Yesterday, Rachel and I were relaxing. The weather started okay, but quickly became quite windy. Apparently, remnants of hurricane Ike was passing through. A number of small branches and twigs came down.

We had the dogs out for a quick potty break when the wind really started to pick up. I said it was time to go in and we started to corral the dogs. I was not quick enough. A branch fell right on my arm. It did not leave any marks, but it is still sore today.

Recently, Rachel asked if I would like to volunteer for the 15th Annual Komen Northeast Ohio Race for the Cure. Other coworkers of Target were going to help and she wanted to help too. Having friends and family members that have dealt with cancer, I thought it was a worthy cause. All we were supposed to do is to stand at the midpoint and hand out water. How hard could that be?

I have been baking bread recently. After doing the math, I found that it is not cost-effective to bake your own bread. At least if you buy the ingredients in small quantities. Unfortunately, the selection is limited at the local grocery store. But fortunately, there are a few warehouses and wholesale clubs. So, this weekend I picked up ten pounds of sugar, twenty-five pounds of flour, and a brick of yeast.

Not to be outdone by my recent bakery prowess (all of four loaves of bread), Rachel made some cornbread last night. It was very good. We have been trying to eat healthier. This means that now we actually have to make a concerted effort to plan and build meals. Rachel has spearheaded this initiative by selecting recipes and building an ingredient list.

Lately, I have wanted to make some bread. Rachel and I used to own a bread machine. However, I did not like having a gaping hole in one end of the loaf. As such, we sold the machine around the time we moved from California to Ohio.

Last Wednesday, I took the Microsoft 70-536: .NET Framework 2.0 Application Development Foundation exam. I was a bit nervous. The testing center is located at the Lorain County Community College. I had driven by the LCCC numerous times but had never ventured on campus. Since Rachel is more familiar with the area (and because I wanted some moral support) she came with me.

Rachel and I do not yet have kids (since some people do not count pets as kids). But, that did not stop us for attempting to dye some eggs. For whatever reason, the eggs did not come out as good as I wanted. Maybe the water was not hot enough or we got our proportions wrong. As they will probably just be eaten in a few days, it is probably a moot point. We also spent time making deviled eggs. As least I know those will be eaten within the next few days.

Today was a good day at work. One of our vendors bought lunch for a few of us. In addition, he asked us out to dinner. I typically refuse dinner requests. They are usually 15-20 minutes out of my way. In addition, dinners are usually held 2-3 hours after I normally leave for the day. I usually don’t want to stick around at work just for a free dinner. And, I don’t live close enough where I could go home for a bit.

Rachel found some pizza in our back yard. Apparently, the people who live behind us were throwing pizza over into our yard. Our dogs, of course, find the food, eat it, and get sick. I have been tempted to throw the waste back over the fence.

As both Rachel and I had some yesterday off, we decided to venture off to The Melting Pot. Rachel and I had never tried fondue. The extent of our knowledge was that cheese, chocolate, and dipping were involved.