I really dig all the new names around here and anyone is welcome to post a comment on my site, with one exception: no pay site ads. Half the time, I don't know if it is spam or if it is actually someone leaving a real comment and plugging their own commercial site. For this reason I ask anyone leaving a comment to please not plug any commercial sites, lest your comment be deleted forthwith. If you want to increase traffic at your site, by all means leave a link to your site, I would be happy to see it. I will probably follow the link to your page and check it out as well!
Fish
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Wendy's for lunch...
I had Wendy's for lunch today. Somehow, when you spend ten minutes looking for a restaurant, it makes the food better. Maybe it was also due to the fact that they also have a new menu item that I dig? They now sell Frostys (chocolate shakes, if you have never had one) that you get to dump M&Ms or other candies into, kinda like a DQ Blizzard, only cheaper.
One thing that really made my lunch special today was the fact that Karen and James joined me for lunch. I like living close to work. :) I got to share my lunch with James, my drooling baby St. Bernard. I don't know how he can stand drooling all the time, half of the time his shirt is soaking wet from all of the slobber.
Which bring me to my next question, why doesn't baby slobber smell like slobber? Adult slobber is stinky, baby slobber is more like water - it's not stinky. Weird...
One thing that really made my lunch special today was the fact that Karen and James joined me for lunch. I like living close to work. :) I got to share my lunch with James, my drooling baby St. Bernard. I don't know how he can stand drooling all the time, half of the time his shirt is soaking wet from all of the slobber.
Which bring me to my next question, why doesn't baby slobber smell like slobber? Adult slobber is stinky, baby slobber is more like water - it's not stinky. Weird...
Monday, September 26, 2005
James' a walkin'!
James is walking! He took his first few clumsy and precious steps on his own today! It was freakin' awesome! I love that little boy so much, and I am so proud right now! Thank you, God!
In other news, we got the paint sandblasted off of the brick on the front of the house, and it looks much better. If you want to see the latest, just follow the link on the previous post and look for the updates file. The pictures also show the new ceramic tile entryway and the upstairs bathroom vanity after the silver paint was removed.
In other news, we got the paint sandblasted off of the brick on the front of the house, and it looks much better. If you want to see the latest, just follow the link on the previous post and look for the updates file. The pictures also show the new ceramic tile entryway and the upstairs bathroom vanity after the silver paint was removed.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Pictures and stuff.
Karen set up a web site for us with some pictures of us and our new house. Here it is: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/karenperidot/my_photos
The most recent file is the one called "house pictures".
The most recent file is the one called "house pictures".
Telemarketers get theirs, again.
Since we moved to a new area and we are not on the "do not call list" yet, we get about two to three telemarketers a day, most of them selling either home security systems or water systems. Karen has gotten tired of them and she ahs begun to mess with them, just a little. Here is the conversation that I overheard yesterday. I will only post one side of the conversation, since that is all that I could hear.
"Hello?"
"Yes, this is Mrs. Kyyyyoooooooogalurrrrr."
"No, thank you, we don't need a home security system, we don't even lock our front dooor half the time."
"No, it's okay, my husband actually likes walking around the house at three A.M. in his boxers with his Louisville slugger every time we hear a noise in the middle of the night. He really does."
"Did you just say booglar? What the heck is a booglar? Bwahhahahaa! Do you mean a burglar? No, we are definitely not worried about booglars, have a good day, bye-bye now."
I fell over laughing after that one. Karen is my hero.
"Hello?"
"Yes, this is Mrs. Kyyyyoooooooogalurrrrr."
"No, thank you, we don't need a home security system, we don't even lock our front dooor half the time."
"No, it's okay, my husband actually likes walking around the house at three A.M. in his boxers with his Louisville slugger every time we hear a noise in the middle of the night. He really does."
"Did you just say booglar? What the heck is a booglar? Bwahhahahaa! Do you mean a burglar? No, we are definitely not worried about booglars, have a good day, bye-bye now."
I fell over laughing after that one. Karen is my hero.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
I knew it!
I told them what to do much earlier this week, and they should have listened. I knew what I was talking about and I was right. I stayed three hours after work today to come to the conclusion that I was right the first time. I may be new here, but I am smarter than the average godzilla, darnit.
There, I vented and I feel much better now, since I can't say it to anyone at work. They all went home at normal time and they stopped answering their cell phones long ago.
There, I vented and I feel much better now, since I can't say it to anyone at work. They all went home at normal time and they stopped answering their cell phones long ago.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
James the Guilty
The police came to our house in response to a call to their emergency 911 center. James did it. He called the cops on us. My little 14-month old buddy really called 911 and made the police come to the house. Karen was horribly embarassed, and I was at work so I didn't get to see it. Oopsie. Sorry about that, Overland Park police department, we really didn't mean to waste your time. Karen knew we were in trouble when she hung up the phone that James had been playing with and it started ringing. The police apparently have to pay a visit to your house when you call them, even if you assure them that there is no reason for them to do so. When the police got here, Karen told the officers, "Here's the culrit. Take him away and lock him up!" James grinned and drooled, somehow lacking any remorse for what he had done.
James still says "boobies" every once in a while, but his favorite word is definitely "lights". He points out all types of lights and announces their presence wherever we go. He is especially comical on the highway as we pass under the streetlights, all of them are individually announced, one at a time. By the time we get to where we are going, we are trying to guess the next time he is going to say it, laughing the whole time. "Lights, lights, lights..."
James still says "boobies" every once in a while, but his favorite word is definitely "lights". He points out all types of lights and announces their presence wherever we go. He is especially comical on the highway as we pass under the streetlights, all of them are individually announced, one at a time. By the time we get to where we are going, we are trying to guess the next time he is going to say it, laughing the whole time. "Lights, lights, lights..."
Monday, September 19, 2005
It's about time...
After a brief hiatus from blogging, I thought that I should get back to it again and put out a new posting. We have begun the update of the house and spent most (okay, we really spent it all) of our money. We put in a ceramic floor in the half bat and hallway, and Karen's Parents helped us out by completing several projects for us. The spare upstairs bath has a new look, the silver paint is gone from the front of the vanity. The room that used to look like an easter egg is now a beautiful and stately off-white color, and closet doors have been installed where they were once missing. I have to figure out how to post pictures on the blog so I can show you the progress that we have been making. There will be a short break in the remodeling action while we wait to see if we can pay the bills this month. :) I like that game, there is never a dull moment.
On a side note, my new job is amazingly difficult. I bet that there are CEOs that have easier days than I do. My job is much, much more of a challenge than I ever expected. Oh well, I will eventually get to the point where I can do it well and do it quickly, in about three years. To be honest, nothing ever slows me down, and I almost never stress about anything. Scottie can definitely attest to this, he saw me in action in school. This job has really got me stressing hard. I didn't sleep from last Wednesday until Saturday night because I was so freaked out and worried about sinking the company like a lead balloon. That is very out of charater for me, to say the least. It has got to get easier, or I will go nutso, pronto. One thing that made me feel much better about the job was that I talked to the guy who retired from the job, and he gave me some pointers and some hints on how to make it a little more bearable. He also told me that we will occasionally have orders that we can't meet, and we will occasioanlly make the customers mad. It actually made me feel much better to hear that after many years of doing the job that he still had challenges. That was the major reason that I was able to sleep on Saturday night, since I was finally able to stress out a little less after talking to the vetran scheduler. I am confident that things will eventually get easier, but it is hard as hell right now and I am really struggling.
Karen and James are doing very well so far. They make me happy and proud, all the time. :)
I hope you are all doing well! Have a great week, just in case I don't get back to the blog right away!
Fish
On a side note, my new job is amazingly difficult. I bet that there are CEOs that have easier days than I do. My job is much, much more of a challenge than I ever expected. Oh well, I will eventually get to the point where I can do it well and do it quickly, in about three years. To be honest, nothing ever slows me down, and I almost never stress about anything. Scottie can definitely attest to this, he saw me in action in school. This job has really got me stressing hard. I didn't sleep from last Wednesday until Saturday night because I was so freaked out and worried about sinking the company like a lead balloon. That is very out of charater for me, to say the least. It has got to get easier, or I will go nutso, pronto. One thing that made me feel much better about the job was that I talked to the guy who retired from the job, and he gave me some pointers and some hints on how to make it a little more bearable. He also told me that we will occasionally have orders that we can't meet, and we will occasioanlly make the customers mad. It actually made me feel much better to hear that after many years of doing the job that he still had challenges. That was the major reason that I was able to sleep on Saturday night, since I was finally able to stress out a little less after talking to the vetran scheduler. I am confident that things will eventually get easier, but it is hard as hell right now and I am really struggling.
Karen and James are doing very well so far. They make me happy and proud, all the time. :)
I hope you are all doing well! Have a great week, just in case I don't get back to the blog right away!
Fish
Friday, September 02, 2005
New house of boxes...
We are in a crazy sea of boxes. I thought that I was no longer a pack rat, but this move has shown me that I still have way too much stuff. Karen and I are going to purge and purge like never before. The local goodwill store is going to be overrun with Mr. and Mrs. Fish's stuff. I can't stand all of the garbage that we have, it is driving me nuts. The garage and the basement here are not big enough to hold all of our crap and I am not going to put in a shed just to have more storage space.
Anyone need anything? I have lots of stuff if you need anything, just let me know! Shipping might even be free! What do you need?
Sleeping in one's own bed is a beautiful thing.
BTW, one of my nice new neighbors has a fast unsecured wireless connection, which I am using. Thank you new neighbor for allowing me free access to the internet!!
I found out that I can also get a 1.5 Mbps DSL for only 19.95 a month. That is nuts. That is cheap enough that I might even get my own connection instead of being a freeloader.
Anyone need anything? I have lots of stuff if you need anything, just let me know! Shipping might even be free! What do you need?
Sleeping in one's own bed is a beautiful thing.
BTW, one of my nice new neighbors has a fast unsecured wireless connection, which I am using. Thank you new neighbor for allowing me free access to the internet!!
I found out that I can also get a 1.5 Mbps DSL for only 19.95 a month. That is nuts. That is cheap enough that I might even get my own connection instead of being a freeloader.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Quick funny
Karen and James and I went out for ice cream the other day. I decided to sit on one of the bar stools in the ice cream parlor to eat my ice cream. I actually sat and spun around on the bar stool until I made myself feel sick. Am I a child or what?
New house day!!
I get to buy my new house tomorrow. Nothing like spending all my money to get me all exctied!!
They say that I am "weird" at work, because I eat "weird stuff". I bring in fresh blueberries, and no one wants any, or they try them and say they're weird. They said that the fresh berries taste nothing like the blueberries in blueberry muffins. I bring in organic breakfast cereal for a snack and no one will try it. I bring in dried organic fruit and no one wants to try that either. This is weird. I equate organic stuff with quality and good taste, the people that I work with equate it with weird stuff that hippies eat. My secretary asked me if I remembered to bring in my twigs and berries for breakfast today. For the record: I like my twigs and berries. :)
They say that I am "weird" at work, because I eat "weird stuff". I bring in fresh blueberries, and no one wants any, or they try them and say they're weird. They said that the fresh berries taste nothing like the blueberries in blueberry muffins. I bring in organic breakfast cereal for a snack and no one will try it. I bring in dried organic fruit and no one wants to try that either. This is weird. I equate organic stuff with quality and good taste, the people that I work with equate it with weird stuff that hippies eat. My secretary asked me if I remembered to bring in my twigs and berries for breakfast today. For the record: I like my twigs and berries. :)
Friday, August 26, 2005
Lost post...
It seems that blogger likes to lose my posts. I actually created another post, but it disappeared. That makes me mad that I took the time to write something and now it is gone. Darnit! I wonder if it was my connection and not blogger at all?
A few random happy thoughts:
Only a few days left until we are in our new home! I get my stuff back and I get to sleep in my own bed again soon!!!
James said "boobies" right after did tonight, and it made me laugh a lot. I really have to watch what I say in the future.
Car closure...
I went to look at cars the other night and I found that they are beautiful, but I would rather have a new baby in the house. Babies are much more beautiful. I can happily drive my silver streak until the wheels fall off. I decided that my car really does not determine my self worth, so I don't need a sweet ride regardless of whether or not I can afford it. It is a poor investment that will cost me plenty of money and probably not make me any happier.
A few random happy thoughts:
Only a few days left until we are in our new home! I get my stuff back and I get to sleep in my own bed again soon!!!
James said "boobies" right after did tonight, and it made me laugh a lot. I really have to watch what I say in the future.
Car closure...
I went to look at cars the other night and I found that they are beautiful, but I would rather have a new baby in the house. Babies are much more beautiful. I can happily drive my silver streak until the wheels fall off. I decided that my car really does not determine my self worth, so I don't need a sweet ride regardless of whether or not I can afford it. It is a poor investment that will cost me plenty of money and probably not make me any happier.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Awwww Yeah!
Okay, I just got back from Chipotle. That place rocks like no other place I know of. The food was good, actually it was very good, it was fast, it was cheap, and it was healthy too! I will be back soon! It may become our new favorite fast-ish food. All-natural vegetable ingredients and free range meats sound good to me, yo!
Only 5 days to go until we get our house!!!! We are totally excited, we can't wait!!!
I still like my job, but it seems like it may not be the walk in the park that I had originally imagined. The stuff that I do takes a ton of time, and it seems like I have so much other stuff to do that it makes my job very difficult. I have to sit through multiple meetings every day and help brainstorm for projects and soak up as much info as I can. I end up working a lot of long hours and spending a lot of time doing things other than the work that I need to get done. (not to mention that I would rather be at home playing with Karen and James (aka Naked Raygun)) I guess that's why they pay me, to do that whole "work" thing.
Only 5 days to go until we get our house!!!! We are totally excited, we can't wait!!!
I still like my job, but it seems like it may not be the walk in the park that I had originally imagined. The stuff that I do takes a ton of time, and it seems like I have so much other stuff to do that it makes my job very difficult. I have to sit through multiple meetings every day and help brainstorm for projects and soak up as much info as I can. I end up working a lot of long hours and spending a lot of time doing things other than the work that I need to get done. (not to mention that I would rather be at home playing with Karen and James (aka Naked Raygun)) I guess that's why they pay me, to do that whole "work" thing.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Tuesday night blogginess...
I really want to moan about stuff, but I will spare you. Suffice to say that I now know that I am not getting a new car. Waaaaaaaahhhhh!!! I want my Infinity G35 now!!! I am such a whiner, it's terrible. Instead of whining, I should be happy with what I have. Perhaps it is human nature to always want more, and never to be completely satisfied. I don't mean that last statement entirely, there are aspects of my life that are absolutely fulfilling and do not leave me wanting more.
When I was in school, I was completely content with mediocrity. I wasted a ton of my time doing nothing but being lazy. I was pretty much a bum all the way through college. Now that I am an adult, my motivation is completely different. I strive to go farther and do more than expected. I love to shake things up a bit and try to make things better. I want to impress people and earn the respect of my coworkers. Mediocrity drives me nuts, and ineptitude make me insane. I really want my family to have an easy life, but still know the value of hard work. I don't want to be wealthy in anything but love and happiness, but I don't want to have to struggle, either.
I guess that is my giant thought for the day. I skipped out on blogging yesterday because Karen and I went for a really long walk to panera bread for dinner. Panera food apparently gives us both horrendous gas. I had wretched foul gas all day today and I was trying like mad all day to not share it with my coworkers. I had to venture out into the plant (the production area is massive) a million times to do a little "crop dusting" to dissipate my foulness. It was the only way I could "crop dust" and not get caught. I think gas is hysterical, but I am afraid that my new coworkers might not appreciate my sense of humor. I think I managed to make it through the day without any accidental gassings, but I am not sure. My coworkers probably don't know me well enough to say things like, "Dude, did you let one? It smells like a rotten egg factory in here!"
When I was in school, I was completely content with mediocrity. I wasted a ton of my time doing nothing but being lazy. I was pretty much a bum all the way through college. Now that I am an adult, my motivation is completely different. I strive to go farther and do more than expected. I love to shake things up a bit and try to make things better. I want to impress people and earn the respect of my coworkers. Mediocrity drives me nuts, and ineptitude make me insane. I really want my family to have an easy life, but still know the value of hard work. I don't want to be wealthy in anything but love and happiness, but I don't want to have to struggle, either.
I guess that is my giant thought for the day. I skipped out on blogging yesterday because Karen and I went for a really long walk to panera bread for dinner. Panera food apparently gives us both horrendous gas. I had wretched foul gas all day today and I was trying like mad all day to not share it with my coworkers. I had to venture out into the plant (the production area is massive) a million times to do a little "crop dusting" to dissipate my foulness. It was the only way I could "crop dust" and not get caught. I think gas is hysterical, but I am afraid that my new coworkers might not appreciate my sense of humor. I think I managed to make it through the day without any accidental gassings, but I am not sure. My coworkers probably don't know me well enough to say things like, "Dude, did you let one? It smells like a rotten egg factory in here!"
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Oops, we're broke again...
For anyone who thinks that discussing money matters is impolite, ya might wanna skip the old blog for a day.
I spent myself into a corner again. We knew the house that we picked out was going to need a little bit of updating and repair. I guess we had no idea how much this little rehab project was going to cost. I figured it would be a few thousand at most. So far, we bought the lights for the exterior of the house and we are almost half way through the first thousand bones.
Here are a few (there are actually many other minor ones that don't bear mentioning) projects that we are going to undertake:
1. Repaint several interior rooms and ceilings. (fairly cheap, maybe $200)
2. Replace all the light fixures in the kitchen (not half as cheap as I thought, probably $300 or more)
3. Replace the siding (holy crap is this stuff expensive, it looks like many thousands can go here... this alone goes over my previously imagined version of a budget)
4. Add soil to bring up the grade level on the outside of the house (dirt cheap, har har har, maybe $50 to $100)
5. Rewire the basement fixtures and install GCFI outlets in all of the requisite spots (about $100)
6. Lay ceramic tile the entryway from the garage and tile two bathroom floors (maybe $400 to $500, if I can borrow or rent a wetsaw)
7. Replace the old wood garage doors with insulated steel doors (more thousands here, I was thinking one, but it now looks like it is closer to two thou)
Holy crap.
It appears to me that many of these projects will be pushed back until we have managed to save up enough money to complete them. As much as starvation sounds like a party to me, Karen and James think that it might be a bad idea.
On a much lighter note, Karen and James and I went down to the pool today to play and James really dug the waterfall. He spent close to twenty minutes smacking the falling water and giggling. Good times!
I spent myself into a corner again. We knew the house that we picked out was going to need a little bit of updating and repair. I guess we had no idea how much this little rehab project was going to cost. I figured it would be a few thousand at most. So far, we bought the lights for the exterior of the house and we are almost half way through the first thousand bones.
Here are a few (there are actually many other minor ones that don't bear mentioning) projects that we are going to undertake:
1. Repaint several interior rooms and ceilings. (fairly cheap, maybe $200)
2. Replace all the light fixures in the kitchen (not half as cheap as I thought, probably $300 or more)
3. Replace the siding (holy crap is this stuff expensive, it looks like many thousands can go here... this alone goes over my previously imagined version of a budget)
4. Add soil to bring up the grade level on the outside of the house (dirt cheap, har har har, maybe $50 to $100)
5. Rewire the basement fixtures and install GCFI outlets in all of the requisite spots (about $100)
6. Lay ceramic tile the entryway from the garage and tile two bathroom floors (maybe $400 to $500, if I can borrow or rent a wetsaw)
7. Replace the old wood garage doors with insulated steel doors (more thousands here, I was thinking one, but it now looks like it is closer to two thou)
Holy crap.
It appears to me that many of these projects will be pushed back until we have managed to save up enough money to complete them. As much as starvation sounds like a party to me, Karen and James think that it might be a bad idea.
On a much lighter note, Karen and James and I went down to the pool today to play and James really dug the waterfall. He spent close to twenty minutes smacking the falling water and giggling. Good times!
Friday, August 19, 2005
Weekend!
Well, it's the weekend. We had a great inspection and we are on our way to buying our next house! I have to say this (buying and selling a house) has been more than a little stressful, and I am glad that it is almost over. We can't wait to get into our house and start making it ours. The current interior lights look like they came from a sailboat, and the exterior lights look like they came from a dentist's office in 1970. Very strange... We are asking Santa for Home Depot cards for Christmas so we can make our new house look like our home, instead of a funky modernistic fashion statement gone wrong.
Did I mention that our bathrooms are painted silver? Our kitchen has been splatterpainted, too. Ewwwww...
Other than a little siding repair and some re-decorating, the house is wonderful, and we can't wait to move in!! Pictures will be posted soon!!
Did I mention that our bathrooms are painted silver? Our kitchen has been splatterpainted, too. Ewwwww...
Other than a little siding repair and some re-decorating, the house is wonderful, and we can't wait to move in!! Pictures will be posted soon!!
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Home Inspection Friday!!
Tomorrow is home inspection day!! I really hope it goes well. If it goes poorly, this is the last chance that we have to walk away from this house. If there is a whole ton of problems with this house, we are back to square one, looking for a house again. I hope that doesn't happen, there are no other houses available in the area that we want to live. I know that the house needs some minor siding repair, which I can handle, I just don't want to hear that the house needs $10K to get it in tip-top shape.
IT'S PAYDAY!! I like payday, it always makes me a little happier, even though I never get to actually touch the money. I got a raise to move out here, so it was even nicer to see a little extra money today. Most of it will go toward the new house each month, but I am okay with that.
Here is the really fun part, the home inspection tomorrow is at noon. I have to leave work early to observe and participate in the inspection. The inspection will last for somewhere around three hours. Once the inspection is over, our weekend begins!!! I should be on weekend time around 3:00 tomorrow!!! I have been working fairly long days trying to get up to speed at my new job, so the early start to the weekend is a really, really nice thing.
Just in case I don't post tomorrow, I wish all of you a happy and healthy weekend!!
IT'S PAYDAY!! I like payday, it always makes me a little happier, even though I never get to actually touch the money. I got a raise to move out here, so it was even nicer to see a little extra money today. Most of it will go toward the new house each month, but I am okay with that.
Here is the really fun part, the home inspection tomorrow is at noon. I have to leave work early to observe and participate in the inspection. The inspection will last for somewhere around three hours. Once the inspection is over, our weekend begins!!! I should be on weekend time around 3:00 tomorrow!!! I have been working fairly long days trying to get up to speed at my new job, so the early start to the weekend is a really, really nice thing.
Just in case I don't post tomorrow, I wish all of you a happy and healthy weekend!!
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
What would you do?
I find myself wondering if I would like to read my own blog, and why I would read it. The truth is that I don't really know. I like reading about the story of other people's lives, so I might read my blog, but I might only read it once and never stop by again. I almost feel like I haven't spent much time putting a lot of thought into what I have written so far. I think I will spend more time thinking instead of being such a prolific writer. I feel like I haven't talked about anything that I am passionate about, and I really haven't tried to be as witty or humorous as I think I should.
Maybe I just love to babble? Yeah, that's probably it.
Today's update on my new job: I learned one small slice of my scheduling job and it was fairly challenging. I may be in for a rough few weeks until I get it all figured out.
Karen and I have been watching this TV show called "going tribal". It's about a guy who goes out in the middle of the jungle to live with different totally isolated groups of people and tapes his interactions with them. It is a quite good show, very funny and interesting, we both dig it. Give it a watch if you get the chance, it is really entertaining. It's on the Discovery channel, but I don't know what time it's on. I think it comes on Tuesday nights at 9 or so.
Maybe I just love to babble? Yeah, that's probably it.
Today's update on my new job: I learned one small slice of my scheduling job and it was fairly challenging. I may be in for a rough few weeks until I get it all figured out.
Karen and I have been watching this TV show called "going tribal". It's about a guy who goes out in the middle of the jungle to live with different totally isolated groups of people and tapes his interactions with them. It is a quite good show, very funny and interesting, we both dig it. Give it a watch if you get the chance, it is really entertaining. It's on the Discovery channel, but I don't know what time it's on. I think it comes on Tuesday nights at 9 or so.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Kansas City Life
Kansas City is a big city; it has nice parts and it has yucky parts just like all the other big cities. On the whole, it is a generally a very nice city. I actually like it much better than I like Chicago. The population is small enough and the infrastructure is large enough that the traffic is really not bad most of the time. KC has slow-downs and accidents, but they are pretty tolerable. Kansas City has a highway that goes all the way around the metro area, just like Indianapolis. The highway makes it somewhat easy to get around without having to take surface streets that would make a long trek really tedious.
KC is famous for babeque, and they do indeed like their barbeque. As far as I have seen, they like the "wet" barbeque sauce method more than the spicy dry-rub barbeque, or a combination of the two. I actually prefer the dry-rub barbeque without the sauce so that I don't have to endure the copious amounts of sugar in the average barbeque sauce, but the food out here is excellent nonetheless. I have yet to find bad food here, and I have been to several barbeque places in the past few weeks. They also have all of the normal places that you find in all of the big cities, like: cheesecake factory, buca di beppo, chili's, applebee's, p.f. chang's, etc...
One of the biggest draws for KC is an area called "The Plaza". It is the equivalent of the magnificent mile in Chicago, but the people are friendly, and there are only a few bums. There are a bunch of really nice stores, including designer clothes stores and neat little downtown shops. This is weird - four lanes of traffic will actually stop when you step off the curb to cross the street. No one honks, and no one gives you the finger. The plaza has horse drawn carriage rides and everyone appears affluent. THE DOWNTOWN PARKING IS FREE, AND THERE ARE FREE PARKING GARAGES ALL OVER THE PLACE. Can you imagine this in Chicago? Karen and James and I have already been to the plaza twice in the past two weeks. It's a great place to go to shop, eat, and generally hang out. They have street musicians, artists, outdoor festivals, cafes, and all sorts fo stuff to see and do. We really like it.
KC is also famous for fountains, and they are everywhere. Some of them are really cool, and some of them seem like the crappy songs that an artist puts on an album just to have a full album. I think that if someone is going to have a fountain, they should at least make it interesting. What is the point of spending all sorts of money putting in a boring fountain, just so you can say that you have a fountain out front? Whatever, I guess. They even have fountain tours, if you are so inclined. That seems really geeky to me.
The area that I live in is southwest of the city, in an area called Overland Park, in the middle of Johnson county. Johnson county is one of the richest counties in the US, and it definitely shows in the houses and in the autos. (Not my house, BTW, I live in a normal house) There are gigantic mansions all over the place, there are more houses over 350K than under, and the local amenities are designed for the wealthy. I often find myself sitting in traffic next to Ferraris and other various super-pricey exotic sports cars. I must say it is a little weird for me, sitting in traffic next to cars that I usually only see at car shows. I am afraid of looking at them wrong, let alone bumping into one of them. I have no idea what it would be like to have that kind of money to spend frivolously. I don't think I want to know, they certainly don't look any happier than me.
The closest I can come to explaining Overland Park is to say that it is a very upscale suburb, kind of like Naperville. The shopping is absolutely phenomenal and there is a ton of stuff to do and see each weekend. The schools in this area are the best in the state, and some of the best in the nation. It has been routinely named one of the top ten best areas in the country to raise a family. The people around here have a lot of the midwestern charm and genuine friendliness that I was hoping for. I really like it here, and I was very skeptical when I first decided to move here. I honestly think that we will be very happy here.
I am not saying that this is the best area in the world, but there are a lot of things that I like about this area so far. I think that the best thing that the area has going for it is the people. I have met some of the nicest people just walking down the street and in the grocery stores.
So far, the pizza is not as good as in the Chicago area. We had a pizza tonight that was almost cheeseless. Weird...
KC is famous for babeque, and they do indeed like their barbeque. As far as I have seen, they like the "wet" barbeque sauce method more than the spicy dry-rub barbeque, or a combination of the two. I actually prefer the dry-rub barbeque without the sauce so that I don't have to endure the copious amounts of sugar in the average barbeque sauce, but the food out here is excellent nonetheless. I have yet to find bad food here, and I have been to several barbeque places in the past few weeks. They also have all of the normal places that you find in all of the big cities, like: cheesecake factory, buca di beppo, chili's, applebee's, p.f. chang's, etc...
One of the biggest draws for KC is an area called "The Plaza". It is the equivalent of the magnificent mile in Chicago, but the people are friendly, and there are only a few bums. There are a bunch of really nice stores, including designer clothes stores and neat little downtown shops. This is weird - four lanes of traffic will actually stop when you step off the curb to cross the street. No one honks, and no one gives you the finger. The plaza has horse drawn carriage rides and everyone appears affluent. THE DOWNTOWN PARKING IS FREE, AND THERE ARE FREE PARKING GARAGES ALL OVER THE PLACE. Can you imagine this in Chicago? Karen and James and I have already been to the plaza twice in the past two weeks. It's a great place to go to shop, eat, and generally hang out. They have street musicians, artists, outdoor festivals, cafes, and all sorts fo stuff to see and do. We really like it.
KC is also famous for fountains, and they are everywhere. Some of them are really cool, and some of them seem like the crappy songs that an artist puts on an album just to have a full album. I think that if someone is going to have a fountain, they should at least make it interesting. What is the point of spending all sorts of money putting in a boring fountain, just so you can say that you have a fountain out front? Whatever, I guess. They even have fountain tours, if you are so inclined. That seems really geeky to me.
The area that I live in is southwest of the city, in an area called Overland Park, in the middle of Johnson county. Johnson county is one of the richest counties in the US, and it definitely shows in the houses and in the autos. (Not my house, BTW, I live in a normal house) There are gigantic mansions all over the place, there are more houses over 350K than under, and the local amenities are designed for the wealthy. I often find myself sitting in traffic next to Ferraris and other various super-pricey exotic sports cars. I must say it is a little weird for me, sitting in traffic next to cars that I usually only see at car shows. I am afraid of looking at them wrong, let alone bumping into one of them. I have no idea what it would be like to have that kind of money to spend frivolously. I don't think I want to know, they certainly don't look any happier than me.
The closest I can come to explaining Overland Park is to say that it is a very upscale suburb, kind of like Naperville. The shopping is absolutely phenomenal and there is a ton of stuff to do and see each weekend. The schools in this area are the best in the state, and some of the best in the nation. It has been routinely named one of the top ten best areas in the country to raise a family. The people around here have a lot of the midwestern charm and genuine friendliness that I was hoping for. I really like it here, and I was very skeptical when I first decided to move here. I honestly think that we will be very happy here.
I am not saying that this is the best area in the world, but there are a lot of things that I like about this area so far. I think that the best thing that the area has going for it is the people. I have met some of the nicest people just walking down the street and in the grocery stores.
So far, the pizza is not as good as in the Chicago area. We had a pizza tonight that was almost cheeseless. Weird...
Monday, August 15, 2005
Baboon
When we were at the zoo, we showed the baboons to James and repeated "baboon" to him several times. Since then, he has been saying "boomboom", every few hours.
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