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!
