Thursday

These short weeks always get away from me.  Not to mention that May is history.

Facebook shares are down to $27 and change this AM.  For the folks who bought that first day a couple of weeks ago at the inter-day price of $45, you're talking about a 40% decline in value.  Ouch!  Talk about hype and buying on speculation.  It will take some time, but I do think that some heads will roll on this one.

One of the side-bar stories from the sports pages this week has been the commentary on the two-stroke penalty situation that Iowan Zach Johnson incurred on the 18th hole Sunday in the PGA tournament in Texas.  He failed to return his ball-marking coin to the original spot before he putted-out, after having just previously moved his coin out of the path of his fellow competitor (as is a common practice in putting). 

The fortunate thing is that a tournament official asked him about the coin move before Zach got to the scoring room to sign his card.  While not moving it back was a two-stroke penalty, signing an incorrect scorecard is disqualification.  Disqualification would have meant a forfeiture of the $1.1 million winner's prize money.  That would have left a mark!  The fact that he had a three-stroke lead going into the 18th hole made the two-stroke penalty a moot point as he was able to par the hole with an up-and-down out of the green-side bunker.

Anyway, my observation was/is on a sportsman's position vis-a-vis a fellow competitor who has overlooked moving a coin.  I know that when I'm on a green and have putted-out, I'll usually say something to the other player as I move away from the action, to not forget to replace his marker.  In big time competition, a true sportsman would not want to win on a rules violation of this nature.  It has happened though...can you say Roberto DiVencenzo?

This is the Member-Guest golf tournament week down at Geneva.  I have my friend Rick as my partner.  He and I play about the same brand of bogey+ golf.  Our goal is to finish second in our flight so that we don't have to participate in a play-off for the flight winners.  Normally, we would play nine holes this evening  and grab a few adult beverages at the opening party.  But we have rain now and forecasted for the rest of the day, so I think that we'll just keep our powder dry until the official matches start in the AM.

I take on the IRS again today on a new case.  As I look at my work these days, me and the IR of S are just seeing way too much of one another.  There was a time when I actually took some professional pride in dealing with the Service.  Today, given my evaluation of the Service's "our rules are the rules" approach, I find these events to be almost always adversarial.  Where there is a difference of opinion on a specific issue, the field auditors almost never relent from their initial position.  They are so concerned about the security of their own jobs that they toe the line and take no risks away from the SOP.  As an advisor, you need to do your work and documentation on the preparation end, in anticipation of a future audit.  There's little wiggle-room once an audit has been initiated.

I'm not sure if 1.02 was officially given status as Grandson of the Day last week.  So here it is, Kiddo.  You are a star!!  (Pic to follow.)

I'm off to see the IRS.  I'll try to jump back on here later today.

BCOT

Monday

Sorry I didn't get on here earlier today, but my day just kept getting in the way.  I see where 1 states on Twitter that she has put the pics up for sharing.  I just took four of the best to convey the sense of the event.

Thanks to 1 and 1.1 for the hospitality over the weekend.  The new grill on Harvest Path worked a little overtime.  The chef has some skills.

Golf today was a test of endurance.  My back gave out after about 12 holes.  The number of non-Maplecrest beds over the last month did little for my score.  I need to spend a little time on the practice green this week if I hope to not embarras myself in the Member-Guest event this weekend.  (The Pro did get my new driver in for my use today.  Good reviews so far.)


Today was the QC Criterium bike race in Rock Island.  I didn't get over to watch.  I think that the event has found it difficult to attract much new attention with as much stuff that is going on for the holiday weekend. 

And the golf match kept me from getting over to the service on Arsenal Island.  I felt a little bad for not making it, but the program for Veterans Day is about the same, and the traffic is much easier to navigate.  Maybe next year.

One other thing that I did get done today was to order my wedding suit from Jos. A. Bank.  It was their 3 for 1 sale (that they have every few weeks).  They ordered my suits from their warehouse, and they should be in next week for fitting.  The waist and the leg length will need fine-tuning.

Hope everyone has a good week.

BCOT

Friday

Happy Birthday to 1!  You are Daughter of the Day.

Lots of people seem to have taken a bit of a head start on the holiday weekend.  On our ride this AM, my pal Pete and I definitely noticed a difference in traffic compared to the other mornings this week.  And the body-count here in the office is also several folks short of a regular day.  Not a bad thing.  We'll close early as well (after the market closes this afternoon).

I wanted to get this greeting up early to recognize 1.  I'll try to jump back on here later today.

NOW LATER...

Very low key day.  I'm headed out soon.  The phones have been very quiet.  The email has been confined to sales people trying to make their weekly contact quotas.  (There's really a trend on Friday's of those calls, from off-the-wall company's whose internal cold-callers must have specific target numbers...and they get down to the dregs (like me) late in the week.)

I'm sad to report that I had to turn my A/C on at my house last night.  It was cool enough outside, and there was a breeze, but none of it got to my back bedroom.  I woke up before midnight with my tee shirt soaked.  So I made the command decision to crank up the air, and it made for a comfortable sleep.  Then on the ride this morning, it was cool enough that I could have worn my wind shell and it wouldn't have been too hot.  I hate giving MidAmerican revenue on these kind of days.

The Big O was in Iowa yesterday...again.  I wonder why?  Of course, he couldn't pass on the opportunity to practice his regional lexicon and accused his presumptive opponent of spreading a "cow-pie of distortion."  He also found time to visit the wind energy business, seeking a further extension of the tax credits that provide the only economics for the industry.  Oh, the coolness of hopenchange.  I'm pretty sure that he'd head to Western PA and grasp some guns and religion if it meant a couple of votes.  Yuck.

Sorry.  I found his cow-pie comment intuitively pedestrian.

The plan is for 2 and I to be on the road at 0900 tomorrow.  ETA Harvest Path is 1445.

Hope the Peanut Gallery has a good weekend.

BCOT

Thursday

Happy Tax Birthday to 1! 

I'm thinking that this may be a shot at her last TC marathon after the birth of 1.01.  And, of course, she's now in training for this year's TC event to prove that she still has it after bringing 1.02 into the family.  Hope you have had a good day, Kiddo.

A follow-up to the previous story on my new golf club, the Ping G20 driver.  A lesson in the disconnect of what you think that you say with what the other person hears.  The pro down at Geneva failed to interpret my instruction to "ring it up" and re-grip the club that I had demo'd as a purchase order.  When I came back from DM yesterday, I elected to stop off in Muskie and play a few holes with my pal Cal.  I even called the golf shop from Des Moines to let them know that I was stopping by and would be picking up my new club.

When I went through the golf shop, the assistant manning the desk handed me over a Ping G20 driver, re-gripped to my specs.  The only problem was that IT WAS THE WRONG CLUB!! I had specifically requested a driver with a 12 degree loft, and this one was 10 degrees.  Even club pro's should be able to tell the difference between a 10 degree and a 12 degree club, especially since the numbers are clearly displayed on the back of the club head.

Of course, there was no 12 degree club in inventory.  So when I talked to the pro today, after he hem and hawed his way around our previous conversation, the desired club was put on "special " order from the distributor.  Whatever.

4 had her first regular shift at her FOX News job last night.  She works Wednesday's through Sunday's, going in at 8 PM and getting done at 0600.  Her first report on Twitter today suggested that at the network, you don't monitor the police scanner like you do for local news.  Heck, in NYC, those police scanners must be buzzing constantly.  I can't imagine how they can respond to all the stuff that must go on in the metropolitan area.

The dominant story in the financial press this week has been the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Facebook.  FB hit the street last week at $38.  In the first day of trading, it went as high as $45 (briefly), and then began to sell off.  Lead underwriter, JP Morgan stepped in and "stabilized the price that first day at $38, but then let the stock fall on Friday when the market seemed to turn against the issue.  The stock fell further through yesterday, but recovered today and closed at $33+.

Among the questions that will keep lawyers busy for years are: Why $38 to open?  Who had inside information on concerns about the price? Did FB itself contribute to the obfuscation? 

This really does raise memories of the dot-com bubble when the price of a security was secondary to possession of the security (read: CISCO).  I know that everybody wants to hit a home run, but that whole FB model leaves me wanting more for the financial growth of a company, not just the usage (See also: Twitter).

(Another factoid of almost no relevance:  IPO is a frequent NYT crossword solution to the clue: Wall Street issue.)

All for tonight.  My laptop is headed to the TC for remote use by @srh4 tomorrow, so I have had to make this entry from the office.  It is now time for a glass of vino.  Make it a good Friday.

SMALL ADDITION:  I tried to leave a few minutes ago, just as the power decided to go out in the building.  That set off a series of security alarms.  I called the security company with very mixed results.  The first kid didn't know how to re-set the system, and took my number with the advice that a tech-rep would call back.  Right.  In the meantime, the power came back on, and the sequence of arming/disarming of the system had left it armed, so when I stepped into the path of a sensor, the whole siren/speakers and collective racket went off.   I stepped outside awaiting the call back.

After 15 minutes of no action, I called the security company again.  This time, the gal didn't like my code number and wanted to pass me off to a supervisor.  I again gave my cell number and figured I'd be in for another wait. 

In the meantime, a tech-rep did call and we kinda stumbled our way through the dis-arm function and everything is back to normal.  I think the problem may be that this system is 20+ years old and the alert desk people have not been trained on it.  Heck, they probably were in diapers when this thing went in.  Even the tech-rep was guessing.  The security system is like a lot of things in my life, where old is the dominant characteristic.

Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Monday

Life is receding to normal for me.  I mean, that Tour de Big Apple was fun, but home is also a good place to be.

Sleep last night was a dream.  My own bed.  Clean sheets.  (The RCL had done her thing in my absence!)  And a cool breeze.  Uncharacteristically, my phone alarm was needed to get me going for the early morning ride.

I have a lot of training to do over the next 67 days to be ready for the hills of Tahoe.  Then again, LBH, I will never be ready for the hills of Tahoe.  I'm struggling on the hills of Pleasant Valley.

My pal Roy is private-jetting off to Florida in the AM with the president of a successful local company to have three days of short-game instruction with a noted golf instructor (whose name I can't remember).  The other guy's jet.  Bonus.  Roy's getting over a medical procedure to clean the plaque out of his right cardioid artery.  Yuck.  But the vascular surgeon says it will put years on Roy's timeline.  Good news.

This is a shot that I took from the plane on final approach yesterday into MLI.  A slight difference of the new Home Page photo taken earlier in the day as we peeled out of LGA, eh?

And I want to formally recognized 3, 4 and Herky for being such good hosts this weekend.  4 spent a lot of time riding and getting on and off the trains in/to mid-town to lead the LtPC to various other meeting spots with the others.  And I continue to enjoy the long weekend visits to the Concrete Jungle where we just hang and plan on the fly.  The best plan is the Almost No Plan.  Thanks to each of you.


I would be remiss not to also recognize 2 for her delivery and pick-up at MLI...Including a second trip on Sunday when I had the funky delay leaving ORD while she was waiting at the curb in Moline.  Thanks, Kiddo.

I did some Google-searching over the weekend to see if there was any remedy for the touchy keyboard on my laptop.  Maybe not-too-surprisingly, there were lots of hits.  Unfortunately, the steps recommended didn't come as options on my operating system.  Still looking for Plan B.  Using the plug-in keyboard is a much better experience.

One of the casualties of my travel schedule has been my golf game.  I had vowed that I was going to get my handicap down to a 12 this year (it's currently an 18), but I've managed to play a total of twice so far this year (after Arizona).  Pretty hard to work on your game while not playing, right Kemo Sabe?  Ah, not so fast, Faithful Companion on the pinto horse.

There is an old golf saying that, "It ain't the arrow.  It's the Indian."  But golfers universally look for an edge with new arrows for their quiver...and I have fallen prey to the Sirens.  That day that I played with Roy a couple of weeks ago, I tested a Ping G20 driver with a 12 degree loft.  It worked pretty well, getting me off the tee box on two of the hardest holes at Geneva better than I normally do by, literally, a long shot.  So after several days of consideration, I called the Pro and told him that I wanted to improve the profitability of the Club's Golf Shop, and told him to "ring it up" for me.  That sucker better be worth 3 shots off the handy, or I made a bad choice.

All for tonight.  Another early ride is on the docket for the AM.

Hey to 3 in STL.

BCOT

 

Sunday

Just a couple of pics from Saturday in NYC.  I"ll add some commentary from ORD later today.

NOW LATER...BTW, that's 3's friend Amanda with us at the Diner where we had brunch.

So I am almost home.  Now waiting for my 1500 CST flight to MLI.  The trip from NYC was essentially painless.  No problems with the exit from the Vanderbilt Y.  Found a cab right away.  Little traffic to LGA.  No line at security.  I was in the last boarding group (since I failed to check-in on line yesterday), but my seat was there, and my seat-mate was a quiet lady with no issues.  We departed on time, had a strong tail-wind, and landed early.  May I have the same luck going to MLI.

The Twitter Universe is aware of our great weekend in The Big Apple.  Our meander around Manhattan yesterday was a real hoot.  We hit all the key parks (although we didn't get over to Central Park), the weather was Top Ten, and there was never a time when we were bored.  4's apartment is in a nice area, and is a comfortable set-up.  Here's a pic of the front of her building.  Her bedroom is the window on the third floor with the steel grating behind the stairs.

Dinner last night was a blast.  We ate in the outdoor garden area of an Italian place just down the street from 3 and Herky's apartment.  It wasn't a big menu, but we all had excellent meals.  The wine that we selected happened to be the same as the bottle that the guys in the wine shop near 4's couldn't find for our second round earlier in the afternoon.  Different year, but equally good.  Thanks to 3 and Herky for picking up the tab!  That's MPP and her friend Crystal to the right.  I thought we had one at the end of the evening that included me, but it must be on someone else's phone.  And I couldn't get 3's eyes right.  Sorry.

If my problems with Allegiant Air were the primary take-aways from last week's trip out West, the Vanderbilt Y is probably the big news maker from this weekend.  This was hostel living at best.  The room was spartan, and the bed was dorm-quality.  But the location was great, things were relatively quiet, and the clientele was a combination of college kids and budget travelers. There were both men and women on my floor. There were no families.  The community men's bathroom/showers area was clean and not crowded.  I wouldn't call it sketchy, but it is definitely a low rent experience.  It worked well for me.  Probably not a place I would send my daughters.  When I head back to NYC (which will be a while, I think), I might stay there again.

4's doing a super job of adapting to the big city.  She's got a good sense about getting around town, and what she needs to do over the next few months.  Wonderful news for her on her recent employment status.  Her regular shift starts Wednesday night.  After the job settles down, she'll need to find an apartment for August 1st as her current arrangement is just until then.  Be a star, Kiddo!

I'm going to grab some lunch before the flight to MLI.  May jump back on again later.  Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Friday

Happy Birthday to 2.  You are Daughter of the Day.


More later.

BCOT

Thursday

Successful day in The Big Apple.  I'll add an entry in the AM during the conference.  Just too tired to write now.

Here's a couple of pics from dinner tonight.  A nice spot not far from 3 and Herky's.  BYOW.  We brought a Barbera di Asti, a Riajo, and a J Lohr (as a back up...which we needed.)

More tomorrow.

BCOT

Wednesday

Well, if it's time for a blog entry, I must be in an airport.  MLI as I write this.  Departing shortly for ORD on my way LGA.  Conference tomorrow and Friday in Manhattan, with evenings and the weekend free to visit with 3 and 4 before returning home on Sunday.  I'm anxious to get a first-hand report on 4's new living arrangements and her new job.

Now ORD.  Flight in from Moline was actually a few minutes early.  The 1800 AA flight to LGA left on time and with available seats...for a fee.  I chose to grab a sandwich here and take my scheduled flight.  Its less than an hour difference anyway.

This conference that I am attending on Thursday and Friday is being put on by an organization out of NYC that appears to be in the seminar productions business.  Since I have signed up for this program, I have been getting regular dumps of email ads from them on other business topics.  This is a slightly different model than that followed by the people behind the C-town conference that I went to last month.  Those guys have created an enterprise around themselves and market not only the education, but also other services.  I think that there's a point to make of vertical versus horizontal integration of your customers, but I'll save that discussion for another day.

So maybe 4 can use this post to share some details of her new position.

They're boarding for LGA, so I'm signing off for now.

BCOT

Sunday

First of all, best wishes to all the Mother's out there.  Hope you have a great day!

This is coming to you from another airport gate area, this one the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport used by Allegiant Airlines.  I walked in an hour ago and this area was totally empty.  Now, it is crammed full with people, many of whom had to de-board a flight to Oakland.  Hmm.  I hope that that is not a harbinger of my scheduled departure to MLI.  I was able to locate a chair next to one of the very few outlets in the room, and have had to put up with a Seth Rogan-ish college boy for the last 45 minutes as he charges his phone and talks with his girl friend(?).  Not a pleasant experience.

(Relatedly, modern communication devices, cell phones, iPads, etc., should come with a users manual on ettiquette.  A couple next to me is having a family Skype on their iPad with the rest of the family back in Iowa.  #annoyingtothemax.)

I've got to say that Allegiant is the Wal-Mart of airlines.  Then again, when you are the low-cost carrier, you get the Wal-Mart crowd.  My advice is to shop early and get your tickets on the regularly scheduled airlines.

This airport arrangement is one of the most curious ones that I have experienced in recent years.  The set-up is odd, and doesn't flow evenly.  You actually have to switch buildings between ticketing and securty.  The rental car return protocol doesn't exist.  No receiving personnel in the return lot.  No specific counter space for returning renters.  And the de-planing equipment is a non-mechanized, wheeled ramp with a switch-back that allows you to walk to the tarmac.  All of this is reflective of a low-cost culture.

A minor reference to yesterday's entry: I did have to search a bit for my rental car when I got back to Sky Harbor last night.  I searched on the right level, but started at the wrong end and the wrong side of the main ramp for the Southwest terminal.  And I was just plain lucky to find the parking ticket.  I had no recollection of putting it in a special place for my exit trip.  I was smart enough to look for the ticket before I left my stall, and finally found it at the bottom of my computer case.  Cost for the day in the PHX ramp?  $25.  Actually, that works out to an hourly rate measurably higher than the daily charge at the ramp in the C-town Loop last month.

Much of the space in the local sports pages of The Arizona Republic this weekend has been devoted to hockey.  There's something a little incongruous about hockey being the topic in a locale with current temperatures topping 100 degrees.  Obviously, there are lots of transplants down here, but it still doesn't compute for me.

Again, best wishes to the Mom's in the Peanut Gallery.

More here or on Twitter once I get back to the QCA.

BCOT

Saturday

This is a short entry coming to you from the airport in San Diego.  My brief visit with Frances went pretty much as planned.  I enjoyed sharing some old Wally stories with her.  I actually got back to the airport in time for an earlier flight, but I wasn't going to pay for the change, and Southwest was not going to waive the $35 fee.  So I have spent a couple of extra hours inspecting Terminal 1 at SAN.

Formal congrats go to 4 for landing a job at FOX News starting on Monday the 14th!!!  That definitely makes her Daughter of the Day.  Details to follow.  Maybe she can do so herself in the way of a comment or two over the next few entries, either here or elsewhere to her choosing.  Congrats to you, Kiddo!

Lots of movement in the fam this weekend.  3's in Vegas, I see.  That was one I hadn't been pre-briefed on.  @srh4 is assisting 1 in the TC with 1.01 and 1.02, as 1.1 is in Beantown(?) for the weekend.  You could say that we have the USA covered coast-to-coast today.

Congrats also to 1 for completing a 10-mile race this AM in the TC area.  Not too bad for a Mom less than five months from delivery.  I'm thinking that the TC marathon in October will be a layup.

You've got to admit that the Washington Post's hit piece on Mitt as a high school prankster sets a new low bar for political reporting.  Character counts, I agree.  But if we're going to go back to high school hijinks as a standard, nobody will qualify for office. (The Big O as the exception, of course.)  And I don't think that a national candidate needs to jump on the gay/lesbian bandwagon to get elected.  It might punch your ticket to George Clooney's place, but hey, California is going to vote for a Republican?  Whatever. 

I think that this is a first for me today: a same-day commute by air.  I'm almost certain that I have never flown both legs between two airports in the same day.  Nor have I ever previously had two rental cars checked out at the same time in two different cities.  (I hope I can remember where I parked in PHX!)  My total mileage on the San Diego rental was 9!  I didn't realize how close Frances lived to the airport.

I'll be anxious to see how 2 does with her new iPad.  I've seriously considered making that move myself, but the additional monthly service fee is the big deterrent.  This laptop is very effective, its just a bit cumbersome.  2 was pretty proud of her good fortune on Thursday evening.

All for now.  I should be boarding shortly.  I may jump back on here when I get back to my hotel in PHX.

BCOT

Wednesday

The news on the Taurus was, "Beyond routine".  Actually, it was the second call that got under my skin.  The first call was on some front-end work that they had mentioned when the car was in last time, and the alignment had worsened and tire-wear was showing.  So I had them proceed with that repair.  But when they then called back later and said, "Oops, now we have this other problem", that I lost patience.  I mean, there's a reason why this thing has the vanity plate BEATER.  Hello world.

On the plus side, today is RCL day, and she asked that I leave my step-ladder out so that she can wash the windows!  Her original request was for my "letter" as she struggled with the translation.  (She has a heavy accent.)  It was only when she mentioned the windows that I got the drift.  We both had a good laugh on that one.

In getting ready for the RCL this morning, I gathered a load of clothes for the laundry, as per normal. (Yes, she does my wash, too!)  On my day-bed in the basement, buried amid various things, was one of The W's bones from last weekend.  She had played "find the bone" with me several times when I was down there during her visit, and there were at least three times where she sat in different spots urging me to look harder, and I couldn't find the treasure.  She is a needy one.

I'm thinking that Josh Hamilton's feat of four home runs in a game last night may be one of the rarest of accomplishments in baseball.  I haven't done any research.  But when you think of no-hitters, perfect games, triple plays, hitting streaks, 30-game winning pitchers, etc., the four homer game is up there.

There should be a side-bar story about the fourth home run and the pitcher going after Hamilton rather than playing coy.  If you get into the Unwritten Rules again (see also, Hamels-Harper), I'd say there's a line-item that tells a pitcher that he can't nibble at the strike-zone in that situation.  Especially when the game is not close.  The manager played it straight, showing no quarter, bringing in a lefty to face him in that last at-bat, making it lefty-versus-left.  Baseball is truly a worthy venue for the theater of life.

Our eviction of the tenant made the nightly news last night.  Channel Six was in the parking lot three times yesterday.  Does a commercial eviction on the 6 and 10 telecasts suggest a slow-news day?  I think some disgruntled employees and maybe some parents who were given no notice called the media.  The landlord was only mentioned in passing, and not by name, only the back-rents owed.  The tenant handled this very poorly, and we remain fortunate if this is the end of that human-interest story.  If there had been a pet involved, the Humane Society may have become involved!

Lots to do today in advance of departure tomorrow afternoon for the Left Coast for the weekend.  Make it a good one in your neighborhood!.

BCOT

Tuesday

That really wasn't a blog sabbatical or similar off-the-grid exercise.  My weekend was a bit busy, and my evenings were otherwise occupied.  Hmmm.  I may be onto something.  Occupy Maplecrest. 

2's adventure in NYC ended with The Trip Home From Hell.  Those kind of experiences always make me gun-shy on the next trip.  Spending the night in C-town and missing only a half day of work are not awful results.  Just stressful and irritating.   Glad you're back, Kiddo.

Here's a belated shout out to Tahoe Phil on his birthday yesterday.  RevKev's got some good pics up on his blog.  This one is more recent!

The experiment with the Lolo Jones pic was a failure.  I have no conclusion other than that Ashley Miller has some determined followers on the web.

I've never been much of a Cinco de Mayo celebrant, but Geneva down in Muskie had a party on Saturday night that was fun.  I'm not much of a mixed-drink guy, nor a Mexican buffet aficionado, but with the help of a cooperative staff, I survived.  Jack London lives.

My real estate partners and I have been wearing the black hats this week as we have exercised landlord rights and evicted our tenant in the house in our office park for non-payment of rent.  The tenant purchased the day-care business of the original operator, and we allowed her to assume the lease about three years ago.  She's probably a person who should never have been in business for herself, and has had an on-going Tale of Woe that we just could no longer accept.  No fun for anyone.

Actually, our experiences here illustrate a difficult commercial real estate market.  We have had a rental space in our lower level open for lease for nearly a year with very few lookers.  The newly vacant house will require significant clean-up expenditures and will not be an easy property to rent.  In our area, which has not been especially hard hit in the down-turn, there's an over-abundance of commercial rental property.  These openings in our office park directly impact LtPC's back pocket.

The peleton is in the opening week of the Giro de Italia.  Today is a rest day as the race spent the first three days in Denmark.  Tomorrow they race a time trial around the old Roman city of Verona where 2 and I spent four days in September 2009.  Here is a shot of the Piazza 'Bra adjacent to the Verona Coliseum.  And this is 2 from the interior of the Coliseum looking down on to the Piazza.  Cool times.

3 asked for a comment on Phillie's pitcher Cole Hamels plunking the Nationals phenom Bryce Harper in his first plate appearance against Hamels.  I actually have no problem with it, only that Hamels should have played dumb rather than openly admitting his intent.  The Nat's pitcher returned the favor when Hamels came to bat later in the game, as expected, and the slate was evened.  The benches didn't empty.  I'd say it was a non-event.  Welcome to The Show, Rookie!

In a similar vein in NASCAR, Danica Patrick turned Sam Hornish into the wall after the finish of the Nationwide race on Saturday, and the NASCAR officials yawned.  On the final lap in a green-white-checkers finish, Hornish had made a sharp move in front of an on-coming Patrick that likely cost Danica a couple of positions in the finishing order (they were both out of the top ten).  Hornish said he had a tire go down.  Whatever.  Their history goes back to Indy cars.  These kind of post-race bumps happen.  When NASCAR doesn't call the paying-back driver into the hauler, it usually means that there was a reason that the other guy was turned up into the wall.

Busy day here.  Maybe a little more later.  Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Friday

Just a few lines today before heading out for a rocking good time with The W on Friday night.

The experiment with Justin Bieber appears to have failed.  There were no more views to last night's entry than to a normal entry.  A final test will be to make reference to an attractive young female celeb to see if my hypothesis has any merit.  If I have time before I close, I'll give it a shot today.

One of the icons of the New York Yankees went down last night...during batting practice...while shagging fly balls.  Mariano Rivera has been possibly the best "closer" in the game for over 10 years, maybe longer.  One of his ACL's gave out as he reached for a ball over his head and he crashed to the ground.  At 42 years old, recovery to a MLB-level is doubtful.  When the end comes, it is often an unexpected turn.  Bummer for him.

This weekend is the annual shareholders meeting in Omaha for Berkshire Hathaway.  Also known as the Warren Buffet state fair.  Here's a replay of the pic with 3 and Warren from another place in time.  Let's make 3 the Daughter of the Day in recognition of that meeting.  Hey, the business TV shows all have their reporters out there following WB.  Like he might say something that he hasn't already.

And sympathy out to RevKev whose water heater tale of woe has not gone unnoticed.  I figure my next experience with basement water is just a blown area-transformer-box away.  And those thunder boomers that we had here last night could just as easily lit that fuse.  My PN has a gas-fired generator as the back-up power-source for my sump pump, but whether we would be around when the power gets cut off is always a question mark.  Hang in there, Bud.  Home (or mortgage) ownership builds character...if not equity.

OK search engine fans.  Here's another nod to a celebrated female track star with Drake ties, Lori "Lolo" Jones.  She starred as a high schooler at Des Moines Roosevelt, then had an outstanding college career at LSU.  She's represented the USA in numerous International competitions.  And is still in the hunt for a spot on this year's Olympic squad.  She's graced the cover of Runners World magazine, and may have done one of those "nude" poses for ESPN The Magazine where they show lots of skin but not any of the private parts.  (I suspect that LSU has less-rabid fans, at least in track, than Nebraska, so I have the Under bet selected on this one.)

Enjoy Friday evening.

BCOT

Thursday

The heat finally did make it to the QCA.  My evening hunt with The W was an episode of The Floppy Puppy.

 My pal Ron has been giving me the business for the last couple of years that Rule #1 of cycling was control-able.  He found out otherwise last night.  He was out riding in Bettendorf last night around six  when extra traffic suggested a safer route.  He had transferred over to the sidewalk along Devils Glen, moved toward the edge to avoid a closely placed telephone pole, and lost his front wheel off the edge of the sidewalk.  Then made the fatal error of trying to lift the wheel with a clean-and-jerk move... which didn't quite make it.  Down goes Ron!! Down goes Ron!!  Classic Rule #1 in action.

The mini-fff going on in NYC this weekend with 2, 3, 4 and Herky should produce some pics for the rest of us.  Sounds like a good time for all.

The PGA event this week in Charlotte is run by the guy who used to be the Tournament Director at the John Deere Classic here in Silvis, Illinois.  He is a local product from just West of here, played golf at Illinois, and sold insurance in his family's agency.  With the success he had getting Deere on board here for a long term deal, his star attracted some of the bigger players.  The Charlotte gig was the prize.  I guarantee that they'll never get Tiger or Phil here, let alone both like he has there at Quail Hollow this week.  Good for him.

Is there anything as annoying as local TV breaking in to scheduled Prime Time programming to announce severe weather some 80 miles or so away?  We've got the extra-special dosage of that treatment tonight.  There'd better be a tornado causing lots of damage out there.

Irish football fans will be glad to know that probable starting QB Tommy Rees has entered his name, several times I think, in the South Bend police blotter.  Great way to bolster one's position on the squad.  Alcohol makes young men so much smarter and better behaved. 

I think that I'm going to do an experiment here on the blog with some gratuitous current pics of figures from pop-culture to see if the search engines pick up the references.  The funny thing is that I have to go to Google News to get the items since I don't otherwise pay any attention to the stuff.  Here we go with the first edition.

I have no clue why he is in the news, but here's Justin Bieber.  It says that he released a new video, "Boyfriend".  I'm pretty sure that I have never listened, voluntarily, to a Justin Bieber song in my life.  But he's very popular, I am told.  And he dates a gal named Selena Gomez.  I think that the biggest news is that he's traded his Beatles flop hair for Hollywood chic.  Whatever.

OK.  It is done.  Let's see if he tops Ashley Miller!

Good luck to the Peanut Gallery for TGIF.  Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Wednesday

Just a few lines this AM to catch up a bit.

May has brought the rains here.  I can almost hear the grass growing in my yard.  I mowed last night, even with it a bit wet, so that I wouldn't have to catch the clippings if I had given it another couple of days to grow.  I wonder if the RCL has a lawn service?

Recognition goes out to 4 today for her move to an apartment in NYC.  We'll be anxious to hear some details on her new arrangements in the next few days.

I went through a little exercise with the DirecTV call center yesterday.  My monthly bill had crept up by $20-25 over the last  few months and with the number of solicitations that I had received in the mail from their marketing department, I felt like it was time that they gave me some of the breaks that they were touting for new customers.  After getting through their annoying auto-attendant, I did finally get some concessions.  Interestingly, their customer service representatives are compartmentalized, and I actually talked to three different people to get three separate adjustments. With no change in the channel package that I have been using.  I'm not sure what the economics are on this, but it goes to show, if you don't ask for a discount, you probably won't get one.  Let alone, three.

This little DirecTV experience also highlighted a condition that I will now refer to in future usage here on The Blog as Selective Sometimer's.  SS for short.  This is when there is physical evidence of my mind not covering all aspects of an event or activity from daily life.  

I had made sure that I had a copy of my most recent monthly statement from DirecTV when I made the call to Customer Service.  While I was on hold at one point, I noticed that the billing statement had a line-item for "HBO and Sports Package".  I had added a regional sports package a couple of years ago to get the Comcast and FOX regional stations, for next to nothing, like $11 a month.  The line-item on my bill was for $27 a month.  When I asked the rep about that charge, she said, "Yes, you have the HBO channels on your service."  I don't even know where HBO is located on the channel listing!

Long story short:  I successfully dropped my monthly fees by around $30 and even kept HBO.  I'm thinking that they know that I'll forget about HBO again in a few months, and raise the fees back to the standard SS level.

I have now also resigned myself to the fact that, when I travel, I will always forget something.  On that Chicago trip last week, it was the travel shampoo and tooth brush that I left in the shower at the River Hotel on Wacker Drive.  I keep thinking that I have this mental checklist that isn't all that long, that I just need to go through when I leave from home or the hotel.  But I get distracted by the little-est of things, and the in-board computer skips a groove, and that which I vowed to remember is left sitting on the counter.

2 posted this pic on Twitter yesterday.  'Tis the season.  I was passing through Dunn's for 2nd coffee on Monday when I happened upon an identical scene in the parking lot.  My Mother Duck was similarly, if not off track, at least where she had nothing but trouble in her future.  I hung out for an extra 10 minutes and made sure that she got across traffic and toward one of the creeks.  The motorists didn't mind stopping.   (I still have a bad memory of a Mother Duck and family trying to cross Middle Road a few years ago...and not making it...in front of our eyes from our Starbucks chairs.)

Blogger has a view-counter function and the number of views on the Sunday entry was almost double any previous recent post.  I'm guessing that it was the reference to Ashley Miller that Google search picked-up on.  I can't believe that my S-Corp rant received any attention.  But put a pic of a pretty girl in a form-fitting track top, and you get noticed.  Just a theory.

I'll add more here later if I can. 

BCOT