"Let me on the inside"

24 years old minus 2 days. Twenty-four seems significant...much more significant than 23 and 22. This one sounds close to 25...and by 25 should you know what the heck you're doing? At this point it seems like it'd be just a little too easy...a little too convenient to let life slip by being average, being American. I'd rather take the inconvenient route of being Christian.

I've thought often that Jesus impcated the world through his recorded life from age 30 to 33. Can I impact the world in 75? Have I impacted it in the last 24 (minus 2 days)?

8,764 the aproximate number of days I've been living.

Do you ever think back to specific days? The greatest days? The ones that really stand out -- perhaps that one day that captures what your family vacations were like, or summer camp, or that one basketball game?

Time for me to change gears and finish up some work. Lots of questions. No answers tonight. I'm in Indianapolis tonight...working...lonely. See you in a few days, I hope.

"Revolution solution"

A nice Memorial Day weekend has come to an end. Anyone remember the Memorial Day over a decade ago, maybe '96 when Rik Smits hit a game winner from the elbow over the Orlando Magic. Ah, those were the days. When I really loved Pacer basketball and would listen to the games on my radio really really quiet late at night when I was supposed to be sleeping.

Well now it's time to sleep and I've just one thing to mention: Simple Life: Goes to Camp is on E! on Monday nights. Check it out. It's funny. And yes, I am well aware of what I'm saying. What can I say? Rogers and I...love it -- every second of it.

"The place there had been"

Posts have become less frequent recently.

And there is not much to report for this iteration of the Blog. Rogers and I decided to stay home this Memorial Day weekend to rest up between a weekend of company and a weekend of going home for a wedding/my birthday. Not to mention work's making me travel every week right now for a day or two. So far it's been a relaxing time. Just finished watching Wolf Creek on this early Memorial Day morning. That was a pretty good scary movie. Pretty intense.

Also of note:

Notice the date...(5/26) and notice the teammates (Rational and Reckless). That's right. Campbell and Rosenberg teamed up for some Halo 2 action on XBox Live yesterday. And we're going to do it again soon hopefully. There are even some new maps. Hang em High and Derelict (my b@!ls) were imported to Halo 2 for us. And the ain't bad either.

That's about it for now. See you all next Saturday. Save the date. We're going out for dinner. Somewhere good. Saturday night. June 2. My birthday. See you there. Ciao.

"Five story fire"

What a great weekend with great friends. Thanks to those guys for making it up. Sorry you couldn't be here, Phil. Saturday night we hit the D-town on a special night, "The Downtown Hoedown." Fortunately, we were there for the Tigers game, which was awesome -- perfect night to chow down on some hot dogs and enjoy the evening. It was a good game too.

But the Downtown Hoedown made for some interesting Detroit dynamics after the game, as it was around 11 p.m. and there were thousands of people walking about, trying to get into clubs, trying to get to their cars, trying to get into fights, trying to cause trouble, trying to be annoying in parking garages, etc. When you put thousands of white "country folk" into Detroit + late at night after a long night of drinking no doubt, it makes for some interesting times. I was glad the girls weren't with us. We had a hard enough time keeping track of Parliament who kept getting left behind for some reason!

Anyway, it was a great weekend, full of fun, food (mmm...sushi) and campbelling.
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In other news, we're 100% closer to getting the house. It needs to pass inspection! The price is settled! So we'll have plenty of room for future visitors!

Currently listening to: Amy Winehouse

"All the right friends"

So it was 2, 3 and now 5 of my best male friends will visit the magical land of Novi tomorrow. Yet another of my best male friends will stay in Anderson. Boo... One friend's already in the 313 (D-Town), but with another of his friends tonight after seeing Damien Rice -- lucky!

The wind smells of a great weekend ahead.

We'll miss you, Phil.

A counter-offer came back on the house. Several grand out of the range we were hoping. We'll re-up tomorrow. Suspensful times...

Here's a pic for the curious at heart:

"I said 'No, no, no'"

Lost is so good right now. If you don't watch that show already, do yourself a favor and rent Seasons 1 and 2 on consecutive weekends, then get Season 3 when it comes out. I know I've said it before, but that show rocks.

Not much else to report in the land of Rosenbergs. Our offer is in. We expect a counter-offer tomorrow. We offered $26,000 less than the asking price + seller's concessions that would have left the seller with about $35,000 less than asking. We'll see what the counter-offer is tomorrow, hopefully.

Watched Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl last night. Has a movie ever had a longer title? As we did with Spiderman, by watching 1 and 2 in the weeks prior, we are doing with Pirates. Looking forward to #3. I think we'll skip Shrek. Catch it in 7 years when we're trying to keep our kids entertained. Well, I suppose I might rent it sometime.

Listening to: The Rolling Stones
Watched in the past year:

• Big Brother All-Stars
• Sopranos Season 6
• Entourage Seasons 1 - 3
• Seinfeld Seasons 1 - 3
• Arrested Development Season 3
• South Park Seasons 2, 3, 5, 8
• Lost Season 2 and 3
• 24 Season 5
• Scrubs Season 6
• The Office Season 3
• My Name is Earl Season 3
• American Idol 6
• Sex and the City Seasons 1 -6

Is there a problem here? Besides there being too many good TV shows I mean?

"Que sera, sera"

We're making an offer tomorrow, hopefully on a nice old 1929 classic in Ferndale, Michigan. 3 bedrooms, a "bonus room," an office, a kitchen, dining room, basement, fenced-in back yard.

Say a prayer that it will work out according to God's plan, if you don't mind.

Whatever will be, will be.

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How about the Sopranos last night? That first 15 minutes was a bit shocking!

"Outside the sun is shining"

to all friends -- Happy Mother's Day -- everyone has a mother so this is a holiday for everyone. I hope yours was nice like mine. We visited with my loan Michigan relatives in Ann Arbor today, which was nice. Some Mexican food and Kilwin's Ice Cream later and we were on our way. Then we ran/walked for about an hour all the way down to 8 mile, which sounds scary seein as how Eminem battles down in those parts. The wheather was great, a good day for exercise.

Since my typing is showing up about five seconds late right now, I'm going to wrap this thing up. See you later. By the way, if you're reading this don't make plans for June 2. Let's go out that night. Let's have fun like old friends do. Saturday, June 2. Yeah, I know Gwen Stefani's playing at Verizon Wireless that night...don't get tickets hang out with me. I'll be in town. So will Rogers...and, it's my Birthday so it's the least you can do. Save that date. Yeah, you.

"On the flipside"

Today was below average if days were ranked on a scale of Seinfeld seasons with Season 5 being average and the following seasons being below average (despite the Kenny Rogers Roaster episode). I've worked about 3.5 hours, which is never too good for the weekend. But, I don't think I've anything left to do tomorrow so that's a +.

I also had one of the worst toilet plunges of my life, resulting in me turning the water off two separate times to prevent an overflow. Gross? Yes - but much grosser if you were there.

What else? Well, Rogers had to work 8 hours so that sucked.

I suppose there isn't much more to say. It was a sub-par day, if days were ranked on a scale of Star Wars movies with Return of the Jedi being par and the Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones being sub-par.

The end.

"After all"

Old Bill Mercer called me to Chicago on short notice this week -- essentially, I got to work on Wednesday and saw that my presence was requested in Chicago for Thurs. and Friday. So after having a canceled flight due to fog, I made it over only about an hour later than expected. Business travel is interesting -- quite different than vacation travel. No luggage -- a personal travel agency to help you reschedule if necessary -- everything's free -- work long hours. It's a nice change of pace work-wise...but not nice to be away from home.

On my return, I found myself at the China Crown with Rogers getting our usual Friday-night take-out Chinese. Ah yes. It was good. And a little Touristas (Go Home) to boot. Rogers has grown fond of horror movies on the weekends...it's like a dream come true!

So now, it's time for, well, I don't know. Another movie, or perhaps Super Mario 64. Rogers is sleepin, so we'll see. I've got work to do...but work is not for Friday nights. Ciao!

"Build a goldmine"

Well we've got some news to share. If everything goes as planned we're going to make an offer on a house in the next week or two. It's a 1929 classic. Nice size for visitors. We're shooting for a good deal. We'll see what happens. Certainly not a guarantee, but we'll go for it.

Pray that we'll get the house if we're supposed to and won't if we're not.

The week is moving along nicely. Two episodes of Lost left this season and Season 3 is winding up nicely after a few rocky episodes early on.

Currently watching: D Ali G Show
Listening to: Jon McLaughlin
Reading: a Psalm here and there
Writing: Retirement newsletter
Shocked: Par is moving away. A visit to A-town won't be the same without him. And although he's moving to Michigan we'll still be 3+ hours apart. Hopefully, we'll be able to meet in the Palm occasionally or for a show in Grand Rapids. Who knows?

"All the way to Mexico"

Happy Graduation.

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Half-way through "The Hitcher"

Time to go to bed-o.

(I tried to rhyme it, but I'm not sure it worked.)

Happy Cinco!

"Well I can mash potato"

Yesterday Lisa and I had a once in a lifetime experience as we went to see Dirty Dancing for the 20th anniversary celebration. It was in theatres for 2 days only in limited release around the country (only 3 theatres in Michigan). What a great movie. We had a blast.

My favorite line: immediately after Baby sees her sister running away from a guy who was obviously getting too frisky a guy putting the moves on says, "I'm sorry you had to see that bagby...sometimes in this world, we see things we don't want to see."

Whoever wrote this stuff is just genious...I was laughing at that a few minutes later.

In other news, the Entertainment week is going off as planned. Jon McLaughlin's CD is very good. If you like the Fray, you will probably like Jon McLaughlin's album Indiana. That's what I've decided. Unless you're one of those, who doesn't want to like him, because it's not cool to be a fan of someone you went to school with. I don't care - that guy is talented. And his song was downloaded over 430,000 times off of iTunes in one week last month. He's going to blow up.

And Finally, tonight we finished Spiderman 2, so we're all set for Spiderman 3 tomorrow. Two movies in one week?! It's like we're back at the ol' Applewood theatre. Except, oh wait, Dirty Dancing was $11 for each ticket and Spiderman 3 is $9.25. Free movies, how I long for you.

So tomorrow, we'll probably decide whether we want to put an offer on this one old house or not. We're going to take another look. I hope the second viewing goes well. Ciao.

"Every word right from the start"

550+ Blog posts later there's no letting up. This public journal is self-censored in many ways, but in the end, it is a journal rather than the media's version of a blog. There's little social commentary. Instead it's a document that says, "I was here." And furthermore, this is what my life consisted of.

Today my life consisted of very little work, then reading about Consumerism in a health care not an out of control shopper sense. All in all, my day was slow. I did get a tax refund of a sizable sum, which was very welcome. Now to pay a few bills, or save for a down payment or fees on rent or mortgage...these are the questions.

Finals week. The best week of the semester. You know, I was right, it is great to be paid for work. But they were also right, it was great not having the responsibilities of "real life." If I could only go back and do it again...only one year out, and that question is answered. "I wouldn't care as much." But the truth is, I would care just as much. I would work just as hard, but I think I would play a bit harder. I was always from the work hard/play hard school, but I do think I would focus a bit more on the latter a second time around. Much more would just be lying. I had a blast in school. That last semester was a little too much, but even then I made some lasting memories.

So in the end, which is still the very beginning, here we are. Good luck this week.

"Want to be your superhero"

What a wonderful weekend of relaxation. Today we got up early for the first service before spending the day walking around Plymouth with Grace, watching Spiderman 2, Amazing Race and The Sopranos, and having an all around relaxin day to begin a week packed with high-potential for entertainment.

Tuesday marks Jon McLaughlin's CD release, which we're looking forward to along with a 2-day only Dirty Dancing 20th Anniversary showing we may check out as it's one of Lisa's favorite movies. Next thing you know it's Friday and Spiderman 3 is coming to a theatre near you. We've watched 1 and are half way through 2 in anticipation.

We're considering a house in the Ferndale area. A nice big one with plenty of room for guests, animals, junk. Who knows what.... with 1500+ square feet and a basement, there's just plenty of room. And we might be able to get a good deal. We're going to take another look and see where the chips fall. If you think about it, say a prayer that God will keep us from error. Buying a house is a major purchase after all. I ain't spent over 100k on anything else yet...

Time to go play some Super Mario 64 and keep 24 Season 5 moving along before hitting the hay. I hope your weekend was as good as mine.

"Why wait any longer for the world to begin"

While this past year brought about a lot of change, this coming year seems as though it may make that change feel more permanent. Some friends will move away, some friends will stay away. My hometown will start to feel more like a place I love to visit, and my new home will start to feel more like home. Only one year out of school, time is still on the academic calendar year...

If it seems I write a lot about missing friends, it's because I think of you guys every day. Sometimes I pray for you as well. A big part of my life is four hours away.

Can you imagine a life without hope? A life where nothing mattered for more than a moment? Imagine only existing for oneself...with the infinite possibilities there is no agenda, but to do what you want without direction. And in the end, when you're about to leave life, you're left with nothing to take with you but a lifetime of memories and a feeling of emptiness. A life without hope seems to be the most tragic. Perhaps more tragic than a life without love?

"...He shall stengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord."

"Now ladies here we gizzo"

Yo, what up. R U down wit watt ben goin on wit Rosie. Miss O'Donnell is quitting the View. Perhaps, if Americans are lucky she will never again have a platform to speak from.

The search for an abode continues. Hopefully, we'll get to look at several more houses this weekend. So far, we've got our eyes on a big ol' 1929 build house in Ferndale -- a trendy suburb of Detroit. We'll see how it goes. Perhaps we'll have an Ah Ha moment and just know.

Currently Playing: Super Mario 64
Watching: Sex and the City Season 6, Lost
Reading: Nothing...
Listening to: Reggaeton (the genre, not a band)
Looking forward to: the weekend
Working on: finding a house

"No matter where I go"

This weekend was great. From beginning to end, it was nice. Saturday especially was nice as Rogers and I had a great lunch and ice cream run with some great friends before going our separate ways to hang out with our like-gendered amigos and amigas. 9 holes of golf with Wilbe and Parliament later, I was turning a bit red, but still ready to hit Broad Ripple with Ricker, Par and soon-to-be-graduating Josh and Deardorff. It was a good night. Glad to see y'all this weekend. Well most of you at least. Thanks for being great friends.

"Something to talk about"

Please note that we will be in town on Saturday if folks want to hang out. Nate Deardorff is graduating and moving to California so I'm hoping to hang out with that guy on Saturday night for one last night on the town. Anyone else available?

In other news, Rogers and I visited two houses tonight, both of which had their pros and cons. I'll tell you what: Paying Taxes on a home is going to break the bank. Some areas around here (including areas with more affordable housing that we're considering) we could have to pay $250 - $300 a month in taxes. Can you imagine? At the same time, right now we lose $1,000 a month on rent. We'll see...

Time for bed. Soy Tired.

"Lost without you"

Why Andrew's back scratches will never add up

Andrew: *Scratching Lisa's Back*
Lisa: *Trying to direct my scratches* "Ah Marilyn's Grove, Marilyn's Grove!"
Andrew: "What the heck are you talking about?"
Lisa: You know where that JFK guy died.

Rogers on current events

Lisa: "Ask me who Tony Blair is."
Lisa: "You don't even have to ask me because I know the Prime Minister of England."
Andrew: "Who's Saddam Hussein?"
Lisa: "That guy who died that we caught in a fox hole."
Andrew: "What country did he lead?"
Lisa: "Umm. Iran?"
Andrew: "Who's the leader of Iraq?"
Lisa: "That guy we can't find, with the beard. Who bombed us."

Andrew on fashion

Lisa: "I can't believe you know Chanel's first name."
Lisa: "What's Dior's first name?"
Andrew: "Christian."
Lisa: "Oh my gosh, I married a gay man."

Always better when we're together.

Tomorrow night: Tigers baseball game!
Friday night: We're hitting A-Town. We should be around Saturday.

"Long days came"

It's been too long. Thursday Rogers and I traveled to Fabulous Ferndale to see Mr. Jon McLaughlin perform with Matt Wertz (including Chad Kenner on drums for all you Andersonians) and Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers. We left before Stephen Kellogg, b/c Rogers had to get up early for work and wasn't up for too late of a night. But not before we got some nice shirts with the state of Indiana right on the front...and saying hi to Jon's wife Amy for a minute. Unfortunately this is the second time I've missed talking with Bob as he seems to be busy doing managerial types of things.

The weekend was...slow. Which is good, I suppose. Unfortunately Rogers had to work both Sat. and Sun., but fortunately I did not have to work so I chilled. Went to see Grindhouse yesterday, and it did not disappoint. Planet Terror was just the type of film we've looked to rent many times. Made to look poorly made, with tons of blood and some squemish scenes -- just what the C no D horror movie fan ordered. Death Proof on the other hand was more of an action type of movie. To be very specific, it was more of a chase movie. There wasn't a lot going on in it. Both entertained, as did the over the top trailers in the middle. Way over the top.

Otherwise, I tried to catch up on 24, take care of Grace the Dog, play some Super Mario 64 and eat a lot of pizza. It was good. But it would have been better with Rogers.

"So smooth"

I've been sucked into American Idol. It happened from the first episodes of the season, when I decided that it was the funniest show on television. Now I tape it on Tuesday and Wednesday and then fast forward through one or both episodes on Wednesday night after Lost to catch the highlights. I don't care too much, but I care just enough to want to keep up and watch it rather than read about it. I want Blake to win, primarily becauase I think I would like his CD.

In other news, Rogers and I will journey to the Metropolitan Detroit suburb of Ferndale tomorrow evening to enjoy the music of Jon McLaughlin, Matt Wertz and Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers. Jon and Matt put on a great show in Ann Arbor in February, so it should be fun. I've never heard of Stephen Kellogg until now, so we'll see about that. Unfortunately, they're headlining...but I guess we can always hit the road if we want to seein as how it'll be a late night anyway. Although now that I'm listening to their music via their Web site, I think I might enjoy that as well. Enough about that.

Enough about anything. I'm tired and should hit the hay. Read my girlfriend's Blog linked on the side of the page (my left your right). It's got some great stories from work. And those are the best of all.

"We have forgotten"

Ah Easter in Novi -- there's little like it -- OK, I guess that's not correct. It's like...well it's not like a holiday at all. Aside from the cards from my mother and grandmothers, Easter could come and pass without me knowing the difference. That may in part be because I neglected to give up anything at all when asked at church two weeks ago. On the flipside, I am listening to Sixpence None the Richer right now, which is classified as "Gospel & Religious" on iTunes.

I got a call from old Brian Roberson today. It had been awhile. Three months and five days to be exact as the last time I talked to him was on the early morning of New Year's Day.

Life rolls on and on.

Perhaps not too unlike my friend and yours Nate, I'm growing restless. As I told Lisa before she left for work, "I'm going to...look for houses in the area and jobs in Indianapolis." Not that I want a different job, but I do want desparately to be in Indianapolis. Unfortunately, at this point the job is more important than that desire. Nevertheless, I'm restless. I too want to do something great with this life. But I neglect to do so on every given day. What did I do that was great today? I took a two hour nap.

Isn't the preparation period of my life over. Isn't it time to move? (Of course I mean in the "Dare You to Move" way not the "I Moved to Detroit" way.)

Happy Easter to all and to all a good night! If you are reading this, you are missed.

"This house is not a home"

Trying to find a suitable place to live is no easy task. Is it time to buy or safer to rent? What town, neighbordhood, street are we looking for. How much can we afford? How much space do we need? It's a daunting task. We're going through it right now. The good news is, this year we have more than 2 days to find a place!

On that subject any of y'all that are looking for a place to live in Anderson, here are the details on my sister's condo. It's one or two doors down from where Eileen and Kyla used to live on High Street. They will sell for a firm $56,000 -- won't go a penny below. But others in their building are going for $60,000 (I think). If you prefer to rent it is maybe $600ish. However, if you find a loan calculator on the internet you might find that even with $0 down you could potentially purchase and only pay $450 or so a month.

There are condo association fees -- maybe $100 a month (too much if you ask me). Let me know if you want more info. They also have somebody lined up to rent for the next school year, but they really want a whole year lease. If a couple of you want to buy some time while looking for a place to buy, you may be able to rent just for the summer. With two or more people $600 to $650 ain't too bad.

Just wanted to pass that info along. Also, they are giving finder's fees -- $200 to anybody who identifies a buyer. $50 or so for a full year's rent.

"Dinner at eight"

Life keeps on rolling on. Each week seems to go by quicker than the last. I'll be 25 before you know it. For those keeping track at home that'll be June 2, 2008. I wonder what I'll have accomplished by the time I turn 25. I've only directly shared the Good News with folks on a few occasions and when it comes down to it, ain't that all that matters? That and nothing else. I think there's a bit more than that. And that bit more is loving. Loving our neighbors. Showing love and giving love. Sharing the Good News by exemplifying love. Hopefully, I'll have accomplished that consistently for most of my life by the time I turn 25. It's a daily challenge.

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In other news, having Jason and Eileen visit was great. I'm glad they could make it up. While Rogers had to work on Saturday, the three of us had a good time visiting the book signing of Mick Foley (Mankind) -- although Jason decided it wasn't worth it after waiting for an hour and being nowhere near having his book signed. Then after eating Coldstone we debated going to a movie (in the running were Premonition, TMNT and Reign Over Me) before deciding to save our money and rent Little Miss Sunshine, which was simply great. When Rogers got off work, we scoped out Birmingham in hopes of stumbling across some Wrestlers in the nicest area of Metro Detroit. Instead we got dinged with $10 each cover charges and hit the road quickly.

Aside from the frightful scene of having 80,000 people in downtown Detroit for Wrestlemania, Sunday was a blast. We scoped out the town and ate some good Mexican food at Locos. Then Rogers and I had a blast at Snow Patrol while Wrestlemania went down a few blocks away.

This has been a step-by-step run down of our weekend in Detroit.

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Currently Watching: Entourage and American Idol
Listening to: nothing inparticular...Regina Spektor
Working: Plenty

"Let's not talk about growth"

Five scary things about Detroit the day of Wrestlemania:

5) A mass of people 80,000 strong all going into the same building at the same time.
4) 98% of those people either dressed up like a wrestler, carrying a championship belt or wearing black shirts.
3.5) 75% of those people are what some would call "uneducated." Even scarier? 25% of those people are eductated!!
3) Teenage girls passing out free Insane Clown Posse CDs with liner notes that are scary just to look at without even reading the lyrics.
2) People carrying metal chairs around town and on the PeopleMover.
1) Eileen and Jason were in the middle of it all in the brightest flourescent yellow shirts you can imagine. (Don't worry, I'm sure you'll see them on the DVD.)

"Your voice is small and fading"

It's been a quick week. A quick year really. It's hard to believe that one year ago, I didn't know what I'd be doing or where I'd be living. Now I call a new place Home and go to a building far away from the good old FSB. I've still got the same girl and the same friends. Is it odd that we haven't made any new friends in Michigan? I don't really feel like we need to...after all we've got plenty of friends. Great friends. While we've got one foot in Indiana and one foot in Michigan will we ever really assimilate to this new place? Does it even matter?

For now, I feel just fine knowing we've got a dozen friends for life a few hours away who love us dearly.

"One way or the other"

Nothing like a rough day of work to bring a swift end to a wonderful weekend. And the weekend was wonderful as Rogers and I had a blast watching Arrested Development with Shannon and Josh, eating at Bahama Breeze with a small crowd and hitting Broad Ripple with two great friends named Nate (Nathan and Nathaneal respectively).

And the day of work was rough as I had little fun drowning in work that I did not expect to do today, while the work that I really hoped to focus on remains untouched and daunting.

In the meantime, I thought I would update my Blog.

Listening to: Aqualung and Regina Spektor
Watching: The Hills
Feeling: Like I need a long shower and a nap
Hoping: To not do any work tomorrow night (fat chance)

At least Spring (or is it Summer?) has arrived. I love it.

"This is a story about the three of us"

So here's a new picture of my nephew -- by birth named: Jose Luis Toc Mejia. Adopted name: Preston Scott Luis Spires

The Guatemalian just looks like he's ready to conquer America doesn't he. I'm very stoked to have a Hispanic relative.

So work and Chicago and Indiana has kept me from updating recently. To my faithful blog checkers: I sincerely apologize. I know the feeling every day when you check and there's just nothing new. A feeling of mild disappointment. So there it is.

Currently listening to: Aqualung - Memory Man

Buy that CD. It is a stinking catchy album.

In other news, I'm behind on American Idol (and video games) so it's time to go do both.

"And the daffodils look lovely today"

Ah, the Return of Spring. There may be no single better day in the year. (And that's saying a lot because I am a big fan of Christmas!) Today was that day when Spring makes its return out of the depths of Winter. Of course it never stays long during that first post-Winter visit. But it leaves you with a taste that will get you through those last couple of weeks.

It was nearly 70 degrees here today. The Spring weather made me miss (in no certain order):

• TfT
• Spring Break vacations to warm lands
• College
• Late night Applewood movies with Ricky and Josh
• The feeling of being done with classes and having no homework on a day like today

I do need a vacation in the worst way. I'll have to settle with a short visit to Chicago and Anderson (in that exact order) beginning on Thursday.

I worked from home today. And I'm glad I did. I listened to music and enjoyed the breeze through the window. Unfortunately, I was working...hard. I've got so much to do, I thought it better to stay put rather than drive back and forth for 2 hours today. And I'm still going at it now. Just wanted to make sure I captured a few thoughts...can't wait to see you guys this weekend. Save room for me.

"The man keeps coming round"

The weekend is not as great when you have to put in a full days work as it passes by. Both Rogers and I had to do so this weekend. Nevertheless, we managed to have a great Saturday on our first visit to Grand Rapids to partake in Chinese food and a Pete Yorn concert. Not to mention the time we enjoyed driving around the area exploring with the windows down because it was so nice out. Ah, suddently it's Spring, I thought to myself as I opened the door to sunshine, birds chirping and a light breeze on Saturday morning.

Let's just hope this work subsides before next weekend when I should be in Anderson having a tiempo fantastico con mi amigos! Shoot am I tired.

"Dancing in the shadows"

Schedule for the next couple of weeks:

March 16 - 18: Anderson!
March 23 - 25: Anderson!

At least that's the current plan. We'll see how it works out. I understand many of the guys are going to see 300 on Saturday. If you wait one week, I'll go with you! If you do not wait, I understand. If it were me, I would be hardpressed to wait, because there are no other Bro Shows out right now so it is the perfect movie to see.

Notes about my childhood:
on Nintendo

• I was only aloud to play video games for one hour each day. I remember one time, when my childhood friend Eric R. came over to spend the night, we played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Arcade Game and defeated it. (Of course we were using the game genie.) Anyway, the point is, that game had to take over an hour. But Eric felt sick and ended up having to go home, which was no big deal because he lived pretty close. But I was sad. That night, my Mom could tell I was disappointed so she let me stay up late and play Nintendo for another hour. I remember, I turned to Super Mario Bros. 3.

on playing with action figures

• I vaguely remember the first couple of times that I played with action figures and imagined that they were fighting. On a related note, I remember at the dawn of imagining battles, my Uncle Dave played Army guys with me. We set them up and would take turns shooting down one guy at a time from the opposite army.

on Santa Claus

• I remember visiting Santa Claus and only being allowed to tell him 3 things that I wanted. I wanted a lot more than that, but my Dad said I could only tell him 3 things.
• When I asked my Dad if Santa Claus was real one Christmas, he told me he'd tell me later. That night when he tucked me in, he said that Santa Claus wasn't real...that he was the one who put the presents under the tree. "But I don't think Mom or Julie know," he said, "so let's keep it a secret." To this day, we still open presents from "Santa Claus" (fortunately, we have a baby in the family again, so it's not too pathetic!)

on my earliest memories

• I remember my carseats. In our blue car, I had an uncomfortable car seat. It never felt right. In our maroon stationwagon, the car seat was much more comfortable.
• One particular Sunday morning before church, my earliest tangible memory was learning that I shouldn't swallow the toothpaste...that I was supposed to spit it out. That was probably the reason I didn't feel good.

on holding hands

• In preschool one day, I made a girlfriend and we were holding hands in the hallway. I remember another kid saying something like, "Are you guys married or something." I told my mom about that later, and if I remember correctly, I was told to not hold hands with girls.

"Please come back"

It's not a good feeling, when you've got work hanging over your head for days on in, but you just can't find time to get it done. It's a college feeling, and not a good one. And now I'm experiencing it in the so-called real world as well. Booo...

That being the case, time to go back to work for a bit.

Things I'm excited about:
Visiting A-town soon
Pete Yorn on Saturday
Lost was really good tonight
Going to bed soon

"By way of California"

Listening to: Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
Reading: All about Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Associations or VEBAs
Watching: Amazing Race

Wishing I was: on a vacation...I really need one. Where's Spring Break when you need it?

Today was a good day. Mi ladi and I traversed the Oakland county landscape exploring just where Grand River would take us if we headed East through Farmington Hills for a Sunday Drive.

We found...a Coldstone as well as a very cool and huge Bargain Bookstore. I'm also pleased to announce that we found what will heretowefindanother be known as "our Mexican restaurant." It's a cute little place on the lake called OleOle Southwestern Restaurant and Bar. It features some darn good chips and salsa, and a good quesadilla (why isn't it spelled Kasadia?) and at the end of the day, all you really need is chips, salsa, & Kasadia. The caveat is that we also discovered at least 3 other Mexican restaurants during our Sunday drive within a 20 min. of our Novi apt. So we do have to try those before it becomes official-official.

"In the shape of something wild"

Listening to: Hot Child in the City
Reading: Psalms
Watching: Sex and the City - Season 3
Dreaming about: High School Basketball -- although Wilbe was in the dream as well -- I couldn't find my uniform before the last game ever, and Wilbe and Ricky both gave me keys that might let me into the shed that my uniform might be in.

I wonder if I'll ever have more "I am MasterChief Halo Dreams" -- Phil wasn't the only one...

Not too much is going on in the North. I have a b-load of work to do this weekend, so that sucks. By the way a b-load is maybe like 5+ hours, so it's not too bad...not even as bad as homework used to be...plus I'm compensated for it. But I still don't like it.

I think I missed my Indiana home this week more than ever. Maybe because it's been like a month since we've visited, which hasn't happened too often, or maybe because I know we're not coming home for at least another few weeks, or maybe because we've been gone for like 8 months now...but I sure do miss you all. I look forward to living in Indiana again someday. I just hope a few of our friends decide to stick around in Hoosierland. And if not, then we'll have a good time visiting you wherever you live.

And to think, immigrants came and never went back...not once.

Playing: NFL Street
Eating: Party Pizza
Drinking: Diet K (or whatever Kroger's brand is)
Snacking on: Reese's Pieces

"In a spell"

Rumor has it that one of Grandma Martin's cousins used to give ol' Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatara himself voice lessons. This cousin is still alive and lives in California. I find this interesting and hard to believe.

I'm not sure when I first got into the crooners of yesteryear, but I sure do like to put on some Frankie or Dean Martin when I'm relaxing.

They just don't sound the same today, what with their Rock music and their profanity...

(Said like a true elderly person.)

I found Puddy (from Sienfeld) funny on his new show Rules of Engagement yesterday when his wife was giving him a hard time about caring about the Knicks more than her and his response was "I haven't been cheering for you since I was five years old."

In other rambling...Lisa apparently had a funny run-in with a neighbor today who didn't enjoy being barked at by Grace. The fat old man with a cane looked to his wife and said, "Oh great, now I have to deal with a f*%$ing dog barking at me too." His wife says, "It's not my fault the f*%$ing dog is barking." Lisa who is about five feet away says, "I'm sorry, she must find you scary. Must be the cane."

Man, I love that girl!

"That I would be good"

If I wasn't a communication consultant what would I be? I think I would be a banker. I was offered a manager in training job at a Credit Union when I was a college senior. But I had to turn it down, because I had an interview with Mercer and wanted to hold out for that job. So if I wouldn't have gotten the Mercer job, my next step would have been to try HSBC (an international bank) as they had an opening for a loan officer position in Carmel. But the same day I found out about the HSBC opening, I found out that "things were looking good" for Mercer, but "you may want to think about Detroit."

Fortunately, the Metro Detroit area ain't a bad place to settle down with a wife and a dog.

Things I read everyday:
Entertainment Weekly
Headlines in the Wall Street Journal
40 - 70 e-mails at work
TV guide
Street Signs


Things I read almost everyday:
Yahoo News
Phil's Blog
Scott's Blog
Rogers' Blog
Shannon's Blog
Better Than Ezra Message Board
Alternative Addiction

Things I don't read very often at all:
Books
The Bible

How's that for priorities?

"Innocence slowly setting"

I suppose there's not much to say, but that hasn't stopped me from blogging in the past. Flemings is a great steakhouse. Lisa said it was the best "fancy" food she's had before. So that made for a nice date complements of my boss.

In other news, while we thought we were going to come home in 2 weekends (March 9-11), that is being pushed back another couple of weeks (23-25) due to Rogers' schedule at the Emergency Vet place. Let's hang out that weekend. What d' ya say?

The Oscars were a friggin marathon this evening, but it was pretty enjoyable. I don't know that I've ever laughed out loud during the Oscars like I did tonight during Ellen's monologue. And The Departed truly is a great movie. I'm glad it did well, although it's too bad the surprise Supporting Actor victor wasn't Mark Wahlberg because he rocked in that movie.

"Feelin Hot"

Not to take away from my other new post below, but I wanted to post this picture. It is of Me & Rogers at my recent office party. I like it...mi esposa es en fuego...

"The hours she's keeping"

If anyone wants to support a fellow Andersonian they should go to iTunes and download Jon McLaughlin's latest EP. I must say that I am quite fascinated by watching someone I had classes with climb the music industry's proverbial ladder to success. I think it's going to be pretty cool to hear him on the radio in the next 3 months or so. I also think it's cool that he apparently had Kevin Griffin lead singer of Better Than Ezra co-write at least one song on his upcoming album (after opening for BTE at Chicago's House of Blues in December). Unbelievable. It would be a dream to be a professional musician. Jon's coming back to the area in April, so Rogers and I should have a good time checking out that show and seeing Matt Wertz as well (he's the headliner). I'll say to him after the show..."hello Jon, this is my wife, you may remember her giggling as she walked by you at A.U. with her friend Shannon for no specific reason. Anyway, good show." Or something like that.

I've discovered that 8 hours goes by much quicker when you are not working (than when you are). Rogers had to work from 2 - 10 today and for some reason, I could not finish my work, workout, or watch a movie during that time. I, in fact, worked for about 3 hours, went to the library, played video games, finished making a cake, and ate some cheerios/fast forwarded through two episodes of American Idol. Time flies by, when you're not working.

So that's the news from Novi, where the women are sound asleep after a long day of working, the dogs are sound asleep after a long day of doing dog things (nothing) and the men are trying to decide what to do before going to sleep...

Tomorrow = Church + Steak Dinner

"The new pollution"

Good news. I was told today that I received a promotion -- the promotion that I was informed I was "recommended for" last December. So it was a long time matriculating, but it went through. I am now a Level E for what it's worth. The nice news that goes along with that is I receive a moderate percentage raise and am eligible for an annual bonus (each March). So there you have it. The icing on the cake. My boss gave me a $125 gift certificate to a fancy steak house up here, which was way beyond the call of duty. Did someone mention Filet Mignon this weekend? Or perhaps I'll go with the Scallops in Lobster Sauce...mmmm....why I haven't been to a Steakhouse since I polished off the ol' 32 ouncer at Santa Fe.

In other news, I'm addicted to NFL Street on the original XBox. It's not that great of a game, but I just want to finish beating every team before moving on to a real football game perhaps.

Listening to: The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Watching: Lost, Sex and the City, South Park
Reading: Articles about retirement because I write retirement newsletters (you can contribute $15,500 to your 401(k) this year folks -- if you do so, you'll be rich when you're 65. In the meantime, you can survive on the streets with bread and water...)
Thinking about: going to sleep
First things first: Check the bank account and pay a bill
Tomorrow night: Relax and party
Saturday night: Relax and party
Sunday: go to fancy steakhouse!

"A lot of hungry howlers"

I never successfully flew a kite. The one time I remember trying I was in second grade. I was in Mrs. Jackson's second grade class and in between learning cursive writing and playing with legos after finishing classwork, we took a field trip to Pulaski Park. The very same Pulaski Park that we have all driven by many times on 38th Street. A good place to shoot hoops with Andersonian-Mexicans, have a picnic or shag some flyballs in a church softball game. This field trip to Pulaski Park, we were all to bring a kite and fly it. I had myself a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kite. I imagine it was cheap. Seems cheap now that I think about it. But I can't blame the quality on what was really a lack of talent. I ran back and forth trying to get that kite to take hold and fly either 1) higher than ten feet off the ground or 2) after I had quit running. Either would have been fine with me. But my efforts were fruitless, leaving me now, precisely 15 years later disappointed that I never flew a kite. Someday. I'm still young.

"When they tap our Monday heads two zombies walk"

Nearly eight months into this Michigan adventure I've three things I'm very thankful for.

1) My wonderful wife. Today we celebrated Valentine's Day with a lazy day and a date out to Johnny Carino's one of our favorite restaurants. I'm so thankful to have Rogers in my life. She takes good care of our household. And we've got that special something that makes laughter and fun come easy when we're together.

2) Our friends. I miss you all a great deal. We'd love to have a bunch of you come visit (again for most) sometime. It's sad to know you're having a great time with each other and we're missing out. Don't take it for granted. Stay close to each other. We'll be around sometime in the next several weeks I imagine. The experienced ones say you make your friends for life in college. We're happy to have you guys and gals. And sorry, you're stuck with us. We'll be visiting you as you move around the country and back again.

3) My job at Mercer. The job brought us to Michigan, and I'm sure glad to be working for 'em (if not soooo glad to be in Michigan--although your neighbor to the North ain't too bad a place to live). The Company is a good place to invest a large part of my life. It's rewarding work mentally and financially and our time off policies are pretty generous, which is why I'm sleeping in on President's Day tomorrow. That being said, I'm taking a break from working right now, and plan on working at least a half day tomorrow. The job demands that I get my work done in certain time frames, but I'm free to do so at my leisure, which is nice. Plus we get to do work with huge companies that are in the news, so that is cool. (#3 was mainly dropped in to rub in the fact that we get president's day off)
------
That's the news from Novi, where the women are asleep, the men are working (and blogging) and the animals are pooping on the floor in the living room (either behind the table or next to the DVDs).

"Round here we always stand up straight"

So the snow has come and gone with only white ground remaining. The streets are clean. The commute still sucks clocking in at over an hour every morning recently. The drive home is much smoother.

Lisa worked from 3 - 10 on Valentine's Day and works from 3 - 10 both Friday and Saturday night, leaving ol' Berg here high and dry with nothing much to do. So I guess I'll do some work, workout a few times, play some NFL Street and wish she wasn't working. We're going out for Valentine's Day on Sunday instead.

But in other news, I do have off work on Monday for President's Day. Chew on that for awhile, muchachitos. This thought made me miss you all. After all, it's been 2 weeks since we've been home...it's time for a visit! Really, we probably won't be back down until sometime in March just for the heck of it. We'll see since Rogers is working fulltime now (see her Blog for more info).

Saving the best for last: I have a Nephew nick-named Toc (pronounced "toke"). For the past 1.5 years my sister and brother-in-law have been in the process of adopting a child from Guatemala. Today they received pictures of their child who was born on 12/31/06 just before the dawn of the Year of the High-Five. The boy's name is Jose Luis Toc Mejia, but he will become Preston ? Spires. I'm voting that the ? becomes Toc, but my vote doesn't count for much. And yes, I do think I like the name Jose Luis better than Preston (but let's keep that on the DL). Toc will come home sometime in the next 6 months. Also, I'm happy to note that I will now be referring to my nephew as Toc rather than "Gomez," which is what I called him for the past 1.5 years (even though I knew he was destined to become Preston).

The kid rocks. Look at that hat he's got! He's so cool.

"Everything communicates"

I read two of my friends blogs today, that spurred comment.

To Scott's reference to needing to get on ESPN, I once tried to get on ESPN with some good friends of mine. Heck, Ricker and Josh we're undoubtedly right there with me. At a Colorado Rockies game when there was a light snow falling from the sky, six fellas wrote GO SPEN on our naked chests. After Stephen got in the right place it read GO ESPN and the television camera was pointed right at us. I like to think I may have been on ESPN that day even though I'm 95% sure I wasn't.

To Phil's reference to feeling like me. I hope he loves this feeling. Sometimes it's a good feeling (when eating ice cream, for instance) and sometimes it's not (when topless in the snow, for instance). I will happily pretend that I did not notice any context around his statement.

Goodnight, friends.

(time to play some NFL Street and hit the hay as I've got an early morning tomorrow to get to work at a reasonable time)

"Weekend warrior"

The weekend that was consisted of Macaroni Grill takeout, sleeping in, grocery shopping, an oil change, one game of NFL Street, watching the Grammy's, going to an office party, eating a nice meal at the office party, ordering a pizza after getting up at 1 p.m. on saturday, going to church, watching "To Catch a Predator," watching Jackass 2, laughing a ton at Jackass 2, being amazed at how much Lisa loved jackass 2, repeatedly saying "They're really doing it" during Jackass 2, getting dressed up fancily for the party, going to Detroit in the evening, living it up like a weekend warrior should, working 45 min. after planning to work for a few hours...

Lisa starts her new job tomorrow morning. She has to sit in on an animal's heart surgery. Pray that she doesn't vomit at the site (and sight) of the blood.

Adios muchachos y mujeres. (I think I dreamed I was speaking Spanish well the other night. Sweet.)

"I'm sorry long days came"

The Colts my friends won the Superbowl. I would be remiss if I failed to mention it here. I'm glad I was able to watch it in the familiar home of Joshua Campbell's childhood thanks to his 4th (and most likely last) Annual Superbowl party. It was a great game with great results great food and great friends.

In other news, my wife, Rogers, returned home to Michigan on little sleep. I'm sure glad she's back. I missed her quite a bit.

It's been a busy week at work and I am tired. Saturday is the company's mid-Winter party (holiday party rescheduled to February). Let's hope it's a good time.

Currently Listening to: HelloGoodbye
Currently Watching: American Idol, Scrubs, The Office, My Name is Earl, Lost
Today's Commute: 1:15 going to work, 1:00 coming home (sucks)
Today's Dinner: Hungry Howie's Pizza

"Well done!"

In 7.5 hours, Rogers will be landing in Indianapolis. I can't wait. I miss my Boo, as Squatch would say. This is going to be an awesome day. Rogers finally comes home and the Colts are playing in the Superbowl. How much better could a day get?

Wii Sports - Tennis is the coolest thing ever.

And today I accomplished something that not everyone does in their short time on earth. I ate a 32 ounce steak! It took a good while, but I got that beast down and kept it there. Even got some Ritters on the way home. That my friends is a big piece of meat. 8 quarter-pounders anyone? Congrats to Wilbe and Felder as well. We all deserve a pat on the back for this...and well we got a T-shirt and a Polaroid, both of which are far better than a pat on the back, so I'm happy.

Best day ever right after a short nap.

"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

"Make it special"

Tomorrow the Rosenbergs shall celebrate Christmas. And a celebration it shall be. A full day of festivities. Tonight, a group of friends came together at "On the Boarder" to partake of delicacies found only in Mexico and the Souther United States of America. After indulging ourselves with the finer cuisine of the region, we journeyed to Rigsby's house to play the Nintendo Wii for a couple of hours. It was fun. I had a good time. I am very tired right now. In fact this may be the latest night post in quite some time. Now I will go to sleep. Happy Friday. It's almost 2007. Hide the kids. It's going to be a blowout of a year.

"I smile as I watch her walk by"

Well I heard back from the Wiley's and they said On the Boarder Thurs. night at 7 p.m. Let's do it. Look for a text message coming your way.

I'm enjoying my Sufjan Stevens "Songs for Christmas" during my vacation. What are you doing? Are you on vacation? We'll see ya'll tomorrow on the other side of the Michigan border.

Left: "All men guard their tortellini as the photographer threatens to throw pool balls at them."




Below: "Phil is angry, but Ricker will strike first"

Left: "Yea!"

Right: "Yea!"

"Life is waiting for you"

I just got back from the movie Rocky Balboa. I enjoyed it. If you like the first few Rocky's you'll probably like this one as well. I watched all of the Rocky movies with my family when I was a kid. My Dad bought the set for my Grandpa then our whole family watched them one-by-one. I remember always wanting to do push-ups and stuff after watching the movies, because the workout montages set to that song were always so inspiring. Anyhow, I enjoyed my visit to the local multiplex, although I was by myself.

I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas. I also hope to see some of you later this week. Give that special someone a hug today.

"Woke up this mornin' feelin' fine"

The first annual Rosenberg Christmas party was a huge success. Attendance was low (Rogers and Me), but the fun flowed freely. Lisa loved her Christmas presents and is especially excited about going to see Snow Patrol on 4-1. So while Clodfelder is in downtown Detroit watching Wrestlemania, we'll be about 50 steps away watching Snow Patrol. Personally, I think we got the better deal at $30 a pop.

We also ordered carry-out Macaroni Grill and watched Failure to Launch.

Now, we're off to Ohio for some time with the Martins. We'll see ya'll next week. George and Jenny wanted to go out next week, let's plan on it for Thursday night, the 28th. What do ya say?
In other news, the Songs and Albums of the year lists will soon be unveiled. I don't feel fit to do a movie list, because I missed so many great ones.

MC & HNY or HK or HH, if you celebrate those.


Here's the Rosenberg's 1st Tree...

"China dolls, candy corn"

Within the past two years, Rogers discovered that the word tender did not mean "hard." How an American girl grew up believing the word tender meant hard is beyond me, but this one did. Those who have heard this story, may remember that this caused a great deal of confusion for her when it came to others ordering their steak to be tender. She never knew why people would want hard steak to eat...

Today I learned another interesting tidbit regarding this misunderstanding. Apparently, because there are Christian worship songs that pose the worshipper asking for a tender heart, Rogers was also confused by this and speant her childhood asking God for a hard heart not understanding how that could be a good thing.

Rogers makes me laugh so much and not just because of moments like that. From her jokes to her misunderstandings or lack of knowledge surrounding geography and history to her laughter, I love that girl.

Today's funny line: "You could never go to prison!" -after I dropped the soap 3 times in the shower.

Merry Christmas. I may fit one more Blog in before D-25, but I'll be out of town so we'll see. Tomorrow Lisa and I are unwrapping presents with each other. I got her some good stuff so I can't wait for her to open them...(Note to Lisa: but I can wait until later tonight, so don't get any ideas!)

"Leave all our hopelessness's aside"

Well a lot has happened since the last post. I guess that's how those things go when you don't post every day. Joshua "Natural Beauty" Campbell and Keri Isabelle HopeSmile Trout married on Saturday in front of a couple of hundred people. It was a beautiful and fun wedding and I had the honor of being a co-better man with "Chard" Ray Lehman. What a great time to cap off two nights of Halo like the old days.

Then the illustrious Shannon Alien Sharp accompanied my wife Lisa "Laughs-A-Lot" Rogers and myself Andrew "The Israeli" Rosenberg back to Novi "No V Eye" Michigan where we ate good food had good fun and watched a good concert hosted by Imogen Heap. And yes it was a good concert. And yes you should check out this link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=-Fr02VGkoXQ or this: http://www.myspace.com/kidbeyond Kid Beyond the opener was unfrigginbelievable. He basically made Techno music with only vocals and looping. Even without the looping it was nuts.

So Lisa and I opened a Christmas present each today. I couldn't resist her pleading. And I'm glad I didn't as I now have a new Black Lab CD to listen to this week. Thanks, wo-man.

3 more days of work before party week!

"How to save a life"

L: "Are you trying to remember the lyrics?"

A: *Types*

L: *Laughs. Farts. Laughs some more.*

A: "So what if I am trying to remember the lyrics?"

L: *Refuses to talk and points at the screen to correct my punctuation.*

L: *Points at the word "punctuation" implying that it's spelled incorrectly*

A: "That's how you spell it."

L: "No it's not!"

A: *Types to catch up.*

L: *Farts. Farts. Long Fart. Laughter*

A: *Types above line.*

L: *Whispers* "You're embarrassing me."

"Egypt was troubled by the horrible asp"

Apparently, I'm headed to Chicago on Wednesday, just for the day. Seems like a waste of money, but that's the way it rolls. I'll get up at 5 a.m. leave home at 5:30 a.m. and return around 8:15 p.m. It'll be a long day, but not much longer than a lot of the days ol' King and Patrie used to put in down at the Steel Mill. Hopefully, they're not still keeping those hours. So it's finals week, and I've got no studying to do. Seems different. Don't miss the tests. Kind of miss the feeling. Hopefully, I'll have a similar feeling on December 22, when I'll have a good 10 days off and not much to do, but drive around visiting friends and family. Should be nice.

See y'all in a couple of days. Anybody, got any funny Josh C. stories to trigger my memory for the Toast this weekend. Me and Ricker have got some work to do!

Song of the Day: The Middle - Mat Kearney

"A homecoming Christmas"

Well the results are in:

We'll be back in Indiana from Dec. 28 through January 1. Should be a knock-out drag out good time. I head through the Facebook that George and Jenny will also be in town. Of course, Big N**s will be around. We should all get together. Maybe on Thursday 28 or Sat. 30. Of course, we should all get together on the 31st as well for New Year's Eve.

I'm excited about a short work week this week. 1/2 day on Thursday and we'll be heading home for Josh' bachelor party Thursday night.

We decorated our tree tonight. I'll try to get pictures up sometime soon. Oh and regarding flu shots, my work offers them, but I thought I would let the old people get them since there's probably a shortage somewhere in the world. That and the flu shots are for old people who wouldn't survive the flu if they got it. And perhaps most interesting at least 2 people at work that did get the flu shot either got sick or said they were feeling pretty badly about 1 week later.

Song of the Day: Kingdom Come - Jay Z

"Little mama"

It's been too long.

There is not much to say. Last night was my first corporate holiday party. Even better, it was the client party, which means Top Notch. There was a Mashed Potato Bar, Pasta Bar, Steak, Desert Bar, etc. all under the guise of "Heavy Hor D'eourves" What the heck is a "Heavy" hor d'eourve? Well apparently it's several different versions of full meals. It was fairly successful for me, considering I'm not too skilled at "working a room." I met a few clients, had a few good conversations. Perhaps even better, I talked with several people in the office that I hadn't speant much time with yet, so that was good.

Christmas is coming. The goose is fat. We've nearly finished our shopping. Next week is Josh's Wedding. Little JC is gone and getting hitched. By now, people should have received our Christmas card, and so I will post the Novi News on here for your reference, in case you did not get one. But I shouldn't do that just yet, because I think some are still on their way. Let's not get the go-round in front of the merry.

Do Andersonians have the flu? It seems like there's a lot of sickness in Michigan. And it's not just dogs anymore. It's hit people too.

"Show me what you got"

Well rather than travel home to Indiana tonight to view the pettySharp wedding tomorrow, Lisa and I stayed home due to dog gone ill. Lil' Grace was too sick to be boarded so a night in was in order rather than out in the cold wind, ice and snow.

So Curbside to Go from the Macaroni Grill and the Simple Life II was in order. Both were excellent. Not too mention that we saved like $8 dollars from ordering Curbside to Go rather than ordering in. Very nice.

You know the commercials where the bowling ball bounces on the matress next to the glass of wine? I think those are fake. I just don't see that happening successfully. My guess is the glass of wine is superimposed into the picture like this:

This is what I think would really happen after the first bounce!

Those are my thoughts for the day...

"Over the river"

Well, the rumors are true. Lisa and I will not be returning to Anderson for that petty Sharp wedding. This means two things to two people:

1) Phil - I'm still planning on coming to Ray LaMontagne. I'll drive down on Sunday afternoon assuming the weather is OK. Save my ticket!

2) Ricky - we need to plan Josh's Bachelor Party still this week. Let's finalize plans by next Monday. He said that Thursday would probably work best for him.

3) Everyone else - I'm sorry to have wasted your time. However, think of this as a prelude of what you'll read about later:

This Sat. - "Well, we didn't make it home, so this is what we did instead..."
Next Monday - "The concert was awesome..."
After Josh's Bachelor Party - "Halo was so much fun last night..."

"Jingle bells"

Rogers and I decorated our first Christmas tree today. Put it together and strung some lights. It was a nice time. I just finished watching the last few minutes of Indiana vs. Duke thanks to a recommendation from Mr. Wilbe. Too bad, IU had to lose. That made me miss playing Basketball. Man, I wish I could play every day like the good old days. If only I lived in a neighborhood with exactly 9 other guys who wanted to play basketball like 3 times a week and a gymnasium. That would be very convenient. Instead I'll probably continue not playing basketball. Fortunately, there's XBox Live so this doesn't happen to Halo also. For the record, basketball is much more important to me than Halo -- just not in the past few years.

"This simple country kind of life"

Two things have changed in the past couple of days (that affect Berg in unimportant ways -- since this is an umimportant blog this is the place to spread the news).

1. I'm back on AIM. And I mean the AIM that I use from home. I have AIM for work as well, but I use a different profile so as not to be distracted by amigos.

2. Lisa and I stumbled across the Simple Life Seasons 1 - 3 at Best Buy this weekend and decided to purchase all 3 for a total of $23 or something. Yes, that is like stealing. Too much funny for too little money. Who would have thought Lisa likes Paris as much as I do? What a gal. We didn't even know there were 3 Seasons on Fox. By episode 3, it was confirmed that Paris acts slutty. Notice my choice of words. This is no place for libelous discussion like "is a slut," but there's no doubt that she acts slutty.

And that's the News from Novi on this 27th day of November 2006 anno domini.

"Doctor, doctor won't you please prescribe me something"

Ah...what a nice weekend. And with still the Colts to watch tonight.

5 Great moments from Thanksgiving weekend:

5. Two movies in one weekend. It's been awhile since that's happened. But Casino Royale on Wednesday and Deja Vu on Saturday was pretty nice. Both were very good movies by the way with Casino Royale being by far the best Bond movie I've seen...but I've only seen about 5 of them.

4. Mint Brownies. After Lisa convinced me to leave whining messages about the necessity of Mint Brownies at Thanksgiving, my Mom came through and made the brownies...and they were good.

3. Long weekend. After leaving work at 2:15 on Wednesday, I have not yet returned. This is the longest break I've had from work since beginning and it has been good. Very good. I like staying out late and sleeping in late. It was truly a relaxing break.

2. Lisa & Family (Rogers and Rosenbergs). I had a great time all weekend with both Lisa's family on Thanksgiving and my family on several days. We even snuck in a game of Canasta with G&G Rosenberg that was fairly enjoyable...for Canasta.

1. Lisa drawing a thermometer in Pictionary with my family and my Mom yelling out while laughing, "It's a penis. It looks like a penis!" Other than this moment my Mom, sister, and Lisa seemed to have a magic connection in Pictionary guessing items that looked nothing like what was actually being drawn.

Honorable mentions go out to my first time playing the Wii, hanging out with Breneman for the first time in a long time, having a Thanksgiving Bonfire, playing Monopoly!!! and having a good ol' time with all those Townies and non-Townies that stuck around over the break.

Thanks for making it great amigos.

"With a grateful heart"

Tomorrow in the p.m. Mrs. Rogers/Rosenberg and I will head home for a weekend o' fun with family and friends. Or as I like to call it wfwff. That might be too many w's and f's for my wrestling-fan friends (or as I like to call them wffs) to handle. Who knows?

In the meantime, let's indeed do a dinner on Friday (IDDF) so that we can all hang out. Me and Rogers have been having too much fun recently. Too much fun. And that's just what the doctor ordered! I'm looking forward to seeing those of you who are Townies this weekend. And that means you adopted Townies (Wilbe/Philip/Keri/Ei) and original Townies (Shannon/Ricker/Josh/Leen). Ei-leen's in both because she's from Shelbyville which is fairly close. Others are missing, because I'm just not sure if they'll be around. Par with Courtney? Jason with Chubs? What, no one else reads this?

Cheers! & Happy Thanksgiving. Let's meet somewhere on Friday at 5:00? 6:00? Sometime Friday! Dinner on!

"Yeah yeah video games"

Anybody pick up the Herald Bulletin today? Check this out...


http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/local/local_story_323200323.html?start:int=15

I was quoted in an article called Waiting for Wii! Unfotunately, Blogger didn't want to cooperate with me putting up a picture. Oddly enough, the article indicates that I was in town on Saturday night playing Settlers of Catan with Vince as he and I waited for the Wii. I say oddly because I was nowhere near Anderson on Saturday night. I'm glad they spelled my name correctly and got my age right.

Anyone want to venture a guess at who would this imposter could have been?

For the record, I burst out laughing when I saw my name. Thanks for making me laugh from 250 miles away!

"Don't shoot it"

I've been in Chicago all week working my rear-end off. Thus I have been a non-blogger. Now I am back with my wife for our 8th year dating anniversary. Quite an accomplishment for a couple of 23 year olds. This anniversary was low key, but Lisa did make an amazing dinner for us. She's quite the cook, which neither of us expected as she didn't ever cook before we were married. I haven't had a bad meal yet. More importantly, I really love that girl. I'm so happy to be married. So happy to have our life together for the rest of our lives. It will truly be a Nerf Dart Gun Worthy Adventure all the way through.

"Too little too late"

Odd to think that if I printed out all of my Blog pages, it would probably be over 400 pages. I could fill books with this journal that 10-12 of my best friends read (and occasionally some other folks). Thanks readers.

I liked the story the other day that Lisa told me, when she was talking about Shannon being in Hawaii and how she could stop by to see Brian because they would be so close. This was in front of Shannon's family -- so fortunately Lisa caught herself and remembered that Alaska was not in fact close to Hawaii even though they look like they're next to each other on most US maps such as this one...

Keep in mind that Rogers only learned this within the past couple of years after Brian moved to Alaska. I'm sure she's not the only one. I maintain that she should be on Jaywalking - b/c it would be hilarious. I love that one.

Within the hour Mr. Tom Rogers and Ms. Angie Rogers shall arrive in Novi to see the apartment for the first time. Hopefully, we'll have a fun day or two.

Mon. - Wed. I'll be in Chicago living it up (a.k.a. working my rear-end off). Wish me luck and good times and safe flights. I usually don't have to think too hard to convince myself that my plane is going to crash even though deep down inside I know it won't.

"Lazy diamond studded flunkies"

It's odd, but I don't really know what to do with free time anymore. In the olden days (spring and before), I had a hard time deciding between playing Halo on Xbox Live or watching a movie or something. I still have the same problem deciding, only now none of these options seem so attractive. It's odd, because I love watching movies by myself, but it's not as great anymore. I guess when you get so used to being with someone, it's odd to be alone. Am I dependent? Perhaps we're becoming codependent. Given the circumstances, I think that's a good thing.

This train began rolling as I sat debating what to write about as the minutes tick by and I have roughly an hour to kill before I go to bed. So I check a few websites, put on some Bob Dylan (when I really want to listen to the Doors, but haven't put it on my computer and am too lazy to go get the CD) and type.

Tomorrow's Election Day. Although I think it important, I will not vote. I did not register yet (or get a new driver's license for that matter).

Lisa and I are going to be in Anderson quite a bit over the next month.
November 23 - 26
December 2-3
December 14-17
During Christmas week for at least a couple of days. It's going to be a busy month!

"Go, boys, go"

Yesterday, Lisa and I journeyed to the biggest football stadium in the country and watched Michigan (ranked #2 in the country) barely beat Ball State (ranked #245?) with 109,000 other people. It was a brisk day, that was only made up for to Lisa with Best Chinese in Ann Arbor just up the street from the game.

Football is definately a TV sport, as the replays and the much better view more than make-up for being there in person. However, for some reason, I still really want to get Colts Season tickets when we move back to Central Indiana down the road. Sure seems like a good idea. A set of 4 so I can go with a few fellas every other week each fall. We'll see if that happens.

For some reason, I always cheered for Michigan football from afar. I didn't really follow them too closely, but they were my favorite team. I remember cheering for Mercury Hayes in 1995.

Anyhow, with that game yesterday and the Colts tonight, it was good to cheer for two undefeated teams.

Tomorrow roughly marks 4 months at work. So far, so good. It's a good job. I'm enjoying it. Last week, I got to visit the headquarters of a very large automobile company for a meeting, which was cool.

"Loose talk of hearts and heads"

Things I've been thinking about: The gal on the left...

A darn good album...

I miss this place and some of my friends there...and that includes Jason (and non-profit drop-out Phil)

This is from a darn good movie I saw not too long ago...makes me want to watch more Christian Bale movies.

This show is entertaining albeit not really about anything...just kind of fun to watch.

I guess it's safe to say that I haven't been submerged in too many deep thoughts recently, as most of this is pop culture. But that's a Berg Blog for you.

"See I dream of many things"

Halloween 2006:

• Began with extensive debate about what to do for Halloween 2006 -- pass out candy if any kids come or just go out and have a nice evening away from a loud beep and climbing up and down the steps
• We opted to go out
• Although El Nibble Nook looked like it might be just the Mexican restaurant we were looking for, it turned out to be not too good and too expensive...boooo....
• Fortunately Coldstone was there to back it up
• In the meantime, we rented Saw II as Lisa had never seen either Saw, Saw I was out and I wanted to watch a scary movie like that fat chick in Legally Blonde wanted a hot dog.
• Lisa fell asleep during Saw II
• I woke up the next day and listened to Duncan Sheik's new Greatest Hits album all the way to work.
• But best of all for Halloween 2006, I got out of work one hour early which was awesome.

Not too much else to say right now. Perhaps I'll divulge more tomorrow. Peace.

"Our last days of silence, screaming, blur"

Today was my 6th funeral attended. Not too many for a child of 23. My sister's mother-in-law passed away last week. She lived about 30 min. north of us where Chris (my brother-in-law) is from.

So the Spires have stayed with us all week, which makes for a crowded house. But I'm glad we can be helpful to them.

But the funeral attended, was more just the funeral listened to, as Lisa and I were on Noel duty. Noel said about 30 seconds into the funeral that "She didn't want to be scared." She then started talking too loudly so we took her out and listened from the nursery through the rest of the funeral.

My parent's were in for a day as they brought Noel up who had been left at home before that. Anyhow, that's the news from Novi where the "women are strong, the men are good looking and the children are above average." Time to say goodnight for awhile...

Last movie watched: The Score (fell asleep half way through)
Last song listened to: Let Go - Frou Frou
Last TV show watched: Entourage
Last sporting event: Colts victory fast forwarded through on DVR
Last time I jumped on the bed: Monday with my niece to be repeated tonight

"Our work makes pretty little homes"

My work recently has been very interesting/exciting. I've been very happy to have had some different types of work including some with an Indianapolis client. Also, I'm working for different project managers, which is good and hung out with a few co-workers tonight. Not to mention free Redwings tickets for Rogers and me when a client backed out last night.

It's starting to feel at home. I'm starting to be more open and likely to go chat with people--I'm a bit hesitant as I'm very low man on the totem pool with people that have been consulting for years, not to mention that I don't know much about their various lines of work. That being said, I'm starting to come out of my shell a bit, I think.

My sister and Chris have been here nearly all week as his mother passed away yesterday. Chris grew up in Metro Detroit, so they've been staying at our house during this ordeal. Baby Noel will come be brought back up by my folks on Saturday. I suspect I'll write a lot about death one day. But not today.

"Born and raised in south Detroit"

Just a few quick points:

• Last weekend in Anderson was nice
• My sister and her family have been visiting because her mother-in-law is on what may become her death bed
• Lisa and I went to our first hockey game ever tonight...and first time in Detroit at night --- a good time was had by all
• When Jon Ross says "Mason" on the phone it sounds a lot like "Nathan," causing confusion for Rogers and I on whose mother was sick