March Madness Continued...Which Meat Stacks Up?

Well, they've finally done it right...a tournament of meats like the men's basketball tournament to determine who goes to the Final Four. Read this post from Paul Lukas at ESPN and prepare to salivate...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/090323

The Road To Detroit Goes Through MSU... March Madness!

This men's basketball tournament over the last several weeks has been outstanding, well, really because MSU just keeps winning. Jen and I also got to go to a couple of tournament games up in Portland during the first round, which were really exciting. Gonzaga won a close game, and Illinois got housed by Western Kentucky...so much for my strong Big Ten bracket. Although I don't really care if my bracket is horrible as long as the Spartans keep advancing, and now they are back to the Final Four. This may end up being another historic season...it's the 30th anniversary of the original MSU basketball title with Magic Johnson, and the championship game is being held at Ford Field in Detroit. All the stars are beginning to align...stay tuned!

...And Then Some More

Notes On A Theme... The Infamous Self-Portrait

As part of my efforts to enact "The Great Re-Organization Project of 2009," I have noticed a theme in the limited amounts of pictures that I actually take and/or retain. My favorite seems to be the self-portrait with the digital camera...always a classic at weddings and vacation spots. New photos are indeed coming (at the very least, to get Sam off my back for awhile), however my recent travel schedule has impeded my progress. The good news is that I am still gainfully employed, and I now have all the equipment that is supposed to come with my camera.

I realized a long time ago what I really need is my own personal assistant, like the ones celebrities or CEOs have in their employ. Someone who can organize my life, including my cd collection, bills, pictures, and upcoming projects. How fantastic would that be? Since I can't actually afford to pay someone for these services, I am looking to the University of Oregon to supply an unpaid intern. So far, I haven't found any takers who are looking for worldy experience in exchange for an amazing letter of recommendation once they enter the 'real' working world, but let me know if you hear of any candidates. My phone is always open (actually, that's a lie because my phone is crappy and having all kinds of problems. But researching a new phone and cell phone service would be the first project my intern would tackle, hence improving my daily communications. Don't you see? Everyone benefits!).

So in the meantime, enjoy these glamour shots of yesterday, and feel free to send me your own to add to my burgeoning collection. My assistant will be happy to send you a thank you letter...

Chrissy & Justin's Wedding

Two of my great friends were married just after Thanksgiving in downtown St. Paul, and I was honored to be part of the nuptials. And of course, they soon regretted their decision to include me in the wedding party (kidding, well...kind of). Here is the link below to their wedding video, which I thought was amazingly well done. Be sure to check out the blooper section as well once you choose "Couples Directory" and then scroll down to Chrissy and Justin's name. Thanks again, Sam, for your help in making me the star of a totally separate kind of video.

http://www.johnhoelweddings.com/

Pumpkin Patches

Umm...is it really 34? Do I get anything special for that, besides a different marketing demographic?

It's funny, because now that I am on the west coast, it is already my birthday in Michigan... I just hope everyone remembers the time change when they call to wish me happy birthday in the morning! (Kramer, this means you...no more 5am wake-up calls, my man) But it was another gorgeous day here in Oregon, and the stock market was up over 900 points, and generally a lot of people just took a full breath of air for the first time in about two months because hopefully we have turned the corner in the economy. Hopefully. I am an eternal optimist, so we shall see. I should've purchased Ford stock when it was going for $1.99 on Friday afternoon...that's like, 2 double cheeseburgers from McDonald's! But maybe I have enough eggs in that basket.

I have received some pretty cool gifts recently, but even though I am happy to receive all these items (and the music is really unbelievable), I have to stop and be thankful for all the rest of the gifts I have in my life. Amazing family and friends come to mind, a steady job, a house to call my own, some cool trips on the horizon, and a beautiful setting to wake up in every morning. I really am pretty lucky, and I do wish to thank everyone out there that I don't get to thank enough. So hopefully, I get to talk with you tomorrow, but if I don't...please just know that I am thinking of my family and friends all day, and having a great birthday. Peace and love... Michael