hit and run

It's been an exciting night in the neighborhood. A drunk person smashed a car at the end of our driveway, threw the car is reverse, peeled around the corner and proceeded to run into a tree and garbage can of our next door neighbors. Again, he threw the car in reverse and headed down to 4th St. All the people in the neighborhood came out to the street and someone called the cops. It's funny to see what people are wearing this time of night in their homes -older lady in a robe, college student in a wife beater shirt & zubaz pants, etc. I've never talked to more than half of these people. It was weird neighborhood bonding.

I got a call a half hour later from the neighbor who had called the cops letting me know that the cops got the drunk guy in custody. Turns out the guy got pulled over for something else 6 blocks down (on 19th Ave. E & 4th St. by Glad Tidings church) and our neighbors went in the squad car to identify the car that was in our neighborhood. Makes me glad this wacko got caught in a hurry.
I certainly feel bad for the owner of the Ford Taurus that got their car smashed; grateful we have a driveway.

The only damage we sustained was the blind on our front door that Anna shredded while I was outside. Darn dog!

beach baby

Nikki and I took Annabelle & Stella on a walk on the beach today. Anna has been out to the end of Park Point many times however it's always been winter when we've been out there. It was a different story today... the lake was eerily calm and swamp-like and the beach was clear of snow and ice. Anna proved to me today that she apparently really likes water. She kept running in and out to get a bazillion drinks of water. She got SO dirty. Pretty sure we brought back a few pounds of sand in the car. I'm crossing my fingers that there aren't any e-coli risks on the beach this time of year. Guess we'll know within the next 24 hours, won't we? It was cute to watch little Stella follow Anna's footsteps and take a few licks of water. On our way out, Anna's neighborhood pals-the dogs across the street that she watches admiringly out the window- were heading out for their walk, but not before the three of them chased each other around for a while. Stella kept the peace with her authoratitive bark (she's like 10 pounds). It was a fun afternoon!

sense of urgency

I think I may have rambled about this topic already but it really struck me today that I really dislike this time of year. And I think the reason is an overwhelming sense of urgency. We can't plan for anything (work or play) due to uncertain weather conditions and then all of a sudden there comes a time when the grass has dried up enough and the temp. is warm enough and we all go nutso and everything becomes urgent. Urgent to get the yard work done before it's too late, urgent to clean the gutters out, urgent to plant a garden, urgent to move all indoor work activities to outdoor activities, urgent to wrap up the semester, urgent to make sure the sump pump is on, urgent to get our summer vacation requests in, and on and on... and everybody wants things done NOW!
I kinda like (and miss) the slow pace of winter. I mean it's still winter temps at night and days are slowly staying above 40 degrees so it still feels wintery, but the sense of urgency is driving me nuts. Does anybody else feel this way this time of year? It'll be at least 4 weeks before the typical fun signs of spring- tulips, daffodils- show up. Once we get there, I guess that means summer will be just around the corner and we'll be sitting out on our porch everynight watching the neighborhood go by. Until then, we'll keep pluggin' away...

our next overseas vacation

I stumbled upon an Epicurious.com blog today with a featured article called "The Perfect Trip: How to Visit Organic Farms (Overseas) For Free." There is a networking site called WWOOF where farms and volunteer farmers can connect. Basically, you volunteer to work on the farm during the day (for a week minimum) in exchange for room and board. Mine and Mike's favorite thing to do when we travel is find great food and wine. So, this would be a perfect fit for us (especially in France or Spain). It's definetly on our "must-do" list in the near future.

update

Slow & Steady... that's the theme for making our bathroom vanity. After 3 coats of espresso stain, I finally got the first coat of poly applied tonight! Thankfully the drying time between coats of poly is less than coats of stain. The picture doesn't do the vanity justice. The next time I post a picture, hopefully it will be completely installed in our bathroom (fingers crossed for no major problems). It's been a labor of love.
Mikey experimented with a new recipe last week: Fish Tacos and Spanish Rice (made with risotto rice... I was skeptical). Again, the picture doesn't do the meal justice. It was so fantastic! For the foodies out there it was pan fried tilapia, some kind of slaw, avocado mousse (as I like to call it), freshly grated Monterrey Jack cheese, and the best corn tortillas ever (they smelled like Nag Champa). We paired a nice Chardonnay to go with it. Delish! I feel so lucky to be treated to such wonderfully delicious meals!

men & women

Date: April 3rd, 2009
Location: UMD
Event: Soulja Boy Concert
Why is it that women (particulalry college aged) get intoxicated for a concert and think it's a great idea to wear high heels? I saw so many women last night in an unstable state in very unstable shoes. I find it so amazing that women can wear 3+ inch heels in a sober state, let alone an intoxicated one!
On a side note, the opening act "Golden", a hip hop band from Mpls, put on a great opening show. These are the perks of my job.

On to an observation about men...
Why is that when men take a magazine in to the bathroom, they can manage to read about "Arcric Char with King Trumpet Mushrooms, Fingerlings, & Meyer Lemon Butter Sauce" and not be totally grossed out while doing their business. Boggles my mind (sorry Mikey- love you dearly)...