Pumping iron

My new bench I got at Wal-Mart. I still need some more weights but they were out.

Snow in Nashville

A view from the deck of my office building.

Walking to my car in the parking lot, getting off work.

Chef Paulo's 5-Minute Burritos

Ingredients:

• 2 large flour tortillas
  
• 1 can refried beans
  
• 3/4 cup instant rice
• Shredded cheese
• 1 small Roma tomato (to be diced)
• Shredded lettuce
  

Directions:
Open 1 can of refried beans. Microwave 3/4 cup of instant rice and equal parts water for 3 minutes. While rice is cooking, dice 1 small Roma tomato. After 3 minutes, add 2 or 3 large spoons of canned refried beans to the rice and microwave for 2 more minutes. Store the rest of the refried beans in the fridge. When the cooking is done, stir the mixture thoroughly (*Caution: contents will be hot*). Seasoning can be added, such as ground red pepper or seasoned salt for flavor. Apply the rice/bean mixture onto large flour tortilla and add shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and shredded lettuce. Roll the tortilla, et voilà! 5-minute burritos.

Makes about 2 large burritos. Meat can be added, but this takes way too long.

At the Red Door

Friday night at the Red Door with Josh, Susie, Rachel, and Shane.

Minneapolis, MN

When I arrived in the Twin Cities on Christmas Day, there was a foot of snow that had partially melted and turned into solid ice, making everything a bit slippery. The next day we took the light rail downtown to see the sights. I had the full winter gear on.

Downtown The whole downtown is connected by a series of walkways between buildings called the Skyway. This huge network of walkways allows you to walk all around the downtown indoors from building to building. Inside they have shops, restaurants, and movie theaters.

The frozen Mississippi

We headed outside towards the Mississippi River and crossed the bridge on foot. It was very cold and windy. You could see the frozen Mississippi River.

City at night

The next night we did a pub crawl and went from one bar to another. The best bar in town by far was the 8th Street Grill. Excellent atmosphere and service.

More of downtown
Hannah still had to work the week after Christmas, so Ruben and I took the light rail to explore some more of downtown.



New apartment

Ruben and Hannah were moving into a new apartment, so I helped them move a few things into the new place during the week. We were actually house sitting for some people I don't know. Here's a view of the backyard of the house where we were staying, Ruben's car, and a picture of them in front of their new apartment complex.

Me shoveling snow


Mall of America

We visited the Mall of America, the largest mall in the United States. This place was impressively big. There was even an amusement park inside the mall. We ate huge burritos at Chipotle's, and I met Barack Obama there.

New Year 2010
We ushered in the new year with some of Hannah's friends by watching the Times Square ball drop on CNN.

After the new year celebrations, the temperature dropped even more as an Arctic front moved in and plummeted the temperatures to a low of -15°F and highs barely over 0°F. By the time I took my plane back to Nashville, I was ready for some warmer weather. I got to Nashville and the temperature was in the 20s. "Warmer" by comparison.

Arriving in Minneapolis

Landing

Went to visit Ruben and Hannah for the holidays. Arrived in Minneapolis on the 25th. Conditions were cloudy and snowing. There was a huge winter storm over the midwest that brought in more than a foot of snow.

.	Hannah and Ruben