Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure

“It’s not how fast you can go, the force goes into the flow…”

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Sunday – 10 July 2011
This has been a good weekend. It’s also been rather productive, as well.

Yesterday morning, SaraRules! and I woke up at ridiculous o’clock to meet up with Angy and and head south to Mona.

Our destination: Young Living Lavender Farm

Our reason: The 2011 Lavender 5K Race.

This was the second year that SaraRules! and I have done the race… and this time, she was doing it while seven months pregnant…

  

…so, as expected, our times were a little slower than last year. But, we finished:

Name   Bib No   Chip Time   Gun Time       Pace
Sara    473     1:08:15.5   1:09:21.6     21:57/M
Angy     44     1:08:16.1   1:09:21.1     21:57/M
Robert  462     1:08:16.5   1:09:21.4     21:57/M

While we were taking it slow, forged ahead with a “slightly” faster pace:

Dave   147     31:59.1     32:18.0     10:17/M

Yeah, “slightly” faster. All told, it was a fun way to kick off the day – if WAAAAY earlier than normal. We came home and had some downtime before doing work around the house. And we wound up the evening with Resident Evil. Mmm, pre-bed zombies.

Workout
Friday, I managed to drag myself out of the house and get to the gym. I got in a decent workout:

  • Elliptical: 15 minutes, ~5.7 MPH
  • Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps, 155 lbs
  • Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/15 reps
  • Curls (dumbells, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
  • Shoulder Press (dumbbells, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
  • Tricep Press: 3 sets/15 reps, 50 lbs

…and my stomach is still feeling those sit-ups.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“I feel so extraordinary, something’s got a hold on me…”

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Thursday – 07 July 2011
It’s a grey and overcast..

…but it’s Technical Friday, so I don’t really care.

I was the first person in the IT area this morning, which means that I was able to plug in my speakers and listen to a choice selection of music to get my morning started. That’s not a bad way to kick off the day. Some of the things I got to listen to included:

Yeah, I’m not about to complain. And, there weren’t any fires to put out, either. Win. Win.

Last night, Corey and Jessica came over for dinner. SaraRules! fixed salmon filets (in a pastry puff), couscous, green beans with mushrooms, and salad. She was testing out the salmon recipe and it was pretty amazing, I must say. The whole meal was fantastic. And for dessert…. ice cream and ginger snaps (the cookie, not the movie). It was a great way to spend the evening.

Stray Toasters

And now, for my next amazing feat: Meeting time!

Namaste.

“Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me…”

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Wednesday – 06 July 2011
Midweek is upon us once again.

And, apparently, today is International Kissing Day or World Kiss Day (1, 2).

For the first time in months, I don’t have the prospect of a game to look forward to this evening. Our gaming group is “on hiatus,” as Melody needed a well-deserved break, so it’s unclear when we’ll reconvene. Today is still new comics day, so there is something to which I can look forward.

This morning, I had to stop to pick up some milk for my breakfast. This was playing on the store’s P.A. system:

…which, naturally, made me think of this:

 ::: INTERMISSION :::

And today was Sushi Wednesday!

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

If it’s Tuesday, this must be Belgium (or a suitable facsimile)…

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Tuesday – 05 July 2011
The holiday weekend ends; the work week begins.

Yesterday was a fairly low-key day, which was a good way to wind down a somewhat busy weekend. Last night, we joined Angy and for dinner at Olive Garden and fireworks at Sugarhouse Park. Dinner was good… at least, it was good for us. There was a new waiter (not ours) who was having a rough night – he had a couple of sizable spills at two tables. Not the most auspicious of evenings, I’d surmise. The fireworks were also good. And the people-watching was sublime.

I got to bed, ready for a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, it was not to be. I slept, but it was far from restful. I was up about an hour before my alarm went off, but by that point, I’d was so irritated that I decided to go ahead and start the day. On the up side: Being in the office an hour early means that I will be off work an hour earlier… and as I’m in the south office today, that ain’t a bad thing.

And… it’s game night.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“Today we celebrate our Independence Day!”

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Monday – 04 July 2011
Happy Fourth of July to all!

Please take some time to remember that the day isn’t just about sales and fireworks and barbecues. It’s a commemoration of the struggle that the colonists went through to win their freedom from England.

I don’t think that a five-day work week ever seemed quite as long as last week did, but this has been a good weekend. To hit the highlights:

  • SaraRules! (and the kids) had another check-up. Everything’s five by five.
  • SaraRules!’ sister, Melissa, came to town Friday because…
  • Saturday was my mother-in-law’s birthday.
  • We picked up the first crib. (Second one should follow this afternoon…)
  • We took family pictures, courtesy of Amanda Nelson Photography & Design
  • I played with my trains a bit.
  • SaraRules! wanted to see Green Lantern and I was up for seeing it again… so we did. She liked it and didn’t grok why critics were so down on it. (Whew!)
  • We hung out with the in-laws.
  • We did some work around the house and lawn.
  • Had lots of good food.

…and we still have nearly half the day left! I don’t consider that a bad weekend at all.

And, this week is an abbreviated work week, as I’m off today and Friday is my 9/80 day off.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

…and don’t forget to keep an eye out for The Fresh Prince and The Fly.

“O, Canada…”

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Friday – 01 July 2011
It’s finally Friday. It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday, but it’s still “Friday.” And it’s the First of July. And it’s the beginning of a long weekend. Win. Win . Win.

Today is also Canada Day.

Happy national birthday to our beer and hockey-loving neighbors to the north!

Last night, SaraRules! and I did a little more to consolidate offices. We also looked at repainting the soon-to-be-guestroom. We headed out to the local Home Depot and picked up a couple of paint samples. We painted a couple of test sections and waited for them to dry. When we came back to look at them, we decided on Lemon Ice… which looks much more like it should have been named “Lime Ice,” but oh well. It will be a good shade for the room.

I also managed to sneak in a few minutes to run my trains. It was relaxing. And fun.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.