Video Games Live 2006

On Saturday, August 5th, 2006, Stephanie and I went to the Rosemont Theatre to see Video Games Live! The show was a lot of fun. For those of you who don't know,Video Games Live is an orchestra concert playing nothing but music from video games. The concert started around 8 o'clock, but we arrived around 6:30 pm to catch the pre-show entertainment (Space Invaders competition, Guitar Hero 2 competition, Costume Contest, and more). Originally, we were sitting in row HH, the very last row on the main floor, but our tickets got upgraded to row C! The third row behind the orchestra pit! Our seats for the night were great, we were very close to stage and could see and hear everything perfectly. My favorite part of the show would have to be the Final Fantasy piano sequence, and Steph enjoyed the Mario Brothers sequence. After the show (not before, like I thought) was a meet and greet with some people in the video game industry (mostly composers). I got autographs from the co-creators of Video Games Live, along with people responsible for the music in Dance Dance Revolution, Halo, God of War, Smash TV, and more. But, the best part about the meet and greet was meeting four of the men responsible for Mortal Kombat, including Ed Boon (lead programmer)! I had a lot of fun, and would definitely go back next year.

Updated: August 9th, 2006

During the concert, I took some pictures using Stephanie's RAZR phone. I have the images up in a photo album in the pictures directory. Take a look Video Games Live! Photo Album

Minnesota Birthdays

Stephanie and I went up to Minnesota last weekend to celebrate her nephew's 1st birthday and her aunt's 50th birthday.

Happy 1st Birthday Jack! On Friday, June 23rd, we celebrated Jack's first birthday at Stephanie's parents' house. He is one spoiled kid :) It took four of us a couple trips to bring all of his gifts inside!

Happy 50th Birthday Shelley! On Saturday, June 24th, we celebrated Shelley's 50th birthday at Gulden's Bar and Restaurant. This was a surprise party for Shelley where over 100 people showed up to show their love. It was pretty amazing that the secret was kept. The day before, on Jack's birthday, everyone in the family was around and had to keep quiet about Shelley's birthday the next day, but they managed. After the party was over, a few people stuck around and went up to the bar for karaoke night. Sorry, no video of that ;)

Kelly's Wedding

On July 21st, 2006, my sister, Kelly, got married to Laurence Bradley. And their daughter, Shalese (who just turned two), was one of the three flower girls in the wedding. But, when the flower girls came out, there were only two... No Shalese. Apparently, she didn't want to walk in by herself, and when my dad walked my sister down the aisle, he had Kelly on his left arm, and Shalese in his right. It was pretty cute (sorry, no pictures of this as of yet, I was in the wedding). Aside from that little mishap, and the wedding starting about 40 minutes later than expected, everything ran smoothly. Both of our families got along well and there were no major disasters that I can remember. Congratulations Kelly and Laurence! I hope you are enjoying your honeymoon in the Bahamas!

Sailing on Serenity

Steph and I went sailing for the first time today! Steph's research professor, Rafael, has a friend, Arnie, who owns a 42-foot sail boat named Serenity. I got to manage the ropes for the "jib" on the "port" side of the boat. We learned that the ship we were sailing in weighed about 22,000 pounds, 9,000 pounds of which is consumed in the "keel" which is used to counter the force of the wind. Whew. Anyway, we had a good time going out (in rough, choppy water) and it was a great way to get some fresh air and cool down after these past few high-90 degree days. Thanks Rafael for the invite and Arnie for letting us on your boat!

4th of July 2006

We had a long, but fun weekend in Minnesota. Every year, Stephanie's family gets together to celebrate the 4th of July up at Square Lake in Washington County, MN. We got an early start on the 4th by getting up to Square Lake around 9:30 a.m. to grill up some French Toast for breakfast. We then spend the day soaking up the sun until around 5 p.m. Just as we got back to Steph's parent's house, we had to pack all of our things and hit the road. Steph had an interview the next day and I had work, so we had to drive all night to get home (watching the fireworks out of the car windows). Other highlights of the weekend include watching Munich and The Devil Wears Prada and Steph trying on a few wedding dresses (no, we don't have a date set yet - sometime August 2007).

Updated: July 7th, 2006

How could I forget? While driving up to Minnesota over the weekend, the brakes on my car (1998 Ford Mustang) started grinding. They felt fine on Friday (I've known they needed to be replaced, but I've had no problems with them), but all day Saturday, they were grinding whenever I touched the brakes. So, on Monday, I took my car into the local Ford dealer and dropped $912.80 on new brakes and rotors (both front and rear), a new fuel filter, and windshield wipers. Upon picking up my car, I decided to test drive one of the new Mustangs. I am not sure if I like the body or not, but I wanted to see what it was like behind the wheel. So, I test drove the 300hp Mustang GT. Damn, that car can move. I only got to drive around for like half a mile, but the one main road in front of the dealership is marked at 50 mph. It took hardly any effort for the GT to hit 50 and I didn't gun it. The interior is sweet: leather seats, adjustable seatbelt, 6 disc MP3 capable CD changer... I want it... if I could only afford the $500+ per month payment ;-)