(Sunday Paper, Volume III, Issue 26)

Hey, it's me, John.

I didn't line up any guests this week, so I'm writing my own Sunday Paper.

But the whole reason I get the guest writers to do it in the summer is because I'm enjoying some lazy summer days...

...so this week we'll take it easy with an all Notes issue of the Sunday Paper, just catching up on what we've missed.

*First things first, I mentioned laziness above, but the truth is I have been working. Been spending this week trying to find the right balance of working and hanging with the girls. They've been getting out on the bikes a lot (we took the training wheels off of the youngest's so it's not like I can just send them out by themselves for a while - I kind of have to abandon work when we go outside) and I feel good about my parenting in the first week of summer vacation...just not quite yet with both work and parenting.

*In case you don't read the Sunday Paper when it's not me writing it, I couldn't recommend the guest posts from the past few weeks enough: My three daughters - oldest, middle, and youngest - before that my former co-teacher, and then last week not my friend Kevin, but his dog Zoey. (And if you want to go back to April for a fashion refresher, this one from Jessica at The Haute Life.) Fun stuff.

*And I'm sure you're not wanting in terms of content from me. On the Facebook page (Like it!) I've been counting down '40 of My Favorite Things' for the past month or so leading up to my 40th birthday. There's only six left! That's been a ton of fun and it may change my approach to the Facebook page...might need to keep up with that kind of output there.

*When he wrote the Sunday Paper last year (as himself, not a dog), Kevin recommended 'American Ninja Warrior' as a show to watch. He's told me about it on more than one occasion, as a show that the girls would enjoy as well. So this week, since it's summer vacation and we have all the time in the world, we've started watching it. It's really great. It's fun to watch with the girls.

*Comedy's been quiet lately - Kathy was away last week so I couldn't get out, and I don't have a ton scheduled because there's a lot of traveling happening this summer. But Saturday night was cool - I had two shows, which doesn't happen often enough. And this week I'll hopefully hit a couple of open mics. I'm at Limelight on Wednesday, July 11th, if you're looking ahead...and I guess while we're here I should tell you a little bit about Framingham Comedy Weekend...

*A few weeks back I gave you the overview of and background about Framingham Comedy Weekend. Here's a little bit more about each show (Each date has a link to where you can order tickets):

Thursday night, July 26 - at Exhibit 'A' Brewery: This will be a showcase-style show, with five comedians all doing sets, with longer sets by the two comedians at the end. They're all really funny people - I'm excited they all wanted to do it. You can read their bios on the ticket page, so I won't repeat it all here. I'll be hosting, which means I'll tell some jokes at the beginning, and then come up and introduce each act. Show starts at 7:30 sharp. I expect this show will draw a big crowd, because Exhibit 'A' is very popular.
Friday night, July 27 - at Depot 417: I'd love to see this show draw a crowd - it'll be a little later in the night - starting at 9pm. It's the first time Depot 417 will be hosting comedy, but I think we have a pretty good set-up. There will be food here and of course drinks, and I like this lineup too. (I put together the Thursday and Friday shows.) Kathe Farris is headlining and she is just so funny. Jere Pilapil is great too, he'll be featuring. The opener is Pete Andrews from Framingham, and I'll be hosting this one too. (Not sure why I listed all the comics from this show and not Thursday. I broke my rhythm. Bios are at the ticket link.)
Saturday night, July 28 - at Amazing Things Arts Center: Finally, Saturday night we'll be at Amazing Things Arts Center. Scamps Comedy put together this lineup, and I'll be hosting, and it'll be a great way to close out the weekend. The whole thing wouldn't have happened without the support of Amazing Things, so it's great to end at that location. I recommend a dinner beforehand at Tropical Cafe - had food there not too long ago and I'm dying to go back. (But there's plenty of options downtown.) I hope to see you at one - if not more - of the shows. It's going to be a great time.

*I mentioned that we took out the girls' bikes this week. I dug my bike out of the garage too, and took it for a spin early Saturday morning. It was nice. Took the picture above from the phone holder on my handlebars. I promise it was safe. But, not unlike when I run (which I wrote about in the countdown on the Facebook page), I make some pretty awful faces when I bike. But I took a few pictures and the last of the pics had not only a not-terrible view of my face, but that American flag in the background. Which is a nice touch for 4th of July week.

*Back to a guest post next week, and who knows what after that. Stay tuned.