I told my wife that a husband is like a fine wine; he gets better with age. The next day, she locked me in the cellar.

I cannot believe it but the weather is actually starting to resemble something that is kind of like spring. The tulips are starting to come up, the lilacs are beginning to bud, and Humanzee’s mini-skirts are getting a little bit shorter with each passing week. This time of year is always one of my favorites. It is kind of a symbol to put away all of the negativity and stress of the past and be reborn in a new season. Plus, it is just great to see people again. The lakes are full with eager boaters, the farmer’s markets are starting again, and there is a palpable buzz of excitement. It’s time for Johnny to get back in shape, get outside, and have some fun and oh yeah, enjoy some Sebastian Joe’s ice cream.

1. Speaking of spring, few things remind me of spring more then baseball season. I am reminded that 25 years ago, one of my all-time favorite rants occurred when former Lee Elia just rips Chicago sports fans:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diqm0GMFFYI

Today, the Chicago Cubs are the Los Angeles Lakers of Major League Baseball. It is about more then the game. It is a place for the beautiful people to mingle, it is a tourist destination, and it is hard to find a game that was a sell out. At this time 25 years ago, after a bit of research, the Cubs had a pitiful record of 5 – 14 and were averaging just more then 3000 fans per game. Of course all games were during the day and few people wanted to take off work to watch the joke of the National League East (the division they were in at the time). My how things have changed. Anyway, Cubs’ skipper Lee Elia has such a great rant. How can you not laugh.

2. I applaud Barack Obama’s decision to formally announce he is completely cutting ties with his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Reverend Wright has said so many damaging things about America that his association has really tarnished Obama’s reputation. Unfortunately, I worry that the damage might already be done as in the national polls, Hillary Clinton now has a nine point advantage over him. That is quite a turn around for Senator Clinton. I don’t think it was so much brilliant campaigning on her part, but more the negative campaigning attacks on Obama have been brutal but highly effective.

3. We get are rebate checks from the IRS soon. I am excited. What is everybody doing with their checks? I secretly hope that Anay is offered the jobs where he would have to train in Toronto. I have never been to Canada and this would be a cool opportunity.

4. My sister’s birthday is in two weeks. I am looking for a good gift for her. If anybody has any ideas on what to get a girl who is about to turn twenty, please let me know.

Promises that will be forgotten

Today begins on a somber note. Yesterday I received a phone call from my sister, who was very shaken and upset. Earlier last night, a young woman who lives in the residence hall room a floor below my sister was raped. Two men were hiding in the restroom and when the young woman left her dorm room, the men grabbed her and dragged her into the bathroom. One held her down while the other sexually assaulted her. Unfortunately, there are barbarians in urban and rural communities. According to the United State Dept. of Education, 80% of rapists know their victims but that doesn’t mean there aren’t exceptions – like this one. The act of rape absolutely appalls and disgusts every inch of my body; even more so then murder. Most murderers do not feel what they are doing is wrong. They might be deranged, but a lot of times they are freeing the world of some filth, or acting as a crime of passion, et cetera. Rapists are different. They always know what they are doing is wrong. I don’t know what the proper punishment should be. To me, castration for repeat offenders would not bother me at all. I have no tolerance for rapists walking the same free streets as you and me. The statistics on sexual assault are alarming and disgusting. My sister did ask if anybody knows where to find pepper spray or mace. I said that I do not. If you do know where to find some, please let me know.

1. On a little bit lighter note, I did rent two movies this weekend. The first movie I saw was There Will Be Blood. To be honest, I don’t know what the big deal was about this movie. I thought the acting was superb but the movie itself was mediocre at best. I would probably give it a C-. The story is about a miner who makes it big as an oil man but gradually his greed drives him to madness. The other movie I saw was The Namesake (based on the fictional novel by the same name). The Namesake is about a boy/man who grows up in large northern American city. His parents are both born in India and immigrated when they were in their late teens/early twenties. The story revolves around the boy/man and is struggle with an Indian name in an Anglo-Saxon world, his heritage, his frustration with wanting to be a “normal” American but also please his Indian parents. I thought this movie was fascinating and I highly recommend it. I would probably give it a B+/A-.

2. I watched a lot of the NFL Draft this weekend. Even though the Vikings didn’t do a lot, it was still fun. I think the winners are the Pittsburgh Steelers. They had Rashard Mendenhall fall to them in the first round and Limas Sweed fall to them in the second. They already have a good defense but now their offense consists of: Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Limas Sweed, and first round draft pick from last year Heath Miller at tight end. They could overtake the Patriots and Colts as the dominant team in the AFC.

3. This past Saturday for work, I went to an Air Force Association dinner. (They are a big sponsor of USA Today’s elementary education program.) I was really not excited but I ended up having a wonderful time. For those who don’t know, I am a huge military history buff, and it was so cool to sit next a Brigadier General on one side, and other high ranking military officers. Plus they liked me too because I think I had knowledgeable questions and I was genuinely interested in the strategy they used in Vietnam and the future of the Air Force. They also liked my stories my Grandpa told me of when he was a pilot during World War II. I might not be a fan of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but I very much respect the men and women who wear our uniform and defend us. They really are the true American heroes.

4. Jon Stewart is coming to Saint Paul for the Republican National Convention for the week. I would love to see him!

El Scorcho

I hope everyone has big weekend plans. As of now, I don’t really have any weekend plans except for I have rented two movies this afternoon (There Will Be Blood and The Namesake.) Earlier this evening, my Dad and I are planning on going to the Gopher spring football game and tomorrow night I have a work function about an hour away. Yes, I will be spending my Saturday night working. : ( Well, every sports fan in Minnesota is thrilled about the Vikings trade for Jared Allen. I just watched his press conference and I can’t wait for football season to begin. This reminded me of one other time the Vikings made a blockbuster trade. In what most sports journalists consider the worst trade in the history of sports, in 1990, the Minnesota Vikings received Hershell Walker from the Dallas Cowboys (Walker got injured severely during the next season and never really did anything) and the Cowboys received the Vikings’ next three first round draft picks, the next three second round draft picks, plus their third round and sixth round selection. During those years, the Cowboys used those picks on such players as Deion Sanders, Troy Aikman, and Michael Irvin while the Vikings floated along the mediocrity river.

1. Jimmy Fallon will officially replace Conan O’Brien when Conan takes over for Jay Leno in about a year. I don’t know about this. I think Fallon has the potential to be great… or to bomb very very badly.
2. I am bummed out. One of my favorite downtown Minneapolis bars, Temple, closed this week. I just don’t understand the restaurant/bar business at all. The place was in a great location downtown. It was always packed and the food was expensive… Why is it so hard to maintain a restaurant that’s not a chain? I just don’t understand.
3. Did anyone watch The Office last night? The part where the woman buys Dwight the drink and he dumps it over was hilarious. Plus, I love Stanley.
4. Gas at this exactly one year ago was $2.67 a gallon.
5. 1-20-09… the end of an error
6. Is it bad that I would like to buy a pet llama? I found out that I can buy one for only a few hundred dollars! How cool would it be to come over to my house and we can play with this guy: http://www.thefuzzyfarm.com/males.htm

Don't tase me bro!

Last weekend, I posed the question this question to my friends about athletics. What if Wayne Gretsky was born in New Mexico instead of Canada? He probably never would have picked up a hockey stick. He might have been a really good golfer or even a great la crosse player but I doubt he would match the success he did in hockey. What if Michael Jordan decided at a very young age that basketball wasn’t his thing and he was going to concentrate on baseball? After all, he was talented in baseball and did make it up to the double A level. He was good but the world would have been robbed of the greatest shooting guard in the history of the game. The question I posed to my friends was is there a sport or activity that I would dominate in but because I have never spent a lot of time on, I just am ignorance of my own greatness? Maybe I would be a world renowned cricket player? Maybe I would be the Babe Ruth of darts, fly fishing, or skeet shooting? I think I have found my sport… Bowling. I have not bowled more then two or three times in the past four years and yesterday some friends and I went out to the lanes. I am happy to report that my first game I bowled a 130 and my second game I bowled a 170! I have found my future ladies and gentlemen, and that’s bowling.

1. Brett Favre is going to be on the Late Show with Dave Letterman tonight? Would anybody be that surprised if he announces he is thinking about coming back? I would love it for pure entertainment purposes?

2. Normally, I am not a big fan of celebrity gossip but I am making an exception. The big gossip right now is Miami Heat star guard Dwayne Wade is dating Star Jones of The View fame. I would love it!!!!

3. FHM magazine came out with their annual list of the 100 hottest women in the world. The past few years the winners have been Scarlett Johanssen, Minnesota’s own Jessica Biel, and Jessica Alba. This year’s winner if Megan Fox from the Transformers. She is classically beautiful so I don’t have a problem with her being named number one… While perusing the list, I did notice that three women from the TV show The Hills made the list which immediately made me discredit this list. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24281739/

Never argue with an idiot. They will just drag you down to their level and then beat you with their experience.

I am going to make a prediction right here that the Minnesota Vikings will win the NFC in 2008. Yesterday night, they announced they traded for Jared Allen in a deal that will send the Vikings to the Superbowl. Jared Allen, is a defensive end from the Kansas City Chiefs, and he led the league last year in sacks. Plus, he’s only 26 years old. There are two bits of bad news though. One, they had to pay him the richest contract for a defensive player in the history of the NFL. The contract hasn’t been officially released but it is rumored to be 6 year/74 million dollars. That is crazy money. Hear me out. Jared Allen joins a defensive line that already had two pro-bowlers last year. Two of their linebackers and one of their cornerbacks were pro-bowl alternates. Starting free safety Darren Sharper made the pro bowl last year. They signed Bernard Berrian to help the receiving corp. Three out of their five offensive linemen are pro bowlers. And am I forgetting someone… Oh yeah! They have the most electrifying young player in football in Adrian Peterson. Yesterday was a good news for Minnesota sports fans, not only did they trade for Jared Allen but five star recruit for the class of 2009, small forward Royce White, committed to Tubby Smith and the golden gophers. To all of the other teams in the NFC North, I have a few words for you:

Objects in your mirror are closer then they appear!!! The roar has been restored!

1. I was reading the paper this morning and I saw that Wisconsin has more DWIs then any other state in the country (per capita). I don’t think this should be a major surprise to anyone.

2. Has anyone seen the movie, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”? I have heard it is good but I don’t know anyone who has seen it. Maybe I will see it this Friday night.

3. My favorite Hip-Hop group, Atmosphere, just released their new album “When life gives you lemons…” yesterday. Tieds, have you had a chance to listen to it? Should I buy it? They had a big release party last night at The Fifth Element. I meant to go and I even wrote it down I just completely forgot. For those of you who are not aware of Atmosphere, please go check them out on Conan O’Brien on May 21st.

Alcohol: The cause and solution to all of life's problems

I have been feeling a little blue recently so instead of my usual self-medication of watching bad television and eating Oreo's, I decided to go work out. I wasn't really in the mood for any weight lifting so I looked at the class schedule. I saw that in fifteen minutes FITNESS YOGA was starting. I had not done yoga in several years but I figured I would be okay. The class was me, one other guy, eight women, and an openly gay instructor.

I just got my ass kicked.

I am going to be sore everywhere tomorrow. My whole lower body, abs, and shoulders are going to be really sore tomorrow. A lot of people, in particular, ignorant young men like to mock yoga as something that is too feminine, too easy, or whatever. I have news for you. As long as you move beyond Yoga I and go into an intermediate level class, yoga can be a great workout.

1. I see that Hillary Clinton is winning big in Pennsylvania. I think this will come to the surprise of no one. This bit of bad news is cancelled out by the fact that George W. Bush has the lowest approval rating, 31%, in Gallup's history. Ironically, just past 9/11, he had the highest ever recorded approval rating at 91%.

2. Most people know that I am a huge Weezer fan. However!!! What the f*ck is this for their new album coming out in two months: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/50108-is-this-really-the-new-weezer-album-cover

3. While on the drive to Ames this weekend with Trevor, we talked about our favorite and least favorite band names. My all time favorite band name is Nirvana. How perfect is that? I have so many bad ones but I think Hoobastank might be the worst. There are so many other bad ones though (Limp Biskit, The Band, N.W.A., et cetera). What are your favorite and least favorites?

4. In another sign of the Apocalypse is coming... 15 year old pop singer has just landed a seven figure deal to write her memoir. Besides Josh Koo, I don't know one person who will read this.

5. I just had my two year review at work today. I cannot believe in a couple weeks I will have worked at USA Today for two years. That just amazes me.

Time flies when you're having rum

I am not well rested but it is Monday morning and time for my usual blog update with items that I am probably the only one to find interesting.

1. What has happened to my beloved cnn.com? At one point, they were my favorite website to gather news. To say their journalism has slipped would be quite an understatement. To those familiar with the website, they have about a dozen top news stories every day on the top right hand corner. Today, not only was the top headline about New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning getting married, there also was notice that Martha Stewart’s Dog, Kubla Khan Chow Chow Paw Paw Paw, or just Chow Chow for short, has passed away. Come on CNN. We now as a country care so much about news that we are reading about celebrity’s dogs?

2. While back in Ames this weekend, I was thinking about what is the hardest major in college. Let me first start out that there is no such as an easy major. I know many engineers who would rather die then be theater majors and have to perform nightly in front of large crowds. I know many journalism majors that would crash and burn if they had be a math or engineering major. A biology major might quit school out of boredom if they were an English major. I think you get my point. I think architecture might be the most challenging major in all of college because you have to be talented in so many different areas. You obviously need great creativity and artistic ability but you also need superior spatial and geometry skills. Not too mention, I have seen first hand how many hours these architecture projects take. In addition, unlike many majors, architecture is a five year program.

3. Today is the first day of warmth in months. Today’s high is supposed to be 73 degrees. I can’t wait. I plan on riding my bike, or walking around the lake, or something outside. These warm days are so precious.

4. I am sad for my fellow Minnesotans. Last week, Delta Airlines bought Northwest Airlines and Delta became the biggest airline company in the world. There is one problem though. Northwest, which is headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota, currently has 33,000 employees. Obviously, not everyone will be laid off but many thousand will. They have their own advertising, marketing, accounting, and public relations people. This is really bad news for many Minnesota families. Although I don’t know anyone directly who works for Northwest, I do have a friend whose Dad works for Northwest. Next time I see him, we will have much to talk about.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I got back this afternoon from another trip to Iowa. There were phone booths at the London Underground which I will never look the same at again. There were terrible movies that were watched (Good luck Chuck) and there were brilliant musicians that I enjoyed live (Jimmy Eat World). This weekend provided me with a lot of time to reflect on the people that mean the most to me. I have been so blessed in this world and I have no one but the good Lord to thank for that. But more then just the good Lord above shaped me for who I am. I am always thankful for my whole family for the sacrifice, dedication, and love they have always shone me. But nobody has shaped me more in the past several years then the great friends I have met and the old friendships which are continually renewed. To all of you, and you know who you are, I raise my glass to you. I toast your commitment. I toast your unconditional love. I toast to your patience. There will be many changes that I will be making in my life in the near future. You will have questions. I will have few answers. But I can promise I will do my best to be a good friend too. After all, did Ralph Waldo Emerson not say, "The only way to have a friend is to be one".

1. Inspired by an article I have read today, I have decided to take a hiatus from Facebook. I want to put a new focus on my life without the influence of Facebook. I want to get outside more often. I want to read more often. I want to pray more often. I don't know if it will be a permanent removal from Facebook or not? We'll see.

2. This week I will be signing up for GRE and LSAT tests this fall. I regretfully half-assed it the first time I took the GRE and that mistake will not be made again. I have grand dreams and I want the test scores to help open doors to make those dreams more of a reality. I have always been a bit of a dreamer, maybe I just agree with Bob Dylan when he said, "I am against nature. I don't dig nature at all. I think nature is very unnatural. I think the truly natural things are dreams, which nature can't touch with decay." It is hard to argue with the poet. Life is too decayed. My dreams are pure.

3. I will miss Juney the most.

Papa's got a brand new bag

Allow me to have my first day's take on the fifth day. I have been pretty burnt out already at the presidential race. I still am interested but my fascination in the process has been waning for several weeks now. However, I have been angered by republicans' new assertion that because Barack Obama is a liberal, he must be an "elitist". In the way that the words flip-flopper have been used ad nausem against John Kerry, then the words elitist will be used for John Kerry. Where did this start? The idea that because you are liberal you are an elitist? In reality, anybody who is running for president is an elitist. To wake up one day and say to yourself, "Hey mirror, you should be the most powerful person in the world. You should be the next president of America" is pretty darn elitist. But why is this term always thrown at the "sushi eating, latte sipping, New York Times reading, liberals!" Is it because there is a 4 - 1 ratio of people with Ph. D's that are liberal vs. conservative? Is it because most liberals reside in or around big cities and look down at their rural brothers and sisters? I don't know what it is exactly but it really bothers me.

1. I have recently become a hockey fan. That could be because I once again secured MN Wild tickets for tomorrow night. Playoff hockey is so much fun!

2. I would like someone who wants to have an indie movie marathon with me to volunteer. I would like to start with "Lars and the real girl", "Bamako", "Once", and "Romance and cigarettes". This was a great year, from what I hear, from indie films and I have done a terrible job keeping up. Once again, I am looking for volunteers.

3. Am I the only person excited for The Iron Man movie?

4. One topic of conversation that is frequented in male circles is what celebrity do you find most attractive. In the past five years, my favorites have morphed from the pop star Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears to the sophisticated classy girls like Kate Beckinsale and Keira Knightley, but I have a new favorite celebrity... Erin Andrews.
http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/extramustard/11/09/andrews.qa/p1-andrews.jpg
Yes, there are women out there who are more "sexy" in the classic set of the word but Miss Andrews is the coolest.

5. I am happy The Office is back on.

"It appears that the website has become alive. This happens to computers and robots sometimes. Am I scared of a stupid computer? Please. The computer should be scared of me. I have been salesman of the month for 13 of the last 12 months. You heard me right. I did so well last February that Corporate gave me two plaques in lieu of a pay raise."

-Dwight Schrute

fried food and Koo in high heels

I hope everybody had a great weekend. I had fun, memorable, but all too fast, VEISHEA weekend. For those who don’t know, VEISHEA is the annual festival at Iowa State University. According to the Des Moines Register, on most years, VEISHEA attracts about 75,000 visitors to Ames, Iowa. This year, due to horrid weather conditions, there were only about 30,000 visitors. Ames has actually changed a lot in the past year and I dined at several new and good restaurants. The pizza was good at Jeff’s and my guacamole burger at Papa’s Corner was fantastic. My ears are still ringing from the bar Es Tas 2. Some of the highlights of the weekend included an international food festival (who would’ve guessed I like Sri Lankan food.), basketball losses to high schoolers, and an inebriated Fat Pat appearance. The weekend was a lot of fun but it went by so fast. Another one of my favorite moments actually came Friday during the day when I received a surprise phone call from Russ Lyons, who made a brief Minneapolis appearance. It was really great to get lunch and coffee with him and catch up on life as a missionary. Every time I see him he seems happier and more committed to this lifestyle. I’m happy for him.

1. I have celebrity sex tape news. Apparently, there is a copy of a sex tape with Marilyn Monroe. Wow! I was shocked when I read that. The tape went to some sort of an auction where a man bought the tape for 1.5 million dollars. He does not plan to release it and “make a Paris Hilton out of her.” Here is the link if you’re interested: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/CelebSnapshots/popup?id=2858140

2. To all you Minnesota nightlife people, Gay 90’s is being bought by the same gentleman who currently owns Déjà vu and Dreamgirls. What will happen to the legendary Minnesota gay bar, hopefully blogger Cooltieds will be able to provide some insight.
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/dining/17564934.html

3. I am proud of Elyse. Today, she begins day one of her dream career. Growing up, she always dreamed of writing for magazine like National Geographic or be a features story journalist for a top newspaper. Two weeks ago, she quit her job in sales at Epicor to accept the position of Associate Editor and journalist for Fender Bender magazine. I am not a car guy so I have never heard of it, but FB is apparently a well known publication in the auto world. This is a big step for her future in the journalism world. I am quite proud.

When the moon hits the eye like a big pizza pie. That's amore.

I don't know why but my mind has been on pizza recently. It could be that I am currently enjoying a large sausage pizza from Little Caesar's for $5.00 or it could be because...

1. About ten years ago, an anonymous genius started the website for $20.00 a year. He noticed that nobody had created that site before and he thought it might be a good investment. Well, he was right. Last week at an auction, he sold the rights for two million dollars. One phrase that I like to throw around is that the money is out there, I just have to find it.

2. While on the topic of pizza, the city of Chicago is widely regarded as the pizza capitol of the world. I have made it my mission to try a new, famous pizza, place every time I visit. I loved the flavors and crust. A few months ago I dined at Giordano's in downtown Chicago and I was amazed at the size and resplendence that a slice of pizza could have. However, I have a new favorite pizza. On Saturday, I had some Lou Malnati's pizza and it has taken the prize as best pizza in Chicago. I have several more famous Chicago Pizza places to try though: Pizzeria Uno, Home Run Inn, Ed and Joe's, Trattoria D.O.C., among others. I am excited already.

3. I can't wait for new TV to start. I have been waiting for new episodes of The Office for a very long time.

4. As happy as I am that I picked the correct winner of the March Madness tournament, Kansas University, I am about done cheering for them. Iowa State has a small rivalry with KU and this is not good for ISU. This will help their recruiting for years to come. Oh well. It will just make our wins even better.

And the rock feels no pain. And an island never cries.

I just got back from another epic trip to Chicago. I am a bit tired after spending all day in a car but I will do my best to recap the weekend that was.

After spending Thursday night with my Grandma and Grandpa, I was ready to hit the road on Friday morning. I arrived in Barrington, Illinois (a northwest suburb of Chicago) at noon and Nimit and I immediately took it upon ourselves to gorge at Fuddrucker's. After we both acknowledged how disgusting we felt after eating a lot of red meat, and much trash talking, we knew we had to settle our differences on the basketball court. Fortunately, the nearby Korean church had a basketball court. The weather was nice, although a bit breezy. Which would be great for a long walk on the beach, but not so nice for an outdoor basketball game. I am not one to normally boast about my athletic abilities but I will note, that I did beat the Nimitar two games to one on his own home court. Uh thank you. After showering, and playing with Nimit's adorable little Australian Shepherd puppy, we ate dinner at a Josh Koo recommendation. I have eaten at a buffet before. I have eaten good seafood before. I have eaten good sushi before. But, I have never combined the three until I ate at Todai. Todai is a Japanese seafood buffet. For $25, I feasted on fresh sushi, delicious lobster and crab, excellent shrimp, and the best mussels I have ever had. It was absolutely amazing. We capped the night off by meeting some Barrington crew and relaxing for the night.

We woke up early on Saturday and immediately made our way to Wrigleyville, Illinois. This was a fascinating experience. I am quite familiar with downtown Chicago and the suburbs but I have never got to sense where the young, yuppie, trendy, artsy people hang out. I got a little tour of Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville and I fell in love with the cool shops, unique condos and townhouses, and bevy of restaurants. For those Minnesota readers, imagine an Uptown but about six times the size. I definitely would want to live there if I ever am afforded the opportunity to move to Chicago. The people were fun, lively, young, and clearly intellectual. I absolutely loved it. Of course, what could complete my Wrigleyville experience then seeing a great come from behind 9 - 7 Cubs victory over the Astros. The hot dogs were good, the beer was chilled to perfection, and it was a cool, but reasonable 60 degrees outside. Watching the Cubs from Wrigleyville is how baseball should be played. (Please note builders of the new Twins stadium, take a tour of Wrigley Field!) Saturday concluded with the two of us heading back to Nim's parents' house and watching some basketball before we both fell asleep at about 10:30. Apparently, we are that cool.

Sunday, was a fascinating day. In terms of seeing famous places of worship, I have been blessed in my life.

I have seen the famous Gaudi church in Barcelona: http://bwrc.eecs.berkeley.edu/people/Grad_Students/along/world/graph/summer99_eu/gaudi.jpg

I have seen the famous Hagia temple in Istanbul:
http://www.livius.org/a/turkey/istanbul/istanbul_hagia_sophia_25.JPG

And of course I have seen many of the famous cathedrals around America (National Cathedral in D.C., Minneapolis Basicalla, et cetera.) But this morning I took a tour with Nimit's family of the absolutely gorgeous BAPS Mandir in Bartlett, Illinois and I had my breath taken away.

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/2702701.jpg

I also learned a lot about the Hindu religion. But the mandir was so breathtakingly beautiful, that I could barely speak. Beautiful fountains, gold statues, hand carved marble and wood, et cetera. Please go visit this Hindu temple the next time you are Northwest of Chicago. After a quick Indian lunch, I was back on the road, heading home for Minneapolis. I had not taken a day of vacation since December, and I think I used my time very well.

More punch then a bowl of juice

I have to start off this post with a confession. I was a bit stressed out this morning so instead of doing what the experts say I should do (exercise, meditate, breathe deeply and count to ten) I did what any normal obese American would do.

I ate at White Castle

Let me explain myself... Okay, I have nothing except to say that I used a coupon where I got TEN cheeseburgers for $4.00. You have to be kidding me. I was absolutely stuffed and the whole meal cost me less then a five note. While I was in the White Castle "cafe" I noticed a diverse group of people with one obvious exception. I saw only men. I have a theory on this. Because so many women can't stand White Castle (and most of them have never stepped inside the Castle, let alone feasted on a delicious slider), the restaurant has turned into a sort of safe haven for men to be men. Sometimes women need to understand that men just like to be men in the company of only men. There are fewer and fewer places that are socially acceptable for that to take place. I have a feeling that White Castle will forever be one of those havens. Don't judge me.

1. I saw the movie Pride yesterday. It is a true story based on an inner-city Philadelphia swim team that goes on to beat racism and wins a national championship. It is a typical sports movie and if you like those movies you will enjoy Pride. It gets the Fidler seal of approval. It was fun, light, and entertaining. Bernie Mac had some great one liners and Terrance Howard is good in anything he does.

2. Speaking of Terrance Howard, he might be in my top five favorite actors. He was really good in The Brave One, Crash, August Rush, and I will even forgive his small role in Glitter. He is good in everything he does.

3. Pitchforkmedia.com is probably the best music website in the country. Today, they had a feature on the new Weezer album coming out on June 18th. I am not kidding, for the third time, they will have a self titled album. Their first album was nicknamed the blue album, the third album was nicknamed the green album. It looks like this one will be the red album. I have been out of my Weezer obsession for a few years but I am still really excited for this CD mainly because I have heard the first single and I really liked it.
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/49674-weezer-reveal-new-album-title-or-april-fools-joke?loc=interstitialskip

4. Thank goodness our friends in Edina have come to some sort of common sense. I was reading in the Star Tribune on Sunday that the city of Edina wants to put a cap on the size of their mansions. I wasn’t too concerned about the mansions themselves but the indentured servants’ quarters were just getting ridiculous.

5. How sad were all of you to read that thespian Pamela Anderson's marriage to producer Rick Solomon has ended a divorce after nine weeks? She has shattered her previous record of sixteen weeks to Kid Rock.

Warning! Possible controversy ahead

This past Saturday, while perusing through the newspaper, I saw that the United States Department of Labor has published what the median salary was by profession. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the national median for elementary and secondary teachers were $45,000 and $48,000 for Minnesota teachers. I will not go so far as to say that teachers are overpaid in this country, but I will also flat out say that teachers are not underpaid either. Please keep in mind that $48,000 a year would put teachers in the top 25% of earners in the state. Also, teachers do not work summers, they have spring breaks, winter breaks, fall breaks, MLK Day, Good Friday, Presidents Day, and an assortment of other holidays that I don't get off. I make less then $48,000 a year and I only have ten days of holidays a year. Plus, nobody gets as good of benefits package as teachers. I don't want to hear how teachers don't leave the school at 2:30 like the students. My neighbor was an English teacher and you better believe I saw him every afternoon. Plus, at Jefferson High School, all teachers get a break period during the day which was supposed to be for correcting papers, meeting with students, et cetera. I have done a little bit of math here.

I worked 244 days in 2007. The average teacher in Minnesota works between 170-180. That is an enormous difference!!!

1. Yesterday, I saw the movie 21 with a high school friend. I would recommend this movie. No, it's not going to win any academy awards but it was just a fun movie to go see. The acting was good, and the plot moved along quickly. I enjoyed it.