October News

I really shouldn't wait to blog until I get bored or have nothing better to do, but I do. I always seem to find something that requires less effort. I've probably said this before, but my goal is to write every week so that the current events don't pile up and become a heaping mount of archaic tidings. Sometimes I struggle to find something that's interesting enough to share every week. The reason for delay on this report is that I was waiting for the news to be finalized. So, on we go with the meat and potatoes...
The big news is that I returned to work this week. Everyone was excited to see me again and it felt good to be back. Then I realized that it was still work and I wished that I could go back to being lazy and playing video games all day long.
I continue to go to physical therapy once a week and do strengthening exercises daily at home. My shoulder still feels weak and the numbness varies in location and intensity.
This week has also brought challenges in the form of wireless network troubleshooting. With the addition of two more computers and a wireless gaming adapter (for Xbox) to the network, things have become a little complicated. There must some sort of conflict because we've had problems connecting sometimes with the router and sometimes with the modem. The service has been unreliable but I can't tell if Qwest entirely to blame. I've spent several hours this week reconfiguring the network to work out the bugs, but it's like playing horseshoes (or bocce ball): just get it close and hope for the best.
This weekend I'll try to enjoy my three days off and be ready to head back to work on Tuesday. I have physical therapy on Monday and another followup with my orthopedist on Wednesday. The Hawkeyes have a bye this week and the Bears, well they need one after that pathetic performance against the Giants last week. However, they travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers and the Vikings will play Monday night against the Jets. Hopefully Randy Moss will give the Viking offense what they need for the remainder of the season without being a distraction to the team.
That's all for this edition. Since I don't have any pictures to include with this post, I leave you with this video of the badminton championships. The volleys don't start to improve until about 55 seconds so feel free to skip ahead.

Summer Review

As you all know it's been a while since my last update. With this week marking the official start of the NFL season and fall premiers on television, it seemed like a good time to get back in the swing of things myself. I suppose I could have kept up with the writing during my recovery, but I think I would have found typing with one hand to be more frustrating than therapeutic. I also received a new camera from sissy so there's an added incentive to put pictures with my posts.

So lets review. I got motorcycle. Had fun with motorcycle. Crashed motorcycle. The question every one has been asking (among others): have I learned my lesson? Well I would like to think so. The lesson I learned was to always ride at your own pace an comfort level.
The other questions I was most often asked were "What does the other guy look like?" and "Did you have a helmet on?" It was frustrating for me to have to answer the same thing over and over, so I eventually came up with creative or shocking responses to keep myself entertained. Surprisingly I wasn't asked if I was wearing clean underwear, but I was. However, I was not wearing matching tennis shoes at the time of the accident, which I didn't notice until I was sitting in the emergency room with nothing to do. And that's all I have to say about that.
A couple weeks after my accident my friend Trent got married to his high school sweetheart Stacey De Joode. I made it through the ceremony without incident. Everyone was very understanding and accommodating. I even had a good time at the reception with the help of a few prescribed narcotics.

It's been a long two months of recovery and I'm ready to get back to work. The vacation in Pella was enjoyable. It reminded me of what it was like to have to summer off from school. Seeing old friends, making some new ones, watching the stars, grilling out, and eventually getting bored. I was so driven to boredom that I took on the task of sorting boxes of school and childhood memories and even organized the shop. My stuff never got organized in my move from Dubuque since everything got packed in a hurry. I can't say that it had been organized before that either but the point is that now it's done.
I had my first physical therapy appointment on Friday and the therapist says my range of motion is outstanding for being in the sling for 8 weeks. She will be checking with the doctor to see how much we can progress for next time. In the meantime, I took home a pulley system to put over the door. I grab onto the handles and use my right arm to pull my left arm above my head. I have another set of exercises to try to get the muscles in my shoulder to relax and hopefully in a few weeks I will be working on strengthening them.
Other than that not much else on the horizon. I'm looking forward to outstanding seasons from all my football teams (Bears, Vikings, Hawkeyes, Dutch x2, and Spartans) and baseball teams (Cubs and Twins) even though I usually end up loosing interest in baseball in favor of football.

A Few Firsts

Last weekend was somewhat stressful (for me at least, you'll have to ask them for the real skinny) as Mom and Dad tried to make their way back from Florida. They took the previous week to visit Grandma and Grandpa Erickson and my dad's sister and brother-in-law in Ocala/Orlando respectively. Flying on Sunday is never a good idea when you're flying standby as I have found, but there appeared to be a lull in traveling activity between the spring breakers and summer vacationers. I guess I was wrong. However, I should know that everything in the aviation industry in as unpredictable as a untamed horse. Mom got the last seat from Orlando to Memphis as scheduled, but Dad missed every possible flight out that day. He got a bonus night stay at the Braswell Inn and 10 percent off his spa treatment the next time he's in town, or so I'm told. ;) On Monday, he got a seat on the afternoon flight (first try of the day) but missed a flight from Minneapolis to Des Moines on account of it being oversold. The 7:15 pm flight had seats left and he finally made it home late Monday evening. Thank goodness for coffee or Tuesday's workday might have been scrapped as well.

While working at the airport on Saturday of last week, I ran into a co-worker who had some tickets for the Minnesota Swarm lacrosse game that he wasn't going to use. I had been curious about lacrosse since my roommate, Patric, had started reffing high school and junior high lacrosse games on the weekends. I had seen a few college games on ESPN before, but never been to a game and didn't understand the rules. A classmate from Dubuque had called the night before looking for something to do while he was in the twin cities that weekend and this game was a great solution. I hadn't been downtown for any kind of entertainment since moving here so getting around was an adventure in itself. The Swarm play at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul which is also where the Minnesota Wild hockey team hosts its home games. Indoor lacrosse games are played on the same sized field as a hockey rink only they lay down turf. Can you imagine playing lacrosse on ice? I suppose it would be the same as broom ball. Anyways... There was much more hype about the game than I had expected. It was the last home game for the Swarm and they were already headed for the playoffs. Coincidentally they were playing the Orlando Titans. The game got off to a good start as the Swarm scored in the first 14 seconds! Music clips of popular songs played at nearly every change of possession. There were many families in attendance with what I assumed to be their lacrosse enthusiast sons and daughters. Many carried lacrosse sticks with them like I used carry my baseball glove to baseball games in hopes of catching a foul ball. The dance team performed between periods and mascot Buzz was roaming the stands throughout the game. Near the end of the game they raffled off a custom Ford Mustang to a lucky contestant who appeared to be a die-hard fan. The only disappointment was that the Swarm lost in sudden death overtime.
Besides going to my first lacrosse game, this week I purchased my first motorcycle. It's been a fantasy up to this point and now it's finally a reality. Patric rode the bike home for me from Belle Plaine, MN and gave me my first riding lesson. Since then I've been practicing with carpet squares in the cul-de-sac in preparation for the riding skills test. I've received many words of caution from co-workers and friends and I can assure you that I have the utmost respect for this machine. I won't be doing anything stupid because I know the detriment it would have to my career and health. I also know that it's the other guy I have to watch out for. Great words of wisdom from my driver's ed teacher Mr. Murphy and many others. The other words of wisdom I'll never forget: always wear clean underwear.

Spring Break(s)

Since my last post, I've had several adventures. The last weekend in February, I took advantage of my flight benefits and visited Andy and Lacy Lundgren in Glen Ellyn, IL. For dinner on the night of my arrival, we stopped at a Portillos for chili dogs. Lacy made me some peanut butter bars which were delicious. We hung out playing video games and watching movies. I ended up staying and extra day because one of the flights from O'Hare had canceled causing the seats on my flight to fill up.
The next 12 days were filled by working at the airport, something I hope to not do again in the near future. Last weekend Mom, Dad and the fam visited to kick off spring break week. We visited the Mall of America on Sunday afternoon. Amanda got some jeans and Kyle and I walked a complete circuit on each of the three levels around the mall.
Monday, we visited both zoos in the area. The Minnesota zoo is closer but the admission fee was too exorbitant for our time frame. We then made the drive up to the free Como Zoo in St. Paul. Afterward we took a scenic drive around St. Paul to get to Target Field. No tours were available so we just poked our heads in the gates where we could. I'm looking forward to getting to several games this year, but I hope to keep up with the Cubbies as well. Dad wanted to see the Guthrie Theater and it's "endless bridge" so we stopped by that before dinning at El Loro, a local favorite
Mexican restaurant.
This past weekend I decided to drive down to Dubuque and visit my high school friends Trent and Jacob. Iowa received a small winter blast on Friday and snow covered roads resulted in my sliding into the median on I35. A wrecker had already responded to another car in the median about 1000 ft from where I slid in and after pulling him out, they came to check on me. No damage was suffered, but I was stuck too far down in the sogginess to get out under my own power. The rest of the weekend was enjoyable. We watched the NCAA tournament games, including UNI's victory over Kansas. On Sunday, I stopped to see some former coworkers from the airport before heading out of town. I also stopped in Cedar Falls to see Amanda for a few minutes on my way back to the Twin Cities.
My vacation continues tomorrow as I have taken the day off to use up some of my paid time off from 2009 before it expires. I've got a list of chores though, so it will be a mixture of relaxing and catching up.

Wedding Weekend

Last weekend I joined roommates Patric and Erin in Winter Park, CO to witness their vows to each other. I took a flight to Denver after work on Friday and was fortunate enough to catch a ride with another friend of the couple going to the wedding. I saved half of what I would have had pay the shuttle service. We made it to the rehearsal dinner at Azteca about 30 minutes late, but were welcomed with open arms. It was good to see friends from the University of Dubuque and meet some new acquaintances. I stayed in a hotel room with Aaron Soenksen (my former flight instructor) and his wife Shannon and Neil Weston (a former UD instructor) and his wife Molly (a former classmate at UD).
Saturday morning I slept in as best I could. As you know circadian rhythm is hard to break. I took some pictures around the lodge and borrowed Aaron's laptop to stay current with what was going on in the Facebook world. I hung out with the groomsman and ushers before the ceremony. We had some sandwiches for lunch and I took a few more pictures of the mountains out the window.
The ceremony began around 3:15. It was fairly short and sweet. The backdrop of the mountains was beautiful but definitely something that had to be experienced firsthand. A cocktail hour followed the wedding ceremony while the wedding party took pictures. We had Italian buffet for dinner. I had chicken and penne noodles, vegetables, bread sticks and salad. After dinner the dance party got underway. I was the recipient of the garter. If anyone is keeping track, this is the 4th garter I've caught from the last 5 weddings I've been to. Not sure that that says anything though.
On Sunday morning we hit the road at about 8:30. I rode back to the airport with Nick Sieberg (a UD alum, pilot for Mesaba and "crashpadder" at the Leuschke house), his wife Brianne and their son Landen (the ring bearer). Landen got altitude sickness overnight even though they had been there since Wednesday or Thursday. He was spitting up, so we hurried to get him off the mountain. Once we got to the airport he was much better and he was back to himself by the time we got to Minneapolis. The flight from Denver to Minne was full so we were all slightly worried about getting a seat. We made it without incident and I was home by 7pm after giving a ride to some other friends who took the flight after us.
After the fun-filled weekend I still had Monday off from work to recoup and get some chores done. I picked up Jackson and Sam from the boarders and they were really excited to see me. It was another cold week at work, but the prospects of next week are looking better. This weekend my plan is to get my tax returns filed. It might also be a good opportunity to make something in the crock pot. I don't think it's been used lately except for smokies at New Years.

Still Searching for Lake Wobegon

Well, it’s been a quiet week in Eagan, MN my new town, on the edge of Minneapolis. The holiday travel season has just about come to a close. Many a passenger sat and waited for their flight, hoping that the inclement weather had not forced the flight to cancel. The ramp agents didn’t seem to mind too much. Bag loads increased slightly and the snow made it difficult to push the carts around and more shoveling had to be done, but there were less flights to load so it all worked out. Even in the brief moments of chaos, co-workers pulled together to get the job done. In a way it brought everyone a little closer for the holidays, even if they couldn’t get home to see their families on Christmas day.
I was one of the fortunate ones who had to work on Christmas day and Christmas Eve day. Knowing that the holiday flight schedule would be less demanding than normal and the weather may leave me with almost nothing to do, I brought my laptop and a few of my favorite holiday classics to watch. On Christmas Eve, our break room enjoyed three movies through the course of our 10 hour day. Not too shabby if you ask me. Christmas day played out in similar fashion. It’s unfortunate for the people traveling, but such is the nature of the beast.
After the storm had passed, I did make it home to Mom and Dad’s house on Saturday afternoon. I left Eagan at about 10:45 and arrived in Pella at 3:30. The roads were fair, but I did count about 8 vehicles in the ditch along I-35 and 2 resting on their roof near Ankeny. We opened gifts shortly after I got home and later that evening we went bowling with Darel and Jacob. I bowled a 123, 100, 171 series. All over the board, but you get to drop your two lowest scores, right?
On Monday, Jacob helped me change the oil in my car and rotate the tires before I headed back to Minnesota. We ate lunch at Pizza Ranch because I had been craving it for so long. I grabbed a valance from Dad’s office for my bedroom window which I hung when I got home. I think it sets the room off nicely and the theme fits with the locale.
As promised from my last post, I would be happy to share my new address if you don’t already have it. However, I prefer that you email me and ask for it rather than post it on the internet for everyone to see. I’ll try to keep up with this news medium/ creative outlet more this year. Thanks again for your patience.
That’s the news from Eagan, MN where there’s not a Hy-Vee to be found, a casserole is called a hot dish, and you just pray your car starts at quarter after 4 in the morning.

Farewell DBQ!

First of all, I can't believe it's so long since I've written. My apologies. I guess it's been a busy summer. It's been a chiller summer than usual. We didn't have hardly any days that were unbearable, which allowed us to keep the windows open and helped keep our electric bill down.
Since the last time I wrote, I had a birthday. A friend made dinner and a cake for me. The menu consisted of baked salmon with a jalapeno apricot glaze, rice, and broccoli. It was quite a treat.
I spent a couple weeks house sitting for co-workers while they took summer vacations and that helped keep the food bill down.
I interviewed in Duluth, MN for a coordinator position with Mesaba. I was turned down because another candidate had prior experience with the Delta computer system which is different that Northwest's. I wasn't too upset. I think Duluth might have been a pretty cool place to live, but there wouldn't be much opportunity for upward movement. After the interview, I went back to Minneapolis, but instead of boarding for Dubuque, I took a flight up to Toronto, ON to do some sightseeing. The flight got in around 8pm, so I didn't have much time to waste. I cleared customs and took the subway downtown. I went directly to the CN Tower because it was only open until 11pm. I got some really good time lapse shots before visiting the gift store. On my way back to the subway station, I grabbed a hot dog from a street vendor. I got back to the airport around 12:30am and hung out until customs and security opened at 4:30am. I took a 6:30 flight to Detroit and got lucky getting on the next flight to Minneapolis. I then had an hour layover before taking the afternoon flight back to Dubuque. It was a fun trip but I was definitely exhausted.
I've been putting in quite a few hours at Mesaba and Avis in sprint to the end. Mesaba's last day in Dubuque was yesterday, the 31st. The last flight left on time, just as the first arriving flight did on June 20, 2008. I spent quite a bit of time contemplating my future plans. I could either stay in Dubuque and hope for some students to fly with from UD, continue working for Avis and possibly another part time job. Or I could relocate to Minneapolis and stay with Mesaba, maintaining my seniority, and look for other employment to supplement my income. I decided that flight instruction was a priority to build hours, but keeping my foot in the door with Mesaba was also an important factor. That is why I started working for Mesaba in the first place. So I have come to the determination that it would be best for me to move to Minneapolis to continue working for Mesaba and look for flight instruction at one of the nearby airports. Training is sometime next week and I will be making the move in either the third or fourth week of September. I am looking for roommates via Craigslist, but until I finalize my training schedule I won't be able to setup any apartment showings. In the meantime, I will keep working hours at Avis in Dubuque. I'll be sure to inform you all of my new address when I get settled into a place.

Check out more pictures from Canada.