Sundays

I must admit that there are very few things I enjoy more than a Starbucks coffee and the Sunday paper. For years Robyn and I used to drive to the nearest Starbucks grab a coffee and the Sunday paper and then head home and curl up on the couch and just hang out together for the day. She always started with the comics and I always started with the Best Buy ad. I normally could spend a good 45 minutes with that one ad before moving on to the sports page which would occupy my time for another hour.

It's been a long time since I've grabbed a Sunday paper and a coffee but this morning when I woke up it just felt right. Now before everyone gets all weird and tells me to quit bringing up the past let me say - relax. I actually really enjoyed drinking my coffee and reading the paper this morning. Things have changed in the last few weeks and I am really enjoying life right now (except for the cold weather). Not to mention the fact that the Best Buy ad was huge today and I think I spent a good hour planning all of the things I want to buy. For instance Guitar Hero 3 and a new camera!

Now for the really great news. As many of the visitors to the Mansion know I have been on a huge weight loss kick. About 2 years ago I was closing in on the 300 pound mark and feeling pretty flipping miserable. I've been working out religiously for the last year and really paying attention to what I am eating. I don't keep a scale at home because I don't believe in weighing myself everyday. I went to the gym yesterday and ran on the treadmill and when I got done decided to weigh myself and see how things were going. I hadn't weighed myself in about a month so I really didn't know what to expect. Complete joy struck me when I got on the scale - I weighed in at 192 pounds. I've lost almost 100 pounds!!! Are there Subway commercials in my future? I doubt it but I do feel about 10 years younger. I haven't weighed 190 pounds since my Sophomore year in college. Hey - Life is Good!

I'll leave you with one thought for the day. Kiss someone you love today and tell them you care. Trust me on this one.

I hope everyone is doing well. L8R...

Gold Fever - Catch It

What an up and down day in the markets?!? I logged on to ETrade at one point this morning and I think each one of my stocks had lost at a minimum over a dollar a share. I couldn't believe how much I was down. Thankfully there was a decent rally during the afternoon or I would be drowning my sorrows in a glass of scotch tonight. On the bright side gold is now trading at record highs which is making those Krugerrands I bought one of the best moves I ever made. I purchased those things at half the price they are selling for today. The power of gold. Unbelievable!

Seattle

I have to say that I was very impressed with my first trip to Seattle. The city was really fun and yes that picture was the view from my hotel room using my cell phone. For those of you who have never been there I would recommend trying to visit on the first Thursday of the month. On that day all of the museums are free. We went to the art museum and I was pleasantly surprised with some of the exhibits. Pike place market was pretty cool and I could definitely spend a day shopping there. Of course I went to the Space Needle (after all I am a tourist at heart) and the Sci-Fi museum/hall of fame (because I am a geek).

I really love how small the world is. After our business meeting we walked around for awhile before heading to the Fox Sports Bar to unwind/debrief/and drink. After awhile a couple came into the bar and sat down next to us and ordered some drinks. I was a few beers into the night so I decided to make some conversation with my new neighbors. After talking to them for a good 30 minutes I discovered they were from Kansas City and were in Seattle on vacation. The guy used to be a bartender at The Other Place in Overland Park (one of my favorite spots to watch NFL games) and his wife knew exactly where my old house was in Eudora. We talked for a good 2 hours hitting every topic from KU football to the new construction on 151st in Olathe. What a great night!

One last note. If you love coffee you need to go to Seattle. You can stand on a street corner downtown and always have a Starbucks in sight. This is great for me because I love espresso. We decided on Friday afternoon that we both wanted to try a Seattle Best coffee since we were in Seattle! We walked around for awhile before finally finding a Seattle Best coffee store. It was a pretty big store and had a beautiful location in my opinion. We went inside the store to get a coffee and walked up the counter to place our order. Inside the store tucked back in the far corner of the Seattle Coffee store was a Starbucks. Can you believe it?