Official Notice

As stated above I have developed a head cold/congestion that started in my left ear and has now traveled to my throat and nose. It has also resulted in a splitting headache and aversion to light. Thanks to Caity for tipping me off to this form so you could all share in my ailment!

So Long March

March is rapidly coming to a close and for some reason this is all that enters my mind as another month wraps up...



Oh, yes my thoughts really are that random.

Roaming...Travel Signs

Hello Everyone! RoamingGnome here with some advice for when you travel, make sure you pay attention to signs and maps. Trust me, as someone who its 1'1", it is easy to overlook some little sign that might have some valid instructions. Well just take a look at these...

Roaming...The Journey Begins

Hello MisterE readers! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is RoamingGnome or RG for short. I thought you might enjoy a brief recap of what I hope is the first of many adventures. If you like what you see let me know and I will post more, even if it is hard to type; what with my hands being permanently stuck in my pockets and all. -RG

After a quick stop in Fillmore it is back on the road. Coach has sure changed since the last time I traveled. I will have to have a word with my travel agent at the next stop.

I provide my traveling companions with the ultimate advice one should remember when traveling with a large group...you can see their reaction above!

Excellent, dinner. In Cedar City I share some of my favorite meal suggestions with part of the group.

I knew I should have ordered off the kids menu.

At last, after a lengthy car ride we have arrived at our destination, Coral Canyon (which I am informed is pronounced in a whisper) in lovely Washington, Utah.

Later that night I make sure that my traveling companions are all settled in. Some of them seem to have fared better then others. Remember, you need to pace yourself when traveling.

The next day we recharge our batteries at In-N-Out. I am told this will be the first of many visits to this establishment. Good thing Gnomes like cheeseburgers!

As I stated before you need to pace yourself while traveling or at least plan in some resting time. Here one of my companions takes a nap before the adventure continues. Check back soon for the rest of the story.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My brother, Russ, took this picture in Scotland. Yes, I know it's not Ireland but to me this picture just says green (and even a blog doesn't like being pinched) and Scotland is pretty close to Ireland, therefore it works for St. Patrick's Day. I hope the luck of the Irish is will you all today!

Ready to Roam

Me and the RoamingGnome are getting ready to go on vacation! Sure, its still a few days away and yes, it is only to St. George but it can't come fast enough. I need a break! And from the looks of it Mr. R Gnome is already set to go.

Whats in a Name

Sometimes an image is just linked to a certain name. For instance this building..

Will always be the Empire State Building. There is no way you could ever call it anything else unless you moved it to New Jersey. Or this building...

The Chrysler Building could never be called the Reebok Building. I mean is has design elements of hubcaps and hood ornaments built into it. Plus it has so much chrome that if it wasn't a building the only other thing it could be would be a car..perhaps a 1930's Chrysler. And this building...

The Sears Tower is the tallest building in the US and the tallest skyscraper in the western hemisphere. At least it was until today when it was announced that the building would be renamed the Willis Tower after the insurance company of the same name from London. I don't know why this bothers me but it does. Sure, Sears started leaving the building in 1992 and sold the building out right in 1994 but it was still the Sears Tower long after Sears had left. Even after the naming rights ended in 2003 the building was still called the Sears Tower. I think the reason the name change bothers me is because I knew Sears. My mom worked for them, I have been in many of their stores, I even had a Sears card for a time. I mean I have been to the top of the Sears Tower twice. Willis Group Insurance means nothing to me. I think I have the same attitude I did when they announced that the Delta Center would become the EnergySolutions Arena. Besides the name not rolling off your tongue, the building was the Delta Center for as long as it had been a building. Plus just like Sears, Delta was a name I knew and an airline I had flown EnergySolutions means nothing to me other then cleaning up spent nuclear waste. I guess I shouldn't be too annoyed since I still call it the Delta Center even if the building no longer has that name on its signs. So too will I always call this building the Sears Tower. Sorry Willis Group, your name might be on the side of the building but at your core you will always be the Sears Tower to me.

Sink or Swim

I just got back from the rec center where I attempted to teach my little brother proper swimming techniques. This was easier said then done. You see us 3 older kids all had swimming lessons at a very young age. The twins on the other hand never did. What that means is that while I was trying to teach Dan a better way to swim freestyle he would instinctively pull his whole head and neck out of the water after every stroke. Not only did this slow him down but sent him all over the lane. Perhaps I am not a very good teacher since I told him it was like watching a dog swim. But he did his best and I am convinced that one day he will learn to keep his head in the water. Until then I will be clutching the wall of the pool in laughter while he attempts to mimic a dog lost at sea! He did improve his backstroke so the whole night wasn't a total loss and we both realized that swimming kicks your butt and makes you want to eat a ton of food. Nothing wrong with that!

MisterE Sidebar Stickers

Okay, I have decided to try something new on the ol' blog. I have been noticing a lot of bumper stickers lately and that got be to thinking...my blog needs bumper stickers!! Then I realized that my blog does not in fact have a bumper, this could be a problem. Then I thought, well I have a sidebar so I could have sidebar stickers. Yes, sidebar stickers, its genius! Scroll on down the page past the pictures and the archive and you will find the latest additions to my blog. Make sure to click on each sidebar sticker to learn about its origin. The cool thing about these sidebar stickers it that they are easily removed, unlike bumper stickers, so I will be able to change them and update them at will. Go ahead give them a look and then leave a comment with the one you liked the best.

Things I Love This Week: This Song and Actress

Its been awhile since I have let you all know what I am loving this week. I have loved this song for a long time. You can never listen to this song and feel down. Call it lame, I don't care. My Mom plays this song on the piano and it always brings back happy memories whenever I hear it. So you can only imagine my happiness when my favorite show had the song during its third season open. The best part is that the song is used to introduce us to Juliet played by Elizabeth Mitchell who is quickly rising up my Top Ten list of favorite actresses. I don't know if there is a Team Juliet/Team Kate competition going on but I am totally on Team Juliet! I hope you enjoy this combo of two of my favorite things.

Daylight Savings=Loss of Sleep

The thing I don't like about Daylight Savings Time is that it has the effects of jet lag without the benefit of travel. I mean it is 11pm and I feel like it is 10pm! Its not like I got a cool trip out of it to make the time change feel worthwhile. All I did get was the sun shinning right in my eyes during dinner which felt like it was an hour too early, therefore throwing off my whole internal clock. Yes, you can say it is only an hour. But that hour is going to be felt in the morning when I could use another hour of sleep. Oh, well I guess I will just do my best to crawl out of bed and drive to work in the dark. I am really not seeing the benefit of this at all...

The Bittersuite Life

Yesterday me, the twinages, and the parents got to go to the Jazz game. We we lucky enough to use the suite my Mom's work has. (This will most likely be the last time we have access to the suite for reasons that I won't get into here. Cough, low blow company that will rename nameless, cough!) Anyway, it was a good game versus the Houston Rockets and the Jazz overcame a large 1st quarter deficit to win; 9 straight!!. Here are some of the highlights from the evening.

Dan doing his best slam dunk impersonation

Jeff and I looking a little sloshed

The game begins

The Suite Life will be missed you can't beat these seats

The Jazz Dancers whose names all seemed to end in I

The Jazz Bear tempting the Ref

The end got a little to close as the Rockets pulled within 3 points in the last 3 minutes

I think this one explains itself

Three Good Reasons

A Llama?!

On The Verge

The following is a multiple choice question. Please select the answer the that best describes what the writer is on the verge of:

A: Going Mad
B: Being Locked in a Padded Cell
C: Never Being Heard from Again
D: Eating His Weight in Doughnuts
E: Running away to Mexico
F: Running away to Canada
G: Locking Himself in His Room
H: Letting the Overload of Work Crush Him
I: Hitting Rock Bottom then Finding a Shovel
J: All of the Above