Episode LXXV: Things Which Happened In January

Here’s something interesting that happened in January: I had a birthday!

In celebration of my birthday Rafael took me to a crazy restaurant in Downtown Lawrence where this Japanese chef serves no more than two tables every three hours (reservations required, of course) and freshly prepares an eight course meal. The food was exquisite. Here is one example, a filet of white tuna that has been carved into delicate pieces the thickness of rose petals, accompanied by a chef-made soy sauce served in a shotglass made of ice.

I received some nice cards and presents in the mail from family and such. Thank you all. Some random and otherwise noteworthy gifts include Spongebob Squarepants boxers, and a Shiatsu foot massager, which I have started a daily tradition of using. It serves as an excellent relaxant after coming home from a long day of labwork.

I happened to remember that I had some old birthday cake in the freezer, which my girlfriend had baked for me. Two years ago. I thawed it and ate it on my birthday. It was as good as new!!

Also, Rafael got me an issue of The Sun (similar to the National Inquirer.) In just a few pages worth of reading, I have learned the following:

1) An alien cat was found on the International Space Station (it looks super creepy.)

2) Werewolves are real. And they are extremely ugly (artist’s depiction, based on eyewitness account.)

3) Noah’s ark has been found (and kept a secret) by the CIA. It has strange electromagnetic powers.

Most importantly, I can finally say that I own some reading material truly worthy of a spot atop the toilet.

It was Cold

I believe I already mentioned this, but January was cold. The icicles on my condo reached at least 3 feet. Elsewhere they were even longer, but my fingers were literally too cold to operate the camera anymore.

The Coach and I

A friend of mine got some amazing tickets to a recent KU basketball game. Really, you have to know someone rather important to land these tickets, as far as I can tell. Anyhow, besides being a fun game to watch, we also got a couple of phone calls during the game saying that we were on TV! Lo and behold, there we are in the photo below. Note that I (second-left, top row) am engaging in some non-verbal communication/strategization with Coach Bill Self.

Episode LXXIV: Flying West for Winter

Once again I traveled home over the winter break to be with family and friends, and had an excellent time.

In addition to our traditional sibling games of Monopoly and Guitar Hero, we also had time to, among other things, put together a puzzle:

And play a rousing game of Risk:

We also went to an indoor Go Kart racing place (Look! It’s Mom in a race car!!)

Without a warm-up lap, I managed to not find the brake on time, and on my very first lap rammed full-speed into the barrier on a hairpin turn. The car slid under the barrier, cones and rubber tires, which pinned me into the car, and sandwiched my hand between the steering wheel and the barrier, so that I couldn’t move it. Needless to say, this was painful. But I suppose it counts as some sort of success to come home from a race with minor cuts and bruises, and a bit of whiplash.

The family also went up to the San Bernardino mountains for a while, where we did all sorts of exciting things, such as talking on our cell phones:

And playing Frisbee on a frozen lake!

I received many unique and interesting things for Christmas. Arguably the most unique and interesting came about because I used a fake online psychic-genie to predict what your loved ones would get you for Christmas. I typed Kyle’s name in, and it said “Kyle will get you a tattoo of Cher.” Lo and behold, I open up a Christmas present from Kyle a few weeks later, and look what I get!!!

(Don’t worry Grandma Shearer, it’s temporary)

Finally, it was time to go home. When I arrived at the airport, there was snow everywhere! The bed of my truck in fact had accumulated about a foot and a half of snow! And since I’ve been back, the weather has been just as bitter: another five or so inches of snow, and temps as low as -20 degrees Fahrenheit!