Ryan B. : Life, Cardboard Confessions & Travel Adventures

Fun at the Kitchen Table...

2009-04-25T14:12:00.005-04:00

Who says girls don't like games! Getting together with friends always seems to be an organized engagement at our house. Everyone knows my reputation now for usually wanting to plan time together around some sort of activity. Boardgame Night is always a popular avenue for me. We most recently brought out a game called Apples to Apples with always is good for some laughter and mirth. Enjoy! Oh, and has for me and the picture of the girls and the game? What can I say? It's a Dog's Life. : )

Danica Patrick at the St. Pete Grand Prix

2009-04-08T20:56:00.008-04:00

The life of a race car driver is never done, I guess. Here are some photos I shot of Danica Patrick and her wickedly cool car at the 2009 St. Petersburg Grand Prix. I'll get some photos of the race up later.

It's all about the art of the deal....

2009-04-05T21:05:00.004-04:00

It was boardgame night again, Saturday night... and this time up is one of my favorite games... called "I'm the Boss." The game is all about negotiation and it is very frentic and a blast to play. Joe managed to accumulate $34M to Yoana's 31M to eke out his very first victory playing the game. Quite the wheeler dealer, Joe is. Congrats!

Congrats to Ramona and Frank!

2009-04-01T20:48:00.008-04:00

Congratulations to Ramona and Frank who got married just this past Saturday. And I am going to say score one for our occasional "boardgame night" get-togethers that we have had over the past couple of years. We usually get a small group of people together, hang out, have some spiffy appetizers and then settle down to a boardgame or two for the evening. The cast sometimes changes but the fun does not. While Frank and Ramona certainly knew each other prior to coming to our little soirees... they certainly got to know each other much better by having a very interactive way to get to hang out without any of the pressure associated with first dates. With the right boardgames, it is a tremendous social activity and endeavor. Some of my favorite games show up on this very page. Now we'll maybe see if have a second future couple can go down this path? Congrats Frank and Ramona...may you have many "boardgame nights" together!

Ryan's Birthday.... and another Party!

2008-11-02T19:51:00.011-05:00

My very awesome wife Jennifer made sure that turning 40 years old was one for the books as she threw me a "surprise" Clue! themed birthday party this past Saturday. And complete with a with a Clue! cake, no less. I got to me a modern revision on Sherlock Holmes. And this Sherlock Holmes would up carrying around a Arizona Cardinals football helmet. Much fun and merriment all around as Jennifer sat us around a specially designed Clue mystery she created.

Was it Dr. Eggward in the zepplin at Southern Illinois University? Or Carny Cotton Candy on the go-kart at Kurt Warner's house? Perhaps even Carribean Guy, with the submarine on top of the Matterhorn? (Of course, that make's zero sense but certainly was a possibility in this game.)

We're not telling.

Ryan's Birthday... and Party! Part II Photos

2008-11-02T19:41:00.008-05:00

Just Kids...

2008-11-02T19:36:00.004-05:00

Back in Boston: A Beantown 40th Birthday

2008-11-02T19:07:00.008-05:00

For my 40th Birthday, I got to spend it roughly where I spent my 30th Birthday. In good ole' New England.

I was attending a program for work in Boston and stayed with good friends Clarissa and Jeff. Now I know what it is like to take a commuter train in to work everyday! On my return home, I was awesomely surprised from birthday messages from my cousins Leslie, Karin and Sara as well as additional messages from aunts and uncles. It always is nice to have a great family behind you.

I have that in spades.

Jennifer's Birthday... and Party!

2008-09-29T22:44:00.007-04:00

My wife, Jennifer, celebrated her 32nd birthday in style with an ice cream cake, a birthday bash attended by 25 close friends and a brand new ride. Happy Birthday, to an awesome wife!

Additionally, I posted just a sampling of pictures from the party in the blog below. We both thrilled to see so many of our friends. I think that is always the best birthday gift of all.

More Images from Jennifer's Birthday Party!

2008-09-29T22:23:00.014-04:00

Just a couple of images from Jennifer's Birthday Party.

Starting from top down:

1. Our very own Charlie's Angels pose for their close-up: Jennifer, Christy and LeAnn!

2. Ed scores a point helping Joe realize it pays to get a top quality running back in the fantasy football draft. Boy, does Joe look surprised!

And Bill gets caught holding a dour tasting, non-league approved Miller Lite. Blech. Commissioner! (LOL)

3. Some of the boys line up to help get David's son, Colton, get set up for his first mug shot on camera.

From Scotland: Postcard June 2008

2008-06-29T23:55:00.005-04:00

Well, five years since our last visit, we returned to the United Kingdom. This time we traveled to Scotland, visting Edinburgh, the Scottish Highlands and then a long train trip back to London where we spent a day taking in Buckingham Palace, the London Eye and even President Bush's coincidental trip to London to meet with her majesty's Prime Minister. But for the photo op, we give you the Scottish highlands and a picture of me at Loch Ness.

February 2008: A Banana Bobsled In Winter

2008-03-14T22:10:00.012-04:00

As part of a ski trip I took with friends to Park City Utah this year, came the opportunity to ride with a world class olympic bobsledder, Stephen Bosch, at Utah's Olympic Park. It cost a small fortune for the 50+ seconds of "sliding" glory, but it was well worth it.

Peer in a bit two pictures down below. That's me in the third seat from the "window" of the bobsled, as we head out from the starting gate!

The Game Collection and a Christmas Pic

2008-02-21T01:36:00.005-05:00

Just thought I would update with a picture of the games Jennifer and I have added in the past year for entertainment purposes. Then I have a picture of Jennifer and I Christmas 2007 we spent with her family in Memphis Tenn. Enjoy!

Friends and Family at Thanksgiving 07

2007-12-02T22:20:00.001-05:00

We returned to St. Louis for the first time since Ben and An's wedding last year. For which I had the extreme privilege of being best man for. We finally had an opportunity to catch up on old times personally again. They truly are some of the best friends we have and go out of their way to do anything for us. Below their picture is my niece Emily. She cracks me up and always makes the best faces. Don't you think?

Journeys at Epcot

2007-11-21T13:44:00.000-05:00

This was at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival this October. With two of our good friends Dawn and Bill.

Dawn and I work together at the same company and we have become fast friends... even though she has beaten me twice in our fantasy football league this year. She is one of the nicest people to be around and is a lot of fun. Her husband Bill is a huge Pittsburgh sports fan and another great friend I count lucky to have. He is funny as all get out and we both had a blast touring the Germany pavilion at Epcot. Bill wasn't liking it though when my Arizona Cardinals did a Whisenhunt on his beloved Steelers earlier this year. But hey, at least we're both Jack Lambert fans!

The Cardinals and Kurt Warner

2007-11-21T13:43:00.005-05:00

As all my friends know, Kurt Warner is my favorite player & the Cardinals are my favorite team. These are some shots I took prior to and during a game against the Buccaneers with my Nikon. I threw one in of me rooting for the home team and one of our soon to be successful playoff head coach, Ken Wisenhunt, for good measure.

Throwbacks: Jim Hart and Walter Payton

2007-10-30T00:15:00.002-04:00

My oh my, are we getting old! Ed and I have been friends for almost 20 years now, both of us attending that venerable collegiate institution, SIU-C.

Ed's from Chicago and growing up he was a huge Walter Payton fan. I, of course, am a big Jim Hart fan (QB, St. Louis Cardinal's in the 1970's). This is probably because I grew up in the shadow of The Arch, in good ole St. Louis, Mo.

Now we have replica jerseys of our favorite players. It's just too bad we are both now older than those two were when they were playing! By the way, remember Bob Avellini, anyone?

Trout Fishing in Tennessee

2007-09-20T21:45:00.000-04:00

This trip was with my dad this year. I lost my favorite pair of sunglasses on this stream and was frustrated by that, to the extent I did not take too many more pictures. Water levels were at record lows and so we were pretty much skunked as far as catching trout. Actually back at the campsite, we were almost skunked literally. We had one skunk nonchalantly parade right into our midst. Actually these little guys are some pretty laid back little dudes and were not nearly as apt as you might think to get upset and spray. Overall, while we didn't catch any fish, the trip was peaceful and relaxing out on the water. If I could only get those sunglasses back...

Arizona Madness: Grand Canyon and Sedona

2007-07-01T00:40:00.000-04:00

We recently just got back from yet another trip. This time meeting up with my parents for a fun trip into the upper reaches of Arizona.

Coming Soon: Previews In July

2007-04-29T10:36:00.000-04:00

Another blog post! This one takes place in the future... my sister Katie visits in July 07. So say hello to my awesome nieces Julia and Emme!

Hey, we need some football here!

2007-03-15T21:51:00.000-04:00

Now don't get me wrong. I am a University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University fan all the way. But when you get free tickets to watch the Miami Hurricanes play in the Orange Bowl, I can switch allegiences for one day. My very good friend Joe and I took full advantage to watch what is easily my favorite sport. These pictures were taken last year...so for one time I will say it. Go Canes! That one was for our benefactor who dished off the tickets, Matt.
Thanks Matt!

Spending Some Winter Time in Maine, N.H.

2007-03-10T15:23:00.000-05:00

We were recently in Maine to visit friends and stayed at the house of our good friends Russ and Christina. We attended a wedding held in the famous Mt. Washington resort in Bretton Woods, N.H. I have climbed Mt. Washington in the winter (background) which is deceivingly dangerous. In fact, Mt. Everest climbing teams sometimes come here to train. The reason for this is that this mountain has some of the worst weather anywhere on the planet. The highest, non-tornado, non-hurricane wind speed ever recorded at 231 miles per hour was recorded here in 1934.

Home Sweet Guest Home!

More Swiss Pics....

2007-03-03T10:50:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more images from our trip, by popular request!

Expanding on My Switzerland Ruminations...

2007-03-03T10:20:00.000-05:00

Well, I thought I would share some more impressions from our trip. The trip was great, obviously. But I was very surprised by the amount of graffiti in Switzerland as we traveled by train. That was the only disappointment of the trip. We went down to Zermatt through Baden and Bern down to Brig, but came back to Zurich going through Gletsch, Andermatt and Lake Lucerne. The trains were really on-time. We bought five bags of luggage with us and the train system was so efficient we were worried several times that the train was going to depart and the luggage was going to go to Zurich and we were going to be left behind. I always liked trains and think they are a great way to travel.

Zermatt was a lot of fun and a step back in time. We skiied a bit. In a funny side bar, we spent about $400 USD getting Jennifer all outfitted to go skiing. She skied 45 minutes, and then rejoined, "I don't want to ski anymore... um, ever." That made me laugh. I said,"Well, OK...no problem. But can I get a run in at least"? Jennifer liked the toboggoning quite a bit though. It really is amazing how fast you can go and you simply toboggon from town to town. An aside: Swiss children make the run completely in the dark, with only a headlamp to light their way. The fact that they do it in complete darkness (and those things go fast too) was a sight to behold.

About Zermatt: Zermatt is incredibly serene, beautiful and peaceful...a valley surrounded on both sides by monutians. NO car traffic. They have a little cemetary where people who have tried to climb the Matterhorn and have not quite succeeded are buried there. All in all, a quaint mountain village that emits a robust and jovial spirit. There is a little village above Zermatt called Winklematten... and talk about an incredible view at night: the Matterhorn in the background...the lights of train windows passing high in the mountains behind me, the warm lights of houses dotting a gorged valley with a charging stream running through it below... and all defined by just total stillness. Every sound was amplified. It was so incredibly nice. I just sat, all by myself, over the gorge bridge taking it all in (Jennifer gets too cold for that type of stuff)... for about three hours straight. It was a very awe inspiring three hours.

As far as the food: I tried horse steak for the first time. Tastes like venison. Really wasn't a big deal. The Kasefondue was very good, but the raclette is definitely an experience. It is a specially melted cheese served with potatoes, pickled onions and gerkins. Along with Rosti, which is a Swiss grated potato pancake, it definitely gives much needed constitution to face the cold. Also, I did get my hands on some good Kirsch for my own fondues. Finally! I bought two bottles... the Etter, which I use for making fondues and the Dettling Reserve... which I am reserving for tasting. We had friends over the other night and I tried the Dettling for the first time. It has a strong cherry flavor and it is quite good. The Swiss breakfast is very spare. They use real full cream milk, which definitely makes your museli cereal taste richer! A simple selection of cheese, salami, bread and jam typically rounded out our morning eating session.

Upon our return to Zurich, we took a journey off the Obnammanstrasse, near the bahnhof (train station) and we came across this little coffee cafe named Cafe Felix. Talk about the most intensively decorated place on the planet. Everything was covered from head to toe in Christmas decorations. Including the ceiling. It looked like a Christmas jungle. And the one time we didn't have a camera (sigh), but I would have loved to get that shot. It was memorable.

All in all, I have always been fascinated with everything Swiss. Even to the point that I brushed up a bit on Swiss history. I think they are a great people. My travels there reinforced why I am so enthralled with country and its people. Switzerland is definitely a place we will revisit soon. The goal is to make Europe a stop every two years. One goal I definitely hope to live up to!

More of Clarissa and Jeff's Big Day...

2007-02-21T21:29:00.000-05:00

Clarissa and Jeff pose for a few more shots on their wedding day...

The happy couple bask in the glow of the evening... and the glow of the fireplace!

Congratulations!

2007-02-21T21:17:00.000-05:00

This one is a hearty congratulations to my dear friends Jeff and Clarissa, who were just married last week at the Mt. Washington Resort in New Hampshire. Here the happy couple shares their first dance together. The neat thing about these two is that both of them were my friends... from different parts of the country. They met at my wedding, fell in love and now they get to enjoy their own wedded bliss.

I took this shot with my Nikon D80 and I think it captures their much deserved happiness well, on their special day. Congratulations Jeff and Clarissa!

Wine and Cheese Boardgames

2007-02-17T15:35:00.000-05:00

There have a lot of updates to the website in the last couple of weeks or so, including the changing of several pictures for a fresh and new perspective. Please scroll down and check it out!

So many topics today... but this is a good one. One of the great reinassances of the modern age is in the world of boardgames. Boardgames continue to gain in popularity. And the quality of boardgames these days is just superb. One of the great benefits of boardgames is that it offers the chance for the adult to be a bit of a kid again. It is an awesome social vehicle that quickly brings people together, laughing, talking, conversing.... and it can turn total strangers into friends in a matter of no time.

And it is great for putting togther potential dates too... for those of you who are single! I can't tell you how several of my single friends were able to get to know someone in a fun, casual and light-hearted atmosphere.... and it was so easy for them to find out if there is any compatibility when they had cast their eye on someone they liked.

Finally... unlike the movies, TV, computers etc. boardgames are a great way to socialize and a great way to engage the mind intellectually... not to mention engaging memorable conversation!

With the creation and addition of interesting food and music, an entertaining evening everyone can find to be immensely fun and amusing... is right around the corner!

Office Space NEW

2007-02-17T15:27:00.000-05:00

About a year ago, I promised a newer, more complete picture of my office. Better late than never. Here it is!

Florida Fondue Fever for Fifteen

2007-02-13T00:07:00.000-05:00

Looks like people are having a good time at our Fifth Annual Fondue Party. Jennifer takes center stage in her Swiss Cross sweater. We matched! How cheesy is that?

The Switzerland Buzz

2007-01-03T19:36:00.000-05:00

The first picture (above) was the view which greeted us upon our arrival to our hotel in Zermatt, Switzerland. Let's see... a little skiing, tobogganing, kase fondue and the Matterhorn. Life was certainly great for the next 10 days. The Swiss sleep in blankets that essentially are like sleeping bags. Very warm...but very cool. It was truly a great Christmas, even if it didn't snow the entire time we were there. There was snow on the ground though, so we did in fact get our white Christmas.

We got to enjoy the great Swiss climate in comfort with great food!

The Wife and the Sister-In-Law

2006-11-09T20:29:00.000-05:00

Finally. Here is a picture of my wife Jennifer (in blue) posing with my sister-in-law and our niece Hayley.

We have Updates!

2006-11-09T20:03:00.000-05:00

This one is really for my friends who I haven't been in contact with for awhile.

I had to put some update on here...so this a picture of the boys in Miami as our little adventure for Ben's Batchelor Party. And yes, we kept it clean.

Miami is a great place. Food is awesome and the culture really has a strong latin, Cuban bent. And the culture is what makes Miami a great place to visit. We had a fun time with the jet skis and everything else. And I think we gave Ben a great sendoff to married life.

On the Trail of Mr. X...

2006-03-09T21:33:00.000-05:00

"Scotland Yard" is a boardgame of Milton Bradley fame in the 1980's. Here, some intrepid friends spend a small part of their evening chasing after the elusive Mr. X.

The Name is Bond

2005-12-12T20:39:00.000-05:00

I thought I would take time to mention a great group called Bond which offers an ecclectic and some say "sexy" take on the world of classical music. Really great stuff and highly lyrical, so I thought I would offer you a listen at their website for a little something different.

http://www.bondmusic.net/home.html

Hello again.

2005-12-05T00:45:00.000-05:00

I am working very slowly at starting my own boardgame publishing company. The temporary arm to do this is a very tiny company I have created, titled as you see it. No website for it... I have a name in mind for the actual boardgame company and I am currently working on the logo for that. By the way, this logo is my own creation.

The Epiphany...

2005-09-29T11:16:00.000-04:00

In my bio, I mentioned that I like boardgames... so I thought I would throw out some history how I got started into that. Only just a couple of years ago, my wife and I only had two games on our shelf. Monopoly and Balderdash. We always were talking about when we have friends over, it would be nice to have something to do with them. Boardgames seemed like a good idea... but it is impossible to get people to play Monopoly. This is either because it is too long and involved to play... or that people played it so much as a kid they were sick of it. When you have four or six people as guests, it only takes one dissenter to rule it out for everyone else. And sometimes that dissenter was me. Party games were only OK for me... I did always like Balderdash though. I never liked Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary, Scruples or Taboo. But even Balderdash gets tiring after a while if that is the only party game you have.

One day I told my wife Jennifer that maybe if we could add something to Monopoly to make it different, and then maybe people would be curious enough to play it. So I went on the web to research if there were any add-ons for Monopoly and came across a website that sold boardgames. I almost passed up looking too deep at it, thinking it was just an online forum to sell the usual fare such as Sorry, Trouble, Aggravation and of course, the party games. But there were several games on the site I had never seen before. One thing led to another and soon I came across this game called "A Dog's Life." It seemed way more than just a kids game and it was definitely different. Soon I wound up ordering it. It seemed strange waiting for it to arrive. This was the first "toy" I had purchased since I was in my early teens... Ironically, I felt like a kid anxiously waiting for it to hurry up and get to my home. That also was very strange and it only served to peak my curiosity.

Anyway, I thought I had finally found something unique that would give us something fun to do when our friends came over. Surely they would go for something that was new and fresh to do rather than just sit back and have coffeeshop or cocktail talk like we usually do. So, the game finally arrives and as I look through it, I get pretty excited because it sounds like a lot of fun. We have people over and everyone has a blast playing it. I immediately decide I want more then one game like this. I run out to the store and buy a copy of Clue! since I always remember liking that as a kid...except there is a new version out called Clue!FX....so I buy that instead. Feeding on the Clue! karma, I get back on the website and start looking for another deduction type game with maybe a different type of flavor... and come across a game called "Mystery of the Abbey" Very cool. So I purchase that, we all play it and have a blast and the rest is.... well, shall we just say "history."

An updated picture...

2005-09-28T12:53:00.000-04:00

Well, here is a current picture of me.... the author of this blog. I'm coming up on the big 3-7 in October. Hopefully, it doesn't catch up with me too soon!

Office Space

2005-09-08T12:24:00.000-04:00

Here is picture of my newly completed office. I will get another shot posted later.

Back From Computer Troubles...

2005-09-07T14:05:00.000-04:00

It finally feels good to have a computer that I can rely on again... it was almost a month of being down without a computer. It makes you realize what an everyday dependence people have on computers now.

I just completed the final touches on my very own office, so I can have some peace, quiet and focus for building my boardgame ideas. Will have to post the before and after pictures soon.

2005-08-13T11:42:00.000-04:00

My baby...

The Beginning

2005-08-13T11:02:00.000-04:00

Oh my, the makings of my very own personal blog? Tom Vasel is going to have every person who enjoys boardgames doing this, no doubt in my mind. All because of his most recent article on Gamefest.

And for this, now I have MY own blog.... Good grief.