Archive for January, 2010

Note – this letter has been slightly modified for web to remove a few details here and there. I share some details on my feelings with my sister that I don’t feel comfortable with sharing with anyone else.

Dear Jessica,

I hope basic is going well. Its been kinda bland here up at home without you. Of course, the letter will start with that disclaimer, and I will quickly extend it out one million lines long. Sort of how your full front and back card you sent me was ‘probably going to be short’.

Things go on like they usually do, with no real reason like “OMG CHRISTMAS IS COMMIN” anymore. Its just January, which lets the cabin fever set in. New years was somewhat uneventful for me, just a party like any other day. Not much else has happened.

I started a new job today doing programming again. I sort of was getting tired of my coworkers, and I feel this is a good move, because I feel I have some special history I can bring to this new place. Plus it’s different. I sort of live for change, after all. The place is in downtown Saint Paul, and for lunch there was a greek buffet accessible by skyway (OMG skyways! Cool!) and actual girls to work near at neighboring businesses. I haven’t worked around girls my age since, well since bank teller days. This is way awesome for me. Glad I’ve lost weight. I’m gonna try to pick up some dates now.

On that note, exercising still has been going great. Now that I have kims car, I have the ability to go there directly after work, and unless I have some kind of other major responsibility, I go there for an hour each day, each time burning at least 700 cals off (in addition to my not too strict but not overall crappy diet). I’ve been running more often with amber, which is sort of sweet cause I have someone to be accountable to.

A few days ago was a no pants subway ride, organized by Improv Everywhere. Me and about 60 or so people boarded the light rail at the Mall of America and took it to the city and back with no pants. There was actually quite a few girls on the train. Was a blast! Made a bunch of new friends too. Stares and questions were plenty. I’ll show you pictures (or you can see them on Facebook) whenever you get a chance to get to a computer.

In a football game that was such a big deal I even turned on the TV for a few minutes yesterday, the vikings won against the Dallas cowboys 34 to 3. This puts them in the playoffs. The community is hoping this ends up equating to a chance at the Super Bowl.

Ok, that’s all I got. Write back! If you want any clarifications or me to check up on anything/anyone, ask a question, and I’ll go to town about whatever you want to hear about in the next letter. Take care!

Love you,
Brian

P.S. I just hit save on this before my bus dropped me off, and I got your card when I walked in the door (Hello!), so I felt like I had to write a little bit more. Annah and I just went to the folks house to see puppies. I was expecting them to do something crazy, but they pretty much just sit there. In a few weeks I’m going to bring Amber and Logan over when they are doing a little bit more and aren’t super fragile.

Hmm… Avatar was a pretty cool movie. Its been all the rage over the past 2 or 3 weeks. The plot is basically Pocahontas on a very beautiful alien jungle planet, which is computer generated with the biggest budget in movies of all time. The rendered world looks so rich and alive that it puts the real world (especially the frozen in winter version) to shame. Anyway, it was way awesome on IMAX, and you would love to see it when you get a chance.

I showed your letter to Annah, and she showed me a video that was shot on youtube documenting soldier intake in the Marines, and told me some of her experiences (for example, dressing and undressing rapidly for showers). It looks pretty rough. Glad to hear you are chugging along. The rope swing thing sounded intense!

I’ll write again in about a week or so when I have more to say! <3 Byeee
P.P.S. My cat broke the printer at home a few months ago, and I am still getting settled into my new job and getting my computer set up, so it took until today (Monday the 25th) to get the printer set up at work. So now I have more to write about.

I’ve been getting progressively sick of the usual group of friends I do (used to?) hang out with, so I’ve been just randomly getting out to hang out with new people. Twitter is amazingly awesome at finding new people to hang out with. Through people I met at no pants, I found a ‘tweetup’ event at a bar in Minneapolis (Grumpys) and met even more friends. I hung out with this guy named Patrick that works at a company called Olson (I contracted there for a few weeks this summer, was sweet) and his friend Zach. We went out and explored some of the city (by city I mean bars), and then went back to Zach’s place to crash – he lives right off of the light rail on Minnehaha Blvd. This, by the way makes about 4 people I know who I can crash at their house who live in convenient access from downtown (Andy, Zach, Paul, and Jordan). In the morning we went to an awesome breakfast diner called colossal cafe, and then explored Minnehaha Falls, which because it is all frozen, looks absolutely beautiful against the blue light.

I’m realizing I need to get more on top of bills. Despite my sudden new job, I just got hit with a bill for about $12,000 for the uncovered expenses of my car being repoed and sold.

I’ve been trying to get on the dating scene. As part of my own spiritual awakening, I’ve gotten more comfortable with myself and the idea I don’t owe anyone anything, and I am the alpha male, I need people to want me. Which means I have to be a selfish ass, which is totally not how I was raised, but is what being male is sort of all about. And as odd as it sounds, it is sort of fun. I’ve made a few friends on the computer which I went on a few dates, and I am also going to attend a speed dating event on friday, where you get 4 minutes each with about 20 something girls. I don’t believe I will run into anyone that resonates with me on a relationship level right now, but that is ok, because I believe my life is too busy to handle a relationship in it anyway – I’m just trying to get out and around and make some new friends.

(Section cut out here on a crush I have for blog)

Speaking of games, I’ve also spent some money on some sweet popular newboard games. Specifically, Settlers of Catan and Munchkin Quest. I’m trying hard to get some people to play board games with me.

Vikings lost the playoffs yesterday versus the Saints. I for the first time ever went to a bar to watch the game (Buffalo Wild Wings) and the game watching experience at a bar is PHENOMINALLY different from watching at home. I mean, I didn’t care about the game, but you could feel the tension and anticipation in the room when a player breaks through the defense and scores a touchdown. Your heart clenches up a little bit and then there is massive screaming and high fives when the dude reaches the endzone. It’s a lot like being at the stadium.

Farve fucked it up though by doing a really balsy play to try to make an epic win at the end of 4th quarter. His fuckup put the game into overtime, coin toss went to Saints, and then saints scored a field goal. Oh well, no Super Bowl for Vikings this year.

Ok, what else… I’m going to a polar bear plunge event on Saturday which is set up to raise money for the Special Olympics. I hope to network into some more people at this event. I’m finding that this event, like the tweetup on Friday and the No Pants Subway ride before this have a special social circle of people who find cool weird events like this to attend, much like the dog show world pulls the same groups of people consistently out of the woodwork. I’ve gotta network!

Remember foam night?

Ok, bye for real now, cya later, write back. <3