Back to School

G’day mates, well today is the day after a month long break, school is back in action! Although most people are dreading coming back to school, I was excited to start my third semester, and see my friends and classmates. On Mondays I have two classes which are Food Principles 2 and Food styling. Although I don’t have many food production classes this semester I can tell my semester is going to be filled with brainstorming projects and working in a team to compete for the food competition in March in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The team I am on I have a feeling we have the potential of placing in the competition.

Once we finished with class it was time for lunch. Since today was the first day of classes MPTC student senate offered a free lunch and entertainment for students who had their I.D.s with them. We were offered the choice of pasta with tomato or alfredo sauce, a bottle of water, and a cookie. The food was good especially since it was free. During the lunch period juggler Nick Pike entertained us with his talented skills. I even had the opportunity to get on stage and participate in one of his acts. I was a bit nervous but I had nothing to worry about. You can see more of this act in my video blog at the bottom of my blog. You will see in the video how funny this guy was, and how the crowd enjoyed him a lot. After the show was finished it was time for me to head off to work at Service Masters. Nothing exciting at night, but I was glad to kick off the new semester on a good note. Well I must head off to bed since I have a busy week ahead me, ciao!

Cheers,
Lee IV

DJ Thursday

January 19 was the day I gave my friend Tyler a tour of Fond du Lac. We started the day off by going to Qdoba because he’s never been there, and I figured Qdoba is a great way to start the day off with a fresh burrito. Once we finished our food we headed across the street to Forest Mall. We talked about how small the mall is compared to the malls located in Chicago, but it was soothing to go somewhere that was not loud and crowded. We looked at different stores to see if there were anything good on sale, but we didn’t find anything worthy to purchase. At this moment we felt this was a great opportunity to spread the news about our DJ debut at Slim and Chubby’s to our friends. This promoting came in handy to draw attention, and hopefully bring in a good crowd. Afterwards I showed Tyler MPTC’s campus, and gave him a glimpse of the typical day of the things I do at school. He was impressed how the campus is all connected; which is very beneficial during cold weather months. I also introduced him to some instructors and staff around campus, and showed him people here are friendly and very helpful. Once we left campus I told him if you come to Fond du Lac then you must see the lighthouse on Lake Winnebago. As we approached the lighthouse he was impressed because he never saw a frozen lake before, and seeing people walking across the ice blew his mind. I guess since I was used to seeing the lake frozen I took it for granted, but I laughed and said welcome to Wisconsin. If you’ve never been to Lakeside Park you are missing out; the best time to see a beautiful scene is at dawn. Shortly afterwards we headed back home to get the night started. We listened to some music to get an idea for our playlist for the night, and then at ten o’clock it was time for us to DJ the night away. It was a slow start but then people kept coming in and danced the night away. I was learning some new techniques from Tyler since he has been doing this gig for two years, and the crowd loved the music selection. I could tell everyone was having a good time, even when it was time to close people didn’t want to leave, but they had to go home. Afterwards the bartenders and the owners said we did a great job on the stage. I hope next week I can utilize the things I learned and improve my DJ skills. Well after another epic day, that is all for now. On my next blog I’ll be writing about first day of classes! Ciao

Cheers,
Lee IV

Hasta Luego Chicago!

Well today is my last day in Chicago. Every time I am having fun time always tends to go fast. My mom was kind enough to drop me off at the bus station in the Chicago. As we drove through the city the skyline is one of the beautiful scenes than any other city I have seen yet. I gave my mom a hug as she dropped me off, then I quickly jogged to the bus to make sure I didn’t miss my bus. Then another surprise came along as my friend Tyler decided to come back to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin for a couple of days to visit. He is one of the fewest friends from Chicago who actually came up to visit me here in town. We both got on the Mega bus and headed off to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During this time we were catching up on the present and past. Another reason why Tyler came up was to DJ with me at Slim and Chubby’s so I can learn more about DJing. We got into Milwaukee in no time because the traffic was smooth and the weather was sunny. I then decided we should go to the casino especially since Tyler has never been to one, so we went to Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee. The best way to describe a casino is like Chuckie Cheese for adults because of all the noises, lights, and people. It was a good time; we walked around and played a round of roulette which is my favorite game to play. We didn’t stay long because I had to work, then we got into the van and drove up to good ol’ Fond du Lac. Once we got back home I showed him around the house and told him to make himself at home. Afterwards I headed off to work for a couple of hours. Once I finished I headed back home, and by then some friends from school came over to play board games. It was a good time; we all laughed, told jokes, and just enjoyed the night. We then decided it was time for bed since we had a big day for the next day. Well mates that completes another fun adventurous day, until next time Ciao!
Cheers,
Lee IV

Chicago Part 2

January 17 was round two for me in Chicago. That day I woke up to my mom and step-dad making breakfast, and it smelled so good. Nothing beats waking up to a hearty breakfast; we had turkey sausage, potatoes, eggs, croissants, and a cup of coffee. This was a perfect way to start the day off especially since I haven’t had anybody cook me breakfast in awhile. Afterwards I got ready to go visit my grandma before she went to work. I gave my grandma the nickname of Clarice because our favorite film is Silence of the Lamb, so for years I have been calling her that. Since my grandma works third shift she went to bed. Then I decided I should go out and shop around to see if anything was on sale at the stores. I caught some decent deals on random things that may come in handy when I go traveling. Shortly afterwards I headed back to my grandma’s house and watched television until my dad came to pick me up for dinner. I haven’t seen my dad in awhile since we both have busy schedules. Once my dad came we decided to eat at Chili’s in town. It was nice catching up with each other and seeing what was new. I ordered a guacamole burger with fries, and my dad ordered a sample platter, both foods turned out well, and the service was good. The hours flew by and it was time for us to leave because the restaurant was about to close. Afterwards my dad dropped me off at home, then that pretty much completed my round two in Chicago. Nothing too big today, but seeing my family is what matters the most. Well stay tuned for my final day in Sweet Home Chicago!
Cheers,
Lee IV

Sweet Home Chicago!

January 16 was the day I finally got the chance to take a small trip to Chicago to visit my family. The last time I was in the windy city was last September when I went to watch the Bears game with my friend Tyler at Soldier Field. I decided the best and cheapest way for me to travel was for me to drive to Milwaukee and park at the Amtrak parking lot then take the Mega bus to Chicago. Mega bus is a bus service that offers cheap prices to various locations throughout the Midwest region. My bus ticket only cost me $12.50 for a round trip from Milwaukee to Chicago. After a two hour bus ride I finally made it to sweet home Chicago. As I arrived in the city my family came to pick me up. It was great seeing them because I missed them a lot and I have not seen them in awhile. We decided to head out to the mall in Orland Park, Illinois. Compared to Fond du Lac’s Forest Mall Orland was twice the size and has stores on two levels. I forgot how busy places in my hometown can be, but I wasn’t complaining. I miss all the loud noises and so many things to do. My family and I did a little shopping around checking the latest deals and clearance. We found some good stuff ranging from shoes to clothing items. The shopping made us a little hungry so we got some food from the food court. Afterwards it was time to head home to get ready for dinner. My mom and I have this little competition of who can find a restaurant that one of us hasn’t tried yet. So she picked this restaurant named Tuscany which is an Italian restaurant located in the city of Chicago. This place was amazing; the atmosphere was unique because it reminded me of being in Italy. The people were friendly, and most important the food was fantastic. I decided to get veal ravioli served with Alfredo sauce, my mom got a chicken dish served with potatoes and vegetables, and my step-dad got a rack of lamb ribs from New Zealand served with vegetables. Like I said before everything tasted great. I tried to utilize some French words I learned and remember, and the people working there were impressing. Although I know very little of French any attempt is always appreciated. We ended our meal with Tiramisu for dessert; if you never tried this dish then you are missing out. This dessert is delicious, soft, and full of flavors so don’t miss out on this amazing dessert. We were super stuffed, but in a good way. I will definitely come back to this place and bring others. Well after an amazing day, I call it a day. Until next time, I’ll catch you up on my voyage in Chicago. Cheers, Lee IV

Go Bucks!

On Tuesday January 10, I started my day off by going to school for my winterim class. We learned more information about how to enhance our resumes, were given a presentation about how to find jobs and how to attract companies to take a look at out resumes. The key factor of finding a job is networking with people. This shows people that you are a reliable and responsible person compared to a person who doesn’t have a good reference. This presentation took up the majority of the class, and then we were done for the day. After class I went home to eat lunch and work on my UFC training workout and it was another successful training. Then I got ready to attend my first basketball game for 2012 with some of my friends in Milwaukee where the Milwaukee Bucks were playing against the San Antonio Spurs. Since one of my friend works at the stadium we got some good seats for a good price. I was really happy to attend this game because there were players on the Spurs team that I always wanted to see in person such as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and many other players. To see players on television is way different to see in person. I only wished I could’ve got an autograph. During the game it was a tough battle for both teams, there were many lead changes, but the Bucks didn’t back down. Throughout the game I was cheering for the Bucks and at the same time I almost lost my voice by yelling and cheering so loud. At one point I caught a souvenir ball with my hands that the cheerleaders were tossing out. The things got even better because we met a famous person named Hippie Tom; he is from the hit television show on the History Channel called America Pickers. We took a picture with him and he seemed like a fun person. Then in the fourth quarter of the game the game was getting intense with the game on the line with minutes left. Either team was refusing to lose, but with the Bucks tough defense and great offense the Bucks took home the win against a talented Spurs team. After a long day we headed back home, and I was tired after a fun productive day. I am hoping to attend more games because it is always nice seeing a big city and supporting Wisconsin teams besides the Packers. Well mates that is all for today! Check you later!

Cheers,
Lee IV

January 9- Happy Monday

Ahoy Mates! As the winter holiday break is almost finished, I have to take a winterim at Moraine Park Technical College for career development. Career development is a class that focuses on helping people build their portfolio such as making resumes better, working on a cover letter, doing mock interviews, and much more to benefit people for the real world. I met some people who are from the criminal justice and health care programs. They seemed very outgoing and funny; it was neat to meet people from other career paths. We were in class for four hours. During this time we went through the course materials, ice breakers, and worked on a group assignment. The time actually went by pretty fast since we kept busy doing group discussion and brainstorming. After class I headed back home to do my UFC training workout. It is always an accomplishment for me if I get motivated enough to push myself to workout. Then once I finished my workout I headed off to work at ServiceMaster, which is a janitorial service that cleans different companies. Well this completes my Monday, nothing too crazy today, but I did learn a lot though. Ciao until next time!
Cheers,
Lee IV

Happy Friday 2012

Ah at last it is the first weekend of 2012 and what is a better way to kick off the weekend? Well the answer to that would be trying out a new restaurant! My friend Jade and I kept our promise to hang out and try out new restaurants. We decided to check out a Korean restaurant in Appleton, Wisconsin. We both tried various Asian cuisines but we haven’t tried Korean, so we figure we should check out this place since it had received many great reviews and award many honors. As we drove up to Appleton the weather was a bit windy but pleasant for a winter day, although it felt like spring time. The drive there took about forty-five minutes, but then at last we were at the restaurant. From the outside it looked small until we came inside and the place was a lot bigger than we expected. Inside you would think we were in a different world. The walls were painted green and had various art pieces showing the culture style.
As we were seated the menu looked fancy and the choices to eat were endless ranging from appetizers, lunch specials and much more. I was applauded about how big the menu was and I had a hard time deciding what to get because everything looked and sounded so good! Finally we decided what we wanted to get; I order a Korean BBQ chicken with purple rice. Yes that is correct I did say purple rice, to me it tasted like a cross over of wild rice and sticky rice. My friend Jade ordered the same thing except beef instead of chicken. Once our lunch came everything looked and smelled so good, I already knew I was going to eat everything on my plate even if I get full because the smell was fantastic. As we dug into our meal everything tasted so good, everything was freshly made and the flavors were amazing! Like I promised myself I finished everything on plate, although afterwards I was super full but it was worth it! Together our bill came out to be $24 which is a bargain for a killer deal. One more thing before I dock for the day. As a tip I would say lunch is the best time to go to a restaurant because you can take advantage of lunch specials that offer more food and half the cost of dinner prices. Well mates that all for the day, Ciao!
Cheers, Lee IV

New Week New Year

On January 3, I had a productive day for the new year. Like many others I plan on staying in shape and doing something productive each day. In order for me to accomplish my goals I started to write down new things I do each day so at the end of the year I can see all the productive things I did. This method shows things in life are not always negative or bad. Anyways I started my Tuesday with me working out to my new video game I bought for my Kinect Xbox called UFC Training. This workout is the perfect method to get a great workout without leaving the house. I can tell this workout video will have an impact on my body throughout the session. Afterwards I started to cleanup and rearrange my room to become more organized with the different things I have to do each day. Once I finished with my tasks, I started to cook some food for supper. I decided to cook a small hen marinated in beer in the crock pot with vegetables. It turned out really tasty and tender, I recommend for anybody who is always on the go to use the crock pot method because it can cook for hours while at work or doing something else. For people who never used a crock pot you basically put your meat in a pot and let it slow cook for hours and your food is guaranteed to come out tender. Later in the night a group of friends from MPTC and I decided to go bowling at Ledgeview Lanes in Fond du Lac. There were about ten of us that got together to have a great time over the winter holiday. It is always a good time to meet up with friends over break. We all had a good time of course singing, bowling and dancing. My scores weren’t the greatest but one game I did bowl a 189. I hope one of these days my bowling average can be in the 200 area, but until then I’ll practicing until I reach my goal. Well that pretty much cover my Tuesday adventure, until the next voyage I’ll catch you soon! Ciao, Lee IV

2012

Welcome back mates! Hello to 2012, I hope you had a wonderful New Year’s and are ready for a fun year ahead! I am really excited to kick things off again and share my everyday adventures. Especially this semester I will be posting video blogs, so as time goes on I hope to post the best video you’ve seen in awhile. If not then I’m sure you will enjoy the events I’ll be attending in the upcoming months, including cooking clips, outdoor activities, and much more! So yeah grab onto your hats and hold on tight as we set sail! Ahoy Matey!

Cheers,
Lee IV