Bragging on my wife...

I don't often mention my wife on my blog. We've agreed that she doesn't want to be that "public" about herself, so I don't use her name here (I call her "Banana" on the blog), and don't often speak directly about her. I'm going to break protocol for a brief post and brag a bit on her.

This past Christmas she got me an MP3 player that I have been using a lot. I had one previously, but it was an old 128Mb player that was clunky and was a pain to use. I have long wanted an iPod, but have resisted purchasing one because of the cost. She found the perfectly balanced solution to my problem and got me a San Disk Sansa m240. While it doesn't have the cool factor of the iPod (something I could really care less about, who am I impressing?) it has all the functionality. My wife managed to work a deal with my brother to buy this for me apparently. My brother Chad stood in line at Best Buy on Thankgiving night so that he could save a BUNDLE of money on a big screen TV he's been wanting. I'm not exactly sure when this deal went down, but she convinced him to get it, paid him for it, and transported it from Sioux Falls back to St. Paul all without my knowledge. Further, she saved a bundle on the player since it was one of the Best Buy feature ad items. I have such a great wife!

The player has 1Gb of storage, a built in audio recorder (big bonus!), FM radio receiver, and back lit display for use in the dark (my old one has no back lighting). It is compact and lightweight, and thus far very simple to use. At some future point, I might do a full product review, but suffice it to say I'm very happy with it. The only thing I would change is the arm band carrier it comes with. First, I'd change the length of the strap that goes around your arm. If you have big arms like me, even at its widest (velcro strap with elastic) it is very tight. Further, the material is a bit abrasive, so you end up wanting to put it on over your tee-shirt, which worsens the problem. Second, there is a lightweight plastic cover that the MP3 player slips into to keep it attached to the velcro strap. This cover is a problem. It has two wimpy metal snaps holding the player in place, and even the slightest bump unsnaps your holder and leaves your MP3 player flopping around on your arm (it remains in the holder, it just flops open and closed like a child playing with a cabinet door). Overall, I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars, and at this price point that is an absolute honey of a deal.

Back to bragging on my wife. She outdid her MP3 player for our wedding anniversary. She got me tickets to see the Blue Man Group when they come to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on March 30th. This is part of their "How to be a Megastar 2.0 Tour." If you aren't familiar with BMG:

Blue Man Group is a creative organization dedicated to creating exciting and innovative work in a wide variety of media.

They are perhaps best known for their successful theatrical productions which combine comedy, music and multi-media artistry to create a form of entertainment that is totally unique. Blue Man Group has also recorded two albums; the Grammy nominated Audio, and The Complex, which became the musical basis for The Complex Rock Tour and Blue Man Group’s live concert DVD. Recently Blue Man Group has branched out into musical scoring with their work on Barry Levinson’s “The Jury” and on the animated film, Robots. Most recently, Blue Man Group has brought an updated version of their show to a state-of-the–art theatre at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. Blue Man Group opened at the New London Theatre in London on November 10, 2005.

I think she might have had to sell the naming rights to our first child to our local public television station (TPT) to secure these tickets before they were released for public sales. I'll let you know if it was worth it! I'm already excited, and it's still 2 months away.

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