Thursday, August 31, 2006

Thursday

This seems like Friday. I guess that I knew that tomorrow was going to be as slow of a regular day as it gets and my internal clock computed that to mean it was almost like a Saturday. So that makes today Friday.

I need to do my run tonight. Last night was a yard work night and that was plenty of activity for me. The grass was so high that I had to catch and bag it or it would have left clumps all over the place. I'm still pretty achey.

Are you ready for some football? The college season starts tonight. The Clones have a home game that may be a bit of a test. And the Iowa high schools open tomorrow night, but we actually have a local game tonight. (Since the 3 Davenport public high schools and Assumption all use the same stadium, there are a few weekends each year when a Thursday night game is needed to accomodate all the home dates.) ND has the Ramblin Wreck on Saturday night in Hotlanta. How will Charlie do in year 2?

I did get the radio spots for Criterium for the local HS football Game Of The Week. Starting tonight. It was no small piece of work to get it through my broker-dealer, the radio production people and our office. I'll be curious of the response.

The local theater is raising tickets to $11 for weekend shows. Who can afford to go? Even at SB's prices, that's coffee for a week. (OK, not the foo-foo stuff, but the regular brews.) You could come up with lots of stuff for $11 bucks. And how many times to you go just by yourself? So maybe we're talking $22. And to see what? Anna and The King? Our Christmas Eve may require a small mortgage.

In an improbable case of good decision-making, The Quad City Enquirer has junked it's use of the half-page wrapper on the Sports and Life sections on Fridays or Saturdays. That experiment was a real annoyance for a few months.

Need to go. Hope all is well in your worlds. Love.

Be careful out there.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Wednesday

Little time today. I need to get home to cut the hay field that is my yard.

I really don't know how to respond to 4's comment yesterday.

Day 3 of the Turkey Trot training went pretty well. But I am taking the day off and will do stretching exercises tonight to prepare for Day 4 tomorrow.

3 and Mom head to C-town tomorrow for the King Tut exhibit. A Figge Museum organized bus trip. Should be fun, although the 0h-dark-hundred departure time may be a little hard on some not-so-early risers. We'll expect a report here.

Be careful out there.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Tuesday

Congrats to 1 for her new job as freshman girls basketball coach at her high school. We'll all be anxious to follow her experience on this site later in the year.

It finally stopped raining here. Yesterday was pretty wet.

I am into day 3 of the the Turkey Trot training. Day 2 was ok as different body parts ached than on Day 1. Still just doing that 2.2 mile route. I expect little company come race day in November. 3 should definitely stay inside.

Huge amount of work here. September 15th due dates and a couple of IRS audits. Ugh!

I'm working with a sales rep for WOC radio to get some Criterium Financial 15 second spots on the Friday night high school football games this Fall...starting tomorrow. The experience with the coffee event last week gave me a little motivation to get out there and do some promotional stuff for the business. If the price is right, I may even look at Iowa games for the local market. Never would have believed that I would be doing this kind of thing when I started in the accounting business 30 years ago.

Another local young professional client of the firm made the obituaries today, age 52. Life is short. Shorter for some than others. We are a family of generally healthy and long-lived members. We are very lucky. I do think that staying physically and mentally active adds years to life. Genes are the most important, but keeping busy at doing stuff helps the genes.

That's about it for now. Always glad to hear from the maddening crowd.

Be careful out there.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Monday PM

Just a few more lines this afternoon.

I did a pass through of my closets and laundry room inventory yesterday and pulled three boxes worth of clothing to take to the church store in inner-city Davenport. The criteria was basically if I hadn't worn it in two years, it went into the box. The sad part is that I could have filled another box or two if I got into the turtle necks and tee shirts. I think this effort is related to the "piles theory" that I expressed on this space a couple of weeks ago.

My next effort may be to replace the carpet in my second bedroom with the carpet that I saved from the living room when I had the remodel project two years ago. The carpet in that spare room is north of awful. 4 had rights to the saved piece for possible use in the dorm freshman year. With that time-limited option now passed, I am motivated to clean my basement and that saved piece needs to go.

I vaguely remember getting the carpet in the living room of the old farmhouse in Ottumwa. Mother won the couch and chair in a newspaper contest (counting coins in a fishbowl, I think), and we must have got the carpet about the same time because it matched the furniture (from a male's analysis). Other than some woven rag throw rugs, I don't remember anything other than linoleum or painted wood floors in the other rooms of that old place. Oh, I do think we had those cute little three matching rugs you see in a bathroom. Tacky, but not the bare floor.

That was the couch that Daddy would lay on and read the Sunday comics to Rosie and me. I see Dagwood Bumstead even today and I can still see Daddy grinning at one of Dagwood's antics or problems. The couch had hung over it the classic picture of the Guardian Angel watching over two children crossing a decrepit bridge. And that was the couch that we sat in for that family picture when I would have been six or eight years old.

Good luck to everyone for a successful week.

Be careful out there.

Monday AM

Hey to all. Sorry I missed yesterday, but I just never got back here after an early morning drive-by before church.

2 and I had our usual Sunday morning of Church and Ross's. The gospel was the one about women obeying their husbands. I thought that Monsignour might offer-up a comment to deflect the directness of the message, but he chose to let it pass. The Church gives lip-service to modern sexual equality, but the truth lies closer to the gospel's literal presentation.

4 has a cold. Lost her voice. Hope the bad carma passes quickly.

This week truely marks the end of summer. The days have really begun to shorten. It's dark at 6AM. And the evening sun is geting lower and lower.

I made a choice yesterday to begin training for the Turkey Trot. I was trying all day to work up the energy to get on the bike, and I just couldn't do it. There is no goal out there. At least not until next year. The Turkey Trot is something that I can do, I think. Anything under an hour will be a success. Just doing a 2.3 mile flat course to start with these next couple of weeks. And I'm also going to do a nightly session on the weights, erg, and bench in my basement.

Hope everyone has a good start to the week. More later.

Be careful out there.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Saturday

Rain this AM. Still going to try to get out this afternoon for a few miles.

I spent a couple of hours in the office this AM and am demoralized at how much stuff that I need to get done. There are lots of items due on September 15th and October 15th. Not to mention a whole bunch of Criterium things that I should be doing.

2, 3, 4 and Mom are doing the Williamsburg outlet mall this afternoon.

I'll try to get back at this later today.

Be careful out there.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Friday

The coffee deal was a success. It rained, but there was a good crowd and the Cancer Society received in excess of $7500 for the morning. Really a pretty good time was had by all. 2 came through before work, although she was taking a late arrival because she's working later tonight.

I'll see what is left with T-shirts. One of the other gals from one of the other sponsors was in charge of that segment and we have no extras here.

Had a good 20 miler last night. A little warm out there. Doing 30-35 tomorrow and Sunday.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Be careful out there.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Thursday

No blog today.

Let's wait a week until 1 knows more about her teaching/coaching time requirements before making the Iowa game date choice.

Glad to have 2 back on the blog. Now we just need to get 4 back to some regular entries. We miss her input!

Coffee event at SB's in the AM. Newspaper ads and Bettendorf News story. Banners. Radio. TV. Cops for traffic control. T-shirts. This is definitely beyond my vision.

Doing 18-20 tonight.

Be careful out there.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Wednesday

Glad to hear 3 is alive and well in IC.

The 7th probably makes more sense from a weather standpoint. Late October can get pretty dicey. There will have been some travel for some of us the previous weekend to the Twin Cities, but that really shouldn't interfere with a little trip the following weekend. I'll be glad to run the grill.

Heat wave in the QC. Humid. But it is August, so that's OK. I just don't like it in April or September.

Lots of press these days about the anniversary of Katrina. Really an opportunity to drag various government officials and agencies through the muck again. Sounds like there are lots of places down there where FEMA has never been able to respond. And there are critics on all sides on all aspects and perspectives. Bascially, I'm glad that I live in Iowa.

There's a little vignette on government services at work presented on Devil's Glen Road in Bettendorf these days. They're adding a lane each way from Middle to Tanglefoot, which means one lane of traffic each way most of the time. Add the mess in the Hy Vee parking lot, and it can get real interesting trying to get to the grocery or Shell station, not to mention just getting into the northbound lane across Devil's Glen from Maplecrest to get my ride started. I don't know if there would be a good time to do this work, but could there be a worse time than the start of the school year? With the high school and JC now beginning the Fall term, the traffic congestion is impressive.

One of Daddy's responsibilities as an elected County Supervisor in Wapello county in the 60's and 70's was road maintenance. Most of the county roads were gravel. I don't know how many miles of roads existed in the county, but there were always problems, and he always got a lot of calls at night from people complaining about the status of roads in their area. In the summer, there were always dust complaints. In the winter, plowing. Then there were bridge problems, easement rights, driveways. He got them all. But he really liked his job. And I think he was pretty good at it. I always remember that he said the key was to learn how to say, "No, we can't do that", in a way the compainant could understand. I think that applies to most service- oriented businesses even today. The customer is not always right.

I'm outta here. Have a good night.

Be careful out there.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Tuesday

Really don't have much to add today. Need to get out of here to get some mileage in before dark.

Tracy had her baby. A boy. I think Shan, which may translate to Shaun in English. I guess all is well with Mom, son and the rest of the family.

Here's a real quick Top Ten list for my summer so far. Most fun things. Not necessarily in order.

10. Tahoe wedding. A no-brainer.
9. KC wedding. Fun with the fam.
8. July 4th in C-town with 3.
7. Crow Valley Member-Guest golf event with Roy.
6. Moving 3 and 4 in IC on 7/31. Not really. Just kidding.
6. Biking DCC.
5. Fresh tomatos from my garden.
4. Sunday breakfasts at Ross with 2 (and 4 sometimes).
3. Driving Roy's STS to KC this month. Hot car!
2. Friday nights at Biaggi's. Tuscan red.
1. Ice cold water at the Argo Store, on the return from a long ride.

Sorry for the lack of creativity. Have a great night.

But be careful out there.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Monday PM

So this has been a long Monday. Aren't all Monday's this way?

2 can give you the details of her afternoon appointment by her regular email.

I went to Mass by myself yesterday since 2 had a case of bad shrimp on Saturday night. But that meal was planned as there was a bachelorette party (with bus included) for a friend from one of her jobs. It was, "You Maka My Weekend" in RI last weekend.

Anyway, the one interesting moment at church was that I sat in the very back on the bench against the wall and got called upon to assist with the collection. I don't recall having that distinction in the past, and none of you were there to applaud. It may not have been the Communion Dance, but it was participation.

Daddy was a regular usher for the 9AM Sunday service at St. Pat's in Ottumwa when I was growing up. He took the job very seriously. This was before Vatican II, usher badges, handshakes during Mass, and Eucharistic ministers. Latin. Lots of mumbled prayers. Memorized responses in a foreign language. But he and Mother were big believers and it took a long time before they embraced the "new" church in the 70's.

I think I have written about this on the blog previously. Maybe I need to get a Google search engine protocol adapted to 4000 Days for cross-referencing purposes. This also brings to mind the Craig Wilson article in USA Today about the old ladies holding up two or more fingers when one of their group begins telling a story that they have all heard previously.

On my Sunday afternoon ride I stopped and checked out a couple of condos that have been constructed this year. The first is on the DCC road and overlooks the Mississippi and is in a structure that I think has 5 or 6 units. Once inside, I knew that the going was pretty deep with all the hard wood, deceptive size, huge rear windows, and full 3 floor build-out. Did I mention the elevator? It looked nice from the street, but I wouldn't have guessed $795,000. I left without taking the brochure.

The second one was a ranch in a new development on the south side of Forest Grove, just East of the Devil's Glen intersection. This development is a noticeably "down-scale" area with single-family places starting in the low mid-$200's. The condos will be built butting up to Forest Grove in two-unit properties starting around $200K, with an unfinished lower level (no walk-out). The finished portion on the one I went through was only 1500 or so square feet and had a boxy, cheap feel to it. And you won't be able to do anything in the back because Forest Grove is right there and it will be an increasingly busy road in the future (including the paving of it which should happen in a couple of years). There was no temptation to take that brochure either.

My humble abode may be my home for some time to come.

I need to get my yard mowed.

Be careful out there.

Monday AM

So I failed to get here all weekend. Sorry.

The trip East was successful, but not easy. Two straight 4AM wake-up calls. And travel is always stressful when you are operating in geography with which you are not that familiar. I can't remember if I have ever previously flown to Philadelphia. And I certainly have never been in the New Jersey area where I had my meeting on Friday. All this plus the added security stuff. But the bottom line is that everything went pretty close to schedule and I had most of the weekend at home and was able to complete my training rides both Saturday and Sunday.

Today is the first day of school in Iowa City. Good luck to 3 and 4. And I think 1 has the start of her teacher meetings at her new school this week too.

2 and I did Applebee's last night. Just a so-so meal.

So I'll get back on line later today to give some more details on various things.

Have a great day.

And be careful out there.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Thursday

Not much to say today.

I leave at 5:30 in the morning for Philadelphia. Then it's a drive of 50 miles to my meeting in New Jersey. And then a late evening return to Philly for an early Saturday departure for home. Barring the unforeseen, I'll be home by noon. The only positive is that I'm flying from Moline rather than driving to O'Hare.

Miss all you guys. Love you.

Be careful out there.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Wednesday

Looks like another great day out there. I'm going to sneak away a little early tonight and get my DCC ride in before din-din.

I spent the better portion of my day on the phone with the home office folks of my securities business trying to make proper arrangements for a new vendor whose software will hopefully give my consulting business a boost. The downside is trying to explain the process to the compliance people in the home office. I doubt if the end-of-conversation feeling that 4 had with her new Indian friend was much different than mine right now. Not exactly the warm and fuzzies.

Based on 3's comments this weekend, a family trip to Tahoe will need to be scheduled for June next year to catch her before her future job will start. 1 will need to give some guidance. And 4 will have possible internship scheduling to consider as well. 2's world could also change. Bottom line is that we need to have some collective discussion and set the dates and plan accordingly. The retro condo should be available.

Interesting article in BussinessWeek this week about a gal who runs a business in Boston called Dancing Deer bakery goods (or something to that effect). Google Dancing Deer. Interesting because she's built a business in about 10 years to $8 million in sales. Natural ingredient cookies and the like. I am humbled at my own ineptitude when I see stories of entrepeneurs like this who have taken not-necessarily-new ideas and been successful. They have a drive, or something like a drive, to succeed and do so.

Another point of note. I have written several emails in the last day or two on the Criterium address where I have caught myself editting out even casual humor for fear of offending one of the parties at the home office who might be reviewing general email traffic. I am required by my contract to have my securities related email go through the home office server. An Enron and Martha Stewart by-product. I've reached the point where I'm pretty humorless on the securities email site, regardless of the insignificance of the topic. Many people might point out that I don't have to work too hard to be humorless.

There's a lot of examples where people have put themselves at personal or professional risk by thoughtless electronic communications. Facebook, MySpace or Blogger are all places where young people can enter things that may come back to haunt them, even years later. There will always be the mud grubber who will try to find bad stuff on people.

I am reminded of the Bill Clinton or George Bush efforts to avoid the draft. And they always wanted to be politicians. Or the ISU bball coach who got his picture on the web at post-game parties. Think camera phones. The world is a difficult place to remain fully below radar.

So go out and have fun. But...

Be careful out there.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Tuesday

I am trying to figure out what happened to today. It's gone. Just disappeared. Vanished. Poof.

3 is headed back to IC this evening. Had a great time at FFF last night. BBQ. Tuscan red.

I had planned to get out tonight for a DCC circuit, but I think I'll wait another day. I'm still a little tired from the DeWitt ride, and I'm a little late getting away from the office. The sun is beginning it's inexorable move to the Southern hemisphere and the days are showing definite signs of shortening daylight. In years past when my rides were usually on the city bike path which runs predominately East-West, I grew to dislike the after-work ride in the late Summer-early Fall because you were looking almost directly into the sun on the way out.

I can also detect the change in the day by the diminishing sunlight at 5:45 AM.

2 is taking suggestions for the name on the new car. I don't think that it necessarily means a vanity plate name, but it could. Be nice.

August 15th is the Catholic Church's holy day of obligation for the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. In the traditional church, this means attendance at Mass. I really don't know what the rules are these days, but I'm pretty sure that I've failed to meet whatever the criteria for whatever the offense.

In more worldly affairs, August 15th used to be the first extended due date for individual tax returns for the prior year returns which were originally due on April 15th. You could get a second extension to October 15th, but it took another request form. Now they just grant an automatic 6 month extension with the initial request. Who said the IRS wasn't able to change?

So hope rush at UI is a hit. I know 4 is a key to the success of the house. 3 will be there to close the deals later this evening.

Have a great evening.

Be careful out there.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Monday

My office is a pit, and it's only Monday.

I have this theory. I think that it applies to the office and the home. You get stuff. In the mail. From church. The office. Extra copies of this or that. Something from a family member. Stuff. Lots of time, make that all the time, you don't know whether you should put the stuff in a drawer, a box or just on the pile of stuff you got earlier. For me, it goes on the pile of stuff I got earlier.

I have piles at the office that are almost dated. They get higher than 6-8 inches and I have to start another pile. I count four active piles in my office right now. That doesn't count a couple of old piles that have ceased to be relevant.

At my house, I have the counter pile. (Actually, it is the pile that is on the counter. A counter pile sounds like the result of a football play.) This too is an active pile. Since I have moved 2 or 3 times in the last few years, my home pile has been reconstituted with each move. Some of the old piles are in my second bedroom and I really don't want to go through them. At the time of a move, I usually just put the pile on the counter into a plastic bag and put it in a place at my new residence with other stuff with which I didn't know what to do.

I think that a pile has a half life equal to about a year. After that year, you can get rid of half of it and you probably won't miss it. That rule probably applies to both the office and the home.

2 and 3 are headed over to my place in a while for a little FFF. 3 is off to IC tomorrow.

Be careful out there.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Sunday

Another entry of just a few lines. I never made it to the office today. This is being done in Century Heights. I'm here awaiting 3's arrival. Should be soon.

Busy weekend for me. Did a 25+ miler yesterday afternoon, and then made a Dewitt breakfast run this morning, which is a 47 mile round trip. The return ride today was dead into a head wind. Good to finally get that ride done. Also had lots of yard work and some Margret stuff as well. Also managed to find time for some Tuscan red.

2 has her new car. Nice!

How about this? They had a polo match in Bettendorf last night! And it wasn't my shirt against yours! I had been watching this farmer on Forest Grove groom this field all summer. He built it, and they came. Not exactly my fav, but what's a guy going to do on a Saturday night? Visit Tugfest in downtown LeClaire?

All for now. More tomorrow.

Be careful out there.

Friday, August 11, 2006

Friday

Its a no blog Friday.

Be careful out there.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Thursday

More terrorist stuff today. Ugly. Impossible to understand.

1 got back to Minnesota with no problems.

As I was getting back home from my ride last night, I'm headed south on Devil's Glen, just past the Forest Grove intersection. I'm grinding along at 14mph or so with a southerly breeze in my face. Without hearing or seeing her earlier, there's a "woosh" to my left and a young female rider just blows past me and is 200 yards ahead of me before I even figure out I've been dusted. She had to be doing 21-22 into the breeze. I was offically humbled. That's why I usually ride by myself. I'm so slow.

Did I previously report that I made a diversion to what has become my favorite wine shop while I was in KC last week? Stocked up on Tuscan red. Many that I've not seen on the shelves in the QC. For those who visit, I share.

Had my first tomatos from my garden last night. Actually, I had been sampling the cherry tomatos earlier. These were the regular size. Pretty good. Not as good as two years ago, but much better than the disaster of 2005.

The Big Unit had a no-no going for six innings last night for the Yankees against the Pale Hose. When the moon and the stars line up correctly, he can make good hitters look very ordinary. And he's 43.

Tomorrow is 3's last day for her summer internship in Ctown. And 2 should get her car. A big day for both.

I'm off to do a short ride.

Be careful out there.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Wednesday PM

You guys are pretty quiet out there.

Didn't get my ride in last night. Too tired. But I did get the yard work done, including extraction of the two old clothes line posts in the back. They were set in cement and my neighbor came over with his utility jack to get leverage. Really didn't take that long and now I will have two less items to bang into while mowing. Plus, it's just less trash in the yard, although with a backyard neighbor who does zippo on her lawn, less trash on my side doesn't exactly create the perfect picture out my back windows.

The same neighbor has the huge cotton wood trees that are doing a slow death march. I called the electric company because, when the trees come down, they will definitely take out the power lines for sure. And possibly my garage. Their response was, "It's not our problem yet." My insurance people say only that when the trees come down, I'll have insurance coverage, less my deductible. So my neighbor ignores the dying tree. And nobody cares.

My Russian cleaning lady left me a note yesterday saying that she was headed back to Europe for a month beginning August 25th. So she'll take care of me on the 22nd, but not again until the end of September. I'll be on my own! I've become pretty comfortable with having my house routinely cleaned. I'll miss her.

Landis was on Leno last night, but I fell asleep and never heard his schtick. I really don't know what to think. He seems like a truthful guy. But the lab tests are very technical and difficult to dispute. His remarks ring similar to Tyler Hamilton, another American cyclist (an Olympic gold medalist cyclist) who took a two year ban in 2004 and never was able to prove his innocence. I do find it interesting that most of the media sports columnists have him convicted.

As a group, sports columnists, talk radio jocks and the like are borderline pond scum. They hold themselves out as society's conscious and have a responsibility by virtue of their elevated status to lay down judgements on the various figures whom the public might otherwise hold in higher esteem. Not that all that many sports figures should be held in high esteem. But it really bugs me when these media guys think I need their help to come to a conclusion on some event like the Landis thing.

But that gets into that topic of the media personalities wanting to be the news rather than just report on it. And I don't have the energy or time to do that rant tonight.

I'm off to ride the DCC hills. Hope everyone has a productive evening.

Be careful out there.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Tuesday PM

Just a few lines today. I need to get out of here a little early to get my yard done and then do 18 or so on my bike.

When I was coming back from KC, there was a steady stream of motorcycles headed west on I-80. The papers today had pictures of the thousands of bikes parked on the streets of Sturgis. A few of those boys will not make it back home. They always have some fatalities.

On my Sunday ride, I ran into an old acquaintance at the Argo Cafe and we got to talking about dogs on our different bike routes. There used to be one on Utica Ridge that was pretty religious about attacking riders. And we shared red-winged blackbird stories too. An interesting collection of folks at the Argo Cafe.

No big plans for the next week or two. I am doing a one-day trip to New Jersey next Friday to meet with a software vendor.

Hope everyone has a good evening.

Be careful out there.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Monday PM

Well, I'm back at my post. I should have made the time to get to a computer on Saturday and Sunday, but I just didn't get the job done. Sorry.

My trip to KC was good, but I was glad to get back Saturday evening in time to get in a short ride before dark. And I did a 36+ miler on Sunday to get a good start on the week. A little BBQ/FFF in Century Heights last night. Roy's car was a treat to drive. XM radio. GPS tracking. Slick.

The closing speaker at the conference on Saturday was Pat Williams, owner of the Orlando Magic. He basically gave a motivational presentation in a speech that centered on the Florida vision of Walt Disney that led to the creation of Disney World in Orlando. I checked out Williams' website and he is in the business of guest speaking. It looks as though he may be a little on the religious right of things. And he is an athlete, even at age 66. He's run several marathons, including Boston a number of times. His bio includes a stint as baseball coach many years ago at Wake Forest.

The thing that most impressed me about his talk was his style of delivery. Very polished and well rehearsed. I'm sure that he has made the same talk before many groups. No stuttering or grasping for thoughts: he always knew what he was going to say next. Interestingly, he also mentioned Coach John Wooden in the speech a number of times. I was at a high school awards program in South Bend in 1969 or 1970 where Coach Wooden was the guest speaker. I was so impressed by his speech and by his fluid delivery. He never looked at notes, and he quoted various sources from literature. (Of course, he was an English teacher when he was a young coach.)

In the mid-"80's, I wrote Coach Wooden and asked for a copy of his book on "the pyramid of success", which had been the topic of his speech in South Bend. Yes, I included a check! He actually sent me two books, autographed to boot. I think all of those elements in Coach Wooden's pyramid are still relevant today. You should check it out.

One of the thoughts that came to me in the car on the drive back from KC was to incorporate the 4000 Days concept into my financial planning business. Everyone has a certain number of days that may be relevant to themselves for some longer term planning. A 25 year old has 15000 days to age 66. A 50 year old has around 5000 days to age 65. I am going to give it some thought and see if I can't create a story that will have appeal to people across the spectrum. I think I want to include it in a canned presentation that can be delivered to employee groups in the polished style discussed above. Its an idea.

Hope 1 is enjoying "the Cape". And that 3 is making the most of her last week in Ctown. 2 is replacing the Tracer this week. May the Tracer RIP.

Best wishes to 4 on her "Moving into Theta Day" today in IC. I was glad to see her recent entry on her blog.

Be careful out there.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Friday in KC

Just checking in. Long two days so far. May stay an extra day if Jake's Pants gets in tonight.

At least it's not 100 degrees. And Roy's car is a treat to drive. The Book on CD is marginal. Rosie and Tom's place is nice. Very comfortable and spacious. Well appointed.

Elected to not pack the bike. I'll need to make up some days next week. I'm toying with the idea of doing a little training so that I can do the Turkey Trot this year.

I've done some thinking about business changes. The one rule of retail, "Ask for the order", needs to get higher up the priority list at Criterium.

4, I tried to give a little feedback on the resume. Did you not get my email? Personally, I think most of what you write is pretty good.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Be careful out there.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Wednesday PM

For those of you who look for inspiration here each day, the pickens will be pretty slim for the next few days. I leave early Thursday for KC and will not return until late Saturday. While I will probably have internet access in KC, I doubt if I have much time to blog. I'll try to check in, but the next significant entry may not be until Sunday.

4 should try to fill some of the space.

Busy day today to enable me to get out of town. I need to get my grass mowed, a bike ride in, pack, and miscellaneous other errands.

I know 1 is headed to the East Coast tomorrow. Have fun! 3 is finishing up her Chicago work. Just a few days, kiddo. Hang in there. And 2 continues to battle the cats at work. You hang in there too. Good luck with the Saturday event.

More later from the road.

Be careful out there.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Tuesday PM

Just a few lines before taking off for the evening.

My body still aches from yesterday. I'm glad that we were successful in getting the move completed with just the normal amount of challenges. Not that I am looking forward to the next move by anyone.

514 - 1/2 South Dodge IC, IA 52242.

4 should add some commentary for our entertainment. She's good at it and she needs the work for her writing samples portfolio.

So I'm headed home for a little R&R. Had originally planned to ride tonight, but I think recovery is the name of the game tonight.

Be careful out there.

Tuesday AM

Well, 3 is moved. The exercise to switch apartments in IC was everything I thought it might be. Hot and lots of trips to the 3rd floor. But all in all, just a challenging little exercise with no major unexpected developments.

2 gets daughter of the day for coming over with us to help. She made a big difference. Thanks.

I have two days to get several things done and then go to KC early Thursday. Busy week.

More later.

Be careful out there. And stay cool!