PostBadge tag to show // FeedBurner FeedFlare. // ------------------------- // FeedBurner account and feed required. // Sign up at http://feedburner.com //================================================ class module_feedflare { function init(){ global $gregarious; $gregarious->add_settings ( array ( 'feedburner_url' => '' ) ); $gregarious->add_page ( 'FeedFlare', 'modules/feed-flare/icn_Flare.png', 'page_feedflare();', 'feedFlare' ); } function postbadge_tags(){ return array ( array ( 'tag' => '%FLARE%', 'replacewith' => 'feed_flare("",false)' ), ); } function update_info(){ return 100; } } //------------------------------------------ // TEMPlATE TAGS //------------------------------------------ function feed_flare($settings = '', $echo = true){ global $wp_query; $post = $wp_query->post; $sets = array('postID' => $post->ID, 'before' => '', 'after' => 'Gregarious FeedFlare', 'force' => 0 ); grab_sets($settings, $sets); if ( !$sets['force'] && hideOnID($sets['postID']) ){ return ''; } if( !$path = _get_feedburner_url() ) return ''; if( substr( $path, -1 ) == '/' ){ $path = substr( $path, 0, strlen( $path ) -1 ); } $path = str_replace ( 'feedburner.com/', 'feedburner.com/~s/', $path ); $path .= '?i='.get_permalink($sets['postID']); $result = $sets['before'] . "" . $sets['after']; if($echo) echo $result; else return $result; } function _get_feedburner_url(){ $feedurl = greg_get_option( 'feedburner_url' ); if ( $feedurl ){ return attribute_escape($feedurl); } else { $feedburner_settings = get_option('feedburner_settings'); if( is_array($feedburner_settings) && ($feedurl = $feedburner_settings['feedburner_url']) ) { return attribute_escape($feedurl); } else { return false; } } } //------------------------------------------ // OPTIONS PAGE //------------------------------------------ function page_feedflare(){ $feedurl = _get_feedburner_url(); ?> Category Archive for ‘Minneapolis’ at spencerb.net

Archive for the 'Minneapolis' Category

MPLS Ultimate

Published on June 25, 2009 in Minneapolis and Sports. 2 Comments


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Wow it feels good to be back out on the River Flats playing ultimate. I had a great time with Dan yesterday getting used to tossing a disc again. It felt good and I think everything came back pretty quickly.

If you are reading this and you are interested in playing a few pick-up games, leave a comment. (Yes Dan, I know you want to).

Ultimate really is a great sport. It is so cheap, a $20 (or so) frisbee and you just need a friend to start playing. You get to control the pace of the game. You can go toss it for a while in a big circle and move very little. You can play with two people and chase down a bunch of long throws. Or if you want, you can play an all out competitive game. It takes just enough skill where practicing is worthwhile. A sport loses a certain element when no practice or skill is required. I think that element is a measure of competitiveness and fitness.

The point is: Let’s play soon!!!

Rule #1: Stay Hydrated

Published on June 24, 2009 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Sports. 1 Comment

Right now I am partially annoyed with Wordpress because I wrote this post yesterday and it did not post. The draft was simply the title.

This will be the Clif’s Notes version of the post that is lost on the interwebs.

Yesterday reminded me of a critical lesson that I took the chance to forget over the winter. Hydration is key to training and physical activity in general. MN summers provide plenty of scorchers like yesterday in the high 80’s. Since summer is finally upon us and I’m finally back in the TC, it is time to get outside and do all the amazing things summer lets you do.

Prior to a race or big event it is best to stop training or train very very lightly for about a week. During this time period hydration is absolutely essential. It will increase comfort and performance on race day. This means drinking a lot of water and electrolytely beverages (like gatorade). Staying hydrated is equally important for training and working out. Sometimes it is easy to forget about.

On the other hand, it is something incredibly easy to do everyday to ensure that you will be ready to go when you want to be. The important thing is to keep it mind, not to obsess over it.

This post is the first in a series preempting an exciting (albeit late starting) summer in MN.

On Moving

Published on June 11, 2009 in Life, London, Minneapolis and Minnesota. 1 Comment

This post could also be entitled “On the Most Ridiculous Experience Known to Man” or “On the Biggest P.I.T.A. Ever”. Moving sucks. About every year or two you forget about how much it actually sucks. Especially as you begin to own more positions. And ESPECIALLY as you have more space to fill.

I’ll be honest…I have too much stuff. In particular, I have too many items of clothing which are easy to fold up and hide away in a drawer.

Sometimes it is hard to get rid of things that you just don’t need. More specifically, it is hard to make the condemning act of getting rid of it. There are plenty of things that I have set aside as Maybe Get Rid Ofs. Not enough things that are actually being gotten rid of.

It is really strange making a move back home, but also in anticipation of a move overseas.

Keeping Busy

Published on April 2, 2009 in Life, Minneapolis and School. 1 Comment

I’m sitting down, trying to brainstorm a blog post. Usually, if I don’t have much to say, I don’t say anything or I dig through my drafts to find something relevant. It is kind of funny to look through the few unfinished blog posts and see the no-longer relevant titles like “Happy New Year!” and “Happy Holidays” or analysis from the elections.

I have been less of news-whore since this fall’s campaign, so I’ve missed a few opportunities to post articles that have been of interest to me. Plus, I’m not sure what people like more: my political grand-standing or just daily musings? Let me know.

For today, I came up with this title. “Keeping Busy”. In some respects, I thought this title laughable. What does it really mean to be busy? I can say from personal experience that my perception of business inflates how busy I actually am. This is true for everyone. The things that matter most to us are those that most directly affect us. Obviously, our schedule and daily routine is one of the main things affecting each of us everyday.

I talked to Dan yesterday. He was providing me even more help with my recent server project. Earlier in the day, he couldn’t text me because he was at work. I felt busy doing homework, but my day was constrained only by myself and a late-night practice. Dan was stuck at work, constrained by losing his job if he chose to just walk out. I feel busy everyday at school, as the work piles up and midterms get closer, but again that is constrained by time and the work I put in before that day.

At times, it is easy to feel infinitely busy, in other words so busy you cannot get everything done. Often this is true, there are only so many hours in a day. But how often is this case only because of choices we have made earlier? Probably always.

There is another constraint though, besides the ones driving you toward 100% productivity. Any human being that I know needs to relax, we can’t be busy all the time. Ironically, I find myself stressed out all too often trying to figure out how I’m going to relax. Sometimes…you can plan too much.

I chose the title keeping busy to reflect the effort that goes into staying on task and the lack of effort which can create business. To put it another way, both choices are keeping me busy.

While it is easy to exaggerate beyond anything reasonable. We also have to consider that I spend some time playing video games, watching movies, and surfing the web. Evidently, there is free time to be had. My goal for this Spring is to focus some of that free time into working out more. Past winters, I have replaced running, swimming, biking, and playing tennis with lifting. Too cold to be outside, so go to the gym. This winter, let’s just say I did not go to the gym as much as I would have liked. So I need to get back into shape. I firmly believe that being back in Minneapolis will foster that activity. It is one of the best places to run, bike, and just be outside.

Everyone…you’ve had fair warning. Pump up your bike tires, get out your tennis rackets, and get ready for summer (it’s coming…I swear!).

Grab the Mechanical Bull by the Horns

Published on March 22, 2009 in Minneapolis, Travel and Weather. 1 Comment

Kansas City turned out to be a lot of fun. The highlight of the night was easily going to a western themed bar that had a mechanical bull that you could ride for free (after paying a small cover to get in). Inside, there were a lot of people and the atmosphere was fun. Monica and I both decided to give it a try. It was tough, but a LOT of fun. I would recommend that everyone ride a mechanical bull at some point.

As I mentioned last post, there is a new area in KC called the Power and Light District, there are a lot of bars, restaurants, and entertainment in this area, including a movie theater and a bowling alley. It is obvious the area is new and intended to draw people into the city. It reminds me somewhat of Minneapolis’s Block E. The cool thing that KC has that MPLS doesn’t have is the weather to have a big outside pavilion that has a stage and a lot of seating. It also has electric heaters on the roof for cooler nights, making it very versatile.

Tonight, we stayed in Pueblo, Colorado. Honestly, it has been interesting getting into the Southwest and leaving the Plains. The atmosphere changed quite a bit. Pueblo is slightly depressed economically, but it has a historic main street area that is quite charming. Recently, they built a River Walk that has several restaurants and stores nearby. It gave the downtown area a much more personal (and safe) feel.

The weather has thrown a wrench in our plans. A big storm hit the West Coast and the forecast indicates much cooler temperatures are coming. As Dan commented on last post, the great thing about road trips is flexibility. We’ll see where we end up.

Stay tuned.

<3 Minneapolis Viewers

Published on February 20, 2009 in Blog, Minneapolis and Minnesota. 2 Comments

Google Analytics demands that I give a shout out to my Minneapolis, MN viewers.

Keep reading and I’ll keep blogging (actually, I probably will regardless, but keep on anyway).

<3,

spencerb

Obsessive Compulsive Web Researching

Published on December 4, 2008 in Auto, Blog, Life, Minneapolis and Technology. 4 Comments

OCWR…This is not a new problem for me and I don’t know how to get away from it. It seems to infiltrate my life constantly. I blame having Legos as a kid.

Let me give you an example of this problem. Computers. When it comes to building computers or buying computer parts, it requires a lot of time and money. It forces you to read review after review for numerous parts. There are some people that will just go to Best Buy and buy a computer. I can’t do that. For one thing, it is a major purchase for me to invest in. Second, I like to spend my money efficiently – get the most bang for my buck. Since computer technology changes so frequently, the value of the knowledge has a relatively short life. This requires the same research to be done almost entirely over again when the purchase comes back.

Example 2: osx86. I’m not sure about the legality of installing Mac on a PC, so I’ll refrain from going into too much detail. But I find this incredibly fascinating. Especially the prospect of installing the OS on a $300 netbook. I think it is amazing the amount of time people put into getting all of the drivers to work and streamlining the install. I have spent countless hours on this that should have been spent studying for finals.

Example 3: This blog. I hosted a server myself for a while. Tried nucleus and Joomla, then spent hours configuring Wordpress. Almost 200 posts later, this point doesn’t need much explaining.

The next example is a recent thing. I’m not sure where it came from. I’ve never known much about cars. For his birthday, my brother got a sub installed in his car. I always wanted a system (even bought a few speakers), but never had the know how to make it happen. For a while I had a new head-unit sitting around. This summer, I found a great deal (AR for slickdealers) and went for it. I installed it myself and felt great. This fall I installed headlights, a really easy job, but something I’ve never done before.

After my brother’s escapades, which I haven’t experienced yet, since I’m in chitown, I’ve been researching car audio. Now, I’m confident that I could install a sub, amp, and speakers myself. It feels great to have that knowledge and the power to act on it. Except for one thing – it has been taking up a lot of time as its grabbed hold of my interest.

Next summer (in Minneapolis), I’m going to save up and make the upgrade! Any help would be great (I’m looking at you Dan). It shouldn’t be too hard, but it will be exciting to accomplish it.

Returning from the MPLS

Published on September 23, 2008 in Chicago, Minneapolis, Minnesota and Travel. 0 Comments

I am tired from a day of travel, but I wanted get a few thoughts down before heading off to bed (yes, its early, but tomorrow is my first day of fall classes. Hopefully, before Friday I can chronicle some of the week’s events.

I had a great trip this time. I spent almost a week in the Twin Cities. That amount of time almost felt like too long to be away from home, but it makes you wonder where home really is. It seems that a lot of people I know are grappling with that question right now. As I retell last week’s events, it will become more clear what I mean.

The more time I spend in Chicago, the more certain that the city makes for a great adventure, but beyond that only time will tell.

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