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Home Sweet Home

2007-03-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while, but after reading this I couldn't stay quiet. This is great!

KFed Strikes Again

2007-02-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

This is a little treat for all the Kevin Federline fans out there (I'm of course directing this to Ben)...

6!

2007-01-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

That's right - six. This is now weekend number 6 that it has snowed IN A ROW! The scary thing is that the snowiest months of the year (March & April) are yet to come. It's sort of like KS though. No sooner does it snow then two later it is 50 degrees. At least some of the huge mounds have started to melt. In some areas you could even see some grass! Hopefully we don't get much today and it can warm back up.

In other news, tonight will be the last one for a while that I have to work. I've been helping out with a project that requires 24x7 support. As bad as the hours stink, it has been good experience at least. These 70 and 80 hour weeks are no treat, though.

Crazy Week

2007-01-25T03:29:00.000-07:00

I've been working some weird hours (1:30pm - 2:30am) this week helping do some work on a project I've been working on. I'm not sure how some people make a life out of working at this hour. I'm going to bed...

I'm in the wrong business

2007-01-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I need to go into real estate. If I ever again complain about making a mortgage payment or about how much homes cost, please slap me and refer me back to this article. This "apartment" in London - if you could call a room about the size of a prison cell an apartment - is selling for over $300K!! Unbelievable!!

Article is here.

Industry Hub

2007-01-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

This article will likely bore most of you to tears, but I found it pretty interesting. It's basically a discussion about how Colorado has come to be recognized as a U.S. hub in the defense industry. Article is here.

Rock Chalk

2007-01-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

Did you see the KU games tonight? The #10 ranked Pokes came into Lawrence and left with their tails between their legs. The Hawks looked unstoppable - I mean 17 steals, 9 blocks..you don't lose many games when you play defense like that. However, that's really the problem isn't it? Inconsistency! Hopefully this is a sign of things to come as Big 12 play gets going. Rock Chalk Jayhawk, Go KU!!

What a weekend!

2007-01-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

Well, it was yet another very busy weekend and Jess & Josh came out for a visit. They got in Wednesday afternoon to 50 deg weather and sunny skies. By Friday morning, it was around 0 and snowing again! We just can't get away from the snow.

Josh really wanted to go to Casa Bonita while they were in town. It is a mexican restaurant up in Denver that has bad food but a fun atmosphere - especially with the cliff divers! We took off to make our way down there but it was slow going because of the roads. It wasn't long until we saw an accident right in front of us on I-25 that we had to slow down for. Little did we know that doing so would cause us to get hit! Laura's poor car is going to need a new bumper and a little TLC, but everyone is just fine. It was a fender bender at best. The problem is that we didn't make it to the restaurant until about 8:25. NORMALLY that is not a problem. Go figure, however, that we show up on the one night of the year that they close at 8:30. So, greasy mexican food will have to wait until next time.

Saturday brought a much anticipated first day of skiing. We trekked up to Copper Mountain (very slowly) for the day and it was great. We're still not very good, but have definitely improved from our trip last year - or, at the very least, haven't gotten any worse! It was fun while it lasted, but the weather took a turn for the worst and got windy and very cold VERY fast. We had to bail out a little earlier than expected, but that turned out to be a good thing. Due to a wreck on I-70 that we were about 10 miles behind, it took us over four hours to get home - it's only 70 miles away! Had we stayed until the lifts closed, I'm sure you could add at least an hour!

Oh, if you're wondering, no, we did not get caught in the avalanche. That was on Berthoud Pass on the way to Winter Park. It was a monster - 100 feet wide and 15 feet deep. That would be pretty scary!

Well, the weekend is winding down and we saw Jess & Josh off this morning. There is a chance for heavy snow again this week so hopefully that doesn't come true. The drifts we have are already going to be here for months.

Video of Laura

2007-01-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

We uncovered this video of Laura when she was only a toddler...some things never change :) Listen very closely! I'm definitely in for it now.

This is funny!

2007-01-02T18:53:00.001-07:00

The Good Shepherd

2006-12-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

We went to see The Good Shepherd tonight. It's a movie starring Matt Damon & Angelina Jolie (sort of) and is about the early days of the CIA. It's certainly not for everybody. In the reviews I've seen, people either loved it or hated it. In fact, the woman sitting beside me left after about 30 minutes and didn't come back for two hours until the last 10 minutes. It's very long (nearly 3 hours) and you must pay attention to catch the subtle twist & details. However, Laura and I were both part of the crowd that really enjoyed it. This movie is not your typical spy movie thriller. But, if you go into it with the right state of mind, I think you'll find it really enjoyable. I certainly recommend it - just not to everybody!

2006: Year in Review

2006-12-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a year, so I thought I'd reflect a little bit on what has happened...

First, and most importantly, I got married. Although getting there was an experience in itself, there is nothing better than being married to your best friend. Sure, there are ups and downs, but I think that is just part of the ride. I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

We bought our first house in 2006. After planning a wedding, I didn't think anything could possibly be more work. Boy was I wrong! It has been a lot of fun making this place our own, but I've definitely learned my lesson the hard way on several projects - mistakes I won't soon make again.

I hiked my first 14er in 2006. There are 50-some 14,000+ foot mountains in Colorado and my goal is to conquer as many of them on foot as possible. Ben and I whipped one of the easier ones over the summer and it's hopefully just the first of many more to come.

I encountered my first transvestite (bet you weren't expecting that one!). Read here for a recap :).

2006 brought us plenty of lousy movies, from Da Vinci Code early in the year to Nacho Libre & Talladega Nights at the end. I really enjoyed going to the movies until the last several months when I've realized that there are only a precious few that deserve to be seen on the big screen.

I started back to school in 2006. I've only taken one class so far (start another one in January), but so far I've learned a lot and don't regret going back. I need to be challenged!

Had a good year with sports. We started playing in a couple softball leagues and somehow ended up winning the league in Parker - still not sure how we pulled that off. We also won another flag football championship - I'm not sure if I'll stick with that "team" or not though. Finally, reffing went well - got to do a few varsity games, only got chased by a couple fans, and survived reffing a game after dark in Aurora :).

Finally and most recently, I survived my first blizzard. Sure, it snows quite a bit in Kansas, but I've never sat and watched 3 feet fall in a day. It's hard to complain too much, however. All that snow has meant very little work for me!

Here's to 2007...

Long Weekend

2006-12-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

As expected, the snow started again today and they have already closed the base on Friday. It's hard to complain when I've only worked about 12 hours in the last two weeks (and it's only cost me about 7 hours of vacation time!), but why couldn't stuff like this happen when I've got a million things to do around the house?!

Enough Already

2006-12-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

As if it wasn't enough that we got nearly 3 feet of snow last week, they are now calling for as much as another 16" by this time yesterday. It started off as just another dusting but now they think it'll be somewhere around 10" (and as high as 16"). That isn't too big of a deal, but considering that a lot of the side streets haven't even been touched yet, another foot could really dork things up. The base was posturing itself to be closed tomorrow so I'm guessing that if we get any sort of accumulation at all that I'll get another snow day. I wouldn't complain!

2+ Feet and Counting

2006-12-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

As of this morning we had received 25" of snow and it continued on through the day. If I had to guess, I'd say we got somewhere around 2.5 feet. It's stopped for now at least and hopefully we'll get to make it home for Xmas (if they open I-70). We took some pictures if you want to see what we're up against.

Pictures are here.

Brrrr

2006-12-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

On Monday, the forecast was for 3-6" of snow by mid-week. On Tuesday, that jumped to 6-10" of snow. This morning I wake up to find that the latest forecast is for anywhere from 20-30" (I heard as much as 36" to the NE of here)! Needless to say, I am basking in the glory of a snow day. I should start a pool and take bets on how much they think we'll have by tomorrow...

UPDATE: It started snowing this morning (there was previously nothing) and it's already up to the top of the porch in the back yard. If you look close then you can see the snow is even with the porch. Snow drifts are probably between 2 and 3 feet right now. How fun!

Before & After

2006-12-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

As promised, I finally got around to taking some "after" pictures of the house. We've done a LOT of work around here (everything from painting to tiling to changing door knobs - you name it, we've tried it) and wanted to let those who couldn't be here have the chance to see for themselves. Hopefully the link below works. If not, let me know and I'll email it out. Enjoy!

Pictures of the house are here.

What a Week!

2006-12-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

As you may have seen in Laura's blog, it was another whirlwind week at LM. I was given approval to start working on a new project on Monday. Originally when we started trying to get the funding to do it, we were told that it needed to be complete by mid-January. However, with the approval came news that they needed it "expedited" a little bit...it turns out that a "little bit" meant by the weekend. So, I worked basically around the clock trying to get it finished. I did get it finished, but the kicker is that on Friday afternoon, I got a call (after I was already finished, mind you) saying that they no longer needed it. WHAT!? I was less than pleased. As if that weren't enough, a totally separate problem popped up and I ended up putting in several more hours over the weekend. I don't know what my total was - somewhere in the mid-80's - but it was exhausting. I don't know how some people do that every week...I struggled to do it just this once.

On a separate note, we finally received our NOVA awards from Lockheed this week (the one we won over the summer for all the work we did last November). Anyways, thought you might be interested to see the excerpt from the write-up that was submitted:

"For responding to a premature hardware failure in a vital national asset by precisely analyzing the problem and developing and installing a software solution that transformed the platform from 'end of life' to '100 percent Mission Success'."

Chaos

2006-12-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

It's been one of those weeks. I was given permission (i.e. they have money in the budget) to work on a long term project on Monday that I planned on finishing up sometime in January or February. In fact, I was told before we started that we were going to do some testing on it in mid-January, so I needed to have a fair chunk chewed off by that time. Little did I know that ten minutes after getting approval to start working on it that they'd also fill me in that they'd moved the mid-Jan test up to this weekend! So, rather than having six weeks, I had six days. Needless to say, I'm been working my tail off this week. The good news is that I think I'll get it done and it'll be a little Xmas bonus in the paycheck. The bad news is that I have been miserable all week and didn't get to enjoy my birthday at all. We are heading out to a steakhouse downtown on Saturday to celebrate, so hopefully I'll be able to put this crappy week behind me and enjoy it. That's my sob story I guess!

In other news, we only have one room left to paint! Once we're done with our bedroom (this weekend if it's up to me), there will be no more painting around here for a long, long, looooong time. But, it's finally becoming our home and we're both really happy with it. I wish we could afford to do everything with it that we wanted to.

Blah

2006-11-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

Just sitting here trying to avoid writing a paper that is due for class...I'm really not cut out for this school thing anymore! Anyhow, things are going well. We got some snow again this week and it actually stuck around more than a day! We've only got about an inch on the ground, but it's better than looking at the brown, dead grass. It did, however, inspire Laura to put on her decorating shoes and get out the Christmas stuff. Normally, I'd prefer to wait until at least December to get everything out. Boy was I mistaken! I'm pretty sure that she would have had me on top of the house with lights and a staple gun as soon as we were done with Thanksgiving dinner if it was up to her! Oh well, I can't complain too much. It'll be our first Christmas as a married couple in our first house - isn't that a milestone of some sort? Speaking of the house, we're nearly done with the improvements for now. I'm hoping to get some painting done this weekend (assuming I finish that stupid paper!) and then we'll be done! Once that is out of the way, I'm thinking about taking some "after" pictures to go with the "before" ones that we took before moving in (good idea, mom!!). I actually just got done looking at the before pics myself and it's quite a bit different. It's all been worth it though - gotta make your house a home, right?

(PS - I think that I just wrote a bunch of jumbled garbage, but I don't feel like reading it again to find out. Please note that I'm really hopped up on coffee right now and don't have much control over my caffeinated fingers!!)

Back to the Grind

2006-11-27T21:22:00.001-07:00

Starting a new week after a long weekend is brutal...

Thanksgiving

2006-11-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

We made it back safely from another successful trip to God's Country (that's Kansas to you!). All in all, it was a pretty good trip. Got to eat a lot of turket, visit with lots of family and friends, watch the Chiefs punish the Donkeys, and see the Hawks trip up the alligators - how can I complain about that!? Anyways, nothing much else to report.

The last month

2006-11-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize that I have been awfully quiet the last six weeks or so, but we've been really busy. So, I thought I'd offer a brief recap, in no particular order...

- School is going well. It's been a lot of extra work, but I'm really learning a lot and I think it will definitely be worth it when it's done.

- Flag football ended well...we were once again league (and tournament) champions.

- Softball ended well...we are the Parker coed league champs! Go BSLC!

- The house is a never-ending battle. Since the last post, we've made a LOT of changes, everything from tiling bathrooms to painting to landscaping. I don't think we'll ever be done, but it's been fun so far.

- Work is work. We had a guy leave our team (group of four), so the workload has picked up a bit. However, it's still not like this time last year when I was putting in 80 hours/week. Hopefully this trend continues!

- Reffing football was better than expected. The season finished Thursday and I think I ended up with close to 30 games this year, three of which were varsity.

- Thank goodness tomorrow is election day so the stupid political commecials will end!!!

- Heading back to KS in a few weeks for the holidays - very excited!

- I've had two new cousins born in the last few weeks - can't wait to meet them!

6 Great Months

2006-11-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a LONG time, but I couldn't think of a better post to break my silence with. Today is Laura and I's 6 month anniversary. It's hard to believe that we've been married for almost half a year already, but it's been a blessing and a treat. Being married to my best friend is better than anything in the world. Let's hope the first [fill in the blank] years are as wonderful as the last six months have been!

Varsity

2006-09-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

Sooner than expected, I'll be working my first varsity football game tomorrow night. It's a tiny little school up in Arvada but I don't care. I have been so lucky to have been placed on a new crew this year with one of the Denver area directors and he has been working hard to make sure I'm given the opportunities that I think I deserve. The "rule" is that you can't work a varsity game until your third year (this is my second; most still don't get them until their fourth year), so I'm pretty lucky to land this one. Cross your fingers that I don't screw up!

Successful Weekend

2006-09-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Another successful trip home wrapped up today with our favorite part - driving. Ok, so maybe that is worse than anything immaginable, but it was nice to head home for the weekend. We got to see SO many friends and family, so it was definitely a success. However, the cruel world was waiting for us at home when we got back. We're now back into school/homeowner/"responsible" adult mode all over again. I wish the weekends could last forever so that we didn't have to go back to being grown-ups.

Anyhow, nothing real exciting planned for the week. I've got a couple football games to referee (including two with my boss' son - that might end my career early), another class to go to (the first one went well by the way), and lots of work to take care of at work. Plus, I think we have another softball game to throw in the mix on Wednesday night. I have to admit, short weeks are wonderful. However, I'd take a short week of M-R over T-F ANY DAY!

Still Alive

2006-08-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Regardless of how often I have posted lately, we are still alive out here. We officially have everything unpacked and have even started making improvements to the house - inside and out. The biggest task still in front of us to hang things. As "un-daunting" as that may seem, it has somehow escaped us for the last three weeks. After that, it'll be little things here and there and we may still throw in the occasional big task. Until then, we're ready for visitors, so come on out!

We also helped Ben and Beth move in to their new house today. Luckily, the moving should be done for a while...

Softball is going pretty well. Our coed team is 2-1 (we lost last week, but I wasn't there so blame Laura!). I think we're pretty good and it's not that everyone else is just that bad. Lots more games to go, however.

Football season is upon us and I've started into year 2 of my officiating career. I'm part of a new crew this year and I'm now actually with someone who is secure enough to train me. It's SO nice working with people who are willing to help and they do it in such a way that it makes me want to learn more. I have no qualms about doing a varsity game, but chances are that they'll still make me wait until at least my third year until that comes about. The DFOA (Denver Football Official's Association) has an unofficial rule (in other words, they adhere to it but there is nothing forcing them to) that officials will not work a varsity game until at least their third year. In may cases I think that is a good thing because a LOT of new officials are REALLY bad. However, I think I'm a little ahead of the curve, but maybe I'm just optimistic/ambitious.

I've started back up with my flag football team again. Our first game was last week but I had to miss it f0r a flag football tourney. We are playing in the competitive league this year so I'm hoping there will be some decent teams and it'll be a good challenge. Just because it's called "flag football", don't underestimate it. It's essentially football without pads or tackling. I literally hit the guys across from me almost as hard as I would with pads on. So, in most cases, that makes it pretty fun. Next game is tomorrow and hopefully we win this league again (as we did last year!).

Not much else to report. Will probably go spend more money on the house tonight and dread that first payment that is coming up next week. Until then, hope everyone reading this is well and I'll do my best to keep things updated more often.

OH, almost forgot...I'm going back to school! I found a distance learning program for "working professionals" at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Basically, they hold all the classes on campus and them stream them over the internet so I can do everything from here. When all is said and done, I'll have my Masters in Engineering Management - it was hard to pass up, especially since LM is paying for it! First class is Wednesday, so hopefully it goes well.

1 for 1

2006-08-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

We had our first coed softball game tonight and started the season off with a bang, winning 18-8. The news that is even better is that we only had three outfielders (normally play with 4 in slow pitch) and still won by a substantial margin. So, maybe we'll be alright after all! Oh, and she'll never admit it, but Laura hit the only home run of the game! Gooooo wee one!

Hard work pays off!

2006-07-24T18:20:00.001-07:00

This is pretty exciting - I found out today that I, along with the rest of my team at work, will be honored with the Lockheed Martin NOVA Award. It's hard to describe the significance of this without too many details, so I'll just quote the LM website:

"...NOVA Awards, the Corporation's highest recognition for individual or team achievements. Less than one half of one percent of the Corporation's worldwide 130,000 employees receive the honor each year."

We received this award for the ridiculous amount of difficult and groundbreaking work we did back in November of 2005. I know that Laura hasn't forgotten, but in case you have, that was when I was working 80+ hours per week for almost two months straight trying to pull things together. Looks like it paid off! Sorry to sound like I'm bragging, but I'm really excited!

This is sort of "enjoyable"...see if you can tell how miserable I was when I posted this last October after working two weeks without a day off and putting in some major overtime! It was worth it in the long run, but I sure hope I don't have to do that again anytime soon!

Hard work pays off!

2006-07-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

T Minus One Week

2006-07-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

We're down to only 6 days until we close on the house. Everything appears to be coming together nicely - the inspection objection requests were met, the appraisal came in as expected, and all the paperwork appears to be in line. The only thing left to do is show up on Friday and sign our lives away! It's getting very exciting but I had ALMOST forgotten how much I hate packing/moving! The only thing I despise more than either of those things is painting...I guess the joke is on me. Keep your fingers crossed that nothing goes astray from here.

Wedding Bells

2006-07-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

The wedding announcement showed up in the paper this week. Have a look!

My First 14'er

2006-07-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

Aaron & Ben on Gray's Peak

Finally! After much buildup and a lot of practice, we finally transitioned from the foothills to the big boys...the 14'ers. As you may or may not know, the highest mountains in Colorado are around 14,000 feet about sea level. There are 53 14'ers in the state in various mountain ranges, with Gray's Peak coming in at #9 (14,270'). It's regarded as one of the easier peaks in the list of 53, but it's still no slouch. Ben and I made the 3,000', 3.5+ mile ascent in just under 2.5 hours. Although we tore up the initial 1.5 miles, the last half was all we bargained for. Nevertheless, as you can see from the picture, the view was worth every second of the climb.

Pictures coming soon!

Home Owners!

2006-07-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

The search is over! Last weekend, Laura and I finally closed the deal on our first home. We'll be officially closing at the end of the month (July) and then get to spend lots of time making it our own. How exciting! It's not huge but it's in great shape. Although it's as far from the city as you can get and still be considered "Denver", we still get the "luxury" of the small yard - that's the only real drawback. Oh, and let me know what you think the thing in the back yard is...Laura is convinced it's a dog run. I, however, look at the brighter side of things and see the world's best horseshoe pit :)

Pictures are here.

RMNP

2006-06-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

Laura and I, along with the McMahans, took another trip up to Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park recently. Since it's now summer, Trail Ridge Road is finally opened back up. If you're not familiar with it, Trail Ridge is the highest paved road in the United States, peaking out at about 12,300 ft. As you can see from the picture, the views were amazing!

Oh, and Laura would want me to apologize for the comb-over. I didn't do that on purpose. Turns out it tends to get breezy up about the tree line.

AOL Hell

2006-06-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

I heard on the radio this morning that something like 800,000 people have cancelled their AOL service in the last month (that's what they said on the radio...hard to believe that however). Because of that, the folks at AOL have apparently told their customer service reps to do whatever it takes in order to avoid letting people cancel. Knowing that, some guy decided to record his conversation with one of these customer "service" folks and then posted it all over the internet. It seems to me that their ploy is to keep you on the line for long enough that you get sick of them, hang out, and don't call back for a couple months. Regardless, this is pretty ridiculous. Check out this audio to see what I'm talking about. Oh, and if you're curious, AOL apparently turned their rep into a sacrificial lamb and laid him off as soon as this audio hit the streets. Gotta love loyalty!

If all that wasn't bad enough, here are more war stories that people have posted about their dealings with AOL.

A Brutal Game

2006-06-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

Check out this video...a family friend of ours was watching his son play in a basketball game in central Kansas (even though it says Ohio) when the boy was attacked on the court. What started as a push turned into a unconscience kid with a serious concussion and broken braces! Apparently the family is unhappy with how the authorities are handling the case (they are suing, by the way), so they released the video to FOX in hopes of getting results.

Video is here. Note that this link is to somebody's blog, so the longer you wait to view this, the further down the page it may end up. Either way, it's worth checking out.

Birthday Weekend

2006-06-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

Since Laura's birthday was on Tuesday, we decided to make a weekend of it and went downtown on Friday night to celebrate. We had a GREAT dinner at Rodizio and then headed to Wynkoop for a drink or two. Laura has much more to say about the night on her blog, so feel free to check it out here!

On the Trails Again

2006-06-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

Laura at Roxborough State Park

FINALLY we found some time to get back out in God's country. We have been trying to make time for weeks to go hiking but it kept getting pushed aside. Today, however, we made our way to Roxborough State Park for an afternoon hike. The trail was admittedly really easy, but the scenery was fantastic. It rivaled (and possibly topped) Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs! It's definitely worth the $5 to get in and is easy enough for any age or skill.

Check out the rest of our pictures here (sorry, many of them look the same!).

The Rat Monster

2006-06-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

This video is pretty hilarious! Enjoy!

Ronaldhino

2006-06-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I admittedly stole this from Jason, but it's worth watching. As most people know, I really don't care for soccer (at all). However, when a player of the magnitude of Ronaldhino comes along, it's worth taking notice. Have a look at the video and then tell me this guy isn't amazing...if you can!

Wedding Pictures

2006-06-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

After WAY too much time spent uploading pictures and picking and choosing from well over 600 digital pictures, we've finally narrowed it down to about 480! Take a look and enjoy!

Wedding photos are here!

A quick hint...
If using dial-up, this is gonna take a while. My recommendation is to open the link and click the "play" button on the slideshow and then let it run for a while. This way, you should get a cached version (it basically "saves") and you can click through them MUCH faster.

They sure do suck

2006-05-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Kansas City Royals are, without a doubt, the worst professional organization - not just MLB team...ORGANIZATION - of our era. Don't get me wrong. I grew up as a Royals fan and will hopefully always be one (assuming they stick around KC, which is certainly not guaranteed). However, year in and year out they are in contention to LOSE more than 100 games.

Finally, a change has come. Today the Royals got off their honches and hired a new general manager: Dayton Moore of the Atlanta Braves. Do I think it well help? Nah. But, is it a refreshing sign that they are at least admitting how horrible they are? Anything helps!

Here's to the Royals - the worst sports team in history!

The Da Vinci Code

2006-05-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

Laura and I went to see the Da Vinci Code tonight. Why is it that the movies which I am MOST excited about turn out to be the biggest flops? If you have not read the book then you are missing out - it is excellent (although I liked Angels & Demons better, but that is neither here nor there). If you have not read the book, you may find some enjoyment in the film. Nevertheless, popular books tend to struggle in theaters...when SO many people have read the book, every last discrepancy tends to get scrutinized. Although this particular movie does a fair job at sticking to the novel, the points where it strays are blatantly obvious and disappointing. The movie would have been far better if they would have spent less time trying to add to the existing plot and more time capitalizing on what Dan Brown had already created. All things said, I think a "C" rating is fair.

Back to the Real World

2006-05-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

After a week of wedding chaos and another week of relaxation, tomorrow brings the return of the "Real World". In some regards, it will be nice to settle back into a routine and get back to "normal". However, I could get used to spending all my time hanging out with my wife without a worry in the world. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!

Officially Off the Market, Ladies!

2006-05-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

We made it! The wedding is over, we made it back, and I got home with a wife. I'm not sure how many people read this, but THANK YOU to everyone who helped in SO many ways. By 4:00 on Saturday, nobody would have ever known we had been through so much and that is definitely a testament to our family and friends. The second best thing about last weekend was being reminded how lucky & blessed we are. The sanity of some of friends & family is certainly debatable, but their loyalty and love will never be a question.

Before you ask, I've got a TON of pictures. The only problem is figuring out a convenient way to let everyone see them! If you've got any, feel free to forward them to my email and I'll try to get them all posted to a common site in the next couple weeks.

Wedding Crisis Uno

2006-05-02T19:03:00.000-07:00

As you may of heard by now, we were treated with some midwestern not-so-hospitality today when the owners of Clover Cliff Bed & Breakfast decided four days before our wedding that they didn't want us there anymore. We were given one excuse after another...

...we need portapotties (they originally told us we didn't since we weren't doing a reception there, but all of a sudden it is "state law" to have a place to pee during the hour we'll be there saturday)
...they've got a sick horse (they bring Laura up in a horse-drawn carriage, but even though we told them to forget about that they said they just can't do a wedding without it)
...there are too many people to part (they claim that we told them we'd only have about 20 guests, even though we are at like 190 - smells fishy!!)
...there was poor communication (Laura sent them an email a month ago outlining times, responsibilities, etc. But, since we didn't call them to follow up that they got the email, we are supposedly at fault. It was funny because they emailed us today to back out of the wedding and when they said that I asked if they had called to confirm we received the email...whoops!)

The list goes on and on but basically, I think they just forgot every one of these details that we had gone over with them and were looking for an out for one reason or another. Oh well - we're holding it now at Laura's home near the bed & breakfast; we've got a new place to stay already; nothing else really changes. ALL they were providing was a spot and we were doing everything else. So, a change in venue is no big deal. Had the reception site changed, that would be a nightmare!

The good news is that at the end of the day we'll still be married. It doesn't matter if we do it here, there, or somewhere in between. We're not going to let a couple of cranky old farts hold us down!

PS) Don't stay at Clover Clilff!

Getting Close

2006-04-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

Two weeks and an hour...can you believe it?

Failure to Launch

2006-04-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

We went to see Failure to Launch tonight with Matthew McCona-something-or-other (sorry, I won't even try to spell it). Surprisingly, I think we'd both agree that it was really funny and would definitely recommend it to just about any crowd.

Dying Too Young

2006-04-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

I'll never claim that we were the best of friends or that we kept in touch after school. Nevertheless, I'm glad that no matter what anyone thought about him, there was no doubt he was a good person and that's how he'll always be remembered. I don't know what happened and I don't care to speculate. All I know is that it's never easy losing anyone you know, regardless of whether it's a family member, friend, or casual acquaintance. All we can hope for is that those who loved him the most can find some peace in a tragedy like this.

Story is here.

How is he only in high school?

2006-04-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

If you're not a basketball fan, you may as well stop reading now. If you are a fan like I am and have not heard of Greg Oden, it's time for your introduction. You may have caught a glimpse of the 7'1" 18-year-old monster in the McDonald's All-American game and wondered to yourself "How is he only in high school?". I have to admit that I was a skeptic at first, but the Ohio State Buckeye-to-be is easily the best HS player since Lebron and definitely one of the best prospects ever. I've had the chance to see him play a few times (I get a weird cable channel that shows HS games across the country all the time w/future "big name" D1 players) and I'm telling you now, don't be surprised when he is a 1st team All American next year as a true freshman...he is that good.

Consider this your notice that this guy is incredible and would definitely be the #1 pick in the NBA draft if they hadn't upped the early entry requirements. Can you imagine King James playing college basketball? Ok, so this guy isn't THAT good, but this may be a glimpse into what that would have been like!

Home Sweet Home

2006-03-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

While driving through the middle of Aurora this afternoon, I had a flashback that many of you may not understand. First of all, Aurora is by no means a small community. There are likely in excess of 300,000 people who live in the city of Aurora, most of them "city folk" to the core. Well, maybe except for one...

In a flashback that reminded more of Kansas that almost anything since I've lived here, I saw a guy in a huge, one-ton Dodge diesel pull up beside a Chevelle SS at a stoplight and start revving his engine. Not only did the hick in the pickup think he was cool because his truck was five times the size of the other guys puny little muscle car, but he wanted to race! Needless to say, he got smoked. Only a cowboy would think he'd have a prayer (well, or a gangster in a pimped out Toyota Corolla). Ahhh, the good ole days...

Stirring the Pot

2006-03-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

You'll either really enjoy this article from ESPN Page 2 or it'll really rub you the wrong way. I won't say which way I took it.

Enjoy!

What a Game

2006-03-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

Well, hats off to UT. If you missed the Big 12 championship game today then you missed a great one. It was one of the best I've seen all season, regardless of who your team is.

With that in mind, time to whine about the tournament selection show:

1.) Air Force? Are you kidding me?
2.) Did anybody notice that Billy Packer accidentally blew it and revealed the wrong two teams in the Washington DC bracket? Rather than saying Arkansas and whomever they are playing, he said Arizona & Wisconsin, which were the 8 & 9 seeds, respectively, in the next bracket. Way to go, idiot!
3.) How on earth is Tennessee a 2 seed?
4.) Did I miss something with Kentucky? The last time I saw them play (against KU), they were awful.
5.) Maybe Missouri State deserved to get in, but can someone please explain to me how the Missouri Valley Conference got in 4 teams? That is how many the Big 12 and ACC got. I challenge anyone to convince me that the MVC is as solid as either of those.
6.) Hey Arkansas - have fun with Bucknell!

The two dumbest things you'll hear all week

2006-03-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

At various times during the week, we all hear our fair share of stupid things. However, I thought the following two were noteworthy of blogging about...

1.) "...expect a high of 38 today in Denver, a low in single digits. It's currently 42 degrees in the Mile High City..." These were some infamous words from a weatherman one morning.

2.) "If you lost everything in Hurricane Katrina and are now homeless, please visit our website for information that can help you get back on your feet." I paraphrased a little bit but no, I'm not kidding. Some Colorado organization decided to play a TV COMMERCIAL for HOMELESS people and told them to visit a WEBSITE for help! How could I even make up something like that?

Back to Normal

2006-03-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Finally - things are back to normal! No, I don't mean at work and I don't mean at home. I'm talking basketball. It's official - for the 32nd time in the last 33 games, KU has beaten K-State in basketball. For those of you KSU fans who were SO insistent on bragging about how "great" you suddenly were after the stunning upset earlier this season, let's take a look at the REAL facts...

...KU has NEVER lost in Bramlage Coliseum - they are a perfect 18-0 on K-State's "home" court.
...The last time that KSU beat KU in Manhattan (1983), Ronald Reagan was president, cell phone testing had just been approved by the FCA, and stamps were only 20 cents.
...KSU has beaten KU only ONCE since 1994

Now, if the shear Jayhawk dominance wasn't enough, should we consider some other pertinent information? It has been over a decade since KSU last appeared in the NCAA tournament, meaning everyone else beats them just as often as KU.

I guess there is always football season, eh KSU fans?

Fun Friday

2006-03-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

After working 46 hours in about 3 1/2 days (I love my job!), I took a much-needed and deserved Friday off. I couldn't have asked for a better day - 60 degrees, sunny, and work-free! For some reason, I decided that a bike ride was in order. In the five or so miles that I rode around, not only did I see the deserted resting place of a homeless person(s), but some little girl looked at me as I cruised by and yelled "I love poop!" Seriously, what do you say that? The first thing that came to mind was "I do too!", so that's what I yelled :)

Surreal

2006-02-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Two straight days of 70+ degree weather...in Denver...in FEBRUARY! It doesn't even seem real. Luckily I was able to sneak out of work early today and enjoy it.

The Fruitcake Lady

2006-02-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't seen this one, it's a hoot! Jay Leno has the Fruitcake Lady come on and offer advice on any topic imaginable, from sex to relationships to toilet paper. You just have to see it.

I think some of these may be very large files, so for those of you using dial-up, click on the link and walk away for a while - it's worth the wait!

First Link is here.

Second Link is here.

Third Link is here (my favorite!!).

Fourth Link is here.

The Mine Strikes Again

2006-02-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

We finally made it home! For some reason, the drive home from KS was even more excruciating than usual. It certainly didn't help that we got there about 11 PM Friday night and had to turn around and come back on Sunday morning. But, it was a productive trip. We met with our minister and florist and now have a pretty solid idea of the big picture and all the exciting details. We also had our first wedding shower. I was a little skeptical going into it, but I have to admit that I had fun. First of all, the person that came up with the idea for these should win a purple heart or a medal of honor or the noble prize or something. You show up, get some great food, and leave with all kinds of loot. How is this not a great deal!? I sort of felt guilty! For anyone reading this that had anything to do with the shower, thank you, we honestly had a wonderful time.

Now no trip to Baldwin is complete without paying homage to our local watering hole, the Salt Mine Saloon. After being thorougly embarrased at the shower, we headed off to the Mine to meet up with some friends from school who were also in town. In case anyone is wondering, yes, there is still some sort of foreign substance in their beer...probably cocaine. I can't leave too many details, but here are a few for the curious...

...at one point, Karl "Zuanderthal" Zubeck was carrying me around the bar, sack 'o potatoes style
...Bill Dower apparently drank enough that he couldn't decipher the taste of the five sugar packets I slyly slipped into his beer
...Kwik Shop nachos are still a good choice, but only between the hours of 2 AM and 6 AM
...it's better to go to the mine and smell like an ashtray than to Puckett's and smell like fried chicken
...the urinal that Scott Lane broke a couple weeks ago has not only been replaced, but they used his money to upgrade -- Scott was angry
...Happy James showed up
...Nurse was still nursing
...Mine time is still twenty minutes ahead of local time
...if Mine beer doesn't get you drunk, it will eat away your insides to compensate

Talladega Nights

2006-02-26T21:28:00.000-07:00

Will Ferrel has another new movie coming out called Talladega Nights. It looks to be another masterpiece and, if the stars align, likely a candidate for some awards...BIG awards...like international awards...for movies.

Trailer is here.

Weddingpalooza

2006-02-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

As if it hasn't been quiet enough on the blog front, it will get even quieter this weekend as we head back for our first wedding shower. We unfortunately can't leave until Friday afternoon, which means that about as soon as we get there we'll have to leave and come back. But, there is apparently a big poker tourney at the Delt house which means I'll hopefully to get see a lot of folks. Go figure that as soon as we leave for three days it finally warms up.

The Final Countdown

2006-02-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed already, but over on the right side of the screen is the big countdown (if you use internet explorer, does it make the screen look funny?). As I speak...er, type...it's a short 73 days until May 6. It's hard to believe it is really that close but it's definitely coming fast. Things are coming together pretty nicely - hopefully it stays that way.

UPDATE: I unfortunately had to remove the countdown. It appears that the unfortunate souls forced to use Internet Explorer were having a hard time viewing the page correctly. So, away it went.

Movie Night

2006-02-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

After a weekend chalked full of wedding planning and catching up with our lives, Laura and I decided to sneak away this afternoon to catch a movie and forget about everything else that was going on. Begrudgingly, I agreed to go see Brokeback Mountain. I did my research ahead of time and saw that it was getting nothing but solid endorsements from critics and movie-goers alike. So, off we went.

Keep in mind that I am a very open-minded person. I am certainly not homophobic and, although I don't necessarily understand everything there is to know about that lifestyle, I would never condemn it. Nevertheless, the underlying theme throughout the movie made me uncomfortable enough that I'm not sure it was possible for me to enjoy it. The "visual" aspects of the movie were great - good scenery, etc. The acting was so-so. I thought Jake Whatchamacallhim was excellent but Heath Ledger about drove me nuts. Sure, he is English and I'm sure that speaking with a "country" american accent was tough, but I still thought it was pretty bad. Finally, the plot was, well, dull. After I got over being terrified at the sight of two men...you get the idea...I found myself pretty bored throughout most of it.

In closing, I do NOT recommend the movie, I do NOT see what all the hype is about, and I do NOT plan on seeing it again. Anybody else seen it? I'm interested to see if anybody else agrees with me on this one.

Uberdork

2006-02-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

It had to happen eventually. It was completely unavoidable. After 3+ years with me, Laura has crossed over to the dark side to the land of the geek. Last night Laura created (without provocation from yours truly) a BLOG. Yep, you heard me right. The wee one swore she would never geek-out but my influence was avoidable.

It's a work in progress but take a look from time to time. If nothing else, this will encourage her to post regularly (hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge).

Oh, and ignore the title. From amongst all of the wonderful possibilities I provided her for titles, she stooped low on this one. She's just jealous she couldn't think of something as clever as "A|A"!! :)

Link is here.

Instant Classic

2006-02-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

What would the world be like without Mitch Buchanan? I think we all need some Hasselhoff to brighten our hump day. It's no wonder the Germans love him so much after seeing this. Click the video link in the middle of the page to watch - it's an instant classic!

Link is here.

New Car

2006-02-06T23:21:00.000-07:00

Finally bought a new car tonight...SO excited! Nobody warned me, however, that it was going to take FIVE hours to do the paperwork (seriously).

Super Boring

2006-02-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

Was anybody else under-impressed with the Super Bowl this year? Yeah, it was a decent game. However, I can't say there were many (if any) moments this week that I was genuinely excited about it. I did still watch it and I did still have a good time. But, as many people will probably agree, it could have been any ole regular season game and I wouldn't have known the difference.

What a Weekend!

2006-02-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

I'm going to need to go back to work just to recover. I started out with Friday off (had my hours in early) but spent most of the day doing chores. That night, in the spirit of exploration, Laura and I tried Bono's BBQ in Centennial. If you are reading this and ever see one, DO NOT ENTER! First of all, the food is bad. On top of that, service is horrible, the selection is short, it's overpriced, and, well, that's probably enough for now.

Our plan on Saturday was to get up early and go car shopping. We are both in dire need of new vehicles and decided we'd look for both of us and see what we could find. We lucked out and both found GREAT deals at the very first place we went to. As you can imagine, this can not only be very good, but it's also very bad. I spent a good couple hours haggling them down off their rich little podium to a price that I felt was more than reasonable, especially for two good vehicles. The funniest part was that I said something about them calling me after I left and they made it very clear that they wouldn't call me...they offer the best deal they can while I'm in the office and I can take it or leave it. FYI - It took approximately two hours before I got their first call :) NEVER show a sign of weakness around me!

Today, obviously, is super bowl Sunday. I've got a (arctic) flag football game this morning and then we're going to look at some more dealerships on our way home. Today should go much faster, however, because it is apparently illegal to sell cars on Sunday in Colorado. Weird, huh? Oh well, at least we won't get attacked by salesmen...they are ruthless, relentless, heartless, soulless...everything a mother could hope for!

An Unsettling Glance

2006-01-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow looks to be a VERY busy day at work, so I decided tonight that I'd go get my workout for tomorrow done this evening in order to free up some time after what promises to be a very long day tomorrow. I went to 24 Hour, got my workout done and was on my way out when, unsuspectingly, I decided to glance over at the treadmills and see if I recoginzed anybody. Little did I know what eye-burning vision would lay before me.

Now, before going any further, I should provide a little history. As many of you have probably heard me talk about, when I first moved to the area I joined the 24 Hour Fitness in Highlands Ranch because it was literally on my way to and from work. Soon after joining, a mysterious "fellow" started showing up, prancing to and fro (most notably in the locker room). Now I had certainly seen my fair share of...feminine...men before (I did go to KU after all), but this may have been my first in-person encounter with a (s)he. You guessed correctly...it was a crossdresser. Ok, so, that's one thing if it's your life style, but come on - is it really necessary to gallop around the men's locker room neked, proudly displaying what you were given honestly - regardless of the fact you'd rather be an innie than an outtie? Needless to say, I was scarred.

Well, spring came and I took a new job in another part of town. With that I also started a new gym. I'll be damned if Sally Struts-his-stuff didn't start showing up at that one as well. Keep in mind, however, that the "new" gym was in Aurora and they aren't quite as "sophisticated" as the Highlands Ranch yuppies. (S)he didn't wasn't there long and haven't seen him/her in quite some time.

Finally, this brings us back to today's most unsettling events (it's almost over, I promise). SO, while leaving the gym, rather than focusing straight ahead and minding my own damn business, I peered towards the treadmills...figured out who I saw yet (if not then you probably should have stopped reading a long time ago!)? Yep, it was him/her! The scary thing, however - as if a 6'4" man in a skirt and high heels isn't scary enough - was that (s)he is now DANGEROUSLY close to being only a she, at least as far as the wandering eye can tell and that is PLENTY good for me! It seems that it wasn't run off by the Aurora friendlies, it was simply saving its money to move some things here, snip a little there...you get the idea. There was no doubt that the transformation has commenced! AHHHHHH!

So yeah, that's my long and drawn out story about a he with aspirations of becoming a she who has made his/her dreams a reality!

Moral of the story: when leaving the gym, put your head down and leave immediately. You may not have the luxury of your everyday tranny, but there's always a grandpa in spandex who just might offer up a little more than you're ready for.

The Da Vinci Code

2006-01-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to finishing the Da Vinci Code last night. I have to admit, after reading Angels & Demons first, I was a little disappointed. It was good, but I think the ending was somewhat of a let down compared to the first book. It was the first Dan Brown book I've finished and was left...wanting more. For anyone who hasn't read them, I'd still definitely recommend both. However, I'll stick with Angels & Demons as my personal preference.

For what it's worth, the Da Vinci Code is coming to the big screen in May. I found a decent trailer online and if you haven't read it, don't worry, it won't give anything away (unless you know what you're looking for!). If you have read it, what do you think about Tom Hanks playing Robert Langdon? I'm not sure he is how I had Robert portrayed in my mind. Nevertheless, I'm excited about the movie, although I'm convinced it will be like most books-turned-film and will deviate from the book just enough to aggravate me.

It's Official

2006-01-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

There's no backing out now! Our engagement announcement made the paper this weekend, although the picture looked MUCH better in person - the scan is not that appealing so don't be scared!

You'll have to scroll down a little bit, but the link is here.

Dang!

2006-01-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

I hate Kobe, but wow! Link is here.

Skiing, Pt. 2

2006-01-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

We made it home from our trip to Copper Mountain! We're both a little (a lot) sore, but nothing some rest won't heal. Overall it was really a wonderful weekend. The weather was perfect (albeit a little cold), we had some pretty good instructors in Beth and Ben, and we had a great time in the process. The best part, however, was the lack of people. Because the Broncos were playing (choking) in the AFC Championship on Sunday, a TON of people left early to go watch the game. Saturday was fairly busy, however we didn't wait in a lift line longer than about five minutes all weekend. In fact, there were times on Sunday when we headed down without seeing more than a few people the entire way.

We found some time to take a few pictures. They aren't the best but they'll have to do. I wish I would have had the opportunity to get a couple of Laura heading down. Talk about improvement! She started from scratch on Saturday morning...literally. She didn't know how to put on skiis, let alone get off a lift, slow down, turn, etc. By the end of the first day she was taking turns like a champ!

Pictures are here. Enjoy!

Skiing

2006-01-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

I think I have finally made it out of my life slump after the consecutive losses to KSU and Mizzou. So, Laura and I (along with Ben and Beth) are heading to Copper Mountain this weekend to try our hand at skiing. This will be our first attempt (literally) so all I really hope is 1.) we have fun and 2.) we come home injury-free...and yes, if you're wondering, I would consider taking an injury in the spirit of item #1! I'l do my best to get some pics but no promises!

Be back Sunday...

That hurts

2006-01-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

Losing to K-state was bearable...pretty awful, but still bearable.

Losinig to Mizzou, however...that's a kick in the ying yang. What a horrible last two games.

A Hiker's Tales

2006-01-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Found this while searching for a place to hike today. It's more or less a journal of hiking "adventures" from, well, some guy. Some of the stories are interesting, particularly if you enjoy the hiking scene. I especially enjoyed the one about Long's Peak, one of the most recognized (and difficult) peaks in the Rockies. Enjoy!

Glory Road

2006-01-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

Went to see Glory Road last night with Laura. It was GREAT...great, great, great. Definitely recommended.

He Kicked Him

2006-01-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

This is really funny.

Thank you, google videos.

Rock Chalk

2006-01-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

Went to Boulder tonight to see the hawks play Colorado with JE, Ben & C-Ray. I even ran into a couple people I went to school with (which was sort of strange). Anyways, was a great game. Things were slow at first but the hawks pulled away at the end (if winning by < 10 counts as pulling away) and notched their first victory in conference play. Now if we can only beat those damned wildcats this weekend...

Wedding-palooza

2006-01-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

So many decisions...we spent the weekend (almost literally) registering at a couple stores yesterday and today. I had pretty high expectations about this whole process, thinking it was going to be "fun". I hate admitting I'm wrong, but seriously, how much fun can it be when you choose your stuff that you'll have for the rest of your life (or at least the next several years) in only a weekend? At least it's out of the way and we can do the rest of it online if need be.

This week's wedding activities: choose our wedding night locale, get dates/times set for wedding showers (zzzZZZzzzZZZ) and, most importantly, start laying a foundation for (what will come to be known as) my world-renowned bachelor party.

I wish I was...

2006-01-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

outside. It's almost 68 degrees in January and I'm stuck in here - what I wouldn't give to be on a mountain today. Alas, it ain't happenin' today. Laura hurt her back at work yesterday and my legs are still hurting horribly from a workout I did on Tuesday with a trainer at 24 Hour (they gave me some free ones so I took advantage). Maybe tomorrow...

Year in Review

2006-01-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

2006...where did 2005 go? I think I say that every year but wow, this one was something else. For starters...moved to a new city 600 miles away, started a new job, got engaged, took up this silly blogging business, watched Laura graduate from college, started another new job, drove back and forth from Kansas more than any person should in a lifetime, moved in with a girl, became a referee rather than a player, answered "no" roughly 100 times when asked if I had become a Broncos fan, watched the Delt house nearly get shut down, moved in with another girl, worked nearly the entire month of October (literally almost every single day), decided I enjoyed reading, had a girl move out on me, watched a number of friends get married, move into their first homes, or start families, realized just how many clothes (i.e. shoes) one wee little person can have, realized that one closet "just isn't enough", and, here and there, even found time to make some new friends and have a little fun. It certainly was a year to remember. Here's to 2006...

So long, Uncle Rico

2005-12-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

For Christmas, Laura and I got an aquarium for the apartment. We ventured out yesterday after getting home to get our first fish - two Mollys, two Tiger Barbs, and Angel Fish and an...orange one. Anyways, things were looking good until this morning when the Angel Fish (named Uncle Rico) wasn't moving so much. He was still breathing, but just sort of looked bad. Anyways, we held out hope that he'd make it through but I came home tonight to find he'd moved on to fish heaven. I think Napoleon (the orange fish) and Kip (one of the Tiger Barbs) were pretty shaken up, but Tina (the Molly) and the others just went about their business...heartless !@**%#&%$!!

Home Sweet Home

2005-12-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

We are FINALLY home from Christmas in Kansas. Took this one one night when I ran out to my car to grab something. Can't beat 60 deg in December!

When life gives you lemons...return the damn thing!

2005-12-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

It was a sad day for my living room. Imagine my surprise last night when I tried to power on our new tv only to get 1.) no picture and 2.) no sound. I have NO idea what the problem was but I tried every solution imagineable. The LED indicator on the front was on, so I know it was getting power. To make a long story short - I bought a lemon.

The good knews is that I was able to exchange the dumb thing straight up this evening. I took it back and they exchanged it no questions asked. Since it is under warranty for a year, I had the option to have a serviceman (or servicewoman) come out next week and work on it for no charge. However, if it's acting up after only two weeks, why keep it?

Today's lesson learned: always keep the receipt!

Going Global

2005-12-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

Yeah!! I received my FIRST (as far as I know) international visitor today. According to the ClustrMap on the right side of the screen, someone from Mexico dropped in to take a look. Not sure why anyone would want to read what I've got to say, but it is pretty cool all the same. Maybe I should start writing about something useful and then more folks would stop by...

Where did the weekend go?

2005-12-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden it is Sunday night...which is right before Monday morning...which means it is soon to be the start of another EXCITING work week. I'm not exactly sure what happened to the weekend - we were less than productive, to say the least. But, I did make some good headway into my newest book. I recently discovered that I am a big fan of Dan Brown, so for my birthday Laura bought me Angels and Demons, which is a prequel to the more well-known Da Vinci Code. I'm only about halfway done so if you've read it, please don't spoil the ending!

Anyways, it's back to the grind tomorrow. At least the Hawks squeezed out a win this weekend!

Brrrr

2005-12-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

3 degrees is a little cool, even for me. Rumor has it that tomorrow's HIGH will be 6 (yes, that is a single digit) - and it's only December!

In other news, Laura and I got our engagement picture proofs in the mail this week and they actually (for the most part, no thanks to me) turned out pretty well. Let the ridiculous, over-priced wedding spending commence!

A little older, a little wiser

2005-12-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

A quarter-century...that's a lot of years (but hopefully there are many more to come!). It was an uneventful birthday but that is ok. I suppose that is the joy of having it on a Monday. Spent the day working, watching football, reading, even did a little cooking (we'll know tomorrow if it's any good). Most of the fun was had this weekend and that's probably not suited for all audiences ;)

Anyways, no complaints about today. Laura took good care of me (as always) and it was nice to relax a little bit, not to mention I'm now saving more money on car insurance! Hope everyone is well and thank you SO much to everyone who sent me notes, called, etc. today. It was very appreciated.

Top 100 Products

2005-12-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

I came across an interesting article this evening featuring the PCWorld.com Top 100 Products of the year. Among the top 10 are Mozilla Firefox, Gmail, and Skype, all products that I have hyped on my blog on numerous occasions and all definitely worth downloading (and now I have proof!). Take a minute to check out the site and see if there is anything useful to you.

Top 100 is here.

Some excitement in Baldwin

2005-12-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

While reading through the Baldwin Signal online this morning, I found an "interesting" article that is unlike much you hear out of Baldwin City. It turns out that someone found a BOMB floating on some driftwood in the county lake just outside of town. Apparently it appeared as if someone had tried (unsuccessfully) to light it and just left it floating.

Read the story here.

Blogging Quiet Time

2005-11-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

Since it is a holiday weekend, Laura and I are heading home tomorrow morning to see family and friends. All will be quiet on the blogging front - hopefully I'm nowhere near a computer for several days!

Happy Thanksgiving!

So long to the glory days

2005-11-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

I was able to see the Hawks play for the first time tonight, taking the court against #8 Arizona in Maui. It was obvious early that it was going to be a long night as the Wildcats jumped out to a 20-4 lead. I'll give it to KU, however. They clawed back and at least made it interesting. This season looks as if it is going to be full of ups and downs but if nothing else it ought to be exciting. If all those young guys start to figure some things out and come together, they may end up being pretty tough by the end of the year. Until then, I'll be a disgruntled fan dreaming of better days...

Walk the Line

2005-11-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

Laura and I went to see Walk the Line this weekend, the new movie about Johnny Casy (and June Carter). I wasn't all that excited at first because I hadn't seen much about it. However, after leaving the theatre, I was sold. Not only was the information about his life extremely accurate, but the acting was great. It's probably not for everybody - there is quite a bit of (country) singing as one would expect - but I'd definitely give two thumbs up...and that's only because I don't have three!

Winter Wonderland

2005-11-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

Got another snowfall tonight in Denver. Not too much is sticking because the ground is still pretty warm but it was definitely coming down. Lucky me...I went to work late this morning meaning I got to park in BFE. I came out after work to discover I got the pleasure of running to my car to avoid frostbite!

This and That

2005-11-12T23:07:00.000-07:00

It has been (and will continue to be) a busy weekend...

Spent Friday with Laura looking at dining room tables & desks, working more than planned, trying to book a DJ for our wedding, and finding car insurance for Laura and I...

Spent Saturday with Laura BUYING a dining room table and a desk and talking to more DJs...

Spending Sunday helping Jessica move out (yes, you heard me correctly, she is moving back to KS tomorrow) and playing flag football in the morning...

Wow, I'm tired just thinking about all of that. Guess that means it's bed time!

Restaurant Recommendation, Part Deux

2005-11-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

Laura and I went to check out another new restaurant this evening. In order to satisfy my unquenchable desire for BBQ, we headed to the Hickory House in Parker (Parker & ~ Mainstreet). I wish I had three hands cause then I'd have more thumbs to approve with. The place was GREAT - take your appetite, however, cause you get a TON of food. One recommendation: instead of ordering a dinner, get the sandwich deal instead. It's half the price and you get literally the same amount of food. Not sure how that works but it does. Anyways, that's all for now, just thought I'd share another new-found favorite.

Homepage is back...for now

2005-11-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

After being down for a couple months, my "homepage" is now back up and available. I'm not sure how long I'll keep it active, mostly because I don't have too much useful/interesting/worthwhile stuff to put on it. But, for now, I've updated a _couple_ of things - still have several more things to do, however.

For the meantime, you can find it here.

La la la la la la Bamba

2005-11-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

A new restaurant recommendation - Bamba on Parker Road, near Target. Laura, Jess and I went driving around tonight looking for a dinner spot, preferably somewhere we hadn't been before. We stumbled across a little mexican joint and decided to check it out. The food was great, there was live music, and the prices were certainly reasonable. Take the tip for what it's worth, but it's a great spot for a good, cheap meal in a fun atmosphere.