Fancy Pictures

I recently got the program "Picasa" and I've been messing around with some photos and "enhancing" them. So I figured I'd put them on display.

In fitting with my "I love fall" claim, I love this photo. This is Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk in London.

A tour of the seasons. This over spring break this year when we got a lot of snow. I liked this path.

This is my most patriotic of pictures. The old Grain Exchange is on the wonderful corner of 4th and 4th in Minneapolis.

Here is my favorite wind farm just south of Rockford, IL. The colors are more prominent in this picture.

This is Andy when we biked up to Coon Rapids. We're at the dam looking over the Mississippi.

Andy and I went to fancy dinner and took a fancy photo by the fountain in Irving Park in St. Paul.

This is at some park area in San Francisco commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr. I think.

This is the controversial Weisman Art Museum. Though you have to admit, its metallic sheen reflects the setting sun beautifully.

This is Eddy Hall on the U of M campus during the spring break snow earlier this year.

I Love Fall!

I have to admit, fall is wonderful. It is the most wonderful season of the year. And I'm really happy that it's fall right now. I should specify, I love fall in Minnesota. I'm sure there are other places that have wonderful fall seasons; however, I have not experienced them. Fall in Dublin was not the spectacular event that it is here. So, in coming back, I've fallen in love with fall all over again.

First of all, I like sweaters. And I like layering. I like putting clothes on and being very clothed. In that sense, summer is bad because it's horridly hot and the goal is to wear as little as possible while still looking publicly acceptable. Some people fail at this. I fail in that I never know what to wear, so at times I end up too hot or too cold. This doesn't happen to me much in fall, mainly due to sweaters.

I'm going to admit my dorkiness before this next reason, I know what it sounds like and I've accepted that. Another reason I like fall is because I like school. I like starting new classes, buying new books and supplies, I like the feeling of hopefulness at the start of new classes.

That brings me to the next reason, fall is a symbol of newness. This may be counter intuitive, but generally it's the start of a new (academic) year. New classes/school, new clothes, new schedule, possibly a new job. This year it also meant a new house, in a new neighborhood, and a new way of living.

Fall is also a transition into the holiday season and my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. How can you be unhappy about that? Fall is just a great time of year and every time I go outside, I'm excited that it's fall.

Also, here are some fall fun time pictures:

Andy and I enjoying the company of Goldy the Gopher at the Como cookout.

Andy and I went pumpkin picking, and to get our $2 worth of entry fees, we picked dried corn off the ground and fed some pigs. They were quite happy about the deal.

Andy made friends with an adorable baby cow.

On the hay ride around the orchard.

Andy's pumpkin! We carved them the next day with Tony and Laura and had quite the time.

I'm Gassy

This may come as no surprise to most of you. If you're faint of heart, you might not want to continue reading.

Generally when I fart (pass gas), I'm simply happy that farts don't come in colors, that way no one knows that I just passed gas. Nowadays I want to leave the room, because it would be impossible for someone not to notice my horrid farts, despite being a clear gas.

When I finish this gallon of milk and my variety of yogurt and cheeses I'm going to do a bit of experiment and not drink/eat animal-based milk-based products for awhile and see how things go.

I want one of these!

Smart Car! So small! So cute! So efficient!

A Less than Wonderful Start to the Year

On September 1st I moved into a new house with 3 new roommates full of anticipation and excitement at the coming final semester of classes. On September 2nd my new house was broken into and my laptop and camera stolen. This made me less than pleased.

Whoever did the breaking in must have been desperate (and pathetic) because they broke the glass on our door with their hand and then subsequently bled in big spots all over the house. This is my only consolation, that whoever did this is now seriously hurt. For all those in the area, look for someone with a cut up hand. We are thinkin it would be the right hand based on the location of the blood spots. The presence of the Minneapolis Crime Lab at the house got us all in a CSI mode. That was the only cool thing about the break in.

So now I don't have pictures, a camera, a laptop, notes from Ireland, or a case to put a new camera in. I also don't feel quite comfortable at night yet, despite the break-in happening in broad daylight. We've gotten motion sensor lights and PVC piping to keep the windows closed and new locks for the screen doors. But I still feel vulnerable. It seems like we're in the same position as before and someone just as desperate (and stupid) could do this all over again.

I do appreciate my friends for supporting me after all this. It truly sucks and I'm sure it will happen to others as school gets back into session.

Speaking of school. Today was the first day of classes at the University. As odd as some may think it is, I like school, I like class, and I was very disappointed that on my first day of class in my ONLY class, my professor didn't show up. As of this posting, I still don't have an email from the professor explaining himself, appologizing, or even giving me back my money for sucking. Hopefully this doesn't become habit, as I expect to leave this institution with an education.

On a good note, I found Ben and Jerry's coupons in the Minnsota Daily's Survival Guide and I fully expect to use them now. It's 92 degrees today and my house doesn't have air conditioning, so I need anything cold I can get.

Back Home Again in Indiana

Saturday morning Andy, Pete, and I got up excruciatingly early to take a train trip down to Indiana to visit my family. Andy was more than excited for the train and was practically giddy by the time we boarded. Turns out, trains are really fun to take. Sure, it's a longer trip. But you can get up and walk around to stretch, go visit the observation car or the dining car, AND you get a seat with more room than first class on an airplane. Plus, you don't have to buckle in. The trip into Chicago was mildly uneventful and relaxing.

Chicago itself was busy. Union station was packed with people and no one knew where to go or what to do. The three of us managed to get outside to grab some food down the street and check out the Sears Tower. After that we stood in a long and confusing line, and then hopped on the train to LaFayette. This leg of the journey promised to be even more uneventful as the three of us were not sitting together. However, just outside of the second stop our train hit a car. We were stopped for about an hour, and thankfully the driver managed to walk out of the car alright. It was a bit jarring to be apart of that experience though. We finally made it home in time for some good, old fashioned sleep.

Sunday we enjoyed a lunch with Grandpa, Jean, Mary, and Dale. It was a delicious cook out with corn, green beans, burgers, and tomatoes picked from the garden. Later Pete and Andy went four wheeling as I walked around in the woods and was generally fearful for their safety. Pete managed to make it all the way across the abandoned railroad bridge. A feat that no other guest has accomplished. After dinner at the Overpass, we three enjoyed a friendly game of Boggle and unknowingly expanded our vocabulary.

Today it was raining pretty hard, so we ditched plans for kayaking and canoing in the Wabash for some drier activities. We drove out to Indianapolis for a tour of the speedway and a look through the museum. Then we wandered through Circle Center and saw what a mall in the downtown of a city is supposed to be like. After that we dined at the Alcatraz Brewhouse and drank home made beers. Yum! On the way home we stopped for some ice cream and took a hike through the woods to the infamous location of my four wheeling accident. It doesn't look like too many people have traveled through there recently.

At the moment we're enjoying a relaxing bit of reading in the sun room. I'll add pictures when I get them uploaded.

The Bridge Fell Down

Today the 35W bridge by my apartment collapsed into the Mississippi. Andy's mom called to tell him that a bridge had collapsed, we turned on the news to see it was the bridge that was a block away. Andy had just arrived too, coming over the bridge next to the one that collapsed. Thank goodness we take the 10th Avenue bridge daily, and not 35W. I didn't even hear the collapse, but that's probably because I live in a fortress, and on the first floor. Our lights did flicker though. So far everyone I know is OK, and I'm thankful that we had some people over when it happened.

I do appreciate all of the calls and texts from people concerned about me. My sympathies are with those who have been lost and injured from the collapse.

Thankfully, I don't travel on the interstate usually. I'm a bit worried about how traffic is going to be affected because of this. It's going to be really bad in my area now, since most people will take the 10th Ave bridge that goes right next to 35W. Biking around is going to be more unpleasant now, I'm guessing.

Two more things in response to things I've heard and read about this. This is NOT an act of terrorism. And I'm sure we can't blame the mayor for not giving us enough transportation funding, since there was work being done to the bridge.

For more information go here, and surprisingly here.