Wrapping Up Xmas

The long xmas break has come and gone and it's back to work. We had a great holiday and really enjoyed spending time with the families and getting these done in the kitchen.

In no particular order, we went to Angie's mom's house and made rosettes and I made more lefse; both were a success. I finished a total of three coats of mud on the kitchen drywall, hopefully the hard part is almost now that I (kind of) have the hang of it. We watched our favorite holiday movies, the Grinch and Christmas Vacation. We picked up some Nachos Navidad after we finished up some holiday shopping.

We spent Xmas Eve at my dad's house, where we had a nice spread of food and opened gifts. I received a bunch of great summer fishing tackle, a Wild calendar and some other nifty gifties. Xmas day was spent at Angie's mom's' house, where we do the traditional all-day xmas. We had a nice brunch in the morning with homemade muffins, cinnamon rolls, egg bake and quiche. After that, we opened presents and played some games before we ate dinner around 5pm. I was happy to get more ice fishing stuff, baby books, ear buds, a multi-tool, movies and gift cards to Panera. It's always fun to open presents one at a time and not just blow through everything.

I'm expecting a short, uneventful week here at work, followed by a quick Monday before the New Year's holiday. We're going over to Jeremy and Kelly's to hang out, eat appetizers and visit with their daughter Samantha.

So This Is Christmas

We're happy to report that it's already week 18 of the pregnancy and everything continues to go well. The big day when we find out whether it's a boy or girl is just around the corner on January 7th. It's going to be a very busy few weeks to say the least. After some tours to various locations, we've got our deposit down and spot reserved for daycare at a place relatively close to home that we really liked.

 

We just spent the last weekend starting the kitchen remodel, with the workload thus far about 90% Don and Linda and 10% us. We already have a new ceiling with drywall up, the next step is the mudding/taping/sanding to finish it off. I'm taking pictures along the way to show the transformation, I'll get them up on my flickr page soon.

T-minus four working days until Christmas vacation, it can't get here fast enough. Besides doing some work in the kitchen, I've got a little shopping left to do, presents to wrap and more lefse to make. Not to mention, starting the fun process of comparing and researching cribs, strollers and all other related baby gear. At least I won't have to worry about hockey games getting in the way of my to-do list!

November News

In case you hadn't heard the news already, we're expecting our first on May 23rd, 2013! It's a very exciting time for us and we inch closer to the big day. We're currently in week 15 and Angie is doing great, no sickness to speak of. We've decided to find out whether it's a girl or a boy, but that won't be until week 20.
We had a nice Thanksgiving weekend, staying in town as usual and visiting with family. It's back to work again after the long break, kinda hard to get back into the work frame of mind. Before the break it was insanely busy, mostly non-profits getting their last budgeted items done before the end of the year.
I'm about halfway done with the Xmas shopping, despite staying home on black friday. My Dad's birthday is in December, and my Mom's in January, so it's a mad scramble to get gifts for that too. My Amazon wishlist is up now, in case anyone wants to check it out.

Borderlands 2 Review

Here are my top five reasons why Borderlands 2 is greatest video game ever made:

1. Personality

Cel-shaded graphics, humor, and not taking itself too seriously (looking at you Call of Duty). Over the years I've become jaded. Games like Final Fantasy, Assassin's Creed and Resident Evil might deliver occasionally on graphics and so-called "new" experiences, but they no longer deliver on fun. Borderlands is game I actually have fun playing, and to me, that's what it's all about.

Perhaps the biggest factor at work here is Customization vs. Characterization. To me, Customization is how you describe something, Characterization is how you design something. 

While customization can be fun (changing colors, outfits, appearance) characterization is much more fulfilling. Creating your character based on what you feel is the most important or most ideal characteristics is where the true genius of this game is found.

2. Co-op

Speaking of fun, the game gets exponentially better with each friend you add to the fray. In the vein of Left For Dead, nothing is more fun than taking down foes together via teamwork (and yelling). Finding hidden areas, trading loot and developing characters with your team in mind adds a whole new layer of strategy.

3. Discovery

I really enjoy opening treasure chests. Let's face it, It's not something you get to do a whole lot in real life. Borderlands keeps you anticipating the next "big chest" to open and what amazing, rare loot could be found just around the next corner. Looting and discovering secrets is what makes the game's only necessary evil, repetition, become bearable. Sure, we may have to retread the same areas a bit, but as long as there are fresh enemies to kill and chests to open, no one really seems to mind.

4. RPG Elements (RPG = Role Playing Game)

Analytic personalities (like myself) are faced with a constant stream of "tough" decisions. "Do I upgrade to my shield that boasts higher protection but sacrifices my max health?" What about leveling up and deciding where to invest that skill point? Stats matter to me, and I make careful choices with that in mind. These type of choices are fun for me, contribute toward a unique character build and ultimately to the quality of the gaming experience.

5. Longevity

Have you ever been 3/4 of the way through a book a thought "I really don't want this to end?" It's not often I feel that way about a game. The previous four points give this game real bang-for-the-buck. And, for a few more bucks, new downloadable content is always on the way.

Truly. Bad. Ass. 

La Road Trip

We spent last weekend (mostly) in La Crosse, Wisconsin. We arrived Saturday after a short road trip filled with fall colors to our campsite in Pettibone resort. Since the weather was in the 40s, the tent area was a ghost town. It wasn't the best setup, but we tried to make the best of it. Oktoberfest in downtown La Crosse was a bust. It was small, boring and didn't have much of anything "German" actually going on. The Gasthaus in Stillwater was clearly the winner in fun and festivities.
On the way back home, we stopped into Treasure Island and dropped $20 into the slots. After about 20 minutes we were up, so we quickly cashed out continued our trip home $18 dollars richer. It was nice to spend the night warm and cozy in our own bed again.
It's hard to believe it's mid October already, I just got around to putting up the Halloween decorations only yesterday. Gopher hockey kicks off this weekend, whilst the NHL is still dead in the water. I was telling Angie how glad I am to have Borderlands to distract me from the void of not having the Wild to follow. The Vikings have been holding my interest as well; it's nice to see them performing well and make things interesting on Sundays.

R & R & Renaissance

My mom went back to Florida yesterday and things are back to normal around the homefront. I'm looking forward to going to the Renaissance Festival on Saturday, the weather looks excellent. It will be Angie's first trip in her new costume. To my costume, I added a pair of faux leather boots.
On Sunday I believe it's time to take out the Halloween decorations. I noticed that Halloween is on a Wednesday this year, kinda lame. Either way, I'm sure we'll be handing out candy unless someone hosts something.
The NHL is still locked out with no end in sight. I'm trying not to pay too much attention and just hope for the best. My guess is we'll eventually get hockey, but the season will be shortened. I'm considering becoming a Gopher hockey fan this year to try and fill the void.
I finished reading my second book by Blake Crouch called "Run." I enjoyed the story, but not as much as The Pines. I've since started reading "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" to flip back over to non-fiction. I haven't been reading quite as much since Borderlands 2 came out last week. Every few days Brenton, Jeremy, Twedt and I have play-dates for a couple hours.
Around this time every fall, my musical tastes shift to more somber records. Out of the car with The White Stripes, Black Keys and Paramore and in with David Gray and Bat For Lashes. Not to mention my Halloween albums and scary stories read by Vincent Price.

Septemberfest

Last weekend we attended Oktoberfest at Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter in Stillwater. As I mentioned, my mug design was picked and featured on the collectable mugs. They also used my design for the buttons everyone was wearing for entry. It was really cool to get my first mug filled with Spaten Oktoberfest beer and see everyone around me carrying the same thing. Besides beer, we ate some roasted nuts, kettle corn, knackwurst, sour kraut and pretzels (The photos are posted on Flickr if you'd like to see more). We ended the night with a game of hammerschalgen, that game where you try to hammer a nail into a log using the reverse side of the hammer. P.S. I won that too. Woot!
We also attended the first play of the season at Park Square called Red. It was smaller-scale performance with only two actors and quite a bit of thoughtful/intense dialogue. I really enjoyed it. Our next play of the season is King Lear.
I also finished a book called The Pines, by a new author I discovered named Blake Crouch. Loosely inspired by Twin Peaks, it was a very engaging thriller. The pacing was quick and the descriptions were very good, creating a very papable atmosphere throughout. I enjoyed it so much that I immediately starting reading another of his books called Run.
Borderlands 2 is waiting for me at the house as we speak, and I plan on sinking some time into it and wrecking my eyes a bit over the next few weeks. My mom is staying with us until next Wednesday, so things are going to be busier around the homefront until then either way. We usually end up running around quite a bit, and I'll be checking out all the Halloween decorations wherever we end up.
Finally, I painted the room formerly known as the office. I still have the trim left to do, but the hard part is over with. We went with a orange-ish color called "cantaloupe slice"and it's pretty intense. Regardless, it looks much better than the ugly purple-gray color it was before. I also painted the radiator silver, which was an improvement as well. Now we're just waiting on the dresser to arrive, the last missing piece of our bedroom set.

Backyard Bash

We had a great time this past Saturday at the Summit Backyard Bash. It was an outdoor concert event held on the grounds of the Summit Brewery. It featured a lineup of all local bands including Caroline Smith And The Goodnight Sleeps, Halloween Alaska, Now Now and Doomtree. In addition to the music and drink, food was on-site from Dixies, Black Forest Inn, Barrio, Bennett's and more. Since it's not far from our house and weather was nice, we just walked over around 11am.
The setup was very nice. They had a large music tent with standing tables around the edges, plenty of bathrooms and enough space to breathe. Towards the middle of the day, things got pretty busy and the beer lines (yes, the lines for beer at the brewery) got a little long. I'm not sure the attendance number, but Summit had to have done very well.
This was our second time seeing Caroline Smith, who continues to grow on me. Doomtree is great group of very talented individuals, but not really my cup of tea for a live performance. The other bands were nothing to blog about IMO. Anyway, I picked up a Dessa's CD (who is a member of Doomtree) and it's quite good. Thanks to Spotify, I've been listening/tasting more music without investing a bunch of money. I'm hooked.
After brunch to celebrate Angie's Dad's birthday, we cleaned up the tandem bike and took it for a spin. It's actually really fun and worth every cent of the six dollars Angie paid for it a few years ago. We also did a little cleaning upstairs in the old office room, in preparation for painting. We haven't picked an exact color yet, but it's going to be some lighter shade of orange.
Looking forward to Oktoberfest this Friday night at the Gasthaus, the weather says 74 and no rain at this point. Not that rain would stop me from going, but I really don't want my pretzels to get soggy. Saturday we're going to see "Red" at the Park Square Theater. It's the last weekend we have before my mom comes to visit next Monday.

Labor Day Weekend-ER

We had a fantastic Labor Day weekend at the Amey cabin. It was the first official road trip and cabin trip with the new Forester, too. We decided to get up early and make the drive Saturday, which worked out really well because we didn't hit any traffic and made great time.
After we got settled, Don took us out fishing on Loon Lake. The weather was excellent, the lake wasn't crowded, and Angie had the first fish in the boat right away. Shortly after that, she had another bass on the line that put up quite a fight. She managed to reel 'em in, and it turned out a to be the biggest fish she'd ever caught. I was pretty excited, considering she caught it on a Ultra-Light rod with 4lb line and artificial bait. We spent some more time trolling, and both Don and I caught a few more bass. I also had a big Northern on the line (which we a had visual on) but he got off before I could reel him in. Overall, a very fun and productive day on the water.
Later that evening, we were treated to a Pontoon ride courtesy of Terri and Rick. We had a few cocktails and relaxed as we cruised, it was very relaxing. On the way back home in the car, Don and I decided it would be fun to stick our heads out of the sun roof. It turns out, you should probably take your hat off before doing this, a lesson we both learned the hard way. So after Ang doubled back to pick up our hats, we headed back to the cabin to call it a night.
Day two we loaded up canoes and went to the landing nearby on the Namekagon River. The water was super clear and we saw lots of carp along the way. I think we went about 9 miles before taking out again at the Trail Bridge Landing. Besides the large rock at the landing almost capsizing Don and Linda, we all made it back safely.
After a nice breakfast, we headed out to Loon Lake again for a final day of fishing. Ang caught another nice bass, picking up right where she left off. Don and I were both fishing shallow and I was having great luck bringing in bass with a top water popper lure, when disaster struck. As I went to remove the hook from my fish, he thrashed violently and sent a treble hook deep into my right thumb, past the barb. To make a long (rather painful) story short, we ended up making a trip to the ER to get it removed. Besides pain, I was feeling more angry with myself for not being more careful, and for putting everyone else out to take care of the situation.
The doctor poked me with a needle, numbed the area and went to work. I didn't have the stomach to watch, but after a few minutes the deed was done. After the hook was removed and we made it back to the cabin, Don was nice enough to take me right back out on the lake to finish our day of fishing. I even put that same type of lure right back in the water, scary hooks and all. I caught one final bass, removed the hooks safely and we called it a day.
We didn't end up driving home until the evening, which allowed us to miss all the traffic again and have a easy trip back home. In the end, it was a great weekend, full of of fun and full of lessons learned.

Holiday Road

If you hadn't noticed already, I gave the blog another face-lift. Unlike the previous design, I didn't do everything myself. This time I just used a template, and added a few of my own touches like the photo on the left.
Only a few short hours and Labor Day weekend is officially here. Not a moment too soon, either. Work has been ridiculously slow the last two weeks, probably some combination of the state fair and Labor Day weekend making the jobs scarce.
We're picking it up a few things tonight and then packing for the trip to the Amey cabin for the weekend. Rather than drive up tonight, we opted to get up early tomorrow, grab some coffee and donuts at Mojo Monkey and hit the road. I'm excited to do a little canoeing this trip and use try out a couple of the new fishing lures I bought recently.
I've still got my eyes and ears focused on the NHL lockout situation, in hopes that the season starts as scheduled. As of right now, both sides have made offers and continue to negotiate, but a cloud is still hanging over the proceedings and the September 15th deadline is inching closer.
September is going to be a busy month for us. After the long Labor Day weekend, the following weekend we are attending the Summit Backyard Bash on September 8th. If I haven't mentioned it already, it's a outdoor show featuring all local bands (Doomtree, Now, Now, Caroline Smith, etc.) and delicious Summit brews. Friday, September 14th we'll be at the Gasthaus for Oktoberfest, and I''ll be announced the winner of the mug design contest. I'm really excited to see my design on the mugs and partake in the german food and festivities. The day after that we are heading the Park Square Theater to see "Red," the first play of our season ticket package. The following week/weekend my mom will be in town from Florida, so we're leaving most of the days open to fill as we see fit. Finally, the last weekend of September we are going to the Renaissance Festival. A fun end to what looks to be very fun month.
We're also getting ready to book a campsite at Pettibone park in LaCrosse, WI for the first weekend in October. We'll be tenting right on the waterfront, with close access to fishing, hiking, bike trails and an 18-hole disc golf course. We'll also be within walking distance of downtown, where we plan to attend Oktoberfest.
I just love this time of year.

Showdown

Had a nice weekend and the weather was perfect. Saturday morning I drove over to Jeremy & Kelly's to play a couple rounds of disc golf at Silverview Park. Since we got started early, we had the whole course to ourselves, had a great time as usual.

Friday I came home and the night stands we ordered (with the bed) was sitting on the front step. All I had to do was open the boxes and they were assembled and ready to use. I was pleasantly surprised by how well it worked out. Now we're just waiting on the dresser to ship and we'll have everything.

Saturday night Angie and I went to Circus Juventas to see "Showdown." I really enjoyed this year's production, it featured wild west characters and themes. I especially enjoyed the music, which is a combination of live scores performed by the circus band and a few choice tracks of music. To our delight, they even chose to use "Enemy Guns" by Devotchka during the Russian wheel act. Every year we look forward to going and every year the kids deliver. For my money, there isn't a better ticket in town.

Speaking of tickets, I forgot to mention we now our season ticket holders at the Park Square Theater in downtown St. Paul. I'm really looking forward to being able to attend more plays, since I feel even a mediocre play is still better than almost everything on TV. We both really enjoy the Park Square because it's smaller and intimate, you can bring your beverages into the theater and it's close to home.

Sunday I went out with my dad to do some fishing on Big Marine Lake. We didn't get catch too much, but at least we didn't get skunked and the weather was great. I'm not sure how many more times I will get out this year, it might have been the last hurrah.

Next up is the State Fair, which we plan on hitting this Saturday. We both like to get there early, so the first couple hours it's much easier to get around. I don't have a long list of must-have foods, but I can't leave before I get some Lefse from the food building and a peach parfait from the Global Food Market stand.

Bed Post

I'm just getting over some kind of flu bug, which made the last few days less than spectacular. Despite illness, I really enjoyed watching the Olympics. It's nice to watch some sports-style drama prior to the football (meh) and hockey (woo!) seasons this fall.

We are getting part one of our bedroom set delivered tomorrow, unfortunately it's between the hours of 4pm - 8pm. Not exactly convenient. Our nightstands and dressers were on backorder and will hopefully be arriving by the end of September. I'm always worried about buying furniture online, after we received not one, but two broken items from World Market in the past. Hopefully this time will be better.

Since the weather has finally cooled off, I've been busy with little projects around the house. Last weekend I finally got around to painting the doors and trim upstairs, which turned out great. Next, I'd like to find a small desk that will fit in our bedroom, so we can move our computer. Eventually, we plan to paint the office in hopes of turning it into a nursery. At some point, I'd like to pick up some landscaping blocks and do something along the side of the house and perhaps a little in the backyard, too.

I've still been reading like a madman, and I'm currently about a hundred pages into the The Fellowship of The Ring. As soon as Borderlands 2 (Sep) and Resident Evil 6 (Oct) comes out, I plan to take a break from the books and hit the games pretty hard. The last time I bought a game was Batman Arkham City, so I don't feel too guilty indulging myself a little.

Wedding Photos Posted

In case you haven't seen them, I uploaded the entire set of wedding photos to my flickr page. Everything went so great, the photos are no exception.

Spent a nice Saturday today playing a little disc golf with Ang in the morning, then we ran some errands and did a little yard work. It's nice being outside in the mid 80s rather than the mid 90s. We came home with some great books from Goodwill today, too. I picked up "Into The Wild," "The Other Boleyn Girl" and another Agatha Christie book for 99 cents each. I'm going to check the Blaine location tomorrow and see what else I can find. Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE my Kindle Touch, but for 99 cents it's pretty hard to justify buying only e-books.

Ang is going up to Breezy Point with some friends next weekend, so I'm still trying to make plans of my own at this point. I'd love to get out and do some fishing again, or maybe do a little disc golfing at Blue Ribbon.

Since we bought tickets to the Summit Backyard Bash on September 8th, I've been listening to some of the bands that will be performing. I'm really enjoying Doomtree, which is a local hip-hop collaborative that can be heard often on The Current. Now, Now is another local group I discovered recently that is growing on me. I'm looking forward to seeing them both live and drinking some specially brewed Summit creations!

Blog Backlog

Wow. Not having blogged in a timely manner seems to have given me blogger's block. I have so many things that I could've written about, but instead I chose to just enjoy the time and reflect on them privately (until now).

A logical place to begin would be with the wedding, which by all accounts, was a success. The weather couldn't have been better, and the park proved to be just as wonderful as we hoped. They say that your wedding day goes by in a blur, but would have to disagree. Having a small, outdoor wedding was the perfect tempo for us, and I can't wait to see the photos that were taken as soon as they are ready. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you played a part in making our day even more special, and for that I want to say THANK YOU.

The 10-day honeymoon we spent in Costa Rica was fantastic. The landscape, wildlife and people we such a refreshing change of pace from Mexico and the Caribbean. We especially enjoyed bird watching in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and the day we spent snorkeling in the warm waters of the Pacific. If you haven't seen them already, all 300+ photos have been posted on my flickr page.

We recently celebrated our 1-month anniversary, my how the time has flown. We've spent a good deal of time making arrangements with insurance, social security etc. for Angie's name change. Meanwhile, we also traded in her 2000 Volkswagon Golf for a new 2012 Subaru Forester (and it only took two weeks and three different dealership visits!). It was definitely worth the trouble though, especially since the A/C in the Golf stopped working and it's been so freak'n hot day in and day out.

We also hosted our first murder mystery dinner party, followed by a short reunion and live show of "Random Talent" (the acoustic guitar duo made up of myself and my friend Steve). It's nice to play more social-type games, and look forward to getting together again soon. I would like to get together once a month for "game night" or something similar with friends and/or family. Anyone care to organize that?

I'm excited to get outside again, just as soon as it's not 90+ degrees. Playing disc golf, riding bike and going fishing just doesn't sound that great in the heat. Soon it will be fall, and that of course means cooler temps and big list of fun diversions… Oktoberfest, Ren Fest and the start of what looks to be a very promising season for the Minnesota Wild.

I Got Mugged!

I'm excited to announce that my entry for the Gasthaus 2012 Oktoberfest Mug Design was selected as the winner!

Basically, it means that my design will be featured on the front of the mugs that hold all that delicious Oktoberfest beer, September 14th-16th & 21st-23rd at the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter in Stillwater.

I will also be honored briefly on the first day of the fest, and receive a $100 certificate. Needless to say, I'm very excited about winning and looking forward to attending the fest for the first time. If you'd like to join the fun on September 14th, let me know, it would be fun to have a group of us go.

[In order to keep the design secret, I can't post any images until the mugs have been printed.]

Flat Earth Tour

This weekend we toured Flat Earth brewery, which is just 1.5 miles away from our house. The weather sucked, so it fit the bill quite nicely. While it's not nearly as large as Summit, it was still a fun and informative tour. They make 4 main brews, which are available year round: Angry Planet, Northwest Passage, Belgian and Cygnus X-1. They also offer smaller batch brews which can only be purchased at the brewery. Next time we have a get together, perhaps we'll stop in and pick up a growler of freshly brewed Flat Earth.

Work is stressing me out lately because they haven't hired anyone to replace the lady who left (last Friday). It's irritating because by the time someone new puts in a two-week notice and starts, I'll have about 5 days to train them in before we leave on the honeymoon. Maybe that's a good thing, it will show them how difficult it is to do everything, everyday for two weeks. 

April Update

It's crunch time for Wedding planning, we have less than two months until the big day. My wedding band has arrived at the jewelers, but we haven't gone in to see it yet. We're both really happy with our choice of officiant and we'll be meeting with her again this weekend to see the park and continue to create our ceremony.

The lady that does bindery/cutting/shipping is leaving in two weeks (moving back to Louisiana) so we're looking for a replacement as we speak. It's bad timing, since I'll be out for two weeks in June for our honeymoon. I'm sure everything will work out just fine, but it's hard not to be a little anxious whenever a new person comes on board.

I bought a new A/C unit for our bedroom, which is on the top floor, right below the roof. Needless to say, it gets a little toasty up there in the summer. The new unit is much more powerful, as well as quiet; which was my main problem with our old one. The grass seed we planted last fall actually popped up this spring. Considering the weird winter we had, I'm very surprised. Besides doing a little more seeding, we plan on staining the fence this summer, now that's it's standing nice and upright.

Despite the somewhat crappy weather lately, I've been disc golfing quite a bit. I'm antsy for nice weather for disc golf, but also to take some long bike rides. Next time we go to Fleet Farm I'm going to pick up a plastic crate to put on the bike rack. That should allow us to carry a bag of produce etc. from the farmer's market or Trader Joe's once in awhile.

I took a small break from taking a break from video games, to play Pinball Arcade. It's a fantastic simulation of a few tables from the 80's and 90's like Theater of Magic and Tales of Arabian Nights. Even though I sold my machine, I still love to play, especially when it's free.

Speaking of games, I'm planning to purchase one of those dinner-mystery games and host a party sometime soon. I've always wanted to try one and really get into it. I'm talking coordinating the food and drink and having a few props on hand too. I think it should be fun!

Good Times, Good Reads

Work is slow today. Painfully slow. I'm also dealing with some kind of sinus/sore throat/cold/allergy thing which is not leaving me in the best of moods. What's more, it's cold, it's raining and it's Monday. While I'm caught up on things here at work, I thought I'd take a few minutes and get caught up on blogging, specifically about some of the books I've read recently.


The Bitch by Les Edgerton (2011)
This was a title I stumbled upon on Goodreads, which sounded interesting to me. It's about a former inmate named Jake who is released from prison, only to run into his old cellmate on the outside who calls in a favor. Reluctantly Jake agrees and sets in motion a sh*t storm of events that, if caught, would send him back to prison for life.
I was interested enough to finish the story, but it wasn't the gripping noir tale the reviews made it out to be. I would have liked a little more atmosphere, or perhaps some more back story of Jake's time in prison. In the end, it served it's purpose as mildly entertaining fiction at a bargain price.


Faceless Killers (Wallander #1) by Henning Mankell (1991)
This is the first in a series of Swedish crime novels written by Henning Mankell, starring the character Kurt Wallander. My love of the Dragon Tattoo trilogy lead me straight here, and I wasn't disappointed. I really enjoy this type writing, which takes mundane activities and goes into great detail. Many of the characters, especially Wallander, aren't doing anything unbelievable, and I find it easy to put myself in their shoes. I look forward to reading another in the series and seeing if Wallander continues to grow on me.

Howard Hughes: The Untold Story by Peter Harry Brown (2004)
"He was the billionaire head of a giant corporation, a genius inventor, an ace pilot, a matinee-idol-handsome playboy, a major movie maker who bedded a long list of Hollywood glamour queens, a sexual sultan with a harem of teenage consorts, a political insider with intimate ties to Watergate, a Las Vegas kingpin, and ultimately a bizarre recluse whose final years and shocking death were cloaked in macabre mystery"
The Aviator is one of my favorite movies and it really piqued my interest of Howard Hughes. This book was fantastic, and it lead me to say "...Did you know Howard Hughes did XXX?" numerous times throughout the book. This was a very fun and informative read, I highly recommend it.

My Abandonment by Peter Rock (2009)
Inspired by a true story a girl and her father who lived secretly in a nature reserve. However, one misstep allows a jogger to discover them, and changes their lives forever. Written from the perspective of 13-year old girl, this book really left an impression on me. It's vivid, unsettling, and hard to put down. One of the few books I've read recently that immediately lead to discussion, and more questions than answers. Highly recommend.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (2003)
Yes, I'm late to the party. Still, it holds up well as fun page-turner and enjoyable read. I was impossible for me not to get caught up in all the details and google the paintings and locales. P.S. movie wasn't nearly as good as the book.

The Hunger Games (Trilogy) by Suzanne Collins (2008)
I enjoyed the first book a lot, each book after less and less. I loved the survival/hunting/ aspects of the first book. In the end, it got a little too "Twilight" for me. P.S. movie looks terrible.

A Few of My Favorite Things

With crazy spring/summer weather upon us, I thought I'd take a moment and make a list of my favorite spring and summer activities and various events that I'm looking forward to.

1. Our wedding on June 9th, followed by our honeymoon on June 10th
2. Fishing
3. Playing disc golf
4. Bike rides
5. Trips to the Farmer's Market
6. Going to the Amey Cabin
7. Camping and Hiking
8. Geocaching
9. Grilling and playing yard games
10. Hosting a murder mystery night
11. Ice Cream at Grand Ole Creamery
12.  Swimming
13. My Friend XXXX's summer party
14. Miniature Golfing at Spring Lake Amusement
15. Drinking a cocktail in the sun

March-ing On

Wedding/Honeymoon planning continues to roll. Tomorrow night we're heading downtown to turn in our marriage license application. We've got a few loose ends to tie up, including finding a guitarist/musician to play for a couple hours, and I've still got to order my wedding band. Nothing we can't handle, though.
Work has been busy all month, hopefully a good sign for us and the economy in general. We're bringing in a new aqueous coating machine next Wednesday, too. It's nice to work for a small company that's making a profit and willing to invest in itself to continue to grow. I'm really happy with my experience there so far, it's nice a nice mix of comfort-zone and learning.
I'm currently reading Clive Barker's "The Great and Secret Show." It started off kinda slow but it seems to be picking up a bit now. I'm still not singing it's praises just yet, but I'll see it through. I've made good on my promise to lay off the video games, most recently completely ignoring a new Final Fantasy game (that's pretty huge for me, usually). I also created a goodreads.com account, in hopes to find more interesting books to read in the future. I encourage you to sign up and add me as a friend.
Besides going to the sold-out Polica cd release show at First Avenue on Valentine's Day, not much going on musically. I'm at the stage where all my favorite artists are in the studio and nothing new has caught my attention. I find myself making mixes of music I've dug up from my own archives - rediscovering old albums etc. can be just as fun as new releases.

Monday Musings

I hate when they only have green bananas; It's like I'm being punished for something that isn't my fault.

Sometimes, in order to feel better, you just need to drink more water or have a snack. Or fart.

If everybody only let the "good pictures" of themselves stay on Facebook, it would just be a bunch of photos of people's animals and babies.

I get really annoyed by voicemail. I shouldn't have to pickup my phone, call myself, enter a bunch of numbers, and listen to a lady I don't even know before finding out that I have a wrong number. All while paying a monthly fee.

I'm really glad people can't see what other people dream about. Sometimes I don't even want to see what I'm dreaming about.

I can't really decide if I like bowling, or just hanging out at a bowling alley.

I will probably go my entire life without ever really knowing what saran wrap will and won't stick to.

Viva Mexico!

Day 1
Our vacation to Mexico started with a 4:00am wake up and quick trip to the airport. We were happy to find no lines at check-in or security, so we had plenty of time to relax while waiting to board. We landed in Cancun around 11am and boarded a shuttle that took us the remaining 45 minutes to our hotel. The people sitting in front of us bought us a Corona for the ride (which definitely tastes better in Mexico).
Upon arriving at the hotel, we were greeting with a "welcome drink" and made our way upstairs to our room; which was ready for us despite being quite early. The room was very nice, featuring a king-size bed, private balcony, and plenty of room to move around. Our stay was all-inclusive, so from this point forward assume that everything we did at the resort was free. After we set down our bags, we headed straight for the buffet to eat lunch.
Next we took a stroll around the grounds, the pool and finally walked to the beach and laid in the sun next to ocean. We took a dip and went for a long walk, feeling quite happy with the warm sun on our backs and sand between our toes.
Dinner our first night was at the buffet again, since we didn't make a reservation for one of the themed restaurants that day. The food was excellent, especially the guacamole. The entertainment that night was a Michael Jackson tribute, which we both enjoyed and seemed quite well-received by all.

Day 2
This was the our first full day at the resort, which we spent bumming around the beach and pool. Before lunch we participated in the pool exercise class, a little something to get the blood flowing during a mostly lazy, relaxing day. It's easy for us to spend an entire day reading, relaxing, swimming, eating and not having to be anywhere but where you are.
We ate dinner at Agave, the mexican-themed restaurant. The show that evening was "Grease," which didn't really hold our attention. After a long day in the sun, it felt nice to have a few drinks and retire early.

Day 3
The morning was spent at the beach again, soaking up the sun yet again. In the afternoon, we walked to downtown and checked out the shops at Paseos Del Carmen. We came back with a couple trinkets and good deal of exercise.
Dinner was Brazilian-style, eating meat bought to the table on skewers. We ended up eating beef, chicken, pork, turkey and sausage before it was all said and done.

Day 4
We spent the morning at the resort before catching our tour bus at 1pm, heading to the Mayan ruins of Coba. During the ride, our tour guide taught us about the Mayans and what we would be seeing during our tour. The weather was overcast and cool, which actually worked out quite well since we biked, climbed and hiked our way around Coba for about 2 hours.
After our tour, we paused for a private dinner overlooking a small lagoon near the ruins. Next, we took a short bus trip down the road to a pottery school. We were able to try our hand at making Mayan pottery and learned about the culture and community of Mayans living in Coba today.
Next we headed to our final stop, where we would be entertained by a authentic Mayan ritual. Upon arrival at the site, we walked through the darkness, descending down into a cave-like area known as a cenote. The entire experience was very cool, I suggest you check out the short videos I took. (posted on my Flickr page)

Day 5
Today was windy and not as warm, but we still had no problems sitting by the pool for the better part of the day. We took another long walk down the beach in the afternoon. The sun came out for awhile, so I took the opportunity to swim in the ocean a bit, even though the water was rough.
For dinner we had sushi and sake at the Japanese-themed restaurant, it was delicious. The show that night was a Mariachi band.

Day 6
We got up at 7:00am to catch our tour bus and headed for Xel-Ha (Shell-Ha). It's a large marine park with everything from snorkeling and tubing, to ziplines and wildlife areas. We started by riding some bikes to the top of the river area, then snorkeled our way down the river and back to central area. We walked the nature trails and stopped occasionally to look at the fish and rest at one of the many nooks along the way. For lunch, we had fantastic food at their Mexican-themed restaurant. After lunch, we tubed down the river area and then rode the ziplines over the water. Later, we grabbed a drink and relaxed in the hammocks before the sunset. Dinner that night was at Chili's, the american steakhouse restaurant at our resort.

Day 7
Our last full day was sunny and warm, and spent lounging by the ocean. We had some drinks at the swim-up bar, and later walked to some shops near our hotel. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I'd definitely do an all-inclusive stay again.

Home
First day back home and my heater stopped working in the car, literally the first time I got in my car since being back home. Luckily, I work right next to a repair shop and brought my car in right away. It was quick fix to the hose clamps on the radiator, and only ended up costing $120. Still, what a nice welcome back... below zero temps and no heat. :)
I uploaded all the digital photos today, however, I haven't uploaded the photos from our waterproof camera yet. Stay tuned.