I saw this video from Mindrelic (via Cameron) and I just fell in love with it.

Last week, Alli and I saw Woody Allen’s latest film, Midnight in Paris, and I adored it. It was one of those movies that just makes you smile the whole time. During the movie, there is a conversation between two of the characters where they talk about the life of a city that is independent of its inhabitants — that a city lives and breathes like an organism does.

Now, I’m no fan of Woody Allen’s, but this idea was something that I really remembered from the movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the film (by far my favorite of Allen’s 586 films he’s made) and if I took anything away from it, it was this idea that we much like the blood cells of the living organism that is the place that we inhabit…we have a structure and life all our own, but we contribute to the life of something larger.

Here are some of the pictures I took:

Tonight was our big date night in the city. We had tickets to see Complexions Modern Ballet at the Joyce Theater (which was amazing), but before the performance, we had one of the greatest meals I have ever eaten.

I was a fan of Harold Dieterle’s as soon as I saw him on Season One of Top Chef [proof 1 2 3]. In fact, I even put “eat at Harold’s restaurant Perilla” on a bucket list I made in May of this year.

Tonight, I actually got to check that off tonight.

What you’re seeing in this picture is the tasting of Colorado lamb, my entree at Perilla.

I started with the Crispy Calimary & Watercress salad. It had mint and pecans and a chili-lime vinaigrette. Alli started with the Baby Red Romaine salad, which had bartlett pears, stilton cheese and spicy pecan vinaigrette. I tried both. They were so balanced and amazing (you’ll see a theme begin to develop).

For the main course, I had the lamb trio — grilled rack, crispy braised belly, homemade cheese & parsley sausage. Alli had their Red Kuri Squash Agnolotti with chanterelles, grilled halloumi & brown butter-hazelnut sauce. We also got the Farro Risotto on the side to share. We followed it up with a piece of the pumpkin pecan pie with caramel sauce and pumpkin ice cream.

I don’t think that we could have made a bad decision. Frankly, I’m fairly certain that everything on the menu is phenomenal because everything that we had far exceeded my high expectations. Our service was exceptional. The decor is appropriate. The music…well, I don’t know who makes their playlists, but it might as well have been me.

One more thing: at the end of our meal, I told our server to please give our compliments to the chef and that I was a huge fan of everything. She said, “Well, he’s here, would you like to say hello?”

Um…YES PLEASE.

I thought that she was going to bring Harold out to the table…no, she came back and waved to us, signaling us to come with her and we followed her back into the kitchen where I got to shake Harold’s hand and thank him personally for the meal. I admit that I was a bit starstruck, but who cares? It was awesome.

I can’t state this too strongly: our meal was legendary. It’s been 4 hours since it ended and I’m still thinking about it. Thank you so much to Harold and the entire Perilla staff for making our dinner very special. It far exceeded my experience at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill. Oh, I didn’t tell you about that?

All in due time…

There were a couple of reasons for that:

1. To unplug. It’s healthy. I spend a lot of time on the internet. But not on vacation.
2. I was in Wyoming. Out of cell coverage. Twittering would have been pretty difficult.
3. To prove to myself that I could.

I know that the internet missed me. But alas, I powered through six days without Twitter or internet or even cell service.

So in the spirit of my lack of twittering, I thought that I would share the updates that I would have twittered had I been connected:

Last minute packing. Trying to get it all into one bag since we’re all driving together. 8 adults and a baby in a 12-passenger van. 6:07 PM Jul 2nd from ÜberTwitter

And we’re off. A little cramped in here. 11 hours to Wyoming. Pretty pumped. 8:00 PM Jul 2nd from ÜberTwitter

We’re only one hour in and I’ve already had at least six of the cookies my mom baked for the trip. Okay TWELVE. 9:07 PM Jul 2nd from ÜberTwitter

Nebraska City. Time for me to drive. Good thing I brought good music. Carolina Liar. PLAY. 10:37 PM Jul 2nd from ÜberTwitter

The van we rented has a massive fuel tank. If my contacts weren’t drying out my eyes, I could make all the way to Wyoming. 2:30 AM Jul 3rd from ÜberTwitter

Huge wind farm between Cheyenne and the ranch. I wonder how much energy each one of these things generates? 5:12 AM Jul 3rd from ÜberTwitter

I need a nap. This ranch is so gorgeous. I have so many good memories from this place. http://www.bitowyoranch.com 6:20 AM Jul 3rd from ÜberTwitter

The horses: Cody, Sundance, Shoshoni, Chugwater, Dakota, Cheyenne, Comanche, Cherokee, Bridger, Colter, Red Cloud, Red Rocks, & Washakie. 4:16 PM Jul 3rd from ÜberTwitter

Shooting a bow and arrow not very well. 5:12PM Jul 3rd from ÜberTwitter

RT @whitneymathews @shaneadams On America’s birthday, I’d like to tell you that your interview is the 6th most-viewed page ever on our site. 8:16 AM Jul 4th from ÜberTwitter

Up and ready to go hiking at Vedauwoo. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedauwoo 9:30 AM Jul 4th from ÜberTwitter

Holy crap. I almost just died. Slipped and almost fell off a 30-foot drop. Pretty scary. SERIOUSLY. Legs are a bit shaky now. 12:28 PM Jul 4th from ÜberTwitter

Mom started crying when I told her about almost falling off the mountain. 1:09 PM Jul 4th from ÜberTwitter

Rain has kept us from riding horses. We had hoped to ride after we got back and had lunch, but it is pouring. 2:49 PM Jul 4th from ÜberTwitter

Annoyed. 6:17 PM Jul 4th from ÜberTwitter

My oldest friend in the world is here now. Gabe is one of the funniest, best people I know. 11:30 AM Jul 5th from ÜberTwitter

What the heck is going on? Yesterday, I almost fell off a mountain. Today, I get thrown from a horse. Probably shouldn’t shoot any guns. 12:30 PM Jul 5th from ÜberTwitter

Hearing about The Infinity Principle, a new book by one of my Wyoming friends, Chad. http://infinityprinciple.com 4:00 PM Jul 5th from ÜberTwitter

Wyoming cowboys are a lot different than Kansas cowboys or Texas cowboys for that matter. Wyoming cowboys are FOR REALZ. 7:57 PM Jul 5th from ÜberTwitter

The Steeles wrote a song for my niece Ireland. @TasmanRay is going to teach me and @TheDudeAbides05 how to play it. 9:10 PM Jul 5th from ÜberTwitter

Going for a hike with Gabe, Chris and @startbeingfit. And all the dogs. I hope I can keep up. 11:14 AM Jul 6th from ÜberTwitter

Every week, they put on a cowboy dinner theater show here at the ranch. The Steeles are the non-Mormon cowboy version of the Osmonds. 8:43 PM Jul 6th from ÜberTwitter

An incredible trail ride today on Red Cloud. I still like Shoshoni, but Red Cloud didn’t buck me off. 2:22 PM Jul 7th from ÜberTwitter

On our last day in Wyoming, we had perfect weather, an incredible sunset and a campfire at Inspiration Point. 8:10 PM Jul 7th from ÜberTwitter

Tonight, we watched the horses being let out of the stable up into the field where they graze. Gorgeous animals. 9:33 PM Jul 7th from ÜberTwitter

A perfect end to the vacation: sitting on the deck under the stars around the fire pit listening to Dennis tell cowboy stories. 11:35 PM Jul 7th from ÜberTwitter

It’s official. Nine years of marriage and it keeps getting better. I love you, Alli. 12:01 AM Jul 8th from ÜberTwitter

My third near-death experience of the week: eating at McDonalds. When you don’t eat there for several years, you realize its disgustingness. 8:41 AM Jul 8th from ÜberTwitter

My turn to drive on the way back. Surprised that we’re already in Nebraska. 11:11 AM Jul 8th from ÜberTwitter

As fun as this has been, I am ready to be home. 7:44 PM Jul 8th from ÜberTwitter

Home. 9:50 PM Jul 8th from ÜberTwitter

It was an amazing trip — such a fun trip with the family. Getting to see Alli with the horses was so great, considering how much she loves them. I would seriously consider retiring in Wyoming. There is so much space and it is so peaceful. I can’t wait to go back.

This weekend, we headed up to Council Bluffs to visit Alli’s family. On Saturday, I spent the morning with Tyson and Ashley taking engagement pictures, which took us on a tour of Council Bluffs to places I hadn’t seen before, including the bridge pictured above, The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge.

The bridge opened at the end of September and was built by Kansas City’s own HNTB for about $22 million. I was wondering what cities in their right mind would pay for such a bridge when my father-in-law informed me that the reason it was named for Bob Kerrey was because he had acquired about $18 million of that “wasteful pork barrel spending” from the government to help pay for it.

The bridge spans over 3,000 feet of the Missouri River and is an impressive structure that connects Omaha to Council Bluffs. The lights were donated by the Gallup organization, who have a training facility at the end of the Omaha side.

I’d love to see cool stuff like this start showing up in Kansas City. Omaha is a little ahead of the game when it comes to the development of their downtown and if Kansas City doesn’t get its act together soon, they’ll soon be sorely losing out when it comes to big events (case in point – the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials were in the Qwest Center in Omaha earlier this year).

If you’re ever in the area, you should check it out.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day on Saturday and plenty of folks took advantage of the great weather to visit the zoo. We even ran into our friends Mike and Danielle on their way out of the zoo, which was funny because I hadn’t seen them here in KC for a long time.

It’s no surprise to run into folks from Kansas City 3 hours North at the Zoo. Omaha’s zoo puts Kansas City’s poor excuse for a zoo to absolute shame. The zoo in Omaha is accessible, clean and all the animals look comfortable (mostly) whereas the KC Zoo is a blight as far as zoos go.

I think that the KC Zoo would be better suited to close up shop, ship all its animals 3 hours North and put all its money into a high-speed train that runs to the Omaha Zoo. Because as far as zoos go, Omaha’s is one of the best.

One of the coolest things that Omaha has is a newer attraction called the Kingdoms of the Night, which has a slew of nocturnal animals and one specific section called The Swamp, which feels – predictably – like a swamp. It is the world’s largest indoor swamp and inside, the zoo has constructed a wooden bridge that takes you through sunken rowboats and trees in low light while alligators and beavers and other nocturnal animals mill about as if they were in the bayou of Louisiana. Along the way, you’ll get a glimpse of the crown jewel of the Omaha Zoo – the very rare White Alligator, one of only 13 in the world.

This display is just one example of how much better the Omaha Zoo is compared to ours. And to be honest, with the way that Kansas City, Missouri is run, it’s no surprise.

So for those of you who have never been, I would highly recommend you take the 3-hour trip North to Omaha, if only for the day. It’s completely worth it.

Alli and I and the rest of the family have been at Beaches Negril since last Saturday. While we were there, my brother and his lovely significant other Kelly got hitched on the beach on Tuesday afternoon. Both families were there as were a bunch of Jake’s friends and we had a great time. After an all-day journey yesterday, we’re back in Kansas City, away from the island humidity.

It looks as though the internet didn’t break while I was gone, although I  did win a contest and my biography was posted on Brad’s site. It looks like everything else is as it was. 

I read two books while I was gone, finally finishing Wild at Heart by John Eldridge and quickly consuming Playing for Pizza by John Grisham. I’ll post reviews soon.

As far as the rest of the week…I’m taking the rest of the week off from work. I may tackle a redesign of my own site if I can do it quickly. We’ll see.

How are you?

High gas prices across the nation are causing people to drive less and less because the result of higher fuel prices is that people must conserve money to make sure they can pay for more necessary things like food and shelter.

I know I’m not the first person to say, this, but I’m going to say it anyway.

Higher gas prices are a good thing.

The United States consumes more fuel than every other nation on the planet. It makes sense that we should probably pay less for it since we use more, right? This is true. However, we’ve grown accustomed to such low gas prices that any spike at the pump results in us crying foul and calling for boycotts of Shell and any other oil company that sells gas.

And while it’s true that oil companies like ExxonMobil and BP have made more money in the last several years than ever, I still don’t think we pay enough for gas.

Boycotting specific gas stations really doesn’t hurt anyone but the gas station owner, who operates on a very very slim margin. Out of the $3.34 per gallon (the price at the Quik Trip I pass on my way to work), the gas station actually profits a very small percentage, with the majority going to the oil company and the refineries to pay for the crude and the cost of refining it.

Oil companies are making huge profits because we still have yet to temper our consumption of oil. High gas prices have not done anything to the way that we live our lives. I still drive my SUV from Olathe to Fairway by myself every day, filling up once per week for $60+ each time.

Maybe when gas reaches $4 per gallon, I’ll actually get serious about taking the bus because it will finally be worth the huge hassle (we’re talking about 2 transfers and about a 2-hour commute to go 20 miles) to actually ride it. I imagine there are others out there who think the same way.

That’s why higher gas prices are a good thing. Maybe they will finally encourage us who consume more oil than any other nation (although China’s nipping at our heels) to change the way we think and put pressure on those who can do something about it to actually…do something about it.

I still believe that the American people have a say. It’s one of the reasons why I support Barack Obama. He’s someone who I believe will take the voice of the people under consideration when developing legislation. The issue is that people don’t care enough about it right now to really do something about it. We can’t rely on corporations like oil companies and car companies to magically do the right thing. They are going to do what is most profitable because they are still profit-based companies. They don’t owe you lower gas prices. It’s up to you to stand up and say, “If that’s how you’re gonna play it, then I’ll just change my lifestyle entirely.”

This is the only way we’re actually going to get viable alternative fuels and good mass transit in bigger cities – by actually telling people that they suck.

This isn’t an Earth Day post, but was inspired by a discussion I heard on the radio on the way into work. The host was outraged by the high gas prices and brought in an expert who basically said, TOUGH. And I agree. It’s time for people to get used to $4 per gallon gas because it’s not coming down anytime soon. Hopefully, it will inspire some folks to do something about it.

(And to those of you who are going to suggest that I get a different car, the answer is no. This one’s paid for.)

I oftentimes forget that people travel to New Orleans because of its history. And it is a city very rich with history. Unfortunately, that’s been tainted by years and years of poverty piled on top of the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

The first time was in 1993. I remember the year because we went for the Final Four. Kansas was playing in one of the most stacked final weekends of the tournament ever, with Michigan, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Kansas lost their semifinal game to the Tarheels, who were led by Eric Montross.

North Carolina went on to win the National Championship, defeating Michigan in a game that would go down in infamy as the one where Chris Webber called a timeout at the end of the game that the Wolverines didn’t have, resulting in a game-sealing technical foul.

What I remember of New Orleans from when I was 16 was really more the spectacle than anything. I remember traveling to the Tulane campus with David Rowe and visiting Frankie & Johnny’s for my first experience with crawfish. We saw Bourbon Street and the debauchery in all its glory on the first night, the streets packed with fans from all four schools milling around from bar to bar, from strip club to strip club, drinking and generally just making asses out of themselves.

We toured the French quarter during the day, which is really when people should see it. Bourbon Street is too much to take, but the rest of the quarter is intriguing, filled with art shops and tarot card readers along the streets.

I was reminded of this New Orleans today as I sat on the plane returning to the city that I’ve grown to dislike very much. It is rich with history, sure, but the smell of sewage in the city casts an overwhelming. I’ve not been back since Hurricane Katrina hit and I’m interested to see what’s been done to overcome that tragedy.

The woman across the small plane from me was sifting through her “Walking Tour Guide” and other assorted New Orleans tourism maps and such. She reminded me that some people (myself not included) still visit this city at the mouth of the Mississippi because it’s fascinating. There really is a lot to see if you want to find it. You just have to ignore the smells and the other negative things that go along with a city that has endured what New Orleans has.

This is my fifth trip to the city. While my first experience was amazing, being led around by a former native, going to the Final Four, etc., my following experiences (outside of the amazing food) have been less than stellar. There’s no reason I could point to particularly…I just remember the city being dirty and less impressive with each additional viewing.

—

Now I realize that like I said earlier, what I don’t like about New Orleans is that it seems like a city with a lot of potential, but it just can’t get it together. Something horrible happened to the city, but the government has thrown TONS of money there, but it still is a ways from being right again and I don’t know if it ever will be because the people in charge have about as much of a clue as to how to run a city as those running Kansas City, Missouri proper.

Either way, I just don’t see myself ever going back there to visit. I’ll go when I absolutely have to for a conference or whatever, but I’m not going to voluntarily go back. It would take some serious motivation for me to do so.