Life is a Balance Act

Abstract(This line added after completing blog and advance apologies to anyone who tries to read the whole thing): The pretzels and chocolate are tasty. James did good.



Naphtali should play poker. She's forced a move on my part with her latest blog entry.

Yes, I got a little domestic with my desire to create these white chocolate pretzel delights. How? Because lately I've been spending hour after hour at our local Caribou Coffee shop. They have these $0.85 jumbo pretzels with white chocolate for sale (which I've never purchased). For those who know me they'll know that I HATE to waste money. I'm not a huge coffee fan and would love to purchase a foofoo drink but unfortunately those $4.50 drinks add up. So... what am I 'forced' to buy but a small 'coffee of the day'. $1.71 is still expensive but I work hard to guess their trivia for an extra $0.10 off! Hour after hour and refill after refill all while enjoying a phenomenal wi-fi connection. Thanks Caribou!!!!!!


I was thinking of the amount of time I spend in these coffee shops. (In a Caribou right now writing this blog! This time I'm on the west side of town after getting some excellent feedback from one of Minnesota's most successful entrepreneurs)

Ahhh... blogs are so liberating! I've just rambled on about caribou when the original intent was to respond to the whole white chocolate binge purchase.

So, departing Caribou and likely approaching lethal blood/caffeine levels, I needed to pick up some milk and decided PRIOR to entering Target that I would purchase the pretzels and chocolate necessary to make the culinary delights!

(I like the word culinary) I'm wondering if it has origins with the word Cull
:to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal (as by hunting) of especially weaker animals ; also : to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control

Think of that as you are munching on your Cullinary Thanksgiving meal.

Which brings me to the complicated word MANKIND. Perhaps it could be easily understood if we broke the word down. MANK and IND , nope, still too complicated to understand and thus why we are a complicated species.

So I came home with the chocolate bits and pretzels. Did my lovely wife's jaw (I had draw here for a while) drop when she saw my artistic cooking juices flowing? No. Instead she questioned what was wrong with me.

You think after 7 years of marriage she would realize that 'wrong' is relative when it comes to me (as I look back on this entire blog post and question my messed up train of thought)


This photo brought to you by: bentobjects.blogspot.com


And if anyone actually read my blog then this would likely be sponsored by some ADHD drug.

Arghh! Blogging can be cumbersome

So as not to look like a complete jerk I should also seriously* say here is my lovely family. For all the grief we give each other I think the journey has been a fun one.


*For those who even read this blog retort (i.e. my mom, a taxi cab driver I met in Shanghai, Ben Bernanke and sometimes my wife) you'll know I can't be too sentimental so the REAL truth of this post is to sneak yet another photo of my cool looking pumpkin ;) Peeeerrrfection!

OK that last post was really to emphasize my artistry

I like the Nintendo Wii. It is a unique platform and I look forward to what Nintendo will do in the future. This pumpkin is a hats off to the innovators over at Nintendo. Way to go "Blue Ocean"

My lovely family

Being Called Dad

I have to say that when Aidan took to calling me "James" I had a hard time with it. There is no one else in this world that can call me that and I guess I kinda like him calling me "dad"

It doesn't help things when a particular mom (names not released to protect the guilty) snickers each time he calls me "James!"

Thankfully the phase has passed (for now) and I was even offered some kisses without solicitation!

Jamesie is also a guilty mom's generated name for me. Do I as a loving husband respond with retaliation? No.

I love you honey... :)

As a child my favorite letters were I, P and O

Yes, this is Naphtali's hunky husband when he was a wee little child. Mind you that is only a regular sized coffee cup.

We have an upcoming "Guess who this baby is" contest at work. I'm going to have some fun with it and a buddy was nice enough to create this photo for me. Thanks Andy!

This header is for all those business folks out there. Guy Kawasaki created fun kids T-shirts using the idea. Please please please encouraging people to think entrepreneurially at an early age. Seems like the older I get the more boundaries I put around my ideas. I like to think its a little wisdom mixed with my childlike imagination.

I'm looking forward to the day when the IPO door opens up again. Until then I guess my other two favorite letters are M & A!

I second that motion!