Hows my little Grill Master?

This weekend Laura and I finally got our brand new grill fired up!

As I am with all inanimate objects I grow attached to, here is my tribute to the old fella:

I received the old grill as a very generous gift from the Aamodt family (which I think they were just as happy to be rid of it as I was to have it) in the summer of 2007. It remained a faithful food preparation device until only recently. The poor old fella has undergone multiple surgeries and is now dilapidated beyond repair. It barely survived a 600 mile move south and since then we have replaced various screws, the burner, drip guard, and both main cooking grates. The igniter never worked so we learned early on how to throw matches in just right to avoid singeing as many hairs. Alas all good relationships must come to an end eventually and this one is no different the top shelves are now rusting so much we deemed them hazardous to our health because we sometimes found chunks on our food. We used that shelf as a cooking surface frequently for larger meals and the giant hole that has now materialized has rendered it pretty much useless.



Our new grill is a classic tale of the bright shiny monster replacing the old rust bucket. I'll let the pictures do the work.












We thought it would be good to burn off anything that might be clinging to the cooking surface.

Since this thing is a beast I decided the first thing cooked on it should utilize all of the new features our old grill could not measure up to. Some Grass fed local lamb shanks and ears of corn cooked on low indirect heat for an hour. The fat broke down, the corn was delicious, and we smiled. Happy almost anniversary us.

Hows my little marathoner?

Ladies and gentlemen, I have successfully completed my first and only marathon.

First I want to thank everyone who said good luck and congratulations, motivation in all of its forms was greatly appreciated. I would especially like to thank my lovely wife Laura for worrying about me on all of those long runs and baring with my resolve to tackle this task. I am especially grateful for her willingness to get up in the morning and bring me water and food on my long runs.

Running a whole marathon is an amazing feat, but the real amazing feat is the training one must endure in preparation for the big race. For those of you not familiar with this portion I'll give you a bit of reference. I began my training officially on February 14th for the race taking place June 18th. Due to a knee injury I ended up running just over half of the miles I was planning on running. Total I ran 241 miles, estimating the pace I was generally training at that means I spent about 41 hours of jogging around the streets of Oakwood and beyond.

Also I had a training buddy from afar, Aaron who was an excellent motivator. If you ever decide to put yourself through this torture, get a buddy. It makes complaining more fun because you can share your pain with someone who understands completely. In theory you and your buddy will stick to the plan better too.

After being a spectator since I was just wee boy watching my Dad run the race it was really great to be on the other side of the event as a runner. Running Grandmas is a great experience, I took the scenic railway to the start line (my last big tourist attraction to do in Duluth), they had tons of outhouses at the starting line, and a lot of pacers to keep everyone on track of their goals.

Its an interesting race in the sense that for the first 20 miles there are very few spectator spots, so its just you the lake and 10,000ish fellow runners for a good few hours. With great scenery and the wind at our back though it was actually quite enjoyable, except mile 10 when you can see the lift bridge for the first time and its a tiny speck on the horizon. In fact, at mile 15 you get to see it again and its no bigger, that is a giant mental hurdle. Its not until you get into town that you really get crowds of people yelling, go runners! Which is a great time for that because everyone is starting to hurt then.

Aaron and I stayed together and on a great pace for the first 17 miles. We found a couple of rabbits to chase who looked like they were out for an easy jog and things went quite smooth for awhile, I think due to pain, tired legs, and a slow water stop I lost all three of my pacers in about a minute I tried to catch up but my legs wouldn't let me. So I began plodding along and quickly got passed by the 4 hour pacer and towards the end the 4:15 pacer, which under normal circumstances would have been disheartening by then I had long since decided 4 hours, while a noble goal, was now replaced with a JUST FINISH DAMMIT mentality. I did not finish strong, I plodded all the way into the finish area where I was ready to lie down and cry. I was thankful for the shirt I got for finishing since I was frigid. At the finish, since I'm not one to pass up a free massage I waited in line for a massage that was phenomenal. I have a feeling that my speedyish recovery was aided greatly from this.

I got my time while enjoying my post-race beer and it broke down like this:

10k: 54:40
13.1: 1:59:34
20: 3:09:44
25: 4:12:49
26.2: 4:28:12

You can easily see how hard I crashed, notice that 16 minute final mile.

Altogether I enjoyed my marathon experience (as much as one could while being tired and sore so often) but I wouldn't do it again I think half marathons are much more sensible to train for and to run. So to my Dad and everyone else who has run more than one marathon, well done, I'm impressed.



One of the best things about all this running (and sensible eating) I managed to lose 15 pounds by race day. This is a big deal for me since I gained 20 pounds when we first moved south and its been tough to lose ever since.

Hows my little Sinner?

Everything they say about Las Vegas is true. Its called sin city for a reason, a damn good one. The city that never sleeps, also justified. I'm going to get it out right now. The hangover, and all of the ridiculous things in it are entirely plausible. That said, I'm done comparing Las Vegas with that movie. Also since I was here for Justin's bachelor party, I'm leaving out some other interesting details that shall remain in the desert.

Three days in Las Vegas is plenty, I would even go on record and say that two and a half is perfect. But don't get me wrong I had a great time!

The weekend started with "free" drinks at the bar while slowly gambling 19 quarters away. After staying up late and a decent steak and eggs breakfast we laid by the pool where after buying some beer I lost my ID. Panic ensued for multiple reasons such as, what can you do in Vegas without an ID, or How do I get home, or How do I get another room key?? Luckily a Lifeguard found it for me and I was saved. After some Sin City Brewery Brews we headed to the Stratosphere for some action on the rides.



I decided to jump off the top of it because its not often you get to fall 855 feet only to be saved at the very last second. I calculated it cost about $8 per second. I screamed for all 12ish of those seconds. But it was a wild good time, I'd never done anything like that before, including bungee jumping so for a guy like me it was a blast. Now that I've don it you may not call me a Chicken, Scaredy Cat, Wimp, or any other monikers that might imply less than crazy brave, I have a certificate that says so. At one point on top I caught myself thinking, oh wait, I need to get strapped in before I go out there and jump...

Afterward part of the crew headed to Fremont street for some extra good times. Fremont street is the shit, and I recommend it. There are lots of different casinos(duh), live music, a very cool LED roof over the street which most people openly drank on, and lots of street performers. I gambled just enough money to afford the zip-line over the crowd and under the lights. I was very excited about adding some extra thrill and since it was closing time I asked for a "end of the night pissed off and everyone and I'm ready to get the fuck out of here shove" which was ended up being great, I went super fast and loved every second of it. Afterward Brian bought me a generous gift of my first ever lap dance, after-all we were excited about celebrating our "22nd birthday" with a "groom to be".





I would recommend a cabana at Bare, especially if you're feeling wealthy.

That evening we hiked to the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, it really is a welcome sign, take a cab, spend 5 minutes to grab your picture and head back into town. After that we headed back to Fremont Street for some more gambling and lights. Justin dared me to bet $100 on black. I did and dear lord I almost threw up because I was so nervous watching the ball bounce around.

After heading to bed early Matt and I headed out around town for a tour, we almost won $1,000,000 but didn't. We walked through Cesar's, The Venetian (which was gorgeous), past Paris, and watched the Bellagio water fountains. The fountains are everything I was hoping they would be and surprisingly a little more so. I'll never hear "All that Jazz" the same way again.

Things of note for future travelers:
Las Vegas International is an amazingly simple and easy to navigate airport. Taking cabs all over adds up. Don't buy a drink from a casino unless they are advertising that it is special. Strippers are crafty. Don't leave anyone behind. Travel by limo for evening activities. Sleeping during daylight is probably better. Talk to strangers. Find a hotel that has a good pool. Get a gigantic drink in a fun shaped glass. Collect 100 hooker cards. Stay up all night. Feel utterly miserable briefly.



See you again Vegas, but dear lord, not anytime soon.

150 150 300