Back to Work

Well the Memorial Day weekend went well. The flight on Northworst up to Minneapolis went great, probably because we didn't check any luggage. I just wanted to write a quick post to show how the competition flows at the in-laws house and how it can fog the brain when it gets too intense when it comes to board games.

We were playing Scattergories, last round and Derek up by 2, and the letter "T" was rolled...the category was "Animals" which led to this exchange between my wife and me (and family):

Her: "Tiger"
Family: "Oh, good one. Derek?"
Me: "Toad"
Her (.5 seconds after my answer): "Toad is not an animal! It's a reptile!"
Family: Staring at her thinking she'll have one of those Joey Tribiani moments where he runs 5 seconds behind everyone else who already figured out Ross was the father of Rachel's baby.
Her: "What? It's not! You can't have points for that! It's a reptile or amphibian or something but it's not an animal!"
Family: "One point for Derek. Moving on..."

Podcast Review: Hi My Name Is Mark

I listen to my iPod pretty much everyday at work but no matter how much music you have on it (some of it shown in the sidebar on the right), sometimes you just struggle to find something to listen to. I've been having that issue lately, except for yesterday when I was on a Pearl Jam kick and listened to Ten and Vs twice each which began the debate in my mind about which was the better album. I know the safe answer is Ten, but I don't think I agree with that. I'll save that for another post...

So with the lack of interest in the music I have on my iPod, I started getting into Podcasts more. Not a new technology, but for those of you who don't know, podcasts are basically recorded radio , television or home-grown shows that you can download for play on the iPod (or a computer). I was searching through iTunes for some new ones and found a podcast created by Mark Hoppus (of Blink 182 fame) which he calls "Hi My Name is Mark." I downloaded three of the episodes and have listened to all three today. For anyone into podcasts, it is very entertaining. He does a great job of "hosting" the show. I've heard some pretty lame podcasts since anyone with the software and a voice can make one, but these are pretty cool. Each podcast is 20-30 minutes long and the coolest part is that he plays 2-3 songs an episode from bands you probably haven't heard of. Podcast #14, which I'm listening to now, has played a songs by bands called "Eight Fingers Down" and "Hidden in Plain View" which are pretty good. It's a great place to get exposed to some new music.

Other show content revolves around Mark calling up friends and family to provide some stories or jokes to share. Other times he gets back to presenting new bands to the listener by calling them up for some brief "interviews" which are basically calls to say "hello" and "wake up" since he records the podcasts around 8:00 in the morning. Some of the best calls are to his wife and to his mother. Nothing inappropriate, just goofy which if you're a fan of Blink 182 like I am, you'll like a lot. Check it out and enjoy!

It's Only Thursday?

I need this week to end. For some reason, this is the "Groundhog Day" of weeks for me. Wow, I can't believe that movie was made 13 years ago. I certainly need a refresher on that movie. Anyway, it feels like it just keeps repeating itself and each day only gets slightly incrementally better. Work is work, but the disagreements/arguments I've had to diffuse seems to be at an abnormally high number. I did have a promising "conversation" with another local company scheduled yesterday but I had to reschedule for next week. I'm pretty excited about it. Here's a hint...if it all works out, then the title of my blog is where I would be!

This weekend we're heading back to Viking country to visit Kirsten's family. Normally I would complain but instead of the long-ass-6-hour drive, we're catching a jetplane bright and early Saturday morning. It works well for both of us. Kirsten gets to spend more time visiting and I don't have to go crazy in a car for 12 hours while wondering over and over again whether I would really get hurt jumping out of the car moving 70 miles per hour. Of course, the downside is we're flying Northworst which will probably be delayed and land us somewhere in Nebraska. Oh, and if anyone is getting any bright ideas about robbing our place, beware of the neighbor dog Rocky, who will be keeping an eye on the place. And I literally mean "an" eye since they seem to look out in opposite directions of her face.

Coffeehouse Update

OK, after some confusion I went back to Anodyne and verified that it is indeed named that, not Brewed Awakenings anymore. The location's the same: 1208 East Brady Street so check it out!

And while we're on the subject, I should throw a plug out there for Rochambo, another pretty cool coffee & tea house located on Brady Street (half a block East of Anodyne @ 1317 East Brady Street). It also has a very cool atmosphere but has a slightly larger menu (I counted 60+ teas). I'm big into teas now after giving up coffee for the most part in the effort to drop some poundage. I also found that more often than not, it would tear apart my stomach. I haven't dropped it completely, I enjoy it once or twice a week at work, but usually it's some green tea (Tazo). Yumm.

New Header Image, Coffee, Tea

Some of you have commented and/or emailed me about my new blog header image. Thanks for the kind words. I'm very excited about it also. I originally (for about 15 minutes) had 4 different header images that would alternate randomly each time someone visited the site.

I quickly decided though to change that and stick with this one image for two reasons. 1) I liked it the best out of the four and B) It's the only picture out of the four that I acutally took. For those who don't know, the pic is from last year and it is of the sculpture that is at the East end of Brady Street, which has been at the center of my neighborhood for the past 3 places I've lived.

Speaking of Brady Street, Kirsten and I went for a quick walk last night in between thunderstorms and stopped in at Anodyne Coffee Roasters.





It was my first time there and Anodyne is a great little spot. I can't believe it's taken me so many years of living in the neighborhood to finally go there. We both had one of their teas ($2 each) and were both great. Highly recommend you trying it out.

Brew Crew

Well you have to give the Brewers credit, they sure make the games interesting. They pulled it off last night in the bottom of the ninth (after almost giving the game away in the top of the ninth) winning 8-7 making it three straight games of "walk off" wins and pushing their record to two games over .500 at 21-19.

As my wife would I'm sure back up, I was livid during the top of the ninth when they went into the inning with a 7-4 lead and Derrick Turnbow coming in to shut the door. He gave up a quick run and Ned Yost pulled him causing me to let out a "Nooooooooo" unlike any other. They bring in a "left handed specialist" who then goes on to allow the game to be tied. Killing me.

Apparently the Crew just wanted to have another heroic win as Geoff Jenkins (pictured left) singled in the winning run with 2 outs. I would be much more comfortable with a standard 3-run win with Turnbow getting the save though anyday. Todaythey go for the sweep of the Phillies who was the hottest team in baseball winning 13 of 14 before coming to Miller Park.

Drying Out

Whew. The last five days have been a whirlwind of fun, drinking, friends, drinking, family and more drinking. While I could probably break it down into multiple posts, I think I'll just do a quick recap:

Wednesday: My friend Ryan's 32nd birthday. A group headed over to Koz's Mini Bowl. It was my first time there (another one for the list!) and we had a blast. Pitchers of Pabst flowed like the Milwaukee River, with less chunks of course. The guest of honor even bowled a 300 game and was able to write his name up on the wall.

Thursday: My sister Gina's wedding rehearsal. The rehearsal aspect went fine except for some of the interesting comments from the priest...most notably the one about his long sex (with a woman luckily) dry spell. Creepy, but falls in line with his personality. Certainly made for an interesting and exciting night. The reheasal dinner itself was good and the vodka tonics were the drinks of choice for me.

Friday: Gina's wedding. Wonderful ceremony and happiness all around. Surprisingly, my Dad kept it under control for the most part. Going in I would say there was a 50/50 chance of him breaking down to full-blown blubbering like I do every time I watch Love Actually.. don't ask. The reception was great too and my little sister Jessica gave a heartfelt speech, after downing a bottle of champage. (I know, Jess, it was the nerves). The rest of the night was pretty standard for our family weddings. Certain relatives drinking way too much, others acting too good to talk to people but the majority of the people just having a great time.

Saturday: My friend Ken got married here in Milwaukee. The reception was at the PAC. It was very well done and a lot of fun. Kirsten and I spent much of the time with my friend and frequent lurker on this site, Amy, who was in town from Dallas.

Sunday: We kept holy the Sabbath by not doing much of anything. That too was great because man was I tired. I hope everyone had a good weekend also.

Diamonds In The Rough

I was blog-hopping around (has that term already been created or can I take credit for it?) and found out that our friendly local company Briggs & Stratton is sponsoring something called "Diamonds In The Rough" where Little League ballplayers around the country submit essays on why their local baseball diamond needs some upkeep and the winning essay gets to have $20,000 donated to have their baseball field renovated. We, the public, get to vote as to who has the best.

There is one essay from a 10-year old in Brown Deer named Nicole that won her region so I think we need to "Rock the Vote" (okay, I know I didn't create that one) and make sure Briggs & Stratton keeps their charity money in the area. All you need is an email address to vote so get out there and perform your good deed for the day!

Is It Time?

I'm not no genius or nothing but it can't be a good sign when you're on Monster.com by 9:00 AM while you're at work.

Hmm..a position similar to mine is posted in Austin, TX. Time to move perhaps? One half of me says I'm just not sure I could make that "jump" and move so far away. The other half screams at me for not moving and experiencing other places while I (we) still have the opportunity to. Time will tell I guess as to which side of me screams the loudest.

Soda Pop

NEW YORK (AP) — Tens of millions of students will no longer be able to buy non-diet sodas in the nation's public schools under an agreement announced Wednesday between major beverage distributors and anti-obesity advocates. (Read More)

React: Wow, I must say I'm pretty impressed with this program. Reading further on in the article, it says that this will affect 35 million students. 35 million! That's a lot of tasty soda revenue the companies are leaving on the table just for the sake of the children and their fatness. Granted, diet soda will still be available, but that can't nearly be as big of a money maker as regular soda. Take Mt. Dew for instance. Love it. Have you ever tried Diet Mt. Dew? It tastes like monkey pee, rumor has it. Now usually my stance is "everyone knows it's bad for you so if people want to drink it, go ahead" as is the case with the Super Size Me movie. Why blame McDonald's for the fat asses that eat there 5 times a week?? Everyone knows it's not good for you! Anyway, I feel a little differently about this one because, well, kids are dumb. Myself included. If I had the cash to buy a 20 oz Mt. Dew everyday when I was in middle school, I probably would have done it.

What impressed me the most about this initiative is not the move itself, but the fact that it's actually going to be implemented. When's the last time something that affects so many people was implemented for the good of the American people? It seems like whenever anything is presented that affects more than 10 people it ultimately gets caught up in politics and then eventually just dies out.

Quick Hit: Updated

[Note: This post has been "redone." It initially had a tone of anger toward the children taking part in the march. (Thanks, ab)]

Ok, one quick note about all these immagration marches and protests going on. According to the Journal Sentinel:

Under cloudy skies, thousands of Milwaukee Latinos and their supporters took to the streets this morning - many of them carrying U.S. flags and signs that said "Justice for All Immigrants" - to push for immigration reform.

I have no problem with people coming to this country. However, if you want to come here and take advantage of everything it has to offer then fine..do it legally! Register, become a citizen and pay taxes.

The best quote I've heard yet, and it kills me I can't recall who said it, was "those who think that no human can be considered an illegal alien seem to have forgotten that this is a country, not a public park." Exactly.