Domo Arigato...

So I was conversing with a friend of mine at work of my contemplation of the possibilities I was considering for my next Halloween costume collection.  And he came up with an epic idea...

Below is an excerpt of the email he sent out to my entire work office.

______________________________________________________

Team

As many of us are aware, Halloween is a very special time of year particularly for Russ Miner.  This year, Russ has been deep in thought as to what costume he should get to add to his collection.

-         Hmm… How can I possibly decide what to get this year?

And then the answer came suddenly… as do many fantastically perfect ideas!

-         Eureka!  I’ve got it!  I’ll leave it up to the center to decide!

Please help Russ.  Click HERE to cast your vote in a survey format to help Russ decide which to choose.  He has narrowed his choice to 4 robots:

C3PO                    R2D2                    Wall-E                    Data

If you'd like to participate too... here's a link below to a similar survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YTFQG5H

Ahh, that new smell of fine Corinthian imitation plastic... Or, "I think I'll go chillax and lounge by the poolside!"

A few weeks back, as a prize for a contest Russ had at work one day, he came home with a "family-size" inflatable pool.  While other families were packing picnic chairs and sunscreen to attend the local community parade so early in the morning, he and Sarah decided to celebrate the 4th in style.  Accompanied with a camping tarp, a conveniently filled and stocked portable cooler, new beach towels, and a freshly mowed yard, there was little else to give into while the temperatures began to climb.

How to barbecue for 5 semi-unexpected guests...

Step 1 - Prepare your grocery shopping list and purchase a grill such as this one...

Step 2 - Ignore advertised packaging specifications and conveniences.  Instead, count how many non-traditional sized burgers and bratwursts fit on afore-purchased grill.

Step 3 - Liberally spray with cooking oil for a rust-resistant coating after assembly.  Add charcoal, lighter fluid, pre-collected pinecones as firestarter.  Light fire, Ugh-ugh!

Step 4 - Rinse down with soda & ice.  Repeat.

Ahhh, good times!

The 20 cent tour in 8 minutes...

Here's the link to the videos...

http://www.adrive.com/public/wraQ5E/casa de minero tours.zip

Whoah! We have a backyard!

As we begin to settle into our new house and unpack all our boxes, two opportunities arrived on our doorstep.  One in the form of a neighborhood youngster volunteering to mow our lawn for $5 each Saturday, and the other in the form of a friendly donation of yard implements and other handy tools.

Thanks to a local friend in Idaho (Marc), we have both a semi-cleared yard and a "new-to-us" mower!  Too late for a garden this season, but -- ahhhh, time for summer landscaping projects!

Want more pics?  go here: http://www.adrive.com/public/NEYsGB/backyard.zip

Magical Castle for Sale [Sale Pending!]

In search of a kindgom...

The queen and king, in recent days, went out (more like she went online) and found a portend for one recently inhabited castle.  The kingdom had been well-taken care of by her previous lieges.  The shingles of the mighty towers were in good condition, the dungeon was mostly well-lit and the dragons could easily be tamed to provide the necessary warmth for all the little peasants.  An appointment with the king's inquisitor led out a prosperous and noteworthy full report of the upkeep of the land and all her denizens.  Upon the receipt of this news, the king and queen have decided to emigrate from their current domain to this vast, new promising land.  Arrangements are still in transit for the papers of treaty to be delivered at the end of the lunar cycle, at which point, the king will oversee this large egression.

Second verse... same as the first!

So, for the second year in a row, I've been denied the opportunity to go to the much-anticipated company retreat.  This time I highly suspect due to "budget cuts" and also due to the recent acquisition/merger.  Originally it was for the top 3% of the company's performers in each venue for sales, retention, and business markets.  Now, suddenly its not even the top 1% that were selected.

All I can say is that I am trying to look at this in a positive perspective, and instead turn my frustration into a constructive energy approach and take every advantage of my job benefits and other opportunities.  I'm no longer going to hold stock in anticipating winning any contests at work, or promises of a different job/responsibility within the company.  If it happens, it happens.  And I'll continue to do the best with what I have at hand and use the tools they give me to work with.

Also, I'm planning to enroll in an online learning course through an accredited school and have my work reimburse me then for the tuition after completion.  It may mean sacrificing some of my fun time during nights and weekends, but in the end we hope its for the best over the long run.