Jello + Mouse = Fun

I’ve been wanting to do this prank ever since I saw it on The Office, and today was the day. I’m glad he took it well.

Family Reunion

Kate and I spent the weekend at our bi-yearly family reunion.  This time it was held at the Lied Lodge in Nebraska City, NE.  Only two hours from KC, it was the closest one ever.  Usually I have to drive 5-8 hours to a different corner of the state.  Not as many family members were able to come compared to previous years, but all the McNairs made it, so I was happy.

Chicken Dinner Road

The Travel Channel recently aired an episode of Food Wars featuring two chicken restaurants in Kansas.  Living only two hours away, Matt and I decided to judge for ourselves which chicken reigns supreme.  To add to our experience, we picked sides and faced off in this  chicken challenge.

Matt went for Chicken Mary's

Ryan went for Chicken Annie's

We ordered similar chicken pieces and side dishes to keep things fair.

6pcs mixed chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, onion rings

4pcs mixed chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes

The results: Matt and I both picked the thinner breading and better flavor of Chicken Annie’s over Mary’s heavy breading.  Mary’s does receive an honorable mention for the green beans, which had more flavor and a better texture than Annie’s.

See all the pictures

Our winner - Chicken Annie's

Far Out Bout

Kate skated in last weekend’s roller derby bout, scoring a ton of points and winning over NW Arkansas.  I made it on the KC Star’s website in their photos section.

Matt and Ryan watching the bout. Photo: Steve Yates

Indy Car Race

I went to my first, and possibly last, Indy Car race last weekend at the Kansas Speedway. About half way through the 200 laps, I realized the race is much more exciting if you pick a drive and cheer for them. I picked Danica Patrick because I’ve paid for more of her advertising than any of the other teams in the race (GoDaddy.com). She finshed 11th place, but made a nice comeback in the final laps from around 20th place.







One highlight of the day – we got to ride around a drift track in a 2010 Mustang. A large tobacco company, who can’t advertise in public anymore, hosted the event for “smokers” so they couldn’t be blamed for trying to recruit non-smokers. After signing my life away, and providing 100% accurate personal information, I was sitting in the passenger seat sliding sideways across the pavement.

Sushi

Kate and I took a crack at making sushi for Valentine’s day. Instead of going out to a fancy restaurant, we find an incredibly complex recipe and spend the afternoon/evening cooking. Time well spent, and a tasty product at the end. I had made sushi before in college, but it wasn’t as elaborate as this time. We spent an hour and a half just making the rice! Luckily Kate brought home a sushi for dummies book from the library, and it guided us through all the steps.

Sushi Pics

From the left: Shrimp Nigiri, cucumber roll, spicy tuna battleship pieces, spicy tuna, spicy crab

India part 3 – Taj Mahal

Another check mark on my lifelong list of things to do – the Taj Mahal was truly awesome! I traveled to Delhi this weekend, and spent Saturday touring Agra. I saw the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort (still actively used by the Indian Army), Akbar’s Mausoleum (built by Akbar for himself when he died), and the Itmad-ud-Daulah Tomb (contains the tombs of seven family members).  The Shatabdi Express took me to Agra in 2 hours, and served breakfast and dinner – very nice service compared to US trains (but the bathrooms have some room for improvement).  I’ve added many pictures with comments to my India album.

India part 2 – R.K. Market

Besides working, and driving between work and my hotel, I haven’t had much time for sight seeing. I’m still looking for good Indian food…or good food of any kind, I just haven’t had anything exceptionally tasty yet. Quality of food is a big player here, as some of the less commercial restaurants can be flavorful but questionable. I did have Raj, my driver, take me to one of the big markets and we walked around for a couple hours. It reminded me of KC’s City Market, but about 100 times larger. In our two hours we covered only 1/4 of the area. Raj tells me this is where most people do their shopping, and bulk wholesalers have shops intermixed with the retailers – so which one you choose depends on how much you want to buy. I’ve added some pictures from the market to my India album.

2 guys 1 bike

India part 1 – I'm here!

Hello from India! My company has sent me to our office in Bangalore, India to train some new System Engineers on the tasks that my team in Kansas City performs. I’m working with a team of 12 very dedicated associates, teaching them the tips and tricks of our processes. I left Kansas City on Dec 1st, touched down briefly in Dubai in Dec 2nd, landed in Bangalore on Dec 3rd, spent a couple days jetlagged, working, and sleeping. Now that I’m finally adjusting to the 11.5 hour time difference, I’m getting out into the city more. I visited a church and a Christmas Bazaar last weekend (and of course didn’t take my camera), and I’m heading to a large market tomorrow after work. My company has provided me with a dedicated driver for transport to work and wherever else I need to go, which is very nice since Bangalore has such heavy traffic. I’m planning on visiting the Taj Mahal this weekend, and a large palace in Mysore next weekend (and maybe even a jungle!). I’ll write a few more times while I’m here, and post lots more pictures.

Pics

A government building with offices for elected officials, that's all my driver could tell me :)