Abandon all hope ye who travel to Pennsylvania!

Ok...it's not that bad as a whole. Just the part my wife Sarah, my sister Anne, her friend Shannon, and I traversed yesterday. But I should back up a step or two.
We're here in Pennsylvania for a family reunion. Danville, PA to be precise. Tourist attractions and stuff to do in general of any quality are tough to find. It seems a little backwards here. Anyway, we began our day by going to a brewery in Pottsville. This town is out of control...stay away. The brewery was kind of cool, but nowhere near worth the hassle of driving there and navigating the labyrinth that is there street system. Just in case you're interested, it's the Yeungling Brewery...supposedly the oldest brewery in the US. http://www.yuengling.com/

Then we went to a "theme park" yesterday called Knoebel's (http://www.knoebels.com/). Believe me...the website makes it look a lot better than it actually is. I can't even translate into words how much yesterday pissed me off. Maybe a picture will do it.


Yeah, that's a pretty accurate representation of my mood yesterday. BUT, the girls had fun which was the most important thing.

Hopefully today will be a much better day. It's almost noon and we have done nothing. So I'm money ahead already!

We'll see what happens...

Mr. Six...the new face of evil

Ok, maybe I'm overreacting. But a year or so back this strange, elderly, energetic "old man" danced into a new Six Flags TV campaign...and into our nightmares. Is it just me, or is Mr. Six just plain creepy? Maybe he should be called Mr. 666.

My Civic Duty...

So, I was called for Jury Duty this week. 9 months in McLean County and my name, social security number, or whatever they use, gets drawn. Of course, I'm so special that out of all the potential jurors, I even get chosen to sit on the jury of 12. I guess it's not as bad as it sounds though...the lighting in the courtroom is kind of harsh. I may have a good sized headache by the end of tomorrow, but everything else seems okay. I get free parking, a free lunch, and ten bucks for each day plus mileage! :) Now, before you get too jealous, it's supposed to be a short trial. I'll probably be done by Wednesday. It's no Law and Order, but it should be interesting...Hopefully, I won't end up in a real life "Twelve Angry Men," or anything like that. Wish me luck!

On a lighter note...

It's about time my wife made an entry. Look for her next one around Christmas.

God bowling is fun...even though I really suck at it. Just got back from ThunderBowl in Mokena. 10 bucks all you can bowl tonight was the way to go. Plus, it was cosmic bowling. Jeebus, what am I 12? Hell, I don't care...it was fun. Coronas are yummy.

Pretty sure that didn't help my game any.

Why am I awake? Could it be the Depth Charge from Caribou Coffee with a shot of espresso? Likely. Time to sleep...or try.

I really should post more often. It feels good to empty my brain.

Life, death, and those left behind

Jesus...it's been almost two weeks since my friend Kurt Fischer died. 27 years old is too young to be taken so soon. One moment you're playing softball and in the next you've slipped away. It's too random. I guess it's easy to be angry. It's easy to shake your fist at the sky and ask "where was God for Kurt that day?" Then I remember...with any luck, He was with him on that field. He must have needed Kurt more than we did. Still, it hurts. With all the bad shit going on in the world and the millions of assholes, rapists, murderers, child molesters, etc walking freely I can't help but be angry that they remain and my friend is gone. I also can't help but question my own existence. What would happen tomorrow if, God forbid, I die? Have I done all that I want to do? Certainly not...not at this point in my life. We're too temporary to take life for granted. My patience for greedy and self-centered people in quickly waning. I've gotten to the point where I just want to shake them and scream "stop wasting your time being petty! It's not about you!" That's another story.
So Kurt is gone. His wife Katie and his twin brother Eric (and their respective families and friends) now must pick up the pieces and move on. My keystrokes to God's inbox.
Kurt Patrick Fischer...a truly kind, loving, considerate, and overall extraordinary human being. I miss you, brother.

Sarah's First Entry

So, it's only been, what?, 6 months since Matt set up this blog and I'm finally making my first post. It's 11:18 here and I'm pretty bored. I guess it's about time to start thinking about going back to school...I can tell that my summer is about to end when I start feeling bored.

We've moved into a new apartment, which is okay...We'd much rather be in a house, but it will do for now. So Harry and I are lounging around, though there are plenty of things I could be doing. I need to put clothes away, do dishes, and generally make the place feel more like home.

Harry, meanwhile, is doing great. He's become very protective lately. He does a lot more barking, which would be great if we didn't share a wall! :) But he's such a good dog, it's impossible to stay mad a him for anything. He's been such a blessing in the last 7 months. It's hard to imagine not having him around. He's also discovered a new game this week. It's called, "I'm going to take my ball up the stairs and drop it, so I can chase it back down again." He loves the stairs, but it makes it much harder to keep an eye on him!

Well...my eyelids are growing weary...until next time...