Wednesday

The delivery protocol for the new couch included a scheduled call the night before to advise me on the time to expect the delivery the next day.  I received no call.  So I called the store this morning to get the information.  American utilizes a centralized call center, so the call to the local store gets sent to Toledo (or some place).  And you are put in a queue.  IRS-esque.

The service rep who picks up my call identifies me by requesting my phone number.  I tell her that I thought that there was supposed to be a call last night to give me the delivery time.  And she says, "We did call you sir, at 8:17 last night.  We left a message."  Hmmm.  I asked what number they called, and she rattled off the number...which happened to not be my number!  They had punched a wrong digit for one number.  I wonder if that call recipient is still hanging around for a delivery between two and five this afternoon?

The actual delivery process was a non-event event. The deliverymen must have had an afternoon promise because they called me over my lunch hour wanting to make the delivery within the half hour.  20 minutes, they were come and gone, three-piece sectional assembled and in place.  Suite.

Hey to 3 who is at Camden Yard in Baltimore for the game tonight.  And 1 started a KC trip discussion last night that I am all for.  Sometime between mid-June and mid-July works best for me.

Speaking of 1, and 1.1 and 1.01, there will be a new street address to etch into Outlook for their new house.  They closed today.  Congrats to the family!  Moving in will take some time.  We'll need details when 1 has the time to do so.

Get Well Wishes to 4.  She's missed work the last couple of days after having finally gone to the doctor and been diagnosed with pneumonia!  We all suffer from the "gotta get to work" syndrome.  When something hangs on for a couple of weeks, it's probably time to get it checked out.

The crest on the Mississippi passed through town last weekend.  Now with the water receding a little each day, the local news outfits are in rewind mode to report the dismantling of the the temporary/sandbag levees, etc., the opening of flooded streets, and the general "return to normalcy".  Is this the equivalent of reporting on watching paint dry?  No wonder 4 wants out of local news.

IRS again tomorrow.  I love this country.

BCOT

Monday...UPDATED

Here's the lone photo op from the weekend.  This was 4 at work during the 10 PM newscast on Friday night, taken from my Droid.  She gets the distinction of Daughter of the Day.

The report from Lincoln is good, although we really didn't do much.  Friday was a dreary travel day as I didn't escape the rain until almost Omaha.  So there was no stopping along the way to bang out some miles on the bike.  We did get out for a nice ride on some of the Lincoln paths on Saturday, but it was something less than a perfect riding day.  Multiple clothing layers.  Some wind.  And Sunday AM was just too chilly for either of us.

We did spend some time on the computer yesterday and  finalized our resting spots for August.  The Pyernees' staging location will be Bagneres de Bigorre in Southern France.  Its a spa town not far from Lourdes.  Originally, I was thinking that larger towns such as Pau or Tarbes might give us more options, but 25 miles is 50 miles on a round trip, and who needs the additional time in the car?  Now we just have to decide on day trips and cycling routes.

4 is not a stick-shift driver, and the initial scan of the rental cars with an automatic transmission option didn't look so good.  Any volunteers for driver training this Summer?

My last task before leaving the office on Friday was to do the math on our office pool for the NCAA tournament.  We're still doing that accounting by hand, so the results are never available until after April 15th.  The big surprise to me was that I was the winner!  I was the only entrant who had a team win in the Final Four.  No one picked UConn to win the whole thing, but I had them winning the semifinal game.  And there were only three other players who had even one team in the Final Four.  (And they all had Kentucky.)

Of course, as the organizer/operator, I don't keep the loot ($75), so the second-place finisher will be getting a little surprise this week.  This was the kind of tournament where nobody did well, so no one has called thinking that they might have been the winner.

Talked with my pal Roy yesterday.  He called from Monaco to harass me for not getting anything up on the blog for the last few days.  He must be bored.  And Cal called from Kiawah this AM while we were at coffee.  Cal's early morning flight out of Moline was cancelled in the middle of the night, and he got the old auto-call from Delta about his re-booking.  At least he didn't get routed to StL for the tornado!

Sounds like 3 had a busy weekend.  She needs to give up some commentary.

More here later.

UPDATE...

Rain again this evening.  No ride. 

My new couch is supposed to be delivered on Wednesday, so I elected to make the effort tonight to try to get my current couch to the basement.  You have to understand that I've got a limited-entry situation to my basement...small door, not a lot of space to wiggle and maneuver.  I actually managed to get the smaller of the two sections all of the way down by myself, with only minor complications.  And it was the section with the hide-a-bed.  But it was a tight fit, and the other section is at least two feet longer.  No way it will make it without some modifications (which I anticipated all along).

My solution to the dilemma is to call on my Perfect Neighbor Jim (PNJ).  Why wouldn't I?  I figure that PNJ can do the break-down of the two ends during the day tomorrow, and then my pal Pete and I can get it downstairs tomorrow night.  PNJ may need to schedule another day for re-assembly.  He's pretty handy.

The tax season delivered another smack upside my head today.  I forgot/overlooked/double-scheduled a lunch meeting today, and suffered the consequences...an unhappy client.  A situation where I was totally at fault.  Juggling all those balls, and one got away from me.  You make little choices all day long, and you rely on your recall to make sure that an oral promise gets down on paper...or at least onto Outlook.  I need to get a better handle on my days.

Tomorrow is the Pleasant Valley Schools Foundation annual golf outing.  My pal Ron leaned on me pretty hard to join his group.  But the good news is that the rain is supposed to continue through tomorrow, and I told him all along that if the weather was below par, I'd give him the $$$, but I wasn't playing in the cold/rain/snow.

Hope everyone has a good week.

BCOT

Thursday

This is a belated birthday recognition to the clan's Founding Father.  He would have been 101 on April 19th.  He is officially Father of The Day.  Two days late, but I doubt that he objects.

I snapped this pic that last Summer before he passed away.  I remember wondering to myself that day as to how many more times he was going to make it on to that tractor.  I think I gave him a bit of a hard time about him getting "soft", what with an enclosed cab and all.  Heck, I remember having to start the old John Deere B that we had by either coasting it down the hill and popping the clutch, or by giving the flywheel a big turn...by hand.  To say we were poor farmers was an understatement!

I'm pretty sure that Daddy would not mind sharing billing today with 1.01.  Not at all clear on the fashion statement that is being made here, but coming from a guy with a wardrobe that doesn't get far from black, gray, navy and other shades of basic blue, I'm sticking with, "You go girl!"

The Mississippi is still rising in Davenport.  It should crest tomorrow based on the latest estimates.  If it then goes down steadily, damages will not be catastrophic for the vast majority of residents.  The people who choose to live near the rivers are of an ilk that I will never understand.  I mean, its not like the river has never flooded! 
This aerial pic was half of the front page of the Rock Island Argus this morning.  River's edge is normally a concrete wall with a metal-pole fence that runs the length of downtown.  That wall is about 25 yards beyond the right field fence.

Lots of moving parts in the fam tomorrow.  I hope to intersect with 3 and Herky on my way to Lincoln after lunch.  Be safe to all.

More later.

BCOT

Tuesday

Just a few lines tonight to check in on the day after Tax Day.

My pal Bill is over in London visiting his son who is doing a semester abroad.  And my pal Roy is headed to Rome on Thursday to visit his daughter who is doing a semester in Paris.  By comparison, Cal's this coming Saturday trip to Kiawah Island for a few days seems a little pedestrian.  So why wouldn't I join the traveling crowd and venture over to Nebraska for Easter?  4 and I will make some final choices for our August trip, as well as do a couple of training rides.

Here's a small bomb: I'm seriously considering a change in coffee shops.  I've been doing this same Starbuck's for the last several years, and I'm just a little bored with the routine.  Maybe something different for the Summer.  I have a history of moving my morning watering hole.  The boys in the clatch were a little taken aback when I tossed this one out this morning.  We'll see.

Old Muddy is out of her banks in Davenport.  2 has a direct view from her office in the museum.  Numerous streets are closed downtown, and the minor league ballpark is an island.  They've actually played games there this week.  After the flood a few years ago (when the field was fully exposed and essentially ruined for the year), they designed a combined system of earthen dikes, walls and some portable structures that have kept the stadium dry and playable.

It was a shock to learn that the "independent" investigation on the death of the student video-agrapher at the ND football practice last Fall found no one at fault.  Listening to Father Jenkins and Coach Kelly beat mea copa on their chests for the cameras was too much for me.  I'm sure that they both squeezed the news conference in between other scheduled appearances to beat the drum for the University's coffers.

Iowa is down to four congressional seats and the legislature has approved the redesign.  I think that this is the final map.  Not sure what it means for the incumbents in the five district arrangement.  But, do the math, folks.

Headed to bed.  Travel tomorrow.  And maybe Muskie tomorrow night.

BCOT

Monday

Pizza last night from Harris in Bettendorf, and yet another lesson in life at a cost of only $1.  A bargain.

I'm guessing that it was the accounting career that sent me over to the edge of liking round numbers.  When I fill up with gas, I always keep squeezing and stopping until the pump registers a "5" or a "0" as the last number in the total cost.  It has to be $33.15.  Not $33.12.  And I usually pick up a small handful of change as I leave the house each morning so that I will have the extra penny or two to make change at the store.  And I like getting quarters back in change, so I'll give up a nickle or a dime as the case dictates to make that work.

The carry-out pizza last night was $11.51.  As the clerk sets the wrapped pizza on the counter, I first drop a $20, and then follow that up with a $1, and then see that I have a couple of quarters and a penny, so I lay them on the counter as well.  I'm thinking of getting that $10 bill back, or maybe two $5's.  Ah contaire, you of counting your chickies before they are hatched!

Harris runs a pretty loose ship, and the cash drawer was open as another clerk was helping with another customer, so my guy didn't input my payment; he just did the math in his head.  In retrospect, I'm not sure if, a) it didn't register to him that I had given him that extra single that he had in his hand, b) he literally couldn't add and subtract in the same transaction, or c) he was so focused on the $20 that the other currency and change just didn't matter.  Whatever.

So he grabs the bills and sweeps the change off the counter, and I knew I was in for a surprise when he fished for $1's, and not a second $5.  He hands me four $1's (including the one I gave him!) and the $5, and thanks me for the business.  I look at him a little crosswise and ask, "Are you sure that's right?"  It was a quick reply, "You bet, sir.  Have a nice evening."  Hmmm.  Not wanting to make a scene over a single $1, I elected to pass on the normal tip I leave for the cooks, and headed home.

You can never be too careful in trying to be a good customer.  Three card Monte lives at Harris.

More later.

BCOT

Saturday

Here's an action-photo of 2 and I last night.  Nice bangs, LtPC! 

Thursday...UPDATED

I feel badly that I let work get in the way and not properly recognize here the significant days that just recently passed.  April 10th was Daddy's birthday, and April 13th was Mother and Daddy's 75th wedding anniversary. Picture to follow.

UPDATE...So Uncle Phil points out that my information above on Daddy's birthday was/is wrong.  I kind of knew it at the time, but the obituary that I have tacked to my office book case has April 10th as his birthdate, so I went with it. 

I may have mentioned here in an earlier year that Aunt Martha was my annual source of information on the folks' birthday's and anniversary.  I could never keep them straight.  Small irony that I can't do so even now, even with a published record for reliance.

http://www.thehoranies.com/  One of the authors of this blog has returned to life.

I ended up having a near-tragic accident with the Beater one night this week.  It was virtually a repeat of the circumstances that occurred two years ago when I totaled my original Lucerne.  I was passing through a traffic-lighted intersection in Bettendorf near my regular Starbuck's, with a full-green light for my lane of traffic, when an on-coming car in the left-turn lane made an immediate left in front of me!  I stood on my breaks, swerved to a screeching halt, and missed the turning car by inches.  And the driver didn't even bat an eye. 

I'm wondering if getting the vanity plate was bad carma.  How long does a person have to go before the bad carma period expires?

My neighbors on either side of me have both mowed their yards already.

Happy Tax Birthday to Tax Day.  Then again, with the filing date actually being the 18th, maybe my good wishes are a couple days premature.


BCOT

Tuesday

Perfect early Spring day here today.  Did not have the time to get out and enjoy it.

2's trip to the Left Coast ended Sunday night with that funky drive from the TC when Delta canceled her flight.  Turns out that the problem is related to construction on the QC runways, and the size of Delta's aircraft used for the flights into the QC.  The bigger planes can't use the temporary runway (or Delta has a protocol that won't allow it).  I'm wondering if they'll have their act together when I fly Delta to San Antonio next month (and, more importantly, when 4 and I head to The Continent in August.)

I noted on Twitter yesterday that it occurred to me on my morning excursion with The Winniferous that it was a misnomer to call the outing a "walk".  Her excitement and enthusiasm to get out and checkout all of the surroundings has almost no bounds.  And that Terrier breeding usually has her on "Full Alert" status.  Henceforth, I'll be referring to her chaperoned exercise as "hunts".  You might be walking.  But she's on the hunt.

I also learned yesterday that my hand-written signature really should be described as my "mark".  Kind of like the old, un-educated cowboys who didn't sign the deeds to their ranches.  They made their "mark".  It's pretty difficult to pick out letters in my signature.  It's mostly several loops.  I remember Daddy as having awful handwriting, and wondering at the time how somebody could have that bad of writing skills.  I certainly didn't realize that it was a genetic problem.

Then I had the discussion over the weekend with a friend about why Seinfeld has been such a successful show in syndication, whereas Cheers, and Mash! seem to be shown by fewer stations.  I had never thought a lot about the point, but Seinfeld does seem to be the dominant half-hour comedy show on the re-run circuit.  I don't particularly like Ted Danson, Kirstie Alley or Kelsey Grammer.  Alan Alda..eh?  Whatever.  I'm going to have to think about this one.

Actually, I'm now at a point where I dislike most of Hollywood actors/actresses that I could live without a TV.  I think I could.  Not that I plan to put that one on my To-do list.

Headed to bed.  Need another big day.

BCOT

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