Hello 2010
From Kurt…
2010 -
Welcome to 2010…hope everyone had a fun, and safe, New Years Eve. I didn’t see anyone’s name that I recognized in the police blotter, so that’s a good thing.
Our New Years Eve was a blast. We had some great food…lots of drinks…and an all-around good time at Jim&Molly’s house. Jennifer brought to the party bacon-wrapped little smokies covered in brown sugar. They were a HUGE hit, and were AWESOME! I know I ate my fair share…and I saw my buddy Sully lurking around the crock-pot for awhile waiting to steal a few. They were so good that Jennifer made another batch just for me for football on Sunday afternoon. So good. Also, I forgot how good pickles wrapped in ham & cream cheese are, however, Jennifer’s bacon/brown sugar wrapped Lil Smokies win top honors easily.
Other than eating and drinking a lot, it was just a lot of us making fun of each other, sharing stories, having a playoff fantasy football draft (which I haven’t talked to Jennifer about at all…still keeping with my resolution)…and then we watched that guy jump the harbor…we were all disappointed that there was no crash at the end.
Why with 10 seconds left does everyone always seem to be on a different count? When people are at 8…others are at 6…some people were at 3…while others were at 7. C’mon people, let’s synchronize those watches!
Oh, the swearing resolution? Failed by 12:15…I couldn’t find my other glove. (Oh, and I guess that means “don’t let the little things frustrate me” resolution is done and over with too…well, I gave it a good try.
Congrats to Iowa State -
I forgot that we watched the Iowa State game as well on NYE. Congrats on their win…but wow…that game was incredibly boring. I didn’t think half of us would make it to midnight after sitting through that game. The blame doesn’t go on Iowa State….Minnesota is incredibly boring as well.
The Other Bowl Games -
The Northwestern/Auburn Outback Bowl had to be one of the most ridiculous bowls I had ever seen. The game just wouldn’t end…it was great. Missed field goals, hurt kickers, neither team could tackle, long interception returns…it was a pleasure to watch.
We ended up watching the Rose Bowl with a bunch of my buddies over at Buffalo Wild Wings. I think I only ate somewhere around 24 boneless wings…it’s all about portion size I guess, ha ha. Good job to the Big 10 for pulling out some bowl wins finally (how ridiculous was the turf at the Capital One Bowl? Orlando should be ashamed of itself).
More importantly at the games, I learned three things while at Buffalo Wild Wings-
1) My friends will always beat me in video poker (the Rose Bowl wasn’t holding our interest fully, so we started playing the Showtime handheld games). Also, we needed something to distract ourselves from the Ohio State fan (the only one in the bar) sitting behind us. He needed a beating.
2) I am smarter than all my friends. When it comes to video poker, I’m useless…but when it comes to Showtime Trivia, I can not be beaten. I don’t know how I know the stuff I do…I just do…and my friends are still in awe (well, they should still be in awe).
3) I could do the BWW “Blazin’ Challenge”. I think the challenge is you have to eat 6 of their “Blazing” wings in 6 minutes. I hate 5 in about 3, so I think I could easily get the last one in the remaining time. Not going to lie…they’re hot…my tongue wasn’t happy with me…so far the bathroom trips have been fine though (TMI Kurt, I know…but I also know that you were all a little curious at the same time).
4) A bonus thing I learned…I can still do it…I can drink 2 days in a row…I hadnt’ done it in awhile, but it’s just like riding a bike!
Sherlock Holmes -
The mall was packed on Saturday! Was all of Des Moines there or something? Wow, crazy busy.
We went and saw Sherlock Holmes. It was good…I give at a B…Jennifer gave it a B-. It wasn’t nearly as funny as I thought it would be (but some woman a few rows in front of us would disagree, she was cackling at everything Robert Downey Jr. said…I think she just had a major crush on him or something.)
Robert Downey Jr. was terrific…and I really liked the plot of Sherlock Holmes…and amazingly, I think this is the first movie ever where I didn’t find Jude Law awful. (Jude Law is a cheating piece of trash…but really good as Watson). Holmes’ ability to deduct…deduce? … a word like that…to figure out the right course of action, and his ability to find clues is fantastic.
It’s definitely theater worthy…so if you’re looking for a fun movie, go see this. (I have decided that my new ratings system will be “theater”, “redbox”, “TBS…as in, wait for it to come to cable”).
I Am A Reader -
Ken & Colleen can attest to this…when I start reading, I go all out…about 5 years ago, I went and got a library card, and I went nuts. I was reading like 4 books a week. Well, I think I”m back to doing that…in the past 6-7 days, I’ve read 2 books, and have gone almost halfway through another. Here they are…
Personal Foul - Tim Donaghy - This is the book written by the NBA ref (Tim Donaghy) who was found to be betting on games that he was officiating. For sports fans, this is a shocking book. You won’t believe the amount of betting, and insider knowledge went on during NBA games. Plus, certain refs were called on to officiate games because of their allegiances to a coach, or a player (or dislike of a player…sorry Allen Iverson). It’s a great read…probably more so for a sports fan though.
Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton - Michael Crichton’s latest book is all about the tale of some pirates…and it’s AWESOME. They found this completed manuscript on Crichton’s desktop after he passed away…and this book is everything Pirates of the Carribbean isn’t. The same pirate life remains…but now there’s blood, gory battles, a great deal of deception and conspiracy…it was a fantastic read. I honestly couldn’t put it down. I’m a fine of Crichton’s books, but the last few were just weird…”State of Fear” and “Prey” were too hi-tech, and they didn’t really have a good story…this pirate adventure was great. I am hoping that they are already working on the movie.
The Last Oracle - James Rollins - I’m halfway done with this one, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it…..and I’ve already picked up Rollins’ “The Judas Strain” as my next book…actually, I”m going to read the book “The Blind Side” first (the movie was so good, the book has to be too!) I’ve already put together a whole list of books to buy on Amazon. Mostly a lot of James Rollins…his writing style is great, and I love the whole adventure with historical conspiracy genre.
2010 Means a New DayPlanner -
As most of us are doing, we’re moving into our new calendars…I am sad to see my last dayplanner go. It was a gift from Jennifer…it was the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit DayPlanner…every 5th week was a picture of Marisa Miller…and Julie Henderson was in it, and so was Brooklyn Decker…all gone now. In it’s place…a plain gray one. My 2010 Dayplanner will not be fun to fill in. Where are all the good day-planners? Seriously…I was hoping maybe for one about “The Office” or something, but we couldn’t find a single fun one!
Dumb, Dumb, Dumb -
I don’t know if you’ve seen this over at Jordan Creek…but there’s a kiosk upstairs…kinda near the Starbucks, and Hollister, and Godiva…you’ll know it when you see it…because you will just stare at the guy. However, your staring will be broken up when he comes up to you and asks “Are you a smoker?” Then he will show you what he’s selling…it looks like a cigarette, but it’s electronic. It has a weird orange light at the end (the flame), and then…it releases a puff of smoke! What?! Who is this marketed towards? Hey teens, you can’t buy cigs yet, but you can still “look cool” with these.
The little sign at this “kiosk of weirdness” says something along the lines of “Smoke anywhere you want with no complaints of second-hand smoke”. I’m guessing the puff of smoke is just some stupid little vapor that gets emitted…but seriously? Who wants this? I honestly think I’d rather sit next to a guy smoking than a guy smoking a fake cigarette…I’d think that there’s a screw loose in that guy’s head, and I should be concerned for my personal safety.
Fake, smoke emitting, electric cigarettes? DUMB DUMB DUMB!
NOTE: I just did a bit more research on this thing…apparently, it “tastes” like a cigarette too…oh goody, tar flavor (and I’m a former smoker, but even I’ll admit, no one really “enjoys the flavor”)
Speaking of Dumb -
I caved…I bought the Ke$ha “Tik Tok” song on Itunes on Saturday. I’m embarrassed for myself. I can’t even blame this on my “wife liking the song”. It got stuck in my head…it was my only option. Ugh. Bad Kurt.
AWESOME is as AWESOME does!
January 4th, 2010 at 8:56 am
I accidentally bought the Ke$ha song about 4 weeks ago, then ended up liking it. It’s ok Kurt, you aren’t the only one, that song broke the record this weekend for the most downloaded song by a female artist in the US passing by Lady GaGa’s Poker Face.
Speaking of GaGa, 4 days until Chicago, 5 days until her concert! We are hitting Ikea and Armani first, we have a lineup of restaurants we are eating at for the entire vacation (the only one I remember is Uno’s Pizza). Can’t wait to get out of DSM for an extended weekend.
Your new year’s sounded fun. We avoided the bars and did the house hang-out thing. I tend ot avoid the bars on the big drinking holidays, too many amateurs.
I know you like frozen pizza, I found myself wondering down the aisles of Dahl’s the other day and found a Buffalo Chicken pizza by Red Barron. Two thumbs up! Try it.
I hate those annoying cigarette guys. “No I don’t smoke, I just walked by you five minutes ago, and I still don’t smoke. Oh, and you really aren’t cool.” It must be a job requirement to have a huge self-image for no visible reason. Something else that is just as annoying… every-other-time I go to the mall, I get random guys asking me if I ever thought about the Navy, or Army, etc. The last guy was eating with his girlfriend in the food court, got out of line and interrupted me in line with this dumb crap. I simply responded “I kiss guys” this time as I was so annoyed (and was curious as to the reaction). He turned around and walked away. He didn’t even say bye….
I’ve been looking for good books to read, but my current teacher is killing me with reading assignments. I know 150 pages in one week isn’t horrible but it is printed on pages that look like a bible print. And it is Business Ethics… NO FUN! Talk about a cure for insomnia!
Good job on the New Year’s resolutions. Have an AWESOME day.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:23 am
OHHH I forgot! I saw Avatar Saturday night in 3D. I wasn’t excited about seeing the movie, Jake was, but as you probably know by now: what baby wants baby gets. (It wasn’t just that I didn’t think I would like it, but the advertising overload made me not want to see it!)
It actually was a really good movie! About 3 hours long, but is not one of those movies where you realize it had been 3 hours. The storyline actually keeps moving and pretty rapidly. The 3D experience was AWESOME. I would totally recommend this movie as a theater-must-see. The graphics are amazing.
Also, before the movie we ate at my favorite restaurant: Irina’s. I have known the owners Irina and Dmitri for about 3 years now. If you want a wonderful restaurant experience, great food, and the most hospitable staff, great environment, this is your place. I love the stuffed chicken, Jake likes the blackened chicken Alfredo, and we both love the onion rings and mashed potatoes. A must-try if you haven’t done so yet!
And no I’m not getting anything for mentioning that. I just think this is a hidden gem that more people should know about! I’m hungry again.
January 4th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
OMG Nathan! LOL!!! Your response to that Army/Navy guy was AWESOME! I’m getting funny looks at work ‘cuz I can’t stop laughing.
January 4th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Happy New Year, everyone! Kurt, I am sorry to say that I was not able to steal Carson Daly’s mic away from him on NYE (or steal Anderson Cooper for myself!). In fact, we only lasted in the general Times Square vicinity until about 9-9:30. I am not the least bit claustrophobic, but we were literally nearly crushed to death and I was beginning to panic. We were in the process of moving from about 55th st closer to where the action was at 47th and decided we had give it up. The crush of people in the moving from “bin” to “bin” was getting worse with each block we moved and I knew I could NOT go through it again. We did see our first puker at about 7:45 so I guess, technically, it was a success. We ended up back at my friend’s place in Queens drinking Wine and Champagne and watching Anderson and Kathy on CNN. It was much warmer there!
Other than the near death exprience, it was an amazing trip…a lot was accomplished! We attempted NYE in Times Square, ate at my favorite pizza spot on Bleecker in Greenwich Village, watched HAIR which was awesome, ate at a great Greek restaurant in Queens, ice skated in Central Park, ate at a Ninja restaurant and were almost killed by our ninjas (which I read about in Luke’s blog), and finished the trip with a night out at a couple bars, The Duplex and Stonewall where we met some people from Spain and Australia. Great time! Here’s a pic my friend Eddie and me and our NYE Times Square excitement PRE-Near Death Crushing…
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=912895&l=29b5a32385&id=1374058216
I’m not sure what the point is with the electronic cigarette, either. I think that the taste is probably the last thing that most smokers probably like most about smoking. I’m surprised I didn’t see those in the Sky Mall on the plane.
Nathan, I also love your comment to the recruiter! Perfect!
I saw Avatar too the day before I left for NYC. I wasn’t dying to see it either, but it was pretty good. And the 3D was cool. I kept asking my friend Eddie while we were in NYC if we could touch our pony tails together and bond.
January 5th, 2010 at 8:37 am
Hi Jenny,
Thank you for the picture! I’m a bit disappointed that you didn’t get the chance to steal the mic away from Carson Daly, but it was probably for the best. Sounds like it was a crazy night!
Too funny about about the Avatar ponytail thing…during the movie, Jennifer threw her hair on my shoulder and I didn’t make the connection…I tossed her hair off me and shot her a look like “What are you doing?”. It makes sense to me now. I’m a bit slow sometimes.
The SkyMall catalog…so many good items to buy…who wouldn’t want a baby stroller that can also be used as a cooler? Ha ha!
Thank you for your NYC NYE review!
Kurt
January 5th, 2010 at 8:45 am
Hey Nathan,
We definitely need to try Irinas. I’ve heard really good things…I cant’ remember if Jennifer had said if she’s eaten there or not.
I feel a bit cheated now that I didn’t spring for the 3-D version of Avatar. C’mon Kurt, open the wallet.
Of course, Nathan, you will have to give us a review of Lady Gaga. Have a great time! (Thank you for the consolation on Ke$ha…it’s the dollar sign that makes her cool).
Buffalo Chicken Pizza by Red Barron? I will find this, and try it. The Palermo’s Rustico Buffalo Chicken Pizza was AWESOME, but I can’t find it anymore. Too many people must have been enjoying it.
Hilarious comeback to the recruiter…it is deemed AWESOME!
Thanks Nathan!
Ku?T (I’m trying the Ke$sha thing)