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Friday, April 28

Definitely.

Thanks to Alicia, I have now learned something today too - I never knew that Rainman was based on a real person. There was an interesting excerpt from a German Documentary on the Wisconsin Medical Society website (I wonder if Kim is a Packer fan?), but the last quote bothered me...

"Because he loves and knows classical music so well, I have to not take him to final performances by symphonies. Because if anybody makes a mistake, and it can be an instrument - like a trombone - or something comes in at the wrong time, he'll stand and say 'what's the matter with that?'"

Why he gots to hate?

posted by Brad at 4/28/2006 04:33:00 PM | permalink | 1 comments

1 Comments:

  • You gotta' admit... it's almost as if the guy was there in the J.L. Mooney Theater at Horlick listening to the Sym. Band... Those blasted trombones! Try to be more like the tuba section, ok?

    By Blogger Martha, at 4/30/2006 6:37 PM 

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Thursday, April 27

Finally!

Santana gets a win and the Twins take a series on the road. Looks like tomorrow night is going to be battle of the goatees and crappy ERA's...

posted by Brad at 4/27/2006 09:25:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Tuesday, April 25

Free Cone Day



Sorry if this wasn't enough warning...

posted by Brad at 4/25/2006 03:24:00 PM | permalink | 1 comments

1 Comments:

  • Seriously... even 1 day would've worked.
    I can't wait to let you know about my wedding the day of.

    /not bitter
    //free ice cream = brother's wedding

    By Blogger Nick, at 4/26/2006 11:13 AM 

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Monday, April 24

Terrible Twos

Hard to believe I've been at it for 2 years now, I guess blogs are like kids and extra crappy at this age - bear with me OK?



This happens to be post #738, which puts my average at 1.01 per day...

posted by Brad at 4/24/2006 12:53:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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Friday, April 21

Cartwheels For The Cure

May 14th will mark the fourth consecutive year that I am participating in the Race For The Cure, which raises money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Their mission is to "eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment."

Sound like a worthy cause? Consider making a tiny donation on my fundraiser page to supplement the $20 entry fee I just rang up. Wouldn't donating a dollar or two make you feel all warm & fuzzy inside right now?

And there's something in it for you! The first 3 people to contribute will be honored with an original poem (posted here) in their name - I plan to demonstrate my impressive haiku, limerick and cinquain skills. Also, I will do one cartwheel during the 5K walk (with photographic evidence) for every person who contributes...

I'd really like to do 92 cartwheels, so e-mail this link to all your friends within 10 minutes of reading this - or else!

UPDATE: 2 contributions so far, act now before the coveted cinquain is gone!

posted by Brad at 4/21/2006 06:30:00 PM | permalink | 2 comments

2 Comments:

  • I don't know if I was in the first three or not, but I just wanted you to know that I'm very proud of you. That's a really cool thing you're doing. If I AM in the first three, no need for a limerick... in fact, I may begin working on one for you! Good luck with the cartwheeling...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/21/2006 10:30 PM 

  • Since this walk is for Breast Cancer, are the poems going to be related to the donor's breasts?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/22/2006 3:34 PM 

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Thursday, April 20

Surreal Life

I'm not going to pretend that I had ever even heard of Joan Miro, but I love the doodle!

posted by Brad at 4/20/2006 01:46:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Wednesday, April 19

Bad Luck Brad

I shouldn't have turned on the Twins game, it was 4-2 then and 4-7 now :( Except I'm not superstitious...

UPDATE: oops, 4-9

UPDATE 2: Cuddyer looks pretty happy to have hit a walk-off homer to win it in the 10th...

posted by Brad at 4/19/2006 08:17:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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589 Active Tasks

By default, my PDA displays a count of the active (incomplete) tasks I am tracking in Outlook. Apparently I am not Getting Things Done enough, because this seems a bit excessive.

Fortunately, Pekoe is getting neutered on Friday - so I will have plenty of time this weekend to clean that list up while nursing him back to health...

posted by Brad at 4/19/2006 02:57:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Sunday, April 16

Who do I look like?

It feels a bit vain to be asking, but I've had enough people tell me that I look like someone else to wonder...

Johnny Knoxville?


Billie Joe Armstrong?


Ben Stiller?


Harry Potter?


Hugh Grant?


Jared Fogle?


Seth Myers?

posted by Brad at 4/16/2006 09:58:00 PM | permalink | 5 comments

5 Comments:

  • The California contingent votes for Johnny Knoxville. With Jared as a close 2nd....kidding. You're hot brad. And don't eat the yellow snow. We love you.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/17/2006 12:06 AM 

  • That's crazy. I think you look a little like all of them... except Harry Potter...He's just a child, and a fictional one at that! ... Weird though.

    By Blogger Martha, at 4/19/2006 6:32 PM 

  • Dad & I think Seth Myers...dead ringer! Mickey says Hi! Mom

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/20/2006 8:54 AM 

  • You have too much free time.

    Vogts

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/22/2006 2:22 PM 

  • I took a vote in La Crosse and it was Jared, although Johnny Knoxville was a close 2nd

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/23/2006 3:54 PM 

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Saturday, April 15

Spring Cleaning

You probably already noticed that several feeds have disappeared from the NewsGator list (right side, lower corner) - but don't panic! In a desperate attempt to eliminate some of the stress (and grey hair) from my life, I moved a bunch of feeds over to the "river of news" style Google Reader.

The good news is that I've added a section of "noteworthy" posts that I come across in Google Reader, similar to the del.icio.us linkblog. Enjoy!

posted by Brad at 4/15/2006 11:47:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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5 Str8 4 2wins

Justin Morneau? Stud.



Rondell White? Disappointed.

posted by Brad at 4/15/2006 09:56:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Friday, April 14

myrtle?

chris says i should update my blog site from the car, his wish is my command. 4 in a row, good work twins

posted by Brad at 4/14/2006 10:56:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Get On the Train

I've had The Cluetrain Manifesto on my half.com watch list forever, and finally decided to part with 75 cents for it this afternoon. But what's with charging me more than quadruple that for shipping? Pretty sure media mail isn't that much...

posted by Brad at 4/14/2006 03:00:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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Stick It

Apparently being a guy means you should know how to drive a stick? I think Nick (main blog, another blog, blog 3, dead blog) is going to let me abuse his clutch a bit this weekend, hopefully by Sunday I'll be a manual tranny pro...

posted by Brad at 4/14/2006 11:22:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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Google Calendar

It's been 24 hours and I'm still using my Google Calendar, so that's a good sign. It even has reminders!

posted by Brad at 4/14/2006 09:27:00 AM | permalink | 1 comments

1 Comments:

  • Is there a reminder on your calendar to hang out over the weekend with old friends in Racine? Hope so! (Unless you've already forgotten who we are since the last time we spoke... yeah... That's a little guff for ya...)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/14/2006 10:54 AM 

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Thursday, April 13

Growing Inside Me

Remember my 10 month old ultrasound results? The stone is still kickin, and appears to have grown to 8 mm...

Nick thinks I should name it. Suggestions?

posted by Brad at 4/13/2006 09:16:00 AM | permalink | 2 comments

2 Comments:

  • "Like a Rock"
    "Stonehenge"
    "Moss" a growing stone gathers no
    "Asteroid"
    "Bamm Bamm" as in Pebbles and
    "Coldstone"
    "Outback" Aussies stone in middle of nowhere
    "El Capitan"
    "Goliath or David"

    From California Stanek

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/13/2006 12:33 PM 

  • Pretty sure you need to buck up and buy a camera - these 2 year old pictures are a stretch...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/13/2006 1:44 PM 

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Wednesday, April 12

Schmapped!

Looks like another one of the photos I Flickr'd has been used for it's Creative Commons license. This time, a picture of me kissing Rachel the Pig in Pike Place Market is part of the Schmap Seattle Guide.

What's a Schmap? You basically install some free software, and then can download guides for 6 American and 7 European cities (more to come). It's all free, and could be a nice electronic alternative to buying or library-ing travel books.

This is all wonderful, but I downloaded the Schmap Guide for Seattle and can't find the photo in there anywhere - I'll give you $1 if you can?

posted by Brad at 4/12/2006 12:10:00 AM | permalink | 1 comments

1 Comments:

  • YES! You totally owe me a dollar. Go to the maps section and place the cursor over "pikes place market". Wait for it...THERE. Clearly Brad kissing pig. Pay up pig-kisser.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/12/2006 8:43 AM 

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Tuesday, April 11

I'm Vested

My 401(k) is all mine as of 5/21, but perhaps more exciting is the 5 year anniversary gift I chose?

posted by Brad at 4/11/2006 09:55:00 PM | permalink | 1 comments

1 Comments:

  • Nice choice fellow 5-yr GMI-er! I'm equally excited about my Belgian Waffle Maker...it makes all the long hours, blood, sweat, & tears over the years entirely worth it!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/12/2006 10:22 AM 

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Monday, April 10

Purple Pride?

File this under "I wish I had a cameraphone"...

I wonder if the guy driving around the Twin Cities with the 84VIKES license plate wants to get a new one?

posted by Brad at 4/10/2006 09:56:00 AM | permalink | 0 comments

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Sunday, April 9

Aural

I’ve had the Bose QuietComfort headphones on my wishlist for some time now, but only discovered why about 20 minutes ago. I was suspicious for the entire 71 minute flight to Salt Lake City that the guy next to me had them, but he was reading a book so I didn’t bother him until we were landing. After he told me that I could have borrowed them to try out, I kicked myself and resigned to spending $300 on them… and pray that I had the willpower to send them back at the end of the 30 day trial.


There was a glimmer of hope when the guy next to me on the Salt Lake > MSP flight pulled out the exact same headphones – except alas, he seemed much less interested in sharing. Are these things a prerequisite for flying first class? But then, right on cue, the guy from the first flight got on the plane and recognized me (and my desire to try the headphones!)

I’m currently listening to Time Out - which reminds me that I have, for the second year in a row, missed the Dave Brubeck Jazz Festival in Stockton. My lone consolation is that Bose somehow shrunk Dave and his piano and stuck them in my ears – these things are amazing…

Good thing my 26 and a halfth birthday is only 4 days away!

posted by Brad at 4/09/2006 11:03:00 PM | permalink | 1 comments

1 Comments:

  • Did you see Dave Brubeck is coming to Orchestra Hall in August?
    http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/season/event_detail.cfm?id_event=22434946

    I'm interested in getting tickets and I need a fellow music nerd to go along. I'm trying to convince Laura, too - we'll see how that goes.

    Let's just hope he doesn't die before then.

    By Blogger Alicia, at 4/10/2006 11:14 AM 

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Coca Cola Blak

I’m a Pepsi man (which is tough when you’re flying Delta), but have been waiting for Coca Cola Blak to launch for a couple of months now. Safeway hooked me up this weekend for a mere 50 cents, and I must say that I’m pleasantly surprised. Can’t see myself drinking it every day (or paying $1.69 for 8 ounces), but it’s a nice treat and way tastier than most iced coffee drinks I’ve ever tried.



Plus, I like the shrink-wrapped glass contour bottle design. I wonder if anyone can score like 92 cases of this before they leave ATL...

posted by Brad at 4/09/2006 10:25:00 PM | permalink | 1 comments

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Saturday, April 8

Home Ice, Baby

4 long years ago, the Gophers dispensed Maine 4-3 to win the NCAA Men's Hockey Championship. Playing at the Xcel Energy Center gave them a huge homecourt advantage, which the Badgers have tonight at the Bradley Center in the final against Boston College.

Speaking of which, I can't believe none of my childhood friends believed me when I told them the Bradley Center was named after me - or at least that I was a member of the S.C. Johnson family...

posted by Brad at 4/08/2006 04:40:00 PM | permalink | 1 comments

1 Comments:

  • It Worked! Home Ice and a last second missed goal gave the BADGERS a victory. Both the Bradley Center was named for Bradley and of course we all know that his is an heir to the multi-billion dollar Johnson Wax - A Family Company. Dad

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/09/2006 5:39 PM 

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Thursday, April 6

I Heart Reading Essays?

I spent 2 hours today reading 100 essays submitted by Minnesota students for the Twins Father of the Year Essay Contest, and just recently reviewed several from nominees for the Carlson School's Undergraduate Student, Faculty & Staff of the Year awards...

Anyways, some of today's stories were amazing - fathers who recently died, were addicted to crack, "must be a millionaire" since they travel for business... I really wish I had a better memory and could recall more anecdotes. One girl wrote her entire Father of the Year essay about her mom!

My brief career in marketing research has taught me the importance of identifying trends, and some clear ones emerged from these essays - kids want to spend more time with their dads, and they seem to appreciate dads with a sense of humor and those that take them fishing. I was surprised at how many said something along the lines of "my dad punishes me when I screw up, but I know he is just trying to help me avoid making the same mistake again"

I never wrote an essay about my dad, but he did a pretty good job if I don't say so myself...

posted by Brad at 4/06/2006 04:47:00 PM | permalink | 2 comments

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Sunday, April 2

Johnny Hemkes


1919-2006

Johnny taught me, Michael, and countless other students in southeast Wisconsin how to make our brass instruments sing...

posted by Brad at 4/02/2006 01:34:00 PM | permalink | 6 comments

6 Comments:

  • I don't even really know what to say, but that brass players everywhere lost a great teacher and friend. Johnny was the only person who really believed I had potential on the tuba, and never thought I was "just a girl". He never gave up on me, even when I did.

    By Blogger Martha, at 4/03/2006 1:45 AM 

  • He was exceptional and his enthusiasm never failed to impress me. Mom

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/03/2006 7:52 PM 

  • It's nice that you paid your respects to a person who taught you something. It's too bad though that you haven't given the same respect to the person you bought 2 houses with, a dog, a timeshare, asked her to move across the country, etc. You still have a lot to learn.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/06/2006 8:18 AM 

  • Whoever posted that last comment is absolutely ridiculous. Handling difficult situations requires maturity. Obviously, the person who posted last wouldn't know what that is. Grow up, unless you were kidding of course!

    Vogts

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/06/2006 8:43 AM 

  • Johnny was special to me because he was so special to our boys. Always smiling, interested in teaching so much more than just Brass instruments lessons. I know that Brad still enjoys his trombone - I feel much of that is due to Johnny's teaching appreciation for music and so much more than just how to play. Jphnny managed to teach "life lessons". Brad and Michaels Dad

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/07/2006 7:50 PM 

  • Yeah, Johnny was an awesome teacher, trumpeter, friend, and golf partner. His influence is more far reaching than we know, I believe. Thanks for remembering him in this way.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/12/2006 4:56 PM 

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Saturday, April 1

Wwwhhhat?

Since the NCAA games themselves weren't very interesting, we had lots of time to discuss "other stuff" amongst ourselves at EJ's bachelor party tonight. After an exhaustive review of the worst play-by-play announcers, I left feeling like I had disappointingly few opinions of my own to share. Besides the obvious "John Madden sucks," I started to wonder why I had so little to offer...

Do I not watch enough sports? Or when I do, do I simply tune the announcers out? Or perhaps I just listen contently, without really thinking about some of the garbage spewing from sportscasters' mouths?

I've always suspcted that I'm not a very good listener, so this could be just another example of that - good thing I'm working on my "active listening" skills.

posted by Brad at 4/01/2006 10:30:00 PM | permalink | 0 comments

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