Football

A few weeks ago, I won 2 tickets from work to go see the Redskins/Cowboys game this weekend! I took Steve - a rabid Skins fan - and headed out for FedEx Stadium on the far side of DC. It took me nearly 3 hours to get there: over an hour driving down I-66 almost into DC, another hour on the Metro blazing underground, and another half hour to walk from the subway to the stadium. I met Steve there, and we headed in for our seats (only about 15 rows back!) The weather was pretty miserable: lower 40's and drizzling rain for the first half. Thankfully, we were ready and all bundled up for the wet stuff and cold. The game itself was pretty good - the Skins won and are now in the playoffs! The crowd was massive - nearly 91,000 in attendance. Normally, I'm not a big football fan, but despite the fact I got home at 11PM and have been tired all day, it was fun. I wouldn't want to do that on a regular basis, though. Photos are in Fotki.

I had to work today. Given that is was clear skies and 50 degrees, this was a problem. I did try out my Fivefingers outside after work - they work great!

Barefoot heresy?

My company had given me a little bit of extra spending cash at the annual Christmas Party, which I normally use to help pay for some nifty new gadget over the holidays. This year, I went to splurge down at the local backpacking store, and my choice was a bit... eccentric this year, or so I'm told. I found a new pair of shoes, but this particular style, as you can see below, is pretty interesting:

The brand name is called "Fivefingers". It's like going barefoot, only with a hard sole. I thought they looked awesome, they're small enough to easily pack with my hiking gear, and it's a good cross between going barefoot and protecting my feet.

Although I can hear the old-school barefoot MK's calling blasphemy from all the way out here...

In other news, I'll have more pictures tomorrow night when Steve & I get back from a rather...large sporting event. Steve's going nuts about it.

Richmond

I was out this past week at a 4-day training course in Richmond, VA. The course was on how to use the MicroStation CAD program, and it went very well, although I feel that I still need more training on the specific survey aspects of the program before I am truly competent with drafting in the program. Funny but true: our instructor's name was Robert Lee.

While I was in Richmond, I managed to get most of my Christmas shopping done in spite of the uncanny ability of the local arcade to siphon off my money (and I'm supposed to be 26... I am such a geek.) We were let out of class early yesterday, so I was also able to spend a little time down at the site of the old Tredegar Iron Works downtown by the James River. During the Civil War, Tredegar was one of the largest ironworks in the nation, and was the primary producer of artillery pieces for the Confederacy. Nowadays, the site is now home to the visitor's center of the Richmond Nat'l Battlefield. I took a few pictures before heading home.

Well, I've got a lot to try and get done before the lousy weather comes in tonight, so I'll end there for now.

Out of Town

I'll be away for the next week - I'll try to have something up on Saturday and catch up.