Friday, June 11, 2004
As I posted earlier, back home again in Indiana. Naturally, there were tornado warnings here last night, although none close to our part of the city. I’m starting to feel a little cursed. Almost four inches of rain here in Carmel this morning. It’s like Seattle, only it’s 90 with a thick layer of steam from all the water on the ground. Yesterday was my brilliant day in the first class cabin of American Airlines.
Monday, June 7, 2004
It’s a little concerning that the missive I began Saturday, while battling insomnia and drinking beer, is not to be found on my hard drive. Perhaps its disappearance into the ether is a sign it wasn’t worthy of your time. I’m sitting in the historic Governor Hotel in downtown Portland. I just made a pilgrimage to Powell’s Books and managed to escape only $13 lighter. I’ve purchased books from Powell’s online and their PDX store, but this was my first trip to their world famous hub store in downtown Portland.
Friday, June 4, 2004
We’ve got raccoons! Last night, I was about to sit down for a light, post gym meal while watching game five of the Stanley Cup Finals and thinking of 1500 words I could write on the brilliance of the NHL playoffs when I detected movement on our deck. Three, count ‘em, three raccoons! A mother and two babies (What are they, kittens? Kits?) were wedged into the corner. The young ones were exploring, sniffing the barbecue, smelling the chair that was still pulled out from when I sat outside Wednesday afternoon, and trying to figure out what was going on with our stone Jayhawk (the same Jayhawk, mind you, that our friend the cardinal was seen eyeing suspiciously earlier in the day).
Friday, June 4, 2004
Have I mentioned lately that the NBA sucks? I just got finished watching that travesty of a series between the Pacers and Pistons wrap up. Is there some kind of rule that no more than one person on the court at any given time is allowed to hit shots? During one exhilarating stretch tonight, the Pistons outscored the Pacers 10-2 over an 8:00 period. I know it’s apples and oranges, but I recall seeing the 2002 and 2003 Kansas Jayhawks put many a 10-2 run on teams in a matter of 90 or even 60 seconds.
Thursday, June 3, 2004
What day is it anyway? I hate it when three day weekends come at the wrong time and totally mess up your routine. I’ve got a trip to Portland scheduled for next week, about a million things going on this week, and I have no idea where time went. I’m watching the Seinfeld marathon on TBS Wednesday night and saw one of my all time favorite lines. In The Jimmy, Kramer is sharing how Dr.
Monday, May 24, 2004
We ate lunch Saturday with a couple sisters-in-law and sat on the deck of a local pizza place. The subject of metrosexuals came up and we discovered my wife had never heard that term before. She asked me what a metrosexual is, and I pondered for a few minutes. I thoughtfully fingered the fine weave on my new Banana Republic polo shirt. I flexed my toes in my Kenneth Cole Reaction sandals (or Mandals as one of the sisters-in-law calls them).
Monday, May 24, 2004
People ask me all the time about the differences between Kansas City and Indianapolis. I generally tick off the things that aren’t different first, then say, “The food is much better in Kansas City though”. People here are often surprised by that statement, not in defense of Indy, but because they don’t know about the tradition of food in Kansas City. As I’ve learned, it’s not really a matter of there being no good locally owned restaurants here.
Friday, May 21, 2004
Monday First day of the last year! Finally a college senior. Two easy semesters and then I’m out of here. Time to enjoy the ride. Only three classes this semester, plus a full time job. No reason not to get good grades. What’s first on the schedule? Sociology of the Family. Ah yes, easy class. Took it two years ago then quit on Drop Day for some silly reason. Not my finest hour, that semester.
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Hey, the Palmers live in Indy! We should look them up sometime. “Your son is really amazing. This house is amazing. You were a model, Mrs. Palmer? Amazing!” I’m sure Jessica and Tara were impressed by Indy in the early spring. Bare trees, dead grass, dreary skies. Not quite white sand beaches, is it ladies? I know we don’t see everything on the show, but did they really take the group to Indianapolis' most famous restaurant, St.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
I’m still struggling with my affection for the local NBA squad. I watched most of the game last night, but was distracted for much of the second half when I heard Randy Johnson was throwing a perfect game and switched over to TBS (no AI in this house). I’ve stated my indifference for Reggie Miller before. Jamaal Tinsley could drive any fan insane with his erratic play. It doesn’t help his case with me that he was 4-0 against KU in his Iowa State career.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
In the blog template updates last week, I also changed the tracking software I use. I think the service I’m using now, eXTReMe Tracking, does a much more accurate job of tracking who visits on a daily basis as well as telling me exactly who visits. The true coup is the search engine tracking it includes, which is always fun. Here are some recent search engine queries that led people to my site:
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
I stumbled into the kitchen this morning and grabbed a brand new box of Honey Nut Cheerios out of the cabinet. I noticed some Shrek artwork on the box, and words that said something free was inside, but didn’t take time to read them. I opened the box up, and lying on top of the sealed wax bag of cereal was a small package. I pulled it out, unwrapped it, and found a digital watch with the Three Little Pigs from Shrek as the artwork.
Monday, May 17, 2004
We joke often about Will Ferrell’s line in Old School about the big Saturday he and his wife have planned: a trip to Home Depot and maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I found another outstanding addition to that lineup over the weekend. Friday evening, we attended an open house for a relative who’s graduating from high school. After the open house, we decided to swing by Super Target to pick up some food for the weekend and get some important things like socks and Lime Away.
Friday, May 14, 2004
I picked up my first prescription drug in at least 20 years the other night. It was a strange feeling; it made me feel old! I’ve been blessed with extremely good health throughout my life. I’ve had a couple hair line fractures and ligament tears from sporting injuries, but never anything that required a hard cast or strong pain killers. Never had mono, strep, bronchitis, or any other ailments that required antibiotics.
Thursday, May 13, 2004
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that Jesse Palmer uses the word amazing far too often. “What an amazing view, huh?” “You look amazing!” “It’s been an amazing day, hasn’t it?” And that was just with one woman! I think he’s just been watching too much Queer Eye to get his Metrosexual cred in order. Long time Friend of the Blog Dale S. came up with the genius idea of a Jesse Palmer drinking game.
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Now I remember why I didn’t watch American Idol for the first two seasons. Tonight was sheer lunacy. The two best singers, by far, get the least votes. The most consistent performer of the competition gets the heave ho. Stupid. Idiotic. Borderline criminal. The only saving grace was the last note LaToya belted out during her goodbye song was better than anything the other three contestants will sing in the remaining weeks, so I don’t have to watch any more episodes this year.
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
First a note about comments. It was pointed out to me that you’re asked to register. I guess that’s ok; it’s fee and then the system remembers who you are, tracks all your comments, etc. But you can just as easily select the Anonymous option and include your name in your post. So don’t let that registering option scare you away from sharing your thoughts. A couple of people have asked me for my thoughts on American Idol.
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
I like gifts. I received two outstanding gifts over the past week. Last Friday, the mailman delivered a package from the delightful Mandi R. of Denver, CO. I wondered, “What have I done to deserve this?” Once the wrapping paper was removed, it was clear what I had done to deserve it: I knocked up my wife. You might think Mandi purchased some cute little animal gear, since she’s down with animal rights.
Friday, May 7, 2004
It’s been a busy TV week. Let’s jump right in. American Idol. I didn’t watch Tuesday’s show, but I can’t say I’m disappointed George Huff got the boot. He’s got a tremendous voice, but he’s a one trick pony. For about the first four weeks, you think, “This guy is awesome!” After that, though, you realize he sings every song exactly the same way. Good guy, nice singer, but not finalist material.
Wednesday, May 5, 2004
We’re honored to have the following dispatch from blog correspondent Mike “Punkmaster Flex” A., who attended the Prince concert in Kansas City Tuesday night. I’m officially green, or whatever color jealousy is colored these days. Arguably the most talented musician alive hit the stage Tuesday night in Kansas City’s rickety Kemper arena. Buoyed on by 15,000+ screaming Princeaholics (my ears are literally still ringing), Mr. Rogers Nelson and his ultra-tight New Power Generation band did not disappoint.
Tuesday, May 4, 2004
I just made my first legal download. I dropped 99 cents to grab The Thrills' “One Horse Town” off of Musicmatch. I feel dirty. I feel like a sell out. I feel disappointed I didn’t thumb my nose at the recording industry giants and continue to grab tracks for free off the file sharing services that are still out there. Now I’m just another consumer who’s taken what the powers that be want me to take.
Monday, May 3, 2004
First, it’s far too cold for May 3. I hate that one last cold snap that just ruins some weekend in the spring. Not sure how cold it actually got here last night, but we flipped the heat on at 5:00 yesterday afternoon. So much for thinking the gas bills wouldn’t be something we had to worry about until November. Friday night, we watched a birthing video. I can’t claim I learned much because I was busy ridiculing the fashion of the people in the video, which was filmed in 1987.
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Putting some assorted thoughts down while watching Keith Olbermann’s Countdown Wednesday night. The #5 story was about a backlash against the wildly popular novel The DaVinci Code. I don’t know much about the book, other than I may be the only person to fly American Airlines in the past year who hasn’t read it. Anyway, there are several “rebuttal” books coming out that argue against some of author Dan Brown’s plot developments, especially those regarding the life of Jesus.
Thursday, April 29, 2004
The perfect adult weekend: ideal weather (sunny, highs in the low 80s, just a hint of humidity but not enough to make it truly sticky), an entire day in the yard, another day spent out on the back deck listening to baseball, and the wife has been in Florida the whole time. Wait, that last part isn’t ideal, don’t quote that line ever. But pretty much everything else about the weekend was perfect.
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
I bought my first outfit for my daughter last night. I got her a Safari themed bodysuit from Baby Gap. Lions, crocs, elephants, monkeys. How will she not be happy wearing this? In a nursery update, we made the final major additions to her room this week. We had a chair rail put around the top of the wall to serve as a border for the animal alphabet cards we got.
Monday, April 26, 2004
There’s nothing like logging in on a Monday morning and finding out someone has been trying to get you to take their place, without your knowledge, at a meeting that would require you to book and get on a place Monday night. Sometimes people are just far too generous. As if ripped from the comments box, we had the proverbial big weekend. Three trips to Lowe’s! That brings us to a total of seven trips in the past seven days.
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Scene: Interior, couple sitting on couch drinking coffee in the morning. Wife: How did you sleep? Husband: Pretty good, you? Wife: Good, Little Girlfriend had to wake up early and play, though. Husband (Leaning over and speaking to wife’s stomach): Your daddy doesn’t like to wake up in the morning. We can work on that once you’re born, ok? This kid is moving around like crazy. Last night, I noticed S’s shirt jumping.
Thursday, April 15, 2004
If you’re not listening to the Royals-White Sox game today, you should be. Ryan Lefebvre is really on a roll. I’m shocked, SHOCKED, that the Royals lead the American League in home runs. I was perusing the roster of Your Indianapolis Indians and saw that former Royal Dan Reichert is on the staff. It’ll be fun to see one of the Arms of the Future of the Royals from a few years back toiling in AAA.
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Heartburn. Or reflux I guess. I’ve got something going on with my stomach that I don’t like. For about a month, shortly after I eat, I’ve been getting these waves of mild nausea. The kind where you think you’re going to throw up in, say, five minutes, but you never get all the way there. I hadn’t had any real feelings of indigestion or heartburn with it until today. I’m pushing four hours of suffering today and the good doctor has the cheery opinion it could be reflux or an ulcer.
Monday, April 12, 2004
I’m in the process of uploading my pictures from the weekend in KC. I’ll share them here later today. To tide you over, a conversation overheard last night between a pregnant couple. (Not your typical prego couple conversation, but worth sharing anyway.) (Scene: Interior, pregnant couple sits on a couch watching the Nick & Jessica Variety Show.) Wife: Really, what’s the point? All anyone can do is stare at her boobs.