I Be Up in the Gym Just Workin' on My Fitness
(from "Fergilicious" which is currently on workout rotation in my iPod)
So, I recently joined a gym and have been going where no Jess has gone before. Well, at least in several years. I am re-awakening my inner gym rat, which is probably the only thing on this body that has actually shrunk in the past few years. All in all things feel pretty familiar, but this new-found fitness routine does come with a few revelations.
1) The stationary bike makes my butt hurt. Seriously, I can't ride it for more than 15 minutes. How do people ride regular bikes, which have smaller seats?
2) I cannot walk straight on a treadmill. This is something I just discovered tonight. I kept drifting into the sidebars! Didn't matter which side either, I was walking like I'd curled a few beer cans as a warmup.
3) Watching TV makes the time go A LOT faster. I had never really utilized this in the past. My gym now is pretty small and the TVs are right above the machines, so you can't help but tune in. Even just reading the subtitles, I'm amazed at how fast the time flies.
Bottom line is, after a few weeks, I'm actually starting to look forward to going to the gym. Feels good!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Girls Night Out
Lastnight I had dinner with 4 of my girlfriends at Pepitos in South Minneapolis. It had been awhile since we had all been together, so it was a lot of fun. I think the highlight was Gina testing for the sex of Tina's baby by dangling a mechanical pencil strung on dental floss over her wrist. Friends, margaritas, food and laughs. What more can a girl ask for?
Lastnight I had dinner with 4 of my girlfriends at Pepitos in South Minneapolis. It had been awhile since we had all been together, so it was a lot of fun. I think the highlight was Gina testing for the sex of Tina's baby by dangling a mechanical pencil strung on dental floss over her wrist. Friends, margaritas, food and laughs. What more can a girl ask for?
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
You Say Union, I Say Onion
As an aside, I have to say that whenever I see or hear the word "union," I feel compelled to pronounce the word as "onion." This is tied to a singular experience in my childhood - my dad had a record album by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. Reading the word for the first time, I pronounced it onion. It stuck I guess. Therefore, tonight I watched the State of the Onion.
As an aside, I have to say that whenever I see or hear the word "union," I feel compelled to pronounce the word as "onion." This is tied to a singular experience in my childhood - my dad had a record album by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. Reading the word for the first time, I pronounced it onion. It stuck I guess. Therefore, tonight I watched the State of the Onion.
Regarding State of the Union
So...I just spent the last 90 minutes of my life watching the State of the Union and the Democrat's response via Jim Webb (D-VA). Actually, I find this sort of thing very interesting, especially this year, in light of the fact that Congress is now controlled by the Democrats for the first time in Bush's 2 terms. In addition, it was glorious hearing our President, as he said for the first time, the words "Madame Speaker." You go, Nancy Pelosi!
The tension was pretty palpable, even via television. Not only is Congress now controlled by the Democrats for the first time in Bush's presidency, but there were 10 people in the room who have officially declared that think they have a good shot at becoming the next president. All those people packed in that relatively small chamber, representing interests of their party but also personal interests...very conscious that the camera may be on them at any moment, that their facial expressions must be stoic, that they must clap at the appropriate times and sit on their hands during others. I have to think that this was the hardest for Dick Cheney and Nancy Pelosi, who were seated behind the President and therefore on-camera most of the time. I did catch Dick Cheney with what looked like a "yeah right" look and a wink to someone in the front row after Bush announced his plan to reduce gasoline usage in the U.S. by 20% in 10 years.
So what of the speech? It was rather benign. Bush did not exhibit much fire, with the exception of the last part of the Iraq portion of his speech, and the end when he recognized American heroes such as Dikembe Mutumbo (who stood a solid 2.5 feet taller than Laura Bush), the founder of Baby Einstein, an Iraqi war hero, and the guy who pulled someone from the subway tracks in NYC. The bulk of the speech covered economic reform, education, healthcare, immigration policy, energy, homeland security, and foreign policy. The biggest portion was of course, spent discussing Iraq, with a long-winded explanation of all of the "good" things that have been done, and how badly U.S. support is needed. Then of course the meat of the entire address - Bush's plan to deploy 20,000 more troops to Iraq.
This is the issue to watch. Will Democrats (and some Republicans) have the cajones to cut off future funding for the war? Will an alternative solution be proposed, or just a resolution opposing Bush's plan? We shall see. This is truly a crossroads, an interesting time in America's politics. Bush's final 2 years in office will hopefully be very different from the preceding 6. They really have to be.
All in all, I thought Bush spoke fairly well (no small feat), though like many political speeches on both sides of the party, he spoke in broad, sweeping statements that couldn't help but garner applause on both sides of the aisle. Applause came from the Democrats on his mention of immigration reform and energy/global warming, thoughts that had many Republicans sitting still, stoically staring ahead, hands in their laps. His energy ideas were promising, though I'm sure brought on by again, a Democratic Congress.
Bush was tentative, a recognition of a divided government. He spoke very carefully to avoid too many awkward moments. He smells it, he knows it. The Democrats are in da house, literally. Let's hope they do us proud and stick to their guns. The people have spoken, and we want change.
So...I just spent the last 90 minutes of my life watching the State of the Union and the Democrat's response via Jim Webb (D-VA). Actually, I find this sort of thing very interesting, especially this year, in light of the fact that Congress is now controlled by the Democrats for the first time in Bush's 2 terms. In addition, it was glorious hearing our President, as he said for the first time, the words "Madame Speaker." You go, Nancy Pelosi!
The tension was pretty palpable, even via television. Not only is Congress now controlled by the Democrats for the first time in Bush's presidency, but there were 10 people in the room who have officially declared that think they have a good shot at becoming the next president. All those people packed in that relatively small chamber, representing interests of their party but also personal interests...very conscious that the camera may be on them at any moment, that their facial expressions must be stoic, that they must clap at the appropriate times and sit on their hands during others. I have to think that this was the hardest for Dick Cheney and Nancy Pelosi, who were seated behind the President and therefore on-camera most of the time. I did catch Dick Cheney with what looked like a "yeah right" look and a wink to someone in the front row after Bush announced his plan to reduce gasoline usage in the U.S. by 20% in 10 years.
So what of the speech? It was rather benign. Bush did not exhibit much fire, with the exception of the last part of the Iraq portion of his speech, and the end when he recognized American heroes such as Dikembe Mutumbo (who stood a solid 2.5 feet taller than Laura Bush), the founder of Baby Einstein, an Iraqi war hero, and the guy who pulled someone from the subway tracks in NYC. The bulk of the speech covered economic reform, education, healthcare, immigration policy, energy, homeland security, and foreign policy. The biggest portion was of course, spent discussing Iraq, with a long-winded explanation of all of the "good" things that have been done, and how badly U.S. support is needed. Then of course the meat of the entire address - Bush's plan to deploy 20,000 more troops to Iraq.
This is the issue to watch. Will Democrats (and some Republicans) have the cajones to cut off future funding for the war? Will an alternative solution be proposed, or just a resolution opposing Bush's plan? We shall see. This is truly a crossroads, an interesting time in America's politics. Bush's final 2 years in office will hopefully be very different from the preceding 6. They really have to be.
All in all, I thought Bush spoke fairly well (no small feat), though like many political speeches on both sides of the party, he spoke in broad, sweeping statements that couldn't help but garner applause on both sides of the aisle. Applause came from the Democrats on his mention of immigration reform and energy/global warming, thoughts that had many Republicans sitting still, stoically staring ahead, hands in their laps. His energy ideas were promising, though I'm sure brought on by again, a Democratic Congress.
Bush was tentative, a recognition of a divided government. He spoke very carefully to avoid too many awkward moments. He smells it, he knows it. The Democrats are in da house, literally. Let's hope they do us proud and stick to their guns. The people have spoken, and we want change.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Sweet Land
Yesterday afternoon I went to see the movie "Sweet Land" with my friend Jacquie. This is a movie about a young German woman, Inge, who immigrated to Minnesota in the early 1920s, to marry a young Norwegian immigrant, Olaf. Due to Inge's German heritage and lack of appropriate papers, she is not immediately accepted by the small farming community or the church, which will not perform their marriage. Through all the hardship these two virtual strangers fall in love, and their love story is as sweet as the land that Olaf has cultivated.
The story is presented as a memory of Inge and Olaf's grandson in the year 2004, after the death of Inge. He is faced with the very real challenge of keeping the land that his grandparents lived on, or selling it to a developer at a large profit.
I just loved this movie - the scenery and cinematography is so beautiful, and the actors give understated but powerful performances. I guess my interest in genealogy makes me predisposed to early American immigrant experiences, especially those of the Midwest. The love story between Olaf and Inge itself is really beautiful. There is a very poignant line that comes on the screen in the very beginning of the movie:
Let us all hope we are preceded in this world by a love story.
Go see it if you can!
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Thinking About Airports
So I'm home sick today, sitting here in the recliner with a Kleenex stuffed up one side of my nose, drifting in and out of sleep between coughs. I just caught something during my TV channel-flipping that I felt compelled to share.
Airports are considering the idea of putting advertising in the bins at security checkpoints. These are the plastic bins that you put your shoes, laptop, jacket in before you go through the metal detector. I can't fault the airports for trying to find new sources of revenue, but this is ridiculous. We have advertising on bathroom stall doors, on the back of grocery receipts...we are inundated with this crap. Can't I just stare into gray nothingness in the 2 seconds before I toss my shoes in the bin?! The line is already slow enough.
On another note, I also saw something on the news lastnight that made a lot of sense...airports are testing out a kind of "speedpass" lane for security checkpoints. Frequent fliers can purchase a pass for $100, and then each time they fly they insert their card into a special machine, step on a platform that checks their shoes, etc., and scans their retina or fingerprint to confirm identity. This gets them through the line faster, but also decreases the traffic in the "regular" lane. Just like managing congestion on a highway. The system is being tested in a few airports in the U.S. I predict it will be coming to an airport near you very soon!
All this thinking has me tired again. Time for another cold medicine induced coma. Peace.
So I'm home sick today, sitting here in the recliner with a Kleenex stuffed up one side of my nose, drifting in and out of sleep between coughs. I just caught something during my TV channel-flipping that I felt compelled to share.
Airports are considering the idea of putting advertising in the bins at security checkpoints. These are the plastic bins that you put your shoes, laptop, jacket in before you go through the metal detector. I can't fault the airports for trying to find new sources of revenue, but this is ridiculous. We have advertising on bathroom stall doors, on the back of grocery receipts...we are inundated with this crap. Can't I just stare into gray nothingness in the 2 seconds before I toss my shoes in the bin?! The line is already slow enough.
On another note, I also saw something on the news lastnight that made a lot of sense...airports are testing out a kind of "speedpass" lane for security checkpoints. Frequent fliers can purchase a pass for $100, and then each time they fly they insert their card into a special machine, step on a platform that checks their shoes, etc., and scans their retina or fingerprint to confirm identity. This gets them through the line faster, but also decreases the traffic in the "regular" lane. Just like managing congestion on a highway. The system is being tested in a few airports in the U.S. I predict it will be coming to an airport near you very soon!
All this thinking has me tired again. Time for another cold medicine induced coma. Peace.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Ah, home at last...
Well, I did have to go to Wisconsin yesterday. The snow continued into the morning, and as I slid into work I wondered...but by mid-afternoon the roads were pretty clear. The drive was not bad, but everything was pretty sloppy and dirty. One of those trips where you've got so much salt scum on the windshield that you've got to shoot fluid on it every few minutes just to see, and you get those dirt and snow boogers built up behind the tires. But I made it, and the meeting went well, but also went late. By the time I got to my hotel, it was after 11PM and I sacked out pretty quick.
I left this morning, and the trip back to Minneapolis was much better weather-wise. I did take an unintended detour for about 8 miles in the wrong direction - when I saw signs for Superior, WI I knew I was headed north, not west. I've driven to Wausau many times over the past couple of years, but I tried a different way this time and got a little turned around. Anyway, my scenic detour turnaround point was Tilden, WI, which in case you were wondering, is one of the points halfway between the North Pole and the equator. Its other claim to fame is apparently the gas station/restauraunt, a monolith white building with huge red letters on the side, reading "GOOD FOOD" and "GOOD DRINKS." What more do you need to know, really?
So that was actually my last trip to Wausau (the project is nearly done), and truthfully I'm a little sad. I've had good times on this project, and the people I've worked with are great. Wausau is a great town, but I had the best time working one-on-one with the folks in the rural areas. Hats off to you, Marathon County.
But it's good to be home!
Well, I did have to go to Wisconsin yesterday. The snow continued into the morning, and as I slid into work I wondered...but by mid-afternoon the roads were pretty clear. The drive was not bad, but everything was pretty sloppy and dirty. One of those trips where you've got so much salt scum on the windshield that you've got to shoot fluid on it every few minutes just to see, and you get those dirt and snow boogers built up behind the tires. But I made it, and the meeting went well, but also went late. By the time I got to my hotel, it was after 11PM and I sacked out pretty quick.
I left this morning, and the trip back to Minneapolis was much better weather-wise. I did take an unintended detour for about 8 miles in the wrong direction - when I saw signs for Superior, WI I knew I was headed north, not west. I've driven to Wausau many times over the past couple of years, but I tried a different way this time and got a little turned around. Anyway, my scenic detour turnaround point was Tilden, WI, which in case you were wondering, is one of the points halfway between the North Pole and the equator. Its other claim to fame is apparently the gas station/restauraunt, a monolith white building with huge red letters on the side, reading "GOOD FOOD" and "GOOD DRINKS." What more do you need to know, really?
So that was actually my last trip to Wausau (the project is nearly done), and truthfully I'm a little sad. I've had good times on this project, and the people I've worked with are great. Wausau is a great town, but I had the best time working one-on-one with the folks in the rural areas. Hats off to you, Marathon County.
But it's good to be home!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Let it Snow
This weekend was pretty quiet. We did get a couple of inches of snow this evening, and I'd guess a majority of you reading this got dumped on by the same storm. Apparently it was pretty nasty in some spots and will be continuing until the wee hours of the morning.
I don't mind. In fact, part of me hopes it will continue and cause prohibitive driving conditions, specifically along I-94 into Wisconsin. Don't get me wrong, I don't wish ill will on any travelers, but I'm supposed to make a trip to Wausau, WI tomorrow afternoon to spend the night, and I don't really want to go. I have to go to a Township Board meeting for a project I've been working on there. I've made several trips to Wausau over the past 3 years on this same project, and I really like the people I work with and the place. This would be my last trip there actually, as the project is drawing to a close. But I'm just tired and would like to stay home for once. Namely, because last week's evenings went down like this:
Monday - City Council meeting. Home at 8:30PM
Tuesday - Neighborhood meeting, followed by City Council meeting. Home at 10PM
Wednesday - hosted a meeting at our place for Women's Transportation Seminar, a professional organization I'm involved with. Also, this was my first time running a meeting, as I was elected the new president of said organization. Note to self: do not host meeting at house when it's your first time running things, and you need to feed 13 people and keep them on track for a marathon 3-hour, yearly kick-off meeting. They all left by 9:15, then clean-up... (FYI Husband wisely vacated the premesis during the meeting)
Thursday - worked until 7PM. Got home, in middle of sandwich that was my dinner, received VIP phone call. On phone until 8:15, then left to go meet volleyball team prior to 9:30 game. Ouch. Home at 10:45PM.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday - spent catching up with Husband, cleaning the house and WORKING, because besides all the evening work activities last week, it was just "one of those weeks." Got a little behind.
So...long story short, I could use the break. That and I'm not jazzed about driving the Honda for 3 hours one way if the weather is crappy. Keep your fingers crossed!
This weekend was pretty quiet. We did get a couple of inches of snow this evening, and I'd guess a majority of you reading this got dumped on by the same storm. Apparently it was pretty nasty in some spots and will be continuing until the wee hours of the morning.
I don't mind. In fact, part of me hopes it will continue and cause prohibitive driving conditions, specifically along I-94 into Wisconsin. Don't get me wrong, I don't wish ill will on any travelers, but I'm supposed to make a trip to Wausau, WI tomorrow afternoon to spend the night, and I don't really want to go. I have to go to a Township Board meeting for a project I've been working on there. I've made several trips to Wausau over the past 3 years on this same project, and I really like the people I work with and the place. This would be my last trip there actually, as the project is drawing to a close. But I'm just tired and would like to stay home for once. Namely, because last week's evenings went down like this:
Monday - City Council meeting. Home at 8:30PM
Tuesday - Neighborhood meeting, followed by City Council meeting. Home at 10PM
Wednesday - hosted a meeting at our place for Women's Transportation Seminar, a professional organization I'm involved with. Also, this was my first time running a meeting, as I was elected the new president of said organization. Note to self: do not host meeting at house when it's your first time running things, and you need to feed 13 people and keep them on track for a marathon 3-hour, yearly kick-off meeting. They all left by 9:15, then clean-up... (FYI Husband wisely vacated the premesis during the meeting)
Thursday - worked until 7PM. Got home, in middle of sandwich that was my dinner, received VIP phone call. On phone until 8:15, then left to go meet volleyball team prior to 9:30 game. Ouch. Home at 10:45PM.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday - spent catching up with Husband, cleaning the house and WORKING, because besides all the evening work activities last week, it was just "one of those weeks." Got a little behind.
So...long story short, I could use the break. That and I'm not jazzed about driving the Honda for 3 hours one way if the weather is crappy. Keep your fingers crossed!
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Pheasants and Squirrels and Birds, Oh My!
So it's late and I'm in that state of complete awareness and non-tiredness, even though I know I am completely exhausted. I've had public meetings the past 2 nights and just got home from the 2nd round a bit ago. After jabbering incessantly at Husband for awhile, who was already in bed, I'm now downstairs and trying to unwind.
I definitely wanted to share a special event that happened this morning. As you all know we've been watching our yard very closely recently, as the albino squirrel has been lurking around. This morning when I was upstairs in the bathroom getting ready for work, Husband told me to look out the window at where the squirrel had been before. What was there but a pheasant! And on the other edge of the yard, the white squirrel was also back again and enjoying breakfast near a red squirrel. A I did snap a shot on the camera through the window, but he was pretty sensitive to any noises, and ran down the hill anytime we even cracked the door. The red squirrel would stick around, but chattered up a storm! A few moments later the pheasant, a grey squirrel, red squirrel and the white squirrel, along with some smaller birds, were all eating within 15 feet of each other...our own little backyard menagerie! The last time I looked the pheasant was gone, but a beautiful male cardinal had stopped in. All in all it was a very pleasant morning, and one that Husband and I had the rare opportunity to share. Usually he is long gone before I even think about leaving for work...but today he was here. So I am thankful for the appearance of these little creatures that we both enjoy so much.
So it's late and I'm in that state of complete awareness and non-tiredness, even though I know I am completely exhausted. I've had public meetings the past 2 nights and just got home from the 2nd round a bit ago. After jabbering incessantly at Husband for awhile, who was already in bed, I'm now downstairs and trying to unwind.
I definitely wanted to share a special event that happened this morning. As you all know we've been watching our yard very closely recently, as the albino squirrel has been lurking around. This morning when I was upstairs in the bathroom getting ready for work, Husband told me to look out the window at where the squirrel had been before. What was there but a pheasant! And on the other edge of the yard, the white squirrel was also back again and enjoying breakfast near a red squirrel. A I did snap a shot on the camera through the window, but he was pretty sensitive to any noises, and ran down the hill anytime we even cracked the door. The red squirrel would stick around, but chattered up a storm! A few moments later the pheasant, a grey squirrel, red squirrel and the white squirrel, along with some smaller birds, were all eating within 15 feet of each other...our own little backyard menagerie! The last time I looked the pheasant was gone, but a beautiful male cardinal had stopped in. All in all it was a very pleasant morning, and one that Husband and I had the rare opportunity to share. Usually he is long gone before I even think about leaving for work...but today he was here. So I am thankful for the appearance of these little creatures that we both enjoy so much.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Return of the White Squirrel
Today the white squirrel I saw on the trail behind our house awhile back returned! (I assume it's the same one anyway) This time it was munching on some seeds that our landlord put out in our very own backyard. I noticed him when I was looking out the kitchen window, which I often do because we also get a lot of birds, etc. and of course the other squirrels which you all know I find very entertaining.
I did get a good look at him in the binoculars, and his eyes are red, which makes him a true albino (some squirrels have white hair and dark eyes - this is just a color variation and not true albinism). I did creep out onto the deck and watch him for awhile, and use zoom and some photoshopping to get a picture "up close." As you can see, he's definitely not starving.
Today the white squirrel I saw on the trail behind our house awhile back returned! (I assume it's the same one anyway) This time it was munching on some seeds that our landlord put out in our very own backyard. I noticed him when I was looking out the kitchen window, which I often do because we also get a lot of birds, etc. and of course the other squirrels which you all know I find very entertaining.
I did get a good look at him in the binoculars, and his eyes are red, which makes him a true albino (some squirrels have white hair and dark eyes - this is just a color variation and not true albinism). I did creep out onto the deck and watch him for awhile, and use zoom and some photoshopping to get a picture "up close." As you can see, he's definitely not starving.
As I watched, a few other friends joined in too. Look close at the base of the tree trunk, and you'll see a chipmunk. There were a few birds nearby too. A regular little urban forest picnic!
Go Wild!
For those of you unfamiliar with hockey, I'm not telling you to get crazy...I'm supporting my local NHL team, the Minnesota Wild. I took Brandon to a game on Saturday night as part of his Christmas gift. This is my second year going in on a season ticket package with some friends. I buy a pair of tickets for 5 games. Two of my games had already passed and I wasn't able to go (sold one pair and Brett took his dad the second time), and Brandon hadn't been since last January either. So needless to say both of us were pretty excited to get there.
(OK, so maybe I was a little more excited).
The first part of our "date night" was to go out to dinner before the game. I took him to a great restaurant in St. Paul called Tavern On Grand, which arguably serves up some of the best walleye in the Twin Cities. Brandon loves walleye...so what does he order? A plate of buffalo wings, of course! The kid also loves wings, what can I say.
Following dinner we headed over to Excel Energy Center and took in an exciting game that went into overtime and then a shootout with the Colorado Avalanche. We got through the regular shootout with no winner, so it went to a sudden death shootout...(can you stand the suspense??)... unfortunately, the Wild couldn't make it happen. It was a great game nonetheless, and we had a lot of fun. It's nice to spend 1-on-1 time with Brandon, and I hope we can continue this tradition in years to come!
For those of you unfamiliar with hockey, I'm not telling you to get crazy...I'm supporting my local NHL team, the Minnesota Wild. I took Brandon to a game on Saturday night as part of his Christmas gift. This is my second year going in on a season ticket package with some friends. I buy a pair of tickets for 5 games. Two of my games had already passed and I wasn't able to go (sold one pair and Brett took his dad the second time), and Brandon hadn't been since last January either. So needless to say both of us were pretty excited to get there.
(OK, so maybe I was a little more excited).
The first part of our "date night" was to go out to dinner before the game. I took him to a great restaurant in St. Paul called Tavern On Grand, which arguably serves up some of the best walleye in the Twin Cities. Brandon loves walleye...so what does he order? A plate of buffalo wings, of course! The kid also loves wings, what can I say.
Following dinner we headed over to Excel Energy Center and took in an exciting game that went into overtime and then a shootout with the Colorado Avalanche. We got through the regular shootout with no winner, so it went to a sudden death shootout...(can you stand the suspense??)... unfortunately, the Wild couldn't make it happen. It was a great game nonetheless, and we had a lot of fun. It's nice to spend 1-on-1 time with Brandon, and I hope we can continue this tradition in years to come!
Friday, January 05, 2007
This is What I Do When I'm Bored
Back in black, I hit the sack,
I've been too long, I'm glad to be back
"Your themesong is 'Back in Black' by AC/DC. Things sometimes get really crazy for you, and sometimes you have to get away from all the chaos. But each time you stage your comeback, it's even better than the last!"
What's your theme song?
Monday, January 01, 2007
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