Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The most important advice ever when in Las Vegas!
WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T FEED THE BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Vegas!
So, decided to head to Las Vegas for a quick weekend getaway, since I will be going on post-deployment leave soon, and Tally won't be able to go with me, since she will be working.We don't gamble much, but we still managed to have fun. We went to a show called "Le Reve" at the Wynn hotel (the picture of Tally and I above is at the Wynn), which was pretty neat. It's similar to the Cirque de Soleil (French for "The Orange Monkey") shows in that there were lots of cool acrobatics. Also, since it was set in a pool, the swimming and diving mixed in with the story was pretty neat. Tickets for these shows are pretty expensive, but good ol' Tally found out that there is a 1/2 off military discount, so it was great to get that.
Tally thought the fall decorations at the Bellagio were beautiful, as you can see by her wistful gaze upwards.
Also, we decided to have a once-in-a-lifetime meal at a really nice restaurant to celebrate my getting back from Iraq. We decided to go to a place called Carnevino, which is an Italian Steakhouse. It was wonderful. Very expensive, but a lot of fun, and we were able to try some dishes we will never be able to try again. However, they served us our wine in five-gallon buckets, as you can see by the picture of me.
Updates...
OK, so Tally and I have spent the last couple of weeks making several small trips, since she will be working and won't be able to go on leave with me. We went to Los Angeles last weekend, which was nice. Quinn and I took in a Dodgers/Giants game, which was fun.
However, the price of major-league sporting events is (I think) just getting completely ridiculous, and it wasn't event that bad for us (baseball is one of the cheaper live sports to go see). Quinn got us pretty good seats for $12.50 apiece, which was a good start. However, the rest of things went like this. Tickets: $12.50, Parking: $15, Dodger Dog, one beer, caramel corn: $22.50, arriving in the second inning and leaving in the sixth to beat traffic: priceless. OK, maybe not, but you get the idea.
Sorry, no pictures. Maybe next time.....
However, the price of major-league sporting events is (I think) just getting completely ridiculous, and it wasn't event that bad for us (baseball is one of the cheaper live sports to go see). Quinn got us pretty good seats for $12.50 apiece, which was a good start. However, the rest of things went like this. Tickets: $12.50, Parking: $15, Dodger Dog, one beer, caramel corn: $22.50, arriving in the second inning and leaving in the sixth to beat traffic: priceless. OK, maybe not, but you get the idea.
Sorry, no pictures. Maybe next time.....
Saturday, September 19, 2009
I'm back!!!
So, the last part of our Battalion (including me) got back early Monday morning. It is great to be home. Sorry for not doing much blogging while I was gone. However, I am deeply disappointed in any (formerly) loyal Tinjblog readers who have switched to other more "cool" blogs since I've been gone.
Tally and I have just been hanging out this week. I have to work the next two weeks, then I'll have two weeks off, during which I'll head back to ND.
I don't have the greatest pictures from Iraq. It all looks similar and, thankfully, it wasn't too crazy for us. I'll try to get some stuff up here eventually. Also, stay tuned for: LA Dodgers game with Quinn, Las Vegas, cycling, triathlon for Tally, weird classes at the gym, and quinoa.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Book club
OK, so I'm not Oprah, but because I'm bored, I'll put up my appraisals of the non-medical books (not that I've read much in that department) that I've read on deployment thusfar:
1) Generation Kill, by Evan Wright. The story of a Rolling Stone reporter embedded with the 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion during the initial invasion of Iraq. Pretty ridiculous. Don't read it if you can't handle some serious Marine-type language ("I want the language"..."You can't handle the language"...get it?) and some fairly gruesome actual war stories. Interesting, though, and, even with my limited knowledge, it seems to be very accurate. Thinking about the big, well-protected vehicles we ride around in now, it's remarkable that these guys were basically in humvees that didn't even have windows. Grade: B+
2) The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, by Robert Caro. This is a remarkable book by a remarkable author. I never thought I would get into something like this. My father initially read the trilogy by Moses about Lyndon Johnson. I eventually read those, which I think (almost impossibly) are even better than this book. The amount of research he did is staggering. It is 1100+ pages, but I believe I read somewhere that he edited it down from 3000+! Now, just a word of forewarning: you need to be a nerd to enjoy this book. You can be a cool, attractive, fun nerd like myself, but you need to be a nerd nonetheless. Also, reading this will take a lot of time (something my bank account is full of right now). I highly recommend any books by Moses, though. Grade: A
3) Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, by Daniel Wallace. The book that the 2003 Tim Burton movie was based on. A short, light read, with kind of a neat concept. Short stories based on what seem to be tall tales told by the narrator's father during his childhood, interspersed with the reality of his present-day father, who is sickly and nearing death. Grade: C+
4) One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A crazy story of a Mexican family as it progresses through years and generations. It remarkably tells this story while reminding us (I think) of how certain things tend to stay the same, even though most everything else changes. Most astounding to me was the sheer descriptiveness. To think that Marquez could just pull all of this out of his mind is amazing. It goes on a little long for me, but is still a very good book. Grade: A-
5) How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else, by Michael Gate Gill. A story of how an elderly man who lost his job and is down on his luck in many ways starts working at a Starbucks in New York City. His coworkers are pretty much polar opposites of himself, yet he finds enjoyment in working with them and in serving others that he though he'd never have. He had pretty much had everything handed to him his whole life, but by losing it all, he found this job that gave him more fulfillment than he ever imagined. (That was pretty good, if I do say so myself. I think that should be the synopsis on the back of the book.) It's simply written, but the story is definitely what pulls it through. Grade: B-
6) The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink. The book that the 2008 movie (for which Kate Winslet won an Oscar for Best Actress and which was included in a humorous story on a recent "Tinjblog" post about old people in Palm Springs) was based on. It's an interesting concept for a story that is nicely developed. The most striking thing about it, I believe, is it's philosophical nature. The main character's father is a philosopher in the story, and the author gives a lot of space for the main character to explore his feelings, but, more importantly, WHY he might be feeling that way. It is simple in many ways, complex in others, elegant, and well thought out. I haven't seen the movie yet, but will definitely have to watch it now. Grade: A-
1) Generation Kill, by Evan Wright. The story of a Rolling Stone reporter embedded with the 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion during the initial invasion of Iraq. Pretty ridiculous. Don't read it if you can't handle some serious Marine-type language ("I want the language"..."You can't handle the language"...get it?) and some fairly gruesome actual war stories. Interesting, though, and, even with my limited knowledge, it seems to be very accurate. Thinking about the big, well-protected vehicles we ride around in now, it's remarkable that these guys were basically in humvees that didn't even have windows. Grade: B+
2) The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, by Robert Caro. This is a remarkable book by a remarkable author. I never thought I would get into something like this. My father initially read the trilogy by Moses about Lyndon Johnson. I eventually read those, which I think (almost impossibly) are even better than this book. The amount of research he did is staggering. It is 1100+ pages, but I believe I read somewhere that he edited it down from 3000+! Now, just a word of forewarning: you need to be a nerd to enjoy this book. You can be a cool, attractive, fun nerd like myself, but you need to be a nerd nonetheless. Also, reading this will take a lot of time (something my bank account is full of right now). I highly recommend any books by Moses, though. Grade: A
3) Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, by Daniel Wallace. The book that the 2003 Tim Burton movie was based on. A short, light read, with kind of a neat concept. Short stories based on what seem to be tall tales told by the narrator's father during his childhood, interspersed with the reality of his present-day father, who is sickly and nearing death. Grade: C+
4) One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A crazy story of a Mexican family as it progresses through years and generations. It remarkably tells this story while reminding us (I think) of how certain things tend to stay the same, even though most everything else changes. Most astounding to me was the sheer descriptiveness. To think that Marquez could just pull all of this out of his mind is amazing. It goes on a little long for me, but is still a very good book. Grade: A-
5) How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else, by Michael Gate Gill. A story of how an elderly man who lost his job and is down on his luck in many ways starts working at a Starbucks in New York City. His coworkers are pretty much polar opposites of himself, yet he finds enjoyment in working with them and in serving others that he though he'd never have. He had pretty much had everything handed to him his whole life, but by losing it all, he found this job that gave him more fulfillment than he ever imagined. (That was pretty good, if I do say so myself. I think that should be the synopsis on the back of the book.) It's simply written, but the story is definitely what pulls it through. Grade: B-
6) The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink. The book that the 2008 movie (for which Kate Winslet won an Oscar for Best Actress and which was included in a humorous story on a recent "Tinjblog" post about old people in Palm Springs) was based on. It's an interesting concept for a story that is nicely developed. The most striking thing about it, I believe, is it's philosophical nature. The main character's father is a philosopher in the story, and the author gives a lot of space for the main character to explore his feelings, but, more importantly, WHY he might be feeling that way. It is simple in many ways, complex in others, elegant, and well thought out. I haven't seen the movie yet, but will definitely have to watch it now. Grade: A-
Greetings
Well, I see the old wifers hasn't bothered to put any new posts up here, so I guess it's up to me. Things are (thankfully) going fine here. Fairly monotonous and repetitive, but that's fine. I have been out briefly a few times into some of the local communities, so that has been interesting.
I have taken some pictures of where I am at, but I think I'll have to save those until after the deployment is over. However, I will have to work on putting some other pictures up here. Like, for example, of the sodas that they have over here with Arabic writing. Interesting, and not too bad (at least, the Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi aren't). However, I implore you, never, ever drink diet Sprite out of an Arabic can, should you ever find yourself in this part of the world. That's all I ask. You'll thank me.
It hasn't gotten too hot yet (but buckle up, I'm told). I guess you really get to hate your life in the summer over here. We'll see. Blowing sand hasn't been too big of a deal yet, either, but I've also been forewarned that this will get much worse. The food hasn't been bad, there's a gym here, and a nice area to run, so I can't complain and have gotten a lot of exercise, which is good to pass the time. I think that's about it for now, but will try to periodically put up some more posts.
I have taken some pictures of where I am at, but I think I'll have to save those until after the deployment is over. However, I will have to work on putting some other pictures up here. Like, for example, of the sodas that they have over here with Arabic writing. Interesting, and not too bad (at least, the Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi aren't). However, I implore you, never, ever drink diet Sprite out of an Arabic can, should you ever find yourself in this part of the world. That's all I ask. You'll thank me.
It hasn't gotten too hot yet (but buckle up, I'm told). I guess you really get to hate your life in the summer over here. We'll see. Blowing sand hasn't been too big of a deal yet, either, but I've also been forewarned that this will get much worse. The food hasn't been bad, there's a gym here, and a nice area to run, so I can't complain and have gotten a lot of exercise, which is good to pass the time. I think that's about it for now, but will try to periodically put up some more posts.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A temporary farewell...
Just wanted to sign off before I leave the good ol' US for Iraq. We'll be there for seven months, so should be back in September. I should be able to update the blog from over there, but, if not, Tally will take care of it. Thoughts and prayers are always appreciated. If we have the internet connections we are supposed to have, I will have access to Skype and other video-calling sites. So, if you have a webcam, look me up. Send e-mails to my current Yahoo! account for now, or contact Tally--she can let you know if I have a new e-mail that I am supposed to use while over there.
No pictures from the last week, but we've had a good time. My mom, Jill, came out, so we've been showing her around. We were down to the coast today, which was a little chilly by CA standards, but fun. There were several dolphins that we could see surfacing just a little ways out, so that was cool. We also finally got to Joshua Tree National Park, which we enjoyed. That's all for now.
No pictures from the last week, but we've had a good time. My mom, Jill, came out, so we've been showing her around. We were down to the coast today, which was a little chilly by CA standards, but fun. There were several dolphins that we could see surfacing just a little ways out, so that was cool. We also finally got to Joshua Tree National Park, which we enjoyed. That's all for now.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
New TV
As you can see, nice picture. Also, for sizing purposes, I'm not sure of the "inches" per se, but it is approximately 3 wiener dogs wide and 1.5 wiener dogs tall.
Super Bowl 43 (they should just get rid of the Roman numerals)
Tally and I had a lovely and quiet day on Sunday watching the good ol' Super Bowl. We decided to not have or seek out any Super Bowl parties, since I'll be taking off in about a week and we wanted to hang out together.
First, the TV. Let me take you back a little. The heat in our house went out on January 9th. Luckily, we are in CA and not in ND, but it does get a little cool here at night, and with no heaters going, the temp in our house was getting down to 54-55 degrees by morning. Why it took until today (25 days) to get our heat going, I have no idea--you'll have to ask our property management company and the local heating/AC company that was working on our furnace. Despite that, we did not have to pay rent at the beginning of February for the days that we did not have heat in January. This added up to a savings of ~$900. Keep this and a picture of a TV in your mind.
Next, I need to explain to you about wives. So, while our heat was out, our house was obviously cold (we did have a couple of space heaters going). Also, during that time, Tally came down with a cold and had a couple of days off from work. Me, being the perennial husband-of-the-year candidate that I am, moved our only TV into the bedroom for her, so she could stay in bed with a space heater on her and watch TV on her days off while she was sick. This led to the natural conversation of her suggesting we could get another TV for the living room and leave the first one in the bedroom. I didn't really go for this, so then she reached for the "Well, it helps me relax at night, and otherwise, the dogs and I might get spooked by noises we hear--the TV would block this out". I eventually buckled and agreed. Of course, I had nothing against getting a new TV right before the Super Bowl. Also, we had purchased a Nintendo Wii a week or so before. Now, even though I might enjoy and use these things more than Tally, there's that other thing...OH YEAH!...I'm going to Iraq for seven months in about a week. So, who will benefit on all fronts from the new technology. That's right. It's the wifey...it's always the wifey. Just remember that.
So, we blew our rent savings on the Wii and the new TV, and we don't regret it. The Super Bowl was great--I like both teams, but was cheering for the Cardinals. I should have bet on the Cards, since they covered the spread (Pittsburgh was favored by 7 points), and maybe I would have won eleventy billion dollars. We made some homemade Super Bowl snacks which turned out pretty good. I'll slap some pics up of all this stuff.
Stay tuned for Jill (my mom) coming out in a few days, and John and Quinn going to the UCLA-Notre Dame men's basketball game on Saturday, while Tally valiantly attempts to set the Guinness Book of World Records record for "most shopping done on a Saturday morning in LA ever".
First, the TV. Let me take you back a little. The heat in our house went out on January 9th. Luckily, we are in CA and not in ND, but it does get a little cool here at night, and with no heaters going, the temp in our house was getting down to 54-55 degrees by morning. Why it took until today (25 days) to get our heat going, I have no idea--you'll have to ask our property management company and the local heating/AC company that was working on our furnace. Despite that, we did not have to pay rent at the beginning of February for the days that we did not have heat in January. This added up to a savings of ~$900. Keep this and a picture of a TV in your mind.
Next, I need to explain to you about wives. So, while our heat was out, our house was obviously cold (we did have a couple of space heaters going). Also, during that time, Tally came down with a cold and had a couple of days off from work. Me, being the perennial husband-of-the-year candidate that I am, moved our only TV into the bedroom for her, so she could stay in bed with a space heater on her and watch TV on her days off while she was sick. This led to the natural conversation of her suggesting we could get another TV for the living room and leave the first one in the bedroom. I didn't really go for this, so then she reached for the "Well, it helps me relax at night, and otherwise, the dogs and I might get spooked by noises we hear--the TV would block this out". I eventually buckled and agreed. Of course, I had nothing against getting a new TV right before the Super Bowl. Also, we had purchased a Nintendo Wii a week or so before. Now, even though I might enjoy and use these things more than Tally, there's that other thing...OH YEAH!...I'm going to Iraq for seven months in about a week. So, who will benefit on all fronts from the new technology. That's right. It's the wifey...it's always the wifey. Just remember that.
So, we blew our rent savings on the Wii and the new TV, and we don't regret it. The Super Bowl was great--I like both teams, but was cheering for the Cardinals. I should have bet on the Cards, since they covered the spread (Pittsburgh was favored by 7 points), and maybe I would have won eleventy billion dollars. We made some homemade Super Bowl snacks which turned out pretty good. I'll slap some pics up of all this stuff.
Stay tuned for Jill (my mom) coming out in a few days, and John and Quinn going to the UCLA-Notre Dame men's basketball game on Saturday, while Tally valiantly attempts to set the Guinness Book of World Records record for "most shopping done on a Saturday morning in LA ever".
Movie time and Oldie McOldersonville...
On Saturday, Tally and I had a nice little outing to Palm Springs. We decided to see a movie, so I talked her into Slumdog Millionaire. I highly, highly recommend this. Maybe not "drop everything and go see it immediately", but "drop everything, take a 30-min nap, then go see it immediately". Nicely done, good story, cute little kids from India.
So, as we were waiting at the outdoor ticket counter, two old guys with thick Boston (I think) accents are going up to get their tickets for themselves and their wives (Dustin Little, grammar Ph.D., there's probably something incorrect there, but, oh well). The guy in front of us says "I'll take two tickets to Se-re-nah". The ticket lady, looking mildly confused says, "Do you mean The Reader (new movie with Kate Winslet)?" He goes, "Oh, I thought it was Se-re-nah". She explains again, that, no, it is The Reader. This goes on for a few seconds until I try to talk Tally to throwing me in front of the little golf-cart security vehicle driving by so I will hopefully knocked unconscious and not have to listen to any more of that. She mumbles something about calming down, and we go inside to load up on popcorn.
As I mentioned, I loved the movie. As the closing credits are starting, I start to get up, then realize that almost no one else is. Oh, there's a little song and dance number, Bollywood-style, along with some of the closing credits. OK, I sit down. When that's over, I attempt to get up and leave again, but still not much movement. I realize that this is because we are near the front, and the average age of those behind us (comprising about 80-100 people--the small theater was pretty full) is approximately 137. I sit down again. When we finally get to the lobby, it's "negotiate through the fairly-large crowd of people moving 0.01 mph" all over again.
Don't get me wrong--I like Palm Springs. There is a lot of stuff to do there when things get boring in Yucca Valley (which is often). There are fun things, too, like a water park, good restaurants, and 12 million artificial hips. And,...I realize that I'm going to be old someday, too, and will probably move pretty slowly. However, the combo of creaking joints, rampant plastic surgery, and 70+-year-old women dressing and wearing makeup as if they look like (and I think they really believe this) they are in their 40s was just too much on this day. But, being the warrior that I am, I'll regroup and do battle again another day.
So, as we were waiting at the outdoor ticket counter, two old guys with thick Boston (I think) accents are going up to get their tickets for themselves and their wives (Dustin Little, grammar Ph.D., there's probably something incorrect there, but, oh well). The guy in front of us says "I'll take two tickets to Se-re-nah". The ticket lady, looking mildly confused says, "Do you mean The Reader (new movie with Kate Winslet)?" He goes, "Oh, I thought it was Se-re-nah". She explains again, that, no, it is The Reader. This goes on for a few seconds until I try to talk Tally to throwing me in front of the little golf-cart security vehicle driving by so I will hopefully knocked unconscious and not have to listen to any more of that. She mumbles something about calming down, and we go inside to load up on popcorn.
As I mentioned, I loved the movie. As the closing credits are starting, I start to get up, then realize that almost no one else is. Oh, there's a little song and dance number, Bollywood-style, along with some of the closing credits. OK, I sit down. When that's over, I attempt to get up and leave again, but still not much movement. I realize that this is because we are near the front, and the average age of those behind us (comprising about 80-100 people--the small theater was pretty full) is approximately 137. I sit down again. When we finally get to the lobby, it's "negotiate through the fairly-large crowd of people moving 0.01 mph" all over again.
Don't get me wrong--I like Palm Springs. There is a lot of stuff to do there when things get boring in Yucca Valley (which is often). There are fun things, too, like a water park, good restaurants, and 12 million artificial hips. And,...I realize that I'm going to be old someday, too, and will probably move pretty slowly. However, the combo of creaking joints, rampant plastic surgery, and 70+-year-old women dressing and wearing makeup as if they look like (and I think they really believe this) they are in their 40s was just too much on this day. But, being the warrior that I am, I'll regroup and do battle again another day.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
A couple of other things...
And, of course, I forgot some things. Tally graduated from her Master's program in Nurse Education from Nebraska Methodist College in December. She started it while we lived in Omaha, and it is an online program, so she was able to keep doing it when we moved. I'm very proud of her, and I guess she hasn't had enough, because she's planning on taking a semester off and then pursuing her Ph.D. I was at the Mojave Viper training exercise, so I wasn't able to go, but Tally flew out and her parents met her in Omaha, so I'll put some pictures up from that.
Also, right before we left for Christmas, we had what was reported as two-and-a-half feet of snow here. We are in the "high desert" which gets cooler that Palms Springs, and I think it's not uncommon to get a little snow here and there. However, this was pretty crazy, so I'll throw in a couple of shots of that.
Long time, no blog...
Sorry for the extended absence. I guess it's been a perfect combo of being busy, gone, and, most of all, me being lazy.
We last left our bloggers in November with a visit to sunny Coronado Island near San Diego. After that, John started his 30-day training exercise with the Marines ("Mojave Viper"). He got to come home one day for Thanksgiving (sorry, no pictures), which was great.
About that time, Savannah (on of the "wiens") started getting sick with all of these weird bumps that would pop up that seemed like abscesses. I thought about putting a "medical mystery" type of thing on here, so you medical nerds (you know who you are, Dustin Little) could have some fun. It turns out that she most likely has a condition that is specific to dogs, so it wouldn't have been a very fun game to play. A vet down here figured it out--it's called "sterile nodular panniculitis"--so she's on steroids and is starting to get much better with treatment.
We were home for Christmas and got about three weeks, because it also doubles as my "pre-deployment leave". That was fun (but very cold). It was great to see everyone, and we got to snowmobile a little bit.
We were in Vegas about a week ago for our Battalion's Marine Corps Birthday Ball. The Marines (and the Navy, for that matter) love to celebrate (and I mean CELEBRATE) the anniversary of their formation (their "birthday") every year. Even though we are stuck out in the middle of the godforsaken desert, at least we aren't that far from Vegas, so we can head up there to celebrate. The normal birthday is on November 10th, but we were preparing to go to Mojave Viper, so we put it off until January. We stayed at the Wynn because we got a great deal on Hotwire there. If you ever get the chance to stay there, I highly recommend it. We were on the 58th floor and had a great view looking west over Vegas and south down the Strip. I tried to take a picture, but the window caused too much glare.
Now we're kind of just hanging out. I'm headed to Iraq in about 10 days or so, so we're trying to get stuff neatened up and loose ends taken care of. I think my mom is coming out for a few days, so maybe I'll have a few more pictures before I go. I should be able to still post on here from Iraq, but the primary responsibility will fall to Tally (ha ha). Sooo, if you aren't happy with the tinjblog service, you know you to contact.
We last left our bloggers in November with a visit to sunny Coronado Island near San Diego. After that, John started his 30-day training exercise with the Marines ("Mojave Viper"). He got to come home one day for Thanksgiving (sorry, no pictures), which was great.
About that time, Savannah (on of the "wiens") started getting sick with all of these weird bumps that would pop up that seemed like abscesses. I thought about putting a "medical mystery" type of thing on here, so you medical nerds (you know who you are, Dustin Little) could have some fun. It turns out that she most likely has a condition that is specific to dogs, so it wouldn't have been a very fun game to play. A vet down here figured it out--it's called "sterile nodular panniculitis"--so she's on steroids and is starting to get much better with treatment.
We were home for Christmas and got about three weeks, because it also doubles as my "pre-deployment leave". That was fun (but very cold). It was great to see everyone, and we got to snowmobile a little bit.
We were in Vegas about a week ago for our Battalion's Marine Corps Birthday Ball. The Marines (and the Navy, for that matter) love to celebrate (and I mean CELEBRATE) the anniversary of their formation (their "birthday") every year. Even though we are stuck out in the middle of the godforsaken desert, at least we aren't that far from Vegas, so we can head up there to celebrate. The normal birthday is on November 10th, but we were preparing to go to Mojave Viper, so we put it off until January. We stayed at the Wynn because we got a great deal on Hotwire there. If you ever get the chance to stay there, I highly recommend it. We were on the 58th floor and had a great view looking west over Vegas and south down the Strip. I tried to take a picture, but the window caused too much glare.
Now we're kind of just hanging out. I'm headed to Iraq in about 10 days or so, so we're trying to get stuff neatened up and loose ends taken care of. I think my mom is coming out for a few days, so maybe I'll have a few more pictures before I go. I should be able to still post on here from Iraq, but the primary responsibility will fall to Tally (ha ha). Sooo, if you aren't happy with the tinjblog service, you know you to contact.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Back after an extended absence...
Hi, kids. Much has happened. We've had many a visitor at the hotel Tinjum. As mentioned earlier, my sister Stephanie and her friends were here the last weekend of October, with a good time had by all. Steph sent me some pictures, so I'll slap those up.
Savannah (the wiener dog) turned 4 and her back problems seem to be getting better, so that's good.
Then,...Tally's sisters, Ronda and Lacey, our niece, Lexi (Ronda's daughter), and Lacey's friend, Heather all came out to visit from November 5 until November 9. We had a lot of fun and did a LOT of driving. Too bad it wasn't warm enough to go in the pool here. However, we did manage to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain (north of LA), on home-school day, no less. It was a blast. We went on this insane rollercoaster called "Tatsu". Basically, you get harnessed in with your feet dangling. THEN, they tip you so you're horizontal and then they proceed to defy all the laws of physics with you. A good time. Here's the link for Tatsu: http://www.sixflags.com/magicMountain/Rides/Tatsu.aspx
We also went to the beach at Coronado, which was beautiful, and to a very cool outdoor shopping mall in West Hollywood called The Grove (http://www.thegrovela.com/). I'll post some picks of Coronado.
I'd like to wish a certain wifey (Tally) a happy 29th birthday (today). I love you, dear and, just remember, you'll always be older than me. Ha ha.
This will probably be the last post for a while. I am headed out "to the field", which means that all of us medical personnel pack up some basic stuff and head out to the middle of the desert where the Marines we take care of are training. However, this time it's (painfully) for one month. Pretty much right away when I get back, Tally, the dogs, and I are heading home for Christmas.
Sorry, Bakke, no food pics. Maybe I'll put one up of an MRE (meal ready-to-eat) when I get back.
Savannah (the wiener dog) turned 4 and her back problems seem to be getting better, so that's good.
Then,...Tally's sisters, Ronda and Lacey, our niece, Lexi (Ronda's daughter), and Lacey's friend, Heather all came out to visit from November 5 until November 9. We had a lot of fun and did a LOT of driving. Too bad it wasn't warm enough to go in the pool here. However, we did manage to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain (north of LA), on home-school day, no less. It was a blast. We went on this insane rollercoaster called "Tatsu". Basically, you get harnessed in with your feet dangling. THEN, they tip you so you're horizontal and then they proceed to defy all the laws of physics with you. A good time. Here's the link for Tatsu: http://www.sixflags.com/magicMountain/Rides/Tatsu.aspx
We also went to the beach at Coronado, which was beautiful, and to a very cool outdoor shopping mall in West Hollywood called The Grove (http://www.thegrovela.com/). I'll post some picks of Coronado.
I'd like to wish a certain wifey (Tally) a happy 29th birthday (today). I love you, dear and, just remember, you'll always be older than me. Ha ha.
This will probably be the last post for a while. I am headed out "to the field", which means that all of us medical personnel pack up some basic stuff and head out to the middle of the desert where the Marines we take care of are training. However, this time it's (painfully) for one month. Pretty much right away when I get back, Tally, the dogs, and I are heading home for Christmas.
Sorry, Bakke, no food pics. Maybe I'll put one up of an MRE (meal ready-to-eat) when I get back.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Long time, no post...
Sorry for the long absence. My sister and her friends were here two weekends ago (they drove down from ND!), which was a good time. I don't have any pictures, so I'll mentally channel the good times into this post. OK, so that probably won't work.
Anyhoo, Tally's sisters, niece and her sister Lacey's friend, Heather, are coming to visit this weekend, so we should have lots of fun pictures to put up. There will probably be one of me throwing up after going on crazy rides at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Finally, with the election craziness today, I saw an election quiz on MSNBC and wanted to put up the link in case any election junkies wanted to try it. The link is: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27487258/?GT1=43001
Have a good day and happy voting.
Anyhoo, Tally's sisters, niece and her sister Lacey's friend, Heather, are coming to visit this weekend, so we should have lots of fun pictures to put up. There will probably be one of me throwing up after going on crazy rides at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Finally, with the election craziness today, I saw an election quiz on MSNBC and wanted to put up the link in case any election junkies wanted to try it. The link is: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27487258/?GT1=43001
Have a good day and happy voting.
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