Say Cheese.....

Well, it’s been a while since my last blog post and if I am going to keep this up and achieve my blogging resolution, it’s time for another entry!

So this, for lack of a better idea, will be my camera post. Now, as most of you may know from following Amanda, she loves to take pictures. She (we) has (have) gone through at least 3 digital cameras in the last 9 years and there are at least 80GBs of space taken up by photos on our external hard drive. So when our latest digital camera finally died, it was time to join the big leagues and she (we) decided to purchase the Canon Rebel XSi DSLR camera. It is an amazing camera and takes amazing photos, but it kind of big and not a camera Amanda can just throw in her purse for spur of the moment photography.

To remedy this, my in-laws got me (and Amanda) a Canon PowerShot SX20 IS digital camera for Christmas! It is a an amazing second camera that, in addition to being smaller than the DSLR, will allow me to take my own pictures in addition to the pictures Amanda takes when we go out. I have already taken a few photos just to try it out! Check them out:

A holiday shot in Williamsburg

Another holiday shot in Williamsburg

A Williamsburg shot

Yet another holiday shot in Williamsburg

Domino

Another of Domino

Domino & Lita's new food and water dishes

I can't wait to take more!

However, as good as our second camera is, it is also too big to just throw into Amanda’s purse. So we are now contemplating purchasing the Canon PowerShot SD780 IS digital camera to give us a third option for our photographic needs. It is sleek, small enough to throw into Amanda’s purse and is a Canon so it fits all our remaining criteria! Plus Mel has it and it works wonderfully.  Is it a bit excessive? Probably. But when you take as many pictures as Amanda does, it will be nice to distribute the workload and hopefully keep each of our cameras longer than 3 years! And if not, at least I will have been able to take some photos of my own in the mean time…..I just don’t have my hopes up when it comes to using the biggest camera in the room when Amanda is around…

Canon Rebel XSi DSLR

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Canon PowerShot SD780 IS

New Year’s Eve Dinner at The Bavarian Lodge!

On New Year’s Eve, Mel and I once again found ourselves alone, but together, since Amanda and Andy weren’t able to make it to Chicago to ring in the New Year as we had planned. But, as 2009 has shown us more than once (even on its last day), plans have a funny way of not working out. So with that, Mel and I decided to try The Bavarian Lodge – a place Mel found online in our never ending search for awesome pubs. And this place was indeed AWESOME! The food was fantastic German fare, the atmosphere was rustic and homey, and they even had a list of house rules on their website! What more could you ask for? So below are some pictures of what we had to eat (and drink) that night. Excuse the quality of the photos as they were taken with a cell phone. And if you are ever in the Downer’s Grove, Illinois area, I suggest you give the lodge a try!

Mel Checking out part of the Extensive Beer List - and I mean EXTENSIVE!  I of course went with my usual Cider.

 

After the beverage decision, we made an appetizer decision- German Potato Pancakes!

Four (2 already eaten) savory pancakes with garlic and onion, served with sour cream and apple sauce.

 

 

Then it was time to make an entree decision - by far the hardest decision of the evening.  We both decided to make our own combo meals in order to get a variety of more foods......  Each combo meal came with soup or salad.  I got the soup -Cream of Broccoli - and it was fantastic and Mel got the salad with Parmesan Peppercorn dressing and homemade croutons!

Then the rest of the food came out: I (foreground food) had Homemade Meatloaf and Chicken Schnitzel with a side of mashed potatoes, gravy and mixed vegetables. Mel, (background food) had Wiener Schnitzel and Kassler Rippchen (a sort of pork chop) with a side of gravy, red cabbage and bread dumplings.  It was all amazing food.

After all that food, we were stuffed, but we still wanted dessert. Doing the sensible thing though, we got two desserts to go!  I got the Triple Chocolate Brulee which was good, but very rich and had a strong orange flavor.  Mel got the Apricot Kolachky which I didn't try, but looked really tasty!

On the way back to the car in the frigid cold, I decided to snap a picture of the outside of the restaurant.  It was so warm and inviting inside it was hard to go back outside.

Check out the real ice sickles!  They have been known to kill you know!

And so even though it isn't what we originally planned, it was a fantastic New Year's Eve and I hope to take Amanda and Andy to The Bavarian Lodge soon! Until then, here is to a happy, safe, and prosperous 2010!

Everyone's Got a Count Down...Why Shouldn't I?

With this year just about over, it seems like everyone and everything has a 2009 count down - top grossing movies of 2009, most shocking celebrity deaths in 2009, most played songs of 2009, and top TV shows of 2009 - just to name a few. So while I'm not complaining (I'll watch anything from "100 Most Shocking Celebrity Divorces" to "Top Ten Bridges in the World" as long as it is presented in a count down form), it got me thinking: why shouldn't I have a count down? So here are the picks for my top favorite shows of 2009. If you haven't checked them out, I suggest you do. They may grow on you and become your favorites too!

My Top Favorite Shows of 2009:

1. Modern Family (ABC) -

While this show is only in it's first season, it's already a can't miss in my book! It has been hilarious from episode one and meshes realism with over the top mocumentary style antics superbly. With scenes like the presenting of a newly adopted baby to the family Lion King style to the dad penciling in time on the calendar to shoot his son with a BB gun to teach him a lesson, the laughs (and parenting ideas) keep coming. This is my top recomendation if you are going to check out any of the shows on this list and it is available to watch at Hulu.com.

 

2. Better Off Ted (ABC) -
Season one was a short season (13 episodes) and it seems like season two is in constant fear of being cancelled which is disappointing. It is fantastically written and acted (Portia de Rossi steals the show) and if you've ever worked for a big company you'll laugh even harder. From the episode where the company assigns four unoffensive cube personalities (classic cars, cats, space stuff and the Green Bay Packers) to all employees to the one where the company is matchmaking based on employee compatibility in hopes of saving on health insurance bills from imperfectly bred children, the show is over the top. Season two is available on Hulu.com.

3. 30 Rock (NBC) -

This show is in it's fourth season and really took me by surprise. I tried to get into in when it first came on and for some reason I just couldn't. I gave it a second chance a few months ago and now I am hooked! The writing, acting, and small nuances given to the characters makes you want to continue watching the shenanigans unfold. Tina Fey is brilliant and manages to mix whit with slapstick seamlessly. Be sure to check it out, dummies, (watch the show and get the reference) and I'm sure you'll be hooked too! Seasons one-three are available to stream on Netflix and season four is going on now and newer episodes are available on Hulu.com. 

4. How I Met Your Mother (CBS) -

This show is in its fifth season and has been a favorite of mine since season two. This show is well written with clever episode plots, flash backs and flash forwards as well as continuous running jokes that really help you connect with the characters. Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segal really make the show what it is and make it so you don't really care who the mother is (which we still don't know) just as long as you get your HIMYM fix. With cleverness like the Slap Bet, R2 Sweet Tooth, the Hot/Crazy Scale and the "game of 'Diseases' : the fun is infectious", how can you resist? Unfortunately none of the seasons are available to stream on Netflix and only the newest two episodes are available to watch at CBS.com each week.

                   

5. True Blood (HBO) -

This show ended season two with a bang in September and picks up again with season three in June. And while I hate to jump on the vampire band wagon which seemed to be the trend this year, the show gets it right. Based on the best selling Sookie Stackhouse novels (which I tried to read and found to be too juvenile and needed less romance and more vampires), HBO has made the show humorous, suspenseful and worth watching. Some of the story arcs do go on for a bit too long, but every episode leaves you wanting more and Ana Paquin has gained another fan. This show is not available on Netflix or Hulu.

6. The Tudors (Showtime) -

While historically inaccurate in most cases, this show makes history fun (and is a starting off point for freaks like me to do some real research on the life and times of Henry VIII). The costumes, sets and acting really make the show what it is and while the events kind of jump around, you wouldn't notice unless you looked into them. Season three ended in May and I haven't seen anything about season four except that it will be the last season. None of the seasons are available to steam on Netflix and it looks like only episode one of season three is available at Hulu.com so far.

  

7. Family Guy (FOX) -
Cancelled twice and now has a spin off series, is available to watch on FOX, Adult Swim and TBS almost non-stop and is unappealing to most sensible people, Family Guy continues to make me laugh and questions my taste in TV. It is mindless, often times offensive and down right hilarious and sometimes you just need that. This show makes the list because it is entertaining and when I don't know what to watch, I watch it. None of the seasons are available to stream on Netflix and only the newer episodes of season eight are available on Hulu.com. If you flip through the stations though I'm sure you'll see some older episodes somewhere....and trust me....you don't need to watch them in order.

 

Guilty Pleasures:

1. Glee (FOX) -

While I won't admit that I like this show out loud, it does have a spot on my list of shows I watch every week. I enjoy the songs and the hysterical and diabolical rants of Sue Sylvester played Jane Lynch which both keep me coming back for more, but other than that, it falls short of what I like in a TV show. I am not big into teen dramas and and sometimes wish the show was only 30 minutes long instead of an hour and that it moved a bit faster. But when Sue takes a pro littering stance and threatens that the Glee students should be hobbled and put into foster care for using the "Cheerio" copy machine and that Spanish is a "dying language" and to make it in the world you need to be able to do a front round off, you can't resist tuning in to see what's next. Newer episodes are available on Hulu.com.

                                 

2. The Cleveland Show (FOX) -

This show needs to be mentioned because while I don't consider it one of my favorites yet, I haven't missed an episode so far and frequently find myself quoting it. It is stupid, it is offensive, it has made me think WTF?! on multiple occasions, but what would you expect from a spin off of family Guy? Cleveland Brown and Cleveland Brown, Jr. leave Quahog, RI and move to Stoolbend, VA where Cleveland gets married to his high school sweetheart has hasn't seen in 20 years. He now has two step children (one of which is a hilarious toddler) and a brand new cast of wacky friends and neighbors (including a bear - wtf?) that really aren't all that great. The supporting characters are weak, but the name of the show is The Cleveland Show and that's who we are there to see. Hopefully the cast of Family Guy will make more frequent appearances....The newer episodes are available on Hulu.com.

3. The Sing Off (NBC) -
The only reason this four episode reality show makes the list is because the A Capella singing was amazing and in the last episode the judges (Ben Folds, Nicole Scherzinger & Shawn Stockman) and the host (Nick Lachay) actually all performed A Capella with the contestants making for an unusual twist. The unnoteworthy judges' cometary was over winded and under important and placed on mute in most cases. All 8 parts are available on Hulu.com and everything except the singing should be skipped.

Honorable Mention:

1. The Big Bang Theory (CBS) -

This show is in its third season and was poised to be one of my favorites, but I haven't seen it at all this season so I am not sure what's going on. I haven't had cable for the last few months and it isn't available to stream on Netflix, view on Hulu or on CBS.com so it has been kind of difficult to keep up on. Are the characters still wacky and socially awkward? I'm sure of it. It's the awkwardness and sometimes painful interactions the characters have with each other that makes the show work. Paired with a catchy theme song and fantastic writing, the show is smart without being too smart and the character of Sheldon sometimes hits too close to home with all his idiosyncrasies and routines pulls it all together for me. I hope this show is available online soon. If not, I may have to buy the series on DVD (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) when it is on sale....

Chapter One: Starts and Beginnings

With the New Year quickly approaching, it’s time to compile my (and for my wife and some of our friends their) obligatory list of New Year’s resolutions. For me, I like to print my list out and post it so I can really see what I want to work on and keep it fresh in my mind. I don’t aim for the moon and usually keep my resolutions manageable, but having said that, my print out has never worked - I still didn't achieve the goals I set out to accomplish. And I know that it will come as a shock  to some that I didn't achieve the goals I set for myself, but the root causes were complacency with live, lack of direction and no real motivation for change.

With the forced change (and personal reflections) 2009 brought, I really feel the urge to break free from my complacency and to break old habits and start new ones. I want to prioritize life and figure out the direction we want to go so that we can look back on 2010 and think of the great thing we did to really enjoy life while also setting ourselves up for the future. And while 2009 has not been my favorite year ever, we did lean that life is too short to pass up opportunities to try new things and that the path we were on wasn’t necessarily where we wanted to be. We re-learned that Family, Friends, Career, Traveling and Home are all very important aspects of who Amanda and I are - we just need to get back to a point in our lives where we can have them all. And even though things in 2009 didn’t turn out the way we had hoped, we made it through and can look at 2010 with a fresh perspective. I know I feel different now, and hope to carry that feeling on to the New Year.

And with that, I present to you my 2010 New Year’s Resolutions:

• Start and maintain a Blog

• Pay off 3 credit card balances

• Be more active and eat less high calorie foods (this will be the hardest)

• Vacation in Vegas for the weekend

• Vacation at the Biltmore Estate for the weekend

• Don’t hesitate to try new activities, eat new foods or try new restaurants

• Stop talking about doing things and just do them

Will I achieve them all? I hope so. They’re not unobtainable and are just a kicking off point for what I hope to accomplish in 2010. I just need to shift my mindset and not let me get in my own way. And if I can’t check these resolutions off my list, I’ll just follow the advice given on 30 Rock and “Live every week like it's Shark Week” and “Dress every day like you're going to get murdered in those clothes”. At least that is a move in the right direction! So sit back and enjoy as I attempt to check off the first item on my list!

-------------------

P.S. - If you haven't seen 30 Rock I suggest you check it out as your New Year's resolution! Seasons 1-3 are available to stream instantly on Netflix and season 4 is going on now and is available to watch on Hulu.com. It is fantastically written, hilariously acted and I think, as I proved above, full of life lessons!