In `91, I wanted a Sega Genesis, in `08, I'm getting a HDTV!

Can you remember the items that you wish you had 17 years ago? Well last Sunday I had to think back. The story is this.... Last Sunday, my mother and I went to the mall for a day of lunch, chatting and shopping. During the previous week, my mom had mentioned to me that she had something to give me. My mom is eventually going to move out her house and into Harvey's condo so she is starting to go through various files.

After we sat down @ California Pizza Kitchen, my mom pulls out two things for me. One is my passport from 1987 which is hilarious because I look so young! I wish I could go back to that FedEx Kinkos (where if you haven't seen, my new passport photo is great except for the fact that they tinted the photo so I look like a Canadian who has been out in the Cancun sun to long) and tell them how to correctly shoot a photo.

Then onto the second item. My mom pulls out a white envelope and says "I think you'll definitely like to see these. I guess I forgot about these". Turns out it was the rest of my Bar Mitzvah U.S. Savings Bonds from 1991! Hot Damn! What a fortuitous turn of events for Howard! So know I have a chunk of change that I was not expecting. This means that dream of getting an High-Definition TV in place for the March Madness college basketball tournament is getting closer to a reality!

So I ask you, can you remember what you wanted 17 years ago? I think I wanted a Sega Genesis or of course, to be about 9 inches taller in height. So no Sonic the Hedgehog for me, I am now firmly on the path towards the HD Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four....

Mazel Tov!

Don't sneeze or you'll create a powdered sugar fog!

Greetings from the Crescent City - New Orleans. Home of cajun cuisine, jazz music and the Mississippi River. I am here for an aviation conference - in fact I gave my first conference presentation today. It was actually fun listening to my bio before they introduced me. I guess I really am an adult (update: The beard is still here ladies and gentlemen). Tonight a bunch of us went to dinner at The Gumbo Shop and I had Chicken Gumbo and Jambalaya for dinner. Very very good. ...And the people watching on Bourbon Street is still not to be missed!

After dinner we walked over to the world famous Cafe Du Monde which has been in New Orleans since 1862! Crazy - that's during the civil war. We had the beignets (french donuts) and they were pretty amazing. I think if I lived here I would eat them everyday.

Side Note from Concourse H: Don't forget to see the two best movies of the season - There Will Be Blood and Juno!

Mountain "Mann" unleashed....

So before our trip to Argentina I decided to make a bold decision and attempt to grow a beard. The beard was partly inspired by my friend Tim who is in a cast of Fiddler on the Roof and reading the book The Year of Living Biblically.

The good news is that as of Thursday, the beard celebrates its one month anniversary... And Karyn keeps telling me it looks OK so its staying for now. It also protected me from the strong winds of Patagonia in Argentina... I didn't even need a jacket...just kidding.

So as 2008 begins, the year of my 30th birthday, we will see if I can make this beard work.

And today I had lunch with Tim so we snapped a shot of both of our beards. His is rocking, my is ... well aspiring...

Get thee to Argentina!

Karyn and I have returned from a great trip to Argentina. We had a great time exploring Buenos Aires and Ushuaia. We experienced many different weather systems including heat, humidity, snow, rain and some really strong winds in Patagonia.

I have included some pictures and video for everyone to see. Enjoy!

PICTURES
Online at Flickr.com(Click here)
Choose slideshow and to make sure the captions are loaded click on the " i " in the middle of the screen..

VIDEOS
Buenos Aires
Video 1: Landing at Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires
Video 2: Widest Street in the World: Avenida 9 de Julio
Video 3: Tango Dancers at New Years Eve Dinner
Video 4: Howard & Karyn Dancing on New Years at Cabana Las Lilas
Video 5: People Dancing around the Restaurant on New Years Eve
Video 6: Tango Show (1) at El Viejo Almacen
Video 7: Tango Show (2) at El Viejo Almacen
Video 8: Tango Show (3) at El Viejo Almacen

Ushuaia
Video 1: Landing at Isla Malvinas International Airport in Ushuaia
Video 2: Off Road Jeep Ride to Lago Fugarno in Tierra Del Fuego (1)
Video 3: Off Road Jeep Ride in Tierra Del Fuego (2)
Video 4: Off Road Jeep Ride - driving at 45 degrees (3)
Video 5: Magellan Penguin colony in the Beagle Channel (1)
Video 6: Magellan Penguin colony (BEST VIDEO) in the Beagle Channel (2)
Video 7: Magellan Penguin colony in the Beagle Channel (3)
Video 8: Tierra del Fuego National Park - snowy overlook