Sunday....UPDATED

Back at the office today for another round of tax gymnastics.  The good thing about the protocols this late in the season is that decisions get made rather than deferred.  By both preparer and client.

I had intended to post up a pic of The Winniferous that I took last night, but I forgot that the system here has essentially disabled photo-sharing on Blogger, so that pic will have to wait until later today when I get home and can put it on from the laptop.  She got tuckered-out from the afternoon run and pulled the old "Winnie Flop" several times on the inward segment toward home.

I paid my credit card bill yesterday, and the price at the pump is hitting home.  I usually fill-up the Buick when it hits the 1/4 of  a tank level, and most of those fill-ups have been between $45-50.  Purchasing the 8 cylinder model was not made for conservation purposes, but if that was my only mode of transport, and I was on the road a lot, I would be having second thoughts.

There was a huge bike race in Northern France today...Paris - Roubaix.  Known as "The Hell of the North" for the brutal course and the frequent challenging weather.  They ride 250+ kilometers, many over old cobblestone roads (called pave) that cause flat tires and other more-serious mechanical problems.  Any rider who wins has a huge notch in his belt in cycling circles.  There was an upset winner today as the odds-on favorite lost out on some tactical choices made in the last 30k.  Professional cycling is often a matter of team planning.  The strongest rider doesn't always win.

More here later.

LATER...Full day for me.  Work.  Bike ride.  Some walks with The Winniferous.  And with 2's modified change of plans getting home, The W will be extending her stay another night.  She's had a calm and exercise-busy visit.  But she definitely belongs at her place!  And she needs a bath!!

When I did frequent travel to PHX and LAX in the mid-80"s, I learned that coming home from the Left Coast was always a full day.  The temptation to take a later-in-the-day flight to spend a couple extra hours there came with the variable of a last-plane-out connection at ORD.  I spent more than one night in C-town when United would cancel that flight for "mechanical" reasons.  Of course, the flight only had six reservations.  Mechanical problems, my keester!

Make it a good week.

BCOT



BCOT

Thursday

Just a couple of lines tonight.  I have The Winniferous with me.  2 is on the Left Coast at Aunt Margaret's for the weekend.  An interview for the new Iowa MBA in San Mateo in the AM, and then some modified fff for the rest of her time there.  Knock 'em dead, Kiddo! You are Daughter of the Day!

Construction (destruction?) has begun on my street.  They started at the other end of the block, so the effect on me at this point is nominal.  I just have to always enter and exit my street from the far end.  It will be that way for the first two of four segments of the project.  The last two segments will be in front of my house and I'm guessing that I'll spend 4-6 weeks with no access to my driveway.  There are two seasons in Iowa: Winter and Construction.

I have booked 4 and I into a hotel in Vitorio-Gastiez, Spain for the four nights after our initial stay in Bilbao for a couple of days.  Really don't have a plan at this point, but 4 had done some initial research on the town, and the area has lots of possibilities. Additional staging towns for the Pyrenees will likely be decided by the end of the month.  August just isn't that far away.

Need another big day of production tomorrow.  At least it really will be Friday.

BCOT

Wednesday

So I did get my vanity plate for the Taurus today.  I may be the only one who appreciates the indirect humor.  It is a well-deserved moniker for the Taurus.  Hope the car runs for years.

I've had trouble posting pictures to the blog from my desktop.  I'm wondering if the IT folks have been upgrading our anti-virus software and that has become a door-keeper for even the blog.  Don't know.

Busy times continue.  But I did sneak out after 6 bells tonight and got an hour ride in on the bike path before dark.  I needed it.

2 heads West tomorrow and I assume control of The Winniferous until Sunday night.  Hmmmm.  Hope the weather cooperates so that she and I can get a lot of outdoor time in together.

Feels again like tomorrow ought to be Friday.

BCOT

Tuesday

I watched the first half last night.  And it was painful.  On top of not really caring who won, interest really waned when neither team could throw it in the ocean.  I'm not saying that the level of play was inferior, but I didn't see anyone on the court who had the skills to go to the pros.  Whatever. 

Technology moves on.  We have a Dell laptop down in our conference room that we use in client tax meetings.  That computer is a couple of years older than my laptop, and I think that the two of them are just a little more capable than door-stops.  Not sure that "speed" is crucial in my usage, but the conference room laptop makes the abacus look like an option. 

Glad to see RevKev back on-line.

There is a major pro cycling race going on this week in the Basque country of Spain where 4 and I will be visiting in August. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vuelta-al-Pa%C3%ADs-Vasco/113460555334182 There's really not a very good Homepage to the race, but this link gives some information.  Most of the stages are in the area South of Bilbao.  Last year, American Chris Horner of Radio Shack was the overall winner.  We'll definitely be visiting some of the towns in this year's race.

Booked my flight last night for the second weekend in June for Charleston, SC and the wedding of my pal Pete's son.  They have some direct flights out of Chicago to Charleston, but I elected to pay the extra $100 and avoid the drive, parking and general hassle of the drive to/from C-town.  I was last in Charleston as a college senior-to-be when I spent four weeks of USAF boot camp at the base outside of Charleston.  I remember it being hot and humid.  And that reveille blare at oh-dark-hundred every morning for physical training before breakfast.  Not a pleasant memory.

When a high school team wins a state championship, regardless of the sport, how many teams should be in the tournament to make it a worthy title?  This morning's paper provided details of the Iowa girls soccer divisional classes.  Three groups with basically 45-50 schools per class.  Hmmmm.  When my high school played in the state basketball tournament my senior year, there were 405 schools in our "small school" class.  This is not a simple comparison, but don't you need more than 50 teams to do "Hoosiers"?

Back to the excitement of Federal and state income taxes.  3, your NYC form took a few extra minutes last night to navigate.  Those folks have mastered the art of tax, tax, tax.

BCOT

Sunday

Just a few lines today to report in to the peanut gallery.  Busy times here and the creative gene is definitely in remission.

Can't say that I was very excited about the tournament semifinals last night.  The element that I find most annoying is the insertion of the broadcast personalities into the pre-game and post-game introductions and interviews.  Almost a WWE feel to it.  I'd rather have the second-team crew from Big Monday rather than listen to Chuck Barkley opine(?) and Kenny Smith instruct (?).  And Jim and Clark try to wax with so much sophistication that I want to wretch.  Gimme a break.  It's basketball.

They start the tear-down and re-paving of my street tomorrow.  I'm thinking that the hassle-factor in my life will be headed to a higher normal.

I am headed out this afternoon for my third straight day of outdoor cycling.  I'll definitely be sticking to the bike path for most of this month.  My evaluation of my current conditioning is fairly negative.  I'll need to put in a lot of time on the bike in the next four months to be ready for the Pyrenees.  I would have thought the Winter spin classes would have given me a better base.  Maybe the Age Factor out-weighs the Spin Factor.

Congrats to Hong Kong Carrie for winning the Clan Challenge.  Again?  Hmmmm.

I can't remember what I've talked about here before on our office phone system, but I have an update.  This Mitel unit is the exact one on my desk.  It has the cordless handset and, most importantly to me, a cordless headset.  I almost never use the handset.

In the last couple of weeks, I've gone to the additional extent of leaving my desk unit's direct line number as permanently programmed to ring to my cell phone.  This is meaningful to me when I'm in route to or from a meeting out of the office, or when I am rarely at the coffee shop. 

The driving force behind this decision was that I couldn't consistently remember to key the desk set to the "Call Forwarding" option when I would leave the office.  Kind of a Sometimer's issue.  The only down side is that when my cell phone rings while sitting here on my desk, I tend to be caught a little off guard.  Even when the downstairs receptionist calls to alert me of a client arrival, it rings to the cell phone.

With all my office calls coming to my cell phone, and with my laptop having desktop access, I truly can run my business from the coffee shop.

Pretty good sports week ahead.  Men's final tomorrow night.  Women's semi's today and finals on Tuesday.  Master's starts on Thursday.  (My pal Roy is headed there Tuesday.)  Martinsville NASCAR as I write this.  Tour of Flanders across the pond this AM. (Hard to believe that the favorite Cancellara got beat.)

A couple more returns to do, then off to the bike.  Need a report from 3 on her weekend in C-town.

BCOT

Friday

Here's a shot from the top of Mt. Rose from earlier this week as reported by Uncle Phil.  A little different perspective than from the same spot in July or August.  I don't seem to have a pic of the rest station building from any of our Summer visits.  But you get the drift, if you know what I mean.

My current position at work is similar to one about 50 feet right of the sign post as shown in Phil's pic.

Taking it one file at a time.

BCOT

Tuesday

I'm giving 3 Daughter of the Day for falling on her sword to comment on my Sunday posting.  I had to call and ask if she had read it yesterday.  I didn't realize I was that far off the reservation.  In any respect, she's the one!  (Alternatively, she and Herky did go for the '06 Jordan on Saturday night.  That alone merits recognition.)

Uncle Phil called this evening to advise that the rest station building at the summit of Mt. Rose was still  fully covered by snow!  As in buried!  If there's a modified fff at Tahoe in July, there will be snow in them thar hills for the visitors' photo ops.

I noticed in the women's tournament that the requisite TV-required, half-time chat with the coach leaving the floor now includes one of his/her players.  Unbelievable.  It started with the in-game chats with the baseball managers and the NBA coaches, then the NASCAR drivers during the yellow flag laps.  I think that dragging the college players into the media presentation, during the game, is over the line.

2's headed out to the Left Coast for a job interview next month.  I'm wondering where The Winniferous will be in her absence?

Lots going on at the office this week and next. Can't believe that there was a time when I actually achieved a certain level of mental satisfaction of finding the exception to the exception.

BCOT

Sunday

Life is stranger than fiction.  The IRS agent (MsKR) who was through my office last week to look over that very complicated client return for 2008 sprung a surprise on me that second afternoon that she was in my office.  It turns out that she had also done some routine background checking on the preparer (LtPC, of course) as a normal protocol of her primary audit.  With no previous notice of any sort to me, it seems that my file had been flagged for an investigation of a family matter that went back over twenty years!

MsKR:  I'm not sure if you were aware of the Service's new capabilities, but our IT people have been designing programs to cross-check Social Security numbers of preparers with open-issue returns that have been sitting in the equivalent of our dead-letter office.  Your number hit my screen this week since I was assigned to be here.

LTPC:  Uh, I've signed a lot of returns in the last twenty or thirty years.

MsKR:  Actually, you didn't sign the return I've been tasked to review.  Some CPA in California named, let me see, yes, Howard Something was the preparer. We've lost track of him.  But you did sign returns beginning around 25 years ago for Philip and Margaret, right?  From the last name and some other confirming facts that I am not able to disclose, I assume that Philip and Margaret were your parents.

LtPC:  I already don't like anything about this.  There is such a thing as a statute of limitations, ya' know  Not to mention the facts that, a) Philip and Margaret are no longer with us, b) whatever records existed way back then, are long gone, and 3) there's no money to collect, regardless of your conclusions.  I'm seriously offended that the IRS would expend resources on this kind of ghost-hunting.

MsKR:  Oh, you'd be surprised at our profitability of this effort.  The computers do most of the work for us, and after that Bernie Madoff thing, Enron and World Com, Congress has given the Service extra funding to go hunting for others.  I mean, when these scandals hit the papers, the media is always pointing to the IRS (and George Bush) as to why the government didn't discover the crimes sooner.  We have been told by Washington to dig deeper.  So we are.

LtPC:  Hmmmm.  Haven't the lawyers been able to block these old cases?  I mean, really.  Don't you have better things to do than chase ancient history?

MsKR:  We've won every suit filed by the defense lawyers.  The big firms in C-town, LA and The Big Apple have set up dedicated tax guys to settle these inquiries as soon as they come to them.  The math is usually such that it's cheaper to pay us than the lawyers.

LtPC:  OK.  You've pretty much ruined my day anyway.  I'm certainly not going to hire a blood-sucker.  What's the deal?

MsKR:  Well, as you are aware, there's no statute for non-filed returns, and that's kind of the situation here.  It looks like Philip and Margaret operated a dairy farm in Southern Iowa for many years, right?

LtPC:  Right.  Sure.  We milked a small herd of Guernsey's.  But I'm almost certain that they filed all of their returns.  After my Dad passed away in 1994, I remember going through old records, bank statements and tax returns that went back to the '40's. I burned stuff for two days in their 55-gallon-drum, non-EPA-approved incinerating device in the back yard of their house.  Heck, they never made any money!!

MsKR:  Our missing tax return identification program (M-TRIP) suggests otherwise.  It says here that there is no record of a return for 1977.  LtPC, I'm telling you that you have a problem.

LtPC:  This is a joke, right?

MsKR:  Hardly.  I have M-TRIP on my side.  And, since you just said that you destroyed all of those records that could possible prove otherwise, I think you need to consider contacting other family members and working out a plan to pay the tax due.

LtPC:  I'm almost afraid to ask.  As a matter of fact, I can't believe that I'm asking this question because the concept is so ludicrous.  How can my parents possibly owe tax now from 1977?

MsKR:  The M-TRIP shows that there were numerous livestock transactions at the Bloomfield sale barn in the Summer of 1977.  It looks like 43 head of cattle were sold for a gross price of $19,078.16.  And the Wapello County Assessor's Office is showing real estate sales of $48,950.00 on land in Green township recorded as owned by Philip and Margaret as joint tenants.  Finally, a bigger cattle operator from Oskaloosa issued a statement showing that he bought $1,750.00 of baled hay from your Dad.  That's over $70,000 of income that our non-filer system computed tax on of just over $9,000.

Lt.PC:  No way.  There has to be a mistake.

MsKR:  Here's the  tax assessment notice.  You have 30 days to respond.

LtPC:  I don't know what to say. 

MsKR:  Obviously, you have my contact information.  Call me next week after you have had the chance to consider all of these facts.  We have a very strong case and are under orders to collect the taxes due.

*******

To be continued.

BCOT

Thursday

Well, the IRS has come and gone.  But she will be back.  Which was to be expected for the complicated return that is being audited.  More on this at another time.

My therapy after meeting with the agent all day yesterday was to get out on the bike for an hour or so right around five o'clock in the afternoon.  I figured that even though it was a little chilly, I could layer-up and stay warm enough.  The thing I didn't figure on was rain.  Which started about midway through the ride.  Not a down-pour, but steady, and by the time I got home, my fingers and toes were frozen like ice cycles.  At least it got the IRS off my mind for a while.

Another motivation for me to get out on the bike was the string of "blank" days on my downstairs calendar.  I hadn't done spin, a Winnie run, or any other work-out since my visit to Gold's in Woodbury on Saturday.  I could of, should of gone to early spin on Monday, but I had a case of Spin-Nazi-itis.  And on Wednesday AM, I had to go in to the office early to prep for Ms. IRS.  Those "blanks" on my calendar stare at me for the entire month.  I'm a bit schizoid in that respect.

I don't know if I gave acknowledgement here to the ultimate success last weekend of the St. Thomas Tommie basketball team that ran the table and captured the D III basketball championship in Salem, Virginia.  Here's a link to the story from the school's website for anyone so interested.  http://www.tommiesports.com/mbb/news/Woo-3-19.html  This is the second time since I have been following Augie in recent years that they have fallen in an earlier round of the tournament to the eventual national champion.  (Washington University of St. Louis was the other team.)

This is not news to anyone, but kind of a sad fact of current life.  I forgot to pack my phone when I went out for that ride last night, and as I went through the mental gymnastics of an emergency procedure, it occurred to me that I had immediate recall of about four phone numbers, none of which would do me any good if I had to give an EMT the number of my next of kin.  Virtually all of the numbers that I regularly call are stored in the phone, and the protocol is to simply find and click.  Hmmmm.

My personal, unscientific, limited-scope opinion is that there is inflation in the grocery store.  I don't buy that many food-stuff  items, but I have noticed a distinct upward trend in the prices for several of those items.  The most glaring example is the Wednesday lunch "special" price for the all-you-can-eat salad bar at the Eastern Avenue Hy Vee. (Hey, you doubters...it's a good salad bar, and has lots of fresh fruit, including excellent grapefruit. 

Anyway, everyday but Wednesday the price is $6.99.  On Wednesday's, it had been $5.00 for as long as I can remember.  I was a Wednesday "regular", fo' sure.  Two weeks ago, the Wednesday price went to $6.00.  Still less than the normal price, but a 20% increase to what I had grown used to as the normal cost.  In my life, that's inflation.

Off to the rack.  Have a good Friday.  Thanks for reading.

***Late Addition:  Props to nephew/cousin Tucson Matt for U of A's victory tonight over Duke.  I assume that he's there on the radio call for the Wildcat Network.  Suite stuff for the extended fam.***

BCOT

Tuesday

For the record, Sunday was Mother's 103rd birthday.

One of the dangers of advanced ticketing on airlines is the propensity of the airlines to tweak their schedules.  My May trip to San Antonio has had three alterations since I purchased the ticket a month or so ago.  And our trip to Spain has already had a minor adjustment.  Does the trip insurance that you can buy protect you from airline initiated changes?  My biggest concern in these kind of things is whether they dink around with connections times to my disadvantage.  So far, not.

I have the IRS in tomorrow to audit a very complicated 2008 return of a now deceased client.  The Service has been extremely hard to deal with on this particular return, and we have lost out to procedures on every issue that has been discussed.  The audit is just another back-of-the-hand treatment to this taxpayer.  I've felt that this has been a case-study on how the Service sticks it to taxpayers in certain situations, just because it's "going by the book", and the agents involved have no incentive to go otherwise.  TARP was not designed for upside-down Main Streeter's.  And the agent decides to do the field-work in late March.  Like I don't have anything else going on right now.

I'm trying to decide how disingenuous it is for Barry "I didn't take steroids" Bonds to offer up the rope-a-dope, "I thought it was flaxseed" defense.  Interesting that the first witness for the prosecution is this guy Novitsky who is the guy digging in Lance Armstrong's trash.  Which, incidentally, is the exact protocol that Novitsky followed in his investigation of the BALCO performance enhancing drug deal of a few years back.

We've had a couple of fairly nice, warm days this week.  But the forecast is now for cooler temps, rain and storms for the next few days.  I'd say that that is right on schedule for those early Spring outdoor high school competitions in track and field.  Other than under the overhang at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames in November, high school track ranks up there for bone-chilling, can't-get-warm cold.

So off to bed to get my beauty rest for the old Eye-Are-of-ESS.

BCOT

Monday...UPDATED

Thanks to 1, 1.1 and especially 1.01 for the great FFF in Woodbury last weekend.  All in all, hard to find a downside to the entire operation.  Congrats to all of the participants.  I know that we'll have several opportunities for modified fff in the next few months.  The plan for the full program has yet to come together.

Some of the news of the day...

I have little sympathy for Bruce Pearl, the now-fired coach of Tennessee men's basketball.  He was caught lying to the NCAA last year, but Tennessee let him keep his job with relatively minor sanctions (because of his won-loss record).  With the heat seemingly turned up on the lying problem, and the team mailing in their effort in the tournament last weekend, the Tennessee President found his cojones, and did what he should have been done last year.  See'ya, Bruce.  (And we probably will, in a year or two at Directional State U.)

The folks in our area are very concerned about the snow-melt headed our way in the weeks ahead from our neighbors to the North.  From my first-hand knowledge acquired last weekend from my numerous trips through the parking lots around the Starbuck's stores in Woodbury, I'd say the concern was/is warranted.  Those piles are still as high as the ones we had immediately after our storms!  If the rains compound the problem, I'd go long with investable cash on the hip-waders aisle.

Props to both 3 and Herky for their contributions on the Saturday NYT crossword.  It was a community effort, but work well done. Herky got "Polaroid" out of "it develops in front of you", and 3 pulled "oreo cookie" out of "ornately facaded" (or words to that effect).  We eventually stumbled to "ninety" for "not good to do on the road".  We were all pleased with our contributions. and glad to then move to the alcoholic portion of the program.

My plate is full over the next few weeks.  I'm working on my version of The Glad Game to make it through to April 15th. 

Thanks for reading.

UPDATE:  I forgot to mention this earlier.  I think ND football is back on track.  Knowing nothing else, I'm taking the Over on 9 wins this Fall (That means at least 10). 

Star wide receiver Michael Floyd was arrested last weekend on a DUI charge...at 0300, a couple of blocks from campus...after running a stop sign...in his white Cadillac...blowing .019 with a legal limit at .008...and failing other sobriety tests.  This is his third alcohol-related problem in the last couple of years.

I think that it's pretty well established that the better programs have several of their players making the police blotter files each year.  This is a good sign for the Irish.

Exit question:  What were the chances of Paul Hornung getting run in if he got caught in a lick of any problem 50 years ago in South Bend?  What would have been the job expectancy of the cop who wrote him up?  Times change.

Finally, and unrelatedly, I'm not even talking about Tiger's new 22 year-old girlfriend.  The material is just too easy.

BCOT

Sunday

Wednesday

Lost Boys Club.  Bass Street Chop House.  3/15/2011.

Tuesday

As a devotee' of Billy Shake, I always remember this date.  The "ides" is often the solution to the crossword clue, "fateful date (with the)".

Headed over tonight to sup again at Bass Street Chop House with my pal Roy.  A bit of a boys night with Pete, Cal, and maybe a couple of other lost souls also in attendance.  As I may have stated here previously, I really enjoy the Chop House; I just can't afford it.

Not all that excited about the play-in games tonight.  The clan contest does not consider these games in the offical brackets for the games beginning on Thursday.  Much more excited about the NIT games that also start tonight.  Right.  And aren't there other lesser tournaments as well?  How do you say Methadone Clinic for Basketball Junkies?

I may get back on here after dinner.

BCOT

Sunday

Here's a shot taken by SRH with my phone earlier today when I stopped over at her place to check on Margret.  It wasn't really warm enough to be out on my bike, but I thought I could suck it up for 15-20 miles (the equivalent time for a spin class).  And I did.  But it was too cold and I'm still in recovery.

Margret did start, but only after I remembered that you had to "jiggle the handle" of the gear-shift a little off of the "Park" position.  Another episode of Sometimer's, I think.  I drove her around the block and put her back in SRH's garage for the time being.

Selection Sunday and all of the prognosticators are caught-up in their underwear over whether Directional State Saint Ignatius should have received a bid rather than Upper Middle Slovenia.  Who cares?  After the first week, all these "bubble" teams will be gone.  I agree with 4; listening to Chuck Barkley talk about college games is a joke.

A couple of comments from Augie's loss last night.   http://www.augustana.edu/x33564.xml  The Tommies were/are very good.  Quick.  Strong.  Defensively pushy.  They played a game that was just more intense from the outset than Augie was prepared to match.  And the guard who scored 28 could play D-I.  My guess is that he was judged too small for D-I coming out of high school.  But I'm saying that there would be a lot of Big 10 coaches who now wouldn't mind having him on their teams.

The one point of criticism that I would offer on Augie was that they were not prepared from the start for the Tommies' after-a-made-basket, full-court press.  And they never implemented, even in the second half, a well-considered attack on the press.  4's grade-school AAU team had a press-break that Augie coulda' used last night!

Moving on...

The decision is in...no battery back-up for the sump pump.  I'm saving the $$$ (and the mess) and buying the gas-powered, stand-by generator.

The Quad Cities crew will be leaving by 0800 on Friday morning.  That puts us in Woodbury before 2PM.

Top Ten List of currently over-exposed media topics:

1.  Bracketology.
2.  Charlie Sheen
3.  Tsunami.
4.  Wisconsin budget battle.
5.  NPR bias.  (I mean, lack of bias.)
6.  Sleep patterns and Day Light Savings Time.
7.  The price of gas at the pump.
8.  Sarah Palin.  (LtPC is fair and balanced.)
9.  NFL lockout.
10.Compromise in the US Senate.  Right.

Lots of moving parts in the fam this week.  Make sure that you get your picks done by Tuesday afternoon!

Make Monday a good one.

BCOT

Friday

I'm heading over shortly to catch the second half of the first game at Augie tonight featuring the Tommies of St. Thomas versus Wisconsin Stevens Point.  Go Tommies!  I think that it is interesting that the school that 1 and 1.1 went to, and were married at, ends up here in our backyard for their tournament game.  (And truly, I had never heard of St. Thomas before 1 started to look at it her senior year of high school.  It's a small world.)

And I think that it would be in Augie's best interests if UST could put Stevens Point away tonight.  Those guys have won the D-III championship three times in the last seven years.

4 jumped on their blog last night and entered some stories about a little girl in Lincoln who has become one of her responsibilities for a very brief time each weekday.  http://www.thehoranies.com/  It's worth the read.  Hey, Kiddo, we need a pic of Preslie!

And now, The Rest of The Story...about my battery-back-up sump pump plan.  The guy called back with the new estimate today: $1380.  Not counting mess.  I told him that I needed to think about it over the weekend.  I mean, I can pick up a new gas-powered generator for $300-400 that would also be able to run my refrigerator...and computer!  I'm thinking that, while a great concept, the battery-back-up sump pump just became a non-starter in my life-plan.

I was a little surprised at a turn-away crowd at 0900 spin this AM.  I wasn't too concerned, ran a bit later than normal, and got the last open bike.  The instructor is by far the nicest gal in that role at our Gold's right now, so I imagine that a few folks just show up because of her.  Even so, with 50 degree temps here, indoor spin is a bit of a drag.  My pal Pete road his bike to work today.  But he is a little committed.

2 is meeting me at Augie for the second game.  I'll at least Tweet a report on the game later tonight.

TGIF to all.  And....

BCOT

Thursday

The plumber finally came by today to look at the battery back-up sump pump.  And of course, my situation is not an uncomplicated one.  So nothing got done today.  They've got to plan for more time to do the job.  Seems like my current pit is too shallow to handle all of the hardware that a battery back-up system requires.  Which means jack-hammering some concrete, digging a deeper pit, and making a much bigger mess.  And then there's the additional, commensurate cost.  I love this country.

It looks like they are getting set to repave my street.  Bettendorf has been doing a couple of sections of beat-up streets in my area each year.  Maplecrest certainly qualifies as beat-up.  A gas-line guy was out paint-marking and staking his lines today when I came home to meet the plumber, and he said that they might start tearing things up as early as next week.  I wonder what we're supposed to do with our cars?

Speaking of cars, there's a real chance that Margret could see some daylight this weekend if there's no rain.  I haven't even been over to SRH's to give Margret an occasional start since she went to storage after Thanksgiving.  I'm taking the Over that she'll fire-up.  Any takers?

Watching The Thomas Crown Affair on AMC between games and commercials.  I've always kind of liked Rene Russo.  She's an actress who has always kind of played the same character in most of her movies; the pretty girl with a shade of ditz.  Tin Cup.  Major League.  Lethal Weapon.  She's no youngster.  Then again, I don't go to movies anymore.   (Pierce Brosnan was at least the second-best James Bond.)

Heard this on the radio this AM: today is Chuck Norris' birthday.  He's 71!  Has there ever been a worse actor who consistently got work?  Steven Segal, maybe.  And he's been hanging out all these years with Christi Brinkley!  And getting paid to do so!  Fortunately, he's right-of-right politically.  But certainly not one of those guys whom I would walk across the street to see.  If Christie was with him, I might wave.

I was trying to find a U.S. map of the DIII field that I saw earlier in the week.  There's only five of the sixty-one schools in the tourney with locations west of a North-South line going roughly through Des Moines, Iowa and Austin, Texas.  At some later date, I'm going to do some work to figure out whether there just aren't that many schools west of here, or if they are in the NAIA like St. Ambrose. 

Headed to bed.  Busy day tomorrow.  Hope to make my Friday morning "meeting", go to the games tomorrow night, and get some tax returns out as well.  It will be a good Friday.

BCOT

Wednesday

The Madness has started!! (And ended, for some!)

No blog today.  At least until much later.  Headed down to Muskie for dinner.

BCOT

Tuesday

So last week I had the following done to the Taurus:  1) Routine oil change; 2) Replaced the windshield wipers, and 3) Filled it up with petrol.  The question is, did the value of the car double immediately after the fill-up?  Hmmmm.

Black Friday has now become "Rivalry Day" on the Hawks' and the 'Huskers' new football schedules.  There are lots of stories today out there about the Big Ten agreeing to the request (I assume from NU) to move the game to the Friday after Thanksgiving to keep a tradition for Nebraska to have a game on that day.  Not a bad move in my opinion.  I mean, it's not like there are any sacred cows when it comes to scheduling anymore.  If there's enough money on the table, teams will play.

Selection Sunday is this weekend.  I'm thinking that those first four games that they will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton will be good theater to start off the tourney.  Interesting that they won't have only those lowest ranking conferences winners in those games.  You could end up with a Georgetown or Michigan State (or similar team from a major conference) having to face that test.  If it works well, the question will be whether to expand by another eight teams to play another "pod" of play-in games at a Left Coast site next year.  Money, money, money.

More here later.  Have a great day.

LATER...

Sounds like 4 is finding the road a bit rocky this week.  I'm giving her the nod as Daughter of the Day as a little over-due recognition.  The pic is from a while back as I'm doing this on my desk-top and I stopped moving pic's on to this machine last year after all of the virus problems.  Still, a very nice smile on a very pretty girl.

Now I'm off to evening spin class.  I may get back on here a little later.
BCOT

Sunday

Guest blogging for LtPC today is your's truly, The Winniferous.  (BTW, I resemble that nickname.)  The Lt. took off for something called "spin class", again, and left me alone, again.  I decided to jump on here and let him know that he grossly underestimated my skill sets.  Does he think I just nap and chew on those nasty plastic bones while he's gone all the time?  How shallow does he think I am?

Little does he know that all these times that my master, the Lovely 2, has left me in his charge, I have figured out the clicker on his Direct TV set-up and have become a constant watcher of The Pet Network!  I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know that his additional Sports Package includes an extra, narrow-coverage, 50-odd channels, including not only The Pet Network (TPN), but also, Vegan Nutrition Today (VNT), Mall Excursions for Seniors (MES), and Exploring Midwest Trails (EMT). Heck, I don't think he knows the purpose of more than three buttons on the clicker!

Anyway, TPN runs several instructional programs thoughout the day to help shut-in pets pass the time and get a better understanding of their masters.  I got hooked on a show called "Computer Paws" last Fall, and after that two-week stint here in January when the Lovely 2 was in China, I became proficient at Word (and Spider Solitaire!).  And TPN's version of Word had a real-time Canine-Human translation dictionary, so I'm able to communicate on-line just like Stephen Hawking. Suite!

So here's a Top Ten list of the Lt.'s pathetic life:

1.  He thinks getting up at 0500 to go to spin class is normal.
2.  Great couch, but he's a little anal about dirt and mud getting on it.
3.  His pals Pete and Bill are my pals too.
4.  Way too much NASCAR.  Turn left!
5.  Not much of a host if you don't like red.
6.  He's a little picky about any dirt or scratches on Margret.
7.  What's this about a regular 1900hrs bedtime?
8.  Can't the guy shave more than twice a week?
9.  Paper is the norm for human guests, but at least he uses regular dishes for my food and water.
10.I hear some people actually have closets and drawers for their clothes.

I could go on, but you get the drift.  It's best that he lives alone.

My time here always means exercise.  Here's my normal view of these treks.  The Lt. is as slow as it gets.  I try to pull him along, but he's quite a burden.  The Lovely 2 and I worked him pretty hard to make his time in the Turkey Trot last year.  I'm not that confident in his 60 minute chances this year.  He'd better pick up his pace.

Then there was the big storm that came in in the middle of last month and things got a little exciting.  We still went out and did our workout, but my view was something less than wide-angled!  I love jumping though the newly-fallen snow, but 15 inches was too much.  The Lt.'s Perfect Neighbor (PN) helps him out with shoveling most of the time.  I think the Lt. sends a check to the PN's church a couple of times a year out of deserved guilt.

Well, I just heard the car door slam, so he must be home from 2nd coffee. I need to get off here to keep his illusion of being in charge in tact.  We'll do our mid-day run once he gets his act ready to roll.  I know he has a dinner scheduled tonight, so I might jump back on here when he leaves and debunk a few more of the myths that he has offered up over the years.

Thanks for putting up with him.

BCOT (What does this mean?)

Saturday

Just a few lines before heading over to Augie for their second-round game.  They play Hope College of Holland, Michigan.  My pal Cal's two sons went to Hope and it looks Cal, his wife, one son and some other relatives will be at the game tonight.  (He played basketball at Bradley for a year or two before finishing up at Illinois Wesleyan.  Or maybe it was the other way around.  On the golf course, you can definitely see that he has athletic skills.)

Watching the Sprint drivers in their afternoon practice session.  Exciting stuff.  Danica got a Top Five in the Nationwide race earlier today.  I think she's good for NASCAR.  And she seems to be able to handle the car better this year. Here's a gratuitous skin shot from her car sponsor, Go-Daddy's website.

The Winniferous has been her needy self in 2's absence.  We've done about five miles so far today, and we'll do at least one more before bedtime.  She slept ok, not great last night.  She's used to a little better treatment at her own place.

Big wins for the Hawks and Irish today.  Iowa beating anyone is somewhat notable, let alone a Top Ten team.  Winning at UConn is a fete for anybody. Men or women.

My sump pump has been firing off with regularity since yesterday afternoon.  Between the snow-melt of the last couple of weeks, the rain this week, and the general dampness and warm temps, the ground is severely water-laden.  I've put a call into the plumber to get that battery-back-up pack for my pump.  There will be a power outage in one of these Spring storms.

OK.  Headed out for the game.  I'll be back on later.

Have a great evening.

BCOT

Thursday

Not sure whether the saying is just folk lore, an old wives's tale or Farmer's Almanac logic, but March has come in like a lamb in Iowa this year.  Does that make it's exit even more docile?

This is my last night of simple solitude with The Winnieferous taking up residence here tomorrow evening with 2 on her trip to Lincoln.  I figure Saturday and Sunday will be "two-a-days" as well.  At least it won't be a million degrees below zero like it was for that last week of 2's trip in January.

Congrats to RevKev for his clever greetings today to Dr. Seuss. http://www.camperkev.com/

I've spent several evenings this week either here on the computer or working in my Extreme Crossword book rather than give time to the blather on TV.  I'm working at restoring music to my world at the same time, and have the CD player/amplifier up-and-running, although I'm missing one of the "clickers" and there seems to be only one CD (a good one by George Strait) in my library.  But it absolutely beats reruns of 2 and a Half Men, or current-day entertainment news-reports on the idiot star.  Is that guy for real?

My copy of this week's SI came today with the gaudy cover story on the criminal records of the athletes in big-time college football programs.  My thoughts include the following; first, SI is a mud-raking rag.  Dirt sells.  Actually, if they could tweak the story to the sexual proclivities of the cheerleaders, and find something, they'd go with that story too.  Second, the coaches and AD's are first and foremost asked to build winning teams.  Get to BCS bowl games. Character of the individual players has only been a priority when the press makes a splash with something like this story.

Third, let's get the records of the general student populations analyzed as well.  College students have a slight problem with alcohol consumption. Duh! A few beers, and stupid takes over.  It's not limited to the football team.  Obviously, there are some bad citizens in the SI story.  But I don't think college football teams necessarily have a corner on that market.  (I could work the Kum Ba Ya meme in here, but some would doubt my sincerity.)

Interesting to note that Las Vegas has become the premier destination for three, separate, major college, conference basketball tournaments this year.  Between now and Selection Sunday, the Mountain West, Western Athletic Conference, and West Coast Conference all play in LV.  http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2011-03-03-las-vegas-conference-tournaments-cover_N.htm  For a basketball junky, you could spend a month in Sin City and not be far from a game.

I'll try to post an entry tomorrow, but it might be after the Augie game, and after the night walk with The W.

Hope Friday is a good one.

BCOT

Tuesday

Hello March!!!  Have no clue what this design/logo stands for.  It seemed to fit the day.

All that techno-gibberish-anatomical-chart stuff on RevKev's blog about his rotator cuff problems makes a guy with simple "frozen shoulder" a bit snooty.  I mean, a little cortisone, and I'm back in the spin-Nazi lane.  RevKev needs an hour and a half of PT, ice, heat and more PT tomorrow.  He oughtta check out drug-therapy.

Here's an example of the new, kinder, gentler IRS.  My client who passed away two weeks ago (at age 80...I mean, he was not a young man), had applied last Auguest, under statutory procedures, for a refund of certain late payment penalties that the Service had assessed and collected on the 2008 return.  In conjunction with the review of the claim for penalty abatement, which is an administrative protocol, the decedent's spouse received notice this week that the 2008 return is under full audit.

I did "preventive declining" at the Quick Lube today when I took the Taurus in for an oil change.  As I got out of the car, I just told the guy, "This is my beater.  I won't be buying any filters or add-ons."  He took it pretty good, but still tried to up-sell me on the oil grade and on a fuel system flush.  I congratulated him on his tenacity, and said, "Nice idea, but no thanks."  I'm taking the Buick in to the same shop tomorrow.  Their ad for a $26.99 oil change must apply to two-cycle lawn mowers.  It'll be close to $50 on the Buick, after rebates/coupons.  What a racket.

I reluctantly renewed my subscription to the Notre Dame Alumni Magazine today for the minimum "suggested" amount.  I only pay attention to the obit's and the class notes at the back of each issue.  I swear, most of the articles and comments belong in The Gray Lady.  I noted such on my renewal form that I returned with my check.  I really don't think that the campus folks there are much different than those in IC, Berkley or Madison.  It's a Kum Ba Ya world.

Augie does host a four-team "pod" this weekend in the D III tournament.  Two games Friday evening.  The winners play Saturday.  The coach went so far as to say that wins this weekend would likely mean hosting the regional the following weekend.  With 2 headed over to Lincoln on Friday afternoon to visit 4, I'll be doing popcorn and hot dogs on my own.  The W will have to stand guard on Maplecrest by herself for Friday's late game, and hopefully, a Saturday night affair as well.

Busy day tomorrow.  Early start with spin, and several small projects to do in the office in the AM.  Headed down to Muskie tomorrow afternoon for some business meetings, and then dinner at Geneva with friends after work.  Doubtful if I get back here before Thursday.

Make Wednesday a good one.

BCOT

Sunday

I'm really looking forward to getting rid of February.  For the shortest month, it sure was a long one this year.

We enjoyed an all-too-brief of a visit from 3 this weekend.  She and Herky were through town on their way to a family event for Herky in IC.  We did have a small fff lunch yesterday at The 11th Street Precinct, supping on the unbreaded tenderloin.  This pic was the only decent one out of the four that I snapped on the mini-digi right after we ate.  I'm guessing that this makes 2 and 3 Daughters of the Day!

I discovered too late that the camera had been set on "Night Portrait" and I could tell that that setting was not giving me clear pics in the inside environment.  Sometimes too much technology is too much technology.

As noted from the earlier posting, the 24 car had a good day in PHX.  I've got to admit, my own enthusiasm for the sport had waned over the last couple of years when Gordon wasn't consistently competitive and Jimmy was doing all of the winnin'.  Aunt Martha will need to give us a report from Trackside Live! next weekend when the haulers take the cars to Vegas.

(4 has offered that NASCAR is in Kansas City June 3rd-5th.  Interesting idea...)

Very odd goings-on with my laptop Verizon connection.  It's been cutting out a little too regularly...like just now.  Then again, there have been storms recently, and like cell phones, weather impacts signal clarity.

Another item of good news; the Augie basketball team won their conference tournament Saturday in suburban C-town.  After taking care of business in the semis on Friday, they had an unexpectedly easy win in the championship game over the team (Illinois Wesleyan) that had beat them earlier in the week in their last regular season game.  The D-III tournament seedings are announced tomorrow at noon.  Look for Augie to be a one or two seed and host a four-team sub-regional this coming weekend.

Public confession: spin class has become a burden.  I spent most of today's class trying to compute the number of classes I'd be going to before my fitness routine shifts to the outdoors.  Realistically, it's hard to plan on many late-March days being warm and dry enough for after-work rides.  Maybe a couple of days.  If I'm doing five classes a week, the Over/Under on remaining beatings by Spin Nazi's is 30 classes.  I think I'll be optimistic (trying to set a good example to the peanut gallery) and take the Under. For a bottle of top-shelf J Lohr.

I admit to having below-zero interest in the Oscars.  This year or any other year.  I don't go to movies.  I don't read trash magazines.  I don't have any interest in the gossip pages.  I'll throw a big generalization blanket over Hollywood and characterize the lot as an overly self-absorbed, materially dependent, shallow club of excess.  Other than that, I think they're great.

Busy week ahead.  In NASCAR terms, I've had at least one of my eight cylinders not firing exactly right for the last couple of weeks.  A juggling act that is consistently missing one ball in the air.  My goal starting tomorrow is to get that mental acuity back on track.  Just like the 24.

Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Sunday

Regular blog to follow.

Friday

Just a few lines this afternoon before calling it a day.

I don't think that I have commented here about my recent Continuing Professional Education experiences which have been something less than uneventful.  I hold an Iowa life insurance agent license solely for the purpose of being able to sell certain off-the-shelf 401(k) programs from various insurance carriers who cater to the very small plan market.  The Iowa life license is re-newed every three years.  You need 36 hours of CPE in that three year period to maintain the license.

You can also keep your license by sitting again for the agent's exam.  This is the route that I have taken for all of my renewal periods since the test is only a two hour examination.  True, you do need to study a little bit, but I have above average test-taking skills and it's a much better use of my time.

Of course, a person is supposed to know when the license expires.  LtPC is a little weak in that area.  I had submitted one of those small plan applications to Hartford a couple of weeks ago, and the processor called me to let me know that their licensing people were going to be calling me about my Iowa license being inactive!  Hmmm.  Even before they called, I went to the Iowa site and sure enough, I was listed as inactive by the Department of Insurance.

I called the folks in DSM and the gal said that, yes, I was on an expired license and that I had not completed the CPE requirements.  I noted that I couldn't recall receiving any notification from the Department about the expired license, and that I was pretty good about not throwing that kind of mail away gratuitously.  Oh, she said, we don't send hard copy mail out any more.  We only use email.  Fine, I said, but what email address do you have for me?  (Because I definitely didn't get any contact on that basis.)  Let me see, she said.  Oh, we don't have an email for you!  Double hmmmm.!

Anyway, I sat for and successfully completed the test on Tuesday and they reinstated me on Wednesday (you can look it up on their website!) after hard-copy receipt of the passing score and my check for the pleasure of holding the license.  Plus a $100 reinstatement fee!  I wrote a letter appealing that assessment due to lack-of-notification-facts, but that plea fell on deaf ears.  Welcome to bureaucracy!

In a separate matter, but on a similar topic, I also hold a low-profile designation as a Fiduciary Analyst from an organization out East that has their own little CPE requirement...10 hours per year.  I did a little dance with them last month suggesting that certain courses in my other professional pursuits should qualify rather than make me listen to tapes on their site that come from their own hosted events.  Not so fast, LtPC.  Our three-year-old recordings are much more valid than say a similar, but now current presentation by the same guy at another conference last Fall.  Whatever.  I've been listening to the dated tapes this week while I do the blog!  It's almost like being there!  The only thing missing is a crossword!

Looking forward to seeing 2 tomorrow as she comes through town with Herky on their way to IC.  Godspeed on your travels, Kiddo.  Maybe get The Winniferous out for an afternoon run if the weather cooperates.

Be safe if you're headed out for the evening.

BCOT

Thursday

3 has posted on her weekend in the Hamptons.  http://www.thehoranies.com/. 

My post from Tuesday was actually written Saturday afternoon in the TC (under the watchful eye of 1.01) and submitted last weekend for a local writing contest.  A competition that I earned third place in a couple years ago.  The judges this year were not so impressed.  Hmmm.  3 has suggested that I use the interview as the basis for a longer story on Tommy Hardin.  I'm thinking that it has the right basics for me; baseball, Chicago, wine, hotdogs, and writing a book.  Why not got with it? Look for a little High Over First here in the future.

More good news on the shoulder today.  My follow-up with the ortho doc was basically, "LtPC, you're good to go!"  Not even the second cortisone shot, or any additional supervised PT.  Life is good.

I don't understand the dynamics of the collective bargaining agreements in major professional sports.  (And I thought the acronym stood for the Continental Basketball Association!)  There were numerous trades this week of some big name players in the NBA before a certain league-set deadline.  And we had the Lebron/Bosh/Miami thing last Summer.  And all the talk at Mike & Mike on ESPN (among others) is about the expiring NFL contract in March.  And they can't sign Pujols in StL?  How much money is enough?

OK.  Signing off.  I've lost the Verizon signal twice while writing this entry.  I'll try to add more tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Tuesday

I was able to capture another interview done by Bob Costas last weekend.  2 had gone to sleep and ESPN Classic was running "filler" material between movies.  The following is my transcript of an interview that was filmed at Superstation KMOX sports talk radio in St. Louis last Sunday night on the "LIVE! with Bob Costas Show".  Bob's guest was former major league baseball player Tommy Hardin.

. 

BC: Good evening, folks.  Welcome to the program.  In the studio tonight we have the good fortune to chat with a man who recently made headlines when a book recounting his life made it to #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List. Tommy Hardin, thanks for joining me.

 .

TH:  Thank you, Bob.  My pleasure.  I've always enjoyed your show.

 .

BC:  So tell me, how involved were you with putting the book together?  I know that John Finstein did the writing, but did he do it after a series of interviews, or was it an on-going process?  And how did it even get started?

 .

TH:  Well, it was definitely and on-going process.  And kind of your classic, "a guy who knew a guy", that got the ball rolling.

. 

BC:  Hmmm.  Interesting.  But maybe before going there we should first go back and do a short history lesson and make sure that all of our listeners are up to speed on the essence of your story.  You came up through the Blue Jays organization, right?

 .

TH: Yeah, that's right.  I went to Tyler Junior College out of high school, and then got drafted after my freshmen year when we won the National Junior College World Series.  I spent a year split between "A" ball in the Quad Cities and "AA" in Tidewater.  That following year, I was on the AAA club in Reno all season until they brought me up to the Big League team in September.

 .

BC:  Always at second base?

 .

TH: I actually played shortstop through college, but they moved me to second right away once I got to the Quad Cities.

. 

BC:  Okay.  So you were in Toronto for a few years, made a couple of All-Star teams, lead the league in fielding percentage, and then got traded to Chicago.  What was that all about?

. 

TH:  Well, there were a couple of contract issues for sure, but basically, the Cubs needed a replacement at second when Sandberg retired.  They gave the Jays a sweet deal and I became a Cub.  They thought I was going to be at second base in Wrigley for ten years.

. 

BC:  When did the wheels come off?

. 

TH:  April 2nd, 1998.  Opening Day at Wrigley Field.  37 degrees at game time.  A cool breeze coming in off  Lake Michigan.  In the fourth inning, I chased a pop fly down the right field line, tripped over the pitcher's mound in the visitor's bullpen, and fell kind of awkwardly against a bench along the wall.  I felt something "pop" in my right shoulder.  When I fielded a ground ball a couple of batters later, my throw to my first baseman went high over his head and into the stands.  It never got better.

. 

BC:  That bullpen has caught a lot of guys over the years.  Did they diagnose an injury?
.

TH:  That's the funny thing.  There was that "pop" when I fell.  They sat me for a few days, had me do a lot of physical therapy, and I got a lot of deep muscle massage.  But none of the x-rays, MRI's or scopes, (then or later for that matter), came up with anything definitive.  And I had no pain.

 .

BC:  But you couldn't get the ball over to first base?

 .

TH:  Weirdest thing ever.  I had played ball for 20-odd years and all of a sudden, I couldn't even get it close to first base.

 .

BC:  What happened next?

 .

TH:  Well, they did all the things you might expect.  They sent me down to the Florida Instructional League for the rest of that year, trying various things to find my throw.  Obviously, nothing worked.  They had me meet with a sports psychologist of course, and even a hypnotist near the end.  When nothing worked, they told me to "go fishing" for the Winter and come back with a clear head next Spring.  So I spent the off-season on the beach in Key West and worked on my tan.  I gave it another shot that next Spring, but my first throw in the first inter squad game at camp in Arizona was caught by some kid in the third row of the stands.  I was done.

. 

BC: I remember that story on the wires, but there wasn't much follow-up.  It was kind of like you fell off the face of the earth for ten years.  What happened?

 .

TH: Well, my mental health wasn't at a high point, for sure.  I had spent more than twenty-five years working on my trade.  Depending on your math, that was maybe forty percent of my life expectancy, and I was all of a sudden back at the starting line.  I mean I was a non-functioning baseball player.  Even though the Cubs offered me some positions with their minor league organization, I had no interest in coaching or managing in the game.  (I still don't get it why those guys wear uniforms!) 

. 

BC:  Lots of former players get into the broadcast booth.

. 

TH:  True enough, Bob, but I had always had trouble speaking in front of people, and I just didn't want to do something for the paycheck.  I was depressed and really at a loss.

 .

BC:  Well, you're now #1 on The Times Best Seller list, so obviously something good happened.  What was it?

. 

TH:  The Wrigleyville area around the ball park had quickly become one of my favorite spots to eat out, meet people and entertain friends.  The owners of most of the places took real good care of all of the ball players; always great service and "below radar" treatment.  The Sport's Corner at Addison and Sheffield behind right field became a second home for me in the Summer of 1999.

. 

BC:  You wouldn't be the first ball player to hang out too much at the bars.

. 

TH:  I drank a lot of iced tea that year, Bob.  And ate a lot of Chicago-style hot dogs.  The owner, Myron Hampton, was a real hoot.  Still is.  He had lots of stories. 

. 

BC:  Wait a second, I spend quite a bit of time in Chicago, and I have certainly been at The Sports Corner a few times. As I recall now, that place that opened next door a few year's back is named "Wild Over First".  That's your book's title, right?

. 

TH:  There you go, Bob.  Myron owned the brownstone on Sheffield next to the bar and he kept telling me all that Summer how much he wanted to develop that property as an add-on to The Sports Corner.  I told him that a place with specialty hot dogs could make it in the Summer, for sure.  And with all the finer restaurants on Clark Street, a person could do a wine bar in the evenings.

. 

BC:  That's quite the combination, Tommy.

. 

TH:  That's what Myron said.  But we had become really good friends, and he thought we could just go 100% dogs if the wine idea didn't work out.  He was (and is) a hard-core baseball fan, and he wanted to help out another hard-core baseball guy who had literally lost his game.

.

BC:  I hear those "Tommy Dogs" have won First Prize in the Chicago Dog competition each of the last several years at the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park.

. 

TH:  I'm pretty proud of that score, Bob.

. 

BC:  And what's the box score on the wine venture look like?

 .

TH:  We're making headway.  The customers always come back.  We could use a few more.  You should stop in the next time you're at Wrigley.

 .

BC:  You can count on that, buddy.  But getting back to the book, how did Feinstein get into the picture?

. 

TH:  Oh, he's a long time customer at The Sports Corner too.  He didn't know who I was for the longest time, and then when he found out, I couldn't get rid of him.  He thought people would want to hear my story.  Plus, I think that his rotation of sport's books had found it's way to baseball and he was desperate for a story.

 .

BC:  Interesting.  I'm sure that John appreciates your candor.  Or not.  OK folks, we have to wrap up this segment.  Tommy, I want you to come back again.  It's a great story.  Love the hot dogs.  And now a word from our sponsors.

Monday

Just a couple of pics from the weekend.  Lots of in-house time in the TC with 1.01.  The snow came in Sunday morning and travel became problematic.  But we had original entertainment with us.  So life was good.

Auntie Tooie did her best to spoil 1.01, playing all the age-appropriate games with her until something else grabbed her attention (1.01's!).  Plastic balls, blocks, and musical toys can be very amusing.

Finally, LtPC got a little attention when he split some oranges on Saturday afternoon, and 1.01 couldn't get enough.  Just like her mother.

A little excitement getting out of the hotel parking lot in the TC this morning, but SB's was open, and we enjoyed a last visit before the morning nap.  The trip home was not bad once we hit the Iowa border. Even made it to spin class at 5:30.  Glad to be in my own bed tonight. 

Busy day tomorrow.  The many moving parts are extremely disconnected.

BCOT