Brick... Just Blog Damn It!

Another unannounced mini hiatus for bricknhymr. I once again have had life creep up on me, ask me how things are going, slap me across the face and then walk away... slowly... slowly away.

I have been crazy busy at each of my jobs. I feel like I have taken on quite a bit of responsibility and at one employer it is not an issue, because I don't really have a chance for advancement. At the other it is not an issue either, it just grinds on me a little as I really want to do well, but can never tell if I actually am.

I have had some really exciting things happen as well. First, last Friday I got to watch the Retrievers play in the big dance. I went to campus to watch the game with former co-workers and had an absolute blast. I was later told that I showed up on the WBAL coverage of the crowd, but I can't confirm that. It was amazing to see the team play in the NCAA. I kept saying to people that I waited eight years for that moment, and I really had. This could lead to big things for UMBC. I guess it is different for people who went to bigger schools, their reputation and notoriety are something that they take for granted. At UMBC we don't have that luxury. It was a privilege to watch this team and I thank them for everything that they have done for the University.

I also got to see my UMBC peeps the following day at Easter Saturday dinner. I have to admit, as much as I am a foodie, I got shown up at this meal. For one, I didn't cook anything. I brought wine instead, I just didn't have the time. Secondly, it wouldn't have mattered. The combination of Coke Ham and "Beer Can" Chicken (though coke was used for this as well) was incredible. It was an amazing time. I love hanging out with my friends and am sad that Kyle and Erin will be leaving so soon. I hope I get to spend some more time with them before they go. It was also pretty funny being the Jew and wishing everyone a Happy Sunday!

In serious news my heart and thoughts are with Alyssa and Matt right now as they get through some tough times. Know them or not, they are two of the most amazing people and should not have to go through things like this.

I have been working on improvements to eatcharmcity. Mrs. Twink and Eludius have both done some great reviews and the categories are filling out nicely. I am hoping to continue to build a nice base of reviews and start to do some home cooking highlights soon. Let me know what you think of the site.

There are lots more things going on, and they may be coming up in another post, maybe even later today (oh, when it rains, it pours!).

Talk to you all soon.

Marital Bliss at it's Best

So two weeks ago I jumped into the Brid (Hybrid that is) and headed to Canton, Ohio for the nuptials of Erin Hundley and Kyle T. Carter (the T is clearly obligatory). I was super excited for this event for many reasons. First and foremost I have never meet two more perfectly matched, awesome, people in my life. Second, it was a great excuse to see all of my UMBC co-workers. I miss these people so much, and they mean so much to me. It was really nice to get a chance to hang out and have a blast. Finally, the wedding was in Canton, Ohio... do you know what else is in Canton, Ohio? No, not the headquarters of Goodyear (that is in Akron, Ohio).

The Football Hall of Fame.

I got the chance to visit the Hall with Kyle and his friend Jay on Friday morning, but there will be a post about that later. This is Kyle and Erin's Time.

The wedding was great, and my UMBC peeps partied it up from Friday night until Sunday morning. This included a stop at a Brew-Thru. Turns out in Ohio you can drive you car into a building , ask the person who comes to the window for Beer, Cigarettes and Beef Jerky and they will bring it right to you. Even hand it to you through the window. It is kinda AMAZING.

As there were no fridges in the hotel room, we did run into a small problem of trying to keep the beer cold over the course of the weekend. My personal ingenuity and the availability of an ice machine and a sink made for the best, continuously chilled, Miller Lite, we have ever had.

Needless to say the ceremony and reception we a ton of fun, and very Kyle and Erin. There were lots of touching moments, but the whole idea was that they wanted to enjoy the night with the people they cared about. I really did like the bottles of wine as table cards and the table names as places that were important to them in their lives. I actually got pointed out by the Matron of Honor as "The Other Guy" during her toast.

So I don't yet have a ton of pictures from that night (my battery died) but I thought this one was a pretty good representation of how much fun we all had. If that is not one of the best looking groups of people, I don't know what is :-) (Sorry Kyle... Somehow we missed you in this picture)