I went to Lake of the Ozarks this weekend with my girlfriend. It was a perfect weekend to visit her dad. The weather was great and there was a lot of action due to the Shootout being a couple miles from his cove.

The weekend was a relaxing time where we ate a ton of food. We got the same delicious pizza on Friday night that we got last time we were down in which I ate twice as much as I should have. We had a huge fried fish dinner Saturday and I ate KFC buffet for lunch on Sunday. I have been wanting KFC for weeks after passing it numerous times on my various weekend get aways. We also had B&G’s both mornings. Needless to say, I got to hit the gym hard this week…lol.

We went fishing Saturday morning. We at least cost something this time but no keepers. I caught a small 12″ bass that was a borderline keeper so we threw it back. We hung out in the cove most of the afternoon but did go for a boat ride. We hit up one other cove and looked at the race. The picture above is a picture from pretty far away. There was a no wake zone forever so we did not go all the way down. There was a huge amount of boats if you can not tell. We were told that it might be the busiest weekend on the lake. All I can say is that I want a boat on the Lake more than ever. I just love going for boat rides. I can so see myself owning a place down there in 5 years.

True Blood was very interesting Sunday night. I almost felt like that could have been the season finale. That seems to be True Blood’s thing. I am pretty sure that I remember them bringing a conclusion to the major plot line right at the beginning of the last episode last season. This time they just did it at the end of the second to last episode. It’s going to be a slow next episode in my opinion but a very good season so I am happy.

This was definitely a weekend where I did not get any sleep. I feel like I might have gotten a total of 8 hours between Friday and Saturday. Very disappointing since I was just coming off a sinus infection in which I was feeling very exhausted.

I went to the Cards game on Friday night. The Cards were in a huge slump and totally at the wrong time. The slump did not end for us this game either. The highlight of the night was my friend Matt eating a bacon wrapped hot dog covered in baked beans, fried onions, and pickle spears. It was pretty funny watching him eat it for the mere fact that he told us that he was cutting high sodium items out of his diet earlier in the night. We left the game a little earlier since we saw the storms rolling in so watched the rest of the game from Paddy O’s basement. The place was not as packed as normal after the game. I am guessing because of the storm front. The people who did not show up were smart because the rain and wind was pretty bad. Basically everyone under the tent got a little wet.

I woke up bright and early Saturday morning for a friend’s wedding in Muscatine, Iowa. It was for one of my friend’s from Wash U and I was really looking forward to hanging out with the group. Thus we made the 4+ plus hour trip in the morning rather than go up the night before like some of the group did. We arrived around 1 to play a little Uno and have some tasty beverages from Mike’s new employer before going to the 5Pm wedding. The wedding was pretty cool. The reception was awesome. The food was great….had a terrific piece of steak and chicken. I also loved that there was both a live band and a DJ so there was a good mix. The band even mixed in some Katy Perry so they knew what the kids liked…lol. The band also played till 1AM and they had a midnight snack of pizza planned at midnight which was awesome. A bunch of the wedding party went back to my room after the night to indulge in a fine selection of more pizza, Taco Bell, and McDonald’s.

Not much happened on Sunday. Got back in the early evening and watched some TV and caught up on the DVR. I watched Big Lake and wasn’t impressed but I will still watch a couple more episodes to give it a chance. True Blood was awesome as it always is. A little disappointed that there is only two more episodes left. It seems like the season just started. I also watched the Big C. It was entertaining and will make my tv viewing lineup.

• I am really torn about getting a new Blackberry. The Torch obviously has to be better than my first generation Blackberry Bold 9000 but the idea that it is not on the 1 GHz processor level and updated screen is not very appealing for a phone that I will probably have for another 2 years. I might hold out to see if Blackberry makes any new releases for the Bold.
• I think I am at the point where I am going to buy a media server. I want to be able to play music on my home theater system from my PC. Know of any good ones? I am tired of listening to my PC two rooms away when having parties.
• I have another weekend of being out of town. I am really looking forward to hanging out with the Wash U crowd for Ann’s wedding but also really want to sleep in since I am recovering from a sinus infection. Unfortunately that is not possible.
• I do not know what to think of the Cardinals. They seem to make a lot of costly errors, their hitters are not dependable (besides Pujols and Holliday), and the relief pitching is very shaky. I do not think we can rely on Wainright and Carpenter carrying us in the playoffs (if we even make it there).
• This summer’s cable show TV lineup has been pretty good. True Blood has been pretty awesome. They really made this year interesting although it is a little more disturbing than past years. Entourage has also been good. Throwing as many celebrities as they can in an episode seems to work. I am also interested in seeing the storyline for Weeds this series. Looks like they are moving again based on the Series opener.
• Lost Season 6 comes out next Tuesday. It is supposed to have a lot of extra scenes for the last episode. I’ve already moved Disc 5 to the top of my Netflix queue.
• Am I going to buy Halo Reach and Civilization 5 in September? I have not been playing games at all since coming back from Chile but I know I am getting Civ 5 and will be playing it a ton. I will only buy Reach if a bunch of my friends do so I can play them online.

I was sick this weekend so sort of laid low. I went to Molly’s for my grandmother’s bday on Friday evening then made my way back to my place to relax. Molly’s new expansion was interesting but I was not impressed with the food. I can not see me going back. I closed on the night with some GTL action on MTV (aka Jersey Shore).

Saturday was the Kick Ball for a Cause tournament. I was not looking forward to it at all. I was feeling horrible and  it was supposed to be 100 degrees. I was also told that this team had never won a game in the last 2 or 3 years so did not know what to expect. Needless to say we were awesome. I set the bar high by scoring our first run by kicking a home run. I also made our team’s only double play so I called myself the MVP. My girlfriend even drove me in on a homerun so I was impressed. We won our first four games and advanced to the playoffs. We had a big inning in our first playoff game and won. We lost in the semi-finals. It was our first game on a dirt infield and our players were having troubles adjusting. We made a ton of errors and none of our good hitters could make contact. It was sad to lose but we were all feeling pretty bad after being in the heat for so long. I actually wouldn’t mind playing kickball again. It was really fun. We tried to watch Hot Tub Time Machine that night but it froze up after 5 mins on Charter on Demand and never worked that night.

We finally got to watch Hot Tub Time Machine on Sunday. It was funny but I thought it got good reviews and can not see how that is possible. Besides that, I did not do much. Ran some errands, made some delicious sirloin kabobs, and watched my Sunday night TV shows, along with catching up with 3 weeks of weekend wrap ups.

Last weekend was my annual guys trip to Spring Lake and Lake Michigan for the weekend. I skipped out on the stop in Chicago this year. I hear it was a blast though. They went to Wrigleyville and the Cubs were playing the Brew Crew. There were some pretty crazy stories. Instead, Mike, Troy, and I drove up Thursday afternoon and got in late that night. We tried to meet our friends at a beer tent but it was shutting down right when we got there so we went to Tip-a-Few. It was the only late night bar and it was the first time I have been there. They had cheap $2 beers so it was fun.

The trip was also different from the last two year because we could not go (nor did we really want to) go fishing on Lake Michigan because the waves were really high. The major benefit was that we got a lot more sleep. Normally we don’t get a lot of sleep the Chicago night or the pre fishing night so we always start the trip pretty tired. This benefit made a world of difference because I was able to stay strong all day Friday. We went to “the beach” finally on Friday.  This is a big deal because we have only talked about it the previous 3 other times I have gone but have never even attempted it. Needless to say it was awesome. The beach was packed and full of activities like sand volleyball and football. The only bad part was that the water was cold but we were told it was actually pretty warm for Lake Michigan. Once we got back, we grilled one of the many hamburgers I ate on the trip. I probably ate about 5 pounds of hamburger in 3 days. Not complaining because it was delicious but probably not good for me. We went out to Kirby’s that night. It was probably the best time I have ever had there. The band was awesome and I wasn’t super tired so danced a ton. The only problem was getting a cab back but that is always horrible to do. We hung around at a food stand an hour or two before we finally got a cab.

Saturday is the day to be at the Hanky Pank. After devising a plan to get around a boat issue, we finally made the cove around 1 to 2. The weather was perfect and the water was warm, unlike last year. We got an awesome spot in line where we had boats on 3 sides of us. It was a ton of fun hanging out with the guys. We went back to the clubhouse around 6 to grill some more. I was cashed out so decided not to go out with the group (two other guys felt the same way). Instead, I watched the fireworks pool side and enjoy a relaxing evening (without humidity).

We went back to the cove  on Sunday. There was only 5 boat out there at 2PM. We decided to anchor and listen to tunes and relax. There was a line about 10 boats by the time we left but we never joined in. That night we went to Grand Rapids like we unusually do. We stayed in a very swank JW Marriott that was right next to The BOB. We pregamed to a little Hall of Fame Game which was fun to see NFL again. We then went to Crush in the BOB. It was empty when we got there so we went to the rooftop to enjoy a drink. We  went back down to find it insanely packed. It was too much for some of us so we went to other bars only to find them completely empty so we made our way back. No matter what, I had fun this night too which is a first for our annual trip. Normally I am so tired but my strategy really helped. We did have a weird experience where the new hotel tested its back up generators at 2AM. Power was out for 2 hours so no AC. We complained enough so they gave us 4 passes for breakfast. You would think they would have tested it around checkout time.

This week was round one of my birthday month spectacular according to some of my friends since I met with one group of friends at Parties in the Park on Wednesday and another group on Friday. Next weekend will be the grand spectacular in Vegas Baby!

My girlfriend threw me a party on Friday for my 30^th Birthday. It was pretty awesome. She went all out and got me a great cake from McArthur’s Bakery.  We ate delicious party pizzas, quesadillas, and other snacks while playing Rock Band and conversing. We followed it up with a night at Rue 13 for my favorite 80’s night. It was basically a perfect night. I had so much fun with my girlfriend and other friends. Many thanks to all that wished me a happy birthday and celebrated with me. This is probably the most I have done for a bday ever but I really do not feel any different. Being 30 isn’t depressing like some people have told me. It’s actually a little exciting because I feel like it’s the next chapter in my life.

I chilled at a friend’s pool in JeffCo all day on Saturday relaxing. We have been hitting up a lot of pools this summer and it makes me realize more and more that my next house must have a pool. My girlfriend joked though that she didn’t think she would ever get any work done around the house if she had a pool because she would constantly be in it. After the pool, we hit up West County mall to do some much needed shopping for Vegas and Wedding cloths (got two in the next couple months).

Sunday was a mix of all kinds of stuff. It was supposed to be a “working around the house day” but it was rainy when I woke up. Thus, my girlfriend and I went for another round of shopping. By the time we were done, it was hot and dry outside so we started the yard work. The big project was dethatching my girlfriend front yard. The Zoysia grass was getting so thick that it was killing itself. TruGreen recommended raking out all the dead grass so it could breathe. We were comically doing this with a metal kids rake for 30 minutes before we decided to go buy a “Big Boy” rake. The funny think is that the kids rake was easier since it wasn’t as wide so it did not require as much force. It was pretty grueling work so I hope it helps. We both got blisters on our hands and a good workout. We filled up a huge yard bag of dead grass in a relatively small front year so I was surprised. We finished the night watching our Sunday TV shows. All I have to say is that I really like True Blood this season. The story is very unpredictable but believable in a sense which was not the case last year.

This weekend pretty much revolved around our “annual” float trip. I felt like I had been planning this trip for months even though we only started seriously discussing it two weeks ago. The reason it seemed like it took forever because I think about 100 emails were exchanged between where we wanted to stay, who was going, and what we were bringing. The issue we ran into was that most wanted to stay in an air conditioned unit for the night and waiting till two weeks before is not a smart idea.

We finally found a place after calling several campgrounds. The funny thing was that the place we ended up at was our original plan. They had some cancellations that freed up some spots. We chose Ozark Outdoors since we floated with them several times in the past and they are the closest. We had two rafts, 1 canoe, 1 motel room and 1 camp site. We chose a lot longer than usual float  (for some reason) so we were a little worried about doing a 9 mile float. We got there early (or at least some of us). There was no reason to worry because we got done with the float by 5PM which sucked. The water was high and had a decent current so we were just flying down the river. I was hoping to get back around dusk.

We had a lot of float trip “rookies” this year and it definitely showed. I almost thought my girlfriend died after she got swept up by the current under the raft and did not pop up till another 15 feet down the river. It was pretty scary but was out of her control. It was definitely the fastest current I have ever seen on a float trip. Especially in mid July when most of the time you are worried if there is enough water for a raft. Also, a couple of the girls took long naps during the trip. Jello shots are not for everyone…lol.

The water camera was also lost again. This is the second time in three trips so no pictures from the trip. Sorry to Mike. Hopefully it turns up.

The motel was very nice. Having your own shower and bathroom was nice. We were right next to our campsite too which was awesome. Needless to say, I still prefer not staying down the night but staying in the AC is ten times better. I would like to explore the party bus idea where we rent a bus and a driver for the day to drive us down and back. I think the cost would offset what we paid for the cabin and camping.

Not much went on Friday evening and Sunday. I went to my favorite Mexican restaurant again on Friday. We got fake tattoos again for the float trip but the alcohol in the spray sun screen quickly dissolved them. I watched the World Cup on Sunday but was bored with it mainly because I was tired. The game itself seemed very physical and fast paced. A lot of scoring opportunities were missed too. There should have been at least 3 or 4 goals that should have been made.

This extended weekend seemed to last forever but I still am not sure where it went. I had so many plans and was looking so forward to celebrating the holiday weekend.

My girlfriend and I met some friends for sushi on Friday. We went to Tokyo Sushi since it is a favorite of both my gf’s and some others in the group. I have eaten a lot of raw fish and weird things on my various work journeys around the world but this was my first true sushi experience. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. 75% of what we ordered (and it was a lot…it came in a big wooden boat) was good. It seems I like things with spicy tuna and do not like thinks with shrimp which makes senses based on past eating experiences. With that said, it is not something I am chomping at the bit to go back and eat. I can name about 20 different meals that I would prefer to eat first because of taste and price. We followed the dinner up with a St Louis tradition of eating Ted Drews. Two of my friends went and got their dogs so we could fit in with all the other dog couples…lol. The place was packed since the weather was gorgeous and the Cards game was just getting over. The concretes were good as usual.

I went back to my roots and went swimming at a friend’s house in rural Arnold on Saturday. A good time was had relaxing in the pool, shooting some pool hoops, and enjoying some adult beverages. My girlfriend and I were exhausted after a long day of sitting in the pool so we relaxed at my place for the night. We watched She’s Out of my League. I did get some good laughs but overall I wasn’t impressed. For some reason, I thought Seth Rogen was in this movie but it was only his lackeys.

I had a 4^th of July party on Sunday. It was a small get together but was a good time. My gf made delicious turkey pin wheels which I could eat for days. We made the 1 mile trek to see the air show on the Arch ground for it to start raining. We saw one F-14 and some old planes but they cancelled the show before the much hyped Harrier made an appearance. I guess it’s more of a reason to go to the air show at Scott in September. We were hungry so we decided to go get some food and skip the B52’s performance. We started walking and all the really close places like TGI Friday and Hooters had a long line. What amazed me was that a ton of restaurants were closed. For example, St Louis Bread Company was closed even though it almost right in the heart of the fair and right next to all the places that had a packed line. So we walked to Wash Ave to find more of the same. We finally made our way all the way back to Side Bar to find it open. I wish it would have been closed because we had a horrible experience. We found a table but had to ask for menus after sitting for about 5 minutes. After about an hour of waiting for our food, we realized there was a problem. We did not think we would be  in a time crunch for the fireworks but we now were. They gave free chips and salsa to almost everyone in the restaurant. We finally had enough and the waitress told me that had a new cook (which was going to be fired). We asked to cancel our food after we told her that we wanting to catch the fireworks. We ended up waiting another 10 minutes in which they packaged our food to go and gave it to us all for free. I at least have to commend them for that. We made it to Kiener Plaza to watch the fireworks but I would rather been on the other side to see the lower displays. Needless to say, it was a good site.

I felt like Monday almost did not exist. I think I slept like 11 hours and watched a whole lot of nothing on TV the entire day. I was such a bum. I had fried chicken for lunch and hot dogs for dinner so my laziness was compounded by the unhealthy eating. So much for the “Vegas Diet.”

This was a pretty action packed weekend for me with all kinds of plans. I hit up my favorite Mexican restaurant, Mi Ranchito, for dinner on Friday with my girlfriend. I normally always get the lunch enchilada meal but got a mixed combo to “branch out.” I swear that I will order something totally different one day. We followed that up with going to the grand opening of Copia on Washington Avenue. The place looked fantastic. They installed a sliding roof on the patio for when the weather is good/bad. The one thing that troubled me was a “corking fee.” We wanted to try some wine. We saw a bottle that looked good. It said $8 for glass and $16 for bottle so we figured the bottle is a better deal even though we only wanted a glass. Well they ended up charging us an $8 corking fee. I thought such fees were only when you brought your own wine into a venue…not when you buy it from them. That is super deceptive adverting and is not right. The bartender even made a comment about how stupid people are for not realizing the corking fee. We followed it off with a visit to Shiver. Shiver is a new vodka bar next to Copia. I read an article earlier in the week about how you can drink vodka in a freezer. They provide parkas to keep you warm. Supposedly it is popular in other big cities like Las Vegas, New York, and LA. It was a good atmosphere even though it was pretty empty. I would describe it like Lure (down the street) but without a cover and cheaper drinks so much better than Lure. But it seems like Lure lowered their cover. I can swear paying in the $15 to $20 range when it first opened. $10 is more reasonable but still the highest on Washington Avenue.

I went to a friend’s pool party on Saturday. The weather was awesome plus I did not get burnt which is a major win. We also watched the US soccer game. All I can say is that FIFA needs to make some major changes. I understand why United States has not embraces soccer like the rest of the world. These are the changes I suggest (1) add replay or more officials…the calls and missed calls have been ridiculous. (2) be able to rescind cards after the game like the NBA does with technical fouls. I have seen some horrible calls that have knocked players out of the next match when they should not have been. (3) make more calls on flops. (4) stop the clock when the play is dead. Is it that hard to stop the clock?…every other US sport does it. Stoppage time does not work. Watching how the Ghana players were just falling and laying down on the ground to delay time was ridiculous. No sports outcome should ever be determined because of the delay tactics of the other team. I don’t care if people say every team does it…that doesn’t make it right.

I went on a serious cleaning binge on Sunday along with knocking out a couple shows off the DVR. I am glad Entourage is back. I also like the new realm of True Blood. I thought last season wasn’t that good and definitely like this new storyline better. I have an appointment to get my wood floors professional cleaned this week which has be excited. I did something to my floors the first time I cleaned them and they have never looked the same.

I went and had pizza at the Stable on Friday. My girlfriend raved about the pizza and we had been talking about going for months. We started out with the bacon wrapped dates. They were delicious. We also had salads which were good. We then got to our pizzas. We wanted to order different things so we got two different ones and looked like pigs when they had to set up a tray next to our table for our second pizza. I got a sausage, pepperoni, and onion pizza which was awesome. My girlfriend got the jerk chicken pizza. She liked it but I really did not. It did not have tomato sauce on it. Instead it had something very similar to the Harry and Davis sauce. We finished up the night with watching Alice in Wonderland. It was good but I think it would have been cooler seeing it in theater in 3D.

Saturday was my good friends wedding. It was a great day. The wedding and reception were really nice. I had a lot of fun but I think I got heat exhaustion. It was pretty hot during the pictures and the whole day wearing a complete tux. I quit drinking around 7 but managed to get a little sick in the parking lot around 11. I had a headache and was light headed the whole reception…all signs of heat sickness.

I have no clue what I did on Sunday. I think we did some shopping and caught up on the DVR.