August 1, 2009

Summer Travel and a New Blog

I'm not posting much these days but I would like to take a moment to plug my brother John's new blog, Margin of Victory. In it, he and his friend Russ write about boardgames. Now is an especially good time to start reading because the two of them are heading to the World Boardgaming Championships in Lancaster, PA this week.

John and Russ leave tomorrow morning and I will be joining them for the drive. Once we get to Lancaster on Monday, they start boardgaming and I'll be hopping a train to New York City, where I'll staying with my good friends Matt and Kabrina until Saturday.

permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 12:08 PM

November 4, 2008

Senate Prediction (Coleman vs. Franken)

Based on a sampling of 341 unlikely voters today in the liberal heart of St. Paul (which gave Obama the presidency in a landslide), manyhighways is predicting a victory for Republican Senator Norm Coleman over Democratic challenger Al Franken. The margin of victory for Coleman will be slim (under 5%) but Coleman will be reelected to the Senate.

permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 6:08 PM

November 2, 2008

2008 Presidential Election Prediction

I think I'm probably going to go through withdrawal when this whole thing is finally over. I've been reading way to much polling data and statistics lately, mostly from the excellent site fivethirtyeight.com. I've learned a lot and have decided that the time has come for the official manyhighways presidential election prediction. Without further ado...

Barack Obama: 311
John McCain: 227

Chances are good that Obama will actually do much better than this, so I'm making quite a conservative prediction here. I'm predicting that McCain will win the battleground states of FL, MO and SC while Obama will win CO, VA, OH and PA. If McCain doesn't do well in the battleground states, the margin of victory for Obama will obviously be much greater.

One thing I am not willing to make a prediction on is the Minnesota Senate race which is the most contested in the nation, largely because of Independent Dean Barkley. Minnesotans have had no problems electing third party candidates before (see Jesse Ventura) so who knows what will happen on election day. The majority of polls are saying Al Franken has a slight advantage right now but this lead falls within the margin of error in most cases, making the race too close to call.

Finally, and most importantly, be sure to VOTE ON TUESDAY!

permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 11:10 PM

August 2, 2008

A New Home

I moved into a new apartment yesterday. More importantly, I was reminded throughout the day of what happened one year ago as my brother and I were driving into Minnesota from New York with a minivan full of all my worldly possessions. On that same day, August 1st, 2007, the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed and Minnesota marked the one year anniversary of that tragedy yesterday as the new bridge nears completion.

When I moved here last year I didn't have much time to find an apartment so I ended up in a less than ideal studio in St. Paul a few blocks from the Cathedral. As I wrote at the time, the location was amazing. The apartment was the opposite. Every window in the place looked out at the identical building next door and I couldn't even see the sky. The charm of living in an old (early 1900s) building wore off quickly and the claw-foot tub turned out to be annoying rather than neat.

Yesterday I moved into a bigger and better apartment. It's in a modern building with brand new carpet, a new kitchen floor, air conditioning and, most importantly, it has a bedroom. No more studios for me, ever. It's in a fairly residential area but is close to the shops and restaurants of Grand Ave. I'll now be commuting to work via my own two feet every single day while my car sits in a garage with a tank of gas that will probably last a month, if not longer. I face the rear of the building and look out at the garages but there are lots of trees behind them which is nice. When I woke up this morning I could see blue sky out the window and could hear birds chirping which made me smile. Beyond the trees is a road so I hear a bit of swishing from cars passing but that doesn't bother me. There are also train tracks next to the road but as everyone knows, I love trains, so I find the thrum of diesel engines to be rather pleasant.

Of course there are a few downsides. I am above the laundry room and can sometimes hear the spin cycle on the washers. And since this is an apartment, I do sometimes hear noises in the hallway or a bit of creaking from the person above me. But I expect I'll quickly get used to these noises, just as I got used to the sirens and street noises when I lived in New York City.

I set up the kitchen yesterday with a little help but there is much more work to do over the next few days. Time to get back to unpacking.

permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 11:50 AM

July 2, 2008

Manyhighways on Eurotrip Podcast

I'm in New York right now, staying with my good friends Matt and Kabrina. Matt is the main administrator for Eurotrip, the big backpacker website. Today he asked me a few questions about photography for the latest Eurotrip podcast.

Download it directly from Eurotrip or subscribe and download via iTunes.

Post a comment and let me know what you think!

permalink | comments (1) | TrackBack | posted at 9:40 PM

June 9, 2008

Officially Minnesotan Again

It's been nearly a year since I returned home to Minnesota after four years in New York. However, I didn't really consider myself officially Minnesotan again until last week when my new driver's license arrived. Until last week I had been carrying around a New York license, but my birthday is just ten days away, along with the expiration of the license, so it was time to get a new one. I was a bit shocked when they told me I had to take a test, but I passed with an 80% which isn't too bad considering that I wasn't exactly prepared.

I'm also going to be ditching my New York cell phone number in favor of the local 651 area code. This will be a nice change because I also got a new cell phone to go along with the new number. Despite being a bit of a tech geek, I've only ever owned one cell phone and after several years it's a bit worse for wear. I'll pass along all the technical details of the new phone in a separate entry.

Finally, I went to my first St. Paul Saints game. Someone was nice enough to hook me up with some free tickets, and despite the 35 degree weather, the game was very enjoyable. Everyone is so nice at Midway Stadium and we feasted on beer, cheese curds and hot mini doughnuts which kept us warm. There were plenty of entertainers (including a pig) and promotional games to watch between innings and the freight trains passing by beyond the left field fence give the place a nice, homey atmosphere. I'll be going to another game in a few weeks and am excited to see what the place is like when it's actually warm and full of people. I expect the atmosphere will be even better.

permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 3:25 PM

November 18, 2007

Catching Up

A few people have started to comment that my blog has been neglected for nearly three months now so I'm going to cave and write a little update on what's been going on.

Basically, my new job is keeping me very, very busy. This, however, is good because the old job in New York City was quickly draining my energy and enthusiasm. Now, I'm experiencing the opposite effect. I'm more motivated and excited now than I have been for years and the new job makes me feel like I just got out of college again and am bursting with enthusiasm and ideas. It's awesome.

At the same time, I'm looking forward to this week's Thanksgiving break and am excited for the holidays. Earlier this week I made plans to go back to New York for a visit the week after Christmas. During the four years I lived in New York I would spent New Year's here in Minnesota so I figure it's time to reverse that trend and spend it in New York. As great as things have been going here, I really miss the bustle of New York, its subways and bridges and, of course, all the friends I made there.

Other developments include my purchase of a slick alumninum and glass 24" iMac which I am throroughly enjoying with the latest iteration of Apple's Mac OS X: Leopard. I've been nothing but happy with it so far and am beginning to learn Aperture, Apple's photo management and editing application. This has had the effect of making me want to buy a true SLR camera so I will hopefully be purchasing one of those before Christmas.

My reading list has been dominated by non-fiction lately, especially of the Civil War variety. Recent reads (along with my review - lifted from my Facebook profile - of each) include:

Grant & Twain by Mark Perry: This is the first time I've read a detailed account of Grant's last days and it's only made me respect the guy even more. Perry writes simply but knows how to tell the story without getting too academic.

Cry Havoc! The Crooked Road to Civil War by Nelson Lankford: This book is unlike any other Civil War history that I've ever read as it deals not with battles, but with the politics of secession and the often-overlooked events that led the North and South to full fledged civil war. With this micro-history approach, Lankford has composed an intricate, wonderfully written, day-by-day and sometimes hour-by-hour account of the crooked road to Civil War.

Hey Ranger! True Tales of Humor and Misadventure from America's National Parks by Jim Burnett: Although I once worked with Jim, the ranger who wrote this book, his writing style is a bit too conversational for my tastes. It feels like every sentence is being delivered with a chuckle and it gets annoying after a while.

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey: This book really sucked. It was written by a park ranger who kills a rabbit within the boundary of a national park for no apparent reason. That would be a federal crime by the way. The incident basically confirmed my opinion of the author as a complete moron and total asshole.

For music, I've seen three great shows since my last entry: Arcade Fire, Smashing Pumpkins and New Pornographers. At home and work I've been digging the latest albums from Band of Horses, Pinback, Radiohead, Palomar, The Ponys, Voxtrot, Rilo Kiley and The New Pornographers.

Well, that pretty much covers what I've been up to. I really ought to write more often, shouldn't I?

permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 1:37 AM

August 22, 2007

Photoblog Announcement

Today marks the first addition of a non-New York City photograph to the manyhighways Photoblog.

Yes, today I finally ventured out into my new neighborhood at dusk after a rain shower and got some decent shots of the St. Paul skyline. Stay tuned for more as I continue to explore the area.

permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 11:04 AM

July 10, 2007

A New Home

My brother's wedding on Saturday (7/7/07) couldn't have gone better. It was a wonderful ceremony in a beautiful church in Chatfield, MN followed by a reception at the Eyota American Legion which was bursting at the seams with friends and family. Since I was the Best Man, I didn't really have to do all that much except hand over the rings, sign the wedding certificate and give a little speech. On Sunday, my brother and his beautiful bride (who I am happy to now call my sister) opened gifts and then took off in a car trailing streamers and soda pop cans and filled with balloons.

Yesterday I was back to preparing for my imminent move from New York to Minnesota by apartment hunting in St. Paul. After lots of false leads I finally found one in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood. It's not far from Summit Avenue and is within the borders of the Historic Hill District which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

I'm very excited about the location because it's within two miles of my new job which means I'll be able to walk or bike past the stately Victorian homes and mansions on Summit on my way to and from work. It's just one mile from the State Capitol, the History Center, the Xcel Energy Center and the Science Museum. It's also literally three blocks from the Cathedral and a few blocks more from two great bars: the Muddy Pig and the Happy Gnome. And I fully expect to bump into Garrison Keillor at some point because his bookstore is just a few blocks away as well. Or perhaps I'll bump into the ghost of author F. Scott Fitzgerald or railroad tycoon James J. Hill who lived in the area. One thing I am sure of is that I will be discovering more about my new neighborhood throughout the year and will have plenty of fodder for the photoblog.

permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 11:47 AM

June 25, 2007

Moving to Minnesota

Written entries have been few and far between over the last month and this is because I've been busy preparing for a major change - I'm leaving New York and moving back home to Minnesota (specifically, St. Paul). I've been here in New York for almost exactly four years but I decided in the spring that I wanted to head back home. Several weeks ago I got a new job and since then have been wrapping up loose ends here and preparing for the move.

I don't expect manyhighways to change. The only difference will be that you won't see New York photos on the photoblog any more. The photoblog will still be here, but it won't be restricted just to New York City.

I'll have more information soon regarding the move and all the other things I have planned for the summer. Despite moving my whole life from East coast to Midwest, I'm still doing quite a bit of recreational traveling which I will chronicle here. I'll detail those plans in a separate entry.

The above image was snatched from buzz.mn, whose editor (James Lileks) posted it recently.

permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 9:10 AM

May 6, 2007

Manyhighways is Green

I'd just like to point out that my hosting company, Dreamhost, is now "carbon neutral" which means that they are contributing to organizations and funds which are reducing greenhouse gases, as a way of compensating for their own carbon footprint. That also means that this site is officially "green" which makes me pretty happy.

permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 1:54 PM

January 18, 2005

Comments Are Back

Unregistered comments on the site have been turned off temporarily due to all the spam I've been flooded with recently. They'll be turned on again after I install MT-blacklist.

I just installed MT-Blacklist which will prevent spam from being posted as comments - a problem I've been struggling with for a while now. Comments have been turned back on so please write something interesting!

permalink | comments (1) | posted at 7:27 PM

December 28, 2004

Donate to American Red Cross Disaster Relief

The death toll from Sunday's tsunami is well above 50,000 as I write this. Amazon has made it very easy to donate to the Red Cross disaster relief fund and you can refresh the page to see the amount that has been collected so far. Amounts as little as $5.00 are accepted so donate now. Every little bit helps.

permalink | comments (0) | posted at 9:59 PM

November 3, 2004

Post-Election Message

Due to recent events, manyhighways.com is making a radical departure from it's usual, non-controversial content to bring you this post-election message:

Mark my words...

When the President's term is over you'll see no improvement in the economy, continual government pandering to big drug companies and - of course - Halliburton, the same high medical care premiums, civil war in Iraq, a stagnant minimum wage, restrictions on your civil liberties, an underfunded education system, environmental degradation and a whole host of other problems.

Then, if you voted for Bush, you can pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for helping change this country from being the world's best hope for peace and prosperity to a nation which is responsible for the murder of thousands of innocents halfway around the world, the destabilization of the Middle East and utter disregard for its own Constitution and its own people. So I just want to say "good job!" - you helped flush a once-great nation down the toilet.

Rant over. But if you want more, read this,

permalink | posted at 6:21 PM

September 4, 2004

Help Build A Stronger Manyhighways

As many of you know, a loved one was taken from me back in July. It was a tragic day for me and for many of my loyal readers. I appeal to your spirit and compassion and patriotism today by asking for your help. Your contribution will help keep America strong during these dangerous and critical times. With your help, we can strengthen national security by never allowing this to happen again. Help me, or terrorists will kill you and your family. Show your support by clicking here.

permalink | comments (0) | posted at 12:37 AM

August 9, 2004

Comment Problem Fixed

Thanks to a few astute readers, especially Steve at trainweb, I've fixed a major problem with this site. No longer will you be asked to enter a username and password to write a comment or view the archives. Sorry to those of you who tried to post comments in the past but were unsuccessful. Now you can comment as much as you want (within reason).

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, below each entry there is a link that says "comments (#)". If you click on that you can write a note which will be appended to the entry and read comments that other visitors have written. I encourage everyone to post a comment now and then because it's a nice way for me to get feedback from readers. Thanks!

permalink | comments (6) | posted at 7:01 PM