Letters to Santa, 2009

Dear Santa,

I have not been picking my nose for some days. I have given Dad a crunchy candy for service. I also gave Thurman his Cub Scouts book for service. I try to have good listening ears at Miss Kelly’s Pre-K 4 class. I try at Mr. Robert’s to be good.

I would like a Lego City and me and Thurman we want a car that drives on the wall and upside down. I would also like Sorry Sliders and a scooter. I also like Pokemon.

We will leave you some cookies on Christmas Eve.

Thanks Santa!

With your reindeer and have a good trip on your sled at your North Pole.

Love,

Nico

-----------------------------------------

Dear Santa,

I have been good this year. I have been helpful, by doing things like carrying a Christmas tree, being a good big brother, and being helpful to my parents.

I have a lot of things I would like you to possibly bring for me. I’d like Pokemon Emerald for the DS. I would also like Pokemon cards, maybe a tin. Next, I’d like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Settlers of Catan or Cities and Knights. I also would like a miniature pool table. If it is out, I would like Captain Underpants #9. I also would like smiley-faced erasers (yellow with black). Toy ninjas are cool too. Also some new markers that include brown and purple. I’d also like another Pokemon game for the DS (I already have Platinum and Diamond). Both my brother and I would like some new Scooby Doo movies too.

Thanks Santa!

With Thanks,

Thurman

10 years

A lot can happen in a marriage of 10 years.

Actually, a lot has happened. I won't go into overly boring details, but indulge me just a bit.

We've lived in 7 different residences in 4 different cities.

We've had 3 different beds.

We've worked for 9 different employers combined, not counting freelance work.

We've watched games at 16 different baseball stadiums together.

We've had 7 different cars, and racked up quite a few miles.

We've been to 5 different countries on 2 different continents together.

We've been blessed with 9 nieces and nephews.

Best estimate, we've been in 31 different states together. Some of them will even let us come back.

Our zip codes have decreased every time we've moved to a new one so far.

We've attended 1 funeral together, and at least 7 weddings.

So far, we've had 3 trips to the emergency room, that I can recall anyway.

We have been given the care of 2 wonderful children whom we love very much.

Add it all up, and you get one.

As in, I am one lucky guy.

I am so blessed to be with the one woman I want to spend my life with.

She's the one that makes me want to be my best.

Here's to many more years together, one at a time.

An Open Letter to Hoboken Residents

Dear Hoboken Residents, Friends, and Neighbors;

Our newly elected mayor has brought shame to our town and to himself. Those that voted for him (not me) placed trust in him to do the job well, without corruption or other methods of self-service. Those that voted and campaigned against him feared that he would do exactly what he is charged of doing by the FBI, i.e. taking bribes from developers in return for favors.

The mayor is now in a position where he is less than a month into his position, and no one will ever trust him to do his job effectively. While he is busy preparing his defense against the Feds, he will be also fighting for what little control this town can't take away from him. He'll be facing an uphill battle with a major distraction (namely trying to avoid jail) clouding his every judgement, his every move.

With these facts in mind, there is no way he can be an effective mayor. If he is convicted, everything he does in office will have to be undone. Even if he isn't convicted, he still leaves a tarnished legacy that should be preemptively shortened.

He is protesting "innocent until proven guilty", which is hypocrisy in the face of his "Zero tolerance" remarks of only last week regarding Hector Claveria's pending bribery charges. Cammarano called for his immediate resignation, and no one can offer up a more convincing argument for Cammarano himself to resign. Apparently he lives by the "do as I say, not as I do" philosophy of life.

Your call to action as residents of Hoboken is to let everyone know that Cammarano should resign. You can do this several ways:

1) Call City Hall and let them know how you feel. They will take messages, but please be nice to the person answering the phones. It's not their fault. Phone number is 201-420-2013.

2) Use Facebook, Myspace, blogs, anything on the Web. There are several websites dedicated to Hoboken (some of higher quality than others). Register and post comments. You can message Peter directly on Facebook, or post on the "Peter Cammarano for Hoboken" group page. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=45005903114

3) Wear your Vote Zimmer shirts around town if you have one. Let people know you didn't vote for a crook.

4) Attend City Council meetings. The dates, times, and locations are posted on the city's website in advance.

5) Be involved, be aware, and be vocal. And when it is time, be sure to cast your vote in the special election that is bound to take place to replace our corrupt mayor.

The sooner we act, the less damage Peter can do while he remains in office. Let your voice, your outrage, your disappointment be heard.

Thanks,

Greg Lincoln

The Duck: A History

The long promised, yet unheralded blog about the duck is finally here. No ribbon cuttings, no parades, no fireworks, please. Any carrying on is done at your own risk.

Once upon a time, there was a boy and his duck. Actually, it started off with just the boy, who happened to like Donald Duck. And be in 4-H (the boy, not Donald).

When I was 13, I wrote an essay on "A Person I Admire" about Donald Duck, and did a reading of it for the 4-H Freeborn County talent show (which was innocently called "Share the Fun"). (Seriously, I just found the essay. It's quite bad.) Needless to say, all I received was the encouragement of my mother and a few polite nods. Undaunted by failure (much like Donald himself), the next year I performed "Sick", a Shel Silverstein poem from Where the Sidewalk Ends, complete with bathrobe and slippers. I must have been encouraged by a few stray chuckles in the crowd, because I wanted to get in the talent show again the next year (1988).

As probably described in another post on this blog, I started talking in a duck-sounding voice sometime in my early teens, mostly as a way to make my poor family members forget that they were upset with me. So, I developed a voice, but didn't have an outlet for it. The details here are a little fuzzy in my mind, I seem to recall being invited to share a talent at a Christmas event for the Sons of Norway...though I'm not quite sure if it actually happened or not (according to an article below, it did). But theoretically that event inspired me to want to find a duck puppet to at least create an act to perform. I'm assuming I had the 4-H talent show in mind as I did so.

I don't remember much about the talent show itself. I remember one of my friends at the time, Jacob Roth, performing in a skit called "Watching All the Girls Go By". I remember that it was held at the high school auditorium, which to me at the time seemed enormous. I remember having to choose a name for my act, which was difficult, and so I finally went with "Nothing Special." (Ah, always self-depreciating, aren't I?) I have no recollection of knowing there were judges, or even a prize for winning. I don't even remember being told that I had won. But apparently I did.

I do vaguely remember going to the Minnesota State Fair that summer, but can't remember any specifics about the performance or how well (or not) it was received. I do remember seeing the sculptures made out of butter though. Quite disturbing.

I performed the duck skit for my 8th grade talent show as well that spring, which seemed to grant me a little bit of celebrity status among my own classmates. (Which at the time, being a scrawny and geeky kid, I needed).

My big launch into stardom (by Albert Lea standards, anyway) really occurred the next year (1989) when I performed in the high school talent show, called "Tiger's Roar" (yes, our mascot was a tiger). Tiger's Roar actually included three separate performances, one for the 9th and 10th graders, one for the 11th and 12th graders (both during the school day), and one open to the nominal-fee paying public. By then, they thought I was pretty good I guess, because I began to get invited to perform at different events in town.

The next year I did Tiger's Roar again, which in my opinion was the lamest performance ever. I think I tried to build a sketch around the big drive to send cookies to soldiers in the Persian Gulf, and the duck wanted some of those cookies or something. Yeah, pretty lame.

However, that didn't stop me from being "recruited" by one of the Ag teachers (yes, Agriculture. It's Minnesota, what can I say?) to join FFA (yep, Future Farmers of America- despite the fact I lived in town, had no livestock, and no desire to be a farmer) and participate in the FFA talent show. 

Well, I did. I won the regional talent show and advanced to the State. I think it was held at the University of Minnesota campus, I don't remember much other than getting to stay in a hotel room and wandering around a lot. I do remember being slightly nervous, at the state level there were some clearly talented people. 

I ended up placing second, and the top two performers went on to participate at the national FFA convention. I'm including the introduction of the text from the newspaper article here (rather than strain your eyes too badly).

"ALBERT LEA- When the lights are dimmed and a hush descends upon the audience of 23,000 at the world's largest annual youth conference this month, a local FFA member will share the spotlight in a performance that will provide memories which will last a lifetime. 

Greg Lincoln, of Albert Lea, will participate in the National FFA Talent Program at the 63rd National FFA  Convention, November 8-10 in Kansas City, MO.  He is a member of the Albert Lea FFA Chapter.  Lincoln, who does a ventriloquism act, placed 2nd at the Minnesota State FFA convention and applied for nationals. "

I went and performed several times, including in a mall, at a luncheon, and on the big stage with a very large audience (still the biggest in my life so far).

Around the same time (1990-91?) another article featuring me appeared in the paper (ah, the good old Albert Lea Tribune).  (Transcriber's note:  Brace yourself - this is a cheesy one!)

ALBERT LEA -- Once upon a time, (three years ago to be exact) a duck was born.  Ducky is white, with a bright orange beak, and sports a clip-on bow tie at festive events.  He speaks a duck language, of course, English with a strong accent.  All of this is perfectly ducky to Greg Lincoln, his ventriloquist. 

Speaking through the right side of his mouth, in "an unexplainable" style, Lincoln created a comical voice.  At family occasions, "whenever something funny seemed appropriate, I'd say it in duck and it would crack them (the family) up," Lincoln said.  "I liked it.  I thought it was funny." 

Ducky emerged soon afterward.  After being asked to perform a comedy routine at the Sons of Norway Christmas party, Lincoln went in search of a puppet with which to work.  A shopping trip to Northbridge Mall found Ducky. 

That first performance was successful for both Lincoln and Ducky, and word of duck spread quickly.  More and more clubs started asking Lincoln to perform for their organizations.  Ducky's appearances include the seventh-grade orientation, 4-H, swing choir, and Albert Lea High School's Tiger's Roar. 

Lincoln makes developing a routine for all the different groups sound easy.  Preparation for performing is usually pretty minimal for Lincoln.  

"Sometimes I like to run through it (the routine), just to make sure I have it pat -- which is never," Lincoln said. 

"Everything pretty much depends on the duck,"  Lincoln claims.  "Basically, I just think of a major theme and make up from there.  It depends on the audience's reaction.  I like audience participation.  That way you're not just watching, you're part of the show."  

"If they really get into it, it's a lot more fun for me and the audience," Lincoln said. 

Lincoln said he enjoyed performing for the Tiger's Roar last  year because of the good reaction that he received from the crowd.  "It was really excellent.  I really got the seniors going (and actively participating)," he added. 

Ducky and Lincoln are planning to show up for Tiger's Roar again this year, performing their comedy act.  In addition, Lincoln is continuing to appear for local organizations.  

"If people keep asking me, I guess I will," he said.  (end of article)

And so I did. Interest eventually waned, on the part of the community and myself. I did Tiger's Roar my junior year (duck supposedly playing 'Great Balls of Fire' on the piano), but not my senior year. (Which may have been the reason I received an A- instead of my usual A in choir. The choir director, Mr. Iverson, was in charge of Tiger's Roar and wasn't happy with my decision to not participate.)

After high school, the duck's activities have been few and far between (some of those already previously blogged about). Now, he's mostly just something for family gatherings and other (usually spontaneous) functions. (See Nico's 3rd birthday, below. Duck is complete with Super Duck cape)

My boys do enjoy it when he comes out to visit though. Maybe, just maybe, one of them will learn to do a duck voice.

What I Want To Be When I Grow Up

(By Thurman Lincoln, age 8)

I would like to be an inventor when I grow up. First, I would like to be this because I am smart and intelligent. Second because I will make lots of money. Third, because this job uses your brain a lot. Fourth, because I think it will be cool. Fifth, because I would build robots that play with me and stuff like that. Last, I would live in a big white house in Utah so I can put all my robots in it. These are some reasons why I would like to be this.

Hotel life

Living in a hotel requires a few adjustments. A lot of them are easy to adjust to, at least in the short term. It's nice to have clean towels and your bed made every day.

***

This particular stay (at the Hilton Atlanta) I got upgraded to the "Executive Floor". I think this is just a euphemism for "you get to be at the top of the hotel and have longer elevator rides." I also get access to the "Executive Lounge" which has TVs and serves and afternoon snack, neither of which I can condemn.

And actually, the elevator rides are kind of nice if you get an elevator with windows.

***

Hotel beds have way too many pillows. And yet, despite the number of pillows to choose from, I can never find one I really like. In frustration, I threw one to the floor on the opposite side of the bed after deciding it didn't meet my needs. As I did so, all of a sudden this weird light came on in my previously very dark room. It kind of freaked me out for a bit, but then it turned off again.

Curious, I got out of bed to investigate. As I put my feet on the floor, the light appeared on my side of the bed. Apparently, there are little lights installed in the bedside stands that are motion sensitive. So, if you need to get up in the middle of the night, a relatively unobtrusive light comes on automatically to help you out. Genius.

***

I usually only go to two conferences a year. Carma jokes that I treat them like vacations. Which they kind of are, in a sense. I mean, I still go to sessions and stuff, and try to gain insight and knowledge. But I don't try to do something every minute of the day while I'm there. I sleep extra. I read books, watch movies. I explore the town a bit. And I go to restaurants. Hmmm...it does sound kind of like a cruise or something, doesn't it?

***

Room service is a rip off. Even if it's not my money I'm spending, I avoid it like the plague.

Case in point: here, I can get an all-you-can eat breakfast buffet, including drinks for $20 in the restaurant. Not exactly cheap, I know.

However, if I ordered Room Service, for $20 you get the "American breakfast", which is eggs, toast, sausage/bacon, and potatoes. The juice will cost you $6 extra (no refills), and fruit is another $8.

On top of that, they charge you a $4 in-room dining charge, plus a 21% service fee. Plus tax.

So, with tax and tip downstairs I pay $24-25. To eat breakfast in my pajamas (or lack thereof) I would pay $46 to get less. Yeah, I think it's worth $20 to put on my clothes and go get my own food. Even if it is a long elevator ride.

Dinner & a movie (a.k.a. Fork & Screen)

I had the most enjoyable dinner and a movie experience I've had in awhile. This may be more of a product that I hardly ever go out to dinner and a movie on the same night than anything else (at least since Thurman was born). I do wish my kids could have experienced it with me though.

I'm at a conference (AIR) in downtown Atlanta this weekend, which would be much cooler if downtown Atlanta actually had anything interesting to do. (Yes, yes, there's the Coke museum and the aquarium...and lots of hotels and parking garages.) Seriously, Hoboken has more restaurants and things to do than downtown Atlanta.

I learned from the local planners of the conference that more of the "night life" and entertainment are in little suburban clusters around the city. So, having nothing on my schedule after 4:00 today, I decided I'd take the MARTA train out and check out one of them. I ended up party by chance in the suburb of Buckhead, GA- about a 20 minute ride.

My main goal for the evening was to find a movie theater and go to dinner afterwards, and my trusty iPhone found a couple of cinemas in the area. One had kind of a weird name, the AMC Fork & Screen. I figured it must be some kind of local whimsical name or something. It was the nearest to the train station, so I headed over to check it out.

I knew going in that my family was going to see "Up", and a showing of that movie was starting soonest (my other choice, Terminator, was starting at 8:00, too late). So I got a ticket at the outside ticket window and headed inside. I was greeted by an attendant, and saw there was a bar in the movie theater, which seemed a bit odd. The attendant took my ticket, and then handed me a menu, which I must have looked at in a rather blank or confused manner. He asked if I had ever been there before, to which I admitted I hadn't.

The attendant than calmly explained to me the concept of the Fork & Screen...it's eating dinner while watching a movie. As you can imagine, this is a concept I can buy into easily. I like movies, I like dinner. And ever since watching Pulp Fiction (1995), I have fantasized about eating a big sloppy cheeseburger while watching a movie in a theater just like John Travolta's character bragged about doing while in Amsterdam.

Anyway, it was a very pleasant time. The movie was great. The food was good (Fish & Chips, I had a big sloppy burger last night). I even had popcorn for desert. It was great, I even got to fill out a survey afterwards.

So, upon returning to my room I decided to try to find out how many other AMC Fork & Screens there were. Other than Buckhead, GA there appears to be only one...in Olathe, KS (suburb of Kansas City). Which is really kind of sad. I hope they get more so I can recommend them to friends. I can still recommend them I guess, but no one I know gets to Kansas City or Atlanta that often. Well, enjoy it if you can!

----

Separately, I will highly, highly recommend "UP". Just about everything Pixar does is great at minimum, and often achieves movie greatness. "Up" is definitely among the best of the best of the Pixar movies. Do yourself a favor and go see it (with your kids if you have any) in the theater.

The Lollipop Guild

There are many things that I will always remember about my wedding day. My beautiful bride-to-be, all my friends and family. How sunny and nice it was (maybe a bit on the warm side, it was August and I was wearing a tux). That I got "my own" chocolate cake.

And of course, the betrayal of my closest friends.

Ok, so that's a bit overboard. It's actually quite funny, and has given us two great stories. The first is "Cake's Day Out", which will have to wait for another time. This is the story of the Lollipops.

Every groom should fully expect to be pranked I guess. I should have been more alert and vigilant. But my friends were sneaky, determined, and feeling very playful I guess.

I expected the car decorations. Everyone does that, it's practically a required part of the marriage ritual. But I did not expect to find all those lollipops in my hotel room.

Rewinding a bit...

The culprits were Travis and Stephanie Noe, Aaron Janssen, Shannon Dyer, and my own little sister Katie (Hamborg at the time). I don't know who's idea it was, but they all played their roles. One of them (Steph, I believe) went into Carma's purse to find our room key. I think I may have told Aaron which hotel we were staying at, clearly without thinking or being suspicious.

However, when the crew arrived at the hotel, they were unable to get the room number from the front desk, much to their frustration. They started to estimate how many hotel rooms there were...it was well over a hundred. Then, walking around the building, they realized there was a whole other wing they hadn't accounted for. The odds were stacked against them, and they didn't have a whole lot of time.

Not wanting to give up, Travis entered the hotel via an end door, and thought to try the key on a few doors on each floor just to see if he would get lucky. He didn't get very far (only three doors tried, I think) before one surprised him and turned green. They had found our room.

So, they put about 50 lollipops everywhere in the room. In the towels, the pillowcases and sheets, and in our suitcase. I must admit here they could have done much worse, for which I'm grateful they didn't.

Later on, they made a "confession" tape describing these events for posterity. I hope I still have that somewhere.

So, Carma and I discovered a bunch of lollipops. The next day we were to have our gift opening, at which would be our friends yearning to know how well the lollipop gig went over (and dying to tell us their story as well). However, we decided to concoct a little tale for them that went something like this:

"You guys will never believe what happened last night! When we got to the hotel (in full wedding garb), they decided to upgrade us their "Honeymoon Suite"! It had a jacuzzi and everything! Very awesome!"

To which they looked rather surprised and taken aback. I could see the thoughts, "Oh no! Someone else will find all the lollipops!" It was great. But then of course I had to let them off the hook.

"Or, I could just tell you instead that we found a crapload of lollipops everywhere."

******

Fortunately, that's not quite the end of the story. You see, Aaron got married a couple years later. Carma and I certainly wanted a shot at revenge, and Aaron knew it. He was very careful not to tell ANYONE where he was staying that night, and took all sorts of precautions.

Which was fine, we were determined, and even better, we knew where he lived. We got his house keys from his brother, and Trav and Steph joined us for a bit of Lollipopping. We had over 100 lollipops, and we spread them all throughout the house. In the closets, in the washing machine, the freezer, garage, couch cushions, and anywhere else that seemed like a good idea at the time. Then in his basement, we filmed "The Denial". With lollipops in our mouths, sitting in his basement, we claimed to the video camera to have had no involvement whatsoever. I'm sure we were convincing.

We returned to the wedding festivities, with lollipops in our mouths. For some reason, this made Aaron nervous and ask "What did you do?" We told him he'd find out soon enough.

I think he was still finding lollipops over a year later. It may have taken Holly awhile to forgive us.

Return of the Jedi

Ok, so this post was started by watching the most recent episode of Lost, "Some Like it Hoth". A mild spoiler: in the episode Hurley disses the ewoks in Return of the Jedi. I had the gall to agree with the idea that the ewoks were lame on Facebook. Banter ensued. And now I must resurrect my blog to state my case.

When Return of the Jedi came out, I was 9. Of course I loved it at the time. What kid didn't? My own sons like it the best of the movies as well. But for me, it hasn't held up well over time. The original Star Wars was ground-breaking, entertaining, and enjoyable. The Empire Strikes Back still remains a pinnacle of the genre, a well-done character driven story set in a rich universe.

But Return of the Jedi? It is a so-so film with poor dialog, wooden acting, and ewoks. Let's detail some of these faults of the film and its divergences from its predecessors.

1) The neutering of Han Solo. Han Solo in the original Star Wars was a smuggler, a borderline guy who had his back up against the wall, shot first (originally), trusted only Chewie, and was only in it for the money, until the end. In Empire, he's still relatively consistent in character, and his growing care and love for Leia is one of the main storylines. In Jedi, literally he does nothing to progress the story, and is essentially a cardboard cut-out of a character that shoots a few one-liners. Granted, part of this may be Harrison Ford's fault for not wanting to really be the character anymore, but who could blame him with this awful script? He might as well be wearing a t-shirt saying "I'd rather be filming Indiana Jones".

2) All those who hate Jar-Jar, raise your hands. Now, blame the ewoks. They were the first shot fired in the "Dang! I can print my own money selling toys!" war against the movie patron. Seriously, the ewoks are probably the first-ever mass introduction of a commercial product into what was supposed to be a feature film. Legend has it that the original concept was to have a planet of Wookies- Chewbacca's home planet (much later introduced in Episode 3). But Wookies weren't new, cuddly, and loved by children under the age of 8 that had parents with decent disposable incomes. No, instead we got ewoks. And the Ewok Special. And cartoons, toys, plush ewoks, lunch boxes, playsets, Underoos, and "comic relief". (And the awful, awful "Yub-nub!" song.)

Consider this tidbit of information: the word "ewok" is not in the movie. Anywhere.

3) Carrie Fisher was clearly stoned out of her mind during the filming of this movie. Not that it really detracted from her "acting" skills. This isn't really evidence supporting my case, but I'm just feeling bitter.

4) Another reason to hate RotJ: the Death of Boba Fett. Boba Fett was a ruthless bounty hunter, responsible for the capture of Han and the near-capture of Luke, and was the second-most formidable foe next to Darth Vader that the heroes faced. So, what happens to him?

He is killed off in a comical manner to serve up a burp joke.

This travesty is not in keeping with the tone of the movies that had been established. Really, it's a farce. It shows what sort of nonchalance the movie itself was being treated with, and that it was not a creative vehicle, but one motivated by profits alone. Which also serves as a strong condemnation of Episodes 1-3 as well, come to think of it.

One Boy at a Time

NICO

Nico's latest hijinks involve charming cute girls and then taking advantage of them. Everyday for pre-school, we (mostly Carma) pack Nico a bunch of food for snacks throughout the day to complement his school lunch. This apparently is still not enough food to satisfy his insatiable appetite. 

No, now Nico has resorted to charming the girls in his class to share their lunches with him too.

We found out about this recently, as we usually ask Nico how his lunch was. We've found all sorts of interesting things (like the foods he'll eat at school, but not at home) this way, but this is the most alarming (so far). One day he told us "I had four chicken nuggets. Then Julia shared her nuggets with me too." Today, we found that Saranya "shared" her pizza with him. Other days, other foods, other girls. For all we know, he's left a trail of broken hearts as well as crumbs in the cafeteria. I'm sure we'll hear more about it at his parent-teacher conference next week.

The other reason this really worries me: if he eats this much now, imagine how bad it will be when he's a teenager. I may have to get a second job at the grocery store just for the discounts.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

THURMAN

Thurman may not be breaking hearts or swindling food, but he is having another rough time on the sporting front. He's now in the Hoboken basketball little league (unsure of the exact name of the program), and they've played two games so far. Both have been ridiculously crushing defeats where the opposing team has scored at least 25 points, and they have only broken double digits once (10).

Given the losing season he endured for soccer last fall, I feel sorry for the kid. On his team, he's literally one of four players who are able to dribble and walk at the same time, much less actually make a basket or play defense. Unfortunately, only one or two of the others that can play show up on any given week. Compound this with the fact that so far the teams they've faced are taller, better coordinated, and can dribble, shoot, run, and defend, it just seems like the entire league is rigged against them.

I'm not sure they'll be able to win any games this season, and I'm sure it will be an exercise in frustration to watch. I'm not sure how else to show my support though. It's not like I have any pointers or advice I can give to Thurman, I suck at basketball worse than some of his teammates. 

I do have to give Thurman a lot of credit though. He hustles to the ball, and does his best. Last week he scored 4 of the team's 10 points, getting a bucket and sinking two foul shots. I can only hope that the rest of the team tries as hard as he does. Hopefully perseverance will pay off for them.

25 Random Things About Me

I'm completely cribbing this from FaceBook, but I thought it would be OK to cross-post.



1. Since high school, I have never lived in the same dwelling for more than two years. I'm awfully tired of moving.

2. I refrained from eating macaroni and cheese for 14 years because I once mistakenly thought there were onions in it. However, now I can only eat it with tuna fish.

3. In Iowa City, IA, I was once a suspect in a bank robbery. I was interviewed by a detective and everything. Clearly I wasn't guilty, which is probably why I considered it fascinating at the time.

4. I love rollercoasters and other thrill rides. The taller and faster, the better. But for some reason, I absolutely do not enjoy waterslides.

5. I am still heart-broken, bitter, and upset over the Minnesota Vikings losing the NFC Championship game in 1999.

6. I have been to 20 Major League Baseball stadiums, as has my wife. Though we have a couple differences. (She's been to Toronto and Oakland, while I've been to Colorado and San Diego). I'm hoping to take the lead on her when I go to Atlanta this spring.

7. Since graduating college (Moorhead, MN) I've lived in Nebraska (Fremont and Omaha), Illinois (Evanston), Iowa (Iowa City), New York (NYC), and New Jersey (Hoboken).

8. States I've never been in: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Vermont.

9. My right foot angles about 45 degree out from the direction it should. This makes it impossibly painful to ski, but is great for soccer. (Not that I'm any good at soccer or enjoy it, I'm just saying.)

10. I'm very grateful to have two wonderful sons. I love having two boys. Nothing against girls, it's just that I'm not sure I would know what to do with one. I'd probably ruin her forever. Besides, it gives me excuses to play with Legos and watch cartoons I like, which would probably not happen so often if we had girls instead.

11. I have been to 12 They Might Be Giants concerts in 6 states (Minnesota, Iowa (2), Kansas, Missouri (2), Illinois (2), and New York (4).) in the last 12 years. Sadly, only three of those times have I actually lived in the same state where I saw them perform.

12. Remember all those books we were supposed to read in high school for English? Moby Dick, Red Badge of Courage, The Scarlet Letter, etc.? I never read them. Well, I did read 1984. Oh well. I didn't read all of my grad school books either.

13. I can't believe I'm only on number 13. I'm putting way too much though and/or energy into this.

14. I am fundamentally a stats geek. I do data anlysis (amongts other things) for a living and enjoy it. I even went to a week of "Stats camp" last summer without any sense of dread. I loved Statistics as a student, and excelled at it. But basic accounting befuddles me.

15. I planned a lot of my own wedding (my bride to be lived out of state, but her mother lived in Omaha and helped a lot). I always joke that I wanted to have the reception at Chuck E. Cheese, but my wife has forbidden me to speak that joke again.

16. My sense of humor is very expansive, to a fault. I find lots of things funny that other people don't. I make a lot of jokes at home that no one laughs at, except me. I retell jokes too many times. My kids will tell me to stop trying to be funny. But sometimes, just sometimes, I can make people laugh so hard they cry.

17. I'm guessing I got some of this from my father. He apparently also retold jokes a lot. He apparently would telegraph the fact that he was about to tell a joke, because he would laugh at it first and then tell it.

18. My father died almost a year ago (Feb. 14th, 2008). Sadly, I didn't have much contact with him until just three years ago, when I was finally able to find him. I'm glad I did, but wish I had done so sooner.

19. I used to be a decent bowler. I hardly ever get the chance to go bowling these days. I wish I could more often.

20. Actually, I used to do a lot of fun things I hardly ever get to do anymore. Racquetball, video games, staying up late, watching too much TV, roleplaying games, and the like. I don't regret anything, I've just got different priorities now.

21. Some of the dumbest things I used to do (in high school): cat & mouse (vehicles chasing one another at high speeds in and around town), driving with friends around Fountian Lake and crawling out of the car onto the trunk/roof while the car was still in motion, participating in "drive by shootings" with squirtguns and the like. I am not proud of these reckless/stupid things.

22. I've really gotten into audiobooks in big way. It certainly helps my commute go by quickly. I highly recommend most of Bill Bryson's books, especially those read by him. He has a great sense of humor that is doubly funny when he presents it himself.

23. My wife is fantastic; I'm a very, very fortunate man. She makes me a better person, and puts up with my antics admirably well. We will celebrate 10 years of marriage in August.

24. At my church, I have been an Edler's Quorum president for the past three years. Being such, I am often referred to as "President Lincoln", which was very unnerving to me for awhile.

25. I'm going to post this in my blog as well. If you're interested to find out more about me, please feel free to visit lincolnlogger.blogspot.com.

MIA

So, yes. It has been too long. Again.

The lack of blogging has nothing to do with a lack of subject matter, to be sure. Much more of a "I need to do these 17 things, and the other 12 things I want to do are going to have to wait." problem.

So, I'm hoping to get to blogs in the near future. The whole family/Disney trip, and lots of other goings-on. Hang in there!