Lost in Greenville

Where the frak have I been??

2010-09-20T13:57:00.001-05:00

So, I've been busy. Too busy to blog. I know, I know...it's been several months since I last shared anything with you, but I promise I have some good material! It's finally a good time to sit down and put it on paper, so to speak. So, sit back and let me fill you in on what we've been up to!

A few weeks ago, Erin and I headed to a local pub to hear some of our friends play. I am a sucker for anything Irish and non-smoking, so I figured "why not??". Fitzpatrick's was a place I had read some mixed reviews about, so I was excited to go and see what it was like. The menu was full of tasty food....and it was pretty cheap, too. I will definitely have to come back for a meal.

The band was good, as always! I think they are called Beyond the Fire, or something. They play some good, accoustic-ish classic rock.

One of the specialties at Fitzpatrick's is a chocolate cake made with lots and lots of Guiness. I tried a slice. It was pretty good!

Most of you know what I do with most of my spare time: drum corps. I just wrapped up the 2010 season with Alliance Drum & Bugle Corps, out of Atlanta. This was my second year with the corps and I had the time of my life....again! Our championships were held in Rochester NY on labor day weekend, and we had a couple fantasic performances. In this first picture, you can see me playing the opening solo....and staying away from the Grim Reaper, himself. Spooky.

Some of the parents got some good pics from the stands. Here's one of the full corps. We will be even bigger next year. Guess who gets to help with all of that recruitment? Yours truly, of course. :)

Part of the trip to NY includes a stop at Niagara Falls. I had never been there before, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to see the Falls and stare down those dirty Canucks on the other side. Here's one of the first pictures as we walked into the park. It turns out that Sunset is the perfect time to go.

Lots of mist and lots of Alliance jackets!

This was the best view from the US side. I heard that the view is best from the other side, but I will have to take their word for it for now.

Here you can see the Rainbow Bridge and the American Falls.

Here's a shot of me against the Falls. I gotta tell you....being so close to the rushing water is a little nerve-racking. That water was moving fast!

Here's a panaramic shot of the park and the skyline of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

Another shot of the falls.

It was starting to get dark, but you could still see the American Falls pretty well.

Oh Canada, Eh? It looks a lot different than it did on Canadian Bacon. I know, because I went right home and watched it.

A group of me and my friends, before we headed back to our hotel. Good times.

As soon as I got home from NY, Erin and I started planning things for us to do. I hadn't spent a weekend home in months, so I was eager to spend time with my wife! The first thing we did was hike up Table Rock. We had a blast, although the weather was absolutely terrible and I seriously injured my foot. It's been about a week since we climbed up there in the rain, and I am 99% healed, thank goodness! We'll have to try it again on a sunny day, so I can grab some better picture of the landscape.

Here's a panaramic pic from Governor's Rock.

We had a picture taking party at the summit with some other hikers. There's nothing to see at the summit, but if you go a little further, you'd normally be rewarded with a breathtaking view. Normally.

Now, here's a random picture. Driving to Alliance rehearsal in the 'burbs, I would often drive past the "castle house." Supposedly, a dude came into lots of money, and he built a castle house. I mean, who wouldn't do the same thing? This time, I grabbed a picture to share with everyone. Yes, there is a swimming pool moat around the house. Awesome!

A few months ago, a new restaurant opened in Greenville, called Chipotle. It is an eco-conscious burrito place, and we all know how much I love burritos. Maybe not Q'doba burritos, but I do nonetheless.

I found the food to be reasonably priced, compared to Moe's. I found it to be better than Q'Doba. But, like Q'doba, I found it to be pretty bland. At least they flavored the rice with a lemon twist, but the hottest sauce that they had was Tobasco. I still prefer Moe's times a billion, but it wasn't bad. It definitely felt upscale and you can rest assured that everything they sell you is prepared and grown in an organic way.

Another restaurant we went to lately is called Barley's. When I first heard the name, I immediately thought of beef soup. Actually, they are a pizza place.

We started with pita and dip. They were great!

I got a pizza, which was really big....too big. But, it was pretty darn good! I would definitely come back. Maybe I'll try one of their 72 beers next time.

I have been searching for years for my next car. Something that was sporty, fast, and fast. I think I finally found what I'm looking for. I present for your consideration, the 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX. All wheel drive, turbo, and just plain cool. I score wife points for the 5 doors, and I'm sure I will use the heck out of the hatchback, considering how much stuff we have hauled in my Eclipse in the past. Now, I just need to save up some money and I hope to special order one of these bad boys next year. Woohoo!

Other than that, I am taking advantage of my newly found spare time to continue singing with my quartet, work on some projects at home, hop on the motorycle, and just spend time with Erin. The Alliance 2011 season starts up again in January, so time is precious! The weather here is still hot. October is around the corner, but we're expecting a high of 93 today. I love warm weather, but I am definitely looking forward to a cooler Fall. It seems like it's been 5 months since we've been below an average of 90 degrees. I'm anxiously awaiting a visit from my folks in a couple weeks, so I will be sure to post pictures. My birthday is around the corner, when I will finally say goodbye to my twenties. I don't know how I feel about that, yet. We'll see. I'm only as old as I feel. I'm only as old as I feel! I'm only... I still feel young, so I have that going for me. Talk to you soon!

How to Make a Dot Book

2010-07-29T12:33:00.003-05:00

If you are in a drum corps or marching band, chances are that you are required to create and carry a dot book with you throughout the season. This is a small notebook in which you write your drill and other information to aid you during your rehearsal. You will use it quite often, and if you're like me, your dotbook will look pretty sad after a short while, especially during the hot summer months. My book had recently fallen completely apart, so I decided to take the opportunity to write a how-to while I build a new and improved copy.

My new dotbook is going to be much more durable than my last one. Moisture was causing my pages to fall out, pencil and ink were smearing over all of the pages, and I was having a difficult time finding the right set information before moving on to the next set during drill cleaning. Instead of using a standard spiral bound index card notebook, I am going to use an index card binder. This will allow me to add and remove pages at will, and the plastic binder will better protect my pages from the elements.You can find a binder like this in the index card section at OfficeMax for around $4.00.

The index cards that came with the binder only had the thickness of ordinary paper, so I bought a package of normal 4x6" index cards to replace them. To punch the holes in the new cards, I used a standard three hole punch and centered two of the punches on the cards.

Next, I divided my cards into 3 sections, so that I can fit more than one dot on a page. This is a personal preference thing, but I feel that 3 is the perfect number to conserve space, but allow for future notes and corrections.

Next, copy your drill information onto the cards. You'll want to write the information upside down, since you'll be reading this from above. On my pages, I include the set number, how many counts, side to side and front to back coordinates, horn moves, musical clues, etc. I like to use short hand, which makes it easier to read and write the information. For example: IS = inside the yard line, OS = outside the yard line, S1 = side one, S2 = side two, BH = behind, IF = in front, FSL = front side line, FH = front hash, BH = back hash, BSL = back side line. Since you're the one who will be reading this, just write it in a way that's easy for you to understand.

Some instructors might insist that I write my drill in pencil, but due to the messy nature of pencils, and the ability to replace the cards in this format, I decided to write my pages in black ink so that they'll last longer. If I need to make additions or changes in the future, I will do that with a pencil until I can replace the page with another permanent copy. If possible, separate your drill pages into show sections, IE part 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. This will make finding your dot much easier. Keep a few blank pages in the back, just in case you need to add or rewrite a page during rehearsal.

After completing the dots, I decided to add small copies of the music into the book, so that I can have a quick reference to the written music during rehearsal. To do this, I had to shrink my sheet music. There are several ways to do this, but I chose to convert the PDF versions into images, and print them all on a single sheet using some image printing software. I won't drive too deep into that process since my way is probably not the easiest!

After printing the small copies, I carefully cut them out and attached them to my tabbed dividers with clear packing tape. That will keep the music clean and protected.

Here's what the music looks like when attached to the dotbook:

In order to carry a pencil with the new book, I attached some Velcro to the inside cover and a pencil in a spot that won't interfere when closing.

Finally, to wear the dotbook, you'll need to get a shoestring, small rope, etc, to tie around your waist. I made a small knot around one of the rings and fed a shoelace through. It may be a little heavier than my small notebook, but this new book will be much more durable.

I hope you found this helpful in case you need to learn how to make a dotbook, or simply can use some inspiration to create a more durable and useful version!

Grab some coffee....this will take a while!

2010-05-13T14:33:00.002-05:00

Introduction & Disclaimer

So....it's been a while since you've heard from me. Oh, I was gone, you ask? To say I've been busy would be a major understatement, but I have so much to share with you. In the last month, I have been to several new restaurants, made some fun purchases, solved world hunger (not really....in fact, I struggle to control my own hunger!) and more. I've tried my best to summarize the most interesting parts, and dumped the other pictures and tales that I felt unnecessary. Having lived in our home just over 2 years, you may have noticed that the frequency of the blog posts may have decreased. It's a mixture of two things: We're not experiencing as many new things and at the same time, we're becoming busier with the established activities and relationships in our lives. Therefore, it takes me a few more weeks to gather the photos and the time to update my little 'ol blog. So, if you can live with that fact, I promise to make my posts as action-packed as I can. So, stick around!

I snapped a recent pic from my phone. Yes, as you can see, I am still as studly as ever!

Here's the first story of this edition. This will appeal to the nerdier (meant in the nicest possible way) readers of Lost in Greenville. At work, I work with many Dell Precision mobile workstations. These pricey suckers are used by engineers because they contain powerful laptop video cards, which often function better as room heaters than video cards. They have such an extreme failure rate, that any particular user can expect to have their video card fail at least once in the few short years they own it. Once these laptops lose their warranty, the cards are difficult and expensive to replace. Here is an example of what happens with the video memory goes bad:

While doing some research on the Interweb, I found that some users have had luck repairing their video cards by disassembling and heating them in an oven. As bizarre as that may sound, it seemed to work for them, so I had nothing to lose and much to gain! Here I am, removing the video card from the laptop.

After putting a couple broken cards in the oven at home, I was able to fully resuscitate them. I'll spare you the details, but the heat treatment did the trick.

And here is the result of my work! Just for extra brownie points, I created a document with step by step details and submitted it to my supervisor. Go me!

Erin and went to a new pizza place (well, new to me...)out at Shoppes at Gridlock called Brixx. Sorry for the blurry photo!

For an appetizer, we got a dish of pita bread, complete with several types of dips. We liked it so much, we asked for another refill. Mmmmm.

The main event was the pizza, which for me, usually involves sausage and pepperoni. It, too, was awesome!

We decided order a custom beer sampler, since we wanted to try some new brews. This was Erin's idea, which surprised me since she usually doesn't like beer. We tried some fruity and chocolaty selections. It was a great experience!

Cheers!

After having my heart torn out in December with the loss of my beloved Jimmy Johns, I was relieved the hear the news that, not one, but two Jimmy Johns were reopening in Greenville. The first weekend it was open, I swung by the new location by the mall.

No surprises inside, everything looked pretty familiar! No "Welcome to Jimmy Johns!" though. They'll learn.

I had my traditional combo. It was terrific, of course.

That's it for the first half! Take a break to rest your eyes, then come on back for some more!!!

INTERMISSION

The next morning, I set out on a big adventure while Erin was away at Bell Choir Camp. Don't worry, she knew about it.... As you can see my little car proved its merit again. That TV fit just right. I did have to make a separate trip for the stand, but it fit also. I love my car!

Here is our old and new TV for comparison. Our old Sony is a great TV, but it doesn't do HD!!

Here's the final product, all put together later that evening. I had to do a few more upgrades to the HTPC to handle recording HDTV, but with some faster memory and a Core 2 Duo processor, it's running splendidly! Our first Blu-ray was, you guessed it, Avatar. We haven't watched it home yet, but we snuck a peak at it and it looks amazing. I'm halfway through the Planet Earth series and that, too, is incredible! Being able to watch Netflix over the Blu-Ray player is extremely convenient, and our Netflix subscription and cable box got quickly updated to take advantage of hi-def material.

After the new gear was all hooked up, we realized that the remote control situation was spiraling out of control. Yes, we needed all 6 of these remotes to run everything. Soooooo I found a mint condition Sony RMVL610N learning remote online (discontinued, but popular and inexpensive) and programmed it to run everything. It works like a charm!

Another new dining establishment opened recently, this time a Buffalo Wild Wings! I was so excited to have one of my favorite restaurants open up in Greenville. This is also located at Shoppes at Gridlock, our pet name for the ridiculously designed outdoor mail with one exit.

I usually get the Wild flavor (#2), but was feeling adventurous and tried the Blazin (#1). I liked the added heat (hottest sauce they have), but the flavor is hands down better with the Wild sauce. Of course I got some chocolate cake to go with everything. The only downside? My lunch cost me $20. So worth it.

Right in our own city of Simpsonville, we recently got the only Imax theater in the upstate. For the first week, they were giving away movies and popcorn with a small donation to charity. The place was so packed, that when we came back for an afternoon movie later that week, everything was completely full. This parking lot is another example of FAIL, as it too only has one entrance and exit.

The inside was what you'd typically expect. To the right, there is actually a secured bar area for beer and wine. While I don't care enough about those to pay theater concession prices, let alone alcohol, it's an interesting option! Food here is extremely expensive, as you might have guessed.

We're in the line for Star Trek Imax. It was a late night showing, but it was packed.

Yes, the seats here are made of leather and they rock. No, literally, they rock back and forth. The rooms smell so good......

The Imax screen is awesome, however I have mixed feelings about it. Yes, it is very large, but Erin and came back to the regular screens for Iron Man 2, for less than half the price, and enjoyed the movie just as much. I bet there will be situations where we'll want to go Imax, but for now, the other theaters are just great!

Now, it's time to talk about Alliance! I'm happy to report that we had a full baritone line at our last camp. I haven't seen such a beautiful site in a long time! It was literally 12 years ago since I was in such a large line, at Pioneer.

After camp and a nice shower, I came outside to load my car. I stumbled upon the other guys collapsed on Phillip's driveway. Upon their invitation, I joined them, watching for airplanes and confusing the neighbors that were walking past.

A nice bonus to the weekend was the gift of free bread at the Suwanee JJ...

At home, we also upgraded our vacuum cleaner. With Sam around, we have a huge pet hair issue. We decided to take the plunge on a Dyson Ball and am happy to report that it lives up to its hype! In fact, I find myself longing to vacuum the floor.... it's so much more enjoyable. :)

With the weather warming up, I've been missing a lot of opportunities to take the Fizzer out, but I've been finding some time here and there. While we were out for a ride, she told me that she felt neglected. I sowwy.

While I was mowing last week, I decided to investigate the long blades of grass coming through my fence. I peaked my head over the fence to discover my neighbors' grass had grown over 4 ft tall. I couldn't believe my eyes! I snapped a picture and summoned Erin over to take a look. This neighbor typically lets the yard grow long, but this was crazy, even for him! I can't even imagine how he is going to mow that. I'm more concerned about the critters that live there, like fire ants, but it hasn't caused a problem.....yet.

And this is what a properly cared for back yard looks like! Now, we just need to find some more friends and host some awesome parties.

I hope you enjoyed reading some of my recent adventures. Over the next few months, things are going to get cah-razy with Alliance and it will eat up most of my free time. Our first performance is in a month, I can hardly believe it! As part of the recruiting team, I have been spending a lot of time talking to interested candidates and sending lots of emails. Erin and I will be singing Haydn's creation for the first time since college. This is happening at Furman, at Danial Chapel (see earlier blog posts!). That will be exciting! That same morning, the Messiah Lutheran Wind Ensemble will be making a debut performance at church, too.

After a relatively easy allergy season, I finally fell victim to a couple weeks of misery, even with medication! The worst part is: that was after the tree pollen ceased to cover everything in a blanket of yellow. There's no escaping allergies in the South, that's for dang sure.

That's all I have for now! Stay tuned for Alliance updates and as always, I'll be making entertaining posts of Facebook. Nothing but the best for my friends and family!

It's been 2 years and I'm still a Yankee.

2010-04-13T23:13:00.002-05:00

In one week, Erin and I will have been in our new home for 2 years. No matter what we do, we can't seem to shake out Yankee-ness. Although living in the South has not changed us, we certainly appreciate the positive impact it has left on us so far. One of the greatest parts of living here in the Upstate is the weather, of course. We've been blessed with great weather for the last month or so and it's time to head outside and enjoy the beautiful spring. Once the warm weather hits, we throw open the windows and think of things to do with all of the daylight! We headed downtown a few weeks ago and spent an hour or two near Falls Park. It's a rite of spring passage for those around here.

Erin took me to my first karaoke party at our friend's house. I like singing, but I'm not good with words. Thankfully, the words are provided! Erin, of course, tore it up with her popstar talent.

I did my best Scott Stapp impression and had a good time, too!

Erin and I finally took the plunge and bought a new printer. I'd been bugging her about buying a laserjet for a while, so she finally agreed to get a color laserjet all-in-one. So far, so good! We love our new printer.

I received a new laptop hinge at work, and thought the packaging was interesting. It came all the way from Hong Kong. What was most interesting was that it was tied closed with a piece of string, most likely for inspection purposes.

Speaking of fascinating packaging at work, I discovered a new species of bubble wrap. If you squeeze these bubbles, they don't pop. Isn't that veerd??

Part of the Spring season here involves enduring weeks of disgusting yellow pollen, blanketing everything in sight. If you try to clean the pollen off, nature laughs at you and then mocks you by covering it again within minutes. Luckily, I am not allergic to this stuff like so many of my friends are. What we need is a nice rainstorm to clean our cars and out air.

Ahhhhhhh, that's better. Except, if you can't notice, there are hailstones bouncing off of my car in the picture. It breaks my heart to watch my precious 3G get pummeled mercilessly. Luckily, it survived unscathed this time!

Here are Erin and I, posing for a picture on Easter Sunday.

My favorite motorcycle forum, fz6-forum.com, put together some custom t-shirts. I was so happy to get mine to show off!

Every few weeks, it becomes time to drop everything in SC and head to Atlanta for some drum corps! Now that I am riding down with my friend Ross, we have to squeeze a lot more into my car. We've become very efficient at making room for all of our stuff. It's great to have someone new to talk to as we drive South from Simpsonville.

This was our first weekend learning drill AND rehearsing outside. The weather was unbelievable and we accomplished a lot. There are still a few spots to fill in the corps, but we at ALLIANCE are super stoked about our 2010 season.

After a long day of rehearsing, we headed to the Mall of Georgia. I'd never been there before, so we swung by. As one of our newest baritone players, Ross offered to perform some self-hazing by running through the kiddy fountain.

We were there to capture the excitement. Don't worry, he didn't get very wet.

The mall is gorgeous! It's one of the biggest malls in the country, so there was plenty to explore. We were only concerned with thee things though: Apple, LoveSac, and Cinnabon.

Here we are, arriving at the mothership. Our iPhones guided us in.

Get out of my way! I must try an iPad!! It was very cool. Shiny, speedy, and Appley!

After we were done at Apple, we stopped at a place called LoveSac, where we found gigantic bean bag chairs and pillows. We were in there for an hour and the staff weren't in any rush to kick us out, either. They sat down with the guys and gave us a couple LoveSac balls to toss around, too. I won't say much else about the staff, except that they were not hard on the ol' eyes, if you know what I mean. I kept my eyes on my wedding ring, of course, and let the younger, single-er guys interact with them.

This was my favorite chair. DO WANT.

Even though the Lenten season is over, there's not much time to rest. ALLIANCE is picking up full steam, with 3 rehearsal weekends in May. I've been helping with the recruiting for the hornline and since I have been sending so many emails, I can hear a new email arrive on my phone from 100 yards away. Now that the sun is shining, the yard work has to be done, also, and the motorcycle has to be ridden! In other news, Buffalo Wild Wings recently opened, and two Jimmy Johns are slated to open soon, so I have lots of awesome food to eat! Our new movie theater is due to open this week in my neighborhood, just in time for Iron Man 2!!!! I recently passed my Server+ certification exam, so I can finally put that test behind me and focus on learning something new.

Well, that's all I have for now! I'll be back as soon as I have some more interesting updates to share.

Where has the time gone? No seriously, I lost it somewhere. Help me look.

2010-03-06T22:24:00.079-06:00

This is a very special edition of Lost in Greenville! In February 2008, I packed my belongings and migrated down to South Carolina. Can you believe it's been 2 years already? Erin and I have truly enjoyed our time in the Upstate and I thought it would be appropriate to mark the occasion with a long overdue blog update. The last time I talked to you, we had just gotten home from our visit in Illinois. A lot has happened since then!

The folks at ALLIANCE revealed the new corps logo, which kinda reminds me of a sail boat. It's still cool, though! I have been super busy with the corps since our open house. We've had several more rehearsals and I've met a lot of new people. We can now play the entire show and I have to tell you: it's awesome! I've also taken on some recruiting responsibilities. In just a few months, we'll be on the field, competing for the first time and I can't wait!

Erin and I went to another organ concert at Furman. It rocked, of course. There's something about that organ that rumbles my chest and fills my heart and it leaves me wanting more.

The Hartness organ is the focal point of the sanctuary. They didn't even bother hiding it.

At work, I decided to shift my desk around so that my back wasn't facing the entrance. One co-worker had creepily snuck up on me and warned me about that, so I moved everything for safety sake.

Oh, and I finally upgraded my old desk phone. Welcome to 2005, Josh!

I won a contest at work and ended up with a shiny new iPod Nano! It's a truly remarkable little device, but I don't think I have room for it in my Apple world...so if anyone is interested, let me know!

We've been seeing some nasty weather lately. Not enough to keep me home from work. Dang. Lots of ice and snow, though! On this Sunday morning, I spent a half an hour de-icing my car (some places had over an inch!) just so that I could crack open my door and get her warmed up. Let's just say that I was late. My choir director cut me some slack, though.

On one particular Friday night, we had a pretty good snow storm. Of course, everyone's freaking out. Not me, I went to the gym. Weenies.

We got a beautiful 4 or 5 inches. It melted the next day, but it was pretty to look at!

Speaking of beautiful, my car turned over 91,000 miles last week. I caught a special moment when I hit 88,888. That number only comes once, you know! Next will be 888,888 miles! After another season driving to ALLIANCE rehearsals.

My car is so special. When I consider that after nearly 7 years, I still stare at it as I walk away, that tells me that I am meant to keep it! I'm sure y'all have had cars like that, where you can't picture yourself in something different.

When we were at Erin's Dad's house, we had some nice pictures taken of the family. Here's the most recent picture of me and my wife.

When Jimmy Johns closed up in downtown Greenville, I was crushed. A part of me died that day. I learned recently that a new location was opening up near the mall, I had to go see for myself! It's not opening for another month or so, but it's definitely a JJ's! AND it's even closer to my house than before, so WIN-freakin-WIN.

We got some sweet shirts for CQ's competition (which is next Friday, by the way!). After this picture was taken, we got our logo put on the front and our name stitched on the back.

For Christmas, I got another Lego set, but I hadn't yet put it together.

Thanks to hours of Olympics coverage, I spent several nights watching skating, sledding, and skiing while putting together my truck! With my old age, it took me a little longer, but I enjoyed it!

Has anyone seet the original GOOGLE search postcard? I guess my grandparents had to fill this out and mail it in to get their answers. Boy, we have it so easy now.

After ALLIANCE camp one day, I made my friends go to Jimmy Johns in Norcross. It was their first time, but I created several new JJ fans!

As part of our fundraising, we got to go work in a comic book warehouse.

Basically, we were organizing thousands of comic books onto bookshelves for processing. The work combines some of my favorite things: books and sorting!

As a fan of chicken wings, I was excited to try a new place. There is a wing chain call Taco Mac (which isn't what you think it would be).

The inside is what would happen if Applebees and Buffalo Wild Wings made a baby.

Chips and queso dip and Phillip's thumb.

Here are the wings. The verdict? I was very disappointed. With a sauce named "Death", you would think it would be hot! I tried their hottest sauces, but I didn't even break a sweat! I guess I'll have to wait until BWW opens in Greenville to get my hot wings fix. Of course, I still have to try Quaker Steak & Lube...

Well, that's all I have for now! Our weather is finally clearing up; today reached 60 degrees and I got a lot accomplished outside. In 6 days, my quarter will be taking stage in Greenville for out first competition. Look us up on Facebook, "Carolina Quadraphonic" for updates. Plus, ALLIANCE has another camp the next weekend. Easter is coming up, soon, also. Man, things are going to be crazy! I'll do my best to keep everyone up to date. Have a great month of March! Savor every moment, because it will be gone before you know it.

Illinois, what did we ever do to you!?!?!

2010-01-17T23:00:00.002-06:00

Alright, now that the Christmas season has wrapped up, I've got a lot to share with you! Erin and I had a wonderful Christmas at home this year; the first we've had without family so it was a quiet day around our house. A few days after Christmas, we packed up the car and drover up to Central Illinois to catch up on the family time with multiple families. Here's what we did!

I snapped this first picture as I was playing around with some slow shutter speeds on my camera. This is my favorite part of Christmas: the glow of the lights on the tree. This pic successfully captures that glow the way I see it.

We had an nontraditional Christmas dinner: homemade pizza. It was so good!

This is a shot from Christmas Eve service. I was in the back with the brass ensemble, but I managed to snap a picture during the candlelit portion.

We're on the road! We encountered some awful weather on the way back to Illinois, so we pulled off the highway to grab some coffee. I couldn't believe my eyes when we discovered a Starbuck's/Jimmy Johns! I wish we had these at home. Heck, I wish we had Jimmy Johns at home; ours is now closed down :(

On the first day up North, we went to Qdoba for lunch. I was curious to compare it to Moe's.

I had a steak burrito, similar to a Joey Bag of Donuts. I didn't like it nearly as well, it was very bland and full of white rice. They didn't have any good hot sauces, either. Erin liked hers a lot because the ingredients seemed to taste fresher.

This is the view back at my old stomping grounds. You can't see how cold it was at this point, but suffice it to say, I could only go out and snap a few pictures before my hands started to sting and the poor camera would get too cold.

I snapped a picture one morning to demonstrate how cold it was. We felt like Illinois was punishing us for something. It was miserable!

Here's Sam and Komen, my Mom's Yorki-Poo puppy. Poor Sam was constantly being bugged by the little guy. It got to the point where we just let Sam fight him off to see if Komen would get the point. You can see both of them wearing their new Snuggies.

Of course, when Sam is at any of the grandparents houses, he is treated like royalty.

Sam dressed up for the Christmas party in a tie. It was very nice of him!

While we were in Peoria, we went to a service at our old Church, Northwest United Methodist.

Here's Keri, leading the worship.

My beautiful mother looking at me with that face "Are you done taking pictures, yet?"

Here's a nice family pic with my parents and Erin.

Avanti's was a must-have while in P-Town.

Erin is displaying a new village piece to add to our Christmas Village. Can't wait to set this up next year!

Erin wanted to demonstrate how much easier the Snuggie makes daily tasks, such as talking on the telephone...

...or reading a book. Suddenly, these are much more fun!

Here's mom and Komen, watching my dad out the window.

Here's dad plowing the snow on his four wheeler. When I was a kid, there was a lot of hard labor to clear the driveway. It was not fun at all....it is a big driveway!

I snapped this pic of our little Civic while in Springfield. You would not believe how much stuff we crammed into that car!

Erin and I went to see Avatar in 3D. Not only was the movie incredible, but she looks so good in her 3D glasses!

We brought the Wii with us and we taught Erin's grandparents some new games.

Buffalo Wild Wings was another must-eat. I'm so pumped that Greenville is getting a BWW this summer!

My buddy Jon and I went out for pizza at Godfather's. We completely pigged out, of course.

On our way back to SC, we stopped at Erin's favorite restaurant, Lynn's Paradise Cafe, in Louisville, KY.

It's bold, eccentric, and a local treasure. Here's the gift shop:

Here's Erin in the dining area. There are funny lamps, nick nacks, etc.

I had a Cheeseburger, it was delicous! Erin enjoys the black bean chili, chips, with mango salsa.

I also tasted a chocolate shake. The boot mug made it even tastier!

Erin and I had a great time on the trip, but realized again, that we really really like living in South Carolina. Sure, we miss our family, friends, and favorite restaurants, but at least we don't have to worry about constant frostbite or snow down here.

Just to update you on everything else that is happening in my life: Work is still going well down the road, it's a laid back job that suits my personality well. Last weekend's ALLIANCE camp was canceled due to bad weather in Atlanta, but the next one is scheduled for next weekend. I'm so excited to start marching again! Also, CQ, my quartet, will be competing in two months, so we are hard at work perfecting our contest pieces. The weather has warmed up a little, so I plan on spending some more time on the motorcycle this week. I'm so lucky that I have the opportunity to ride year round. So far, we've stayed healthy and happy during the flu season, so I'll cross my fingers for continued health. I've been on a weightloss routine this month; we're not eating out, I'm hitting the gym everyday, etc. That Christmas trip menu, if you couldn't tell, really did a number to my waist. I'm happy to report that the tide has turned and in the next month or two, I hope to drop about 10 more pounds. We'll see! I hope you enjoyed my pictures, and you can count on some more next time. Thanks for reading, stay warm out there!

Christmas + Barbershop + Drum Corps = WIN

2009-12-19T21:42:00.006-06:00

Merry Christmas to all of my bestest blog-reading friends and family. It's become increasingly busy around the household over the last month or so, which is why it's taken me a little longer to sit down and blog it out. This is my favorite time of year! Ho-ho-ho and all that junk. My favorite part of Christmas is the music. Performing music, listening to music, dancing to music (okay not that one), you name it and I'm doing it. I've got my desk radio cranked to Christmas music all day and I can't explain why, but it cheers me up and lifts my spirits. How can I maintain my good spirit throughout the year?? I have two choices: 1. Learn to channel the positive energy of the season and transfer it to myself every day. 2. Listen to all of my Christmas music throughout the next 12 months. Verdict? I'm going to need a larger ipod.

Part of the Christmas season is a good Christmas concert. We had the opportunity to go to a good one in Atlanta. The Atlanta Vocal Project is a top International finalist barbershop chorus from the Atlanta metro area. When we heard that their annual concert was coming up on a weekend that I was going to be in ATL anyway, I jumped on the chance. Even better, Voices of Lee were their guest performers. Get in the car, honey!!!!

These guys looked and sounded really sharp, but not in the bad intonation sense.

There were a couple good quartets, including a past district champion.

Our favorite part was Voices of Lee. You may recognize a few of them from the NBC show Sing-Off. We think it may have been a different class of students performing on TV than the current group that tours the US.

At the end of the show, there was a large mass number with children and the other groups. It was really nice!

The next day, I threw myself back into the drum corps season. Our very first ALLIANCE camp was a success! We learned of the new show concept, played through some of the music, and made some new friends. Here is our corps director, Terry Reilley, telling us a little more about the upcoming season.

First, let me say it was cold as...um...ice. Yeah. One of the coldest mornings in my short duration in the South. I should have worn gloves to avoid frostbite from handling some of the equipment which was covered in frost. I learned my lesson. Here, you can see we were starting to load up some horns from our storage trailer.

My fellow baritone, Nick, was helping to unload the trailer. Looking at this picture, I can practically see him shivering under there. Our next camp is in mid January, I'll be sure to update you more at that time!

Even though I've been attending Messiah Lutheran with my wife, I was recently asked to sub in the bell choir at Mauldin United Methodist. I really enjoyed seeing some old friends and learning more about playing bells.

A small group of us went to a local concert for the students of the Governor's School, which is a really nice fine arts high school in Greenville.

The concert was held at a beautiful Presbyterian church in Greenville.

It wasn't a Christmas concert, per say, but it was nice to get out and get some culture. It was a great performance of challenging music by some really gifted high schoolers.

I had fun with some low light shots... It was also nice to get some sample video recordings.

As hard as I tried, I couldn't get my panos to center correctly, but this one turned out pretty nicely, I think.

They have a beautiful pipe organ there.

More good news! We finally registered our barbershop quartet with the society (Barbershop Harmony Society). We call ourselves Carolina Quadraphonic (CQ for short) and we are getting ready to compete for the fist time in March. I created a fan page on Facebook, become a fan if you feel inclined. I created a rough logo idea for the group below:

I found this in the locker room at the gym. This is what I call a "Lock FAIL"

I'm not a big beer drinker, but I couldn't pass up a recent chance to try some Yuengling Lager. Typically I like a light beer, like Miller Lite, but this had a really full flavor. I wouldn't drink it everyday, but the novelty of the oldest brewery in America tickled my curiosity and I'm glad it did!

Found this box at work yesterday. It's what I call a "Spelling FAIL"

There's a lot going on this weekend, so I'm going to wrap up. Weather here has been a little topsy-turvy, but mostly moderate. Some cool temps and a lot of rain, but we're not complaining. I haven't been on my motorcycle for a couple weeks (sniff sniff) but I'll probably find a good sunny day and put on an extra sweater and go out for a ride when the rain clears up. Erin and I are staying in SC for Christmas this year...our first in the new house...and our first on our own! We plan to stay in all day and play Wii!! Should be a good time. On Sunday, we're driving back to Illinois to stay with family and friends and enjoy some time off. I'll be sure to post some pictures of Christmas and the trip back. If you don't hear from me before then, Merry Christmas, and have safe New Year!

Thanksgiving in Greenville, Second Edition!

2009-11-29T13:26:00.006-06:00

Hello everyone out in radio land! Welcome back to the coolest blog in my subdivision. I've been busy-busy gathering up some cool pictures and stories to share over the last few weeks. There's been a lot going on and I finally have some time and motivation to sit down and finish this post. (Thank goodness for long Thanksgiving weekends!) We got the Christmas decorations out on Friday and are pleased to announe that the new house has been Christmas-tised for for the first time. Erin found Sam's Christmas collar, and in spite of my protests, made him wear it. For his dignity, I insisted that it be removed after the photo was taken. Good sport.

I had to change up my outdoor decorations this year; all of our white lights are in the bushes and in the garland. That garland used to be hung in our old livingroom, but I'm NOT putting all of those holes in the walls again, so I decided to hang it all outside this year.

Erin's Christmas village has really grown, it's got a fancy new home near the kitchen counter. I rigged up a hidden switch that turns it all on and off like that! *click*

We had an interesting Thanksgiving this year! It was the first time that we either weren't in IL with family or had family visiting, so we decided to host a dinner at church for others who also may need some company. There were about 10 people there and we cooked a 20lb turkey, plus everyone brought the other traditional components of a good Thanksgiving meal. Needless to say, we had a good time and had more than enough to eat.

I've had the opportunity to get out on the motorcycle this fall and grab some good shots with my new camera. I like the following so much, I'm thinking about making it part of a custom banner for my blog. This is Falls Park around November 1st.

A couple weeks ago, I took the fizzer up to Caesar's Head and rode up the mountain for the first time. It was a great learning experience for me, and I also had the opportunity to snap some beautiful pics along the way.

At the top, I pulled into the park and took some time to enjoy the views of Table Rock and the foothills.

It was a beautiful day, sunny about 65 degrees.

This would be a great view to wake up to every morning!

The sky was very hazy (it was nearing sunset, too) but you can see why I like to come up here so much!

I haven't been on the motorcycle as much this past week because I've been playing on my new Wii! My parents bought us a Wii as an early Christmas gift and I'm so glad they did. It's so much fun. It might not be cutting edge visually, but the ability to get so involved in the gameplay is beyond fun for a couple of video game newbs like us. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

Here's Erin, configuring her Mii. It's funny to see our characters on screen look so accurate.

I saw this outside the mall one day; It made me want to snap a picture and submit it to thereifixedit.com...

Last month, Erin and I and a couple friends from church attended a special presentation on piano history at the local Steinway dealer in Spartanburg. It was neat for me, because I wanted to learn more about the topic. Erin probably learned more about this stuff in college than I did, being I was a computer-major nerd and not a music-major geek.

There were at least 15 antique pianos on display, some of which were 200 years old. This was my favorite:

We were treated to a ragtime concert after the presentation. I never would have considered ragtime to be my favorite genre, but after hearing it live for the first time in my life, I have to say I really enjoyed it.

I did some major upgrades for my home computers recently. I maxed out the processor in my Dell Dimension 9150 (Pentium D, 960) I then took my Pentium D 830 and installed in my HTPC. Since the newer chip was hotter that the old celeron that powered our HTPC, I swapped out the heatsinks. Here, you can see the stock intel cooler, compared to the new Scypthe Scepter, which is not only much better, but quieter too.

To help with the airflow in the cabinet, I sealed off the HTPC compartments and installed a couple USB powered fans to draw cool air through the cabinet. So far, it has worked like a charm!!

While doing some shoe shopping in the mall, I spotted these winners. I don't care how much better they may make my workout, I'd rather kill myself.

A friend of mine from work, who is also a Peoria native, ordered some Kitchen Cooked potato chips online and thoughtfully gave me a bag. It was a nice taste of home. Thanks!

Erin and i tried a new pizza place a couple weeks ago. This is a newer place in Simpsonville: Tony's. Not to be confused with Anthony's, which I reviewed last year and was not impressed with.

Their menu system was original...it was scrawled on the wall!

I ordered some cheese sticks and you can imagine my surprise when they brought out something that resembles a friggin' pizza! I should have just ordered these instead of a pizza. They were excellent, though.

The pizza was very good, I have to say. I liked everything about it! It's not as tasty as Bellacino's, but it comes in a close 2nd! We definitely will come back in the future.

After dinner, we stopped over at the Downtown Coffe shop in Mauldin and enjoyed some live folk music.

Last week, I tried a new Chinese restaurant in Mauldin, called.... China. Wow, original name! The interior looked like...spoiler alert.....like every other Chinese restaurant you've EVER BEEN TO IN YOUR LIFE.

Chinese restaurants get a dual tiered review: crab rangoons and General Tso's chicken. Let's try the rangoons first. They were really good!

The General Tso's chicken was pretty good, but not good enough to have again. A good G.T.C. plate has crispy chicken, some spice, and a sweet, sticky glaze. This, like Lin Garden, was kind of cold, soggy, and definitely not spicy. And what's with the giant onions? It was the first time I'd seen it served that way, so I never thought to ask for the omission of the onions! My search for the perfect Chinese place continues!

Just to give you an idea of what else is going on in my life: The first 2010 Alliance Drum & Bugle Corps practice is next weekend! We hope to see a full corps there, and we'll get more information about the 2010 show, uniforms, and more. I have my audition materials ready and I'm plumped. Not only am I excited, but I've gained a little weight since DCA finals, hence the plumped part. With any luck, I won't be the oldest member of the hornline. When most of the instructional stuff is younger than me, that might be a challenge. The real challenge is keeping my body in corps shape... I'll do better this year, I promise. Just no more chocolate truffles, Erin, organic or not!!

My quartet is still singing, and we've been hard at work for contest, which is coming up in Greenville in March. I'm singing the lead part now, which I do enjoy more than Tenor. Erin and I are coming back to Illinois a couple days after Christmas, so look out for us. We'll have some time to sit down with friends and family and share some more of our adventures. Hope you enjoyed my pictures, here's wishing you a terrific Holiday...er... CHRISTMAS season!!!

A Tasty Experiment

2009-11-07T23:19:00.002-06:00

Who's got the best Big Mac?

I was watching television one evening when I saw a commercial for a McDonald's Big Mac. Then I saw a commercial for a Hardee's burger named a Big Hardee. Hmmmm, that's interesting. It looks a lot like a Big Mac. If that wasn't weird enough, Jack in the Box aired a commercial for their Bonus Jack, which also looked a lot like a Big Mac. They're all definitely trying to copy it....it made me a little curious. Being an unapologetic Big Mac lover, I decided the best way to settle this issue would be to try them all and blog about it! So, follow me on my search for the best, biggest, mac-iest Big Mac.

My first stop was to Hardee's. Their Big Hardee sandwich was advertised as a large, messy sandwich that bounced around when thrown on the table...It looked very tasty and it appeared that they may have improved on the sandwich design by replacing a piece of bun with an additional patty.

Let's get the nutrition mumbo jumbo out of the way!

Calories: 730

Fat: 51g

It appears to be quite a big sandwich! I wondered if I could even eat the entire meal... The service at Hardee's was pretty good. I placed the order with a friendly cashier who also delivered my lunch to my table when it was ready. My concerns about the size quickly vanished when my food arrived at my table. From first impressions, it looked like a tiny single cheesburger.

Not promising! The "secret sauce" competitor was barely added. The patties tasted burnt and overpowered everything. Those three tiny patties were stacked haphazardly, and after I reassembled the burger, it still was tiny. The meal cost me $4.95 with tax, but failed to impress me.

The next burger I tried was at Jack in the Box. The Bonus Jack looked more like a traditional Big Mac. The last time I visited JITB, I was less than impressed. The food and service were not very good, but I was willing to give this another try in the name of blogging.

Calories: 540

Fat: 33g

Other than the squashed appearance, the sandwich was larger than the Big Hardee. It was very tasty! There was plenty of Jack's special sauce and it tasted more like a traditional Mac. The service was pretty intense, with a personal visit to my table to ask about the sandwich, but it was refreshing. I liked this visit a lot! After tax, it cost me $4.84.

I couldn't blog about fake Big Macs without including the original. I've enjoyed a "#1" before there was such a thing as an Extra Value Meal. In fact, I fondly remember riding my bicycle up to Mickey D's as a kid for a summer lunch, with an awesome Batman Returns cup. So are my memories biased or is this still the best option?

The McDonald's by our house has phenomenal service. The staff are always polite, professional and the quality is always top notch. I ordered up a #1 and sat down to take a closer look.

Calories: 540

Fat: 29g

The Big Mac was the only contender not squashed and held itself together very neatly. It was the tallest of the three and had the best amount of ingredients. Taste was excellent and you can't beat those fries, either! In a twisted way, it was the healthiest burger out of the three... but that isn't saying much of anything. After tax: $5.82.

Well, here's the final verdict. Who has the best Big Mac? McDonald's! They've had years to work on this thing, and while it hasn't changed much, it is a pretty solid formula. Plus, I still prefer their french fries. Runner up? Jack in the Box. Go out and enjoy one...no, wait. I can't really recommend anyone eats a meal this unhealthy, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do: wink, wink.

It's Blogolicious!

2009-10-22T21:10:00.003-05:00

I know it's been a looooong time since I've blogged...but I'm going to make it up to y'all. There has been so much going on that I am about to present a supersized version of Lost in Greenville.

The first thing I wanted to show you was something I found in the bathroom at work. If you enlarge the following photo, you'll see a warning about a very serious issue facing American workers today: PTBI (Paper Towel Brain Injury).

Erin and I decided to try a new Chinese restaurant in Simpsonville.

The best part of our meal was the order of crab rangoons.

The chicken that I got was not very good. The worst part was the sogginess, followed by the lack of actual chicken. (It wasn't cat, or anything, just breading). Verdict: we definitely won't be returning; there are several other good restaurants which are much closer to home!

Erin and I went to downtown Greenville with a few other couples for dinner and coffee. After dining at Trio Grill, we went over to Coffee Underground. That was the first time I had been there.

The menu was massive! I thought it was just a coffee shop, but they feature a full dinner, dessert, and drink menu.

There are two large dining rooms; the atmosphere is quiet and gently lit.

I decided to try a brownie sundae. It was really good!

For our last week at City Hall, ATS was given a nice lunch banquet for our service over the last two years. We were all recognized personally, which was nice.

Lunch was catered, it was excellent! Baked rosemary chicken, I think it was.

Erin and I met up with a few of our friends for a couple games of bowling. It had been a few years since I last bowled, so I was excited to try out my bowling arm.

I was hesitant to go at first, because I assumed the bowling alley was going to be dirty and smelly like I remember. I was impressed when I saw how nice it was!

Who wouldn't want a pair of these babies?

It's all fancy schmancy. Stupid Me asked for the bumpers to be taken down.

After work on the last day at City of Greenville, our IT Services manager flew down from Chicago and took us out to the nicest restaurant that I've ever been to: Rio Grille.

Rio is a high end Brazillian Barbeque restaurant. The feature a selection of 10 different meats, brought to your table in a endless parade.

Since I was one of the first to arrive, I decided to sit down and have a drink.

I don't have a beer very often. It hit the spot!

My first plate came from the salad bar. I could've stopped there

At first, you try each meat that comes along: filet mignon, ribs, prime rib, bacon wrapped bacon...There comes a point where you can't keep up and have to turn down meats. That is sad.

Their desserts were works of art.

My birthday came along and my loving wife celebrated by drawing on my mirror.

...and my shower...and my car. Two out of three have by now been cleaned...can you guess which?

We celebrated not with a cake, but with a Mocha Freeze. Make a wish!

Erin bought me some Honey Buns. It was tough work, but I ate them all.

Erin and I have been cooking up some good vegan meals. This was a Reuben sandwich with a white bean & roasted garlic soup. Not too bad for being healthy.

I was at the dentist's office last week for a filling. The doctor recommended I try a new procedure called a CEREC Onlay in lieu of a filling. This is like a partial crown, which is made before your eyes. The dentist removed a large portion of my molar and then replaced it with a CAD-drawn crown, which was milled right in the hallway. Sure, it was more expensive than a normal filling, but it will last a lot longer.

In other news, to celebrate our anniversary, we bought tickets to see Kathy Griffin at the Peace Center in Greenville.

I wasn't brave enough to snap pictures during the show (that's not allowed!!!) so I grabbed one of the Peace Center stage. We had good seats, in the front row of the balcony. How exciting! It was a great show; exactly what you'd expect. It's my guilty pleasure of funny celebrity gossip. She even made fun of Greenville; how thoughtful!

We went back to Moretti's in Mauldin. You may remember the last time we went, you got to see Erin's fabulous vegan wonderland pizza. This time, I tried their fish sandwich. Verdict: Best fish sandwich I've ever had. Now, I will start sampling their toasted sandwiches. This may become Erin and my favorite restaurants!

I received a subscription to Netflix for my birthday and we are loving it! We've already watched several movies instantly on our HTPC and have received several through the mail. We were growing tired of the awful customer service or high prices at the local rental stores. ($5 rental?!) I highly recommend it!

My friend Eric has a lot of cats at home, and they're all hidden. It's like a fun picture search....find the hidden cats! I found this one sleeping in the window. I typically do not enjoy cats, but how can you not love that!?

I was able to upgrade my camera and get something more advanced than my old Nikon coolpix. Back when people used film in cameras (film...you know, film....) I was heavily into photography, so it was a treat to start taking good pictures again! This particular camera, a Sony DSC-HX1, takes hi def video and has a 20x power zoom. Woohoo!

Here's one of the first pictures that I took. Not too shabby! I've been experimenting in the back yard to learn the best tricks for this camera. Erin thinks I'm crazy. There's a method to this madness!

October has been a beautiful month! The weather has settled into a very comfortable fall and my weekends have been free. I've been working hard on my quartet, practicing for ALLIANCE, and enjoying my new job. I haven't been able to ride my motorcycle much lately, but I look forward to seeing the fall colors up in the foothills! I'll be sure to post some pictures!

When it rains, it.....keeps raining every day. Bleh.

2009-09-28T22:21:00.001-05:00

Well, it's that time of year! Fall is when the family comes out to visit and cloudy, rainy days seem to go on for weeks. Now, I'm not complaining, but I was a little disappointed in the weather situation for my parents' visit from Peoria. I mean, they're used to that kind of weather and I wanted to give them a break (It's been nicer up there this summer than it has down here, so I guess they get the last laugh...)

One of the things I wanted to do most for their visit was to go to the BMW plant in Spartanburg since I've never had the opportunity.

Here is the front entrance to the Zentrum.

The back of the building. (Looks like a big crescent roll to me!)

From the front.

Flying the flags.

My lovely wife relaxing by the pool..er..fountain.

I want one for my front yard!

Inside the museum.

These were our favorites! I call them the Steve Urkel cars.

Here are the folks, enjoying themselves! (I think)

Another couple having a good time.

A closeup!

Motorocycles! Now, we're talking.

Wouldn't this be fun to ride across the continent?

Wouldn't this be fun to ride down the street? (In the dark)

Taking my parents to Waffle House for the first time.

Mmmm, a nice steak sandwich and hash browns for breakfast. They'rrrrrrrrrre Grrrrrreasy!

Had to show the folks Whole Foods, the creme de la creme of grocery stores.

My happy wife picking up some organic thingies.

I tried to add some culture into my parent's life by treating them to tickets to the free County Art Museum. Okay, I treated them to a ride...

We'd been there before, but all of the exhibits had changed. Man, those artists were nuts...*whistles*

A visit to Falls Park at dusk.

Sam did the same thing he always does: beg for food, sleep, and wait for affection. Kinda like men.

Went to Moe's, of course. What is a trip to my house without a Joey Combo and hot sauce?!

That's a happy Josh on the left.

And even happier when he got an early birthday gift: an iPhone speaker dock. I can finally jam out to Black Eyed Peas in the shower. Or fall asleep to some soft sounds. Ahhh.

Dad took me to Northern Tools for the first time. Better than Harbor Freight, IMHO.

Dad and I tried out some cool doo-rags. See, that's me being, nay, trying to be all badass.

We rounded out the evening with a trip to Liquid Highway, where I made them try Frozen Mochas. Yum.

Thought I'd update you on the hotel constructioon next to City Hall. It's really coming along.

Alot of brick and windows are finally up. Still another year to go on construction.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I found a brand new pair of shorts on eBay, identical to my favorite shorts I've had for 5 or 6 years. You can't find shorts like these anywhere!!

I've ben experimenting with a new iPhone app called Colorsplash. It allows you to add color to specific areas of a picture. Here's my first attempt:

Erin took me to a new favorite pizza place of hers: Moretti's in Mauldin.

Any place that has Malt Vinegar is A+ in my books. I'll have to try their fish next time.

The restaurant is small, but wasn't full.

Free bread...pretty yummy.

Cheesy garlic break...very very cheesy.

I split a pizza with myself. The pepperoni was the best half. Sorry, Sausage.

The verdict? Excellent, we'll definitely be going back. They had a lot of different foods, like fish, wings, sandwiches, etc. After dinner, we went up the street to Downtown Coffee.

I sampled their cookies and frozen mocha. The drink was pretty good, but the atmosphere was very nice. They have full size leather sofas, tv, tables, you name it. It's a nice place to come and sit down and relax.

We had a wonderful time with my parents, and the weather has finally changed back to normal. We've had the windows open for the first time since April and it feels great! This is my last week working in Greenville, and from next Tuesday on, I'll be reporting to my next job full time. I'll miss the people at the city, but not the craziness. I like to be laid back, so my next job is a nice switch. Hopefully, a position more suited to my experience will come along soon, but for now, I am grateful to have a job. October is going to be a busy month, but I'm looking forward to the cooler weather. Thanks for waiting patiently for this post and I hope you enjoyed the pictures! More to come!

Back from Ra-cha-cha!

2009-09-11T22:06:00.005-05:00

"Ra-cha-cha..." That's what cool people call Rochester, NY. I just got back from DCA finals a few days ago and finally have to strength to post an update of how my weekend went! The trip was great! The bus ride up to NY from Atlanta was long, but uneventful. We kept ourselves entertained by watching movies and sleeping...and eating junk food. In total, the drive is about 22 hours, but the nice buses made it go by pretty quickly. We left on Wednesday night and arrived at the hotel at dinner time on Thursday. We then immediately grabbed some dinner and lined up in the parking lot for a standstill brass and ensemble rehearsal. On Friday we had a full day's rehearsal. The weather up there was unbelievable: Sunny, breezy, 75 degrees: perfect weather for Drum Corps! I wish I could show you pictures from Niagara Falls, but since one of our buses wouldn't start, we didn't go. That sucked. Oh well, Saturday was prelims so we had a morning rehearsal and went to the show. We definitely had the best performance of the season that night, which placed us into Finals the next night. It's really incredible that this was the corps' first year in DCA open class! We had another short rehearsal on Sunday morning, and then packed our things for the show and for the trip back late that night. Well, the finals performance went even better than the night before and we moved up another position, into 8th place. That's something to be very proud of! Late that night, we drove back home and I climbed into my own bed about 1AM Tuesday morning. I took all of Tuesday to get rested up and get ready to get back into the real world. There's a lot of momentum within the corps now, so I will definitely want to go back next season. The staff wants to add 15-20 more brass players to give us a full line, so that's going to be incredible!

Click here to see a clip from our Finals perfrmance!

Did you see us on CNN??

Here are some shots of the show, courtesy of Drum Corps Planet.

Got my corps jacket ready for some pride displayin'.

Left ATL around 11:00 on Wednesday night..at this point I really didn't know everyone very well.

I woke up in the mountains of West Virginia. It is so pretty up there!

We stopped for breakfast and our first of many bus repairs.

As I was walking out of the McDonald's, I noticed something peculiar. Yum!

Here's our practice field, on a crisp morning.

Our bari and euph stack:

Our killer battery warming up:

Here I am, walking about before the warmup. Talk about a man with a mission!

Hanging out at the hotel, talking with Dave.

I didn't have much opportunity to snap pictures at the stadium, but the Rhinos' stadium is actually for soccer.

Here's a quick pic of the corps that was performing at the time, with the next corps waiting to go onfield.

My friends and I went to dinner at Friday's, and got the cool room in the back!

I ordered a meatball sandwich. Verdict? Not next time.

I was so excited that the gas station next to our hotel had Godfather's! That's something I miss from Peoria that we don't have much in my part of the country.

My mom loves pink, so I thought I'd find a hat for her in West Virginia. Merry Christmas!

My bus hit a big bird on the way home...made a loud "crack!" sound.

Of course, the cracking got much worse on down the road, so the driver had to keep adding tape to keep it intact.

Well, that was the trip! I made a lot of close friends along the way and am excited to get back to the corps this winter. The greatest thing is that since DCA is all age, I could potentially do this as long as my body holds up...we'll see, I'm approaching that magic 30 number and I'm aleady one of the oldest in the corps!

Before I left for the trip, I met Erin at a local restaurant in Simpsonville: Pasta House.

Kind of reminded me of La Gondola from the inside.

I started out with some Lentil soup.

Moved on to a Italian Hero with pasta salad.

And topped it off with Brownie Pie.

The verdict? The prices were great, service was good, and the food was good. The problem was that I was hoping to find a new "Avanti's" but failed again. Not a lot of the food was up my alley, but I'd be happy to go back and try something new.

Time for Josh Updates!

My parents are coming down next week, so that's going to be a lot of fun! Erin and I have been talking about remodeling her bathroom, so that's a pretty big project that we'll be kicking off sometime soon. I've been enjoying my new job at CAT. Oddly, It's been very "soothing"...because my family knows I need to recover after my last job. Our weather is finally starting to cool down, 80 degrees is feeling nice, but a little chilly at times :P The biggest advantage of the cooldown is that riding my motorcycle is going to be a lot more comfortable! And I can start wearing my corps jacket all the time! Speaking of, I gotta go kiss my wife because I haven't seen her much in the last month... talk to y'all later.

Blogger gets it right....it's about frackin' time!

2009-08-26T19:11:00.005-05:00

First of all, let me just say that someone at Blogger has been listening to me complaining about the stupid editor that they make us use on here. It had to have been created by someone who doesn't even create blog posts. While perusing my preferences tonight, I discover an option to use the new editor. I am here to tell you that it is light years beyond what I used before. Inserting pictures is soooooooo much more intuitive now. I don't have to calculate in my head which order to put each batch of photos to get them to show up correctly on the blog. I can upload all of them and pick and choose...even repeatedly. So for all y'all bloggers, don't forget to start using the new editor. Nuff said. Moving right along.....

I know you haven't heard from me and I'm sure you started to panic. Now that I'm back, you may relax and prepare for a journey....a journey into all that I have been doing since the first of the month. Well, at least everything that I've been able to photograph. Since the beginning of the month, I have been in emergency mode, preparing myself to slide into the season of DCA drum & bugle corps for ALLIANCE in Atlanta. I've been spending every evening practicing my baritone, taking long runs, lifting weights, practicing drill, you name it. I've gone down there for two weekends so far and I have to tell you that I've never been happier. Everything feels so comfortable (and yet so uncomfortable at the same time, but that is the essence of drum corps. That's why it's so fun.). I've lost some weight, gained some muscle back, have a great tan, and my chops are in fantastic shape. I have to be careful when I practice though, because I'm almost positive my neighbors can hear me play, and I'm not even playing at the ffff level like I need to be. The camps are great, basically we spend Saturday and Sunday outside (we have no access into the school) working on drill and sectional rehearsals before doing a daily run through to solidify our work. I snapped a picture of our first set in the company front.

We have a trailer for equipment, no Alliance logo yet, but strangely enough, you can still make out the word ALLIED under the paint, from the original owner.

Here's our primary "field" and the tenor/mello feature they've been working on lately.

No bathrooms, but we are allowed to use the porta-potties. The local kids enjoy regularly tipping these over, but these particular ones have been chained to the fence posts.

This past Saturday, the corps competed in the DCA South show in Rockmart, GA. Phillip and I picked up the equipment truck early in the morning (the corps trailer needs repaired).

While we were there Phillip, the awesome contra player who has given me a place to stay, shows off the business card of the gentlemen who has pledged to sponsor the corps.

Late that night, after the show, you see I'm ready to head back to Braselton and get some sleep. Here, I've got my horn already on the truck.

We had to stop for some food, so a few of us stopped at Krystal at about 12:00AM. The dining room was closed, so we stayed out in the parking lot and ate.

I'd never had Krystal before....it was pretty good. Not the best burger I've had, but okay.

Guess what they have in Braselton?! Kroger! It may not be a big deal to the GA folks, but we don't have them in the Upstate. I always liked Kroger.

Why did it take so long for someone to come up with this? They are frackin' awesome.

For lunch one Saturday, the crew headed to a nicer restaurant since we had a long break from rehearsal.

As you can see (or maybe can), the interior is fab-u-lous...has a "ranchy" feel to it. It's like someplace Martin Crane would take Frasier for dinner if he could.

I had a chicken sandwich. It was very good.

Do you know what else I found down there? These are great, too.

In one Subway, I spotted the smallest sink that I have ever seen before. Clue: The faucet is really tiny to make it look more proportional.

A few weeks back, the Palmetto Statesmen sang in the opening ceremony of the championship game in the Big League World Series (On ESPN2). I wish I would have recorded it....

Here we are, coming onto the field for the National Anthem and Carolina in the Morning.

I haven't been riding my poor motorcycle much this month, but I did give her a full wash and wax recently.

I finally broke down and bought some new dress shoes, which have to be safety shoes again. My last pair lasted 2.5 years, so it was time. Since my company gives me an allowance for them, I was able to choose a very comfy pair of Redwings. They're like pillows strapped to my feet. Ahhhhhhh.

Did I tell you we got another dishwasher? It doesn't require any water or soap...and no electricity. Just kibble and kisses.

We've had a warm summer, pretty much been exactly 90 degrees every day since June 1st. Some days creep a little higher than that, though, as you can see below. I know it's not as bad as Tucson...but we had humidity to deal with, too! I know, I can't complain, I did move here for a change of climate. Well, mission accomplished.

I'm going back to Hotlanta this weekend for our last Alliance camp and then next Wednesday, we leave for Rochester, NY where we hope to place in the top ten of DCA Open Class. We are so hyped! Life will return to normalcy after that...

Finally made it to Charleston!

2009-08-01T11:00:00.002-05:00

This is way overdue, but we went to Charleston a couple months ago and thought I'd share with you some of the nice pictures I grabbed.

There were beautiful alleyways and gardens tucked between the buildings.

MoonPies! My parents used to buy MoonPies from Sams all the time.

Lots of carriage rides available, and they practically ambush you on the street to give you a ride. It was kind of creepy and also annoying since you'd walk by the same ones several times.

Beautiful church!

Closeup. of the bell tower.

Erin and I stopped for lunch near the market. It was a nice little sandwich shop.

The food was pretty good. Not as good as some other sandwiches I've had, especially from Jimmy Johns.

Another shot of Market Square.

Lots of sweetgrass baskets for sale. $$$$$$$

They have these beautiful open air buildings with all of the market goods inside.

Here's a hotel lobby.

And heeeeeere's Erin! Aren't those palms lovely, too?

I love the old world streets.

Another alley.

Cobblestone roads. Nice!

Another church much further away from Market Square.

Here's a nice park.

Here's a dude. Let's call him "Frank."

I loved this church! Can you believe that my boss used to attend here?

Oldest cemetary in Charleston.

We stopped for some Ben & Jerry's!

I used to live on this in college. Well, that and Subway and Panda Express. Ahhh, the good ol' days.

A nice fountain by the bay. I really wanted to jump inside, but didn't have a change of clothes.

We walked out on the pier.

A look up the shoreline.

Happy couple.

Fountain again.

A beautiful waterfront walkway.

In the same park....lots of people around, walking, yoga'ing, eating, reading, etc.

Looks like a giant pineapple.

Nice condos along the waterfront.

Aircraft carrier Yorktown: my boss said her father helped to build that ship.

Awesome view of the bay bridge.

Interesting social commentary:

Off to the aquarium!

There's a "guy" inside the "country store."

Jelly Fish, but no Peanut Butter Fish anywhere in sight.

View of the large tank.

Couldn't help but think of Finding Nemo here.

These fishies got schooled, yo!

This pic is for my sister-in-law.

This pic is also for my sister-in-law.

That ends our tour, folks! If interested, we could go back the next time you come out to SC for a visit. It's about a 4 hour drive, and there's plenty of time to make a day trip out of it.

Things just got kicked up a notch!

2009-08-01T10:19:00.016-05:00

I took a liesurely ride our to Gray Court and Laurens last weekend. It was awesome to go somewhere new. I pulled off in downtown Gray Court and snapped some shots of the fizzer. Here's my favorite!

I have some pretty cool news, even though most of you have probably already heard me blather on about it. I have been given the unexpected opportunity to get back into drum corps...on a very short notice. I had been looking into the two all-age corps (aka Senior Corps) in the Atlanta area. All-Age corps rehearse once or twice a month throughout the season, tour only on a handful of weekends. I submitted my name for more information with the two groups. The next morning, I received a phone call from the director of the Alliance Drum & Bugle Corps. He lost a lead baritone the day before and wanted to know if I'd be interested in filling in for the rest of the season through Labor Day. At first, I thought about it and figured with my schedule and fitness level, it would be out of my reach. Through the gracious support of my wife and friends, I can proudly say I am committed to marching that spot....and learning an entire show in two weeks. On my own. I have all of the music and drill and have been working out vigorously every night. It's amazing what a good goal will do for a person. I have no choice. In order to make this work, I have to go into emergency mode! The corps is a young one, organized to give anyone the opportunity to experience a junior corps mentality and show design on a limited schedule or budget. They've been on the field since 2005 and have grown every year. What an opportunity to become part of something awesome! Most of the members are high school and college age, but there is a smattering of people my age on the field and in the staff, so I'm sure I'm make some new friends.

Three years since they began marching, they captured the Division A championship title at DCA finals. This year, they moved up to Open Class and have already moved up into finals contention. Wish me luck! This is going to be a fast ride...

Speaking of drum corps, Erin and I went to NightBeat, in Rock Hill, SC. We went last year, when the show was held in downtown Charlotte. This is it's new home. Something funny was spotted on the walk to the stadium, though: a tiny tiny gentleman's club. What do you think this means about the men going there? Feel free to speculate.

A gorgeous night for drum corps! The stadium was packed.

Opening ceremonies.

First up were my folks from Pioneer! They really showed up tonight, with a great show and great performance. I wish they would have moved up in the ranks this year, but the competition is fierce this season.

Jersey Surf...wow, where did they come from? They sounded great, I love to see new faces on the field (well, not a new face, but new to me in the World Class.

Crossmen looked and sounded great, too. The drum major was pretty, it didn't hurt.

Colts were up next, they were fantastic.

Scouts ripped our faces off with a show about a super hero...pretty neat!

Cadets ditched the voiceovers this year (thank you!) I even didn't mind their implementation of electronics. It actually enhanced the show, which is more than I can say about all of the others.

Here's a neat shot with some slower shutter speed.

Phantom, Phantom, Phantom. The show was gorgeouos, but didn't pack all of the punch that you had last year. The conductor was superb. You can just see the energy in these shots.

Another action shot. Awesome!

Cheering for the home team: Carolina Crown! They may not win it this year, but they have been a crowd favorite for the last couple years.

Tony grabbed a funny picture from one of the fire stations in Greenville which made me chuckle.

I found a similar one in our office. I almost got stuck in the room, what do I do??

We've had some nasty storms roll through this year. This one looked like it was going to pack some punch, but it went right past us.

Late one night, Erin and I ordered some breadsticks from the Papa. We had to order at least this many to qualify for delivery.

Look closely at that label. Do you see who managed our pizza experience? Click to enlarge.

Erin and I went out to P.F. Chang's for her birthday. Yum! Because the dinner was a gift, I didn't mind overpaying for their food! The chocolate cake "Great wall of chocolate" didn't dissapoint, though.

I spotted this sauce at Target last night. I think it's a way to sneak around the liqour laws in our county.

Well, that's it for now. I'll keep y'all updated on the Alliance, work situation, quartet, motorcycle and everything else that's going on for me right now. At work, things are crazy. We are helping to train the new city IT employees, and I am being pulled between the city and CAT sites like a rag doll. I can do it!!!! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. We can't wait to have some guests down in SC. We're making new friends, but it's not easy! I'll always have the voices in my head to talk to.

Burrito Overdose!

2009-07-11T23:11:00.012-05:00

Yesterday, Moe's had a deal going on in the afternoon were they sold any burrito for $2. Since Moe's is like my favorite (okay, second favorite...sorry Jimmy!) I decided to take advantage of this spectacular deal. These usually sell for $6 each, so I thought I'd grab the max of 5 Joey's and throw em in the freezer for delayed consumption. Since there was a limit of 5 per person, Erin stopped in separately and grabbed some Art Vandelays for herself. That means we bought TEN Moe's burritos. It's kinda funny and sad, now that I think about it. It's only been 24 hours, but I only have 3 of mine left. I'm done with burritos for a little bit, especially after the big lunch I had today, which I'll tell you about later.

Took the Fizzer out for a nice ride on a new road last weekend. Rode past an old, delapidated building that screamed to me for a photo op. So, I turned around and parked so that I could grab some shots. I wish I would have had a better camera with me....or a new iPhone 3Gs :P Otherwise, I liked the shot, so I hope you enjoy!

I'm working in Newberry this week, covering for Mike at CAT. So, as usual, I have a rental car to save some wear and tear on my aging beauty. I usually don't do car reviews on here, but I feel I must. Dodge Caliber. What a horrible, horrible car. I wonder sometimes, if the people that build and sell a car like this actually sit behind the wheel and drive. Here are my complaints, including, but not limited to: The console under the steering wheel sits too low, so my knee has to be sideways to use the brake. The center console is so big, that the same leg can't be sideways, either. The engine lurches when you brake or accelerate at any speed. If you're on the highway (like I am the entire time), the car will lunge towards the next lane as you pass someone if you use the gas. The suspension seems to be attached to the frame via rubber bands: it wobbles up, down, left and right most of the time. It's a constant struggle to keep it in a straight line. There's ugly black plastic on the body. I'll spare you the rest. I cannot wait to climb back into my own car!!!

While I was in Newberry today, I had to stop at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants. Can you believe that all of this food is $5? That's enough for two lunches!

Erin and I met some new friends last weekend, a nice couple about our age, who also live in Simpsonville. We all met at the Mellow Mushroom, which is a pizza place in Greenville.

Here you can see some of the many mushrooms decorating the restaurant.

They had a nice mural, too.

For starter, I got some garlic cheese bread. Erin got some hummus and chips.

The pizza was pretty good, not the best I've had, but not the worst. The best part was the price, this was their small, but it was bigger than some other smalls I've seen. The place was extremely noisy; it was difficult to hold a conversation. Luckily, we had an opportunity to do that while waiting 45 minutes for a seats. The entire experience was ruined by a very poor waiter. He was also working the bar, so we couldn't get any help at our table or even a check. I bet we were there an hour, just waiting for refills, checks, etc before we finally got out of there. Sorry Mellow Mushroom, I will not be returning.

I held a garage sale with our next door neighbors early the next morning. 6:30 on a Saturday?? That was after staying up really late to sort our items and get stuff labeled. I ended up taking a nap that afternoon....ahhh...We made like $50, though, just by selling a handful of last minute items.

Where were you at 123456789?? I was at my desk, when I realized (on my own, thank you) that I was about to witness something very special: 12:34:56 on 07/08/09. I snapped a picture so that I would never ever forget what I was doing on 123456789.

For the 4th of July, we went downtown. We grabbed some Liquid Highway and caught some free music, courtesy of an Army Jazz Band. I think we saw them last year. They're still good!

Here's what things look like down on the river at dusk.

Here's what the Palmers look like down at the river at dusk.

One Saturday night, we decided to make a special Chocolate Run! down to Bloom. Here, you can see the chocolate and liquid nourishment to go with the chocolate. That's fabulous!

Last month, my chorus presented our annual show in Spartanburg. Our theme was about doctors, so we dressed up in scrubs and jackets. That's Dr. Palmer, thank you very much!

Since we remodeled our bedroom, we kicked Sam out of the bedroom during the day. Since he has no bed to lie on, he has had to improvise on the comfy spots. He has taken a liking to the pile of laundry that is normally in front of our washer.

Speaking of bedroom, here is a before shot of our bedroom:

As you can see, we paid little attention to our room. It was the place where all the things ended up we were too lazy to find homes for.

I didn't think it was bad until I started looking at the pictures after the change...

And drum roll.................

Ta-Da! Isn't it just lovely?? I even helped pick everything out. Check out the curtains:

Here's a view from the back of the room. You can see that we swapped out the hutch for a smaller mirror on the wall.

Part of the "remodel" was that I got to pick out a new (smaller) tv. It's HD!! I'm so excited to watch our favorite shows in 1080i. Sad, right?

Well, that's all I have for now. Here are some other tidbits: Erin's birthday is coming up next week, and so is the local DCI show in Charlotte! I've been singing with a new quartet for a few weeks, I'm really excited about the potential there. Erin and I are entertaining some dinner guests this Saturday, so that means we need to start cleaning... NOW! until next time, keep it real.

Antwatch 2009...UPDATE

2009-07-01T19:54:00.003-05:00

I have waited a loooong time to bring you the news that I am about to share. It's special enough to deserve it's own blog posting. I just finished mowing our lawn, and for the first time .....ever....in the history of my residency in South Carolina......there are no fire ants on my property. I know, I was as shocked as you are. Even though I kept looking on the ground for ant mounds, I never found any. The lawn was so clean and flat!

The big chemical product winner for this year has been Orthene, by Ortho. It's a white powder (stinky white powder) that you sprinkle on the mound. You don't even have to water in in like some other worthless products. Every time I put some down, the mound died immediately. Well, ok, maybe like 24 hours later, but that is pretty fast in fire ant battles. You should come on down and take a look while you can! I'm sure they're plotting their revenge and resurgency as we speak.