Well . . . I see I still have three followers. Or maybe someone will google something and end up at my blog.

Much has happened since my last post back in December. With much lack of elaboration, but with the intention of addressing much of this in future posts (this may or may not happen), here's the highlights since December:

1. The heavenly break in the year known as Nordyke Spring Break in Disney World occurred. It was as always awesome, but dampened a bit by a dark presence.

2. Clare and I spend 6 weeks down under. With the intention of staying longer we traveled New Zealand and Australia.

3. I work at Doughy Joey's. At least on the weekends now, but its fun, and tasty!

4. I am again working at a bank. Why? I'm not sure either, but I like monies!

Those are the major surface highlights. I'm not really sure where to take this from here. I would love to share deeper thoughts, but I think they would for the most part be lost in this medium. For now I will share some questions of the day:

1. Why do people in Cedar Falls drive so f-ing slow?
2. What would you do if someone told you that you couldn't get married?
3. Will UNI fans actually cheer loudly this year? Probably not.
4. Why would you waste your time trying to stomp on the rights of others and be proud of it and put it on your gubernatorial campaign website (Terry Brandstad)?
5. Why are kitties so cute?
6. What's so great about owning a house anyway?

Ok, so that's it for now. Time to continue exploring fall in the world of beer . . . maybe a future blog post? Definitely a pumpkin possibility!

Burning Bridges

Most of the time people talk about burning bridges as a bad thing. We try not to sever connections with people in such a manner that they would be very difficult to reconnect those ties.


Maybe a torch isn't so bad. Maybe setting that bridge on fire keeps something from following you. Maybe it will at least slow it down. Sometimes you can set a small fire on that bridge and see if the person on the other side will make the effort to put it out.

Just some food for thought. Fire isn't always a bad thing. Know who and what is good for you, and don't be afraid to walk away from something that isn't.

Shopping in Boston

So . . . sometimes I feel a little sheepish to share this, but one of the things I look forward to in Boston is shopping. And not just food shopping, although the cheese, seafood, and deli selection is amazing. I mean clothes. Even the stores we have here in Iowa like Old Navy or in Minneapolis like H&M or Macys are different there. It's easier to find clothes that fit, it's easier to find styles that not everyone else has. I'm just excited. Downtown Crossing, Cambridgeside, and maybe even Newbury Street. I need shorts & pants. Clothes that aren't too small in one place and mammoth in another.

In addition, I'm hoping to get some unique items. Things I cannot get in the Kansas City, Minneapolis, Chicago circle. Very ready to hit up Quincy Market, North End, Newbury Street, Prudential Center in order to find whatever special items & gifts I might find.

Then the only obstacle is the NWA bagagge fee . . .

Eating in Boston

So, as the three of you who read this know, Clare and I are going to Boston in a couple weeks, so here's a healthy list of restaurants and food that I must eat! (In no order)

1. Village Smokehouse - Pulled Pork
2. Barking Crab - Fish & Chips or Shrimp
3. New York Pizza - Pizza Slice or Chicken Fingers
4. Chili Duck - Drunken Noodles w/ Pork
5. Bertuccis - Calzone & Rolls
6. Fanieul Hall/Quincy Market - Anything!
7. Michael's Deli - Roast Beef Sandwich
8. O'Leary's - Beef Stew or Shepards Pie
9. Mother Anna's - Anything!
10. Mike's Pastry - Canolli
11. Sunset Cantina - BBQ Beef Burrito
12. Dunkin Donuts - Medium Iced Coffee w/ skim milk & 2 equals

Next is the if I had the time list:
1. Golden temple - Crab Rangoons & a Zombie
2. Fireplace - Anything
3. Top of the Hub - Again . . . anything
4. Legal Seafood - Clam Chowda
5. Medival Manor - The Feast!
6. New England Soup Factory - Soup & Rolls
7. Whiskey's - Burger or Ribs
8. Beijing on the Common - General Tso Chicken
9. Johnny's Fresh Market - Italian Roast Beef Sandwich
10. Shaw's - Apple Turnover
11. Cheers - Burger & Fries
12. Spike's Junkyark Dogs - Any kind of dog & fries

Finally, the short list of additional take out places that provided delicious food:
1. Ozzie's Pizza
2. Cafe Nicholas
3. Lucky Wah
4. Dino's Pizza (closed)
5. Village Pizza
6. Sicilia's Pizza
7. Wing It
8. Wings Over Brookline


I might have left some off, but I think I covered the big ones! I am going to fast for a week in advance . . .

Snow

So, its April 5, and I've been dying for Summer, for warmth, for longer days. The snow is still falling. It's cold and the snow keeps piling up. I got up and as I do sometimes I drove to Kwik Star to get a paper and on to Starbucks for coffee. The snow was somehow comforting. There was little traffic, it was quiet, just the sound of the wipers gently moving the ice from my windshield.

I walked into Starbucks, instantly greeted by that smell. The smell of Starbucks everywhere . . . Cedar Falls, Minneapolis, the corner of Tremont & Boylston, or Washington Square. Very comforting in ts own strange way.

I am now spending another quite Sunday with Clare, Myla, & Nessa catching up on the news and Tivo.

So, don't get me wrong, I still can't wait for summer, but the snow isn't all that bad.

Happy Opening Day everyone!

Travel Travel!

Every time I go on vacation, I get urge to travel even more.  We just got back from Disney World, and unlike last year, I'm not really ready to start planning next year's Disney trip, but I have again started thinking about places around the world I'd like to go.  There is a list, but right now there are two international destinations and a few domestic locations in my mind.

International:

1.  Ireland.  I don't know what draws me to Ireland exactly.  I do have Irish heritage, but really I think the culture appeals to me most.  Of course Ireland is a beautiful country with lots to see in addition to the culture.  Also, this would be a trip we could plan and navigate ourselves without having to rely on a tour company.

2.  Egypt.  This will be our 5th Anniversary trip.  Egypt is just awesome.  I mean, to us 100 years is old.  That time span is but a moment in Egyptian history.  Pyramids, the Sphinx, Cairo, the Nile . . . the stuff of legends and history.  I can't wait.

Domestic:

In no special order:

1.  West road trip.  When I was 12 or so my family went on a road trip through the Mountain West.  South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, etc.  However, I want to fully experience a similar trip at a more casual pace and stopping at all the cool places and bypassing the boring ones.  

2.  Boston.  No explanation needed.

3.  San Jose.  Ryan and Kristan live there and besides flying through LAX once I've never been to California.

4.  San Francisco.  I've wanted to visit the set of Full House (j/k) and Greg lives there.

5.  Anywhere else.  I'll go anywhere that looks interesting.  For instance, our vacation of opportunity in Philly was awesome and we were able to take full advantage of an already planned trip!

If anyone has suggestions, advice, or a few thousand dollars I can put towards a trip, please let me know.  Travel safe & fun everyone!!

Summertime!

So, I know its not Summer, I know its not close to Summer, but it should be.  But anyway here's a list of things I like about Summer:

1.  4 Queens Dairy Cream

2. Walking all over Cedar Falls with Clare

3. The Mustang

4. Grilled steak

5. Grilled fish

6. Grilled everything else

7. Sweet corn

8. Icy beverages

9. A tan

10. Outdoor kitty adventures

11. Fresh air

12. Camping

13. Fires

14. Dining outside

15. Baseball season

16. Big Brother

17. Driving in the country

18. Freshens smoothies

19. Much much more . . .