R.I.P. UGA VI

It is truly a sad day.

Oh joy!!!!

So, this AM - a transformer blew across the street, causing our power to go out at 7am. Neither of us got showers today (until I came back from my doctor's appointment and got one).

However, I think this happened for a reason. We never use our front door at the house, always going out through the garage. So, we had to use the front door this morning, and lo and behold, there's a UPS package in the door! I wondered if Eric was expecting something. Then I looked at who it was from - Best Buy!!!!

About two weeks ago, my iPod finally died. (R.I.P.) Eric went to buy me a new one when he got back from New Jersey, to learn that the extended warranty he purchased on my first iPod was still valid until Sept. 20 of this year!!!! So, I took my iPod in to get a new one, and the guy at the Geek Squad counter said I should be able to pick it up in a week. They would call when it was done.

Hm, funny how it got mailed. But, I feel complete again. I will have my tunes with me again!!!!!

You Rock!

Yeah, instead of a read-a-thon, I've been playing Guitar Hero. I went and bought the new Aerosmith version today, and we got the one with the guitar so we can have two guitars. So, Eric and I have been playing together, and we have our own band. Yup, we're nerds.

I took tomorrow off. I'm planning on mastering the one day work week (I have every day this week except Tuesday off). I have a few things to take care of on Tuesday, but otherwise, I have time off in order to read, clean my apartment, watch some movies, and just take some time to myself. I feel like it's been a long time coming, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Off to bed...

My eyes just can't take it anymore. I must go to sleep. I will be reading more tomorrow. Sigh.

Continuing on and a Guitar Hero break!

I am continuing reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao but I think I might pick up a new book soon. I can't decide between American Nerd or The Enchantress of Florence.

I have too many books I want to read, and not enough time (and today, energy!)

I did take a Guitar Hero break - waiting to get the new Aerosmith game tomorrow!!!!!

Life is a mystery...

As most of you probably know, I meant to do the Read-a-Thon today. However, my day has been messed up just a little. I planned on driving back to Muskegon last night, then spending all day reading today. Here's what really happened:

I was at work until after 1:30am last night. Then I dropped a co-worker off to get his car that had just gotten fixed. So, I made it home a little after 2am. I got the dog out, and stayed up with her until about 3am. Not having slept well the night before, and having been at work until 10:15pm, I was tuckered out.

I finally crawled out of bed today around 1pm. Took a shower, packed up, and drove to the library, picked up some stuff, and drove back to Muskegon. Now I'm here and ready to go back to bed, but I think I'm going to continue with The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I brought tons of books with me, but I just might have to make tomorrow my full day of reading.

Things about today...

This is just going to be a list. I am trying to stay up a little bit so the dog can be out of her cage. Poor thing was in it all day.

1) Which reminds me, not a big fan of being at work for 13+ hours.

2) I hate humid weather. Especially because I sweat like a pig lately.

3) I hate mosquitos. Though, I did just kill one, but too late - it still bit me.

4) I love Wendy's chicken nuggets - I couldn't resist on my way home from work (at 10:30pm).

5) Some people take things too personally, and I am not a big fan of dealing with their drama.

6) Seriously, why did you choose frozen chicken?


Currently Reading: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Did someone say "Read-a-Thon"?

Oh yes, they did! After reading Sean's blog, I decided to participate in this Read-a-Thon. I am asking everyone to donate to Reading is Fundamental (RIF), as it is the charity that is benefiting from the Read-a-Thon.

Now, I know I will probably start a little late, but look for updates throughout the day on Saturday!

I should do this more often...

In my yoga class on Friday, we did a shoulder stand for the first time. When I mentioned this on Saturday, I was asked to demonstrate. Little did I know that my picture was going to be taken.

Ahhhhh. Mariska Hargitay.

Quite the stretch, but I'm going to try it...

I'm sure many of you have heard of the Obama "fist-bump".

Now, did you hear it is a "terrorist jab"?

I just want to point out a VERY dangerous person who does this same motion -

That's right - HOWIE MANDEL.

He of Little Monsters fame. The voice of Gizmo (those Gremlins were quite freaky). And, worst of all - DEAL OR NO DEAL!

Wait - wasn't someone famous on Deal or No Deal lately?

Yup - that's George W. Bush - associating himself with a dangerous Howie Mandel.

I'd like to thank Fox News for pointing out the dangerous "terrorist fist jab".

Now, that was fun, wasn't it?

Do my eyes deceive me???

I ran across this article today on the New York Times Book Review. Liberals and books??? Someone finally put together my two loves...

So, here is the actual webpage. The selection isn't huge, but it's a good start. I've already found one book, Mudbound by Hillary Jordan, that sounds interesting. There's also your typical non-fiction fare that you would expect to see.

Liberals just can't let the conservatives have the market on books now, can they? ;-)

Pop Culture, Books, and Productivity

While recovering from whatever I have that's making me croak more than speak, I'm currently watching AFI's Top 10 Films in 10 Genres. So far, I've seen all of the Animated films, but there are quite a few of the fantasy ones I haven't seen, including "Field of Dreams". I know, I know, it's in my pile of movies to see. Sometimes I feel like I missed out on so many movies in my early years, that I will just never be able to watch everything that I would like to.

But of course, that's the same with books for me - my to read list is so long, it's ridiculous. I have read 20 books since the beginning of the year, but is that enough? Heck no. I've got 4 going right now, and three of them are on my list of 50 books I made at the beginning of the year. Luckily, there's a neverending flow of books coming in front of me...

And, I'm pretty sure I'm feeling this way because I'm sick, but I'm not feeling very productive lately. It's rare that I go home from work, and I did that today. But, the nap that I took this afternoon really helped, I think. It was getting hard for me to stay awake - it felt like I had taken meds, but I hadn't taken anything! Hopefully, I'll sleep much better tonight, and will be better tomorrow.


Currently Listening: To anything by Prince!

Gentlemen, start your engines!

Yup, Eric and I went to our first ever NASCAR race on Saturday. It was held in Brooklyn, MI at Michigan International Speedway.

Now, I know you're saying "Ugh, NASCAR", but we had a pretty good time. We never watched it before this year, and only because of friends of ours did we start. I watched some Indy car last year, but not really a lot of NASCAR.

My only complaint about the race was smoking was allowed in the stands. I'm not used to this - when I go to a football game or other sporting event, there's no smoking in the stands. The people next to me kept lighting up, and of course, their smoke ended up in my face. Yuck.

For those of you that don't know, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won his first race in the last 76 starts! So, it was a good day for most of us. The weather was beautiful, and man are those cars loud! I know, I look more like I went to a football game...

And, my favorite driver (and former Indy driver), Sam Hornish, Jr.

A sad day...

While cleaning my office today, I happened to go out into the office, see the TV, and the breaking news said "Tim Russert has died". WHAT?!

I yelped. Literally - it was a really odd sound. I love Tim Russert. He's part of my MSNBC/NBC team that I love to watch (most of you know I love my MSNBC). I love my Sunday morning "Meet the Press" (when I get up in time for it).

I'm still shocked. I was looking forward to watching all the coverage during this election year, because I enjoy watching Tim Russert (and his whiteboard!)

Rest in Peace, Tim. I know you'll be commentating the presidential election from where you are.

Something new...a book review!

I haven’t done this yet, at least as far as I can remember. I just finished reading this fantastic new book, Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. It was just recently released in April of this year, and it is Mr. Smith’s debut novel.

Honestly, I started reading this book while I was reading two others. I hadn’t planned on getting sucked into it, but once I started reading it, I couldn’t stop. I had huge blocks of time this past Friday and Saturday where I did nothing but read this book.

It is definitely a suspense book. Set in Stalinist Russia, it follows a State Security agent named Leo Demidov, who believes in what he does for a living – arrest people for anti-State activities. His dedication to his job is unwavering, until someone close to him is named as a traitor.

Without giving too much away, the book follows his exile to the lowest rank of militia, his marriage, and his hunt for a child killer. There are a lot of story lines in Leo’s life, but it’s very well written, and I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

On the road again...

I'm coming to you live from the dining room at Eric's house in Muskegon. I just got back from having my eyebrows waxed (oh, so much better!) and picked up some food on the way home. Which made me decide that I was going to write a blog about some of my favorite places to eat in the Muskegon area. There are plenty of chain restaurants in the area, but there are so many good local places, I have to highlight some of them:


G&L Chili Dogs, Multiple Locations

This happens to be what I picked up on my way home. Need to look at the menu? Nah. Cheddar Chili Dog Special please, with everything (onions, mustard, cheese!). For a total of $5.29, I got two cheddar chili dogs (yum!), fries, and a drink. You can't really get much better than that.

There are multiple locations in the Muskegon area. The downtown location is the original. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever gotten anything off the menu other than chili dogs and chili cheese fries... Not only are there four locations in Muskegon, there is one in Spring Lake, one in Holland, and even one in Kalamazoo!!!!


Egg Roll House, 1084 E. Sternberg, Muskegon

Originally a restaurant in the old Muskegon Mall, downtown, the Egg Roll House moved out to the Sternberg area where the new mall is. The food is the same, trust me. I've been a frequent customer there (with my parents), since I was probably about 6 years old. The owners know me, and even one of the waitresses that's still there knows me.

What do you get here, you ask? Well, I typically can be found getting the Mandarin Chicken dish. It's a plate of wings in a molasses-y sauce. They are deep fried. It is amazing. It takes a little longer for this dish than others, but it's totally worth it. Eric likes to get the General Tso's Chicken, and I have to say that the Mongolian Beef is fantastic too. I don't think I've ever had anything here I didn't like.

They also have lunch specials - the portion is a little smaller, but you get a crab rangoon and egg roll with it. These run every day from 11am-3pm, and usually are under $7.


The Station Grill, 910 W. Broadway, Muskegon

Probably the best burger I've ever had. So yummy. I also recommend the texas fries (similar to potato chips, but still a little soft). I also love the Ham and Cheese Fingers (literally, they are little buns with ham slices and melted cheese), and they also have good burritos, salads, and the "World's Smallest Sundae"! For lunch, you can even call in your order ahead of time, and it will be waiting when you get there!!!


City Cafe, 411 W. Western Ave., Muskegon

Oh, Gorgonzola Cream Bruschetta, how do I love thee? My favorite appetizer, also good paired with just a house salad for a good meal. :-)

However, City Cafe, which is located in the basement of the Frauenthal Theater, has fantastic food. They always have different specials, and somehow, the strangest things that are put together are delicious. You can go here casually, or dressed up. They have great sandwiches, and my other favorite dish is the Chicken Salad with Michigan Cherries and Walnuts. It comes with a great side of fruit (grapes, pineapple, honeydew melon, and cantaloupe). It also comes with this fantastic orange bread.


Even though I just ate, all of these sound really good...there are more places I want to write about, but I will save them for my next blog.

A random hodgepodge of topics...

There may be no rhyme or reason to this post, except to get things off my mind that I keep thinking about...

First, another friend of mine posted this, but I thought it was just another reminder of why libraries are so important.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-andrews15-2008may15,0,3401026.story

Why shouldn't everyone have access to knowledge? Regardless of how much money any of us have, we should be allowed to have access to books, computers, movies, and all the other services our local libraries offer us. Knowledge should not only be for those who have money.

Second, I'd like to take a moment to advocate for who I think would be the best choice for Barack Obama to make for Vice-President. Please see the photo below.

I know, wouldn't I be great? Haha. Just kidding.

John Edwards would be the perfect pick, in my opinion. He's from the South, he has a blue collar background, he's a populist, and gosh darn it, people like him. I know what you're saying - it didn't work last time. Well, remember he was paired with someone who had about the charm of a wet rag. An Obama/Edwards ticket would be dynamite!!!

Third - I went into the Hot Topic store in Muskegon recently. As Eric and I were looking around, I heard this fantastic music they were playing. I asked one of the guys that worked there who it was, and it turns out it was The Dresden Dolls. Who are they, you ask? Apparently, a group that Ben Folds has produced, with two members, a female singer/piano player, and a drummer. I went out and bought their new CD last night, and I highly recommend it to you all.

I think that's all for now - GO WINGS!!!!!

Ode to Dakota

This is my dog. She has been so good she deserves a small photo montage on my blog.

'Nuff said.

"The mind is everything; what you think, you become."

Last week was rough. Really rough. The first couple days were long at work and the last couple were just messed up with other stuff. I almost feel like it was just screwed up all around - long work days, lots of stuff going on in the evenings, had to dog here, kept messing things up, and no exercising happening.

I'm going to try and get back on track this week. That includes exercising, cleaning my apartment a bit, and taking some time for myself. I have to take some time to reflect upon my own actions, and remember that I can control how I react to or do things. I cannot control how other people act - especially when they are unreasonable or immature about it.

I will continue to do things and make them as successful as I can. I will take constructive criticism, though most people seem to just give criticism. I will be the best that I can be.

Hm, let's see how this week goes.

Currently Watching: Deliverance