We have been married for almost a year now. It does not seem that long but according to the calendar, it has been. I figured that it is about time we show off some of the wonderful pictures from that day. Thanks to Kristi of F8 Design Photography and Craig of Brubaker Photography for documenting our day!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Boo Yeha!
Finally, after eight grueling months of waiting we have received an offer on our condominium in Minneapolis. What this means for us is that we can start doing things to our wonderful new home in north Minneapolis. What this means for you is that you will get to hear more about our adventures (and misadventures) in home improvement. On the docket for upcoming projects are putting some color on the walls, refinishing some windows, doing some work to the bathroom and some cleaning and demo work in the basement. All of these projects should prove a good opportunity to showcase our prowess as homeowners.
In the spirit of home improvement, today I renewed the age old Hakala family tradition of going to Menards. Growing up it seemed that my dad was perpetually going to this do it yourself superstore. Where else is one supposed to find lumber, cleaning supplies, furniture, Green Bay Packers paraphernalia and broken pretzel rods under one roof? No matter how bad the customer service we would always return and fill up the vehicle with home improvement supplies.
My trip today was purely out of a desire to "save big money". My wife and I were eating lunch and I had picked up a newspaper. In the center where all of the ads are, there was a brown shopping bag from Menards. The promo was 15% off everything you can fit in the bag. Any of you who own homes (or like to buy tools) know that there is always something that would fit in a paper bag that you NEED.
The fruits of my trip ended up being fairly mundane. I picked up some laundry soap, a bottle of GOOP (everyone's favorite do it all adhesive) and a nail set. What was amazing to me is that somehow it took me an hour and a half to get this stuff. I remember my parents taking forever on their trips, now I know why.
I saw a book about trim carpentry. Since we will be doing some work with crown molding in a few weeks I thought I would flip through it. I saw pictures involving heat guns (for stripping old paint) and compound miter saws (for cutting new and old trim with precise angles). I never thought I would find myself coveting these things but here I am, doing exactly that. Flipping further into the book, I saw articles about refinishing floors, baseboard, putting in wood heating and cooling grates and the list goes on and on.
The morale of this long story, don't follow me to Menards unless you have time to burn. Apparently I too have the gene that acts as a tractor beam to home improvement superstores.
In the spirit of home improvement, today I renewed the age old Hakala family tradition of going to Menards. Growing up it seemed that my dad was perpetually going to this do it yourself superstore. Where else is one supposed to find lumber, cleaning supplies, furniture, Green Bay Packers paraphernalia and broken pretzel rods under one roof? No matter how bad the customer service we would always return and fill up the vehicle with home improvement supplies.
My trip today was purely out of a desire to "save big money". My wife and I were eating lunch and I had picked up a newspaper. In the center where all of the ads are, there was a brown shopping bag from Menards. The promo was 15% off everything you can fit in the bag. Any of you who own homes (or like to buy tools) know that there is always something that would fit in a paper bag that you NEED.
The fruits of my trip ended up being fairly mundane. I picked up some laundry soap, a bottle of GOOP (everyone's favorite do it all adhesive) and a nail set. What was amazing to me is that somehow it took me an hour and a half to get this stuff. I remember my parents taking forever on their trips, now I know why.
I saw a book about trim carpentry. Since we will be doing some work with crown molding in a few weeks I thought I would flip through it. I saw pictures involving heat guns (for stripping old paint) and compound miter saws (for cutting new and old trim with precise angles). I never thought I would find myself coveting these things but here I am, doing exactly that. Flipping further into the book, I saw articles about refinishing floors, baseboard, putting in wood heating and cooling grates and the list goes on and on.
The morale of this long story, don't follow me to Menards unless you have time to burn. Apparently I too have the gene that acts as a tractor beam to home improvement superstores.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Some Photos from England...
I figured out how to embed a photo slide show today! Here are some pictures from my recent trip to England if you have not seen them yet...
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Happy Birthday Sophie Lou!
I would like to take a moment to say happy birthday to my furry friend Sophie Lou. She is the finest of furred companions and I am fortunate to have met her. Today she turns 42 and we are celebrating by watching the Twins and sharing a can of Blatz. Her favorite player is Nick Punto. (Mine is Justin Morneau)
Know that you know my cat likes baseball, I am sure the burning question on the tip of your tounge is "What does Sophie think of Barry Bonds?"
"Meow, I think he is a good natural hitter but ol' boy is on the juice! Thank goodness he hit his home run so we don't have to watch the Giants on TV anymore."
There you have it, the newest Twin Cities Sports celeb speaks her mind. If you ask me, she is very well spoken for a quadruped.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Wynton Marsalis: Live at the House of Tribes
One of the upsides to working by yourself for an entire summer is that it can give you ample time to become acquainted with your music collection. Anyone who has seen my collection will tell you I may actually have more than I know what to do with. My newfound favorite for the moment is Wynton Marsalis - "Live at the House of Tribes".
I feel like this album really captures more than a live performance, it captures the atmosphere of the live performance. Some live albums have crowd noise, witty stage banter, false starts and extended solos to distinguish them from "studio" recordings. On House of Tribes you can hear glasses clinking, people coughing, the stomping of feet, grunts of approval and even some less than perfect moments from the band. All of these things make the album very "real".
Every track on this album is good, but the one that really stands out to me is the second cut, "Just Friends". This is a great example of how a band can swing in the pocket but still have a modern edge to it. Wynton uses his impeccable sense of time to weave in and out of the prescribed harmony. Wess Anderson also demonstrates why he is one of the best alto men around by playing warm melodic lines combined with bursts of fire.
Another track on the album that will surely grab the listener is "Donna Lee" This may be the fastest and cleanest version of this bee bop classic that I have ever heard. If nothing else this is a very impressive bit of trumpet playing. There is also some outstanding trading going on between the sax and drums. At one point they actually are trading single bars at over 300 beats per minute!
Bottom Line: If you are looking for an album that is reminiscent of the Art Blakey and Clifford Brown "Live at Birdland" recordings this one is for you. If you should happen to listen to this disc and decide "I really like this!" then check out a few of the following...
Miles Davis complete concerts "My Funny Valentine/Four and More"
Art Blakey Quintet "Live at Birdland" (features Clifford Brown on Trumpet)
Wynton Marsalis "Live at Blues Alley"
Dexter Gordon "Homecoming" (Featuring Woody Shaw on Trumpet"
I feel like this album really captures more than a live performance, it captures the atmosphere of the live performance. Some live albums have crowd noise, witty stage banter, false starts and extended solos to distinguish them from "studio" recordings. On House of Tribes you can hear glasses clinking, people coughing, the stomping of feet, grunts of approval and even some less than perfect moments from the band. All of these things make the album very "real".
Every track on this album is good, but the one that really stands out to me is the second cut, "Just Friends". This is a great example of how a band can swing in the pocket but still have a modern edge to it. Wynton uses his impeccable sense of time to weave in and out of the prescribed harmony. Wess Anderson also demonstrates why he is one of the best alto men around by playing warm melodic lines combined with bursts of fire.
Another track on the album that will surely grab the listener is "Donna Lee" This may be the fastest and cleanest version of this bee bop classic that I have ever heard. If nothing else this is a very impressive bit of trumpet playing. There is also some outstanding trading going on between the sax and drums. At one point they actually are trading single bars at over 300 beats per minute!
Bottom Line: If you are looking for an album that is reminiscent of the Art Blakey and Clifford Brown "Live at Birdland" recordings this one is for you. If you should happen to listen to this disc and decide "I really like this!" then check out a few of the following...
Miles Davis complete concerts "My Funny Valentine/Four and More"
Art Blakey Quintet "Live at Birdland" (features Clifford Brown on Trumpet)
Wynton Marsalis "Live at Blues Alley"
Dexter Gordon "Homecoming" (Featuring Woody Shaw on Trumpet"
Saturday, August 4, 2007
What's been going on!?
Ok, Ok...stop with the fan mail already! I'm back, I promise I will write more...What's that? Oh...you think my life is terribly interesting and you want AT LEAST weekly updates? OK, I think I handle that...this will end my press conference.
Well...in case you haven't heard, there was a major bridge collapse in Minneapolis this week. Four days have passed, and I still find it hard to believe that something like this happened. My wife and I have both traveled that bridge countless times, it is very jarring to think that it is just no longer there. Judging by the most recent reports, it could be almost two years before there is a bridge there again.
In other news...both of us have read the final installment of Harry Potter. In our opinion, it was better than promised. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone so that is all I have to say about that.
Working on the garage has been a major project the past two weeks! I got to purchase a "Sawsall" a few weekends back. If you are ever feeling like you need a quick shot of testosterone, buy one of these guys! It is my new favorite tool.
So...that's about it really. I have been busy at work, playing a fair amount of trumpet and working on the garage. Not quite as exciting as touring England or waiting in line for Harry Potter, but still a pretty good way to be.
Well...in case you haven't heard, there was a major bridge collapse in Minneapolis this week. Four days have passed, and I still find it hard to believe that something like this happened. My wife and I have both traveled that bridge countless times, it is very jarring to think that it is just no longer there. Judging by the most recent reports, it could be almost two years before there is a bridge there again.
In other news...both of us have read the final installment of Harry Potter. In our opinion, it was better than promised. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone so that is all I have to say about that.
Working on the garage has been a major project the past two weeks! I got to purchase a "Sawsall" a few weekends back. If you are ever feeling like you need a quick shot of testosterone, buy one of these guys! It is my new favorite tool.
So...that's about it really. I have been busy at work, playing a fair amount of trumpet and working on the garage. Not quite as exciting as touring England or waiting in line for Harry Potter, but still a pretty good way to be.
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