I made up a quick "Lost" poster that we hung on Doug's cube, where Germaine used to sit.

When Doug left work, he put Germaine’s blankie on his desk and put a peanut on the floor. Doug and Germaine always shared jars of dry roasted peanuts; they were Germaine’s favorite food.

So, if anyone has seen this bear, please let me know, Doug really misses his buddy and would love to see him again.

UPDATE: Good news! Sometime overnight Germaine came back! Doug found Germaine on his desk, sleeping under his favorite blankie.

According to the note he left, Germaine had quite an adventure before deciding to return. So, no worries now, Doug is a happy camper again.

P.S. Thank you Doug for being such a good sport about all this! You're a
GREAT co-worker! :)

To Sue, Or Not To Sue, That Is The Question

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

(The video in today's blog is not suitable for young children; just my opinion.)


Lives were changed, and lives were ended in Indianapolis, Indiana August 13, 2011.

As most people know by now, that was the day a huge gust of wind swept through the concert area of the Indiana State Fair, bringing the stage scaffolding and equipment down onto the crowd gathered for that night’s Sugarland performance. Five people died at the scene, and at least 45 were injured. In the days since, one more person has died, while a seventh is on life support, near death.

From the beginning reports told how the weather department in Indiana issued a warning of high winds possible for later in the evening. A person associated with the Indiana State Fair had went on stage, just before Sugarland was to perform, letting the audience know that there was a possibility of high winds for later in the evening. A few minutes later the 60 to 70 mile an hour gust hit the stage, bringing it down.

Most news reports told that the warning had been given that it would be within one to two hours. I remember seeing one Indiana weather person being interviewed however, who told a different story. This person said that the fair had been told there was going to be high winds, and decided to let the show go on anyway. The person out and out said, on the day it happened, that it could have been prevented. At the time, I thought, “here’s where the lawsuits start; this guy is just fueling the fire”.

Sure enough, just over a week later, at least two lawsuits have been filed, with a third possible. This is where I see both sides of this event.

Yes, people died, there’s loss, and a lot of grief. And perhaps those left to carry on can’t afford the price to bury the person; or the medical bills incurred. Maybe the person who died was the soul breadwinner of the family, and now that income is gone. All are at least somewhat legitimate reasons to look for retribution; but $50 million dollars? Really? Why?

That price isn’t going to bring the person back. It won’t ease the pain or loss either, even though that’s part of the lawsuit, “pain and suffering”. Even if the person was the soul person working in the household, $50 million is way more money than seems necessary. Even considering the cost of lawyers and trials, and taxes being withheld from that amount, it just seems like a lot to ask for. And that amount was just for the person who died. That person’s partner not only is seeking the $50 million for the loss of their partner, they’re looking for another $10 million for the injuries they incurred as well.

Then there’s the fact of who’s being sued; it’s not just the fair. Others have been named in the lawsuit, including Live Nation, which is part of Ticketmaster. Maybe it’s because I’m not a lawyer that I don’t understand all of this; why sue Live Nation for selling you the ticket to the show that night? Unless Live Nation twisted someone’s arm and made them buy a ticket, I don’t see how they’re responsible; those buying tickets to that night’s show made the choice to do that. Likewise, those buying the higher price tickets closer to the stage made that choice.

One person who died was actually doing security at the concert. The person was doing the job they were given to do, and doing what they’d been told to do. Yes, that person made the choice to follow those orders; however, to me, it’s still different. That person was there because of their job; not just to have a good time at a concert that night.

Not that the loss of concertgoers was any less painful than anyone else; I don’t mean that at all. All I’m saying is, the security guard was assigned to be at the show, whereas concertgoers made the choice to be there. To me, in some ways, it makes sense that person’s family would file a lawsuit. Not for $50 million dollars maybe, but file one nonetheless.

Let’s face it, any of us could be hurt anytime, anywhere; whether we put ourselves in obvious danger, or we’re somewhere we consider safe. It’s life, fluke things happen. It doesn’t mean we should all run for cover and hide from the world. Just living is a risk in and of it’s self.

To paraphrase one of the best comments I read about this TRAGEDY: It was an act of nature, yet anyone remotely connected to it is being sued; why hasn’t someone tried to sue God?

Phil Vassar @ the Bing Lounge-8-15-2011

(Note: The word for today is supposed to be red, in all caps. Unable to do that, so please look for the BOLD, italic, word with a strikethrough. That is today's 5,000 point word.)

I'll be the first to admit, I can be very biased when it comes to Phil Vassar. I love his music and have always felt he hasn't gotten as much attention as he deserves; both as a singer and songwriter.

If you've never seen PHIL in concert, you're really missing something special. He doesn't just sing, he puts on a heck of a performance and is all over the stage, the piano and anywhere else he decides to land.

Because of the small stage in the Bing Lounge, Phil wasn't able to move around like he usually does. That doesn't mean the show was any less entertaining however; quite the opposite. Not only did he sing his own hits, like "Carlene", "Six-Pack Summer" and "Just Another Day In Paradise", he sang a medley of hits he's written for others, such as Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina and Collin Raye.

In addition to his hits, Phil also played his latest single, "Let's Get Together", for the crowd. I love this song! Have since the first time I heard it.

The packed house at the Bing Lounge loved every minute Phil was on stage.

Besides singing, Phil told about his childhood, how he started playing piano, and various other stories about his life and career. Though the show was free to those in attendance, even if there had been a fee, attendees definitely got their money's worth!

Had it not been for the fact that there were still photos to take, and autographs to sign for anyone wanting one, I think Phil would have played even longer than he did. You could really tell he was enjoying himself. He commented several times how cool the Bing Lounge is.

When it was time to get my autograph, I told Phil it seemed like he had been having trouble staying in one place while playing, because of the size of the stage. He said yeah, he was used to moving around more. I told him even without moving around, he did an awesome job; and it was the truth, he did!

On my way home that night, I thought how cool it was that Phil Vassar had played the Bing Lounge a year to the day after it first opened. I just wish I'd thought of it while I was still there!

Over all, as I said earlier, those in the audience the night of August 15, 2011, were treated to a show they won't soon forget. The Bing Lounge has hosted a year's worth of great entertainment so far. Having Phil Vassar play on the one year anniversary was an awesome way to kick off another year of great music.

Birthday Fun

(Note: The word for today is supposed to be red, in all caps. Unable to do that, so please look for the BOLD, italic, word with a strikethrough. That is today's 5,000 point word.)


I’ve always loved birthdays; friends, family, and especially my own. I share my birthday with my Uncle Dean; though we’re enough years apart that we didn’t ever have to actually “share” the day.

To some people, their birthday is just another day of the year. For the most part, I suppose they’re right. It just means you’re another year older. I’ve never really looked at birthdays that way however; I’ve always seen them as that person’s day, their day to do what they want, all day. That’s what I do for my birthday, find something I really want to do and do it, even if I do nothing.

This year, I asked a HUGE favor of the “Simon in the Morning” team; I asked if I could come in on Friday, August 12, and hang out for the whole show. The answer was yes, so I showed up at the Pacwest Center at 4:45 am, ready to hang out in the studio for the next few hours.

At the time, I never mentioned it was my birthday; I didn’t feel it was necessary. I knew it was my birthday, and I knew that’s why I wanted to hang out at KUPL, it wasn’t important that anyone else knew. Darned Facebook though, it busted me! Jake was checking Facebook for various things, and discovered my BIRTHDAY listed there for that day, ACK!

Despite that, I had a blast just hanging out watching the morning team work. They even put me on the air to do celebrity birthdays during “Simon’s Celebrity Soup”.

Originally they were going to do another game for listeners to win a prize, though it got changed along the way to a “Country Music Throwdown”, between Scott and me. The rules were, there were questions about country music and artists; if Scott won, the listener who’d called in would lose. If *I* won, the listener won; no pressure there, EEK!!!

Luckily I won!!! Though Scott did get one question that I *should* have known, (actually I did know, I just went blank at that moment; very frustrating!!!). And I guess one question really was a “throw away”. Really, of all people, if *I* didn’t know David Lee Murphy’s birthday, I’d have to give up my title, (and license plate), of DLM Fan!

This is an old photo of my plates, they really are current through 2011!

Before leaving the station, I also got roped in to being part of that day’s “Simon 90”, though I don’t like being in front of any kind of camera.

Over all, as I said, I had a BLAST! It was like being able to go play at the “cool kid’s house”, instead of hanging out at home.

So, thank you Scott, Jolynn and Jake for letting me do that; it made my birthday a special one I’ll always remember.

My Birthday Boy-(Young Man)

At 8:23 am on August 13, 1986, the world added one more person to its population count.  That’s the day 7 lb. 15-½oz, Joshua Davis Falan was born.

As you can imagine, things were different than they are now.  Weather wise, Oregon and Washington were experiencing a heat wave; unlike the weather we’ve been having this summer. 

The Newberg Hospital in Newberg, Oregon, hadn’t been expanded.  It was still a small hospital with a nursery for the babies that had been born there.  It was small enough that the nurses had a rocking chair in the nursery, and would rock all the babies throughout the day.   That summer the hospital experienced a baby boom the second week of August.  They had nine babies that were born, which was more than they were used to.  Josh was one of those babies.

From the time he was born, we all knew Josh was going to take after his dad as far as his size.  As my mom put it, if Josh had been a puppy, he’d be a Great Dane based on the size of his hands and feet. 

When he was about 2 months old, we found the cutest little one-piece  "tuxedo" sleeper, (well, *I* thought it was cute); it was Josh’s first Halloween “costume”. 

 I’m thinking this may have set the tone for some of the things Josh decided to wear sometimes.  For instance, the following photo shows Josh wearing his new “hat”.  Thankfully his potty training seat was brand new when he did this!

  I’ll fully admit, Josh had his work cut out for him being born to the parents he has.  The kid got a double dose of stubbornness for sure. His sense of humor also came from both his dad and me; though I’ll admit, the more warped part would be my fault. 

We’re talking about a kid who asked lots of questions about everything.   Like when he was 4 years old; it was January, 30 degrees outside, and there was snow on the ground.  It was sun shining though, so Josh wanted to know why he couldn't go swimming in his kiddy pool.  We finally convinced him he could use our “indoor pool”.  He got his swim trunks on and was a happy little camper playing in the “pool”. 

Funny thing was, if he was in his “pool” he HAD to wear his swim trunks, big boys didn’t swim naked according to Josh.  However, when it was time for his bath, he could NOT wear his swim trunks, that would just be silly, that’s what he told us; you don’t wear clothes during your bath, that’s what the washing machine is for. 

We had him convinced for almost a year that we had an “indoor pool”.  Then he realized everyone had one, and his grandparents’  “pool” was much cooler, because it had water jets in it. 

Not Josh's grandparents' actual tub.

 There were a few times when we’d get busted on answering Josh’s questions; like how ice cream is made.  We told him that ice cream comes from white cows that live at the North Pole and eat frozen vanilla beans.  If someone wants a flavor other than vanilla, the cows are fed whatever other things needed to make the ice cream into a different flavor.  For instance, want strawberry ice cream?  Just feed the cows a few strawberries with their vanilla beans.  Mint chocolate chip…add mint leaves and chocolate with the vanilla beans.  We were pretty proud of that one, until we were busted. 

After hearing the explanation, Josh told us we were wrong, and proceeded to tell us how ice cream was made, according to what he saw on Sesame Street.

The learning has gone both ways over the years.  When he was 5, Josh came home from school and told us he'd been learning about "oviparous" creatures.  I had no idea what that was; Josh had to tell me "oviparous" means anything that lays eggs.  I'm not sure I could have even SAID that word when I was 5, let alone know what it meant!

And then there are sunrises; at least that's what the rest of the world calls it when the sun comes up.  For me, a sunrise will forever be "magicking".  That's what Josh told me a sunrise is, because it's easy to make things dark, but it takes magic to make things light.

There are so many other things I could go on about when it comes to Josh, and his childhood, but I won’t.  I’ll just let everyone know that over the years, Josh has turned out to be a fine young man, with good morals, a kind heart, and a wonderful sense of humor.  His random twitching is only occasional now.

As he got older, Josh developed his own personality, likes and tastes, as one should.  He definitely has his opinions on things, and can be very “deep” when it comes to things like politics.  At the same time, he can still be like a little kid.  Over all, it’s a great balance.

One of Josh’s real talents is his natural ability to take photos.  He can just point and shoot a camera, and get some of the most beautiful shots.  A couple of blogs ago I posted one he took of a dragonfly.  I’ve put a few more of my favorites here. I'd put more, however there are just so many they'd take up this whole blog! 

 

 

As I said, these are just a small sample of my favorite photos Josh has taken.  Since this blog is about him today, and it's his birthday, I'll also post one of *his* favorite photos he's taken.  A true combination of two of his passions, rally cars and photography.

  Over all, the past 25 years have been a great adventure watching my “baby” boy grow up into a young man.  There’s been rough spots, like there are in any family; though over all, I wouldn’t change a thing that’s happened, because I sure am proud of  the person who came into the world, and started my life as a mom 25 years ago today. 

Happy 25th birthday Josh!!!

Never Thought It Would Go This Far...

It's been about a month since the "Simon in the Morning" team had a discussion about cartoons, cartoon voices and the Muppets. At the time the whole thing got jumbled around in my head, until I finally did something about it; I created caricatures of Scott, Jolynn and Jake.

From the beginning, (jokingly), Scott has always commented on how his caricature is shorter and wider than Jolynn or Jake.  At one point, I decided to "give in" to Scott and make him taller and thinner.  So, I wrote another blog and introduced readers to the "taller, thinner Scott Simon".  Basically, I put the head of Scott's caricature on the body of Jake's caricature, thus making Scott taller and thinner.  I didn't stop there however.  I also noticed that Jolynn and Jake have hair, and Scott doesn't.  So I took the hair from Jolynn's caricature and added it to the taller, thinner Scott Simon.

Thought that was the end of it, until I was talking to B-Dub at the Kenny Chesney pre-party.  He asked my name, and when I told him, he said, "you're the one that created the caricatures; where's mine?"  I told B-Dub I'd see what I could do, which I did, and sent it to him.

I'd also created a caricature for Eduard, the new producer of "Simon in the Morning".

After that, I decided I definitely needed to create caricatures of Lola and TicTak; didn't want to leave them out when the other on air staff had caricatures.  Got those done, and sent them off to Lola, TicTak and the morning team.

Of course, the first thing Scott noticed is that he was still the widest, (actually, he said shortest and widest; however, he and Lola's caricatures are the same height).

At that point, I figured that was the end of it; not quite.  The morning team posted the pics of Lola and TicTak on the KUPL Facebook page; and Lola also posted hers on her page.

Because of all this, now is the time to post what I've been working on since Scott first mentioned being wider and shorter.  I'd told him, if I did my caricature, it would definitely be shorter and wider than his, because I *am* shorter and wider than Scott!

With that said, here it is, the caricature of ME!

What Do You See?

Sometimes the smallest things can capture my attention, and keep me fascinated for quite awhile.  For instance, this weekend I found myself watching dragonflies, and making up little scenes for what I was seeing.

Dragonflies have always reminded me of a cross between a helicopter and a bi-plane.  To me, their bodies look like the body of a helicopter; while their double set of wings look like a bi-plane. 

As I was watching different ones flit around the yard Sunday, I imagined that the dragonflies were the traffic reporters for the rest of the insect world.  I could just see a traffic jam of ants somewhere getting the latest traffic update from a DRAGONFLY.  I know, it sounds silly, but it really is fun to just let your imagination loose and follow it to see where it leads.  

This year I haven't seen nearly as many dragonflies as in previous years, though there are still quite a few around.  It wasn't until about a year ago that I realized how many colors of dragonflies there are.  There are a lot, and they're really pretty.   

My son, Josh, likes taking pictures of nature, and one of my favorites he's taken is of a dragonfly.  Even this picture had me imagining about traffic reports and the like.  I just figured dragonflies have to land and "refuel" sometimes, before continuing with their traffic reports.

I guess you're thinking this is a pretty silly blog for today; you're probably right.  Though this is kind of where my head has been since my Sunday watching dragonflies.  I figured I'd share it here, and maybe get it out of my system a bit.  Thank you for allowing me that opportunity.

Thank You Washington State Department of Licensing...

I have no idea what happened to my driver's license.  I had it last Tuesday, and now I don't. What's worse, I didn't notice until today, almost a week later!  Naturally, I have to discover this fact on a Monday, when the Washington State Department of Licensing is closed.  ARGH! 

It's funny, when you don't know something's missing you don't think about it.  Then when you DO notice, you start worrying that you'll be pulled over or something; at least that's what happens to me.  So, what to do, what to do?  All of a sudden I'm wondering if I'll make it home alright, with no problems.  Mind you, Wednesday through Friday last week I wasn't thinking about it at all; hadn't noticed my license was missing.  Today is Monday though, and I did notice.  Wasn't sure what to do about the situation, what with licensing being closed and all.

When all else fails, I take to the internet to see if I can at least have my fears eased;  if not find a solution to my problem.  Lo and behold, what's this?!  You can renew, or replace your driver's license online now?!  YAY!!!!  There are certain criteria that must be met before you can do this of course; I met every one of them.  Double YAY!!!!

So, thank you Washington State Department of Licensing for being up to date on technology!  I now have a temporary copy of my license to get me through until my replacement arrives in the mail. I can breath again!

Craig Campbell @ The Bing Lounge-8-3-11

The only thing I knew about Craig Campbell before seeing him at the Bing Lounge were his two singles, "Family Man" and "Fish".  I like both songs, so I was interested to see and learn more about Craig; I wasn't disappointed. 

 

 

Acoustic shows are great, because you get to really hear an artist's voice, without all the other things that can clog up a recording or performance.  Craig Campbell definitely has a great voice.  His style and sound harkens back to the country music of the late 80's, early 90's.  Not a big surprise when you learn that was Craig's favorite era for country.  When asked, he said his biggest influence from then is Travis Tritt.  Just my opinion, I think Craig could easily reach Travis' level of fame, or higher. 

Watching Craig in the Bing Lounge, it was easy to see he has a great sense of humor, as evidenced by a couple of songs he did, "I Bought It", and "When I Get It".  As much as I love the song "Fish", I think these two songs have become my new favorites of Craig's music.

Speaking of "Family Man", Craig knows about this first hand, as he's a husband and dad to two little girls.  Craig told a story about how before his first child was born he was positive the baby would be a boy.  With that inspiration in mind, Craig wrote a song about his yet unborn child, "My Little Cowboy".  Of course, when his first child was born, it was a girl, but Craig was okay with that.

After the concert, Craig took time to sign autographs and take pictures with anyone wanting one; even though he did have a plane he had to catch.  Sometimes, when you see and hear someone on a stage, they're different when you meet them in person; not Craig.  Even though he was under a time crunch, Craig took the time with each person, and was very nice to everyone who met him.

To be honest, I've seen a lot of great performances in the Bing Lounge, and met a lot of artists who are really nice.  Of all of them though, I think Craig Campbell is the one that's impressed me the most so far; enough that I went and bought is CD on my way home that day.

If you ever get a chance to see Craig Campbell in concert, do; you won't be disappointed!

Thompson Square @ Bushwhackers-8-2-11

From the first time I heard “Let’s Fight” on KUPL, I’ve been a fan of Thompson Square; so when I heard the station was bringing the duo to Bushwhackers, I was excited.  The concert was billed as a “$10 Hoot n Holler” show, with proceeds going to help St. Jude’s Children's Hospital.

Bushwhackers opened their doors to concertgoers at 6 pm August 2^nd, with the show starting at 7:30 pm.

While waiting for the show to start, patrons talked amongst themselves, had a few drinks, and had the option of dining on a country buffet dinner for $10.  In addition, KUPL was out in full force distributing their new KUPL camo fans, and KUPL t-shirts. 

My friend, Patty, and I had both wanted a KUPL t-shirt since we first saw them; so we were thrilled to be able to get one.  Patty even put hers on right after she got it.

When it was time for the show to start, the entire KUPL on air staff, (minus B-Dub, who was on the air back at the station), took the stage to introduce Thompson Square; not before having a little fun of their own though. 

Scott and TicTak decided to pet the buffalo head that was hanging above the stage.  At one point Scott put his finger in the buffalo’s nose; and TicTak declared the buffalo “TicTak”, and the long-horned cow on the other end of the stage “B-Dub”. 

When talking about the new KUPL camo fans, Jolynn had fun telling everyone how they could hide when using one, because they’re camouflage.  She’d hide her face behind the fan, and everyone would ask, “where’s Jolynn”?  Then she’d take the fan away and say, “here I am, I was in camo”.  It was pretty cute.  It was then time to bring on Thompson Square, who started their set with “Let’s Fight”. 

In between songs, the duo, Shawna and Keifer Thompson, talked about how they met, were bartenders, how a year ago they were almost going to give up on their career, and other interesting details about their lives. 

As I stated earlier, I’ve loved Thompson Square from the first time I heard them.  Their live show is as impressive as their recorded music.  Both have unique voices that blend together beautifully, and also can stand alone on a song. 

In addition to their current single, “I Got You”, and their #1 song, “Are You Gonna KISS Me or Not”, they did several other songs from their debut CD; as well as a cover of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down”. 

Sometimes in live shows, an artist can hit or miss on any given song; not Thompson Square.  Every song they did, they did well, with great harmonies, etc. 

When the show was over, Shawna and Keifer stayed to sign autographs and take pictures with anyone wanting one.  They were both very nice to everyone they met during the meet and greet; which just added to why I like them so much.  It’s always cool when an artist is really talented and also nice. 

Patty thought it was cool that not only did she get a new KUPL t-shirt, she got to have her picture taken with Thompson Square while wearing it. 

Over all, the entire evening was a blast; and I can’t wait until Thompson Square make their way back to the Portland area.  Hopefully I won’t have to wait too long!

Earthquake Hits Vancouver

On Monday, August 1, 2011 an earthquake hit at 192^nd Avenue and First Street in Vancouver, Washington.  The specific place was a new restaurant, Brothers Burgers; and the “earthquake” was the Earthquake Jake Burger, created by KUPL’s Earthquake Jake Byron.

In July Jake had won a contest by eating ten sliders in five minutes.  The prize was being able to create a burger and have it sold at Brothers Burgers during the entire month of August.  Half the money of every Earthquake Jake burger sold goes to the Oregon National Guard Emergency Relief Fund; the charity Jake chose to help. 

August 1^st, Jake was at Brothers Burgers between 5 and 7 pm, to promote his burger to KUPL listeners and any other patrons of the restaurant.  Anyone who bought an Earthquake Jake burger that evening received a Brothers gift bag as well.  The bag contained various items, like a mug, Frisbee, pen and other things with Brothers logo on them, pretty cool.

  The burger Jake created consists of, (from the bottom up), a brioche bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, an angus beef patty, a slice of American cheese, bacon, another slice of American cheese, Lay’s potato chips and Brothers house dressing.

Jake said the reason for putting the bacon between two slices of cheese was to keep it from sliding off the burger.  The cheese envelopes the bacon, adhering it to the hamburger. 

The Lay’s potato chips were Jake’s wife’s idea.  He said the chips represent the plates in the earth that shift during an earthquake. 

I’ve always loved chips on my burger, so I was excited to try Jake’s creation; maybe a bit too excited.  I’d meant to take a photo of the burger before I ate it, but forgot.  So instead, here’s what half an Earthquake Jake burger looks like. 

Trust me, the burger is delicious, and filling!  I’m pretty sure Jake himself can attest to the filling part.

Between 6 and 7 pm Jake took a challenge from Jolynn Winter as to how many Earthquake Jake burgers he could eat in an hour; his goal was six burgers.  For each burger Jake ate, Jolynn said she’d donate ten dollars to Jake’s charity. 

Jake got off to a fast start and downed four burgers in a matter of minutes.  It took him a bit longer to get through the fifth burger.  I was really feeling sorry for him at that point; he looked like he wasn’t feeling too well at all.  He was determined though, and eventually made it through the fifth burger.  As much as he wanted to however, Jake only got a little way through the sixth burger before calling it quits for the evening.  He seemed disappointed that he hadn’t gotten through all six burgers, (though it may have just been heartburn at that moment).  I was impressed though; I barely got through one and was stuffed, so I can only imagine how Jake felt after five.  And like I told him, he made $50 off Jolynn for his charity. 

If you’re interested in trying the Earthquake Jake burger, the price is $7.89+tax, (notice the price is 98.7 backwards), with half that price going to the Oregon National Guard Emergency Relief Fund.  Brothers will have the Earthquake Jake BURGER available through the end of August. 

Brothers Burgers is located at 19206 SE 1st St., Vancouver, WA.