10 degrees, turn on the A.C.

After some seriously cold weather over the past few days, it's warm today. By warm, I mean that the temperature is back in double digits. The crowds were out at Mayfair today, probably because everyone had cabin fever. Not even a faulty fire alarm system could keep people out. Jenelle and I successfully got our second Pottery Barn bar stool (at 10% off) and a replacement kitchen table leg.

Week one of the epic drama that is Ben and Jenelle working at SCJ together is now complete. We're both pleased with how things are going. One of my favorite benefits of this arrangement is that we can go to the fitness center and work out together in the evening. I'm no longer in such a rush to get home from work to see my wife because -- well, she's right here at work with me. Boy, that sounds really dorky.

Anyway, I'm moving to a new position at SCJ. I'll still be doing computer programming, but for different applications. I have to learn a new language, so I'm going to Philadelphia for training next week. I'm planning to keep a blog going of my experiences in the city of brotherly love, so stay tuned for that.

And now my dad just called -- the turkey's done an hour early, and Milt & Jeri are already there. I guess that means we're holding up the show. Later! :)

Sunday Good Times

Jenelle and I went to Office Depot today and bought a new desk. We moved Jenelle's computer and the old desk to the guest room. As you can see, there's plenty of room for all sorts of things on top of the desk. The keyboard is in a drawer.

Two more birthdays today. One is yet another sibling-in-law, and the other is my cousin in Ohio.
Happy Birthday, Brian!
Happy Birthday, Katie!

WHEEL... OF... FORTUNE!

One of my fraternity brothers, now a student at Northwestern Medical School, was on TV on Thursday, January 15. He won over $42,000 in cash prizes. Here's a link to a story in the Daily Northwestern. Way to go, Ron!

I missed two birthdays yesterday (the 23rd). They're both siblings-in-law.
Happy Birthday, Holly!
Happy Birthday, Jeff!

And I hope you like jammin' too

We tried something new at church on Wednesday. Instead of piano, guitar, and drums, we had BASS, guitar, and drums. We sounded more like a rock band. We are blessed to have an opportunity to do that again next week, and we're going to try a Newsboys song that is one of the most powerful worship songs I know. I hope everything goes as well next week as it did this week.

Who's the big winner?

I finished in eighth place at the tournament last night. I'm not really disappointed -- I sat at the table for over two hours, and I had the distinction of being the first person to go "all in". AW let me deal for everyone else after I was out. That was almost as fun as playing.

In fact, I feel like a big winner this weekend. The bobble head on eBay sold for over $50! I made about eighty bucks selling only three items. Jenelle helped me get the packages ready, and she's headed to the post office tomorrow to send them out. She's quite the sweetie.

Sorry about the webcam being down. It'll be back up this week, I promise.

Texas Hold 'Em

Tonight, I'm in an eight-person poker tournament. One of my groomsmen got a poker table AND some quality chips, and I'm thrilled that he's sharing his gift with me and six of his other buddies. Thanks, AW!

In other exciting news, people actually like the stuff I'm selling on eBay. The McDonald's transformers, as of this posting, are up to TWENTY-SIX dollars! I had no idea they were so popular.

Real bargains!

Last night, I took another step into the internet. I'm selling these items on eBay!

In other news, I had a great time watching the football game with Jenelle and my parents tonight. Oh well, the Packers lost. You won't see me showing any signs of depression. :)

Sunday Snowfall

I apologize for the lack of posts over the past few days. I finally have something neat to show off. It's a photo series from the snowfall we had on Sunday.

On Tuesday, both Jenelle's mother and one of my aunts celebrated a birthday. So:
Happy Birthday, Aunt Nancy!
Happy Birthday, Pam!

I've been back at work for a week, and things are going pretty well. I have more news about my current job, but I'll save that for another entry.

More 'net exposure

It's a brand new year, and it's time to announce a new addition to the items on the right-hand column. That's right, it's the BenCam! I now have a camera mounted just above my computer screen, and it will take a picture every 90 seconds and upload it to the web. Neat, eh? You can click on the image to open a page with a larger picture on it.

We had a great time at my Grandpa's birthday party today.
Happy Birthday, Grandpa Nick!
He must be at least...29 years old. :)

By the way, your comments are always appreciated. I'm not sure how many people actually read this thing (besides my mom, my brother, and Jenelle's grandmother), but feel free to let me know if there's something you'd like to see on my little piece of the internet.

Enjoy 2004. It will be over before you know it!