Eric, Mike, and I spent a lot of time together on various backpacking trips throughout the Northwest a couple of summers ago.

This is what happens when you run out of things to talk about...

Ok, here is how I uploaded videos to Blogger...There might be an easier way, but this worked for me...

Click on the "Video" hotlink on www.google.com.
Click on "Upload your videos" (to the right of the search bar).
Log in to Google (if you haven't already done so).
Use the "Browse" button to find the video you want to upload.
Add a Title, Description, Genre, and choose the level of Access.
Agree to the Terms and Conditions.
Click "Upload video."
Wait.
Continue waiting.
Wow, this is taking longer than I expected.
You might get an error message about the page not being found, but don't worry. It probably uploaded okay.
Go back to Google video (www.video.google.com) and click on "Uploaded Videos" along the top of the screen.
Your video should be in the queue. It takes time for the video to "Process" and I'm not sure how long you have to wait. I have started the upload process in the evening and the video is ready when I get to work in the morning, but the process might only take half an hour.
When the video is ready, click on "View" in the Status pane.
On the right hand side of the page, click the "Email-Blog-Post to MySpace" button.
Click "Embed HTML."
Start a blog post and copy/paste the HTML code into your blog in the "Edit Html" field.
Hope.

After reading these instructions, you might think it's a confusing process. It's really not that bad. I was able to manage it without any significant frustration, which for me is a miracle. Just ask Stephanie.

My buddy.


Hi, it's Steph posting something on Jim's blog b/c he never does. This is his little buddy who loves him so much b/c he's such a great daddy. Talk to you all later on my own blog!

My first kiss.



Not what I hoped it would be.

Watercooler Rant

Ok, seriously, if you get paid to predict, nay, simply forecast the weather, do your job! The loser weatherpeople in Portland once again totally missed the mark with their short-term forecast (as in < 12 hours). Over the weekend, they forecasted 14-18" of snow on Friday night and another 14-18" on Saturday at Mt. Hood. Approximately 3" fell on Friday night and basically no snow fell on Saturday. Good effort. Yesterday evening, they forecasted 1" of snow on the valley floor. We had approximately 8 snowflakes in our front yard this morning. Get out the tire chains!

That is all.

Over the years, I've ridden with many of you in a car along the westernmost parts of Highway 26.

One of the most incredible experiences of my entire life was shared with Stephanie when we pulled off the road into a particular tourist destination along this stretch of highway (nearly the size of Disney World and definitely more magical).

I'm saddened to hear that the object of my awe might be nearing its fateful end...

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_010307_news_sitka_tree.4db5b67.html

As I was checking in at the front desk of the fitness center, the guy behind the desk said, "Have a good workout."

I said in response, "You too."

I hate it when I do things like that.

Woot.

Mike and I went to White River Canyon this morning and had fun in the snow.

 

9:00 PM Friday evening...

Jim to Mike: Do you want to do something crazy tonight?

Mike to Jim: What do you have in mind?

Jim to Mike: Let's cross-country ski into Summit Meadows and camp in the snow.

Mike: OK

 

Woot.

If you don't know the rules of Scattergories, this story won't make any sense. If you've never played Scattergories, you haven't lived a full life.

If my parents challenge you to a game of Scattergories, politely refuse. If you do accept their invitation, you will not win. You will be made to feel silly.

The letter was..."F."

The category was..."Things you shout."

My mom's response was "Fee Fi Fo Fum." That's a 4 point answer. Amazing.

The category was..."Ways to get from here to there."

My dad's response was "Five." As in, there are five different ways of getting from here to there. You can't argue with that logic.

We had a great time when my parents came to visit this weekend. Henry loves them and I have a feeling they love him right back.

 

Stephanie and I are feeling a little bit under-the-weather. In an attempt to mitigate the effects of the sickness onslaught, I'm drinking green tea by the gallon.

Green tea tastes like sod.

Couldn't they (the tea people) come up with a name besides "green" for this particular type of tea? Maybe it wouldn't taste as much like sod if it had a better name.

Might I suggest...

Wellness Tea
Tea of the gods
Yummy Tea
Reciproci Tea
Sniffles Tea
Aye May Tea

Discuss.

A co-worker was kind enough to give me a packet of Starburst today, which I (of course) was excited about.

But, there is more to the story!

I opened up one of the Starbursts (or is it just Starburst, like deer or moose), the one in the yellow wrapper to be more specific. But instead of experiencing the mildly enjoyable lemon flavor (orange is my favorite...come on, it's a color and a fruit!), I tasted nothing short of Pina Colada bliss! Lo and behold, I had been given the Tropical assortment!

Delicious!

Here are the originals. Thanks for playing!

 

Can you guess who these eyeballs belong to?

A prize goes to the winner (or to the one person who actually comments on this blog entry).

Left to Right...Top to Bottom...

& Ignore the very Bottom row (it's a duplicate of the top row).

I only have eyes for you...

 

What makes a Saturday morning?

Sweatpants
Slippers
Warm biscuits with marionberry jam
Coffee

Here's a shoutout to Trent Tompkins...he runs marathons, climbs mountains, loves his family and I feel privileged to call him my friend.