Instant Karma

I like to tease people in a non-malicious, lighthearted way. That's what we Westby's do. It's how we show love. We like to joke and tease, and on occasion, we openly laugh at people and their ridiculousness. We're not haters, we're just really good at finding the humor in things. And with our family, there are just so many things. You should hear us around the dinner table - but be careful if you do decide to join us. The moment you slip up, we're gonna be all over it.

One of my favorite people in the whole world is my friend Carol Klimek. She grew up on a farm north of the Twin Cities and, although she was just minutes from downtown, went to the same college as me and is now working towards becoming a physicians assistant at Augsburg in Minneapolis, I still love to tease her for being a country bumpkin, farm girl. Truth is, I love her family and their farm and I think they are the coolest people ever, but that doesn't stop me from poking fun. (Maybe I'm just jealous.) I was lucky enough to spend last weekend at her brother's farm celebrating his wedding and it was one of the best weddings I have ever been to. The pictures were so cute that I even decided to make one my profile picture. Me and Carol on a bright red tractor. Awwww!

So, randomly today, Carol calls to tell me that my brother was on the COVER of one of the family's farming magazines. At first I thought it was a clever joke. My brother's name is Kale... like the vegetable. I was immediately fantasizing about how I would frame the featured article of green leafy Kale and hang it in out parents house for him to notice on his next visit home. Gold! Then I got another message from her telling me that it was actually the flesh and bone version of Kale that I was on the cover for some tractor design competition. Ohhh... so much for the lettuce jokes...

My brother is not only special because he shares his name with a garnish. He is also brilliant when it comes to math and science. He is a top student at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology and he is majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Yeah. The competition it intense. I am constantly on my toes trying to stay on top as the favorite child, but he really makes it tough with all his winning and acing tests and being honored with lame academic blah blah blah...

So, anyway I couldn't let this go without getting a good jab in before Mom and Dad heard the news and started glowing with pride over their golden boy's glorious cover spread. I decided to go with the ever familiar farm jokes that I was so used to delivering to Carol. Yeah. That was gonna be my angle. I quickly crafted my clever message and posted it to his wall for all to see.

Muwahahaha...ha...ha...huh!?!

Then I realized quickly that this time the joke was on me...

Click to enlarge

It's hard to effectively tease someone about being on the cover of a tractor magazine when your message is flanked by a photograph of yourself sitting ON A TRACTOR!!!

I'm guessing that this might come up at the next Westby family dinner.

Me gloating again about the Mpls bike paths...

Yesterday our office closed for the afternoon and we all headed to the new twins stadium for a matinée game against the Cleveland Indians. It was my first visit to the new Target Field and I was very impressed. It was really beautiful. Even the big video screen thing looked awesome. I also loved how it felt to be nestled right in the middle of things with an amazing view of the city. You could look right down 6th Street! Our seats were in the shade, which made it even better. Despite my SPF 75, don't know how long I would have lasted in yesterday's sweltering heat if I had been sitting in the sun. The Twins redeemed themselves with a 6-0 win. They opened with a military tribute and four dudes parachuted with flags hanging from their feet. There were also fireworks and and an air force jet did a very close flyover, which was all the more exciting when you considered the proximity of the nearby Minneapolis skyline. It was quite a show. My very favorite part of the whole experience was how easy it was for me to get there. Once again, the bike paths led me right to where I wanted to go and I never even had to cross the street. From the moment I locked my apartment door, to the moment that they scanned my ticket at the gate, it took all of twenty minutes. I parked my bike right outside the gate free of charge and got home faster than it took some of my coworkers to get out of the parking ramps.

Minneapolis bikeways for the win!

Oh yeah, and the Twins too :)

 Check out our great seats!

What is that awful buzzing sound!?!

So, the 2010 World Cup is over. Spain has been crowned champions. South Africa has bid the crowds farewell. The vuvuzelas have been silenced... or have they?

What do you do with a vuvuzela after the World Cup?


Go pay BP a visit :)