One quintillion pennies for your thoughts?

A colleague directed me to this pretty nifty site about the penny. Check it out!

The Great Minnesota Bump-A-Thon

Liz and I went to the MN State Fair on Friday night. It wasn't all bad, and wasn't too crowded - which leads me to the following observation:

On several occasions, we found a nice open spot without another person for 20-30 feet so we could stop and eat our whatever-on-a-stick in peace. Every single time some moron stumbled his/her way toward us and bumped right into us. It didn't matter if we were off to the side of the street or in the corner next to the bushes or in the median - we always got nailed!

Most of them weren't watching where they were going. However, some could see us plain as day! I just don't get it...

I'd hate to see what it's like when the State Fair is packed!

Look Out!

Yesterday, I learned a few things while volunteering at the St. Paul Inline Skating Marathon:
- People rolling toward you at 20-30mph can be quite scary
- The ability of said people to grab a bottle of water from your hand takes some talent
- Many of the aforementioned people do not possess such talent
- Those who do should get extra points or prizes (way to go!)
- If the water isn't capped, cold, or where you want it...don't take any! =)
- (Pothole) + Skater = [Road Rash]

Visit from the Parents

My parents came to visit this weekend. It has been about two years since they have made the trek up to the Twin Cities. They had a great time! We went out to some restaurants, spent an afternoon at the Walker Art Center, cheered for my wife doing a triathalon, and introduced them to IKEA. Mom brought up some homemade fresh bread and chocolate chip cookies, too - yum!

The History of Pop

For those of you who wanted to know what brand of soda came out when, here's a list. Not even close to containing everything, but the big names and some oddities are included. Enjoy!

Loki meets celebrity

I forgot to mention that when my sister took us to Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Tom Green was there filming a little clip for Jay Leno. We met Tom Green! =)

My Summer Vacation

Elizabeth and I spent the last week in the Pacific Northwest. It was a wonderful trip, including such great locales as Vancouver and Victoria (BC), Seattle and Portland. Elizabeth's family joined us, making the week that much more memorable.

Here are some links to places we visited:

Vancouver (BC):
> Hotel Pat, Gastown, Chinatown, Stanley Park, Granville Island
Victoria (BC):
> Cottage Pirouette, Downtown, Irish Times Pub, Buchart Gardens
Seattle (WA):
> Pike Place Market, Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Mt. Rainier, Red Hook Brewery
Portland (OR):
> Wineries: Rex Hill, Duck Pond, Sokol Blosser, Kramer
> Neato: Voodoo Doughnut, Saturday Market, Powells Books

Elizabeth and I both agree that Portland was the highlight of the entire vacation. It's a huge city that's very peaceful and beautiful, yet modern and upbeat - think Madison but huge. It's also where my sister lives, so we got the inside scoop and became very familiar with the 'little cool places' that make a neighborhood great. We can't wait to go back!