Last night I finally saw Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. I think that one word says it all: Wow. Sure, the movie wasn’t strictly adherent to the book, but all of the critical elements were included. I especially liked the rendering of my favorite Tolkien species, the Ents. I mean, what could be cooler than walking, talking, intelligent trees? That’s right, nothing. Overall, this was one of the best movies that I’ve seen in a while, definitely worth a second (and perhaps third) viewing in the theater.

Last year, I started thinking about what I would like to do while I was still young. Since I seem to have some spare time right now (second post of the day!) and seeing as how this is my website so I can say whatever I want (muwahaha), here’s a status update. The list is of things I would like to do within the next few years.

• Learn to skate. I got a pair of inline skates last year and have been skating off and on since then. I’m reasonably proficient going forwards, turning, and stoping, but backwards is still a bit shaky. I still have yet to see if my skill translates to ice skating.
• Get a motorcycle. Although I have known how to ride for many years, I want to get a street bike to explore the twisties. Last June, I got my motorcycle endorsement. However, I am still without cycle.
• Go to more hockey games. I like to watch hockey, especially the Gophers and the Wild, so I would like to go to more of their games. Unfortunately, going to school in Indiana makes attendance a bit difficult, but I try to make it to at least one game every time I’m home for a holiday.
• Learn to play hockey. It looks like fun and I like watching hockey games, so I want to learn to play hockey. Not much progress has been made in this area, although learning to inline skate will probably make things easier.
• Learn to snowboard. I’ve skied for many years but have never tried snowboarding. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I decided to change that. In the past week, I’ve been out to Afton Alps twice and will be heading to Trollhaugen tomorrow, each time for a day of snowboarding. I’m having a blast!
• Learn to juggle. Hey, it looks like a neat thing to be able to do. Unfortunately, there is no progress to report on this endeavor.
• Tour Europe. Rather, backpack through Europe. Particularly Germany. There have been some rumblings about doing this in 2004.
• Learn to race. And by race, I mean race on road courses, under the auspices of the SCCA or something similar. This one will probably need to wait until my fiscal situation doesn’t have a huge drain on it (ahem)

There are others, these give you a general idea. What will pique my interest in the future? There’s a good chance that it will somehow involve either Minnesota or motorsports.