Author: Mark

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Thoughts From the Aftermath

Erin and I got married on Saturday, September 17. It’s been a few days, and we haven’t yet gotten used to calling each other husband and wife. They still sound like overly adult terms.

It’s a funny feeling. There’s so much building up to just a few moments in a day when you move from engaged to married. Then everything is over, you enjoy a party with friends and family, then that is over too. You’re left with a scattershot of memories from a whirlwind of an evening, and a lifelong partner. It’s a lot to take in.

We’re thrilled with how everything went, with how the weather cooperated, the people we got to celebrate with. We’ve cleaned up the area, and are preparing for our honeymoon. Maybe by the time that is over we’ll feel more comfortable with our new titles for each other.

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Back to The MN State Fair

I haven’t been to the Minnesota State Fair since 2017, just prior to my senior year of college. Since then, my travels home haven’t aligned with the event, so I’ve missed out on the fun and festivities I was lucky enough to enjoy for so many years.

Finally, with Erin and I being back for our wedding, we were able to return. We only spent about 4.5 hours there, but we enjoyed an abbreviated version of the fair trips we looked forward to each year of college. It was genuinely exciting to go back, to have the familiarity of the sights and sounds and smells, and spent quality time together in the unique atmosphere the fair provides.

And for the record, I ate:

  • A strawberry nutella crepe
  • Most of a cone of Sweet Martha’s cookies
  • An elk burger with a side of fries
  • A Pronto Pup
  • A pork chop on a stick
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Buncha Crunch Revival

In sixth grade my mom took me to our local Hollywood Video so I could rent Fellowship of the Rings. I had started reading the trilogy, and wanted to watch each movie as I finished the corresponding book. Shockingly, my mom acquiesced — I’m guessing she wasn’t wholly familiar with its contents.

More importantly, I saw a box of Buncha Crunch on the shelf.

Continue reading “Buncha Crunch Revival”
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The Good News About Squash

I first learned how to play squash during my freshman year of college. I was hooked pretty quickly. That year, my roommate and I both bought rackets so we wouldn’t have to keep renting from the university. I continued to play throughout college, just recreationally with friends, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

When I finished college and moved to San Diego, there was a squash-shaped hole in my life. I suddenly didn’t have any sports to play.1I had looked up a squash club in the city that only had 2 or 4 courts, for $120(!) a month. Ridiculous. I instead began walking about, going for hikes, keeping myself entertained through other means. Eventually, I found a group of guys to play flag football with on Saturdays; that was a great change.

Now that I’m in San Francisco, squash has come back to me. The benefit of being associated with a university (through Erin) is access to recreational facilities with squash courts. I brought my racket back from Minnesota, and have slowly accumulated people around me who are also interested in playing on a semi-regular basis.

I find it helpful to have a broad range of activities to participate in; that way, as circumstances change both in the short- and long-term, I have options to keep moving and stay entertained. I’m thrilled that squash has come back to be on that list.

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    I had looked up a squash club in the city that only had 2 or 4 courts, for $120(!) a month. Ridiculous.