| Spending lots of money |
[Mar. 30th, 2009|12:01 pm] |
Although it's already been mentioned on Facebook, it occurred to me that I never posted on LJ about buying a house last week. It's an end-unit townhouse in Columbia, with three bedrooms (smallish ones) and nicely redone kitchen and bathrooms. Even a full bathroom in the basement, which will be nice when we have people over, or even if we're both trying to get ready for something at the same time. We also have a nice deck at the edge of the woods, and nice tree views from our living room. We're going away for spring break this coming week, but then planning to move our furniture on the weekend of April 17-19. As many boxes as we've shuttled over already, I'm guessing we won't have all that many left on the actual moving day. I've liked our apartment in Catonsville, but it will be nice to have more space and to be closer to all the things we do every day. Not that we have to drive all that far to get home, but it's just far enough that it's a pain to come home more than once a day, and I'm often pretty tired by that time at night. And 0v0 will actually be within walking/biking distance of work if the weather cooperates. Speaking of weather, I'm putting in an official request for clear skies on the weekend of the move. Temperature should be much better than my last two moves (January and July), but a Spring move could make some fun of its own.
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| Force Unleashed |
[Feb. 19th, 2009|03:14 pm] |
Yesterday I made very good use of my sick day, and played through the entirety of Force Unleashed on Wii. The story was probably the best addition to the overall Star Wars story that I've seen in a game. The gameplay was a little easy through most of it, but the boss battles generally required more skill. The controls were fun, since all I had to do was flick my wrists one way or another to push my enemies off ledges, throw them through the air at each other, or continue to levitate them while throwing my lightsaber or force choking them. The only thing I didn't really like was that while fighting any major enemy, the game would move to interactive cutscenes once the enemy's health was sufficiently depleted. This meant having to shake either the left or right control as prompts appeared on the screen, with no real connection between the controller motion and what was happening. This actually required less skill than the more active part of the battle, but required just enough attention to keep me from fully enjoying the scenes. It would have been much better to have the player reduce the enemy to a lower health level, and then get to watch the scene without distraction.
Any frustrations aside, I'm pretty sure I'll play it a second time through, since I'll retain all my character's skills from the first time through. |
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| waiting for the printer |
[Jan. 15th, 2009|10:45 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  bored | ] |
It's really strange to be at work while my students are here, but to not be in the classroom with them. The county gave me a sub today so I could use the day working on testing portfolios, only I don't have any students who are testing. So I asked the other teachers on my team what I could do for them. One of them told me I could print up a 19 page powerpoint for her. I pointed out that I did have the whole day to do things, so she gave me a 30 page book to print as well. So, 10 minutes of work and then I'm looking for something else to do, right? Nope. The printer is taking approximately 3 minutes per page. It would be faster, and a lot less boring, to just print a b&w copy and color them in by hand. Maybe I'll do that once I finish the first book. |
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| Why I didn't mind being full this morning |
[Jan. 9th, 2009|02:38 pm] |
Last night's dinner:
-20 ounce glass of Fuller's ESB
-Duck fat fries with truffle salt and garlic aioli.
-Duck fat fries with duck confit, gruyere cheese, and duck gravy.
-Spinach salad with smoked duck confit, bacon, blue cheese, poached egg, and dijon vinaigrette.
-More duck fat fries.
Followed by:
-$23 bottle of oak aged ale with raspberry puree, while sitting in the hot tub. |
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| Fall wrap up |
[Dec. 24th, 2008|11:34 am] |
Since we're pretty securely into winter now, I thought it'd be a good time to look back at my goals for the fall and see how they turned out. So.......
1. See more of friends who I didn't see a lot in the last year. Saw a lot of my friends, though still not as much as I'd like. It's a gradual process.
2. Use new camping equipment at least once before it gets really cold. While we didn't end up using the tent, we did use the sleeping bags and pads, and they're insanely comfortable. Hooray for North Face!
3. Go on a few mid-distance bouldering trips (such as Coopers Rock or the Gunks). This would also be a good opportunity to fulfill item #2. Went on a few trips to Coopers, saw lots of pretty leaves.
4. Make 4 or 5 good batches of beer before it warms up again. Suggestions are welcome. So far I've only made the imperial milk stout. Planning to start another batch after winter break. Maybe something along the lines of a nut brown.
5. Stay injury-free for the bouldering competition season, and actually get to compete this year. Stayed injury free until I went out to Colorado the weekend before the first comp and hurt my knee a bit. I'd say it was a worthwhile injury though, and it's almost all healed. Despite the knee hurting, I competed in two of the five Friction Bouldering Series comps, and placed 8th out of 76 for the overall series in the advanced category.
6. Eat my weight in bacon at my sister's wedding reception next month. Ate a LOT of bacon. Then ate a whole bunch more during the week surrounding my birthday.
7. Try not to blow too much money on my first trip to Vegas. Came out ahead in 3 of the 4 blackjack games I played, and came out ahead for the weekend.
8. Remember to get my emissions tested on time. Yup.
9. Use the new deep frier to identify the perfect fried food. Sadly, we haven't had a chance to experiment yet.
10. Actually carpool with coworkers like we keep talking about. If I count driving one of 0v0's coworkers to work on Wednesdays, then yes.
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| first trip to Vegas |
[Dec. 2nd, 2008|11:50 am] |
I really enjoyed my first trip to Vegas a few days ago. My thoughts on the experience:
Our hotel: Staying at Paris was awesome, especially because we could be walk around at midnight and it looked like we were outside in the daytime. I actually forgot several times that we were inside. Our basic room was pretty nice, and more than enough space for the little time we spent there.
Other hotels: I especially liked Caesar's Palace, the Bellagio, MGM, and Planet Hollywood.
Restaurants: While neither the Flamingo nor the Paris buffets had anything special for breakfast, it was fun to sit and watch the birds while we ate at the Flamingo. My favorite breakfast was at the crepe place at Paris. The Eiffel Tower restaurant had very good food, but I think we mostly paid for the view. The food at Mon Ami Gabi was far better, for about a third the price.
Bars: My favorite was probably the bar in Paris, again because I felt like I was outside. For atmosphere, I also liked the Heart bar at Planet Hollywood, Nine Fine Irishmen at NY NY, and the bar we went to at Luxor. There were several others I wanted to go to, which were all closed when we walked by them. We also had an awesome bartender at Caesar's Palace. Sin City Brewing Company had a decent stout.
Gambling: It was sometimes a pain finding blackjack tables that actually paid a full 3:2 for blackjack, but I did play 4 times and come out ahead in 3 of them. Although most of the blackjack machines were not worth playing, I discovered there's one at Caesar's that actually has my optimal combination of rules. This was nice when I didn't feel like interacting with people too much. It was also nice because I didn't have to worry about tipping the dealer (though there was actually an option to tip the machine). The downside was that it took me a few minutes to learn the buttons. After playing for about 10 minutes, I was up $200 and decided to go for a couple more low bets before cashing out. Unfortunately, in my attempts to bring my bet back down, I accidentally worked my way up to a $200 bet before the machine dealt me a really bad hand and I lost it. I made the money back pretty quickly, but I'll admit I was a bit nauseous for a couple minutes.
Shopping: Didn't do much of this personally, but I was blown away by how much people were willing to pay for things!
Overall: Hell of a trip, and can't wait to go back. |
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| weather observation |
[Nov. 26th, 2008|10:27 am] |
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It just occurred to me that last year on the day before Thanksgiving, I was working from my balcony in shorts and a t-shirt. Not today. |
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| waiting for Vegas |
[Nov. 26th, 2008|09:50 am] |
Trying to keep my productivity up for a few more hours at work, then heading home to pack for Vegas!
I'm pretty excited about the trip, having never been there before. No idea at all what to expect, nor what we'll be doing. Kinda looking forward to that though. And after traveling around so much on our honeymoon, and being so conscious of how we were perceived as Americans, it'll be nice to be in a place where we can openly be tourists. Not that I want to walk around in cute matching t-shirts or anything. I just want to be able to take pictures and point at things without people getting annoyed.
I wish I could say I was more excited about all the food out there. Up until this week I've really been looking forward to it, but five days of eating rich food (mostly bacon) has made my stomach a little uneasy. Not that it'll stop me too much once I'm there. I pretty much figure that as long as I'm not puking, I should go ahead and take advantage of the fact that I'm on vacation. It'll just mean a solid week of boring eating when I get back.
7 hours until takeoff...... |
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| thoughts about 30 |
[Nov. 24th, 2008|02:30 pm] |
People keep asking me how it feels to be 30.
It's a bit weird, but only because it's a different number in front. I told someone it was like when the year 2000 came along, and we all had to stop writing 19--.
So far, 30 feels good. My body feels strong, my mind feels focused, and I think a lot of priorities have been figured out since 20 and even 25 rolled around. I have a good job. I have a happy marriage. I have a place to live. I have the money to buy good food, and the metabolism to handle it. I have so many good friends.
Yeah, I'm pretty happy with 30. |
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| birthday weekend |
[Nov. 24th, 2008|02:09 pm] |
I think this might have been the best birthday weekend I can remember.
Friday night started with watching my old high school win the state quarterfinal football game in the swirling snow. Cold but fun! Then the evening continued with a bacon-themed dinner. First bacon-wrapped scallops and steak, then bacon green beans, bacon mashed potatos, and some chicken with a chipotle cinnamon crust. For dessert, bacon maple cake and pop rock cake.
Saturday we went out to the Flying Dog brewery, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I tried the Road Dog, the Dog Schwartz black lager a couple times, the Double Dog IPA a couple times, and an IPA on a nitro pour. I love that place!
The party Saturday night was a good time too. While I finished the blackjack tournament with a 60% increase in my chip total, I didn't place in the top three and get money back. Part of this was because my house rules were pretty advantageous to players buying insurance and splitting face cards. Since I never do either of these things, I didn't realize how much everyone else was profiting on them until too late. And while my playing strategy was solid, my betting strategy was more suited to an individual game than a tournament setting. Like I said, I made a 60% profit even without benefiting from the rules I had stupidly put into place. It just didn't help me relative to the players who made more.
Other highlights of Saturday night included bacon brownies and butterfinger blizzard cake. Need I say more?
Sunday we went to Double T for breakfast, and then out to Rocky Gorge for a bit of bouldering. It...Was...Cold. We only spent about an hour there, but I did get to go up my favorite problem a couple of times, and it was a really pretty walk. I also got plenty of chances to test out my new camera, so no complaints there either.
We retreated to the warmth of the climbing gym for a couple hours, then had a couple pints at Frisco before dinner. The Weyerbacher XIII is amazing on draft, and the Brooklyn chocolate stout is pretty damn good too. 0v0 had the Lagunitas imperial red, which I had forgotten liking so much. Saved room for cheese souffle and tomato cabbage soup at my parents' house afterward, though all the food was making me pass out while we were trying to play a game.
Two days of normal eating before we head out to Vegas! |
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| thoughts on competition |
[Nov. 17th, 2008|11:53 am] |
On Saturday I had my first bouldering competition and had a great time there, though I'm still left with somewhat mixed feelings. Going in, my plan was to concentrate on having fun and using good technique, and feel like I accomplished both. From a numerical/difficulty standpoint, it was probably my best day of bouldering ever. More importantly though, I really felt like I was focusing well and taking risks when I might normally have backed away.
There is another comp coming up on 12/13 at the Sportrock in Sterling, VA. I'd like to participate, though I feel like it will be harder to come in a second time and not care about results relative to others, which would in turn negatively impact my ability to focus and move like I need to. I could set myself a personal goal of accumulating a certain score, but that would bring me back to the same number-driven mindset and limit my enjoyment of what I'm doing as I do it.
I don't want to be one of those climbers who gets so wrapped up in how they compare to others in a gym. I don't ever want to feel like I'm training for the next competition, rather than for a climb that I want to do outside. Ideally, I don't want to feel like I'm training at all. I'd so much rather keep the focus on each move of each climb as an end in itself. Not an impossible task, but one that I'm sure will take a really long time. |
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| quick trip to the mountains |
[Nov. 11th, 2008|11:52 am] |
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I had a great trip to Boulder over the weekend, even if it was way too short. It was the weekend of the Boulder Adventure Film Festival, and I got there Friday night in time to catch the end of a crazy skiing movie, and to grab a couple drinks at the after party. Saturday I took a really pretty walk up to the Flatirons, followed by a gravity-assisted trail run back to the car. Spent about six hours selling t-shirts at Boulder Theater while I watched some more great movies, then had delicious schwarma from Falafel King before heading over to B-Side Lounge for a surfing movie and another after party. Got a few hours of sleep, had waffles with sea salt, and went up to Flagstaff Mountain for what was possibly my favorite day of bouldering ever. Perfect red rocks, with what has to be a 75 mile view onto the plains in one direction, and a beautiful forested canyon in the other. Finished up the day with a burrito and a New Belgium beer at the airport. I think sometimes just being along for the ride is the best way to have a vacation. |
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| still surreal |
[Nov. 5th, 2008|03:05 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  ecstatic | ] |
It's such a strange feeling to see history being made, to know we're living the moment that our children and grandchildren will some day read about. I'm sure that last night is going to be one of those "where were you when" moments, engraved in our people's memories alongside the JFK assassination, the Challenger explosion, and the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. I was in DC with good friends, playing poker and anxiously awaiting the news of each state's results, eventually giving up the game altogether as state after state was projected for Obama. Through the windows we heard the cheers and the chanting, the fireworks, the drum beats played on newspaper machines, the honking of horns, and the excitement of people who finally believed that their voices mattered. We joined the ever-growing crowd on the nearby corner, cheering as cars drove by with drivers flashing victory signs, while police worked to keep the roads clear and the celebrating people safe. We looked around and saw people of every background united in celebration, knowing that forty years ago the same streets had been burning in the riots that followed MLK's assassination. We knew that streets all across the city and the nation were filled with similar scenes. We returned inside to hear McCain gracefully concede the election, and Obama address the people who had so much faith in him.
I'll never be able to fully describe the night, but there a few thoughts I'd like to put out there for the days ahead.....
To President Bush: I can't say I've supported much of what you've done in the past eight years, but the fact remains that you spent eight years in a job that I would never want. Thank you for trying. I'm sure you're a lot smarter and more talented than we give you credit for, and I hope you'll be able to find a more appropriate way to make a difference.
To Senator McCain: Maybe you would have been a good president. We'll probably never know. The fact is, despite any initial support you had across party lines, I gave up any thought of voting for you when I saw the way you handled yourself in the debates, and the negativity of your campaign in general. Rather than promoting your own abilities, you took every opportunity to destroy your opponent's character, and created division while you talked about crossing the aisle. That John McCain had no place in the White House. Last night, however, a different John McCain came out during the concession speech. I believe that he was the real John McCain, and I might have followed him. Mr. McCain, you have served our country for longer than I've been alive, and you've loved it far more than I've learned to yet. Whether you would ever apply the label to yourself, you're a hero and our country is better off for you having been here. Thank you for all you've done for us, and may you continue to do it as long as it's in your heart to do so.
To President Elect Obama: It was an honor to vote for you yesterday. Through the words you have spoken and the victory you have won, you have brought hope to millions. Your victory is our victory. It is proof that a fragmented nation wants to heal itself. You have a rare ability to bring people together, to make them believe what you believe, and I pray you will never forget the responsibility that comes with that gift. Armed with the right ideals, you could bring about a new era of peace and knowledge, and the whole world will benefit. Put to selfish use, we could follow you into the same darkness that Europe saw seventy years ago. I, for one, have faith that you will lead us in the right direction.
To my generation: We got what we wanted. Now, the challenge is to remember the excitement and passion we've felt in the last few days, and apply it to all that we do in the coming years. If we are complacent, all of the change we hope for will remain a dream. Obama told us last night that there would be sacrifices. Let's make those sacrifices with compassion for the world around us, and not assume that our neighbors will sacrifice on our behalf. The ground work has been laid, but the rest is up to us. |
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| checking in |
[Sep. 9th, 2008|12:07 pm] |
With my computer not really supporting LJ too well, it's been forever since I've posted.
Can't believe it's already been a month since the wedding! Things are slowly settling down, and the pile of presents on the floor is gradually being opened. Not put away yet, but opened anyway.
Work has been really intense this year, due to the combination of a busier schedule and a way more active class. Even on weekends I never really wake up feeling rested.
10 goals for the fall:
1. See more of friends who I didn't see a lot in the last year.
2. Use new camping equipment at least once before it gets really cold.
3. Go on a few mid-distance bouldering trips (such as Coopers Rock or the Gunks). This would also be a good opportunity to fulfill item #2.
4. Make 4 or 5 good batches of beer before it warms up again. Suggestions are welcome.
5. Stay injury-free for the bouldering competition season, and actually get to compete this year.
6. Eat my weight in bacon at my sister's wedding reception next month.
7. Try not to blow too much money on my first trip to Vegas.
8. Remember to get my emissions tested on time.
9. Use the new deep frier to identify the perfect fried food.
10. Actually carpool with coworkers like we keep talking about. |
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| let's try this again |
[Aug. 11th, 2008|02:16 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | ecstatic | ] |
Greetings from sunnny Baltimore! Yes, we were supposed to be in Ireland right now, but Philly was shut down yesterday and we couldn't make our connecting flight. As a result, we're now flying out of Baltimore tonight, stopping in Philly, and then arriving in Dublin instead of Shannon. Our plan is to drive west across the country to Tralee, to resume our original itinerary with a night in Ballyseede castle. While it sucks to not be there now, we did at least get a chance to have a full night of sleep in our own bed, and streamline our suitcases a bit today with some slightly more efficient packing.
Thanks to everyone who braved the traffic and flight delays to come out to OH for our wedding. We had an amazing time, and we hope our guests did too.
I'd like to send out a special thanks to Emmmitt. For years now, he has been a wonderful friend and someone I'm proud to think of as a brother. Now I'll forever have him as the man who stood beside me while I made the best decision of my life.
I'm so happy right now. |
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| final countdown |
[Aug. 1st, 2008|04:43 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | excited | ] |
Getting married a week from tomorrow.
0v0 is on her way up to Ohio tonight. I'm leaving early tomorrow morning, meeting some people for a couple hours of bouldering at Coopers Rock, then heading out to Ohio as well.
Things I'm looking forward to this week (in roughly chronological order):
1) Bouldering tomorrow, obviously.
2) Visiting my grandmother Sunday to fill up on greasy food at her town festival.
3) Looking at 0v0 every day and knowing I couldn't be any luckier.
4) Getting my haircut Wednesday. It's been a little unmanagable these last couple days.
5) Putting together favors, centerpieces, etc., with plenty of wine to help us along.
6) Getting in some good trail runs at the park.
7) Seeing 0v0's Alaska family when they get in.
8) Hanging out with all of my siblings at the same time.
9) Good food at the rehearsal dinner.
10) STANDING UP THERE WITH 0v0 AT OUR CEREMONY :) :) :) :) :)
11) Seeing everyone at the reception and having a few good drinks (though I think I'll be bowing out of the carbomb competition, since I don't like travelling hungover).
12) Finally making it across the sea to Ireland. Just made the last B&B reservation last night, so I'm feeling nice and relaxed about the trip now.
Should be a fun ride. |
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| Flying Dog Brewery |
[Jul. 21st, 2008|12:55 pm] |
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is one of my new favorite places. I plan to take several Saturday trips there once our weekends are free again. $5 for all the Flying Dog I want, and a logo glass to take home. Not sure I've ever seen a better deal. |
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| that's a good whiskey..... |
[Jul. 17th, 2008|12:27 am] |
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Opened a bottle of Connemara cask strength. Holy crap. If I weren't feeling so tired already, I'd have to do a side-by-side tasting along with the Glenlivet Nadurra that Emmmitt brought over. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 7th, 2008|12:34 pm] |
The holiday weekend was a whole lot of fun, even though I had no idea I'd be doing half of it when the weekend started.
The original plan was to drive out to Coopers Rock, WV on Friday to go bouldering. Even though the forecast of scattered thunderstorms probably meant it would be sunny, 0v0 and I decided that it wasn't worth a 3+ hour drive to find out. Instead we went down 29 to NW Branch, where we managed to find a couple dry boulders and some good periods of sun. As we were winding down, my mom called to tell me that the Folklife Festival was going on downtown. While I never would have planned to go downtown on the 4th, we decided that we were almost there anyway and might as well. Aside from getting off the metro with a parade between us and where we needed to be, I had a great time. The food from Bhutan was tasty, and I loved the music and dancing. I really want to go to Bhutan now!
Saturday we went tubing on Antietam Creek, which was really relaxing. As much as I wished for more rapids, it was really nice to float under the trees and listen to the birds. After dinner, we made a stop in Charlestown to play slots and watch the horses. I only played the nickel and penny slots, and came out $9 ahead after being up $19. I didn't bet on the horses, but really enjoyed watching them. It was worth it just to hear the sound of them coming past on the track.
Cherry picking yesterday, then climbing in Rockville, with a stop at REI afterward to set up a second registry. Then home to book a castle stay for the honeymoon, while fighting off a swarm of fruit flies. Looking forward to more cherry crisp when I get home tonight. |
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| 101 part 2 |
[Jul. 3rd, 2008|07:53 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  accomplished | ] |
Last night I joined 0v0 in her completion of the 100 beer club at Frisco. The 100th, by tradition was a shotgunned Natty Boh. Having never done the straw in the bottle trick, I never would have believed I'd finish off a bottle in 5 seconds or less! Now that my 100 is done and I don't have to worry about repeats anymore, it'll be nice to be able to go back and order old favorites when they come on tap. And, I no longer have to carry around my little book, which at this point is coverless and carried in a plastic bag. It served me well. |
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