Moved!

My new site is http://www.brettgfitzgerald.com. It's hosted on SquareSpace, so if you actually read this, check out that site from now on.

Failed attempt

Ok, so I thought I would have stuff to write about. It's not that there isn't anything going on in my life, just that it's probably not interesting to read about. So once again, this blog slips into retirement. Later!

The end of summer already?

I've started to feel it... the temps are slowly dropping. It gets pretty chilly at night. I'm sure we'll still have some more scorchers before the end of the season, but it won't be many... In unrelated news, I'm really excited for the ski/snowboard season this year. Not sure why. Maybe because I didn't spend many days at the beach this year, so I'm anxious to cut my losses and move on to the next season. Fall? Not so much. I'm a summer/winter kinda guy. I'll survive fall, but once that snow starts accumulating, I'm a happy man :)

Others

Just heard a great quote from last night's Colbert Report from Dick Meyer: "You couldn't find a worse recipe for human happiness than worrying about yourself first. Basically, a better path to life, a better path to contentment, a better path to being a citizen is to think about other people first. " So take some time today and specifically focus on making someone else happier.

I almost closed with "...making someone else happier. That will make you happier. And that's what it's all about." But I wasn't sure my sarcasm would come through in writing...

Emotion in Email

I've heard countless times that we have to be careful what we write in e-mail and text messages because emotion doesn't carry through in writing. Seriously? To the people making this claim: Have you ever read a book? Did you understand the emotion that the writer was trying to portray? Why is e-mail and text messaging any different? I think that we don't need to be saying "Be careful of what you write," rather: "Be careful HOW you write." We all know that email and texting has made it ridiculously easy to send a quick message to someone(s) else and it has been lamented many times that we need to read what we are writing before sending. It's true, but this doesn't mean that we have to remove emotion from our messages. I think we just need to learn how to properly put it in to our messages. The general train of thought is that since it's so easy to send a message, it must also make it easy to send a poorly written message. Doesn't it also stand to reason that is easier to send a well written message? I'm not talking about proper grammer, good spelling, or any of those sorts of things (although those are always nice to have), but rather complete thoughts that properly convey the message and the emotion that you intend to convey. Re-reading if we have to, but really just thinking about what we are writing, and (maybe) more importantly, thinking about who is reading and how it will be read. That's all I'm driving at :) Now give me a second to go back and re-read this before I hit post...

Return to posting...

Well, for some reason the writing bug has bitten me once again, and so I've chosen this medium to post to. I also have started using twitter (www.twitter.com/brettfitzgerald), so you can also follow me there for more frequent microblogs, when I remember that I have a twitter account.

So big news in the past two years since my last post. I just got married two weeks ago to the most wonderful woman on the planet! Jamie and I met in Germany, dated about a year, got engaged and on the 26th of July got married in Vermont. Beautiful wedding in the mountains. We live in Saginaw for the time being, but once she finishes her last semester of school we're hoping to move to Hawaii for a year. We both love to travel and have adventuresome personalities, so Hawaii seems to fit both criteria (and I REALLY want to learn to surf).

Jamie and I spent this past weekend in Grand Haven, doing a little beach work to prepare for our reception. We also got to spend some time with friends, which was nice. Now we're back to work. I'm working with Intuitive Software, doing web development work while Jamie is working at a hospital in Midland. We both love our jobs, which is a blessing. Speaking of work, I should probably get back to mine. More to come in the next days!

It's Over!

For those of you who haven't noticed, I've stopped updating this. For those who keep checking this site, you can stop. I appreciate the support, but I'm not planning on updating anytime soon. Have a good one!

Concerts and ...

Not a ton of new stuff going on here. Same work schedule (for now... dun dun DUN!) and weekends are spent either in Saginaw, or here, if Jamie comes over here. Life is grand, all around. This past weekend, Third Day and David Crowder Band (and Electro-Hypo-Lake-Effect-Shock-Theapy Union... but who knows them...) played some songs in Saginaw. I went and so did a bunch of friends from Ferris. It was a grand show all around. DCB and Third Day are two of my favorite bands, so seeing them together was awesome. Not actually TOGETHER, but first one then the other. But it was cool. DCB brought the intensity with the the enthusiasm for worshipping God, which was spectacular. And Mr. Crowder happens to be extremely funny as well. So props there. As usual, Third Day ditched their electric instruments for a few songs and played an acoustic set which is (in my opinion) the highlight of their performance. They had a delightful mix of older and newer songs to keep everyone captivated for their however-long performance. And at the end we all got free foam pool noodles. Except for the part about the foam pool noodles. And free. But after the show we all went out for dinner. Much merrymaking was had and good times were enjoyed by all. Unbeknownst to me, my partner in crime Luke slipped my friend Jamie a small semblance of your favorite baseball player and mine. Blog followers, you may remember him from such photos as the Leaning and the Eiffel. This execution of clandestine operation put the proverbial ball back in my "court," as it were, and now our intrepid Mariner waits in quiet and solitude to await his next appearance...

I Will Survive

I'm alive! I should say, we are alive. When we last left our intrepid heros, they were setting out for the adventure of a life time: riding the 5th best commercial river in the world, the Upper Gauley. We went in knowing that it would be intense. We knew Doug, our guide, and knew his reputation. That is to say, nobody asked us if we were looking for the intense ride or a more safe ride after we told them we were going with Doug. Born and raised local to the Gauley river, Doug knows every nook, eddy, ripple, pour-over, hole, undertow and trap in the water, and he will take you through it all. In addition, he has one of the most encouraging personalities I've met up with. Being super intense and directed, the four us felt like we could conquer any task put before us, as long as we had our raft, our paddles, and Doug. One challenge on the Gauley is to charge straight at Pillow Rock and see how far up the face of it you can get your raft. Our group took gold, by no small margin. In addition to feeling like we could conquer the river, Doug frequently let us know who was in charge. You may notice the lack of fellowship with our guide here. Moments before this shot, our raft was vertical in the water, with four young, headstrong rafters seated inside, paddling desperately. No one noticed Doug inching over to the highside of the raft until it was too late. All in all, it was an excellent trip. A small mix up with the local authorities (no worries, it wasn't Deliverance style) at about 4am was the only hiccup. I talked to Justin yesterday (being Thursday) and he said he was also just coming down off the adrenaline. Yeah, it was a good weekend. I think Kevin frames our emotions best.

Gauley Me!

Big plans for the weekend. Here is the roster: First off, we have Justin. Justin is a fun loving, hard-charging brute of a man who will not let up when a challenge faces him. These qualities, along with a "go big or go home" attitude makes him an ideal candidate for this weekend. Next up is Kevin. Kevin defines laid-back when the world is a hustle and bustle around him. In a life of chaos, Kevin is the slow walker, enjoying endless-sand beaches and water. But when his intensity turns up, be prepared to see a Jekyll & Hyde conversion into a fierce warrior, putting his life on the line for his friends and beliefs. Both of these faces will be integral in this weekend's endeavors. Third on our hit list is Luke. A peaceful man, tempered by a tour in the Marines, producing a double-edged sword capable of accomplishments only God can know the extent of. Luke's indomitable drive may well provide the glue that binds our team together. Finally: The mission. The four of us will embark on a great adventure this Friday. Departing from Grand Haven in the afternoon, we will travel to the wilderness that is West Virginia to tackle the pitfalls and waterfalls of the Gauley River, armed with nothing but a raft, four paddles, (a guide) and our wits. One of the most intense sections of river in the nation. This will be epic.

More of the same.

Well, in the fast-paced, action packed news of my life, things are pretty quiet. No major events have happened, therefore I haven't felt inspired to post. My day life has become the routine of work, which I enjoy. I still love my job. I recently was put in charge of a major project, so I'm excited to head that up. The afternoons are filled with waves (this is the wavy season in Michigan, after all), or hanging out with friends. I feel like I don't do much, but I have no free time. Strange. The boogie boarding is still great fun. I broke the leash on Justin's board the last time I went, so today I bought a new sweet one. I like it a lot, and I think he will too. The picture was from that session, which ended the strap. Riding in Grand Haven is a complex beast to tame. I've never ridden in the ocean, or at any of the sweet, well-known hotspots for waves. All I know is the Grand Haven Rockpile and the Pier. Basically, in a south wind, the waves build up as they approach the shore. Coming in at a diagonal, they rebound off the pier and create these super narrow, tall waves. Riding one is challenging, because if get outside of it, you'll just stop. Riding along the pier is exhilarating, because most of the waves are pushing you straight into the cheese-grater type pilings, but there is a 3 foot "safe" section every so often which can yield some pretty intense rides. Today, Dave, Nate and I went out. The wind had a lot of south too it, so riding along the pier was out of the question. Every so often the rebounds would line up right and we would get some super intense rides, but for the most part, it was just large chop out there. But hey, any day in the water is a good day, in my opinion. My boss from this past winter is right, though. While I am totally loving these waves, I can't wait for the white powdery type to fall from the sky and change my outdoor recreation completely.
I spent this past weekend in Saginaw, visiting my friend Jamie. It was a great weekend. Met some new friends, played games, and just had a great time. More on that in the future.

Been a long time gone.

Luke wins the "cool photo to start my post with" award.
So, I haven't posted in quite some time now. I thought this would happen. Well, let's not dwell on it and suffer through apologies, as the stereotypical blog tends. On with the news!
The stairs (topic of the previous post) are still not done. Our DEstruction still stands as a testament to the step-father/son bonding experience. The CONstruction has yet to conceal our monument to unity. But enough with the past.
I'm currently working as a full time, salary paid employee of the Grand Haven Area Public Schools. I'm a sub for a tech guy who is out on sick leave. That basically means that my job is secure through the end of the month. I'm digging it, though. I love the people I work with, the job itself, and the responsibilities. Great combo. In recreational news, I fall more in love with the idea of surfing every day (read the dangling modifier however you want. It's true either way). My friend Daryl brought up the idea of him, Matt, Eric, and myself attending a surf camp. Tarnations, that would be fun. I can't think of a better way to spend a week. Well I could, but we won't get into that here. The point is, I'm stoked about the idea. Since I don't have a surfboard, I've been boogie boarding a lot with some friends. Nate and Shyle are an awesome couple; I've known Shyle since she was in middle school. Nate is really into boogie boarding, and between him, Dave, and I, I doubt a day goes by with decent waves that we don't call each other. Super quality.
I've been visiting my friend Jamie off and on. It is a new friendship which is cool. Also, hanging out with a guy Andy from around here. He's super cool and fun to be around. A new addition to the Grand Haven regulars over the summer.
Speaking of Grand Haven, I feel like I still need to defend my home town. For those that grew up here, you all know that it's not the coolest place to be as a kid, unless you're downtown and have easy access to the waterfront. After leaving for a period of time, I came to realize how awesome it is, and I'll be honest: I get a bit defensive when people down this place. True, it has its' faults (primarily in the winter), but in the summer months, I daresay that it is unbeatable. This sunset, while it may not be "commonplace," is certainly not out of the ordinary. This doesn't make it any less spectacular, and every night holds a new one, equally unique. Unfortunately I miss many of them due to lack of self motivation to indulge, but the fact remains: Grand Haven is a breeding ground for summer awesomeness. While I'm a bit sad that summer is gently drawing to close, it is without regret that I eagerly welcome the winter months, with their skiing, snowboarding, sledding and all sorts of snow-related activities. Until next time: (insert cool closing here)

Onward and (hopefully) Upward

Andy and I had a grand time last night. My parents are having their stairs redone, so we decided to facilitate the construction crew by putting in a little destruction. We removed the drywall which was encasing the stair case. It was a good time.

I have a sort of interview today with a group in Muskegon. The job is listed as an "IT Systems Administrator" and it seems pretty decent. We'll see how it goes. I've come to realize that this blog, whether or not anyone reads it, is basically my journal of major and (more frequently) minor events.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. A good time to relax, and hang out with one of my good friends from the Rostock Mission Trip, Jamie. Other than that, no big plans. Till next time!

Coke and Mentos... yeah, we played with it.

My friends Jason and Amy were up from Texas this week. They're missionaries with Casas por Cristo, building houses for the homeless. Every year we go down and build with them; it's always a great experience. So when Jason and Amy came up to Big Rapids, I naturally drove from Grand Haven to visit. A bunch of the His House crew all grilled out, and Jason even demonstrated his Sand Storm equipment (lightsaber not included). After dinner we got around to playing with Mentos and Coke. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just drop four Mentos into a 2 liter of Diet Coke, all at once. It's a good time. Then Luke, in classic Luke fashion, went bigger and better. Kids: don't play with dry ice in enclosed containers. College students and above: play with dry ice in enclosed containers. Basically, just adding water creates pressure inside the 2 liter until it explodes, sounding much like a shotgun. And a shrapnal bomb. So stand back (more back than I think...). Oh yeah, in other news, I've been working for Grand Haven Area Public Schools again, in the Tech Department. It's part time, 7am-noon, which gives me the afternoon to hunt for jobs. It's a great gig, and we'll see what happens with that :) I've applied just about everywhere on the planet which is even remotely cool. Now it's time to start looking for the realistic job ;)

White and Yellow Water

This past weekend was pretty incredible. Some of the friends from His House up at Ferris invited me to go white what rafting in West Virginia on the New River. So we all drove down on Friday, camped at Songer and rode on Saturday. It was pretty intense. Our guide, Doug, was awesome and knew all the local lore. Pretty intense of 3s, 4s, and 5s. And we're pumped to ride the Gaully in the fall. After our float trip, we hiked up a trail in the canyon and found some sweet cliff faces overlooking the river. Three nameless people decided it was an appropriate time to water the local flora, and did so. Back at camp, we crashed after unsuccesfully trying to start a fire with wet wood. This morning, we got up, packed, and hit the road. With a short stop at Cabella's, we finished our 10 hour trip in Big Rapids. Kevin and I rode it out to Muskegon, then I finished it to Grand Haven, where I am now. After a shower tonight, I'll sleep, then get up in the morning and hammer out the details of a part time job with my boss. More on that later...

To settle the record...

During my travels, I got into a debate with a few other travelers. This is not meant to boast... yet. I spent time on beaches in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Greece. Here comes the boasting part. No beach I've been to even compares to the beach at Grand Haven, Michigan. Not just because it is my hometown, but for many reasons. Freshwater, endless sandy beaches, low crowds (mostly), and water as far as you can see. True, the downside is that it IS seasonal, and the waves frequently leave something to be desired. However, this week, I have been boogie boarding in 80 degree water, swimming with friends and family until the sun has set, and laid out on sandy shores gathering as many sun rays as possible. I didn't have to worry about cutting myself on the reef, jellyfish stings, or other predators. All in all, I have yet to find a beach that I enjoy as much as Grand Haven in the summer. I just wanted to set the record straight.

So the family reunion is wrapping up, and tonight I'm heading to Big Rapids, meeting some friends, and traveling to West Virginia to go white water rafting for the weekend. It will be a good time, with good friends, and good camping.

On a technical side, I'm thinking about disabling anonymous posting on here, since I've been getting two or three spam postings each day. So if you want to post, you may have to create a free account. It's a small hassle, but it will save on random people posting spam links on the comments.

It's like traveling, but without the moving around part.

Crazy! I had planned on taking a week to relax, but it has flown by! Here's the rundown. I got back on Sunday night of last week. My wonderful mother picked me up at the airport and took me home, and we had a wonderful round of story swapping. Monday saw a nice day of relaxing (I think that's when Dave, Andy, Mark and I went golfing. Hole 18 is pictured above). Tuesday I drove up to TC to see Annie. We spent the afternoon together and it was nice :) On Wednesday, I drove down to Big Rapids to hang out with the old crew. Good times were had by all, especially in the pool! Late that night I drove home. Thursday Annie came and visited, and the Coast Guard Festival was underway. On Friday, we went to the beach and did a little (very little) kiteboarding and windsurfing. Saturday saw the the Coast Guard Festival Parade, family and friends reunion beach afternoon, and fireworks at night, followed by a great show put on by Soul'd Out. Sunday was church, then spending time with my aunt, uncle, cousins, mom, and Annie. Annie just left this morning at about 6am to make it back to work on time :) I got lunch with Matt, Eric, and Daryl (forming the Fantastic Four). I just got back from that, and have officially started the job hunt! So if anyone out there knows of any computer networking jobs in the Grand Rapids area, drop me a line! I'll keep updating this blog semi-occasionally, as stuff happens. If my life slows down, so will the blog. We'll see what happens :)

Coming soon to a blog near you...

I'm not dead. I made it home safely. However, catching up with family and friends, Coast Guard Festival, and a family reunion have more or less consumed all of my time. As such, I've allowed posting to this blog to fall by the wayside. The next few days should be more productive on the blogspot.

Ich bin ein Berliner! (had to do it...)

Amsterdam... was ok. Cologne, was alright. I daytripped out on suggestion and found this AMAZING park. It was like straight out of the Final Fantasy games (for you nerds out there) or would be a great place for Jedi/ninja training (for the rest of you nerds out there). There is a big waterfall which I'm told is turned on during the weekends and Wednesday afternoons. It runs through the park, fills stream beds and is a few km long. However, when it is off, there are more passages and places to explore. Small stone outposts in the woods, castles to climb and explore, buried in the forest. Straight out of lord of the rings. Many photos taken. Well, that was a few days ago. For the past two days, I've been in Berlin. Met a couple people at a cool hostel, and we went out yesterday for a free walking tour. After that, we found out that on Thursday, after 6pm, all the museums on Museum Island are free. So we hit those up. Then one of the gals got tired and went home (haha, by home, I mean the hostel), so the other one and I went out after sundown and took those cool artsy poetic night shots of busses in blurred motion with the Reichstag as the backdrop. It was a good time. Today we're going on a Third Reich tour, and seeing more of the city. Berlin is huge. I've been told it is 9 times larger than Paris. And it lacks a city center. It has about 5 city centers. We did one yesterday. I could spend a lot of time here. But, I fly out the day after tomorrow. So tomorrow I may go see a concentration camp, then get packed up. I want to get to Hamburg by midnight, when public transportation is probably still running. Then find my way to the airport (I have no idea how to actually get there) and spend the night there, since it is cheaper than a hostel, especially for only a couple hours of sleep. I fly out at 7:45 am to London, then make a connection to Detroit. I have no idea what time (or day, really) that I get in, and I honestly don't know how I'll get home at this point. I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I just recently realized that my Eurail trainpass won't work in Michigan, for a variety of reasons. Any ideas, anyone? :) Well, this may or may not be my last post from Europe. We will see what happens! Later!

That time and once again, I'm bouncin' round the room.

How could I forget?

AND I play frisbee. A lot of it. More hippy points there.

Amsterdam... no catchy title needed

Yeah, I'm there. I've met a bunch of travelers in past two months, and many of them have the same response when they hear a particular bit of trivial information about myself. It usually manifests itself in the following form: "wait wait wait... you mean you've got the longest hair I've seen on a guy in a while, you wear hemp jewelery, listen to Phish, Dave Matthews and the rest of the scene, say things like 'Right on' and 'No worries', lived in a van for a summer, and you've NEVER smoked pot??" Well, that's general the response, and it's true. So what else is there to do in Amsterdam? Actually, there is some neat stuff. The Heiniken musuem, whether or not you drink beer, is a fascinating tour. The Anne Frank Haus was certainly an eye-opening and thought provoking experienece. This whole place sort of reminds me of Venice, what the canals and general beauty of the city. Until the sun goes down... the redlight district is everything that it is known to be. After walking two blocks, one feels the need for a shower (coming from me, that says a lot). So all in all, Amsterdam has been a good time. Hostel was a little slow, didn't hook up with any people to tour with, but the street performers (outside the RLD) were more than enough entertainment. After this, it's on to Cologne, then Berlin.

This one time, Jack Bower tracked down Kiefer Sutherland and killed him because he heard that Kiefer Sutherland plays Jack Bower. Nobody plays Jack Bower.

(thanks Mike)