Superbowl XLIII was probably one of the least hyped superbowl in recent years, I'm not sure whether this had anything to do with the current state of the economy. I personally didn't expect much of a match-up and by half time, it was already looking like it was going to be a blow-out, much to the chagrin of the die-hard Cardinals fans I was watching the game with.

The half-time commercials were even less interesting and NBC seems to have been so desperate that they sold a spot to the rip-off outfit Cash4Gold with MC Hammer (When was the last time this dude was on TV?). I'm sure he is a real Cash4Gold customer.

The second half of the game was much more exciting and for a while I thought the Cardinals were actually going to win, until the Steelers delivered an almost perfect drive ending in one of the best touchdown catches I have seen since the days of Chris Carter. Congrats Steelers - especially for Tomlin - this guy is just a great coach and adds to the long list of coaches Minnesota teams have let go that end up winning championships.

Every time winter comes around in Minnesota, which seems to be earlier and earlier each year, I, and most people I know, start cussing and saying that I am getting out of here before the next winter comes. My life then gets reduced to a borderline state of hibernation, only leaving the warmth of the house when I absolutely have to, such as when there is no more food in the fridge or to make that dreadful run to the liquor store to stock op for the long awaited Sunday footbal games, which in most cases end up in heartbreaking disappointment by the constantly mediocre Vikings. This usually goes on for the entire winter, which usually runs through April and into May on one some years.

As soon as it gets nice and warm I tend to forget how bad the winter was, and plans to move seem to get pushed to the back-burner until old-man winter strikes again, then the cycle is repeated all over again. I have decided to take a different approach lately, since winter is here again and I am still here - if winters are that bad, there wouldn't be people living around here, there must be something I am not doing right. The only thing I don't like about livnig here is the winter. They say the best way to overcome your fears is to face them, by the same token, I think the best way to like something you hate is to enjoy it.

I used to roller-blade back in my college days and I have not done it in over 5 years. As part of 'Operation Arctic Blast', I decided to go to the ice rink with some friends. Ice sking may look a lot like inline skating, but I found out the differences the hard way on the ice. I was able to get going without falling too many times, but I soon found out that you are able to go much faster on ice and stopping is totally different from roller blading. I have a few bumps and bruises, but I can't wait to get on the ice again. What the heck have I been thinking all these years?

Click the picture for the complete gallery, I couldn't post many of the pictures because the person taking them (me in some cases) was either airborne in the process of falling or already on their butts.

I got some free time in my hands as I lazed around digesting the turkey and goodies from thanksgiving dinner, and instead of going to burn money I don't have at BestBuy despite the nearly uncontrollable urge, I decided to do a facelift on the site. Some credit to Obama for the 'Change' and 'Yes We (I) Can!' phrases that kept echoing in my head pushing me on. The old design was nearly two years old and I was getting a little tired of it, hopefully the fresher look will encourage me add content more often. I also decided to change the domain name for something more hip and catchy. I have also linked my twitter feeds, which are also linked to my Facebook status updates, so I have no excuse of lack of a computer when I fail to make updates. I'm still fixing the plumbing, so look out for slippery spots and feel free to send me any feedback, or cast a vote on the poll to the right.
Cheers.

Could this be the sight in every city in the near future? With the price of gas skyrocketing with no signs of letting up, it looks like people are already giving up driving and returning to the trusty old bicycle - arguably one of the most efficient (energy conversion-wise) ways of travel ever invented. In a car with 1 passenger, only 3% of the energy is used move the person, the other 97% is 'wasted' moving the car. With a bike it's almost the complete opposite.

Forget magnetic levitation, flying cars and back-pack rockets you see in science fiction movies - we will all be cycling, and you had beter start practicing now. The 'boda boda' guys were ahead of the curve and saw what was coming. Next time you ride on a 'boda boda', tell the 'driver' (it cannot be rider, or who is the rider here?) this is the future.

Click on the pictures for more. They are mostly in Amsterdam, but the sight is getting more and more common in many cities.