Michigan Hahns Are Coming to Town

There's going to be a pizza party at Grandma's on Friday at 5 pm.

Everyone is invited.

:)

Christmas Eve

Mom told me last night that the family will be celebrating Christmas Eve at Uncle Matt's house. The celebration will begin at 4 pm.

Does anybody know when we will exchange gifts at 536?

I will be home saturday! Will you?

Work has been pretty jazzy lately, I haven't so much been rebuilding things as I have been destroying things. My new position has been (for these 3 weeks) deconstruction, which is just a schnoozy term for salvaging a house as you take it down. We have in the last two weeks: torn down a shed, emptied out old crap from the interior of the house, pulled off all the drywall from the house, (filled up 1.5 huge dumpsters with debris), carefully removed asbestos siding from the exterior, built shoring walls to keep the house from collapsing on top of another house, built support walls on the exterior and interior in case the roofing decided to cave in, removed the 1" x 12" upright board on the interior of one side of the house, and removed the tounge and groove ceiling board.

I am going to bring home some pictures of the place, and I will upload them as soon as I get a chance.

Any new years resolutions? I got a bunch already. They are:
-To write everyday. Journal, philosophy, fiction, blog etc.
-Run 3 days a week
-eating healthy regular meals
-save money
-learn spanish

Post your new years resolutions yay!

I will be back from Dec 20th until the 30th. Allison is coming for 3-4 days on the 20th until the 23rd so EVERYONE ACT NORMAL! Hahaha. Just kidding. Okay, much love and peace out!

Serious Video

I realized that blogging is my favorite form of on-line socialization. Not sure how that's relevant, but here's a funny video I stumbled across.

elfies

click here!!

jim, matt, dan, tony, and tom all went dancing the other day... ^
(be sure to try it on "disco" too!!)

in a little more than a week

i'll be home!
november 24th, 11:45 PM, union station
(departure: november 24th, 4 pm somewhere in minneapolis)

my last week here, i can assure you, will make me actually miss home... like crazy. there's nothing quite like essays, problem sets, and exams to make a girl want to kick back and relax with everyone back home. i miss home cooked food, seeing people that aren't between the ages of 17 and 27, my room (that is my own... as in, just mine), and of course my little cuddly puppy... i really can't wait. the holidays, too, are ridiculously appealing right now.

as i finish this term off with a final paper for women and gender studies (due tuesday) and an essay for english (draft due tomorrow, revisions due next monday) and a paper assessing my leading discussion (due... i'm not sure when) and a problem set (due wednesday) and an astronomy final (to be taken between saturday and monday, by appointment)... i'll have you all on my mind. p.s. i just wrote all of those due dates out for some perspective, you can ignore it. i'm pretty self-serving, even when it comes to the family blog, i know. it might interest you to know that i've barely begun any of the above work :( :( :(

anyways, take care! i suppose i'll be seeing some of you on the 25th sometime after midnight! and the rest, sooner than later after that i hope! lots of minnesotan love!

Your Favorite Recipes

Chocolate Fruit

45 Candy Hugs
get a big dish
pot it don
pot the hugs in a bag put tham in the microwave
for 35 than get some fruit
wash tham than
dry tham good
damp the hugs out
in the dish than tacke same
tothpicks tacke
oen stik it in
to a fruit
than star the
fruit in the Hugs.
now hope
it tas good

Everything You Wanted To Know About Storage

Hi! Yesterday I gave my first lecture/presentation/demonstration/discussion on computers at Skokie Public Library. If you click on the title of this blog post you will get a link to the website where my presentation slides and hound-outs are. The name of the class is Everything You Wanted to Know about Storage.

It's nice to be able to share what I know with people who respect what I've been able to teach myself about computers.

It was a lot of extra work putting it together but I did it in the name of public service, well that's only half true, I actually did it because I thought it would be an interesting challenge, and now that it's all done with I'm very proud of it.

I hope everyone turns their music extra loud today and does a little dance, if not for me then just for the hell of it.

Rock on family!

voodoo

hey man, don't let the chicken out!

I worked a booth at voodoo fest this morning and afternoon. It's like one of the lollapalooza 3-day music festivals of New Orleans. I got to enjoy the benefit of getting a free pass to see as many concerts as I wanted tonight. I would love to share some of the music I found with yall, as that--- That--- is what it is all about. Not the money, not the crowds of people, not the advertising or expensive drinks, but the MUSIC.

Haha, I need to get to bed. I am beginning to go a little insane from lack of R.E.M. (they play tomorrow but I am not going to be allowed in). Since right now, explaining more about the event seems unnecessary, I'll just tell you more if you ask me.

I saw Lil' Wayne... and this indescribable band called Thievery Corporation, but...

but definately check out some of this electro non-sense and tell me what you think:

Ghostland Observatory
http://www.myspace.com/ghostlandobservatory123

It got me Pu-umped, and there was a trippin laser display too. Ya hear that Jim? Lazers! After all the dancing and the 12 hour day yesterday, I am going to be so out of it tomorrow.

It's about time to catch some z's. Later fam

out in the desert with cucumber water

Hi all,
Since I have been a part of this blogger I have not taken the time to post what is going on with myself. A bit selfish or lazy I suppose, but today is the first day that I feel that I could ramble enough to actually formulate a paragraph or two. First of all, I am out in Tempe, Arizona playing in a baseball tournament with some local Chicagoians that make a annual trip here for a weeks worth of baseball, binge drinking, and floozy hunting.
More or less the majority of the players on our team treat this as a 'gas petal to the floor' blowout experience off the field and that usually lands us a silver or bronze prize. I am not exempt of endulging in this in the past, but this year I have decided to try a different method and remain a bit more sober and spend some time reading and relaxing. After all alcoholism runs rampant at 1800 so I suppose this could be considered a vacaion from mid-twenties partying.
The night before my flight, amidst the general haze of whiskey and beer, I managed to procure a roomate's book I have had my eye on and somehow get it into one of my munitions bags before passing out completely... I just remembered that cousin Nick was there with Alberto. Sheesh, I am glad that I got to see him before I left and hang out with him for a bit because I seem to somehow miss most of our family gatherings lately... But, back to the here and now.
The book I borrowed from my roomate, Old School, was none other than Tolkien's The Hobbit which is a book I have never read, nor any other book by the author. I thought it would be a great book to have around the scenery in which I was staying in and a tale about adventure seems to fit the genereal mindset I have with these long distance tournaments. The hotel/resort I am staying at is called "The Buttes" and is built within two enormous buttes (moundish protrusions up to twenty stories high around here in an other wise valley-like location) and has cacti, wildlife and a view of the entire Phoenix valley along this psudo man made trail the resort laid out for its guests. It is great for staring at and leaning back and opening a good book. (I suppose one of the main reasons I read is to enhance whatever I am experiencing at the moment. It sort of gives a chronology to my life and gives me a marker to what I was doing at the time).
But lo, I will be back this Sunday morning to the autumn colors of Illinois only hoping that I did not miss the end of Indian summer and can still enjoy at least one more golf trip before the weather turns. And to all who post on this blog thank you for posting. I truly enjoy reading about what you all are up to now that most of you have stretched your wings from ol' 536 and begun to test youselves out in R.L. See you guys soon.

Charlie,
a.k.a. Swishy McJackass

Days get shorter and I get stronger

The ability to post pictures sometimes detracts from my ability to communicate the impressions and the true depth of some of my experiences here in NOLA.

I often go to a Hare Krishna temple on Sundays for free Indian food. They serve a whole shmorgashboard (sp? lol) of tasty, spicy food. It's all vegetarian too. This past Sunday was a particularly spiritual experience even though I can't say any particular event triggered that off. I think I was just enamored by the silence of the house that evening before I left for dinner. I felt kind of just sitting in one place in time and it didn't matter whether I moved from that place or not.
I had worked that Saturday from 7am until about 5:30, and I had Sunday and Monday off--I think this contributed to my state of mysterious euphoria.

But enough of the crazy talk. We have this amazing Po-Boy place about 3 blocks away from our house. A Po-Boy, stands for Poor Boy, is an anything sandwhich using a crispy and soft French Bread and with lots of fixings on it. My special is a Roast Beef (with gravy) and Catfish Poboy. I want everyone to come down so they can try some -even though half of you guys are vegetarian. The price is great too, it's only 6 bucks for a 16 inch poboy. It was like I was marauded by flavor today, just like in 300.

Anyway, you all know how much I love to talk about food. New Orleans has a lot of it! This coming Monday I am going to apply for Food Stamps, which is going to really take some pressure off my bank account.

Since I have temporarily stopped playing WoW (due to lack of money), I have become a lot more avid about fitness. I can't say my diet has improved a lot, but once I have the food stamps I will be able to get more fruits and veggies and make healthier food. On top of the biking to and from work, I am trying to get out and jog as often as I can. I am thinking of getting WiiFit but I know that all it will be is a fancy scale (and a fad) for 90 bucks. I will definately get Wrath of the Lich Kind when that releases though, Tom, so no worries.

The other day I went for a jog and listened to some new metal songs Dan sent me over email. Thanks Dan, I had a blast! "I will return, much stronger than before, this is my chance to grow beyond the past!"

I felt Autumn in the winds today. This is the first time I have been in a different climate for the changing of the seasons. I can't say Galesburg was very much different than Chicago. There are a lot of little things I miss about home: catching falling leaves, the silent arrival of snow, my glasses fogging up after getting back from a walk, the smell of dead leaves, Chicago style pizza, Enchi's, you guys, other people that listen to metal.
But don't get me wrong! This place rocks, and I finally feel like my own individual person. I don't know if I can ever do without some things living on my own in NOLA gives me: quiet reading space, my own bathroom/shower, my own traffic free room, live music a walk/bike ride away, sensational food, time time time for exploring all I can do. I guess it's kind of wierd that working long weeks still makes me feel like I do more than I did when I was at home or at school (though school was spent worrying/working on papers).

Love and Peace.
Tones

Wednesdays are probably my least favorite day of the week. I have to work the lunch and dinner shift at the dining hall. Despite my trying to make the most of it, it's not very fun.

I took my first midterm today. It was for Astronomy. I studied over the weekend, yesterday, and today. In general, I've been doing really well in that class. I had an A before the midterm, but we'll see about after... :-\. There was one problem on the exam that I had no idea what the answer was... and the problem was probably worth a lot. There were a few I was sort of shaky on/had reservations about what I thought the answer was. I tried anyways, but in the end, what can I do. School is kinda tough.

I have to write a paper for my women and gender studies midterm. It's due Tuesday so I hope to start it either tomorrow or Friday. Judging from all of the work I did on my English paper, I know the revision process will be long and onerous :( Speaking of which, I turned in my paper yesterday. I actually didn't save my final draft on the computer (by accident).... so right now... it's really REALLY out of my hands. I can't even look over what I've turned in. I'm being driven crazy by this. DLKFJDSFLKAJSLSKDLJLSCJSLCMdlc>#@(#.

Yeah, school is definitely kinda tough.

I'm having a lot of fun whenever I'm not reading, writing, or studying. Last weekend: I went apple picking last Friday. I actually still have a bunch of apples left. They're really good snacks for between meals or late night studying. My friends baked me two birthday cakes (which they surprised me with at a SURPRISE party). The homecoming football game (which we won, raising our record to 5-0!! go knights!!) and a St. Olaf/Carleton Sayles Dance were on my birthday too. And as is normal for me... I don't shower here on Sundays! Instead, I do homework basically all day.

This weekend mom and dad are coming to visit. I heard rumors of Jim coming too (?). I'm really excited to show everyone around. I know that Dad really wants to see the arb. I haven't explored it much myself, so it'll be somewhat new to me too. Sunday is the heaven/hell dance... you basically choose to be either an angel or a devil (and dress accordingly) and then there are two levels (one is Evans and one is the Cave.... not that I think that explains anything... sorry :( ) Anyways, they play different music on the two levels (the cave is hell and is the lower level) and have different food at each. I hear it's one of the best dances here, so I'm really excited. The girls and I... well, we love our dances. Monday is midterm break, so I'll be able to sleep in after all of this.

Sorry that this entry is falling pretty flat. I haven't been sleeping much/have a lot on my mind. That's where the lack of emotion, enthusiasm, overall gusto is coming from. I feel like I just wrote a frozen-over spark notes version of what's taking place in my life right now.

Just know that I'm breathing, loving school, and staying healthy despite the lack of sleep. I'm going to go eat an apple, start some reading for women and gender studies, and then go to work.

October Surprise

Hi everyone. I just wanted to drop in and say thanks to everyone for using the blog. I was at the house the other day and Dad was saying how it's nice that we all keep in touch, post pictures, etc... sometimes Dad'll go years without hearing from his siblings and it's cool that we have and use this.

I was at Ridgemoore today, it was a beautiful experience. I played the first four holes (pared numero dos). I was delighted to find out that Margaret, Gramma, G-pa were going to come out and pick apples. I was able to snap a few shots with my celly, but it's nothing too snazzy. Apparently there was a pumpkin fest or something yesterday at the g-string (g-string = "golf course" for all of you who don't understand the vernacular).

Also, I caught wind that cousin Nick is coming into town for a week, and there is supposed to be a get together. If anybody has any info on that then please post.

Happy Columbo Day!

- Dan, chillin' @ 1800 all day

Home

I haven't posted in a while so i decided to write. The past few weeks have been amazing! High School is great and I'm having so much fun. I go to the teen center every Friday i get the chance, they have rock band there and its awesome to walk in and jam out. For everyone who doesn't get to see the house a lot I included a handful of pictures to give you an idea how things are. The house is really not crazy how it used to be. In fact Sundays, the most hectic days, seem to be the most peaceful and drawn out days of the week. Coca is the same cuddly ball of playfulness that she is. I took a few pictures of her too.
This Friday is Mass Band Night so i won't be able to jam out at the teen center but I'm going to on a field trip for Spanish class, Tina says its a lot of fun. I recently wrote a paper to demonstrate the logical law of Sylligism, man i totally mutilated that, the paper was to be on any topic at all. So i chose Star Trek! The Scroll reads:
Postulates:
1. If the captain of a ship's name is Picard, then the show is Star Trek.
2. If the show is Star Trek, then it is science fiction.
3. If the show is science fiction, then it is intresting.
4. If space is black, then it is realistic.
5. If Starfleet academy exists, then space is black.
6. If Space is realistic, then the warp drive exists.
7. If the warp drive exists, then warp ten is capable.
8. If a show is intresting, then space is black.
9. If warp ten is capable, then Picard is a legend.
10. If Picard is a legend, then he is better than Captain Kirk.

Theorems:
Captain Picard is better than Captain Kirk
1. If the captain of a ship's name is Picard, then the show is Star Trek.
2. If the show is Star Trek, then it is science fiction.
3. If the show is science fiction, then it is intresting
8. If a show is intresting, then space is black.
4. If space is black, then it is realistic.
6. If Space is realistic, then the warp drive exists.
7. If the warp drive exists, then warp ten is capable.
9. If warp ten is capable, then Picard is a legend.
10. If Picard is a legend, then he is better than Captain Kirk.

Stark trek makes warp ten capable

2. If the show is Star Trek, then it is science fiction.
3. If the show is science fiction, then it is intresting.
8. If a show is intresting, then space is black.
4. If space is black, then it is realistic.
6. If Space is realistic, then the warp drive exists.
7. If the warp drive exists, then warp ten is capable.

Picard is a legend because warp drive exists

7. If the warp drive exists, then warp ten is capable.
9. If warp ten is capable, then Picard is a legend.

The warp drive exists if space is black

4. If space is black, then it is realistic.
6. If Space is realistic, then the warp drive exists.

If the show is Star Trek then space is black

2. If the show is Star Trek, then it is science fiction.
3. If the show is science fiction, then it is intresting.
8. If a show is intresting, then space is black.

Yes, i know my logic is flawless. =)

Below are the pictures.


This is a picture of the house as of Thursday October 2nd, 2008


Coca searches for her long lost sister.


Coca realizes that Tina is nowhere to be found and has no one to save her from me....oops....

Coca is caught in the act of the crime.


My grade on the Logic paper posted above. Who would've thought!?


Good lil' Coca Chillin' outside.

That's it for now family enjoy the remainder of your day.

Beardsmanship_2008

Hi Family of Mine: I am in a beard growing contest. Don't judge me too harshly. xoxo, Jim

Photo Journal of Everyday New Orleans

here is some graffiti I found on the way I used to take to work. The other day there was also a smashed TV scattered about the sidewalk here. That's some pretty good performance art, imo.



Some really big boats go across the Mississippi


and some godly views


i could have taken a better picture of this sculpture because I really like it. But I was tired from work and waiting for the ferry to arrive.



this painting was in my house when i first got here. it was from american pie 3, i guess. we sold it since then.



miss. river bridge. Other than the ferry, the only way to get across and you need to drive it. Shot taken from on the ferry.

[


We put up these posts before lunch. They are for a fence for this woman's house. It's always fun to see a project come together. Those are my co-workers- fellow 11-month americorps members.

I'm coming home for thanksgiving for a week, and xmas/new years for two weeks. Can't wait!

Octobers a really crazy month here in rt, I am going to be working like 55/60 hour weeks, 6 or so days. As long as I can make it to Halloween I'm good. Hehehe.

Peace out yall!!

The Flood!

Six feet of water in the basement is no joke. I didn't really believe it until I saw these pictures. But it happened while we were up on Beaver Island. Old School and Paul took care of bringing up a lot of the stuff that was in the basement. As of today we're almost back to normal operations: Water heater should be fixed on Tuesday.


The west side of the house.


Our backyard
The North School park. Tina, Tom, Mom, and I went on those swings when they came over to see the house.
Looking out the front door. Rand Road is completely submerged.

Incredible.

More Beaver Island Photos

There were some Irish Games that went on the weekend we visited. I didn't go, instead I went for an epic jog along the treacherous coast of Lake Michigan. Erin took these pictures of the games, and everyone said it was a good time.



In the picture below I'm having a potation to the beloved doctor Feodor Prator. According to Wikipedia: "Feodor Protar, who arrived in 1893, was a disciple of Russian author and pacifist Leo Tolstoy. He served as a local doctor and friend-to-all while living as a recluse in a cabin in the island's interior. Protar died in 1925, leaving many admirers who would treasure his memory for decades to come.^[11]"
The Big Rock. We were told by our friend on the Island, Bret, that most of this rock is under ground, and that it's actually about 4 times bigger than this. The glaciers that moved through and created the islands must have dumped that rock there.
This is the biggest tree on Beaver Island. It's six (I think) trees in one, but it's considered one tree because it shares the same root system. Ahh Birch, a good, slow-burning fire wood. Jacky Mouse said he planted this tree.
Look at these good old boys.

Erin was trying to set the timer on her camera so we could all be in this shot, but there were technical difficulties. This is located adjacent to Daddy Franks, a little hotdog stand and ice cream parlor.


I read this really cool book while I was on the Island... It was called "Demian" by Hermann Hesse, with an Introduction by Thomas Mann. Anyway, I'll leave you all with one of my favorite quotes:

"I don't mean that you should simply do everything that pops into your head. No. But you shouldn't harm and drive away those ideas that make good sense by exorcising them or moralizing about them. Instead of crucifying yourself or someone else you can drink wine from a chalice and contemplate the mystery of the sacrifice. Even without such procedures you can treat your drives and so-called temptations with respect and love. Then they will reveal their meaning--and they all do have meaning."

Carleton!

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I've had an amazing first (almost) three weeks at school! The move-in went well... THANKS JIM! And the first few days were of course... awkward. But things have fell into a semi-routine that I really enjoy. The people are awesome. The classes are awesome. The campus, too, is pretty awesome. I've actually only ventured into Northfield once since Jim left, and that was to go to Sweet Lou's Waffle Bar. I had a Twin Cities, which would have been better named "strawberry and banana heaven." Sweet Lou's closes at 2 AM on the weekends, so my friends and I (the group I was with that night were all Jewish and until around 3 in the morning they thought I was Jewish too... ?) went there around 1 in the morn. It really hit the spot since we had spent the night playing Apples to Apples in Dacie Moses (the cookie house) waiting for our chance to bake cookies. When it finally came around, our cookies took forever to make and tasted horrible. In fact, they didn't even come out of the oven as cookies. It was just a full tray of mush. My twin cities waffle made up for all of that. And from that small taste of Northfield I can say that it's awesome too!

I don't shower on Sundays. Because I know that I'll be studying for most of the day and 90% of the students will be too. It's a lot easier to study here because everyone is studying all the time. In high school none of my friends really spent time on stuff, so if I was going to study I'd be missing out... but now if I don't study I'll feel out of the loop. It's a welcomed change. I turned in an exercise for my English class and did really well on it so I guess that's some indication of the results of studying. The exercise we did doubled as an outline for a paper and I just finished my paper about two hours ago. It's not due until tomorrow at 2, but I'm glad to have finished it tonight. If anyone wants to read it and offer some suggestions that'd be awesome, since it's our draft form and won't be graded for another week. Let me know!

Sorry, I'm not trying to talk exclusively about classes or anything, but I think I finally figured out why I was so unmotivated and disinterested in high school. Because the classes really WERE boring (sorry, Tom). Here, I don't memorize, do busy work, or get stamps for ridiculously banal, unoriginal assignments. What I do is... I read a bunch of things that make me see these new (or not so new) insights into things I'm somewhat familiar with. I think about them. Sometimes I take notes on them. And I form my own opinions and perceptions of them. I go to class, sit in a circle and hear other people talk about what they got from it. Then the class responds. Or the prof (the teachers here are amazing) points out topics of interest or focuses the classes ideas. Then we all learn from each other. And we use our ideas to help others. And others do the same with theirs. And we push each other to think further or differently or more openly. We walk out of the classroom more insightful than we came in... every day :) I love it.

I have a bunch of other stuff I'm really excited to share with everyone, but I've been in front of the computer for too long today! I'll definitely be back on here soon though!

Keep it cool!

Beaver Island

Hi everyone. I'm sorry for not getting some pictures up sooner. As some of you might know, while we were up on the island the Des Plaines river flooded over and our basement got 6 feet of water. Yesterday I finally got a chance to do some house cleaning, so it's starting to feel like home again, though we haven't moved anything back into the basement.

So here are some Beaver Island photos.




That right there is Jim's old tent, where Matt slept. We ended out moving it though because it accumulated a lot of water in that spot, and Matt threatened to sleep in my tent.

This is the North West view. The land mass on the left is Garden Island, where Jacky Mouse's nephew Sheldon's memorial is located.


Ah yes, the old camp ground. I'm standing in Lake Michigan in this picture, facing South. This is a picture of the north west tip of Beaver Island.

That right there is the Beaver Island Library. I heard from the new doctor on the island (Jessica, my love) that this is a real nice library, and if one needed to they could go in and get internet access. I'm sure that they have real good books too.

On this day we went to town together. I think it was our first full day on the island. I remember that we split up, and Matt and I started walking back to the camp grounds. We were picked up by a local and he drove us to get ice and then back to the camp ground. When I offered him a "cold one" for the road as thanks for the ride, he turned down the offer, which I thought was strange.

Okay, there are a lot more pictures and stories but I gotta start getting ready for work. I hope everyone has a real productive day.

Just when you think you've met them all...

I met some of the Arizona branch of your family today. Two of your great aunts, two great uncles, and a second cousin once removed (so confusing) were at your grandparents' house along with various members of the usual crowd. Oh, yeah - Jim and Tom were there, too. Sorry, guys. I didn't really get to talk to you. Hi! How's life? Jim, I trust your adventure in Minnesota went well. Tom, I hope to catch your show sometime this season.

Back to the party: I didn't meet everyone, but I did get to talk awhile to your Great Uncle Bruce and his daughter, Second-cousin-once-removed-whose-name-has-sadly-already-escaped-me. Both are really interesting people. Your uncle Bruce played and taught brass instruments until very recently. He substituted for an absent player for a summer in the Boston Pops, and he was offered a job in the Barnum & Bailey circus band in college. (He had to turn that down because he couldn't afford to take a year off of school.) His dad worked in a factory in Elkhart, Indiana, making brass instruments. (Holton brand, I think. But don't quote me on that.) Your uncle Bruce ended up in the printing business, but he continued to play and teach lessons. He has all kinds of good music related stories and advice.

Second-cousin-once-removed-whose-name-I-am-embarrassed-to-have-already-forgotten does research on diabetes. She used to be a nurse in the military, where she actually had to use leeches on patients! When she was just starting as a nurse, she treated AIDS patients. That was when AIDS was a newly discovered and mysterious disease. Since they weren't sure exactly how it was transmitted, the medical staff had to cover up head to toe. They were told to get in and out of the patients' rooms as fast as possible. That must have been a scary and heartbreaking job. As bad as AIDS still is today, it's good to realize that progress has been made. She has two daughters in college in Arizona, one in finance and the other in mechanical/aerospace engineering.

Oh, and apparently a long-time friend of your grandpa's, who is over 90 years old (I think his name is George), got thrown in jail for getting in a fight with someone. Your grandpa has to go to court as a character witness. Your uncle James and Uncle Tom thought that was hilarious. You'd have to ask your dad for the details - I didn't catch the whole story.

Almost everyone else seemed to be doing well. You probably all knew this, but Margaret is back in the US trying to recover from some nasty bug she caught in South America. I really hope she feels better soon!

Tina, your mom said she made you a bunch of vegetarian tamales, but then she proceeded to offer some of them to us next time we're over. I guess you didn't eat enough on Tuesday. I hope your first night of dorm life was OK.

In conclusion: Your family is full of interesting, friendly people. All administrators of this blog and their significant others included. Y'all have a good weekend in Louisiana, Minnesota, Urbana, Beaver Island, Knox, Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, or wherever you are. That is all. Good night.

MacGuyver and the TBVB's

I am really kind of tired while writing today. My poor prose :(. I biked to work today and yesterday. My bike ride consists of about 10 minutes to get to the ferry across the Mississippi river to get into downtown New Orleans. It has a gorgeous view, and we get there just at sunrise, as ferries leave every half hour (7am). Much of the remainder of the bike ride (20 or so minutes) is through this brickly paved area I call the river walk, again, simply astounding views. Sunlight, water, boats, sculptures, people.

At work today we had our first group of volunteers at our work sites. I was "in charge" of 10 or so volunteers as their house captain (HC). I had to welcome and give an orientation to these guys, which I was a little nervous about last night and this morning. I had to explain who our homeowner was, the neighborhood, RTNO(our organization), safety, and where they all came in. It went great, in fact someone from their organization (also americorps) came up to me and said I did a good job. Phew. I also went in an attic today for insulation work walking above ceilings that were 12 feet high (and seeing straight down to the ground level floor) and there were only crossbeams to stand on. I was scaaaaared, but I bit the bullet so nobody else had to go up there. I guess this means tomorrow I am probably going to have to go up there, but I assure you I am being as safe as I can. It gets really hot up there and the sweat just drenched my shirt like crazy. It was kind of funny, looking back.

I miss 3 places right now. 536, 18o0, and Knox. Ok, I am going to go sit on the porch and drink a beverage.

(Oh yeah, and to explain the title)
I just watched an episode of MacGuyver that just made me so dang happy. episode 3 season one, where he helps gypsies get into america. Hahah. And I ate my new specialty. Turkey Bacon Veggie Burgers, or TBVBs. If you want elaboration on the magnificient meal, I would gladly answer any questions. Peace.

less than 48 hours!

i'll be leaving to MN on Wednesday morning at some obscure hour that's so early it probably shouldn't qualify as morning. so, tomorrow is my last day in A of H. i made this list of things i want to do tomorrow, but reading through it reminded me of the simpsons episode where homer eats bad sushi and is supposed to die the next day so he composes this list of things to do with the remainder of his life. basically my list includes stuff like playing ball with coca, eating lots of vegetarian tamales so mom will be happy that i actually let her feed me, watching a movie with tommy, finding a good book to give MT, and watching an absurd amount of gilmore girls (just in case i get made fun of for watching it in college and have to mask my unnatural obsession for that silly show for the next 10 or so weeks). one of the last things on my list (and more practical in that it is far less dramatic than my other plans) was to let everyone know my new address. the adress that is mine. mine mine mine. well, actually since we have a central post office for the entire campus it isn't solely mine, but it's different from the one i've had for the last eighteen years, so it works for me.

Tina Hahn
300 North College Street
Northfield, MN 55057

well, everyone have a good life without me. just kidding. keep posting so i can know what's up in IL and new orleans. i'll need to live vicariously through you guys for the next ten weeks since i'll probably never leave my dorm for fear of some Fargo-esque events. so, do something interesting!

Vegas

Hey everyone, I just wanted to fill everyone in on my Vegas conference. I'm sorry for the lack of pictures; I will have a camera with me next year for sure.

The flight there was fast, because I was asleep for almost the entire flight. Normally, I get motion sickness to some degree if I'm awake, so I was thankful that I could get to sleep right away. As soon as we landed and got outside, the heat was almost unbearable. It was around 100 degress, but really not humid at all. I guess that happens in the middle of the desert.

We stayed at Mandalay Bay. The place is huge; I can tell you from my hotel room to the conference rooms is at least a mile walk we did every morning and evening. Great exercise, if nothing else. Our walk is through the casino floor, so Wednesday morning I put a dollar in a slot machine and ending up rolling 3 "bars" and won 20.00. So I cashed out and beat the house this time.

As for as the actual conference goes, I'm really excited for all the new games coming out soon. And I got a chance to play the game I've been waiting 10 years for, Street Fighter 4. I played only twice, as there was a massive line to play and you got only one game per person, win or lose (I won both times with Zangief). I also played the new Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe game, and I liked it very much. Superman, Batman, Catwoman, The Flash, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Shang Tsung, and Sonya were the playable characters in this build of the game. TNA Wrestling had a booth there to promote the upcoming game, and Samoa Joe was there signing autographs.

Outise the conference, we really didn't get a lot of time. Our breakfast meetings started at 7:00 am, and out final meetings for the day usually ran until 8:30-9:00 pm. Wednesday night, I went our Microsoft "hospitality suite" where they had the newest games, food and drinks. I hung out there with some friends (they were more interested in the 16player LAN setup of Gears of War 2 than I was), so I left earlier than them and got to sleep.

Thursday, the day we came home, was the hottest day of them all, high of 104 if I remember correctly. The flight home was pretty miserable for me. There was a crying baby behind me and I absolutely could not get to sleep. This set off my motion sickness, which thankfully wasn't as bad as it has been in the past. I got home without losing my lunch, which is always a plus.

Oeverall, it was a good time, but its great to be back home. I miss seeing eveyone, and hopefully we can talk in person soon.

Pete

A: Rightly So. I was break dance fighting on the eve of Hurricane Gustav.

I am cracking up so much, I can barely write this. Let me just say that I am being as honest as possible about everything that I am going to say--it was just a crazy night in New Orleans last night.

Tensions were risen to high hell and the middle aged men danced like those in the Beach Comber on Beaver Island. I was going to a bar in Algier's Point with my 3 roomates, 2 gals and one guy. It was a short walk away. Algier's is on the other side of the mississippi from New Orleans, but still technically N.O., it's just it doesn't get a lot of tourist traffic. Anyway we get there and after the usual social pleasantries desist, I glance to my side to see a 3 piece band setting up on stage. Hell yea, I think.

There were dogs hanging out in the bars while their masters killed the anxiety of the coming storm. What evacuation means is that some people will leave permanently, thinking New Orleans is a, God forbid, lost cause. I hate that phrase. Lost cause. Half hour ago I was cooking an amalgamation of all our vegetables and seasonings into a stir fry dish and replied to Leo, my roommate when he asked me if we should add his ground beef to the mix, "No. I don't much want to have stir fry without BBQ sauce or Teriyaki sauce. Better not waste your beef. I think it's a lost cause." Don't like that phrase.

The history channel was on, and a football game. We were all kind of dumb strucken, but later that night the weather channel came on and Drinks were dirt cheap, I found out when I ordered Julain's drink (rum and coke) and it cost me 3 bucks. The people were cutting loose and as soon as the band, Johnny J. and the Hitmen, got kickn' so did a few couples of dancers. Some crazy guy in his 40's was going nuts with all the moves of the last century, grabbin ladies 1.5 times his age and swinging them around. He even danced with one of my roomates, doing the underwater dance *bubble bubble*, if you can imagine. I was laughing my head off.

The music simply rocked. It was a soulful classic rock that reminded me of somewhere between Johnny Cash and CCR, but spruced up with bluesy guitar solo's and even some funked up bass, at times.

A pirate walked into the bar, or a man in pirates clothes. He went straight to the bathroom-- barhopping, my logic said. I put in a word with him, "Pirate, where you comin' from?" He told me the French Quarter, with is on the other side of the river. He then went on for about 4 minutes on his evacuation plans. Damn. Look how real this is, I thought. I told him I was volunteering to help with evacuation. Although this seems like a heroic thing, I am now getting nervous because I got to be up at 4 am tomorrow to get to work and get people safely in buses and trains. Then evacuate myself to Dallas to stay with Leo and his family.

By the time this exchange with the pirate happens, i've danced to only one song. Johnny asks the audience, "You don't mind if we freak out a little bit?" I perk up. They play one like the intro song to Pulp Fiction! Then they cover the Pulp Fiction song. By the end of the first song I am on my feet and dancing like wild. Sometime after the second song, a shorter, older gentleman with short greyish hair enters the floor and he and I make a kind of gesture to one another in our dances. I know now, it's on. The dance battle was a melee of guile, endurance, and decisiveness. I wasn't intimidated at all by this guy and gave him hell. When it was over, a middle aged woman came up to me and said that it was amazing and I gave her a high five, slapping her hand probably a little too hard, being in the fury of the moment. He was so amazed and the stuff I did that he just hugged me, shook my hand repeatedly, and gave me props for what seemed like too long. Another woman saw the wavy hand thing that Dan taught me and said she was blown away. I tried to teach her the basics and said I'd see her again. My roomate told me later that that woman was really lost and didn't know what was going to happen in her life, but that dance made this night a big relief.

After the band took their second break it had already reached 1am, so we left the bar and walked home. I made sure to shake Johnny J's hand and tell him what an amazing job he did.

I went home, talked to Allison on skype, and crashed.

I want to let everyone know I am doing fine, despite being a part of the general anxiety that surrounds the city because of Gustav. Algiers is going to be hit hard, they predict. I am going to be in New Orleans proper tomorrow, and work starts at 5:15am. I am working until they give us the go ahead that we should evac, then I am riding out in a car of 3 other people and I am going to Dallas, Texas. Gustav isn't set to make landfall til monday or tuesday, I think. I promise to be safe and smart, and I am kind of glad, in a meloncholy way, to be a part of all this. I really hope, as we all do, that I don't have to gut houses once I go back to my normal job here in New Orleans.

Q: Tony you realize there is a CAT 5 hurricane on the warpath, right?

What news Tony?

The word on the Internets is you have a CAT 5, very dangerous storm headed for New Orleans. I hope you have heard this already. Be safe!

Lincoln Park Zoo

Last Sunday Matt, Tom, Mom, Dad, and I went to Lincoln Park Zoo. I thought everyone had a really good time. Later Tom and I watched The Prestige. That movie started Tom in on an obsession with movies that only come full-circle at the end. Yesterday him and I watched Minority Report.

Anyways... I'm not much in the typing mood, so I'll leave you with pictures from the zoo...

So much better than spam.

Oops. I deleted Dan's invite to this blog, thinking it was spam. Pete set me straight today. This is a fantastic idea, thanks so much for including us! It's great to hear what all of you are up to.

We're doing well over here in Meadows. No major life changes like some of you, but we're enjoying the last bit of summer. We had a great time yesterday at a White Sox game with my sister. The Sox lost, but the weather was beautiful. Best of all, it was Elvis night! Lots of Elvis impersonators were in the stands, and singing the national anthem, and doing a concert after the game.

A team of three parachuting Elvises (Elvi?) dropped onto the field before and after the game. These guys were impressive. They had a lot of wind to contend with as they spiraled around from 5,000 feet and landed precisely on the field. During the post-game drop, little bursts of fireworks shot off of their costumes every now and then as they fell. The fireworks propelled the Elvi, as if they were wearing some kind of jet packs along with the parachutes. Wow.

There was also a family sitting in front of us with a hilarious baby. If you looked at him with your eyes and mouth opened as wide as possible, he'd make the same face and get really, really happy. Every single time. I felt kind of bad for his parents, since they were running around after him and his sisters too much to enjoy the game, but we were entertained.

Now to go back and make some late comments on the rest of your posts...