Omaha, NE - Keep Omaha Weird.

If you've ever been to Austin, TX, you know that they have coined the phrase "Keep Austin Weird" (I think they did it first at least). I presume they did this to keep companies like Dell from ruining their cool little college town. Even the Lance Effect has had something to do with the large change in the Austin community in the last 10 years (good and bad).

But, I digress - Omaha has no reason to place this slogan all around town and on t-shirts. At least not anytime soon that I could see. See for yourself, won't you?


[if you've not heard of Scheel's Sports, it's a large Midwest chain of, duh, sports stores. Something of a cross b/w Dick's and Cabela's. they got everything a high school jock could want as well as your local deer hunter (including sausage stuffing machines, both electric and manual). and what better way to end the big hunt than with a big hunk of "Big Buck Milk Chocolate". If you know a better way, please share]


[this literally stopped at the red light in their old market area on Saturday morning. what you don't see is the parade of 10-12 cars, all with their own unique theme, that went by before the light changed. it was really really weird. and not, "like, wow, that's odd"... more like, "god, my mom is standing right next to me and she saw it too, i feel dirty."]


[awwww, cute kids playing music at the farmer's market. uhhhmm, not so much. more like a weird family of midwest hillbillies that found out they could make the monthly rent by making their kids play fiddles at the farmer's market each saturday. it wasn't too bad, but it wasn't too good either (there's also 3 or 4 more not in the shot)]


[and last but not least - the american family out for dinner. sounds fun, right? well, this mom and dad had gotten a "table keg" while their young daughter entertained herself (while her parents drank). not to mention, it was like 9:30PM and you'd think most kids would be in bed, or at least complaining that they didn't want to brush their teeth before going to bed with dirty teeth. sorry young lady, mom and dad have half of the keg to go through still - keep coloring]

Results, Poll #59, Sharing Poll Ideas.

Your mom always said it was important to share, but clearly some of you either didn't get that lesson or don't care what your mom said:

> 2 people (33%) chose 'yes' - sweet, send 'em to me!!!
> 2 people (33%) chose 'maybe' - does maybe mean 'no'? it did when my mom or dad said it to me when i was little.
> 1 person (16%) chose 'no' - c'mon, this isn't rocket science. you're sure there's nothing you've been wondering to yourself, like, "i wonder if everyone else flips off school buses full of children?". that's a poll right there!!!
> 1 person (16%) chose 'text me' - you chose this b/c you knew the poll was anonymous and I'd have no way of knowing who it was in order for me to text you - didn't you? Clever bastard.

I'm working on some new polls, be patient.

Ruminate on this quote.

A timid person is frightened before a danger, a coward during the time, and a courageous person afterward.
  - Jean Paul Richter

Nepaug Reservoir; Canton, CT.

As we looked for something to pass this time before our first shop visit, a co-worker and I found this little number hidden behind the evergreen trees in the middle of CT (look in the lower middle for the big blue reservoir). I'd recommend checking out something in your state too, you never know what you'll find (unless you live in Iowa, then it will be corn).

If you ever eat a lobster; Maine Fish Market.

You should review this post before you dig into a creature from the deep. My info is from a placemat at a wonderful seafood place in Connecticut called, funnily enough, the "Maine Fish Market".

[MFM serves lobsters in sizes ranging from 1 pound up to 11 pounds! They had one on the wall, stuufed like a deer head, that weighed 25 pounds - momma mia!]

[there are a few great parts about this placemat, like the view of the lobster leg straw recommendation (not really, you suck out that meat), but the best section, I think, reads, "6 - Separate the back from the body. Don't forget that this contains the tamale of liver of the lobster which turns green when cooked and which many people consider to be the best eating of all" - yum!]

Droppin NYC pics.

Yo, check it!
There is a reason NYC is one of the top cities in the whole wide world. I thought some visual aids would help illustrate the city of New York.


[all these night shots were from the rooftop lounge known as Mad46, on top of the Roosevelt Hotel - both pretty nice places, but watch out for the $12 mixed drinks... and the hostess]

[though not often taken, I have a thing for escalator shots, this was getting onto the E line]

[you should know that this is Times Square, no excuses]

Blue Sky Labor Day Weekend.

Pretty nice weather so far in southern MN, Iowa and now Omaha, NE.