Tuesday

The new Home Page pic is just for a day or two.  This was absolutely the view on Maplecrest when I was pulling into my driveway around 1945 hours last night.  And when I went to bed, I had to go back to my kitchen to see if I had left my side-entrance porch light on because the night seemed so bright out.  Very cool.

As just a little re-hash, I need to extend thanks and appreciation to the Woodbury folks for a really enjoyable weekend.  Low-key to the max, but success on all fronts.  1.01 has an early start on the Terrible Two's (you take something from her and watch the result!), but she's a hoot!  And independent.  Life will be very interesting when 1.02 comes home to share the limelight.

Prior to my departure, I had to take a spin down pit row to have my "crew" tape up a little cosmetic damage to my front right bumper that had got caught up on one of those cement parking lot wheel stoppers.  I had expert help!

I went through one-and-a-third of books on CD during the round-trip drive.  The 1/3 came about as I hadn't finished one from that last trip to Lincoln, and I was lucky enough to come upon it on the shelves at the library before I left town on Friday morning.  I couldn't remember the title, but I did have an idea on the packaging, and was able to find it.  Actually, the story wasn't worth it.  Book Two was a little better, and I had to listen to the last disk here at the house to finish the story.  I give it a C+.

Local school board elections today.  To say that the process here was under-engineered is being kind.  After first going to the wrong precinct, my designated voting location at the high school was lost among a completely packed campus with various activities in the football stadium, the gym and who knows where else.  I ended up parking deep in the gym lot and had to walk all the way to the other end of the building.  One sign announcing the polling place, and that one hidden from the street by parked cars.  No reserved parking for voters.  For administrators who are always complaining about the lack of public participation, this was the anti-user-friendly approach.

A short comment on the 9-11 anniversary.  I chose to not get too close to any of it.  I remember being depressed when the original attack took place, and the subsequent investigation, wars, political and bureaucratic debates have done nothing to suggest that I would fare any better today.  The one thing that I did have a thought about was the MLB kerfluffle on the NYPD and NYFD hats that the Mets wanted to wear for their game on Sunday Night Baseball.  MLB said "No", and the resulting bad press just keeps on coming.  While I am sure there have been plenty of sleezy, profit-only items generated by apparel manufacturers to "commemorate" 9-11, the league probably should have ignored it's authority to rule here.

My Friday NYT crossword experience emphasized my fallibility at the art.  I started it Friday evening after 1.01 went to bed.  I worked on it at various times between games on Saturday.  I brought it home and worked on it Sunday night before bed.  I finally finished it last night.  I never resorted to any help from the Internet.  Ultimately, I got it fully done.  Correctly.  But it took parts of Four Freaking Days!  I'm mystified and humbled at the workings of the brain that can unravel one puzzle with reasonable effort and then have to slog through another like boots in muck.

Big day tomorrow. 

BCOT