We had a great time today, despite the warnings of un-Florida-like weather. It was a little cold when you weren’t in the sun or had the wind blowing, but it still felt great. Tomorrow’s forecast is for much warmer and windier, so I may break out the shorts if it looks promising.

Today we started out at EPCOT, right when they opened at 9am. After making reservations for lunch, we headed straight to Test Track to get Fast Passes. They weren’t necessary all day–the crowds (and lines) were non-existent. We walked right up to the front and rode it twice. After that, we walked over to the Land pavilion and went on the Listen to the Land boat ride and the new Soarin’ attraction that they copied from Disney’s California Adventure. (more…)

We leave today to visit my brother and his wife in Orlando, Florida for a few days. The timing is great–it’s forecast to be the coldest week of the year in Minnesota. Orlando hasn’t been the warmest lately (lows near freezing), but it’s supposed to get back to normal by the end of the week.

I’m especially excited to ride the new Expedition Everest ride at Animal Kingdom. No golf planned, but I’m sure we’ll do a lot of walking the next few days. Watch for pictures and stories later this week…

UPDATE: Wireless access rocks. First photos uploaded to the private area of the photo page.

Today I decided to tackle the four tax returns I need to complete this year (two S-corp returns and two personal). The corporate returns for 7 Minute Miles were pretty easy, as the company was dormant all year and was officially dissolved on December 31, 2006. Our personal federal return was much harder. I’m still missing a mortgage interest statement, but I decided to run through the whole process once using what I have so far. The initial refund outlook is good, but we’ll see on Monday what the final numbers look like.

The current tax code is too convoluted–politicians seem to think that the tax form is the primary way to implement policy. My favorite from this year? The new line on the Minnesota S-corp return that gives a credit to farmers for tuberculosis testing on their cows. Sigh.

The government knows us by social security number and gets reporting from employers every time a paycheck is issued. The technology is out there–why do we still have to go through this process? As for policy decisions, why not have all entitlement programs go through an online application process with direct deposit/automatic funds dispersement? That way, the farmers with the sick cows can get their funding and I don’t have to wade through an extra 10 pages of tax form instructions each year.

Today I visited a restaurant in south Minneapolis that my wife loves. Hot Plate (5204 Bloomington Ave S, 612-824-4794) is a fun neighborhood diner with a great atmosphere and fun menu items. We just had to order the bacon-wrapped tater tots with BBQ sauce appetizer, which I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen anywhere else. My chicken club with melted cheddar cheese and applewood smoked bacon and a side of Barbette-like fries was very good. Lots of other items on the menu I wanted to try–and the breakfast menu sounded good too…

This guy paid me a visit today on my thirty-eighth birthday. I’m not sure what kind of woodpecker it is, but this one was much larger than the downeys we’ve had recently.

I spent most of the day goofing off and it felt great:

• Visited the Target, CompUSA and Best Buy video game, HDTV and computer departments.
• Played a bit with Windows Vista and will write some more thoughts about that soon.
• Answered just a couple work-related phone calls and emails.
• Got a haircut, had lunch at Zantigo and dinner at Fuddruckers with my parents.
• Received lots of great presents, phone calls, cards and emails–thanks to all of you!

Now I just need the Wild to hold on and beat the Blackhawks tonight…

Lunch yesterday was at a new restaurant in Excelsior, Jake O’Connor’s, located on the corner of Water and 2nd Streets. It’s an Irish pub and restaurant with an authentic atmosphere, which I was told was brought over from Ireland piece by piece. I had fish and chips, which despite having Americanized chips, was very good. The other orders in our group included a BLT, various pot pies and several pints of Irish beer.

My friend Doug knows one of the owners and he said they have been open since the first half of December. The place was previously a hardware store that had suffered some fire damage, but the restoration and transformation to the current version is stunning. The original 100-year-old floor adds a sense of history, while the dark wood tones of the bar and booths bring that old-world European feel to what is really a brand-new establishment. There is a unique hand-painted mural in the back room depicting scenes from Irish literature (including a cameo by Sinead O’Connor), while the basement houses another bar and more seating.

Despite a lack of advertising and promotion, the word seems to be spreading. It was crowded yesterday and this looks like a nice addition to the west-side dining scene.

That would be the Wild player in the middle (with the broken nose).