I haven't attempted poetry since 10th grade creative writing class, so be warned. I wanted to summarize a story that many of you will ask me about, and what better way than a Christmas poem?! And begin...
Christmas arrived with nary a sound
A bit of snow on the ground, no kids to be found
Just me and my girl and our bright Christmas tree,
and Disco the Kitty with her new “busy-bee”
We’d planned on relaxing ‘til round about ten
Then family and presents would call us to them
So coffee in hand and a movie on queue
We cozied the couch for “The Godfather: Part II”
As Michael and Fredo in Cuba did play
I tried to conceal my jitters that day
For under the tree lied a gift of great meaning
Twas meant for my love and would soon leave her beaming
But how to convince her to open that one
Without letting on to the trick that I’d done?
Like a child I said “I wanna open a present,
So let’s pick one out for each other” I meant
I knew to go first, so I dove to the tree
She pointed way back to a box marked for me
With hands a bit shaky I tore through the wrap
For a warm winter coat, very nice one at that
Then her turn, “Which one?”, I pointed out a long box
With silver paper, a bow, much too large for a rock
Inside, a hiking bag - a meager fanny pack
“Gee, thanks” said she, I thought she might give it back!
But then, in the pack she could feel something else
I watched as she opened and looked for herself
Another box, quite small, with a jeweler’s mark
A treasure of sorts, but will it create the true spark?
As she opened the ring, I let a few moments pass
“Do you have a question for me?”, no patience, this lass
I leaned in on a knee, and spoke four famous words
And after a kiss, her reply was heard…
“Of course I will." She said the right thing!
Relieved, we looked at her shiny new bling
A marvelous ring, let’s hope it will fit
And barely it did, after sticking a bit
So that’s my story of Christmas this year
A morning engagement with mobsters and tears
Romantic? Maybe not, but memorable, yes
Suffice it to say, we feel truly blessed
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and were able to spend time with family and friends. I miss my family and everyone back home, and I hope to see you all soon – with my fiancée!
Love,
Steve
12/27/2007
12/24/2007
If you only knew...
It only took me 29 years, 3 months and 11 days to hit the slopes for my first time. Annie finally convinced me that Utah has the "Best Snow on Earth - for you to crash into over and over again!" Here is where I shout out to brands I had seen frequently at various snowsports and outdoor retail trade shows over my 6 years at Grabber. My first set of rented gear: K2 skis, Nordica boots, Scott poles. I had my Rudy Project goggles (thank you, Pro Ski Instructors of America conference in 2005 for that gift), my new Columbia ski pants, and then a bunch of other mismatched gear. If I didn't look like a beginner, I proved it moments after leaving the bunny hill chair lift for the first time. I pushed myself off the chair, went down the tiny hill thinking, "this is great!", then realized I didn't know how to turn or stop, so I continued upright until I neared a drop off, and just laid it down. This became an important lesson for me: When in doubt, just lay it down. Because it will hurt less than letting gravity and downhill momentum slam you down.
Let's just say I enjoyed the bunny hill. Annie did a great job showing me the basics, and after a few practice turns and plenty of snowplowing, I could zoom down comfortably. The minute we left that lift, however, I turned into a runaway train, rolling and sliding down more slopes than actually skiing. Too much, too soon. Solitude Mountain's lift ticket says "If you only knew...", which has my brain thinking of all the ways I could finish that sentence: "...how many 5-yr-olds will laugh at you."; "...how ridiculous you'll look trying to lock your boot back into the ski you lost, while balancing precariously on a slope you can't handle."; "...how badly your thighs will ache tomorrow!"; "...how much your girlfriend will enjoy being better than you at an athletic endeavor." But I finally did it, I'm walking upright today, and I'll do it again.
Here are some pics of us recently, enjoying the Christmas season in Utah. Merry Christmas everyone!
Let's just say I enjoyed the bunny hill. Annie did a great job showing me the basics, and after a few practice turns and plenty of snowplowing, I could zoom down comfortably. The minute we left that lift, however, I turned into a runaway train, rolling and sliding down more slopes than actually skiing. Too much, too soon. Solitude Mountain's lift ticket says "If you only knew...", which has my brain thinking of all the ways I could finish that sentence: "...how many 5-yr-olds will laugh at you."; "...how ridiculous you'll look trying to lock your boot back into the ski you lost, while balancing precariously on a slope you can't handle."; "...how badly your thighs will ache tomorrow!"; "...how much your girlfriend will enjoy being better than you at an athletic endeavor." But I finally did it, I'm walking upright today, and I'll do it again.
Here are some pics of us recently, enjoying the Christmas season in Utah. Merry Christmas everyone!
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| Christmas season |
12/16/2007
Have some decency
Thanks to all of you who so discretely commented on the subject of my recent post "Rockin' the 80s". It's PROM. P-R-O-M, like the dance you got dressed up for back in high school.
And for the record, I had the stache for all of 8 hours - leading up to and during the party - and it was shaved immediately after. I have no new career aspirations or secret identities. Please people, my mother reads this blog.
And for the record, I had the stache for all of 8 hours - leading up to and during the party - and it was shaved immediately after. I have no new career aspirations or secret identities. Please people, my mother reads this blog.
12/15/2007
12/07/2007
Rockin the 80s
Annie and I went to the IKEA 'holiday party' this week. The theme was "80s Prom".
Here is our Prom Picture.
That is my real facial hair, and what you can't see is the tie maintaining its skinny width all the way down. She was rocking a shiny faux-wrap dress that came together at the hip with a huge round buckle. Totally Awesome!
Here is our Prom Picture.
That is my real facial hair, and what you can't see is the tie maintaining its skinny width all the way down. She was rocking a shiny faux-wrap dress that came together at the hip with a huge round buckle. Totally Awesome!
12/01/2007
Luke would have asked R2D2 where to sit
Southwest Airlines is flying for the everyman. No snobby first class section, no dehumanizing 'assigned' seating, personable flight attendants, $1-cheaper adult beverages than other airlines, and planes with Earl Scheib paint jobs. If you haven't flown the purple and orange, it's important to note that until about a month ago, Southwest gave you boarding passes with nothing more than a single letter on it: A, B, or - you guessed it - C! Those 3 simple designations let you know what boarding group you were with, and gave you the incentive to arrive earlier so you could be first in line in your respective group. You would literally stand or sit in a line, cleverly marked with one of those 3 letters. Once your group was called, you filed onto the aircraft, and chose any seat you wished! Freedom is a beautiful thing.
However, some genius at SWA (probably a marketing executive) decided that this unique, effective system was giving us civilians a little too much leash. (It also apparently provoked several line skirmishes at DTW last Thanksgiving.) Rather than just skip the quirkiness and revert to assigned seating like every other carrier, they decided to subdivide the letter groups into letter-number combinations. So now your boarding pass may say something like "A39". This means that you're the 39th person to board the aircraft, with the A group, but you still get to choose your seat. Instead of getting to the airport earliest to nab the coveted "A1" position, you are now encouraged to check in online earlier. You still have seat-picking freedom, but your spot in line is now binding. I think someone once said the same thing about leather pants.
During my first experience with this new system, I realized that it had somehow turned otherwise normal, intelligent human beings into raving lunatics. Let me lay the crowd control logistics: Southwest gates now have handy letter-number signage on poles, both denoting the line positions, and recommending where your spot in those lines should be. For example, the head of the first line says "A 1-30", and down the line there are supplemental signs suggesting "1-5; 6-10" etc... Your job as passenger is to find your spot, comparing with the other humans around you to make sure you're in the right order.
I had ticket A39, so I was in the "A 31-60" line, and someone with A40 was right behind me. For efficiency, they clear the 2 "A" lines first, then magically flip the head-of-line signs to "B" and, voila, the "B"s can assemble! As I waited, I noticed several people with "B" or "C" passes milling about our lines before we boarded, oblivious to the frequent PA announcements and actual SWA staffers helping them out. Actual arguments broke out about what the strange letters and numbers meant. One bold B-er just barged to the gate as the "A"s started moving. Our friendly gate guide politely informed him he had to wait, much to his surprise. Exasperated, he flung his arms in the air and asked if this whole deal could get any more complicated?!
It made me wonder - how does this guy even get to the correct gate in the first place? Which section is his car in at the economy lot? When he was informed his flight left from gate C18, did he stop to ask for directions? Does his head spin when he peers up at the overhead signage, pointing him to any of 5 lettered terminals, each with multiple numbered gates? Was he ever able to remember his wife's 'dimensions' for that special Valentine's gift? How does he choose which B vitamin to buy? What if his future includes games of Bingo or Battleship? WHAT SORT OF CRAZY ALPHA-NUMERIC NIGHTMARE IS HE LIVING IN?
Finally, the "B"s are called and he is ready to find his super special seat. BUT WAIT - each row is still numbered, each seat still lettered! Not to worry, the ever friendly SWA attendant reminds him those are simply relics of a long forgotten system, and he may sit where he pleases. Relieved, he buckles in, takes a deep breath, and gazes in awe at the newest Sharper Image nose hair trimmer in Skymall magazine. Prompted by the safety announcement, he casually pulls out the plane's emergeny instructions from the seat back, only to be slapped in the face with the reality that he is flying in an A-320* aircraft! (queue Psycho screech sound effects).
Look people, air travel is stressful and often exhausting. Take a minute to examine your surroundings, prepare your route, and for all our sakes - fly Delta and SIT WHERE YOU'RE TOLD.
(*Southwest flies only 737s, but that would have killed the gag)
However, some genius at SWA (probably a marketing executive) decided that this unique, effective system was giving us civilians a little too much leash. (It also apparently provoked several line skirmishes at DTW last Thanksgiving.) Rather than just skip the quirkiness and revert to assigned seating like every other carrier, they decided to subdivide the letter groups into letter-number combinations. So now your boarding pass may say something like "A39". This means that you're the 39th person to board the aircraft, with the A group, but you still get to choose your seat. Instead of getting to the airport earliest to nab the coveted "A1" position, you are now encouraged to check in online earlier. You still have seat-picking freedom, but your spot in line is now binding. I think someone once said the same thing about leather pants.
During my first experience with this new system, I realized that it had somehow turned otherwise normal, intelligent human beings into raving lunatics. Let me lay the crowd control logistics: Southwest gates now have handy letter-number signage on poles, both denoting the line positions, and recommending where your spot in those lines should be. For example, the head of the first line says "A 1-30", and down the line there are supplemental signs suggesting "1-5; 6-10" etc... Your job as passenger is to find your spot, comparing with the other humans around you to make sure you're in the right order.
I had ticket A39, so I was in the "A 31-60" line, and someone with A40 was right behind me. For efficiency, they clear the 2 "A" lines first, then magically flip the head-of-line signs to "B" and, voila, the "B"s can assemble! As I waited, I noticed several people with "B" or "C" passes milling about our lines before we boarded, oblivious to the frequent PA announcements and actual SWA staffers helping them out. Actual arguments broke out about what the strange letters and numbers meant. One bold B-er just barged to the gate as the "A"s started moving. Our friendly gate guide politely informed him he had to wait, much to his surprise. Exasperated, he flung his arms in the air and asked if this whole deal could get any more complicated?!It made me wonder - how does this guy even get to the correct gate in the first place? Which section is his car in at the economy lot? When he was informed his flight left from gate C18, did he stop to ask for directions? Does his head spin when he peers up at the overhead signage, pointing him to any of 5 lettered terminals, each with multiple numbered gates? Was he ever able to remember his wife's 'dimensions' for that special Valentine's gift? How does he choose which B vitamin to buy? What if his future includes games of Bingo or Battleship? WHAT SORT OF CRAZY ALPHA-NUMERIC NIGHTMARE IS HE LIVING IN?
Finally, the "B"s are called and he is ready to find his super special seat. BUT WAIT - each row is still numbered, each seat still lettered! Not to worry, the ever friendly SWA attendant reminds him those are simply relics of a long forgotten system, and he may sit where he pleases. Relieved, he buckles in, takes a deep breath, and gazes in awe at the newest Sharper Image nose hair trimmer in Skymall magazine. Prompted by the safety announcement, he casually pulls out the plane's emergeny instructions from the seat back, only to be slapped in the face with the reality that he is flying in an A-320* aircraft! (queue Psycho screech sound effects).
Look people, air travel is stressful and often exhausting. Take a minute to examine your surroundings, prepare your route, and for all our sakes - fly Delta and SIT WHERE YOU'RE TOLD.
(*Southwest flies only 737s, but that would have killed the gag)
11/30/2007
Malihalikaliapuaa'a'aa
It only took me a month to post a Hawaii recap! Here's the short: Kauai is incredibly beautiful. We were very fortunate to stay in a timeshare in Princeville (mahalo, Dr S.!), which is on the north, and best, side of the island. If you ever go to Kauai, you must get the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed, by Wizard Publications. Just call it the "Blue Book" and use it to find activities, remote beaches, hiking trails, and rely on its restaurant ratings. Every place they recommended was right on. My recommendations: find Secret Beach, do a Na Pali boat tour (or helicopter tour, which we did not do), eat at Scotty's Beachside BBQ, snorkel anywhere, eat lots of fresh fish and fruit, and if you happen to need to watch a sporting event but are checked out of your room... go to Kalypso in Hanalei (I watched the UM-MSU game there!)
Instead of trying to summarize everything, we just captioned our photos. Check them out HERE.
Aloha!
Instead of trying to summarize everything, we just captioned our photos. Check them out HERE.
Aloha!
11/21/2007
So my woman took me to the doctor...
The Michigan - Ohio State game literally made me sick. I happened to be in Foster City, CA with my lovely pals Bradfo and Megs on Saturday, watched the "game", and immediately felt a prickly flu-like pain, fever, and a bit of a sore throat. No biggie right? With just a few hours left with my friends, I stuck it out for a late lunch before driving down to San Jose for the flight home. Sitting in the SJC, I chugged Odwalla (from Half Moon Bay!) and prayed I wouldn't pass out. My head was in a sickly cloud and my body was screaming at me to sleep. I finally made it home to SLC around 10:45 PM MST (via LAS), took some ibuprofin, and passed out. Woke up around 3 AM, t-shirt soaked with sweat and throat swollen and sore.
Thankfully, my attentive and concerned (sick of me whining) girlfriend practically forced me to an urgent care center by Sunday afternoon, where the doctor took all of 3 nanoseconds to declare, "You have strep - who gave it to ya?"
Deftly, I replied, "I don't know, evil throat gnomes from Columbus, OH?" I did not say that, exactly. More like, "Oun no." (I don't know.)
Anyhoo, I'm finally recovered-ish. Only missed 1 day of work due to continued pain, night sweats, and potential contagiousness. The night sweats thing is weird. Sort of an adult bed-wetting, if you think about it. Oh - Brad & Megs - if you get a sore throat, sorry, and go to the doc.
I'm just at lunch right now, trying to work the last day before Thanksgiving. I have some amazing rants brewing about the stupidity of people and my distaste for retail environments, and a great slide show/recap of our Hawaii trip that's long overdue, so I hope to be back soon.
Quickly: My Dad sent me a text message that I thought was amusing enough to share. I don't know if he heard this somewhere, or is just a master of wordplay. Some of you will get this, some won't. Don't worry about it. Upon leaving the UM-OSU game:
"Worst game ever... Need New Carr, Les Miles"
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Thankfully, my attentive and concerned (sick of me whining) girlfriend practically forced me to an urgent care center by Sunday afternoon, where the doctor took all of 3 nanoseconds to declare, "You have strep - who gave it to ya?"
Deftly, I replied, "I don't know, evil throat gnomes from Columbus, OH?" I did not say that, exactly. More like, "Oun no." (I don't know.)
Anyhoo, I'm finally recovered-ish. Only missed 1 day of work due to continued pain, night sweats, and potential contagiousness. The night sweats thing is weird. Sort of an adult bed-wetting, if you think about it. Oh - Brad & Megs - if you get a sore throat, sorry, and go to the doc.
I'm just at lunch right now, trying to work the last day before Thanksgiving. I have some amazing rants brewing about the stupidity of people and my distaste for retail environments, and a great slide show/recap of our Hawaii trip that's long overdue, so I hope to be back soon.
Quickly: My Dad sent me a text message that I thought was amusing enough to share. I don't know if he heard this somewhere, or is just a master of wordplay. Some of you will get this, some won't. Don't worry about it. Upon leaving the UM-OSU game:
"Worst game ever... Need New Carr, Les Miles"
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
10/15/2007
Musings from the ORD
Oh wow - I'm in a hotel room again, big shock. This time a plush Comfort Inn within range of approaching 747s just outside of O'Hare airport, or ORD as we travellers like to say. Annie and I take unusual pride in our knowledge of 3-letter airport codes and use them frequently to refer to cities, even when the airport has no bearing. LIH baby! It's like text message codes for grownups, LOL.
Work doesn't provide me a laptop yet, so I decided to take Annie's home laptop for this trip to get some work done, and it was the best decision ever. Not only can I get work done, but I can download recent episodes of Rescue Me, write this, and watch Monday Night Football all from the relative Comfort of my Inn. I'm always late to embrace the convenience of certain technologies, but I always really appreciate them once I do.
It seems like I write about sports in just about every blog...well, it ain't changing here. The kids are on a parks & rec soccer team, and I've been able to see several of their games. They're in that 6-8 age group so they either follow the ball around in a confusing mob, or stand in one place because someone told them to play a 'position'. It's fun. I can't sit still during these games. I want to coach them up with my limited knowledge of soccer (2 yrs in H.S., woo-hoo!) but they're not ready for skill-specific coaching yet. I want to encourage them to 'compete' and 'win', but they don't really care yet. And I want to yell at the team parent-coach sometimes because the assigned parent-coach doesn't do any coaching. Parent-coach's strength is in choosing who brings snacks each game. I don't have much of a point to this paragraph yet, so... I should probably coach one of the kids' sports someday.
I miss home and especially my core group of guy friends a lot lately. Fall is the best in Michigan, and I always looked forward to busting out the hoodies and jeans and sweaters, going to tailgates at GVSU and watching the Wolverines every Saturday. I can do most of that stuff here (hoodies are outlawed), but not with the same friends. Fall is the time where we always find more excuses to get together with friends, I think because from childhood through college we're accustomed to a new school year starting and it feels like a sort of reunion. I haven't gone to school in 6 years, but I still get that feeling. Anyway, friends: A shout-out to you, and you know who you are. My inner circle of testosterone-laden, bad joke making, mini-muffin tossing, horrible poker playing buds. The Dudes. You're all fatter, balder, and uglier than last time I saw you, but I still love ya just the same.
I finished reading High Fidelity, and I'll give it 2.5 out of 4. I never could separate the characters from their Hollywood film counterparts. Imagine a quasi-British John Cusack, drifting in and out of accent with sometimes moppy black hair and other times spiky blonde hair and ruddy complexion. It doesn't quite work. I'm reading non-fiction again, Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer. Where religion goes wrong, and how! It's actually not funny, and rather disturbing. Speaking of, I was reminded of the power of religious emotion and selfish extremism when my company was accused of "banning" Christmas by a powerful political action group. Not caring that their claim was false, many of my colleagues and I received hateful emails and voice mails from people around the country claiming to be Christians and patriotic Americans. I don't want to tell the story here, but call or email me and I'll fill you in and send some entertaining links. I also received some understanding and thoughtful emails from others whom I personally know to be Christians - we're not all nutty, arrogant judgers - whew! Either way, it reminded me that as humans, we all fail miserably and frequently, but I have a lot of respect for people who maintain religious faith and do so with class and perception and grace.
How did I get on that topic? Anyway, I'm tired and this laptop is burning my legs through my dungarees. Good night now!
Work doesn't provide me a laptop yet, so I decided to take Annie's home laptop for this trip to get some work done, and it was the best decision ever. Not only can I get work done, but I can download recent episodes of Rescue Me, write this, and watch Monday Night Football all from the relative Comfort of my Inn. I'm always late to embrace the convenience of certain technologies, but I always really appreciate them once I do.
It seems like I write about sports in just about every blog...well, it ain't changing here. The kids are on a parks & rec soccer team, and I've been able to see several of their games. They're in that 6-8 age group so they either follow the ball around in a confusing mob, or stand in one place because someone told them to play a 'position'. It's fun. I can't sit still during these games. I want to coach them up with my limited knowledge of soccer (2 yrs in H.S., woo-hoo!) but they're not ready for skill-specific coaching yet. I want to encourage them to 'compete' and 'win', but they don't really care yet. And I want to yell at the team parent-coach sometimes because the assigned parent-coach doesn't do any coaching. Parent-coach's strength is in choosing who brings snacks each game. I don't have much of a point to this paragraph yet, so... I should probably coach one of the kids' sports someday.
I miss home and especially my core group of guy friends a lot lately. Fall is the best in Michigan, and I always looked forward to busting out the hoodies and jeans and sweaters, going to tailgates at GVSU and watching the Wolverines every Saturday. I can do most of that stuff here (hoodies are outlawed), but not with the same friends. Fall is the time where we always find more excuses to get together with friends, I think because from childhood through college we're accustomed to a new school year starting and it feels like a sort of reunion. I haven't gone to school in 6 years, but I still get that feeling. Anyway, friends: A shout-out to you, and you know who you are. My inner circle of testosterone-laden, bad joke making, mini-muffin tossing, horrible poker playing buds. The Dudes. You're all fatter, balder, and uglier than last time I saw you, but I still love ya just the same.
I finished reading High Fidelity, and I'll give it 2.5 out of 4. I never could separate the characters from their Hollywood film counterparts. Imagine a quasi-British John Cusack, drifting in and out of accent with sometimes moppy black hair and other times spiky blonde hair and ruddy complexion. It doesn't quite work. I'm reading non-fiction again, Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer. Where religion goes wrong, and how! It's actually not funny, and rather disturbing. Speaking of, I was reminded of the power of religious emotion and selfish extremism when my company was accused of "banning" Christmas by a powerful political action group. Not caring that their claim was false, many of my colleagues and I received hateful emails and voice mails from people around the country claiming to be Christians and patriotic Americans. I don't want to tell the story here, but call or email me and I'll fill you in and send some entertaining links. I also received some understanding and thoughtful emails from others whom I personally know to be Christians - we're not all nutty, arrogant judgers - whew! Either way, it reminded me that as humans, we all fail miserably and frequently, but I have a lot of respect for people who maintain religious faith and do so with class and perception and grace.
How did I get on that topic? Anyway, I'm tired and this laptop is burning my legs through my dungarees. Good night now!
10/07/2007
I should write more, too
It's been a while, and so much has changed. I've been to Orlando (via Denver), Salt Lake City (via Memphis, then Denver), Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Denver and Salt Lake City in the past two weeks (...I've been ev-ery-where man, I've been ev-ery-where...). Travelling by plane is the best time to catch up on a growing favorite activity of mine: Reading. Nerd Alert! Joking. All the cool people I know read, and they read more than me, and probably better books than me. In the past few months I've read, and recommend based on x out of 4 stars, the following books: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (4 stars) - I can't believe this part of American history is not more well known; Skeleton Coast by Clive Cussler with Jack DuBrul (3 stars) - Cussler weaves another tale of shipwrecks, political unrest, unbelievably diabolical plots to cause harm, and the heroes who prevent it; The Meaning of Sports by Michael Mandelbaum (2.5 stars) - recommended by a brilliant sports/political journalist, Gregg Easterbrook (Tuesday Morning QB), this book compares the defining traits of the 3 major American sports - Baseball, Football, and Basketball - to 3 distinct social eras in our history: Agrarian, Industrial Revolution, and post-Industrial Revolution. I gave it 2.5 because I knew a lot of the factoids already, but LOVED the section about baseball's history - that alone makes it worth the read for any baseball fan - and found the comparisons interesting. I'm currently reading High Fidelity by Nick Hornby (incomplete) - easy, fun read but difficult to separate the book's British setting and characters from the Cusack/Hjejle/Black cast of the US movie.
I was travelling for work, doing a marketing presentation to groups of franchisees as part of day-long regional meetings. As small as 4 in our own Salt Lake market, to a group of 50+ in L.A. My portion was about an hour and a half of presenting, discussion, and answering questions. Tiring, frustrating at times, but rewarding. I probably learned more from them than they from me. (Charon - was that an acceptable sentence structure? Sounded weird.) I also ate a lot of cookies and catered lunches, which is one of two reasons my dress pants have been, well, not exactly 'fitting' lately.
Annie and I find it difficult to be separated when we travel for business, which is ironic considering we 'dated' from a distance greater than the entire Central time zone for a couple years. I'm home now for a week, then I leave for a Chicago-St. Paul leg of the same meetings. 3 weeks from now, I'll be in Hawaii for my first time! A much needed vacation that Annie has been diligently planning in my absence thanks to The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook (TBD stars). Time to stop donating money to the local 24-Hour Fitness (the other reason for the tight pants) and start getting in beach shape.
Let's see, what else... Oh - since I last wrote, Michigan got Duck-waxed by Oregon, then rebounded for 4 straight wins. Speaking of 4 straight, I'm the only 4-0 team in my Fantasy Football League. Double Nerd Alert!! Hey guys - remember how I won the league last year and how much of a fluke it was? Check yourselves before you wriggedy-wreck yourselves. Tommy Brady just hit for another TD pass...it's going to be a great Sunday.
And the big news? (drum roll please...)
We bought a new car! Gotcha, suckers. We leased it, actually. I say 'we' only in the sense that I was present for some signatures. Annie did all the work, since it is her need for new, shiny things with satellite radio and 3rd row seating that led to this decision. Nissan Pathfinder - gray, leather, loaded. Bu-bye to the Jetta, hello to extra space for soccer gear and trips to Costco (48-pack of TP? No problem.) Babe - we've finally made it! New TV, furniture, the car, and nearly unmanageable debt. We're so 21st century.
I was travelling for work, doing a marketing presentation to groups of franchisees as part of day-long regional meetings. As small as 4 in our own Salt Lake market, to a group of 50+ in L.A. My portion was about an hour and a half of presenting, discussion, and answering questions. Tiring, frustrating at times, but rewarding. I probably learned more from them than they from me. (Charon - was that an acceptable sentence structure? Sounded weird.) I also ate a lot of cookies and catered lunches, which is one of two reasons my dress pants have been, well, not exactly 'fitting' lately.
Annie and I find it difficult to be separated when we travel for business, which is ironic considering we 'dated' from a distance greater than the entire Central time zone for a couple years. I'm home now for a week, then I leave for a Chicago-St. Paul leg of the same meetings. 3 weeks from now, I'll be in Hawaii for my first time! A much needed vacation that Annie has been diligently planning in my absence thanks to The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook (TBD stars). Time to stop donating money to the local 24-Hour Fitness (the other reason for the tight pants) and start getting in beach shape.
Let's see, what else... Oh - since I last wrote, Michigan got Duck-waxed by Oregon, then rebounded for 4 straight wins. Speaking of 4 straight, I'm the only 4-0 team in my Fantasy Football League. Double Nerd Alert!! Hey guys - remember how I won the league last year and how much of a fluke it was? Check yourselves before you wriggedy-wreck yourselves. Tommy Brady just hit for another TD pass...it's going to be a great Sunday.
And the big news? (drum roll please...)
We bought a new car! Gotcha, suckers. We leased it, actually. I say 'we' only in the sense that I was present for some signatures. Annie did all the work, since it is her need for new, shiny things with satellite radio and 3rd row seating that led to this decision. Nissan Pathfinder - gray, leather, loaded. Bu-bye to the Jetta, hello to extra space for soccer gear and trips to Costco (48-pack of TP? No problem.) Babe - we've finally made it! New TV, furniture, the car, and nearly unmanageable debt. We're so 21st century.
9/06/2007
Dad - we can talk now
It's been 5 days since the Michigan loss to Apple State, and I'm finally over it. I literally haven't spoken to my Dad since about the time Michigan scored to take the lead late in that game on Saturday. Dad - we can talk now.
Some truths: 1. Michigan Football matters - otherwise this would just be another college upset in a game where upsets happen weekly - not the BIGGEST UPSET EVER, as some "journalists" are claiming. 2. Michigan's defense is really bad. I started naming off their top playmakers from last year - they're all gone. This is not a surprise, but we like to pretend a flashy offense will always carry the day. 3. Chad Henne is only as good as his line and receivers - who were not very good. He is not a "get on my back I'll take us to the promised land" type of QB. 4. Mike Hart is a freak - he almost brought them back double-leggedly (get it?).
On Sunday, I forced myself to wear a Michigan t-shirt, to somehow prove I'm not a fair-weather fan. Granted, out here in Utah it's easier to avoid ridicule because not that many people care. Here, a big college football matchup is BYU-Wyoming. So...
Michigan dropped from #5 in the polls to OUT of the polls. Who does this reflect more on: A) The team; or B) The idiot, reactionary pollsters who ranked them too high in the first place, then dropped them out to try and somehow prove a point? (B).
Reflecting on all of this, I'm glad to be a Michigan fan because they matter, and they're generally better than average. They don't have losing seasons (Sparty) and they don't have barbarians for fans (Bucknuts). Although, that losing season part may be in Jeopardy!
"Obvious Sports Takes for $500, Alex."
"Michigan may risk a losing season if they don't patch up their THIS..."
"What is their slow-to-react defense against spread offenses, which is the same thing they've struggled with for, oh, 8 years or so?"
"That is correct."
Some truths: 1. Michigan Football matters - otherwise this would just be another college upset in a game where upsets happen weekly - not the BIGGEST UPSET EVER, as some "journalists" are claiming. 2. Michigan's defense is really bad. I started naming off their top playmakers from last year - they're all gone. This is not a surprise, but we like to pretend a flashy offense will always carry the day. 3. Chad Henne is only as good as his line and receivers - who were not very good. He is not a "get on my back I'll take us to the promised land" type of QB. 4. Mike Hart is a freak - he almost brought them back double-leggedly (get it?).
On Sunday, I forced myself to wear a Michigan t-shirt, to somehow prove I'm not a fair-weather fan. Granted, out here in Utah it's easier to avoid ridicule because not that many people care. Here, a big college football matchup is BYU-Wyoming. So...
Michigan dropped from #5 in the polls to OUT of the polls. Who does this reflect more on: A) The team; or B) The idiot, reactionary pollsters who ranked them too high in the first place, then dropped them out to try and somehow prove a point? (B).
Reflecting on all of this, I'm glad to be a Michigan fan because they matter, and they're generally better than average. They don't have losing seasons (Sparty) and they don't have barbarians for fans (Bucknuts). Although, that losing season part may be in Jeopardy!
"Obvious Sports Takes for $500, Alex."
"Michigan may risk a losing season if they don't patch up their THIS..."
"What is their slow-to-react defense against spread offenses, which is the same thing they've struggled with for, oh, 8 years or so?"
"That is correct."
9/01/2007
Update
Fiddler's Elbow: great place to watch football.
Michigan's football team: embarrassed by a j.v. squad. This one takes the wind out of the entire season's sails.
Michigan's football team: embarrassed by a j.v. squad. This one takes the wind out of the entire season's sails.
The Prediction
Michigan 49 Appalachian State 17
Thanks to my lack of DirecTV, I'm off to an establishment called "The Fiddler's Elbow" to watch the game. Mountain Time Zone + Utah bars open at 11am = not good for college football watching. Alas...
Thanks to my lack of DirecTV, I'm off to an establishment called "The Fiddler's Elbow" to watch the game. Mountain Time Zone + Utah bars open at 11am = not good for college football watching. Alas...
8/31/2007
Crap Crap Crap
Say what you will about cable service, but at least you don't need to install a dish. And apparently, our house is not conducive to DirecTV satellite installation, HD-specific wiring, nor GIVING ME THE NETWORK I SIGNED UP FOR AND PURCHASED AN HDTV FOR!!!
Ahem. Anyway, after I ask the neighbor if she doesn't mind 10 3" lag bolts being drilled into her roof, 4 cables running the length of our 2-unit building (townhomes) and then make sure all this is approved by the HOA, I might be able to get it installed next week... when the opening weekend of college football is long gone. So tell me why they don't ask you these questions before you spend 45 minutes signing up for your package?
Good thing I took half a day off work today for this.
Ahem. Anyway, after I ask the neighbor if she doesn't mind 10 3" lag bolts being drilled into her roof, 4 cables running the length of our 2-unit building (townhomes) and then make sure all this is approved by the HOA, I might be able to get it installed next week... when the opening weekend of college football is long gone. So tell me why they don't ask you these questions before you spend 45 minutes signing up for your package?
Good thing I took half a day off work today for this.
8/25/2007
For the love of programming!
Whew! I just ordered a DirecTV package. Has some good sports programming (FSN Detroit & Big Ten Network), HD channels, and movies. It was really stressful ordering the right package and hardware - I'm not really an electronics guy.
Now, just need to get an HD TV by Friday...
Now, just need to get an HD TV by Friday...
8/05/2007
Mountains Do
I primarily want to share some pictures and stories from several trips I took in July. We spent too much time in a car out of necessity, but lots of time outdoors on hiking trails, near mountain lakes and rivers, and had beautiful weather throughout. I spent more hours on roads called “Scenic Byways” than I ever had in my life. To me, scenic byways are code for “you may drive off a cliff because you can’t stop staring at the beautiful mountain scenery.”
The first weekend trip was to Annie’s mom’s log cabin in the Uinta Mountains. It’s a true log cabin, and it’s way off the beaten path. I had been up there back in January to go snowmobiling, where you can only actually get there via snowmobile. Since it’s summer, Annie’s plucky Jetta got us up the winding dirt roads with ease, although it’s much better suited to a 4x4 truck. The kids were troopers on the easy-to-medium difficulty hikes we did. At a gorgeous spot called Scout Lake, the kids ventured out onto some shallow rocks, when I spotted a little fish, maybe about 6”. It looked like it was frozen in place, not moving even the slightest. So the kids and I looked closer, and we could tell it was ensnared in some fishing line, wrapped around a stick. Zoey and Preston crept out closer, prodding the stick, and the fish would start straining against the line. Zoey got brave and dragged the stick out of the water, but it became clear the fishing line had cut into the fish’s belly and he wasn’t going to make it. So we left it. The kids were sad. After hiking around the lake a bit more, we were crossing that same spot when a seagull swooped down and nabbed that little dying fish right out of the water! It’s the circle of life, it’s the wheel of fortune…
The following weekend, Annie and I packed up my car and we headed up to Grand Tetons National Park for some tent camping, rafting, and hiking. The drive itself was great. The scenic byway on this trip included some 8% and 10% grades between eastern Idaho and Jackson, WY. Speaking of Idaho, we passed not 15 miles from Preston, ID – the setting for Napoleon Dynamite. We thought about stopping to play some tether ball, but we decided to keep chewing up miles instead. Jackson is a great mountain town, mixing the super-rich with real life cowboys.
As we entered the park, signs everywhere told us we were either going to burn down the forest, or get eaten by bears. This was going to be awesome! The bear threat level was Reddish-Orange. Fortunately, we found about the last available campsite in the park (after stopping at several others and getting sent away like so much touristy bother), which was at Lizard Creek on the north end of GTNP. Relieved to be out of the car, we cooked dinner on our small, controlled fire in the designated fire pit, then stashed everything back in the car. As I lay in the tent, I heard every crack of a stick or rustle of leaves clearly; sure the bears were going to find us among the 50 or so campsites.
Saturday morning, we packed up early, and drove south through the park, stopping along the lakes and several scenic spots. Our goal was to get a more desirable campsite, then go rafting. Annie knew of a campsite east of the park, in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, but as we approached, it showed “NO FIRES”. So we backtracked to a site in the park called Gros Ventre (pronounced ‘gro vont’). It’s named after a river, and roughly translates to “Slightly less threat of getting eaten by bears”. After reserving our site, we headed back to Jackson, and got hooked up with Dave Hansen’s Whitewater, getting the last 2 seats on a 16 person raft. With several hours to kill, we walked around downtown Jackson. Thirsty, we stopped into one of those country-boy bars next to the rafting office. I swear, everyone there stared at us like we were aliens. After a longer-than-expected bus ride to the drop in point, we hit the water for my first rafting experience. It was somewhat of a joy-ride tour, mixed with four or five lower class rapids. The best part was a long stretch of calm river, where most of us just jumped in and floated next to the raft. Quite refreshing. We were pretty exhausted once we got back to our site, but had time to cook some bratwurst, corn, and chili on the fire. Being several miles east of the mountains, we had a great sunset view, too.
Sunday, we packed up and headed back into the park. After some much needed coffee and bagels, we visited the Jenny Lake campsite and took the ferry across the lake to some cool hiking trails and river falls. We decided to hike back, rather than boat, and the 2+ mile hike was tougher than expected, with lots of rocky terrain and hills. Best workout I’ve had in months. With legs slightly burning, we stopped at a great little pizza place in Jackson on the way out of town. We made awesome time on the way back to SLC, only stopping once in Blackfoot, ID. Sadly, we saw no bears during the trip. But we did see a heard of bison!
I gotta do more camping. It forces me to be outside and do things I wouldn’t normally do. We have at least 7 national parks within an easy drive from Salt Lake, so I’m sure it will become a more frequent part of my summers here.
http://picasaweb.google.com/sj.gingrich/MountainTime
The first weekend trip was to Annie’s mom’s log cabin in the Uinta Mountains. It’s a true log cabin, and it’s way off the beaten path. I had been up there back in January to go snowmobiling, where you can only actually get there via snowmobile. Since it’s summer, Annie’s plucky Jetta got us up the winding dirt roads with ease, although it’s much better suited to a 4x4 truck. The kids were troopers on the easy-to-medium difficulty hikes we did. At a gorgeous spot called Scout Lake, the kids ventured out onto some shallow rocks, when I spotted a little fish, maybe about 6”. It looked like it was frozen in place, not moving even the slightest. So the kids and I looked closer, and we could tell it was ensnared in some fishing line, wrapped around a stick. Zoey and Preston crept out closer, prodding the stick, and the fish would start straining against the line. Zoey got brave and dragged the stick out of the water, but it became clear the fishing line had cut into the fish’s belly and he wasn’t going to make it. So we left it. The kids were sad. After hiking around the lake a bit more, we were crossing that same spot when a seagull swooped down and nabbed that little dying fish right out of the water! It’s the circle of life, it’s the wheel of fortune…
The following weekend, Annie and I packed up my car and we headed up to Grand Tetons National Park for some tent camping, rafting, and hiking. The drive itself was great. The scenic byway on this trip included some 8% and 10% grades between eastern Idaho and Jackson, WY. Speaking of Idaho, we passed not 15 miles from Preston, ID – the setting for Napoleon Dynamite. We thought about stopping to play some tether ball, but we decided to keep chewing up miles instead. Jackson is a great mountain town, mixing the super-rich with real life cowboys.
As we entered the park, signs everywhere told us we were either going to burn down the forest, or get eaten by bears. This was going to be awesome! The bear threat level was Reddish-Orange. Fortunately, we found about the last available campsite in the park (after stopping at several others and getting sent away like so much touristy bother), which was at Lizard Creek on the north end of GTNP. Relieved to be out of the car, we cooked dinner on our small, controlled fire in the designated fire pit, then stashed everything back in the car. As I lay in the tent, I heard every crack of a stick or rustle of leaves clearly; sure the bears were going to find us among the 50 or so campsites.
Saturday morning, we packed up early, and drove south through the park, stopping along the lakes and several scenic spots. Our goal was to get a more desirable campsite, then go rafting. Annie knew of a campsite east of the park, in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, but as we approached, it showed “NO FIRES”. So we backtracked to a site in the park called Gros Ventre (pronounced ‘gro vont’). It’s named after a river, and roughly translates to “Slightly less threat of getting eaten by bears”. After reserving our site, we headed back to Jackson, and got hooked up with Dave Hansen’s Whitewater, getting the last 2 seats on a 16 person raft. With several hours to kill, we walked around downtown Jackson. Thirsty, we stopped into one of those country-boy bars next to the rafting office. I swear, everyone there stared at us like we were aliens. After a longer-than-expected bus ride to the drop in point, we hit the water for my first rafting experience. It was somewhat of a joy-ride tour, mixed with four or five lower class rapids. The best part was a long stretch of calm river, where most of us just jumped in and floated next to the raft. Quite refreshing. We were pretty exhausted once we got back to our site, but had time to cook some bratwurst, corn, and chili on the fire. Being several miles east of the mountains, we had a great sunset view, too.
Sunday, we packed up and headed back into the park. After some much needed coffee and bagels, we visited the Jenny Lake campsite and took the ferry across the lake to some cool hiking trails and river falls. We decided to hike back, rather than boat, and the 2+ mile hike was tougher than expected, with lots of rocky terrain and hills. Best workout I’ve had in months. With legs slightly burning, we stopped at a great little pizza place in Jackson on the way out of town. We made awesome time on the way back to SLC, only stopping once in Blackfoot, ID. Sadly, we saw no bears during the trip. But we did see a heard of bison!
I gotta do more camping. It forces me to be outside and do things I wouldn’t normally do. We have at least 7 national parks within an easy drive from Salt Lake, so I’m sure it will become a more frequent part of my summers here.
http://picasaweb.google.com/sj.gingrich/MountainTime
7/04/2007
Update: USA vs. Japan
The mighty Chestnut has set the stage by topping Kobayashi in the Nathan's hot dog eating contest, with a world record at that! http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2925803
If Jimmy can do it, Jeremy can too! Vote for Bonderman! Uncle Sam wants YOU... to vote.
Be patriotic... Vote for Bonderman!
http://www.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2007/fv/ballot.html
Hideki Okajima is leading the vote. He's from Japan. Jeremy Bonderman is a Detroit pitcher, and he's from the United States of America. It's our DUTY on this holiday to get Bondo into the All-Star Game! Vote over and over!
USA!
Hideki Okajima is leading the vote. He's from Japan. Jeremy Bonderman is a Detroit pitcher, and he's from the United States of America. It's our DUTY on this holiday to get Bondo into the All-Star Game! Vote over and over!
USA!
6/28/2007
Whew.
I'm whipped. Back to working full time +, had my first Mrs Fields, um, field trip last week in Chicago, and just spent the evening taking Z & P swimming, getting them fed, doing laundry, helping them pack for their weekend with Grandma at the cabin, getting them to bed, paying bills, and providing some smalltime business consulting for a friend. It's 10:00 and finally peaceful. Annie and I have a nice reprieve this weekend - Sat and Sun are her first consecutive days off since about April - and we're going to enjoy some Utah outdoors, although I haven't revealed our secret destination yet.
Michigan sports fans: How weird is it that the Tigers are so good still? Chris Berman on Baseball Tonight yesterday said something like "...and the Tigers, who are always so fun to watch with their great young pitching..." Step back in time with me, just 15 months ago, and imagine any respectable analyst saying that sentence. You'd either assume he was being a sarcastic jerk, or you'd recommend his transfer to ESPN7.
One thing I love about my first spring/summer in Utah is this:
I'm trying to think of some witty and wise anecdotes to share but it's not going to happen. I remember when a 'bed time' of 10:30 was laughable. Now it's a necessity. I'm nearly 29, after all.
Michigan sports fans: How weird is it that the Tigers are so good still? Chris Berman on Baseball Tonight yesterday said something like "...and the Tigers, who are always so fun to watch with their great young pitching..." Step back in time with me, just 15 months ago, and imagine any respectable analyst saying that sentence. You'd either assume he was being a sarcastic jerk, or you'd recommend his transfer to ESPN7.
One thing I love about my first spring/summer in Utah is this:
I'm trying to think of some witty and wise anecdotes to share but it's not going to happen. I remember when a 'bed time' of 10:30 was laughable. Now it's a necessity. I'm nearly 29, after all.
6/03/2007
BARRACUDA! Killers
I was going to write this post chronologically, but then I realized a review of The Killers concert would be anti-climactic after my Memorial Day stories. To Thursday's concert then: There's a warehouse-like building on the shore of the Great Salt Lake, with faux-Arabian domes and windows all around called the Great Saltair. The setting is mysterious, with the expansive but empty lake, salty dry flats, and mountains on the fringes. Anyway, the concert was great - Annie even enjoyed the few songs she recognized, but couldn't hang in the midst of the crowd with me except for the openers and the finale. But it was memorable. I hadn't been to a good rock concert in quite a while, and it felt good to leave with that 'my head's in a tin can' feeling and scratchy voice.
Memorial Day weekend, I flew to LAX, met up with my family, and headed south on the 405 to lovely Dana Point for a family reunion / 60th Anniversary Party for my grandparents, Gene and Mary Carter. Friday was a catch up day with all the cousins, aunts and uncles, and we had a sweet game of Family Jeopardy in our reserved conference room (about 35 people in the room). Saturday, a group of us congregated at 5:45 am, and boarded a charter fishing boat. After an hour of luckless giant squid fishing (seriously), the captain caught wind of a BARRACUDA! school down the coast a bit. The next several hours were spent frantically grabbing 5" sardines out of the bait holds, jamming hooks thru their snouts, and casting out to land one of these sharp-toothed fish. Once you hook one, you reel it in toward the side of the boat, and then a crew member grabs a huge hook called a 'gaff', stabs the fish through the belly and pulls it on board. AWESOME!!! The three BARRACUDA! I landed were the three largest fish I've ever caught. What made this more interesting was the constant presence of sea lions, seagulls and pelicans. The sea lions (or seals, I still don't know the difference) would chase your bait and bite its body off, leaving the fish-head on your hook. Or worse, you'd hook a BARRACUDA! and they would chase that, grabbing hold and snapping your line. To better express the excitement of our first encounter with this school of starving fish, here is a sequence of things you'd see and hear:
(12 of the 18 people on board hook a fish)
"Fish on! Fish on! Fish on!"
(Barracuda move quick, so people constantly switch places and get lines tangled)
"Ah, I lost him." "Stay with it!" "Move with your fish people!"
(Sea lion steals bait)
"Crap! A Sea lion stole my bait!" "Get more bait!" "I think an egret pooped on me!"
(Someone gets a BARRACUDA! close to the side)
"GAFF! GAFF!"
(Crew member runs behind you with a giant hook and stabs fish)
"HOORAY!"
I highly recommend ocean fishing to all of us Michiganders who are used to hauling in 1/4 pound bass and blue gill all our lives. It is so fun to say BARRACUDA! that I felt compelled to spell it that way each time, as you may have noticed. Saturday night, as we were prepping to see a slide show of the pictures my Uncle Dan took (he's a professional photog., so they're nice); we started humming the riff to Barracuda by Heart. My cousin Mark's girlfriend Debin suddenly says, "I think I have that CD in my car!" Sure enough, 5 mins. later we were watching the slideshow to the rockin' sounds of the Wilson sisters. Here it is:
BARRACUDA It helps if you play this in the background: VIDEO
On Sunday, we had a church service in our conference room hosted by my Aunt Becky, who is an accomplished music minister, which featured a recording of one of my Grandfather's sermons from about 1989. He mentioned both my mother and my sister Wendy in the sermon. I have a unique family, where 4 generations of us (probably 40 people total) were gathered in a room for a Christian church service in a hotel on the beach, and we were all cool with it. We all think we can sing too, so we sang old hymns in 4-part harmony. The oldest grandchild from each family also participated in some way. My Grandpa recently wrote a book called "My Life - As I Remember It", had it published via Amazon's self-publishing service, and gave each of us a hard cover copy. Each of his children's copies had a unique note written in it; and each of us grandkids had the same words of wisdom: "Remember who you are", signed by Grandpa. He has certainly left a legacy that has reached well beyond our own family. Congrats to Gramps and Grandma on 60 years!
Memorial Day weekend, I flew to LAX, met up with my family, and headed south on the 405 to lovely Dana Point for a family reunion / 60th Anniversary Party for my grandparents, Gene and Mary Carter. Friday was a catch up day with all the cousins, aunts and uncles, and we had a sweet game of Family Jeopardy in our reserved conference room (about 35 people in the room). Saturday, a group of us congregated at 5:45 am, and boarded a charter fishing boat. After an hour of luckless giant squid fishing (seriously), the captain caught wind of a BARRACUDA! school down the coast a bit. The next several hours were spent frantically grabbing 5" sardines out of the bait holds, jamming hooks thru their snouts, and casting out to land one of these sharp-toothed fish. Once you hook one, you reel it in toward the side of the boat, and then a crew member grabs a huge hook called a 'gaff', stabs the fish through the belly and pulls it on board. AWESOME!!! The three BARRACUDA! I landed were the three largest fish I've ever caught. What made this more interesting was the constant presence of sea lions, seagulls and pelicans. The sea lions (or seals, I still don't know the difference) would chase your bait and bite its body off, leaving the fish-head on your hook. Or worse, you'd hook a BARRACUDA! and they would chase that, grabbing hold and snapping your line. To better express the excitement of our first encounter with this school of starving fish, here is a sequence of things you'd see and hear:
(12 of the 18 people on board hook a fish)
"Fish on! Fish on! Fish on!"
(Barracuda move quick, so people constantly switch places and get lines tangled)
"Ah, I lost him." "Stay with it!" "Move with your fish people!"
(Sea lion steals bait)
"Crap! A Sea lion stole my bait!" "Get more bait!" "I think an egret pooped on me!"
(Someone gets a BARRACUDA! close to the side)
"GAFF! GAFF!"
(Crew member runs behind you with a giant hook and stabs fish)
"HOORAY!"
I highly recommend ocean fishing to all of us Michiganders who are used to hauling in 1/4 pound bass and blue gill all our lives. It is so fun to say BARRACUDA! that I felt compelled to spell it that way each time, as you may have noticed. Saturday night, as we were prepping to see a slide show of the pictures my Uncle Dan took (he's a professional photog., so they're nice); we started humming the riff to Barracuda by Heart. My cousin Mark's girlfriend Debin suddenly says, "I think I have that CD in my car!" Sure enough, 5 mins. later we were watching the slideshow to the rockin' sounds of the Wilson sisters. Here it is:
BARRACUDA It helps if you play this in the background: VIDEO
On Sunday, we had a church service in our conference room hosted by my Aunt Becky, who is an accomplished music minister, which featured a recording of one of my Grandfather's sermons from about 1989. He mentioned both my mother and my sister Wendy in the sermon. I have a unique family, where 4 generations of us (probably 40 people total) were gathered in a room for a Christian church service in a hotel on the beach, and we were all cool with it. We all think we can sing too, so we sang old hymns in 4-part harmony. The oldest grandchild from each family also participated in some way. My Grandpa recently wrote a book called "My Life - As I Remember It", had it published via Amazon's self-publishing service, and gave each of us a hard cover copy. Each of his children's copies had a unique note written in it; and each of us grandkids had the same words of wisdom: "Remember who you are", signed by Grandpa. He has certainly left a legacy that has reached well beyond our own family. Congrats to Gramps and Grandma on 60 years!
5/24/2007
I Can See Magna From Here
So I like my job so far. I've been eating a few cookies for, you know, product training. And to balance it out, I've been taking the stairs rather than the elevator to the 4th floor. I'm not going to say I'm out of shape, but I can really feel the elevation by the time I reach my cube. Yes that's right. I'm in a cube farm. It will be a couple months before I take over the company and get a plush windowed office with views like these, from our break room.
Annie's IKEA opened yesterday to much fanfare, Swedish pride, and freeway bottlenecks. I'll probably see her again in about a month. I'm off to California tomorrow for a long weekend, which I'm really excited about. It's a family reunion / 60th Anniversary party for my grandparents. I believe that puts them in the category of "really old"... but they're still rockin' and I have a blast with my family. Annie can't go because IKEA won't let her leave the meatball line until the entire state is satiated. Happy Memorial Day everyone! 
Annie's IKEA opened yesterday to much fanfare, Swedish pride, and freeway bottlenecks. I'll probably see her again in about a month. I'm off to California tomorrow for a long weekend, which I'm really excited about. It's a family reunion / 60th Anniversary party for my grandparents. I believe that puts them in the category of "really old"... but they're still rockin' and I have a blast with my family. Annie can't go because IKEA won't let her leave the meatball line until the entire state is satiated. Happy Memorial Day everyone!
5/09/2007
Will Work For Cookies
After months of preparation, not making enough dough, chipping away at HR personnel, and baking in front of managers and presidents in numerous interviews, I have a new job. You'll recognize the name, Mrs. Fields, as a famous cookie company. What you may not know is the company also owns the TCBY, Pretzel Time, Pretzel Maker, and Great American Cookies brands.
I'll be an assistant brand manager for the Mrs. Fields cookie brand, working closely with the franchisees around the country. You may have seen them in your favorite mall or an airport food court. I may work a little bit with their packaged goods division, which are the products you'd see on store shelves in the 'premium cookie' section.
Look for Mrs. Fields locations HERE, and try their White Chunk Macadamia Nut, it's a classic.
To celebrate, I decided to fly home to Michigan for the weekend. I'll be home this Thursday afternoon through Sunday, which happens to be Mother's Day (you're welcome, Mom). Can't wait to see everyone! Annie cannot come unfortunately. Apparently she has some sort of store opening approaching or something. Like that's so important.
I'll be an assistant brand manager for the Mrs. Fields cookie brand, working closely with the franchisees around the country. You may have seen them in your favorite mall or an airport food court. I may work a little bit with their packaged goods division, which are the products you'd see on store shelves in the 'premium cookie' section.
Look for Mrs. Fields locations HERE, and try their White Chunk Macadamia Nut, it's a classic.
To celebrate, I decided to fly home to Michigan for the weekend. I'll be home this Thursday afternoon through Sunday, which happens to be Mother's Day (you're welcome, Mom). Can't wait to see everyone! Annie cannot come unfortunately. Apparently she has some sort of store opening approaching or something. Like that's so important.
4/27/2007
I am Driving Excitement
I finally got a new car. This one feels good. I've been driving for nearly 13 years, and this is the first time I've purchased a new car just for myself. (Thank you to my parents, who handed me down several very groovy cars over the years, which were fast, well-equipped sedans.) It's not brand new, but considering the newest vehicle I'd ever owned was a 2000 model, my 2006 Grand Prix GT with 20K miles on it feels, like, way new. Not surprisingly, it's a fast, well-equipped sedan. White was not my first choice, but this thing was the perfect package and the best 'deal' on the lot. I'm still only partially employed, so 'deal' is relative. The fact is, I can't afford it. Which is why I flash a wicked grin every time I step on the gas.
Looking back, the oldest car I can remember our family having was a '78 Pontiac Bonneville, and it was white. I guess I've driven full circle now.
4/12/2007
Familiar signs
There is a Michigan Ave. in Salt Lake. Not unique to this city, I realize, but I felt it photo worthy.
"If you're going to San Francisco..."
"...Be sure to overdress; the weather is not as warm as you might think..."
You'll recognize that as a classic song lyric. Either that, or my latest lesson in travel. Annie and I had a great time in SanFran last weekend. It was the first time in the city for both of us, and we got to celebrate her birthday while we were there. The weather was cloudy & foggy on Friday and Saturday, but we did the requisite trolly rides, pier tour, seafood eating, wine tasting, shopping in Union Square, and getting pedicures. WHAT?! Yes, it's true. My primary birthday gift to Annie was a simple concession: "Okay, I'll get a pedicure with you." She's convinced it's the greatest thing ever, and I have to admit, it was not awful.
It was also a chance for me to see some great friends, Brad and Megan, from Michigan. They recently moved to Foster City, south of SanFran, and it was their first time meeting Annie. Just 4 months ago, Brad and Megan lived above me at an apartment complex in Grand Rapids. Now look at us! They picked us up in the city Saturday around noon, and after taking a drive down Lombard Street (the winding, steep one), we headed out to HWY 1 and drove down through Half Moon Bay, and then over to their home in Foster City. It would have been a gorgeous drive if not for the fog and clouds, but fun nonetheless. Megan has provided her perspective on the weekend at her blog, here: http://www.xanga.com/theparisians
You'll recognize that as a classic song lyric. Either that, or my latest lesson in travel. Annie and I had a great time in SanFran last weekend. It was the first time in the city for both of us, and we got to celebrate her birthday while we were there. The weather was cloudy & foggy on Friday and Saturday, but we did the requisite trolly rides, pier tour, seafood eating, wine tasting, shopping in Union Square, and getting pedicures. WHAT?! Yes, it's true. My primary birthday gift to Annie was a simple concession: "Okay, I'll get a pedicure with you." She's convinced it's the greatest thing ever, and I have to admit, it was not awful.
It was also a chance for me to see some great friends, Brad and Megan, from Michigan. They recently moved to Foster City, south of SanFran, and it was their first time meeting Annie. Just 4 months ago, Brad and Megan lived above me at an apartment complex in Grand Rapids. Now look at us! They picked us up in the city Saturday around noon, and after taking a drive down Lombard Street (the winding, steep one), we headed out to HWY 1 and drove down through Half Moon Bay, and then over to their home in Foster City. It would have been a gorgeous drive if not for the fog and clouds, but fun nonetheless. Megan has provided her perspective on the weekend at her blog, here: http://www.xanga.com/theparisians
Annie and my pictures are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sj.gingrich/SanFranTrip
THE END OF UNEMPLOYMENT UPDATE #1: I have a 3rd interview on Monday with a notable cookie company based in SLC for an assistant brand manager position. It's a famous brand, the founder was on the Today Show this morning, and you may have seen their franchise in a mall near you. Wish me luck!
3/27/2007
Amazing Moments
Nothing too topical here. Just some random thoughts from the past week.
I can't believe how quickly a 5 year old can make a mess. Of anything. At light-speed. Seriously, I can be looking right at her while she's eating some lunch, say a bowl of noodles. I look away for a nanosecond, and when I look back, there is Ramen on the chair, floor, and pink sticky stuff all over the counter. She's not even drinking anything! Where does the pink stuff come from? And why is it always pink?
Kids don't really care what they do yet. They just want to do what the other kid is doing. We had the kids' cousins over to Annie's (yes, I used her name, I'm so over the paranoia) house Saturday night, 2 boys. Ages 2 and 5 maybe. And 2 neighbor friends, maybe 6 and 8 or so. So 6 little monkeys of varying age. From the 2 yr old to the 8 yr old, it didn't matter. Someone grabs a piece of paper and a marker and starts drawing? They all want to draw. They're all drawing stuff within minutes. Someone wants to watch Flushed Away? They all want to watch. Within minutes, they're gazing in awe at the animated British rats. (This lasts for, oh, 18 seconds. Then they're back to drawing and spilling pink stuff, even the boys.)
Did you see Rasheed Wallace's 3/4-court shot last night? I didn't either. Until hours later on SportsCenter. The cable network "Altitude", presumably out of Denver, showed clearly on the cable menu "Denver Nuggets at Detroit Pistons, 5:30 PM (that's Mountain Time, yo)" - Hooray! Steve finally gets to see a game! Only what was being shown instead? COLLEGE HOCKEY. And get this little nugget of irony: It was coverage of the regional tournament games being played at Van Andel Arena... that's in Grand Rapids, MI for those who don't know. Which is near sea level. So why is it on Altitude anyway, hmmmmmm?
I'm working again. For Grabber, the same company, as a part-time "consultant". I used those "quotation" "marks" because I don't really consult, I just read emails and review files and look for spelling errors or misplaced logos. It's good work if you can get it. And the best part: I can wear anything I want. That's right baby, it's no pants necessary! A smart pair of khaki shorts does just fine. Sickos.
I can't believe how quickly a 5 year old can make a mess. Of anything. At light-speed. Seriously, I can be looking right at her while she's eating some lunch, say a bowl of noodles. I look away for a nanosecond, and when I look back, there is Ramen on the chair, floor, and pink sticky stuff all over the counter. She's not even drinking anything! Where does the pink stuff come from? And why is it always pink?
Kids don't really care what they do yet. They just want to do what the other kid is doing. We had the kids' cousins over to Annie's (yes, I used her name, I'm so over the paranoia) house Saturday night, 2 boys. Ages 2 and 5 maybe. And 2 neighbor friends, maybe 6 and 8 or so. So 6 little monkeys of varying age. From the 2 yr old to the 8 yr old, it didn't matter. Someone grabs a piece of paper and a marker and starts drawing? They all want to draw. They're all drawing stuff within minutes. Someone wants to watch Flushed Away? They all want to watch. Within minutes, they're gazing in awe at the animated British rats. (This lasts for, oh, 18 seconds. Then they're back to drawing and spilling pink stuff, even the boys.)
Did you see Rasheed Wallace's 3/4-court shot last night? I didn't either. Until hours later on SportsCenter. The cable network "Altitude", presumably out of Denver, showed clearly on the cable menu "Denver Nuggets at Detroit Pistons, 5:30 PM (that's Mountain Time, yo)" - Hooray! Steve finally gets to see a game! Only what was being shown instead? COLLEGE HOCKEY. And get this little nugget of irony: It was coverage of the regional tournament games being played at Van Andel Arena... that's in Grand Rapids, MI for those who don't know. Which is near sea level. So why is it on Altitude anyway, hmmmmmm?
I'm working again. For Grabber, the same company, as a part-time "consultant". I used those "quotation" "marks" because I don't really consult, I just read emails and review files and look for spelling errors or misplaced logos. It's good work if you can get it. And the best part: I can wear anything I want. That's right baby, it's no pants necessary! A smart pair of khaki shorts does just fine. Sickos.
3/19/2007
More Pics
I added some pics to the NYC trip photo album from A's camera.
http://picasaweb.google.com/sj.gingrich/NYCTrip
Additionally, I wanted those of you who've never been in Salt Lake to get an idea of the landscape, and the views I'm now familiar with, but still amazed by.
First, some general shots. I spend most of my time Southeast of the city, where my apartment and A's house is. If you go due East from her house, you climb the foothills of the mountains, and these shots are from that 'bench' area:
This picture is looking SW across the valley, in the early morning.
Here you can see downtown and the north ridge from the same viewpoint.
Here is part of the Wasatch range that borders the Eastern edge of the valley. In about 20 minutes, I can drive into the canyons of this range. After taking the pic of downtown, I just turned around and this is the view.
Here's my new apartment. That one with the door, way down there at the bottom. Yeah, it's pretty sweet. Since it's mostly underground, I don't have views from my apartment, but here's a shot from just out front.
http://picasaweb.google.com/sj.gingrich/NYCTrip
Additionally, I wanted those of you who've never been in Salt Lake to get an idea of the landscape, and the views I'm now familiar with, but still amazed by.
First, some general shots. I spend most of my time Southeast of the city, where my apartment and A's house is. If you go due East from her house, you climb the foothills of the mountains, and these shots are from that 'bench' area:
This picture is looking SW across the valley, in the early morning.
Here you can see downtown and the north ridge from the same viewpoint.
Here is part of the Wasatch range that borders the Eastern edge of the valley. In about 20 minutes, I can drive into the canyons of this range. After taking the pic of downtown, I just turned around and this is the view.
Here's my new apartment. That one with the door, way down there at the bottom. Yeah, it's pretty sweet. Since it's mostly underground, I don't have views from my apartment, but here's a shot from just out front.
3/17/2007
NYC Trip
This is my second draft, as an inadvertent touch-pad swipe somehow deleted my first 2 days' summary, which blogger couldn't recover. Ugh. Still my biggest pet peeve of laptops, those over-sensitive touch pads. I had picture links and everything. Since I just wasted 30 mins., I'll just provide some links to pictures here. Sorry.
Shortly after I moved here, A had some corporate meetings at Ikea in Philly, so we decided to take a weekend trip to NYC. She took a train into Penn Station, and I flew in to LaGuardia on Friday night (Mar. 2). I decided to save money, and took the Super Shuttle to our hotel in Times Square. While a responsible financial decision, the 6pm Manhattan traffic made my shuttle ride longer than my connecting flight from Cincinatti. After checking into the Renaissance Times Square, we headed over to John's Pizzeria for a delicious brick oven pie. Then we hiked to Caroline's Comedy Club to see former SNL-er Tracy Morgan. Although a bit too vulgar, we enjoyed his goofy style and a great MJ impression for a verse of "Man in the Mirror".
Saturday turned out sunny and 50, a great day to bump around Times Square and get some walking in. We headed over to Rockefeller Center and took the long elevator ride to the top. The clear day gave us great views of Central Park, the Empire State Building, and even a tiny Statue of Liberty way off in the distance.
After a quick beer at the Pig 'N Whistle, we got in the TKTS line at the Marriott Marquis, where you can get 1/2 price Broadway tickets. You have to wait in line, and it's cash only, but after about an hour in the queue, the line moved quickly and we got our RENT tickets, 11th row center, at the Nederlander Theater. Great seats and great show. Heavy subject matter, but it was amazing to see people performing at the top of their craft. Throw in a quasi-celebrity cast member in the form of Frenchie, from American Idol infamy,and you've got "five-hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes" of memories. Before the show, we were treated to Italian goodness at Cascina, in the Hell's Kitchen area. A five-foot-nothin' old man, as big around as he was tall, was our kindly waiter. I had some sort of homemade wide noodle dish, and A had gnocchi. An excellent outcome considering we didn't have pre-show reservations, and caught the last open table in the bar area.
Sunday, our flight home didn't leave until 8pm, so we took the opportunity to explore more of Manhattan. We started with a cab ride to the World Trade Center site. Other than a few picture memorials, there isn't much to see. Sad memories and lots of construction. We were on foot the next 3 hours or so, walking north through Chinatown and Little Italy. We stopped at a corner pizza shop called Pomodoro, and tried their signature Vodka Sauce pizza. A said it was the best she'd ever had. I think it's because the waiter was flirting with her. He 'happened' to deliver the pie while I was in the closet-sized men's room, presenting it with some 'Mickey Mouse ears' just for her - it was 2 paper plates sticking out from under the tray. HILARIOUS!
From there we did some window shopping in SOHO and somehow avoided spending any money. We probably saw 5 Sephoras that weekend, and A bought: nothing. There's a first time for everything I guess. While trying to catch a cab back to the hotel, we passed a huge throng of protesters in front of a Starbucks, saying the chain was killing the Greenwich Village local shops. We would've grabbed a non-fat grande mocha latte, but we couldn't get in the door. Oh well.
That's about it..., okay not quite. We took a cab to JFK and flew JetBlue back to SLC, our first flight together and our first experience with that airline. I wish I could say the flight was uneventful, but that just wouldn't 'fly' (har). A 1-hour tarmac delay made us jittery due to JetBlue's recent highly-publicized problems. Once we got in the air, we settled into our seats, flipping channels on our personal TV monitors. Shortly thereafter, I started feeling a little light-headed, got up to use the bathroom, and promptly passed out in the aisle. I was probably dehydrated and the plane was extremely hot, and I went down like a ton of bricks. After filling out a short medical report and drinking 12 of those teensy bottles of water, A and I had a laugh about what a great impression I made as a travelling partner. Thankfully, the rest of the flight was uneventful and we made it back safe and sound.
New York City is a great place to visit. Despite some claims that the people are 'rude', we experienced nothing but great service, and people willing to make recommendations and help us find our way around. Here's some pics from the trip: http://picasaweb.google.com/sj.gingrich/NYCTrip
Shortly after I moved here, A had some corporate meetings at Ikea in Philly, so we decided to take a weekend trip to NYC. She took a train into Penn Station, and I flew in to LaGuardia on Friday night (Mar. 2). I decided to save money, and took the Super Shuttle to our hotel in Times Square. While a responsible financial decision, the 6pm Manhattan traffic made my shuttle ride longer than my connecting flight from Cincinatti. After checking into the Renaissance Times Square, we headed over to John's Pizzeria for a delicious brick oven pie. Then we hiked to Caroline's Comedy Club to see former SNL-er Tracy Morgan. Although a bit too vulgar, we enjoyed his goofy style and a great MJ impression for a verse of "Man in the Mirror".
Saturday turned out sunny and 50, a great day to bump around Times Square and get some walking in. We headed over to Rockefeller Center and took the long elevator ride to the top. The clear day gave us great views of Central Park, the Empire State Building, and even a tiny Statue of Liberty way off in the distance.
After a quick beer at the Pig 'N Whistle, we got in the TKTS line at the Marriott Marquis, where you can get 1/2 price Broadway tickets. You have to wait in line, and it's cash only, but after about an hour in the queue, the line moved quickly and we got our RENT tickets, 11th row center, at the Nederlander Theater. Great seats and great show. Heavy subject matter, but it was amazing to see people performing at the top of their craft. Throw in a quasi-celebrity cast member in the form of Frenchie, from American Idol infamy,and you've got "five-hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes" of memories. Before the show, we were treated to Italian goodness at Cascina, in the Hell's Kitchen area. A five-foot-nothin' old man, as big around as he was tall, was our kindly waiter. I had some sort of homemade wide noodle dish, and A had gnocchi. An excellent outcome considering we didn't have pre-show reservations, and caught the last open table in the bar area.
Sunday, our flight home didn't leave until 8pm, so we took the opportunity to explore more of Manhattan. We started with a cab ride to the World Trade Center site. Other than a few picture memorials, there isn't much to see. Sad memories and lots of construction. We were on foot the next 3 hours or so, walking north through Chinatown and Little Italy. We stopped at a corner pizza shop called Pomodoro, and tried their signature Vodka Sauce pizza. A said it was the best she'd ever had. I think it's because the waiter was flirting with her. He 'happened' to deliver the pie while I was in the closet-sized men's room, presenting it with some 'Mickey Mouse ears' just for her - it was 2 paper plates sticking out from under the tray. HILARIOUS!
From there we did some window shopping in SOHO and somehow avoided spending any money. We probably saw 5 Sephoras that weekend, and A bought: nothing. There's a first time for everything I guess. While trying to catch a cab back to the hotel, we passed a huge throng of protesters in front of a Starbucks, saying the chain was killing the Greenwich Village local shops. We would've grabbed a non-fat grande mocha latte, but we couldn't get in the door. Oh well.
That's about it..., okay not quite. We took a cab to JFK and flew JetBlue back to SLC, our first flight together and our first experience with that airline. I wish I could say the flight was uneventful, but that just wouldn't 'fly' (har). A 1-hour tarmac delay made us jittery due to JetBlue's recent highly-publicized problems. Once we got in the air, we settled into our seats, flipping channels on our personal TV monitors. Shortly thereafter, I started feeling a little light-headed, got up to use the bathroom, and promptly passed out in the aisle. I was probably dehydrated and the plane was extremely hot, and I went down like a ton of bricks. After filling out a short medical report and drinking 12 of those teensy bottles of water, A and I had a laugh about what a great impression I made as a travelling partner. Thankfully, the rest of the flight was uneventful and we made it back safe and sound.
New York City is a great place to visit. Despite some claims that the people are 'rude', we experienced nothing but great service, and people willing to make recommendations and help us find our way around. Here's some pics from the trip: http://picasaweb.google.com/sj.gingrich/NYCTrip
3/13/2007
First update
Not that nothing has happened since Feb. 22nd when I arrived at Salt Lake airport to begin 'living' here, but this is the first time I've felt compelled to share some experiences. Why? Well, the past 3-ish weeks have been spent living out of a suitcase at A's house, and included a weekend mini-holiday in New York City - which I will recap at some point in the near future, pictures and all. Nope, no job yet, no mind awakening revelations, and no Mormon conversion. Not that there'd be anything wrong with that. But...
...I finally signed a lease today! A quiet, ground floor apartment in an eclectic area known as Sugar House is now in my name. For you West Michiganders, think a more upscale Eastown, complete with local shops, coffeehouses, oxygen bars, hippies, and the ubiquitous gorgeous mountain views. Seriously, it never gets old. Every day, everywhere you look, towering peaks and slicing canyons are visible. This is neither unique to the west, nor new to me after many visits to Salt Lake, but it is truly the defining characteristic of the area. A large city literally plopped down on the edge of a valley immediately after passing the western slopes of the Wasatch mountain range. That's pretty cool.
As anyone reading this is probably aware, I moved here solely to be with A. Not to enjoy the fresh powder or because I got a great job offer. As such, the majority of my time here has been simply enjoying our day-to-day life together. She's a rare woman with brains, wit, self-confidence, strong character, and a natural sexiness that's not lost on these blue eyes. I will continue to spend a lot of time at her place, where I recently helped fix/replace the entry door lock/deadbolt and re-paint the living room. How domestic! I even take out the trash sometimes!
Being the new 'man' around the kids has been fun and stressful at times. I'm trying to suck it up and be a trooper for A, but it's hard to go from single and living alone to the constant questions, demands, complaints, spills, and thrills that children can bring. I did have some great bonding time with Z this past Friday, including 2 hours of Legos, some Disney trivia, helping her roller blade around the parking lot, and falling asleep on the couch while she narrated her favorite movie, the Phantom of the Opera. Master P is a smart, thoughtful little guy, but I find it harder to connect with him. As long as we get in some NASCAR racing or Guitar Hero on PlayStation, and maybe wrestle a little bit, I'm a pretty cool playmate. He also started playing basketball for a junior league, so this summer I'll give him some tips and have him dunking left-handed by fall. ;)
That's it for now. I'll get up some pics of my new home, the NYC trip, and a few other things very soon.
...I finally signed a lease today! A quiet, ground floor apartment in an eclectic area known as Sugar House is now in my name. For you West Michiganders, think a more upscale Eastown, complete with local shops, coffeehouses, oxygen bars, hippies, and the ubiquitous gorgeous mountain views. Seriously, it never gets old. Every day, everywhere you look, towering peaks and slicing canyons are visible. This is neither unique to the west, nor new to me after many visits to Salt Lake, but it is truly the defining characteristic of the area. A large city literally plopped down on the edge of a valley immediately after passing the western slopes of the Wasatch mountain range. That's pretty cool.
As anyone reading this is probably aware, I moved here solely to be with A. Not to enjoy the fresh powder or because I got a great job offer. As such, the majority of my time here has been simply enjoying our day-to-day life together. She's a rare woman with brains, wit, self-confidence, strong character, and a natural sexiness that's not lost on these blue eyes. I will continue to spend a lot of time at her place, where I recently helped fix/replace the entry door lock/deadbolt and re-paint the living room. How domestic! I even take out the trash sometimes!
Being the new 'man' around the kids has been fun and stressful at times. I'm trying to suck it up and be a trooper for A, but it's hard to go from single and living alone to the constant questions, demands, complaints, spills, and thrills that children can bring. I did have some great bonding time with Z this past Friday, including 2 hours of Legos, some Disney trivia, helping her roller blade around the parking lot, and falling asleep on the couch while she narrated her favorite movie, the Phantom of the Opera. Master P is a smart, thoughtful little guy, but I find it harder to connect with him. As long as we get in some NASCAR racing or Guitar Hero on PlayStation, and maybe wrestle a little bit, I'm a pretty cool playmate. He also started playing basketball for a junior league, so this summer I'll give him some tips and have him dunking left-handed by fall. ;)
That's it for now. I'll get up some pics of my new home, the NYC trip, and a few other things very soon.
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