Cast No Shadow

Overcast and drizzly today. Perfect day for us (and most of Cinci) to go to IKEA. Seriously, the line was out the door and police were directing traffic. We had a productive run: a coffee press, wire curtain/picture hangers, a $3 'shelf' from the Handy Man's corner of the As-Is room, a candle snuffer, and tons of ideas, like ledges, window treatments , wine racks , and picture frames . Add a trip to 2 different Targets, a new Simpsons episode, and you can call it a day. I tried Red Tulip ale today and enjoyed it, though it was nothing memorable. Laura was feeling better last night, so we had a big meal at Outback. She had the filet grillers and I had the new Chargrilled Tuscan Ribeye. Needless to say, I cleaned my plate--even the fat was delicious mixed in with garlic mashed potatoes. Their mixed vegetables were very good; I usually won't touch them, but we ate good last night. But a sore throat struck later and woke her up at 3am...I finally woke up and went

2nd day back in...I will again reiterate that this market is much better than the F-ville. There are few dirt roads...anything unpaved (which is rare) is hard pack gravel and most houses have the nice reflective green address signs. Despite an hour drive yesterday and 30 minutes today, I've managed to get 7 surveys done, while poor Laura Anne has been sick the past 2 days. Maddie, Bunny, and Boots have all taken stellar care of her while I've been at work. Maybe tomorrow we'll try something low-key if she's feeling up for it. We heard Horton Hears A Who is a really good movie. Tonight's beer: Victory Prima Pils. Better than the sorghum last night, though very hoppy. Not bad, but still not in my favorites list. So I followed it with a new favorite, Diet Dr Pepper (it really does taste like regular Dr Pepper!), a splash of lime, and Jim Beam Black. I used to be a Jack Daniels guy, but like Jim Beam Black much much better. We're near the distillery, but I

1st day back on the job....the work load looks alot better than fayetteville...not nearly as many big surveys, and I don't think the rural ones will be quite the pain they were in NC. I did have to sketch several units today, but so far so good. I did a few of the furthest out today and plan on working my way in towards Cinci. Laura has a mild case of the flu tonight, running a temperature of 99.3, which is a low fever, but nothing too serious, and nothing some dark chocolate peanut M&Ms and NyQuil can't help. At least she had her appetite...we made burgers tonight and I had one with Bard's Tale Beer Dragon's Gold, bought specifically for the dragon bottle cap. It was mediocre, and now reading the label, I know why--no wheat, barley, rye, or oats, just whole grain sorghum. Hmmm...I think I'll pass on it next time in the store. I picked up a few other random beers in addition to a six pack of Rogue Dead Guy. This was the first time I had seen a six pack of regula

Well, we're not home, but this is our last stop. We've taken the past 2 days to catch our breath from packing up and travelling so much in 2 weeks. We've landed in NE Cincinnati, right near Mason, OH. Our employer got us a super rate at a Marriot TownePlace Suites. It's a one bedroom, but plenty big enough for us, 2 dogs, and our cat. I would've liked a 2 bedroom, but at $15 extra per day, that equals $450 over 30 days...that's alot of cash when all is said and done. Yesterday we got a lay of the land...we're only 1/2 mile from Target, Barnes & Noble, and Best Buy, with other major retailers close by. We're on a healthy eating kick and did a majority of our grocery shopping at Wild Oats, picking up the remainder today at Biggs. We found a quaint little Japanese place today and ate lunch for only $5 plus tip! WOW. That included 2 miso soups, 2 salads, and 1 sushi roll. The Tokyo Roll--salmon, salmon skin, avocado, cucumber, tempura pieces, wi

They'll really sneak up on you and before you know it, its been 10 days since a last post and so much has happened and so many miles covered. The best I can remember....working through the weekend to get Fayetteville done. 136 single sampling points, 13 doubles, and 1 triple. Last night I got caught up on 7 weeks of expense reports & today finally finished all my write ups. The phone charger finally arrived on Tues evening. That came after a manager couldn't explain to me why it didn't go out on Friday, but we were fortunate enough to find an private brand open item at Best Buy for only $8.99. We both have a Nintendo DS Lite. I have a white one, and well, Laura has to decide between pink & black. We've got a few games: The Simpsons, Super Mario, Resident Evil, and Laura's current favorite, Professor Layton & The Curious Village. I mailed off for my Captain Rex figure last night. In 6-8 weeks I'll be getting this: We've rented some good movies, li

The 1 Queen bed room was a little small, but sufficient for 2 people. It wasn't as clean as clean could be, but close. Our 'non-smoking' room clearly smelled of smoke, so we asked to be switched. The next one was thankfully smoke-free. However, Clayton must be completely incompetent at the front desk. We had been in the area for a funeral and left our phone charger in the room. We realized this about an hour outside of town, so we couldn't turn around. We called the front desk and gave Clayton our Fed Ex account number, address, and other details. He found the phone charger and said he would get it out. Someone else from the front desk called about our zip code, inquiring if it was "Q8314." No, its 28314. Q? Unbelievable. So the charger didn't show up this afternoon at the apartment. I called the hotel, and after some asking around, found out the phone charger had not only NOT been sent out, but hadn't even been boxed up. So it's 630pm on a Friday.

December 31, 1962 - March 8, 2008 It's been a pretty hard week. Thankfully, we were so close we could travel quickly and be with family this last week. It really didn't seem real until we got to her house, saw Lou, saw the kids. We all gathered so much strength to get through, to the point of exhaustion, but the pain never really leaves, just subdues. If it weren't for our deadline, we'd probably still be up there, because when the people leave, when the food stops coming, when the house is empty and silent is when things really hit and then settle like the silence: she's gone. The viewing was very hard; the virus took its toll, and the funeral home did the best they could, but it did not look like Kelly, did not look like my aunt. The memorial service was very cathartic; my dad the ever diplomat gave a great talk, along with Kelly's sister, co-workers, friends, and neighbors. There was no hyperbole in their sentiments, and you could hear Kelly putting the

Ratatouille - Excellent choice. A little predictable, but well written, well illustrated, and a good story. Rent it now. Across the Universe - Suffered from a mediocre 2nd Act. Really big Beatles fans would probably really enjoy this movie more. The movie was well designed and wonderful to look at, but not very cohesive. It skipped around quite a bit, and I think I fell asleep somewhere in the middle. Don't see. Eastern Promises - Incredibly believable and interesting characters. Fantastic and intense fight scene. No clear 'center' to the movie. The story was there, but felt under-developed. Even in the commentary, it was stated that the 2 main characters were 'ships passing in the night'--I don't think that's a solid basis for a movie. Worth seeing once.