Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Apex, North Carolina. It's been a while since I've added to my Pub Crawl so I thought today was the day I did.

#20 is at the Longhorn Steakhouse and the brew of the day is Samuel Adams. After making several trips to this watering hole, I discovered that the 25 ounce glass tasted better than the 16 ounce. 2-3 trips per week later has confirmed this observation.

The bartender of the month goes to Jessica, shown in the picture above whose charm includes a true heavy Southern accent. She is friendly, outgoing, and loves to sing. Thanks! Jessi for making me feel welcome to North Carolina.

As the name implies, Longhorn, the place is naturally decorated with a Texan theme....a big longhorn cow head hangs behind the bar.

The food, which I finally learned that they serve food, was good. I had the Ceasar salad and french onion soup. Some of the unusual items on the menu include a Texas Tonion, Rockky Top Chicken, and Fried Cheesecake.

October 15, 2007
Today I will choose to be happy!

Thursday, October 11, 2007
So what do Gen. Colin Powell, Rick Belluzzo (former Microsoft President), Zig Zigler, Krish Dhanam, Roy Willlliams (head coach for NC Tar Heels), Phil Town (author of Rule #1) and Steve Forbes have in common….with me. On Thursday I was privileged to attend a Get Motivated seminar along with 9 other IBM workers, including Terry Finch and Jim Smith, Apex-ian friends. 16,000 people attended this all day event. All the speakers were great with Gen. Powell and Krish Dhanam being exceptional. The event was held in the RBC Center in Raleigh, where the Hurricanes play.

Saturday, October 6, 2007
7000 people gathered on a beautiful North Carolina day at the Historic Durham Athletic Park in downtown Durham to drink beer. It was the 12th Annual World Beer Festival and over 120 brewers were represented. I contributed 6 hours of labor that day, beginning at 10 am. Now I know what most of you are thinking, “how many of those 120 craft brews did you sample, JR?” or to make the numbers simpler, “how many didn’t you sample?” I can honestly say that I sampled none! None! I was a volunteer at this event, and was prohibited from sampling. Really! There were two sessions, the afternoon and evening, and I was the dude handing out the glasses at the front gate for the first session. Close to 3500 glasses and programs were distributed by ‘my’ team in the first 30 minutes. I then moved down to the tents and was a relief pourer for other volunteers. Later I assisted Jim Smith with the slop buckets.
While you’re still shaking your heads in disbelief, the event organizers had a ‘special’ celebration for all the volunteers a week later which included beer and food. So a free tee-shirt, sample glass, bottle opener, free beer and food, and the chance to meet many people.

Monday, October 01, 2007
It’s been 5 days since I left Wisconsin, driving to Apex, North Carolina. (near Raleigh, NC) 1100 miles later, I arrived safely in Apex, NC. A few observations from the trip: the problem with Wisconsin is Chicago traffic. I expected some slow traffic around Chicago, but not 30 miles north of it. I also noticed that the highest gas prices and worst roads were the toll roads in Illinois and West Virginia. That makes no sense.
On Wed. evening, 4pm, I arrived at my hotel, Baymont Hotel & Suites in Lexington, KY. I had called them on the road and was put on hold for 4-5 minutes. The clerk apologized and thanked me for my patience. (I don’t hear that often) She even gave me 10% off the room rate. CNBC, Bloomberg, Mad Money, and Fast Money along with free internet access were the amenities I most appreciated.
I found a cool restaurant that night, called Ted’s Montana Grill. I had the Bison Meatloaf, squash casserole, garlic mashed, and a pint of Anchor Steam. YUM!
The next day I found myself driving through the mountains just south of Charleston, West Virginia. Awesome! Especially around Paint Creek Road.
I rolled into Apex on Thursday, about 3:15pm and met my host family, the Finch’s. Terry, Sue, and Sarah, their teenage daughter, are great. They have a wonderful 3 story home, which I call the Finch B&B, that is huge and beautifully decorated. My room is a huge 20 x 20 room on the second floor and has a big L-shaped leather coach, TV/DVD with Dish and a DVR. A few pics are posted. They have two great dogs, Bella and Buddy. Buddy is shown in one of the pics relaxing on my bed. The room is also used for their Wall Street Basics (WSB) business and they have quite an impressive setup of 4 monitors to watch the market and aid in stock research. More pics of the Finch’s B&B in Apex will be posted later this month.
Saturday night was my first Wall Street Basics (WSB) class. Gary Williams, the instructor, holds the classes in an old Kmart that has been turned into a conference center. I estimated 400-500 attendees. Class started at 7pm and Gary finally quit speaking about 1am. Awesome!
I left that night/morning absolutely confident that I will learn to be a successful trader within the next few years.
I car-pooled with my friend Jim Smith and his son Keifer, age 14. This was class 1 of 5, with the remaining 4 classes held on the next 4 Saturdays.
Sunday I decided to attend church at Tree of Life Lutheran in Cary, NC. The service was a contemporary style, which was really refreshing and uplifting. The lessons and sermon were about ….. money. How appropriate was that. “All the treasures of the world can’t buy a spot in heaven.” And “Godliness with contentment is great gain”. After the service the pastor, Mike Geiger, and his wife Christy, asked me what class I was taking. “How to make Money!” was my reply. We all had a laugh over that one. The two big takeaways from the service were: 1) Learn how to be a better steward of the His blessings, and 2) take care of you spiritual portfolio, first.
The afternoon was filled with brewing beer over at Jim & Sue’s house. A few pics are posted. A wonderful stout was on the agenda and 6 hours later, was produced.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Question: So what do blueberries, gorgonzola, spinach, pecans, eggs, and chicken strips have in common?
Answer: Nothing, unless you put them together as a really cool salad.
Now try putting these together for about $1.40. There’s a challenge.
One of the local stores, Pic n’ Save, has this really nice salad bar and for less than $1.50 you can put together such a salad or any of your favorites. How cool is that!

What a day! For those that follow the stock market, it was quite a wild day. The DOW was up over 330 points. For those that don’t, it still was. For investor’s, well, you know how you did. 494 out of 500 of the S&P 500 stocks closed higher today. Doesn’t mean much for many. But for some, it was huge! They were all practice plays today.
For me it was a break-thru day when the so called ‘light’ came on. I was listening to a particular CD from my instructor, and BAM! it hit me. I had heard his presentation before. Several times. But for some reason, today was the day that the neurons connected, with the right ones, and I understood what he had been trying to say. Not that I know everything, but I now understand one of the why’s. Monumental? For me it is. More on that in a few months.

Any golfers out there? Any golfers that like to travel with their clubs? Check out the ad I recently placed on Craig’s List:

Brand New Wilson Travel Golf Club Bag. Black ballistic material, padded shoulder strap, wheeled, interior straps, exterior straps and handles, excellent condition. 52” by 14” wide (nominal) A steal at $50, need the money, only $30. You won’t be disappointed.

Until next time.
Juan Marcos deRosenow

Sunday, September 09, 2007
Today’s entry contains a few photos of the Fantastic Fond du Lac Fondue Festival. Main Street was packed on Saturday as 1000’s gathered to witness a world’s record being set in downtown Fond du Lac, WI. Brenner Tank, a local manufacturer made the 8 foot wide, 3 foot deep SS tank which weighed about 2000 pounds. The fondue itself was made with 1250 pounds of butterkase, fontina, gruyere and cheddar cheeses. Add 12 kegs of beer and you get …. crap. Now don’t get me wrong, the festival, the people, the shops, the booths, the other food, the farmers market, the clowns, … everything else was great. But the fondue was crap. A watering looking and tasting pale yellow urine liquid with some cheap pretzels and dried bread crusts is my tame version of what I thought of the concoction. The good news is that they ran out of the ‘slop’ by 2pm, and those that were fortunate to arrive after that, were spared the gastronomical offense. I do want to give credit to the organizers for this event who did a great job handling 15,000 attendees. I was also pleased to pop into a number of great wood and antique shops on main street that I previously hadn’t taken the time to visit. And one pub.

Did I mention the UW Madison Badgers win over UNLV? Did now!
Did I mention the Packer win? 16 to 13 against the formidable Philadelphia Eagles. Did now!

Did I mention a great sermon by Pastor Zak on Sunday morning? Did now!

Add it all up, and it was a great weekend in Fond du Lac, WI. (now if I could only get that fondue taste out of my mouth)

Friday, August 7, 2007

It's been a while since I've written and I don't have any excuses. Today's picture was taken last weekend during the Labor Day weekend. Spent the weekend up at the Top of the Ledge campground with Pete, Sharon, and Kali. Beautiful weekend! Can you tell that the Badgers had recently won? Hammock is ready, flowers are fresh, a WalMart ad is close by, campfire is prepared, and the satellite internet is working. A slice of heaven?

What a week it's been as I begin my preparations for classes back in Raleigh, NC. They being the last Friday of Sept and go for 5 weeks. Looking forward to them and the drive to NC.

I've found a place in Raleigh that rents rooms and hopefully have secured a room for those 4 weeks.

I recently, today, have found a 2nd room-mate for my house at 741 South Main St. which is great news, financially. It all helps. Move-in is either tonight or Sat. morning.

I sold my motorhome, which is a huge financial boost.

Deb & Rich became grand-parents again with the arrival of Adeline Esther from their daughter, Becca. (just heard that this morning)

The big, no huge. Fond du Lac fondue festival happens tomorrow and a representative from Guinness Book of Records will be on hand to judge. The world's largest fondue is the goal and Pete/Sharon and I will be on hand to be part of history. Of course some pictures will follow.

Still Tuesday and still writing.

The weekend in Minnesota was not over and another highlight was the pontoon ride on lake Edward which is 15 minutes from Christa and Cowboys ranch. Saturday afternoon, after Cowboy returned from work, the three of us headed to Cozy Lake Shores, a resort close to the Andersens. There we met Paul and Shelley, spelling is optional, and we all took a great leisure cruise of the lake with bratwurst, beverages, and fishing rods. A beautiful afternoon and evening on the lake. Huge fish were not captured and remain safe below the surface. Thanks to all those that made this impromptu event occur, for it will be remembered for.....oh look a chicken!

Tuesday, August 27, 2007

Ok, the Minnesota weekend did not stop on Minneapolis. The fun four-some had to fly out on Thursday morning so I headed to Coon Rapids to make a surprise visit on my niece, Sarah and family. They, Sarah and David, live just north of the cities and have two wonderful children, Issac and Gretta. I'm sure I've mis-spelled their names, but for an engeneer, that's pretty good. It was a short visit, but I the five of us went out to a nice pizza lunch. After that I was headed to Brainerd Minnesota. Ofta!

Now there are few words to describe to wonderful home of Christa and Cowboy Andersen, so I won't use them. Pictures say a bit more so I've included a few. The weather was....it really doesn't matter what the the clouds said, you make what you want of the visit. I did. Fantastic hosts. Great food, and tons of laughs. The first night, Cowboy had some ribs that had been cooking for hours and they just fell off the bone. Dane and Candi were great and floated in/out of the house with their busy schedules. The 2nd night I volunteered to do the cooking and we feasted on shrimp bugatini in a nice sun-dried tomatoe alfredo sauce with a 7 piece Nordstrom salad. Nobody was able to finish their plates, so the portions were just right.

Living in the North woods, the Andersens need to prepare for the winter. And that they do. Evidence is in the 10 cords of wood that are cut in preparation for the 200 degrees below zero that they speak of. Photo speaks for itself. The lower portion of their fantastic home includes a 10 seat bar called the MooseJaw Saloon. Only invited guests, not sure why I got in, are clued into the story about how the bar was named. I'm told that the state of North Dakota has strict rules on disclosure or criminal activity.

Tuesday, August 27, 2007

I wanted to write about the weekend, which began last Wednesday as a road trip to Minnesota. I was a bit frustrated with the lack of AT&T support to get me connected so I thought the best thing was to get out of Fond du Lac and socialize with 'old' friends.

The first stop was in Minneapolis at the Radisson next to the UMN where some friends from Baltimore were attending a lecture/conference. It was obvious that school was about to begin as the local pubs were packed. You know you're 'aged' when the customers showed me their id's without me asking. Hey, I was just standing there waiting to get a brew.

The fun crew from Baltimore were Robin, Poke-man, Amy, and Laura. A fun night at the Radisson including some great Thai food across the street and some wine at the hotel. A huge thank-you to the four of them for making me feel welcome.

Sunday, August 19, 2007 (afternoon)

After the potluck, I was invited out to Deb & Rich's new ranch. It's a 5 acre site 4 miles North of Princeton, which is 10 miles East of Montello. What a great site. There home is great and I especially loved the kitchen with it's very cool 6 burner stove and SS appliances. The upstairs is a very open concept and the downstairs has 3-4 bedrooms. The scrapbooking room could be a spare bedroom. The one photo shows Jane, Eugene, and Sarah talking digital camera techniques. Thanks for inviting me Rich & Deb (more like I invited myself, a Rosenow trait)
Most of the Janke clan were present, along with parents and grandparents. A great time.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Some of you might recognize these landmarks. St. John's Lutheran Church & School in Montello, WI. I had the pleasure of attending service there this morning. Some coincidence that it was Rich Janke's installation service as he begins his service as principal of the school. Quite a few Rosenow's attended this school in the '60's and I was confirmed in this church on March 20, 1970 by none other than Pastor Paul Kolander. Loads of memories as I walked around the place and during the service. A big congratulations to Rich, also! After the service, there was a great Lutheran potluck meal in the church basement. Absolutely some of the best food! Most enjoyable. Hotdish with chips crumbled on the top. Doesn't really get any better. Jello dishes, and tons of deserts. And then there's the Lutheran coffee!

Saturday, August 18, 2007
A Big Boo-yah to Everyone!
Buffet, Bernake, Boo-yahs and Cramer…. these are now part of my vocabulary.
With the new cable service, came a HD receiver/DVR and now I’m learning how to record my favorites. Mad Money is one of them. I can record up to 200 hours of shows before it starts erasing. FIFO for you techies. I can also download any of them to a hard drive device for playback on the road. How cool is technology! Changing every day…quickly. To think that the 8080 microprocessor was on my syllabus in 1975 or was it 1976!
A wet and cool August evening here in WI. Perfect for an Italian dinner. So far it’s dinner for one, but if you’re schizophrenic like us, sometimes I have to set the table for 4 or more. As a starter, I began with some fantastic fresh homegrown WI tomatoes, and they are incredible. For those of you that knew my severe dislike of tomatoes as I attempted to grow up, this is quite a compliment. I also found some very nice leaf lettuce at the market this morning, so that also hit the plate. Now I know the mozzarella from Italy is the best, but I did find some nice mozzarella, packed in water, at a local store. Topped with and an aged Aceto Balsamico di Modena and ground pepper….what a treat. A chilled Chardonnay from Australia and some jazz music, off my new cable tv network, now that’s relaxin’ on a Saturday night.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

A man appeared before St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. "Have you ever done anything of particular merit?". Saint Peter asked. "Well, I can think of one thing," the man offered. "Once, on a trip to the Black Hills out in South Dakota, I came upon a gang of bikers, who were threatening a young woman. I directed them to leave her alone, but they wouldn't listen. So, I approached the largest and most heavily tattooed biker and smacked him in his face, kicked his bike over, ripped out his nose ring, and threw it on the ground. I yelled, "Now, back off!! Or I'll kick the crap out of all of you!" St. Peter was impressed, "When did this happen?"

"Just a couple minutes ago..."

Sitting at a coffee house in Fond du Lac, called The Bagelmeister. Free wi-fi, good coffee & bagels. Still waiting for my phone line to be connected at 741 South Main Street, my new address. A couple pics attached. The frozen pint glasses were my first housewarming gifts from the Rowlands in Chilton. The really cool leather recliner is from the local Salvation Army store. They had a 25% off sale last weekend and I scored the chair for $30. Today they have a 50% off sale. I'm heading there shortly. Note that the only furniture in that room is the chair. Has "simplicity" been added to my

Every Saturday during summer, Fond du Lac has a small farmer's market. Very cool. Found some fresh basil, tomatoes, butternut squash, and lettuce this morning. (Total of $3.00) Yes, an Italian dinner is planned, soon. Bugatini alla Carbonara, Nordstrom salad, fresh bread, and a nice red wine are on the menu. You're all welcome.

Utilities were connected this last week, Dish Network was installed in four of the rooms, found a washer and dryer and will have them connected this weekend, oak dining table and chairs are filling that room, confirmed one roommate who will move in on Monday, and hopefully a second roommate before Sept 1st. Phone and internet should be connected on Monday.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Perhaps a new carreer in home additions! Here are some photos of this addition I'm working on near Fond du lac. The client wanted a sunroom addition so that's what I built. It took almost a day to complete it and that's with two helpers as shown in the one photo. (Pete and Sharon are great workers!)

I also learned how to lay tile and more important, how not to lay tile. The client wanted the tile not only in the new addition, but also in the dining room and kitchen. So that took another couple hours.

Please don't read the first two paragraphs, they are filled with B.S.

Back to reality. Most people who want to learn how to do a 'home' project will either pick up a book, go to the internet, or go down to Home Depot and attend an hour seminar. Emphasis on the word: most. Wanting to learn how to lay tile, my brother Pete, the real craftsman carpenter, proposed that I help him and Sharon with a project they were working on. (see photos) So after two days and 16 hours of 'learning', I have a pretty good idea on how not to lay tile. Hey, you have to learn the not's also. Measuring is important. A wet tile saw does not mean it was left in the rain. The blade is sharp, even if it's not spinning. Don't try and carry all the boxes of tiles in one load, they're heavy. Measuring is important. Really!

Back breaking, labor intensive, hot, sweaty, humid, and challenging are all adjectives for that job. I learned that I was able to bring nothing from my former job as stockpile engineer. (picture me with my feet up on the desk, chair in the recline position, and eyelids in their protective position; working overtime) For many of you reading this, this is not hard to picture. For those that aren't able to picture that, you must not know me, and have accidently stumbled across this website. Log off, now!

For those interested in a professional room addition to their home, contact my brother and sister-by-law. Not me!

Oh, look, a chicken!

Just a few more EAA pics. The big yellow plane is named Duggy. That ones for you Doug!

A few more EAA pics.

Monday, July 30, 2007

I did it! I survived an entire week of work. Manual labor. A full 6 hours per day. Wow!

Here's the breakdown: 80 miles of driving/day, 1 hour each way, 4 gallons of gas per day @ $3/gallon equals $12/day x 7 days = $84 in fuel. Two new white collared shirts and two new slacks for work = $30. An impressive $7/hour wage x 42 hours = $294 before taxes. Take home after taxes, fuel, and clothing = $142 Being able to cook 8450 brats on the worlds largest grill and attend the largest airshow in the world = PRICELESS!

One more picture of the MasterGriller (self-proclaimed)

Friday, July 27, 2007 (still)

More EAA pics. A sad and tragic day at the show when two warbirds collided at 3:15, while I was working. One pilot was killed. I think the other survived, but the news will cover it later tonight.

Two more days and another 2000-3000 brats to cook. The weather looks great for the final days, so that will keep the Master Grillers busy.