Weinerfest

So it's been about a month since I updated anything, but I'm super excited about this afternoon and evening at the LaCrosse Fairgrounds for Weinerfest http://www.wienerfestlacrosse.com/index2.php

It's apparently a huge event around here - dwarfed only by Oktoberfest - which I fortunately WON'T be here for come October! Weinerfest revolves around the 3 bands that play music throughout the day, and the Bratwursts that are sold (they are delicious around here).

Only 5 more weeks and class will be over and I'll be back home.

I've played quite a bit of golf over the last few weeks, which is a good thing. The courses around here are all really pretty and surprisingly are in really good shape! I wish Roanoke had the lush thick bent grass on all their courses that Wisconsin apparently does. I guess the cold winters are good for something.......

Maybe not.

Alright, going to read up a little more on Weinerfest. I can't just go into something this big blind - I need to do my homework.

Masters Picks

Ok so I'm just in time to place my picks for this year's Masters tournament.

I'll give the same picks that I have for the pool that we're heading up at work.

Phil Mickelson
Geoff Ogilvy
Stewart Cink
Luke Donald
Retief Goosen
Fred Couples

Let the record show now that I was THIS CLOSE to choosing K.J. Choi instead of Mickelson but I just couldn't NOT pick a fellow leftie.

Both Goosen and Couples are ranked outside the top 25 in the world currently, and filled the requirement of picking 2 people outside the top 25 very nicely I think.

The Luke Donald pick is solely for Lance Clark.

Great Day

Well today certainly is a great day. Let's count the reasons:

1. It's Friday afternoon and we got out of class 1.5 hours early today (that was a first, believe me!)
2. It's 55 degrees here in La Crosse (1st day I can remember it being over 50 since I've been here
3. Tomorrow is supposed to be 64.
4. We have a 2:15 tee time at the very prestigious (yeah right) Trempalaui Mountain Golf club (www.golfthemountain.com) tomorrow afternoon
5. I have no real homework this weekend
6. Today marks the end of 10 weeks in La Crosse. This is truly monumental because it is the halfway point in my training here. It's all downhill from here until June when I get to come home.
7. I'm eating a delicious sandwich right now (which doesn't mean alot to anyone but me, but trust me, this a fabulous sandwich (pastrami, turkey, hot peppers, and mustard, on toasted wheat bread).
8. Johnson Wagner (Virginia Tech golf team-mate is the leader of the PGA tour event in Houston thru 2 rounds) Please don't quote me on this, but I believe that if he holds on and wins, he will be invited to play in the Masters next week!
9. #8 was a great transition into this number....next week is MASTERS WEEK!! Quite possibly the best week in sports of the entire year (and without a doubt the best week of the year for golf). I'll try and post my Masters predictions this weekend.
10. I think that for the first time in about a month I feel close to 100% healthy. It is a great feeling to not be sick!

As you can see, I'm flying on cloud 9 right now and the only thing that could be better is if I was experiencing all of this at home in Roanoke.

Till next time sports fans...........stay glued to the Shell Houston Open this weekend and root for Johnson Wagner

I'm Back

Well I finally made it home last week on Thursday. Flights went well (unlike my first attempt a few weeks back) and I had a great time. A little fishing, a little time at the golf course, alot of catching up with everyone. And now I'm back in La Crosse for another month before coming home again in April. When I got back Sunday evening, I was told that they had received 6" of snow while I was gone. Boy was I excited!! (not).

The weather lately has been in the 40's and not that bad really. I am really hoping to make it out to a driving range this weekend so I can swing the clubs a little bit. Those chances might go down since a co-worker told me that we're planning on getting another 4-6" tomorrow (BOOOO!!!)

I've done pretty terrible so far in my NCAA bracket, but somehow I'm tied for 4th in the office pool. Go UCLA!! We'll see.

I'm just excited and waiting for the Masters in 2 weeks. I can't wait!!

oh - and just an update - my watch is working well.

Watch Problems

Something that alot of the guys in my class have joked about for awhile really "came to light" for me this morning. Our classes all take place in the expansive basement of our corporate building. There are no windows or ways for us to see sunlight. We work from 7:30 till 6pm or later most days - which up to this point means we haven't seen the sun much. Well this morning I glanced at my watch - which is powered by the sun - and it had stopped..... Nice. So needless to say, we don't get out much.

Not a big deal, I'll leave it on my dashboard today to recharge, just thought I'd share that my watch isn't getting the 5 minutes per week of sunlight or whatever it needs to stay charged. WOW!!

By the way, as you can bet, I got a great natural tan working!

Warmer Weather

Well we're having a regular Heat Wave here in Wisconsin!! It was 45 degrees yesterday and today and rumor on the street is it might hit 50 by Friday!! Now this isn't that big of a deal for those of you who missed experiencing the 2nd Ice Age here in La Crosse over the last 2 months. There's actually some grass popping out in places from under the melted snow. I'm hoping that with all this warm weather, maybe the driving ranges and/or golf courses will get to open soon. Now I have to be realistic about all this. I'd say there's still a solid foot of snow in most places, but we're making progress!!

Update on the shoe situation, I had to exchange them this evening because the sole on the left shoe was coming off. The new pair doesn't seem to fit quite as nice as the originals, but only time will tell. I'll be sure to update you on my tennis shoe conundrum.

Lastly, this is the last weekend that Mt. La Crosse ski resort is open. Not because of the weather, but because the lease ends for the ski business this week. Apparently the farmer who owns the property puts his cattle back on the land in the spring so........no more skiing until probably early September when it'll probably snow up here again. Funny stuff!!

Weather

Well I went outside this morning and thought to myself, "man, this isn't that bad. It feels almost like Spring." All my excitement was quickly diminished as I got in my car and looked at the thermometer.......18. I think my body has become accustomed to the temperatures around here, which for the last 6 weeks have ranged from -15 (with -40 wind chill) to 30. We did get over freezing one day, which was pretty monumental. Even the locals up here have commented that this is one of the worst winters they've had in a while. I'm so lucky to be here to experience it with them.

Other big news: bought a new pair of tennis shoes last weekend - it was about time. I've been playing alot of raquetball with the guys in the class, and I was getting some pretty nice blisters from my old pair.

Can't wait to come home on the 20th and see some green grass and maybe even a leaf or two. Who knows.