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Monday, April 1, 2002 -
Good Swell Found On Topsail Island
What a good way to start off the month, 4 to 6 foot surf and clean conditions.
Bates and I ventured to Surf City on Topsail Island and scored some super good
swell. We left Raleigh as soon as the first surf reports starting coming in,
even though the forecast from surfline.com gave us all the info we needed. We
got to Surf City around 10:30 A.M. and it was firing. We peaked over the
boardwalk at the Surf City Pier and
saw 6-foot sets rolling in. We parked across
the street, got in our wetsuits and surfed for over 2 hours. Tube session, this
is the first session in a long time where I think I wore a smile the entire time.
We grabbed some lunch and then headed out for another hour before we drove back to
Raleigh. Once we got back to Raleigh we put away the surf gear and went to the
Flying Saucer to show off our newly acquired wetsuit tans! After grabbing a few
pints at the Saucer we came back to the crib and watched the Men's NCAA Basketball
Championship game between Indiana and Maryland. What an ugly basketball game and
we were all cheering for our ACC rival Maryland to pull it through. The Maryland
Terrapins went on to beat the Indiana Hoosiers 64 to 52.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002 -
Devils Come To Town
The Devils were in town to play the Hurricanes at the Raleigh Entertainment and
Sports Arena. In addition to that, Bates had some friends in town that were
ready to experience Raleigh. Bates took his friends around Raleigh and to the
new mall in Durham, The Streets of SouthPoint and Mainstreet. Everyone gathers
at the house just in time to grill some burgers on the back deck and get ready
for the hockey game. Everyone heads over to the E.S.A. around 6:30. Jesse, MB,
and I have VIP parking courtesy of Alcatel. We also have box seats, which are
awesome for any occasion! The hockey game was intense as the rivalry between the
New Jersey Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes heats up every time they play.
Last year the Devils knocked the 'Canes out of the playoffs in the first round
after 6 games. The Devils went on to beat the 'Canes 3 - 2. After the hockey
game, Bates and his buddies ventured out to Thee Dollhouse. Jesse and I declined
the invitation and stayed behind as the boys went out and didn't get home until
3:30 A.M.
Saturday, April 6, 2002 -
Cobras Preseason Bummer
It's Arena Football time and the Cobras are ready to strike! Today is the Cobras
home pre-season game against the Chicago Rush. The E.S.A. is packed with Cobras
fans and the Snake Charmers are on hand to cheer on the team. The first half is
exciting as most games remain close, but the Cobras fall behind and can't seem
to crawl back out of their scoring drought. Besides the lack of offense, the
Cobras secondary is dismal for most of the game and Chicago had their way coming
away with the victory 25-56.
Earlier today, MB and I got some major yard work done. We borrowed the chain saw
from my dad and trimmed up the back yard. We took out some of the smaller trees
in the wooded area of our backyard. The grass seed that I planted a few weeks
ago is starting to sprout and the red clay that once ruled the backyard is
beginning to lose the battle. Merri Beth also outlined the back area with the
garden path that we want. We plan on introducing some perennial plants along
the garden walk, around a small garden pond that will be illuminated by Malibu
Tier garden lights. By the way, the vegetable garden is ready to roll and I plan
on seeding some of it this coming week.
Tuesday, April 9, 2002 -
Garden Facelift
Today is the big day for "farmer" Jason. I broke out the seeds and hit the garden.
The plan is coming together nicely and I have 12 rows to work with in my small 16' by
12' area. I plant three rows with silverqueen corn, two rows of carrots, one and half
rows of lettuce, a half a row of radishes, and one row of summer squash and
zucchini. I reserved two rows for three different types of tomatoes and the last
two rows for various types of peppers. The tomatoes and peppers were started from
seeds inside and should be ready to transplant in about a week or two. I work in
the yard all morning the do some web work for the rest of the day. Besides some web
work, I also start cracking on my new project: Paving the Future. Please see my new
section about paving Lineberry
Drive, which has the intentions to get our neighborhood involved and gathering
support from the surrounding community to get our road paved.
When MB gets home from work we decide to go to the movies. We jet over to Crossroads
20 (in Cary) and check out National Lampoons Van Wilder. Van Wilder was hilarious
and we couldn't stop laughing. This movie had a decent plot and had just the type
of humor that both of us like. After the movie, MB and I go to Lowe's and get some
bricks for a small project that we wanted to do. At the bottom of the steps coming
from the deck, we laid out a brick "welcome mat" that has an interesting octagonal
design. The bricks are a smoky black and red mix and we put them in a 2-foot by
4-foot area at the bottom of the steps. They compliment the deck and the yard quite
nicely.
Sunday, April 14, 2002
Despite the fact that I have to work today, MB and Katie decide to go to Topsail
Island and enhance their tans. I guess you need to get a tan before you can enhance
it so they basically went to get their tans started. They return to Raleigh crispy
and red as the summer like weather that we had today charred them both.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002 -
One Night Out
MB and I decide to have a night out in Raleigh. When MB gets home from work we head
out to downtown Raleigh. My friend Jesse joins in and we plan on meeting some other
people while we are out. We go to the
Flying Saucer first, of course,
and it's brew nite. Tonight's beer is Foster's and as always, you buy the beer you
keep the glass, every Wednesday night. While at the Saucer, we bump into a co-worker,
Craig, and his friends. We tell them that we are going over to Jillian's to shoot
some pool and then to hit the dance floor. After leaving the Saucer, we walk around
downtown for a few minutes, then enter Jillian's Entertainment Complex. We proceed
to shoot pool for about two hours. Our friend Margie joins us shortly after. We
finish up the pool scene and venture over to the dance club. We have a blast
dancing the night away and slip out just before the clock tolls 2 o'clock.
Thursday, April 18 -
Yard Makeover
Bright and early everyone with hangovers! Not me, amazingly enough, my late night
munchy attack of Mountain Dew, 3 pints of water, Ritz crackers, a peanut butter and
jelly sandwich, and some vanilla ice cream roll any scent of hangover back to the
previous night. I am up bright and early at 6:45 A.M. This is a really good thing
for me because I had a huge day ahead of me. I was able to get some preliminary web
pages up for one of my clients, Ron, from Tentworks Inc. You can see the web design
that I've done for his business at
http://e-tentworks.com. Then, at 9:00 A.M. the guys from Arbor Barber Tree &
Stump Service - (919) 510-9544 (owner Patrick Brown) -
come prepared to take down a few pine trees that we did not want in the back
yard. These guys are amazing, they climb up the tree and as they do so, de-limb it
on the way up. When they reach the top, they take off the top, repel down the tree,
then they precisely drop the tree exactly where they want it. After that, they trim
the tree into smaller sections and send it to the wood chipper. They finished the
job by grinding the stump with the amazing Stump Grinder 4400. I asked them to put
all the wood chips in the driveway as I plan on using them for landscaping the back
yard.
The second half of my day then begins. I get up with a much hung-over Jesse and we
walk the 3 miles at Lake Johnson. Jesse comes back to the house and we chill out
for a while. Jesse struggles back to his place in hopes of passing the tantalizing
pain from having too much fun the night before. Bates and I hit the blazing hot
outside and begin to move the massive pile of wood chips that is flooding the
driveway. Wheel barrel by wheel barrel the pile slowly diminishes. We move the
pile into the back yard and mulch in the path that Merri Beth outlined a few weeks
ago. The wood chips fill the surrounding area with a hint of fresh pine and all the
neighbors compliment us on our landscaping skills.
Friday, April 19, 2002
Project Paving the Future continues. MB and I have been working hard all week on an
informative flyer to hand out to our surrounding neighborhood. We finalize the flyer
with our justification for the project, means of whom the community can contact, and
also the option to sign our petition by visiting the website or by returning the
bottom portion of our flyer to us. We handed out almost 100 flyers on our street
and to the immediate area. We anticipate a large response from our neighbors as
many of them have expressed interest in working to get the end of our road paved.
Saturday, April 20, 2002 -
Southern NC Beach Trip
A beautiful spring day in the city of Raleigh. The only thing that can top a nice
day in Raleigh is a nice day at the beach. So MB and I decide to go to Topsail
Island and take in the sun and the surf, well mostly the sun as the surf was
non-existent. We bring Dot with us and she had a blast catching the frisbee,
playing with her giant tennis ball, and chasing her normal size tennis ball into the
small surf. MB and I relax on the beach, catching up on our reading and enhancing
our tans. We return to Raleigh to catch the Carolina Cobras season opener versus
the Dallas Desperados. The Cobras looked a little better than their preseason game
but it wasn't enough for the new expansion team from Dallas. The Desperados pounded
the Cobras 57-44 to hand the Cobras their first loss of the season.
Sunday, April 21, 2002
While I am off at work, MB, Katie, and Bates take to the yard and get lots of work
done. They begin a major project by digging a 4' x 6' x 1.5' hole where we want to
install our garden pond. Of course, as some of you know, our neighbor is always in
our yard business and asks what we are doing. MB replies with a srcastic, "We need
somewhere to bury the body later!" Can you believe that our neighbor ALWAYS asks
what we are doing? She even asks me if I was going to have corn for dinner 2-days
after I put the seeds in the ground. Come on now, even you non green thumb people
have to agree with me that no one is eating corn after being in the ground for 2 days!
Monday, April 22, 2002
Attention Rock Fans! Hours of listening to
106.1 RDU has finally paid off. I
joined the 106.1 Workforce Lunch a few weeks ago. This is where you listen between
12 and 1, if your name is called, you have 10 minutes to call in and claim your
prize. Well, today was my day! They called my name and someone from work was
listening and called me at home. I, in turn, called the radio station and
won $106.00.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Alas, MB has finally finished her kitchen project. She bought a stencil of
grapevines and painted a border around the top of the kitchen and dining room.
Her work looks fabulous and adds color and zeal to our kitchen area. This, of
course, came only after she used the downstairs bathroom as a testing ground for
her indoor garden world. The bathroom is a floral of bright flowers that mingle
with butterflies, humming birds, bumble bees, and lady bugs (one of MB's favorite
creatures).
After MB concluded her kitchen project we decide to go up to Timeout Billiards for
a few rounds of pool. We luckily find out that Thursday's are couples night and
all couples play for free. Jesse joins for a few rounds but has to leave early.
MB and I proceed to swap games as she is quite the natural and I get frustrated
easily and miss "easy" shots. Bates finally gets off work and comes to whoop some
ass. Despite his mentally tired state, he easily puts both of us down. MB and I
really enjoy playing pool together so we will probably be playing some more in the
future.
Friday, April 26, 2002
Big weekend coming up. As we prepare for our Honeymoon in Barbados, MB and I
escape the city limits of Raleigh and head to the relaxing beaches on the Outer
Banks. MB gets out of work early and we make the four hour trek to Kill Devil
Hills. We get there and have dinner with my parents then enjoy the brisk evening
with a walk over to Tony and Melissa's. We bring Dot of course so that she can
play with their dogs, Roxy and Nalu. Tony was off to Maryland this evening and
couldn't hang out for long. We proceeded to go back to the beach house and chill
out for a little while. Then we had plans to go to the Outer Banks Brewing Station,
but these plans were spoiled with a band that we weren't interested in and a
$5.00 cover. Instead, we went over the Shucker's Pub and guess what....played some
pool (I told you there was more coming). MB and I swapped games all night, mostly
scratching on the 8 ball. I think MB won the last game fair and square but it was
back and forth all night long.
Saturday, April 27, 2002
Well, not quite the beach day that we had in mind, but better than being in Raleigh.
We started out by helping my dad with the garden. I brought up the yard tiller and
we tilled up his garden areas then integrated some new soil into the garden. After
that was done, the weather was chilly and began to overcast. We decided it was best
to hide in the house and watch some movies.
Elizabeth's Cafe Wine Dinner
Later this evening, we head to Duck, NC to enjoy dinner at
Elizabeth's Cafe &
Winery. Our good friend Melissa waited on us and Brad was cooking up a storm in
the kitchen. I don't want to leave out Debra who was busy taking care of Leonard
Logan (the owner) and his party people from Travel Magazine. MB and I decided to
partake in the premium wine dinner. Here's a sample of some of the food and wine
that we had:
Initial Champagne & Pate du Jour
served with Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne
Amuse-Gueules
MB - "Extra Jumbo" light Indian spice rubbed shrimp flame grilled and served
with a lobster orzo made in the style of risotto with a hint of mango served with
Dopff & Irion 2000 Alsace Pinot Blanc
JH - Seared Foie Gras on sauteed pears served with Loionis
1997 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc - Eugena
Salade
Mixed Napa Greens - fresh and dried fruit with a pecan White Burgundy Chardonnay
White dressing served with Joseph Phelps 1999 Pastiche - California White Meritage
Intermediaire
Chef's selection of Palate Cleanser served with a splash of sparkling
Plat Initial
MB - Sliced duck breasts with a dark cherry, merlot, mango chambord sauce
accompanied by wine poached fresh vegetables served with
1997 Chehalem Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Rion Reserve
JH - Roasted quail with a wild mushroom sage sausage stuffing served with white
beans in a fine au jus served with Chalone Vintage 1998
Chardonnay
Plat Principal
Certified Angus Beef Tenderloin Medallion au poivre flame grilled and served
with our French Courvoisier Cognac roasted mushroom medley black pepper cream sauce
and accompanied by Yukon Gold garlic mashed potatoes with caramelized onions and
wine poached vegetables served with Quintessa 1998 Napa
Valley Red Meritage
Surprised then with dessert and the check!
We recommend Elizabeth's to anyone who requires some awesome food and tasteful, complimenting wines while on vacation on the Outer Banks.
Sunday, April 28, 2002
So we survived the wine dinner from the night before and join Melissa for brunch at
Bessie's Kitchen & Spirit. Good food with some cool, live music in the
background. After brunch, we said our good byes to Melissa, Roxy, and Nalu.
Then we headed back to the beach house to pack for our return to Raleigh. But wait
just one minute, there's more! As we were packing, the sun managed to break out
from behind the clouds. We decided to go to the beach before we left. We enjoyed a
small walk on the sandy beaches of Kill Devil Hills for 30 minutes before the
dreaded four-hour drive back to Raleigh.
The Top Dog Flies The Saucer
Once back in Raleigh, we unpacked the car and headed to our favorite bar, the
Flying Saucer.
Tonight was a special night because the Saucer had top dog Eric Warner from
the Flying Dog brewery on
hand for a Spring beer tasting. We enjoyed a flight of 5 Flying Dog brews: the Tire
Bite Golden Ale, Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale, In-heat Wheat Hefeweizen Ale,
K-9 Cruiser Altitude Ale, and Road Dog Ale. After the flight was enjoyed with the
never-ending appetizers, they handed out Flying Dog Brewery Pint Glasses, then we
enjoyed a pint of or favorite Flying Dog brew. Eric talked about the brewery and
each beer throughout the flight tasting, then came around to answer any other
questions that we had. This was a way cool way to spend an evening and we can't
wait until the Saucer brings more beer tastings like this to Raleigh!
Monday, April 29, 2002
Well today was a beautiful day in Raleigh. I got up and spent some quality time with
my yard. I broke out the lawn mower and mowed the portions of our grass that are
actually growing. Then I watered the lawn and began to plant some more plants.
Over the weekend, MB and I found some pepper plants to add to our garden. I planted
some Tabasco, Hot Cheyenne, and Jalapeno peppers. I also played with the foundation
for our garden pond a little, getting it ready for installation. After the yard
work, I took Dot over to Lake Johnson where we met up with Jesse and walked around
the lake. I came back and went to work, how exciting! And boy was it, today we got
hammered with calls. In fact, I was on an outage call for over four hours today.
But I've only got to make it to the end of the week, then it time for some vacation!
Announcing The Honeymoon
By the way, in case some of you don't know, MB and I are taking our Honeymoon in
Barbados next week. We will be enjoying an entire week in the southern Caribbean on
the island of Barbados, Mt. Gay and Malibu Rum beware!
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