Last night was the first summer alley party at the shop, and it was pretty sweet. It was also the one year anniversary for Skull Alley. We fired up the grill and some beats and let it rip. This one - and another in two weeks - are in honor of David Garrett - the "Daveer". No matter what I say about this guy it won't be enough. This dude showed up years ago and said he'd earn his way onto the crew. He started off cleaning one day a week. He watched and learned. And went to two days, then three, part time, full time. I've gotten to watch as he honed his art skills, constantly improving, never satisfied, always harshly self-critical but in such a way that I was always surprised how quickly he changed it up. If you get a chance to check out his art, do it.

Tomorrow is the first father's day I'll celebrate as a father to be. I have seen my future child's face on a scanner, heard the heart beat, felt the kick. I have never felt such purpose in my entire life. I think back to what a hellion I was, and how innately rebellious. We're in for it.

It's hot. It's summer in Kentucky, but at least there's been rain. We have tomatoes and herbs growing, and the summer sunday night open dinners have been an excellent social experiment. We'll have tomato-centric dishes in a month or so.

Still working on the website. Still upgrading the shop. I need 8 arms like Shiva, but with independent brains like an octopus.

Normal life. It's amazing. I still insist that we live in a golden age.