Thursday

I'm watching the World Series as I get my act together for my NYC trip tomorrow.  2 and I opened a bottle of Dry Creek Cab after our run (to bide some time for her to avoid some Homecoming Parade traffic).  So I've had to finish it...since I'll be gone for a few days.  Life's a beach.

Lots of moving parts in the fam this weekend.  @srh4 is up North visiting 1.01.  (LBH, 1 and 1.1 are extras in this play.)  And 4 has IC duty on Sunday.  Pretty sure that this is my first trip to NYC since New Year's Eve bringing in 1976.

I stopped in to have the oil changed in the Buick over my lunch hour.  I went to the shop over on Brady Street that I have used for many years.  I discovered upon arrival that I was dealing with a different owner/operator this time.  The third one at the location in the last five years.  Not sure what that means other than that the margins must be pretty thin.  (No wonder they want to sell those air filters!)  And they didn't honor the coupon I had received in the mail from the Valvoline folks.  Again, life's a beach.

ND has USC Saturday night in South Bend.  Neither team is rated.  Pat Hayden, now the AD at USC, and, up through appointment to that position a couple of years ago, NBC's ND football's color commentator for 10 years or so, says that the game is just another game these days to the players.  This in contrast to the feelings of the long-time alumni who haven't forgotten the rivalry. And Hayden was a USC quarterback back in the days.  (He says he still goes to the Grotto to light a candle for his Mother whenever he is on campus.)

3, Herky and I are going to find an Irish bar in NYC for the game.

The graphics on the TV screen for these post-season baseball games have been impressive.  Not only do they now have the box in the upper left with the score, outs, pitch-count and inning, they often show in the bottom right a display of the pitches against the strike-zone.  When they don't have these displays on the screen, you're a little miffed not knowing all the stuff.  Are we Pavlov's dogs or what? 

If any of you in the Peanut Gallery have applied for a bank loan recently and have been put-off/offended at the back-up information requested by the bank, get in line.  Our deep-pocketed clients are having to supply not only current personal financial statements, but also copies of the brokerage statements supporting any investment accounts, and a detailed list of any "contingent" liabilities.  Bankers are scared silly.

So my plan is to jump on here from MLI and ORD in the AM.  Departure is 0905 local.

BCOT