I suppose it is that time of the year to put together a wish list, particularly before I start receiving things that I really don’t need or will absolutely never ever use. If you decide to pick up one of the things below, please be sure to send me a not so that I can strike it out, since duplicates are not fun either. Anyhow, here it goes:

1. AEM 21-203DK 3" Inlet x 5" Element Dryflow Air Filter - I've been using the same filter on my car's cold air intake for several years now, and although I've cleaned it regularly it is way past due for a replacement.

2. Rattleware 20-Ounce Latte Art Milk Frothing Pitcher - My espresso has always been tasty, but I just keep having issues frothing the milk correctly so hopefully this will help.

3. Panasonic ES8249S Arc IV Nanotech Vortex Wet/Dry Rechargeable Shaver - Been using the Panasonic ES8164 for several years now and the battery, blades, and foils are pretty much done with. Given all this it makes more sense to get a new shaver rather than fixing the old one.

4. Keyless Entry Remote for 2003 Nissan 350Z - My old remote began acting absolutely crazy, opening and closing the car at random to the point where I had to take out the battery. Using the key presently which is very annoying.

5. McLaren Limited Edition Silverstone Print - I could definitely use some art on my walls at home. Might as well start with a nice McLaren print.

More coming soon!

Since I could not make it down to Poland in time for my grandma’s funeral, yes I know I’m a terrible grandson, the least I could do is put together some of the best pictures I have depicting my grandma, a person I always believed to be much greater than life. If I ever become just one hundredth the person that she was I will have lived an amazing life. Rest in peace grandma and watch over us down here.

"Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us; our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life." - Albert Einstein

When my dad gets into town, home improvement just happens at a crazy pace. I wish I would have such a drive when it comes to getting things done around the house, although in which case my house would probably resemble more of a palace than a house, which might look ever so slightly out of place in the current neighborhood. Anyhow, here are just a few things that we got knocked out of the way. And by we, I mean mostly my dad with my help that probably was less than stellar at times, but every little bit helps when it comes to home improvement. Anyhow, first we tackled the back side of my house where recently I had some repairs done around the chimney and roof. Plenty of painting had to be done, but with good weather on our side we knocked that out rather quickly. Next we tackled the patio door, which was quite a project. We replaced several rotten wood pieces, fixed up the insulation, fixed rusted areas on the door, and did quite a bit of caulking. This was all in addition to the middle part of the French door that we set out to fix initially, but that’s how it goes sometimes. When you set out do something, do it right and do it all the way, that was the mantra. But wait, there was more: We also finished up the upstairs guest bathroom. All the wall painting was done; all the towel hangers and toilet paper holders were installed, caulking around the vanity and bathtub was done, and finally a repaint of the baseboard and door finished it all. I have to say it looks very nice and modern; the only thing needed is maybe an accent shelf or pictures to make it come alive a little bit. Of the four rooms upstairs, two are now completely renewed. Finishing the studio is next on the agenda. The studio requires mostly some more paint and definitely new blinds since the current ones are absolutely hideous. Finally, in a spectacular one day effort, my dad managed to replace all the trim around the chimney, which was in a rather sad state. Overall, I think that by now we have addresses just about all the issues that were noted by the inspector when I purchased the house a little more than a year ago. Now don’t get me wrong, with a house there are always a million more things to do, but at least we got some of the major ones out of the way.