Thursday

Hey to the fam in NYC!  An emailed pic could get posted to the blog.

Professional football and basketball now both have labor disputes.  As of midnight tonight, both leagues will be in lock-out.  (Hmmm.  Will the Big O be asked to step in and part the waters?)  Obviously, it's all about the money.  The owners, seeing themselves as businessmen, want to make higher profits.  The players feel like, since it is their performance that makes the machine go, that they should get a bigger/better share of the revenue.  Its the classic dispute.

It's interesting that the public doesn't really reflect as negatively on the players as they do on other labor groups in high-profile situations...think Teamsters or the UAW.  And these pretty-boys make lots of money to play a game.  I think that the public has difficulty processing the fact that the boys in the helmets and jerseys are union participants.  An interesting morality play.

The early ride today was a drudge.  @bcbison was a true friend to pull me around the circuit, and to wait for me at the top of the hills.  In a new twist here at 4000 Days, he is Friend of the Day.  I'm thinking that it was just the moon and the stars, but I definitely am finding it tougher sledding this year.  I'm working on an intrinsical equation of age, mileage and barometric pressure to re-set my gearing ratio.  We live in the Age of Technology.  There's got to be a rear cassette that I can but on the bike to mitigate decreasing skill.

Big heat here tomorrow.   Mid 90's and humid.  I actually turned on the air in the house last night so that I could sleep.  I got too old to crash in the basement.

I have another problem.  The s--ty weather this Spring delayed my planting of any flowers around the driveway-side of my house until this week.  (I do enough to show a little interest, not a lot.)  I wrapped up my effort Tuesday night.  Since then, I've had a ground squirrel visit my begonias in the whiskey barrel twice!  Digging for who knows what, and doing no good for the flora in the barrel.  I either need The Winniferous or a rabbit fence at the top of the barrel. 

Okay, Mark Halperin was out of line.  But is the common nickname for Richard a slur?  Its not a compliment, and ought not to be used on live TV in reference to a President not named Richard, but come on, the guy behind the teleprompter is a Chicago politician! On the stump.  If it was Dubya, it wouldn't even be news.

Make it a good TGIF.

BCOT

Monday

The Lions had a good day today.  We Christians never found the high ground.  IRS 2 - LtPC 0.  Glad that there's a new scorecard tomorrow. 

For those who may have followed my earlier entry this evening on Twitter, I did open one of the new J Lohr top-shelf bottles that Roy delivered this AM.  Not sure if drinking alone is a bad sign, but surely it was proper to taste the new stuff.  2007 Cabernet.  Very nice.

This may be a first for me: pretty sure that a cramp in my right calf that happened in my sleep last night became a full-scale knot for all of Monday.  Almost like I was taking off on a steal for second, pushed off with my right leg, and step two was a pull-up and tag-me-out.  It still hurts.

Threw out an absolute shot in the dark for 4 today:  I sent an email to Joe Theismann's website to ask him if he had any sports media advice for 4!.  Over/Under on getting a direct response from Joe?  Not too optimistic, but ya' never know.  I pleaded on our ND history.  (Other than the fact that we shared an Area Code for four years, I'm not sure that there's a lot of common ground from Way Back When.  Actually, he did travel with us - baseball team - on a Spring trip to Florida one year.)  Stay tuned.

Okay.  I admit to being politically conservative.  But I'm not a Bible-thumper: if the boys and girls want to go to New York (or Iowa!) to get married, go for it.  There's much bigger fish to fry.  OTOH (On The Other Hand to the non-texting-savvy readers!), this following kind of logic makes me wonder if the Democrats think that The American Dream is simply a myth, or they've read the scripted points so long that they've lost any sense of reality:  http://cnsnews.com/news/article/geithner-taxes-small-business-must-rise

Off to bed.  For those still doing the battle, remember the Kevlar vest tomorrow.

BCOT

Sunday

Well, I have no excuses for being absent here over the weekend.  The schedule was not overly taxing: just didn't get started.  And the key to blogging is showing up.  At least I'm here now.

I'm giving top billing to 3 and Herky who spent the weekend in the 319 and the 563 for a Herky family wedding.  Let's officially give 3 the designation as Daughter of the Day.  We did a modified fff at srh4's place this afternoon.  Good stuff.  And without any effort, did in three bottles of vino to boot.  They are now on their way back to NYC, which will make for a very long day.

2 and I made a low-key stop at Biaggi's on Friday night, just to make sure that the place was still standing.  The place was a bit crowded, my normal table occupied, and quite a few folks waiting.  But the Assistant Manager pulled a couple of strings and got us one of the dining room tables in the bar area and we were able to bring over another couple as well.  Over-tipping has benefits.

Biaggi's is in the process of replacing the Manager who took over last Summer.  He must not have had the best people-skills, certainly as far as the female staff was concerned.  Almost all of the experienced female servers and department heads left the store after his arrival.  Haven't got the dirt, but with him no longer there, the story will likely seep out.

My pals Pete and Ron pulled me up to DeWitt and back this AM.  Somehow, we didn't benefit from much of any tailwind on the way up, but had to fight a pretty strong southeasterly cross-wind all the way home.  Why does it seem like I'm mostly riding into the wind, regardless of my heading?

My goal for the next six weeks is to get in 115 miles per week in preparation for Spain.  I've found that I can do four days a week without major problems: it's getting that fifth day into the schedule that's the challenge.  My body loses interest/energy/desire whenever I do three days in a row.  How can you ride five days in a week (in consecutive weeks)without doing three days in a row?  Maybe I need to expand the measurement period to three or four weeks.

The President is visiting this area on Tuesday.  Alcoa has a big plant on the East edge of Bettendorf, and the Big O is looking for some ink for the good news going on at the company.  Interestingly, Alcoa just got a big order from Airbus to supply material for some of their new planes.  (Airbus made a big splash last week at the Paris Air Show with like $72 billion in new orders.)  Airbus is the major worldwide competitor for Boeing.  Boeing being the company that the Administration's directed National Labor Relations Board is suing because the company had the audacity to build a new plant in South Carolina (a right-to-work state), rather than in Washington (a union state).  I'm a cynic, but I believe that there is a political ploy at play here.

It's a tangled web that we weave.

I can't believe I'm doing this, but Maureen Dowd actually makes this point in her recent column.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/opinion/sunday/26dowd.html

Busy week here.  Lots of moving parts in the fam.  Should be fun.

BCOT

Wednesday

Just a couple of quick points tonight.

What would they do for TV programs if they couldn't use lawyers, doctors, cops or any of their affiliated brethren for characters?  And what is it about those jobs/careers that the writers find so intriguing?  These questions are prompted by me catching the last 20 minutes last night of the new ABC program, Combat Hospital.  This show is a modern day Mash/ER wanna be which may or may not get an order for a few episodes past the pilot package.

I suppose that the lack of ideas is what drives the reality TV phenomena.  Let's watch people make fools of themselves over the course of 20 installments.  Not to say that these things can't be entertaining; they just play on a different emotion with the viewership.  Rather than the fantasy element of creative shows, reality programs hit at another spot in the brain.

Here's some ideas for some alternative, creative programming:

1.  Drama: A new media company fighting for a place in the new world of on-line stuff as well as the remnants of print and cable/satellite competitors.
2.  Drama: An IPO firm taking start-up companies through the maze of public offerings.
3.  Drama:  A California winery owned by 2-4 families.
4:  Comedy:  A company that recycles personal computers and other electronic equipment.
5.  Comedy:  A company that imports stuff from China.

I'm guessing that things like this are already on the desk of some producer in Hollywood or elsewhere.  I mean, If I can think of the idea, it surely has already been thunk of!

Of local interest, Dan Pearson is leaving Channel 6 to pursue some work with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  I know that he is a pretty religious person, and the Athletes organization will give him the chance to merge his sports reporting skills with his Christian beliefs.  Good for him.  He's a good guy.

Then I had another TV thought.  The forgotten roles actors/actresses play before they "make it".  I caught a few minutes of the 1994 B or C grade movie The Chase with Charlie Sheen the other night.  (Speaking of actors and forgettable roles...but that's another topic for another time!)  That movie was the one that was a bit of a spoof on the OJ Simpson white Bronco low-speed chase on the LA freeways.  Anyway, in The Chase, the camera man hanging out of the TV helicopter and doing cheesy on-air reporting was the actor Rocky Carroll, who now plays the very stern character of Director Vance on NCIS.  You've come a long way, Rocky!

Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Tuesday

I had planned to do a regular post this evening after my ride, but the best laid plans...

As I was lifting the bike up the steps to my kitchen door, I lost my balance, began to tumble off the steps, threw the bike away towards the driveway, but didn't quite execute a perfect toss.  I caught one of the pedals flush on my right shin with a solid hit.  Ouch!! It immediately popped up with a big hematoma that had me worried.

Fortunately, it happened almost in my kitchen so I was able to apply ice within just a couple of minutes, and the icing and elevation controlled the swelling.  (I had to have 2 run an errand to get more ice and some other things from the store.  She merits props for her service.)  I did wrap the ice in a kitchen towel and then wrapped the towel around the shin with several layers of saran wrap.  Just like they do with pitchers' shoulders after a game, or the basketball players and their knees.  It works.

I've officially designated this type of accident as Rule 23-c of Cycling: you'll eventually trip over your bike due to inattention to your surroundings.  It happens.

Summer solstice.  The only bad part is that the days now start getting shorter.  Don't like that.

This just hit Twitter.  Too cute! 1.01 is a star!!

I'll be on here tomorrow to add some education to the masses.

BCOT

Monday

This flooding along the Missouri River is getting a little out of hand.  4 took a day trip up to South Dakota to check out the dam situation (so to speak!) over the weekend.  Lots of water out there.  And they say that the water could stay in the flooded areas for weeks.  I don't get it.

Then there're the wild fires in Arizona.. Al was correct.  Global warming.

Speaking of the College World Series...Ameritrade Park doesn't have the same ring to it as Rosenblatt Stadium.  I'd be curious to get some input from 4 on what the local sentiment has been with the move to the new ballpark.  I haven't heard/read any bad news about the new digs.  I mean, it is in Omaha.  To a college ball player, they want to go to Omaha.  In prior years, they never said that they wanted to go to Rosenblatt.

I made the observation on my Charleston trip that the public is pretty adaptable.  Rules and costs change, and people evaluate the lay of the land, and they make choices.  For most of my years in business, you "carried-on" your bag because you were afraid of it getting lost in the system.  Today, carry-on has become much more prevalent as most airlines have elected to separately charge for checked baggage.  And folks don't like paying that extra fee.  I know I don't.

Since Delta gave me plenty of time to watch terminal activity on Monday, I was able to see first-hand the increased predominance of passengers pulling the smaller bags that fit in the overhead bins.  It seemed like even the sophisticated, first-class type of passengers were waddling through the concourses with that little hitch in their giddy-up caused by that bag-in-tow.

So people now may pack a little lighter.  The extra pair of shoes may stay home.  Same thing for that extra sweater or jacket.  You make the trip with less.

There's a political lesson in there, but it's too late to figure it out tonight.  Maybe another time.

My faith in contractors remains below water.  The guy who I had do the mulch last week ignored my request to use some garden soil that I had in the garage for the two yew plants that I had him replace in my front yard.  The one plant in particular failed to previously make it because it was originally planted in pure clay.  Which is still the same soil in that spot.  Alas, it was too difficult of a request.  It required him opening a door, pushing a button to raise the garage door, and carrying the bag to the front of the house.

I have said now since we built our office building 22 years ago, that a contractor will earnestly listen to your requests/directions, and nod/say the affirmative response to carry out that request.  And then once you have left the site, he does exactly what he wants to do without the least regard to your expressed desires.  For the contractor, it ain't lie'in, it's just bid'ness.

Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Sunday

Happy Father's Day to all of the Dad's out there.  It's OK to give Dad the day off today.  He'll show up for duty tomorrow.

My day started early with a 0615 departure to meet my pal Pete for our ride to DeWitt.  Really a good morning for the trip: little wind, cool and the regular light traffic-count out on the roads.  45+ miles, which was my longest ride thus far for the year.  Breakfast at the Sunrise Cafe is always worth the trip.

I was fortunate enough to get back in time to see RevKev at the coffee shop before he took off for California.  Where else would we meet?  2 was a little concerned that the exciting life that she leads here in the QCA was going to be too much for a West Coast guy to handle.  I'm guessing that RevKev got just the right amount of entertainment.

Sounds like his travel home has been another "Delta" story similar to my return from Charleston last Monday.

My other chunk of time today was a 90-minute one-way trip over to Oregon, Illinois to attend the funeral service for a gentleman who passed away last month at age 89.  I had done tax and consulting work for him for the last twenty-five years, and he was definitely worth the trip.  He flew B-24's in WWII, had two successful business careers in agriculture equipment sales, and then started a new company once he retired!  So I was only around for the last quarter of his life.  He lived a full one.

My route over to Oregon took me passed Grand Detour, Illinois, original home of John Deere (the man).  While the historical aspects of Grand Detour are noteworthy, my connection comes from a bike ride that I did a couple of times in the early 90's called Le Tour of Grand Detour, sponsored by John Deere's corporate Home Office.  I think they ceased the ride after it became apparent that we ran most of the taverns along the way out of product each year.  Maybe not the image JD was looking for.  Hmmmm.

Didn't even see a minute of the golf tournament today.  The winner was too good for the field this year.  The amazing thing about golf is that next week, he could be off his game and miss the cut.  A wise man once said, "When you hit a horrible shot, and say that it is the worst shot you've ever made, remember that it will likely not be your worst shot for long."

Many thanks for the thoughtful Father's Day gift.  2 delivered the goods earlier this evening.  Now we just have to figure out how to spool it up to operational status.  I've included the card in the pic as it was a really nice card!  It's making it's way to the wall of memories tonight.

Just a short note also to recognize a pseudo-fff last night with RevKev and srh4 on Maplecrest Road.  The stars of the evening were on the grill.  Makes me look forward to KC.

So hope everyone has a good week. 

BCOT

Thursday

Here's some recognition to RevKev for his visit today to the Midwest.  2 was his Designated Greeter at the Moline airport.  I was a few minutes late.  He needed to head out right away to his appointments in Macomb.  The Buick was/is his ride.

He's due to be back in town tomorrow night for fun and excitement.

The Air Show is this weekend in the QCA.  The boys are out practicing today.  A little controversy has surrounded the team in recent weeks. http://www.pnj.com/article/20110610/NEWS01/106100322/Blue-Angels-resume-air-shows

Margret is making her first official outing of the Summer today.  With the Buick on the road with RevKev, I needed to get another ride in play.  Perfect day for it.  But she needs a bath.

More later.

BCOT

Wednesday II

When you lose Monday, like I did in ATL, the rest of the week seems to always be a step ahead of you.  Add in that your assistant is on vacation, and all of a sudden the calls come in pairs.  No chance for R & R in Muskie tonight, but I did get to share a glass of wine with my pal Cal at Biaggi's after my ride.  He's on "call" tonight, and needed to catch a late snack for dinner.

Feeling bad for Hef.

And that guy who wrote the trash on Ferris Bueller needs to seek help.

I bailed on my annual yard mulching.  Hired in a lawn service.  Done today in my absence.  Including the replacement of a couple of under-performing yews. Looks good.  And all it took was a check.

Another nervous day in the market.  Too much bad news.  Not enough buyers.  No faith in the politicians.  Sell in May and go away.  The mantra for The Summer of 2011.

Revkev coming in for a visit tomorrow.  2 is in charge.

See you here tomorrow.

BCOT

Wednesday

Long day Monday on the road back to the QCA.  The flight out of Charleston was delayed off the bat for lack of an aircraft.  Then the one that they brought in had the veritable "Check Engine" light pop on, and we had another 90 minutes waiting after we had boarded.  I wonder who for got to hit the "Click on Box" key to "Schedule Plane" for Charleston?

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/06/get-over-ferris-bueller-everyone/240155/  Here's an article off the web written by a guy who's shorts have been pulled up a little too tight.

More later.

BCOT

Sunday

A short report from Charleston.

Pete's family has moved to a beach-front home for the week.  I'm crashing on a couch upstairs.  This is the view out of the second level porch just off the common area where I call "home" for the evening.

The wedding ceremony was on the front lawn of an estate home that has been turned into a reception/event location.  Think of the place in the movie Forest Gump.  After the ceremony, you just walked over to the mansion, found a bar, and settled in for the evening.  7-piece band.  4 food locations with different offerings.  Butlered wine initially, then two full bars open all night.  Airport-size buses with transportation to the hotels.  Local noise ordinances made for a relatively early close of 10PM.  Then again, I don't think that the wedding party had slept much in the previous couple of nights.

Pete and I and some of the family sat up in the hotel lobby to finish off some of my wine (shock!) and we put the Over/Under on the wedding at $60K.  I'm thinking the Over.

Props to the 24 for a decisive win at Pocono today.  Not a close race.  And he won in a car with the old DuPont paint scheme.  And Junior finished in the top ten too.  They could end up with three of their cars in The Chase.

Count me as a Cleveland supporter when it comes to the NBA finals.  Not that I really care that much.  But Pete's boys and their friends are all committed, so I'm sure where the tube will be set later this evening.

Back to the wine.  My limo driver on Friday afternoon from the airport came back a little later and took me to a store not far from the hotel to stock my local inventory.  (The bottles came in handy for the post-party last night.)  I felt like I needed to eliminate chance and bought another waiter's key.  I'm thinking that it can get through security tomorrow.  There's no blade as the foil cutter is just a small extra pointy-nub at the fold.  Plastic.  But it does have that metal screw.  We'll see.

I know that Pete's family enjoys this area.  They've rented beach houses here many times.  And Charleston has lots of historical sites that could be interesting to visit.  Old downtown has appeal as well.  But I'm not that much of a water/beach guy, and the tourist stuff could get old.  Give me Sand Harbor, South Shore and Mt. Rose.

The teams for Omaha will be set by tomorrow night.  New stadium for the CWS this year.  Tempted, but after traveling two of the last three weekends, home has a nice ring to it.  But there is that second weekend when they're down to only three or four teams...

Maybe a little more here later.

BCOT

Saturday

Greetings from South Carolina!.  Here's a pic of my pal Pete and I on the Cooper River bridge.  We did a walk across the bridge at lunch.  Quite a piece of engineering.  Check it out on Google Images.

Now getting ready to go to the wedding.  Quite a few Bettendorf people came in for the occasion.  Should be fun.

Pete and I figured that we played the parts of the gay tourists on the bridge.  We were taking one another's pictures, and a gal going by asked if she could take one of the both of us on the mini-digi.  Afterwards, Petey and I thought that the murse was the perfect accessory for the couple presumption.  Eh?

I figure that right now would be the normal end of my TOMRV.  The DeSoto House hotel bar.  Galena.  A few cold adult beverages with friends.  Next year fo' sure.

More tomorrow.

BCOT

Thursday

Just a few lines tonight to catch up.  I leave around 10 in the morning for Charlotte and the @bcbison wedding.  The plan is to get up at daylight and get my ride in, and then gather up and head to MLI.  If weather shows up like it did today, there will be no ride.

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/notre-dame-and-emilys-list/#ixzz1Oj4STN57  Here's a link to a story related to ND.  Seems that Father Jenkins and the progressives under the Golden Dome thought that it was a smooth move to bring on a successful female alumnus from Chicago onto the Board of Trustees this Spring.  The small problem that the nominee had some pro-abortion laundry in the hamper lead to her resignation this week.  Lots of hand-wringing by the left-of-center folks in and out of the ND community.

The episode merits space here for the disingenuous spin offered up as cover by Father Jenkins and the Board President.  Reminiscent of the self-inflicted controversy generated by the invitation to President Obama two years ago, the ND leaders seriously suggested that the nominee really didn't understand the purpose of the organizations that she gave over $30,000 to in the last several years.  Pure political dis-information.  The ND rope-a-dope.

Now really glad that I declined to attend the reunion and to participate in the reunion gifting program.

Speaking of Chicago, the second trial of former governor Rod Blagojevich is wrapping up.  I wonder how many millions will have been spent on this exercise?  And what will be the result?  Blago with his own reality show? 

My goal is to put a post up tomorrow mid-day on my layover in Atlanta.  I have four hours to sit, so I will have time to be profound.  See you then.

BCOT

Tuesday

Here are my thoughts for the day conceived on my early morning ride:

1.  I'm glad to have my friend Pete willing to always pull my butt up every hill.
2.  I'm glad to have access to my driveway and a newly paved street.
3.  I'm glad that the new AC unit that I put in last year is working like a champ.
4.  I'm glad that my pal Roy stopped at the J Lohr winery on Sunday to order top shelf wine for me.
5.  I'm glad to get Margret back to my own garage.
6.  I'm glad on a day like today that I chose years ago to no longer wear suits to work.
7.  I'm glad that I got to see The W last night...and that she went home with 2!
8.  I'm glad to have received a "Thank You" card yesterday from a recent bride for my belated gift.
9.  I'm glad to have shared beers on the deck at Gov's last night with friends.
10.I'm glad that I don't have to ride tonight in the heat!

I could go on, but you get my drift.  We have many gifts for which to be thankful.

More later.

BCOT

Monday

Sunday

Wow!!! Busy week!  Not a lot of just hangin' out evening time since getting back from TC.  I need to do a better job of reserving some time to get on here every day.  Both for my well-being...and to feed the peanut gallery.

Here's a pic off of my phone from my late morning ride out to McCausland today. I remain pretty impressed with the quality of the pictures that come from my phone.  I took this one while holding the phone horizontally, and the result gives a good panorama of that big hill and the bottom-land South of town.

My pals Pete and Ron (and others, I think) did the Dewitt ride for breakfast, but I just wasn't quite up to committing to an 0630 departure, and I'm still not quite at the pace that "the boys" like to roll.  I struggled getting in 42 later on, especially the last few miles, and my decision to do the battle alone was the right one.  I would have been "dropped" at the first hill by any group.

And here's a family pic from last weekend in the TC.  I have a couple more that I will add later in the week.  1.01 changes so quickly, we should have a weekly update here so that we will be able to identify her at our next meetings.

I've spent enough time on the bike in the last couple of weeks to come up with a couple of topics for the blog.  The one that has current relevance is "smooth moves" that I have made in my career.  From a cynical perspective, as in "Smooth move, Sherlock."  The incident that prompted the thought was leaving a front window open last Thursday while the construction crew continued work on my street.  This the day after my RCH had done her magic.  Can you say dust?  Everywhere.

I'm carving out terms terms here.  A "smooth move" is different than a Sometimer's episode of losing your glasses or keys.  And it's definitely not a "gaff" or a "faux pas".  A smooth move needs to lead to a somewhat unfortunate result, not just embarrassment or inconvenience.  Here's my list of personal smooth moves:

1.  Obviously, leaving my house windows open in a construction zone.  Last week.
2.  Throwing my phone into the garbage along with a partially filled coffee cup.  Say 2003.
3.  Mixing up the letters to Mother and a former roommate.  Circa 1973.  What could go wrong there?
4.  Calling a date another girl's name.  At least twice.  Different girls.  Different decades.  Same results.
5.  Running my high school car out of oil.  Not low.  Out.  Literally.  1967.
6.  Registering for a Pass-Fail course, but not turning in the election form.  1970.  Yeah, got a D.
7.  Hosting a party on the farm when Philip and Margaret were visiting California.  Again, 1970.  Mother not happy when she calls, a girl answers, and I'm not even there.  Hmmm.
8.  Dropping the car keys through a parking lot sewer grate.  1977. 
9.  Taking a cooler of ice-cold beer to the game in East Lansing, November 1969.  Had to chip 'em apart.
10. Running out of gas.  Too many times to count, but only once in the last 10 years or so.

I think that the debate might be definitional.  And not of that much interest to the crowd.  Kind of like explaining the scoring system used for the Geneva golf event that I played in last week.  When the listener starts yawning, it's time to move on.

Here's a final pic of 1.01 to give you a good start to your week.  Make it a good one.



BCOT