30 January 2019
it. cold.
You guys. It's cold. Too cold. And I love cold, but it's almost too much for me. The one good thing is that if you put room temperature beer outside, in less than an hour it's ice cold. It's so cold that places like the post office is not sending out their delivery men and women. Stores and businesses are closing. Schools are shut down. For all of that to happen, especially in Minnesota, it's something 'special'. I don't have much else to say about it.
13 January 2019
No Rush
The big thing on the movie landscape in the past decade has been super hero movies. Specifically movies in the Marvel Universe. Movies like Iron Man, Thor, and the Black Panther. Everything in between as well. They are all enjoyable to watch and I have seen them all with the exception of one (Ant Man and the Wasp). However, I do not rush out to see them.
They are all well made. Visually they are amazing. We truly live in an age of wonder with what movie studios can do. They bring you into a world that is an escape from every day life which is what movies are suppose to do. They're fun. They take themselves just seriously enough to have great cinematic tension, but also have quite a bit of humor in them.
For all the positive things that the MCU movies have going for them, they have one flaw. They all start to run together. There is not much of a difference from one to the next. Because of that, I haven't found myself rushing out to see them when they're in the theaters. I do understand the point of seeing them in the theater, it's an experience. It's an immersive environment, you get pulled into these grand adventures.
I'm sure it's great, but it just isn't for me. I'd rather sit at home and watch them when they're released to streaming services. You know, sit down in my pjs, enjoy a few cups of coffee, not have to over pay for the movie or snacks. In order for this to happen, you have to let go of the fact that if anything major happens, it won't be a shock to you. We just watched Avengers: Infinity War a few weeks ago and anyone that has seen knows about 'the snap'. It's a major moment in the MCU which has ramifications we aren't fully aware of yet. Because we finally watched months after it had been out in theaters, the major spoilers were gone. And you know what, it doesn't much matter to me. I'd rather avoid the large crowds and enjoy the movie from the comfort of my own home.
They are all well made. Visually they are amazing. We truly live in an age of wonder with what movie studios can do. They bring you into a world that is an escape from every day life which is what movies are suppose to do. They're fun. They take themselves just seriously enough to have great cinematic tension, but also have quite a bit of humor in them.
For all the positive things that the MCU movies have going for them, they have one flaw. They all start to run together. There is not much of a difference from one to the next. Because of that, I haven't found myself rushing out to see them when they're in the theaters. I do understand the point of seeing them in the theater, it's an experience. It's an immersive environment, you get pulled into these grand adventures.
I'm sure it's great, but it just isn't for me. I'd rather sit at home and watch them when they're released to streaming services. You know, sit down in my pjs, enjoy a few cups of coffee, not have to over pay for the movie or snacks. In order for this to happen, you have to let go of the fact that if anything major happens, it won't be a shock to you. We just watched Avengers: Infinity War a few weeks ago and anyone that has seen knows about 'the snap'. It's a major moment in the MCU which has ramifications we aren't fully aware of yet. Because we finally watched months after it had been out in theaters, the major spoilers were gone. And you know what, it doesn't much matter to me. I'd rather avoid the large crowds and enjoy the movie from the comfort of my own home.
09 December 2018
Festive Again
All the years that we lived in apartments, we did not have a real tree for Christmas. One of the benefits was not having the care and upkeep. No watering the tree. We didn't have to anchor it to the wall because it was uneven in the tree stand. There was minimal clean up from the 'needles'.
There wasn't a ton of advantages to the artificial tree. Yes, it was a tree but there was just something missing. We use to buy pine scented air fresheners and put them in the tree to try and create the atmosphere but it didn't last that long. Last year we got our first real tree. It was wonderful. Because of this, I feel like we can't go back to artificial tree. Sure we don't have that special go out and illegally cut the tree down in the middle of the woods before any law enforcement people show up moments because we buy pre-cut trees, but it is great to have a real one in our house. Every once in a while you'll get a whiff of pine when you walk by. It can just bring back so many childhood memories of this time of year.
So, once again this year, we have gotten a real tree for Christmas. And it is fantastic to have.
There wasn't a ton of advantages to the artificial tree. Yes, it was a tree but there was just something missing. We use to buy pine scented air fresheners and put them in the tree to try and create the atmosphere but it didn't last that long. Last year we got our first real tree. It was wonderful. Because of this, I feel like we can't go back to artificial tree. Sure we don't have that special go out and illegally cut the tree down in the middle of the woods before any law enforcement people show up moments because we buy pre-cut trees, but it is great to have a real one in our house. Every once in a while you'll get a whiff of pine when you walk by. It can just bring back so many childhood memories of this time of year.
So, once again this year, we have gotten a real tree for Christmas. And it is fantastic to have.
08 November 2018
Literary Mountain
Last night I finished reading the longest book I've ever picked up. 'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy is now sitting on my bookshelf after being read cover to cover. I started reading it last year in December and it took me nearly a year to finish. I did take some breaks from reading it. If I had forced myself to just read this book, it might have been done a month or two earlier. Being labeled as one of the great novels of all time it had always had my interest. I've wanted to read it for forever, it just sat on my bookshelf for the better part of a decade before I read it. It's daunting.
With over fourteen hundred pages it gives the reader time to grow to love the characters. Unless that character is Pierre. He is one of the main characters and dear god is he insufferable. I just didn't like him at all. Even from the get go. The book kept going and going and I was waiting to start to identify with this guy, but it just never happened. The rest of the characters? Good, some even great. Just not Pierre.
This isn't a book report. Go read it for yourself if you want the rundown. No more classic Russian novels for me. One was more than enough.
With over fourteen hundred pages it gives the reader time to grow to love the characters. Unless that character is Pierre. He is one of the main characters and dear god is he insufferable. I just didn't like him at all. Even from the get go. The book kept going and going and I was waiting to start to identify with this guy, but it just never happened. The rest of the characters? Good, some even great. Just not Pierre.
This isn't a book report. Go read it for yourself if you want the rundown. No more classic Russian novels for me. One was more than enough.
30 October 2018
Deck Work
One of the great things about owning a house is that you can make any improvement that you want. The one terrible thing about owning a house is that you have to do the improvement. Even if you have a decent concept about how much time, effort, and money a project is going to take, there always seems to be a point when you look around and wonder why you would do something like this. The payoff, however, is great. We are very happy the way it turned out and cannot wait to tackle our next project. Even if it is a small one.
A wonderful feature in our house is the back deck. It is large enough to have our grill, a couple of chairs, and a few more things if need be. It was in fairly rough shape though. The paint was peeling in several places and needed to be redone. We got help from both of our families at different points in this project. That is another reason why it is nice to live close enough to family to have that network of support. We are also a stone throw away from our neighbor's house. One thing that my wife wanted to put in was a privacy fence on the deck to give us just a little separation from them. As fun as it is to look right into their house, the fence just adds a little bit more to it.
This is a picture of the deck after we got everything was stripped and the privacy fence was added.
The color for the deck turned out great. We used this product called Deck Over which is suppose to fill in cracks and screw holes. It is extremely thick and is the same consistency of pudding. We joked that it looked like chocolate pudding and made us both hungry as we were painting over the course of a few days.
A wonderful feature in our house is the back deck. It is large enough to have our grill, a couple of chairs, and a few more things if need be. It was in fairly rough shape though. The paint was peeling in several places and needed to be redone. We got help from both of our families at different points in this project. That is another reason why it is nice to live close enough to family to have that network of support. We are also a stone throw away from our neighbor's house. One thing that my wife wanted to put in was a privacy fence on the deck to give us just a little separation from them. As fun as it is to look right into their house, the fence just adds a little bit more to it.
This is a picture of the deck after we got everything was stripped and the privacy fence was added.
The color for the deck turned out great. We used this product called Deck Over which is suppose to fill in cracks and screw holes. It is extremely thick and is the same consistency of pudding. We joked that it looked like chocolate pudding and made us both hungry as we were painting over the course of a few days.
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