De-icing the plane in Seattle. Apparently the flights before us and after us never made it out.

Dining.

Bison Chili.

By the time we arrived, about half a foot of snow had fallen.

Snow flakes actually look like the crafts we cut from paper!

Our cabin.

Megan Fox stayed here before us, and she built this snowman. It grew a Marge Simpson style hairdo with all the snow.

Hot tub time machine! Really though. Hot tubs are totally awesome in the snow.

White everywhere.

Afternoon activities.

It was only after we asked the staff to get us a snow shovel that we realized there was a sign that said not to build jumps.

Killer icicles.

We even got to throw hatches and knives, while drinking beer!

Another afternoon’s activities.

The snow stopped and the sun came out, but only after 48 hours and over three feet of snow.

Here I am, enjoying a snow bath.

Waiting at the Seattle airport to go home. I just lucked out on the way home too. Planes didn’t get in or out after my flights again.

Saw this when I looked out the window in LA. Ghost plane!

After waking up at 3AM to get home, I was happy to arrive in LA, but there was no rest for the weary. Michelle and I had three engagements to get to that day.

Happy birthday, Delphi! Babies love me because I look like a cartoon.

Next on the list was my cousin’s housewarming. He had a live band and a DJ. What a way to show the neighbors you’re not going to wreck the neighborhood!

Last but not least we headed to Congregation Ale House in Pasadena for a birthday party. It’s been a long time, but after trying so many Montana brews, I could not bring myself to drink a beer. I know, the beer guy couldn’t drink beer. Weird, huh?

It was good to see everyone after being away so long, but I am still recovering. I have seen enough snow to last me a lifetime.

Here is the reason we went up to San Jose for Thanksgiving. This is my niece, Myla, who just turned one not too long ago. Her upper teeth are probably due out soon so she likes to chew on her tongue.

Myla with her mom and the bunny we got for her.

Here Michelle is telling her the importance of online web presence.

Kids like me, and I think it’s because I look like a cartoon.

We made her play with the bunny every chance we got so it would become her favorite, and then we would become her favorite. Muahahahha!

Myla plays like a little boy. She doesn’t like to sit still and only has one speed, extreme. I was fascinated by the fact that she can mimic just about any sound you make. She can pop her lips, click her tongue, and do whatever that thing is called in the video.

Now that we’re done looking at my adorable niece, let’s talk about family and food.

People ask whether spending time with my niece makes me want to have kids any sooner. Playing with kids is pretty fun, but part of the fun is being able to say, “She pooped. Playtime timeout. Someone take care of this.” What you don’t see in all these pictures is all the hard work the parents put into raising Myla. You also don’t see the loads of stuff they have just to accomplish that task. Hard work is hard. As I am having a difficult time taking care of myself most of the time, I don’t think pushing up kids is a great idea.

I really like The Bruery’s beers and think they do an excellent job of not sticking to the traditional. They produce some delicious beers. The people that work there are also super nice and very approachable.

I still have no idea how I convinced my friend and cousin to let me pick up their bottles of Black Tuesday, which led to this.

Here is a common area in my cousin’s fraternity house. Creepy, right down to the velvet drapes. I think I saw the portrait’s eyes follow me around the room.

MIT’s theather. It’s so odd that they leave everything unlocked. This would never happen at a public school, because the piano would probably be stolen.

The entrance to their classrooms is as grand as the one to the Mines of Moria!

Inside, a hack to honor Steve Jobs, just two days after his death.

We stepped out into their courtyard and there was a class project happening.

Holy crap, they have  catapults and sling shots!

Normally when you see a guy in a costume with a pistol and a megaphone, you run for your life. Here, it’s a professor and an Angry Birds physics project.

Knock down those pigs!

“My nerdy students, physics is everywhere!”

“We love physics!”

This is where they do a lot of the hacks. A full-sized plastic cow and a police car were placed on the top of this dome.

The Ray and Maria Stata Center, except it’s missing a few letters. The Ray and Mar A Stat Center.

Does this look like it was designed by anyone you know? Frank Gehry designed this, and every time it rains, it leaks.

The classrooms at MIT. I bet if the rooms at UCLA were brightly colored, I would have stayed awake more often in class.

The media center at MIT, so white.

Michelle, taking in some media.

They have a camera that measures happiness based on facial expressions, and they have four different stations around the campus to measure the overall mood of MIT. Look how happy we are to be at MIT!

Michelle in front of the conductive paint wall. Touch any of the pink flowers and the light next to it goes on.

At Harvard to see the other smart kids in Cambridge. Their buildings are all so beautiful.

Harvard Library, with books that survived the Titanic’s sinking.

Michelle at the Harvard Library. When they told us only Harvard students could go inside, we really want to go and look at their books.

Michelle with Harvard’s founder. See, future children? Mommy went to Harvard. (Technically it’s true.)

Another grand building on the Harvard campus.

The nicest chemistry building I’ve ever seen.

They have a lawn in the center of the campus, where past commencement speeches are played through speakers hung in the trees. The only thing I wondered is why the chairs weren’t chained down. It’s just the public educated side of me that thinks someone is going to steal these chairs and set them up in their dorm rooms.

After seeing MIT and Harvard, Michelle and I decided that our future children will attend Ivy League schools. Sure they’ll end up in a world with people that we have little in common with, and their parents will be a classless embarrassment,  but at least we get to see more fun school projects like Angry Birds. Also, they’ll be successful and support us in our old age. Go, smart offspring!

The concept is simple. It’s a dueling piano bar that takes requests from the audience, but at least in the Boston location they had six different musicians that night. They play many a lot more than just the piano and they switch up. There was a drum set, an electric guitar, bass, acoustic guitar, a keytar, and they even pulled out a flute during one of the songs.

You can see they are pretty talented. Here they are performing Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass.

Here I am underneath Marilyn Monroe’s giant crotch. As you can see, I am terrified.

Guess who’s an American Girl?

At The Second City for some laughs.

Look at us! We don’t get any of the Midwest jokes! Still funny.

The view from our table on the top of The Hancock Observatory.

What you’re looking at here is a load of crap. This is the view from the women’s restroom at the top of the Hancock Observatory. Michelle came out and told me, “You’ve got to see the view from the bathroom!” I went into the men’s restroom right next to the women’s restroom. I saw a tile wall. This is discrimination of the highest kind, the kind against me.

That was Chicago for me, and then I headed to Michigan for work.

The Cloud Gate, better known as “The Bean” is the coolest thing in Chicago. If you look closely, you can see a bride and a groom taking some photos in the city’s skyline.

Look at this thing! It’s giant and shiny! What more could you ask for?

Can anyone guess which of these people is Michelle?

Freaking tourists.

Like I said, freaking tourists.

Please enjoy our front sides as well as our back sides at the same time.

I have no witty captions for these pictures. I love this piece of art.

Bean!

I laughed when Michelle told me our friend said The Bean was the coolest thing he saw on his trip all over the United States. I said, “I’ve been there. It’s cool, but the best thing out of a dozen stops all over the states?” I stand corrected. I forgot just how awesome this sculpture is, and for that I apologize. Bean, you rock!