New place!

So I just have to get this off my chest, I’m too excited about it not to right about it. I got a new place to live over the weekend! Moving into my new duplex on Tuesday and taking my kitty with me! It’s a beautiful 2 bed 2 bath with plenty of room in the kitchen! This is great for me seeing as how I love to cook! At first I was a little worried about the location because it’s right next to the train tracks going across Connecticut but when I went to check it out the train went by and I couldn’t even hear it! I’ve been telling Keiko, my cat, that we’re moving on Tuesday, but she doesn’t seem too impressed. She’d rather just eat my shoe laces and take a cat nap.
I’ll definitely be posting some pictures so everyone can see my new place! So be expecting to see them within the next week or so. There’s also a really nice backyard, which I’m going to put to good use after I’m done moving in. I’m going to get my grill out and go to town, making burgers and possibly steaks for my family and friends that are coming to help with the move! Even though I’m excited about the move I’m dreading it. I have so much stuff that I’m going to have to get over there, and I’m going to have to take apart my computer desk just to get it out of the place I’m in now along with my bed. Luckily I have a few people that’ll be around with their trucks to haul stuff over to the new location. I’m really not looking forward to switching over all the utilities and the internet. Mostly the internet just because I’m not sure if I’ll be sticking with AT&T or switching over to Cable Internet since there’s only one place really to hook the DSL cable, but I’ll have to check on that again when I go back over there tomorrow. One thing’s for sure though, I won’t have to worry about space being an issue, having a garage and a storage unit!
I’m also really excited because in my current place I don’t have much room for guests and people to stay over if they wanted to. In the new duplex there’s more than enough room! I plan on getting a few photons so friends or family will have a better place to sleep over if need be. It’ll be way better than the blow up mattress I have for them now or the couch! Although my couch is really comfy! Can’t talk smack on the suede. Oh, and something else that’s nice about it is that I won’t have to worry about doing the lawn! It’s already taken care of by the landlords. Plus it’s just a really nice neighborhood, really quite, clean, and it’s back in a cul-de-sac. All in all it’s a wonderful place and I can’t wait to get moved in!

Traveling Overseas!

Well, if you’ve all read my introduction you already know that I was in the Navy for four years and I’ve traveled and seen more than half the world in those four years. So I figured I could share my knowledge and my opinion of the best places to visit!

First off is Hawaii, my home port! While I may feel some hostility towards the military side of the island it’s a beautiful place while tons of things to do, which I covered in one of my previous blogs so I’m not going to cover it again. But a quick overview is simple, waterfalls, beaches, perfect weather, surfing (which I’m sure all the locals loved watching this tall lanky white guy trying to learn), amazing food, and of course snorkeling or deep sea diving!

Now just a short skip across the water is Singapore, home of the infamous Singapore Sling! I must say they have some pretty amazing clubs/bars and some incredible restaurants! So yes, the nightlife in Singapore is definitely lively! But so is the daytime tourism! Just an example would be some of the canal rides. They’ll take you around them and point out tons of historical points, including the Merlion, which sits on his mighty crest of waves!

Next up, Thailand! This was one of the most enjoyable port visits I ever had! Not only because it didn’t cost much due to the currency exchange rate, but there’s just so much to do! Plus it helps that the locals are so friendly. While the night life in Thailand excels, I’d rather focus more on things to do during the light of day. In my opinion one of the best experiences there came from going on an elephant ride tour. You and a friend jump on the back of an elephant and go out with a group for tour of the forest! The tour guides might be feeling like pulling a few pranks on the tourist, say for instance having the elephant get some water in his trunk and spray its riders, but all in all it’s a great time and at the end you get to feed the elephants some bananas for giving you a bath! The other main point I’d like to cover about Thailand is not for those with weak stomachs. But if you’re one who likes to expand your horizon and try new things the food here is a must! I went out to eat a restaurant and just picked something off the menu thinking that I knew what Thai food was. Well, I ended up being wrong about it this time, what I had ordered was still crawling around on my plate when they dropped in down in front of me. Since I had a few beers in me I didn’t care too much and I didn’t want to offend anyone, and to be honest it wasn’t half bad! But there is one thing that I just refused to eat, chicken feet. I just couldn’t make myself eat it, but over there it’s considered a delicacy so don’t be surprised if you see them in your plate.

I’m sure there’ll be plenty more oversea tales on later blogs for those of you who are interested. Look forward to sharing more of them everyone! Below are some links to show everyone just how amazing these places are!

http://www.newasia-singapore.com/ Singapore

http://www.tat-la.com/ Thailand

http://www.tat-la.com/activities--events/thai-cuisine Thailand food

Pixie bob

Hey everyone, so over the weekend I've become the proud owner of a kitten! My sister didn't ever get around to getting a birthday present for me so she surprised me when she came to town this weekend. It's 9 weeks old and absolutely adorable! She's a newer breed, one that I've never heard of till this weekend, Pixie Bob.

They're a very intelligent breed of cats and are extremely loyal to their master. They also just love being in the same room as their owner. If I go into another room she'll follow shortly after or she'll be in between my feet as I go. I'm actually typing this with her right here in my lap, but it looks like she found one of the cubbyholes in my desk and is making it her secret get away.

I would have to say that one of the most unique qualities of the pixie bob is that they have an extra toe on their front paws, which is called a polydactyl and being polydactyl is such a dominant trait that this is the only breed of cats accepted for show with more than the usual number of toes. They're part bobcat and it really shows, not only the fact that most of them have a short bobtail but also in their face and color schemes. They can also get up to 18-20lbs!
If you want to find out more about the Pixie Bob then click here.

Hawaii

So as of late I've been missing Oʻahu, Hawaii. I mean, with temperatures at 85 everyday and it always being sunny who wouldn't want to be out on the beach surfing or snorkeling. I told everyone that when I got back I wouldn't miss it at all, but I'm finally starting to actually miss being able to go out to the waterfalls, or go out to the luaus.

While I was out there I went to several different luaus and I have to say that my two favorites were definitely Paradise Cove and The Polynesian Cultural Center. If you ever go to the island of Oʻahu these two luaus are a must. The Paradise Cove is more of a traditional luau while The Polynesian Cultural Center is more of an informational luau where you can learn about the cultures and history of the different tribes.

I think one of my favorite things about the Paradise Cove was how they cooked the pig! They have a special site set up where they'll bury the pig under the sand so it's it'll get cooked by the sun! It's probably the best kalua pork I've ever had!
For those of you interested or that are possibly planning a trip to Hawaii check out these links for the two most popular luaus.

http://www.paradisecovehawaii.com/
http://www.polynesia.com/

Introduction

My name is Matthew VanHoose but I usually just go by Matt. I'm 25 years old and I currently work for the IT department at Missouri Southern. This is also my first year going to MSSU. Right out of high school I joined the Navy and spent four years in the service. I was stationed in Hawaii on the USS RUSSELL (a destroyer) as a Cryptologic Technician and my home port was Pearl Harbor. I know what everyone's going to think when they read that I was stationed in Hawaii...that it was heaven right? Well I only really spent about 2 years altogether there, the rest of the time I spent underway away from all you land lubbers. I've been all over the world, from Japan all the way to a little island directly south of Italy called Cyprus. It was a great life experience and now I'm back and the Military's taking care of my college bills! Can't get much better than that!