This past weekend, Morgan and I attended our friend's wedding. Thomas (the groom) is one of my fraternity brothers. Over the past 5 years, he has watched as all of his friends have gotten married. He normally is a very calm and controlled person, however at wedding receptions he opens up and gains some 'liquid courage'. It has been at the weddings over the past 5 years that we have come to know Thomas' alter-ego. We refer to his alter-ego as "Wedding Picardy". This past weekend we sadly laid to rest "Wedding Picardy" and welcomed a new chapter in Thomas' life; marriage.
You're my boy blue,
-Frank the tank
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Calling all bloggers!!!!
As you can see I have a pretty nice list of friends on the sidebar that have blogs. Unfortunately, many of those people's blogs have been dormant for quite sometime. So, this blog is to thank those who have been blogging and to chastise those that have not.
Thanks goes to the following people for actually posting in the month of April:
Warren
Andy
Andrew
Alan
Sarah
And now to the chastising. The following people need to get on the ball and post some stuff so that I have something to read while at work (the last time they posted is in parenthesis):
Ryan (03/30/06)
James (03/18/06)
Amy (03/16/06)
Jeff (03/12/06)
Davis and Julie (03/06/06)
Melanie (03/03/06)
Elizabeth (02/24/06)
Morgan (01/15/06)
Chris (10/24/05)
Nick (07/13/05)
Thanks to those who help me get through the work day by posting. To those of you who haven't been posting, get on it. I am getting sick of reading CNN.com and the Presbyterian News Service.
Peace,
boredatwork
Thanks goes to the following people for actually posting in the month of April:
Warren
Andy
Andrew
Alan
Sarah
And now to the chastising. The following people need to get on the ball and post some stuff so that I have something to read while at work (the last time they posted is in parenthesis):
Ryan (03/30/06)
James (03/18/06)
Amy (03/16/06)
Jeff (03/12/06)
Davis and Julie (03/06/06)
Melanie (03/03/06)
Elizabeth (02/24/06)
Morgan (01/15/06)
Chris (10/24/05)
Nick (07/13/05)
Thanks to those who help me get through the work day by posting. To those of you who haven't been posting, get on it. I am getting sick of reading CNN.com and the Presbyterian News Service.
Peace,
boredatwork
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
The Da Vinci Code Quest
Google, in cooperation with Sony Pictures, has started a game based on The Da Vinci Code entitled 'The Quest'. Essentially everyday between now and the day the movie premieres, you can try and solve puzzles and answer questions based on the book/movie. If you make it to the end of the game, you will be entered into a drawing to win prizes. Since I just finished the book and it is still fresh in my mind I thought that I would give it a shot. So, click here to go to the home page for the game.
Good Luck,
-Robert Langdon
PS- Yes, they did steal the name of my blog for the name of their game and I will be suing for copyright infringement!!!!!
Monday, April 17, 2006
Easter isn't about a bunny, it is about Jesus...
and the following video shows you exactly why no one should ever celebrate the Easter Bunny:
Thanks to Warren for the video link!!!!
Thanks to Warren for the video link!!!!
Monday, April 10, 2006
Napa Valley
Wine Cellar at Robert Mondavi.
Regusci (where we had picnic).
Terrace at Sterling.
Mumm (duh).
After playing Bocce at Rubicon.
Mud Baths at Golden Haven.
Before dinner on Friday night.
San Francisco: Golden Gate Bridge
Robert driving (note: my hands are at '10 and 2') across the bridge.
What it looks like from the car.
After we conquered it.San Francisco: Barnes & Noble
Morgan doing some research and travel planning while we tried to get out of the rain and warm up with some Starbucks in the local Barnes & Noble.
Wine Part II
Here is the much anticipated recap of the last few days of our trip in Napa Valley (see previous post for the first 5 days).
Wednesday Night: We did indeed eat at Rutherford Grille. I had the best steak I have ever had and Morgan had a wonderful French Dip sandwich. We also brought a bottle of Merlot from Goosecross that we had purchased that afternoon and had it without paying a corkage fee (other than the food, that is one of the biggest pros for this restaurant).
Thursday: After another 'cooked to order' breakfast, we headed to the wineries. When we had checked into the hotel, Reynaldo (the General Manager at the Embassy Suites) had left us a bottle of wine (again, thanks to the Embassy Suites Uncles) to welcome us. It was from a winery by the name of Turnbull. So, we felt we should check this place out. The wine was okay and the winery was unimpressive, but we felt obligated. Next we went to Rubicon (formerly Niebaum-Coppola). This winery is owned by the famous Francis Ford Coppola who keeps his permanent residence on the back of the property. Although the entrance fee was steep ($25/person) it was my favorite stop of the entire trip. They do a very good history tour of the property including the caves and some Godfather memorabilia. The tasting included 5 very good wines and the entire property is exactly like what you think a wine Chateau should be. Thanks to the Umphletts (Lorinda and David) we knew to ask about the bocce ball set. It took them a few minutes to find it (apparently we were the first people to ask about it in months), but when they finally did, we had a blast playing bocce while drinking some really good wine. After Rubicon, we headed to Lake Berryessa and had another 'Tourist Lunch'. Then we went to Mumm to try the Sparkling Wine (aka. Champagne but since it isn't from Champagne they call it Sparkling Wine). Most of the wineries close at 4:30 or 5, but we had heard about Peju which stays open until 6, so we headed there for our final stop of the day. It was crowded (I think other people had the same idea about going there last as we did) but we tasted some interesting wine that was presented to us by a white man in his 60's who was either rapping (yes, like a gangsta) or reciting Monty Python movie quotes while telling us about the wines. Needless to say it was the most interesting delivery of wine tasting that we recieved the entire trip. Dinner tonight was from Joy Luck Chinese delivery which we ate as we watched 'The O.C.' in our suite.
Friday: Well, the chinese didn't sit too well with Morgan, so we got a slow start Friday morning. We finally made it to Calistoga around lunch time where we ate lunch at a little restaurant called Checkers (not the fast-food place) and we had a peperoni pizza. We then headed to Sterling Winery which is on top of a mountain and you have to ride an aerial tram (which is worth the price of admission alone) to get to the winery. Once there you do a self guided tour to an amazing terrace that overlooks the entire valley. I enjoyed the tasting, but Morgan turned a little green at her first sip. Good thing this was the only winery planned for today. After we came down from the mountain, it was time to be pampered. Morgan had been dying to have a couples 'spa day' so we booked a couples mud bath treatment at Golden Haven Hot Springs. We enjoyed a mud bath, Hot Mineral Spring Shower, Hot Mineral Spring Jacuzzi, and it completed with a blanket wrap. Morgan says her favorite part of the trip was seeing my face when I started to get into the Mud Bath (yes, I was very terrified). After the couples spa day, we headed back to the Embassy Suites for complimentary drinks and then got ready for dinner. Dinner tonight was at Mustards where I had an amazing Prime Rib and Morgan had very good pork chops. It was all followed up by some amazing dessert that I can't remember what it was except that it had lots of rich chocolate in it. Yum Yum.
Saturday: We headed to the Airport, turned in the rental car, scarfed down lunch, ran to the plane (carrying 11 bottles of wine), and arrived at the ATL airport around 9 PM. Kevin picked us up and we headed home to our dirty house (which we spent all day Sunday cleaning). Dinner tonight was Taco Bell (thank goodness the boycott is over) and then we tried to go to sleep around midnight (which was like going to bed at 9 PM Napa time).
So that was our trip. I will post some pics.
Wednesday Night: We did indeed eat at Rutherford Grille. I had the best steak I have ever had and Morgan had a wonderful French Dip sandwich. We also brought a bottle of Merlot from Goosecross that we had purchased that afternoon and had it without paying a corkage fee (other than the food, that is one of the biggest pros for this restaurant).
Thursday: After another 'cooked to order' breakfast, we headed to the wineries. When we had checked into the hotel, Reynaldo (the General Manager at the Embassy Suites) had left us a bottle of wine (again, thanks to the Embassy Suites Uncles) to welcome us. It was from a winery by the name of Turnbull. So, we felt we should check this place out. The wine was okay and the winery was unimpressive, but we felt obligated. Next we went to Rubicon (formerly Niebaum-Coppola). This winery is owned by the famous Francis Ford Coppola who keeps his permanent residence on the back of the property. Although the entrance fee was steep ($25/person) it was my favorite stop of the entire trip. They do a very good history tour of the property including the caves and some Godfather memorabilia. The tasting included 5 very good wines and the entire property is exactly like what you think a wine Chateau should be. Thanks to the Umphletts (Lorinda and David) we knew to ask about the bocce ball set. It took them a few minutes to find it (apparently we were the first people to ask about it in months), but when they finally did, we had a blast playing bocce while drinking some really good wine. After Rubicon, we headed to Lake Berryessa and had another 'Tourist Lunch'. Then we went to Mumm to try the Sparkling Wine (aka. Champagne but since it isn't from Champagne they call it Sparkling Wine). Most of the wineries close at 4:30 or 5, but we had heard about Peju which stays open until 6, so we headed there for our final stop of the day. It was crowded (I think other people had the same idea about going there last as we did) but we tasted some interesting wine that was presented to us by a white man in his 60's who was either rapping (yes, like a gangsta) or reciting Monty Python movie quotes while telling us about the wines. Needless to say it was the most interesting delivery of wine tasting that we recieved the entire trip. Dinner tonight was from Joy Luck Chinese delivery which we ate as we watched 'The O.C.' in our suite.
Friday: Well, the chinese didn't sit too well with Morgan, so we got a slow start Friday morning. We finally made it to Calistoga around lunch time where we ate lunch at a little restaurant called Checkers (not the fast-food place) and we had a peperoni pizza. We then headed to Sterling Winery which is on top of a mountain and you have to ride an aerial tram (which is worth the price of admission alone) to get to the winery. Once there you do a self guided tour to an amazing terrace that overlooks the entire valley. I enjoyed the tasting, but Morgan turned a little green at her first sip. Good thing this was the only winery planned for today. After we came down from the mountain, it was time to be pampered. Morgan had been dying to have a couples 'spa day' so we booked a couples mud bath treatment at Golden Haven Hot Springs. We enjoyed a mud bath, Hot Mineral Spring Shower, Hot Mineral Spring Jacuzzi, and it completed with a blanket wrap. Morgan says her favorite part of the trip was seeing my face when I started to get into the Mud Bath (yes, I was very terrified). After the couples spa day, we headed back to the Embassy Suites for complimentary drinks and then got ready for dinner. Dinner tonight was at Mustards where I had an amazing Prime Rib and Morgan had very good pork chops. It was all followed up by some amazing dessert that I can't remember what it was except that it had lots of rich chocolate in it. Yum Yum.
Saturday: We headed to the Airport, turned in the rental car, scarfed down lunch, ran to the plane (carrying 11 bottles of wine), and arrived at the ATL airport around 9 PM. Kevin picked us up and we headed home to our dirty house (which we spent all day Sunday cleaning). Dinner tonight was Taco Bell (thank goodness the boycott is over) and then we tried to go to sleep around midnight (which was like going to bed at 9 PM Napa time).
So that was our trip. I will post some pics.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Rain, wine, wine, and more wine!!!!
Here is a quick recap of our first 5 days of our 8 day trip:
Saturday: We arrived to the airport (after riding Marta) over an hour prior to our flight. Much to our dismay, the AirTran line at the Marta entrance had about 50 people in it. So we opted for the main ticket counter. As we got closer to the main counter, we realized we had made a bad choice. Quite literally the main ticket counter line was close to a mile long wrapping around the corridor. We promptly headed back to the Marta entrance line. After waiting about 30 minutes we started to get nervous that we would miss our flight. Morgan used her charm and good looks to get us expedited to the front of the line where our bags were promptly checked in and we headed to the gate. We got to the gate after everyone else had boarded and we were finally on our way. (Note to self: NEVER FLY ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF SPRING BREAK AGAIN)
After arriving we got our rental car (Dodge Durango) and headed to Fisherman's Wharf. We checked into the hotel (the Hilton in Fisherman's Wharf) and headed out to the Wharf where we had a hot dog and a beer while being attacked by seagulls. We strolled the shops and then decided to do a driving tour. We drove down Lombard Street and to Union Square. Finally, we headed back to the Hotel where our 'Amenities' (a nice bottle of Champagne and some strawberries, compliments of the hotel since it was our anniversary) was waiting. We ate and drank and watched the end of the semi-final games of the Final Four. Then we headed to an Irish Pub for dinner and called it an early night.
Sunday: We ate breakfast at a cute little place called Pat's Cafe that overlooked the Cable Car line. Then we headed to Alcatraz in the rain. After seeing Capone's cell we did a driving tour of Chinatown and then a walking tour of Chinatown (also in the rain, so we finally purchased a second umbrella) and then we at at the R & G Lounge (a local Chinatown favorite). Again we retired early.
Monday: Rain again (we are getting used to it). We finally actually rode the cable car to Union Square. After walking all over the place we settled in for lunch at a soup and sandwich place. Then we acted like we have a lot of money and walked in the nice stores around Union Square. Morgan tried on expensive designer jeans in Saks and we looked at jewelry at Tiffany's. Then we headed to the Cable Car Muesem (there is a reason it is FREE). We checked out of our hotel and despite Morgan's navigational skills, we did driving tours of Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury, and Sausalito. We also did a walking tour of Muir Woods National Park. We arrived at the Embassy Suites in Napa just in time for the complimentary cocktails and then went to dinner at a local sports bar so we could watch the National Championship Basketball game.
Tuesday: After a 'cooked to order' breakfast at the Embassy Suites, we headed to the wineries (finally). Although it was still raining, that didn't stop them from pouring us all sorts of wine to taste. Today's wineries included Robert Mondavi, Plumpjack, and Clos du Val. Dinner was at the Bistro Don Giovanni where Morgan had a Pizza Margarita and I had a Pan Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatos.
Wednesday: After another 'cooked to order' breakfast, we headed to Copia (the museum for food and wine in Napa). We saw trashy art, I mean, uh, art made of trash and tasted a few different wines and cheeses. We then headed to a local grocery store where we picked up a typical 'tourist picnic lunch' (cheese, crackers, and summer sausage). Thanks to the wonderful people at Clos du Val (one of the wineries from Tuesday) we had free tasting coupons for several other wineries and, as you all know, we can't ever pass up anything free. Today's wineries included Hagafen, Regusci, Goosecross, and Cosentino. At Regusci they had picnic tables, so we ate our tourist lunch (see pic below) and then drank wine while admiring the two well-behaved yellow labs and the view. While we were there, the hogs got out of the pin and so the owner had to run off with a few farmhands to chase them down. Tonight we are headed to Rutherford Grille which comes highly recommended from ALL of the locals. Plus, we can bring our own wine without paying a corkage fee.
More to come later...
Saturday: We arrived to the airport (after riding Marta) over an hour prior to our flight. Much to our dismay, the AirTran line at the Marta entrance had about 50 people in it. So we opted for the main ticket counter. As we got closer to the main counter, we realized we had made a bad choice. Quite literally the main ticket counter line was close to a mile long wrapping around the corridor. We promptly headed back to the Marta entrance line. After waiting about 30 minutes we started to get nervous that we would miss our flight. Morgan used her charm and good looks to get us expedited to the front of the line where our bags were promptly checked in and we headed to the gate. We got to the gate after everyone else had boarded and we were finally on our way. (Note to self: NEVER FLY ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF SPRING BREAK AGAIN)
After arriving we got our rental car (Dodge Durango) and headed to Fisherman's Wharf. We checked into the hotel (the Hilton in Fisherman's Wharf) and headed out to the Wharf where we had a hot dog and a beer while being attacked by seagulls. We strolled the shops and then decided to do a driving tour. We drove down Lombard Street and to Union Square. Finally, we headed back to the Hotel where our 'Amenities' (a nice bottle of Champagne and some strawberries, compliments of the hotel since it was our anniversary) was waiting. We ate and drank and watched the end of the semi-final games of the Final Four. Then we headed to an Irish Pub for dinner and called it an early night.
Sunday: We ate breakfast at a cute little place called Pat's Cafe that overlooked the Cable Car line. Then we headed to Alcatraz in the rain. After seeing Capone's cell we did a driving tour of Chinatown and then a walking tour of Chinatown (also in the rain, so we finally purchased a second umbrella) and then we at at the R & G Lounge (a local Chinatown favorite). Again we retired early.
Monday: Rain again (we are getting used to it). We finally actually rode the cable car to Union Square. After walking all over the place we settled in for lunch at a soup and sandwich place. Then we acted like we have a lot of money and walked in the nice stores around Union Square. Morgan tried on expensive designer jeans in Saks and we looked at jewelry at Tiffany's. Then we headed to the Cable Car Muesem (there is a reason it is FREE). We checked out of our hotel and despite Morgan's navigational skills, we did driving tours of Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury, and Sausalito. We also did a walking tour of Muir Woods National Park. We arrived at the Embassy Suites in Napa just in time for the complimentary cocktails and then went to dinner at a local sports bar so we could watch the National Championship Basketball game.
Tuesday: After a 'cooked to order' breakfast at the Embassy Suites, we headed to the wineries (finally). Although it was still raining, that didn't stop them from pouring us all sorts of wine to taste. Today's wineries included Robert Mondavi, Plumpjack, and Clos du Val. Dinner was at the Bistro Don Giovanni where Morgan had a Pizza Margarita and I had a Pan Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatos.
Wednesday: After another 'cooked to order' breakfast, we headed to Copia (the museum for food and wine in Napa). We saw trashy art, I mean, uh, art made of trash and tasted a few different wines and cheeses. We then headed to a local grocery store where we picked up a typical 'tourist picnic lunch' (cheese, crackers, and summer sausage). Thanks to the wonderful people at Clos du Val (one of the wineries from Tuesday) we had free tasting coupons for several other wineries and, as you all know, we can't ever pass up anything free. Today's wineries included Hagafen, Regusci, Goosecross, and Cosentino. At Regusci they had picnic tables, so we ate our tourist lunch (see pic below) and then drank wine while admiring the two well-behaved yellow labs and the view. While we were there, the hogs got out of the pin and so the owner had to run off with a few farmhands to chase them down. Tonight we are headed to Rutherford Grille which comes highly recommended from ALL of the locals. Plus, we can bring our own wine without paying a corkage fee.
More to come later...
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