Category: Our Experiences

Tales of my life as told by me.

Off to Washington D.C.

Lindsey and I are flying to DC at this moment. It will be fun to see the sights and walk through Georgetown to see what has changed since I was 22 and first drove in on a sweltering July 5, 2004.

I am listening to Modest Mouse as I write this. I will always associate their two songs, “The World at Large” and “Float On,” with my first few weeks in DC. Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service, and Muse can be added to the bands whose music sounds like DC to me. It was the most musical time in my life to that point and since.

What a different world that was. Many of the friends I spent my days and nights with moved to the West coast where there were originally from. I moved up the East Coast, and then back to the Midwest. We all seem to like where we are from, although that isn’t a universal truth. I’m okay with it.

Anyway, I will reminisce more as the trip progresses. I’m looking forward to it.

My rough itinerary for the trip is as follows:

Saturday – “See the City”

  • Eastern Market
  • Trolly around sights
  • Dinner in Georgetown

Sunday – “Hang with Ben”

  • Mount Vernon
  • Great Falls
  • Stop by Reston and Herndon, where I used to work at Ruckus
  • Dinner at the Green Pig

Monday – “Go to Congress”

  • Museums
  • More sights
  • Capital Tour
  • Dinner with Allie and Dave

Tuesday – “Shop and Eat”

  • Shop in Georgetown
  • See what we need to see
  • Fly to the UP

More to come!

President Obama Re-elected

President Barack Obama was re-elected for a second term at 11:12 PM tonight, November 6, 2012.

Earlier this evening, I was recounting where I have been on Election Day of each of the prior presidential elections for which I have been eligible to vote.

In November of 2000, I was 19 years old and in my first semester at the University of Michigan. I do not recall much from this election beyond being around the “fish bowl” computer lab. Incredible to think that the 9-11-2001 terrorist attacks has not yet shaken the country. And the tech bubble had burst.

I spent Election Day of 2004 in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington DC. I had moved there to work at Ruckus a few months earlier.

In 2008, I was sitting on a bed studying for some law school class while waiting for Obama to be elected. That was an entertaining election with The Palin VP candidacy and SNL parody thereof. This was one of the most historic elections of all time.

Now, in 2012, I’m watching the election coverage from my home in my hometown, am married, and practicing law.

It will be interesting to see what the next four years bring and what Lindsey and I will be up to in 2016!

First November Weekend

It’s the first weekend of November, and we will remember not to rake before this time next year! Any earlier work is undone by wind and rain. With that said, we made a lot of headway on the backyard and front yard around the house. It looks great. Here is a picture of our progress early in the day.

Amidst the yard work, we did have some fun. We ran errands Saturday afternoon, and then went over to the Rogers Basecamp for pot roast, potatoes, and carrots. We brought a variety of pie flavors from the G.T. Pie Co. After dinner, we played Scrabble, which moved surprisingly quickly. Perhaps, now that we’re all adults, the words come more quickly! I was especially proud of my use of the word, “FARTED.”

As a general observation, I am starting to enjoy the chores I disliked as a child. I was not a big fan of raking or running errands, but look forward to doing both now. Weird.

Sunday morning, Lindsey and I had a hearty eggs and sausage breakfast and then made it to the Well (the early church service). Apparently, it is All Saints Day. Remembering the deceased made for a heavy, but rewarding service. The music was excellent, and the service finished with “When the Saints Come Marching In.”

We’re off to the Chicken Coop for a fried turkey (the whole thing!) dinner and fixings. We’re tasked with bringing a healthy dessert, as if there is such a thing.

Have a great week ahead and enjoy being in the present with the experiences and people that surround you each day. That will be my focus. And, by the way, it is okay to start listening to Christmas music!

Weekend of Leaves and Golf

I find it funny how my plans for a Saturday never play out as I write them down. This Saturday, I was going to sort some paper, play nine holes of golf, rake, and do some work. Instead, I ended up raking for three hours, going on a hike at Misty Acres down near Frankfort, MI with dad and Katy, and then raking some more.

After we cleaned the leaves off of the entire driveway, Lindsey and I went to the Old Mission Tavern for a nice meal. We tried to use a 50% off your second dinner coupon, but the (excellent) waitress informed us it wasn’t good until November. Woops! The bread and salads were excellent, regardless. Lindsey wasn’t crazy about her prime rib, but I liked my parmesan-crusted whitefish. What made the evening, however, was running in to my golf coach from the University of Michigan, Jim Carras. I had not seen him since 2002 or 2003, when I was a Junior in college. He was up with friends visiting the area.

Sunday morning was spent eating pancakes and trimming some pine trees on the south side of the driveway. I am bushwacking all throughout the developed areas of our property in an effort to recover some of what I perceive to be areas and views lost to overgrowth permitted by prior owners.

I played in the Big Hole Golf Event at the Grand Traverse Resort on Sunday afternoon with Ben Orr and Chris Day. This is an event where they cut 10 inch (instead of 4.25 inch) holes in all of the greens. It was fun, but we still couldn’t make a putt!

The Tigers completed getting swept for the second time in the World Series. Not sure what the problem is there. Would have been fun to see them win, but I’m not a huge baseball fan. Lions won. Woop-de-do. Until next weekend, have a good week.

Car Talk

I have recently rediscovered the radio show, “Car Talk,” with hosts Tom and Ray (who happen to be brothers). The draw of the show goes way beyond literal car talk and knowledge, as I could not care less about that stuff, but am enough of a man-geek to find it interesting. The draw is the brothers humor, jokes, and endlessly entertaining banter that surrounds the few moments of genuine advice in each of the shows. And even the closing credits are entertaining . . . read them for yourself. The show airs at some point on most Sundays, but I prefer to listen to it via the Podcast app on my iPhone while I’m commuting or working around the house. Good stuff. Highly recommended.

Woodworking Projects #1 and #2

I have started building simple woodworking projects in our garage. Here are photographs of woodworking projects #1 and #2. Future projects will include yet another golf club stand, a stand-up desk, side or entryway tables using saplings I have cut, and various Christmas presents. Let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas!

Fun Filled Weekend

Lindsey and I had a slow start on Saturday, lazing about until about noon. But we picked up momentum from there by getting lunch at the Grand Traverse Pie Community and then buying three lamps for our formal living room.

Saturday afternoon, Michigan snuck by Michigan State for the first time in four years. We had fun watching the first half of the game at Seven Monks Tap Room with Katy and mom and the second half at the TC State Theater.

I was up early on Sunday, and used the time to work on a golf club rack I’m building to store my unused golf clubs in our basement. (See “Mini Stack Rack” at this link for reference.) Since we organized the garage a few weeks ago, I have enjoyed building a few woodworking projects. There is something about the practical approach and having a tangible result that is rewarding and very different from many of my day-to-day tasks.

We went to church at Central United Methodist, played nine holes at the Club, got some groceries, and walked Yogi Bear in the woods behind our house. Lindsey showed me the branches she trimmed along the wander paths, and it’s much easier to walk now without getting poked in the eye!

Mom cooked up a delicious dinner of stuffed pork chops, twice baked potatoes, and green beans. We caught up with dad, who returned from a visit to Grandma and others in the U.P. He brought a chair back that, once the cushions are reupholstered, will work well by our fireplace in the informal living room.

Now, Alex is over chatting away with Lindsey, while I watch the Giants try to stay alive for a game seven.

Have a good week!