FFF. StL. June 26 -28, 2009.

Tuesday

The smart phone is up and running, and sync'd with my desktop at the office. I barely know how to turn it on, but it does work.

The big question of the day is, "If football and basketball teams have coaches, why do baseball teams have managers?" And if a movie star has a manager, why do they also have acting coaches? Shel Silverstein, where art thou?

Another RCL day here in Bettendorf. Life's small pleasures.

StL in 48-72 hours.

More tomorrow.

BCOT

Monday

Well, I-80 was everything that was expected for a Sunday afternoon. Back home around 1830.

While I didn't actually get to a game, I did pass by Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha during the College World Series. The finals start tonight with Texas-LSU in the best of three.

I also passed by the Iowa Raceway track in Newton where they held an Indy-car race yesterday. Dario Franchitti of Ashley Judd fame was the winner. The traffic headed back to DM was bumper-to-bumper.

This entry is coming to you from a US Cellular outlet where they are now in the 75 minute range of trying to convert our phones to a business account. If my pal Bill was not here, I would have been long gone. (I actually walked out of another US Cellular store on Friday when I tried to initiate the transaction myself and they started with the bureaucratic BS.) American business in general suffers from a condition called "anti-automated-systemitis". Basically, that means that if you want to do anything that requires a human to enter a transaction that could under normal conditions be handled through an automated process, the human transaction will be screwed up.

Congrats to RevKev for the completion of his first triathlon. There is a very small part of me that envys the ability to take on such challenges. When I was young and ambitious, the physical challenges were big motivators. Now, I'm just glad that I can keep rubber between me and the road. Here! Here to RevKev!!

Lots of stories in the media about the celebrations at Stonehenge yesterday. My only observation is from a half-empty-glass perspective: we now begin to lose sunlight. My pal Pete and I like that early morning ride where we take off at 0520. As is the plan for tomorrow.

I had planned to get out tonight as well, but the hay field that is my yard beckons. I'm also on the hook for my perfect neighbor' who had rotator cuff surgery last week. So with 94 degree heat and two yards to do, I'll get plenty of exercise.

Thanks for the Father's Day messages. We'll celebrate for real in Stl. Belated Father's Day wishes to all of the dad's out there.

Finally, my new favorite saying (that I heard on the radio on my trip last weekend from basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla); "There are three kinds of people, 1) people who know, 2) people who don't know, and 3) people who don't know that they don't know."

Maybe more later.

BCOT

Sunday

Checking in from the SB's down the street from 4's apartment in Lincoln. Not a lot different from any other SB's.

My day yesterday began early and all went according to the schedule. The U-Haul van was easy enough to drive, and I found 4's place with only a small amount of problems (just in her neighborhood). She lives in a typical large apartment complex with lots of units, in an area with lots of similar complexes. I suppose that you get to a college town, and there's a need for large numbers of rental places.

We did a little tour of Lincoln yesterday afternoon, and then had a nice evening together with dinner at a nearby Macaroni Grill, and then to the movies to see Star Trek. I continue to like the Macaroni Grill (although the wine list is a bit pedestrian), and we both agreed that the fam had seen much worse movies on Christmas Eves past.

I got the thrill of sleeping on the air mattress (not the worst experience of my life), and 4 got to celebrate her new bed (report to follow). The air mattress reminded me a little of the water bed that my roommate had when I was in grad school at Iowa. He had a cheap one that didn't have a "wave control" system, so you roll over and it's like you're at the beach. Since this air mattress is leak-free challenged, the wave thing was there.

We're headed to breakfast. And then I'm headed East. Love I-80.

More later.

BCOT

Thursday

3 gets Daughter of the Day for being the first person in a month to actually acknowledge the existence of 4KDays. Not that I am motivated by my readership or anything.
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This is not my favorite pic, but the more recent ones are all on the laptop which I do not have here at the office today. If I knew entry-level skills on Photo Shop, I would have edited the pic to get a head-and-shoulders shot, but obviously I missed that session in Photography 101.
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Planning today for the trip to Lincoln included changing the U-Haul reservation since I got the call this AM saying that the closest trailer for my needs was in Rock Falls, Illinois (60 miles East of here)! The clerk point out that my reservation did read in the fine print, "subject to availability". Thanks a lot. I now have a van reserved for the trip (at a slightly higher price, of course).
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The Quad Cities Air Show is here this weekend. The Blue Angels have been roaring overhead today practicing their routines. It's a big draw.

More later.
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BCOT

Wednesday

The first hot and humid day of the Summer. 85 plus humidity today. Not my kind of weather. I'm camping out in my basement this evening. Amazing what a good dehumidifier can do for creature comforts.

4's television station has a Twitter address. Check it out: channel8abc. KLKN television in Lincoln.

I'm thinking that Twitter will fail as a business proposition. Reality has it's limits. While there is an element of vicarious interest in a celebrity's activities, everybody gets tired of everybody after a while. Who cares if Brit had a footlong at Subway?

Relatedly, the social networking site MySpace laid off 400 people this week (30% of it's workforce). The dynamic just keeps evolving. What worked last year is now passe.

Tiger Woods takes a lot of heat for his keeping his distance from the public. But with camera phones, instant messaging, Twitter, and the blogsphere, no one is safe from prying eyes and mud-rakers. Can you say Michael Phelps?

Another weekend with the fam on the move. C-town. Lincoln. Who knows with 3? Then it's the StL a week from Friday.

Can Mauer hit .400?

More later.

BCOT

Sunday

TOMRV was a success, although it was a long, long day.

I got up early enough to take off around 0630, but a light rain was falling and the Northern horizon looked pretty ominous, so I did what any cautious fair-weather-rider would do, I went to SB's to consider the possibilities. After an hour or so, the rain had abated, and I elected to head for the hills.

Most riders must have gone ahead and started at their normal times, because I never really saw the "crowd". My breakfast stop at mile 15 around 0915 had a good number, but not the size I usually see there. The first real "sag" stop was at mile 28 and there were hardly any riders there taking a break. By the time I hit the second sag near my halfway point around noon, the volunteers were closing up shop.

In addition to my late start, there was also a bit of a head-wind coming out of the Northeast. This kept my flat-surface average speed under 15 MPH, which is really too slow for the distance needed to be covered. The only people I passed all day was a dad and his grade-school-aged daughter (who was only doing a few miles) with mom following in the van with lights flashing. If it was NASCAR, they would have "black-flagged" me (too slow on the track).

By the last third of the ride, I had settled in to a bit of a rhythm and maintained contact with a few riders who seemed to fit my profile (read: old and philosophical). The last 20 into Galena are the hardest due to Tahoe-like grades on several of the climbs. The butt was definitely feeling it. And the left hammy. Finally rolled in around 1615. Can't say that any part of the actual ride was fun. 2 was waiting for me at the appointed bar.

We went inside to have a cold one before heading home, and proceeded to party for over two hours with a small group of riders from the Illinois side who were in that cadre (mentioned right above) that I loosely connected with those last several miles into town. The spouses had driven to Galena and they were all ready to party. Turns out that I actually knew a couple of the guys from business things, and there were social connections as well. It's a small world.

2 was a loyal DD and politely declined each of the several rounds (including Jagermeister shots!) that found their way to our table. Really made the day a great day, and the seat-time worth it. I'm sure that I'll see this group again.

I've always said that TOMRV wasn't the RAGBRAI, party-kind of ride, as it's just too hard for the casual rider, and even the more serious rider can't afford to start pounding brewskies at 10AM. But the party in Galena may be testimony to the contrary. If you have a group like that, a party can break out anyplace.

Lots of yard work today.

Sounds like 4 got the first stage of moving-in in Lincoln handled. We'll be anxious to hear details.

And 3 was partying hardy in NYC last night. We are a very cosmopolitan group!

More later.

BCOT

Friday

The best laid plans...

The plan was to have Mom and 4 head over to Lincoln early tomorrow in 4's car, and then 2 and I would follow with the U-Hall and Mom's car when I got done with my TOMRV ride later in the day. Unfortunately, the U-Haul connection didn't. So Mom and 4 will take what they can in the two cars and I'll take the big stuff over next weekend when we have the U-Hall arrangements all covered.

I plan to take off a little after 6 in the morning, if it's not raining. 2 is supposed to meet me 85 miles later in Galena at 2 PM. I'll stop several times along the way. Part of the entry fee is for the treats provided to the riders at the "sag" stops. Those stops are spaced at approximately 20 mile intervals. I should average 15-17 mph while riding. (I'll be one of the slower guys in the pack.) The scheduled finish in Dubuque is 108 miles. The return trip on Sunday is only 86 miles.

I'm taking the mini-digital along, so I should have some pics to post tomorrow night.

All for now. Good luck to the travelers.

BCOT

Wednesday

1 and 2 at the Twins' game last month.

Nice party last night for my pal Pete's 60th. His office staff did a nice job and several good friends from out of town even made the trip. I had him out on a late afternoon bike ride as a diversion. Naturally, I got him to the church a half hour late.

I'll post a picture here tomorrow. I loaded some pics on my desktop, but can't seem to access that file from my laptop, and I left the camera at the office.

This is one of those weeks where I am one day off. This feels like Thursday.

One of the unfortunate realities of my life is the fact that I'm going to have to change my route for weekday afternoon/evening bike rides. The DCC route has become way too busy for a casual ride. It's not a safety fear, but rather the stress of staying on high alert all the time. I'd say that traffic is up 20% over last year, which is a little surprising since housing starts/completions out that way aren't all that bustling. Whatever. Let's hear it for progress.

My pal Bill took off this morning for a Canadian fishing trip with three other old, old friends. They drove to International Falls, and then get flown in a pontoon plane to the camp and are dumped at the site. They're on their own for five days. I love Boom-Boom, but five days off the grid in remote Canada is outside my areas of interest. Not matter how much alcohol is involved.

For the Miss Homemakers in the crowd, my RCL does windows. Inside and out. She had me set out my step ladder for her use yesterday.

Have a great evening.

BCOT

Monday

One of the hardest circuits around Davenport CC ever tonight. Great tail wind on the outward leg, but brutal coming home. Standing peddling on the flat to maintain 8 mph. Ouch!!! If it's anything like that on Saturday morning, TOMRV will be a mail-it-in exercise.

The primary race in Europe this week is the Dauphine Libere which is a week-long stage race in southeastern France, and several of this year's TdF likely-contenders are in the peloton. Like many years, it has a number of climbs that are often also in the TdF. On the map this year is the Galibier, the mountain that is my primary objective in our trip to Italy in September.

My pal Pete's 60th birthday is this week. Such an old f**t. We're doing brewsky's on the deck at Guv's tomorrow to celebrate.

Looks like a big weekend move to Lincoln this week. U-Haul and all. More Real Life 101.

I'm wondering what the gay versus straight ratio was at the Tony's was last night. Actually, I'm not.

Is there a sports star more disliked than Kobe?

I'm hosting a little family reunion the weekend in July when Phil comes through town on his way to Ottumwa for his 50th high school reunion. Now I need to contact some family. We have a number of cousins and other shoe-string relatives in town. I'm so social.

All for now.

BCOT

Sunday

I'm almost looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. Golfing three straight days was just a little too much for me. Today was a day of rest.

4 and Mom have spent the weekend apartment-hunting in Lincoln. What they hoped to get done by Saturday afternoon took an extra day. 4 will now have a busy week getting ready for starting her job a week from Monday. Hello, Life 101!!

The GM bankruptcy event has come into play with one of my clients who was in the process of buying a GM dealership that was under some stress. Before the execution of a Letter of Intent, the dealer received one of the "Notice " letters, so the price of the proposed acquisition was discounted further. Subsequently, the dealer also got a Directive Letter from the "New GM" that further twisted the screws. I'm hoping that my client will just walk away from the deal, but my instincts tell me that my guy now thinks that he really has a good deal.

Tiger made a statement today with his come-from-behind victory on the golf tour. I'm guessing that the rest of the field now expects that they'll need more than a little luck to beat him at the next "Major" in New York in a couple of weeks. He birdied the last two holes (which were the hardest on the course) to win by two after starting the day down by 4. Impressive.

There was an article in the local paper today promoting fist-bumping as a preferred alternative to hand-shakes in business and casual greetings. I've been a fist-bumper, elbow-nudger for over two years, ever since I got the plague from 2 during the 2006 Christmas season. I've found the exercise to-shake-or-not-to-shake a bit uneven. There are times where it just is easier to conform and shake.

In the Winter, I used the old, "I've just had the flu", excuse to deflect an extended hand. Most of my friends know that I don't like to shake and they'll do the bump. It's that first encounter with a new acquaintance (or competitor on the golf course) where you have to make that decision whether to make a stand. Or not.

The Catholics at Mass are the worst. Not only do you have the "Kiss of Peace" hand shake with all contiguous seatees (pewees?), but they share wine from the same chalice. Ugh. And yuck. (I'm pretty sure that I have mentioned this phobia before in this tome.)

My pal Pete's son is completing his coast-to-coast biking trip this week in Charleston, South Carolina. Pete's scheduled to get down there to ride with them on the last couple of days. The ride was a cancer fund-raiser, and I applaud them for the effort. But that's way too much seat time for me. I get bored after three days on RAGBRAI. See www.blog.dannysride.org.

No major plans for the week. TOMRV Saturday.

BCOT

Saturday

Great day yesterday. So-so golf. But great party.

Looks like rain today.

Lots of the fam on the road.

I should be done with golf early this afternoon. Will catch up here this evening.

BCOT

Friday

18 yesterday. 27 today. Beautiful weather. Lt. P.C. has played better golf in his day.

4 and Mom are headed to Lincoln today to look for apartments. The station called 4 earlier this week and wants her on the job on the 15th. So much for decompression time after graduation.

Have a great weekend.

BCOT

Tuesday

My pal Bill and I are in the process of upgrading our mobile devices to smart phone technology. In addition to the normal comparison-shopping, we're having to bring in our office IT vendor and the IT boys from my B/D to make sure that all the email remains secure. Our situation is a little more complicated because our accounting firm and Criterium share an exchange server. Fire walls, span filters, synchronization, etc. and et al.

Once this decision gets made, we get to jump into the questions on our land line system. The fun never stops. The great part about this is that the solutions are always cheap.

In health-related news, I've started another dental project. My top front four teeth are on a bridge that has been cracked for a couple of years. In doing the math, I've figured that my normal annual out-of-pocket dental costs are less than the insurance premium, so I've decided to fix the bridge in 2009 and go off the insurance in 2010. (The bridge project exceeds $3K of which the insurance covers half.) As a preliminary measure, I'm now doing a little whitening program on the rest of my teeth in anticipating a slightly whiter replacement bridge. I feel so Hollywood.

Quite a bit of golf the rest of this week. A guest event at the course in Muscatine. Should be fun if the rain stays away.

More tomorrow.

BCOT

Monday

And just what happened to May?

The wife of my perfect neighbor (Jim) decided last week that she (Judy) wanted to raise some blueberries and raspberries. Since she has fully utilized her entire yard, she concluded that a nice sunny space behind my garage, in my yard, was the perfect place for the patch. So last night we had a planting party, setting out four bushes. Judy isn't someone to debate, so I just sat on the little hillside and watched. Jim and I just do what she tells us to do. We'll see if we get any berries. Probably not this year.

I was the guy who dumped his almost full grande Americano at SB's this AM. I was just sitting by myself in one of the plush chairs reading the paper with the cup on a side table. I reached for the cup, hit it perfectly, and pushed it right off the table. I'm wondering how many of those that they have each day? Fortunatly for me, I had none of my buds around to attest to my ineptitude. I'm sure that I'll do it again. Hoping it's not too soon.

My pal Roy is back in-country from his trip to Africa. Details tomorrow at coffee.

Here's a little news from Augustana basketball. They just released their 2009-2010 schedule. Along with their normal pre-season visits to other highly-ranked D-III schools (including two-time defending champion Washington out of StL), they take a little jaunt to Spokane on December 9th to play Gonzaga. Yes. That Gonzaga! Suite.

I'm also wondering how the broadcast networks rationalize any enthusiasm for advertising re-runs of their evening shows during the Summer. I mean, for example, CBS thought enough of The Unit to cancel it for next Fall. (I mean it wasn't a great show, so it's not like we're at a loss.) But throughout the last few holes of the Sunday PGA event, that went to two holes of sudden-death, they must have pitched The Unit a dozen times.

Let's see. This is a crap show, but because we have to air something to fill the slot, this is it, and it's a really good show!!! But it probably won't be here next week. Maybe those ad guys should go work for the closed Chrysler dealerships.

All for tonight. Have a great evening.

BCOT