Mark Nielsen's Dandelife : The story of Mark Nielsen's life

I lost my son's blanket

Mark Nielsen — Fri Aug 01 14:40:55 UTC 2008

This wasn't just any blanket. It was his security blanket, "fuzzy". The blanket was the typical soft baby blanket, but the "security" aspect came from the tag that was attached. It was smooth, and soft, and he clung to it while he sucked his thumb.

Our beloved guinnea pig is gone

Mark Nielsen — Thu Jun 28 12:04:39 UTC 2007

My wife Laura, and kids are gone for the week. I had been entrusted to "hold down the fort" as they say. I lost the guinea pig. This was not the first time. I'm in trouble.

A couple of years ago, my wife thought it would be nice to get my 2 daughters a guinea pig. My girls quickly took to her, and named her "Tigerlilly." A few months after that, my wife was cleaning out her cage, she put Tigerlilly on the front porch. Laura didn't remember that she put Tigerlilly out there until later that night. Not in her wildest dreams did she think that the stupid guinea pig would jump off the porch. She was wrong. We broke out the floodlights & flashlights and looked around the house for an hour. No luck.

My mother-in-law swooped in and quickly bought them a new pig. This one was white & orange. They named her "Peaches." We've had Peaches for about a year now, until today. I feel I need to express what Peaches meant to our family. Now, we have a dog, and we have a cat. But the dog is a dumbass, and the cat is a brat. The guinea pig is the only thing my younger daughter (5) can hold and love on. For me, she was just an animal. That is, until she started squeaking for me to pay attention to her while the family is away. I picked her up a few times. She & I had bonded.

We often take the top off her cage & set it in the grass, so she can walk around in the grass without running away. She had been stuck in the house for the last few days, so I thought I'd give her some "grass time." Just like my wife had done, I forgot that I left her out there until it was 11pm. The cage seemed untouched and none of the doors on it were open, but she was gone. I immediately thought someone had stolen her. My heart sank. Then my wife suggested that maybe she could have gone under the cage top. Although I suppose that's possible, I don't want to believe it. I spent a good half an hour out there with my floodlight looking for her. I was so devastated. I can only imagine how my daughter is going to feel.

Mamma, I brokkah my leg...

Mark Nielsen — Wed Apr 25 18:51:11 UTC 2007

We get a call Friday night from the In-Laws about PJ crying, and "...he wont put any weight on his leg..." He wasn't screaming, but he was crying. It was late, and we figured he was just tired. We figured if his leg was really busted, then it'll still be busted in the morning. Sure enough, he didn't put his weight on it the next morning either.

They took him to the clinic and got an X-ray. Sure enough it's broken. Seeing is how there's nothing for us to do. After the doctors put him in a temporary cast, he got the royal treatment. He learned all about how to bark orders in such a way for him to get anything (within reason) he wanted.

Monday Laura and the kids waited an hour and a half to see the orthopedic surgeon. He didn't have to "re-break" it, so that was good. But he did make sure to instruct us not to let him put weight on his leg. It is my understanding that the are in which his leg is broken, is a growth plate, and 20% of kids will need surgery after a break like this. But, apparently that kind of break is common in children, so we'll see.

It's been a few days, and Laura's already caught him standing on his leg/cast. We've instructed him to army crawl & he seems to have taken to that for now. Potty is going to be tough, and we're still not exactly sure how bathing is going to go. Keep us in your prayers.

Started Architecture school...That was a joke

Mark Nielsen — Sun Mar 04 02:42:09 UTC 2007

I thought for sure I knew what I wanted. Boy was I wrong.

Silent Violet CD release party!

Mark Nielsen — Sun Mar 04 02:27:20 UTC 2007

The official CD release party for Silent Violet.

"Silent Violet is a collaborative effort between two siblings - Mariam and Michael. They both come together with a passionate desire to create music that is not only original but also aesthetically pleasing and satisfying to the human ear and soul. Based out of Detroit, this independent duo is getting things kicked off with their upcoming debut album entitled "Sounds of a Dirty City." The elegant sounds of Silent Violet range from relaxed trip-hop/downtempo to upbeat electronic indie-pop. From Michael's complex beat arrangements and meandering effects to the vintage keys and Mariam's breathe-taking and enlightening vocals. Silent Violet is a promising artist that will continue to work hard in creating well-designed and graceful artistry for any listener seeking an authentic and captivating musical experience..."

"Special thanks from SV: Sarah Dorsey for her art work and designing SV promo materials and for being a true encourager and inspiration. Coree and Aaron of Wiseguy records for previous beat arrangements and mixing and getting SV launched in the recording process. Meghann Houser, for her support and encouragement throughout the years and for introducing me to many excellent musicians and contacts. Andrew Dielman for Photography of the album, Allen Kuderick and Jeff Whitters -photography live shows... Greater Alexander for introducing me to new venues. Andrew, my love. Others, Jason Croff, Clinton Kennet, Tone and Niche, Stirling & Sue Static of JAC 313, Jean Mason, Jon Lamb, Greater Alexander and many more."

Silent Violet's debut album, "Sounds of a Dirty City" is available currently available at CD Baby.

Of course this was the week when New York was hit with a ton of snow, & her brother was stuck there. And in true Murphy style we didn't find that out until a few days before the show. Mariam had to quickly finagle the beats together so she could perform. (The beats were her brother's department.) This was a stress she didn't need.

Another hiccup was that we didn't find out until two days before that she was to go on stage at midnight. This was a problem for her because she had plans for her grandmother to watch her sing, but the venue wouldn't budge. They said she was to be the headlining act, & therefore she needed to go last. This also meant that the babysitter had to stay later, & would cost me more money. Oh, well. We don't get out much, & this was going to be worth it.

I arrived at the venue early so I could scope out a good place to take pictures. The opening bands seemed to have a relatively small following that night, so getting a good seat was easy. My wife was already there because she was singing backup. Just before Silent Violet went on stage, I settled into position.

I had been taking a few pictures all along the setup of the show, & must have caught the attention of a "professional." He asked who I was shooting for. I think he was thinking I was shooting for the local paper or Metro Times or something. I told him Mariam. I got the "Oh..." He then mentioned that they're always looking for photographers & that I should look them up. He handed me his card. I was flattered, but I knew it was just the camera...

She came out & I shot 90ish pictures during the half-hour show. I had seen her show a few times, so I was familiar with the material (not to mention I had attended many rehearsals over the previous two weeks). I made sure not to use a flash so I wouldn't lose the colors of the lights, nor distract the artists during their performance. After all, I didn't want to distract Mariam any more than she already was.

The show went off great. She had one minor "oops" but with mostly friends & family in the audience, it wasn't a big deal at all. In fact, the picture on the right is her laughing off the mistake.

She managed to boost my ego as well by commenting on how awesome my pictures were. "Anything for a friend." I told her.

Imgen Heap feat. Kid Beyond

Mark Nielsen — Fri Feb 23 16:24:16 UTC 2007

On Monday I went to see Imogen Heap at the Royal Oak Music Theater. The following day I had to write a friend to tell her how the show went. This was the email. It's a little personal, but I think it explains my take on the concert pretty well.

Mariam,

There were a lot of words going through my head last night, but one kept coming up: wow.

We walk in and this guy is playing a guitar with a violin bow. The first song was okay, but it
quickly went down hill. He had some issues with his microphone setup & his looping machine didn't
seem to pick up much of the audio spectrum. I thought, "okay, good. Mariam's not missing anything."
He finally redeemed himself by the last song. It had some pretty good riffs & his looping
troubles seemed to be solved. Levi *something*...in the top 10 for Folk in iTunes.

The stage setup was quite simple. It included several rows of, what looked to be Christmas lights,
here & there. Her plexi-glass piano/keyboard was slightly off-center. My favorite part of the
staging had to be the Christmas tree, off to the side, topped with a lit, white corset.

The next guy came out with mouth a'blazin. The first song was with any loop machines or
instruments. All beatbox, nothing else. I believe the audience was pleasantly surprised. I even
noticed some Nine Inch Nails within that first song. The next 4 songs were awesome. He wound up
the loop machine with more beatbox & managed to sing some pretty good melodies on top. Needless to
say, we were all pretty impressed. I was impressed enough to bum some money to buy his CD. His
name was Kid Beyond.

Now, because I am only familiar Imogen, & not an expert, I have to apologize in advance. She
actually started the first song in the audience & even walked all the way up into the bar area. She
of course ended the song on stage. She then moved on to introducing the us to "the band." Which
was her keyboards looping machines & effects doodads. You have to picture he tall, lanky body
coupled with the mumbling British accent. In fact, she would mumble something in-between each song.
It took some real concentration to catch most of it.
The next two songs involved both Levi & Kid Beyond, & two other people. I thought it was very cool
how Kid Beyond did percussion while Levi played guitar. I think that's why they were the opening
act. T'was an *Oh!* moment for me. After two upbeat songs she dismissed the band and played a
couple slow tunes, one of which from Frou Frou, Let Go. During one song there was this girl about
30 feet up from me, who could contain herself & decided to sing along with her. I think you can
gather, that if I heard her over Imogen (who was amplified mind you), then... Imogen made a point
to say something. "As a general rule, I'm supposed to be louder than you. On that last song, there
was one girl..." Was pretty funny. The audience cheered.
Right before the "last song" she announced it just that way, quotes and all. She made a comment
like "You guys are supposed to say 'No, don't go!'" That "joke" wasn't well received. But we made
up for it right after, by the thunderous applause. She came back out and said, "You didn't expect
me to go without doing that one song?" (or something to that effect) She didn't even need to
announce it. It was Hide And Seek. Just her standing in the center with a strap-on keyboard. One
single light overhead. Very well done.
(warning: cheeziness ahead) I was really impressed. I guess I didn't really know what to expect.
And in fact, her type of music I wouldn't say is my favorite by any means. I now consider myself a
convert. I think it's a clue when you find yourself most brought to tears by a song. It actually
got me thinking about how God uses music in my life. I even went as far as to reminisce about the
courtship of Laura & me, but that's another story.

Here are a few of the songs she did:
- -Headlock
- -Goodnight And Go
- -Have You Got In You
- -Come Here Boy
- -Hide And Seek

That's all I can put together for now. I hope you get the idea. Here are some pictures of the
show.

Mark

Oh, by the way, I almost text'd you last night to say, I understand where you get your inspiration
from. I totally got the correlation. Take care.

As you can see, I had a pretty good time. I later went on to say that this was one of the best shows I've ever seen; right up there with Metallica in the 90s.

Simon says, "Touch my penis"

Mark Nielsen — Fri Feb 23 16:16:20 UTC 2007

Before I dive into this story, I have to premise this with a brief summation of the location with which this happened.

My wife & I homeschool our oldest daughter. Every Friday my wife takes the kids to a homeschool co-op for art. It's a Christian based co-op, with a varying degree of conservatism within the group. Basically it's a place where other homeschool families can get together for art subjects, such as acting, painting, singing, dancing, etc. After the official "school day" is over, there are extra-curriculars that kids can take for a nominal fee, such as karate, Spanish, etc.

While our oldest was at one of these activities, the rest of the kids were playing Simon Says. It was time for my son to do the calling. Now, keep in mind he's 2 at the time. My wife is just outside the room where the kids are playing when she hears "Simon says, touch my penis." Of course, all the moms in the hallway stop talking, drop their jaws & bust out laughing. One witty mom says, "How do you play Simon Says at home?" The laughs continue...

2yo likes popcorn!

Mark Nielsen — Wed Aug 09 00:00:00 UTC 2006

So, I get this call today from my wife. She told me that while she was in the shower, our 2 year old son, who can hardly reach the counter, made his own popcorn. Apparently he took the bag out of the cellophane, set it in the microwave (right-side up), and turned the dial. He took it out a little early but, what can you expect from a 2 year old? I guess he's been watching his older sister...and I need to find a new place for the microwave.

Surprise!

Mark Nielsen — Wed Aug 09 00:00:00 UTC 2006

This was my first, and only surprise party.

I'm a sucker for surprises. And since my wife was the planner, I fell for it big-time.

I get a call from a friend of mine Beau. He's this guy I was starting to get to know through church. I wanted to hang out with him more, so when he called to ask me for help, I was all too willing. He proceeded to tell me that he's got this big table saw he need to move to the other side of the basement. He said he had some things to do first and to stop by around 7pm.

I pull up to his house but don't really notice the mass of cars in the street, because there's always a ton of cars on his street. I knock, but instead of waiting for someone to answer the door, I walk in. I see another friend of mine there, but figured that this thing must be really heavy, & he needed the extra hands. I walk around to the kitchen & see about 10 guys...SURPRISE! I laugh, & shake my head. "I'm such a fool." I think to myself.

10 of my closest (read: only) friends & I spend many hours eating pizza, drinking pop (soda) & playing HALO. Ah, that was awesome.

Mission to Amsterdam

Mark Nielsen — Sat Aug 05 00:00:00 UTC 2006

...

Passed out

Mark Nielsen — Fri Aug 04 00:00:00 UTC 2006

The Premise

When I was between 8 & 14 I would go to a day camp for the summer called Upland Hills Farm. As the name suggests, it was a farm. We would ride horses, feed chickens, swing from trees, swim in the lake, you name it. Every session (of which there were 4) there would be an overnight. This story takes place on one of those nights.

The Story

While we were eating dinner on our Styrofoam plates in the covered patio, the farmer came out exclaiming that the sow was having piglets. So during the chaos, I threw out my retainer along with my plate. By the time I realized what had happened, it was too late. The retainer was gone. (I felt like that kid from Parenthood.)

About an hour later, I was on my way up to the bonfire. I was walking along then... I remember having a strange dream, & rolling over only to be startled by this big bump on my head. I got up & I was on the concrete floor of the covered patio, and it was dark. An hour or so later my mother came up to get me.

As it turns out, I had Pneumonia. That in combination with my sobbing over the retainer lead to a lack of O₂ to my brain.

Honeymoon in Kaanapali beach

Mark Nielsen — Fri Aug 04 00:00:00 UTC 2006

Best damn honeymoon I've ever had. I would do it again in a heartbeat. ;)

Danced with the most popular girl in school

Mark Nielsen — Fri Aug 04 00:00:00 UTC 2006

It's funny how you remember things...

I was at one of the many junior high school dances in 8^th grade. I think I was standing along the wall with all the other dorks when I feel a tug on my hand. I look over and it was Caprice Harron (que slow motion & 80s love music). She smiled & proceded to pull me out to the dance floor. We danced for a song, but never really said anything.

I learned a few things that day.

I was a moron for not talking.
I should've known that she didn't have a crush on me, she was just being nice.
I should stop standing by the wall.

As it turns out, she's a gynecologist at one of the top hospitals in the country. sigh

Parents divorce

Mark Nielsen — Thu Aug 03 00:00:00 UTC 2006

I remember my dad coming downstairs in his robe & sitting down next to me when I was eating my cereal. He had a tear in his eye & a flutter in his voice. He proceeds to proceeds to explain to me that he & my mom were "seperating," and that none of it was my fault. I remember being sad & a little pissed. I'm not really sure what, exactly I was pissed at/about, but I was nonetheless.

Later on in life my mother kept trying to dive into me not to repeat my father's relationship quirks.

Parents get married...again

Mark Nielsen — Thu Aug 03 00:00:00 UTC 2006

I was 15 when my folks decided to get back together. I was kind of weird about it. I mean, I had finally gotten used to the idea that my mother & father were separate entities. After 3ish years (all through puberty, mind you) I could deal with each parent independently. Now I had to relearn how to handle my folks. This was not an easy task. For months I felt attacked; like I couldn't do anything without getting in trouble. Although, taking the car out without permission was indeed, wrong.

On one hand, my parents were together again. On the other hand, they were together again.

Got second tattoo

Mark Nielsen — Thu Aug 03 00:00:00 UTC 2006

It was Good Friday & I was ready for my new tattoo. Since this was my second, I knew what I was in for. Although most people say, "oh, it hurts a little." or "It's irritating, that's all." I completely dissagree. I'm not ashamed to say it hurts like hell. But I tell you the truth, I still want another! Anyway, I bring a glass of water & a friend with me because I believe the water will help me cope with the pain; and the friend just wanted to watch.

The tattoo guy was only 10 minutes into the work when I start to feel woozy. I'm sweaty but cold. The funny part is that I am giving commentary about what's going on in my head. "Uh, oh. It's going black..." Next thing I know I'm waking up from a weird sleep. Damnit! I passed out. My buddy runs next door to buy me some candy to help raise my blood sugar.

The candy does the trick, & he's back to work in a matter of minutes. This time, the ~~pain~~ anxiety is virtually non-existent.

The whole thing only took about 45 minutes. I was surprised. I was expecting it cost cost me about $200, but ended up only being ~$75.

Friend falls from tree

Mark Nielsen — Thu Aug 03 00:00:00 UTC 2006

In the summer of '85 my best friend & I went to camp Nissokone.

Babe dies

Mark Nielsen — Wed Aug 02 00:00:00 UTC 2006

I get this email from my mom about my sweet puppy.

Dear Family and Friends,

It is with exteme saddness that I announce the passing of my black lab, and wonderful companion, Babe, today at 4:15 p.m. Babe was 14 yrs. old. She had a full and wonderful life and this last weekend was very lively for her. I will dearly miss my loyal friend.

Susan

It was a sad day.

New black Lab

Mark Nielsen — Wed Aug 02 00:00:00 UTC 2006

Mom brought home a new Lab puppy. She was the cutest thing. I showed my new girlfriend my cute sleeping puppy. She thought I was showing her a dead puppy! So, when I told her she was my new dog, all she said was, "oh."

Good Friend Dies

Mark Nielsen — Mon Jul 31 00:00:00 UTC 2006

Michael Jamieson

A few weeks prior I had a hankering to talk to Michael, the little brother of a long-time friend of mine. It had been years since we spoke, & I wanted to see how he was doing. That night we had a long conversation about life, school, girls, work, etc. It really felt good to get back in touch with such a good guy. After I hung up the phone I decided that I wanted to hang out with him more & contemplated opportunities we could do that. Shortly after, I had to go back up to school for a summer class.

On a beautiful summer morning, I got a call from my mother. She sounded shaken a little, but not too bad. She didn't waste any time. “Mark, Michael Jamieson died in a car accident last night.” My mind immediately flash to a cousin named Michael that I hadn't seen in a few years; but we weren't close anyway. I cried. I paced the living room a bit, to assist in my comprehension. “I'm sorry Mark.”, she said. This time crying herself. It took about 30 seconds for me to realize that this was the guy that I just had a great phone conversation with a few weeks ago. As soon as I figured out whom she was talking about, I fell to me knees & wailed. My fiance, sitting on the couch became alarmed. “What's wrong?”, she asked. I told her, then my mind blurs...

The whole day I couldn't get his face out of my mind.

FROM THE POLICE REPORT: As a result of the impact between the two vehicles, the Pontiac Grand Prix was torn apart into two large sections…the front section struck and jumped the median curb…the rear section also struck and jumped curb…then jumped another curb, crossed the sidewalk, and came to rest in a water saturated area… The white Pontiac Trans Am struck and jumped the center median…then once again struck a curb and jumped the curb… Two male occupants of the black Grand Prix, Andrew Stindt, the driver, and Michael Jamieson, the right front seat passenger, were on the curb and the median strip… The right rear seat passenger, Ashley Easterbrook, was located just outside the passenger compartment of the Grand Prix, with an arm still inside the vehicle… Writer could find no signs of life in the three victims…