Holy Earthquake!

That was a big one! Biggest one I've experienced in the Bay Area, anyway.

Name Those Monsters

Bryan and I went to his work Halloween festival this year, thinking our costumes would be less obscure than last year. We might have been mistaken. As you might remember, we were the Spoon Guy and the Banana from the Rejected cartoon last year.

Dear readers, can you name these monsters?


Also present were the following cute costumes. To our dismay, we missed photographing some of the really good ones that were leaving as we arrived.

Gnomes


Office Space (They won an award.)



Post It Guy from 'Office Space' and Hulk Hogan

Lindy In The Park

I went to Lindy in the Park last week. A friend, Mark Kapner, took this photo of me writing on an envelope. He's getting pretty good at the artsy stuff.

If I Didn't Have A Day Job

Today, I had the day off of work due to Columbus Day. After my two hour stint at the gym and some long-overdue grocery shopping, I spent some time in the sun, leisurely walking by the pier. With all that time on my hands today, I didn't have to choose between time outside and reading a book. I did both because I wasn't trapped in some building doing something I don't really feel like doing for 10 hours a day.

I also had time to think while I was walking along with myself today. That hasn't happened in months. Perhaps, you've noticed that I no longer seem to have anything remotely witty or well-thought out to say on this blog. One of the hazards of thinking is that I discovered my life is rather routine and, I dare say, boring. I figured out how to fix this when I realized that my life would be much better without a day job.

Things I Could Do If I Didn't Have A Day Job:

* remember birthdays
* cook real dinners
* visit museums
* start a private practice
* learn to tango
* climb outside
* take more vacations
* write to friends
* research interesting stuff
* get more exercise (not at 5:30am)
* read books
* vacuum
* lie around in the sun all afternoon
* buy another set of sheets
* call my family members
* make photography a serious hobby
* enjoy social activities without bailing out at 8:30pm
* write something besides lists on my blog

You Might Be A Minnesotan

If you had told me a decade ago that our country consisted of different cultures in different regions, I might have disagreed. Well, my mother just emailed me something that reminded me how far I've moved from my cultural roots as a Minnesotan. Forgive me if I indulge my inner midwesterner for a moment. You betcha.

You Might Be A Minnesotan - by Jeff Foxworthy

If you consider it a sport to get food by drilling through 18 inches of ice and sitting there for days hoping that the food will swim by.

If you're proud your state makes the national news 196 nights each year because International Falls is the coldest spot in the nation.

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through June.

If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work there.

If your dad sleeps in his baseball hat.

If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time.

If you know how to pronounce Wayzata, Mahtomedi, Cloquet, Edina, and Shakopee.

If you think that ketchup is a little too spicy.

You measure distance in hours.

You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow in a blizzard without flinching.

You see people wearing hunting clothes to church.

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

You think the 2 major food groups are fish, and deer meat.

You carry jumper cables in your car, and your girlfriend knows how to use them.

There are always 17 empty cars running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm.

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and of course, road construction.

If "Down South" to you means Iowa.

You find minus 10 degrees "a little chilly".