Monday, October 31
I Like Candy
Jeff pointed out another scary cool feature on Google - flight status.
For example, I know that Nortwest has a flight in the air between Sacramento and Minneapolis right now. By typing NWA 582 into Google and clicking on the fboweb.com link, I can see a Google Map with the plane currently located north of Salt Lake City. Creepy!
posted by Brad at 10/31/2005 12:17:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
Saturday, October 29
Levees!
According to today's mail, our neighborhood is going to flood if we don't elect Drew Meyers to the Reclamation District Board...
posted by Brad at 10/29/2005 04:03:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
SkyMall
On yesterday's flight, they announced a promotion where you get 10 miles/dollar for SkyMall catalog purchases, or $20 off your $60+ purchase. As I was flipping through and marveling the overpriced oddities, I came across a $400 LP to CD recorder system.
Didn't buy it or anything, but if anyone has one I'd really like to rent/borrow it for a few days. I've got a pile of vinyl from various rummage/estate sales that needs to get digitalized. The crown jewel?
posted by Brad at 10/29/2005 01:21:00 PM | permalink |
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Friday, October 28
Which Would You Rather?
I had a difficult time deciding between 9D and 10E, which would you have picked?
posted by Brad at 10/28/2005 01:47:00 PM | permalink |
5 comments
Thursday, October 27
It's Been Awhile
In an extreme display of ignorance, I ordered a "grande" at Caribou this morning. I think Miss Barista was offended that I thought I was at Starbucks or something...
posted by Brad at 10/27/2005 09:28:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
Wednesday, October 26
I'm Alive
Apparently I turn into a very bad blogger every time I come back to Minnesota for work? There are no shortage of distractions, but hopefully things will slow down a bit after the big conference ends today.
This morning has been a struggle so far, thanks to the World Series game that didn't end until 1:20 AM...
posted by Brad at 10/26/2005 09:44:00 AM | permalink |
2 comments
Monday, October 24
A Long 24 Hours
Got to LAX on Sunday around 7 PM, Susan's flight departed at 9:25 PM. Walked over to Terminal 2 and waited for my flight to depart at 12:36 AM. Landed at MSP at 6:20 AM, picked up my bag at 7:25 AM, forgot my bag at Avis and returned to pick it up at 7:50 AM. Arrived at Vogtman's new house 8:30 AM, finally got to work around 9:15 AM. Sat in classes & presentations until 3:30, arrived at "social event" at 4:25. Last call at 5:55, finished my Smithwick's around 6:45. Met Vogtman for 7:30 dinner at Majors, came back to work at 8:45.
I'm ready for bed.
posted by Brad at 10/24/2005 09:02:00 PM | permalink |
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Sunday, October 23
Day in LA
22 minutes until checkout - a few notes before we head out to watch the Packers/Vikings debacle (and lose the $3.99 hotel WiFi).
I uploaded some pictures and a 67 MB video of me riding a mechanical bull at Saddle Ranch Chophouse. I think that was the highlight of yesterday, which included Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood.
Hopefully the weather will clear up a bit today, since we going to check out Santa Monica and Malibu...
posted by Brad at 10/23/2005 11:58:00 AM | permalink |
2 comments
Saturday, October 22
When In Rome
We ended up going to Universal CityWalk last night, which is basically the Hollywood version of Treasure Island in Disney World - adultish entertainment, shopping, food, etc.
It turns out they have a movie theater that was hosting Screamfest LA - a Horror Film Festival complete with a red carpet and creepy skull-shaped Oscar statuettes. We ended up seeing 2001 Maniacs, which let us down as a horror flick but it was cool to watch the movie while sitting next to the actors who were in it. They did a Q&A afterwards, and we even got to vote for the Audience Favorite award - I felt like we had joined the Horror Academy or something.
Throw in some dinner at Buca di Beppo and free drinks at Cafe Tu Tu Tango and you've got yourself an evening...
posted by Brad at 10/22/2005 11:39:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
Technical Difficulties
I'm having some issues passing the RSS from my linkblog through Feed Digest, so you'll have to check out del.icio.us to see some of the stuff Dmitry and I have posted recently.
posted by Brad at 10/22/2005 04:05:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
Friday, October 21
So Far So Good
We arrived safely at LAX, I tried to post from my phone but couldn't remember to send messages to go@blogger.com. It's muy cloudy/foggy here today, so we are trying to do some "inside" activities.
We just got into the hotel after a few hours at the Getty, I think a nap is in order...
posted by Brad at 10/21/2005 04:12:00 PM | permalink |
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Thursday, October 20
Hollywood Here We Come
Susan and I will be in LA this weekend, enjoying the first of three Ding-sponsored trips. Thanks in advance to Dmitry for laying out our itinerary, but if anyone else has ever been there and did something that shouldn't be missed, kindly leave a comment.
Time to put the computer away and head to bed - 4 AM is going to come awful early...
posted by Brad at 10/20/2005 10:26:00 PM | permalink |
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Tuesday, October 18
Tooter
After blowing it off last week, I spent 2 hours this afternoon playing the role of math tutor for local elementary/middle school students. Considering my last math class was Calculus in 1998, it's been awhile since I've done a lot of this stuff.
I was trying to help one guy wrap his head around adding & subtracting negative numbers by comparing to starting at home (0), going x number of blocks away (negative), and turning around and heading back (positive).
Mom - thanks for the tip about "bringing in the real world," but I'm pretty sure I just confused the poor kid.
This tutoring business goes down at the local library, I was amused with their collection of pop CDs - pretty sure the librarian is in love with Bruce Springsteen.
Not that I blame her.
posted by Brad at 10/18/2005 10:07:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Monday, October 17
$318,000?!?!
Our neighbor's house has officially been flipped - click the image for more pictures:
This house is identical to ours - I can't belive they are asking 58% more than what we paid 15 months ago...
posted by Brad at 10/17/2005 11:07:00 PM | permalink |
3 comments
Posessed
Pekoe has been barking nonstop for over an hour, I came downstairs to let him outside and noticed it was rather bright out.
After further review, tonight is Full Hunter's Moon - coincidence?
posted by Brad at 10/17/2005 02:10:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
Woot
Susan doesn't know it yet, but she just bought me my Sweetest Day present.
UPDATE: Apparently Sweetest Day is a pseudo-holiday and not celebrated in California.
Yaay, the first time I've ever Wooted!
UPDATE 2: I've cancelled my order with Woot, they put up the wrong product details and are actually selling a much smaller, hurtier Boomtube.
posted by Brad at 10/17/2005 12:11:00 AM | permalink |
3 comments
Saturday, October 15
Damn Goofers
Pretty sure everyone will blame Justin Kucek for our loss to Wisconsin today, they better put him in the Punter Protection Program or something...
posted by Brad at 10/15/2005 02:45:00 PM | permalink |
3 comments
Friday, October 14
2004 Patianna Mendocino Sauvignon Blanc
I've probably got wine on the brain in anticipation of tonight's School Street Stroll (or as Missy prefers, "Friday Night Lodi Wine Night"), but my intrest was piqued after reading a review from the San Francisco Chronicle's weekly Food & Wine Newsletter...
Patianna is the company formed by Patti Fetzer Burke, one of the Fetzer family that created Fetzer Vineyards. After selling that brand to Brown-Forman, none of the Fetzer siblings was allowed to sell any kind of beverage for eight years. With that prohibition lifted, Burke and several of her siblings got right back into the wine business with a focus on organic and biodynamic farming.
Few wines actually taste organic, but this one does. In a good way. It smells like fresh, healthy green plants, along with some garden soil, Granny Smith apple and fresh lettuce. On the palate, the strongest sensation is one of greenness. Usually that's a slur in the wine world, but in this case, it's a healthy, vibrant green that tastes of rain-country-grown fruit. The primary flavors are Granny Smith apple, underripe mango and fresh lettuce. This wine has a long, long finish. Vegetarians couldn't ask for a better accompaniment to green salads or any other autumn dishes based on green vegetables; it's also very nice with fresh fish cooked simply. This is a wine that makes you feel closer to the Earth. Sounds yummy, I wonder if Susan and Pekoe are up for a 213 mile road trip?
posted by Brad at 10/14/2005 03:15:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
Thursday, October 13
Getting Old(er)
My 26th birthday started out great with breakfast in bed, but I managed to screw that up by spilling OJ all over the sheets.
And those awesome pictures of San Francisco I finally uploaded? I forgot to put the memory card back in Susan's camera, which made it difficult for her to use it to take pictures of some cars for work this morning.
On my way to work, I realized that I am no longer part of the 19-25 demographic, and have now joined the "26 to 30s" - yippie.
posted by Brad at 10/13/2005 01:26:00 PM | permalink |
4 comments
Wednesday, October 12
Oh, Apple
Thanks to Steve Jobs, I need to add a Video iPod and new iMac G5 to my wishlist. Anyone got a couple grand I can borrow?
posted by Brad at 10/12/2005 11:34:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
Tuesday, October 11
Candlestick Point
After I got us lost looking for the Mission district in San Francisco, Dan and I were wondering why the peninsula where Monster "Candlestick" Park is called Candlestick Point.
Turns out the early settlers would burn ships off the point, and the last part sinking into the water resembled a candlestick. Now you know.
posted by Brad at 10/11/2005 06:29:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Money Bags
The 2nd result in a Google Image search for US Tresurer:
Anna Escobedo Cabral spoke at work today, she was quite a good speaker but (surprise) spent the entire time pushing Bush's Social Security agenda. I was hoping she would pass out dollar bills - no luck there but the fruit & scones were plentiful...
posted by Brad at 10/11/2005 02:31:00 PM | permalink |
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Monday, October 10
Meredith Grey, I'm Coming
Sounds like the trip home was the highlight of the weekend for Rebecca & Dan, we had a great time and I've got a boatload of pictures from yesterday to post.
But first, we must make time for sushi and my first ever Tivo viewing experience (since we missed ABC last night...)
posted by Brad at 10/10/2005 08:12:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Saturday, October 8
Go Gophers
19 years, 'bout time.
posted by Brad at 10/08/2005 07:48:00 PM | permalink |
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Friday, October 7
Apple Caramel Bars
Becca & Dan are here, and man does she make some delicious bars...
3 apples; peel, core, slice thin 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 tsp cinnamon
In 2 quart saucepan, cook apples and sugar until transparent (about 2 mins). Take off heat.
3/4 cup brown sugar 1 cup butter 1 cup quick rolled oats 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional if your sister is allergic) 2 cups flour
Center Mixture: 20 caramels 14 oz can sweetened, condensed milk
Preheat oven 350°. In large bowl, cream brown sugar and butter. Stir in oats, baking soda, salt, walnuts and flour. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the crumbly mixture; press remaining crumbly mixture on the bottom of 13x9 pan, bake 15 minutes. Melt caramels with milk in microwave bowl, stir after 1-2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add cooked apple mixture. Spoon the mixture over partially baked crust. Top with reserved crumbly mixture, sprinkling evenly. Return to oven and bake 20 minutes.
16 bars, mmm.
posted by Brad at 10/07/2005 11:46:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Greader
Google launched an aggregator today, I imported my OPML from NewsGator and saw a whole lot of this...
"Oops...an error occurred. Please try again in a few seconds."
Growing pains, I guess.
posted by Brad at 10/07/2005 08:06:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
Thursday, October 6
Almost Home
If you've got 1.75 minutes to spare and don't mind downloading 4.552 megabytes of WMV, maybe you'll enjoy this video as much as I enjoyed making it.
Playing it back at double speed turns an otherwise mellow rendition of La Fiesta into a cross between Riverdance and the theme song from Sesame Street...
posted by Brad at 10/06/2005 11:57:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
Differential
No wonder Becca & Dan are coming to visit...
Eagan:
Stockton:
posted by Brad at 10/06/2005 02:54:00 PM | permalink |
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Elusive Sleep
Likely due to the fact that I napped for 4 hours this morning, falling asleep tonight has been difficult. So I decided to recap the day's events...
There was an older guy who saw the doctor before I did today - he was getting wheeled into the "procedure room" as I was brought back to start getting ready. The nurse taking my medical history kept getting interrupted by the rather audible groans coming from said room. She assured me that he was having something other than a colonoscopy, so I was left to assume that they were pulling large pieces of furniture from his ass.
They didn't find any furniture in my ass, so I guess I'm okay. The whole thing really wasn't that bad, they just asked me to roll over on my side and the next thing I remember was Susan at my bedside. I did get some rather detailed pictures from the doctor, but resisted the temptation to Flickr them. You're welcome.
The first pane of today's Dilbert is somewhat ironic-looking:
posted by Brad at 10/06/2005 01:11:00 AM | permalink |
1 comments
Wednesday, October 5
Jeezzzz
It's noon already? I wouldn't be able to stay awake if my life depended on it. Time for my third attempt at finishing Kamp Krusty...
posted by Brad at 10/05/2005 02:14:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
I'm Home
Definitely a bit out of it due to the sedatives they gave me, but I managed to find a computer and seem to be typing OK. I thinkI will stp using the delete key foraminute here , justto see what I am truly capable of twriting.
Susan (leess here heart) stopped at McDonaldys on the ay home and let me get 2 sausaga mcmuffing with egg - yum. I'm not really in any pain but they said that it woudllnt be abnormal for me to experiene lbloating at some poing.
I think I want to pop in a movie and relax a bit, back soon.
posted by Brad at 10/05/2005 11:46:00 AM | permalink |
2 comments
Tuesday, October 4
Pre Med
Many of you probably don't know that I'm having a colonoscopy tomorrow. Now you do.
No need to be alarmed, as we are just "investigating" a possible cause of my low hemoglobin. I'm not going to get all Katie Couric on you and bring the videocamera or anything, but I do anticipate having some downtime tomorrow and might have some interesting tales to spin.
I'm currently in the preparation (a.k.a. laxative) stage, which is a hoot. A man can only drink so much water without eating something, but that's going to have to wait until tomorrow...
posted by Brad at 10/04/2005 02:46:00 PM | permalink |
2 comments
Monday, October 3
Marlborough Monday
I was thirsty after Week 3 of dog training at Petsmart, and anxious to try the stemless wine glasses Susan picked up at Target. I shocked myself and actually felt like having a white wine, so I pulled out a 2002 single vineyard Riesling from Clifford Bay Estate.
It's actually pretty good, about as complex as I've ever seen in a Riesling. I think it cost me $6 at Michael David in Lodi, so you better come visit us quick and get a case for yourself - I think I will.
Oh wait, Susan doesn't like it.
posted by Brad at 10/03/2005 11:28:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
And they lost.
posted by Brad at 10/03/2005 11:23:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
29-32
1:58 left. Packers have the ball with the chance to tie or win. I'm going to write now because I'm still excited/hopeful...
posted by Brad at 10/03/2005 11:21:00 PM | permalink |
0 comments
Sunday, October 2
Greetings From the Foot of the Bed
We're almost asleep, but Grey's Anatomy has to end first. Matt left for Yosemite this morning, hopefully he hasn't been eaten by a bear or anything, but I get his wine if he does. Susan and I took advantage of having nothing better to do and started tile-ing the backsplash in the kitchen today.
I spent the obligatory day in San Francisco yesterday with Matt. We started with Amoeba Music on Haight, I could spent hours there cruisin' for new music. Eventually made our way over to Vino Venue on Market, a neat concept where you buy a debit card and use it in machines that dispense 1 oz. samples of wines. $20 went fast.
After joining the throngs of amateur photographers snapping pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge, we picked up a Canadian couple who had been left behind by their tour bus. The woman had marched in the Pride of the Lions Marching Band from Regina, Saskatchewan - small world since I've actually been to Regina before with the (Lighthouse) Brigade of Racine.
posted by Brad at 10/02/2005 11:56:00 PM | permalink |
3 comments
Saturday, October 1
Union Squared
I'm posting from the Apple Store in San Francisco.
The iPod Nano is really cool.
posted by Brad at 10/01/2005 06:44:00 PM | permalink |
1 comments
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