Monday

Monday. Lots of stuff going on here today. Typical for the first day of the week.

It was warm enough here today that I stopped by my house over lunch when I was out running errands and opened some windows. I'll have to close them tonight, but they say tomorrow is looking like another good day. Then cooler the rest of the week. My house gets so stuffy in the Winter and has that "old house" smell to it. The again, it is an old house.

Readers might want to check out www.criteriumfinancial.com to see 3 with her new BBF. The shot was taken just a couple of weeks ago in Omaha.

Tomorrow is Mother's birthday. She would have been 99.

I met with the salesperson for the radio stations today about the spots for us that I finally received approval for from my Compliance office in KC. They are one minute spots read by the host (on tape), touting our sponsorship of the Memorial Day bike races. We're going to start out with just two per week for the first six weeks, but then shift to a little more active schedule in May when race day gets closer. On the morning drive show. In the near future, I may get them posted on the website as well.

I did a letter to the local paper's sports reporter who has written a couple of stories lately about a game scheduled for next Fall's basketball pre-season between the local small college, St. Ambrose, and ND in South Bend. (I think they changed the rules last year enabling D-I schools to play D-III teams in the pre-season which won't go against the maximum game count for their schedules. This competition in lieu of those touring club teams from foreign countries or commercial-sponsored amateur teams in the US.)

Anyway, the reporter had an initial story saying that this was going to be the first meeting ever between the two schools. Then in a follow-up story, he related the feed-back from several local readers who were involved in a similar game in SB back in 1957. One of those readers actually played in the game. That reader is a now-retired businessman, community leader of sorts who has a pretty good way with words. The reporter gave him credit for remembering "everything" about the game, including that it was played in the old "Rock gym" at ND.

I had to point out to the sports writer that his source may not have actually remembered "everything". The fact is that the old fieldhouse at ND was never known as anything other than "the fieldhouse". "The Rock" was, and still is, the Rockne Memorial, a students' facility on the old South Quad with basketball and handball courts, and a swimming pool. (Back in my day, the pick-up games at The Rock were legendary. But that is another story.) I told the writer that the small embellishment went well with his story. No harm. No foul.

He didn't respond to my letter.

My experience with the guy is that he likes to dish it out, but has pretty thin skin when it comes his way. I wrote him several years ago when he butchered a story on a TdF stage and he subsequently announced in print that he would never do another cycling story because he got so many responses critiquing his ignorant interpretation of the facts. To my knowledege, he has remained true to his word.

4 needs to suck it up and give us some material. We miss her thoughts.

So have a good evening.

Be careful out there.