Warm

Two weeks ago today it was snowing hard. Today the high will be in the mid 80s. Minnesota weather can be strange. Unfortunately, I was unable to catch any trout last week, but I had a great time exploring the park and hiking the stream. I spotted dozens of big, fat trout spending some of the day under a bridge, but by the time you see them, they can see you and they won't bite. I am looking forward to going canoe camping this next week. With the high temperatures, I hope that the lake we are aiming to visit next week will quickly ice out. As of last week it had a thick cap of ice still. Phalen, on the other hand, finished melting on Saturday, meaning that my guess of last month was only off by a day.

Now, for the fun. Check out the Homer Simpson soundboard, for some fun. I am disappointed that "Mmm...Hog Fat" wasn't on there. Other soundboards I have enjoyed recently include the Samuel L. Jackson soundboard, the extended Samuel L. Jackson soundboard, and the Christopher Walken soundboard. I note that many of these have a common source at this site.

Beginning the final push

As finals have begun to loom, time to do ANYTHING has become very precious. However, that has not stopped a few extracurricular projects from finding their way onto my to-do list. Last weekend, for example, Maggie and I repainted the bulk of our house and removed the carpeting to reveal a fine, old, hardwood floor. This has made our house much more enjoyable to live in. This weekend I am going trout fishing with Jeron. But for those activities, it seems the school is beginning to consume all. However, a few completely irrelevant thoughts to share.

I found it very gratifying that others share my hatred for movie trailers that give away the plots of the movies they advertise. I have a good memory, and I'm sure that many if not most moviegoers do as well. When I see a movie, I involuntarily check the scenes from the trailer I have seen off of a mental checklist. How irritating is it to have that checklist be entirely analogous to the major plot of the movie? For this reason, I avoid movies that use this tactic to advertise their wares.

As it is nearly canoeing season, I have been anxiously checking ice out status of Minnesota lakes. Come on, spring! Shortly after my last post we were socked by a three day snow storm that dumped an extra 8 inches of snow on the area, but since then we've been blessed by nice warm weather, and I believe my target date of April 12 for Phalen may only be off by a few days. As for our canoe trip we have planned next week, I have been investigating backup spots as I don't believe either of the ideal lakes will be ice free yet. Boo.

Finally, a neat article on Jules Verne's record as a prognosticator. Enjoy.