|
Friday, July 30
Shredder Is Bedder
I just discovered that we have a paper shredder here at work, and the pure joy associated with using said equipment. I started looking around the mail room for things to shred, so please feel free to mail me things you would like destroyed. I wonder if Enron is hiring?
posted by Brad at 7/30/2004 03:42:00 PM | permalink |
3 comments 
BlogThis! - Got Box?
If not, I know someone who knows someone who can hook you up - for a price. Keep it on the DL, yo - I don't want my momma to find out.
PS - if you ever want to defeat me in a spelling bee, challenge me to spell the word "carraige." Or is it "carriage?" Ah crap, nevermind.
posted by Brad at 7/30/2004 03:11:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
BlogThis! - Paul Harvey
If I manage to get my ass out of bed by 6 AM, I'm usually in the car at 6:52 when Paul Harvey graces the AM waves with his news & commentary. Listening to his morning news is informative and entertaining, and never fails to bring me back to the kitchen table at 3005 N. Main St.
It must have been on weekends when my mom was working or drinking or something, but my dad would invariably "cook" us peanut butter & jelly sandwiches on toast for lunch while listening to what must have been Mr. Harvey's "Saturday Noon News." I remember always enjoying the PB&J sandwiches, because he was far from stingy with either of the toppings.
Apparently, all the threats that I would turn into one of said sandwiches were a bunch of hooey, as I like to think I still resemble a normal person. For some time back in the middle school/high school years, Nick did insist that my hair smelled like peanut butter though - I could never tell if he was actually serious...
Some yahoo named Doug Limerick is filling in for Paul this week, but you can listen to a week's worth of broadcasts on his website - including the real deal doing last Saturday's noon news.
posted by Brad at 7/30/2004 10:46:00 AM | permalink |
0 comments
Thursday, July 29
Atomzzzz
I'm probably the only person who uses the search function in the toolbar on the right, but I just realized that the site hasn't been indexed in 9 weeks! Turns out you have to schedule an automatic update of your index for it to be maintained - I've been asleep on da joarb.
In case you were wondering, the index will be updated every Wednesday at midnight, so check back during the wee hours for the freshest index possible!
Now Playing: Blue Man Group - The Complex
posted by Brad at 7/29/2004 05:43:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Wednesday, July 28
Buses Of Old White People
We went to see the Trucco Polka Band tonight at a free outdoor concert in Victory Park, but came home before the end of the concert due to it being... cold?
It was 82 degrees at the time.
Don't worry Mollie, you're a much better singer than these old timers.
4 posts in one day? That has to be some kind of record.
Now Playing: Cities 97 Sampler - Vol. 15
posted by Brad at 7/28/2004 10:33:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
BlogThis! - Conquistador
1) Think of the most obscure word you can come up with
2) Type it into WordCount
3) Realize how tiny your vocabulary really is
4) Rinse and repeat
posted by Brad at 7/28/2004 04:43:00 PM | permalink |
4 comments
M T Links
Probably due to the fact that I am compelled to link to every linkable word that I write, it has been brought to my attention that I recently failed to "connect the dots" as it were. In addition to going back and editing the offending posts, here are the (hopefully working) links that were omitted:
Now Playing: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons (Sir Neville Marriner)
posted by Brad at 7/28/2004 11:13:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
Behr Your Bare Walls
Behr has a slick online "Color Smart" tool, it could come in handy for any of you who may be moving into new homes... http://www.behr.com/behrx/workbook/index.jsp
posted by Brad at 7/28/2004 10:28:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
Tuesday, July 27
Blog This! - House of Gierok
Check out the shagadelic townhome that Becca and Dan are gonna buy in Eagan.
posted by Brad at 7/27/2004 04:06:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
Monday, July 26
I'm Full!
I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I do feel smarter after trying out the much hyped Taco Bell value menu while reading a SharePoint article in the July 2004 issue of MSDN Magazine:
Use Windows SharePoint Services as a Platform for Building Collaborative Applications
In addition to understanding WSS and SPS a bit better, I now know that I can handle their "fire" sauce without any "problems" - so far at least...
posted by Brad at 7/26/2004 04:11:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
Bye Bye $130 Fares
As of this morning, the $130 MSP/SMF roundtrip fare on United seems to have disappeared. Unless everyone bought tickets and didn't bother informing us, I don't think anyone took advantage if the cheapness - sad.
posted by Brad at 7/26/2004 10:54:00 AM | permalink |
0 comments
Sunday, July 25
Beautiful Babies
I made it back from Sin City in one piece, and haven't been in front of a computer in over 2 days, so it must be time to write again?
No, video poker doesn't count.
Wanting to start things off with a bang, I decided to arrive at the gate in Sacramento 10 minutes before the posted departure time of 2:00. Noticing the closed jetway door, I pleaded with the lone woman behind the counter to please let me board. Without so much as looking up, she informed me,
Sir, we haven't started boarding yet.
It was only then that I realized a hundred some people were standing around, possibly wondering why I had nearly trampled those in my path to the plane. It was only slightly embarassing.
The flight itself was uneventful, and soon after landing I found Wade and Luke amongst a sea of Delta Sigma Theta conference attendees. We made our way to the hotel, where Ray and TJ were anxiously awaiting our arrival. Once Taylor and Ben rounded out the Fearless Foursom... Sensational Sevensome(?), we attacked the first buffet we found. Sufficiently stuffed full of Mongolian Meat, we hiked down the strip to Coyote Ugly, where the "bartenders" spent most of their time yelling at us to sing along and stop playing hip hop on the f*#%!^g jukebox. That got old, so we prettied ourselves up and checked out swanky V Bar before making a late night run at the blackjack and craps tables.
I ended the night up a whopping $20, and woke up in time to check out one of several pools before venturing off the strip for some wholesome family fun. It took one cab an hour to get some of the boys back to the hotel, but we didn't miss our dinner reservation at Del Frisco's. Good thing too, because the food was incredible and everyone was all smiles - until the bill came. A big thanks to Jon Schaan for introducing his brother to Argentine wine, the 2001 Salentein Malbec was grapetastic.
After rolling in style to the Hard Rock, we gambled for awhile (I lost $50, Taylor won $500) and then made our way to a VIP table at Body English. You can deduce a lot from the website I linked to, but I can't even think of words to describe how fantastic it was. Except of course |337, which is somewhat appropriate in this context. A few highlights:
We hit Denny's around 4 AM and went to bed as the sun was starting to peek over the mountains, but don't think that meant we had an unproductive day. While Ray was trying to comprehend why he puked his dinner all over the pillow and floor at night, and then alcohol the following morning, Wade and I each threw down $10 on the Packers to win the 2005 Super Bowl. At 15:1 odds, that's a guaranteed $150 in our pockets a mere 196 days from now. I bought a poster from the Guggenheim conveniently located in said hotel, and we visited Roy's best friends at The Mirage.
There was plenty of time left to get to the airport, where we sat around for quite some time after checking in. One might think that would prevent me from (once again) running to my gate as the monitors indicated the plane was boarding and I hadn't even gone through security. We ended up taking off a mere 2 hours late, so I'm thrilled to have made a fool of myself twice in the same weekend. Speaking of late - I have to go to work in the morning don't I?
Well that was a bit long-winded. Only 21 links - that ought to keep everyone out of trouble for awhile... good night!
Now Playing: Minnesota Orchestra - Mephisto & Co.
posted by Brad at 7/25/2004 11:29:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Friday, July 23
I Miss Regina
It's probably bad form to mention that you miss your stylist before ever announcing how much you miss your mom - or even your girlfriend's sister's husband's sister. But that is exactly how I felt today, after having my head molested by an aging Texan at Park Woods Beauty Salon. I guess the hunt for someone to tend to my locks continues...
I find it no coincidence that Michael and Nick are starting to tend to their aging blogs a bit more, as The Myth reaches out and touches a few more of its readers. Frankly, I'm quite flattered that my ramblings are enough to keep anyone's attention, much less "inspire" them. For heaven's sake, Michael called me a "blogod" the other day!
Last night, Susan and I traveled to Saratoga to see Train perform at Villa Montalvo's Garden Theatre. It was sort of a last minute thing, but ended up being an incredible experience that we'll not likely soon forget. The fact that on-site parking was $30 (we passed) and my silly Mazda was between a Mercedes and a Porche in line should have been our first clue. Susan made a comment at some point early in the evening that about sums it up;
This is why we moved to California.
She then proceeded to sleep most of the way home, and I required the company of some Starbucks Doubleshot to get us back to Stockon at 12:45 AM.
If you need an excuse to be in the San Francisco bay area during the September 11th weekend, Dave Matthews Band is playing a benefit concert in Golden Gate Park on the 12th. You think I don't already have (free) tickets? You should probably go ahead and pick some up for yourself beginning this Saturday.
This weekend is Wade's bachelor party in Las Vegas, and don't let the forecast fool you into thinking there won't be copius debauchery.
Now Playing: Ocean's Eleven - Official Soundtrack
posted by Brad at 7/23/2004 12:33:00 AM | permalink |
2 comments
Wednesday, July 21
FW: BlogMail!
Per Dmitry's comment on the last post, I feel the need to address the controversial issue of Blogging at work. While I must admit that I have indeed engaged in said activities while located in a cubicle (I don't have a cubicle at home yet), I have taken great care to ensure that it does not seriously interfere with my productivity at work. The fact that I initially created The Myth while at work should be ignored, and I am also disinclined to acquiesce to any requests that pertain to my current work location. A few other items... I am writing this post in Outlook (VERY work-friendly), and upon hitting the send button it should post and republish The Myth automagically. Basically, the definition of |337 is what we've got going on here. I am now a licensed driver in the state of California, if you consider the dot-matrix printed sheet of paper in my wallet to be a license. Why does a 12 pack of soda (that's "pop" for you Minnesota folks eh) cost twice as much in CA ($4.99) as MN, but a 20 oz bottle from a vending machine is less ($1.00)? The items above were originally intended to test the HTML prowess of BlogMail, but it has none.
posted by Brad at 7/21/2004 04:18:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
BlogThis! - Hobbit Travel
For all you Minnesotans who promised to come visit us in Cali at some point in the next coupla years, allow me to humbly suggest that you sign up for the Hot Deals Newsletter from Hobbit Travel, since I get an e-mail from them nearly every week with last minute tickets to San Francisco for as low as $129.
If you're hungry for more web pages to visit, check out my girlfriend's sister's husband's sister's blog. Believe it or not, The Myth is part of what inspired her to start one of her own (blush).
As always, BlogThis! has been brought to you by the letter O and the Google Toolbar.
Now Playing: Miles Davis - Milestones
posted by Brad at 7/21/2004 10:43:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
Monday, July 19
Twins Win!
Due in no small part to Derek and I discussing how, as of late, the Twins can't get a run to save their lives... they exploded for a 3 run 7th inning and conquered the mighty Tigers.
I'm currently enjoying the end of a bottle of Black Opal 2001 Shiraz, yesterday Susan and I polished off the [yellow tail] Chardonnay that our wallmates Frankie and Glen included in a wonderful "welcome to the neighborhood" basket last week. Did I mention that Frankie is from Kenosha, and that she happened to visit the evening that our water was turned off last week?
Neighbors come in handy sometimes - case in point, this past weekend when Susan and I thought we saw and smelled the smoke from the California/Nevada wildfires, Glen was kind enough to straighten us out by mentioning that they burn the rice fields every year east of Stockton, and this was a terribly normal thing to be experiencing.
Oh, and the garbage gets picked up on Tuesdays.
After purchasing, assembling and half cooking some chicken shish kebobs on a new Thermos charcoal grill, Susan got the itch to finish busting up the random pour of concrete by the air conditioner (thanks Jason).
We tested out our first church on Sunday, and started close to home with the Church of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I enjoyed it, but Susan thought it a bit "old school," so the search will continue once I return from some debauchery in Vegas...
I heard a familiar sound on the way out of church, it turned out to be Impulse Drum & Bugle Corps practicing at nearby Lincoln High School. As today is my Dad's birthday (and Dana & Gabe's anniversary), I bought him and me and my Mom and Susan tickets to the 2004 Tour of Champions, a brand spankin' new DCI production in Cupertino that is sure to be a hootinanny.
Boulez is done, MMW just started, I'm out like a girlie man.
Now Playing: Boulez/CSO - Mahler Symphony No. 1
posted by Brad at 7/19/2004 11:24:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Saturday, July 17
Potty Blog
The laptop is sitting on top of the dryer I just installed, which is sitting next to the washer I just installed. I'm running an empty cycle of the washing machine now to make sure I didn't screw up - so far so good. It's a potty blog because these appliances are conveniently located in the downstairs bathroom of our lovely house. Nothing like doing a load of towels while you're dropping a deuce...
Lots of progress on the house to report since Wednesday night:
- Blogger is finally painted after 3 coats of orange
- Most of the boxes are broken down and cluttering the back yard
- Now that we have a TV, Comcast returned with a fancy cable box
- I re-arranged the kitchen cupboards twice, then gave Susan a "tour" of the kitchen
- Dropped another $100 at Home Depot
- Went and saw Anchorman at the fancy new Stockton City Centre Cinemas
I suppose the last one doesn't qualify as progress on the house, but we needed a break. If you haven't seen it, the movie is pretty much so dumb that it's hilarious. It does rely a bit too heavily on Will Ferrell forcefully trying to make the audience laugh, but I can think of worse ways to pass the time.
Greg abandoned me on Friday afternoon, so hopefully I actually understood all the stuff he threw at me over the past week. Now I know how Rich and Sarah feel back in Minneapolis, since I brain dumped on them before leaving for Lodi.
Speaking of which, I meant to share Caliblog with everyone a while back. It's written by a group of kids from Michigan who up and moved to southern California earlier this year. I've read from the beginning up until they all arrived in North Hollywood, mostly because I stumbled across it shortly before Jason and I made a journey of our own. I just want to make sure everyone has someblog to read, even on days when I don't find time to post.
One other thing I've been meaning to mention for awhile now is craigslist. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that a guy named Craig started it in San Fransicso a while back, and it has grown into quite a formidable little subculture. Laura told me about it years ago, and it has become an ever-increasing part of my consciousness recently. I used it a couple months ago to snatch up a free ladder and metal shelving unit, both of which were far from "like new" condition, but have come in handy in the new house. On Friday, I listed my window air conditioner on the site - and it sold within 30 minutes. For you Wisconsinites, Milwaukee just got their own craigslist, so get down on it.
Said washer appears to be working, so I'm going to do some laundry and catch some Z's...
Now Playing: JJ Johnson - Brass Orchestra
posted by Brad at 7/17/2004 10:32:00 PM | permalink |
3 comments
Thursday, July 15
Home Sweet Bling
By 10:30 PM, I shouldn't be blogging - I should be sleeping. 6 AM seems to happen right after I close my eyes each night. I can't complain too much though, since getting out of work around 4 each day has been pretty sweet. Today I left even earlier, to attend Greg & Natalie's going away at Wine & Roses. As I was sitting there enjoying various wines from our neighbors in Woodbridge, it occurred to me that the weather was absolutely perfect.
I won't go so far as to call it a Money Pit, but there does seem to be no shortage of "things we need to buy for the house." We found ourselves at Home Depot tonight, and left with a lawn mower, faux wood blinds, more damn Pumpkin Patch paint... and 240 WorldPerks miles. I then visited Susan's Target with her for the first time, where we escaped after spending a mere 38 bucks. I avoided purchasing a gas grill at both places, but I fear that we won't be able to live without one for much longer.
I failed to use the last Target coupon in time, but Michael stumbled across yet another one. While I'm on the subject, Susan doesn't have to work this weekend (that's 3 in a row!), so we should be able to make some good progress on el casa y caliente con queso.
Wow, apparently I turn into Jason Busta (not witty) when I'm tired...
Now Playing: Beyonce - Dangerously In Love
posted by Brad at 7/15/2004 12:29:00 AM | permalink |
0 comments
Monday, July 12
Pictures, Yaay
I couldn't put it off any longer, so here they are.
We're off to a motel, since I'm an idiot and forgot to make sure the water would stay turned on. Nothing like pissing $41.99 down the drain...
Today was the first day of work for both of us. I met several people while trying to stop a bloody nose, which was pretty much the ideal first impression. Susan realized that her job will be rather interesting for the next couple of years, due to the fact that guests seem to entertain themselves by trashing the store.
posted by Brad at 7/12/2004 11:08:00 PM | permalink |
3 comments
Sunday, July 11
Ready Or Not
I promised pictures. I took pictures. I even tracked down the cable to connect the camera to the computer and download the pictures I promised and took. Problem is, the computer that has Adobe Photoshop Elements (and is running bradleypjohnson.com) is buried in a closet, prohibiting me from making a nifty little photo album for all to ooh and aah at. Instead, a brief (work at 7 AM sounds like a lot of work) recap of today's events will have to suffice.
We got up in time to slap some more paint on Blogger (the orange room) before the movers arrived at 8:30. Fast forward 5 1/2 hours, and our once empty house is crammed from wall to wall with boxes, furniture, appliances, and all sorts of other goodies. We had to frantically unpack and break down boxes just so there would be room to put the next one off the truck.
Once Pete & Co. departed, our first instinct was to leave the house - off to visit our friends at El Torito. I tried Pacifico this time, which Susan thought smelled like "the beer my dad used to drink when we were kids." Once we were sufficiently calorified, it was back to work asparagusing the living room, assembling the patio furniture, discovering countertops again in the kitchen, and making sure we had pants to wear to work tomorrow.
Despite all the hard work, we really are having fun out here - so much so that we already started to make a list of things to pack when we move back to Minnesota :) One last thing I wanted to point out was Susan's comment to the "Mayhem" post from earlier today. I have been trying to convince her that she needs to start contributing to The Myth as her family reads it as much or more than my own does. I'd like to think that her little tirade about plastic cups is the beginning of Susan Larson: The Blogger.
Now Playing: Dave Matthews Band - The Gorge
posted by Brad at 7/11/2004 10:54:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
Mayhem
The movers are here, which basically translates to mass chaos. Susan has - I mean, we have a LOT of shit. Perhaps 1350 square feet isn't enough?
I'm in the kitchen right now, blogging on the laptop - please don't tell Susan. Did I mention we have a wireless network? Hack it if you dare...
Now Playing: Dave Matthews Band - Crash
posted by Brad at 7/11/2004 01:25:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
Saturday, July 10
Closing Time
Shame on me, leaving faithful readers hanging for the past three fun-filled days. I feel like a whole person again, now that my place of residence has a wireless Internet connection up and running - I am such a 700|.
Thursday morning started with a glorious phone call indicating that our possessions would not be arriving at said house until Sunday (the original plan was Thursday or Friday). After several phone calls and some haggling, we managed to suck some money out of said moving company for our troubles. We had an 11 AM appointment to close on our house, but the lone US Bank branch in all of Stockton (located in a Safeway grocery store) didn't open until 10 AM. We arrived shortly thereafter, but soon learned that there was no manager on duty who could sign the $9500 cashiers check needed for closing. The alternative?
- Drive 21 miles to an actual branch in Manteca
- Pace nervously while the teller attempts to look up the number for the Pillsbury Center branch
- Call 800-US-BANKS and get the number since their internal system can't
- Pace nervously while waiting for a signature card to be faxed from MN
- Sprint back out to the car and speed all the way back, only to show up 40 minutes late
Fortunately everything worked out, and we left First American Title empty handed, which is apparently normal. Since this translates to us not having keys to said house, we busied ourselves with some In-N-Out, Sears Tool Central, Home Depot, hanging out at the hotel, and a visit to downtown Stockton completed by iDining at Peta's. I should mention that while we were occupying two rooms in the hotel, Busta burst our bubble a bit by pointing out some of California's faults.
Around noon on Friday, we picked up the keys to our house and it was time to start painting like maniacs. We managed to agree to paint the dining room Mysteria, plant some Asparagus in the living room, and create a shrine to Blogger in the office. Around 7, we made a mad dash for the bay area to squeeze in a few touristy things to round Jason's visit out, but were sucked in by the massive blue hole that is East Bay Ikea. A world record short 30 minutes and one quilt cover later, we were on a collision course with the San Francisco cable car California Line. We hopped off for a quick meal at Front Room, and had to sprint behind the cable car for a block and a half afterwards so Jason would make his redeye back to Minneapolis.
We spent most of today painting various rooms various colors, and most everything is turning out pretty nice, save the Blogger shrine, I mean office. In case you're planning to paint a white wall orange anytime soon, I might discourage you from using dark grey as the primer coat. Petey McMover showed up with his lady friend and unloaded some of our crap from the big orange truck, and will be back with imported Modesto help tomorrow morning to finish the job. Considering today we had Subway for lunch and Lyon's for dinner, I'm looking forward to having some pots, pans, and a refrigerator so we can actually create a meal instead of all this going out nonsense. For those of you wondering, Lyon's is totally the California version of Perkins - except a little bit trashier and minus the display case full of muffins & pies tempting you as you arrive and depart. No coincidence that it's also an iDine restaurant, you think?
I'll get some pictures up tomorrow fo sho...
Now Playing: U2 - Best of 1990-2000
posted by Brad at 7/10/2004 11:41:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
Giddy Up
Thanks to the good folks at Comcast, I now have an IP address again. This means that non-blog portions of bradleypjohnson.com are back up and running.
Back to painting...
Now Playing: Train - My Private Nation
posted by Brad at 7/10/2004 09:12:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
Wednesday, July 7
Celebrity Post: Jason Busta
I recently introduced Mr. Busta to the art of blogging, and he couldn't wait to get all up ins...
Let me start this first ever guest entry of Bradley Peter Johnson's blog by warning that I am not very witty. I am, however, currently waiting the obligatory 10 minutes for my Wendy’s Frosty to defrost so my ice cream headache will not be so intense.
Brad and I are currently on day 2 of our adventure to Cali (OK, so it's my adventure as he is actually moving). Currently, we are waiting for Susan at the San Francisco airport. Brad got his license plate number written down because he was parked — which is obviously illegal. I mean seriously, why would anyone be parked? Are they going to be committing some violation of the Homeland Security Act? Perhaps the security guard/airport nazi was upset at the recent announcement of the Kerry/Edwards ticket? Maybe he is lactose intolerant and was upset by Brad’s Wisconsin “America’s Dairyland” license plates? Or perhaps, he was just pissed off at life — the world may never know.
I figured a brief recap of our trip may be in order, because along with not being very witty, I am also not very original. Our trip started in Minneapolis at 6:45 am on July 6th (which is about 5 hours earlier than I wake up). 375 miles into the trip, I tried to talk Brad into stopping in Council Bluffs, IA (which may or may not have gaming facilities) - but apparently I am not very convincing. After that, it was on to the great state of Nebraska which was packed full of fun:
- A a neat bridge over I-80
- Several exciting gas stations
- Mountain time zone = we got to set our clocks back
After 12 action-packed hours of driving, it was time to visit nifty Wyoming. We stopped not only at a gas station but also at a tree growing out of a rock - we have pictures, neat. I also got to drive. As I started, we passed through western Wyoming into a beautiful sunset. Of course, we just had to go through the mountains when it was dark - not like we actually wanted something to look at for a change.
Shortly after midnight local time, we entered the great state of Utah and stopped in Salt Lake City. Wendy provided us with a bite to eat, and we proceeded to pick up a couple of wives each - good times. I drove on through the straightest, flattest stretch of road in the world (according Mr. Johnson at least).
We had been on the road for almost 24 hours when roughly 90 miles outside Reno I called my dad to tell him I was not dead. He gave me some sound advice about what to do while passing through Reno...
Sounds like you could stop in and make a little money.
Not wanting to let my father down, Brad and I arrived at the Paris Hilton Hotel and Casino at approximately 5:35 AM. I ordered a Bud Light 10 minutes later - beer had never tasted better. Sure, Brad and I had each only gotten about 2-4 hours of sleep in the past day or so, but it seemed like a good idea to have a drink. 1 turned into 2, and 2 turned into no more than 8, no less than 6. I'm not very good at math, but I did learn one new equation that day:
Lack of sleep + drinking at 6 AM + driving 1700 miles = Driving into CA was horrible
I've learned several fun facts on our trip, allow me to share a few:
- What a blog is
- Wyoming is the least populous state in the union
- Brad and I can sing in a round (Blog, Blog, write your Blog...)
- The Jester and The Sorcerer's Stone are good audiobooks
- Pelvic thrusts are a good way to stay awake while driving
Now Playing: Love Songs on Star 101.3
posted by Brad at 7/07/2004 10:47:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Tuesday, July 6
12:15 AM
I should totally be sleeping, since the alarm is set for just over 5 hours from now. But I wanted to jot a few things down before hitting the hay in Minnesota for the last time in who knows how long. When I wrote last, I was waiting for Susan to "recover" while entertaining myself in our half empty (but rather clean if I don't say so myself) apartment. We made it to Damon's BBQ around 11 PM, only 8 hours late from the official starting time. It was mosquito-tastic, and also nice to see Panama Mary, GB Christina (not to be confused with GB Leighton), Japan Joe, and everyone else in attendance. As we were watching Gabe and Joe don Cowboy hats and safety goggles while throwing flaming toilet paper at each others' heads, Muck asked me to be in his wedding. I of course accepted, so now we will definitely be in Minnesota for the better part of June 2005.
Speaking of that, Jan #1 had the phenominal idea of posting a "Brad and Susan Social Calendar" on the intarblog so interested parties can see what we are up to and when a good time to visit would be. That, by the way, was the first of what is sure to be numerous shameless plugs for people to come visit sunny CA. You think I won't send an e-mail the next time NWA has $137 round trip fares into Sacramento?
Sunday (the actual 4th of July but apparently not the actual national holiday qwaa?) brought a trip to White Bear for the annual Pool Olympics. A record 10 participants signed up this year, but the butt fish opening ceremonies were regrettably cancelled due to excessive Roelofs family presence. En route to winning the championship Panamanian Shell Art Mouse, I participated (and placed) in the following 7 grueling events:
- One Swipe, where you kick off the wall underwater and have one swipe of the arms to get as far as possible (1st)
- Handstand Technique, where the goal is to perform the perfect entrance, toe point and exit. (Did Not Place)
- Handstand Duration, basically a combination of balance and holding your breath. (2nd)
- Underwater Somersaults, testing your ability to spin around underwater without vomiting. (DNP)
- Biggest Splash, which I hopefully don't need to explain. (DNP)
- Smallest Splash (3rd)
- Diving Board Reverse Limbo - a pole is held waist high about 3 feet from the diving board and rises each round while participants that hit it are eliminated. (2nd)
That evening we swung by the Booty Barn and walked down to see the fireworks at St. Anthony. While they were neither awesome nor terrible, the "grand" finale was painfully to short to be considered even remotely grand. I miss the Racine fireworks out over Lake Michigan :(
Today was supposed to be driving day #1, but instead I tested out my 2nd T-Mobile HotSpot free trial while enjoying some Sulawesi at Eagan Station Starbucks. I managed to get some work done, but was mostly distracted by the piped-in music and my freezing cold extremities - not to mention the free sample of light Frappuccino they kept walking around with (not bad). I bopped on over to Woodbury to talk Target with some of Susan's coworkers, and then returned to the Booty Barn for what is likely to be the last time ever (tear?). It was good to chill with Tony, Nobkin and Derek for my last "goodbye party." Derek is growing his hair out, which is something I was going to do a few months ago but then wussed out due to job interviews, summer, etc. I just decided that I will do it after Wade & Ali's wedding in November, but for now a few days' worth of facial hair will have to do.
Now Playing: We Are The Future
posted by Brad at 7/06/2004 12:47:00 AM | permalink |
0 comments
Saturday, July 3
Spackle
Swung into Target today to pick up the new Maroon 5 acoustic CD, and noticed an FBI Anti-Piracy warning slathered all over the disc and case. It makes me feel all warm & fuzzy inside to know that I haven't illegally downloaded a song in well over 2 years - I trust the rest of you are behaving yourselves as well? I also picked up a copy of "The Gorge," the 6th Dave Matthews Band concert to be released on CD. This one, however, is different from all the rest:
To make THE GORGE even more special, the band called upon their official fan association, The Warehouse, to help create the track listing for this one-of-a-kind release.
As I have been a distinguished member of the Warehouse since 12/04/1998, I like to think that I played some small part in the making of this album - except I can't remember if I actually participated in the fan voting or not...
By the way, I fibbed when I said the previous post was to be the final one from Shelard Village - I have since commandeered Jeff's computer to blog while Susan takes a little nap between parties.
Today was a busy one - the balance of my belongings have been removed from the premises, and I'm now faced with a bit of an engineering dilemma in trying to cram all the important stuff in the car and still make room for our love fern. Between the morning and evening cleaning sessions, I had a croissantatic lunch in Eagan and visited with the Jan's.
Speaking of dilemmas, a well-lubricated Busta showed up at our going away party Thursday night armed with a bright idea - he accompanies me on the journey westward and helps out with the house in exchange for 1/2 the price of a plane ticket back to mini happiness ($175). It's been a solid 48 hours since he propositioned me, and I still can't make a decision - I hate that I'm so indecisive. I can count about the same number of pros and cons for his idea, but I think the bottom line is that I'm mentally ready to make this journey on my own.
From the bottom of my heart, I would also like to thank the 35 or so people (including Jason) who joined us at Town Hall on Thursday night. It's difficult to put into words how much it meant to Susan and I that all of you made time to come and say goodbye. The next couple of years are going to be tough no doubt, but hopefully some of you can make the trip out to visit at some point. We didn't buy a 3 bedroom house on accident, that's for sure :)
Now Playing: Maroon 5 - 1.22.03.Acoustic
posted by Brad at 7/03/2004 09:33:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
Adiós
My final post from 420 Ford Rd #327. Until Saturday (7/10) evening, all bradleypjohnson.com content will be unavailable.
Like I said to Jeff when we parted ways yesterday afternoon - it's been real. It's been fun. It's been real fun.
Now Playing: Counting Crows - This Desert Life
posted by Brad at 7/03/2004 07:02:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
Thursday, July 1
It's Been A Slice
It was with this unfamiliar phrase that my manager initiated what was to be our final face-to-face converstation while he was still the boss of me. I pretened to know what he meant, while secretly logging the phrase to Google at a later time - and of course mention here. I double-checked with the brand spankin' new MSN search technology preview, and got results that were slightly less helpful, but definitely more rainbow-colored.
Today was the day that a couple of packers came to visit our respective apartments and box up our lives. It turns out that Sweaty McSwim, who had previously walked through each apartment to estimate how much crap we had, quite underestimated the fortitude of our personal belongings. This meant more work for said packers, but they were rewarded with some Powerade and a whopping $12 tip - so I am sure that all is well.
I'm just now finishing a $4 Chocolate Cooler, purchased for the sole purpose of using up my Caribou Card (which it did quite effectively, save a pesky 92 cents). I picked it up on the way home from returning Black Boy, The Jester, and 50 First Dates. I actually kind of liked the movie, which is funny because Susan was the one who wanted to get it and then ended up sleeping through the whole damn thing anyways. I was a few hours late today returning it to Blockbuster, and all ready to pay the fine when the nice young man behind the counter said he would "take care of it" - perhaps because he liked me?
To catch up on the last few days... Tuesday night, we finally used my $50 birthday gift certificate at Redstone with Jeff and Sarah. Dinner was good, but the company was great. Sarah and Susan got a wee bit emotional later that evening, as the reality of moving is slowly starting to sink in. Last night, we saw G.B. Leighton at Bunker's with some rather ginormous Target peeps. Heff warned us that the band was just OK, but it was the lead singer's birthday which proved to be mildly entertaining.
In case 25 free digital prints from Target aren't enough for you (thanks MRJ), my friends at ofoto can hook you up with 20 cent prints when you use the magic word "TNKY" at checkout. Viola!
Now Playing: Nothing, because they packed my damn speakers :(
posted by Brad at 7/01/2004 12:49:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
|
Archives
