Interview With a Bubba

Over the weekend my little bro was gracious enough to let me interview him for the enjoyment of the blogosphere. He can be tough to deal with sometimes, but for the most part he's a pretty fun little kid. Or teenager....

How old are you Jared? (I only forget sometimes....)

Eighty

And that makes you what? A... 7th grader?

Yep

It's been a while since I've been in Junior High, what's it like these days?

Gangster

What do you mean by gangster?

Everyone's a gangster

But we live in the 'burbs...

It's still pretty gangster

Okaaaayyy, moving on. What subject do you like the most?

Math.

Why?

Because it's always funny.

Because of your teacher?

No, the class is just funny.

How smart would you say you are J-rod?

Pretty smart. Like boy genius.

Who's the cutest girl in school?

Not answering

Why not?

Cuz I'm just not answering

(What does he think I'm going to do? Tease him about it? Okay, I probably would, but it'd be so much fun...)

Whose better: Superman, Spiderman, or Batman?

Batman

Why?

Cuz he's not cheesy.

Cheesy?

The other one's are for teeny little kids.

And Batman is for grown ups?

No, but it's for older kids.

I like Batman. Christian Bale style...

He's good in the movie, but otherwise... he's a pansy.

But not as Batman?

No.

Why are there seven days in a week?

Because... Is there like something to this question or something?

No. Just a question. If you were in a boy band what would it be called?

Your Mom. That was a joke Jennie. Here's the answer: I would never be in a boy band.

But you'd get lots of chicks...

Yeah, but guys in boy bands were tight suits and things. Funny outfits.

So you wouldn't do it because it'd hurt your fashion sensibilities?

Pretty much.

Describe our cat Tigger for my readers.

Umm, he attacks you if you go near him sometimes. Or he goes whiny whiny if you pick him up at all.

Which nickname do you like better: J-rod or Bubba?

J-rod. Because the other one's insulting.

(Some back story: When J-rod was a baby, he was huge. Like mega huge. Whenever we took him out people would comment about how he was going to be a linebacker when he grew up. All those rolls of fat were so adorable and Bubba just fit him. We called him that for at least the first 6 years of his life. The picture to the right was taken after he had learned to crawl and shed some of the massive baby chubbiness.)

Will you answer one of life's biggest mysteries? Why do girl's buy so many shoes?

It's cuz they're crazy.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?

Mmm... Gandolf.

Why Gandolf?

Duh... Because he has magic. Good enough. No more questions.

Wait, one more. Would you rather drink a barrel of monkey snot or go down a slide or razerblades into a vat of iodine?

The second one.

Apparently my brother has had enough torture for a night :)

My Town Monday - Malls That are Probably way to big Edition

Wow, it seems like forever ago that I last posted anything. Last week was pretty busy and crazy leaving me no time to post. Any free time I had went to reading Trish Ryan's new book which was a fantastic read, demanding all of my attention until it was finished.

As most of you know, Minnesota is not the warmest of places in the winter. In the Twin Cities, roughly a fourth of the year is spent in below freezing temperatures. Great news for bundled ice skaters and hockey players, but terrible for the rest of us. Forget about going outside at all if there's wind chill involved. Luckily, Minnesota is home to a heart warming place called The Mall of America (AKA - The largest mall in America.)



Here are some fun facts about the MOA:

1) The mall is built where the Twins' and Vikings' Metropolitan Stadium was located. When the mall was constructed they commemorated the exact place where home plate was by putting a plaque there.



2) Only the entrances to the mall are heated, even in the winter. Because the overhead windows, light bulbs, and people create so much heat they actually have to air condition the mall year round. Crazy!

3) There are over 500 retail stores inside the mall and 32 of them are shoe stores. (Did you read that Heidi? 32 Shoe stores!)

4) The mall includes Nickelodeon Universe (the largest indoor amusement park in the US), an A.C.E.S flight simulation area, a LEGO store and play area (one of my favorite spots), a large 18 hole mini-golf course, an aquarium (they let you touch sharks), a bowling alley, a movie theatre, and an indoor stock car racing facility (you won't find me anywhere near there).




5) They are in the process of expanding the mall to include 400 more stores, 3 hotels, an ice rink, a dinner theatre, and a waterpark.

6) The mall gets over 40 million visitors a year making it the most visited mall in the world.


7) Apparently there is a chapel inside the mall somewhere and over 4200 couples have been married there. Why would anyone want to get married in a mall? Seriously? I can think of a million other places I'd rather be married. No offense to any blogging friends who got married in a mall.

I have to admit that as much fun as it can be to go wander aimlessly when I have enough money and time to do so, most of the time I hop on over to a smaller mall in The Cities. All the shoe shops, screaming amusement park kids, tourists, and random mall performers have a way of getting to you after a while. Still, I do like to do my Christmas shopping at the MOA because I find the best gifts hidden away in tiny one-of-a-kind stores. How could I not? They have everything at the Mall of America.

PS - For a full list of My Town Monday posts visit Travis Erwin's blog here.

Dear Co-Workers

Dear Co-Workers,

Unfortunately we don't all have our own offices. Instead we have cubicles, which makes it likely that other people with hear you when you talk loudly on the phone. To your doctor. When you are describing a disgusting ailment. In intense detail.

I can also hear you when you talk to your significant other. Which shouldn't really be a problem. Except that you insist on talking about your steamy non-professional lives.

Ew!

Sincerely,
Jenkneebee

My Town Monday - One of the Most Beautiful Bridges Edition

A couple of the blogs I've been reading recently (One Word, One Run, One Day and Barrie Summy) participate in something called My Town Monday. Every Monday they share fun facts, pics, and stories about local places. I love their posts so much that I've decided to start participating. Maybe not every Monday, but on a semi-frequent basis at least. I've lived so many places and loved so many unique things about each one that I want the opportunity to share them with all of you.




This week I've decided to blog about the St. Paul Stone Arch Bridge, one of my favorite places to go in the Twin Cities. The beautiful bridge featuring 21 stone arch spans was originally built in 1883 by James J. Hill as a rail road bridge. It spans a total of 2100 feet across the Mississippi river and is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.






In 1978, the railroad stopped using the bridge and it was eventually renovated to create a scenic pedestrian path. Several festivals are held on the bridge each year and it's a great place to watch the fireworks during 4th of July celebrations because they are launched from an island in the middle of the river.


The bridge is a great place to see the city and other Mississippi bridges down and up river. St. Anthony's falls can also be seen clearly from the bridge and it contributes to the charm of the location. All in all, the bridge is a beautiful St. Paul retreat located in the middle of the bustling city.



Note: As much as I wish I had taken these photos, I didn't. They are on my blog compliments of wikipedia images :)

It's All Right... Cuz I'm Saved by the Bell

Some things I used to love as a child have lost much of their awesomeness (I'm not sure if that's really a word, but I couldn't think of anything else that worked there) as time moved forward. Things like bubble gum ice cream, the Olsen twins, and Vanilla Ice. Fortunately, there are tons of things that still rock from way back when.

Back in the day, my best friend and I would race to her house from the bus and settle in to watch a fabulous episode of Saved by the Bell. We were massively in love with Zach and Slater and if only they knew us, they would be massively in love with us too. Screech and Mr. Belding were alternatively funny and annoying, Kelly was so beautiful, Lisa was rockin' the early 90's fashions, and we all wanted to be as smart as Jessie.

Last night, I found out that with my new Netflix membership (Yep, I'm a bit behind the times) I can watch ALL of the episodes online, ANY time I want. Well, maybe not at work, but other than that. I ended up watching the one where Lisa and Zach hook up, but Screech is not at all happy about it. And I loved it almost as much as I used to. Sure, the lines are cheesy and the acting is slightly unbelievable at times, but it was great to see my old friends Zach, Kelly, Jessie, Slater, Lisa, and Screech again.

You Better Not Pout, I'm Telling You Why....

Last Friday I flew out to Colorado Springs and found a fabulous surprise waiting for me at the airport. Santa Claus and his brother had decided to crash our flight (reindeer apparently only work on Christmas)! Santa was sporting glorious red shoes, black pants, and a Hawaiian style shirt featuring his likeness all over it. Later he also wore a bright red sports coat to compliment his colorful shirt. He was also carrying a stylish, boxy man bag. His brother was wearing a shirt covered with holly leaves and he also had a beautiful, free flowing beard. I must say, they handled the stares and attention like pros and even flew coach so they could be with the people who love them. Unfortunately Mrs. Claus was staying home to oversee the Elves. Being the stalker I am, I couldn't let the opportunity pass to score some pics on my new phone.

Walking away from the terminal without the knowledge that I was following them and trying to capture their white locks on film:


Even Santa needs a rental car sometimes. His company of choice? Hertz rental service. Rumor has it that they've been the least naughty.

A nice side profile of Santa's brother who was waiting for their baggage. Don't you love that beard? You can tell it's cold up north!