its been a while

I was reading a few blogs today and noticed that the longest any of them had gone without an update was about a month. Seeing that it is now February and the last time I updated mine was October I figured it was as good a time as any to write a new post.

Meaghan and I just got back from a Super Bowl party at our friend Jonathan's house. We had more food than we knew what to do with. We had wings, crab puffs, spinich artichoke dip, and something called Bacon Explosion. You can see pictures and a recipe here. It was all amazing and I don't think I will have to eat for days. As far as the game goes I was not dissapointed. If the Giants are not playing I just root for a good game. Most of the people at the gathering were rooting for the Cardinals but I picked the Steelers so I rooted for them. Jonathan had an interesting and fun game to go along with the actual game. There were a list of questions that we all answered before the game such as who would win the coin toss, how long the national anthem would be, and what the first commercial would be selling? It was fun to root for things other than the Steelers or Cardinals. Jonathan and I tied for points but he won because he came closer to predicting the combined score for the end of the game. All in all a great day of food and fun with friends. There should be a Super Bowl once a month!

pedal power

About a month ago my truck wouldn't start so I brought it in to get looked at. Unfortunately the problem was too big for me to justify paying that much to fix it. So I have gone from a four wheeled gas powered vehicle to a two wheeled Ben powered one. I like my new mode of transportation. I am very fortunate that I only have a short two mile commute to work so a bike really works well. Riding my bike and using the bus on rainy days gives me a real sense of pride in being green. Its very hard in the state of Styrofoam to convince people how important it is to try to be as green as possible. I grew up with parents who understood how important it was to be conscious of what we put into the environment and how we use and reuse our resources. As kids we always collected cans and recycled plastics and papers every week. Here in Oklahoma it seems like recycling is a foreign concept. Every cup that is used at restaurants and convenience stores is made from Styrofoam as are the containers for take-out and leftovers. I didn't realize the stuff even still existed here. Meaghan and I have been trying to convince our friends that recycling is something that is a simple and easy way to be green. I hope its catching on.

BE GREEN!!!

worker bees get the honey

I can't believe how fast August flew by. It seemed just yesterday that the new GAs were getting here and now here it is the first week of August. Meaghan started school this week (finally). The construction on the school is almost done and it looks good so far. She is really enjoying being a second year teacher and not having the stress of doing everything for the first time.

OSU Intramurals officially kicked off their year with flag football last night. It was great to be out at the fields again teaching the new referees and supervisors. I love my job and can't wait until the pay me an actual salary for doing it!

I am playing rugby for the OSU collegiate side. I started with the team in the spring and it is great to be playing again after taking last fall semester off. There are a lot of young guys on the team and I feel like the crafty old veteran. We played UCO for our first game last weekend and won 113-5. It was nice to see so many people score and to have so much fun even though the heat was ridiculous! We are hosting a tournament this weekend which should be a lot of fun. The team dedicated the tournament to one of our teammates who was killed tragically in a car accident the night after our game last weekend. He will be missed greatly and we hope that the tournament can honor his memory.

I have been hearing a lot about the fairs and other fall traditions back home. It makes me miss going to the Brooklyn and Woodstock Fairs. I always enjoyed watching the tractor pulls and pig races.

Starting anew again

Today was the official start of our second year in Oklahoma. Its strange to think that a year has flown by so fast. It seems like only yesterday I was packing up the truck like the Beverly Hillbillies and riding with Mike halfway across the country. We have met some great people out here who have made our time away from home not feel so lonely.

I can already tell that this year is going to be different. I have gone from the young green grasshopper to the wise old owl. Instead of taking in all the information about policies, proceedures and general intramuralness, I'm the one who gets to teach the newbies.

Meaghan feels much more relaxed going into her second year of teaching. She knows the ropes and has a year of doing things all on her own to fall back on. We are both looking forward to another great year here in the middle of the country but can't wait to make the journey back east as well.

Its amazing to think where life takes you! Oh the possibilities!

Hello Everyone

I've decided to become a blogger. I have really enjoyed keeping up with Jaclyn and now Julie's blogs and I thought that it would be a nice way to keep connected to everyone back home with one of my own. Now its not just a monoblog but a diablog. Look at me making up words.

Speaking of Jaclyn and Julie. Congrats to the new mom and aunt in my family and also to the proud papa and everyone else. Its really a special time and being far away makes me a little sad. I guess thats what the magic of the internet is for.

I'll have to find some spectacularly goofy pictures of Jaclyn to get back at her for the one that she posted of me. It was a very awkward time in my childhood and nobody warned me that it was not cool to have glasses the size of Alaska on a face the size of Rhode Island. I will find a suitable picture that captures Jaclyn's impecible taste in clothing, haircuts or something else equally embarrassing.

I'll make sure to post some updates about school and the whole wedding stuff as Meaghan gives me updates about what I will be doing that day.