Thanksgiving 2011

11/26/2011

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My brother was in town to pick up his car, and my grandfather came by for dinner. We were all at my mother's house, and as usual, the meal was outstanding. (She makes better vegetarian food for me than most restaurants.) Anyway, here are a few of my favorite shots with all of us on Thanksgiving. (I don't know who's a bigger ham, me or my brother.)
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'Breaking Dawn' releases in theaters, midnight premiere

11/19/2011

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If there's anybody I can count on who is nutty enough to go to a movie theater to see "Breaking Dawn" with me at midnight, it's my mother and she had to work the next morning. (I'm still on vacation, but she stayed up like a trooper.) Not only that, she came back from work the next day and went to see "Happy Feet 2" with me so I got to see two movies I really wanted to in less than 24 hours. Gotta love Mom. I knew she'd have something up her sleeve when I returned from Maui. We always celebrate each other's birthdays, and she's my favorite person to hang out with. If/when I go to Hawaii again, she's already informed me she's going no matter what.
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15 things I'm digging right now: Maui style

11/17/2011

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Confession: I haven't been back in Chicago for 24 hours (flight landed at 6 a.m., today and I'm already restless and ready to go back to Hawaii). It's not just the 33-degree weather or avoiding loud people on the el, but Maui is just such a positive place to be. It's impossible to be in a bad mood there. Immediate relaxation. So my "5 things I'm digging right now" will be combined for last week, this week and next week as "15 things I'm digging right now." They'll also all be about the past six days I spent in Hawaii.

1. Kona Hawaiian Blend Micro-Roasted Coffee: I always tell people I can't drink coffee. It's not that I don't like it, but it gives me really bad heartburn. However, I just wanted to try a little bit of everything so I checked out the free coffee in my hotel room and loved it. I didn't get heartburn once. This stuff was so good that I was drinking it three and four times per day everyday. I usually drink a mug of tea everyday, but this coffee won me over. I'm pondering on getting a coffeemaker just so I can continue drinking this.

2. Maui Bus: I avoid tourists every time I go on vacation. The reason is that when I'm around tourists they spend more time comparing their hometown to the location they're in or glued together. I'd rather hang out with locals and get the real feel of the area. Due to a late flight, I lost a day on my car rental and I just decided to not keep the car rental reservation at all. I couldn't have been happier because it forced me to walk around, get to know the neighborhood and ride the bus to see areas I'd have never seen if I had to concentrate on driving. I didn't miss paying $4.44 per gallon for gas, and $2 for an all-day bus pass is far better!
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Back from Maui, 30th birthday, two videos

11/16/2011

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 I'm back from Hawaii. My flight touched down around 6 a.m. today, so I'm unpacking, running errands, checking e-mails (I didn't get on the Internet for six days, which is huge for me) and stopped by YouTube to upload a couple videos before I go pick up my photos. Interested in seeing a couple of places I went for my 30th birthday on 11/11/11? Here you go:

I decided to take a walk around the Maui Seaside Hotel where I was staying. I started at Lono Ave., and went to Ka'ahumanu Ave., towards the West Maui Mountains. I stopped at the Kahului Harbor.




_While I was on vacation, I took a ride on the Sugar Cane (steam engine) Train. It went from Lahaina Town to Ka'anapali Resort and around the West Maui Mountains.
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