Week #9: Walking in the snow and trying to stay out of the gutter

Two for one this week. We headed to Door County WI this weekend and my wife mentioned that I should try snowshoeing. I checked around the Internet and found a place that rents out snowshoes for the day and found out that they have "snowshoe only" trails in the state park across the street. It was getting late in the day so we decided to take the kids bowling for the first time (we would snowshoe the next morning).

It was an old school bowling alley in Sister Bay. To our dismay, we found out they did not have bumper guards (which prevent children from getting gutter balls). But they did have this strange metal slide contraption, which made it easier for the kids to roll the ball down the center.

It did not stop MANY MANY gutter balls. The kids got frustrated a few times, but after all was said and done I think everyone had a good time. Thanks to the magical bowling contraption, our youngest child had the highest score (even though none of us broke 100).

The next day, I went snowshoeing for the first time. I drove to Peninsula State Park and parked the car getting ready for my 3 1/2 mile hike. I got out and while trying to figure out how to put on my shoes, I spotted two women walking up to the trail. I mentioned to them that it was "my first time". I am glad that I spoke up. They were great ladies. Susie "the expert" and Pam "the fellow first timer" and I hit it off right away. Susie actually put on my snowshoes for me and asked if I wanted to walk with them. So off we went with Susie showing her friend Pam and I the ins and outs of snowshoeing. It was great to have a guide and the three of us had good conversation throughout. They left a little before me and I finished the 1 1/2 hour hike by myself. I loved it! The hike was beautiful with oak and pine trees as far as the eye could see in all directions. I am especially grateful to Pam and Susie for the help and conversation. I hope to run into them on a hiking trail sometime soon.

I have included photos of me with Susie and Pam and some scenes from the hike. Also from bowling, I included a short video of my youngest knocking down a spare!

Week #8: What have you been up to? ... its been a long time!

On Monday of this week, I was invited to dinner by a good friend of mine, Jan. When I showed up, I realized that he had invited a few other guys including my brother, and a guy that I had not seen for 30+ years. Due to my 52 week blog, I had been meaning to call him in the next few weeks. I wanted to get in touch with someone I had not seen in a long time. I was beat to the punch when I surprisingly saw my old friend David. I told him "I was just about to call you." Which he of course didn't believe. How many people that you have not seen or talked to in 30 years can you get away with the "I was just about to call you" line. We grew up two houses away from each other and hung out all the time. David and I ended up having a great conversation throughout the night. We used to be inseparable best friends when we were young, until we got in a fight around first grade. We never really saw each other again. We talked about the past and realized how silly our fight was (we were fighting over an Intellivision game (called Utopia ... great old school game though)).

I plan on staying in contact with David and we are hopefully going to go out for lunch soon. I had a great time catching up and finding out about his wife, children , and occupation.

When Jan drove me home that night, he kept calling me "Earl". When I explained why I wanted to reconnect with an old friend, he said it sounded like that show "My Name is Earl". So now I have a few friends calling me Earl. Either way, I can cross off : reconnecting with an old friend

from my list.

The photos above is my kindergarten picture with David and I circled. Coincidentally, my wife's picture is above David's in the upper right corner.

Week #7: It's time to Face It

This week I joined the ever growing Facebook community. I have read a lot about its popularity and I know many people who are members. I felt like I might be a little too old for this type of thing, but have grown to really like it this week. It becomes quite addictive. Actually, some guy named Matt Brusky wants to be my friend (I think I remember him from high school). This will take some time to get used to. Will you be my friend??? Just kidding, sounds a little creepy though. So far I only have a couple of "friends", but I am sure they will increase as the year goes on. If you check back in a few weeks, I will update my facebook experience.

Week #6: Doin' the Harlem Shuffle

Crazy time this week!

A while back, I lived in New York City for about a year and I still get back to NYC for work around 2-3 times a year. Realizing that I was heading back for a conference and had one free evening for myself, I thought what can I do that I have never done before in the city? Then it struck me, how about Harlem and if you are doing Harlem, it might as well be the Legendary Amateur Night at the Apollo Theatre. I found out later that I missed the 75th anniversary of Amateur Night by one week. Apparently, there were lots of celebrities here last week. They have had Amateur Night every Wednesday nonstop since 1934. http://www.apollotheatre.org/

I had to find someone who would come with me to the show. I immediately called my friend (and former colleague) Tim to see if he had any interest. After a little encouragement, he relented and said he would go with me, but he said it sounded "a little crazy". I checked online for tickets and was offered front row center. That seemed a little too close, so I choose right of center section row B. Little did I know there was no right section row A! We ended up in the front row, so close that my legs were leaning on the stairs that performers use to get on the stage. They had to kick some people out of our seats when we arrived just before showtime. It was now time for the show.

The show started strong with the host singing some great intro songs followed by a funny monologue. Quickly though, I (along with Tim) became part of the show! The MC asks what are we doing there? He followed up by asking me to get up on STAGE! I reluctantly did so, and while Tim tries to take my picture he is also brought up on stage. I am thinking "What the hell am I doing up here!" My plan was not to be ON the stage! I can't see anything except very bright lights and then the host continues to give me a hard time. Tim jokes that we (Him and I) all look alike. Which was misunderstood, "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING WE ALL LOOK ALIKE!!" The people around us boo while we explain that we said that WE (being Tim and I) look alike (which we did with matching jeans black shoes etc. by accident) not you. Anyway, he roasts us on stage for a minute or two and then moves on. I am proud to say that I now have been on the same famous stage on the same Amateur Wednesday night as James Brown, Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Lauren Hill and many others.

The night was really fun. We learned about Harlem's famous Tree of Hope that all performers rub for good luck. We got to loudly boo people off the stage and jump up and down to cheer the great ones. Some really talented people performed that night. As my friend said, the night was definitely a Home Run! Great great time!

I have included a couple of pictures. The third one shows the Tree of Hope in the background and the last one shows how close the seats were (picture taken after the show). Also I filmed two short videos quickly before security grabbed me again.

Week #5: Hook-Yah Mama!

This was the week to visit a Hookah Bar. My good friend Dave and I decided we should try out this "Hookah Bar" thing. We had to do a little searching on what was a ... and where are there Hookah Bars in the Milwaukee area. To my surprise there were at least five here in Milwaukee. After diligent research, I found the right place for us. The Casablanca. http://www.casablancaonbrady.com/

We started with some excellent middle eastern food. In fact, I can't get the word Babaghannoj out of my head. We had babaghannoj, grape leaves, shish kabobs, and shawarma. All dishes were outstanding. Then we moved on to the main course, hookah!

A hookah is an eastern tobacco pipe with flexible tubes which draw smoke through a jar of water which cools down the smoke. They are pretty cool. The smoke seems as light as humidifier air. With everyone smoking, the restaurant was surprisingly not that smokey. The vibe of the place definitely changes as it gets later in the night. Belly dancers started dancing, middle eastern music started playing, and we started hookahing. Our nice little restaurant slowly turned into Jabba the Hut's Palace from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. We kept looking for Princess Leia, Jabba, Lando Calrissian and that little dog-like thing. I think I heard Jabba's deep voiced laugh in the background. It was a really fun time. I would recommend it to anyone. I have included a dark video of the evening. You can't really see anything, but the sounds of the evening are evident.

Week #4 : Photos

View of Holy Hill and of the new "David Hasselhoff" of the ski hill.

Week #4: Towing the line and giving a lift

This week, my wife and I volunteered to help run a ski hill for a day. Little did we know that the temperature would be in the negative digits ALL DAY! From 9:30 to 5:00 we learned how to run a ski lift, master the rope tow, work the office, start a massive fire in the chalet, clean up the chalet after everyone left and be home for dinner! Neither of us were looking forward to this adventure, especially the Mrs.! It was minus 3 degrees before we left the house and it did not become much warmer throughout the day. Luckily, our good friends were sharing the duties with us. We started the the day with a crash course on the daily operations of the ski hill. These included such warnings as "if the lower operations house catches fire, DO NOT STOP THE CHAIR LIFT...LET THE HOUSE BURN!", on the tow rope, only stop the tow if children start piling up or if a young girls hair gets caught and DRAGGED along with the rope ... along with many other dire warnings. Now that we were sufficiently freaked out, it was time to start our day.

I started by warming up the chalet with my formidable fire building skills. Next was The Bunny Hill Tow Rope Experience (I think I remember this being a scary ride at Disney world), I was able to watch inexperienced skiers fall time and time again on the dreaded Rope Tow (which I hated as a kid). Little did they know that I had their back and was ready at a moments notice to hit the slow or stop button if needed. After this, I worked the main chair lift operations and also was the person who helps skiers safely board the chair lift. I felt the deep responsibility that was bestowed upon me. It was a bit tedious, but you had to pay attention at all times, especially with no feelings in your fingers and toes by now. The view at the top operations house is beautiful with a clear view of of the Holy Hill church.

When we were finished, we came out with a much greater appreciation for all ski bums working the lifts and ropes everywhere.

Week #3: Photos

A few pictures of this weeks events.

Week #3: Doing the Monster Mash

This week presented an opportunity that I never thought might come up (... or even existed). I received a random e-mail from Ticketmaster regarding a Monster Mash at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Even though I was voted "least likely to go to a Monster Truck Rally" in high school, I figured if my two older kids were game for it, we should try this. On a very cold Wisconsin evening, the three of us ventured out for dinner followed by MONSTER TRUCKS!! I heard it might be loud, but I never imagined how loud it would actually be. Luckily, I was told to bring earplugs, which we were very glad to have! Apparently, there is an 8 truck competition to see who mashes hollowed out cars in the center of the stadium the best. It then gets to the final 4 most monsterly trucks, then final 2, to the winner. The usual favorite "THE GRAVE DIGGER" lost to Wisconsin's own "THE DEVASTATOR" which brought great applause and rowdiness from the partison crowd. My favorite moment of the show was my daughter talking about the great win by the The Demonstrator (not Devastator), which I think is an even better name. I never knew what ear-piercing noise and the smell of diesel fuel can do to bring a family closer together. To my surprise, my daughter and my oldest son had a great time and were sad to have to leave a little early. I am not sure if we will do this again, but I was pleasantly surprised at the fun we did have.

Week #2:Start a blog ... and wait 10 hrs for a flat tire then drive over 100 miles with another flat tire!

My first two weeks ideas are blatantly stolen from my friend who did this last year. Yet, I figured a blog is a great way to record these events. I have absolutely no technology skills whatsoever. I was told this was easy to set up and I am sure it is, but this thing took me about five hours to figure out last night. Anyways, I am looking forward to this new year and all of its challenges.

The following happened last weekend so it technically is not a new thing for this particular week, but I am going to write about it anyway. This was in Door County about 3 hours from our home. On the way to the polar bear we got a flat tire and apparently my wife's Toyota minivan does not carry a spare. The tires are run-flat tires, meaning you can drive on them at slow speeds up to 100 miles when flat. I find out through many phone calls that only Toyota dealerships can change these @#$# tires. So the next day at 8:30 am, I get in the car to drive to Green Bay which is 1 1/2 hrs away. After many stressfull miles, the car begins to shake and then smoke. I figured it might be a good idea to pull over ( I am only half way there). I call AAA and they say a tow can be there in 2 hrs. The tow comes hooks up the car and he asks "That's not an all-wheel drive is it?" It was and he can't even tow it! I need a flat bed truck. He refers me to a guy a few blocks away. I call him he says he can change Toyota's, then in the middle of the conversation my phone battery dies! Five minutes later my car battery dies! Then 2 cop cars come by to help and call said car guy. Two more hours later, he shows up at same time as flatbed guy (who I didn't know was coming). At this time my Dad drives by and stops to help me out. I tell flatbed guy he only has to drive me a few blocks and not Green Bay. We get to the repair shop, I meet owner and ask again if he can change the tire. He says "Yeah, I'll just put the spare on." There is no spare! I run down grumpy gray bearded flatbed guy to say he does have to drive to Green Bay after all. He says he already took another tow call. I say he has to take me there. He swears at me gets in the truck with the minvan on the flatbed and takes off. My Dad and I follow him to Green Bay. He is driving 80-85 mph in the blowing snow with my car bouncing around like crazy. I try to talk to him when we get there but he swears again and speeds away. My Dad leaves and I wait for a couple more hours. I get back at 6:30 to complete my 10 hour tire change and get ready to turn around and drive home with kids already in their PJ's. Too bad the story is not over! One hour into nightime drive, a different tire blows! I can't believe it!! I then drive my most stressfull (and slow) 100 miles ever, until that familiar shaking and smoking of the car happens again. We barely pull into a closed Toyota dealership and call my brother across town to pick us up and drive us home (15-20 miles away). We finally get home around midnight. There you have it ... a 10 hour tire change followed by driving 100 miles with my family on another flat tire.

Week #1: Taking the plunge!

I figured if I was going to start this thing I might as well start strong. I jumped in to the New Year (and Lake Michigan) in a cooolddd fashion! I joined the Polar Bear Club for the first time in Door County Wisconsin. http://www.doorbell.net/pbc/yr23.htm As an added benefit, I might be in my first movie. Apparently, they were filming a scene for a Tony Shalhoub (Monk) movie during the polar bear. http://www.feedthefishmovie.com/ Beforehand, it seemed like the gods were trying to tell me not to do this (along with my Wife and Mother) ... I thought I broke my leg on New Years Eve afternoon after I sledded into a 10 foot tree and broke it at its roots. I could barely walk for the next few days. Then on the day of the plunge our car got a flat tire on the way to the event and we were stuck with 20 minutes to go before the jump. My dad (who lives nearby) came to the rescue and delivered me and my family with 15 minutes to spare.!

Now that I have done this, I can say anyone who repeatedly does these polar bears, is CRAZY!! It was freezing! The temperature said the water and air was 31 degrees, but with the 15+ mph wind it was a lot colder. When you are in the water you have a numbing sensation to your body. But, when you get out that sensation gives way to reality! My whole body was shaking and my hands and most of all my feet were frozen. I could barely grab the towel with my shaking hands to dry off my frozen hair. Twenty minutes later when we were driving home, I for the first time felt this strange pain on my chins and looked down to see many 1 to 2 inch bumps and scraps all over my legs from the icebergs crashing against them. Oh well, no pain no gain. It was definitely a different start to the 2009.

Here is someone's YouTube of the event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKKBCiaMmbE

You can find me in minute 2:30-2:34 behind dude with his arms up. I am the slow moving guy with red swimsuit with white drawstrings. Even after all this, I might do it again next year!



UPDATE! August 30th 2009 My brother-in-law videoed and You Tubed my experience ... the three links follow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie0lebthZrU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxZZ2nqhrx4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6uhLgvcrwo&feature=related