Mom and Dad Visit; Cat Goes Home January 26, 2009
Posted by glanzerr in car problems.Tags: bowling, cat, church, dad, famous dave's, ford probe, grand prix, mom
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Picture this scene: It’s 8am on a frigid Monday morning, and I’m supposed to be at work, but I’m driving Lauren’s seldomly driven Ford Probe with a flashing Check Engine light down 394 heading for the Golden Valley Super 8 with Jason in the passenger’s seat with a petrified farm cat in his arms, yelling for it to stop scratching. It may make some sense after reading on a bit.
Saturday evening, Mom and Dad arrived to visit for the weekend. They likely never would have even made the trip if I’d have been a little more careful while packing to leave home after Christmas. Of course a farm cat rode home with me in the trunk that day, and has been living at our house for the last month.
This cat was probably thinking that hiding in the trunk was the best decision it had ever made. Before, it was living in the cold garage, fighting for food with other cats and a dog, probably not receiving much attention from anyone. But after it got in that trunk, it lived in the warm indoors, was given delicious canned food that it didn’t even have to fight other animals for, and was adored by roommates and visitors to the house. Alas, it had to return home.
Mom and Dad were also coming up to switch back cars with me. My ‘01 Grand Prix needed some work over Christmas, so I left it at home and took their ‘04 Grand Prix back to Minneapolis. Unfortunately, just as they were about to leave for Minneapolis, my car started making some odd noises and it was left at home. But they decided to come anyway and get the cat and take home Lauren’s ‘96 Probe which she hopes Dad can sell.
So anyway, we went out for Famous Dave’s in Linden Hills Saturday night. The food was of course awesome, but after our meal, we spotted a mouse scurrying around the floor near our table. I told the dude working at the counter, and his response was, “Oh, thanks for the heads-up.” Don’t bother catching it or anything!
Sunday morning, Lauren, Nick, and I went to a new church near the U of M. Lauren and I are looking for a church to host our wedding, and decided we’d best become members at one first. Nick accompanied us, and we all had a merry time. Afterwards we went to Perkins for a very late breakfast.
In the afternoon, I figured Lauren and I had best entertain Ma and Pa, so I scheduled a few rounds of bowling at Tuttle’s in Hopkins. Joining in on the fun were Jason and Nick. We bowled almost three full games. Nick took the first game, Mom took the second, and Dad appeared to be in the lead when we finished the last game. We then left at 7 for dinner with the Poulters at an Italian restaurant in St. Louis Park.
I was out cold when we got home, and slept soundly till morning. Lauren took the Grand Prix to work. Jason had gone home with Nick after bowling and left his car at the bowling alley, so Jason grabbed the cat and we hopped in Lauren’s Probe and drove to meet Mom and Dad at their hotel. We swung by the bowling alley to drop Jason off, then stopped at my office so I could go to work. Dad and the cat took the Probe home with Mom following behind in their car. Kinda confusing, but it all worked out!
Read My Latest Interview! January 23, 2009
Posted by glanzerr in car problems.Tags: cat, faribault, interview, moving, ryanglanzer.com
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It’s been half a year since I’ve conducted an interview with anyone on RyanGlanzer.com, and I think it’s time to get a few new ones up there! The first in my 2009 series is sister Jordan Krogman, who has recently received good news regarding a new house and a nursing exam, and continues to bring up little Peyton, Emerson, and Hudson with husband Calvin.
In other news, I’ve been busy this week with several relocations. Last night Lauren and I headed south to Faribault where we helped Walsh move from his apartment into a house he and Sarah are renting. It was a tough job moving heavy furniture down a tall, narrow stairway, but we managed. Also this week, Lauren and I have agreed on a new apartment which we’ll be able to move into in late February. It’s in the same neighborhood in Uptown, just a few blocks away.
Other than that, not much new. Mom and Dad are expected to visit this weekend to switch cars back and take our farm cat home after it rode back to Minneapolis with us in my trunk after Christmas. It’s been living in our basement and pooping at an alarming rate, and clawing me every chance it gets, so I won’t be too sad to see it go.
About to Get Colder January 15, 2009
Posted by glanzerr in car problems, illnesses.Tags: cat, cold weather, defroster, grand prix, hypochondriac, josh kleve, lauren poulter, sleep apnea, snoring
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So far this week, I’ve heard reports of hundreds of cars every morning rolling, crashing, spinning out, and colliding. Literally, 200+ accidents have taken place every morning and 200+ more every evening this week, where every day has been sub-zero and we’ve seen several inches of snow. If it doesn’t look like the roads are icy, there’s a good chance they are. I found that out this morning, sliding slightly out into an intersection at a red light. I’m slowly creeping down the road at 35—40mph tops—being passed by most cars. But I’ve yet to encounter any accidents.
But, leave it to me to run into yet another auto problem! On the way home from work today, out of nowhere, the blower for the heater and defroster went out. So we’re sitting there freezing in -25 weather for 40 minutes. The further I drove, the less space I had to see out the windshield as it slowly frosted inward. Pretty soon I was cranking my head towards the middle of the car to see. Of all the inopportune times of the year for that to happen, this was probably the worst. If I can just make it to work and back tomorrow, Dad and I will meet up somewhere this weekend and exchange cars and I’ll get my Grand Prix back.
Also tomorrow, it’s back to the doctor. Jason recently described me as a hypochondriac with all my doctor visits. Since 2005, I’ve gone to the doctor for a tingly arm, high blood pressure, anxiety attacks, profuse sweating, shortness of breath, routine physicals, acid reflux, extreme fatigue, and even a really bad canker sore. That’s not even mentioning dental work. Some have proven to be real conditions, and other times not so much. But tomorrow’s appointment is for the latest condition to arouse suspicion—sleep apnea.
Lauren has noticed some irregularities in my sleep, but it wasn’t until my trip to San Francisco where I shared my hotel room with co-worker Josh Kleve that I realized something was wrong. Several times during the night, Josh would wake me up to make sure I was still alive. Apparently, I’d go for very long periods of time (two or three minutes) without breathing, then gasp for air, sometimes waking me up. Other times I’d start choking in my sleep. I snored often, but it was when I stopped snoring that was the concern, because then I just wasn’t breathing at all. On top of that is the fact that every single night, I halfway wake up once or twice with both arms completely asleep and have to try getting feeling to come back… every night. So, we’ll just see if the doctors can’t run some tests and figure out how to fix this. The odd thing is, I feel like I sleep great normally. I fall asleep within a minute of lying down, and nothing wakes me up till the alarm in the morning.
Other than that, not a lot to report. No plans for the weekend other than switching back cars (and sending back our cat). Lauren and her bridesmaids have lots of plans involving dress shopping, and there is a bridal fair Sunday she, and possibly I, will be attending at the convention center.
All Set for 9 Days on the Road January 1, 2009
Posted by glanzerr in random, work.Tags: cat, las vegas, macworld, new years eve, san francisco, vacation
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Last night, a small group of us hung out and kept things low-key for New Years Eve. The four roommates plus Walsh, Jason, and Cooney played Seinfeld SceneIt, Scattegories, and a couple card games, while drinking moderately and listening to cable music channels in the 900-range. It was a good time, and we were able to save quite a bit of money by not going out.
Some 2009 firsts include…
- first thing eaten: a hamburger, grilled at about 12:50am
- first TV show watched: Flight of the Conchords
- first movie watched: Bachelor Party (starring a young Tom Hanks)
- first text message received: Charlie Ahern, surprisingly
- first phone call received: still waiting! You can be the first if you act fast!
- first dollar spent: at our local ghetto K-Mart, bought food for kitty (see story below)
- first business visited: Wells Fargo, to deposit checks
- first beverage consumed: Korbel champagne
In other news around the house, the cat (who I accidentally brought back to Minneapolis with me after Christmas break in South Dakota) is doing just fine and probably loving it here at our house. Lauren and I went through many different names for it before settling on Manu, which is short for Chargers backup tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, who happened to be on TV at that particular moment. Manu pretty much stays in the basement, where it is secure from Roscoe. It’s got a litter box, dish, and plenty of food, not to mention mice to catch… and no other animals to fight against for food. Yep, he’s got it pretty sweet here!
Tonight, Lauren and I had best go to bed early. We’ve got to be up very early tomorrow to catch our 7am flight to Las Vegas. We’ll be spending the next 2+ days in 60-degree weather, winning a fortune at the casinos. We still haven’t made any definite plans once we get there, but we do intend to eat at some interesting restaurants, do a small bit of gambling, and meet up with Dusty Hovde. I also want to track down my old favorite karaoke bar the gang went to in 2004 on spring break, and again in 2007 while at a trade show for work.
Sunday, Lauren and I will have to part ways for six whole nights! Since I met Lauren on November 30, 2007, the only time we were apart for more than a day was when I went home for Christmas for three days that year. So it will be quite different to be apart for a while. Lauren says she has plenty of stuff here to keep her busy, like starting to clean out the upstairs for when we move out at the end of February.
I, on the other hand, will be working tirelessly to push the latest products at Macworld for four straight days. If this show is anything like the other two I’ve done for the company, it will be exhausting. It truly is far more difficult than a normal day of work. You’re standing all day with very minimal breaks, giving the same shpeel over and over. But, it also means I’m in San Francisco for six days, away from the cold and snow, eating meals on the company’s dime. I’m sure we’ll find wholesome stuff to do at night after the show each day.
I’m not sure if I’ll have much access to the internet over the next nine days, but I’ll see if I can find time to update with pictures and tales of my travels. See everyone next Saturday afternoon! Except Josh and Barry, who I’ll see Monday in SF.
A Christmas Surprise of Sorts December 27, 2008
Posted by glanzerr in Uncategorized.Tags: cat, christmas, minneapolis, south dakota
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Kate, anxious to open gifts!
Lauren and I are back safe and sound in our Minneapolis house after our Christmas celebrations. Wednesday, work dismissed at 1 and Lauren and I went over to the Poulters’ for Christmas Eve festivities. We ate dinner and opened presents. I was disappointed that my gift for the Poulters never arrived (took the eBay seller nine days to send), but my gift of hot chili powders for Nate was appreciated. I also collected some nice gifts, including a AAA car emergency kit, a Scrabble book, a baseball bloopers DVD, and Moneyball.
Mom and Dad give the Krogmans a ride.
Christmas morning, we hit the road at 9am for South Dakota. We drove pretty much straight through and arrived at the farm around 2. The family promptly opened presents, then had dinner. I received some fine presents at home as well, including a new digital camera from Mom and Dad, and a food scale and Seinfeld SceneIt from Ann. Lauren (and I) made Dad some lefse for his present, and the Glanzer children went in together and got Mom a bunch of matted photos to hang on the stairwell wall. Lauren and I opted not to get each other any presents since we’ll be in Las Vegas this week and can use that money there.
Lauren and Hudson
The rest of the time we were home was spent playing with the nieces, Peyton and Emmy, and amusing baby Hudson. He seems to have some of Uncle Ryan’s qualities, including his love of eating about anything in reaching distance. We tried out Dad’s new four-wheeler in the snow, and were pulled around the yard riding on an old car hood chained to the back of it. Lots of board games were played, including my all-time favorite, Scattegories. Calvin was out shooting jackrabbits, and an exhausted Lauren spent Friday night sleeping on the couch from 7pm to midnight while the family played poker a few feet away!
Saturday, after saying our goodbyes and farewells, we packed up and headed home. The trip took about six hours, as we stopped at Knit Nook and filled up with gas in Watertown and got a bite to eat. Little did we know, there was a visitor riding with us the whole time. Apparently one of the farm cats hid in the car trunk while we were packing. When we arrived home, I opened the trunk and out flew the black cat, probably scared to death it would never see the light of day again. I chased it a block down the street and put it in the house, where it happily is wandering around. We’re trying to find it a new home quickly since Nick is allergic to cats, and we have no cat “stuff” around the house. We decided to name it Roscoe, just to have some fun with the beagle Roscoe.
All in all, it was a great holiday season! Thanks to everyone for all the great gifts, including Nick, Walsh, Sarah, Jason, Cooney, Brian and MaryAnn, Lee and Patra, the Poulters, Max, Kate, Microboards, Ann, Mom and Dad, Grandma Bell, and anyone else that gave me something.
A Win-Win-Win Night at the Dome September 10, 2008
Posted by glanzerr in baseball, dj.Tags: cat, chicago white sox, dj, kansas city royals, lauren poulter, minnesota twins
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