Blog Block: How Do You Sleep?

The topic for this Blog Block post comes from Keleigh, who asks “How do you sleep?”

Generally speaking, I always sleep facing the wall. Up until recently (when Mae moved in with me), my bed was always in the corner of the room, so I always faced the wall with my feet closer to the door than my head. When Mae moved in she moved the bed to the center of the wall rather than the corner so we could each get out of bed on our own side. Now that the bed is in the middle of the room instead of the corner, I usually lay on my side facing towards the wall, which is the opposite side I would lay on if the bed was in the corner. I usually lay on my side with one arm under my pillow at a 90 degree angle from my body, with the other arm on the bed in front of me with my hand tucked under my chin. I usually keep the bottom leg straight and the top leg bent at the knee on the bed in front of me.

So how do you sleep? Post it on your blog and leave a comment here, as well as other participants blogs to spread your thoughts around!

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Playlist: January 2009

Didn’t get this posted right away this month, but I’ve been rocking out to this playlist to and from work lately. See past playlists here, and all music stats here. Noteworthy, I have passed 100,000 plays of the songs in my iTunes database. I also have over 12,000 songs now.

Artist Name Album
01. Papa Roach Time And Time Again Lovehatetragedy
02. Tim McGraw Indian Outlaw Greatest Hits
03. Shinedown Second Chance The Sound of Madness
04. Rancid The Wars End Live Nottingham 2003
05. Korn Coming Undone See You On The Other Side
06. Crash Test Dummies Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm The 90’s
07. Jimi Hendrix All Along The Watchtower Experience Hendrix
08. The Who Won’t Get Fooled Again Who’s Greatest Hits
09. Hoobastank Crawling In The Dark Hoobastank
10. Tool Forty Six & 2 Ænima
11. Metallica Breadfan Garage Inc.
12. Red Hot Chili Peppers She’s Only 18 Stadium Arcadium
13. Katy Perry Fingerprints One of the Boys
14. Green Day St. Jimmy American Idiot
15. Chris LeDoux This Cowboy’s Hat The Ultimate Collection: Chris LeDoux
16. Five Bolt Main Pathetic Venting
17. Pearl Jam Daughter Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991-2003)
18. The Misfits Rat Fink Collection
19. Clutch Wishbone The Elephant Riders
20. T.I. On Top Of The World (Ft. Ludacris & B.O.B.) Paper Trail

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Movies And Stuff

So I made a post at the start of last year with a goal to watch 365 movies in 2008. Well that didn’t happen. But I did succeed in the adapted goal was to simply watch more than I did in 2007. I accomplished that, and ended 2008 having watched 129 movies. So far in 2009 I have watched 17. Maybe it’s the HD cable and the comfy couches, but I’ve been in a movie watching mood lately.

I got a call about interviews for the position I applied for a few Fridays ago. I have interviews downtown on Monday at 8am. Hopefully I’ll have some time to do some mock interviews with a few people between now and then seeing as I haven’t had a formal job interview since 2004.

Ben came over and saw the new house last night, we watched Dirty Jobs and Antiques Roadshow. Ben is a terrible antique appraiser. I didn’t do much better though. I know I said I’d get some pictures of the house, but we’ve moved even more stuff in now and it looks like crap everywhere. Once we get more of it put away, I’ll get some posted here.

I’m going to finish watching Armageddon and hit the hay.

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Circuit City To Close All Stores

http://www.circuitcity.com/closed.html

Sounds like there will be some pretty sweet liquidation deals starting tomorrow, Saturday January 17th.

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Twitter?

Do you use Twitter? I created an account about 9 months ago, and never really used it. I found it cumbersome to update Twitter and Facebook each time I wanted to make an update. I have a hard enough time remembering to update my Facebook status when something changes. But now, Twitter has a Facebook application that mirrors the updates, so I only have to update one (Twitter). And I have a Twitter application for my BlackBerry, and it allows me to quickly make updates and read friends’ updates.

Lastly, I found a Wordpress plugin that updates my Twitter status when I make a new blog post. The same plugin can do LoudTwitter style updates, but I opted out of that one for now. I have my most recent update in my blog sidebar, and you can read the whole list on my Twiiter page.

Now all I need is to find people who are using Twitter so I can follow them. Hit me up.

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Twins owner Pohlad passes away at 93

Carl PohladMINNEAPOLIS — Twins owner Carl Pohlad, a billionaire financier who became best known after purchasing the Twins in 1984, passed away on Monday at his home in Edina, Minn. He was 93 years old.

The son of a poor family during the Great Depression, Pohlad rose from humble beginnings to head a family-owned network of banking, bottling, real estate and other companies. Forbes magazine wrote in September that Pohlad was worth around $3.6 billion, ranking him No. 102 on the magazine’s list of America’s wealthiest people.

“Carl was the leader of our family as well as the founder and leader of our family businesses,” Pohlad’s three sons, Jim, Bob and Bill Pohlad said in a statement. “We’ve loved and respected him and are enormously proud of his accomplishments. And we will all miss him deeply.”

Funeral arrangements are still pending.

Pohlad purchased the Twins from the team’s original owner, Calvin Griffith, for $38 million in ‘84 and was at the helm during the club’s two World Series championships in 1987 and 1991. At the time he acquired the ballclub, Pohlad was widely credited for saving baseball in Minnesota.

“Since the day Carl Pohlad entered Major League Baseball, he made significant contributions to our game,” Commissioner Bud H. Selig said in a written statement. “He has been a true leader in our sport for the past 25 years. His devotion to the Minnesota Twins, the Twin Cities and Major League Baseball was remarkable.

“In my long career, I have never met a more loyal and caring human being. We will miss Carl and all of baseball joins me in sending our deepest condolences to the Pohlad family for the loss of our friend and partner.”

The third of eight children, Pohlad was born on Aug. 23, 1915, and had a strong work ethic instilled in him while working in the fields near Des Moines, Iowa. After leaving high school, Pohlad went on to win a football scholarship to Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., in 1937 thanks to being recruited by Gonzaga alumnus Bing Crosby. During his football days, Pohlad also made some money by boxing in clubs along the West Coast. Pohlad left school during his senior year because, as he said, he was making too much money in his side job of selling used cars that had been repossessed by banks.

Pohlad then returned home to Iowa to work at Federal Discount Corp., a finance company headed by his sister Helen’s husband, Russell Stotesbery, before being drafted into the Army in 1942. He served in the Army from 1943-46, fighting during World War II in France, Germany, and Austria. He was wounded in battle and was awarded three Bronze Stars and four Purple Hearts during his service.

Pohlad would reunite with his brother-in-law following the war as they took control of Marquette Bank in Minneapolis in 1949. Pohlad gained sole control of it a few years later when his sister’s husband died. The acquisition of the bank was the start of Pohlad establishing himself as one of the most well-known businessmen in the Twin Cities. And he was known to many as a stoic dealmaker who never retired because he loved his work so much.

After returning home from the war, Pohlad also met his wife, Eloise, whom he married in Iowa in 1947. She raised their three sons and became a very influential person during Pohlad’s ownership of the Twins. Eloise is said to have played a role in keeping Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett in Minnesota when he had a chance to be a free agent. And prior to her death in November 2003, Eloise and Carl attended nearly every Twins home game together.

“The Minnesota Twins family is saddened by the death of our owner and strongest supporter, Carl R. Pohlad,” the Twins said in a statement Monday night. “Since purchasing the club in 1984, Carl’s leadership, vision and passion for Twins baseball inspired the franchise to win two World Series championships, two American League pennants and six division titles. That on-field success would never have been possible without the loyalty and support from Mr. Pohlad and his family.

“Off the field, Mr. Pohlad was a true pioneer helping lead Major League Baseball’s effort to create enhanced revenue sharing and competitive balance. But his enduring legacy will be the values he instilled from top to bottom — a commitment to hard work, family, and community. Carl always viewed the Twins as a community institution — worthy of preserving, growing and being something of which we could all be proud.”

Even after Eloise’s passing, Pohlad was still a fixture at the Metrodome until his health started to decline in recent years. A quiet and very private man, Pohlad didn’t spend a lot of time in the Twins’ clubhouse, but the players certainly respected him and how he ran the team.

“I remember one time when he brought a bunch of his banker friends into the clubhouse before a game, which he didn’t do very often,” former Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek said. “These guys are all dressed up in nice suits and I remember Mr. Pohlad coming over sheepishly, almost shy like a 6-year-old kid, to my locker, and he was almost afraid to ask me to come over and say hi to his friends. Here he is the owner, a multi-billionaire, and he was like a little kid asking for an autograph. It was neat to see a guy that loved the team so much and that he was not walking around acting like a big shot because he owned the team. I think he loved baseball more than he loved owning the team.”

Pohlad had other passions as well, including his commitment to philanthropic efforts in the Twin Cities. Over the nearly quarter-century he presided over the Twins, Pohlad and his family donated millions of dollars and devoted countless hours to the community through the Twins Community Fund and the Carl and Eloise Pohlad Family Foundation. He and Eloise also started the Boys and Girls club in Minneapolis. The Twins’ annual award for community service is also named after the owner.

Pohlad came under scrutiny from the fans in 2001 when he offered to sell the team to Major League Baseball for a reported $150 million as part of a contraction plan by the league. It was one of the controversies that the team endured during Pohlad’s tenure, as the franchise struggled for more than a decade to get a new ballpark approved while it also battled to field a winning team during the 90s.

Still, Pohlad kept the franchise and watched as it was revitalized earlier this decade with the Twins winning division titles in four of the past seven seasons. The club also saw its future in Minnesota assured for the near future as it will open its new ballpark, Target Field, in 2010 — a testament to Pohlad’s persistence of keeping baseball alive in the Twin Cities.

It’s that commitment that his sons say they plan to keep as they will continue to run the team that their father loved so much:

“We want to assure everyone that we will continue Dad’s work and his legacy — just as he would have wanted and as he has prepared us to do.”

[Source]

Although I can’t say I always liked or agreed with Pohlad, he did a lot of great things for this city and this franchise. He will be missed.

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My House Is Cooler Than Yours.

Probably not, but I’m going to assume it is anyways.

We Mae and I officially moved in on Sunday the 28th. We moved my bed after I got off work and spent our first night here. On Monday after I got off of work, Bill and I moved the rest of the big stuff out of the house including the kitchen table, computer desk, etc. Currently I have only a handful of small items left in the old place, maybe a car load. We have been here for a whole week, Bill moved in on the 19th and has been staying here the whole time. The reason for Mae and I waiting to move in was because Bill’s sister came into town for Christmas. Bill’s sister has three kids, and they stayed with Becky (Bill’s mom) while his sister and her husband stayed here to get a little time away from the kids.

Anyways, we’re moved in now, and it’s pretty sweet. As I mentioned previously, it has some nice features like two ovens, glass cooktop stove, fridge over freezer, etc. There are two bathrooms, about 200 cabinets (for reals.), and just lots of space in general. Our bedroom is HUGE compared to the townhouse, we each have our own closet, and now we have furniture.

Sorento - ChocolateBill went to Ashley Furniture and got a couch, loveseat, recliner and coffee table/end table set for the living room. The couch (right), reclines on the two outside seats, and the loveseat reclines on both seats. They are a dark brown (not really as dark as it looks in the picture..), and veeeery comfortable. They sent us the wrong coffee table and end table the first time, but they’re bringing the right ones on Saturday when they bring the entertainment center. Reason we needed an entertainment center is because Bill also bought a 52″ LG LCD TV for the living room. We gotta have something to watch on this nice new couch, right? We also have HD cable and a DVR in the living room too. We watched a few episodes of Planet Earth in HD and it was stunning. We also have the newly launched MLB Network, which I will be watching nearly every waking moment come March. We are currently watching American Chopper in HD. They are making a bike for My Name Is Earl. Quite comical. I also have a garage spot, which is nice. Except it’s so cold outside my car is still all full of snow. So it defeats the whole purpose of the garage.

In other news, Christmas was good. My take included my BlackBerry Storm (got that early), I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, In Bruges, and the Back To The Future Trilogy. I also got some Legos from Mae. She got me the CITY Mail Van and the CITY Dump Truck. Additionally, I got an array of gift cards to various eating establishments, and a Wal-Mart gift card from my grandfather (mom’s dad), even though when my sister asked if I wanted Wal-Mart of Cub, and I said Cub, because I work for Target, I got one for Wal-Mart.

I am still awaiting word regarding some changes at work, but I was told that I should be hearing from them early this month. I don’t want to get into a lot of details about it right now, mostly because I don’t have a lot of details to give.

I will try to get some pictures of the place sometime this week. Probably Thursday when I will have some time to snap a few in daylight. Stay tuned.

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Ice

My dad sent me these pictures yesterday. A water pipe broke on the roof of his building and created a seven foot tall chunk of ice. They worked four five hours and managed to get a small corner of it chipped away.

Today they are going to use an ice fishing auger to try and bore some holes through the center to weaken it before smashing it with axes and sledgehammers.

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