Timex Skiathlom, Seiko Databank and various other weirdness from the junk drawer

Miscellaneous Minnesota State Fair, Winter Carnival and other buttons from the junk drawer

Love that scene from The Jerk. Here’s my list:

• Family and friends
• Long, hot showers
• Mountain Dew
• Steak and pizza (but not at the same time)
• Sunshine and fresh air
• High speed internet
• A job I love
• Skis, bikes, golf clubs and running shoes
• Thunderstorms and blizzards
• A good movie and HDTV
• Oceans, lakes and mountains
• Live music, anywhere
• Fun, reliable transportation
• Soft bed and a warm blanket

mis•an•thro•py |misˈsanTHrəpē|
noun
a dislike of humankind.

Some random stuff in my head during the long drive this morning:

• The MINI has been a good car, but I could use a few less warning lights.
• If it’s this warm now, does that mean snow in April or 120F in July?
• People who drive slow in the left lane with their high beams on deserve their own circle in hell.
• I like to think there is good in everyone, but it’s hard to see that sometimes.
• As Nick Lowe says, what’s so funny ’bout peace, love, and understanding?
• I really dislike getting older and wish I felt like I did in my early 20s.
• Places I want to return to soon: LAX, MCO and GEG.
• Why must we choose between Ginger and Mary Ann? They both rock…

My favorite sleeping attire for the past 25+ years: nothing…

Today I drove over to the Bloomington Memorial Blood Center to make up for the bloodmobile visit at work I had to skip a few weeks ago due to having a cold. That was also the week we had bartender training, so they probably wouldn’t have wanted my alcohol-infused blood then anyways.

When I called to make the appointment, the scheduler asked if I had ever done a double red cell donation. Nope – never even heard of it before. He explained it to me and asked if I would be willing to try. I wasn’t wild about it, but anything for a good cause, right?

I started donating blood through Memorial back when I worked for Northwest Airlines. They had a mobile bloodmobile that visited my building on a semi-regular basis and it basically became a case of peer pressure with the other managers to sign up. I hate needles and the sights and sensations of donating blood aren’t exactly my favorite thing, but I probably did it about five times.

Fast forward to my current job at Fortune Bay, where I found out that the very same Memorial bloodmobile visits about every six months. All of the directors and managers are also hit up with the peer pressure angle, so I started to donate again there. The first time went smoothly, but I had an episode the second time that required the attention of our emergency responder. Embarrassing.

Today’s experience was similar to a whole blood donation, but it made me much more uncomfortable by the end. Everything starts the same, but they leave the needle exposed so the fluid movement can be observed. After the first extraction, the blood pressure cuff automatically loosens and you are told not to squeeze your fist. The machine separates the red blood cells out, then pumps everything else back into your arm. Once it finishes that, the process starts over again (four total cycles in my case).

The sensation of the fluid moving back into my arm was a little weird, but the feeling that drove me crazy was a vibration of the needle that happened both ways. The nurse said that was normal, although she taped it up as much as she could. Thankfully it wasn’t constant, but the whole process took longer than a normal donation, so I was very, very glad when it finally ended.

The upside to this type of donation is that since more of the fluid is returned to your body, your chances of feeling lightheaded afterwards are much lower. I felt fine right away, but still grabbed the traditional juice and cookie before driving home…

South Park Studios Avatar Creator

We rarely agree on policy, but this made my day…

I’ve had a “home” phone number my entire life – until yesterday. With the last person in our family getting their own mobile phone, I just didn’t feel it was necessary to pay the nearly $30 per month any longer.

First cable TV, now telephone. Any other utilities I can get rid of?

P.S. – I can be reached at 218-248-0468; drop me a line if you’d like the other three…

Today I had a clerk ask for my ID when paying with a credit card and she said:

“You were born the same year as my dad, but you look a lot younger than him – he has silver hair.”

Not sure if I should feel good about that or not…

Happy 20th Anniversary, Colleen – Ramsey County Courthouse, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Steak and pasta, DeGidio’s Restaurant & Bar, Saint Paul, Minnesota

It’s been almost two months since I returned to Facebook and about a month since I formally joined Google+. The redesign of this site is now two months old and the Tweet count is closing in on 8500.

My order of preference in posting right now is 1) this site, 2) Twitter, 3) Facebook and 4) Google+. I really haven’t jumped back into Facebook much (other than lurking) and Google+ just seems a bit redundant, nerdy and sparse. I still really like Twitter, but I need to be careful that I don’t turn the hose on too strong or I’ll drown in information overload.

Still trying to post something to this site every day, even if it’s just a cheater post (photo, quote or link). I’m pretty sure I miss out on communicating with some people by mainly posting here, but that’s OK. I also need to find the proper “voice” for my work accounts on these sites too.

Paid to be social – who would’ve thought I’d ever do that?

Every. Single. Day.

New Mountain Bike Trailhead Building, Lebanon Hills Regional Park, Eagan, Minnesota

As I mentioned in my recent iPhone post, I regularly use an app called Weightbot to track my weight. The two graphs above came from that app – the first was my best year (2009), while the second is the current year (which is somewhat incomplete, as I don’t have a scale during the week at work).

I currently have a goal weight of 160 pounds, which seems to be eluding me by about ten pounds. I got close in 2009 by running 1000+ miles, but right now I’m having trouble getting back in the 160s. My mileage total so far this year is just under 700 miles, but I’ve done a lot more cross-training (mainly biking). Diet is probably the remaining reason, but that’s a lot tougher for me to change.

All ten of those remaining pounds can be found primarily around my midsection. My pant size has remained steady at 32 inches, but the “beer belly” region is the one thing I wish I could re-shape. Effective exercises targeting this area seem elusive, but I keep trying. I’m now to the point where I’m relatively happy standing in front of the mirror, but it would be nice to have a little more definition in my core.

Looking at those graphs again, I have to question the body-mass index definition of “overweight” outlined at the 170 pound mark for a male who is 5’9″ tall. I don’t really feel overweight now – especially after coming down from a peak weight of nearly 200 pounds. I think the “normal” range for that height goes down to 150 pounds, which seems ridiculous to me. Still, I’d really love to see that 160 number appear on the scale someday soon…

Today’s Halloween is a bit sad for me, as it’s the first time since either of my kids were born that I haven’t been at home for Halloween night. Kid one isn’t even going out door-to-door this year (although there is still a Zombie Kardashian costume involved).

I also missed out on the Monster Half, the big Halloween party at Fortune Bay on Saturday night and a few other things I would have liked to be a part of. I did get to help kid two host her big party on Friday night, though, and last night we carved pumpkins (above).

The local Head Start program is bringing over a group of kids to the resort in the morning for trick-or-treating, which should be fun. Aside from that, Halloween night will be treadmill time in the exercise room (October will be a 100+ mile month), followed by the 5-0.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Next up on Craigslist:

Lightly used Kurt Kinetic bicycle trainer with front tire block. It’s been taking up space in the basement for a few years now and probably has less than a hundred miles of use. Perfect opportunity for someone else to have a low-cost way to stay busy this winter! Available for in-person pick-up in south metro, cash only. $150 or best offer. Please email with any questions.

UPDATE (10/28/2011): Sold – thanks again for the interest.

This story in the Duluth News Tribune today got me thinking about my ideal Northland living situation, which would be to design and build a small cabin on a lake. While I want my design to be year-round, I don’t want a giant lake home. All it really needs is:

• Character and warmth (exposed log beams, stonework)
• Wood-burning fireplace
• Heated floors
• Bathroom with nice, warm shower
• Kitchen with fridge, stove and microwave
• Washer and dryer
• Master bedroom with lots of blankets
• Guest bedroom with bunk beds
• High-speed wireless internet access
• Satellite/cable on a nice flat-screen TV with a good sound system
• Lots of windows facing the lake and forest
• Screen porch with rocking chairs
• Heated garage
• Dock with boat and kayaks
• Maybe a snowmobile?

Guess I’ll stop at the Y Store and pick up another Powerball ticket with my loose change…

From Craigslist:

All your spookiest dreams will come true with this collection of Department 56 Halloween Village items, including the coveted carousel. Many items brand new, never removed from box (non-smoking, non-pet home). No sale of individual items – will be sold as one lot. Available for pick up in the southern suburbs, cash on delivery. You’ll have this home and set up in time for Halloween! All items in very good condition (except Swinging Ghoulies – one of the ghouls fell off its swing).

• Haunted Outhouse
• Ghostly Carousel
• Dead End Motel
• Halloween Hot Rod
• Bats & Spook Tree
• Haunted Front Yard
• Spooky Yard Scene
• Witch By The Light Of The Moon
• Halloween Water Tower
• Eerie Rocks & Road
• All Saints Church
• Lit Spooky Tree
• Haunted Tower Tours
• Creepy Creek Bridge
• Multi-Building Lighting System
• Scary Twisted Trees
• Black Cat Diner
• Rock-A-Bye Vampire
• Begging for Soul Cakes
• Halloween Village Sign
• Killing Time
• Shaking Graveyard
• Swinging Ghoulies
• LaGhosti Movie Theater
• Horse Drawn Hears
• Halloween Creepy Street
• Halloween Full Moon
• Strangers Beware
• Dr. Lunatic, The Mad Scientist
• Scaredy Cat Ferris Wheel
• Barleycorn Manor
• Helga’s House of Fortunes
• Haunted Front Yard
• Autumn Landscape Set

$500 or best offer. Please email with any questions.

UPDATE (10/27/2011): Sold – thanks for the interest.

• Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
• The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
• Pebble Beach Resorts
• Vail Resorts
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Four Seasons Resorts Lana’i
• Apple, Inc.

My two month Facebook sabbatical ends tonight. It was a nice, productive break, but the influence of Facebook has expanded so much that you really do miss out on a lot of things now if you don’t have an account. I also needed to get back to being an admin on a few pages, watching out for kid one’s safety and catching up with friends who I only see online via Facebook.

I’m very proud of the changes I’ve made on this site and will continue to post (almost) daily here. My Twitter account is also still very active and automatically feeds the 7 Minute Miles home page.

I reinstalled the iPhone Facebook app, but I’m not sure yet how much I’ll post going forward. I don’t see what all the fuss was about regarding the layout changes, but I think the big stuff talked about at F8 is still yet to come, no?

I had the pleasure of witnessing the “reality distortion field” in person many times over the years at several Macworld and WWDC keynotes, ranging from San Jose to Boston to San Francisco. At a Microsoft party in San Francisco in 1998, I stood nearby as I tried to work up the courage to actually talk to him. I was too shy at the time to say anything, but I remember being shocked when I saw him in the bathroom later that night and he didn’t wash his hands before leaving.

That unpleasantness aside, what can you say about Steve Jobs’ contributions to the world? I first read the news today via Twitter on my iPhone while walking down the Las Vegas strip in front of the Bellagio. I stopped and watched the beautiful fountains, then headed to the Cosmopolitan, where a literal hoard of hipsters ran wild with their requisite iPhones. iPads are everywhere at the convention I’m attending and iPods are given away as prizes at multiple booths. MacBook Pros and Airs are the laptop of choice for millions and Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world.

Personally, much of my technology career is based on the products and ideas that have originated from Cupertino. I literally would not be where I am today if it were not for the work of Steven Paul Jobs. And his association with Disney and Pixar cannot be understated either. Thank you, sir.

We all knew this was coming, especially with the way the resignation announcement was worded. Cancer sucks (curse you, Bruce McCullough). Condolences to the Jobs family and thank you, also, for sharing him with the rest of us.

56 is way, way too young, but as Steve said, “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”

Namaste, Mr. Jobs.

So many things going on right now – rolling out the new kiosks at work this week, trying to wrap up a bunch of items before I leave town, marathon expo on Friday, family races on Saturday, a wedding reception later that day, the Twin Cities Marathon Sunday morning, a benefit dinner Sunday night and an early morning flight to Vegas on Monday.

I also still have to get the new work website finished, design a new look for the Tapemark Pro-Am site, move my personal server somewhere cheaper, get Halloween items listed on Craigslist and finish cleaning the house. I’m already behind on a bunch of TV shows, but don’t really want to spend the time to catch up – I’d much rather work on relationships with family and friends.

More on that soon…

As posted earlier this week, I finally implemented a few design changes on 7 Minute Miles. I discovered that the updated news feed still has some issues that I need to test out further (thanks Joss Crowcroft), but overall I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.

With the additional of post formats, I should be able to post something almost every day – favorite quotes, links to other sites I like and single images are quick and easy. I also want to write regular posts more often and will focus on my usual food, golf, running and travel stories, along with some personal posts about whatever grabs my fancy on that particular day.

I haven’t decided yet just how personal I want to get here – there is definitely a school of thought that says you need to cultivate your “online brand” and be aware of what a potential future employer might read. Others get all uptight if you swear, become too political or say something that’s out of the ordinary. And it’s much easier to write crazy stuff if you are anonymous (or an idiot).

Online publishing platforms like WordPress create an incredible opportunity for self-expression and wide dissemination of thoughts and ideas. Everyone likes to hold up freedom of speech as an ideal, but the reality is that words have consequences and must be wielded carefully. I hate self-censorship, but I’ve also been burned enough times by things I write to know I need to think twice (or more) before hitting the publish button.

I am who I am, though, and don’t plan to be anonymous or (hopefully) boring. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show…

Our last remaining cockatiel, Flavio, passed away tonight at the age of 20. That’s a pretty full life for an average cockatiel, but Flavio was no average bird. Loved dearly by our family, he will be greatly missed.

Flavio was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Ruprecht Chinken, mother George, brothers Beaker and Whitey and sister, Norm.

Born in a Madison apartment during my senior year of college, Flavio traveled with us to apartments in St. Paul and Eagan, followed by the townhouse and finally Oakbrooke, where a short funeral service was performed tonight on the path to the pond.

CK writes:
You were one funny, sassy bird, Flavio. Thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives.

SK writes:
You always sung with me, even when I was off-key. We watched movies together, just you and me. But today I guess you thought it was time to leave your family on Earth, and fly to the one up above. Even though you’re gone now, I know you’re happy and you will stay with me for years to come. I love you Flavio, may you rest in peace.

MK writes:
We will forever and always love you Flavio! You will always be in our hearts! You were the BEST bird ANY person in the whole world could have, Flavio, you were EXTRAORDINARY! I will miss you with all my heart! I remember before you left, we used to sing Mockingbird together. R.I.P I <3 you!

The oldest post on 7 Minute Miles was written five years ago tomorrow. I’ll skip the usual “time flies” references and all that – just glad to still be around to publish anything…

A lot has changed in my life during this timeframe, but the look of this site has not. I was kicking around the idea that I should write a new theme and incorporate all of the new features that WordPress has added over the years, but I’m both lazy and a slow learner. In the end, I decided to mostly keep things the way they’ve been, but did tidy up the joint a little:

• Added new background image
• De-cluttered the title bar and re-named some links
• Modified the color scheme a bit and cleaned up the style sheet
• Removed the sidebar and created a new sub-footer section
• New social media and contact buttons in the sub-footer
• Moved the bucket list items to the footer area
• Upgraded the photo gallery to the latest version
• De-activated and removed unused plugins (and added some new ones)
• Adding a new running log section (not quite ready yet)
• Re-writing the about section and merging it with the old bio and fetish sections (in progress)

I’ve been thinking a lot about how personal web sites fit in with the current social media landscape and decided I’ll keep this site as my online home base and have Twitter continue to feed the home page with short updates. When I do write the occasional longer post here, Twitter and Facebook will announce those posts automatically. And I still like the concept of owning the box (and the contents) and not worrying about the (sometimes) arbitrary policy changes of other companies. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all serve various purposes for me, though, so they will continue to stay in the picture (despite my occasional idiot freakouts).

A few stats as of today: 919 posts, 95 pages, 182 approved comments (78,255 blocked spam comments), 39,194 unique visitors in 2010 (who viewed 400,295 pages).

I’ve read a few people say that Twitter and Facebook are killing the blog. I’d have to say that’s mostly true for me, as my last post on 7 Minute Miles was now more than a month ago. My current Twitter count stands at 6,581 updates and I’ve uploaded more pictures to Facebook lately than I have to the photo gallery. I do like having all three, though, and will spend a little time this month sprucing up this site (WordPress plugin updates, update/remove the stamps sections, page review for out-of-date info, etc.).

So, what’s new? I’ve been at Fortune Bay for seven months now and have seen a lot of snow and ice. The lowest temp I’ve witnessed on the outdoor thermometer was -38F, but the MINI has always started right up. Strangely enough, the Twin Cities has received a lot more snow this year than we have. I’ve been told the snowmobile trails were still pretty good, though. We lost a little bit of snow cover last week, but it’s cold again this week and there is a bit of snow in the forecast.

I moved from the resort hotel to a house on the west end of Lake Vermilion about two months ago. It’s way bigger than I need, but the resort owners gave me a great deal that goes through the end of April. Don’t use the hot tub much, but it has satellite TV and wireless internet (and warmth). Lake Vermilion is a huge lake, so it takes about 25 minutes to get from Fortune Bay (on the east end) to the lake house.

Work has been going well. The winter is the slow season, so we try to do technology and facility upgrades now when there aren’t as many people around. My department has upgraded several key systems and I’m now working on an internal web site for employees to use for training and knowledge retention. Business levels have been above expectations, so maybe we’re finally seeing signs of the recession ending soon.

It’s tough being away from the family, although I still see them almost every weekend. The kids are growing up so fast – hard to believe my oldest is now a teenager! Two more years and I’ll need new car insurance. Wow. I miss a lot of my metro friends too and have been trying to keep in touch online and on Fridays – I usually work four ten hour days each week, so I can usually visit on my “day off.” If I haven’t talked to you in a while, please give me a call (218-248-0468) or drop me a line at dk@7minutemiles.com and we’ll get something scheduled.

I’m signed up for two marathons this year (Grandma’s on June 18 and Twin Cities on Oct 2) and have my name in the New York City lottery again too. It’s been a tough winter for running, but I have tried to stay active with the new snowshoes and cross country skis. Boston was the goal for this year, but now that the goalposts have moved, it may not happen for a while. I’ll still try, though, as I need to lose 20 pounds anyway.

As I posted on Facebook, my birthday last month was memorable. I had a business meeting that morning in Two Harbors, so I spent the rest of the day skiing at Lutsen. On the sixth run of the day, I fell on “The Plunge” and crashed into a safety fence. One of the support poles did a number on the left half of my face and I was a bloody mess. No concussion or broken bones, though. The ski patrol cleaned me up and I drove to Grand Marais for dinner at Sven and Ole’s Pizza. It took about three weeks to clear up, but my face is finally back to its old ugly self.

That’s about it for now – not much on the calendar the next few weeks. Might be a Phoenix trip in early April if I’m good…

I know, I know, it’s been more than a month since I wrote a post here, but I’m not dead (yet). I promise I’ll get back to a more regular publishing schedule soon.

In the meantime, here’s a nice relaxing photo from God’s Country to liven up the 7 Minute Miles home page.

It’s been almost a week and a half since I started working at Fortune Bay and so far things have been wonderful. The people on staff here are great to work with, it’s been interesting learning all the new technologies in use and I love the overall excitement of working in a casino. They assigned me a nice office just off the casino floor and I’m slowly getting used to where everything resides and how to get access to all of the tools I need to do the job.

There have been a few issues to deal with: we had a big storm last week that included a lighting strike behind one of the buildings that knocked out all of the cash registers and one of my staff members quit this week before I even got to meet him. I also still haven’t figured out what I’m going to do about housing next month, but I’m starting to find some leads.

The evenings last week were fun. A friend from the Twin Cities called me late Monday afternoon and said he was a half hour away. We played 18 holes at The Wilderness in two hours and 35 minutes, then had a nice dinner at the Grill. I played another post-work round on Thursday night – the course is spectacular and it’s hard to stay away when it’s right outside the door.

The other nights I spent scouting some of the nearby cities: Tower, Ely and Virginia. I looked at a few houses, drove by the schools and basically just checked out the overall vibe of each place. Based on the people I’ve talked to, Virginia and Ely probably have the best schools. My favorite house was in Tower, but I liked the general feel of Ely and Virginia has some nice bigger city amenities (Target, movie theater, McDonald’s).

I’d still love to find some lakeshore and build new, but prices on Vermilion don’t seem to be impacted much by the recession. This week I drove along the south shore and saw some amazing properties, but they were all way out of my price range. I’ll probably just rent for now and see what happens. The family comes up this weekend to check things out, so their input will help firm up plans too.

Tonight I ran for the first time since Grandma’s and I stopped in at the wellness center, which is located about a mile from the resort. Employees can use the facility for free and I spoke with the manager for a bit. She said the building is five years old and doesn’t get used much. All of the equipment is top of the line and the workout room overlooks the lake. I’m really excited to get trained on all of the machines and start getting back on track for TCM in October.

The rest of this week brings a bunch of meetings, the visit by the family (and maybe a few other friends), then one last consulting trip for 318 in Phoenix. I also found out today that my first business trip for Fortune Bay might be a September conference at the Palms in Las Vegas. Could this job get any better?

I know the snow and cold is coming in a few short months, but I just can’t get over how pretty it is in northeast Minnesota. More on the first week coming soon…

I guess it’s time to let the cat out of the bag. Next week I start a new chapter in my life as IT Director for Fortune Bay Resort Casino on Lake Vermilion. Everything has happened very quickly and there are still a lot of unknowns, but I’m very excited.

We stayed there two years ago and loved the place. The golf course has been rated the top public course in Minnesota the past two years by Golfweek (7MM Photo Gallery), the casino is the perfect size and has a great mix of games, the hotel rooms are all new and the location on the south shore of Lake Vermilion is very scenic.

I’ve always thought about working for a resort (specifically, Brainerd, Lutsen, Colorado, Pebble Beach, Hawaii or Florida). When I saw this position posted on their website, it seemed like a perfect opportunity. Here is the job summary:

The Information Technology (IT) Director is responsible for the overall management and security of information technology systems of gaming, hospitality management, sales, computer technology, and all company and corporation telecommunications services and programs. The IT Director will manage such areas as computer systems analysis and design, database and network administration, systems programming, telecommunications systems, and other information technology applications while meeting all budgetary requirements, policy and planning responsibilities, and payroll objectives. The IT Director shall provide effective leadership and personnel management to all Information Technology staff and contribute to the overall goals and mission of Fortune Bay and the Bois Forte Development Companies.

From a career standpoint, I couldn’t be more excited – lots of new things to learn and people to meet in a high-profile position in a well-run organization with a bright outlook.

I’m also excited about the lifestyle change. That part of the state is beautiful, offering lots of outdoor activities (hiking, mountain biking, golf, skiing, running, boating) and a more relaxed pace. Plus Duluth is only 90 minutes away and a return to the Twin Cities is about three and a half hours in the MINI.

We’ll spend the next few weeks looking at the various cities (Ely, Tower, Virginia) to see what schools and amenities are available and decide what we want to do. My longer term goal would be to get some land on one of the lakes and build a not-so-big cabin, just like I originally wanted on Lake Superior.

This bottle made me a little sad as I realized that Disneyland is celebrating their 55th anniversary this year. The 1980 penny inside is still shiny and kid two wants to know how they got it in there to begin with. Good question!

As some of you know, my family members have been big Disney fans as long as I can remember. The first trip I can remember to Disneyland was 1975 during the bicentennial celebration. With my mom working at Northwest, we pretty much just alternated between California and Florida for many, many years.

I really like the old Disney souvenirs. I found a bunch of older postcards too that I’ll scan soon. Stay tuned…

How many nerds out there can say they have one of these bad boys? That game was pretty terrible, too, if I remember correctly…

This weekend I did some cleaning in the basement and found all sorts of fun stuff. I’ll start posting photos here this week, starting with this this excellent Northwest Orient egg plane. I think the “Orient” name was dropped in 1986 after the Republic merger, so I’m guessing this is from the mid-80s.

I haven’t really been writing much here the past few months. Part of that is due to the new job at 318, but mainly I just haven’t felt like writing.

The 2009-2010 Minnesota winter hit me harder than usual – I’ve definitely felt the “winter blues” this year. The warm weather this week has helped (especially by melting most of the snow), but the forecast calls for more below-freezing temps and I’m sure we have at least one more snow storm before summer.

It’s also easy to get down when thinking about all the issues in the world – the economy, the collapse of housing values, rising health care costs, unemployment, earthquakes, etc.

As a sort of coping mechanism, I’ve been compiling a list of things that make me happy. For the three or four of you who read this site on a regular basis, most of these won’t be too shocking:

• Social bonds – family and friends
• Fitness – running, golf, skiing, mountain biking, racquetball
• Eating out
• Travel (and Motoring)
• Nice weather
• Trees, mountains and water
• Pop culture – TV, movies and concerts
• Cities and their associated cultural amenities
• Attending hockey games
• Casino gaming
• Learning new things and staying informed

As I look over this list, I realize how lucky I’ve been in this life and really shouldn’t get too down. Geez, I’m starting to sound like a Ben Folds song…

Don’t know how I got so swamped all of a sudden, but it’s already been over a week since I visited my friend and former co-worker Mike at his new job in downtown Minneapolis.

Mr. Guille is now a Macintosh Desktop Analyst at the Art Institutes International Minnesota on 9th Street, which seems to have avoided the economic downturn nicely. AI has new toys all over the place, as witnessed on the tour Mike gave me.

Before the tour, we had lunch at the Fogo de Chão restaurant at 645 Hennepin Avenue. Talk about a total meat orgy! Here’s what their web site says:

The lunch and dinner menu features unlimited servings of 15 different delectable cuts of fire-roasted meats, a sumptuous buffet of gourmet salads and fresh-cut vegetables, and a variety of Brazilian side dishes.

Each guest uses a two-sided disk to control the pace of their meal. The green side signals the Gaucho chefs to bring out skewers of sizzling fire-roasted meats to carve at the table. The red side indicates a stopping point. Turning back to green lets the Gaucho chefs know to start offering the meats again.

The flat-rate pricing (around $32) was very reasonable for the quality and quantity of the meats being served. The servers were incredible and made sure we received everything we wanted in a very timely manner. My only knock against them was the expensive and tiny bottle of Coke.

I’m pretty sure now that if I worked in downtown Minneapolis I’d go broke eating out – and forget about losing weight…

This started about a week after I turned on the sprinkler system. Master Sprinkler Systems said I should call their plumber (Duda Plumbing in Hopkins, 952-933-5636) with the part number. It’s a Watts Regulator, model 800M4-FR, as far as I can tell.

Anybody out there know what would cause this to happen? Do I really need a plumber?

My sister has joined my brother in Florida – both now work for the mouse on the Disney Plantation. Lynn is on a cooking internship, currently working as a pastry chef at the Contemporary Resort. I think that lasts through June or July.

Yesterday I got a package in the mail that contained an awesome birthday gift: a Pirates of the Caribbean hockey jersey. Thanks Lynn!

I will always be a real tree kind of guy, and I like to support local businesses and growers when we buy our Christmas tree each year. Getting a painted tree from Home Depot that maybe came from North Carolina isn’t my idea of a good deal. As they say, it costs money because it saves money – or something like that…

I’ve mentioned them here before, but Lilydale Garden Center has been my local favorite ever since we moved into this house eight years ago. The staff is great and they always have a good selection – all year long, really.

We’ve had smaller trees the past few years, so we decided to go big this year. This 10-foot Canaan Fir needed to be clipped on top in order to fit in our living room. I also need to head to Target to buy new lights – pretty sure I don’t have enough to cover a tree this big.

Best. Tree. Ever.

I swore I wouldn’t join Facebook – I already spend way too much time online between my job and my hobbies, I told myself. My wife became a member after she went back to grad school. Then a race I ran this fall posted pictures only viewable by Facebook members. On November 10th, I broke down and signed up.

As a web developer, Facebook seems really well done to me. I’m still not that familiar with all aspects of it (or some of the history), but it’s been a blast getting back in touch with a bunch of people I would have never connected with using just Twitter, LinkedIn and my blogs. Seems miles ahead of MySpace, too.

What amazes me the most about Facebook, though, is how much complexity there is beneath the surface. I can’t imagine how much time and thought went into programming this thing. I don’t know what it used to be like, but I find the performance and implementation of features to be very strong. Uploading and sharing photos, in particular, is stellar.

If you’ve been dragging your feet about joining Facebook, all I can say is jump in, the water’s fine…

After nearly 17 years of not wearing a wedding ring, my wife decided this was the year she would give me one. I had a plain gold band when we got married, but that has long been too small for my finger and has resided in our safe all these years.

In general, I don’t like having anything on my hand or wrist, so I had some requests. I wanted to get something that was smaller, had smooth edges and would be compatible with my computer work and athletic hobbies. We needed a specialist.

Soren Priede is a wonderful custom jewelry designer from Saint Paul who has sold me items for Colleen in the past. We decided to work with him to custom design a new ring for me.

The process started in June with a request for all of the features mentioned above, plus a desire for a design that reflected the waves of the North Shore. The result, which we picked up yesterday, is pictured above.

I’ve very pleased and highly recommend Soren if you need custom jewelry.

I lead a pretty boring life as far as vices go. The trio pictured above are the only things keeping me from my goal of reaching my high school weight.

I talked with my friend and former co-worker Jake today for tips (see this post for why Jake is an expert in this field). His secret? CalorieKing Nutrition & Exercise Manager for Mac OS X

I downloaded the 7-day demo and entered in my items for today. Very interesting statistics and feedback on the nutrition of what I ate and drank and the effect that exercise has on weight trends. Not sure if I can keep up with the record-keeping aspect of it (I long ago stopped using Quicken for this reason), but it will be interesting to do it for one week anyway…

Today was a hard-working (but fun) Father’s Day for me. The girls woke me up with breakfast in bed and a bunch of great gifts:

• A very cool London Eboy laptop cover for my Mac Book Pro
• Reinhold Messner’s book The Crystal Horizon
• Great arts and crafts items from kid one and two

I worked on laundry a bit (which Colleen went gung-ho on the rest of the day), starting cleaning my office, then worked on yard stuff for a few hours. The grass had grown a lot while I was in San Francisco and required frequent trips to the yard waste bin. I also decided to trim various trees and shrubs, which was going great until I pulled a muscle in my back.

We all had a late lunch at Raising Cane’s in Apple Valley, which may be my perfect fast food restaurant. The chicken they have is always perfect – white breast meat with no fat, tasty breading and an awesome dipping sauce. Their french fries are thin crinkles cooked perfectly and I love the Texas toast that comes with the value meals. Even the ice in the soda machine is great – little pellets that take forever to melt.

Spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on my backlog of magazines while watching the U.S. Open in HD. I can’t believe the USGA still does 18-hole Monday playoffs. The logistics must be terrible to plan for and budget.

Finished the day visiting with the neighbors, then running a quick 5K to end the day. Lots to do this week – I’ll try to post here more often this summer…

Play in the Tapemark Charity Pro-Am golf tournament.

Completed June 6-7, 2008.

I like the design of the new stamp commemorating the Minnesota Sesquicentennial. It’s not a lake image, but the aerial shot from Winona looking up the Mississippi towards the Highway 43 bridge is very nice. Very close to including Wisconsin in the shot though…

It’s been a stressful week at work for me (hence the lack of posts here). I’m close to having things back in order, if not in control, so hopefully the summer will be what summer is meant to be–laid back.

Events on tap:

• Kids at birthday parties and sleep-overs.
• Golfing tomorrow morning in Jordan with the Millers.
• Running the Grand Old Day 8K on Sunday with my friend Gina.
• Playing White Bear Yacht Club for the first time on Monday with friends.
• Tapemark Week next week (volunteering and playing this year).
• Heading straight from Southview to the airport for WWDC in San Francisco.

That list doesn’t look laid back, but it will be fun.

I don’t want to hex it, but I think the worst of the cold weather is over (until the fall). The past few days have been beautiful and the forecast calls for our first 80 degree day this weekend.

The crabapple tree in the front yard, the lilacs in the back and all of the other shrubs and flowers are finally starting to bloom and grow. I uploaded a few photos to the photo gallery, if you’d like to see.

As I near forty, I’ve been thinking more and more about the great things I’ve been able to do in my life and what things I’d still like to do. The box on each page of 7 Minute Miles lists a number of these things, but when I rode a train across the rockies (item#25), I realized that’s the first one I’ve actually completed since I made the list.

Two events have led to more serious family discussions about our future plans: the afore-mentioned train trip out west and my weekend trip to the North Shore this winter to see Richard Thompson. What these trips pointed out to me was that I really like the outdoors and places like Schweitzer and the North Shore of Lake Superior are much prettier than where I live now. If I can find a way to make a living, why not live where it’s pretty?

I’ve wanted a cabin on Lake Superior for a long time. The frequent trips to Grand Marais while growing up often led to thoughts of “what could I do for a job to live here all the time?” I never could find a good answer to that, especially with the opportunities available in the Twin Cities. But with telecommuting and air travel options, where you physically live is becoming less and less important.

Here are some of my goals and desires as part of this plan:

• Five acres on Lake Superior somewhere between Duluth and Lutsen with 300 feet of lake shore
• Architect-designed, chalet-style, log and stone home built using “Not-So-Big” philosophies
• Home features: large windows towards lake, stone fireplace, heated floors, satellite TV, high-speed internet, audio/video room, green building techniques, Kohler Bodyspray shower
• Small, two-bedroom guest cottage for my parents (and other visitors)
• Good schools for the kids (Two Harbors High School?)
• School technology consulting/remote management and MN Publishing Company website publishing for me, Duluth health care and consulting options for Colleen
• Northland Country Club membership for golf and swimming; Lutsen Mountain season pass for skiing
• Other quality of life activities: running, biking, hiking, kayaking, skating, dining, travel

There are great restaurants in Duluth and along the North Shore, the Twin Cities would still be close (as would Canada), air travel would be easy enough and I’d even tolerate the winters better thanks to the skiing and overall beauty we experienced there in March. I’d miss Wild games at the X, but I could still drive down for a few games now and then.

I need to stop drooling and make it happen–the clock is ticking!

I was saddened to learn that Rick Wolf, the part-time school psychologist at HSRA Minnesota, passed away this week. Rick was a great guy to work with and was a tremendous asset to the students of HSRA.

Rick and I had talked about doing a web project together for the past few months using a product he developed on his own called the Team Empowerment Assessment. He had created a printed version of the assessment several years ago and had boxes of them left in his garage (I could totally relate to that feeling with my own golf CD project from 1999). He wanted to create a web version of the assessment and attempt to salvage some of his previous investment in the project.

Here is the obituary from the Star Tribune:

Wolf, Rick Age 64 of Eden Prairie. School Psychologist and past member of the Eden Prairie School Board. Preceded in death by his father, Fred Wolf. Survived by his loving wife, Kate; children, Jeff (Trish), Erick (Page) Wolf, Heather (Kevin) Cook, and Abbey Wolf; grandchildren, Alexis, Amber, Jeremy, Jordan, Macy, Freddy, Tori, and Lindsay; mother, Lorana Wolf; brothers, Randy (Prudy) and Roger (Gail) Wolf; nephews, Tad and Brad Wolf; niece, Becky Nuell. Memorial service Thursday, April 10 at 7 PM with visitation beginning 5 PM at the Washburn- McReavy Eden Prairie Chapel, 7625 Mitchell Road (1 blk N of Hwy 5), Eden Prairie. Memorials preferred to the Intermountain Children’s Home, Helena, Montana, www.intermountain.org Washburn-McReavy Eden Prairie Chapel 952-975-0400

My thoughts go out to his family in their time of loss.