Xmas Tree Redux

Hey Everyone,
Here it is, finally!! Hope that Kaiser puts the tree into some perspective. :)
And how bout this snow?!? I shoveled (snowblower needed) and it doesnt look like I did anything. Oh well. Brad should be thrilled....lol.
Looking forward to seeing you guys this weekend. Drive safely to the airport.

I'm Internet Famous!

There was a blogger that sat next to us at the Video Game Awards named Chad. He was a big fan of Psychonauts and Double Fine so he was really excited to sit by us. Tim came up to check on us halfway through the show and I introduced him to Chad. He was super stoked! He took a bunch of pictures and promised to make us Internet Famous. He just posted them on his blog over at Destructoid. Check it out!

See you guys soon!

Love,
Brad!

The Beast Arrives

As you know, our old, big-screen TV died a horrible death. Projection guns out of alignment for no apparent reason.
We went to Best Buy and bought a 52", Samsung LCD HDTV. Supporting the economy and all that!
It is awesome.
The Geek Squad is coming Monday morning to hook it up, but I have done my own hookup for now so we can watch TV. We'll let the GS hook up the new up convert DVD player. Oh boy, DVDs in HD!
Should be a lot of fun watching movies on the new beast over Christmas.
Can't wait for Brad and Tim to get here.
Love you call.

Mom and Dad

Brütal Legend at the VGA's!

Our trip down to LA was incredible! EA paid for 4 pimped out escalades to take us down to the show. We felt like a hip hop posse rolling down the freeway. They also picked up the tab for some fancy pants food and a TON of drinks. I really have to detox over the next few days before I come home! :D

The show was a blast. It was way less embarrassing towards game developers than previous shows. Still kind of goofy... but these are supposed to be less like the Oscars and more like the MTV Movie Awards so it's totally ok. Here's the AMAZING setup for the trailer that Jack Black did for the game at the show! He also hyped it EVERY CHANCE HE GOT while on stage. It was really great to be a part of this whole thing and the internet buzz feels very positive!

I got to meet Rob Halford in person on the red carpet, and I saw Neil Patrick Harris from about 10 feet away. We also saw Christian Bale eating breakfast with his family in Santa Monica at the same restaurant that we were eating in. Holy crap Batman/John Connor was eating eggs in my presence!

Plus I got to meet and talk with a lot of different game developers at the after party. I got to chat with the guys who made Little Big Planet, plus the director of God of War 2. Really great! I also got to hang out with Scott and Ryan... super fun times with those guys... hadn't seen them in a good long time.

The trip was a total success although they should really have the next one in San Francisco. LA is just too far away. Now we just have to make sure that the game lives up to JB's lofty words. :D

-Brad!

Christmas Dinner Requests

Okay. Christmas is coming fast and I am planning the menu. Here is what I have so far:

1. Roast turkey with traditional bread stuffing in the bird. Note: there may be two turkeys: one in the oven and one on the grill. Jury is out on that.
2. Gravey
3. Cranberry sauce -- that's for me and Grandma
4. Twice baked potato casserole -- like last year
5. Cheesy broccoli -- your Mother's famous dish and what would Christmas be without it?
6. Something made with sweet potatoes
7. Another vegetable dish -- ideas?
   
8. Multigrain rolls
9. Another bread? Sourdough?
10. Salad? What kind?
11. Soup? Might be fun. Do we need this? Ideas?
12. Apple Squares
13. Cookies -- chocolate chip/oatmeal/peanut butter?
    
14. Pie(s)? What kind?
15. Other ideas?

Let me know.
Love you all,
Dad

Come on Greg! Where are the tree photos?

Does it look like this? Sort of a ball only with lights and ornaments?
You promised pictures. So, give already.
The whole family is waiting to see your beautiful tree.
Click. Post. View Christmas tree.
That's all it takes.
Post as soon as you can. Okay?
Love ya,
Dad

Congratulations, Tim!!

We're so happy for Tim - he graduated from The University of Michigan yesterday! He looked really handsome in his (Brad's) cap and gown. His graduation was wonderful and we all had a great dinner at the Gandy Dancer! Greg and Danielle, Grandma, and Michelle were with us to celebrate. We're very proud of his accomplishment because we know how hard he worked!

GO BLUE!!

We love you guys! Hugs and kisses from Rochester Hills!!

Love,
Mom and Dad

Elf Yourself!

I talked to Michelle online today. She says Merry Xmas and sent me some awesome videos!
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/rXkMfHJGPh2I9ERjvvvt
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/McbiCVejjPlHkVpPj1rc

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Boy, it it beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. Your Mom has been working really hard to make this place look great.
Of course, Tim and Brad put up the outside lights (amazing) and set up the rocking horse tree. Then Mom, Grandma and I put the lights and rocking horses on it.
Mom put up the nutcrackers and the Santas. And she decorated the stair railings.
The big tree is up with lights on it and we're putting the ornaments on this morning.
Of course there always seems to be more to do and we never seem to be done. But it is looking like Christmas has arrived at the Muirs.
Love you guys,
Dad

X-Mas Tree's

Hey Everyone,
Our X-Mas tree is finally together!!! Danielle and I just finished it (pics to follow). It is by far one of the fattest tree's I've been around. And its resembles a ball rather than a cone shape, but it looks cool and smells even better.
Looking forward to Sunday, Sunday, Sunday (kinda like the moster truck show :p) See you guys later. Mad Love from Fairfield Drive in good ole Warren, MI

Hang in there Tim!

No one is counting!
You're right just 12 days left now (until the 17th, last exam)
One day at a time as they say.
You can do this.
Spitting wooden nickles and all that.
Keep your chin up.
Okay, I am out of cliches. LOL
We are very proud of you.
Just think about dinner at the Gandy Dancer with your family on December 14.
We love you.
See you soon.

Mom and Dad

:(

Just got back from the library, can I be done with this yet? I've just about had it, I gotta tell you. Twelve days left, but who's counting - right?

New England Houses and Landscape Looks Amazing

On another post, I mentioned that the New England houses and all the accessories were up and that everyone pitched in and got it all done in 1.5 hours. It's a lot of work. I know. Your Mother and I have sometimes taken three days to put up all those houses (47!).
Well this morning I got a chance to look at the job you all did and it's amazing. I have never even thought about doing some of the things you did.
For example, placing the stone walls between some of the houses breaks up the linear look of the setting. Also placement of some of the trees is really cool. Well done.
But the thing I found most amusing was the old man at the far left end of the mantel leaning up against the house with his face toward the house (his head is actually leaning on the house) and it looks like he is peeing! I am sure that was placed there by either Brad or Tim.
Whoever did it, it is hilarious!
Love,

Dad

World Premier. Woooooooooooooooooo

Brad: Congratulations on the VGA game footage world premier for Brutal Legend! With Jack Black, too. Should be very cool. We will be sure to tune in on December 14, 2008.
Well done! We are very proud of you.

Mom and Dad

2008 Video Game Awards!

The Video Game Awards are hosted on Spike TV. The bad news is that the show is basically what you would get if you let a bunch of retarded teenagers produce the Oscars for a target audience of retarded teenagers. The good news is that Jack Black is hosting it this year and they're going to be showing the world premiere gameplay trailer for Brütal Legend!

I'm pretty excited... and definitely nervous. We haven't shown anyone real game footage... just the old prerendered trailer. Hopefully it's well-received and we start getting some great buzz on the internets! Woo!

The show is going to be live next Sunday night, Dec 14th at 9pm. Check it out!

A Big Thank You to All

Tonight I'm home alone - Dad is at the Red Wings game (lucky) - and thinking about the weekend. It was soooo nice to have everyone together. Thanks to all of you for taking the time to share the weekend with us. There's nothing better than to have our 3 boys and 1 girl all together doing fun things (like making caramel apples, putting up the Christmas Village, going to a movie, sharing a pizza, putting up the outside lights, lots of lunches and dinners, etc.) I look forward to the Christmas holidays when we can all be together again and make more memories :) So thanks again for being so great - I really love you guys!!
Mom

Back in San Francisco!

I flew all morning and landed in San Francisco yesterday in one piece! Thanks to Mom and Dad for driving me to the airport... it was sooooo early!

My flight was delayed for an hour on the tarmac... something about one of the computers not booting up properly. (computers lol) We had to go back to the gate but we didn't have to deplane. I think they made up some time in the air, too. I slept all the way to Las Vegas and when I got off the plane I had to quickly jump on the next one for the short flight to San Francisco.

The Crafts were there to pick me up at the airport and we drove back into the city to meet Catie. We all went out to lunch and then I crashed out for the afternoon to catch up on some sleep. I woke up in the evening, took a shower, and then met them near their hotel for an awesome meal at this French restraunt, Bistro Aix. Rare ahi tuna with garlic mashed potatoes and spinach in a red wine sauce? Yes please! :D

I'm back at work now and I'm really excited to be here for the first time in a while. I didn't realize how much I needed a break! It was so nice to see everyone again... especially Grandma. She is one rad old lady. :) I love you all and I'll see you again in THREE SHORT WEEKS! omg!

Love,
Brad!

Brad's On a Jet Plane

Brad has left for CA. Brad, Mom, and I left the house at 5AM. We got Brad to the airport in plenty of time for his jet plane. The new, non-Northwest terminal (I have no idea what they call it) looks great and Brad says that it is very "NEW" inside and nice. As Brad would say, "Way better than the old one!"
It was great having Brad home for Thanksgiving.
We will all see Brad in three weeks for Christmas. Can't wait. Travel safe my son.
Love all of you,
Dad

The Houses Are Up

This is just a great big shout out to the whole family for all the help putting up the New England Village on Thanksgiving Eve. Lot's of work, but you guys got it done in record time. And, it looks amazing.
What's better than family fun and good food? Well, maybe they could throw in a football game on Wednesday night! What do you think?
Love,

Mom and Dad

Getting ready for the BOXES!

I just took everything off all the flat surfaces and under those surfaces in the garage. That's so we can take stack all the boxes stored above the garage. I think I will wait until Monday to take the boxes down and have Brad help me.
Lucky Brad!
Love you guys.

Dad

R-A-W

Raw fish, that is....lol. The "Old Man" and I got out today for some good eats. We decided to go some original/never fail choices, but decided to thow in a "random" this time around which happened to be SURF CLAM!! I know, strange. It was split 50/50 colored red & white. Nothing too it though, not fishy, not sweet, not...anything. Oh well, I wonder what we'll try next time. As for the rest of the menu......a lil white tuna (sweet & delicious), some mackerel (cant miss), a bit o' salmon (classic), a Hawaiian Roll (pineapple & caramelized sweet sauce), a MI roll (a spicy MUST have) and the every tatsy dessert piece, THE EEL!!!! LOL, never finish without it. Thanks Dad! I know Mom's particularly jealous, but Brad and TJ shoulda been there. Maybe we can get a little fishy when everyone's home. I have two spots in mind. Let me know.
Its getting close to the Holiday, so travel safely Broadway and TJ too ;) Later Fam! Love ya and I'm out.

Thanksgiving is coming! Thanksgiving is coming!

It's that time of year...and here comes Thanksgiving. Mom and I are really looking forward to all of us getting together for the long weekend. I will be cooking up a storm. Wednesday should be fun.
The current menu looks like this: Brew House Chili, Cornbread, snacks and beer. Anything else you guys want to add to that? I'm off all week so no problem.
Now for Thanksgiving of course we will go over to Aunt Judy's. That should be fun what with all that is going on with GM and the auto industry.
But, I plan on cooking a turkey for us for the weekend. But, what else would you all like to have around the house for the Thanksgiving weekend? Breads, cookies, cheesy broccoli, stuffing, etc?
Let me know what dishes you would like from you childhood or recent history and I will get to work.
Love you all,
Dad

Fitness Challenge

Mornin'
Today should be the day to see how I finished amongst the competitors in the Fitness Challenge. I think I did good, not great. Thanks to my awesome work schedule I barely worked out on a Saturday or Sunday....oh well. The gains I made have paid off already. I can lift more, run farther and I even sleep better!!! I tried on a pair of jeans yesterday and even with them zipped and buttoned I was able to take them off. Couldnt do that last year :)
I'l let ya know what happens later today and I'll post my "stats" too. Take care everyone. Love ya and looking forward to Thanksgiving Week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go Blue????

Mom and I traveled to Ann Arbor to visit Tim, take him out to lunch and watch the Michigan/Northwestern football game.
It was raining and snowing outside and we are glad we were inside.
The food was good. The TV worked great. Pam Oliver stunk as usual (you know your football team is really bad when you draw Pan as the announcer every week!).
Tim was in a good mood, looked too skinny, and is growing up way to fast (about time Tim! LOL).
Michigan look awful as usual and they need a lot more than a new quarterback!
Will RichRod make it?
Only time will tell.
And some really good news: Tim found a couple of girls to take over the lease for the second half of the year. Should be finalized on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed for him.

A Squared Trip

Yo Fam,
Just wanted to post up and let you all know that TJ and I had a great time in Ann Arbor. A couple BTB's, some Miller Lites and a couple Irish Car Bombs for dessert. Also, we watched a pretty sweet football game....given it was Wed night and it was a MAC game. Go, Fire Up Chips!! Hope everyone is staying outta trouble. Catch you all later.

MOVIE QUOTE:

"His helmet was stifling, it narrowed his vision. And he must see far. His shield was heavy. It threw him off balance. And his target is far away."

Thanksgiving Tradition

Hi, everybody! This will let you know that we want to start a new Muir tradition. On the night before Thanksgiving (Wed. evening), we will have dinner here and put up the Christmas Village (like you did last year - remember?) I've talked to Greg and Danielle, Brad will be in town, and Tim should be arriving from AA that evening. I've sent an e mail to Wade and hope he can join us, too. We have tried to contact him before, and he seems reluctant, but I'm going to try and persuade him to be here. Let's try to do this every year, ok????? I would like to suggest a few appetizers and a casual kind of dinner - any suggestions???? (and lots of drinks/wine, too!!!)

Mom's Car is In the Garage

A big thank you goes out to Greg for helping me get Mom's car in the garage. Greg took everything out of the garage before I got home. Then Greg, Danielle, Mom and I had some Grandma meatloaf for dinner.
Next, Greg and I found a home for all the stuff in the garage and put it all back in (with some going to the basement) so Mom could park her car inside all winter.
If Mom is happy, we are all happy.
God I love your Mother.

Love you guys,

Dad

Danger Will Robinson!

Just had the alarm go off in our building here at work. Everyone from the building was evacuated. I have no idea why. The fire trucks did not come. And, there was no sign of a terrorist attack. LOL Everyone, including me, is fine.
Back to work!

Happy Birthday, Me!

Hey guys, just wrapping up my birthday and winding down for bed. Thank you so much for calling me to wish me a happy birthday and to Mom for driving out here for lunch even though I could only spend about an hour with you.

Pretty boring birthday today, didn't do a whole lot. Although if you count last night on the Diag with about 2000 people chanting for Obama it was kind of crazy. I thought they were all there for my birthday but it turns out that wasn't true :(

After class today I went to Stucci's on South U for my free scoop. Then after my group meeting (which I would describe as good, not great) I went to the Stucci's on State Street for my free scoop. Hell yeah working the system, although I know some people get more than just a couple scoops of ice cream. I also went out to 7-11 to see if they broke the street date for Gears of War 2 to see if I could get my hands on it a little early, but I was foiled by some greasy long haired Seven Ereven employee. Oh well, going to go tomorrow night to Meijer with John and pick it up. Should be a good time.

Forgot to hit post... here it is later

Happy Birthday Tim!

Today is Tim's birthday. He came home yesterday to vote (good for you Tim) and he stuck around to have dinner with us. What fun.
Tim is growing up. He did homework between the time he voted and dinner. What did the aliens do with our kid? LOL
He has a goal in mind and will graduate in December of this year! Well we hope it is this year! LOL.
We love ya Tim.
Happy birthday!

Mom and Dad

Publish Post

ROCK THE VOTE!

How lame does that title sound? lol, anyway i hope all voted.
Well, this is the final week in my "fitness challenge". I'll be posting my results here by next week. Wish me luck.
Everything's going well on Fairfield Drive and in Sterling Heights.
Everyone stay safe and out of trouble. I'm looking forward to doing this more often.
Love You Guys!

MOVIE QUOTE FOR THIS POST:
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?"

Happy Election Day!

Happy Election Day Muir Family!
Here's a recap of how dumb this year's election has been:
http://thisfuckingelection.com/

That Old Leather Couch -- End of an Era

Well, today, that old leather couch from the family room is going to wherever old couches go. It is being picked up for free and hauled away.

Lots of good memories reside in that couch. Great family fun watching movies. Great naps. And, yes, Tracker licking it to death!

So, please, let us have a brief moment of silence for that old leather couch.

Thank you.

Mom and Dad

Happy Anniversary to Us!!

Dad and I just went to Kruse & Muer for dinner (fabulous food and bread) to celebrate 36 years of wedded bliss (tee hee). Seriously, there have been some rough spots over the years but we're happy that we're together and hope we have lots more years, too. Thanks to all 3 of you for calling today and remembering!! Had a nice long chat with Danielle today, too :) (Greg: did you remind them??? haha)

Just realized that Greg has written a few posts (sorry I didn't see them before) and I agree that we should all be using this as a way to keep in touch. (I know that I was the one who wanted to do this originally, and then I dropped the ball - sorry) Remember how important family is???? And since our family is going to be all over the country, let's all try to add something at least once a week, ok? Dad just set it up so that each time we have a new post, you will receive an e mail. Can you set yours up that way, too?

Tim is coming HOME to vote and will be here for dinner tomorrow evening and then go back to AA. I'm making enchiladas if anyone else wants to come for dinner :) He's working very hard at school and just wants it to be over (I think). Right, Tim? I look forward to every day we can spend with Tim because he will be moving soon............

So let's keep this going - I want to hear from you, ok?

Happy Anniversary!

Hi Mom and Dad! Happy 36th Anniversary! You guys are awesome. :D

Love,
Brad!

Email Test Post!

This post is to test the email settings. Hopefully you're getting this! Please leave a comment on this entry if you got an email!

Love,
Mom

First Post!

Welcome to the Muir Family Blog! Ask Mom for the password and we can all post here!

And remember to Protect Your Face!

Love,
Mom and Dad