Careful What You Wish For

Well, it seems that the Twin Cities are right in the path of another big snowstorm...for the second weekend in a row. I might have to eat my words from that post a bit ago about it never seeming like winter here. This is pretty cool! =)

I think I'll make a snowman or maybe even go skiing...heck, I'll probably just drive around in it.

Ski Trip 2007

This weekend was the annual Ski Trip. There were seven of us in attendance this year: Ann, Keith, Que, Roberta & Dave, and Elizabeth & I. This year's location was Spirit Mountain in Duluth, MN. We stayed at the Mountain Villas in #6: Superior View. It's basically right at the top of Spirit Mountain, and we could ski out onto the slopes from our front steps. Not that you could tell that from the summertime picture on their website. We thought it looked like a mushroom house...which made us feel like Smurfs...and you can shut up, N8!

There was actually decent snow - as a large winter storm went through the area and dumped as much as 16" in parts of Minnesota. Duluth only saw about 6-8" but it was very windy and drifts were abound!

We had a great time, and it was nice to get away from the Twin Cities - even if it was for only one weekend.

Jeeves Attacked!!!

Yesterday was gorgeous, sunny and warm - it was 43F on my way home from work! As the evening progressed it got very windy, though. On my way to pick up really good Chinese food for dinner, Jeeves (my Jeep) was attacked and mildly injured. There was a rather large (4'x6') piece of something laying on the side of the street. A big gust of wind picked it up and hurled it right at the windshield. The impact was really loud and made a big crackly spider-web thing.

I'm glad it wasn't warmer and that I wasn't driving a convertible or a motorcycle...because that would have really hurt!

Memorable Weekend

This weekend was rather eventful. The wife and I found a really good (and unexpected) place for Friday night fish fry - Houlihan's. It was quite yummy, and all you can eat - even though the initial portion is big enough not to want more. They also put the song list at the back of the menu, so you know who sings that song you hear while dining and their drinks are superb!

It was also my birthday! We went out with the in-laws at Granite City for a late lunch to celebrate. They make their own beer and it's quite tasty. I also used my free b-day car wash privileges to make Jeeves (my Jeep) all nice and shiny...at least for a little while. I got some spending money from my parents and my wife's parents, a Best Buy gift certificate from brother- and sister-in-law, and an iTunes gift card from my niece and nephew. My wife bought me a pair of Keen shoes, which are way-cool and really comfy! A last-minute present happened late Sunday night, when we purchased our second Tivo so we can record even more of our favorite shows.

To top it off, our friends Paul and Jennifer welcomed their new baby boy into the world. It's kind of neat to share a birthday with the handsome little guy. So, I stopped by the hospital to visit with them and extend congratulations on their new addition to the family.

Snow Storm? *woohoo*

It's been all over the news in the past week: "...a snow storm cripples the Midwest!" - "...upstate NY gets 100+ inches!" - "...motorists stranded on Interstate in PA!"

We didn't get anything worth mentioning here in MN, which I consider (probably incorrectly) to still be part of the Midwest region. Whenever the media blares about a storm hitting the Midwest, they almost always mean between Chicago and eastern Ohio. When I sold books door-to-door in MA, some people didn't even know Wisconsin was a state (they thought it was somewhere in upstate NY).

I would give anything to see 100+ inches of snow in 4 days. We used to get really bad winter snow and ice storms when I was a kid growing up in southern WI...where drifts would sometimes be 15+ feet high. Not anymore, and I'm quite jealous of New England for getting all of our winter fun and excitement.

Even if we do get a somewhat big storm in WI/MN, it's barely mentioned on the national scale...because it's either expected or nobody cares. Or, because people don't know where we are. But with New York and Pennsylvania, on the other hand - that deserves extensive coverage for some reason.

So enjoy the snow and winter while you can, northeastern states - because we can't enjoy ours. All we get is arctic cold air - and a little snow for something pretty.

Day of Frenzy

So, today is Valentine's Day. A time when millions of people get in a tizzy because they don't know what present to buy their sweetie to make the day special. For crying out loud, people! Valentine's Day is meant to be a time where you express your love for each other. Write them a love note, get them a card, maybe even flowers...but be sure to tell them the 'big three words' and smile. =)

As the saying goes, "It's the thought that counts!"

Why is it that all of the holidays have to be so commercialized? At this rate, we'll soon have to brave the crowds in the stores to get people their Labor Day present...

Fast...Fast Forward!

My wife and I called up Adam and Heather for some Saturday Night shenanigans. They had a late lunch and weren't really hungry for dinner - whereas my wife hadn't eaten all day and was starving. We decided to go to Outback for steak and then meet up with Heather and Adam later for a movie and dessert (we stopped at the Cheesecake Factory on our way to their house).

The movie was Fast Forward...a long-time childhood favorite of my darling wife. I'm an 80's fan, Adam's a fanatic, and yet neither of us had ever seen (or heard of) this movie. It was directed by Sidney Poitier and the music was done by none other than Quincy Jones...so it had to be somewhat decent, right?

The movie was actually pretty good. You could obviously tell it was a knockoff of Fame, but it was far less serious and a lot more campy. Think of Fame, combined with an early Michael Jackson video, make it into a HS musical where small-town kids try to make it big at some dancing contest, then get 'challenged' at a NY club for rights to work on the street.

Too much for you? Well, obviously you don't enjoy goofy 80's movies about dancing. *laughs* The four of us had a great time, Adam made popcorn, we had drinks and all was well with the world.

Kids Playing Hoops

Last night the wife, my in-laws, our friend Ann and I went to watch high school basketball. My brother- and sister-in-law teach at the same high school, and Brian coaches as well. The game was pretty good, and the score was close throughout the entire game.

As I turn 36 in another week, I realized that I was twice as old (if not older) than the kids playing basketball, the cheerleaders, the "Snow Ball" court and the majority of the spectators. It was a little strange being back in a gym for a HS sporting event - but it was still a lot of fun watching everybody.

Common questions/comments in the group included: "Could those jeans be any tighter?" and "Check out that guy's hair." followed by "Are those cheerleader outfits revealing enough?" and finally "LOVE the camoflage jacket with that formal dress!"

And then we laughed, saying that we probably got dismantled the same way when we were that age.

Fontaholic

I used to be a DJ and still make music compilations for myself, family and friends. Since I design the cover art to go with these mixes, I'm always on the lookout for good fonts - ones that show well on both paper and on screen.

I like fonts, really I do. So much in fact that I'm burned out on them and can't decide what I want anymore. So, I've decided to start researching the different families, styles and various types of fonts. That way I'll have a better idea of what font will go best with my project.

My wife will surely read this and call me a geek...and that's okay by me.

Parched Again

Upon waking up, I went to the bathroom and flushed - something was wrong, but in my groggy morning state I couldn't figure it out...until I turned on the faucet to wash up, and nothing happened. Pipes are froze again - ARGH!!! (it's -15F)

I'm not sure what's worse: no shower, or the fact that I'm thirsty...

Just in case...

...you decided to skip watching the Super Bowl, or because there were clans of screaming little boys running in front of the TV, here's the link to most of the ads that were shown during the game. I think CareerBuilder won this round.

Drip...Drip...Drip...

For some reason (probably arctic weather conditions) yet undetermined, our household has been without water for 16 hours now. The wife and I missed our usual "Friday Night Out" because I was calling the Association and talking to the service tech.

At 10pm, I decided to wait until morning so I wouldn't have to wake up at 3-4am when the tech could possibly make it out. I guess other people had it really bad (no heat, busted pipes, fire sprinklers flooding mansion) so it could have been worse.

Except that I still woke up at 4:33am this morning and haven't been able to go back to sleep. This makes for a grouchy Norwegian. *nod*

18:02 Update: Water is flowing again, after ~26 hours...I blame Phil! *points*

I is an educated people

Congratulations, Loki!
Your IQ score is 133

Your Intellectual Type is Visionary Philosopher. This means you are highly intelligent and have a powerful mix of skills and insight that can be applied in a variety of different ways. Like Plato, your exceptional math and verbal skills make you very adept at explaining things to others — and at anticipating and predicting patterns. And that's just some of what we know about you from your IQ results.

Curious? Take the Classic IQ test and find out your spiffy title!
(and yes, this post's heading is grammatically incorrect on purpose...)

Way to go, Phil!

February 2, 2007 - around 7:30 am ET - Punxsutawney, PA
Phil did not see his shadow and thus spring is just around the corner!

Apparently this will have no effect on it being -15 degrees F tomorrow morning. Heck, just what exactly does 'just around the corner' mean, anyway?