About Time

Free time is at a premium these days, the old cliche about not having enough hours in the day definitely has some merit. I was thinking about my hobbies the other day and the frequency of which I get to enjoy them. For many of them, it’s a once-a-year thing now, fishing for example. I’m not complaining that I wish I had more time, but if I did have more time, these are the things I’d like to do, in no particular order:

• Fishing
• Bike Ride on a New Trail
• Discover New Music
• See Live Sporting Event
• Play Disc Golf
• Metal Detect an Old Property
• Host a Rock Band Party
• Host a Board Game Party

Angie and I did take next Monday off from work and the kids will be at daycare, so perhaps we can gets the bikes out on a trail. FACT: the time never goes by faster then when you’re off work. Most times it starts out simple like… “lets get breakfast, then run into that store etc.” then the next thing you know it’s lunch time. Then, a few hours in the afternoon and then it’s off to pick up the kids at 4pm.

Anyway, as you know, this is my favorite time of the year. The cool temps are here, the leaves are falling and the Halloween decorations are making their way out. At this point Calvin is planning to go as The Man With The Yellow Hat and Carlow is going as Curious George. I really hope the weather is nice like last year, it sure was fun to walk around the neighborhood and see everyone outside and not bundled up.

To get in the Halloween mood, I’ve been watching the newly released season six of The Walking Dead on Netflix. I also picked up Resident Evil Revelations for $10 on Ebay and plan to dust off my Nintendo 3DS in the coming days and play it. It wouldn’t be October without watching a few of my favorite horror DVDs, too.

Just Kickin' It

I was able to feel the baby kick for the first time the other night - very exciting! Angie is still doing great and In good spirits, even with the sub zero temperatures. We have our next check-up on Monday afternoon.

The Wild lost their first game last night, as they can't all be gold. I'm looking forward to watching another game on television this Sunday at 5pm. It looks like the temps will be back in the 30s by then, too.

This Saturday I'm painting the kitchen ceiling(s) and hopefully wrapping up the working-above-my-head portion of the remodel. At that point, I should be able to screw in the light bulbs and such. Don is coming over Sunday to nail up the tin we have planned for the recessed center portion.

We got sucked into watching "The Taste" on television last night. It's actually kind of interesting because the four judges conduct blind taste tests (like the voice with food) and then make a yes or no decision on that alone. The cook may be a seasoned professional or a home cook amateur, it's all about the food. Once the judges have selected their favorites and assembled a team (like the voice) the cooks are mentored and prepare new items. The twist is, during the next rounds of blind taste tests, the judges could eliminate members of their own team(s). It's a little over dramatic, but at least we get a food related show to entertain us without having cable.

2-0 and 10 Below

The Wild have started the shortened season with back to back wins, and Josh Harding posted a shutout last night in his first start since being diagnosed with MS. Even though the play is sloppy and the timing is a bit off (it's still early, no preseason this year) the team looks deeper than I've ever seen. I'll be interested to see how long the lines stay together before Yeo starts moving people and/or someone gets injured. My hope is the shortened season combined with the Wild's history of fast starts will get us into the playoffs.

It's freaking cold and it sucks. The low overnight tonight is -15, with the windchill we're talking closer to -30. I work in a large shop with huge, drafty garage doors and high ceilings. My co-worker and I have the heat cranked up to 75 but the thermostat still reads 64 in here. It usually warms up about the time I'm ready to go home at 4pm. At least this is my last full week of work, then I have next Friday off for ice fishing weekend.

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.

October

It's my favorite month of the year again, but it's already going by too fast. Work has been super busy as of late and we've got a few projects going on around the house. This weekend we are bringing in a big load of dirt to even out the yard around the new sidewalk and cement patio. We're also planning to paint our bedroom while the weather is nice and cool.
This Saturday is the Wild's first game of the season and we are looking forward to watching it with Jeremy and Kelly. It's a shame, but there isn't a single Wild game televised on Network TV this year. You either have to have FSN or Versus (both cable channels). Needless to say, we will have to get out more to be able to see the team in action this year.
We haven't had a whole lot of down time (together) to do any real wedding planning. The only thing we have come up with is a time frame; most likely spring to early summer. Stay tuned.

Ignorance Is Your New Best Friend

One of my favorite songs, by one of my favorite bands is titled "Ignorance." Since it's release, it's taken on a whole new level of meaning, now that the lyrics have become a self-fulfilling prophecy to the band that wrote them. This band is Paramore, and they have since parted ways with their drummer and guitarist, one of many facts that a casual listener wouldn't even know about. But exactly when did I start calling myself more than a casual listener? I don't know, but it definitely happened. This sort of thing happens all the time in fact, and I really wish it didn't.
Whether it be a band, a sports team, a television show or what have you, slowly I become more and more invested into it, until, at length, I've taken my casual interest and turned it into something else. Less than obsession, but more than just interested. I blame the update-a-second society we live in, I blame Facebook, smart phones and every other social media outlet for making me info obsessed. And, I blame myself. However, everywhere you turn there is a rss feed to subscribe to, a page to bookmark, a link to click, a video to watch and a "like" button to click.
Sometimes I feel like the more read, subscribe, watch and "like" all these things, the worse off I become. Instead of just listening to a band because I enjoy their music, suddenly I find myself reading their Tweets about how much they love their new tattoo and how they could eat cereal for every meal. Do I really care about these things? No. It's then that I realize, I've lost my ability to just enjoy, because now I know too much, and there's no going back.
If I could just appreciate casually, if I could just stay a safe distance and form my own opinions free of social media influence, if I could just remember that ignorance is bliss.

Marching On

It's a strange time right now. Winter has taken it's usual oppressive hold on me, turning me into some kind overachieving shut-in. On the one hand, the weather keeps me from doing the things outside that I love and miss, like playing disc golf, riding bike and cooking food on the grill. Yet, at the same time, while I'm getting all OCD about things around the house all winter, I tend to get a lot done - for better or worse.
So here we are finally getting to the end of February and it seems like it will never be summer again. On the bright side, March grants the change in clocks (spring ahead), St Patrick's Day and Angie's Birthday. It's not that everything is bad, it's just nice to have things to look forward to on another cold day like today.
To keep entertained, I've been watching the Wild as they make their push towards the playoffs. Since we don't have cable, Netflix has also been worth it's weight in gold. Speaking of tech, I recently got the iPhone 4 as well. It was something I knew would eventually come to Verizon and the timing ended up being perfect for me to upgrade. So far, I love the damn thing. It filled the Apple void in my life nicely, and I'm very happy with the quality of photos/video it takes in place of carrying around a separate digital camera.

Watching: Spartacus Gods of The Arena, The Tudors S3
Playing: Rock Band 3, Magna Carta 2
Reading: Big Top Boss (The Story of John Ringling North)

Topanga Tuesday!

After many years of waiting, hoping, giving up and finally being rewarded, Boy Meets World season 4 is in my hands today. It goes without saying it's my favorite television show of all-time. Some of you may even remember a time when I created and ran my own Boy Meets World website called "Boy Meets Web." That was of course before Google, file sharing and Netflix took over and made fansites utterly useless. Either way, I still continue to carry the torch and I'm so happy I get to pick up where I left off and share the experiences of Cory, Shawn, Topanga, Eric and Feeny all over again whenever I want.

I salute Lion's Gate for stepping up and releasing the DVDs again (after Buena Vista released seasons 1-3 and then pulled the plug). It's especially fun to watch the episodes in their true "TGIF" form, rather than the edited re-run versions that aired on Disney channel. It cost $23, but to me it's absolutely priceless entertainment, that holds up extremely well, even today. I would to gush a little more, but I've got some catching up to do with my old friends from John Adams high.

Time To Get Moving

Well, it's official. My house is hitting the market in a few hours and this weekend is my Moving Sale/Craigslist Sale! I'm trying to stay optimistic about the house generating (any) interest, even though in my situation it really doesn't matter, either way my days are numbered.
Training at work is going pretty well, nothing I can't handle at least. However, I'm really looking forward to taking a break and heading to Florida next week. We've got some really fun day trips and beach days planned; rain or shine it's going to be awesome.
In entertainment news, still having a blast with FFXIII. Also, really enjoying Spartacus: Blood and Sand. I can easily say it's my favorite new drama on TV, especially as LOST continues down the tubes this season.

New Stuff, New Moon

It's a great time for entertainment.

What's On TV?
I've been really enjoying the new season(s) of The Office, Mythbusters, The Good Wife, V and Survivor. I don't know if I could ever give up my DVR, it's truly fantastic. I especially love being able to condense Wild/Vikings games down by fast forwarding comercials and intermissions. Good times.

What's In The Xbox?
Lot's of stuff. Most recently, Left 4 Dead 2. Really looking forward to finishing Batman before I forget how to play, and the games wishlist just keeps getting longer and longer: Borderlands, Assasin's Creed 2, Dragon Age, Brutal Legend.

What about Movies?
Watched I Love You, Man the other day. Funny, a little predictable. Completely stoked to see New Moon tomorrow night after work, then it's time to pick up a copy of Eclipse and get reading.

What about, um... Me?
I'm doing okay. I'm moving forward on my mortgage counseling with Wells Fargo, baby steps. My job is wearing me down and stressing me out on a daily basis. 25 more working days and counting until I'm eligible to transfer to another position.
Anyway, I just lost interest in my own blog post; I can only imagine what you must be thinking.

Listening: David Gray "Draw The Line", Paramore "Brand New Eyes"

What Am I ...

Doing?

I'm finally getting around to posting a blog entry, for starters. Rather than even attempt to fill in the blanks, I'll simply state that I'm feeling inspired and I felt like bringing the blog back from the dead.


Planning?
Transferring out of the field and into a office job at Comcast. As I write, I have exactly 34 working days left before I can make that happen.


Thinking?
I'm a little sad that Halloween has come and gone, however, this holiday season looks like it could be something very special.
The Wild might finally be on a roll. - two wins in-a-row now. What's next? 


Wishing?
I find a solution to my townhome; whether that be moving, swapping or whatever. It's a dismal situation throwing so much money away each month paying the mortgage. 


Watching?
Definitely not a lot of movies. However, will be going to see New Moon in a couple weeks. Otherwise, I'm semi-interested in a few new shows (V, Flash Forward, The Good Wife). The Office and Mythbusters are still getting the most plays, as usual.


Hearing?
Absolutely love the new Paramore. Also really digging new David Gray. Currently absorbing Bat For Lashes and new discs by Collide, Flyleaf and Breaking Benjamin. It's a great time for new music.


Playing?
Just finished Assassin's Creed. I was pleasantly surprised by how fun it was. My next few weeks (months) will be devoted to many multiplayer hours of Left 4 Dead 2.