Here's a list, taken from my facebook, of the "Top 5 Books in the Northern Indiana Network":
1. The Bible
2. Harry Potter
3. To Kill A Mockingbird
4. Lord of the Rings
5. The Chronicles of Narnia
I'm surprised, though I'm not sure which entry surprises me most.
31 August 2007
21 August 2007
Should Have
I probably should have spent the evening doing some work. Instead I spent it sitting on the neighbor's porch. But it was worth it.
15 August 2007
Norm Status
Remember how I said we weren't quite to "Norm!" status but we were working on it? We may have arrived. Actual phone conversation I had tonight:
"King Gyros, may I help you?"
"Yes, I'd like to place an order for pick up."
"Go ahead."
"I'd like a half-slab dinner, a jr. gyros, and a gyros plate with an extra pita."
"That's a bit more than you usually order."
"Yeah, we're ordering for lunch tomorrow as well."
"Oh, alright. Is 15 minutes alright for you guys?"
***
So Esther and I went to King Gyros to pick up our order. As I walked toward the counter I saw numbers already appearing on the cash register. As I arrived at the counter:
"That'll be 18.65."
Not only do they know my voice, name, and phone number, they also know the car. Excellent. I do believe we've arrived.
"King Gyros, may I help you?"
"Yes, I'd like to place an order for pick up."
"Go ahead."
"I'd like a half-slab dinner, a jr. gyros, and a gyros plate with an extra pita."
"That's a bit more than you usually order."
"Yeah, we're ordering for lunch tomorrow as well."
"Oh, alright. Is 15 minutes alright for you guys?"
***
So Esther and I went to King Gyros to pick up our order. As I walked toward the counter I saw numbers already appearing on the cash register. As I arrived at the counter:
"That'll be 18.65."
Not only do they know my voice, name, and phone number, they also know the car. Excellent. I do believe we've arrived.
Walk Score
Went to walkscore.com and entered my address. The resulting score of 43 (out of 100) surprised me. I had no idea I lived in such a walkable area. Of course, most of the restaurants and groceries are not the ones at which I would prefer to shop, and there aren't really sidewalks to get to some of them, and one of the groceries/restaurants (taqueria-type) burned to the ground recently ... but, 43, really? Wow.
08 August 2007
04 August 2007
Success
A lovely anniversary was had by all. Left our house at 2:15PM EST and headed into Michigan. Esther gave directions, though she did not know where we were going (I'd written them one step at a time on folded pieces of paper, one piece of paper per phase of the trip -- she just unfolded the paper little-by-little to tell me where to turn and how long to travel). An afternoon/evening outing in five phases, one for each year. 'Cause I'm a big dork.
First stop: Lemon Creek Winery and Fruit Farm (map). We did not pick fruit, mostly because we were a little concerned about how freshly-picked peaches would perform in a car that was going to be in the sun for most of the afternoon.
Second stop: Round Barn Winery and Distillery (map). Our favorite of the trip, with a pleasant tasting room, a wide selection of beverages, and a good host. They also have a cafe that we thought we might sit in, but it turns out that's only operating on weekends.
Third stop: Tabor Hill Winery (map). The gorilla winery of SW Michigan. We arrived just in time for the last tour of the day and enjoyed that, but the winery itself seemed a little more full of itself than the others had. A nice place, but we left sort of underwhelmed. Though we do like their demi sec.
Fourth stop: LaSalle Grill (map). Highly recommended, but probably not something we can afford on a weekly basis. Or even a monthly basis. In fact, once-a-year is probably more than enough. The food was excellent, the service just fine, and, because we were first timers, they brought us a sample of the sort of thing they make: one slice of strawberry topped with prosciutto, some sort of cheese, micro-greens, and rosemary-infused balsamic vinegar. A tasty morsel. As for the real food, Esther had salmon, I had beef tenderloin medallions. And we were happy.
Fourth-and-a-half stop: ShowPlace 16 (map). Sadly, the movies started about 1/2 hour before we arrived, and the next showing of anything interesting was 45 minutes away. So we left. We didn't really want to see a movie, anyway.
Fifth stop: home.
Addendum: I would be greatly remiss not to mention that Esther surprised me with five roses and two shirts for the same occasion. The roses are lovely; the shirts are comfy. Neither is multiplying.
First stop: Lemon Creek Winery and Fruit Farm (map). We did not pick fruit, mostly because we were a little concerned about how freshly-picked peaches would perform in a car that was going to be in the sun for most of the afternoon.
Second stop: Round Barn Winery and Distillery (map). Our favorite of the trip, with a pleasant tasting room, a wide selection of beverages, and a good host. They also have a cafe that we thought we might sit in, but it turns out that's only operating on weekends.
Third stop: Tabor Hill Winery (map). The gorilla winery of SW Michigan. We arrived just in time for the last tour of the day and enjoyed that, but the winery itself seemed a little more full of itself than the others had. A nice place, but we left sort of underwhelmed. Though we do like their demi sec.
Fourth stop: LaSalle Grill (map). Highly recommended, but probably not something we can afford on a weekly basis. Or even a monthly basis. In fact, once-a-year is probably more than enough. The food was excellent, the service just fine, and, because we were first timers, they brought us a sample of the sort of thing they make: one slice of strawberry topped with prosciutto, some sort of cheese, micro-greens, and rosemary-infused balsamic vinegar. A tasty morsel. As for the real food, Esther had salmon, I had beef tenderloin medallions. And we were happy.
Fourth-and-a-half stop: ShowPlace 16 (map). Sadly, the movies started about 1/2 hour before we arrived, and the next showing of anything interesting was 45 minutes away. So we left. We didn't really want to see a movie, anyway.
Fifth stop: home.
Addendum: I would be greatly remiss not to mention that Esther surprised me with five roses and two shirts for the same occasion. The roses are lovely; the shirts are comfy. Neither is multiplying.
03 August 2007
Anniversary
At about 7:00 PM, Esther and I will have completed our fifth year of marriage. Not coincidentally, if all goes well during the day, we'll also be enjoying a meal at the LaSalle Grill at that time, having toured several Michigan wineries during the course of the afternoon. Esther will be navigating for us, but does not know where we are going, as the instructions for how to get to places will be given one step at a time.
Should be a hoot. I'm pretty excited, and she can hardly stand the not knowing.
Should be a hoot. I'm pretty excited, and she can hardly stand the not knowing.
02 August 2007
Web 2.0 and AMBS
I plan to spend most of the day sitting on the porch swing working on a presentation to the AMBS faculty about Web 2.0 and open education. This is my last bit of procrastination. Promise.
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