Monday, August 28, 2006

Camping

I'll write more later about our camping experience this past weekend at High Cliff Park. Just one question........ Why do we have to have to be completely quiet at 10:00 p.m. in the campgrounds but it's ok for the children to be loud, screaming, yelling and obnoxious at 6:00 a.m.? We were not loud, screaming or being obnoxious. We were playing card games but we had to keep it quiet. But at 6:00 a.m. we were woken up by kids riding their bikes and screaming past our campsite and children yelling at top of their lungs at the campsite next to us.

Just an annoying observation. My husband said, camping is for the kids. Why? Why is it just for the kids? Why can't the adults go and enjoy too?

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Beloit College Mindset List

This list always makes me feel old.

It's that time of year again. Each August since 1998 Beloit College in Wisconsin has released the Beloit College Mindset List. This list was started by Beloit's Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief, it looks at the cultural touchstones that have shaped the lives of today's first-year college students and is meant to help teachers prepare for their school year and connect with their students

BELOIT COLLEGE'S MINDSET LIST®
FOR THE CLASS OF 2010

Members of the class of 2010, entering college this fall, were mostly born in 1988. For them: Billy Carter, Lucille Ball, Gilda Radner, Billy Martin, Andy Gibb, and Secretariat have always been dead.

1. The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the student union.
2. They have known only two presidents.
3. For most of their lives, major U.S. airlines have been bankrupt.
4. Manuel Noriega has always been in jail in the U.S.
5. They have grown up getting lost in "big boxes."
6. There has always been only one Germany.
7.They have never heard anyone actually "ring it up" on a cash register.
8. They are wireless, yet always connected.
9. A stained blue dress is as famous to their generation as a third-rate burglary was to their parents'.
10. Thanks to pervasive headphones in the back seat, parents have always been able to speak freely in the front.
11. A coffee has always taken longer to make than a milkshake.
12. Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines.
13. Faux fur has always been a necessary element of style.
14. The Moral Majority has never needed an organization.
15. They have never had to distinguish between the St. Louis Cardinals baseball and football teams.
16. DNA fingerprinting has always been admissible evidence in court.
17. They grew up pushing their own miniature shopping carts in the supermarket.
18. They grew up with and have outgrown faxing as a means of communication.
19. "Google" has always been a verb.
20. Text messaging is their email.
21. Milli Vanilli has never had anything to say.
22. Mr. Rogers, not Walter Cronkite, has always been the most trusted man in America.
23. Bar codes have always been on everything, from library cards and snail mail to retail items.
24. Madden has always been a game, not a Superbowl-winning coach.
25. Phantom of the Opera has always been on Broadway.
26. "Boogers" candy has always been a favorite for grossing out parents.
27. There has never been a "skyhook" in the NBA.
28. Carbon copies are oddities found in their grandparents' attics.
29. Computerized player pianos have always been tinkling in the lobby.
30. Non-denominational mega-churches have always been the fastest growing religious organizations in the U.S.
31. They grew up in mini-vans.
32. Reality shows have always been on television.
33. They have no idea why we needed to ask "...can we all get along?"
34. They have always known that "In the criminal justice system the people have been represented by two separate yet equally important groups."
35. Young women's fashions have never been concerned with where the waist is.
36.They have rarely mailed anything using a stamp.
37. Brides have always worn white for a first, second, or third wedding.
38. Being techno-savvy has always been inversely proportional to age.
39. "So" as in "Sooooo New York," has always been a drawn-out adjective modifying a proper noun, which in turn modifies something else
40. Affluent troubled teens in Southern California have always been the subjects of television series.
41. They have always been able to watch wars and revolutions live on television.
42. Ken Burns has always been producing very long documentaries on PBS.
43. They are not aware that "flock of seagulls hair" has nothing to do with birds flying into it.
44. Retin-A has always made America look less wrinkled.
45. Green tea has always been marketed for health purposes.
46. Public school officials have always had the right to censor school newspapers.
47. Small white holiday lights have always been in style.
48. Most of them never had the chance to eat bad airline food.
49.They have always been searching for "Waldo."
50. The really rich have regularly expressed exuberance with outlandish birthday parties.
51. Michael Moore has always been showing up uninvited.
52. They never played the game of state license plates in the car.
53. They have always preferred going out in groups as opposed to dating.
54. There have always been live organ donors.
55. They have always had access to their own credit cards.
56. They have never put their money in a "Savings & Loan."
57. Sara Lee has always made underwear.
58. Bad behavior has always been getting captured on amateur videos.
59. Disneyland has always been in Europe and Asia.
60. They never saw Bernard Shaw on CNN.
61. Beach volleyball has always been a recognized sport.
62. Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti have always been luxury cars of choice.
63. Television stations have never concluded the broadcast day with the national anthem.
64. LoJack transmitters have always been finding lost cars.
65. Diane Sawyer has always been live in Prime Time.
66. Dolphin-free canned tuna has always been on sale.
67. Disposable contact lenses have always been available.
68. "Outing" has always been a threat.
69. Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss has always been the perfect graduation gift.
70. They have always "dissed" what they don't like.
71. The U.S. has always been studying global warming to confirm its existence.
72. Richard M. Daley has always been the Mayor of Chicago.
73. They grew up with virtual pets to feed, water, and play games with, lest they die.
74. Ringo Starr has always been clean and sober.
75. Professional athletes have always competed in the Olympics.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Our Anniversary Dinner - Review of Sabor

It is not my intention to review restaurants but this one could not be passed up. I received a gift certificate from my co-workers for my birthday to a new restaurant in Milwaukee called Sabor. Sabor can be described as a steakhouse but what makes it different is that it is a Brazilian churrascaria type of restaurant that is found in New York and Miami. The people of Milwaukee should love this concept considering it is all-you-can-eat.

I made reservations for 7:30 and the gentleman taking my call asked if it was a special occasion. I told him it was our anniversary. When we arrived I was surprised to find the placed packed for a Monday evening. We were greeted by a hostess who took us to our table and said, "happy anniversary, enjoy your meal." I was impressed.

The decor was contemporary and beautiful. Very relaxing. We were welcomed to Sabor by a host who asked us if we preferred tap water, bottled water or sparkling water. He also gave us our extensive wine list. Sabor has a wine room filled with over 2000 bottles of wine. We watched our server go into the locked room to retrieve our bottle that we ordered. Our server, Alex, gave us the details on the unique dining experience we were about partake in.

Our first course began with a trip to the "salad bar" which is not your typical salad bar. It was filled with fresh vegetables prepared all different ways, scallops and couscous, salmon, cheese, fruit, stuffed artichokes, the best grilled and marinated portabella mushrooms I have every had and so much more. When we arrived back at our table we had cheese bread waiting for us. It looked like little balls of dough and was warm and melted in your mouth. So good. My husband was very antsy for the next course. He loved the salad bar but wanted meat.

Ready, set, go! When you are ready to partake in the second course you turn over your little stop and go card that is placed in front of you. We turned our cards to green and within minutes one person was clearing our salad plates, another was giving us fresh forks and these huge steak knives and yet another sever was bringing out mashed potatoes, black beans, rice, fried bananas and more cheese bread. Then came heaven - the Gauchos (Brazilian cowboys) came out of the kitchen with large skewers of meat, all kinds of meat. Pork, sirloin, lamb, tenderloin, chicken, filet. 12 different kinds of meat in all. My favorite was the Picanah which is a sirloin seasoned with garlic and sea salt. My second favorite was the Filet Mignon. Who am I kidding, everything was fabulous. We stuffed ourselves. It was the most incredible meat I have ever had.

It is a little on the pricey side ($42.50/person) but all the food in included. (There is a salad bar only option for vegetarians that runs $32.50.) I know some restaurants in town where you will pay $30+ for a steak and if you want a salad or potatoes you are up to $40+. In essence, it's a good price for the quality and quantity of food. Bottles of wine start at about $25 and run up to $300 or so.

I highly recommend this restaurant to people, especially if you like your meat. The food combined with the service and atmosphere made Sabor one of our favorite restaurants in town.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Happy Anniversary to me!

Well, to us. 2 years.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Spent too much money

Ouch, I spent too much money this weekend. My money and our money. My husband and I have our own personal accounts. We have set amount of money from paychecks that go into our personal savings accounts. Kind of like an allowance. This is nice because we don't have to report our splurges to the family budget and it means more when give each other gifts. Anyway, it doesn't matter, the money I spent this weekend came from our joint and my personal. Ouch.....Again.
We started the weekend with a nice dinner at Izumi's (a sushi restaurant in Milwaukee). Great sushi, great service and a fun atmosphere. I still can't believe I got my husband to like sushi.

Saturday I decided that I needed some new clothes. My current selection is old and boring. I headed over to Mayfair and wandered aimlessly through the stores. Too cheap, too expensive, too old-lady, too teen.... so frustrating. My final stop was to one of my favorite stores, The Buckle. I was not expecting to find anything because their clothes are usually pretty casual and I needed some clothes for work. Just as I was picking up a very stylish fall sweater, the cutest "sales" girl came up to me and suggested a tank top that would "go great" with the sweater in my hand. Instantly she gained my attention and my trust. I don't know what it was about her. I explained to her that while I love the style of The Buckle, my workplace was pretty conservative and I needed to keep that in mind while building new outfits. She was amazing. She kept bringing me different outfits, different options, all that were my style and appropriate for work. It was not my intention to buy six new pieces of clothing and two necklaces but somehow I did.
After many weeks of researching I finally decided that I was going to make the biggest electronic purchase I have ever made. (This does not include all the electronics and toys my husband has purchased for the house). Nike and Apple have decided to team up and make one of the coolest running gizmos ever. I least I think so. Nike calls the products Nike+. First you need a iPod nano made by Apple. They come in a 1GB, 2GB or 4GB. The 4GB holds 1000 songs and you can download your outlook calendar, add photos, videos etc. I decided that this would be my first purchase. Wow, this thing is so small. Its as thin as 2 credit cards and about 4 inches high. The iPod nano is very easy to use and Apple provides very user friendly directions on how to use every feature on the nano. I am having so much fun creating music list for work, running and just everyday use. I have even added photos and can customize a slide show.

My next purchase is the Nike+iPod sport kit. This includes a sensor for my Nike shoes that allows my shoes to talk to my iPod. Really, it does. The sensor will also send all my running statistics to a receiver that attaches to my nano. When I get done with my run I will be able to download all the data to my personal training log on nikerunning.com.
HOW COOL IS THIS!?

It was fun to spoil myself like this. It's not everyday that I spend this kind of money in a 48 hour period. And I don't like to brag about it. But at this point in our lives we can do these little extravagant weekends. And since we don't have any children we might as well as take advantage of these situations while we still can. Once the children come, no more iPod nanos! Oh, but I did spoil my cat too. She got new litter, a big bag of her favorite flavor of cat food and treats.

Monday, August 14, 2006

iPod Nano

I have a lot to catch up on from this past weekend. But I just wanted to quickly post to say.....if you don't have the iPod Nano........go get one.

More later!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

To tri or not to tri

That is the question.

My running is stale. I have been running for over 20 years. Grade school, high school, college and after college (whatever you call that). I have always set goals, achieved them, set higher goals and achieved those. I'm in a rut. I have no goals right now, no race ahead of me. It's that time of year where road racing is winding down and marathon season is picking up. I'm not/can't train for a marathon this fall, what's next? I could go run some collegiate cross country races and get my butt kicked by some 20 year old kids..... nah.

I've always wanted to try a triathlon. The Ironman has always fascinated me. I know that right now that is not a reasonable goal and I need to start small. So I think I am going to spend this fall and winter training for one. A "sprint" triathlon is a good start. I having the running down so I'll really need to work on my swim and bike. It will take a lot of time and dedication.

It is times like these that I can't imagine having kids. How do you train? I know there are women out there who have kids and accomplish such goals. How do they find the time? As much as I want to have children it is times like these that I don't. It takes a lot of time and dedication to do a triathlon. If I get pregnant, I will most likely have to stop my intense training. Then after the child is born, when do I have the time to actually start up again. Am I being selfish? So having children means I have to give up my goals and life? Or does your outlook on life really change once you have kids? Are there mothers out there who really miss their freedom and being able to do whatever they want? These are questions I have about motherhood.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

So my brother rocked last night

He took second. I personally think he should have won (of course). He gave everyone chills in the audience with "You Raise Me Up" and won some nice prizes. Here are some pics.



Wednesday, August 02, 2006

My mom said

Ok, I have to make this post cause my mom said. She was reading my blog (uh oh, better keep it clean) and she said I don't have kids cause I'm having too much fun. Or something like that. She also mentioned that I should make sure I say that I'm not trying to put down people who have kids or that people who have kids don't have fun. Good point mom. There are some of us who are waiting to have kids, are trying to have kids or just can't have kids. We have more options to explore because of our freedom. (Is that a bad word to use? Freedom cause I don't have kids?) Whew, make sense?

Oh and mom is cool. We also talked about how it is annoying that some people think that because they have kids their life has to stop. Sure, your lifestyle has to change but you can still have fun and do enjoyable things. We also discussed how it's irritating when you have friends that automatically thing they can bring their kids when they are invited to dinner, showers, parties, weddings etc. Why? Why do people automatically assume that? And then when you try to explain to them it's an adult only situation they throw a fit.

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