Friday

I have no excuse for failing to get here this week. My evenings were no more congested than other times. Maybe a little less motivation or something. Whatever.
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My current Amex bill had the gift that keeps on giving; the Hertz bill for the car in Italia. The transaction got posted the day after my September billing cycle closed, so it appeared on the October statement. No surprise, but I did calculate out that the exchange rate was $1.52+, which is no small currency loss on that transaction alone.
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I have no direct point of reference, so it's hard to say if the trip cost more than it should have. Or not. When I first started thinking about it two years ago, I anticipated a Euro dollar at maybe $1.25 US dollars. In that line of reasoning, I spent an additional 20% ((1.50 - 1.25) /1.25) for the deflated US dollar to finance the experience. And since I had no control on that cost, I can intuit that 2 and I spent 10 days on the road in Italia (air, hotels, car, bike, and cash) for less than 5 grand, all in. I can live with that.

The march to the Turkey Trot is going slowly. With less than four weeks to go, I have serious concerns on my ability to make the one hour time goal. My outside runs have revealed a lack of wind in these old lungs. And not much better on the treadmill at Gold's. We'll see.

It looks like a new phone system here in the office will happen before Christmas. We are still using the same equipment and technology that we installed when we built the building 20 years ago. Most of the features on new phones can't be just added to our existing hardware through a black box concept as the digital technology just won't communicate with our analog-based stuff. Of course, I can't tell you the difference between digital and analog, but that's a separate topic.

A partial culling of my plant collection occurrred last week when I left several of my indoor plants out on too-cold of a night. Tropicals just don't handle frost all that well. Note the top of my big ficus. I'm thinking that this occurrence was akin to "defensive indifference", the term used in baseball to describe the defensive team's lack of concern for a baserunner's advancing to second or third when that team in the field is ahead by several runs in the last inning. Maybe a stretch, but it is the season for baseball analogies.

I generally don't root for the Yankees (or any American League team in the WS), but I'm glad they won last night. Pedro is such a tool.

And I'm in the camp that is glad to see Mark McGuire coming back into baseball as the hitting coach for the Cards in 2010. I'm wondering what he will need to do to satisfy the dirt-seeking sports writers/talk show hosts on the 'roids thing? I can live with no revisiting of the past, but the media hacks won't be so kind. The Cards and McGuire need a plan to face the music on Day 1 of training camp so that it won't be the constant topic all of Spring Training. And beyond. Then again, for some writers, they'll never give McGuire a break. As though everyone in Cooperstown is a saint.

ND flexes it's TV muscle tomorrow with a "home" game in the Alamo Dome in San Antonio against Washington State. Huh? I read the story on NBC's webpage and the concept is kind of interesting, but it also reflects ND's snootiness side. (Not to mention notredamenomics! (sic)) With the 12 game schedule, ND is now structured to have 7 (!) South Bend games every year, four for the road, and one "home" game at a neutral site. With traditional home-and-home relationships with USC, Purdue, Michigan, and Michigan State, the scheduler will need an abacus, at least.

Back to work. Have a great weekend.

BCOT

Sunday

Well, I survived The Night of the Living Winnie last night. It wasn't too bad. A couple of messes, but I don't exactly live in a palace. And things can be cleaned. We watched some football, took some walks, and generally hung out. She's an early-riser, and we took our two-mile morning jaunt at 0530.

I wouldn't do well with a full-time pet. I have enough trouble keeping track of myself, let alone have to worry about another party. Winnie, when in the house and not in her kennel, follows you around like the toddler who is constantly at your knees. And, for the obvious reasons, she needs lots of outside walking time. 2 may need a semi-regular dog-sitter so that she can have some alone-time.

(I'm sitting here on my couch with both of my digital cameras, my smart phone, wireless mouse, and the Direct TV clicker all at hand. When I try to switch between the Yankee baseball game, and the Arizona-NY football game, it's been taking me at least two attempts as I keep picking up the wrong device. The phone and the cameras are good, but not that good.)

2 will be pleased (probably not interested) to learn that the organizers have just announced that the 2010 Giro d'Italia will have it's celebratory final stage finish in the historic Romanesque Arena in Verona (exactly where we visited last month). Cool stuff. The Arena comprises one side of our favorite spot in Verona, the Piazza Bra'.

That last stage is an individual time trial, and they'll clear out the floor seating shown in the pic. After pounding around a route through the streets of Verona, they'll finish with a lap around the Arena. Kind of like what the race organizers did at the Green Bay Marathon where they had the runners do a lap around the inside of Lambeau Field.

While 2 may get her thrills out of The Arena being in next year's race, I'm more interested in the Giro's choice of spokesperson for the 2010 event.

Need to give props to the Hawks, the 'Clones, and the Irish for all winning games Saturday that could all have gone the other way. Of the three, ISU probably pulled the biggest surprise as a win in Lincoln is pretty special. Iowa's last second, last play win was storybook stuff. ND is just trying to get wins, and maybe they deserve a break or two after a couple of forgettable seasons. (Getting these logos positioned here is a pain in the backside for sure.)

I received editorial clearance today to provide the link the blog under construction by 3 and 4. Check out www.thehoranies.com.

The girls are trying to add to this on a more regular basis. To date, there's just a handful of postings. Both can give us stuff worth reading.

We now enter one of my least favorite weeks of the year, that of Halloween. The trick or treating, the inane parades, the endless rebroadcasting of the same movies. Can a person be "Bah Humbug" earlier than Christmas?

Have a great week. Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Friday

Not much to report. My sump pump has had a good workout over the last 24 hours.

It looks like I may have Winnie responsibilities Saturday as 2 makes a trip over to IC for an event, and SRH is conveniently on the road with some friends for a Master Gardener workshop in Ames. I've used Ames with friends as cover in my lifetime, so Master Gardener workshop sounds legit to me.

Off to Biaggi's for our own version of Friday Night Lights.

BCOT

Thursday

The topic for today is instant replay in Major League Baseball. And thoughts on other types of regulatory control.

The boys in blue (the umps) have had a tough time of it in the play-offs this month. Replays have shown numerous blown calls on not just bang-bang plays at first base, but on fair/foul calls on balls hit down the lines, force outs, tag outs, and one bizarre play the other night at third base in the Yankees-Angels game. With the blanket coverage on the live TV broadcast, endless replays on Sportscenter, and the chorus of calls for justice on sports talk radio, baseball has a problem.

I haven't followed the games close enough to know if any of these blown calls have decided a game or not. (I did see where a blown ball-strike call by the home plate ump in tonight's game cost the Angel's starter his place in the game.) But the use of instant replay in virtually all of the other pro sports (and for home run calls in MLB), almost demands that baseball look at ways to improve this area of the game.

Old School baseball people (me included) are reluctant to change the game. Of all the major sports, baseball, much more so than the others, has resisted change. (For example, traditionalists continue to maintain that the Designated Hitter cheapens the game.) Although the game's stewards have followed the Sirens' enchanted song to a longer season and TV money, they still use the wooden bats and the heater is still king. And if the ball easily beats the runner to the bag, I am not terribly troubled if he's called out, even if the fielder's swipe misses the tag. That's part of the game.

But just as basketball can go to the replay to see if a shot beats the buzzer, and football can review many of the calls, baseball needs to do something. There's no reason why replay shouldn't be used on fair/foul issues. Maybe tag outs. Maybe tag up disputes on sacrifice flies. Not balls and strikes. I don't think first base outs. And I don't want a darn computer telling me if the shortstop stayed on the bag long enough on a double play. It's a slippery slope.

(The cynic in me wonders whether the Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson might implore the President to intervene here for what must surely be discrimination. I mean the umps are calling people out. You don't call these good people out. If they want to stay in the closet, that's their choice.)

Moving on...

I had planned to comment on the recent news about government limiting executive pay, but it has gotten a little late on me. Suffice it to say, this is a political issue. (If you put the math to the Cash for Clunkers program, you're talking about billions spent gratuitously with little to show for it. But great press reviews. And the proposed $250 per retiree Social Security payment is nothing but a bribe to AARP.) There has been Infernal (sic) Revenue Code and Treasury regulatory guidance that has limited officer compensation in certain situations forever. I think that the Administration is really now talking about the Wall Street compensation limits in almost a penal sense. Another slippery slope. As the esteemed Charles Barkley said, "I ain't never got a job from a poor guy."

And to bed.

BCOT

Wednesday

Notice the upward gaze in the new photograph used for my homepage here. It's a "WTF" moment as I must be doing a little computation of my immediate future midway up the Galibier. Caught on the zoom lens by 2 from a perch on a switch-back further up the mountain.

My pal Roy and I had to run into C-town Monday to meet a a guy about another one of Roy's company's. Flying private to a little airfield on the North side called Palwaukee Airport. I was along for support as the matter was more of Roy listening to another plea for capital. (He has a lot of folks who think he is their answer to bad economics. Whatever.)

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Anyway, I'm sitting in the lounge doing another one of 3's Outside The Box NYT's crosswords when a big guy comes over and sits down opposite me, snarfing down a Diet Coke and a chocolate-frosted donut. (Is there a more obvious disparate combination?) I notice an ND logo on his briefcase, and then getting a direct look at his face, I realize that I'm sharing the waiting area with Charlie Weis!

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LtPC: Coach Weis, I'm an ND alum from way back. What the heck are you doing here?

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CW: Just getting back from a recruiting trip up North. We had an alumni association rep in our party who had to get to a fund-raiser in Winnetka tonight, and this was the closest airport. Now they decided that we needed to refuel our plane. When did you graduate? And what are you doing here?

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LtPC: Before your time. 1971. I'm here with a client who is in the conference room putting the squeeze on a guy who hasn't been able to meet his revenue projections for the year, and who now wants more capital for a new product. My official role on this one is traveling companion. So did you get the recruit?

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CW: Who knows. Kids these days change their minds every day. We won't know for sure until signing day. And even then there's always the possibility of a last minute change of heart. I hate recruiting. At least in the pros, the money is out front on the table. You never know with the college game.

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LtPC: Didn't you have a bunch of recruits in South Bend on Saturday for the USC game? How'd that work out?

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CW: Kind of like the game. It would have been better if we had won.

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LtPC: It looked like the USC defensive line was the difference in the game.

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CW: Yeah. We knew that they'd be tough. I think they got worn down though by the end of the game. I mean, they had a pretty good workout chasing Jimmy down all afternoon.

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LtPC. How come you don't get those type of guys at ND?

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CW: Two words: Sunshine and academics.

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LtPC: But you had to know that coming in here. Winter has been a bear here forever. And we always had a smattering of the football players in our regular classes in the '60's and '70's.

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CW: Kids today can play in the South or West and get the same amout of TV time as playing at ND. And without naming names, I don't think that they make it to all that many calculus or engineering classes.

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LtPC: That's not likely to change.

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CW: I don't know. Coach Holtz won a national championship here. He said academics are for losers. (Of course, there was a bit of a cloud when he left here.) Father Jenkins and the Board want to get back to those big paydays in the BCS. And we need some stars to compete. Plus, Father Hesburgh and Father Obama are both committed to getting us back on course.

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LtPC: What does the President have to do with this? And do you realize that you just called him "Father?"

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CW: Oh, he received all kinds of distinctions when he was here for commencement in May. They didn't publicize it, but as part of his honorary degree, they also added Holy Orders in the fine print. He and Mayor Dailey had a couple of Olympic events scheduled for our facilities and that was going to mean a bunch of upgrades at no cost to anyone. I'm not sure where the funding is going to come from now.

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LtPC: Coach, I don't think that it's wise to mix religion and politics. Can't you just get some players who can run fast?

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CW: We're working on it, LtPC. In the meantime, we're upgrading our schedule. Next year we have William and Mary instead of Michigan, so our secondary will definitely show improvement.

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LtPC: Right, Coach. Gotta run. You seem to have everything covered.

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CW: Thanks. Make sure you send in your contribution to the university. Make it a big one.

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LtPC: You can bet on it.

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My pal Roy and I had a pleasant trip home.

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BCOT

Sunday

Congrats to 1.1 on his completion of the Des Moines marathon. He deserves another, "You 'da man!" Although, really, doing two marathons in a month suggests a need for a sanity check-up.

3 and 4 can crow for the week with the Hawkeyes' win at Wisconsin yesterday. The way that Iowa plays, every game is an adventure, but if they keep at it, they have a chance each Saturday.

The Irish played well and came close to USC, but with the loss they now need to book their rooms for the Outback/Gator/Sun/Boise/Whatever Bowl. Whoopie.

I feel badly that we haven't had a proper celebration for 3's birthday. She was in NYC beginning Thursday night, and she had a full schedule for the weekend. We need to make this up to her at our next FFF.

2 was over for a very laid back Friday night and we shared a bottle of Italian red that was bottled in a town that we actually spent some time in last month. Peschiera. A small town West of Verona, near Lake Garda. It was a bottle that I picked up at Hy Vee last week. Not bad.

I'm back at Gold's on a semi-regular basis. Part jogging. A couple of spin classes per week. Just trying to get ready for the Turkey Trot. Occasionally wondering about a plan for 2010.

Here's a thought: when you're mind is working, what tense does it spend the most time in? This concept came to me this morning at spin class when the instructor kept talking about where we were on her imaginary ride. Regardless of her chatter, the only thing I was thinking about was my trek in the Alps last month. She would be talking about accelerating to the crest. I was remembering how I was just trying to get in another 100 meters before I had to rest again.

Anyway, the question of where you spend your thinking time is pretty interesting. Just about everything you do, all of your personality traits, and lots of intangibles influence this allocation. When you're real young, it's always the present, and the future. For the older crowd, the past seems to be stronger. And for the big segment covering the balance of the crowd, the meter is all over the place.

When you live alone, you have lots of time to think. (I suppose living alone is not necessarily a control factor, as people living unhappily together may spend a lot of alone time together.) Anyway, on a daily basis, I bet I spend more time in the present and in the future, than in the past. I do have those thoughts of previous times and events, but planning the next thing, scheduling the work week, trying to remember what I forgot at work so I can get it done the next day, doing the blog, watching a game, and the like, make it a forward-dominant perspective.

But why do I remember my high school girl friend's birth date? And my first shot at the state basketball tournament in 1967? That list of stuff goes on. And I won't even mention the stories noted here last week with my pals Pete and Jake. Whatever.

Looks like a good week here. Hope it is in your world too.

BCOT

Friday

Happy Birthday to 3!!!

I need to get some new pics for the girls for posting here. While 2 has plenty of opportunity to be in front of my cameras, my pics of 1,3, and 4 are getting a little dated. So when I ask for smiles at our next meeting, give 'em up.
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The damages from yesterday's filing deadline are not overly bad. My guess is that we'll have to amend a half dozen or so returns, but that was going to be the case regardless. Just glad to be past the date so that we can work on some other stuff.

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Great news: my RCL is back on schedule! All's right with the world.

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My pal Jake from KC was in town for about 24 hours on Tuesday-Wednesday. We met up with our friend Pete for a glass of red at Biaggi's. What a crew! We repeated to ourselves (and a couple of unfortunate souls nearby) the same outrageous stories that we tell each other every time we get together. And they're still funny. At least to us. Lots of miles on those tires.
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And my pal Roy put on the serious dog when I delivered his tax return to him on Wednesday night at the club in Muscatine. Two bottles of Caymus Special Selection (at a cool $200+ per bottle!) over dinner. When we started talking with the bartender about what quality reds he had in the wine room, he mentioned a Chimney Rock and another in the $75 range, which was already well out of my tax bracket, but Roy said, "No, we have a real wine afficianado here, and only the best for my pal LtPC! Bring on that Caymus!" It is a fine bottle, trust me. The second one lived up to the first.

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More later.

BCOT

Thursday

Hugely busy here. Drop dead date for 2008 returns.

Happy Tax Birthday to 3!!!!!

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More later.

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BCOT

Tuesday

2 and I formally started our joint Turkey Trot training last night. And I survived. It will take some work, but I'm thinking that the one hour for completion as a goal time is still possible. Assuming that I remain injury-free.

Here's another fairly vacuous topic from my inventory of same: my new electric tooth brush. Now in theory, an electric tooth brush has got to be fairly high on that list of needless items in our culture. (Then again, what does an iPod contribute to the good of society? Steve Jobs may have an opinion on that question, but we'll leave that to another day.) I'm thinking that I had one many years ago, but this latest acquisition came only last week.

One of the by-products of my SB's habit is a tendency toward less-white teeth. This in spite of my commitment to otherwise pretty strong dental hygiene. Some where along the line, in a conversation in a forgotten location, someone suggested that a good electric tooth brush would help nominalize the coffee stains. When I had scoped out the devices earlier this year, I was put off by the price and had decided to wait. Well, as described here previously, I was in Kohl's last week with that 30% off coupon, and they had some electric tooth brushes already on sale, so I crossed the Rubicon.

The early results are very positive. I really like the way that the high-speed vibrating brush cleans right at the gum-line. In my semi-annual teeth cleaning at the dentist, that plaque build-up at the gum-line is always a topic of improvement areas. I can tell already that the new brush addresses that concern. I am curious if continuous use of the brush will not only keep my teeth cleaner, but will actually help whiten them as well.

(I have always felt that poor dental hygiene was a key element in Mother's decline. In her last year in the care facility in Ottumwa, she was not able to do proper brushing on her own, and her teeth quickly deteriorated. Once she got here and I had to fit her with a full set of dentures, she never got back to a solid-food diet, and that liquid stuff just didn't cut it. You can't say that the teeth thing was the only cause for her decline, but it was certainly in the top five.)

On the economics/financial side of this equation, I was a little surprised to find the brand-name Braun on the package under the primary name of Oral B. In my world, Braun is best known for electric shavers, and does most of it's advertising at Christmas and Father's Day. Turns out that both brands are owned by consumer powerhouse Proctor & Gamble. In a day where the right business combinations are important for survival, this one makes sense to me.

Still frosty-cool here.

Have a great day.

BCOT

Saturday II

Unless you are color-blind, you will note that I have added a little "pink" to the blog in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I thought it was pretty neat the way that the NFL teams added pink to ball caps, shoes, gloves and other ancillary gear for this month. So I am following the crowd for a very good cause. You should too.

BCOT

Saturday

Hard frost here last night. And snow flurries out my window now (1100 CST). Hello Fall! Not sure that a night game in IC tonight will be all that comfortable.

Then again, the NL Divisional playoff game in Denver scheduled for today has been postponed because of cold and snow. They showed a pic of snow-covered Coors Field on the news. Not sure if the tarp was thought of as insurance for snow.

Another omen of the near future: I had to turn on my furnace for the first time this AM. (This after a new record-low utility bill of $33 for September!)

I covered my indoor plants that are still outside with blankets before I went to bed. And I think that I'll move those plants to the garage for the next couple of days. It should get a little warmer by mid-week. Sometime soon I'll have to decide if they all will be saved or if maybe my collection will go through a needed "freshening". I've reached the point where just because a plant can stay alive under my care is not necessarily justification for it staying around.

Finally went through my September VISA bill to match up my Italy expenditures with my clutch of credit card receipts. Not an easy exercise given the many transactions, but fortunately, no surprises. The conversion rates on direct purchases was certainly better than those on currency exchanges at the banks, but there was also the occasional "service fees" over and above the conversion amount. Everybody needs a little sugar.

4 is in town for the wedding of a high school classmate. She did the drive-all-night thing in the early hours of Friday after getting off from work after Thursday's newscasts. When I was that age, I did similar driving escapades, one in particular from Texas to Iowa, and back, on a regular weekend. Ouch! Now, over to Des Moines is a long day.

A bit of a revolt going on at our SB's. They brought in a new manager a few weeks back, and all of our favorite baristas are now either gone or have given notice. I'm really not sure why the staff has reacted so negatively to the new gal, but it was such from the first day. She's an outsider, and the staff may have thought one of their own should have been given the position. Whatever the case, the atmosphere in the store has taken a step to a direction of something less positive.

SB's corporate has been on a major effort over the last couple of years to find better traction in the market place. The latest is their instant coffee. Can't say that any of these ideas have made much difference in my opinion. If anything, the different strategies may create distractions that inhibit the employee group from keeping their eye on the ball.

More later.

BCOT

Wednesday

I had an appointment with my family doc today to check out my shoulder. I had self-diagnosed myself with a torn rotator cuff since I had been unable to raise my left arm above my shoulder for the last month or so. There wasn't an injury, but when I made a quick move, or needed to reach high and left, I had a problem. I was already trying to figure out when I could find 6-8 weeks for surgery and rehab.

The great news is that I would flunk out of medical school. My doc confirmed my problem as some kind of a "locking-up" of some longer muscles on the outside of my shoulder blade. A cortisone shot and some stretching exercises and I'm already 300% better. (He did say that if the condition were allowed to persist, the shoulder would have essentially frozen in the limited position, and surgery would have been required to correct it at that time.) Makes you wonder what the gladiators and frontiersmen did with nagging injuries. Gives a whole new perspective to "playing hurt".

I did three of the "outside the box" NYT puzzles last night, one after the other, completely, as I laid down to sleep. Strange. I'm usually lucky to do one, 85% or so, in the same time frame. It's not like I ate some special brain food before bed, or had a particularly successful evening. The synapses were just popping off in the proper sequence, I guess.

I stopped off to visit 2 and Winnie on my way home from the office this evening. They are both on a learning curve. Cute dog.

Congrats to the Twins for last night's huge victory. A really good game. Now they need to steal Friday's game in the Big Apple.

So I'm headed to bed to test the synapses.

BCOT

Tuesday

Here's a little equal recognition in the fam. 4 is Daughter of the Day in delayed recognition of her re-entry into the blogging business with The Horanies. We all like reading your work!

1.1 was in the house last night at the Metrodome for the Vikings-Packers game. I managed to stay up through most of the first half. Looks like the Vikes made a good move in getting Brett to sign as their QB.

More later.

BCOT

Monday

Here's a little recognition to 1 and 3 as Daughters of the Day for doing the family thing this past weekend. Glad that 3's schedule worked out to catch the crew before she returned to Beantown. And 1 figured out that chasing a marathoner has it's own stress factors. Way to go you two!

Bad news for the Midwesterners. I walked out of my house at 0630 this morning to fire up the Taurus, and as I efforted to wipe the dew off the windows, I discovered, not dew, but ice!!! Not sure that the ground had frost, but there was no mistake about the glaze on the car. So I took the Buick. Even before noticing the ice, I had put on the dryfit runner's gloves as I knew it was a bit cool outside. I guess you could say that we are in a full Fall weather system at this point.

A couple of economic observations. Three points actually.

First, the September auto sales numbers were back in the dumper. Did Cash for Clunkers actually work, or did the government hand-outs just accelerate normal purchases by a quarter or so? And I saw some pretty damning figures on the "benefits" of getting those clunkers off the road. Something like saving $300-400 million in gas money by exchanging to more efficient cars. For $3 billion in a government supplement program. I'm real anxious to have those Einsteins re-tool healthcare for similar savings.

The second rhetorical point on economics is in regard to my Kohl's shopping habits. I basically only shop now when I receive a 30% discount coupon in the mail for my Kohl's charge card. I'm wondering about the variables in the equation that the Kohl's financial people are following when they try to get everyone who comes through their store to use a Kohl's credit card. If they regularly send out discount coupons to these card holders, and the card holders only shop when the coupons are issued, getting the people into the store sooner, and buying at lower prices must yield a better result than selling less stuff (or selling the same amount of stuff over a longer period of time) at higher prices. I actually think about these things.

And the last lesson in economics today is that my confusion in Italy over dollars and Euros, and gallons and litres, led me to what has to be my pal Roy's routine reality; I gave up trying to figure out the cost of day-to-day needs. If I needed gas, I pulled into the first conveniently located station and filled my tank, without regard to whether it was the best deal or not. And if I wanted a snack, I picked out what I wanted and handed over my VISA. A little like Vegas. Once you're there, whatever it is, is whatever it is.

Back to work. Maybe a little more later.

BCOT

Sunday

I had actually started this at SB's this AM, but a friend came and sat down, and I never got back to it.

Here's to 1.1. He's Son-in-Law of The Day for his sub-4 hour time in the Twin Cities Marathon today. (This is a pic from Houston in January.) You 'da man! Congratulations.

Pretty exciting up in the TC today for baseball fans as well with the Twins managing to tie for the divisional title which will be decided by a one-game playoff on Tuesday. I'm not much of an American League fan, but it's hard to not root for Joe Mauer. Interesting that you play a 162 game regular season, and then play one game to decide it all. Life is not always fair.

I've got to admit that I watched the Olympic selection coverage on Friday and was indifferently gratified that Chicago was passed over for Rio. Having lived in the Chicago metropolitan area for four years, and having maintained close proximity to C-town for the last 30 years, my opinion of Cook County politics and Cook County politicians had me convinced that Chicago would set Olympic records for corruption in the years of construction and other preparations for the Games. The corruption phase would only have been exceeded by the subsequent years of litigation that would have surely followed.

Then you have the outrageousness of various Hollywood sympathizers coming to the defense of film director Roman Polansky who is possibly being extradited to the US on a decades-old rape charge. Very interesting the obtuse logic used by these "progressive" thinkers to white-wash a heinous crime committed on an 13 year old girl.

Finally feeling like my body is back to normal. The first 80% came back in just a couple of days. But that last 20% was very difficult.

More added here this week.

BCOT

Friday

Just a quick entry today as Biaggi's is calling.

I still haven't had a chance to debrief with 2, so there may be another entry to re-hash Italy at some later date, but for now, here's a wrap on the trip by a Top Ten list on the best parts of the adventure:

1. Few hassles. None with baggage, airlines, car, or hotels. Suite!
2. The majesty of the Alps. Breathtaking at times. Literally.
3. The ambiance of evening on the Piazza Bra in Verona.
4. Lunch on the shore of Lake Garda.
5. Almost perfect weather for the full trip. Perfect the day up the Galibier.
6. Hotel breakfasts (as part of the room charge).
7. Dinner in the neighborhood restaurant in Turin. No English speaking!
8. The good wine. (Not the cheap stuff!)
9. Driving in the countryside looking for vineyards.
10.Getting safely home. Still speaking to 2. Sleeping in my own bed.

In retrospect, hardly any of the fears that I expressed here on 9/8/09 materialized. Finding a bike was a bit of a challenge, but otherwise, it was pretty smooth sailing. I feel lucky.

Have a great weekend. Good luck to 1.1 in the TC Marathon on Sunday. Hey to 3 who is hanging out an extra evening in the TC to visit.

Ciao!

BCOT

Thursday

Rainy day here today. And cool. October. Maybe my favorite month.

A couple of Top Ten lists to wrap up coverage of the trip to Italy.

First, how about the Top Ten Surprising Things that I encountered. Not necessarily in order of importance:

1. Not a lot of billboard advertising on the highways.
2. No Starbuck's! Until Copenhagen 's airport.
3. When you order water at a restaurant, order naturale, or you'll get seltzer!
4. Cheap wine in Italy tastes like cheap wine in the USA.
5. The tourist shops sold the same junk as you can get at S.Dak's Wall Drug.
6. Don't expect to find anything open between noon and three.
7. VISA works everywhere.
8. Cabbie's in Turin use Garmin's too.
9. Road construction hassles are not limited to the USA.
10.Different towns (Verona and Turin) have different personalities.

And for a little bit of good humor, how about the Top Ten rip-offs for the trip?

1. That 33 Euro ($50!) toll for the tunnel coming out of the Alps.
2. The Turin hotel's 6 Euro ($9) per hour Internet fee.
3. The Milan hotel's 11 Euro ($16) per 24 hour minimum Internet fee.
4. The 8 Euro ($12) fee each to get in to just walk around the arena in Verona.
5. The 5 Euro ($7.50) the auto pay machine kept at my first gas stop. (Think of our confusing machines here, with all the instructions in Italian.)
6. The 18 Euro ($27) per day insurance coverage for the car. Then again, if I didn't take it, we all know that there would have been a problem.
7. We think that 2's rain coat was in fact ripped-off in Verona.
8. The 35 Euro ($52) that the Turin bike shop charged for a used set of Shimano peddles for my bike. They treated me OK on the bike, but they got greedy on the peddles.
9. The buck-eighty for remote parking at ORD. If C-town gets the Olympics, watch out!
10.The two litre water bottle that 2 bought in between planes in Frankfurt, right before we had to go through security. Again.

That's it for today. I might have some other ideas for a final entry on the trip after a debrief with 2.

BCOT