"Yeah it's just fine"

So today was my longest day of work, yet wrapping up at 14 hours. I arrived early for some work and then stayed really late for some work for Leadership, which is very good for me. Let's hope it turned out well. But after leaving at 6:50 and returning at 10:30, I feel exhausted, which is bad because I was hoping to clean up a bit and pack for my weekend trip.

Yes, my weekend trip to Anderson to watch the Superbowl with friends. I can't wait to see y'all and see the Colts play in the big game for the first time in my lifetime.

I had a nice chat with Mr. Patrie this evening, which led to discussions about Nintendo and the Wii which led to me forgetting my primary objective of getting home and thus bypassing my exits and getting quite turned around on my way to Ann Arbor (read - I'm not supposed to be going to Ann Arbor). Fortunately, after turning around a couple of times I found my way and Grace had only peed an pooped twice while I was gone for almost 16 hours. Good dog.

Also in the mishap of forgetting exits, etc. I forgot to take some movies back to Family Video, and I must do so now to 1) avoid late fees and 2) return them before next Monday, because I'm booked the next two days at 1) a Jon McLaughlin concert in Ann Arbor tomorrow and 2) driving home to Indiana. So that was my day. I hope yours was good.

And my Miami Vice / Lady in the Water reference came from me searching the annals of my mind and recalling that while Felder wanted to see Miami Vice, Ricky and I insisted on seeing Lady in the Water...so that's that.

Let's hope Grace doesn't decide to poop more while I return these movies...

"A swank magazine"

Movies I've watched recently:

• Superman Returns - disappointing to me, but then I watched it by myself and had really high expectations
• Beerfest - more like crapfest, although at the time it seemed OK
• Last Kiss - sad but redeeming in the end
• Lucky Number Slevin - eh, OK, interesting story, I suppose and good twists
• Miami Vice - I did enjoy it more than Lady in the Water...sorry Felder
• Wedding Crashers - it's nice to laugh yourself to sleep

There's really not much to tell today. 1/12 of the year has passed us by. We're that much closer to 2008. It's odd that I'm going to be 25 in what will seem like no time.

Things are good in Novi. David Smith and Nate Deardorff visited me this past weekend, as I don't get to see those guys too often (even when I'm in Anderson) so invited them up. We discovered that there's a great Irish Pub near our house (largest in North America) and saw Detroit from 72 stories up.

And so ends a month of Blog titles taken from the lyrics of Margot & the Nuclear So and Sos. Thanks for following along, Par!

"We've got to live the best we know how to"

Friday I missed our dine-in dates.

Saturday I missed waking up next to her.

Sunday I missed cuddling all afternoon.

Today I'm just happy to have her in my life.

"Crushed in your hands"

Seems like I wasted a lot of time today. I don't feel so great so I think it's bedtime, but another part of me wants to work out a bit. We'll see...

I just downloaded songs off of ITunes tonight for the first time as I was given a $15 gift certificate for Christmas.

Ben Jelen - Room 1023
Regina Spektor - Samson
Coldplay - Proof
Coldplay - Things I Don't Understand
Coldplay - How You See the World
Imogen Heap - Speeding Cars

Now I'm down to $9.06. Those b-tards, they know I'll buy that one extra song and charge 84 cents to my credit card with my 15 extra pennies. I'd better make that one a good one.

So tonight I go to bed and my wife goes to bed over 4,400 miles away on a little island somewhere in the Pacific. And our dog goes to bed next to me...not too long after pooping in the house for the second day in a row. She's on a streak!

FLL: Lisa from Shannon via text message -- On the way to Hawaii "We don't need to get our money exchanged do we?"

"The rich white kid blues"

Remember when...

...you had a WalkMan?

...you thought that college kids were cool and wondered what it would be like to be in college some day?

...you first heard your favorite artist on the radio?

...you went to bed at 8:30 every night?

...your parents were nervous about letting you watch Sienfeld because of the innuendos?

...you woke up early on Saturday mornings and watched cartoons?

...you first played Nintendo as a child?

...you purchased your first CD?

...you downloaded your first song?

...you started your job?

...you started first grade?

...you had your first kiss?

...you first held hands?

...you heard and understood the Gospel?

...you couldn't sleep on Christmas Eve as a child?

"On a freezing Chicago street we shook"

So tomorrow, I head to the Windy City for a day. Wii-less as Rogers and I found out that we had to drop $300 to replace an Alternator yesterday, we decioded the fiscally responsible thing to do would be to wait another month or so.

I've got to cut this off like a hiker stuck under a boulder for three days because halftime's almost over. Let's hope Peyton's got one good half in him. He ain't gettin any younger.

"In a paper cup"

The Scrubs Musical lived up to the advertisements. It was one of the best episodes ever. Since that time, I've come down with a nasty case of the hiccups that have left me in great distress. On Monday, I take my monthly all expense paid trip to Chicago. That will be nice. Well these hiccups just won't let up, so I've got to sk'daddle.

Pits & Bows,

Berg

"Reflect on the streets"

Lisa and I watched American Idol for the first time tonight and had a downright good time. Could it be the funniest show on television. I had several good belly laughs. From the shows I watch, I'd say it's between that and Scrubs. In other television news, we watched the entire first season of Sex and the City between Sunday and Tuesday (12 episodes) and while the show lives up to its name, it is also fairly entertaining, sometimes funny and sometimes sweet.

Wi's are going to be on sale on Sunday. Anybody waiting in line yet? I definitely won't be pulling an all nighter. Perhaps getting up at 7 and trying to find a place where there won't be lines will work. Ciao.

"All tangled up like balls of string"

An account of the wonderful weekend that was long and other tales of Andersonovi Adventures

After a mostly uneventful Friday night, the Rosenbergs awoke to what seemed like a terrible plan. They would fight rain and sleet to visit their old hometown of Anderson, Indiana, so that Berg could play in an alumni basketball game. He missed playing basketball and felt that this would be an ideal opportunity to fill that void while embarrassing himself in front of people who used to think he was a great ball player. Berg crawled out of bed and spent nearly 15 minutes on the internet reviewing the weather predictions for every major city and interstate between Novi, Mich. and Anderson so that he could reasonably convince himself that it would be foolish to make this trip because all that would await him was certain death in route or at the very least extreme embarrassment via horrible basketball-playing skills. But the weather was OK. The roads were drivable.

So after much prodding, Berg got Rogers up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday and traveled to Anderson, being sure to eat at Taco Bell along the way -- disapointed that this Taco Bell did not also have a KFC attached, where Berg could get macaroni and cheese.

Upon arrival, the Rosenbergs found their lone niece awaiting their arrival so that she could watch her Uncle embarrass himself playing basketball. The game came and went and Berg had a wonderful time playing with and against friends of old and friend of today, Ricker. And their team won and there was no shame or embarrassment aside from one pretty horrible airball.

Then the Rosenbergs celebrated at an alumni event where they hung out with the new Campbells, a former landlord and an old friend named Stephen. This too was surprisingly nice, as it featured Mexican Food, a lack of awkward conversations and the Colts playing in the background.

On to dinner number two where conversation with friends of today was joyous and a post-dinner movie with Wilbs and Par brought a fun time to catch up with each other and a darn good movie.

Before returning home, the Rosenbergs ate at their favorite restaurant with one of their favorite persons, even though that person only invited half of the Rosenbergs to Hawaii. At lunch, the subject of Martin Luther King day came up, to which Shannon said, "My brother asked my Dad why we don't have MLK day off, and my Dad said 'when there's a day to celebrate Abe Lincoln, we'll take that off!'" Which confused Berg and Rogers, so Rogers asked something like, "What's the big deal about Abraham Lincoln?" Shannon: "Do you know what he did?" Rogers: "Just because he got shot in a movie theater and died he's famous!"

Then the Rosenbergs went home and slept for a very long time due to the celebration of Martin Luther King. When Berg woke up the next morning, he let Rogers sleep longer. "I know you need ten hours of sleep," he later said. "I don't need ten hours, I usually go to bed at midnight and get up at ten," she replied.

In summary, it was a very good weekend that consisted of laughter, fun with friends, and not nearly as much embarrassment as was expected.

"Sad songs to keep me awake"

Currently...

...reading Ray Bradbury's "Farewell Summer"
...watching NBC's Must See TV Thursday
...listening to Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos
...looking forward getting into that cozy bed
...happy about having Monday off of work

"Reach the hills by dawn"

Tonight we went to a Detroit Pistons game, which was OK. The seats weren't too great, and there were a couple of drunk girls behind us that went back and forth between very annoying and kind of funny, leaning more towards the former.

On Saturday, I will attempt to play basketball for the first time in awhile at Liberty Christian High School. It may be quite a spectacle. I don't think I'm in horrible shape, but I'm in no basketball shape.

The one thing that I learned best from basketball: Making excuses makes you weak.

I apply that to work and life quite a bit.

"I felt apathy"

So I sit at work, having put in nearly 6 billable hours, which a month ago would have been phenomenal. It's 4:15. I have no motivation or interest in doing anything else. I really just want to lay in bed for a few days. Sleep. Hang out with Rogers. Eat. I don't like the feeling of waking up tired. Of going through motions. It's odd too, because Friday was one of my best days of work in awhile. So the point is, today was an average workday, which makes for a good time to be at home. I'm glad I am.

Hopefully tomorrow will be an awesome work day. We'll see. Are the winter blues around the corner. It's starting to snow more.

Here we go. By Favorite I mean, I couldn't get enough of them. They were the most played or the most played at least during a period of time last year. Just couldn't stop listening to them. They didn't have to be released in 2006 to make the list.

Favorite songs of 2006 (in no particular order)
Concerning the UFO... - Sufjan Stevens
Look After You - The Fray
Closer - Joshua Radin
Half Life - Duncan Sheik
Hamburg Song - Keane
9 Crimes - Damien Rice
Strange & Beautiful - Aqualung
Agenda Suicide - The Faint

"The breath I'm breathing"

First, I must apologize for my lack of blogging. I think I can do better. I'm nearing the two year anniversary of this Blog of mine. It's been a good two years.

And it's been a good 2007: The Year of the High-Five so far. A very good year. Let's hope the rest lives up to the first week. First of all, I've never rung in the New Year with a good game of Monopoly, which ended in a "Well, you probably would win, but you never know." Which was really a result of extraordinary luck on my part to not land on anyone for the last 27 (who knows, but it was a lot)turns and therefore accumulating somewhere between $6,000 and $8,000 dollars. I don't really remember.

Then I had a great week at work, billing nearly 30 hours in a 4-day week, which is very good for me and definately a good pace to start with.

Rogers and I had a lot of fun this week, which culminated in a relaxing Post-Christmas, Christmas weekend including watching the movies Black Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life, neither of which disappointed.

Then today we found some art at an art show for a very good price. So now, if you come to visit here are a few of the paintings you might see in our house.

This was my wedding present to Lisa. It's a painting of the Golden Gate bridge which we saw on our honeymoon, painted by AU grad Keri Amarata. We love it.

Now below are our new paintings, which no one has seen yet.

This to the right seems a little Van-Goghesque.



Come and visit. Someday we'll have a large house full of original art. I can't wait. We're off to a good start.

"She cooked me food"

Somewhere between "I'm going to work out" and actually going to work out, I got distracted by the lure of the internet and the information of the world at my fingertips, such as when are the Colts playing and who, what's the latest news on Facebook, and how the heck do I get a new picture of myself up there while I'm supposed to be working out, just what are those Margot & the Nuclear so and sos lyrics and will they even be online.

A story is brewing inside me, but this is not the time to tell it. A story about inheritance.

Of course, I never wrapped up the year with my lists, but I have to go work out, so I can't do that now. That and I suppose it's time to cut my fingernails.

And in case you didn't see my comment, anonymous, Jason D. is a good friend of mine named Jason Diamond. Maybe you know him. He's really skinny, with an indented sternum and likes to be funny and succeeds sometimes and offends adults other times.

"Wake up you've got a lot of things to do"

Welcome to 2007: The Year of High-Fives

Resolutions, baby:

• Work hard and play hard
• Be healthy
• Grow spiritually

CDs accumulated during the holiday season:

• Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas Vol's 1 - 5
• Black Lab - See the Sun
• Our Lady Peace - A Decade
• Rolling Stones - Forty Licks
• Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - The Dust of Retreat

Best New Year's Eve Party ever:

• Hawaiin Themed Bowling and Margarita/Game Party - 2007

Some other cool things accumulated:

• Puma shoes
• Ray Bradbury first edition book
• Superman Returns DVD
• Scrubs Season IV
• Richard Simmons - Reach

Cool people I hung out with on New Years:

• Brian BN R.
• Philip P.
• Wilbe
• Jason D.
• Josh C.
• Nathan P.
• Lisa W. R.
• Kyla C.
• Eileen M.
• Keri C.
• Shannon S.

Things I look forward to in 2007:

• Fulfilling resolutions
• Wii
• Spiderman 3
• A Nephew
• More marriage