I try to keep up my German reading skills by reading the news on www.stern.de - home of Stern magazine. And normally I wouldn't bother sharing from a website that others won't be able to understand, but their Week in Sports Photos section has some pretty hilarious pictures you might enjoy: (link). (Click on each photo to see the next one.)
Happy viewing!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Matt's Fall 2007 music mix
1: "War," by JJ Grey & Mofro. Heard: listening station at the Record Archive. Story: none - I just like the song.
2: "How Fast Can You Run," by Rocco DeLuca & the Burden. Heard: Pandora, then on their album I Trust You to Kill Me. Story: about a day after hearing this track on Pandora, I was in Blockbuster and happened across a documentary starring Kiefer Sutherland and this band. I rented it, thinking it was a fictional thing, but it documents their first (very small) European tour. It was only after all this that I heard "Colorful" on the radio, because I generally don't listen to the radio anymore.
3: "One Day," by KT Tunstall. Heard: Starbucks. Story: As much as I hate to admit discovering music at Starbucks, it's the truth. It's from a short album of acoustic performances.
4: "Getting Better," by Fionn Regan. Heard: MOJO magazine insert. Story: It's a cover of the Beatles song from Sargent Pepper's..., which turned 30? this year. Beatles purists will hate it, heck most people that hear it will probably not like it. But I like it.
5: "19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)," by Gorillaz. Heard: WBER a couple of years ago. Story: I finally found the album used at the Archive a few months ago. The regular version of this song is also on the album, but this remix is superior by far.
6: "Can't You See That He's Mine?" by The Bristols. Heard: online. Story: It started by listening to WBER's Spotlight Review show. The host keeps a blog where he posts his playlists, and it had a link to the blog of somebody or other in France. Her blog, in turn, had links for some French pop/rock tracks, and this is one that's just a lot of fun.
7: "Processed Beats," by Kasabian. Heard: album. Story: I first heard this band on Pandora and bought the album recently.
8: "Hey, Man!" by Nelly Furtado. Heard: several years ago at a listening station in Borders. Story: I admit it, I like Nelly Furtado! As much as she's a pop singer, she just has damn good songs, especially this first track from her album Whoa, Nelly! I re-discovered this song recently when Lisa had bought a couple of her other tracks.
9: "Henrietta," by The Fratellis. Heard: again, listening station at Borders. Story: Borders had this album cheap (a wonder in itself!), and the whole album is full of fun rockin' tunes. You would recognize the second track from their album, which was featured in one of the Apple commercials recently.
10: "Monkey Wrench," by Foo Fighters. Heard: album. Story: I found the CD used at the Archive. This is a great workout song, and I'm amazed at Grohl's extended single-breath vocal in the middle of the song. It blows my mind.
11: "Scar That Never Heals," by Jeremy Fisher. Heard: Paste Magazine sampler. Story: I bought the magazine, and most of the tracks are folk/pop kind of songs similar to this. I'm a sucker for this kind of music. Every time I hear it I think of Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecilia" for some reason.
12: "C'mon!" by The Village Green. Heard: Pandora. Story: no story - just like their sound.
13: "The Limit to your Love," by Feist. Heard: Pandora. Story: This one may be a little subdued for a lot of people, but people who know me know that I tend to be subdued as well. Her voice is different and great, and the instrumentation and sound of this track strike me the right way.
14: "When Your Mind's Made Up," by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (from the soundtrack to the movie "Once"). Heard: movie. Story: Hansard is the singer for a band called the Frames (?), whose music I haven't bothered to listen to. He and Irglova starred in the movie "Once," which is sort of a musical but not really. Unlike a musical, they don't stupidly break into song at random moments. However, since I've always secretly wanted to be a musician, this movie had me hooked the entire time. It's well-made, and the soundtrack music is great. Definitely in my top 3 movies I've seen this year.
15: "Proof," by I Am Kloot. Heard: Pandora. Story: no story, really - Pandora kicks ass.
16: "Creep" (acoustic), by Radiohead. Heard: Pandora. Story: After mostly missing out on Radiohead for the first 10 years or so they were around, I finally heard all of The Bends earlier this year. I had one of those feelings of realizing I've been missing something awesome for a really long time, one of those feelings that makes you wonder what else you've been missing... After this track played on Pandora, I went out & got the EP for Kevin (since I know he likes them a lot) and got a copy for myself as well. Though I like the original of this track, I somehow feel like this setting is much more appropriate to the song. That, and I can finally understand all of what he's saying.
17: "Nessun dorma," sung by Luciano Pavoratti (from Puccini's (?) opera Turandot). Heard: 2004 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Story: I (for whatever reason) watched the opening ceremony of the aforementioned Olympics, and Pavoratti closed it with this song. Honestly, it gave me chills and still does every time I listen to this song. I didn't realize at the time, but that performance was pretty much his last ever public performance. A couple months before he passed away, I remembered the track and purchased it from iTunes.
2: "How Fast Can You Run," by Rocco DeLuca & the Burden. Heard: Pandora, then on their album I Trust You to Kill Me. Story: about a day after hearing this track on Pandora, I was in Blockbuster and happened across a documentary starring Kiefer Sutherland and this band. I rented it, thinking it was a fictional thing, but it documents their first (very small) European tour. It was only after all this that I heard "Colorful" on the radio, because I generally don't listen to the radio anymore.
3: "One Day," by KT Tunstall. Heard: Starbucks. Story: As much as I hate to admit discovering music at Starbucks, it's the truth. It's from a short album of acoustic performances.
4: "Getting Better," by Fionn Regan. Heard: MOJO magazine insert. Story: It's a cover of the Beatles song from Sargent Pepper's..., which turned 30? this year. Beatles purists will hate it, heck most people that hear it will probably not like it. But I like it.
5: "19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)," by Gorillaz. Heard: WBER a couple of years ago. Story: I finally found the album used at the Archive a few months ago. The regular version of this song is also on the album, but this remix is superior by far.
6: "Can't You See That He's Mine?" by The Bristols. Heard: online. Story: It started by listening to WBER's Spotlight Review show. The host keeps a blog where he posts his playlists, and it had a link to the blog of somebody or other in France. Her blog, in turn, had links for some French pop/rock tracks, and this is one that's just a lot of fun.
7: "Processed Beats," by Kasabian. Heard: album. Story: I first heard this band on Pandora and bought the album recently.
8: "Hey, Man!" by Nelly Furtado. Heard: several years ago at a listening station in Borders. Story: I admit it, I like Nelly Furtado! As much as she's a pop singer, she just has damn good songs, especially this first track from her album Whoa, Nelly! I re-discovered this song recently when Lisa had bought a couple of her other tracks.
9: "Henrietta," by The Fratellis. Heard: again, listening station at Borders. Story: Borders had this album cheap (a wonder in itself!), and the whole album is full of fun rockin' tunes. You would recognize the second track from their album, which was featured in one of the Apple commercials recently.
10: "Monkey Wrench," by Foo Fighters. Heard: album. Story: I found the CD used at the Archive. This is a great workout song, and I'm amazed at Grohl's extended single-breath vocal in the middle of the song. It blows my mind.
11: "Scar That Never Heals," by Jeremy Fisher. Heard: Paste Magazine sampler. Story: I bought the magazine, and most of the tracks are folk/pop kind of songs similar to this. I'm a sucker for this kind of music. Every time I hear it I think of Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecilia" for some reason.
12: "C'mon!" by The Village Green. Heard: Pandora. Story: no story - just like their sound.
13: "The Limit to your Love," by Feist. Heard: Pandora. Story: This one may be a little subdued for a lot of people, but people who know me know that I tend to be subdued as well. Her voice is different and great, and the instrumentation and sound of this track strike me the right way.
14: "When Your Mind's Made Up," by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (from the soundtrack to the movie "Once"). Heard: movie. Story: Hansard is the singer for a band called the Frames (?), whose music I haven't bothered to listen to. He and Irglova starred in the movie "Once," which is sort of a musical but not really. Unlike a musical, they don't stupidly break into song at random moments. However, since I've always secretly wanted to be a musician, this movie had me hooked the entire time. It's well-made, and the soundtrack music is great. Definitely in my top 3 movies I've seen this year.
15: "Proof," by I Am Kloot. Heard: Pandora. Story: no story, really - Pandora kicks ass.
16: "Creep" (acoustic), by Radiohead. Heard: Pandora. Story: After mostly missing out on Radiohead for the first 10 years or so they were around, I finally heard all of The Bends earlier this year. I had one of those feelings of realizing I've been missing something awesome for a really long time, one of those feelings that makes you wonder what else you've been missing... After this track played on Pandora, I went out & got the EP for Kevin (since I know he likes them a lot) and got a copy for myself as well. Though I like the original of this track, I somehow feel like this setting is much more appropriate to the song. That, and I can finally understand all of what he's saying.
17: "Nessun dorma," sung by Luciano Pavoratti (from Puccini's (?) opera Turandot). Heard: 2004 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Story: I (for whatever reason) watched the opening ceremony of the aforementioned Olympics, and Pavoratti closed it with this song. Honestly, it gave me chills and still does every time I listen to this song. I didn't realize at the time, but that performance was pretty much his last ever public performance. A couple months before he passed away, I remembered the track and purchased it from iTunes.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Discovered: Gnome Vigil at Java Wally's
I recently found a disc of RIT pictures, most of which I think Dan took. One series is in a folder titled "Gnomes," and anyone who visited 6GPB much may remember those jolly little fellows. Well, there was lots of fun & frivolity taking the gnomes on a photo shoot at the RIT campus, until things went horribly wrong for one of the gnomes.
Those details may be too graphic to share here, but I can share a photo of a vigil held after the tragic event. I hope you will remember this gnome fondly...
Those details may be too graphic to share here, but I can share a photo of a vigil held after the tragic event. I hope you will remember this gnome fondly...
Saturday, October 6, 2007
RIT makes the big time...
This weekend in RIT's Brick City Festival, which is exciting. I'm getting ready to head over there in a little while. In the meantime, I'm taking a few minutes to do the Yahoo Games crossword from October 4th, and strangely enough, I get the following clue:
Whoa.... strange.
Whoa.... strange.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Walking updates: 24 miles this past weekend
On Saturday, I walked 18 total miles. A 7-mile stretch, which brought me back home for lunch & water; then an 8-mile piece; then mowed the lawn, walked a mile with Lisa in Webster, and browsed around stores long enough to put together the rest.
On Sunday morning, I got up early and my right foot was hurting less than it had been Saturday after walking so much. I managed about 6.5 miles. Both days featured wonderful weather, with not too many sights along the way. I've taken to listening to a book on CD: Bill Clinton's autobiography, "My Life." The audiobook for Part 1 alone is 21 CDs! It has some interesting anecdotes and I've listened far enough for him to win his first election, as Arkansas state Attorney General in the 70s. It's fascinating to learn about the political election process - especially at the level of literally going town to town shaking hands and babies - and also to hear about all the people he knew back when that he appointed to various posts later on. (So far, my favorite is his Law School student's final paper he lost while grading them on the campaign trail, who turned to be the judge in the Paul Jones trial.)
The weekend also brought lots of fun: Friday night Lisa & I went to a newish Chinese restaurant in Penfield, Hong Wah. It was great! All the food was excellent, especially their spring rolls. And the service was great as well. Saturday evening, as I say, we shopped a little in Webster & I bought some gel insoles for my sneakers - hopefully my foot won't hurt as badly now. Sunday night, I went out to the Old Toad with Eric and Carlo to toast the passing of Beer Guy Michael Jackson. We hung around for Trivia time, then back home to get some rest to start this week.
On Sunday morning, I got up early and my right foot was hurting less than it had been Saturday after walking so much. I managed about 6.5 miles. Both days featured wonderful weather, with not too many sights along the way. I've taken to listening to a book on CD: Bill Clinton's autobiography, "My Life." The audiobook for Part 1 alone is 21 CDs! It has some interesting anecdotes and I've listened far enough for him to win his first election, as Arkansas state Attorney General in the 70s. It's fascinating to learn about the political election process - especially at the level of literally going town to town shaking hands and babies - and also to hear about all the people he knew back when that he appointed to various posts later on. (So far, my favorite is his Law School student's final paper he lost while grading them on the campaign trail, who turned to be the judge in the Paul Jones trial.)
The weekend also brought lots of fun: Friday night Lisa & I went to a newish Chinese restaurant in Penfield, Hong Wah. It was great! All the food was excellent, especially their spring rolls. And the service was great as well. Saturday evening, as I say, we shopped a little in Webster & I bought some gel insoles for my sneakers - hopefully my foot won't hurt as badly now. Sunday night, I went out to the Old Toad with Eric and Carlo to toast the passing of Beer Guy Michael Jackson. We hung around for Trivia time, then back home to get some rest to start this week.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Walking update: 15 miles yesterday
I made 15 miles & got a nice sunburn yesterday. The weather was great.
I started with a walk to the Kwik-Fill to get the Sunday paper for Lisa; then a while later, she dropped me off in the village & I walked home from there (10.5 miles or so). After a break for water & lunch, I walked the rest around the neighborhood.
Only a few more weeks...
I started with a walk to the Kwik-Fill to get the Sunday paper for Lisa; then a while later, she dropped me off in the village & I walked home from there (10.5 miles or so). After a break for water & lunch, I walked the rest around the neighborhood.
Only a few more weeks...
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Just because it's about the coolest thing ever...
Do you like Peanuts? Do you like OutKast? Well, I don't care anyway. Check this out: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brpub0hTbjs).
In other news, I found out some sad news about one of the most important recent beer experts (yes, his name was Michael Jackson)... he passed away on August 30th. All readers take note: the Old Toad is doing a toast in his honor on September 30th (see also this pdf about this national event).
Finally, in totally other news, I shot my first birdie in golf tonight! I sank an 8-iron shot from about 100 yards away!!! And for those who don't know what this means or don't care, I feel sorry for you.... just kidding :)
In other news, I found out some sad news about one of the most important recent beer experts (yes, his name was Michael Jackson)... he passed away on August 30th. All readers take note: the Old Toad is doing a toast in his honor on September 30th (see also this pdf about this national event).
Finally, in totally other news, I shot my first birdie in golf tonight! I sank an 8-iron shot from about 100 yards away!!! And for those who don't know what this means or don't care, I feel sorry for you.... just kidding :)
Monday, September 17, 2007
Walking update: 9 miles yesterday
No big update... 9 miles walking yesterday in great weather! Walked around the neighborhood for a while & snuck some extra steps mowing (about 1 mile - didn't mow the whole thing 'cause most of the yard is still charred) and grocery shopping (about 3/4 mile, I think? - not a big shop).
The Walk starts four weeks and 5 days from today....
The Walk starts four weeks and 5 days from today....
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Walking update: 8 miles today
Wow, a week since my last post! And yes, that means a week since my last walk of any significance.
Tonight had me doing an 8-mile walk on the treadmill at the gym, thanks to the threatening weather. As a matter of fact, I'm hearing thunder & seeing bits of lightning out the window right now. But do you think it rained even 3 drops while I was in the gym on the treadmill looking out the window? No.... but I'm not bitter :)
Tonight had me doing an 8-mile walk on the treadmill at the gym, thanks to the threatening weather. As a matter of fact, I'm hearing thunder & seeing bits of lightning out the window right now. But do you think it rained even 3 drops while I was in the gym on the treadmill looking out the window? No.... but I'm not bitter :)
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Walking update: 5 miles today
I ran/walked to the gym (3.5 miles), then walked a mile and a half on the treadmill. I'm pretty sore from my longer walk yesterday.
In totally unrelated news, I just saw an alumni e-mail from RIT - a "conversation with President Destler" (Dr. Simone's replacement, of course). May be interesting for any RIT people out there. A few things I noticed were (1) how much RIT's web site and overall production have improved from what I remember starting 9 years ago; (2) how, um, "academic" Destler looks and sounds; and (3) the emergence of yet another new buzzword to which RIT can aspire.
In totally unrelated news, I just saw an alumni e-mail from RIT - a "conversation with President Destler" (Dr. Simone's replacement, of course). May be interesting for any RIT people out there. A few things I noticed were (1) how much RIT's web site and overall production have improved from what I remember starting 9 years ago; (2) how, um, "academic" Destler looks and sounds; and (3) the emergence of yet another new buzzword to which RIT can aspire.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Walking updates
Well well... I haven't written any updates since almost a week ago regarding walking. I have walked twice in the last two days, though.
The first was an 8-mile walk with Lisa yesterday in Oneonta. We went out of town unexpectedly for a funeral Friday morning in Long Island - Lisa's uncle. We were able to spend the weekend visiting with family, then came back to Oneonta yesterday afternoon.
We drove back to Rochester today, and this afternoon I logged my first walkwith double-digit mileage! I first walked 9.2 miles roundtrip to the next town over, then got some water & Lisa joined me for a jaunt around a loop we frequently walk or bike. It's a 2.6-mile loop going from our house, up a big hill to our town hall, then down the other side of that hill, then back up another big hill into the village and back home.
I... am... a little sore right now... But I felt good to log almost 12 miles today.
The first was an 8-mile walk with Lisa yesterday in Oneonta. We went out of town unexpectedly for a funeral Friday morning in Long Island - Lisa's uncle. We were able to spend the weekend visiting with family, then came back to Oneonta yesterday afternoon.
We drove back to Rochester today, and this afternoon I logged my first walkwith double-digit mileage! I first walked 9.2 miles roundtrip to the next town over, then got some water & Lisa joined me for a jaunt around a loop we frequently walk or bike. It's a 2.6-mile loop going from our house, up a big hill to our town hall, then down the other side of that hill, then back up another big hill into the village and back home.
I... am... a little sore right now... But I felt good to log almost 12 miles today.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
The bar with no name
I stole the headline from this article in Rochester's City newspaper. The paper itself is sometimes a little short on content and long on liberal-ness and classifieds, but it's free, and they've recently designed the layout in a way that I think looks really good.
I'm certainly excited about the prospect of a new place for good beer in Rochester, especially with the credentials this guy's bringing coming from the Old Toad.
Cheers!
I'm certainly excited about the prospect of a new place for good beer in Rochester, especially with the credentials this guy's bringing coming from the Old Toad.
Cheers!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Wait, is that really Silverchair?
This weekend Lisa & I visited Lisa's cousin in Pittsburgh. We drove down Friday, arriving around midnight. We were up early Saturday and went to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in nearby Bear Run, PA. It was a very cool place. I heard cantilever more times than ever before in my life! The house is built right over a waterfall and uses a lot of clever techniques to not fall in the river. There are stairs descending from the middle of the living room right to the river; you can hear the waterfall from everyplace in the house. And, because of the way it's built, it incorporates a number of rock outcroppings right into ground-floor rooms, and it features neat details like windows on one of the corners of the house. It's still furnished with all the original furniture and mostly original belongings of its owners, the Kaufman family (as in Kaufman's department stores). They died and left the house to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, so now it's a museum.
Saturday night brought game night with Lisa's cousin & a bunch of her friends - they were all really nice! We played some Cranium and a never-ending game of Trivial Pursuit 20th edition.
Sunday we took our time waking up, and in the midst of hanging out & getting ready, I watched (for the first time in probably four or five years) the VH1 video countdown. It was a trip to see some of these videos. I don't remember a lot of them, because I honestly don't listen to much radio at all anymore. But what really got me is that Silverchair has a video on the countdown!
I remember these guys from about 10 years ago, when I guess they were quite young. I had to visit Amazon to remind myself what their single, "Tomorrow," sounded like. Strangely, their new song sounds nothing like their stuff from a dozen years ago. Where they were a straightforward grunge band back in the day, they've got a totally different sound now, much more poppy than Frogstomp. I'd actually need to hear the song a few more times to tell you anything more about it.
We were back to Rochester Sunday afternoon, and I went for a walk (3 miles or so). Then some grocery shopping around 9 PM, and then to bed to get ready for another big week :)
Saturday night brought game night with Lisa's cousin & a bunch of her friends - they were all really nice! We played some Cranium and a never-ending game of Trivial Pursuit 20th edition.
Sunday we took our time waking up, and in the midst of hanging out & getting ready, I watched (for the first time in probably four or five years) the VH1 video countdown. It was a trip to see some of these videos. I don't remember a lot of them, because I honestly don't listen to much radio at all anymore. But what really got me is that Silverchair has a video on the countdown!
I remember these guys from about 10 years ago, when I guess they were quite young. I had to visit Amazon to remind myself what their single, "Tomorrow," sounded like. Strangely, their new song sounds nothing like their stuff from a dozen years ago. Where they were a straightforward grunge band back in the day, they've got a totally different sound now, much more poppy than Frogstomp. I'd actually need to hear the song a few more times to tell you anything more about it.
We were back to Rochester Sunday afternoon, and I went for a walk (3 miles or so). Then some grocery shopping around 9 PM, and then to bed to get ready for another big week :)
Walking update: 2.5 miles today
Yes, only 2.5 miles today... and that mowing the lawn. I finally remembered to wear a pedometer when I mowed the lawn, and with less than half an acre, I managed to walk 2.5 miles! With the dry weather this summer, the mowings have been few and far between.
Petroleum Day??
One day when I hadn't been working for very long, I suddenly needed to know the date of some holiday. Or perhaps I needed some excuse to celebrate on some random day... I don't remember. However, my Google search that day yielded a site I've often revisited: EarthCalendar.
This morning, what with it being a Monday and all (and in the misery of seasonal allergies that drain energy and make the morning just that much more enjoyable), I surfed over to that trusty old resource. Lo and behold, today (in Texas, at least) is Petroleum Day!
So, let's see: everybody hates oil companies for making giant profits while gas prices are near/over $3 per gallon, the talk around the nation is of needing to get independent of foreign oil and move to alternative fuels, I still (many years later) can't think of Exxon without thinking of oil-drenched birds, and I generally view oil executives as either Monty Burns or the crazy Texan from the Simpsons.... hey let's celebrate oil!!
Now, to be fair, I have to throw a couple of modifiers in here. First, everybody hates oil companies *except* for all the people who benefit from their huge profits. That includes not only the rich but probably anyone at all who has a 401(k) or any other chance to own mutual funds. After all, the financial folks get paid to make us money for our retirement. So, really, I can't stay mad at oil companies.
And who knows? Maybe Texas is only celebrating its own petroleum, and not that of others. And when I think of all the other petroleum-related products out there like... um... petroleum jelly and .... well, you know what I mean - maybe we all need to take a little time-out to appreciate petroleum and all it does for us.
Finally, a quick quiz: without using the Internet to get the answer, what two countries are the top single suppliers of oil to the US? You may be surprised when you see the answer.
(The previous link is from the Energy Information Administration of the US gov't., which has more interesting info on oil in the US.)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The past weekend
Lisa & I had the pleasure of hosting our friends Josh & Elizabeth, along with their son (& our godson) Hayden. Since they've been living in Oklahoma the past few years, this was our first chance to meet Hayden, who was born on Labor Day last year.
They arrived Friday, and we just sat & talked; Saturday, they were off to meet up with some other Rochester friends, while Lisa & I went to my cousin's for a party. The weather was great, & after hanging out there for a while, we went to Henrietta to do some shopping.
And some shopping did I do! In Southtown Plaza, we hit up a newer place called Plato's Closet - it's got all used clothing (kind of like a consignment shop, but I think it's a little different). The prices were great, and I picked up a button-down work shirt and a sweater for $22. Lisa had similar luck, finding a great winter jacket for $22. After that, I wandered over to Play It Again Sports and found a left-handed sand wedge (a golf club, for anyone who's not familiar with the lingo - I didn't simply mis-type 'sandwich,' and I'm not at all sure I would have bought a sandwich from a store that sells sporting goods...) for $10. We rounded out our great deals with a third store in the same plaza, called Tuesday Morning. As Lisa described it, it's kind of like the homewares section of a TJ Maxx. I found a small french press pot, and to my absolute delight it was even orange! Now I can make just one cup of coffee in the morning instead of a small pot, and I won't go to work so jacked up on caffeine that I have tremors 'til noon. Oh, and I also found a decent pair of headphones - the kind that loop over the ear. I used them last night while walking, and even with my sweaty head in full walking stride, those bad boys didn't budge; the music was un-interrupted & thus I am a happy camper.
We met up with Josh & family for dinner at The Golden Port, a restaurant that does Chinese, Thai, sushi, Vietnamese, Dim Sum,... And having tried a number of things there, I think they do them all pretty well! We got & shared a variety of dishes and some sushi rolls, and a good time was had by all. Sunday, we caravaned to Warsaw, NY to visit our mutual friends Jeannie & Jeff (whom we met at Josh & Elizabeth's wedding). Josh & fam had to go on their way, but we stayed and played some games (namely, Lie Cheat & Steal and Mille Bourne). And just like that, it was Monday again....
They arrived Friday, and we just sat & talked; Saturday, they were off to meet up with some other Rochester friends, while Lisa & I went to my cousin's for a party. The weather was great, & after hanging out there for a while, we went to Henrietta to do some shopping.
And some shopping did I do! In Southtown Plaza, we hit up a newer place called Plato's Closet - it's got all used clothing (kind of like a consignment shop, but I think it's a little different). The prices were great, and I picked up a button-down work shirt and a sweater for $22. Lisa had similar luck, finding a great winter jacket for $22. After that, I wandered over to Play It Again Sports and found a left-handed sand wedge (a golf club, for anyone who's not familiar with the lingo - I didn't simply mis-type 'sandwich,' and I'm not at all sure I would have bought a sandwich from a store that sells sporting goods...) for $10. We rounded out our great deals with a third store in the same plaza, called Tuesday Morning. As Lisa described it, it's kind of like the homewares section of a TJ Maxx. I found a small french press pot, and to my absolute delight it was even orange! Now I can make just one cup of coffee in the morning instead of a small pot, and I won't go to work so jacked up on caffeine that I have tremors 'til noon. Oh, and I also found a decent pair of headphones - the kind that loop over the ear. I used them last night while walking, and even with my sweaty head in full walking stride, those bad boys didn't budge; the music was un-interrupted & thus I am a happy camper.
We met up with Josh & family for dinner at The Golden Port, a restaurant that does Chinese, Thai, sushi, Vietnamese, Dim Sum,... And having tried a number of things there, I think they do them all pretty well! We got & shared a variety of dishes and some sushi rolls, and a good time was had by all. Sunday, we caravaned to Warsaw, NY to visit our mutual friends Jeannie & Jeff (whom we met at Josh & Elizabeth's wedding). Josh & fam had to go on their way, but we stayed and played some games (namely, Lie Cheat & Steal and Mille Bourne). And just like that, it was Monday again....
Walking update: 8 miles yesterday
Hello again... Last night I made my biggest walk so far - 8 miles. I started from my house & walked to the gym (3.5 miles), followed by 4.5 more on the treadmill. The weather was kind of lousy & rained during the afternoon while I was at work, but it held out as I walked.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Walking update: 7.1 miles today
Tonight's walk was a little more mundane... the treadmill at the gym counted up to 99:59, rolled over to 0:00, and counted up to 20:00 again as I walked 7 miles in 2 hours. Nothing special to report tonight, except that walking 2 hours on a treadmill is really frigging boring....
As long as I'm at it, I'll tack on last night's 1.5 miles in this post. Lisa & I went to the Wayne County Fair! I hadn't been to the fair in a long time. When I was younger, it was the Otsego County Fair, and I can't say this one was any different. It just seemed a little smaller, probably because I'm about 10 years older now. A few of Lisa's students were showing animals - goats, cattle, rabbits, a guinea pig - and were very successful. It was cool to see all those animals and many more: sheep, chickens, even a turkey.
As long as I'm at it, I'll tack on last night's 1.5 miles in this post. Lisa & I went to the Wayne County Fair! I hadn't been to the fair in a long time. When I was younger, it was the Otsego County Fair, and I can't say this one was any different. It just seemed a little smaller, probably because I'm about 10 years older now. A few of Lisa's students were showing animals - goats, cattle, rabbits, a guinea pig - and were very successful. It was cool to see all those animals and many more: sheep, chickens, even a turkey.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The past few days
Since I haven't posted in a few days, I figured I'd bring you up to date (whoever "you" are, anyway... who's reading this?) on what I've been doing.
On Friday, Lisa & I went to Lowe's in Webster (which is to say, not Loew's in Webster, which will soon become apparent). We spent 90 minutes at the hardware store! We were gearing up for the big Work Around the House weekend, which commenced Saturday morning.
This past weekend, we mortared, painted, installed, mopped, vacuumed, caulked, organized,
disposed, recycled, filled, sanded, mowed, and generally did a bunch of stuff we hadn't gotten to over the past 16 months of owning the house.
We took a break Saturday night to hang out at the Pittsford Pub with Carlo, Eric, Tiff, Karen, Jeremy, Kristen, Evan, and Don. You can read Eric's take on this one - he's got it well covered.
After some more work on Sunday, we took another break - this time to see the Simpsons movie, at Loew's theaters in Webster. (Ah, now it all becomes clear...) I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Adam said a friend described it as an extended Simpsons episode, and I wouldn't dispute that. I laughed out loud in the theater a bunch of times, enjoyed random lines from Ralphie and lots of other characters, and even stayed around long enough in the credits to hear Maggie talk. Yes, that's right, she spoke. So if you went to see the movie & didn't sit around through the credits, well then, tough cookies.
In all, it was a packed weekend, but it was nice to be at home & see our friends, and it was really nice to get a bunch of things done around the house.
On Friday, Lisa & I went to Lowe's in Webster (which is to say, not Loew's in Webster, which will soon become apparent). We spent 90 minutes at the hardware store! We were gearing up for the big Work Around the House weekend, which commenced Saturday morning.
This past weekend, we mortared, painted, installed, mopped, vacuumed, caulked, organized,
disposed, recycled, filled, sanded, mowed, and generally did a bunch of stuff we hadn't gotten to over the past 16 months of owning the house.
We took a break Saturday night to hang out at the Pittsford Pub with Carlo, Eric, Tiff, Karen, Jeremy, Kristen, Evan, and Don. You can read Eric's take on this one - he's got it well covered.
After some more work on Sunday, we took another break - this time to see the Simpsons movie, at Loew's theaters in Webster. (Ah, now it all becomes clear...) I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Adam said a friend described it as an extended Simpsons episode, and I wouldn't dispute that. I laughed out loud in the theater a bunch of times, enjoyed random lines from Ralphie and lots of other characters, and even stayed around long enough in the credits to hear Maggie talk. Yes, that's right, she spoke. So if you went to see the movie & didn't sit around through the credits, well then, tough cookies.
In all, it was a packed weekend, but it was nice to be at home & see our friends, and it was really nice to get a bunch of things done around the house.
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