tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831577980444733032009-12-30T00:50:01.653-05:00Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comBlogger353125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-66379509363208259602009-12-29T22:27:00.012-05:002009-12-30T00:50:01.660-05:00

The award for this year's best Christmas letter goes to .... Jonathan Rodriguez. Jon always has a knack for making me consider how I can be a better person, and true to form, he did not disappoint with a thoughtful Christmas photocard and letter. I have to give at least some credit to Grace for the very nice photocard and the thoughtful comments on nice stationary, but the spirit of Jon beamed

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-17809041494474079172009-12-28T22:56:00.002-05:002009-12-28T23:13:43.373-05:00

Amy's brother (and part-time private sleuth) Chris found our Toyota Yaris parked in the Old Market this evening, one block behind the Omaha Police headquarters. Apparently Omaha cops do not pride themselves on their observational skills. As soon as Chris called, we rushed over and stole our car back. It is now safely in our possession, at our new location, and Amy could not be more relieved.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-63479174128683698472009-12-26T15:43:00.004-05:002009-12-26T15:47:25.537-05:00

The Lucky Ducklets are going down this weekend.He said this while looking out our front window.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-18251155053262254242009-12-25T11:56:00.008-05:002009-12-25T12:27:04.122-05:00

Who's that holding a giant Riedel XL Pinot Noir Glass? Celebrating Christmas Eve at Les Champs Rouges house.My Christmas bonzai.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-73062982188221141192009-12-24T22:58:00.007-05:002009-12-25T12:13:47.663-05:00

Just when I was beginning to underestimate the Redfields, they go and exceed all my expectations. Today all Les Champs Rouges helped us pull off a hostile takeover of the new condo. In blizzard conditions, on Christmas eve, and going on no food, fourteen hands and some very daring drivers helped us move our belongings and cats into our new residence. No, the bank paper pushers haven't

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-33206173344092535302009-12-23T13:41:00.002-05:002009-12-23T13:46:42.582-05:00

This has been a no-good, very bad, terrible week. On top of Chris Henry and Britney Murphy dying, our Toyota Yaris was stolen and our insurance doesn't cover theft, the closing on our condo has been delayed indefinitely because of paper pushers not pushing the paper they're responsible for, and millions of people are risking their lives in vehicles due to tradition and our inability as a country

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-5251267442652535102009-12-18T14:16:00.006-05:002009-12-18T14:24:48.366-05:00

General Mosby and Merle met behind closed doors yesterday to discuss the upcoming move. In a unanimous decision, they voted for the move, citing the sunroom as the motivating factor.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-31798396380338160242009-12-17T10:46:00.004-05:002009-12-17T10:49:12.324-05:00

We had a bat in our condo last night (which Amy wanted to keep as a pet), but it wasn't nearly as scary as this logic.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-1869297872897845472009-12-13T13:05:00.009-05:002009-12-13T13:42:58.701-05:00

We've known about it for years, but I've always hoped the rumors weren't true. But then last night I read a book that reminded me about it. The baby boomers are entering retirement. The book, Wealth Shift, by Christopher D Brooke, is about the economic shift that's going to take place. The book goes back to the birth of the boomer generation and shows how this group dominated the economic

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-45335346925851558032009-12-12T00:30:00.002-05:002009-12-12T00:34:42.948-05:00

In case you wanted to see a picture of it.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-66922358064416855982009-12-08T11:55:00.002-05:002009-12-08T12:00:21.888-05:00

Just when you thought Omaha weather couldn't get any more extremist, we are expected to get 8-12 inches of snow today, and tomorrow the temperature will be a high of 7 degrees and a low of -3 degrees, with 35 mph wind. Ouch. On the bright side, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching vehicles become useless vestiges of spinning wheels on the sloped downtown streets. It's times like these when you

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-81821278966272431962009-12-06T13:18:00.002-05:002009-12-06T13:20:22.019-05:00

Omaha is the #1 "Bang for your Buck" city according to Yahoo Real Estate. Click here to read the article.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-53062181265164719682009-12-06T00:37:00.010-05:002009-12-06T11:08:51.577-05:00

What I'm going to miss most about moving out of downtown in about two weeks is all the fun interactions with homeless people. Here are just a few of the more notable homeless quotes:"Got a solid nickle?" (as opposed to a flimsy one?)"Can you give me a dollar for my kid who's an orphan?" "There goes a ladygirl" (I'm confused - is she a lady or is she a girl?)"All I need is 25 cents, c'mon..."

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-31795350184105515732009-12-03T11:25:00.004-05:002009-12-03T11:36:36.801-05:00

My new favorite basketball player, Amare Stoudemire, is speaking out against animal cruelty after learning about the gruesome conditions involved in the fur industry. His Ink, Not Mink campaign is generating a lot of buzz and you can read about it here.Please take Amare's advice and do not wear, buy, or give anything with fur this holiday season.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-47998200774477572212009-11-30T09:17:00.003-05:002009-11-30T09:48:24.202-05:00

A few more things to be thankful for:Fricano's pizza, homemade squash soup, Leelanau Rieslings, Infusium shampoo, non-smokers in public places, Carhartt coats, eating egg-drop soup while talking about Dean Oang's fantasy football team, Pereddies bread, Grandville's Goodwill outlet, Fenn Valley ice wine, Michigan sunsets, Monopoly, cinnamon roasted almonds, wind turbines in Iowa, and a wonderful

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-35293540332935450152009-11-26T10:24:00.001-05:002009-11-26T10:24:23.412-05:00

'Grace': PETA's Thanksgiving ad

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-60721799230474213092009-11-24T09:24:00.006-05:002009-11-24T16:32:57.677-05:00

Finally. I feel like we should have our own HGTV special. After considering places big and small, including an 8,000 square foot mansion, a one room fishing cabin on the Missouri river, nearly every overpriced downtown condo, a treehouse type structure next to a meteor strike in an exclusively Spanish speaking neighborhood, old homes near Warren Buffet's house, a 400 square foot basement closet

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-84724198644461607582009-11-23T13:03:00.009-05:002009-11-23T16:51:30.212-05:00

Yesterday, as I was sitting comatose in front of the TV watching NFL games, I reached for the remote to change channels, but I picked up my cellphone by mistake. Then I had an epiphany. Why isn't there TV remote control device built into your cellphone? What's stopping this from happening? The cellphone already has the numbers, an up or down for volume, and an okay/enter button. If we can

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-51179597057849910572009-11-13T21:56:00.007-05:002009-11-13T22:02:04.242-05:00

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-5558019260997482722009-11-12T19:33:00.003-05:002009-11-13T00:23:27.612-05:00

Just in case you missed it, this week an article in the English newspaper The Guardian sent shock waves through the entire energy industry.Basically, multiple anonymous IEA whistleblowers have reported that oil reserves and new discoveries are being grossly exaggerated to keep oil prices cheap. One IEA source said, "The fact is there is not as much oil in the world as has been admitted. I

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-41560065486473063042009-11-10T20:51:00.013-05:002009-11-10T21:11:48.194-05:00

We went home shopping with Chris tonight, and If I didn't know any better, I'd say we were shopping for a treehouse in the forest.Can't imagine a more awesome sunroom. For some odd reason, this was my favorite room in the house. So much color. The backyard is a big bowl shaped prehistoric meteor strike. They say meteors never hit the same place twice, right?How many possible uses could this

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-90105976580509283082009-11-09T00:00:00.002-05:002009-11-09T15:23:40.824-05:00

Sorry for the blogging break, but I got blown away by the scary Omaha wind, just like Dorthy did in Kansas.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-30152115844660371732009-10-30T08:58:00.003-05:002009-10-30T09:25:31.173-05:00

I've always heard the phrase "that wind can take your breath away," but my entire life living in Michigan, I never knew what that meant. Then I moved to Omaha. And now I know what it means just about every single day. Just this morning, the wind took my breath away a half-dozen times on a half-mile walk. And why do I feel like I'm always overdressing for the weather here? Amy says it's

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-50969909479654950432009-10-27T13:26:00.001-05:002009-10-27T13:28:20.821-05:00

Think soft drinks are harmless? Guess again. NBA All-Star Caron Butler, aka Agent Zero 2.0, describes giving up his Mountain Dew addiction.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183157798044473303.post-46520960399659766912009-10-26T20:54:00.011-05:002009-10-26T21:59:38.168-05:00

It's one of the happiest countries in the world, year after year. It's the country where people buy the most books, live the longest, and have the highest per-capita ratio of cellphones.People bathe in natural hotsprings, breath crystal pure air, and are world leaders in tapping geothermal renewable energy. They have no armed forces - it was banned 700 years ago. And there's practically no

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020318138761577598noreply@blogger.com