Friday, September 11, 2009

Apartment in Eden

I have been promising pictures of my apartment in Eden. Well here they are. Be prepared to be unimpressed. First here is a picture that my niece, Erin, took of me Monday at my brother, Jeff's house. I played some football with my nieces and nephews. I really miss playing football in the yard.On to the apartment. Here is my truck and the parking behind the apartment.A look up at my apartment, I have the top back half of this building. Here is the basic layout of the apartment. I have my bed set up in the living room.This is the staircase up to my place. There is a shared utility room at the base of these steps and it smells kind of bad in this area. Plus that light at the top of the stairs doesn't work. Here is my kitchen. I have my bike up there and I probably get out 3 or 4 times a week for a ride. Every weekend, I make my food for the week at my house in Milwaukee, throw it in my cooler and take it up for the week. As you can see I do not have any dishes or food stored here.This is bedroom #2. I use it as a storage space for my smelly clothes until the end of the week when I can get home and do laundry.My clothes in bedroom #2.This is bedroom #1. There is nothing in it and I have the door to it closed all of the time.Another photo of the empty bedroom.Here is the bathroom. Nothing special. One shower head, no TV, no stereo, no heated floor, no phone on the wall. I do enjoy my bathroom at home. Here is the living room. The only thing in it is my bed.That and some clothes in the corner and a radio.This is the view out of the window on the west wall of the living room.This is the view looking out the balcony door in the living room.And they aren't quite done with the stairs leading down from the balcony off the living room.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

U2

Saturday I am headed down to Chicago, Soldier Field as a matter of fact to see U2. It will be my first time in Soldier Field since I saw the Grateful Dead in 1995. A little research on line, and I found that this is pretty much the setlist for the show. I am pretty excited.
Breathe
No Line On The Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day / Blackbird (snippet)
Mysterious Ways
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Stand By Me (snippet)
Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Unknown Caller
The Unforgettable Fire
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
Sunday Bloody Sunday / Oliver's Army (snippet)
Pride (In The Name Of Love)MLK
Walk On
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
Bad / 40 (snippet)

Encores:
Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

You can't really complain about a show like that.

Sunshine Go Away Today, I Don't Feel Much Like Dancing

Surprising or not, I actually inspired myself the other day. I have lived in Milwaukee, including college, about 18 years and I have never been down in the Lake Front for a sunrise. Looking back at my sunset pictures from Eden, I decided to get some sunrise photos. Anyone can take sunset pictures, you are already awake. But to get a sunrise picture, you actually have to make a concerted effort. Saturday morning didn't work and neither did Sunday morning, but Monday, as sore as I was after the "Not So Amazing Race" I crawled out of bed at 5:30 and made my way down to the lake front to watch the sun rise and catch some pictures. Actually I woke up twice on Monday morning. Tom Brady called my phone at 2:12 in the morning, I thought it was my alarm. I walked downstairs and grabbed my keys and camera and headed to the garage. I get into my truck and started it up. It was at that time that I looked at the clock and realized that it was only 2:12 in the morning. I swore once and then went back to bed for a couple more hours. Anyhow, I took a lot of pictures, but here are what I call the "Top Guns" i.e. the best of the best.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

The Not So Amazing Race

Sunday was the "Not So Amazing Race" in Madison. My friends, Joe and mostly Dawn, set up this race. It is like the show, but only in Madison. It was a lot of fun. I think there were around 20 teams. I was on a team with Jay, Shelly and their friend, Micheal Mueller from Germany. It started at a park on Lake Wingra in Madison. At each stop a clue was given out. So like I said it started at Lake Wingra, then we had to paddle across the lake to the zoo, where we had to get one of those souvenir stamped pennies. Then paddle back across the lake. From the next clue took us to Mickey's Dairy bar, to find out how much a PB & J and a milkshake cost in 1950, the answer by the way, $0.55. Next we went to picnic point, where we had to run all the way out to the point, that was a 2 mile run. By the way, from my team, I got nominated to do both the canoe and the run. It was the first time I ran since the Blarney Run. Probably not the best idea in the world. From there we went to the union for a clue on the picnic chair. The next clue sent us to Bascom Hill for a picture with the Abraham Lincoln Statue. Then we headed to the capital where we had to find a beer stand at the "Taste of Madison". Then we went into the Capitol Building where we had to find the step with the fossilized star fish, count how many windows were around the press room door, and the room number of the state library. Then we were off to Minona Terrace to find a paver that had Dawn's grandparents name on it. From there we were off to the Deli/Ice Cream parlor with the Merry Go Round. Then off to Dexter's Pub, for a shot, and finally off to Sun Prairie where the picnic at the end was. It was a lot of fun. A little stressful and way too much exercise. I am going to make sure I put Joe and Dawn through some punishment at the Freeman Party next year. The race was very cool. We didn't win, but it worked out great because Jay's friend, Micheal Mueller was only in Madison for a day and got to see just about all of it over the course of a couple hours. I would like to thank Dawn for all of the hard work she put into the race. I hope she does it again next year. I would also like to thank my original partner, The General, for backing out at the last minute. If it had been the two of us that were a team we would have came in last place for sure, since neither of us know Madison very well. Here are some of the photos.
The starting line with all of the canoes lined up.Jota was captain of our ship.Mickeys Dairy Bar 1950 menu.Here is a statue outside of Camp Randall that we needed to take a picture in front of.Bascom hill, this is already a finalist for the Christmas Card Photo.The starfish in the Capitol.The Merry-Go-Round
Again, I just want to thank Dawn once again, it must have taken her hours to organize all of this, and she did a great job. Once the soreness goes away in my legs and back, I will start to look forward to next years race. Maybe a Cannonball run. I have always wanted to do one of those.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Weekend Update

Well this isn't really a weekend update, this is just a Saturday update. Not much goes on here in Eden, so I will string out the weekend for a couple days. Saturday the plan was to go to Stu's for his leagues fantasy football draft. But over the week while I was away at work, the power went out at my house, which reset all of my clocks. Saturday I woke up and had some things to do around the house, clean the kitchen, cut the grass, laundry. It seemed like I was getting a lot done, I looked at the clock on my stove and it was only 9:15 a.m. Which would have given me plenty of time to take a shower and get out to Stu's. But it was actually just after 10:00 a.m. I was also going to go to the Brewer Game. I skipped Stu's because by the time I took a shower and got myself out there it would have been close to 11:00 and then I would have had to turn right around to go to the Brewer Game, so I skipped it. I went with my aunt Marilyn, uncle Dave, Pocahontas, Tom Brady and their friend, Justin to the game. With the team out of playoff contention, we focused a little more on the tailgating aspect of the game. The Brewers lost 3-2, but we had fun playing the cup game, and betting on if the ball would land on the pitchers mound or not when the umpire threw the ball to the mound after every half an inning.

Friday, September 04, 2009

What is next?

A happy Friday to all of you.
I think that September is my favorite month of the year. The weather is still enjoyable, and even if it gets down in the 40's, the next day, or better yet, the next hour could be in the 70s. The mornings are crisp. Football season starts. But I have alot planned for the month of September.
This weekend, I am planning on crashing Stu's fantasy football draft for a while, then I am headed to the Brewer game. There is a pretty good chance it will be my last Brewer game of the year. Sunday, my old roommate, Joe (a loyal blog reader), and his wife, Dawn, are holding the "Not So Amazing Race", a scavenger hunt around Madison. I am teamed up with The General. The other night after the fantasy football draft, he and I discussed our stratedgy for the "Not So Amazing Race". It wasn't much of a discussion. But we both agreed that going into this race we are probably picked as heavy underdogs. Most likely we will be the last ones back and come in last place, however I doubt many other teams will have as much fun.
Next weekend, the 12th, I am headed down to Chicago for the U2 concert with Liquid, Doug and Lynn. I was shocked to learn that parking at Soldier Field is $45. 45 F'ing dollars!!!! I hope we get a free car wash with that parking space. On Sunday I am headed to Madison to watch some soccer and an ironman triathlon.
The following weekend is the camping trip on the Mississippi. It is such a great trip, and even though I have invited any other male readers to come along on the trip, I have no takers. You have no idea what you are missing out on. But I know our group will have fun without you. The only thing I am worried about is the temperature of the water. I think this is my 4th year going. The first year I went on the trip, I think I was still training for a triathlon, or I had just finished one, and I felt like swimming across the river. When I got to the other side I was greeted by some discomfort and pressure in the lower gasterial intestinal region that required that it be releaved. And every year since, on Saturday afternoon, I swim to the other side of the river to cut a duce. I know probably to much information.
The last weekend of the month, takes me back down to Chicago for Dave Matthews at Tinley Park. I wonder how much they charge for parking?
And that takes me into October, where that first weekend I will be back in Minnesota for the Badger / Gopher game. Wait...can I even call it a game? The Gophers are pretty bad. But they do have a new stadium, so I don't know if I will even be able to get my hands on tickets.
So that is the next month for me. And I am in a good mood today because I am only working until noon. Enjoy your weekend everyone.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

The Garden of Eden???

This past weekend I was home. I was at my brother, Dan's, on Friday night to watch the first half of the Packer game. That was eye opening. If not for how the Packers played I probably would have had them at 9-7 by seasons end. Let's hope I was right to pick them to do as well as I think they will. Saturday I actually went into work for a couple of hours. I know it is a shock, but I am actually working quite a bit on this project. Saturday afternoon, I stopped by my brother, Jeff's old boss and friend, Wayne. This is also a shocker, but Wayne needed my help in a Professional Engineer capacity. It only took 15 minutes and then Wayne and his wife insisted I stay for dinner, we had prime rib. After I left Wayne's I checked my phone and saw I had missed a number of calls. I got a hold of Chris and Rebecca and they had a group at Fishbones in Delafield. I told them I would join them, it was Missy's birthday. Here is Missy blowing her birthday cake or what was left of it after the fact.Here is the picture that Angela insisted that I delete. I told her I did, but I didn't. I don't think she reads my blog anyhow.While at the bar, I was talking with Chris and I told him that I had a place in Eden, just because it is such a waste of time to spend 2 hours a day driving back and forth. At least that is how I feel, The General on the other hand just loves 2 hours a day in a car. But Chris nicknamed it "The Garden of Eden". You are all more then welcome to come up and visit. Although I will not be around on weekends. I really don't do too much while in Eden. My typical day is up at 6:30, on the job site by 6:35. I am literally that close to the project. I work until at least 5:00 p.m. and I if I am lucky, I can break away for 20 minutes to grab some lunch. I get back to my place (I will get pictures of it up soon), I relax, take a shower and then work out. And by 6:30 - 7:00 I get out on my bike for a ride. I have an 8 mile loop that I do. It isn't too bad, and actually the other day, I got my ride in as the sun was going down and it was a great sun set. So starting last night, I started taking my camera with me to grab some photos. Here is what I got.I actually bike right through the middle of the a wind farm. It is sort of cool. When you get close to the wind mills you can hear the blades slice through the air.I am a sucker for sunsets, and for some reason I like taking pictures of them. Maybe this weekend, if I am not too lazy, I will crawl out of bed early to get some sun rise pictures on the lake front. I have never done that before.I thought this was a cool shot of a country road with a farm off in the distance and pastures on either side.I easily wasted 20 minutes taking sunset pictures out there. But is it a nice area with a lot of rolling hills. It is actually a great bike workout.After my bike ride, I put my bike away and go for a walk around the block to cool down. This is the view looking out one end of the alley that my place is on.This is the Eden Meat Market. If you look close, under the light is an electric hoist. They apparently cut deer during deer season. I am guessing that they skin the deer back here. I hope I get the opportunity to check out their operation before I leave Eden. Maybe I can give them some pointers from the "Head Boner".I like playing with the lens exposure on my camera. I caught this train going through town on my walk around the block.Here is Main Street Eden. My place is up about three or four buildings on the right.