1st Blog of 2009

Happy 2009!!

Wow! I can hardly believe we're already 11 days into the New Year! And this is my first blog?!? What a slacker!!

I thought I'd kick off my 2009 blog-series with a brief synopsis of the holiday travels and then give my New Year's resolutions. So, without further ado...

Cara and I had an amazing trip back to the NW! Even with some wintry weather throughout the country (and surprisingly in Western Washington too!), all of our travels via planes, trains and automobiles went without hitch. This being the first holiday season either of us has been engaged, meant we both experienced a "dual-family" Christmas season for the 1st time. So, after taking in a great Gonzaga basketball game for Battle in Seattle (a loss, unfortunately!), we loaded up in the car and headed South for Vancouver/Battle Ground, WA to spend a few days with Cara's parents and the Sarvelas. Our trip was made much more interesting by a surprising blast of winter weather, which caused train and flight cancellations/delays. So, we had Kate O'Farrell join us for the drive and we all made it safe and sound. I had so much fun visiting with Cara's family! We split our time between her parents house in Battle Ground and her sister's house in Vancouver. So, I got lots of great time with her parents, sister and brother-in-law, and of course her adorable nephews and niece! Cara's sister, Megan, wrote a great blog that really shows how welcoming Cara's entire family has been to me. I may not "officially" be part of the extended Gish/Sarvela clan, but I certainly feel like I'm already in the mix!

After enjoying some of the white stuff (snow!) with a little sledding, snowman building and slip-sliding on the backroads of Hockinson, WA, Cara and I ventured north on Christmas Day to spend a few days with my family. We arrived around noon and enjoyed a day full of presents, good food, and lots of games! Cara and I received a Wii Fit for Christmas and our new toy received lots of attention from the whole family! We aso discovered Blokus (an awesome game) and had a rematch of Up and Down the River with my parents (a card game we both enjoy!). That weekend, Cara headed south for a few more days with her family and I travelled East to spend some time with James (my brother) and Ada (his wife) in Ellensburg. I returned to Federal Way for another couple days at home with mom and dad before Cara took the Amtrak up to rejoin me in Seattle for an excellent night spent ringing in the New Year with friends!

We took a red-eye flight back to Knoxville on the night of the 1st. Cara and I were both pleasantly surprised when we were upgraded to 1st class seats on our first leg to Cleveland. AWESOME! We returned to Knoxville and after a day of R&R to recuperate from a busy holiday, we set to work getting ready for a new year/semester of work/school! All-in-all, we decided that this was our best holiday ever! It was so wonderful seeing all of our family and friends! And while it is certainly hard to be across the country from some of those closest to us, we are both blessed to have an amazing amount of love and support from friends and family at all times! And finally, what would any good "1st Blog of 2009" be without some New Year's resolutions? Cara started blogging in themes of "five" with her last two blogs (1 and 2), so I'm gonna give five resolutions in similar spirit:

(1) Exercise more! No this isn't your typical "hit the gym" resolution. I've got a wedding coming up, which means I've got to get myself in shape for the wedding and honeymoon! We'll certainly be headed somewhere sunny and warm (read: beach!), so this is like the "Spring Break" push on steroids!!

(2) Eat better! I have slowly started to adopt this resolution. I do love my sweets and fast foods, but I'm slowly cutting them out of my diet and replacing them with more fruits and veggies! Mom would be proud!

(3) Get organized! I've always had my own organization system that to most could only be called "organized clutter." As we start planning for a wedding, I realize I need to get more organized in several facets; our budget, our bills, our mail, our wedding planning, my schoolwork, and basic home organization in well!

(4) Relax! I've had several aspects of my Ph.D. program that have really been creating a lot of anxiety and stress, leaving me on edge and easily frustrated at times! I need to be able to better "let things go," and realize that being stressed is not good for my health. Also, I think succeding in my 1st resolution will help me achieve this resolution tremendously!

(5) Finally, a few years ago I made a life's "To Do" list. I want to tackle some more of the items on this list. So, shortly I'll elaborate on this in a later blog and share my plans for 2009!

Once again, Happy 2009 to everyone and thanks for reading!!

Love from Matt!

The Fine Art of Procrastination

Procrastination. Others may have it, but Cara and I have made an art form of it. Whether it's NOT getting out of bed in the morning to start a new day, finding things to do besides working on dissertation/thesis papers, or our latest work of procrastination art...avoiding painting our office for the entire weekend; Cara and I have skillfully figured out how to avoid doing those little things we don't really want to do for as long as possible. Here's how it played out.

(Scene opens to find Matt and Cara in the upstairs living room.)

Matt: So, I guess we better start prepping that office for painting. (He continues reading "Marley and Me".)
Cara: Yeah. (She continues to play Wii Tennis.)
Matt: Maybe an Irish Car Bomb will get us motivated. (Together, they leave the room, presumably to have an Irish Car Bomb. They return moments later and resume their previous activities).
Cara: Let me finish my tennis match. Then we can paint.
Matt: Cool. I want to finish this chapter real quick.

(Two hours pass. Now Cara and Matt are playing Wii together.)

Matt: Baby Mario!! ARRRGHHH!!! You're my nemesis!!
Cara: (Rolls eyes. Mutters under her breath.) What have I gotten myself into?
Matt: What was that?!?
Cara: I said, should we just prep AND paint tomorrow?
Matt: Oh. Yeah. That sounds good...(yelling at game)..COME ON!! I HATE YOU BABY MARIO!!!

(The scene fades on Cara and Matt playing Mario Kart into the "Wii" hours of the morning...)

(The next morning, Cara's cell phone alarm blares "So What" by Pink....for the FIFTH time. It is few minutes after 11am)

Cara: Where's my pillow?
Matt: Zzzz....
Cara: Pillow thief! Where's my pillow?
Matt: (singing along) Gave it to Jessica Simps.
Cara: Oh you're hilar. (Punches Matt in the chest).
Matt: I don't want to paint today.
Cara: Me neither. I'm gonna go do some Christmas shopping.
Matt: Sounds good - I'll "prep" a little bit.
Cara: By prep, do you mean set your fantasy football lineup?
Matt: No. I'll prep. I promise.
Cara: Mmmhmmm...

(The two climb out of bed to get their Saturday underway. True to form, no painting gets done. Cara shops. Matt actually does manage to do some prepping. That evening, the two them don their holiday festive wear for a Christmas Party at Lane and Sarah's house. They return, exhausted, and head to bed.)

Cara: Are you sure you want to paint tomorrow? We could just paint when we got back from the NW.
Matt: Don't tempt me.

(The two drift off to sleep. The next morning, they are again roused by the catchy Pink tune, "So What".)

Cara: We should probably get up.
Matt: Zzzz...
Cara: How are you still asleep?
Matt: What are you talking about? I'm awake!
Cara: Mmmhmm.
Matt: Can we hit snooze just once?
Cara: I've already hit snooze 4 times.
Matt: Oh. Hmm...I suppose we better get up then.
Cara: Time to paint.
Matt: Or we could not paint.
Cara: If we don't paint, we definitely need to go to church.
Matt: Why? Procrastination isn't a sin!!
Cara: Nice try. Church?
Matt: Sure. But I don't want to paint.
Cara: K. We'll paint one evening this week. We have to!
Matt: Sounds good. Tomorrow night the procrastination ends. We're gonna get that room painted no ifs ands or buts!)

(Off to church they went. After church, the two hit Panera for lunch and then enjoyed a lazy Sunday complete with chores, some napping, and some leisurely reading/Wii playing. Matt finished "Marley and Me" and stole an occasional glance at the NFL games. Cara increased her pro-status in Wii tennis and blogged about the adorable card her cute nephew mailed us. All-in-all, it was a relaxing last non-workday in Knoxville before the holidays beckon the young couple home to the NW. Will the office get painted? Will the procrastination madness continue? Stay tuned!)

Fantasy Football Flop

Every year, I look forward to the fantasy football season. When I started playing fantasy football a few years ago, I found it to be much more exciting then I could have imagined. I don't know why this came as such a surprise, seeing as I always loved sports, statistics, and playing the role of manager. Travel back in time to my formative years as an apsiring young baseball GM. I think I was about 10 years old and I had an early NES baseball game, Bases Loaded 2 (which, according to this review is quite the crappy game). No matter what "The Video Game Critic" says, I rather enjoyed that the game only tracked stats for each game on an individual basis. This gave me a prime opportunity to keep track of the stats myself for each of my players and the top players on other teams. So, I religiously and meticulously kept stats; calculating batting averages, on-base percentages, ERA...and even doled out post-season awards based on the year-long performances I had kept track of. And you wonder how I became an accountant...

Needless to say, I am a bit of a fantasy football junkie. On top of giving me my "stats fix" the league I have joined keeps me in contact with friends back home, which is also a plus. As if this wasn't enough, there is money involved and the top team each year bring home nearly $400. I placed 2nd a couple of years ago and scored a cool $190. After a flop season last year, I hit this year charged and ready to dominate. I got the #3 pick in the draft, a good spot with 14 teams in our league. I drafted with an emphasis on running backs, as I wanted to lay the foundation for a strong playoff push (running backs pick up steam as the year goes on and the weather starts getting ugly). I also drafted Eli Manning for his late season heroics last year (though, I really cannot stand the guy) the gritty Pittsburgh Steeler defense (more on that later). My receiver picks were admittedly quite week. Overall, here is how the draft played out for me (overall pick # in parentheses):

• 1st Round: Brian Westbrook, RB (#3)
  
• 2nd Round: Lawrence Maroney, RB (#26)
• 3rd Round: Thomas Jones, RB (#31)
• 4th Round: Dallas Clark, TE (#54)
• 5th Round: Hines Ward, WR (#59)
• 6th Round: Eli Manning, QB (#82)
  
• 7th Round: Pittsburgh, DST (#87)
• 8th Round: Sidney Rice, WR (#110)
  
• 9th Round: Ray Rice, RB (#115)
  
• 10th Round: Deuce McAllister, RB (#138)
  
• 11th Round: Vince Young, QB (#143)
  
• 12th Round: Ernest Wilford, WR (#166)
  
• 13th Round: Neil Rackers, K (#171)
  
• 14th Round: Matt Jones, WR (#194)
  

As the early season unfolded, I hit the waiver wire (signing free agents and dropping current players to make roster room) like a banshee. At $0.50 per transaction fee, I may have exceeded the GDP of some small nations in revenue for our free agent pot. It didn't take long before my current roster looked nothing like the draft-day roster. As the playoffs opened last week, only 7 of the original 14 players remained on the active roster (and it would have been only 6 had I not picked up Matt Jones again recently - I dropped him earlier in the season when he faced suspension for possession of cocaine...yeah, he's a winner). All of this moving and shaking did pay off to some degree. After a bit of a slow start (which was plagued by injuries, earning my team the name Westbrook's Walking Wounded, or "WWW"), my team began to pick up some steam. As the regular season drew to a close, I climbed steadily to the top of the standings and finished with a #1 seeding heading into the playoffs. "WWW" was by no means dominant. My regular season title was helped greatly by the easiest strength of schedule (meaning I played my opponents, on average, during weeks when they scored most poorly). But, with Westbrook returning to form after an injury-plagued early season and Thomas Jones serving as a much needed workhorse, I felt good about my chances heading into the playoffs.

My team's #1 seeding would be an empty victory if I couldn't convert wins in the playoffs and claim the top prize. In week 1 of the playoffs, I geared up for a gritty re-match with "Obnoxious Hawkfan," coached by none other than Jeff Hyatt. As his name implies, Jeff is a Seahawks fan through and through. Obnoxiously so, in fact. His team was eager to avenge a narrow (0.60 pt), and frankly quite ridiculous come from behind Week 4 victory for my squad when our teams squared off in the regular season. This narrow victory was fueled by the Steelers defense who rallied late in 4th quarter of Monday Night Football to score 15 of my teams 60 pts that week. To be fair, I should not have won that game. I knew it. Jeff knew it. We geared our teams up for what was sure to be a hostile battle.

As our much anticipated playoff matchup drew near, I began looking over my roster to decide my starters for the week. Fueled by my running game, my team had the edge on paper as early favorites. However, my vaunted Pittsburgh defense (who have been absolutely dominant all year) had an ominous match up against Dallas' high-powered offense. I began to think long and hard about an alternative. So, I looked at my bench and made a decision I would come to regret. Out came Pittsburgh's DST and in came the DST for the New England Patriots. The hated, despised, god-awful New England Patriots. I could hardly believe what I was doing; placing my playoff hopes in the hands of the Patriots defense and Eli Manning. Odd, considering I can hardly stand seeing either of these "entities" succeed in any way, shape, form or fashion. So, why would I do such an odd thing?

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it. I made a plain and simple indefensible decision. I made a decision that defies all logic in a fantasy football league filled with die-hard Seahawks fans as I squared off against obnoxiously vocal supporter of the boys in blue and green. But, after much reasoning, I made a decision I felt would propel my fantasy team to a 1st round playoff victory based on the following justification:

The Patriots injury-plagued defense was squaring off against the lowly, meek, and offensively-challenged Seahawks and surely they would perform better than Pittsburgh's defense.

I was so sure of this, I was willing to bet against the Seahawks. That's right - I was betting AGAINST my home team. It makes me nauseous now to even read those words.

People like me are the reason fantasy football gets a bad rap. Critics argue that playing fantasy football forces you to go against your allegiances and make decisions that contradict what is the best for your home team. The criticisms are well explained here. And here. I could go on, but I'll spare you all the wild Internet goose chase. In short, my story is not unique. Fantasy owners face this trap week in and week out. Do you choose what is best for your fantasy team (which may have a real financial impact) or do you sacrifice your fantasy team for your "real world" team loyalties? I both faced and fell into the trap.

The morning of our big matchup, I had a severe case of "second thoughts". The guilt nearly got me to bench the Patriots in favor of Pittsburgh. But, I didn't. I couldn't. I guess that I needed to learn a lesson. As the matchup got underway, I had a sinking feeling that Bad Karma was going to strike. Boy, did it ever.

The Bad Karma seemed to strike Obnoxious Hawkfan first. As the sun rose on our playoff matchup, Jeff's team was confronted with injuries to both of it's starting RBs. He quickly installed back-up RBs and at the last minute named Matt Schaub starter at QB. These critical last-minute moves gave Obnoxious Hawkfan a spark right out of the gate. Matt Schaub outscored Eli Manning (my QB) 26 to 9 (thanks Eli!!). It was a gap that my team would not make up. In this case, I didn't DESERVE to pull out another ridiculous come from behind win. The same Steelers defense that had carried my team to a razor-thin margin-of-victory against Jeff's team in Week 4 sat on my bench as the stupid-head Patriots took the field against the Seahawks. The Seahawks scored a TD on their opening drive. A sinking feeling set in as I watched Pittsburgh's defense run roughshod over the hapless Cowboys. The stark reality of the situation hit me. I had bet against my Seahawks and I deserved to lose...and I was going to lose. I was so certain, I changed my team's name to Bad Karma.

As the Seahawks scored another TD, I cheered. I realized that losing my 1st round playoff matchup would be a small setback as long as the Seahawks scored a million points on the Patriots. Who cared if I lost my matchup and the chance at the 1st prize. At least the Seahawks were going to beat the Patriots. Bad Karma was going to strike my fantasy football team, but at least it didn't get a hold of the Seahawks. I felt a twinge of relief.

Unfortunately, this relief was short-lived.

When the dust settled on the day, the Steelers defense posted a dominant 24 point effort against Dallas. New England could only manage 3 points against a surprisingly feisty Seahawks offense. However, the %&@$'ing Patriots returned to New England victorious with a last minute victory over the now 2 and 11 Seahawks. ARGH!! The Bad Karma of my decision echoed from Knoxville to the Emerald City. A quick survey of the damage reveals:

• The newly minted Bad Karma (fka Westbrook's Walking Wounded) lost to Obnoxious Hawkfan by 14 points, no small margin. However, considering that my team lost out on 21 points because I IMMORALLY picked the wrong defense, victory was certainly within reach for me on that fateful day.
• My team lost the 1st game of the playoffs and now only plays for pride.
  
• I lost out on the prize money, which is no small thing for a starving graduate student who is trying to save up for a wedding next Fall. Especially considering that I contributed a small nation's GDP worth of cash to the free agent pot in my league.
  
• Most importantly, I lost a little bit of my soul because I bet against my beloved Seahawks.

Rest assured, I've learned a valuable lesson. Never again will I bet against my boys in blue and green. From this day forward, I will not let my quest for Fantasy Football gold come at loss of my better judgment. I will return next season, ready to once again pursue the vaunted 1st prize. But this time around, I'm going to do it the "right" way.

Go HAWKS!!

The Kick'n Chick'n

About a week and a half ago, my classmate Lane and I hit the local cigar bar, The Knoxville Cigar Company for a special whiskey tasting and cigar night. The price of admission (a mere $25) bought a cigar, five whiskey tastes (see picture), and some delicious sausage gumbo for dinner. I have to admit, I'm not a huge whiskey OR cigar guy, but it sounded like a good night out and Cara was out of town for work, so I figured it'd help distract me from missing her too much. The whiskey tasting was put on by the master distiller for Wild Turkey, Mr. Jimmy Russell HIMself. I hadn't heard of the guy MYself, but I guess he's the beez-neez. He was certainly a charismatic fellow. My favorite part of the night was when one of my fellow whiskey-sipping, cigar-wielding comrades hollered "Kick'n Chick'n - WHOOO HOOO!!!" That got me pretty good and fired up.

Jimmy Russell is a nice, older guy. One of those grandfatherly types you just feel comfortable around. He had lots of fun stories about how much he enjoys his job. "I would go to work, taste a couple hundred sips of whiskey, and go home and pour myself a glass as a night cap." He also enjoyed telling us childhood stories. "Out where I lived growing up, grandma would mix some whiskey, sugar, and little bit of lemon, heat it up, and call it cough syrup. I learned pretty quick that I could fool her faking a cough every time - until I started trying to do it during the summertime." Definitely good for a chuckle or two. I don't know if you can actually tell what's going on very well in the picture at the left, but Jimmy is in there...somewhere. He even signed a few tumblers at the end for everyone with some fancy paint pen. I have to give my respect to the guy - his signature on a glass with a fancy paint pen is better than mine with a regular old pen and paper writing on a flat desk. The guy has got talent. Fo sho. I just don't know how I felt about this little old drink he was peddling.

I have to admit, I was more than a little bit intimidated at the thought of downing five tastes of Wild Turkey. You see, the Kick'n Chick'n and I have a little bit of a rough history. We don't necessarily see eye to eye. It's been a while since we've visited with one another, but back after my sophomore year of college, I had my first experience "tasting" Wild Turkey while camping with some friends. I admit I was still relatively "green" when it game to drinking (for my parents possibly reading this blog, please PRETEND this was the summer after my senior year of college), and I did not have the proper "maturity" to enjoy a whiskey as fine as Wild Turkey.

I mixed a few drops of wild turkey in a two liter bottle of coke, took a sip, and what h appened next is forever etched in my mind. My eyes crossed. My vision went blurred. My stomach t wisted in knots. And I spent most of the evening trying to stay as far away from that disgusting stuff as I could. The battle lines were drawn. The kickn' chick'n and I were to be enemies for life. That is, until this whiskey tasting. You see, my buddy Lane (pictured at right), wouldn't have any of it. So he scheduled this little rendezvous and next thing I know, I was sitting there face-to-face with my sworn enemy.

The enormity of the situation did not fully hit me until I settled into my bar seat, casually puffing on my cigar. The rest of the crowd dissolved into the smoky recesses of the bar, leaving me and those five shots of Wild Turkey caught in a long and tense stare down. Me. Wild Turkey. Mano e whiskano (x5). "Alright chick'n," I thought to myself. "Tonight, I'm gonna do the kick'n." So, as Jimmy Russell explained the nuances of the Wild Turkey whiskey distillation process, I got reacquainted with an old friend. My tastes have definitely grown up quite a bit in 7+ years. And as I sipped that whiskey, I reflected on how my life has changed in the last 7+ years. I can hardly believe the journey I have had that lead me to Knoxville and that bar stool with a good friend and classmate that particular evening. And, it was a wonderful evening. I actually enjoyed that whiskey. The cigar and the food were the perfect compliment, as Lane and I visited and met new friends. It was an experience I will not soon forget. And I've got the signed Jimmy Russell whiskey tumbler to prove it. And something tells me it won't be another 7+ years before I sit down and "visit" with glass of Wild Turkey.

Random Musings

Hey y'all!

After flying out of the gates with blog, after blog, after blog - I seem to have lost momentum. I need to try and get back into a good routine or I am going to start "losing fans" as Cara has warned me! So, here are a few musings - my lack of blogging certainly has not been due to a lack of material! I like putting my blogs into some sort of theme - so today I'm organizing my musings according to the annoyingly catchy camp/kids song, "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes".

Head. I'm in a really good place right now. The semester is winding down - I have my last class next Monday when we return from Thanksgiving break and the final is one week after that on December 8th. It's been a good semester of teaching - not without its stressful and draining times, but energizing and exciting above all. I met with the doctoral program coordinator (Terry - yeah, we're on a 1st name basis here in our program) yesterday about my dissertation and he was really optimistic and positive about my idea. So, I set to work now on circulating my idea document with my intended committee members and with luck I will have my committee formed before I fly home to the NW for the holidays. I suppose at that point I will officially be in the "dissertation stage" of this crazy journey that is the Ph.D. program. I was feeling very exhilirated about it yesterday. This combined with a long Thanksgiving weekend ("our first Thanksgiving" for Cara and I!!) and I'm a happy camper. Very happy. This head has visions of dissertation completion running through it...and that puts a smile on my face. A big smile.

Shoulders. Cara and I have sore shoulders and it's probably from all the painting we've been doing lately. We painted the upstairs hallway and staircase a bright, cheery yellow and are very happy with the result. Our upstairs looks awesome and is officially complete until we decide to do the bathroom which probably won't come until sometime next year. This weekend, we plan on turning our attention to the kitchen/dining room/downstairs hallway in order to have our painting wrapped up by Christmas break. Wish us luck!

Knees. Or more specifically, knee. My right one. In my last blog, I gave an update about my knee. I went to the doctor last Tuesday and had some x-rays done. The doctor, who's the primary sports doctor for all of the UT athletes, diagnosed my symptoms as a deep knee bruise that is starting to "go fibrous." She noted that I had full range of motion (limited somewhat as I am the least flexible person alive) and little pain so she was not particularly concerned. X-rays confirmed that there was nothing terribly wrong with my knee and she was confident she could see the fairly substantial hematoma (bruise) that I'm battling. She prescribed anti-inflammatories (Aleve), stretching, and ice and asked that I schedule an appointment in three weeks so she can see how I've progressed. So, I would say this is good news -- it definitely made me feel better about everything. The only problem is that I have been positively awful about stretching, icing, and consuming Aleve. I'm sure that I'm headed towards a stern lecture from the doctor if I don't get my act together!

Toes. Cold toes, to be exact. It has been positively chilly in Knoxville, which had me in the doghouse initially. I had Cara convinced that it would not be so cold in Knoxville that she would need a winter coat until after the Christmas holiday. So, she left her cold weather attire back at home in the NW and is not too pleased with me for providing the poor information. In reality, we are just having unusually cold weather, but that doesn't help Cara stay any warmer. This last weekend she picked up a fancy purple wool coat at the mall. I must say, it is pretty sharp. I am sure she will be posting pictures of it at some point, but she is a must happier camper now that she is warm and snuggly in her new coat. On top of the cold weather, our furnace has been acting unusual. It will come on for some period of time (could be hours, could be days) and then it will randomly shut off. I've done my homework and I can't figure out if I've got something wrong with the pilot light (or ignitor), the thermostat, or the supply of gas to the house. We just had our best span of 2+ days of functioning furnace and warm house, but last night it shut off again. I hope it's just some early season "kinks" that the furnace and I can work out between ourselves. I am not digging the idea of paying to have someone come out and take a look at it. Ahh...the joys of home ownership.

Knees and Toes (read "odds and ends"):

Cara and I have thoroughly enjoyed our Wii. We highly recommend the Wii to anyone who doesn't own it. Our goal is to find a Wii Fit for the holiday weekend, but they are not easy to come by. So, we'll see if we can scrounge one up or not. Whatever the case, we're looking forward to a weekend of basketball (Go Zags!), movies (we're off to see "Four Christmases" on Thursday), good food (cooking up our 1st Thanksgiving meal together!), games and puzzles (you know, old boring couple-y kinda stuff), and some painting, cleaning and chores. It should be an awesome weekend.

I clinched a spot in the playoffs with my Fantasy Football team...the 1st step on my road to the Championship and the $300+ 1st prize.

Holiday travel plans are set. We travel home to the Northwest the evening of December 19th and return to Knoxville on a red-eye flight on January 1st. We'll make good use of our two weeks home celebrating the holidays with family and friends (Cara's parents and my parents are going to meet for the 1st time!). We've also got plans to attend the Battle in Seattle (the anniversary of when Cara and I first met!) and to spend New Year's Eve celebrating the arrival of 2009 with friends in Seattle!

Look forward to a post this weekend sharing the fun and excitement of our relaxing 1st Thanksgiving weekend together in Knoxville!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! Love from Knoxville!

Phone the Doctor...something's wrong with my knee

Last Friday after my 8am A200 class, I noticed a weird bump just above my right kneecap. (Note: the picture at the left doesn't do it justice, but it gives you some idea of where this is all going down.) I didn't feel any pain, had no trouble walking, and I climbed the stair to my office without any soreness. I did feel a bit of a twinge of pain when I was bending my knee to pull up a document on my laptop during my Forum presentation. But, I iced my knee that evening and everything seemed fine. No pain, no soreness all weekend. But, the strange bump did not go away. So, yesterday I called the Student Health Center to set up an appointment with the on-campus sports medicine doctor. She didn't have an opening until next Tuesday, so I wait...hoping my knee will get better before then. Yesterday evening and now again this evening, it's clear that it isn't getting better. It is definitely sore...not painfully so, but tender sore. Kind of an aching pain. Most distinctly, I can tell something is "off." Although it hasn't slowed me down at all at this point, I fear that there is something out of sorts that ain't getting better. I hope it's not anything too serious. It seems my collision with the "rock that rocked me" a few weeks ago may have done more damage than I thought. I'll keep y'all posted.

The fun news is that I can phone the doctor on my brand, spanking new cell phone. No sooner did my contract with AT&T Wireless end, and I jumped ship to join Cara with Verizon. I got a Samsung Alias, which came with some decent recommendations. I've been extremely happy with it so far. It feels solid and durable. The menus, interfacing, and functionality is intuitive. And, it's got the "wow" factor in that it opens both vertically for calls and horizontally for texting. Pretty cool. So far, 26 hours into my contract with Verizon...I've been impressed. Change is fun. Now, if my George Strait ringtone would just arrive already!! Here are a few pics to document the exciting new change in my life -- a new cell phone AND a new cell phone provider!! The next time I call you, it'll be from my new phone!!

Flips open vertically for phone calls - puts a smile on my face!!

Flips open horizontally for texting - easy on the fingers!!

Home is where the heart is...

Cara and I have had our share of exciting times as we settle into our home together. Not all of these exciting times have been "good" per se, but you've got to take the good with the bad I guess. At the end of the day, it's been so much fun turning this house into a home with Cara!

At the end of last week, I was working from home on Thursday afternoon (10/30) and I was taking a quick work break so that I could get some wedding "to dos" checked off the list. I was on the phone with a potential DJ and the Photographer called (whom I was trying to connect with so I could get our deposit squared away). Just as I was getting ready to call the photographer back, I heard a dripping sound. Turns out, the dripping sound was water falling from our kitchen ceiling and cabinets and into our sink (see the photo to the left). Ugh! I guess water dripping from your toilet is a bit of a problem. Because, water will tackle anything in its path on its way to the sea. Next thing you know you've got a blown out ceiling in your kitchen, a nice plumbing bill, and some contracting work waiting to happen (new sheet rock in the kitchen ceiling). Yahoo.

Crazy plumbing mess aside, Cara and I decided we are going to get the condo painted to make it look a little bit more cozy inside. So, we picked out some paint colors - a good dark tan, crimson red, and a bright and cheery yellow. Picking out the colors was the easy part. First, we prepped -- no small task. Paint prepping involves sticking blue tape EVERYWHERE. I guess the rule of thumb is: 'tis better to paint blue tape than to paint things you don't want to paint. Next step, remove outlet and light switch covers. Cara took care of this - she's pretty handy with a flathead screwdriver! And finally, you've got to move furniture. We both took care of this task. With all the prep work done -- it was time to do some painting. Finally! All this work took some serious energy. So, we made sure we were appropriately caffeinated! We got energy drinks on the way home from a Lowe's run. Cara didn't like her Monster, so I took it (being the wonderful fiance that I am). Between the energy drinks and a little 80's music (gotta love Comcast music channels), we had plenty of energy to spare.
We started painting our living room/family room. It turns out, it's a SLOOOOWWWW process. In fact, we spent the entire last weekend painting two, count 'em, TWO rooms. We haven't even painted the closets yet - so, we still have our work cut out for us! The bad news...I don't do well with painting. I was an absolute brat for a good chunk of the weekend. Painting takes time. It's a mess. And it's exhausting. I just could not handle it. I don't know how Cara put up with me, but she did. The good news... the two rooms look absolutely awesome for our efforts! And we did manage to have some fun too! Below is a montage of photos of us prepping, painting, and our finished efforts. Oh, and I've got some video footage of Cara dancing as well...heh heh. You can't hear it...but it's 80's music..."Straight Up Now Tell Me," in fact. Love it!

Next up...we're painting a coffee table blue to round out the family room. Well...not totally rounding it out I guess. We still have the closet and then we'll have a finished room! We'll plan on wrapping up the closets and the upstairs hallway shortly and then turn our attention to downstairs. If we're lucky, we'll wrap up sometime before Christmas. Hard work...but well worth it. We'll make this house a Hoag home afterall!