Tete-a-tete with Tanner

Christmas in Cali

2008-12-30T19:44:00.000-08:00

This Christmas I realized the biggest sacrifice thus far of living 2000 miles from home. That is, I wasn't able to go home for Christmas. However, it was as good of a Christmas I could have away from my family. I spent Wednesday night through Sunday with my friend Nick and his wife, Cari, and their families in Sacramento and Mt. Shasta (way northern California). They all made me feel like part of the family. On Christmas Eve we went to a nice Lutheran church service and sang all the Christmas hymns. Christmas day we spent with Cari's family. The day after Christmas we drove 3 hrs north of Sacramento to Mt. Shasta to meet up with Nick's family. We stayed in a lodge in the mountains where it had just snowed a foot and a half. It was no Rocky Mountains or Sierra Nevada's (which have had 10 feet of snow in 14 days!), but very quaint, quiet, and beautiful pine trees. Luckily I had packed my skis, so I could go skiing for the first time this year! My Bandits dominated the three lift resort! Another fun thing about this Christmas was the alcohol :) Bloody Marys on Christmas morning, Zinfindel and Mistletoe Martinis Christmas night, homemade Egg Nog and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale in Shasta - I loved it and was giggly every nite! (I did gain 5 pounds though!). Overall, I missed my family (especially reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to my nieces) but was so blessed to have Nick and Cari and their families to welcome me in to theirs!

My-sized tree...the perfect tree!

Nick and I with our Mistletoe Martinis (Belvedere, cream de menthe, bailey's)

Skiing at Mt. Shasta

Me, Nick, and Tyler (his brother) with our Sierra Nevada Celebration Ales...Let's Celebrate!
BTW, if you can get your hands on some, I highly recommend it!

Use your imagination to figure out what the picture is of this that I didn't post :)

Our Celebration Castle!

Me, Cari, and Nick

Do not vote until you read THIS!

2008-10-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

I have some very important information to share with you all before you make any presidential voting decision! If you think you have already made your choice, this may change your mind! What I'm about to tell you has been covered by the mainstream media (more like laimstream media if you ask me!) because they don't want you to know this. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if this blog gets blocked after I publish this post, but I'm taking a risk for the good of my country!

We all know that Barack Obama's middle name is Hussein. But that's not where it stops! Look at the Obama-Biden ticken. Does anything strike you as you read Obama-Biden? Look carefully...if you replace the 'b' in Obama with an 's', add an 'nla' after the 'i' in Biden, you get Osama Binladen! How scary is that! I mean, come on people, what more do you need to see the terrorist connection? To go one step further, if you take the 'ck' off Barack and then flip it around, it spells Arab! Oh my gosh, this is just ridiculously scary. Need more evidence...how about the Terrorist fist jab between Obama and his wife! A fist punch? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? Yes my friends, everyone knows that the sign of camaraderie between terrorists is a fist jab. That's what Bin-laden and his cohorts do in their cave...everyone knows that! Good grief...wake up people!

But if you think that gives you a clear answer as to who to vote for, i.e. McCain, think again! All we need to do is to look at his VP nominee, Sarah Palin, and you will be astounded! If you replace the 'P' in Palin with an 'St', you get Stalin! Oh my gosh! How can this be? Is she a communist? Oh no!!!! And to go one step further, if you take the 'P' and the 'l' out of Palin, add a 'z', and mix the letters around, you get Nazi! This can't be!!!! WTF is going on here?!!! This is just as scary! This explains the Communist wink she does! Everyone knows the sign of death between KGB agents and Stalin was a wink. A wink from Stalin to a KGB agent meant death to a non-communist! Everyone knows that! And is it a coincidence that she can see Russia from her house? Oh no!!!!

So what do we do?? It's either a terrorist or a communist!!!! [Sigh] I guess South Park had it right ...you're always voting between a Terd Sandwich and a DB!

Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby!

2008-09-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

I had an awesome experience this weekend. My friend, Jonathan, is a flight instructor and he took me flying in a two-seater single engine airplane! It was so fun! We flew from Santa Rosa to Napa, an easy 20 minute flight. It was sweet seeing the Sonoma Valley from the air. Really, the vineyards look like they could be small cornfields :) I was able to take controls in the air which was sweet! I did some maneuvers where you pull back on the controls to climb for a couple seconds and then push them forward hard to dive and get the whole negative G's thing going like on a roller coaster! Jonathan did a maneuver where we climbed hard to where it stalls and then goes into a nosedive and then bring us out of it before we start spinning (a 500 ft altitude drop). He asked if I wanted to take the controls during it, but I passed :) But I did accept the offer to land the plane! I was pretty nervous. With his step-by-step instructions, I brought us into the descent, circled the airport, and landed the plane! It was quite the adrenaline rush I must say! We'll see, maybe I've found a new hobby :)

This was our plane...I wish! I may have to give myself at least 10 yrs before I get a private jet :)

Jonathan making sure our plane is air-worthy

This is my touristy pic!

Santa Rosa from the air

Sonoma Valley

The town of Sonoma

California Giant Redwoods

2008-09-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

Recently I had to do a drive up north on Hwy 101, pretty much to the Oregon border, for work. It was a 6 hr drive each way. The upside to this drive was that it goes through the middle of the famed California Giant Redwoods. On my way back, I took a little detour on a road called Avenue of the Giants. Also, the final hour of driving north goes along the ocean which has some pretty sweet views. I basically ended about 30 miles from the Oregon border and at that point, was closer to Portland than to San Francisco; did my work duties, then turned around and headed home. All I can say is thank goodness for John Piper and Michael Savage podcasts for keeping me sane during the 12 hrs of driving!

A bit of fog rolling in off of the Pacific

Hitchhikers are a common site along the highway. On an unrelated note, this area is where some of the finest weed in the world is grown!

Look closely and you'll see people jumping off the rock into the river. If I had my swimsuit with me I would have loved to join them!

Entering the Avenue of the Giants...30 miles of this!

I mean, I'm a pretty big guy, but that's a pretty big tree!

I couldn't resist the "Drive-through Tree!"

Summer Fling (For Real!)

2008-08-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let all my readers know that I officially have a summer fling! Yes, it's exciting and I can't wait to tell you about her. Some of you may have met her already, but I have officially claimed her...so hand off! Let me describe her to you for those of you who don't know her. Her complexion is a beautiful gold with gorgeous blond hair, and she has striking green eyes. She is tall and slender with a great six-pack and even better figure! Oh ya...she's a hottie! I met her playing water volleyball this summer. And since then we have spent many an afternoon at the beach and pool together. When I'm not with her, I'm thinking about her; and when I'm with her, I have such a buzz, it feels like I'm walking on air! Her name...Budlight Lime! Oh ya, she is my summer fling, and I am all about her! Some may call me an alcoholic...I prefer to think of myself as a hopeless romantic...you decide!

Weekend in Florida

2008-08-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

I just had a great weekend in Florida! I took the red-eye from San Fran to Pensacola on Friday night and just got back late last night. It was a great time with my sister and her family (three girls all under the age of 4!). We stayed in their friend's condo on the Gulf of Mexico...pretty pimp! We were in the Penthouse Suites on the very top floor (21st)! It was three solid days of lounging in the sun, swimming in the Gulf, and drinking beers...some of my favorite activities! My typical day consisted of waking up at 7AM (my nieces are early risers!), taking a jog on the beach, drinking a couple cups of coffee, heading down to the pool at 9AM and swimming with my nieces until 11 when Tara and Steve (my sister and brother-in-law) took them up and I lounged around the pool offering to buy random girls drinks until noon (I think they were underage anyways :). After lunch I would lounge by the pool or on the beach during the girls' naptime with my Budlight Lime for about 2-2.5 hrs (this was my main recharge time!) After naptime, we would go to the beach and build sandcastles and wade in the waves and then finish the afternoon off in the pool again. Multiply that day by 3, add a bottle of California wine in the evenings, throw in a birthday party for Uncle Tanner, and you have my trip to Florida! Now back to the daily grind...

Our pool was sweet!

Me and Kylie

My favorite lounge spot by the pool

The birthday party!

Awwww...hugs for Uncle Tanner!

The worst thing was that you couldn't swim in the Gulf w/out getting stung by jellyfish!

Race Results

2008-07-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

So I got the results from the 3k I ran on July 4th. I got first place in the 25-29 year-old mens division! (That was out of seven, but still!) To my shame, one girl beat me in that age bracket so I got second overall in that division which meant a medal instead of a bottle of wine. And I got 66th out of 430, so not quite top 10%, but close. The good news is that since I was in the top 75, I'm qualified for the Boston Marathon!

Redwoods in the Morning, Napa in the Evening

2008-07-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

On Friday I had an early morning. I had to leave my place at 4:45AM to drive to Fort Bragg, a small coastal town 2 hrs north of Santa Rosa. To get to the town, you have to drive 33 miles through the thick of the Redwoods, which ends at the Ocean where the town is. It's about a 45 minute drive through the Redwoods. In the morning, the coastal fog sets in the forest and it's a pretty neat drive.

Then that evening I had to drive to St. Helena, the nicest town in Napa Valley, to check a patient. It was dusk and once again, a beautiful drive. So even though it was about an 18 hr work day, I enjoyed some beautiful scenery. Hippie, grungy Redwoods in the morning; ritzy wine country in the evening!

At the end of this forest is the Pacific!

If you look close, in the middle of the picture is a glimpse of the hwy

A private Napa winery

My first post high school organized race!

2008-07-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July I did my first organized race! I was pretty excited...I had been training for a good couple weeks, so I knew I was prepared. It was called the Kenwood Foot Race and it's in the small town of Kenwood just outside Santa Rosa (you may have heard of Kenwood wines) nestled amongst the vineyards. There were over 2,000 runners, so I was a bit intimidated to say the least...but I got in the top 75 averaging just over 7 minute miles! So I hit my goal, a total time of 13 minutes 57 seconds (my goal was to be under 14 minutes)...the race was a 3k :) I almost caught a 10 year old girl in front of me, but I just couldn't do it! (But karma was on my side because she puked afterwards, haha). Maybe I'll tackle a 10k next. After the race, there was a pancake breakfast at a nearby church that we hit up...some of the best pancakes I've had!

Steven on the left and Gary in the middle, my coworkers, also ran. (Steven did the 10k).

A Voice of Reason in a reasonless world :)

2008-07-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

So there was an article today in the Santa Rosa newspaper breaking down the financial support of residents of Sonoma county to the presidential candidates. Not surprisingly, Obama was by far the most supported ($500,000...wow). I found the following excerpt from the article interesting...

"Graves, who described herself as a conservative on interpreting the Constitution and a liberal on social issues, said she likes the fact that Obama is black, saying she believes it's time that a minority led the nation.
'It represents that we're not a prejudiced country anymore,' she said. 'I'm sorry that we were. This sort of helps cure that.'"

So let's reword this statement in the negative (because it's saying the same exact thing)...

"Graves, who described herself as a conservative on interpreting the Constitution and a liberal on social issues, said she doesn't like the fact that McCain isn't black, saying she believes it's time that a minority led the nation."

Now that sounds kind of racist! Or can you imagine this printed...?

"Graves, who described herself as a conservative on interpreting the Constitution and a conservative on social issues, said she likes the fact that McCain is white, saying she believes it's important to have someone leading the nation who racially represents the majority of the people."

Interesting how one point of view is considered to be so acceeeepting and progreeeeeesive. And the opposite view point with the SAME reasoning is racist and close-minded. Just some food for thought from A Voice of Reason!

And I'm proud to be an American...!

2008-06-26T18:25:00.001-07:00

Just when I thought the Supreme Court couldn't be any more in step with the communist liberal agenda....they go and totally redeem themselves! That is, it was only yesterday they ruled in favor of child rapists, and last week they ruled in favor of the terrorists that attacked our country who are being held at Guantanamo Bay, but not today. Today they upheld my freedom as an American to bear arms! The first Supreme Court ruling on the 2nd Amendment in the history of its existance (until now common sense kept them from having to rule on it) and it flies in the face of the liberal agenda (sorry Barry O)!

If you don't understand how big of a deal this is, let me paint a picture. Imagine a country where only the state militia, police, etc are allowed to have guns...if you pictured Nazi Germany, you're correct! The first thing Hitler did as a dictator was take away the rights of the people to bear arms, that way, when his Gestapo went through the country to eradicate the Jews, none of the citizens could stop him. Not in America baby! I can shoot down the Gestapo with my Glock. Maybe Barry is right, we should have the audacity to hope! Now go crank up "God Bless the USA" (or your patriotic song of choice) and echo Michelle O's sentiment of finally being "proud of [your] country!"

California is burning...so is my stand-up career

2008-06-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

So I've been exposed to a new natural disaster. No, not earthquakes...yet...but wild fires! There are over 800 first burning in California! In the county just to the north of me there are 117 fires and only 20 of them are contained! There was a huge lightning storm this weekend that started the ones in northern Cali. It's crazy...there has been a haze over Santa Rosa for the last two days. I drove north yesterday morning and thought it was fog, but then after the campfire smell didn't go away in the 75 miles of driving, I realized it was smoke from fire...my clothes and car reaked. People are being told not to spend much time outside because of the hazards of the smoke. I just hope I don't get the black lung!

On another note, I crashed and burned in my first stand-up comic try this weekend! I was in a wedding this weekend was asked to give an announcement that the bouquet toss was going to happen and to have the single girls come forward. Well, this was a Seventh Day Adventist wedding reception...no alcohol, meat, or dancing, and it was on a Sunday evening, so it's a tough crowd. But when I got in front of the microphone I couldn't help myself! I said, "Can I have all the single ladies come forward please...I need a date for a wedding I'm going to next weekend!" Ya, silence and stares! So then I was like, "Um...please come forward for the bouquet toss." Whew...crash and burn! But I'm holding onto the hope that I didn't speak loudly enough into the microphone and no one heard my joke :)

2008-06-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

The answer to the previous blog question is the musical Westside Story.

Officer Krupke, Krup You!

2008-05-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

I'm so pissed! After returning from a nice trip back home last weekend, I was greeted with a letter in the mail from San Francisco Traffic Violations Bureau. On my way to SFO airport to go skiing in Vail last month (wow it seems like so much longer ago than that), I was photographed going through a red light. Since a month had passed, I figured they must have just let it slide...well I thought wrong! And I couldn't believe the amount...$400! Ya, to put that in perspective, I flew to NYC and had $100 cash in my pocket for that! Ugh...I felt like I had just been raped (well, not literally, but if money could rape you, I think that's what it'd feel like)...

Another bonus blog question...The title of this blog is a line from which musical?

East meets West!

2008-05-13T21:21:00.001-07:00

This was it (a couple weekends ago)...my much awaited weekend to NYC to visit Aaron and B-Black! I caught the red eye from San Fran at 11 PM Wednesday night and landed in Newark at 7 AM. Luckily, I took my benedryl and was able to catch a bit of sleep on the plane. Enjoy my picture blog of NYC!

I gotta see my homeboy Joba Chamberlain pitch an inning at a Yankees game!

Us at Central Park...that place is huge! We got interviewed by the Discovery Channel on a special they're doing on the rainforest. They were pretty impressed with our knowledge...they'll probably be calling us for future specials :)

Time Square at night is a sweet place!

This was our Broadway show of choice (my choice). The biggest regret of the whole trip was that I didn't choose Phantom of the Opera (across the street). The consulation was that our tickets were amazing...8th row in the center!

The sweetest pub ever! It was no surprise that the chugging champion was yours truly :) We were all having a good time until Black took out our old Irish waiter with his drunken elbow!

We lost Aaron's two umbrella's during our night of debauchery, but luckily, I found this sweet one at Grand Central Station!

Ground Zero...

If you squint you can see Lady Liberty! (Aaron, did you know if you use the zoom feature, you can make far away objects look bigger? :)

Damn eagles landing on Aaron's head!

NYC...no place like it

I can't wait to go back! Aaron was a great host, putting up with my indecision about which Broadway show to go to, chosing Xanadu, and then whining that we didn't go to Phantom (I'm sure no one can picture this!) And Black was a trooper for sleeping on the couch so I could have the air mattress (Black sleeping on a couch in his underwear with the TV on...can anyone see this happing? :) With all the changes that happen in life (i.e. friends spread throughout the US)...it's good to see that some things stay the same!

He's heating up...He's on fire!

2008-05-06T16:08:00.001-07:00

So I feel a bit arrogant/cocky when I write about my steller sports performances, but I've gotta share my excitement! Last night was my weekly basketball night and I played out of my mind! I was like 12/18 from three point land! I mean, I've never been the guy who people are trying to set picks for to get open, but last night...that was me! Off the dribble, around the screen..."Boom goes the dynamite!" (to quote an amateur sportscaster on UTube last year) I always knew I had it in me...it happened to me once in an AAU basketball game in 7th grade, it's just taken until now for it to resurface! Alright...I'm done now :) BTW, whoever recognized the NBA Jam quote gets a gold star!

BBQ Cook-Off...Californiaized

2008-05-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a more fun one than usual. My friend, Steven, hosted a BBQ ribs cook-off. Now I'm a big fan of some good BBQ, so I was pretty excited to take part! I think I've come to like BBQ more since I've moved to California, because there's really not much of it around. So when I run into some good BBQ sauce it's really tantalizing to my taste buds. I chose to use the crock pot with my ribs in order to make them more tender and since it'd take less hassle. I chose beef ribs, knowing that they wouldn't be as tender as pork, but I just couldn't get myself to buy pork over beef :) I used a recipe that my sister gave me from one of her Southern Missoura friends (yes I replaced the "i" with the an "a")...so it's authentic BBQ. I also made my mom's famous corn casserole as a side (between White House Thanksgiving and house dinners, I'm sure most of you have tried it at some point!)

There were 4 judges who judged about 7 different rib dishes. We all were tasting eachother's ribs while the judging was going on...and people were really liking my ribs. I was tasting other people's too and they were pretty good. One thing that concerned me was that mine were the only beef ribs...I began to second guess my snub of the pig. Other people had definitely "Californiaized" their BBQ sauces. "Californiaize" is a phenomenon I've noticed here...people take normal simple food and add California twists to it...for example adding cilantro, citrus flavor, jalepeno, etc. to the BBQ sauce. Even classic dishes like potato salad, coleslaw, and baked beans in restaurants around here have different herbs and spices added to them. Not that it's bad...it's just different!

Well, I didn't end up winning :( But my ribs and corn casserole were very popular! I think if I'd have used pork, and done some Californiazing I may have had a better shot. But I'm gonna stick to my Midwestern roots and stay simple...all you need for good BBQ is KC Masterpiece and liquid smoke! There's no place for cilantro and citrus in my sauce! Either way it was a beautiful sunny afternoon and Steven's parents' house has a nice backyard and pool. Friends, pool, sun, a keg of home brewed ESB, and BBQ...Saturday's don't get much better!

Spring Softball

2008-05-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

So I'm on a men's softball team with some friends and we had our first game tonight. I was pretty nervous because I haven't played since college intramurals (who remembers the days of the Radicals dominating UNL?!) (Zach, you probably have a more vivid memory of being dominated BY the Radicals in softball :)) And the last time I played, I think I struck out (even though we almost won the All-U tourney)...so needless to say I was a bit concerned that my California debut could be a bit under par. Well, I must say, tonight this Husker showed up in true Big Red form! I was a perfect 5 for 5 with 2 RBI's with the bat and was a freakin' maniac in outfield! :) I had the best catch I've ever had in my life...it was hit deep over my head, so I was sprinting and caught it Willie Mayes style over my shoulder on a dead sprint with my arm stretch out! It was a thing of beauty....even the other team congratulated me on the catch. My teammate overhead their third base coach say "there's no way he's gonna catch that." Oh ya baby...he did, he did! I'll admit I'm a bit worried now is that I pulled the best game of my life out of my ass and now I have nowhere to go but down from here :) Or maybe my days as a Radical have prepared me now for days of glory as a member of the Jerkstore (our team name). By the way...the Jerk store called, they're all out of you!

Tanner's Movie Review

2008-04-29T20:39:00.001-07:00

I've seen a couple flicks recently and thought I'd give my two cents (or more like three cents since my opinion carries so much weight :)) on them. First off is Ben Stein's Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. This movie was great! I really don't know much about Intelligent Design (I.D.) other than the Young Earth theory, so I didn't go into it with much expectation or previous knowledge. But the point of the movie isn't to teach you about I.D., but to set it up as a plausible explanation of life that should be given equal weight to evolution in research and teaching institutions. I will warn you that the injustice displayed will at times make you pretty pissed off. The only qualm I have is the extent to which Ben Stein correlates evolution and Nazism. (Not that I disagree with it, just that I thought it was a bit much). The final scene (an interview with Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion) is a truly heartbreaking picture of blind pride and arrogance.

The second movie is Under the Same Moon. This movie is a social commentary on illegal immigration. It's a story about a mother who leaves her 9 year-old son in Mexico with his sick Grandma and illegally goes to America to work up enough money to bring him legally there. The son then spends three-fourths the movie trying to make his way to his mom himself as an illegal immigrant. Overall, it's a good movie...a bit corny at times, but good. The entire movie is in subtitles, which irked me initially (as those of you who have watched Italian movies with me know...ahem Levi and Courtney), but then I got used to it. An interesting aspect to the movie was that the songs in the movie were satirical (the lyrics were subtitled) towards America's immigration policies (talking about kicking Superman out of the US as an illegal alien...kinda clever actually). I wonder if they play those songs on Mexican radio here in the US? It's good for me to get a perspective other than that of the great Dr. Michael Savage on immigration policies :)

Well, those are my critiques. Take it or leave it!

No Place like...CO!

2008-04-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I flew to Colorado to catch the last weekend that Vail was open for skiing. Two words: Top Five! That is, this was definitely in the top five ski outings of my life! We were skiing in 2 feet of fresh powder...and it was freaking April! And the base was higher than I've ever seen. Some of the trail signs had to be dug out of the snow to be seen...crazy!

On Friday, Brandon and I skied, and the conditions were a bit chilly. It was snowing pretty much all day and was 20 degrees at the warmest. Definitely NOT the California spring skiing! But I must say, it was kind of nice actually sinking down in the light fluffy powder, instead of hardly even making a dent in it like the Sierra Cement. On most the runs we were in deeper than our ski boots!

On Saturday, Zach and I skied with our personal ski instructor (my uncle!). The conditions were better because it wasn't snowing and it was probably 25-30 degrees. For those of you Vail fans, you can appreciate the fact that we skied all day and never skied the same run! We did the famed Lover's Leap of course (my stomach never seems to get less queezy looking down from the edge!). At the end of the day, we watched something I've never seen before...Pond Skimming. This was pretty sweet. Skiers get dressed up in costumes, and ski down a short run to get speed, and at the bottom is a pond of water which they skim across. Only about 25% of them make it all the way across! On a more typical spring day where the snow's crappy and it's 45 degrees, it'd be great to grab a beer and sit down and watch it. After an entire ski season in CA, I've decided that the skiing in CO trumps that in CA (except for the weather)...powdery snow, bigger mountains, ritzy resorts.

Saturday night me, Zach, and one of Zach's friends hit downtown Denver. Pretty crazy night. I'll leave you with a few words and you can piece the rest together: 1 hr of free drinks, 5 clubs, 4AM.

Brandon has definitely become a loco...I mean local!

These signs are on 10 ft poles! Anyone remember normally skiing UNDER these?!

Pond skimming...I may have to try this next year...NOT!

Friends and Fam! (Days 3 & 4 of 4)

2008-04-03T21:28:00.001-07:00

So I've decided that it's kinda lame blogging about something that happened three weeks ago now, so I'm gonna cram the last two days of the festivities into one last blog here...so enjoy!

After our day in San Fran, we drove south on the Coastal Highway (Hwy 1) that runs along Pacific, through Santa Cruz and spent the night in Monterey. The girls had it in their heads that they were going to lay out on the beach, so this was the best chance we had. In the morning, we drove to Carmel Beach via 17 Mile Drive. 17 Mile Drive is a beautiful, windy road along the ocean (not quite 17 miles long) that connects Monterey to Carmel. Some of the points of interest along 17 Mile Drive is the Lone Cypress Tree, Ghost Tree, Spyglass Golf Course, and Pebble Beach Golf Course. Once in Carmel Beach, we found our spot far away from the water in a nook between bushes to get out of the wind! (It was 60 degrees and a bit breezy). Never-the-less, swimsuits were worn and sunburns were obtained!

The last day was a relaxing day in Santa Rosa...golfing, shopping, laying out at the pool, In 'n Out Burger etc. It seems like that was months ago, and it was only three weeks! And the 4 days flew by...it seems like I blinked and then the weekend was over. Jeff had a great idea for next time: we should just sit around and stare at the wall, that way the time will go by slower! Part of me would actually be in favor of that (so whoever comes out to visit me next knows what to expect :)

Tossin' the football at Carmel Beach

Mmmmm......(refer to several previous blogs about this amazing fast food restaurant)

The famed look-away at Lone Cypress...it never gets old!

I wish that was us golfing at Pebble Beach!

The last night in Napa Valley

Friends and Fam! (Day 2 of 4)

2008-03-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

After dominating the Sonoma wine valley, it was time to make our Nebraska footprint in "the City" (San Francisco). Aside from the crazy liberalness, I really enjoy San Fran! Not only is it the home city of Michael Savage (genious radio-host who wrote the book 'Liberalism is a Mental Disorder'), but it's really a neat city with a lot of character. And we had a great day for it...60's and sunny. Overall, we did the usual...Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Alta Plaza overlook of the city...but then we added a pretty darn sweet twist: GoCars!!!

Every time I had been to the City before, I had seen these little three-wheeled, two-seater yellow go-cart things zooming around on the streets. After searching on Google for a half hour (ya, kinda long for a google search, but that's Al Gore for ya!) I found it...GoCars! And we were all in agreement that they are a must do! And I must admit, I really don't know how these things are legal on the streets. They have a GPS guided system that take you all over the City...Golden Gate National Park, Cliffhouse, Robin William's house (I guess he lives in San Fran), Alamo Square, Lombard Street...but then we also took them off the course and went our own ways too. We spent 3 hours racing around the city and after getting multiple weird looks and waves, and water balloons thrown at us, we ended our rampage! Oh my, I don't think San Francisco saw this coming...they can handle the Purple Hand of the Gay Agenda, and the crazy protests of CodePink against the Marine recruiters (see http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/07/berkeley.protests/index.html), but they definitely couldn't handle these five Nebraskans (well, I guess 4 nebraskans and 1 minnesotan...emphasis on the "o") tearin' up their streets!

In front of GGB at Crissy Park

These things rock! There's Jeff struggling along behind!

Driving down Lombard Street...we were definitely the shiznit...lots of foreigners waving and taking pics!

Recognize these houses? Here's a hint:
What ever happend to predictability?
The milk man, the paper boy, evening T.V
You miss your old familar friends, but
waiting just around the bend.
Everywhere you look...
Chity Chi bob botta!

Friends and Fam! (Day 1 of 4)

2008-03-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

I figured the best way to recap the fun and festivities of last weekend is a day-by-day breakdown. There are several reasons for this. 1) There are lots of pics and fun to tell of 2) It gives me blogging material for the next 4 blogs!

Our first day wine tasting in Sonoma Valley! More specifically, it was barrel-tasting weekend -- all the wine you can drink for $55. This is when they "tap the bungholes" (that is the actual term) of the wine casks and siphon it out for us to drink. There also were food pairings with each wine that were pretty darn culinarily pleasing! The best news...I only had one run-in with a "cougar", so I deem that a pretty successful day :) By the end, we had visited 5 wineries and tasted a little Chardonnay and Merlot, but mostly Zinfindel, Cabernet, and Pinot Noir. We went home and pretty much crashed...darn depressents!

Would you like some cheese with the wine?

Jeff gets wine from a cask (To make this tagline more funny, replace "gets" with "taps", delete "wine from", and replace "cask" with "bunghole") [snickering]

The group in front of the wine caves

The group at Ledson Vineyard

59 Holes in 5 Days

2008-03-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

Whew! The last nine days have been a whirlwind. Tate, Brenna, Jeff, and Amanda (Brenna's friend) came to visit me last Friday. They stayed until Wednesday, except Jeff, who just left today. There was much fun to be had which I will fill you in on very soon. But in short, I'm definitely in friend withdrawal right now!

For the last five days, Jeff and I have hit the golf courses around Santa Rosa, We averaged 12 holes per evening after I got done with work each day. And then on Saturday we played at a really sweet course in the redwoods about 12 miles from the ocean, designed by the same guy who designed Augusta. The course was only 9 holes and was pretty short, but it was pretty darn narrow! There were several times where my ball ricocheted off several trunks and still managed to land in the fairway! Frustrations aside, it was definitely a gorgeous course and we had a blast. All told, we ended up laying 59 holes of golf in 5 days...I didn't even want to look at my clubs today! The most frustrating thing is I played my best golf on the first 9 holes on Tuesday, and it went downhill from there!

Pics of Northwood Golf Club in the redwoods

Dual with a Scam Artist!

2008-03-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

In trying to sell my Nissan Maxima, I came across a real live scam artist trying to doop me! Boy, did they choose the wrong sucker...this one Tanner Augustin is a little quicker than the average bear. Enjoy the email correspondence! (Her responses are a bit lengthy at times).

Goodday seller,
My name is Teresa, and i want to make enquiries about this item for my
client which is interested in immediate purchase of this item and is ready to
pay through US cashiers check. Before the check will be sent to you i want to
tell you that it will be including some extra amount on the check which is meant
for the shipping of this item to the buyer destination,what you are to do when
you get the check is to deduct your money[asking price]and send the remaining
money[leftover] to the shipping company immediately in order for them to come
for the pick up of the item faster.If all this is understood by you get back to
me with your full name,address,phone number and where to send the check to
immediately.And also i will like to know the present condition of the item and
the final asking price if available?Here are the information needed from
you:
FULL NAME?
ADDRESS?
CITY AND ZIP CODE?
PHONE #?
FINAL ASKING PRICE?
hope to read from you soon.
Regards,Teresa.
Teresa,
My name is Tanner Augustin and my phone number is 916.708.7380. The final asking price of the car is $12,000. Before I give you my address, I'd like to know what company you're with? How much will thecost of shipping be? I assume I can cash the check before I send the car? I tried calling the number you provided, but it didn't got hrough. Thanks. Hope to hear back. Tanner
Thanks for reply to my email...i want to let u know that i will be theone to take care of the shipping and i want u to get back to me withur final selling price and ur full details to send out the payment....ty and hope to read from u soon.
Teresa,
My final selling price is $12000. I would like to talk to you over thephone if that's okay so I can ask some more details. You didn'tmention your company name or whether I can cash the check before Isend the car. You can send the check to 3001 Aurora Ct, Santa Rosa CA95405. Thanks.
Tanner
Hello , Thanks for the reply and the information you sent and am very happy,well its all good, I want you to delete the Advert from the Website. Concerning payment I have just contacted my Client now and he has said he will issue out a check of nothing less than $12,000 to your contact address in you will remove the asking price $15,000.00 after cashing it at your bank, Since it will be a check so i would want you to get an extra $100 for your running around which makes all your money $15,0100 and then send the balance to my shipping agent via western union money transfer SINCE I WILL BE HANDLING THE SHIPMENT so that they will use for all their flight charges and for the insurance of the shipment when being shipped and also I would want you to do this for me because the shipper also has some other shipments of mineto handle for me in the state. I hope I can trust you on this? The information of the shipper will probably be sent alongside with the Check or when my agent is been assigned by his company for my shipments. I will notify you if my client has sent the payment and he will contact you to confirm the details you gave to me, So that there won't be any mistake whatsoever when sending the payment. Looking forward to complete this transaction with you. Get back to me as soon as possible so that we can proceed with the transaction..
Note: All western union charges and bank fee for cashing must be deducted from the Shipping funds..
Teresa,
I'm not sure I get this all. What is the Advert? And I'm supposed tocash the check and then wire you all $15,100? That doesn't sound toosmart on my part. A phone call would help clear all this up for me.Thanks.
Tanner
What i mean i is that after u might have cash the check u are to deduct ur item money from the money and then take an extra $100 for urself and send the rest money back to the shipping company so that they can come for the pick of the item...Understood??
Teresa,
Just to recap. I would get the certified check. Wire $3000 to you oncethe check clears (leaving $12100 in my account). Then the movers wouldcome get the car? Tanner
yes thats exactly what u are to do and i want u to get back to me with ur full info to send out the payment asap.
Teresa,
Forgive me for being suspicious, but this sounds pretty much like a textbook scam. If you're okay with me waiting the full 10-12 businessdays for the check to clear before I wire you any money for shipping,I'd feel more comfortable about it. Would that be okay? Thanks.
Tanner
[No reply]
And the winner of this dual is....Tanner!

Monday Night B-Ball

2008-03-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

I must say I'm pretty darn sore today! My right groin is tender, my back aches, and legs could barely get me up and down the stairs today. All this from 2 hours of basketball last night! I've been playing on Monday nights recently at a local high school. There are usually enough guys for 4 teams of six and we play two cross courts. Until playing there, I had yet to see a wooden basketball court in California! The YMCA and 24 Hour Fitness both have rubber floors that my grade school court puts to shame.

I remember back in the day, I used to be able to 2 hours of basketball every night for 4 months straight. Those were, of course, during the glory days of high school! The days where I would be the guy in whose hands the coach wanted the ball to be in down by one in the conference championship game. Now I'm just a has-been baller that can barely hold his own on a court against 45 year-old men. I still have the heart, but I definitely ain't got the moves! The good ballers can score at will on me, and the slowest ones can steal it from me! Oh well, I have nowhere to go but up, so I'll keep on playing and hopefully my body and mind can catch up to my heart. I do have one consolation though, even my worst baller days, I'm still much better than Zach in his best days!

Well I Am the Warrior!

2008-02-27T20:08:00.000-08:00

Or at least, I'm a fan of the Warriors (Golden State that is)! I went to my first Golden State Warriors basketball game last night. It was a pretty fun time. They play at Oracle Arena in Oakland, about an hour and fifteen minutes from Santa Rosa. They played the Seattle Supersonics who have Kevin Durante, the number 2 draft pick last year.

I went with my coworkers. Gary, the sales rep, bought us all tickets! We sat in the 24th row on the baseline. And my boss got us a limo to take us to the game! Pretty sweet! We stopped at In-n-Out Burger on the way to the game, and enjoyed a Double-Double animal style. (Refer to a previous blog to learn more about In-n-Out Burger. I'd tell you again, but Zach tends to remember everything I've ever blogged about and make fun of me if I say it twice!) And it was pretty cool to be dropped off in a limo in front of the arena. Overall, it was a fun-filled night of brewskies and laughs. And I must admit, I had the entire limo rolling when I described Rocky Mountain Oysters as an "explosion in your mouth" (pause for laughter). I'll leave you with that word picture!

24 in 24

2008-02-23T18:30:00.000-08:00

As we speak, I am just about 5/6 the way through season 4 of 24. I started it last night, took an 8 hour sleeping break, and am going strong since 10 A.M this morning. (I did take a brief break last night when I sliced my finger pretty bad cutting bread. Worst cut I've ever had, but no stitches). I don't think I'll be able to do it in 24 hours, but it'll be close! I knew I was playing with fire when I started this season, but I didn't think it'd be this bad....

To my credit, I did have a somewhat productive day today, and I planned on going out this afternoon. I got my taxes pretty much finished. And I was planning on going bowling and having a Mexican dinner with friends from church. I made guacamole (while watching 24), and was getting ready to go, when I noticed that the date on the bowling occasion was next Saturday - not today! So I have quite a bit of guac in my fridge to munch on during the rest of my 24 marathon! If you'll excuse me now, I'm going to refocus my attention on the episode playing in front of me!

Sad, sad, sad...

2008-02-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

I want to give you a glimpse into the sad life of this one Tanner Augustin. I've been watching American Idol this season (I haven't missed one yet). Yesterday, they eliminated everyone except the top 25. I'm not sure if any of you have been watching, but I was a fan of Josiah, the 18 year-old who lives in his car. He reminded me of my bud, Aaron. I think it was his aptitude for being able to come up with his own renditions of songs on the spot, and he was seemingly into the same kind of music. Well, he had a horrible final audition in Hollywood and got the ax. I was so down last night after the episode that I had trouble falling asleep. Sad, I know, that a reality show can affect me like that!

Another sad aspect of my life is how ridiculously out of shape I am! I went to a kickboxing class this evening with a friend, and WOW, it about killed me! An hour long class of punching and kicking air, doing jumping jacks, and jumping an air rope, and I seriously just about collapsed. I hadn't felt that light-headed from working out since high school basketball! We did the whole exercise where you're in an athletic stance and chopping your feet in place. Ya, I could definitely feel my obese jiggle on my waste, and I don't think I felt that during basketball camp! And the saddest part is that the instructor was a flaming gay guy, and there were definitely some ladies in there with more cellulite than me having a much easier time. A bit of a humbling experience overall, I must say!

Fairy Tale Week

2008-02-10T21:10:00.000-08:00

This last week has been simply the things dreams are made of! As noted in my previous blog, my week started with skiing in the most amazing ski conditions of my life. Now, the week ended with nothing fancy...just your average day of SUMMER stuff! It was 70 yesterday and today. My goal today was to spend the entire day outside, and I did! I listened to a Piper sermon sitting poolside (had to even out my raccoon face tan my goggles game me skiing earlier this week!), went for a jog, did some chipping with my sand wedge in this big grass space next to my condo, hit the driving range, and played 2-on-2 basketball outside. It feels like May in Nebraska, except that it still gets down to mid-thirties at night. I topped off the night by grilling a 1 lb Sirloin and asparagus on my new grill (or BBQ as they call them out here). Nor Cal is definitely an amazing area....a simple four hour drive separates 5 ft of snow and 70 degree weather!

Well, I don't think I mentioned anything in this blog that will stimulate another comment war, but we'll see...I didn't think I did last time either!

Super Tuesday at the Slopes!

2008-02-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

Super Tuesday took on a different look than I had anticipated (and I don't mean that I voted for Obama!). Yesterday, I was told that I could take the day off (I work with awesome people!) today and head to Lake Tahoe to enjoy the 5 feet of snow that was just dumped there last week (yes, another 5 feet of snow since the last time I went!). So I left yesterday evening and spent the night in Auburn with Dick and Barb (my sister-in-law's aunt and uncle). It was great seeing them since I hadn't seen them since October.

Today was possibly the best day of skiing I've ever experienced. It was 30 degrees and sunny with no wind, and the powder was amazing! Even though I could shove my poles all the way into the snow past the handles and not even hit the ground (pictured below), my skies didn't sink into it too much (b/c of the wetness) which made skiing easier than Colorado powder. I went to Squaw Valley which is where they had the winter Olympics (not sure which year). It was WAY better than Heavenly which is where I went last time. It was probably the steepest terrain I've skied on...pretty intimidating. You know that tingling sensation you get when you're standing at the edge of a cliff? Ya, that's what I was feeling quite a bit today. And I think it was magnified since I was skiing by myself and somewhat paranoid that I would lose a ski at the top and fall all the way down to the bottom! It didn't have the close-up view of the Lake that Heavenly did, but you could still see it. Once again, by the end of the day, my legs were about ready to give out. And the 4 hr drive home could have been enough to kill me, but I had Michael Savage on the radio keeping me informed on the outcomes of Super Tuesday and why I should vote for Mitt Romney and not Hucksterbee or Moonlighting McCain (as he calls them). Fortunately, I already voted via absentee ballet so I didn't miss my opportunity to make my conservative voice heard in liberal Cali!

This is what 5 feet of snow looks like on the side of the road.
Check out how it's taller than the car!

My poles weren't even hitting the ground yet!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

2008-01-27T15:26:00.000-08:00

I have definitely come to enjoy the climate that California offers. However, the winters of NorCal do bring with it one unpleasantry -- rain! I haven't seen the sun for about a week now. It hasn't been raining constantly, but there have been a couple of days where the rain never quit. And on the days it's not raining, it's been overcast. No, I'm not comparing it to sub-zero wind chills in the Midwest, but it does take its toll on guy!

I spent yesterday afternoon through this morning in the Oakland area on call. It wasn't bad, I stayed in a nice hotel in a nice area. Even though I was just complaining about the weather, it was still 50 degrees last evening, so I took a dip in the outdoor pool and hot tub. It was glorious! I then ate at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse which is a higher class steakhouse in big cities. I treated myself to a $49 T-bone steak courtesy Medtronic. It was great! However, I was disappointed because they were out of the Kobe. Then I wondered over to a French Bistro for a poached pear topped with homemade ice cream and chocolate sauce...mmmm.

This week I'm planning on buying a grill (or barbecue as they call it here). Wish me luck!

I left my heart in...Colorado!

2008-01-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

So I experienced skiing in the Sierra Nevadas for the first time today at Heavenly ski resort! I have been waiting months for this and it was great. Me and my friend, Steven, went up there last night after work. It was about a 4 hr drive. On the way up, we ate at In 'n Out Burger (my second time there), a California fast food craze where you only have three choices (hamburger, cheeseburger, double-double). The meat is grown on some ranch in California and the fries are made from real potatoes. Every weekend night, there are usually 20 cars lined up in the drive-through and the place is packed inside. It's good, but who waits in line that long for fast food?!

They got 6 feet of snow at Heavenly last week. Along the highway, in the mountains the snow on the shoulder or the road was taller than the cars! The skiing was pretty good, but the powder was definitely different than the powder in Colorado -- it was freakin' dense! There definitely isn't the fluffy white dust flying in the air when you're skiing through the virgin runs. That was kind of disappointing actually. And the dense snow forces your muscles to work exponentially harder in your turns! By noon, I felt like every muscle in my leg was pulled, and I hadn't skied any blacks yet! By the end of the day, my legs felt like jelly. In all my life, skiing has never killed my legs like that! (I attribute it to the snow as opposed to the fact that I've exercised aerobically about 20 minutes in the last 3 months!) The temperature was surprisingly cold. It was cloudy and 30 most the day with fog which made it hard to see sometimes (although I'll take that over mid teens and windy in January in Colorado). But the last couple hours cleared up and it was 35-40.

So while I will keep my Vail snobbery and say the snow and mountains in Colorado (thus far in my experience) is better than the Sierras, I must admit the view of Lake Tahoe from Heavenly is quite breathtaking! And Heavenly is split between California and Nevada, so you get to ski between the states, which is pretty cool; however, there is a slot machine at the top of every lift on the Nevada side (j/k, but there are casinos at the base of the mountain)! And the drive out of the mountains tonight was one of the most breath-taking scenes I've ever seen. Driving west down out of the mountains into the foothills, the sunset was orange and purple and there was fog in the Sacramento valley, so you saw peaks of mountains and trees poking out of this sea of fog that we were above! Words can't even describe it. I've never seen anything like it. Absolutely breathtaking! Anyways, after round one: Skiing, grandiose, and atmosphere go to Colorado, scenery and temperature goes to Sierras. While there was some excitement in these mountains, my hearts still belongs to Colorado. Next week is round two at a different ski resort, so I'll let you know what the scores are for that one. In the mean time, here are some pics of Heavenly for you to enjoy.

Roof Rack...check!

2008-01-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back in Cali and into the work groove again. I had a great time in Nebraska over Christmas, although I didn't get much sleep! Between three nieces running wild at home, and three nights in Lincoln that involved alcohol, dancing, cards, and shared hide-a-beds, my sleep time was significantly less than my aging body needs! But it was all great fun! Stepping on the scale at the YMCA, I was pretty surprised that I had gained 5 lbs in the last two weeks. I haven't gained weight for the last 6 months, and then all of a sudden I exploded! I'm motivated all of a sudden to incorporate jogging (pronounced "yogging"...it's a new fad out here on the west coast) into my workout routine!

Get this, Lake Tahoe has had 6 ft of snow this weekend! That is craziness. I've never heard of such a thing! But that makes me super excited because I'm planning on going skiing up there the next two weekends. I just made a stop by REI and got my ski poles and a roof rack for my Rav-4. I can't tell you how excited I am!

Crazy Day

2007-12-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

The last 24 hours are just a blurr! I found out yesterday evening that I would have to travel to the town of Chico (home of Sierra Nevada beer which was founded by two college students--how sweet that would be!) which is 3 hours from Santa Rosa. That wasn't great new as I would have to wake up around 5 am, but that's been done before, so no big deal.

So then last night was the first time I've had plans with friends outside of work since I've moved to Santa Rosa (not that I don't enjoy my coworkers, but it's good to diversify!) We went to a Messiah Sing-a-long at a local high school. For those of you enthusiasts of classic music score, this is Handel's choral piece based on the life of Christ and is where the "Hallelujah Chorus" came from. I sang parts of this score in high school, so a sing-a-long sounded fun (I'm showing my dorky side)! At this sing-a-long, the audience is the choir and they handed out the music at the door (I think I may by my own music and practice for next year.) I sat by an attractive girl who I mustered up the courage to talk to! She ended up being a senior at the high school, so of course, I got her number, and will probably tutor her in calculus. (That's a joke by the way, it'll probably be trigonometry) :) During the Messiah, I was really enjoying myself and surprised at how much of the music I actually remembered. The "Hallelujah Chorus" is the third song from the end and I really wanted to sing it, but I decided it'd be best to leave at intermission which was at 9:00 PM since I had to wake up around 5 AM.

On my way home, I received a phone call informing me that I needed to go to Redding instead of Chico (240 miles from Santa Rosa) and that the clinic starts a half hour earlier. This necessitated waking up at 3:30 AM to leave my place by 4! Needless to say, I wasn't real excited. So on my way I texted Aaron since he's on the east coast and figured he'd be on his way to work. Well, I had been on the road for an hour and Aaron informed me he was just leaving for work (he's three hours ahead of me!) How ridiculous!

Overall, the clinic went well, the patients were nice, and my coworkers in Redding were very glad I came. I got back to Santa Rosa at 5:30 PM (a 12 hour work day with 8 hours of driving) and had a beer at a local bar with some friends. I had a Sierra Nevada, kind of an ironic beer choice in retrospect (refer to first paragraph)!

Condo Clarification

2007-12-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

Just so you all know, that's a mirror on the wall behind the bookshelf in the picture with the kitchen table. Kudos to you who figured that out, but I think it could be confusing to the untrained eye and make my place seem twice as big as it is :)

My Pad

2007-12-17T21:27:00.001-08:00

I figured I'd post some pics of my condo for ya'll to see. I'm definitely happy it. For those of you who heard me complain about how small my place in Sac was (see July blog), you'll hear no such complaints about my new place (it's four stories)! Well, maybe more like multi-split-level, but I like to describe it as four stories! But hey, I got a great deal!

2 car garage

Living room

Kitchen/dining room

Stairway to master bedroom and then guest room

View out my back patio

Bad Ass Ride!

2007-12-10T21:35:00.000-08:00

Well, my bad ass ride finally arrived! Lincoln Navigator what? Cadellac Escalade who? No thanks, I'll take my freakin' pimpin' Toyota Rav4! That's right, my Rav4 is here, and I'm kind of a big deal in Santa Rosa now. Tanner Augustin has officially exploded onto the scene! No more minivan for me. Although I had gotten used to those looks I would receive driving that thing around. I just resided myself to the fact that every girl who saw me in the minivan assumed I was a young family man with kids. Not anymore! Now I feel like rugged mountain man. Bear Grylls, I'm sure, drives a Rav4 as no other vehicle screams rugged mountain man like it does. And I think Dog Bounty Hunter drives one around too. Goodbye family man image. Now when I drive by with my 2Pac's Greatest Hits thumpin' the ladies are thinking, "That's the kind of man I want to be with!" Some even yell, "Hey Tanner!" (That's right, they know my name. How do they know it, you ask...they just do). I just smile back, give a wink, toss out my card, and keep on rollin'...that's how I roll. That's how I do it.

Work Peeps

2007-12-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

These are some of the Christmas pictures my team took. We give Christmas cards to all the clinics and hospitals. In the top pic: in the back (from left) is Steven, me, and Dan. In front (from left) is Gary, Rebecca, Amy, and JP (the boss). Amy is in a chimney, not a trash can.The ugly Christmas sweater theme was my idea. Although, in Cali, I couldn't find ones that were extremely hideous! I was looking for the ones with one huge picture of Santa Clause and just couldn't find them. Interestingly enough, though, I was at Macy's and saw a Polo sweater for $250, and it was uglier than anything I could find at Goodwill!

Great Weekend

2007-12-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

It was so fun having Aaron around for a weekend. It's been months since I've seen someone from home, and I was really missing that. One of the things I realize I miss most about being around long-time friends are the inside jokes! When you've known people for several years, you have so much to make fun of and bring up from the past...it's great! You really don't have that with new friends.

We spent the weekend in Sacramento, not Santa Rosa, because I was on call this weekend. Yes, you heard me right, I was on call. :( I was pretty frustrated going into the weekend that I couldn't get out of it, but that's the job I guess. But the Lord definitely answered my prayers in that I only had one page while Aaron was here! That's pretty much unheard of. In my previous on call weekends, I've always had at least a couple calls per day. So Saturday was callless and we had a blast! Also, we stayed at a nice hotel downtown paid for by Medtronic, so that was kinda nice.

Last night we ate at a restaurant called Stonegrill & Bar. I had a Kobe steak for the first time. I was kinda disappointed with it. It wasn't as tender as I expected it to be, especially considering the Japanese massage the cows to make it more tender! At this restaurant, you actually cook your own meat on a 750 degree lava rock in front of you. (It's moisture activated, so if your finger is dry, you can actually touch the rock and not get ridiculously burned). I just seared it a couple minutes on each side and had a nice cool, red center. I love my rare steak!

LOL...

2007-11-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

All these text messaging shorthand of words and abbreviations get kind of confusing. LOL, WTF, NBD, J/K, how are we supposed to keep up with all these? BFD right? Well, it is a BFD!

Whenever I would text message some joke or funny comment to a coworker, he would reply with "LOL". I thought that stood for "lots of love"! I'm not sure why I thought that, but I figured that's what it meant. It didn't seem like the most natural thing to say in that context, but, being in California, I figured it must be a common response to something funny. Well, as my good friend Aaron pointed out, it means "laugh out loud!" That makes so much more sense! TTYL!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2007-11-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I wasn't sure what to expect this year in regards to my Thanksgiving weekend. Every year I look forward to the holiday weekend because it means lots of relaxation, great food eating, and football. My favorite thing to do is eat a huge meal and dessert, and then just lay around all day watching football. Being in California this year, I was looking forward to the time off work, but didn't know how enjoyable the weekend was going to be. As it turns out, it was a great weekend!

I spent Wednesday night through Friday evening in Sacramento. I stayed with a coworker of mine and his wife, Nick and Carrie. It was great! They have a nice house and they're so enjoyable to be around. On Thanksgiving evening, we went over to Carrie's parent's house and had both fried turkey and smoked turkey. Both were great, but the smoked turkey was the moistest turkey I've ever had in my life! At the house were both sides of parents and siblings. They were all so nice, it really felt like I was around actual family.

Today, I was back in Santa Rosa and was able to get more settled into my place. This afternoon, I went to Bella Wine Caves, a beautiful winery in Dry Creek Valley. A friend of mine was pouring, so I decided to go check it out. It was a great time! 4 miles off the highway on a single lane road. It is so much more of an intimate setting in the hills than Napa Valley is. Napa Valley wineries are right off a busy highway, and the wineries in this area are off a single lane road. Definitely gonna take people up when they come visit! Soon I'll post pics of my condo so you all can see it.

First Sunday in Santa Rosa

2007-11-18T20:58:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am in Santa Rosa. My first weekend here. I finally moved up to Santa Rosa for good. And none too soon, as I have grown weary of weekdays in Santa Rosa and weekends in Sacramento. I treated myself to Tater Tot Casserole as my first meal in my new place! Gotta keep to my Nebraska farm roots. However, I did sip on a glass of Cabernet grown here in the Northern Coast as I ate my casserole. Midwest farm boy meets California wine country!

I am a little irked sitting here, though, as I have found some things in my condo that are less than acceptable. My dishwasher smells like burning rubber when it runs, and it drains through this nozzel into the sink (disgusting). My washer quit working on me after three loads. This condo complex can't have satellite dishes, so I had to buy out of my two year contract with Dish Network after only 3 months of having it -- kinda pricy. There's no silverware holder for the dishwasher, and no drain baskets or stoppers for the kitchen sink. And finally, the middle of the bathtub is lower than the drain, so I have to use a squeegee push the water to the drain after every shower. Yes, this all kinda pisses me off as I am paying a good chunk of my salary to rent this freakin' place! Oh well, I guess a nice conversation with the landlord will have to be had.

Here's some picks of the area I took today. Enjoy!Vineyard 15 minutes from Santa Rosa toward Napa Valley
Overlook of Santa Rosa
Sunset at the Pacific 30 minutes from Santa Rosa (that's me!)

A day at the office...

2007-11-15T21:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a bit of a crazy day in the life of this Medtronic clinical specialist. I did four clinical checks between 8 and 11 o'clock in the morning (not too strenuous). But then the fun started. I got told to drive up north to a town called Fort Bragg. It's only a 2 hour 15 minute drive!

So I left Santa Rosa at 11:50 and drove through the wine country, into the redwood forests which ends at the Pacific Ocean. It was one of the most amazing drives! A two lane hwy going through the redwoods that ends at the Ocean. It's like in a movie or something. And then I drove 20 miles along the coastal highway (cliff down to the ocean on the left, hills to my right!) to Fort Bragg. I only had cell phone reception for 30 minutes of the drive, so it was me and Dr. Laura most the time!

I did two checks in Fort Bragg (1 hr) and then headed back to Santa Rosa for another 2 hr drive. I finished my 240 mile excursion at 5:00 PM just in time to get to the hospital to do 5 implants. I ended up getting home at 11:30 PM. Crazy day!

SHHHHHH!

2007-11-15T21:39:00.000-08:00

Freekin' A! I got "shushed" by an anesthesiologist during an implant yesterday evening. Can you believe that?! I need a freekin' governor on my voice so it keeps it below a certain decibel level.

Tanner-isms

2007-11-10T17:51:00.000-08:00

I've realized that there are things about me, quirks if you will, that my roommates over the years have pointed out that are actually true. How have I come to this conclusion? Well, these same Tanner-isms have been observed by coworkers here! Recently, I was working with my boss in a clinic and was telling some information to a doctor while she watched. Afterwards, she observed that I was talking "pretty loudly" to him and was using very "large hand gestures"! I told her that my roommates (ahemm, Levi and Jeff) in college used to yell at me for talking when they were trying to sleep. I didn't think my voice carried that much but I guess it does!

I've also been accused of being a "heel-walker." On an upstairs wood floor, my footsteps can be heard pretty loudly from below, or so I've been told (ahemmm, Aaron and Levi). I went to the Walking Company to buy insoles for my shoes and they had me stand on a pressure senser to see how the pressure distribution on the bottom of my foot is. The guy said, "Wow. You put a lot of pressure on your heels!" I couldn't help but laugh. I guess I am a "heel-walker!"

EARTHQUAKE!!

2007-10-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't feel it, but it happened! (Or at least that's what the news station said when they interrupted "Halloween Charlie Brown") Just north of San Jose (which is about 100 south of where I am writing this). A 5.5 on the Richter scale. I guess I'll have to keep waiting until I get to practice my "duck and cover" tecnique...oh wait, that's for when you're in the path of running lava!

Yes, it's been a while since I've last posted. Life's been a little crazy over here in the west. The biggest update on my life is that I'm moving! Yes, I just moved to Sacramento three months ago, but now I'm moving to a town in the wine country called Santa Rosa. It's a town of 150,000 people nestled in the wine producing hills of Sonoma county. It's an absolutely gorgeous area that's north of San Francisco 45 minutes and only 30 minutes from the ocean (1.5 hours from Sacramento). It's a great place to work, but it's a pain in the butt to move again. As of now, I'm living in an extended stay efficiency studio (motel with kitchen) during the week and go back to Sac on the weekend. Hopefully, I'll find a place to rent soon and can get moved over. The hardest part of life right now is that I don't know anybody! Especially now that I'm living in two places. But I'm trusting in God's sovereignty in relation to this transfer and that he's going to provide community for me.

A Fair's a Fair's a Fair...

2007-09-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

The smell of fried twinkies fills the air along with the wonderful stench of livestock and woodchips. Booths of fresh-squeezed lemonade line the midway. Rides, games, stuffed-animals, everywhere you look. A 100 degree sun shining on pavement as masses of people make their way from booth to booth. Anyone who has grown up in America knows exactly what I'm describing...the State (or county) Fair! In my travels across the country, I have come to know that there is one insurmountable truth that connects the Atlantic to the Pacific and all the peoples in between. No, it's not a love for our humble president George W (those darn liberals ruin that!); but the truth that the State Fair remains the sole societal function that draws WT, gansters, blue collar, and white collar Americans all together to enjoy the same event!

On Sunday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending the California state fair. It was over 100 degrees and I chose to go at the dumbest time of day...2:00 p.m. when the sun is in all it's fury! For those of you who know me and my affinity to fried food, it shouldn't take too much convincing on how much I was looking forward to all the junk food I would have an excuse to eat! I began by eating a Tri-tip bbq sandwich (tri-tip is California's low-end beef cut) and a grilled ear of corn on the cob. It was scrumptious! I followed it by a fried Coke. This was a new thing to me, but "fried" anything will work for me. It was Coca-cola with batter and then fried. There was no liquid in it, and it tasted like a funnel cake just with a tangy Coke flavor. I voiced to my friend Matt how great all this food is. His reply was, "wait until it's coming out the other end in an hour!" Well, it only took 20 minutes for me. I spent about 20 minutes in a stall perspiring profusely in the 100 degree heat wishing I had never tried the fried Coke! As I walked around, I couldn't help but scoff at the dumb people who had left their air-conditioned homes to be out and about in the 110 degree radiation reflecting off the black pavement. But then I remembered I was one of those dumb people! Oh well, I've always been able to point my finger at others easier than at myself!

After having time to reflect on this American truth that I discovered, I came up with a brilliant idea...If the Presidential election were held at the State Fairs, there would be 100% voter turnout! Yes, I can see it now...Hillary presenting some sort of unintelligent (a.k.a. liberal) plan for universal health care while encouraging all her constituents to indulge themselves in fried Cokes and funnel cakes...silly liberals!

My new ride...total emasculation!

2007-08-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

So check it out...I have a sweet new ride to cruise around Sacramento in! No, it's not my new Rav-4, but it's close. A 2007 Toyota Sienna minivan! Oh yes, I get to drive this baby around town for a good couple of months until I get my new car. It's not all bad, though, the van has plenty of space for all my stuff. I can fit so much in it! Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention...it reaks of stale cat urine. The lady who drove it before me kept her cats in it. I took it to a car cleaners and had to utter one of the most embarrassing sentences of my life, "Can you get the smell of cat urine out of my minivan?"! Yesterday I was at a gas station and a decently attractive girl ran out in front of me and I had to stop for her. She looked up and motioned she was sorry and paused for a second and took a double look. I know exactly what she was thinking..."I didn't know Brad Pitt drives a minivan!" (Reference my facebook pic ;)

My Pad

2007-08-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

It's been quite some time since my last post. Life has been crazy out of control the last weeks. Between moving 2000 miles across the country, Tate getting married, and driving about 500 miles a week training, I haven't had much time to just sit down and type. (Okay, so maybe there's been time, it's just been a priority thing)!

Week by week I'm feeling more at home in Sacramento. I really like the neighborhood. There is a homeless, old Asian man who frequents our alley. He always has a pleasant "hi, hi" as he pushes his grocery cart by. One time I was taking my trash out and saved him the trouble of digging through it and just gave him my plastic bottles! (It feels good to do a good deed every now and then). It does feel a little different not living in a suburb, though. I miss the pool! Sacramento is the perfect place to sit poolside. It's hot all day, every day with no clouds. Now I have to find something else to do on Saturday afternoons...not sure what yet...but I'm looking! I'm really liking my little place; it's cozy and homey. Here's some pictures so you all can see where it is I lay my head.

The Young Man is West!

2007-07-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I've made it out to Sacramento! After leaving home, my friend Corey and I drove 12 hours to Salt Lake City (beautiful place) passing through western Nebraska, Wyoming, and eastern Utah. We had a beautiful night's sleep then drove 10 hours to Sacramento passing through the rest of Utah, Nevada (both of which are currently on fire), and California (of which Lake Tahoe is on fire). The drive to Salt Lake was a killer, but the second day didn't seem as bad. We averaged 10.8 mpg, I spent $627 on gas, my voice was almost gone from talking over the truck noise, but we made it!

We were able to start moving into my apartment Sunday afternoon, a day earlier than anticipated. I soon realized, however, that a 16 ft Penske truck packed full of crap was going to overwhelm my little 450 sq ft apartment. This was an initial sense of discouragement and dispare! Corey handled my indecisiveness and multiple mind changes well on where to arrange the furniture. It's been five days now since I've been here and I'm finally getting a handle on where to put everything! (Ikea is a lifesaver!)

On Tuesday Corey and I went to San Francisco hoping to meet some special people there (song lyrics in case you didn't remember)! It was a much needed break from my apartment woes. And we had a blast there, going to the MLB All-star game. We saw Pat Sajak from Wheel of Fortune! Tickets were a little out of our range ($150-300) but we were able to wants from behind right field on the Bay.

Well, Corey flew out Wednesday afternoon and I've spent my time trying to get situated. It was such a blessing having him here. He kept a positive attitude while I was freaking out about fitting everything in my apartment. I can't imagine how long this last week would have seemed if I didn't have someone with me! I must admit, I've been a little more homesick than I thought I'd be, but it's getting better. The weather is great in the evenings here and I'm in a really cool location. I believe I'm where God has me for this time in my life, so I'm trusting Him to work his sovereignty and provide mercifully. Until next time, stay classy San Diego!

Go West Young Man...Day 1

2007-07-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

"Go west young man, go west!" The theme of the California goldrush back in the 1800's. A century and a half later, I find myself answering that same call; however for slightly different reasons! (Although maybe not so different as both include young men in search of a financially stable way of life). The 24 episode of my life has finally come to its season finale...My Boss told Reed he is going to a sweet city-that is Sacramento! My life has been thus in a whirlwind or craziness over the last few days. I was told exactly a week ago today that I would be going to Sacramento. Great news to these young, green ears! One and a half hours from San Francisco, one and a half hours from my Lake Tahoe which hosts my true winter love that is skiing, Sacramento falls in line with the old real estate adage - Location, location, location!

Having heard the news of my placement, I immediately booked a flight to Sacramento to do some house hunting. I flew out there this past Sunday and flew back to Minneapolis last evening. This left me with just enough time to pack up my apartment and watch the remaining episodes of "Man vs. Wild" on my DVR. This morning I packed a bright yellow Penske truck and headed to Lincoln. I was told the truck gets 6 to 10 mpg...so I decided to squeeze as much of that out as possible! I drove the whole way in this 90 degree heat with no A/C on and the windows rolled down! The result was a red left arm, windblown hair, ringing ears, and 11.5 mpg! It's been said that rolling windows down negates the fuel efficiency of having the A/C off, but I don't know about that now.

I rolled into Lincoln with just enough hot sun left to scorch me while I went through my garage full of crap. Sorting through what I need and can fit into my 450 sq ft apartment (no, that's not a typo...my one bedroom apt is 450 sq ft!) But like I said before...Location, location, location. It's in the downtown area close to restaurants, shops, bars, parks, coffee shops, and the like. Well, I'm spending the night in Lincoln and heading home tomorrow. Wish me well and if you see two wild and crazy guys in a yellow truck flying down the interstate, tip your hat to them, they're two guys on an adventure to the West!

My life feels like an episode of 24

2007-06-24T20:52:00.001-07:00

The following is based on real life events. Names and locations have been changed for protection

Last time on 24:
MY BOSS: Reed, you're going to be located in one of two sweet cities.
ME: Sweet! I'm excited. Let me know when the decision's made.

Dundun dundun. Dundun dundun (Theme soundbite)

(Begin this episode)

(Phone rings at 4:00 PM on friday)

MY BOSS: Reed, I know where you're going to be...in a place we've never talked about before in the middle of nowhere.

ME: WTF???!!!!! What about one of those sweet cities you said I'd be in?

MY BOSS: Well, things have changed. What do you think?

ME: Um...I'm not at all excited and I'm pretty frustrated that noone told me this was a possibility.

MY BOSS: Ya man, but I think this will be good.

ME: So b/c I'm from a farm, people assume I'm going to be happy to go to rural farm country in a completely different state where I don't know people.

MY BOSS: Pretty much.

ME: Is there any chance it'll be at a different place?

MY BOSS: There's a slight chance it'll be in a cool city.

ME: Please put me in the cool city.

(Preview for next episode)
Boss calls Reed with his placement. Will it be in a cool city or rural farm county? Next time on FOX!

My First

2007-06-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

So I decided to follow the pop culture of the day and start a blog. My friends would probably tell you that I'm somewhat susceptible to peer pressure, so this should not be a surprise! A recent conversation with a friend illuminated me to the fact that I'm growing out of Facebook, so I need some other avenue by which to allow people to see what's going on in my life. (An alternative is to drive in front of my apartment complex at night and look into my glass sliding door/window where my shades are usually open and just peek in....Wow...that's kind of a creepy thought....I'm gonna shut my shades now!) I've never really been the literary type so I can see one of two things coming of this. I may uncover an eloquent side of me that can unleash emotions in cleverly worded prose. Or, I may have a grocery list of my activities I did for the day. My engineering side screams for the latter, but only time will tell which style of writing I will lean towards! (or toward).

All this being said, today I:
Went to work
Lifted my back and shoulders at the gym
Ate a microwaved hotdog with a protein shake for supper (Yes, I said 'supper'. I am farm kid)
Went to Bible Study
Wrote my blog
Went to bed (This is what I call "future tense" writing)!

Good night and good luck!