I’ve been debating about getting a Wii for a couple weeks now. My main reasoning is for the fitness “games”. I figured that it would be cheaper to get a Wii and those things than to join a gym where there would be set up fees, monthly/annual fees, and who knows what other sorts of fees. And I could workout in the comfort and privacy of my own living room. And hopefully the “games” will make it seem more fun than just a workout. I’m hoping it will be a stress reliever as well.

I haven’t bought any games yet. I plan on getting the EA Sports Active fitness “game” with my next paycheck. Eventually, I’ll get the Wii Fit as well, but I’m trying to spread out the expensive stuff.

As the title of this post suggests, I’m asking for your interaction.

What are some of your favorite Wii games?

I’m looking for suggestions on games to rent and perhaps buy. So please post a comment letting me know. I’d really appreciate it.

The food … the food … the food. The biggest thing I was looking forward to on the food side of things was the funnel cake. I love me some funnel cake. I’m craving one right now just thinking of it. My funnel cake cravings even got us (me, Lisa, Robin, and Neal) backstage to meet Emerson Drive 3 years ago. This year, I got my funnel cake on Wednesday nite when we (Robin and I) went to see 32 Below. As for the other food, I always go for a brisket sandwich. I got that Thursday nite. The only thing that I didn’t get that I wish I had was cheese curds. There’s always the fair to get those tho.

The music … the music … the music. Who can beat a concert for only $3 (or $5 if you don’t have a discount coupon). They usually always have someone there that I want to see. This year it was 32 Below on Wednesday and Rodney Atkins on Thursday. I’ve seen 32 Below so many times that I’ve lost count. But I will always go see them every chance that I can. Since I’ve seen them so many times, I didn’t take my camera with me. I have enough pics of them as it is.

This was the first time that I’ve seen Rodney Atkins. He did not disappoint. We were fairly close to the front (thanks to the fact that I was there early and staked out a spot), so I took a TON of pics. I ended up with 90 pics. I would have had more, but I deleted the ones that ended up blurry or had hands or heads in the way. The pic to the left is just a sample. You can find more in my photo gallery. I also took 4 videos. Unfortunately I don’t have any software to process the videos to put online. The only thing I have is Windows Movie Maker, and that crashes every time I try to save a video.

Overall, it was a good RibFest this year. And I’m glad the crappy weather waited until AFTER the concerts that I wanted to see. The weather was beautiful on both Wednesday and Thursday nites. There was a while on Thursday where I thought it was gonna rain … it sure did get windy. But no rain fell. I got my funnel cake and brisket sandwich … I got to see 32 Below, October Road (they opened for Rodney), and Rodney Atkins. I can’t wait to see who they get for the concerts next year.

The show was awesome. He actually had an opening act … “Guitar Guy”. I love guitar. And he was hilarious. But the main event was Jeff Dunham. He came onstage about 7:50pm or so and was on for about 2 hours. He had Walter, Achmed the Dead Terrorist, Peanut, José Jalapaño (on a steeeeeck), and Bubba J. I guess he’s going to be doing a Christmas special for Comedy Central. So he was doing some Christmas material.

I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. I could tell Lisa enjoyed it too. I could hear her laughing just as much as I was. So I think she enjoyed her birthday present.

I took about 50 pics and 20 videos. Some of the videos are really short because the crowd around me started laughing, so I stopped recording since it was kinda loud. But I got a few good ones. You can find the videos here and the pictures here. Enjoy.

If you bug me about it, I might give a more in-depth review. You’ll just have to wait and see. But if you want one, you better leave a comment so I know it’s wanted.

One of my favorite comedians of all time is Jeff Dunham. He’s not a ‘traditional’ comedian, he’s a ventriloquist [thank goodness for spell check ... LOL]. I don’t remember exactly when I first saw him, but I was hooked from the start. I’ve seen his various tv specials too many times to count. I don’t care how many times I’ve seen one of them, I’ll sit and watch and laugh like it was the first time.

I’ve told myself that if he ever got close enough to see, I would go … no matter how much tickets cost. Well, back in April, I found out he was going to be at the Civic Center. :dance:

The show is tomorrow nite. I’m taking my sister with me. I got her hooked on him too. And her bday is next week, so the ticket is her bday present [how convenient for me :razz2:]. I can’t wait. The tickets I got are 8th row center, so we should have a pretty good view. I hope cameras are allowed. I wanna get some pics … and maybe sneak a video [shhhhhh]. According to his website, the show is sold out, so we’ll have to get there early. I need to remember to get cash so I can get souvenirs.

I’ll give a full review either after the show or on Friday.

Around 9:45pm I headed over to Robin’s so we could go to watch the fireworks. We went last year, but Dannilynn was too young (2 months old) to enjoy them. This year she was actually awake and watching them. I did get some pics of the fireworks. They’re not the best. I used the fireworks setting on my camera. Here’s a preview:

I also got video of the finale. That was better than the pics.

Overall, I was NOT impressed by the fireworks this year. Last year just seemed better and longer. But then again, I think after seeing the show at the pyrotechnics convention in West Fargo … nothing else can compare to that. But it was good to get out of the apartment for a good chunk of the day. And to hang out with Robin and Dannilynn.

Last month, the company across the hall from us at work (they’re actually in our old office space … where the Carla I mentioned works) launched a magazine. I heard a lot about it because Kelly (one of my bosses) was working with them selling ads. So I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. It’s a really cool magazine. Instead of me trying to explain, here’s the article that was in the local paper.

Lifestyle magazine launches
Business – 05/31/2007

Fargo-Moorhead’s changing cultural landscape is one company’s inspiration for publishing a new lifestyle magazine.

Open, a quarterly magazine that hit newsstands this month, calls itself the “premier lifestyle” magazine for Fargo-Moorhead.

The magazine, launched by Fargo-based FrostFire Creative, fills a niche missed by other local publications, said president and publisher Christopher Mohs.

“There really isn’t a cosmopolitan, all-around magazine in Fargo right now,” said Mohs, a Detroit Lakes, Minn., native and 2002 graduate of Concordia College.

“Fargo has taken a huge leap forward in culture, sophistication, cosmopolitan edge ￂﾅ just everything. I realized there wasn’t anything capturing ‘What is the essence of Fargo?’ ”

Mohs met with Concordia College professor and writer Merrie Sue Holtan and others to discuss the magazine idea and how the concept could complement Moh’s media company, FrostFire Creative.

Mohs co-founded FrostFire with KVLY television reporter Sarah McCurdy in 2005 to make independent films.

The media company has expanded to include consulting, modeling and talent, and recording services.

FrostFire has three full-time employees and one part-time employee. Eight people also work under contract for the company.

In October, FrostFire reorganized and started developing Open, a title Mohs and his staff chose for its simplicity and link to the F-M area’s attitude about accepting new immigrants and ideas.

The magazine’s start-up costs came from FrostFire’s reserves, Mohs said.

Open’s first issue features personality profiles on Fargo Marathon organizers Mark and Cassi Knutson, former North Dakota State University basketball coach Tim Miles and a bilingual article on local nonprofit Mujeres Unidas/Women United.

There’s also a “best bets” section on upcoming entertainment events and activities, restaurant and bar reviews and a section called “local indulgences,” which highlights shops and other Fargo-Moorhead haunts.

The magazine is distributed free at area Hornbacher’s stores. In addition to the limited 20,000 copies at Hornbacher’s, Open is establishing a subscriber base — a tactic that sets it apart from other local magazines.

Four issues of the magazine cost $12. Open already boasts a few hundred subscribers from California, Arizona, Florida and New York, as well from Minnesota’s lakes country, the Twin Cities and Winnipeg, Mohs said.

The magazine’s business model could change to an allpaid subscription base — similar to Minneapolis/St.Paul magazine and other city magazines across the U.S. — once the publication grows, Mohs said.

“We built it to be very popular; we built it to be very substantive,” he said. “We wanted to have a way that people locally could subscribe to it and have that convenience of having it mailed directly to their home.”

Open joins a growing number of print publications in the F-M area and follows a nationwide trend of high-end magazines being launched in cities, said Jim Dowden, executive director of the Los Angeles-based City and Regional Magazine Association.

City-based magazines started as alternatives to daily newspapers in major metropolitan areas after World War II, Dowden said. They took a dive in the mid-1990s, but spiked in popularity after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when consumers started staying closer to home, he said.

There are about 125 city magazines in the U.S. that meet the association’s definition of a magazine. Whether a new city magazine can make it through its first year is usually the test for how long it will last, Dowden said.

He said city magazines, which are often geared toward more-affluent populations, are growing in circulation and advertising sales revenue while other publications are shrinking, according to recent data from Advertising Age magazine.

Smaller markets like Fargo are now tapping into the city magazine market, once reserved for major metropolitan areas, he said.

Open will indirectly compete with Area Woman magazine, which is distributed free six times annually in the area. Area Woman prints about 25,000 copies each issue, according to its June 2007 edition.

Other publications in Fargo-Moorhead are also expanding. Moorhead-based F-M Extra recently switched to publishing weekly. The free news magazine started publishing monthly five years ago. Its sister publication Metro Magazine is published six times a year.

John Kolness, publisher of Extra Media Inc., said Fargo-Moorhead’s market is big enough to support several publications.

“It all depends on the publication and the audience they are aiming for,” he said. “They just have to find the right niche.”

Mark Strand, chairman of the mass communications department at Minnesota State University Moorhead, said there has been a noticeable expansion of publications in Fargo-Moorhead in recent years. Whether the community can maintain advertising revenue to support all those publications remains to be seen, he said.

“They are slicker, they are better technically,” Strand said of local publications.

“I’m curious about the competition for advertising dollars and how it’s going. It’s hard to believe there’s a market to sustain this many.” Mohs said he’s not afraid to introduce a new publication in the Red River Valley. “It was inevitable that at some point someone was going to launch a full-fledged lifestyle magazine. We’re just happy to bring that to the Fargo area,” he said.

The first movie in my queue is Talladega Nights. I really wanted to see that one in the theaters, but I never made it. Maybe I’ll get it in time to watch it this weekend. I’d have to watch it during the day though … the NASCAR races this weekend are nite races.