Wednesday, May 20, 2009

STP #29












As May 20th ended, I was quite STumPed
Until to a logical conclusion I jumped
A poetic tribute would not be hard to STooP
As long as I highlighted Reeble Jar, his musical group
I knew it would be hard to know when to SToP
But I had to mention his Glass-blowing shop

It’s rare for him to encounter a hill that’s too STeeP
Though one once caused the demise of his first early Jeep
He’s always been one to take the next STeP
Since he’s a happenin’ guy who’s always quite hep
Who continues to leave his unique STamP
On the Eugene city that’s quite damp

So, in closing, it is with much glee
As the last year approaches of his decade three
That with the coming dawn
We celebrate all that is Sean
On the occasion of the 29th birthday of STP



Writing a blog entry as a tribute to Sean is like describing a symphony in 4 notes... it can be done but it leaves out a lot of highlights and nuance... (Try G-G-G-Eflat....)

At 6:30 PM on Wednesday, May 21st 1980, Sean Thomas Ponder arrived in Portland Oregon during the aftermath of the Mt. St. Helen's eruption and just missed by 6 hours being born on the least likely birthday among the current population. (Oct 5th is the most common...) This would be a harbinger of Sean's style of being unique. Music has been a part of Sean's life since early on and most people are aware of his current performance with his band http://www.myspace.com/reeblejar but few people know Sean is one of only a handful of people to play the Theremin under the tutealge of Leon Theremin in 1991 at Stanford (who also gave Einstien lessons, but said he wasn't very musical) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_Theremin and to call up and talk to Bob Moog directly when 11 year old Sean decided to build a Theremin for his science project.






Sean's integration of music and glass-blowing also has followed an unusual path. He moved to Eugene and attended Lane CC and apprenticed as a glass blower and then when his bosses decided to close up shop, they handed him their customer list and Sean became a small business owner in his early 20's servicing accounts nationwide. It's an amazing balancing act, keeping the band going while working to pay the bills, so this summer's road trip with the band should be a great adventure after a lot of hard work. Reeble Jar will play in Portland at Goodfoot on May 30th and then leave June 2 for a month long tour of at least 11 states...






As the first person to meet Sean, I've always been honored by the privilege and am proud of who he is and the impact he's had so far. His grandfather was one of his biggest fans and vicariously shared in many of Seans adventures. I look forward to continuing to cheer for him - as long as I can stay up late enough...






HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEAN!

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