LEELER.COM

3/10/2009

Bud scratched his eye a few months ago and has been sentenced to the dreaded cone once again. This week has been the first time he has gone over a few hours without it, it has actually been a couple days now and he seems to be just fine. It does not appear to us that he is attempting to get at his eye or that he is in any discomfort. Though his eye still has a hint of haziness, we were told by the vet that it will clear up. I am happy that we avoided surgery and were able to stay diligent with multiple sessions of medication per day. Jessica and I are happy to report that Bud is acting like his old self again.

1/9/2009

Our red kid unfortunately is still trapped in his cone. Daily meds morning, noon, and night have been a regular occurrence in our home for what feels like a year. His eye does seem to be making progress; the healing process has been very slow though. Averaging one or sometimes two vet visits a week at $160.00 a pop is taking a toll. What other option do we have though, He is our child. I can only hope that we are in the home stretch for his eye and soon we will be enjoying cuddling once again without the cone. He has been such a trooper through all of the eye meds, ear meds, and vet visits. On several occasions the doctor performs a procedure called debridment. Dr. Joy will take large cotton swabs and carefully rub the scar tissue from the surface of Bud's eye. It kills me to watch him go through this procedure because I know that later in the evening, after the pain medication wears off, he will be very uncomfortable. We are however letting him out of his cone more and more so he can do some of the things he has not been able to do for some time. The best time of all is when we snuggle up on the couch under the blankets and take a nap.

10/17/2008

Last Saturday night Jessica and I attended a wedding of a co-worker of mine. It was located in Amery, WI and it took us about an hour or so to get there. We landed back home about 2:00 AM and went to bed after the boys went outside and ate a bit. At about 7:00 AM we were both awakened by the sound of stretching tires then a loud crash. It sounded like it happened in our front yard. We both jumped up and I quickly got dressed and ran to the front door. As I looked outside I could see a vehicle flipped over in the median of HWY61. As I went out the front door I could hear Jessica calling 911. When I got to the car I could see blood and hear the sound of someone moaning. I was looking into the passenger’s window at a man hanging by his seatbelt. Looking into the suburban I could also see a passenger in the back seat moving and screaming a bit, but the driver was nowhere to be found. Continuing to look around I finally saw the body of the driver but he was motionless, his head was under the car. I knew immediately that we needed to get this car off of his head to see if he was alive. I yelled for everyone there is get on the car and push. There were about 5 or 6 men on the scene and we started to roll the car over. We were only able to get the car on its side and it was very heavy. Knowing we could not hold the car in this position I yelled again for everyone to give it all we had. I said “On the count of three, everyone push as hard as you can!” Once I hit three you could hear the grunts of everyone and the car flipped back onto its wheels. The impact of the car turning back over was not smooth and you could see the three men in the car get thrown around as the car was settling. The drivers head was bleeding a lot but he was alive, all three men were alive. I did not think at the time but it could have ended up being a much worse outcome that it had. The police and paramedics showed up very quickly and began assessing the situation. There was definitely something not right about this situation. I firmly believe there were alcohol and/or drugs involved. I have no idea what the status is of those three guys but I hope they are ok and have learned a lesson from it.

10/17/2008

After a few weeks of Bud taking antibiotics, he seems to be doing much better. He has always had a bit of a cough but it does seem that it is more frequent. He is back to eating regularly and still enjoys playing tug of war with his chew friends. It has not been ruled out that he has something wrong but at least his breathing is back to normal and his energy level also seems normal. That little dog means the world to me and I cannot imagine life without him. There will never be another dog that could replace him or even come near to the amount of love and affection that he displays. Since the day I brought him home I have held him like a baby and spoken softly to him and given him lots of kisses. He is truly like a child to me. All of the love and attention I give him has paid off. My return on that investment has been immense. I wish my last 401k statement would reflect that as well.

9/15/2008

About two weeks ago I was leaving for work and went out to start my motorcycle. As I began to start it I noticed it was cranking over a bit slower than normal. I did not think anything of it really and left for work. That evening as I was leaving work the battery was almost completely dead and the bike did not start. As the rain began to pour down I decided to see if I could push start it. I began to push it as fast as I could then jumped on it and dropped it into gear. The engine started right up so I thought all I have to do is make it home. As I got onto the highway I remembered I needed gas. Normally I got about 125 miles to a tank of gas before needing to refuel and I was already at about 118 and the distance in miles from work to home is approximately 23 miles. So using all of my fingers and toes I realized I was not going to make it home before needing to refuel. I kept driving thinking I might be able to simply push start it again at the gas station but before it had to come to that I would get as close to home as possible. Watching every mile flip by on the odometer I nervously kept driving. I was at 127 before I started to think that there might be something wrong with the gauge but I kept pressing on. A mile or two before reaching St. Paul, I was at about 135 miles. I began to panic and thought I had better get gas before it dies on the highway. I decided to stop off in downtown to get gas and attempt the push start as I started to make my turn the gas light came on. I knew at that point I could make it home so I got back into my normal route home. I made it all of the way to the light on Lower Afton road and was stopped by the red light. As I idled down the bike did not want to stay running so I had to keep that RPM’s high until the light turned green. Well the light finally turned green and I was ready to go but the gentleman in front on me observed a friend getting off the bus on the right shoulder and decided to wait through the light so he could say hello. I began to scream at the top of my lungs so strong words. He began his venture through the light finally but I got the yellow then the red light. Not wanting to sit through another light I just went. I made it up my driveway and into my bike parking area and the bike died right there. I went inside and called my local Honda authorized dealer and the price for a new battery was $125.00, OUCH! Searching online I found one for $78.00 but it would take 3-5 days for delivery, so I had to wait. Once the battery was delivered I went out and put it in and the bike started right up. COOL! I was set now. I drove it to work the next day then home again. As I departed work I noticed the same slow cranking I did before but simply thought well it is a new battery and it might not have been fully charge yet. Well the next day as I was on my way to Surly to pickup Surlyfest tickets, the bikes instrument panel went completely dead. Luckily some friends that just so happen to be having a party that day live almost walking distance to Surly so I drove right to their house, again the bike did not want to stay running once I reached the first stop light but I was able to keep it running until I made it to their house. So barrowing their car I made it to Surly and got the tickets then simply drove right back to their house and partied down leaving the bike at the house overnight. I went back on Sunday and towed my bike home on a barrowed trailer. Monday morning I thought I would do some searching online to see if other Honda CBR1000rr riders had the same problem and what the solution was. About an hour into my investigation I found an article from Honda stating that they had extended the warranty for just that very reason. Leaving work a bit early, I brought my bike to the Hitchingpost in South St Paul along with the service packet. A few hours later they called informing me that indeed the parts were fried and it is covered under the extended warranty. The parts will take about 3-5 days from Honda but I will not need to pay anything for the repairs! I lucked out this time and I will be able to get many more miles of riding in this summer.

8/14/2008

Infinite Campus has moved into its new headquarters located in Blaine, MN. This has added a few extra miles to my trip but the new building is wonderful. Our president had a large influence in the overall design of this facility. This new building is just one additional reason why I love working for this company. My office space is located on the west side of the building with a Japanese theme. I overlook large bamboo trees and can faintly hear the waterfall. The waterfall flows into a beautiful pond with coy fish. There are currently only 4 fish in the pond. The fish people want to make sure the ph levels are on before adding the large ones. New office rules; Do not feed the fish and do not climb on the rock wall. I have always been afraid of heights so taking a climbing safety course was interesting. Once I learned how to properly secure myself almost all of the fear went away and it is an unbelievable rush.

8/14/2008

Back to the Vet for little baby Bud. Almost two weeks ago Bud must have been missing the Vet so he decided to acquire a bacterial infection and lose control of all bodily functions for a few days. So after about a dozen loads of laundry and meds three times a day, he seems to be back to about 95%. He still wants to scratch his ear whenever he does not have his favorite cone or neck brace on though. While I was picking Bud up from his most recent visit, they asked if I would like to buy some food from them. A basic rice and some unknown meat that smells so bad. I decided to purchase the food so she then began to go over the meds and invoice. I paid the bill and took Bud home to recuperate. We have had the pleasure of making our way to the Vet approximately `10 times over the past three months. We have paid about $1000.00 in this timeframe so when I received a bill for about $7.00 the other day because they had forgot to add the cans of dog food to the bill. COME ON! We paid your f’n mortgage last month, at least you could write off 4 cans of food for such wonderful customers. OK I am done venting; I guess that is just the price you pay when you have such wonderful children like Bud and Duke.

7/7/2008

There has been a lot going on in the Miller household. (Crossing fingers) Bud’s eye has improved a lot since my last posting. He has gone without his cone for most of the past holiday weekend and he does not seem to want to scratch it anymore. Last week I found out that I am going to be an uncle again. My MUCH younger brother Jessie informed me that his girlfriend is pregnant. 21 years old just seems insane to me to become a father, LOL 35 sounds insane! Friday I called to talk to him and I got a surprise, my youngest brother Jake answered the phone. Jake finished his schooling in New Jersey last month and decided to move to Charlotte, NC to live with his Aunt. After just a few weeks he decided to move back home. After our call he come over to celebrate the 4th and ended up staying a few nights. It was nice to relax and spend time with him playing Mario Cart and Rock Band. His interests are in computers and I think he would make a fantastic programmer. He is intelligent and catches on quickly to new things. The backyard project is coming along slowly with the holiday weekend and me being out of town lately. I am hoping to sod the backyard within a couple weeks. I am now getting tired of staring at a backyard that is nothing but dirt and some weeds. I only hope that the grass takes and it will be full for years to come. Two of our close friends are expecting any day now and the anticipation is killing Jessica and I. I can only imagine what it is like for all of them. We are extremely excited for both couples and wish them well in the new additions to their family.

6/6/2008 - Little baby Bud

For the third week now, our oldest child has been forced to where a cone on his head due to a scratched on his cornea. Last night after arriving home from work I noticed his eye was a bit hazy. So another trip to the vet today showed that his scratch was healing well but it had a film on it. So we will need to keep an “eye” (LOL) on it and make sure it does not get worse. We have been putting an ointment on his eye to prevent infection, and we will need to continue this until the doc gives the ok. I would hate to be told that there has been sufficient damage and that my baby will lose partial or all sight in his eye. Jessica and I have done everything we can to avoid this, so I guess if it happens then it happens. We will just need to make sure we keep on applying the meds and make sure his does not continue to irritate it by trying to scratch it while it heals. Just like everything else that happens to him, he continually tries to “Fix” the problem by licking or scratching the problem, but he only makes it worse every time.

5/28/2008 - Geocaching

After leaving work last Friday for camping I decided to swing by the local Circuit City to look at GPS navigation systems. As usual, I stood looking at them not receiving any help from employees. This my friend will be their downfall. If you walk into Best Buy, you have someone in your face almost immediately. Sometimes this can be annoying but I at least you are acknowledged. Anyway, after searching and bothering a couple employees, I simply asked him to pull one out of the glass case. The one I decided to buy is the Garmin Nuvi 200W. It is a sleek widescreen that I was able to operate and get moving in about 2 minutes. I used this new toy to get me to my camping location and then back home on Sunday morning. After returning home I brought my gadget into the house and presented it to Jessica. I think at first she was a bit apprehensive about the use of these devices. So to learn more about the functionality and uses for it she began to research online. Within a short period of time she came upon Geocaching. She discovered that there are caches all over the cities and also some very close to our home. Monday morning came and we were up a bit early and on our way to find treasure. Our nuvi took us north to White Bear Lake, where we then got out of the car and began walking down a trail. We entered a small wooded area and began our search. Our clue was “think tall, be tall”. So I immediately thought that it is in or by a tree and you have to be tall enough to find it. I took us about 10 minutes before I located it in a tree. The capsule was an old Tang bottle with many trinkets and a log book. So we read some of the logs and then left our names and what item we took and what item we replaced it with. This was very exciting for the both of us. I honestly cannot think of any person that as a child would not have been intrigued with a map to buried treasure. Later that evening my brother Michael came over for dinner and we got to talking about it. His interest in this new found adventure was high so we started up my computer to find other caches close to our home. After entering the coordinates into our Garmin, off we went to find another one. We stopped the Jeep and began to walk into Battle Creek Park. We climbed a steep hill as I attempted to direct everyone to go. Once reach the top of the hill we knew it was close. We spread out and in about two minutes Michael found our second cache of the day. It was a bike water bottle with again, a log and trinkets. We told Michael that he can choose and keep the treasure this time since he found it. In each of our finds for the day we left a Canadian coin. I think this new treasure finding will keep us occupied for months to come.

5/28/2008 - Camping

On Friday of last week I left work about an hour early to attend the annual Memorial Day camping trip with several of our friends. I finally got to the camping location about 5:30 or so and the entire Morrison family was already there, relaxing on lawn chairs reading and listening to their iPod. Ein seemed especially happy to see me, I think he just wanted attention from a new person in camp or he wanted to give me a big kiss, I am not sure though. We sat around Friday night having a few drinks and enjoying one another’s company. Saturday morning we all got up and waited for the Brazelton’s to grace us with their presence and to feed us. The Freedom (French) toast they made was very good and hit the spot. Our afternoon adventure included a walk around the park for a bit. Peno was a bit tired and decided to use my growing belly as a surrogate for her mother’s while she slept. It is amazing just how heavy that little girl became in such a short period of time. I am not sure how her mother does it for so long. Soon to be dad, John took the little sleeping brick from me and continued on the trail with her. This was good practice for him since Jeanette will soon be giving birth to their first child. We are all very excited to see the new additions to our circle of friends with two new arrivals within such a short timeframe.

5/27/2008 - Bud

On Saturday May 17th Jessica and I noticed that Bud was blinking a lot with his right eye. It must have been very irritating because he kept trying to scratch it throughout the evening. So Monday morning as soon as I got to work I called the vet and made an appointment for him to get in. Jessica rushed him and in and discovered that he had scratched his cornea. They then prescribed an eye cream that needs to be applied three times daily. This is not something that is easy to accomplish for anyone. It took the two of us initially to hold him down and put it in. Jessica has become very good at doing this alone while I am away. The following Tuesday he scratched it once again and made the situation worse. So another trip back to the doc showed that he in fact made the scratch worse and we were then forced to put a cone over his head until it got better. Jessica has really done a fantastic job making sure he gets his meds and does not continue to irritate it more. After his last visit May 27th the doc said the scratch is a lot smaller and is healing well.

4/29/08

During my trip to Wisconsin last week I noticed a woman sitting in the support lab staring into her computer. A small dog appeared to be moving around very close to a camera. I decided to wait until she was off of the phone to ask her about it. After she got off her phone I went over to her and asked if the image on the screen was her dog. She said that she recently installed a web cam near her dog Mason’s bed. The bed was a platform constructed with ramp over looking her front yard. We watched as Mason slept and occasionally pop his head up to look at things outside. Mason is a wiener dog (Dachshund). The breed’s name is German and literally mean “badger dog”, from (der) Dachs, badger, and (der) Hund, dog. She took her cell phone and called her home phone and we watched as Mason popped his head up wondering what that sound was, once the answering machine picked-up she began to talk to Mason and he became very excited. This is something that I have always wanted to do for my little dogs as well. So that even upon returning home I went straight to Circuit City and purchased the same camera. After 8 hours of trying to configure this camera I gave up. I wrapped the camera back up and took it back and exchanged it for the newest version. I was able to install and configure this one in only 30 minutes. I did in the process learn a bit about Dynamic and static IP’s along with port forwarding on my wireless router. Because I do not have a static IP in my home I had to join a website that offers dynamic DNS. This simply means that they keep track of changing IP addresses so anyone can access the camera from the internet. This is a one year free trial and only costs $19.99 a year after that. Yesterday was the first day I had the camera setup and it was hilarious to watch the dogs in action. For the most part they sleep all day but at certain times of the day the dogs get up and stretch and bark at the world. We have positioned their beds in full view of the camera. If you would like to watch the on goings of Bud and Duke, you can navigate to the Bud & Duke link above or click here. If you have sound on your computer you can also listen in. This does make it difficult to actually work during the day but enjoy!

4/30/2008 - SPAIN! This is for you.

Since I started updating our leeler.com website and I decided to start tracking our web hits via Google Analytics. This free tool allows for me to track web visits from anywhere in the world. I have noticed several visits from other countries. One of which that stands out is Madrid, Spain. Who are you!? Click here to email me and let me know who you are. I would like to hear how you came to start visiting our website and what makes you keep returning. I know this is an odd request but I am so intrigued at this point.

4/24/2008

This week I was in Wisconsin Dells for the WI Interchange, another conference for my company. Mike Frankenberg, a coworker of mine and a co-founder of Geek Squad, decided to make a road trip out of our drive to the Interchange. At 7 AM Mike showed up at my house with coffee in hand and ready to do some site seeing. Mike is originally from Wisconsin and is very knowledgeable about historical markers and other odd things about the cheese state. Our first stop was at small state park that is on a small stream known for trout fishing. Fly fishing is something I have always wanted to try ever since I saw the movie “A River Runs Through It”. The second stop we made was to Lake Pepin to take in the beautiful view. It is amazing to me just how different the terrain is in that area. It reminds me of driving up the Pacific coast in California. The third stop we made was at the “Bow and Arrow” historical site. This strange rock formation was discovered in 1902 by a Minnesota archeologist and was described as "Some of the stones representing the bowstring are displaced. The intention seems to have been to represent a bow and arrow drawn to shoot toward Lake Pepin." We then made our way to “Maiden rock” The Minnesota city of Winona is named for We-no-nah, the maiden who leaped to her death rather than wed a man she did not love. I swear this is the third time I have heard this story in my life. When I was in Hannibal, MO there was a ledge that had the same story. Anyway… The next place we went to was “Beef Slough” a place that loggers would sort the different size logs so steamboats could tow them to sawmills on the Mississippi in the mid to late 1800’s. One of our last stops was to Prairie Moon sculpture garden in Cochrane, Wisconsin. This location has a large collection of strange rock formations that were built by a retired farmer in 1952. As I walked around the garden the only thing I could think of was “Why?!” but the experience was still educational and fun to visit. The final place we stopped at was Nelson’s cheese factory. This is where I ate my first, non deep fried, cheese curd. I know refer to raw cheese curds as “Squeaky Cheese”. Growing up I always enjoyed a good field trip and this short but fun road trip was just like that ones I remember. I would like to thank Mike for sharing his knowledge of Wisconsin and making what would have been a boring trip for work, one that I hope to share with my own family one day.

4/18/2008

Hola a todos. ¿Cómo estás?. This week has been interesting when it comes to surfing the net in the Miller household. When Jessica or I go to Google.com it automatically switches us over to Google.es, which is Spanish. I have never taken a foreign language class before, so this is making it even more difficult to navigate. I have enough issues with the one language I know! Even though we switch our language to English, each time we refresh the main page it returns to the Spanish version. So after searching the net for potential solutions, it looks like for some reason that my ISP has issued our home an IP address that thinks it is coming from Mexico. Even though I have enjoyed many an evening in Tijuana, Mexico while in the Navy, I have never picked up the language. Ah, the stories I have of Mexico; being thrown from the light-rail train from Mexico to San Diego for becoming ill from the taco’s I ate or maybe it was the multiple shots of tequila, I am not sure. Anyway, I tried everything I could think of to narrow down the issue. Example: I can log into the neighbors unsecured wireless network and go to Google and everything is fine or when I bring my computer to work and log in it goes to the correct version of Google. Even unplugging my cable modem and plugging it back in, the issue is still there. After talking to the Comcast support rep for nearly an hour and listening to this moron go through his suck ass checklist of solutions, I was no closer to a solution. All I simply want is for Comcast to simply reissue me another IP, how F’n difficult is that!? His first suggestion was for me to call Google and work with them. I was like “…are you trying to tell me that it is Google’s problem?” His second solution was for me to have my cable modem unplugged for 24 hours, hoping that a new IP address would be issued. Why should I have to go without service for 24 hours, I asked, when someone in your office can simply reissue another IP? So rather than argue with this MF’r for any longer I decided to attempt the 24 hour suggestion. So tonight at approximately 10PM I will plug my modem back in and see if my next step is to navigate to Rosetta Stone and learn espanol. Comcast chupa, pero no tengo otra opción.

4/14/2008

Last week I was in Billings, MT for the Infinite Campus Montana Interchange. This is an event that allows my company to hold small training sessions for our customers. Total registrants for this event were much lower than we had expected but it is still nice to finally put a face to a name for some of the people I have been working with for some time. Once all of our staff arrived Tuesday afternoon we all headed up to the 23rd floor for lunch. The hotel is currently undergoing renovations and the first contractor had been fired and told to vacate the building due to construction delays. The new crew seems to be getting the job done and they are scheduled to be completed around the second week of May. The restaurant we went to for lunch is on the top floor and is somewhat of a make shift restaurant but we thought it would not hurt to try it out. To make a long story short, the waitress that took our order disappeared for a long period of time and another woman appeared claiming to have taken her place. For the most part we all ordered burgers, not to difficult to prepare. After about 30 minutes of waiting the burgers finally came out. There were two people at the end of the table that ordered a turkey sandwich and a beef Thai salad. Everyone was completely done eating once the waitress claimed that the salad and sandwich were on their way. Finally she comes walking around the corner with only one plate on which the turkey sandwich laid. As she made her way around the table to the person that ordered it she loses her balance and falls to the ground, attempting to salvage the sandwich in several attempts the sandwich also fell to the ground but only half of the sandwich made contact with the floor. After finally regaining her balance she became very distraught and at this point threw herself on the floor like a child and started yelling “Oh no, not again!”. Charlie, our president, started cracking up quoting the waitress “Not again?” like one of our burgers met the same fate before we ate them. At this point we are all doing our very best not to laugh at the poor expense of this woman. BUT as we are all trying to do this, and doing a poor job of it, she stands up and asks to the person that ordered the sandwich. “Would you like this side of the sandwich that did not make contact with the floor?” I lost it at this point and so did many of the other people sitting at the table. The funny part of the whole thing is that when she finally reappeared moments later she not only had the Thai beef salad but a “New” turkey sandwich. So I then ask, “How is it that it took 45 minutes to produce the first sandwich and only 2 minutes to conjure up the second?”.

4/2/2008

Last week my favorite pet fish died. Rock was a large Tiger Oscar that Jessica and I brought home as a baby. We had actually purchased three fish that we named Rock, Paper, and Scissors. Paper and Scissors did not make it that long but Rock held on. I have had fish for the majority of my life. I started out with a 5 gallon tank and a few zebra fish. I eventually got a 10 gallon and had several other fish that I kept as pets for most of my childhood. There was something so mesmerizing about the glow of a fish tank in my room when I was a child. The sound of the bubbles and the movement of the water making the room light up like an underwater world. When I moved in with my father I graduated to a turtle, his name was Harley. This was a name I choose in reference to my father’s obsession with that brand of motorcycles. His tank was next to our dining room table and I could toss bits of food into his tank as we all ate together. The next fish I had of was Luther (Lutha) he was given to me by Jody Rieves in Arizona. I transported him from AZ to MN in the back of my Mustang when I got out of the Navy. As I stopped for the night on my journey home, I had to bring him into the location that I was spending the night so he was comfortable. He was a great fish that used to jump out of the water to eat out my hand. Lutha died after a routine cleaning of his tank. I believe that the shock of the move was the cause of death. Rock was as large as a fat sun fish or bass. I would like to think he went quickly but after investigating him after pulling him out of the tank I noticed a large area on his side where many of his scales were missing. So my conclusion is that he had been sick for some time. I had never really noticed that area described due the fact that Rock always kept that side of his body inwards. I have decided to disassemble the tank and make room for other things in the office where the tank was. I think I am going to at sometime soon purchase all new equipment and start fresh. Many of the parts in my current system are aged and not suitable for new life. Even though these are just fish, each of them had an impact on my life. Rock will be sadly missed.

Rock

Lutha

3/26/2008

What is with this weather? It is already past Easter and as I sit looking out from my desk at work I can still see snow on the ground. I have never been more ready for summer in my life. Jessica and I have purchased new mountain bikes and are going to attempt to get a lot of riding in this summer. Bicycles have change quite a bit since I last rode. I received my first mountain bike when I was 12 years old. The large knobby tires and rugged look was very appealing to me. The bike that I just bought has shocks on both the front and the rear along with front disc brakes. I believe the price was very reasonable but Target had only a few choices for men. Living in the Battle Creek area of St. Paul, we have a lot of trails near our home and I hope to be good enough to tackle these sometime soon. As far as prepping for motorcycle session, I still need to have my new front tire mounted. I am looking forward to saving money on fuel for the summer. It is amazing, I have always had to budget for fuel but it was never that much. At $50.00 a fill up it has become more of an issue than it ever has before. Immediately following our occupation of Iraq I can recall the price of gas at .96 cents a gallon. I understand that we are buying fuel from other countries but why has the government not stepped in to regulate it. I hope that someday soon car manufactures step up and find a source of energy that is renewable that will cut down or eliminate our dependence of foreign resources.

3/17/2008

Saturday night Jessica and I went up to my younger siblings home to celebrate Jake’s graduation from High School and his departure for his new endeavor. Jake is on his way to MT2 Mobile Technical Training. This school prepares students to be professional installers and custom fabricators. Jake’s goal is to one day open his own shop. Basically Jake wants to build car audio systems loud enough to blow your F’n mind. All I can say is that his first customer will be me, BOOM BOOM! A little Eazy E, NWA, Too Short, and last but not least Beastie Boys (Licensed to ill). Jessica and I both wish him the best of luck. Jake is an extremely smart young man and I think he will accomplish anything he sets his mind to.

3/12/2008

Last night Jessica and I met Margaret and Patty for dinner at Pop, a restaurant in NE Minneapolis. I have known Margaret and Patty for many years. Some of my fondest memories of my childhood include those two wonderful ladies. Fred and I were very close growing up and even though I moved around with my mother then father, and Fred with his mother and Patty, they always went out of their way to bring him to my home or the other way around. Even in our pre-teen days, Margaret was always there picking us up at Skateland around midnight on Friday or Saturday night. I do not have children but there are several years between me and all of my younger brothers. I was there when they were born, took their first step, and said their first words. The love I have for each one of them is like nothing else I have ever felt. I think to a small degree I can imagine what it is like to see my son or a daughter do the same things I watched my younger siblings do. The pain that I witnessed Margaret and Patty go through once Fred had his accident was immense. I do not know how I would react in that situation but I applaud their bravery and compassion they exuded during that painful time. Most people go through life never witnessing a miracle. I have been blessed twice, having the friendship of these two ladies. I care for the both of you very much. Thank you for enriching my life.

3/10/2008

I started homebrewing about two years ago. I was very hesitant to make my first batch until my friend John came over to show me the way of the force. I was very nervous about this process because everything I read about always focused on how sterile everything needed to be. For some reason I thought that I practically needed a clean room to accomplish this, but John’s first words to me were “Relax, have a homebrew.” I have made nearly 20 batches of homebrew and I can say that there has only been 1 that I did not care for, Raspberry Wheat. About four months ago a co-worker of mine gave me two kegs. These two Cornelius kegs hold about 5 gallons of beer each. I would say one of the reasons that I did not brew more often was the fact that I had to bottle. For those of you that are not homebrewers, bottling is a pain in the ass. I do not own a dishwasher so each time I had to bottle I had to wash each of them by hand, and then hang them so they could dry. I started with using 12 oz. bottles but this was very time consuming so I upgraded to 22 oz. bottles. Now that I have two kegs I can transfer the beer straight from the carboy into the keg. Once the beer has been siphoned from the carboy into the keg I can crank up the C02 and shake the keg for a few minutes. Once I am done with shaking the keg I then place it into the beer meister to settle overnight. It is very exciting to have a new batch that becomes ready to consume. I was always into science when I was in school and in many ways homebrewing is like a science experiment that you get to enjoy. So tomorrow I will get to enjoy my latest concoction, Tongue Splitter!

3/5/2008 - My first blog

About 6 years ago a good childhood friend of mine was in an accident that paralyzed him from the neck down. Fred and I were similar in so many ways, from living in the same apartment complex to having single divorced mothers and an older sister. I think having such similarities is what made us such close friends. Over the past year or so Fred’s mother has been sending out updates about his health and mental state. I visit Fred every few months and I have seen many changes in him, some negative and some positive. For the most part I have seen his condition slowly decline though. The day I heard of the accident I thought I almost lost my friend, and that was very frightening to me to think about. It is hard to determine if the number of illnesses he has been plagued with or the high amount of medications is the cause for the drastic changes in my friend. I guess for some time now I have known that Fred has changed but I have not really accepted it until recently. In some regards the friend I knew back then is gone and this makes me very sad. Fred is in my thoughts of every hour of everyday. I miss him very much. I love you Fred!

New Beginning

BLOGS? Wiki's definition of blog is: A blog (a portmanteau of web log) is a website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

This is something that is very new to me. I never really understood why anyone would type their thoughts into an area that others could read. Jessica started her blog last summer, and to be honest, I never even looked at it until about a month ago. It suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks, all of these thoughts and ideas that go through my wife’s head are right here in front of me. So with that said, I decided to get motivated and update our website and actually update it once in awhile. So here it goes…

3/1/08: Famous Field Trip

This past weekend Shane and I went to Guitar Center in Roseville and viewed some famous guitars. Clapton's legendary "Blackie" and Gibson "335," Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Lenny" and the Edge's (of U2) Gibson "Les Paul Custom" are the four electric guitars that comprise the "Guitar Center Legends Collection" and this is the first time all four will be displayed together. They will be traveling from Southern California where they are stored in a secret, climate controlled vault.