Monday

4 gets the award for Most Newsy comment on the blog.

Knowing absolutely nothing about those in play, I had told my pal Roy that my money was on the woman candidate once the finalists were announced.

1A sent me an article last week from a fitness mag about some specialty travel outfits that led tours of the Tour de France for average riders. I've looked previously at those deals, and they tend to be very expensive. My preference is to go on a combination riding/wining trip in Northern Italy, checking out the Dolomites and Tuscany. 2 and I have talked about such a trip. A small group could make it fun. But a bigger organized tour group would be too much for me to handle, I think. We'll see. I need to save my shekels.

The Indy cars had a so-so day in Newton. Open-wheeled cars on that configuration of a track makes for an iffy proposition. I think they had trouble finding room to pass, with a majority of the cars crashing. By the end of the race, only 10 cars were still running. (Part of the problem may have been the tire composition and wing set-ups mandated by the IRL mucky-mucks.) The paper also said that the parking process for the fans was not so good. Still, for the first time for a big race, in Newton, Iowa!, it had to be considered an overall success. They'll run a better operation next time.

The backyard neighbor of my next door neighbor put in a wooden privacy fence last month, and it's already showing signs of disrepair. Bowing out in spots. Loose boards. My next door neighbor and I were chatting last night, and he said that the guy hired it done, but used the guy who had the cheapest bid. Sometimes you do get what you pay for.

Anthony Edwards' backseat character (Goose) in Top Gun, cautioned pilot Tom Cruise (Maverick) as he started an unusual move in one of their simulated air-combat missions, to remember that the manufacturer of their high-tech fighter plane was the low-bidder.

If government bureaucrats and politicians always want the cheapest price, why aren't they all driving Yugo's?

4's comment was much better than anything I can do today. So I'm off to take a spin in Margret.

Be careful out there.