Netflix

So, like millions of other people, Kirsten and I signed up for Netflix. It's a pretty sweet little deal. We're starting off with the wimpy plan of 1 DVD at a time for $9.99 a month. I don't think we could really keep up with the pace of the 3 at a time deal. Seems like those are reserved for people with no lives. Okay, the truth is Kirsten wouldn't let us sign up for that deal for what I think are two reasons: 1) It's more money and 2) the possibility of me having three porn-type movies in the house at one time.

Believe it or not, we're watching a movie as I type this. Obviously, it's a movie from the queue that SHE wanted, not me. We're watching "Pride & Predjudice" and I can barely keep myself from jumping up, running out the patio door, throwing myself over the railing and enjoying the 35-foot fall to the river below. I did, however, just check and "Wedding Crashers" is next up on the list so that's of some comfort...

Vacation Booked!

Very exciting news. Kirsten and I will be taking our first vacation since the honeymoon last November. Today I purchased a couple tickets to the Bonnaroo Music and Arts festival in Tennessee. I know what you're thinking: "Derek, don't you despise country music?" Well, it's not so much that I despise it but rather I don't accept it as a form of music. But that's neither here nor there.

Bonnaroo is not a country music festival, it just happens to be in country music territory. Here's the run down from the website:

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is a three-day, multi-stage camping festival held on a beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee every June. Bonnaroo brings together some of the best performers in rock and roll, along with dozens of artists in complementary styles such as jazz, Americana, hip-hop, electronica, and just about any contemporary music you can think of. In addition to dozens of epic performances, the festival's 100-acre entertainment village buzzes around the clock with attractions and activities including a classic arcade, on-site cinema, silent disco, comedy club, theater performers, a beer festival, and a music technology village. For its peaceful vibe, near-flawless logistics, and unrivaled entertainment options, Rolling Stone magazine named this revolutionary entertainment experience one of the 50 moments that changed the history of rock and roll.

The artist list is quite impressive with the likes of Tom Petty, Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Blues Traveler, Buddy Guy, Ben Folds, Sonic Youth and much more. The "headlining" act is Radiohead which is very exciting for me since I'm a big fan....for those of you who noticed, the sub-title of my blog is from a Radiohead song. The festival takes place from June 16-18 so the plan is drive down to Nashville on Thursday, June 15 and go out/stay there and then go to Manchester (60 miles away) Friday morning and camp at the festival for the weekend like the 70,000 other people that will be there. Should be a great weekend! More details to come...

It's Official

Now I know Spring technically started a couple weeks ago, but in my mind it began today. Today I had my first lunch outside. It was cloudy unfortunately, but no jacket required. Spring is here!

As a side note...going to Wolski's tonight if anyone's interested.

The Best Job In America?

So MONEY magazine and Salary.com released their "Best Jobs in America" study and I was surprised to see that I have the #1 job in America! Woohoo! What does that get me???....nothing but I currently have I guess.

Why is it #1?

Why it's great: Software engineers are needed in virtually every part of the economy, making this one of the fastest-growing job titles in the U.S. Even so, it's not for everybody.

Designing, developing and testing computer programs requires some pretty advanced math skills and creative problem-solving ability. If you've got them, though, you can work and live where you want: Telecommuting is quickly becoming widespread.

Tell that to some of the Business people I work with. They think we're a nuisance! Personally, I still think being a Professional golfer is #1.

Cold Beer and Hot Rock 'n Roll

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend so far. I'm just relaxing around the house on this sunny Saturday. I'm also recovering from a slight hangover today. Last night was a good time beginning with dinner and beers at Kegel's Inn in West Allis. Kegel's Inn is a great little German place that has a very "homey" feel to it. Tasty German beers on tap and a pretty solid menu. Since it was Friday and I'm a good boy, I had the perch fish fry. It was really good and came with red-skinned mashed potatoes and slaw. Delicious.

Next we stopped in at another West Allis establishment, Cosmo's, which was an interesting treat. Well, the beer was cold. The clientelle were, uh, interesting. There was a group of ladies there celebrating a birthday. And I'm using the term "ladies" very loosely. That's all I'll say about that. Oh, and Cosmo's was another addition to the list.

Finally, the main event. Across the street from Cosmo's, is Yesteryears, which last night hosted the great rock n roll band Stray Voltage, a local fan favorite. As per usual, they were excellent and everyone had a good time. Check out their website for more info on the band and when & where they will be playing next! Have a great rest of the weekend. It's nap time for me...

Quick Hits

1. Brewers start 2-0 for the fifth consecutive year I believe. "The Future" did well except for Prince Fielder again after he posted another 3 strikouts tonight after four yesterday. He's young, hopefully he'll get on track.
2. Roger Clemens of the Houston Astros is still conteplating retirement. Usually not a big deal for Hall of Famers to have a tough time deciding when to hang it up but the regular season has ALREADY STARTED!!! He's making Brett Favre look like a team player. (Enough #4, even your die-hard fans like me have had enough of your selfish BS)
3. Department of Homeland Security official caught in a kiddie porn sting. What is wrong with these people? Not that any of that is condoned, but anyone that goes that route on their work PC is just dumb. Idiots.
4. The New Orleans Saints, fresh off signing Drew Brees as their new Quarterback, are reportedly interested in DE Mario Williams as their first round pick (#2 overall) in the upcoming NFL Draft. This is not good. That is who I am really hoping the Pack draft. Doh.
   

Slacking

Sorry for the slacking lately. I've been both extremely busy with work which directly corresponds to the lack of exciting things happening in my life...hence no blog posts for a while.

This weekend we went to Chicago. Kirsten and a couple friends ran in the Shamrock Shuffle, an 8K race. I provided support from the sidelines. Even though I'm up to a new personal best of 2 miles at the gym, I'm just not ready to humiliate myself in a race. Although runners are a weird group. I saw some pretty interesting "costumes" for lack of a better word, so I probably wouldn't have looked that dumb. The race was pretty neat taking place in downtown Chicago. It was a little chilly though but luckily the rain held off until after the race.

After that, we stopped at a one year old's birthday party. Kirsten's friend Jackie's little one Kiley turned one. The party was quite the affair. Something like 80 people were invited and it was held at a firehouse in the town they live in. The party was fully equipped with food, a magician (who was actually pretty good) and a keg of beer. Everything one needs to celebrate a one year old's life so far.

Happy Monday everyone...it's raining here which makes me feel a little bit better about missing Brewers Opening Day but I'll be sending some positive vibes their way...Go Brew Crew!