The Evolution of a Saturday

Today has been just simply great. I can't seem to find any words that describe it better...and yet, provide a more vivid description. That being said, maybe pictures will work.


Well, technically last night. 3D glasses = such a fashion faux pas


Discovered during my first activity of the day (getting out of bed doesn't count); Bike ride!

(insert dirty (pun!) picture here)
Spent most of the morning cleaning. It's amazing the kind of stuff that gets pulled up while steam cleaning. YUCK.


Mid-afternoon drive to get Lucy. Downtown was hot, and gave zero impressions of any sort of breeze. Imagine my surprise when I pulled up to the lake to find a chop, nice breeze and a regatta. It was SO tempting to go sailing.


Early evening, top down, headed back downtown. PERFECT drive.


Post trip to the grocery store for some much-needed fresh vegetables. Couldn't resist temptation...plus, they were on sale :D (and the box is pretty cool...very Les Cheneaux)


Evening sets in. Such a beautiful sunset.


Bok Choy stir fry = awesome. I should point out that this is a HUGE deal, as it involved a recipe. In fact, this might be the first time I've ever searched out a recipe, purchased the ingredients, and successfully executed cooking it. I think I'll have to try this concept some more...


While putting my desk back in-order tonight, I stumbled upon this wonderful card. It pretty much made my night.

PS. Also stumbled upon this video...super cute, not to mention being super well-done. Thought it was the real-deal.

Lucy in the sky with ribbons...and magnets

Lucy and I spent the morning in Ypsilanti with the Dingell for Congress crew (as in John D Dingell, Dean of the US House). Oversleeping by nearly an hour caught me a bit off-guard, so I had to for-go my usual shower and head to get Lucy out of the garage (Lucy, btw, is a car...see below, and here for an explanation on the origins of her name). Not even 10 minutes into the drive, I realized how tired I felt as a result of zero coffee and no shower. Yuck.

We arrived at the parade *almost* on-time, and had plenty of time to talk with the Congressman and his wonderful wife, Debbie. Both were, as always, very, very nice. JDD and I had a chance to discuss his recent visit to see the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter being developed for the military. He presented me with a pewter 'joystick' key ring from his visit, which now resides on Lucy's key ring (thanks JDD!).

Ten o'clock rolled around, and we started the parade. This is the fifth or sixth parade that I've done with the Dingell team yet this summer, and they are all perfectly planned (due to a wonderful staff, no doubt). Today's event, to kick off the Ypsi Heritage Festival, was no different. There was a good crowd, lots of super cute children, and lots of candy.

Well, that's about it for this guy's Saturday morning. Time to do a bit of work-work, and then maybe wax some cars? Dunno, but we'll see :D

The Black Pearl, sans Capt. Jack Sparrow

What a wonderful night tonight! Wandered around downtown Ann Arbor with some old friends, and ended up at the Black Pearl to test out their highly-reviewed fish tacos. I have to admit, they were amazing. Food aside, the experience was pretty perfect as well; a warm summer's eve, lots of people mingling along Main, and great conversation to boot.

To put the whip cream (out of can, b/c that is clearly the ONLY way to eat it) on top, right at the end of dinner, I received a Skype call from Laine. Thanks to the miracle of smart phones with 24/365 Skyping capability, she can reach me nearly anytime. Even better, we tried out the video Skype on the new iPad2, and I found it to be pretty ideal for video chatting.

It's now just beyond the 1:00 AM hour here in the eastern United States, and I have to be awake and perky for a parade in a few hours, so it's time to turn in.

Ciao for now.

Ahoy!

Sawatdee! Guten Tag! Hola! Привет! Hello!

So...here we go. I decided to create this blog as a way to document and communicate my life through prose and photographs. To whom, may you ask? Well (of course) to anyone who happens to stumble upon it in the wonderfully-public domain of the world wide web, but principally, to my amazing girlfriend who will be studying on the other side of the planet for the next few months. The time change may be great, but remember, Laine, we're only a few Delta Skymiles apart.

I cannot begin to promise what will be discussed herein, but topics that come to mind include travel, style, the Mitten, architecture, politics, life....and quite possibly anything else that happens to stay in my mind long enough for me to hop online and write about it. Basically, it is best described as an eclectic mix of 'stuff.'

So...here we go.