Typical Friday for me. Early departure and Tuscan red.
This is pretty big news. Ivan Basso has been cleared by the biking associations and is free to race. He was released from his contract with CSC a couple of weeks ago. Look for him to sign with Discovery and be their lead dog in 2007. He could win multiple TdF races in the next few years.
By the by...the 2007 Tour route was unveiled this week. The opening prologue is in London. They then cross the channel for the first stage in northwestern France. The route goes clockwise in '07 so they'll get to the Alps early for some sorting out of the players and the pretenders.
One of my meetings in Dubuque this AM was with a guy whose company had redeveloped an older downtown building for their office. I'm sure that there were rehab credits and local incentives to make the deal attractive for this company, because it is still an old building, but the interior was pretty nice. It was the original Kresge's Five and Dime Store, just like there were in most old downtowns, like Ottumwa. I had guessed to myself that it may have been a Kresge's store as I walked in, and I gave myself a little pat on the back when that proved to be the case.
The core of Dubuque's downtown Main Street had been shut off as a mall for about 30 years beginning in the early '70's. Just like Ottumwa. And they finally reopened it because the concept had failed miserably. Just like Ottumwa. The universal result of closed off streets in downtowns was the elimination of downtowns. (The planners that came up with that idea as the survival strategy for small town America are now working on that wall at the Mexican border.) Dubuque at least has some redevelopment going on now, spurned on I expect by an active gaming industry. Ottumwa was unsuccessful in getting a license this last go-around.
Cardinals can close the deal tonight. Lots of sports media people, none in StL, unhappy with that fact. They say the best teams, like the Yankees and Mets aren't playing, and the Tigers were waiting too long to start the Series. Cry me a river. Looks to me like the Cards are playing the best ball at the right time.
IC tomorrow. Will miss 1.
Be careful out there!
Friday, October 27, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Thursday
I think I wrote about this before, but I had another one of those mornings when I "knicked" myself while shaving and had one of those forever bleeders. That's one of the reasons why I hate to shave. If there were sharks out, I would have been deaded meat.
Busy day here today with many things going on. I have morning meetings in Dubuque tomorrow which will make for a very quick Friday.
Is there anything as silly as the USA building a fence along the Mexican border? Do people drink tainted water in DC and lose all rational thought? The best editorial cartoon showed the US guys erecting a 20 foot fence and a guy just across the border selling 21 foot ladders.
Another incident today of reading about the death of a client in the morning obituaries. When you work with an older clientel, this is not an uncommon event. This was an older gentleman whose wife had passed away a few years ago, and he never got over it. He had managed to live pretty independently these last several years, but he wasn't what you would call healthy. Roy and I talk at coffee about what the conversation might be like among the survivors when we make the papers, and we figure that the stories will not all be complimentary.
2 and I are headed for another run tonight. In the rain.
3 is on her way back to more interviews in NYC (NYC!) tomorrow. Go Girl! The Lt. likes the concept of well-paid, full time employment for his progeny.
Thanks to 4 for the nice, hand-written "thank you" note for the Dad's Day event.
Maybe the Card's can get a win in tonight, but the forecast is not so good. For many of my readers, a Thursday night forecast may be Grey anyway.
Be careful out there
Busy day here today with many things going on. I have morning meetings in Dubuque tomorrow which will make for a very quick Friday.
Is there anything as silly as the USA building a fence along the Mexican border? Do people drink tainted water in DC and lose all rational thought? The best editorial cartoon showed the US guys erecting a 20 foot fence and a guy just across the border selling 21 foot ladders.
Another incident today of reading about the death of a client in the morning obituaries. When you work with an older clientel, this is not an uncommon event. This was an older gentleman whose wife had passed away a few years ago, and he never got over it. He had managed to live pretty independently these last several years, but he wasn't what you would call healthy. Roy and I talk at coffee about what the conversation might be like among the survivors when we make the papers, and we figure that the stories will not all be complimentary.
2 and I are headed for another run tonight. In the rain.
3 is on her way back to more interviews in NYC (NYC!) tomorrow. Go Girl! The Lt. likes the concept of well-paid, full time employment for his progeny.
Thanks to 4 for the nice, hand-written "thank you" note for the Dad's Day event.
Maybe the Card's can get a win in tonight, but the forecast is not so good. For many of my readers, a Thursday night forecast may be Grey anyway.
Be careful out there
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Wednesday PM
Just a few lines before heading out. Running again with 2 tonight at 6.
The local water company called to have me make an appointment for them to come by and exchanged my meter, and possibly put in a remote reading device. This is a combination of new technology meets programmed retro-fitting of fixed equipment. They say that the useful life is around 15 years. No charge for any of this, but any bets that there will come a day when the customer will have to absorb this cost? The water company is a private business. My guess is that the strategic plan will have the customer paying for this stuff on the next go-around.
In that light, the water company has been seriously soliciting a water line insurance policy from me this year. Those solicitations come in very official-looking envelopes with "Urgent" types of messages in bright pseudo-handwriting on the face of the envelope. The pitch is that since the pipe coming from the street is the homeowner's responsibility, you should insure the possibility that that pipe will need to be replaced. And they have a point. If that pipe fails, it can cost several thousand dollars to replace/repair. I've seen it happen. But it galls me to no end that they want another five bucks a month to provide for that possibility. The water company will absolutely win on that game, assuming that enough homeowners bite. It's like the casino. The House wins.
The same Law of Large Numbers applies to extended warranties at Best Buy and other appliance stores. The House always wins. Unless you drop your PDA in the waste basket at SB's!
I think that the policies on cell phones may be worth the price. I've seen enough phones lost, watered, dropped, or otherwise rendered useless to convince me to buy the insurance. My pal Roy loses those things two at a time.
Go Cardinals! I'm amazed at the uproar on the Kenny Rogers "Smudgegate" by the sports media, and by some former players. It ain't cheatin' if ya ain't caught. And LaRussa gave him a pass. So move on to something else. Please!
Have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
The local water company called to have me make an appointment for them to come by and exchanged my meter, and possibly put in a remote reading device. This is a combination of new technology meets programmed retro-fitting of fixed equipment. They say that the useful life is around 15 years. No charge for any of this, but any bets that there will come a day when the customer will have to absorb this cost? The water company is a private business. My guess is that the strategic plan will have the customer paying for this stuff on the next go-around.
In that light, the water company has been seriously soliciting a water line insurance policy from me this year. Those solicitations come in very official-looking envelopes with "Urgent" types of messages in bright pseudo-handwriting on the face of the envelope. The pitch is that since the pipe coming from the street is the homeowner's responsibility, you should insure the possibility that that pipe will need to be replaced. And they have a point. If that pipe fails, it can cost several thousand dollars to replace/repair. I've seen it happen. But it galls me to no end that they want another five bucks a month to provide for that possibility. The water company will absolutely win on that game, assuming that enough homeowners bite. It's like the casino. The House wins.
The same Law of Large Numbers applies to extended warranties at Best Buy and other appliance stores. The House always wins. Unless you drop your PDA in the waste basket at SB's!
I think that the policies on cell phones may be worth the price. I've seen enough phones lost, watered, dropped, or otherwise rendered useless to convince me to buy the insurance. My pal Roy loses those things two at a time.
Go Cardinals! I'm amazed at the uproar on the Kenny Rogers "Smudgegate" by the sports media, and by some former players. It ain't cheatin' if ya ain't caught. And LaRussa gave him a pass. So move on to something else. Please!
Have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
Wednesday AM
Sorry for the disconnect yesterday. I had an appointment out of the office at 4:30 and I just never got back.
Sounds like 3 had a long day to and from NYC. Missed connections coming home, scrambling to find another flight, etc. Details to follow from her at some point.
2 joined our group for coffee this AM. She needed to remind my friend Roy about a commitment at the museum tomorrow. 2 had her haired curled a la '50's style, and the only thing missing was the poodle skirt.
So I'll try to add some content later today.
Be careful out there.
Sounds like 3 had a long day to and from NYC. Missed connections coming home, scrambling to find another flight, etc. Details to follow from her at some point.
2 joined our group for coffee this AM. She needed to remind my friend Roy about a commitment at the museum tomorrow. 2 had her haired curled a la '50's style, and the only thing missing was the poodle skirt.
So I'll try to add some content later today.
Be careful out there.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Monday PM
The earlier entry was actually Monday AM. I have had a bit of a malfunction with my PC as the Sunday editing job and the Monday entry did not record on my machine. I checked the blog on another machine and it was updated. Very odd.
Running with 2 in a little while.
Interesting how the Powers That Be schedule the sporting events to minimize major conflict with the networks. No Sunday Night Football last night because of the World Series. No World Series against MNF tonight.
ND is getting no respect in the polls. They're not even in the AP Top 10 this week. Then again, they haven't looked that good either.
I have purchased an air purifier for my house. 3 was the primary motivation, but I also was interested in getting rid of the "old house" odor. Seems to have a small positive effect in the first 24 hours. We'll see. I'm a little curious about the utility costs of it.
Remember to take the Cingulair, 3. And be a star in the Big Apple.1 You are a star!!
Gotta go or 2 will be unhappy. Have a great evening/morning.
Be careful out there.
Running with 2 in a little while.
Interesting how the Powers That Be schedule the sporting events to minimize major conflict with the networks. No Sunday Night Football last night because of the World Series. No World Series against MNF tonight.
ND is getting no respect in the polls. They're not even in the AP Top 10 this week. Then again, they haven't looked that good either.
I have purchased an air purifier for my house. 3 was the primary motivation, but I also was interested in getting rid of the "old house" odor. Seems to have a small positive effect in the first 24 hours. We'll see. I'm a little curious about the utility costs of it.
Remember to take the Cingulair, 3. And be a star in the Big Apple.1 You are a star!!
Gotta go or 2 will be unhappy. Have a great evening/morning.
Be careful out there.
Monday PM
For the record, I tried several times to edit the 2 typos in the first paragraph of yesterday's posting and the system seems to want to ignore those corrections. I've made similar edits in the past with success, so I'm not sure why this time is different. It must have been the sequence used in the posting. The program probably has certain loops that cannot be re-directed.
Cool this AM. Feels like Fall.
More later. Have a great day.
Be careful out there.
Cool this AM. Feels like Fall.
More later. Have a great day.
Be careful out there.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Sunday
Great evening in IC last night. The Theta girls did a fine job of hosting their dads. I am very proud of 3 and 4. It was good to hear both of them talk about the things that they are doing now and hope to do in the future. Thanks for the evening!
The trip over and back was pretty routine. But it was a little more difficult than normal because of the rain. Sure hope we have better luck on the weather next weekend. The new Buick has been on the I-80 track 4 or 5 times in the last month. And 4 talks about coming this way a lot!
The Hawkeye's played well, but Michigan was just too good. I was surprised to see the bar/grill that we went to for a sandwich on the East side of town so empty during the game. Everybody either stayed home or were in the downtown places.
The best part of the game was when we switched channels and saw ND pull out the win against UCLA. From an economics perspective, that win was literally worth millions to ND. If they had lost, they would have most assuredly been headed to a Gator Bowl-like post season game. They could still lose a game (they do have to play USC on the Thanksgiving weekend), but if they don't, those BCS games are worth $10 mil or so. Actually, I think they changed the rules last year to limit how much ND can get since the Irish don't have to share it with other league members like other BCS schools.
The Cardinals had a good night.
Cool out there today. I have plants to get indoors and yardwork to clean up around my house. I think that the temps are a little below normal for this time of year. We should have a few nice days over the next few weeks, but probably not many in the 80's.
3 has two trips to NY this week. Good luck, girl!
4 has a new resume in draft. She's hoping to find a summer internship in broadcasting, somewhere. She'll be getting the resume out to the clan this week after some editing help from us. We need to help her dig up contacts. It's always hard for a sophomore to get the good internships because companies are usually looking at juniors who will be entering the workforce the following year.
Short track racing today. The 24 is 10th out of 10 in the Chase after 3 or 4 just awful finishes. They're still turning left!
Oh. I almost forgot. I did 4.8 yesterday in 54 minutes! I think the the TT is going to be ok as long as I stay injury-free. I doubt if 55 is in the cards, but who knows? Yesterday I had planned to do 2 runs to make up for a light week of workouts. But I didn't get started until after 10:30 and I knew I was going over to IC later, and I didn't want to shower twice. So after I had been out there about half way up Devils Glen, I was feeling ok and decided to just stretch out my distance and only do one run. I tried to avoid hills and it worked out just fine. Life is good.
Chicago marathon today. That may have been an ok race for the runners to run, but it was a high stress event for the chasers. The Chicago sports talk radio station that I listen to, and complain frequently about, was broadcasting yesterday from the race expo at McCormack Place. I remember that spot being a zoo for packet pick-up the year of 1's race. Fun, but a zoo.
2 announced Friday that she and a couple of friends might do a half in St. Louis in the Spring. Whoa! Could this be a reason for her to blog?
So I'm outta here to do some domestic things. Have a great end to your weekend.
Be careful out there.
The trip over and back was pretty routine. But it was a little more difficult than normal because of the rain. Sure hope we have better luck on the weather next weekend. The new Buick has been on the I-80 track 4 or 5 times in the last month. And 4 talks about coming this way a lot!
The Hawkeye's played well, but Michigan was just too good. I was surprised to see the bar/grill that we went to for a sandwich on the East side of town so empty during the game. Everybody either stayed home or were in the downtown places.
The best part of the game was when we switched channels and saw ND pull out the win against UCLA. From an economics perspective, that win was literally worth millions to ND. If they had lost, they would have most assuredly been headed to a Gator Bowl-like post season game. They could still lose a game (they do have to play USC on the Thanksgiving weekend), but if they don't, those BCS games are worth $10 mil or so. Actually, I think they changed the rules last year to limit how much ND can get since the Irish don't have to share it with other league members like other BCS schools.
The Cardinals had a good night.
Cool out there today. I have plants to get indoors and yardwork to clean up around my house. I think that the temps are a little below normal for this time of year. We should have a few nice days over the next few weeks, but probably not many in the 80's.
3 has two trips to NY this week. Good luck, girl!
4 has a new resume in draft. She's hoping to find a summer internship in broadcasting, somewhere. She'll be getting the resume out to the clan this week after some editing help from us. We need to help her dig up contacts. It's always hard for a sophomore to get the good internships because companies are usually looking at juniors who will be entering the workforce the following year.
Short track racing today. The 24 is 10th out of 10 in the Chase after 3 or 4 just awful finishes. They're still turning left!
Oh. I almost forgot. I did 4.8 yesterday in 54 minutes! I think the the TT is going to be ok as long as I stay injury-free. I doubt if 55 is in the cards, but who knows? Yesterday I had planned to do 2 runs to make up for a light week of workouts. But I didn't get started until after 10:30 and I knew I was going over to IC later, and I didn't want to shower twice. So after I had been out there about half way up Devils Glen, I was feeling ok and decided to just stretch out my distance and only do one run. I tried to avoid hills and it worked out just fine. Life is good.
Chicago marathon today. That may have been an ok race for the runners to run, but it was a high stress event for the chasers. The Chicago sports talk radio station that I listen to, and complain frequently about, was broadcasting yesterday from the race expo at McCormack Place. I remember that spot being a zoo for packet pick-up the year of 1's race. Fun, but a zoo.
2 announced Friday that she and a couple of friends might do a half in St. Louis in the Spring. Whoa! Could this be a reason for her to blog?
So I'm outta here to do some domestic things. Have a great end to your weekend.
Be careful out there.
Sunday
Great evening in IC last night. The Theta girls did a fine job of hosting their dads. I am very proud of 3 and 4. It was good to hear both of them talk about the things that they are doing now and hope to do in the future. Thanks for the evening!
The trip over and back was pretty routine. But it was a little more difficult than normal because of the rain. Sure hope we have better luck on the weather next weekend. The new Buick has been on the I-80 track 4 or 5 times in the last month. And 4 talks about coming this way a lot!
The Hawkeye's played well, but Michigan was just too good. I was surprised to see the bar/grill that we went to for a sandwich on the East side of town so empty during the game. Everybody either stayed home or were in the downtown places.
The best part of the game was when we switched channels and saw ND pull out the win against UCLA. From an economics perspective, that win was literally worth millions to ND. If they had lost, they would have most assuredly been headed to a Gator Bowl-like post season game. They could still lose a game (they do have to play USC on the Thanksgiving weekend), but if they don't, those BCS games are worth $10 mil or so. Actually, I think they changed the rules last year to limit how much ND can get since the Irish don't have to share it with other league members like other BCS schools.
The Cardinals had a good night.
Cool out there today. I have plants to get indoors and yardwork to clean up around my house. I think that the temps are a little below normal for this time of year. We should have a few nice days over the next few weeks, but probably not many in the 80's.
3 has two trips to NY this week. Good luck, girl!
4 has a new resume in draft. She's hoping to find a summer internship in broadcasting, somewhere. She'll be getting the resume out to the clan this week after some editing help from us. We need to help her dig up contacts. It's always hard for a sophomore to get the good internships because companies are usually looking at juniors who will be entering the workforce the following year.
Short track racing today. The 24 is 10th out of 10 in the Chase after 3 or 4 just awful finishes. They're still turning left!
Oh. I almost forgot. I did 4.8 yesterday in 54 minutes! I think the the TT is going to be ok as long as I stay injury-free. I doubt if 55 is in the cards, but who knows? Yesterday I had planned to do 2 runs to make up for a light week of workouts. But I didn't get started until after 10:30 and I knew I was going over to IC later, and I didn't want to shower twice. So after I had been out there about half way up Devils Glen, I was feeling ok and decided to just stretch out my distance and only do one run. I tried to avoid hills and it worked out just fine. Life is good.
Chicago marathon today. That may have been an ok race for the runners to run, but it was a high stress event for the chasers. The Chicago sports talk radio station that I listen to, and complain frequently about, was broadcasting yesterday from the race expo at McCormack Place. I remember that spot being a zoo for packet pick-up the year of 1's race. Fun, but a zoo.
2 announced Friday that she and a couple of friends might do a half in St. Louis in the Spring. Whoa! Could this be a reason for her to blog?
So I'm outta here to do some domestic things. Have a great end to your weekend.
Be careful out there.
The trip over and back was pretty routine. But it was a little more difficult than normal because of the rain. Sure hope we have better luck on the weather next weekend. The new Buick has been on the I-80 track 4 or 5 times in the last month. And 4 talks about coming this way a lot!
The Hawkeye's played well, but Michigan was just too good. I was surprised to see the bar/grill that we went to for a sandwich on the East side of town so empty during the game. Everybody either stayed home or were in the downtown places.
The best part of the game was when we switched channels and saw ND pull out the win against UCLA. From an economics perspective, that win was literally worth millions to ND. If they had lost, they would have most assuredly been headed to a Gator Bowl-like post season game. They could still lose a game (they do have to play USC on the Thanksgiving weekend), but if they don't, those BCS games are worth $10 mil or so. Actually, I think they changed the rules last year to limit how much ND can get since the Irish don't have to share it with other league members like other BCS schools.
The Cardinals had a good night.
Cool out there today. I have plants to get indoors and yardwork to clean up around my house. I think that the temps are a little below normal for this time of year. We should have a few nice days over the next few weeks, but probably not many in the 80's.
3 has two trips to NY this week. Good luck, girl!
4 has a new resume in draft. She's hoping to find a summer internship in broadcasting, somewhere. She'll be getting the resume out to the clan this week after some editing help from us. We need to help her dig up contacts. It's always hard for a sophomore to get the good internships because companies are usually looking at juniors who will be entering the workforce the following year.
Short track racing today. The 24 is 10th out of 10 in the Chase after 3 or 4 just awful finishes. They're still turning left!
Oh. I almost forgot. I did 4.8 yesterday in 54 minutes! I think the the TT is going to be ok as long as I stay injury-free. I doubt if 55 is in the cards, but who knows? Yesterday I had planned to do 2 runs to make up for a light week of workouts. But I didn't get started until after 10:30 and I knew I was going over to IC later, and I didn't want to shower twice. So after I had been out there about half way up Devils Glen, I was feeling ok and decided to just stretch out my distance and only do one run. I tried to avoid hills and it worked out just fine. Life is good.
Chicago marathon today. That may have been an ok race for the runners to run, but it was a high stress event for the chasers. The Chicago sports talk radio station that I listen to, and complain frequently about, was broadcasting yesterday from the race expo at McCormack Place. I remember that spot being a zoo for packet pick-up the year of 1's race. Fun, but a zoo.
2 announced Friday that she and a couple of friends might do a half in St. Louis in the Spring. Whoa! Could this be a reason for her to blog?
So I'm outta here to do some domestic things. Have a great end to your weekend.
Be careful out there.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Saturday
No real news here.
A typically nice Friday evening with friends. But an early ending.
Over to IC later this afternoon to see the girls on Dad's Day for their sorority. Should be fun. I plan to get my run in before leaving town.
3 has a couple of NY interview trips next week. Decision time will not be far behind.
So I'll have more to say after my day with 3 and 4. Enjoy the weekend.
Be careful out there.
A typically nice Friday evening with friends. But an early ending.
Over to IC later this afternoon to see the girls on Dad's Day for their sorority. Should be fun. I plan to get my run in before leaving town.
3 has a couple of NY interview trips next week. Decision time will not be far behind.
So I'll have more to say after my day with 3 and 4. Enjoy the weekend.
Be careful out there.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Friday
Go Cardinals!
Had planned to get out on a run this afternoon, but it didn't happen. I'll do a little more in the AM.
Dad's Day tomorrow in IC. Should be fun.
I'll get an entry here in the morning. Have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
Had planned to get out on a run this afternoon, but it didn't happen. I'll do a little more in the AM.
Dad's Day tomorrow in IC. Should be fun.
I'll get an entry here in the morning. Have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Thursday PM
I had an early morning meeting so I didn't get through the papers as thoroughly as normal. So my handle on current events is a little off from normal.
There is a game 7 tonight. All you Grey's addicts will tune in, I'm sure.
2's mis-connect last night was understandable. I actually felt pretty good. The TT is 5 weeks from today.
My pal Roy is flying up to the Iowa-Michigan game on Saturday. Then back here Saturday night, and then to San Francisco Sunday, coming back Tuesday. Busy life. The deal in SF is the charity golf outing that was the site of the auction where he got my Lance Armstrong photo.
The Dow closed above 12,000 for the first time today. That means that the market may be a little over-bought and a correction may not be far away as things sort out. Earnings are good. But we're spending way too much money that we don't have on a doomed effort in the mid-East.
The US population hit 300,000,ooo yesterday. The best political cartoon I saw on that topic was one depicting a guard welcoming with open arms an illegal alien exiting a tunnel from under the border. That may be more truth than fiction, or the math may be a little off on our totals. I haven't audited the calculation at this point for inclusions and exclusions in the equation. The Seinfeld crew could make this the topic of a double episode.
Lots of stuff in the press about the melee at the Miami-Florida International game last weekend. (Why is Miami even playing Florida International Who, I mean U?) Miami's administration is coming off as apologists given their lack of punative action against the thugs participating in the brawl. Hard to reconcile their rationalizations. Most players received one game suspensions for this week's tussle with Duke. Let's see. Name a school with a weaker football team in the ACC than Duke. Name a team in DI or D2 that Duke might be able to beat. Miami is really punishing themselves. They are certainly doing nothing to counter their dark reputation. And to this problem add this side-bar: I think I heard that they drew only 29,000 to one game this year.
ND terminated the rivalry with Miami several years ago. It was just to intense. Actually, I would probably not call it a rivalry. Certainly not in the same vein as USC, Michigan State or Purdue. Miami has taken pride in being a bandit-type of program. No goody-two-shoes need apply here. We'll eat the pretty boys in their coats and ties from South Bend for lunch. They embraced an urban hip-hop culture, always testing propriety, brashly wearing their attitudes on their sleeve. It has played well with the edgier athletes. So I suppose that culture clash is more discriptive than rivalry.
The last Lou Holtz ND team played Miami in a bowl game and it got ugly. That may have been the year that Miami showed up for Bowl Week in army fatigues. Vinnie Testaverde was the QB. Holtz recruited some of the same types of players as Miami and there were lots of unsportsmanlike penalties, scirmishes among players, etc. I never liked Holtz. I thought that he was dirty when he came from Minnesota, and I didn't like the way his teams handled themselves.
I have meandered to a place where I have no glib segue to another topic. But it is time to go.
Be careful out there.
There is a game 7 tonight. All you Grey's addicts will tune in, I'm sure.
2's mis-connect last night was understandable. I actually felt pretty good. The TT is 5 weeks from today.
My pal Roy is flying up to the Iowa-Michigan game on Saturday. Then back here Saturday night, and then to San Francisco Sunday, coming back Tuesday. Busy life. The deal in SF is the charity golf outing that was the site of the auction where he got my Lance Armstrong photo.
The Dow closed above 12,000 for the first time today. That means that the market may be a little over-bought and a correction may not be far away as things sort out. Earnings are good. But we're spending way too much money that we don't have on a doomed effort in the mid-East.
The US population hit 300,000,ooo yesterday. The best political cartoon I saw on that topic was one depicting a guard welcoming with open arms an illegal alien exiting a tunnel from under the border. That may be more truth than fiction, or the math may be a little off on our totals. I haven't audited the calculation at this point for inclusions and exclusions in the equation. The Seinfeld crew could make this the topic of a double episode.
Lots of stuff in the press about the melee at the Miami-Florida International game last weekend. (Why is Miami even playing Florida International Who, I mean U?) Miami's administration is coming off as apologists given their lack of punative action against the thugs participating in the brawl. Hard to reconcile their rationalizations. Most players received one game suspensions for this week's tussle with Duke. Let's see. Name a school with a weaker football team in the ACC than Duke. Name a team in DI or D2 that Duke might be able to beat. Miami is really punishing themselves. They are certainly doing nothing to counter their dark reputation. And to this problem add this side-bar: I think I heard that they drew only 29,000 to one game this year.
ND terminated the rivalry with Miami several years ago. It was just to intense. Actually, I would probably not call it a rivalry. Certainly not in the same vein as USC, Michigan State or Purdue. Miami has taken pride in being a bandit-type of program. No goody-two-shoes need apply here. We'll eat the pretty boys in their coats and ties from South Bend for lunch. They embraced an urban hip-hop culture, always testing propriety, brashly wearing their attitudes on their sleeve. It has played well with the edgier athletes. So I suppose that culture clash is more discriptive than rivalry.
The last Lou Holtz ND team played Miami in a bowl game and it got ugly. That may have been the year that Miami showed up for Bowl Week in army fatigues. Vinnie Testaverde was the QB. Holtz recruited some of the same types of players as Miami and there were lots of unsportsmanlike penalties, scirmishes among players, etc. I never liked Holtz. I thought that he was dirty when he came from Minnesota, and I didn't like the way his teams handled themselves.
I have meandered to a place where I have no glib segue to another topic. But it is time to go.
Be careful out there.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Wednesday
Well, the current First Day of the Rest of My Life was very anticlimatic. I'll do better tomorrow.
Had a nice din-din in IC last night with 3 and 4. Pizza at The Airliner. Seats in the front window. When I was in grad school, those were prime seats to watch the world go by. Times change. 4 was not happy about such a public location.
The DM seminar was everything that I expected it to be: a litany of technical problems that the IRS and Dept of Labor could expose under different circumstances. Actually, it recalled to mind a more elaborate session at Drake's law school in DM 25 years ago when the then new law was presented to an august gathering of lawyers and tax accountants. I've spent the equivalent of several months of time (maybe as much as a year or so) in training sessions over the years to maintain current knowledge. And current knowledge is of relevance for only 3-5 years. After that, new current knowledge makes the previous current knowledge pretty much useless.
My bet is that most of the rules that I learned in my Master's of Tax courses in the '70's are of limited use today. Plus, I now have Oldsheimer's and can't remember things anyway.
The Wells Fargo Arena in DM looks impressive from outside. I wonder how long Vets Auditorium will survive? The two venues are adjacent to one another and Wells was built because Vets just didn't present a sufficiently modern arena experience. My guess is that once Wells has taken most all of the business, a developer will come in, raze Vets and build some fancy retail-hotel multi-story combination to create more attraction for the downtown area. Then again, maybe it will simply become a parking lot.
I got lost in the parking ramp in DM as I was trying to exit. Then I got lost while trying to exit downtown DM. They have enough construction on the streets and freeways of DM to make for some serious road rage. And then some obviously lost driver panic-ed while trying to make the exit from the heavily under construction Dodge Street on to I-80 East when I was leaving IC after dinner. A little more excitement than necessary.
Running with 2 tonight. Wet and chilly. Just getting ready for the TT
The Cardinals could win their way into the World Series tonight. I still have an interest in that team from the old days. I have good memories of their wins in '64 and '67 and their loss to Detroit in '68. Radio days. Mixed feelings about the McGuire seasons.
Speaking of drugs, another mud slinging book on Lance hits the press tomorrow in France. The two guys writing it are the same ones who wrote an earlier effort to expose him as a cheat. They have the lawyer mantra going; "We're not out to beat a dead horse. The public deserves to know." Lance is not a hero to me. If he was dirty, then he should be accountable. But how long do the would-be Bernstein/Woodward sleuths get to dig? And, except for the French, how long does the public care?
Thanks for reading.
Be careful out there.
Had a nice din-din in IC last night with 3 and 4. Pizza at The Airliner. Seats in the front window. When I was in grad school, those were prime seats to watch the world go by. Times change. 4 was not happy about such a public location.
The DM seminar was everything that I expected it to be: a litany of technical problems that the IRS and Dept of Labor could expose under different circumstances. Actually, it recalled to mind a more elaborate session at Drake's law school in DM 25 years ago when the then new law was presented to an august gathering of lawyers and tax accountants. I've spent the equivalent of several months of time (maybe as much as a year or so) in training sessions over the years to maintain current knowledge. And current knowledge is of relevance for only 3-5 years. After that, new current knowledge makes the previous current knowledge pretty much useless.
My bet is that most of the rules that I learned in my Master's of Tax courses in the '70's are of limited use today. Plus, I now have Oldsheimer's and can't remember things anyway.
The Wells Fargo Arena in DM looks impressive from outside. I wonder how long Vets Auditorium will survive? The two venues are adjacent to one another and Wells was built because Vets just didn't present a sufficiently modern arena experience. My guess is that once Wells has taken most all of the business, a developer will come in, raze Vets and build some fancy retail-hotel multi-story combination to create more attraction for the downtown area. Then again, maybe it will simply become a parking lot.
I got lost in the parking ramp in DM as I was trying to exit. Then I got lost while trying to exit downtown DM. They have enough construction on the streets and freeways of DM to make for some serious road rage. And then some obviously lost driver panic-ed while trying to make the exit from the heavily under construction Dodge Street on to I-80 East when I was leaving IC after dinner. A little more excitement than necessary.
Running with 2 tonight. Wet and chilly. Just getting ready for the TT
The Cardinals could win their way into the World Series tonight. I still have an interest in that team from the old days. I have good memories of their wins in '64 and '67 and their loss to Detroit in '68. Radio days. Mixed feelings about the McGuire seasons.
Speaking of drugs, another mud slinging book on Lance hits the press tomorrow in France. The two guys writing it are the same ones who wrote an earlier effort to expose him as a cheat. They have the lawyer mantra going; "We're not out to beat a dead horse. The public deserves to know." Lance is not a hero to me. If he was dirty, then he should be accountable. But how long do the would-be Bernstein/Woodward sleuths get to dig? And, except for the French, how long does the public care?
Thanks for reading.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Tuesday
On the road in DM. Pulled out of Bettendorf SB's at 5:45 this AM.
The ride over here was without incident. I thought several times about my trips to DM in the mid '80's when I was building my business. It was a regular thing for several years.
Hope to see 3 and 4 later today.
May get back on this site later.
Be careful out there.
The ride over here was without incident. I thought several times about my trips to DM in the mid '80's when I was building my business. It was a regular thing for several years.
Hope to see 3 and 4 later today.
May get back on this site later.
Be careful out there.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Monday
Happy B-day to 3!!!!
3 also reports some good news on the employment front. She will have some choices. She's a star. We are all very proud of her.
Busy day here. Still trying to figure out what happened. It feels a little like the day after mid-terms: you know that the heat is off for now, but you also know that you have a lot of other stuff that will jump up in priority in a short time. No rest for the wicked. At this point, I just hope that I didn't forget anyone or anything.
Taking a break on running tonight. Rainy and a bit nasty out. I felt a twinge in my left calf last night so another day of rest can't be all bad. 2 will have to do Gold's on her own.
Oh-dark-hundred start in the AM for the DM conference. I would like to see 3 and 4 tomorrow evening on my way back on I-80 if they are available. Give me a call after 5 tomorrow afternoon. We can at least do coffee. Decaf for me at that hour.
4 made a nice entry finally. Always glad to hear from her.
Mrs. Mahler from PV made a guest appearance at SB's coffee this AM. She remembers all you guys. She was impressed that 1 is teaching high school LA. She knew you would be good at it.
So everyone have a good evening.
Be careful out there.
3 also reports some good news on the employment front. She will have some choices. She's a star. We are all very proud of her.
Busy day here. Still trying to figure out what happened. It feels a little like the day after mid-terms: you know that the heat is off for now, but you also know that you have a lot of other stuff that will jump up in priority in a short time. No rest for the wicked. At this point, I just hope that I didn't forget anyone or anything.
Taking a break on running tonight. Rainy and a bit nasty out. I felt a twinge in my left calf last night so another day of rest can't be all bad. 2 will have to do Gold's on her own.
Oh-dark-hundred start in the AM for the DM conference. I would like to see 3 and 4 tomorrow evening on my way back on I-80 if they are available. Give me a call after 5 tomorrow afternoon. We can at least do coffee. Decaf for me at that hour.
4 made a nice entry finally. Always glad to hear from her.
Mrs. Mahler from PV made a guest appearance at SB's coffee this AM. She remembers all you guys. She was impressed that 1 is teaching high school LA. She knew you would be good at it.
So everyone have a good evening.
Be careful out there.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Sunday
Happy Tax B-day to 3!
Tough day for the Hawks, Clones and the 24 car.
3 and 4 had a successful, but brief visit here yesterday. We did lunch at Sports' Fans and listened to a jerk near us yell and cuss at every tough play for the Hawks. The Bad Fan lives.
Roy and I did a high-end dinner last night at the new steak place in Moline. The Chop House, or something like that. It was the Blue Ribbon before it closed earlier this year. Now, they have the Centro people running it. We each had a New York Strip steak and they were excellent. Sides, appetizers and the like were a la carte. With 2 drinks each, the tab was about $120 before tip.
Tomorrow is the filing date that has been the focus of most of our work over the last several weeks. Most of the work is done, but it will be a busy day.
I have a training seminar over in DM on Tuesday. That means that the rest of my business life actually begins on Wednesday.
The cold nights last week killed the tomato vines and any other flowering plants. I put the indoor plants that had been outside into my garage . They have to be cleaned and de-bugged before I bring them inside for good. My enthusiasm for my plants is waning. Too much work.
I remember this time of year was always busy at our Scott Street house. Painting. Winterizing. Putting up the storm windows. Raking leaves. I don't miss that on-going maintenance work of an older home.
This has been a pretty ordinary entry. Then again, I have missed doing entries the last couple of Sundays, so by comparison, this is brilliant literature!.
Still missing 4.
Be careful out there.
Tough day for the Hawks, Clones and the 24 car.
3 and 4 had a successful, but brief visit here yesterday. We did lunch at Sports' Fans and listened to a jerk near us yell and cuss at every tough play for the Hawks. The Bad Fan lives.
Roy and I did a high-end dinner last night at the new steak place in Moline. The Chop House, or something like that. It was the Blue Ribbon before it closed earlier this year. Now, they have the Centro people running it. We each had a New York Strip steak and they were excellent. Sides, appetizers and the like were a la carte. With 2 drinks each, the tab was about $120 before tip.
Tomorrow is the filing date that has been the focus of most of our work over the last several weeks. Most of the work is done, but it will be a busy day.
I have a training seminar over in DM on Tuesday. That means that the rest of my business life actually begins on Wednesday.
The cold nights last week killed the tomato vines and any other flowering plants. I put the indoor plants that had been outside into my garage . They have to be cleaned and de-bugged before I bring them inside for good. My enthusiasm for my plants is waning. Too much work.
I remember this time of year was always busy at our Scott Street house. Painting. Winterizing. Putting up the storm windows. Raking leaves. I don't miss that on-going maintenance work of an older home.
This has been a pretty ordinary entry. Then again, I have missed doing entries the last couple of Sundays, so by comparison, this is brilliant literature!.
Still missing 4.
Be careful out there.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Saturday
Sorry for the missed day. Too many balls in the air Friday.
Looks like a nice Fall day here. Cool, but sunny. Good football weather. I'm going to try to do 4.5 or 5 later today.
3 should be in the QC for a little while today. Most importantly, she needs to swap out her phone. Her trip to C-town yesterday went well, but was long.
US Cellular is allowing customers with older equipment to upgrade at little cost without any contract extension. 3 likes to say that her phone is so old that it runs on diesel fuel. The new units have a GPS device which basically means that CSI can track you down where ever you try to hide. So you get the new phone, but give up a measure of privacy. Which, for most people, is probably ok. Increasingly so, if you think you're below radar, think again. OnStar in cars. Electronic tracks on your internet travels. It all makes the tracing of credit card usage by detectives in cop movies in the '80's and '90's very pedestrian.
Enjoyed Dan's comment on the congressional race. It's a small world. The GOP candidate is a local restauranteur whom I have never cared for. He also has the Machine Shed place on Living History Farms in DM. The Democrat is a lawyer. Not much to choose from.
I think I'm going to take a pass on church this weekend. I really have little interest in the bankruptcy explanation which will be the sole topic of Sunday's homily.
NCAA basketball practice opened last night with many schools holding Midnight Madness events. The big news around here is of a highly touted recruit from Indiana, now a high school senior, who had originally committed to Illinois, but who got hustled by the new guy at Indiana (Kelvin Sampson) and the kid has now annnounced that he will be going to Indiana. So much for the gentlemanly code of conduct among coaches.
Sampson left Oklahoma under a cloud. There's lots of pressure for Indiana to win and they accepted Sampson's baggage as part of the deal. This incident certainly sends a clear message in Big 10 country that he will accept a lower standard of coaching/recruiting ethics. I think that a lot of coaches work the gray areas when they are recruiting. I know Jim Calhoun at UConn has ruffled feathers out East. Bottom line: if you don't get the best recriuts, you won't win the tournament. And the really good players generally stay for only a year or two.
So I'm headed out to see 3 and 4 for the phone swap and lunch. Enjoy your day.
Be careful out there.
Looks like a nice Fall day here. Cool, but sunny. Good football weather. I'm going to try to do 4.5 or 5 later today.
3 should be in the QC for a little while today. Most importantly, she needs to swap out her phone. Her trip to C-town yesterday went well, but was long.
US Cellular is allowing customers with older equipment to upgrade at little cost without any contract extension. 3 likes to say that her phone is so old that it runs on diesel fuel. The new units have a GPS device which basically means that CSI can track you down where ever you try to hide. So you get the new phone, but give up a measure of privacy. Which, for most people, is probably ok. Increasingly so, if you think you're below radar, think again. OnStar in cars. Electronic tracks on your internet travels. It all makes the tracing of credit card usage by detectives in cop movies in the '80's and '90's very pedestrian.
Enjoyed Dan's comment on the congressional race. It's a small world. The GOP candidate is a local restauranteur whom I have never cared for. He also has the Machine Shed place on Living History Farms in DM. The Democrat is a lawyer. Not much to choose from.
I think I'm going to take a pass on church this weekend. I really have little interest in the bankruptcy explanation which will be the sole topic of Sunday's homily.
NCAA basketball practice opened last night with many schools holding Midnight Madness events. The big news around here is of a highly touted recruit from Indiana, now a high school senior, who had originally committed to Illinois, but who got hustled by the new guy at Indiana (Kelvin Sampson) and the kid has now annnounced that he will be going to Indiana. So much for the gentlemanly code of conduct among coaches.
Sampson left Oklahoma under a cloud. There's lots of pressure for Indiana to win and they accepted Sampson's baggage as part of the deal. This incident certainly sends a clear message in Big 10 country that he will accept a lower standard of coaching/recruiting ethics. I think that a lot of coaches work the gray areas when they are recruiting. I know Jim Calhoun at UConn has ruffled feathers out East. Bottom line: if you don't get the best recriuts, you won't win the tournament. And the really good players generally stay for only a year or two.
So I'm headed out to see 3 and 4 for the phone swap and lunch. Enjoy your day.
Be careful out there.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Thursday PM
The political ads on TV are just awful. We get mostly coverage of the Iowa governor's race and of the Eastern Iowa congressional district. Both are situations where the incumbant is not running. As a matter of fact, the current Republican congressman is one of the candidates for governor. He's the guy who initially made the news in congress years ago by wearing a brown paper bag on his head when there were debates going on that were not getting anywhere. It all makes me glad that I don't have a land line at my house.
I wonder if they will ever figure out what went wrong with the Yankee pitcher who flew his small airplane into the condo hi-rise in NY yesterday? Pilot error? Mechanical failure? Intentional? Pretty gruesome regardless.
My partner Bill has a huge set of 75 or so trust returns that need to be signed by a guy in Chicago. The package last year was lost in transit by UPS. It was a big, grossly inconvenient, administrative task to re-copy the returns at the last minute for filing. It took them months to track down the missing overnight box. We are all hoping that the system has better results this year.
Craig Wilson wrote yesterday in USA Today about the little one act plays that occur when people put stuff out at the curb, "free for a good home". Such simple columns make me a little self-pitying since the topics are ones that I feel I could ramble on about at least as well as the published author. Funny how I ended up as a tax accountant.
Then there is the new TV show, "20 Good Years" with John Lithgow. That show's concept has to have a little of 4000 Days in its literary anatomy.
I suppose my grapes are running a little toward sour.
I'm off to meet 2 for a run in the cold.
Be careful out there. And keep warm!
I wonder if they will ever figure out what went wrong with the Yankee pitcher who flew his small airplane into the condo hi-rise in NY yesterday? Pilot error? Mechanical failure? Intentional? Pretty gruesome regardless.
My partner Bill has a huge set of 75 or so trust returns that need to be signed by a guy in Chicago. The package last year was lost in transit by UPS. It was a big, grossly inconvenient, administrative task to re-copy the returns at the last minute for filing. It took them months to track down the missing overnight box. We are all hoping that the system has better results this year.
Craig Wilson wrote yesterday in USA Today about the little one act plays that occur when people put stuff out at the curb, "free for a good home". Such simple columns make me a little self-pitying since the topics are ones that I feel I could ramble on about at least as well as the published author. Funny how I ended up as a tax accountant.
Then there is the new TV show, "20 Good Years" with John Lithgow. That show's concept has to have a little of 4000 Days in its literary anatomy.
I suppose my grapes are running a little toward sour.
I'm off to meet 2 for a run in the cold.
Be careful out there. And keep warm!
Thursday AM
Just for the record, as I drove up middle road toward SB's this AM around 6 bells, I went through about two blocks of snow showers. Cars parked outside overnight had frosted windshields. I know that we'll see some warm days over the next several weeks, but today's snow and frost suggest that Ole Man Winter is awakening from his slumber.
But Tahoe has already had snow too. They had about 4 days without snow this year.
Aunt Martha advises me that its a great time of the year for LV. Mid 70's or so. She had a good time on her trip to Europe.
2 and I did a nice run in the cooler temps last night. If we have weather that warm at the TT, we'll all be happy. Another run scheduled for tonight.
3's a busy girl. Chicago. New York. Be a star.
At least 1 gave us a little news.
More later. Have a great day.
Be careful out there.
But Tahoe has already had snow too. They had about 4 days without snow this year.
Aunt Martha advises me that its a great time of the year for LV. Mid 70's or so. She had a good time on her trip to Europe.
2 and I did a nice run in the cooler temps last night. If we have weather that warm at the TT, we'll all be happy. Another run scheduled for tonight.
3's a busy girl. Chicago. New York. Be a star.
At least 1 gave us a little news.
More later. Have a great day.
Be careful out there.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Wednesday
I just don't have time to add anything today.
The diocese did file for bankruptcy. It made the national news wires.
3 has some interviews going. Busy time for her too.
I'm off to run with 2. Chilly out there.
Still waiting, 4.
Be careful out there.
The diocese did file for bankruptcy. It made the national news wires.
3 has some interviews going. Busy time for her too.
I'm off to run with 2. Chilly out there.
Still waiting, 4.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Tuesday
Anybody out there besides me who misses 4's entries?
I've spent most of the day crunching numbers again. Really not the most exciting thing to do.
2 and I did a fine job on the Shel route last night. Actually went just a little further, getting a full 30 minutes in of running. I had to walk several times, but I feel pretty good about the TT. We are taking tonight off, but we will be doing back-to-back days on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday is a Tuscan red night.
The abuse claims by victims against the Davenport Diocese continue to grab headlines. Regina High School in IC was in the morning papers with an indication that the school may file for bankruptcy if a current case coming to trial goes against the school. The whole diocese has considered the same action. My guess is that if the diocese does lose the case, they will declare bankruptcy and an outside trustee will be appointed. After that, I think that on-going operations of the local parishes will change. People will be reluctant to give financially if they know those contributions will be part of the legal mess. I can't think of a single positive thing for any person on any side of these cases.
The latest news from Tahoe is that Kevin and Erika are expecting in March 2007.
NASCAR had a little rumble on the final lap of Sunday's race. An agressive move by a younger driver took Junior and Jimmy Johnson out of contention and he went on to win amidst boos from the fans. (The 24 had a car that could of won, but he got caught in an accident not of his doing in the last 1/4 of the race.) The culprit here happens to be a teammate of JJ. But he won't be next year, although that choice had been mutually made a month ago. You're usually talking about strange bedfellows in these races, guys from different teams running together and helping each other. Not teammates wrecking teammates. That's "racin" stuff.
For various reasons, I missed my early morning SB's coffee. I grabbed a Mickey D's coffee in the alternative, and it was a bad choice. I think we get hooked on the good stuff and the rest is almost not drinkable. Maybe it's a conspiracy designed by former tobacco company executives hired by SB's to protect market share and guarantee growth.
Speaking of conspiracies, what about Big Brother monitoring your text messages? Maybe not Big Brother, but Private Snoops looking for information to sell. I bet there are guys out there radar-ed in on Jessica Simpson right now ready to sell it to The National Enquirer. Scary stuff.
So let's hear some news from the masses.
Be careful out there.
I've spent most of the day crunching numbers again. Really not the most exciting thing to do.
2 and I did a fine job on the Shel route last night. Actually went just a little further, getting a full 30 minutes in of running. I had to walk several times, but I feel pretty good about the TT. We are taking tonight off, but we will be doing back-to-back days on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday is a Tuscan red night.
The abuse claims by victims against the Davenport Diocese continue to grab headlines. Regina High School in IC was in the morning papers with an indication that the school may file for bankruptcy if a current case coming to trial goes against the school. The whole diocese has considered the same action. My guess is that if the diocese does lose the case, they will declare bankruptcy and an outside trustee will be appointed. After that, I think that on-going operations of the local parishes will change. People will be reluctant to give financially if they know those contributions will be part of the legal mess. I can't think of a single positive thing for any person on any side of these cases.
The latest news from Tahoe is that Kevin and Erika are expecting in March 2007.
NASCAR had a little rumble on the final lap of Sunday's race. An agressive move by a younger driver took Junior and Jimmy Johnson out of contention and he went on to win amidst boos from the fans. (The 24 had a car that could of won, but he got caught in an accident not of his doing in the last 1/4 of the race.) The culprit here happens to be a teammate of JJ. But he won't be next year, although that choice had been mutually made a month ago. You're usually talking about strange bedfellows in these races, guys from different teams running together and helping each other. Not teammates wrecking teammates. That's "racin" stuff.
For various reasons, I missed my early morning SB's coffee. I grabbed a Mickey D's coffee in the alternative, and it was a bad choice. I think we get hooked on the good stuff and the rest is almost not drinkable. Maybe it's a conspiracy designed by former tobacco company executives hired by SB's to protect market share and guarantee growth.
Speaking of conspiracies, what about Big Brother monitoring your text messages? Maybe not Big Brother, but Private Snoops looking for information to sell. I bet there are guys out there radar-ed in on Jessica Simpson right now ready to sell it to The National Enquirer. Scary stuff.
So let's hear some news from the masses.
Be careful out there.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Monday PM
Here's that second entry that I hinted at earlier today.
2 and I are headed for the Shel Silverstein route later this evening.
The big chill is coming this way later this week. I saw one forecast where the low was to be 30 one night. That should take care of my tomato vines. My neighbor's leaves are falling into my back yard. I mowed/mulched through the mess on Sunday and because it has been so dry, the mower did a good job and I didn't have to bag. Life is good. Remember the Martian eggs on Scott Street?
My buddy Jake's Pants is now involved in a real estate deal on the Baja of Mexico. If that turns out profitable, I'll have to brush up on my Spanaish. Habla Espanol?
I learned this weekend that Iowa football season ticket holders had to pay additional "contributions" this year to keep their spots. One of my Des Moines clients has 4 seats quite a ways up in the west stands and it cost him $600 a ticket to be able to then purchase the tickets. I don't know the details or if there were variable rates based on the section/row of the seats. It's the equivalent of a surcharge to pay for the stadium renovations.
ND is leveling a similar fee next year. They want to renovate the older parts of the stadium that did not receive attention when they added on the second deck a few years ago. No signs or naming rights. Just send money and be glad about it.
The tree in my front yard has thousands of little red berries. The birds are feasting. I'll try to get 3 a picture for the collection. I also have a ground squirrel who likes the cherry tomatos. And the mangey cat is still living under my deck. Its a veritable nature area all around me!
So I'm off to see 2 and Shel.
Be careful out there.
2 and I are headed for the Shel Silverstein route later this evening.
The big chill is coming this way later this week. I saw one forecast where the low was to be 30 one night. That should take care of my tomato vines. My neighbor's leaves are falling into my back yard. I mowed/mulched through the mess on Sunday and because it has been so dry, the mower did a good job and I didn't have to bag. Life is good. Remember the Martian eggs on Scott Street?
My buddy Jake's Pants is now involved in a real estate deal on the Baja of Mexico. If that turns out profitable, I'll have to brush up on my Spanaish. Habla Espanol?
I learned this weekend that Iowa football season ticket holders had to pay additional "contributions" this year to keep their spots. One of my Des Moines clients has 4 seats quite a ways up in the west stands and it cost him $600 a ticket to be able to then purchase the tickets. I don't know the details or if there were variable rates based on the section/row of the seats. It's the equivalent of a surcharge to pay for the stadium renovations.
ND is leveling a similar fee next year. They want to renovate the older parts of the stadium that did not receive attention when they added on the second deck a few years ago. No signs or naming rights. Just send money and be glad about it.
The tree in my front yard has thousands of little red berries. The birds are feasting. I'll try to get 3 a picture for the collection. I also have a ground squirrel who likes the cherry tomatos. And the mangey cat is still living under my deck. Its a veritable nature area all around me!
So I'm off to see 2 and Shel.
Be careful out there.
Monday AM
Another busy weekend.
Enjoyable foray into IC for the game on Saturday. The parking pass from my pal Roy gave us a premium location. By arriving towards the end of the first quarter we avoided all pre-game traffic. And by leaving a couple hours after the game, there was very little exit traffic. Good to see 3 and 4 and to meet 3's friend from Ctown.
I've already put in a request for the parking pass for the game on the 28th. I would like to reserve the same weather too.
Busy week in store for me this week. I didn't get in to the office on Sunday so today will need to be productive to kick things off.
My schedule had me running on Saturday, but that didn't happen. So yesterday I did 2 Shel Silverstein runs to get the mileage. Actually felt better on the second one which was a couple hours after the first. Devils Glen is really torn up with construction.
Columbus Day. Does that mean anything to anybody in today's world except Federal workers who get the day off?
When I was in to check news and mail on Saturday morning, I did the old spill the coffee on the desk, keyboard and miscellaneous papers. It actually could hve been worse if the lid had come off my SB's cup. Does Murphy's Law have a separate section for coffee on the desk?
I'll try to add more later. Have a great day.
Be careful out there.
Enjoyable foray into IC for the game on Saturday. The parking pass from my pal Roy gave us a premium location. By arriving towards the end of the first quarter we avoided all pre-game traffic. And by leaving a couple hours after the game, there was very little exit traffic. Good to see 3 and 4 and to meet 3's friend from Ctown.
I've already put in a request for the parking pass for the game on the 28th. I would like to reserve the same weather too.
Busy week in store for me this week. I didn't get in to the office on Sunday so today will need to be productive to kick things off.
My schedule had me running on Saturday, but that didn't happen. So yesterday I did 2 Shel Silverstein runs to get the mileage. Actually felt better on the second one which was a couple hours after the first. Devils Glen is really torn up with construction.
Columbus Day. Does that mean anything to anybody in today's world except Federal workers who get the day off?
When I was in to check news and mail on Saturday morning, I did the old spill the coffee on the desk, keyboard and miscellaneous papers. It actually could hve been worse if the lid had come off my SB's cup. Does Murphy's Law have a separate section for coffee on the desk?
I'll try to add more later. Have a great day.
Be careful out there.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Thursday
I just have time for a few lines tonight. 2 and I have a run scheduled for 6:30. It gets dark so early that to start any later means finishing in the dark.
Margret is out today.
Still lots in the press about Foley. Just out of curiosity, I did a search on Blogger for "foley" and numerous hits were shown. Following a couple of those hits, and the referrals, its easy to see how a person could get lost in the maze of the internet. Just scanning a few of those blogs gives a hint of the tawdry underside of the fringe elements in journalism (if the blogs qualify as journalism). Scarey stuff.
I know there are some statistics that have estimated the increase in information over different periods of time. Given the amount of information that is created each day on the internet, does the exponential growth not only add to the mass, but also grows at an increasing speed? Or is that the definition of exponential growth? And, granted that the Earth's population has grown in recent centuries, but is this increase in information only an increase in written information? Can you have an increase in information if it is not somehow documented? Does the falling tree make a noise in an empty forest? Where is Albert Camus when we need him?
I see in the paper where "Kill Green" (aka ER) is still on TV. Why?
Thanks for reading. Have a great night.
And be careful out there.
Margret is out today.
Still lots in the press about Foley. Just out of curiosity, I did a search on Blogger for "foley" and numerous hits were shown. Following a couple of those hits, and the referrals, its easy to see how a person could get lost in the maze of the internet. Just scanning a few of those blogs gives a hint of the tawdry underside of the fringe elements in journalism (if the blogs qualify as journalism). Scarey stuff.
I know there are some statistics that have estimated the increase in information over different periods of time. Given the amount of information that is created each day on the internet, does the exponential growth not only add to the mass, but also grows at an increasing speed? Or is that the definition of exponential growth? And, granted that the Earth's population has grown in recent centuries, but is this increase in information only an increase in written information? Can you have an increase in information if it is not somehow documented? Does the falling tree make a noise in an empty forest? Where is Albert Camus when we need him?
I see in the paper where "Kill Green" (aka ER) is still on TV. Why?
Thanks for reading. Have a great night.
And be careful out there.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Wednesday
I assume that Anonymous was referring to the fact that October 16th is usually Boss's Day.
2 and I had a nice little 3.7 or so run last night. It was warm and we ended up going a little further than originally planned. I was not all that strong because I hadn't eaten very well during the day, but I was ok afterwards. We're doing it again tomorrow night.
The weather changed today. A front came in and the temps came down quite a bit. Those high 80's weren't that great earlier in the week.
I did an oil change on the Buick at The Grease Spot by Panara Bread on Elmore after lunch. They didn't want to sell me filters, but the guy did suggest rotating the tires and swapping out wipers. Some things just don't change.
Leno was unmerciful on former congressman Foley last night. There's a lot of material to work with. Interesting how the different societal segments view and/or act on such a set of facts. Obviously the prime mover has to do damage control. Rehab? Of course. And now the recollection of clergy abuse in his youth. The political vultures now want to hang anyone in the glidepath. The media mudrakers want to "get the story out" to protect the public. The politicians need to quickly denounce the commission of such heinous acts. Before their opponents can call them soft on crime. Its all very predictable. No wonder the comics love scandal. Let's see, Father Soandso, Ted Kennedy and Foley were on a good will visit to Boys Town...
Then you have the morning sports talk show on Fox radio just carving up Chris Berman of ESPN for his call of the baseball game yesterday. I'm not a big Berman fan, and I did not hear him on the game in question, but these guys are just unable to control themselves. There is no class in sports talk radio. No professionalism. Only outrageousness. Hard to listen to just to get the scores. If these guys had any talent, they would be doing something a little more meaningful. But I guess that explains the reality of why they are where they are. People who can, do. People who can't, write and talk about those who can.
Speaking of commentators, Nick Faldo is taking the job of Head Color Guy for CBS Golf next year. He's taking the place of Lanny Watkins who had the job for a couple of years, but who never really connected with his audience. Faldo won the Masters a couple of times, including the one where Greg Norman blew a big lead on the back nine on Sunday. He should do ok. He still plays a little and he has a good sense of humor. Faldo and Paul Azinger were doing color work for one of the other major networks the last couple of years, but that network lost the contract so they were both looking for a place to land.
Has 4000 Days had a golf discussion before today?
Hope all is well with everyone.
Be careful out there.
2 and I had a nice little 3.7 or so run last night. It was warm and we ended up going a little further than originally planned. I was not all that strong because I hadn't eaten very well during the day, but I was ok afterwards. We're doing it again tomorrow night.
The weather changed today. A front came in and the temps came down quite a bit. Those high 80's weren't that great earlier in the week.
I did an oil change on the Buick at The Grease Spot by Panara Bread on Elmore after lunch. They didn't want to sell me filters, but the guy did suggest rotating the tires and swapping out wipers. Some things just don't change.
Leno was unmerciful on former congressman Foley last night. There's a lot of material to work with. Interesting how the different societal segments view and/or act on such a set of facts. Obviously the prime mover has to do damage control. Rehab? Of course. And now the recollection of clergy abuse in his youth. The political vultures now want to hang anyone in the glidepath. The media mudrakers want to "get the story out" to protect the public. The politicians need to quickly denounce the commission of such heinous acts. Before their opponents can call them soft on crime. Its all very predictable. No wonder the comics love scandal. Let's see, Father Soandso, Ted Kennedy and Foley were on a good will visit to Boys Town...
Then you have the morning sports talk show on Fox radio just carving up Chris Berman of ESPN for his call of the baseball game yesterday. I'm not a big Berman fan, and I did not hear him on the game in question, but these guys are just unable to control themselves. There is no class in sports talk radio. No professionalism. Only outrageousness. Hard to listen to just to get the scores. If these guys had any talent, they would be doing something a little more meaningful. But I guess that explains the reality of why they are where they are. People who can, do. People who can't, write and talk about those who can.
Speaking of commentators, Nick Faldo is taking the job of Head Color Guy for CBS Golf next year. He's taking the place of Lanny Watkins who had the job for a couple of years, but who never really connected with his audience. Faldo won the Masters a couple of times, including the one where Greg Norman blew a big lead on the back nine on Sunday. He should do ok. He still plays a little and he has a good sense of humor. Faldo and Paul Azinger were doing color work for one of the other major networks the last couple of years, but that network lost the contract so they were both looking for a place to land.
Has 4000 Days had a golf discussion before today?
Hope all is well with everyone.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Tuesday
Another unusually warm day for October. Mid-to-upper 80's. It should cool down some tomorrow. I have little preference for the heat. I doubt if I ever head South or Southwest for a retirement lifestyle. I'll be shovelling snow forever.
The baseball playoffs started today. I remember in grade school at St. Pat's in Ottumwa in the 1950's and early '60's when the nuns would bring in a TV for the World Series. While these divisional games are still often played in the daytime, the World Series is almost always at night for national TV broadcast purposes. Back then, you knew the players on each team. Today, you've never heard of half the players on some of these teams.
Speaking of the "World" series, it is interesting that most of the teams are heavily laden with Central American talent. And more and more Asians. Fewer African Americans. There has been much written in recent years about the declining participation of black youths in baseball in this country. You can certainly see it at the College World Series. Lots of theories for this reality, and none of them reflect all that well on our culture. Some of it is baseball's fault. The players' union strikes. The steroid mess. And the NFL and NBA tend to be more glamourous.
But each baseball game is a story. And 3 can give you the colorful comparison that describes the the beauty of the game. As much as I played, I can't say that I loved it. (By comparison, Daddy loved the game. And the Yankees.) But I still respect the game and enjoy the "games within the game" that mark strategy and execution of the players and the managers. You pitch the ball. You hit the ball. You catch the ball. You hit the cutoff man. You back up first base. You don't show up another player or an umpire. Lots of other unwritten rules.
4 received her admission to the Iowa School of Journalism. You go girl! Internships wanted. (It would be nice, but probably not all that realistic, if it was a paid internship.)
1 advises me that she feels ok one day after the marathon.
2 and I are running together tonight. We ran 4+ miles on Saturday morning in Minneapolis so we're trying to help one another get ready for the TT.
And 3 continues the job search.
October 16th is the final due date for the last of the 2005 returns of any sort. We have several to do. The 15th is the real date, but since it falls on a Sunday, the deadline slips to the next business day. Busy times.
So do your stuff the best you can. Keeping the eye on the ball, out there a few feet in front of home plate.
And be careful out there.
The baseball playoffs started today. I remember in grade school at St. Pat's in Ottumwa in the 1950's and early '60's when the nuns would bring in a TV for the World Series. While these divisional games are still often played in the daytime, the World Series is almost always at night for national TV broadcast purposes. Back then, you knew the players on each team. Today, you've never heard of half the players on some of these teams.
Speaking of the "World" series, it is interesting that most of the teams are heavily laden with Central American talent. And more and more Asians. Fewer African Americans. There has been much written in recent years about the declining participation of black youths in baseball in this country. You can certainly see it at the College World Series. Lots of theories for this reality, and none of them reflect all that well on our culture. Some of it is baseball's fault. The players' union strikes. The steroid mess. And the NFL and NBA tend to be more glamourous.
But each baseball game is a story. And 3 can give you the colorful comparison that describes the the beauty of the game. As much as I played, I can't say that I loved it. (By comparison, Daddy loved the game. And the Yankees.) But I still respect the game and enjoy the "games within the game" that mark strategy and execution of the players and the managers. You pitch the ball. You hit the ball. You catch the ball. You hit the cutoff man. You back up first base. You don't show up another player or an umpire. Lots of other unwritten rules.
4 received her admission to the Iowa School of Journalism. You go girl! Internships wanted. (It would be nice, but probably not all that realistic, if it was a paid internship.)
1 advises me that she feels ok one day after the marathon.
2 and I are running together tonight. We ran 4+ miles on Saturday morning in Minneapolis so we're trying to help one another get ready for the TT.
And 3 continues the job search.
October 16th is the final due date for the last of the 2005 returns of any sort. We have several to do. The 15th is the real date, but since it falls on a Sunday, the deadline slips to the next business day. Busy times.
So do your stuff the best you can. Keeping the eye on the ball, out there a few feet in front of home plate.
And be careful out there.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Monday
Greetings from the weekend traveler.
The trip to the Twin Cities was a great success. 1 completed the marathon in just 32 seconds over four hours, a new personal record. And she was able to walk away under her own power. The day was near perfect. Probably a little warm to be perfect marathon weather, but heat was not a big problem. Not a lot of wind.
We were successful in seeing her and her running partner at five separate points during the race. Being at the interim points at the proper time is always problematic; the girls need to run predictable times, and the watchers need to snake through traffic in some often congested areas. I had done so on a bike in Chicago, but had had good success by car in 1's prior Twin Cities marathons so I hadn't packed the bike this time either. In the end, 2 and I were lucky for all the designated spots while Matt and Mom got caught up in traffic once and missed the 19 mile meeting. I may have broken more parking laws than Matt, and 2 was an excellent co-pilot.
The road part of the trip was long, both going and coming. Friday afternoon traffic one day, and just tiredness on the drive home. But the new wheels were comfortable and we did a couple of CD books. One actually. The second one is still in the player. 1's short-cut doesn't work on Friday afternoons.
On Saturday, I had a chance meeting with an MU sophomore soccer player from Bettendorf who was the star of our AAU bball team when 4 was in grade school. She just happened to walk through the baseball stands while I was there for a game that Matt was umping. We had a nice chat and I was able to stop at her game for a while Sunday after the marathon, getting to talk with her folks too. Unfortunately, her team played poorly while I was there. But she is the team's leading scorer.
The hotel produced the worst two nights of sleeping for me in years. Surprisingly, it wasn't my back. Just lousy rest. I had the sofa-bed in the living room of our suite. It will be my last sofa-bed experience. Everyone take note. I will always want to visit you. But if the accomodations are to be the sofa-bed, book a room at the Marriott.
Another by-product of the trip is the bug splattered front of my car. Big wash in store tonight.
2 and I had a little excitement as we were approaching parking for the end of the marathon. A very poor driver pulled out from a side-street and forced me to put both left side tires on to the 5-6 inch raised medium of a four laned major street to avoid contact. Total inattention. We were lucky. I figured that it would ruin a tire. But we escaped.
As an interesting point, I thought afterwards that the incident could have been totally avoided if I had elected to take a different route to the finish of the race, as 2 and I had considered. Or the timing would have been put off if I had stopped in at a Mickey D's for a pit stop, as I had also considered just a few minutes before the near-accident. This is one of those moon-and-stars things about the place and the time of events. Maybe in this case, since I had two specific alternatives that would have taken me away from that scene, the powers-that-be said, "Let's give the LT a break today". Not the worst outcome.
Speaking of timing, let me remind everyone that very few good things happen out in public after midnight. It is usually worse if alcohol has been involved. This may even qualify as a Man Rule. Although most of those guys around that table have histories that make the rule one of the "Do as I say, not as I do" variety. In any event, its a good rule.
OK. I'm out of here. Hope everyone has a good evening. More tomorrow.
Be careful out there.
The trip to the Twin Cities was a great success. 1 completed the marathon in just 32 seconds over four hours, a new personal record. And she was able to walk away under her own power. The day was near perfect. Probably a little warm to be perfect marathon weather, but heat was not a big problem. Not a lot of wind.
We were successful in seeing her and her running partner at five separate points during the race. Being at the interim points at the proper time is always problematic; the girls need to run predictable times, and the watchers need to snake through traffic in some often congested areas. I had done so on a bike in Chicago, but had had good success by car in 1's prior Twin Cities marathons so I hadn't packed the bike this time either. In the end, 2 and I were lucky for all the designated spots while Matt and Mom got caught up in traffic once and missed the 19 mile meeting. I may have broken more parking laws than Matt, and 2 was an excellent co-pilot.
The road part of the trip was long, both going and coming. Friday afternoon traffic one day, and just tiredness on the drive home. But the new wheels were comfortable and we did a couple of CD books. One actually. The second one is still in the player. 1's short-cut doesn't work on Friday afternoons.
On Saturday, I had a chance meeting with an MU sophomore soccer player from Bettendorf who was the star of our AAU bball team when 4 was in grade school. She just happened to walk through the baseball stands while I was there for a game that Matt was umping. We had a nice chat and I was able to stop at her game for a while Sunday after the marathon, getting to talk with her folks too. Unfortunately, her team played poorly while I was there. But she is the team's leading scorer.
The hotel produced the worst two nights of sleeping for me in years. Surprisingly, it wasn't my back. Just lousy rest. I had the sofa-bed in the living room of our suite. It will be my last sofa-bed experience. Everyone take note. I will always want to visit you. But if the accomodations are to be the sofa-bed, book a room at the Marriott.
Another by-product of the trip is the bug splattered front of my car. Big wash in store tonight.
2 and I had a little excitement as we were approaching parking for the end of the marathon. A very poor driver pulled out from a side-street and forced me to put both left side tires on to the 5-6 inch raised medium of a four laned major street to avoid contact. Total inattention. We were lucky. I figured that it would ruin a tire. But we escaped.
As an interesting point, I thought afterwards that the incident could have been totally avoided if I had elected to take a different route to the finish of the race, as 2 and I had considered. Or the timing would have been put off if I had stopped in at a Mickey D's for a pit stop, as I had also considered just a few minutes before the near-accident. This is one of those moon-and-stars things about the place and the time of events. Maybe in this case, since I had two specific alternatives that would have taken me away from that scene, the powers-that-be said, "Let's give the LT a break today". Not the worst outcome.
Speaking of timing, let me remind everyone that very few good things happen out in public after midnight. It is usually worse if alcohol has been involved. This may even qualify as a Man Rule. Although most of those guys around that table have histories that make the rule one of the "Do as I say, not as I do" variety. In any event, its a good rule.
OK. I'm out of here. Hope everyone has a good evening. More tomorrow.
Be careful out there.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Friday
I will try to add some to this tonight from Minnesota.
This is another day, a rare day, for me in a suit. The coffee crowd was in border-line shock, as were the Augie folks at the breakfast meeting. I have set a low standard that people have now fully accepted. Trying to conform to the proper dress code for others may now actually draw more attention than if I just showed up in my jeans as per normal.
Great business reception/party last night in Moline. A successful client of mine throws a fully catered tent party every other year that gets attended by hundreds. Very well done. The weather cooperated and it was good to see the full crew. Its always a positive feeling to hang out with successful people. Even better when they are your clients and friends.
More later from the road.
Be careful out there.
This is another day, a rare day, for me in a suit. The coffee crowd was in border-line shock, as were the Augie folks at the breakfast meeting. I have set a low standard that people have now fully accepted. Trying to conform to the proper dress code for others may now actually draw more attention than if I just showed up in my jeans as per normal.
Great business reception/party last night in Moline. A successful client of mine throws a fully catered tent party every other year that gets attended by hundreds. Very well done. The weather cooperated and it was good to see the full crew. Its always a positive feeling to hang out with successful people. Even better when they are your clients and friends.
More later from the road.
Be careful out there.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Thursday
Just don't have the time to get a lucid entry in tonight. I've been on the go since noon and its past my bedtime. I'll bring things up to speed before leaving for the Twin Cities tomorrow.
Good luck to the college girls. I know they have a lot going on. Wish I could help more.
Be careful out there.
Good luck to the college girls. I know they have a lot going on. Wish I could help more.
Be careful out there.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Wednesday
I have less wisdom today than I did yesterday.
I ran the route last night that I used for my training in 2004 and my time was comparable to those efforts two years ago. (I have my 2004 and 2005 calendars hanging in my workout area in my basement and I compare times and activities on this type of stuff.) Slow is slow. But I was a little comforted in knowing that I was not that far off conditioning-wise from my status in 2004. The TT in my age-time is a possibility.
In bike-speak, ITT refers to an individual time trial, while a TTT refers to a team time trial. The TT of turkey trot fame has little mass-recognition distinction. As though ITT and TTT do.
But I digress.
The ND- Michigan State game last weekend was the 40th anniversary of the famous (infamous?) 10-10 tie between the teams back in 1966. I was a senior in high school and I remember that I was at a speech contest in Keokuk that Saturday. I had dreams of attending ND at the time, but I certainly wasn't an accepted student that early. I think I listened to part of the game on the radio.
Speech contests were pretty big deals back then. I remember travelling to contests at several other schools, and there was the Speech Club, and I think my box of high school memorabilia has a few certificates or awards for my efforts. I was a wild child. In my white letterman's sweater.
Saw Sarah's dad at coffee this AM. He extends his "best of luck" to 1 for Sunday.
My Russian cleaning lady is back! And my home is once again clean. I did very little in her month-long absence and it literally showed. All's right with the world again.
So pretty quiet out there among the troops.
Be careful out there.
I ran the route last night that I used for my training in 2004 and my time was comparable to those efforts two years ago. (I have my 2004 and 2005 calendars hanging in my workout area in my basement and I compare times and activities on this type of stuff.) Slow is slow. But I was a little comforted in knowing that I was not that far off conditioning-wise from my status in 2004. The TT in my age-time is a possibility.
In bike-speak, ITT refers to an individual time trial, while a TTT refers to a team time trial. The TT of turkey trot fame has little mass-recognition distinction. As though ITT and TTT do.
But I digress.
The ND- Michigan State game last weekend was the 40th anniversary of the famous (infamous?) 10-10 tie between the teams back in 1966. I was a senior in high school and I remember that I was at a speech contest in Keokuk that Saturday. I had dreams of attending ND at the time, but I certainly wasn't an accepted student that early. I think I listened to part of the game on the radio.
Speech contests were pretty big deals back then. I remember travelling to contests at several other schools, and there was the Speech Club, and I think my box of high school memorabilia has a few certificates or awards for my efforts. I was a wild child. In my white letterman's sweater.
Saw Sarah's dad at coffee this AM. He extends his "best of luck" to 1 for Sunday.
My Russian cleaning lady is back! And my home is once again clean. I did very little in her month-long absence and it literally showed. All's right with the world again.
So pretty quiet out there among the troops.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Tuesday
Beautiful day again here. Need to get in my Shel Silverstein run this evening.
My pal Roy's decision to blow off the Ryder Cup trip was apparently a good choice. I guess the travel was a pain in the behind, the weather was pretty iffy, the viewing at the matches was no-so-good, and the Americans played like bumkins. Not quite the recipe for a good time.
Had a couple come in for a meeting this afternoon and the women's name was Mary Margaret. I told her that I knew someone else with that name.
I have a mangey cat living under my deck. Really mangey. Really. The neighbors along my driveway have been feeding it. Apparently, this has been going on for some time. Lest there be any doubt, there is a zero percent chance that that cat will enjoy the heat of my home come Winter.
I think Aunt Margaret has a birthday this month. She's old.
Good luck to the IC girls on a successful week in the classroom. Hope the Hawks do well come Saturday.
Sorry for the lack of wisdom tonight.
Be careful out there.
My pal Roy's decision to blow off the Ryder Cup trip was apparently a good choice. I guess the travel was a pain in the behind, the weather was pretty iffy, the viewing at the matches was no-so-good, and the Americans played like bumkins. Not quite the recipe for a good time.
Had a couple come in for a meeting this afternoon and the women's name was Mary Margaret. I told her that I knew someone else with that name.
I have a mangey cat living under my deck. Really mangey. Really. The neighbors along my driveway have been feeding it. Apparently, this has been going on for some time. Lest there be any doubt, there is a zero percent chance that that cat will enjoy the heat of my home come Winter.
I think Aunt Margaret has a birthday this month. She's old.
Good luck to the IC girls on a successful week in the classroom. Hope the Hawks do well come Saturday.
Sorry for the lack of wisdom tonight.
Be careful out there.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Monday
Not too many 3-day-misses on the old blog. Sorry.
Good but not great weekend. Enjoyed seeing 4, and got a peek at 3 today on her way back to IC from her weekend in C-town. Mildly nostalgic feeling watching the marathon on Sunday morning with 4. Saw several friends and acquaintances. It was a perfect morning for it.
Margret is out today. I gave her a wash yesterday so she's pretty spiffed-out today. A great day for being outside.
Big win for ND on Saturday night. I had turned the TV away from the game and over to the dish because it was so bad in the first half. When I turned it back to the game in the 4th quarter to check the score, and they were so close, I was too superstitious to connect the antenna so I watched the last 5 minutes in the snow. Michigan State played awful in the last part of the game. They deserved to lose much more than ND deserved to win.
I'm thinking about getting one of those home air-purifier systems. I'm beginning to wonder if my house has an allergen in residence.
My blog on Thursday night required a special trip back to the office to publish. When I was done writing it at around 6PM local, I kept getting an "illegal command" message. I finally figured out that Blogspot was down for maintenance at 4 PM Pacific time, which is 6PM Central. So I just left the blog on my computer and came back around 7 and it published right away.
I've been doing some promotional business things lately and had a vendor send me today an unsolicited example of what his company could do for Criterium, including a look-a-like website that he had had one of his hacks do by just pulling our stuff off our regular site. It looked good. Totally unauthorized, but it looked good. No wonder that the phishers out there can make a site look real. Never give your ID or credit card information to one of those curious inquiries.
The nation bows it's collective head tonight in homage to New Orleans. Thanks, but no. I'm going to watch Seinfeld reruns.
I have a couple of the ugliest plants ever grown on my front steps. My first plants there in the early summer were some pink geraniums that I never liked and which died gradual deaths by mid-July. At that point, I was trolling the plant aisles at Lowe's and came across these huge-leaved, green-red-white varigated things that I had not seen previously. And they were on sale. So they became the front steps decor for the rest of the summer. They always looked a little droopy, grew long, spikey seed disbursement antennae, and generally looked like weeds. They go in the trash come Thursday. Next year, its back to red geraniums in new soil for those pots.
Did about 4 miles on Saturday and 2.4 on Sunday. Off today. 60 days to the Turkey Trot. I told 4 that I wanted to run my age. Which is less than an hour. In a manner of speaking.
So that's about it for now. Hope everyone is off to a good week. Good luck to all.
Be careful out there.
Good but not great weekend. Enjoyed seeing 4, and got a peek at 3 today on her way back to IC from her weekend in C-town. Mildly nostalgic feeling watching the marathon on Sunday morning with 4. Saw several friends and acquaintances. It was a perfect morning for it.
Margret is out today. I gave her a wash yesterday so she's pretty spiffed-out today. A great day for being outside.
Big win for ND on Saturday night. I had turned the TV away from the game and over to the dish because it was so bad in the first half. When I turned it back to the game in the 4th quarter to check the score, and they were so close, I was too superstitious to connect the antenna so I watched the last 5 minutes in the snow. Michigan State played awful in the last part of the game. They deserved to lose much more than ND deserved to win.
I'm thinking about getting one of those home air-purifier systems. I'm beginning to wonder if my house has an allergen in residence.
My blog on Thursday night required a special trip back to the office to publish. When I was done writing it at around 6PM local, I kept getting an "illegal command" message. I finally figured out that Blogspot was down for maintenance at 4 PM Pacific time, which is 6PM Central. So I just left the blog on my computer and came back around 7 and it published right away.
I've been doing some promotional business things lately and had a vendor send me today an unsolicited example of what his company could do for Criterium, including a look-a-like website that he had had one of his hacks do by just pulling our stuff off our regular site. It looked good. Totally unauthorized, but it looked good. No wonder that the phishers out there can make a site look real. Never give your ID or credit card information to one of those curious inquiries.
The nation bows it's collective head tonight in homage to New Orleans. Thanks, but no. I'm going to watch Seinfeld reruns.
I have a couple of the ugliest plants ever grown on my front steps. My first plants there in the early summer were some pink geraniums that I never liked and which died gradual deaths by mid-July. At that point, I was trolling the plant aisles at Lowe's and came across these huge-leaved, green-red-white varigated things that I had not seen previously. And they were on sale. So they became the front steps decor for the rest of the summer. They always looked a little droopy, grew long, spikey seed disbursement antennae, and generally looked like weeds. They go in the trash come Thursday. Next year, its back to red geraniums in new soil for those pots.
Did about 4 miles on Saturday and 2.4 on Sunday. Off today. 60 days to the Turkey Trot. I told 4 that I wanted to run my age. Which is less than an hour. In a manner of speaking.
So that's about it for now. Hope everyone is off to a good week. Good luck to all.
Be careful out there.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Thursday
Busy day on the blogs today.
Our cousin Fran R had an article in the local rag about his running exploits. I haven't seen him as much this summer since I haven't been on the bike path during the week, which is where he trains. He continues to win most of the 5-10K local weekend road races for his 70+ age group. He's doing the half in this weekend's QC Marathon. In the half I did here 2 years ago, he did the full. He's nuts.
In a similar vein, my biking buddy Tom, whom I won't ride with anymore because he's like totally out of my league (for you 4!), is looking forward to next year when he turns 60 and will be the youngest guy in Plus 60 races. But he probably needs to watch out: anybody riding competitively at age 60 may have some skills.
2 has been getting a little air time here. Did I detect a little I'm-here-too-ism in a comment?
The local Catholic diocese lost another ancient abuse case for about $1.5 mil this week. That's on top of the $10 mil that they have paid out in settlements in the last couple of years. No winners in this business except the attorneys. And at those judgement rates, there will most definitely be more cases. Of course the attorneys are solemnly murmurring, "It's not about the money," all the way to the bank.
Then you have the international furor among the Muslims for the comments made by the Pope last week. Isn't it amazing how sacred every element of that religion is in comparison to anthing that we know here in the States? Leno pokes fun at the Catholics almost every night. Nobody is exempt here. Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, The Pope, Jesus Christ, for that matter. But don't 'dis Mohammed. No wonder there is no peace in their worlds.
On a lighter note, I couldn't care less about Grey's Anatomy. Although they were talking about an interesting shower scene at coffee this morning. I may watch CSI, but I also may just go to bed.
So make sure the right amount of studying and class prep is done before the books are closed this evening. 2, dust off the resume!
Y'all be careful out there.
Our cousin Fran R had an article in the local rag about his running exploits. I haven't seen him as much this summer since I haven't been on the bike path during the week, which is where he trains. He continues to win most of the 5-10K local weekend road races for his 70+ age group. He's doing the half in this weekend's QC Marathon. In the half I did here 2 years ago, he did the full. He's nuts.
In a similar vein, my biking buddy Tom, whom I won't ride with anymore because he's like totally out of my league (for you 4!), is looking forward to next year when he turns 60 and will be the youngest guy in Plus 60 races. But he probably needs to watch out: anybody riding competitively at age 60 may have some skills.
2 has been getting a little air time here. Did I detect a little I'm-here-too-ism in a comment?
The local Catholic diocese lost another ancient abuse case for about $1.5 mil this week. That's on top of the $10 mil that they have paid out in settlements in the last couple of years. No winners in this business except the attorneys. And at those judgement rates, there will most definitely be more cases. Of course the attorneys are solemnly murmurring, "It's not about the money," all the way to the bank.
Then you have the international furor among the Muslims for the comments made by the Pope last week. Isn't it amazing how sacred every element of that religion is in comparison to anthing that we know here in the States? Leno pokes fun at the Catholics almost every night. Nobody is exempt here. Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, The Pope, Jesus Christ, for that matter. But don't 'dis Mohammed. No wonder there is no peace in their worlds.
On a lighter note, I couldn't care less about Grey's Anatomy. Although they were talking about an interesting shower scene at coffee this morning. I may watch CSI, but I also may just go to bed.
So make sure the right amount of studying and class prep is done before the books are closed this evening. 2, dust off the resume!
Y'all be careful out there.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Wednesday
A beautiful day in River City.
I had lunch yesterday at Biaggi's and an early dinner at the Olive Garden. Very Italian. And not a glass of Tuscan red at either meal. I ordered one of the daily features at each place, and both were very good. Do you suppose that the pasta will have had enough time to process through my system to be of benefit for my run tonight? I mean, it was at lunch yesterday, not just last night at dinner. I know that the latter carb-dose is for tomorrow.
The sports writers are at it again with A-Rod in NY. There must be a story in this week's SI about the suppposed turmoil on the team as a result of A-Rod's struggles this year, and the guy's inability to be "one of the guys". Not that A-Rod is blameless. It appears that he may care too much about what people, particularly Yankee fans, think about him. And everybody has a comparison going with him and Jeter. In NY, A-Rod is going to lose that comparison, regardless of what is being measured. From a baseball standpoint, he's got 34 HRs, 116 RBIs and is hitting .286. Those are border-line career numbers for 95% of the players. And he's admittedly in a down year. It's a tough crowd out there, A-Rod.
The Hawks should win in a walkover in Champaign this week. ND will have its hands full at Michigan State, and the Clones may be out of their league in Austin. NASCAR is at Dover. Funny, I lived in Dover for over two years in the '70's and I didn't even know that there was a track in town. Then again, I had almost no life for a good chunk of that time. Working on the flight line on weekly rotating shifts doesn't exactly set you up with lots of friends.
4's comments about my handwriting are timely. I was signing some returns last Friday, and as we looked at the signature, there was absolutely no relationship to the letters in my name. Daddy would have been proud. His was a scribble too. Does the gene code go that far? He always used a blue, stick-like ballpoint pen that he brought home from the courthouse. And he always used a pocket-protector. I can't remember if he always wore a tie to the courthouse or not.
Another incident at coffee this AM where a gal who is a regular customer, but usually just in-and-out, had come early to meet a friend, and they had sat in the easy chairs that our group normally commandeers. I had taken a small nearby table expecting them to leave, but they stayed longer, and when other of our regulars showed, we got up to move further back to a bigger table. But then the two got up and were leaving, so we all moved to our normal spots. The regular gal saw this as she was leaving and actually turned and apologized, to me in particular, for taking my chair!! What does it say about my life when strangers start considering me a permanent fixture at SB's?
OK. I'm outta here to do my run.
Be careful out there.
I had lunch yesterday at Biaggi's and an early dinner at the Olive Garden. Very Italian. And not a glass of Tuscan red at either meal. I ordered one of the daily features at each place, and both were very good. Do you suppose that the pasta will have had enough time to process through my system to be of benefit for my run tonight? I mean, it was at lunch yesterday, not just last night at dinner. I know that the latter carb-dose is for tomorrow.
The sports writers are at it again with A-Rod in NY. There must be a story in this week's SI about the suppposed turmoil on the team as a result of A-Rod's struggles this year, and the guy's inability to be "one of the guys". Not that A-Rod is blameless. It appears that he may care too much about what people, particularly Yankee fans, think about him. And everybody has a comparison going with him and Jeter. In NY, A-Rod is going to lose that comparison, regardless of what is being measured. From a baseball standpoint, he's got 34 HRs, 116 RBIs and is hitting .286. Those are border-line career numbers for 95% of the players. And he's admittedly in a down year. It's a tough crowd out there, A-Rod.
The Hawks should win in a walkover in Champaign this week. ND will have its hands full at Michigan State, and the Clones may be out of their league in Austin. NASCAR is at Dover. Funny, I lived in Dover for over two years in the '70's and I didn't even know that there was a track in town. Then again, I had almost no life for a good chunk of that time. Working on the flight line on weekly rotating shifts doesn't exactly set you up with lots of friends.
4's comments about my handwriting are timely. I was signing some returns last Friday, and as we looked at the signature, there was absolutely no relationship to the letters in my name. Daddy would have been proud. His was a scribble too. Does the gene code go that far? He always used a blue, stick-like ballpoint pen that he brought home from the courthouse. And he always used a pocket-protector. I can't remember if he always wore a tie to the courthouse or not.
Another incident at coffee this AM where a gal who is a regular customer, but usually just in-and-out, had come early to meet a friend, and they had sat in the easy chairs that our group normally commandeers. I had taken a small nearby table expecting them to leave, but they stayed longer, and when other of our regulars showed, we got up to move further back to a bigger table. But then the two got up and were leaving, so we all moved to our normal spots. The regular gal saw this as she was leaving and actually turned and apologized, to me in particular, for taking my chair!! What does it say about my life when strangers start considering me a permanent fixture at SB's?
OK. I'm outta here to do my run.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Tuesday PM
Dinner meeting tonight so I won't be adding anything later.
Hope everyone has a good evening.
Be careful out there.
Hope everyone has a good evening.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday AM
Sorry about that void on Monday. I ended up picking 2 up at the airport around 4:30 and never got back to the office or in front of another computer.
The weather turned here yesterday. The high today is forecasted to be in the 50's. I don't mind the cooler temps. Sure makes running easier, or at least less sweaty. The rest of the week looks like highs in the 60's. It is September. Frightenly close to October. Shorter days.
The political mud-slinging is revving up. I was impressed with a piece that I received in the mail yesterday from the Democratic candidate for Iowa's governor race that included a pre-printed request form (with my name and address already entered) for an absentee ballot to allow me to vote before election day. Technology at work. Glad I got rid of my land line telephone service.
Sounds like 3 and 4 will be on the road this weekend. 3 back to see friends in Chicago, I think, or maybe Madison, and 4 back to Bettendorf.
Big group at coffee this AM. I think that we have become a bit of a focal point for people coming through the shop at that hour and stopping to chat with our various members is now a bit of the thing to do. There are numerous business acquaintances who now will join in a conversation and it just seems to grow. I suppose the same dynamics go on at lots of coffee places, but it is interesting to watch this thing grow. If my buddy Roy was not in the group, there would be a lot fewer guests. He attracts a crowd.
So I'm going to try to be productive today and get my desk cleaner. Good luck on your day.
Be careful out there.
The weather turned here yesterday. The high today is forecasted to be in the 50's. I don't mind the cooler temps. Sure makes running easier, or at least less sweaty. The rest of the week looks like highs in the 60's. It is September. Frightenly close to October. Shorter days.
The political mud-slinging is revving up. I was impressed with a piece that I received in the mail yesterday from the Democratic candidate for Iowa's governor race that included a pre-printed request form (with my name and address already entered) for an absentee ballot to allow me to vote before election day. Technology at work. Glad I got rid of my land line telephone service.
Sounds like 3 and 4 will be on the road this weekend. 3 back to see friends in Chicago, I think, or maybe Madison, and 4 back to Bettendorf.
Big group at coffee this AM. I think that we have become a bit of a focal point for people coming through the shop at that hour and stopping to chat with our various members is now a bit of the thing to do. There are numerous business acquaintances who now will join in a conversation and it just seems to grow. I suppose the same dynamics go on at lots of coffee places, but it is interesting to watch this thing grow. If my buddy Roy was not in the group, there would be a lot fewer guests. He attracts a crowd.
So I'm going to try to be productive today and get my desk cleaner. Good luck on your day.
Be careful out there.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Sunday
Rainy day here. With 2 not in town I'm taking a pass on church. Its the polka Mass and picnic today so I don't feel like I'm missing a lot.
For Clone and Irish fans, tough day Saturday. At least the Clones were in it till the end. The ESPN crew could not talk enough about Iowa and cornfields. The cliche lives.
I have been dealing with some sinus issues the last couple of days. I don't know if its an allergy thing or what. Very little clear flow of air through the nose. I woke up this AM with a bad case of cotton-mouth from breathing through my mouth. I did take a couple of benadryl-like pills last night and that tends to dry things up too. Anyway, I deal with some of the same issues that 2 and 3 have. I know that its not cats for me, but there is some allergen out there that has my number.
One of the guys in the group for Friday after-work cocktails came in on crutches. He's a guy a couple years younger than me who had been on a hiking trip in northeastern Italy last month and had taken a hard fall on a mountain in the Dolomites. I guess it was on just the second day of a scheduled 10 day trip so the whole deal was turned upside down. He was treated there, but had a surgery here that included a metal plate and several screws. What a pain. When those kind of things happen on a trip, to a foreign country to boot, your trip becomes nothing more than an effort of disaster recovery.
I hope to have a more productive day today than yesterday. For whatever reason, I woke up at 2AM Saturday morning and never went back to sleep. So I was tired all day yesterday. Part of it was the post-filing date stress factor. My mind had been so keyed-up last week that I never relaxed. And come Friday night, even though the deadline had passed, my mind did not shut down. But I got good rest last night so I'm at least not a walking zombie today. When you don't get your sleep, life is a beach.
4 has run into a limitation on a trip that she was going to join-up with 3 on for Spring break. I guess the cruise lines have a policy that anyone under age 21 must be accompanied by an adult. Can't say that I have ever heard of that one, but it is not all that surprising. I'm sure that the lawyers have figured out that the liability equation with young party-goers is not in favor of the ships, regardless of the possible lost revenue.
Why is it equation and not equasion?
Speaking of Spring break, there was a report in the papers this week of the promoters of the "Girls Gone Wild" videos settling up in court for a few million or so for including under-age girls in their tapes. I'm in shock.
So I may check back in later today.
Be careful out there.
For Clone and Irish fans, tough day Saturday. At least the Clones were in it till the end. The ESPN crew could not talk enough about Iowa and cornfields. The cliche lives.
I have been dealing with some sinus issues the last couple of days. I don't know if its an allergy thing or what. Very little clear flow of air through the nose. I woke up this AM with a bad case of cotton-mouth from breathing through my mouth. I did take a couple of benadryl-like pills last night and that tends to dry things up too. Anyway, I deal with some of the same issues that 2 and 3 have. I know that its not cats for me, but there is some allergen out there that has my number.
One of the guys in the group for Friday after-work cocktails came in on crutches. He's a guy a couple years younger than me who had been on a hiking trip in northeastern Italy last month and had taken a hard fall on a mountain in the Dolomites. I guess it was on just the second day of a scheduled 10 day trip so the whole deal was turned upside down. He was treated there, but had a surgery here that included a metal plate and several screws. What a pain. When those kind of things happen on a trip, to a foreign country to boot, your trip becomes nothing more than an effort of disaster recovery.
I hope to have a more productive day today than yesterday. For whatever reason, I woke up at 2AM Saturday morning and never went back to sleep. So I was tired all day yesterday. Part of it was the post-filing date stress factor. My mind had been so keyed-up last week that I never relaxed. And come Friday night, even though the deadline had passed, my mind did not shut down. But I got good rest last night so I'm at least not a walking zombie today. When you don't get your sleep, life is a beach.
4 has run into a limitation on a trip that she was going to join-up with 3 on for Spring break. I guess the cruise lines have a policy that anyone under age 21 must be accompanied by an adult. Can't say that I have ever heard of that one, but it is not all that surprising. I'm sure that the lawyers have figured out that the liability equation with young party-goers is not in favor of the ships, regardless of the possible lost revenue.
Why is it equation and not equasion?
Speaking of Spring break, there was a report in the papers this week of the promoters of the "Girls Gone Wild" videos settling up in court for a few million or so for including under-age girls in their tapes. I'm in shock.
So I may check back in later today.
Be careful out there.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Friday PM
No blog today.
I'll have an entry in the morning. Have a good evening.
But be careful out there.
I'll have an entry in the morning. Have a good evening.
But be careful out there.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Thursday
Beautiful day today. A top 10 day, weather-wise. I need to get home and either mow my yard or do my run. There's not enough time to do both, unless I run in the dark. Which I will have to do anyway in the not so distant future.
Did Golick's Meat Market for lunch. 2 low-cal brats with sauerkraut and mustard.
Big day of production needed for tomorrow. Several key returns have to be filed as the 15th is the drop-dead date for 2005 calendar year-end corporations. Why we are filing on the last day is a testimony of our firm's timeliness and efficiency.
My time on my run last night was a little slower than I expected for not having run in a couple of days. I felt pretty good both while running and afterwards. And not so bad today. What does that mean?
College football for the weekend starts tonight. And I think we have a local HS game as well. Pretty soon, they'll have games every night. Actually, when you think of it, come bowl season, they do have games any night of the week and usually schedule things so that there are no more than a couple of games per night so as to get maximum per-game viewership.
2 is in Florida. Hope she has a good time and that the weather cooperates. Give us a "hey" when you have the chance.
Uncle Phil is visiting friends in North Carolina for a few days. He said that he plans to visit the Duke and UNC campuses as they are staying in the Durham area. I have never been there.
Here's another slice of the drama of a sports reporter. Some young stud (whom I had never heard of before the last few weeks) for the Philadelphia Phillies is approaching 60 home runs. Dan Patrick reports on the radio today (listening in on my way back from Golick's) that a CBS.com hack has raised the steroid question, and a Philly fishwrap columnist has turned around and skewered the .com guy for unsubstantiated insinuations. Dan Patrick is somehow lamenting that a sports writer is in a no-win situation: if he raises the question, he's scorned as a mudraker (well, aren't they?); and if he doesn't raise the question, he's not doing his job (say what?).
I have not hidden on this blog my disdain for most sports reporters ( Oh, let's not leave any doubt. All sports reporters). And DP (as he is known among his brothern) used to be a decent sports reporter. Now he has to be part of he story. Or, as in this case, he can make up a new angle on a story (actually a non-story here) and stir the pot to his liking. Exactly why are we supposed to have empathy for these guys?
I need to hit the road. Thanks for reading. And for the record, my sign-off is not original. It dates back to the TV show, Hill Street Blues. The intro each week was usually in the squad briefing room with the senior sergeant giving out the orders of the day to the assemblied officers. And he always ended his remarks with that cautionary phrase...
Be careful out there.
Did Golick's Meat Market for lunch. 2 low-cal brats with sauerkraut and mustard.
Big day of production needed for tomorrow. Several key returns have to be filed as the 15th is the drop-dead date for 2005 calendar year-end corporations. Why we are filing on the last day is a testimony of our firm's timeliness and efficiency.
My time on my run last night was a little slower than I expected for not having run in a couple of days. I felt pretty good both while running and afterwards. And not so bad today. What does that mean?
College football for the weekend starts tonight. And I think we have a local HS game as well. Pretty soon, they'll have games every night. Actually, when you think of it, come bowl season, they do have games any night of the week and usually schedule things so that there are no more than a couple of games per night so as to get maximum per-game viewership.
2 is in Florida. Hope she has a good time and that the weather cooperates. Give us a "hey" when you have the chance.
Uncle Phil is visiting friends in North Carolina for a few days. He said that he plans to visit the Duke and UNC campuses as they are staying in the Durham area. I have never been there.
Here's another slice of the drama of a sports reporter. Some young stud (whom I had never heard of before the last few weeks) for the Philadelphia Phillies is approaching 60 home runs. Dan Patrick reports on the radio today (listening in on my way back from Golick's) that a CBS.com hack has raised the steroid question, and a Philly fishwrap columnist has turned around and skewered the .com guy for unsubstantiated insinuations. Dan Patrick is somehow lamenting that a sports writer is in a no-win situation: if he raises the question, he's scorned as a mudraker (well, aren't they?); and if he doesn't raise the question, he's not doing his job (say what?).
I have not hidden on this blog my disdain for most sports reporters ( Oh, let's not leave any doubt. All sports reporters). And DP (as he is known among his brothern) used to be a decent sports reporter. Now he has to be part of he story. Or, as in this case, he can make up a new angle on a story (actually a non-story here) and stir the pot to his liking. Exactly why are we supposed to have empathy for these guys?
I need to hit the road. Thanks for reading. And for the record, my sign-off is not original. It dates back to the TV show, Hill Street Blues. The intro each week was usually in the squad briefing room with the senior sergeant giving out the orders of the day to the assemblied officers. And he always ended his remarks with that cautionary phrase...
Be careful out there.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Wednesday
Just a few lines tonight. Another day that just flew by.
I see there's a story in the news that Katie has slid back to #3 in ranking for the evening network news programs. I was hopeful that she would find her way further down the charts.
Roy brought our coffee group T-shirts from the Jimmy Buffet concert. He thinks that the cost of 5 shirts was $210. And they're just ordinary shirts with Parrothead stuff on them. Cost to make and screen print each had to be $10, tops. Do the math. No wonder he has Margaritaville's at various resort locations. How do you spell "cash cow"?
Best wishes to 2 on her trip to Florida. 3 on her quest for the Best Job Possible. And 4 on finding interests. 1, you're doing great with Real World 101.
I'm off to do my run. I've missed a couple of days. That IRS agent didn't call me until about 8 last night, just as I was walking into Hy Vee to find something for din-din. I spent a half hour on the phone outside the store trying to explain to her a calculation that I didn't even have in front of me. I still have more work to do on the case. A fitting end to a long day.
Think about this one from the Des Moines sales meeting. One of the motivational speakers said,"I have seen a lot of people fail in the brokerage business. And they all share one trait. Everyone I've seen who has failed has been a negative person. But you know what? I have never seen an optimistic person fail."
So go out there and have a positive evening. But,
Be careful out there.
I see there's a story in the news that Katie has slid back to #3 in ranking for the evening network news programs. I was hopeful that she would find her way further down the charts.
Roy brought our coffee group T-shirts from the Jimmy Buffet concert. He thinks that the cost of 5 shirts was $210. And they're just ordinary shirts with Parrothead stuff on them. Cost to make and screen print each had to be $10, tops. Do the math. No wonder he has Margaritaville's at various resort locations. How do you spell "cash cow"?
Best wishes to 2 on her trip to Florida. 3 on her quest for the Best Job Possible. And 4 on finding interests. 1, you're doing great with Real World 101.
I'm off to do my run. I've missed a couple of days. That IRS agent didn't call me until about 8 last night, just as I was walking into Hy Vee to find something for din-din. I spent a half hour on the phone outside the store trying to explain to her a calculation that I didn't even have in front of me. I still have more work to do on the case. A fitting end to a long day.
Think about this one from the Des Moines sales meeting. One of the motivational speakers said,"I have seen a lot of people fail in the brokerage business. And they all share one trait. Everyone I've seen who has failed has been a negative person. But you know what? I have never seen an optimistic person fail."
So go out there and have a positive evening. But,
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Tuesday
Back from the quick trip to DM. 4:40AM wake-up call this morning. Its been a long day. Traffic on I-80 continues to amaze. Truck after truck after truck.
Sounds like 2 needs to move on.
Caribou Coffee does have it's roots in the Twin Cities. It went public last year at around $15.50 and the stock is now down to around $8. I read some things where their fundamentals for growth were in question and the market didn't like the financials. With SB's continuing to map territory, I would think that competitors ought to find some opportunities to ride the wave.
I have an IRS call that I have to take in a few minutes. Great way to end the day. Sounds like we all have some challenges to face. Good luck with each of yours.
Be careful out there.
Sounds like 2 needs to move on.
Caribou Coffee does have it's roots in the Twin Cities. It went public last year at around $15.50 and the stock is now down to around $8. I read some things where their fundamentals for growth were in question and the market didn't like the financials. With SB's continuing to map territory, I would think that competitors ought to find some opportunities to ride the wave.
I have an IRS call that I have to take in a few minutes. Great way to end the day. Sounds like we all have some challenges to face. Good luck with each of yours.
Be careful out there.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Monday
Another one of those, "What happened to today?" kind of day.
An oh dark hundred start for me in the AM. Another guy will be going with me for an 8AM meeting on the west side of DM.
Most of the lead stories in the paper today were 9-11 things. And pro football. The 9-11 stuff makes me a little melancholy. And I don't have that much interest in pro football.
My new car came equiped with XM radio. The prior owner obviously had had it activated. Interestingly, the paperwork on the sale caught up with XM pretty fast because the only channel now active is the one where they try to sell you the service. It's a $10 activation fee and about $12 a month. I can see if you were on the road a lot where satellite radio would be an attrative option to keep a signal. And to avoid commercials. But I don't think I'll be in the car that much to warrent the expense.
My buddy Bill has satellite radio in their new home and he says that he has it on all the time. I guess with new homes becoming more and more high tech, these kind of services become standard as opposed to upgrades. I don't know. Seems to me that these things are nice, but a little thing here and a little thing there and pretty soon you're talking about a lot of little things. My budget doesn't have that kind of cushion in it. Understand that you are reading the thoughts of a hermit who re-uses paper plates.
Aunt Martha says that you can load your SB's card online and get monetary bonuses and maybe even movie tickets. Is that the same as getting a $5 Coffee on Dad card?
My buddy Roy is taking three of his friends to a Jimmy Buffet concert in Detroit tomorrow night. He had been the winning bid on the tickets at a charity auction a couple of weeks ago. He lives a different life.
So I'm off to my Monday Night in Ordinary Time.
Be careful out there.
An oh dark hundred start for me in the AM. Another guy will be going with me for an 8AM meeting on the west side of DM.
Most of the lead stories in the paper today were 9-11 things. And pro football. The 9-11 stuff makes me a little melancholy. And I don't have that much interest in pro football.
My new car came equiped with XM radio. The prior owner obviously had had it activated. Interestingly, the paperwork on the sale caught up with XM pretty fast because the only channel now active is the one where they try to sell you the service. It's a $10 activation fee and about $12 a month. I can see if you were on the road a lot where satellite radio would be an attrative option to keep a signal. And to avoid commercials. But I don't think I'll be in the car that much to warrent the expense.
My buddy Bill has satellite radio in their new home and he says that he has it on all the time. I guess with new homes becoming more and more high tech, these kind of services become standard as opposed to upgrades. I don't know. Seems to me that these things are nice, but a little thing here and a little thing there and pretty soon you're talking about a lot of little things. My budget doesn't have that kind of cushion in it. Understand that you are reading the thoughts of a hermit who re-uses paper plates.
Aunt Martha says that you can load your SB's card online and get monetary bonuses and maybe even movie tickets. Is that the same as getting a $5 Coffee on Dad card?
My buddy Roy is taking three of his friends to a Jimmy Buffet concert in Detroit tomorrow night. He had been the winning bid on the tickets at a charity auction a couple of weeks ago. He lives a different life.
So I'm off to my Monday Night in Ordinary Time.
Be careful out there.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Sunday
Hey to all. Just finishing up a pretty uneventful weekend. 2 and I did our usual Sunday morning with church and Ross's. I got my run in after lunch. I've stretched the distance out a little and am now closing in on 2.6 or so. I figure I'll get up over 3.0 by next weekend. It was easier today because it was cooler.
1 did a 20 miler yesterday. You go girl! She also reports that her first week of teaching was a good one.
The Hawks managed to win with their 2nd string QB throwing 4 INT's. A win on the road is a good win regardless. The Clones also won a close game. I guess it ended in a little controversy as a possible TD by Nevada was disallowed at the end of the game. ND killed Penn State. So we had another weekend with the 3 teams that we most closely follow all winning. That record will end next weekend since the Hawks and Clones meet for state bragging rights. I remember how big the Iowa-Iowa State game was in the '70's when they started the current annual clash. I think we even came back from C-town once or twice to see the game.
I have a big week coming up. Friday is a tax filing date. Lots to do. A day trip Tuesday to Des Moines.
2 is headed to Florida to visit a girlfriend from high school next weekend.
9-11 anniversary tomorrow. I have an email from a friend who says that we should wear red, white and blue tomorrow.
My pal Roy was in Florida this weekend on some family phalanthropy matters. He has elected to back out of a trip next week to Ireland for the Ryder Cup. He doesn't have a good feeling for international travel, particularly going through Heathrow in London.
I need to get a passport if I plan to go to Cabo for the 2007 Why Pay Less Tour in January with the boys. Apparently there has been a change whereby a birth certificate and driver's license will not be adequate for Mexico travel at some point in the near future. So rather than try to figure out the new rules, I'm just going to get the passport.
The somewhat unorganized group of organizations that puts the QC Criterium together for the Memorial Day weekend is out soliciting sponsors for next year. The guy who is head of their finance committee gave me the heads up last week that he would be calling on me. I'm a little curious what the lead sponsorship designation might cost. The Quad City Criterium sponsored by Criterium Financial, Ltd. It could happen.
So have a great week.
But be careful out there.
1 did a 20 miler yesterday. You go girl! She also reports that her first week of teaching was a good one.
The Hawks managed to win with their 2nd string QB throwing 4 INT's. A win on the road is a good win regardless. The Clones also won a close game. I guess it ended in a little controversy as a possible TD by Nevada was disallowed at the end of the game. ND killed Penn State. So we had another weekend with the 3 teams that we most closely follow all winning. That record will end next weekend since the Hawks and Clones meet for state bragging rights. I remember how big the Iowa-Iowa State game was in the '70's when they started the current annual clash. I think we even came back from C-town once or twice to see the game.
I have a big week coming up. Friday is a tax filing date. Lots to do. A day trip Tuesday to Des Moines.
2 is headed to Florida to visit a girlfriend from high school next weekend.
9-11 anniversary tomorrow. I have an email from a friend who says that we should wear red, white and blue tomorrow.
My pal Roy was in Florida this weekend on some family phalanthropy matters. He has elected to back out of a trip next week to Ireland for the Ryder Cup. He doesn't have a good feeling for international travel, particularly going through Heathrow in London.
I need to get a passport if I plan to go to Cabo for the 2007 Why Pay Less Tour in January with the boys. Apparently there has been a change whereby a birth certificate and driver's license will not be adequate for Mexico travel at some point in the near future. So rather than try to figure out the new rules, I'm just going to get the passport.
The somewhat unorganized group of organizations that puts the QC Criterium together for the Memorial Day weekend is out soliciting sponsors for next year. The guy who is head of their finance committee gave me the heads up last week that he would be calling on me. I'm a little curious what the lead sponsorship designation might cost. The Quad City Criterium sponsored by Criterium Financial, Ltd. It could happen.
So have a great week.
But be careful out there.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Friday
Well, today was a little better than yesterday. I'm not sure if I was any more effective than yesterday, but I am not as mentally exhausted. Still lots to do in the next week.
I've really enjoyed 4's entries the last couple of days. I think that her efforts could be a part of her literary portfolio as she gets further along with her academic programs.
I see where Facebook or one of those college-oriented sites has drawn the ire of users for scourering new entries and publishing alerts across the system. "Brittani is single again!" "Joe flunked calc!" "Cindy got a nose job!" Users have even organized protest groups. And these groups will do what? Critical stuff all. Actually, Blogspot opens with a listing of recently updated blogs. And my first blog host also had a Recently Updated blogs place on the opening screen. The new service must actually get into the content. 4000 Days probably doesn't have the content that would register on their scanner.
Margret is out today. Looking pretty sporty.
Lots of 9-11 stuff in the news. Hard to believe that it has been 5 years. I was here in my office watching the first tower burn when the second plane flew into the other tower. Those next couple of hours were surreal. When the real stories come out over the next 20 years, there will probably be more ugliness of the failures of high-level security groups, both before and after the acts. Just like with Katrina, government bureaucrats are most interested in protecting their jobs and deflecting responsibilities.
Bettendorf's city Administrator was through SB's earlier this week and I gave him the business on the road constuction mess on Devils Glen. Surprisingly, he concurred. He did point out that some of the problem with the timing of it all was created by the new Hy Vee building project. He also added that one of his suggestions was to go with round-abouts on Devils Glen at Tanglefoot and maybe 53rd to avoid the proliferation of traffic lights. Obviously, his opinion didn't get very far. From watching Continental cycling races on OLN, the Europeans seem to use round-abouts as a common solution to traffic flow issues on their roadways.
I think I heard an energy conservation message on the radio the other day that claimed something like 70% of the energy needed to do a load of laundry was to heat the water. I think I save some energy costs by using warm to wash and cold to rinse. The IC girls save a lot of their own energy (and, thereby, energy costs too) by not doing laundry, but that is another story.
I know 4 is working tonight. Good luck. Everybody have a good weekend. I'm off for some Tuscan red. Love.
Be careful out there.
I've really enjoyed 4's entries the last couple of days. I think that her efforts could be a part of her literary portfolio as she gets further along with her academic programs.
I see where Facebook or one of those college-oriented sites has drawn the ire of users for scourering new entries and publishing alerts across the system. "Brittani is single again!" "Joe flunked calc!" "Cindy got a nose job!" Users have even organized protest groups. And these groups will do what? Critical stuff all. Actually, Blogspot opens with a listing of recently updated blogs. And my first blog host also had a Recently Updated blogs place on the opening screen. The new service must actually get into the content. 4000 Days probably doesn't have the content that would register on their scanner.
Margret is out today. Looking pretty sporty.
Lots of 9-11 stuff in the news. Hard to believe that it has been 5 years. I was here in my office watching the first tower burn when the second plane flew into the other tower. Those next couple of hours were surreal. When the real stories come out over the next 20 years, there will probably be more ugliness of the failures of high-level security groups, both before and after the acts. Just like with Katrina, government bureaucrats are most interested in protecting their jobs and deflecting responsibilities.
Bettendorf's city Administrator was through SB's earlier this week and I gave him the business on the road constuction mess on Devils Glen. Surprisingly, he concurred. He did point out that some of the problem with the timing of it all was created by the new Hy Vee building project. He also added that one of his suggestions was to go with round-abouts on Devils Glen at Tanglefoot and maybe 53rd to avoid the proliferation of traffic lights. Obviously, his opinion didn't get very far. From watching Continental cycling races on OLN, the Europeans seem to use round-abouts as a common solution to traffic flow issues on their roadways.
I think I heard an energy conservation message on the radio the other day that claimed something like 70% of the energy needed to do a load of laundry was to heat the water. I think I save some energy costs by using warm to wash and cold to rinse. The IC girls save a lot of their own energy (and, thereby, energy costs too) by not doing laundry, but that is another story.
I know 4 is working tonight. Good luck. Everybody have a good weekend. I'm off for some Tuscan red. Love.
Be careful out there.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Thursday
I am mentally spent tonight. Too many balls in the air today. I hope 4 can pick up the baton for our collective diversion.
Be careful out there.
Be careful out there.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Wednesday
I am particularly pleased to see 4 back with her own commentary. She has a lot more interesting things to say than yours truely. But, who is Manny?
3 reported on a Hoopdrm oil change a little earlier today. (I made a lay-up bet that Quick-Lube would want to do additional service to the car...and they did try to sell 3 on a couple of different flush jobs. Like, what a surprise!) I had reacted a bit owlly as 3 and 4 pulled out of Dodge Monday having noticed that the oil had not been changed in the Focus since early in the Summer. I also made a bit of a production to do a quick wash job on the car since it was in substantial need of one. Females generally don't care too much about cars other than that they look good and run. Guys wash them at every opportunity and tweak the appearance whenever possible. Mars and Venus.
I managed to resist watching the new CBS Katie. I was shocked to learn that Tom Cruise and family were part of the news last night. And from a man's perspective, I much prefer her digitally re-touched figure. Of course, I would make a little more use of the air brush, or just digitally enhance her completely away.
78 days to the Turkey Trot. Matt is welcome, of course, but like I said earlier, my goal is to break an hour. You guys may all be at coffee by the time I get done.
Thanksgiving is about as early as it can be this year, the 23rd. The good thing is that that means there is more time between then and Christmas which helps at work. The bad thing is that that means there is more time for the Christmas shopping season. I mean, isn't Christmas Eve still on Christmas Eve? I don't see my shopping season changing.
Any report from IC on the remodeled Kinnick Stadium? The Register listed all the heavy-hitters who bought luxury boxes in the new place. And there were some do-gooders trying to get the U to ban alcohol use in those boxes. Right. That'll happen.
ISU has some remodel going on their stadium too. That place has always been the Coldest Place in the World on late November Saturdays.
So I'm outta here to do my run. Have a great night.
Be careful out there.
3 reported on a Hoopdrm oil change a little earlier today. (I made a lay-up bet that Quick-Lube would want to do additional service to the car...and they did try to sell 3 on a couple of different flush jobs. Like, what a surprise!) I had reacted a bit owlly as 3 and 4 pulled out of Dodge Monday having noticed that the oil had not been changed in the Focus since early in the Summer. I also made a bit of a production to do a quick wash job on the car since it was in substantial need of one. Females generally don't care too much about cars other than that they look good and run. Guys wash them at every opportunity and tweak the appearance whenever possible. Mars and Venus.
I managed to resist watching the new CBS Katie. I was shocked to learn that Tom Cruise and family were part of the news last night. And from a man's perspective, I much prefer her digitally re-touched figure. Of course, I would make a little more use of the air brush, or just digitally enhance her completely away.
78 days to the Turkey Trot. Matt is welcome, of course, but like I said earlier, my goal is to break an hour. You guys may all be at coffee by the time I get done.
Thanksgiving is about as early as it can be this year, the 23rd. The good thing is that that means there is more time between then and Christmas which helps at work. The bad thing is that that means there is more time for the Christmas shopping season. I mean, isn't Christmas Eve still on Christmas Eve? I don't see my shopping season changing.
Any report from IC on the remodeled Kinnick Stadium? The Register listed all the heavy-hitters who bought luxury boxes in the new place. And there were some do-gooders trying to get the U to ban alcohol use in those boxes. Right. That'll happen.
ISU has some remodel going on their stadium too. That place has always been the Coldest Place in the World on late November Saturdays.
So I'm outta here to do my run. Have a great night.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Tuesday
Does this seem like Monday or what?
I've spent the entire day trying to unravel the finances of Jake's Pants investment in Colorado real estate. It was so convoluted that even the owners couldn't make a simple explanation. It was as close to forensic accounting as I would ever want to get. A very inefficient use of my time. They will be paying a premium fee.
My lawn mower died last weekend. K&K will need to perform recessitation (is that a word?). It had been doing a death march the last few weeks and just gave up in my back yard on Saturday night. I had to borrow the neighbor's mower to finish my yard.
Looking for a report from 1 on the first day of school with students.
Any decision on an Iowa game?
I do have T-shirts from the coffee event. But they are all size "Large". Sorry. Beggars can't be choosers.
4 gave me the business about getting the blook back on track. She's right. My excuses are pretty meager. If I had a computer at my house, there would be no excuses at all. It may be a week or two, but Frank and Melanie will be back.
This weekend, I gave 3 the talk about reconciling her bank account and 4 and I talked about getting a headstart on summer 2007 internships. No wonder they wanted to go back to IC early. Wait till I start conducting an on-line version of Bank Rec 101 for my readers here at 4000 Days.
I'm off for a run. Hope all is well.
Be careful out there.
I've spent the entire day trying to unravel the finances of Jake's Pants investment in Colorado real estate. It was so convoluted that even the owners couldn't make a simple explanation. It was as close to forensic accounting as I would ever want to get. A very inefficient use of my time. They will be paying a premium fee.
My lawn mower died last weekend. K&K will need to perform recessitation (is that a word?). It had been doing a death march the last few weeks and just gave up in my back yard on Saturday night. I had to borrow the neighbor's mower to finish my yard.
Looking for a report from 1 on the first day of school with students.
Any decision on an Iowa game?
I do have T-shirts from the coffee event. But they are all size "Large". Sorry. Beggars can't be choosers.
4 gave me the business about getting the blook back on track. She's right. My excuses are pretty meager. If I had a computer at my house, there would be no excuses at all. It may be a week or two, but Frank and Melanie will be back.
This weekend, I gave 3 the talk about reconciling her bank account and 4 and I talked about getting a headstart on summer 2007 internships. No wonder they wanted to go back to IC early. Wait till I start conducting an on-line version of Bank Rec 101 for my readers here at 4000 Days.
I'm off for a run. Hope all is well.
Be careful out there.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Monday
Well, it is a holiday. So don't expect too much out of me today.
Did coffee this AM with a pretty enthusiastic group. Then we decided to go across the street for breakfast at Maid-rite. Over the discussion there, my pal Roy got to talking about his bunion which is really gross. A gal sitting at the counter overhears us and jumps into the conversation telling us about some podiatrist that was a magician of some sort. She went on and on, not knowing that one of our group members was one of the most experienced surgeons in the QC area. It was a little odd. When she finally figured out that we were not rubes from the farm, she kept going anyway.
Have been at the office a good part of the day. This week will be a bear. Several very key things to get done. Although next week is the real due date, I have clients with travel conflicts that require things to be done this week. And I've got a couple of other very anxious clients who want their stuff done ASAP. Fun, fun, fun.
Nice BBQ at my place last night with 2, 3, and 4. Steak and shrimp. Good stuff. The IC girls head back in a little while.
Still running the Shel Silverstein route this week. If I stay injury-free, I'll add a couple of tenths next week.
4 and I did lunch at the new Red Robin restaurant today. Nothing to write home about. Twenty bucks for a very ordinary burger, a salad and one soda. Loud and close. We won't be headed back anytime soon.
I'm learning more about the equipment on my new car. It has some sort of sensor system and sounds an alarm if you are getting close to something when you back up. And I think that the windshield wipers or the windshield has a sensor that starts the wipers automatically when it starts to rain. It also has XM satellite radio, but I don't think I'll sign up for that service. I'm not in my car that much. It's a nice ride.
ABC is keeping up with CBS in tape delaying the PGA tournament. Remember that last week CBS elected to stick with a pre-determined schedule rather than adapt to an earlier start time that the tour went to for the Sunday round because of rain in the afternoon forecast. When they began the broadcast, the players were actually on the back nine, two hours ahead of what the TV was showing. I was ticked. ABC did the same thing yesterday. And the local ABC affiliate isn't even in the game today; they elected to go with the MDA telethon. Thank goodness for ESPN News and the internet.
OK. Got to go. Have a good evening.
One other thing. I'm starting a petition to get 4 to start a new blog. About anything. She needs to write. And we need to be entertained.
Be careful out there.
Did coffee this AM with a pretty enthusiastic group. Then we decided to go across the street for breakfast at Maid-rite. Over the discussion there, my pal Roy got to talking about his bunion which is really gross. A gal sitting at the counter overhears us and jumps into the conversation telling us about some podiatrist that was a magician of some sort. She went on and on, not knowing that one of our group members was one of the most experienced surgeons in the QC area. It was a little odd. When she finally figured out that we were not rubes from the farm, she kept going anyway.
Have been at the office a good part of the day. This week will be a bear. Several very key things to get done. Although next week is the real due date, I have clients with travel conflicts that require things to be done this week. And I've got a couple of other very anxious clients who want their stuff done ASAP. Fun, fun, fun.
Nice BBQ at my place last night with 2, 3, and 4. Steak and shrimp. Good stuff. The IC girls head back in a little while.
Still running the Shel Silverstein route this week. If I stay injury-free, I'll add a couple of tenths next week.
4 and I did lunch at the new Red Robin restaurant today. Nothing to write home about. Twenty bucks for a very ordinary burger, a salad and one soda. Loud and close. We won't be headed back anytime soon.
I'm learning more about the equipment on my new car. It has some sort of sensor system and sounds an alarm if you are getting close to something when you back up. And I think that the windshield wipers or the windshield has a sensor that starts the wipers automatically when it starts to rain. It also has XM satellite radio, but I don't think I'll sign up for that service. I'm not in my car that much. It's a nice ride.
ABC is keeping up with CBS in tape delaying the PGA tournament. Remember that last week CBS elected to stick with a pre-determined schedule rather than adapt to an earlier start time that the tour went to for the Sunday round because of rain in the afternoon forecast. When they began the broadcast, the players were actually on the back nine, two hours ahead of what the TV was showing. I was ticked. ABC did the same thing yesterday. And the local ABC affiliate isn't even in the game today; they elected to go with the MDA telethon. Thank goodness for ESPN News and the internet.
OK. Got to go. Have a good evening.
One other thing. I'm starting a petition to get 4 to start a new blog. About anything. She needs to write. And we need to be entertained.
Be careful out there.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Sunday
Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend. Beautiful here yesterday. Sunny. Mid-70's for temps. Low humidity. Today is cloudy and spitting a few rain drops.
The IC girls got in late last evening after the Hawks were able to subdue the fierce Grizz of Montana. ND had a tougher time of it in Hotlanta. And the Clones squeaked by in triple OT. So I guess all the right teams won this weekend. I wonder how many more times will that happen this year?
2 and I did our normal Sunday Church and breakfast this AM. The priest had a difficult time getting to his point in his homily. 2 and I tuned out. And the music was a mixed bag. All-in-all, maybe we should have gone directly to breakfast.
A little FFF at my place later this evening. I need to get a little run in beforehand.
The Taurus is not gone yet. I need the title from 1 before I can do anything.
I'm a little disappointed that my new set of wheels does not come with a fold-down backseat. In most cars these days, they will have a release mechanism that allows the rear seat to fold forward to create more trunk space. For me, that translates to more bike space. With a fold-down arrangement, I can always get my bike in the trunk with the front wheel pulled off. If I don't want to have a partially opened trunk, I'll have to take both wheels off my bike for it to fully fit in this car. But I knew this upfront so I made the purchase knowing I had to deal with this limitation. But since I am not riding these days, I won't have to worry about this issue for a few months.
Speaking of doo-dads, almost everything that we buy today is so much more advanced than what we had years ago. Old cars, stereos, phones, you name it. Some of the steps getting to today's technology that are always on display, like what we see in older movies, are just plain comical. Wireless phones. Movies from the early ninties had the actors holding brick-sized things that you needed a bag to carry. Why weren't the nerds smart enough to go to the mini-size right away?
So I'll be back to give more words of wisdom tomorrow. Have a great day.
But be careful out there.
The IC girls got in late last evening after the Hawks were able to subdue the fierce Grizz of Montana. ND had a tougher time of it in Hotlanta. And the Clones squeaked by in triple OT. So I guess all the right teams won this weekend. I wonder how many more times will that happen this year?
2 and I did our normal Sunday Church and breakfast this AM. The priest had a difficult time getting to his point in his homily. 2 and I tuned out. And the music was a mixed bag. All-in-all, maybe we should have gone directly to breakfast.
A little FFF at my place later this evening. I need to get a little run in beforehand.
The Taurus is not gone yet. I need the title from 1 before I can do anything.
I'm a little disappointed that my new set of wheels does not come with a fold-down backseat. In most cars these days, they will have a release mechanism that allows the rear seat to fold forward to create more trunk space. For me, that translates to more bike space. With a fold-down arrangement, I can always get my bike in the trunk with the front wheel pulled off. If I don't want to have a partially opened trunk, I'll have to take both wheels off my bike for it to fully fit in this car. But I knew this upfront so I made the purchase knowing I had to deal with this limitation. But since I am not riding these days, I won't have to worry about this issue for a few months.
Speaking of doo-dads, almost everything that we buy today is so much more advanced than what we had years ago. Old cars, stereos, phones, you name it. Some of the steps getting to today's technology that are always on display, like what we see in older movies, are just plain comical. Wireless phones. Movies from the early ninties had the actors holding brick-sized things that you needed a bag to carry. Why weren't the nerds smart enough to go to the mini-size right away?
So I'll be back to give more words of wisdom tomorrow. Have a great day.
But be careful out there.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Friday PM
Nothing further from me today. Enjoyed the comments from 3 and 2. Sorry 2 about the mixed-up reference to you. Remember that I have always had trouble getting the names right in normal conversations, so a faux pas in numerical refences is at least consistent.
Be careful out there tonight. And tomorrow.
Oh. I did pick up that new Buick today.
Be careful out there tonight. And tomorrow.
Oh. I did pick up that new Buick today.
Friday AM
I keep forgetting to add this little item.
My Turkey Trot training these first couple of weeks is on the Shel Siverstein route: I run from my house over to Devil's Glen Road and then turn and run north on Devil's Glen until the sidewalk ends across from Crow Creek Park. Then it's back home. Around 2.2 or 2.3 or so which is the right distance for me now.
In my mind, I can hear 3 rattle off some of those odd poems from the book.
Have a great day out there!
But be careful...
My Turkey Trot training these first couple of weeks is on the Shel Siverstein route: I run from my house over to Devil's Glen Road and then turn and run north on Devil's Glen until the sidewalk ends across from Crow Creek Park. Then it's back home. Around 2.2 or 2.3 or so which is the right distance for me now.
In my mind, I can hear 3 rattle off some of those odd poems from the book.
Have a great day out there!
But be careful...
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Thursday
This seems like Friday. I guess that I knew that tomorrow was going to be as slow of a regular day as it gets and my internal clock computed that to mean it was almost like a Saturday. So that makes today Friday.
I need to do my run tonight. Last night was a yard work night and that was plenty of activity for me. The grass was so high that I had to catch and bag it or it would have left clumps all over the place. I'm still pretty achey.
Are you ready for some football? The college season starts tonight. The Clones have a home game that may be a bit of a test. And the Iowa high schools open tomorrow night, but we actually have a local game tonight. (Since the 3 Davenport public high schools and Assumption all use the same stadium, there are a few weekends each year when a Thursday night game is needed to accomodate all the home dates.) ND has the Ramblin Wreck on Saturday night in Hotlanta. How will Charlie do in year 2?
I did get the radio spots for Criterium for the local HS football Game Of The Week. Starting tonight. It was no small piece of work to get it through my broker-dealer, the radio production people and our office. I'll be curious of the response.
The local theater is raising tickets to $11 for weekend shows. Who can afford to go? Even at SB's prices, that's coffee for a week. (OK, not the foo-foo stuff, but the regular brews.) You could come up with lots of stuff for $11 bucks. And how many times to you go just by yourself? So maybe we're talking $22. And to see what? Anna and The King? Our Christmas Eve may require a small mortgage.
In an improbable case of good decision-making, The Quad City Enquirer has junked it's use of the half-page wrapper on the Sports and Life sections on Fridays or Saturdays. That experiment was a real annoyance for a few months.
Need to go. Hope all is well in your worlds. Love.
Be careful out there.
I need to do my run tonight. Last night was a yard work night and that was plenty of activity for me. The grass was so high that I had to catch and bag it or it would have left clumps all over the place. I'm still pretty achey.
Are you ready for some football? The college season starts tonight. The Clones have a home game that may be a bit of a test. And the Iowa high schools open tomorrow night, but we actually have a local game tonight. (Since the 3 Davenport public high schools and Assumption all use the same stadium, there are a few weekends each year when a Thursday night game is needed to accomodate all the home dates.) ND has the Ramblin Wreck on Saturday night in Hotlanta. How will Charlie do in year 2?
I did get the radio spots for Criterium for the local HS football Game Of The Week. Starting tonight. It was no small piece of work to get it through my broker-dealer, the radio production people and our office. I'll be curious of the response.
The local theater is raising tickets to $11 for weekend shows. Who can afford to go? Even at SB's prices, that's coffee for a week. (OK, not the foo-foo stuff, but the regular brews.) You could come up with lots of stuff for $11 bucks. And how many times to you go just by yourself? So maybe we're talking $22. And to see what? Anna and The King? Our Christmas Eve may require a small mortgage.
In an improbable case of good decision-making, The Quad City Enquirer has junked it's use of the half-page wrapper on the Sports and Life sections on Fridays or Saturdays. That experiment was a real annoyance for a few months.
Need to go. Hope all is well in your worlds. Love.
Be careful out there.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Wednesday
Little time today. I need to get home to cut the hay field that is my yard.
I really don't know how to respond to 4's comment yesterday.
Day 3 of the Turkey Trot training went pretty well. But I am taking the day off and will do stretching exercises tonight to prepare for Day 4 tomorrow.
3 and Mom head to C-town tomorrow for the King Tut exhibit. A Figge Museum organized bus trip. Should be fun, although the 0h-dark-hundred departure time may be a little hard on some not-so-early risers. We'll expect a report here.
Be careful out there.
I really don't know how to respond to 4's comment yesterday.
Day 3 of the Turkey Trot training went pretty well. But I am taking the day off and will do stretching exercises tonight to prepare for Day 4 tomorrow.
3 and Mom head to C-town tomorrow for the King Tut exhibit. A Figge Museum organized bus trip. Should be fun, although the 0h-dark-hundred departure time may be a little hard on some not-so-early risers. We'll expect a report here.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Tuesday
Congrats to 1 for her new job as freshman girls basketball coach at her high school. We'll all be anxious to follow her experience on this site later in the year.
It finally stopped raining here. Yesterday was pretty wet.
I am into day 3 of the the Turkey Trot training. Day 2 was ok as different body parts ached than on Day 1. Still just doing that 2.2 mile route. I expect little company come race day in November. 3 should definitely stay inside.
Huge amount of work here. September 15th due dates and a couple of IRS audits. Ugh!
I'm working with a sales rep for WOC radio to get some Criterium Financial 15 second spots on the Friday night high school football games this Fall...starting tomorrow. The experience with the coffee event last week gave me a little motivation to get out there and do some promotional stuff for the business. If the price is right, I may even look at Iowa games for the local market. Never would have believed that I would be doing this kind of thing when I started in the accounting business 30 years ago.
Another local young professional client of the firm made the obituaries today, age 52. Life is short. Shorter for some than others. We are a family of generally healthy and long-lived members. We are very lucky. I do think that staying physically and mentally active adds years to life. Genes are the most important, but keeping busy at doing stuff helps the genes.
That's about it for now. Always glad to hear from the maddening crowd.
Be careful out there.
It finally stopped raining here. Yesterday was pretty wet.
I am into day 3 of the the Turkey Trot training. Day 2 was ok as different body parts ached than on Day 1. Still just doing that 2.2 mile route. I expect little company come race day in November. 3 should definitely stay inside.
Huge amount of work here. September 15th due dates and a couple of IRS audits. Ugh!
I'm working with a sales rep for WOC radio to get some Criterium Financial 15 second spots on the Friday night high school football games this Fall...starting tomorrow. The experience with the coffee event last week gave me a little motivation to get out there and do some promotional stuff for the business. If the price is right, I may even look at Iowa games for the local market. Never would have believed that I would be doing this kind of thing when I started in the accounting business 30 years ago.
Another local young professional client of the firm made the obituaries today, age 52. Life is short. Shorter for some than others. We are a family of generally healthy and long-lived members. We are very lucky. I do think that staying physically and mentally active adds years to life. Genes are the most important, but keeping busy at doing stuff helps the genes.
That's about it for now. Always glad to hear from the maddening crowd.
Be careful out there.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Monday PM
Just a few more lines this afternoon.
I did a pass through of my closets and laundry room inventory yesterday and pulled three boxes worth of clothing to take to the church store in inner-city Davenport. The criteria was basically if I hadn't worn it in two years, it went into the box. The sad part is that I could have filled another box or two if I got into the turtle necks and tee shirts. I think this effort is related to the "piles theory" that I expressed on this space a couple of weeks ago.
My next effort may be to replace the carpet in my second bedroom with the carpet that I saved from the living room when I had the remodel project two years ago. The carpet in that spare room is north of awful. 4 had rights to the saved piece for possible use in the dorm freshman year. With that time-limited option now passed, I am motivated to clean my basement and that saved piece needs to go.
I vaguely remember getting the carpet in the living room of the old farmhouse in Ottumwa. Mother won the couch and chair in a newspaper contest (counting coins in a fishbowl, I think), and we must have got the carpet about the same time because it matched the furniture (from a male's analysis). Other than some woven rag throw rugs, I don't remember anything other than linoleum or painted wood floors in the other rooms of that old place. Oh, I do think we had those cute little three matching rugs you see in a bathroom. Tacky, but not the bare floor.
That was the couch that Daddy would lay on and read the Sunday comics to Rosie and me. I see Dagwood Bumstead even today and I can still see Daddy grinning at one of Dagwood's antics or problems. The couch had hung over it the classic picture of the Guardian Angel watching over two children crossing a decrepit bridge. And that was the couch that we sat in for that family picture when I would have been six or eight years old.
Good luck to everyone for a successful week.
Be careful out there.
I did a pass through of my closets and laundry room inventory yesterday and pulled three boxes worth of clothing to take to the church store in inner-city Davenport. The criteria was basically if I hadn't worn it in two years, it went into the box. The sad part is that I could have filled another box or two if I got into the turtle necks and tee shirts. I think this effort is related to the "piles theory" that I expressed on this space a couple of weeks ago.
My next effort may be to replace the carpet in my second bedroom with the carpet that I saved from the living room when I had the remodel project two years ago. The carpet in that spare room is north of awful. 4 had rights to the saved piece for possible use in the dorm freshman year. With that time-limited option now passed, I am motivated to clean my basement and that saved piece needs to go.
I vaguely remember getting the carpet in the living room of the old farmhouse in Ottumwa. Mother won the couch and chair in a newspaper contest (counting coins in a fishbowl, I think), and we must have got the carpet about the same time because it matched the furniture (from a male's analysis). Other than some woven rag throw rugs, I don't remember anything other than linoleum or painted wood floors in the other rooms of that old place. Oh, I do think we had those cute little three matching rugs you see in a bathroom. Tacky, but not the bare floor.
That was the couch that Daddy would lay on and read the Sunday comics to Rosie and me. I see Dagwood Bumstead even today and I can still see Daddy grinning at one of Dagwood's antics or problems. The couch had hung over it the classic picture of the Guardian Angel watching over two children crossing a decrepit bridge. And that was the couch that we sat in for that family picture when I would have been six or eight years old.
Good luck to everyone for a successful week.
Be careful out there.
Monday AM
Hey to all. Sorry I missed yesterday, but I just never got back here after an early morning drive-by before church.
2 and I had our usual Sunday morning of Church and Ross's. The gospel was the one about women obeying their husbands. I thought that Monsignour might offer-up a comment to deflect the directness of the message, but he chose to let it pass. The Church gives lip-service to modern sexual equality, but the truth lies closer to the gospel's literal presentation.
4 has a cold. Lost her voice. Hope the bad carma passes quickly.
This week truely marks the end of summer. The days have really begun to shorten. It's dark at 6AM. And the evening sun is geting lower and lower.
I made a choice yesterday to begin training for the Turkey Trot. I was trying all day to work up the energy to get on the bike, and I just couldn't do it. There is no goal out there. At least not until next year. The Turkey Trot is something that I can do, I think. Anything under an hour will be a success. Just doing a 2.3 mile flat course to start with these next couple of weeks. And I'm also going to do a nightly session on the weights, erg, and bench in my basement.
Hope everyone has a good start to the week. More later.
Be careful out there.
2 and I had our usual Sunday morning of Church and Ross's. The gospel was the one about women obeying their husbands. I thought that Monsignour might offer-up a comment to deflect the directness of the message, but he chose to let it pass. The Church gives lip-service to modern sexual equality, but the truth lies closer to the gospel's literal presentation.
4 has a cold. Lost her voice. Hope the bad carma passes quickly.
This week truely marks the end of summer. The days have really begun to shorten. It's dark at 6AM. And the evening sun is geting lower and lower.
I made a choice yesterday to begin training for the Turkey Trot. I was trying all day to work up the energy to get on the bike, and I just couldn't do it. There is no goal out there. At least not until next year. The Turkey Trot is something that I can do, I think. Anything under an hour will be a success. Just doing a 2.3 mile flat course to start with these next couple of weeks. And I'm also going to do a nightly session on the weights, erg, and bench in my basement.
Hope everyone has a good start to the week. More later.
Be careful out there.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Saturday
Rain this AM. Still going to try to get out this afternoon for a few miles.
I spent a couple of hours in the office this AM and am demoralized at how much stuff that I need to get done. There are lots of items due on September 15th and October 15th. Not to mention a whole bunch of Criterium things that I should be doing.
2, 3, 4 and Mom are doing the Williamsburg outlet mall this afternoon.
I'll try to get back at this later today.
Be careful out there.
I spent a couple of hours in the office this AM and am demoralized at how much stuff that I need to get done. There are lots of items due on September 15th and October 15th. Not to mention a whole bunch of Criterium things that I should be doing.
2, 3, 4 and Mom are doing the Williamsburg outlet mall this afternoon.
I'll try to get back at this later today.
Be careful out there.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Friday
The coffee deal was a success. It rained, but there was a good crowd and the Cancer Society received in excess of $7500 for the morning. Really a pretty good time was had by all. 2 came through before work, although she was taking a late arrival because she's working later tonight.
I'll see what is left with T-shirts. One of the other gals from one of the other sponsors was in charge of that segment and we have no extras here.
Had a good 20 miler last night. A little warm out there. Doing 30-35 tomorrow and Sunday.
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Be careful out there.
I'll see what is left with T-shirts. One of the other gals from one of the other sponsors was in charge of that segment and we have no extras here.
Had a good 20 miler last night. A little warm out there. Doing 30-35 tomorrow and Sunday.
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Be careful out there.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Thursday
No blog today.
Let's wait a week until 1 knows more about her teaching/coaching time requirements before making the Iowa game date choice.
Glad to have 2 back on the blog. Now we just need to get 4 back to some regular entries. We miss her input!
Coffee event at SB's in the AM. Newspaper ads and Bettendorf News story. Banners. Radio. TV. Cops for traffic control. T-shirts. This is definitely beyond my vision.
Doing 18-20 tonight.
Be careful out there.
Let's wait a week until 1 knows more about her teaching/coaching time requirements before making the Iowa game date choice.
Glad to have 2 back on the blog. Now we just need to get 4 back to some regular entries. We miss her input!
Coffee event at SB's in the AM. Newspaper ads and Bettendorf News story. Banners. Radio. TV. Cops for traffic control. T-shirts. This is definitely beyond my vision.
Doing 18-20 tonight.
Be careful out there.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Wednesday
Glad to hear 3 is alive and well in IC.
The 7th probably makes more sense from a weather standpoint. Late October can get pretty dicey. There will have been some travel for some of us the previous weekend to the Twin Cities, but that really shouldn't interfere with a little trip the following weekend. I'll be glad to run the grill.
Heat wave in the QC. Humid. But it is August, so that's OK. I just don't like it in April or September.
Lots of press these days about the anniversary of Katrina. Really an opportunity to drag various government officials and agencies through the muck again. Sounds like there are lots of places down there where FEMA has never been able to respond. And there are critics on all sides on all aspects and perspectives. Bascially, I'm glad that I live in Iowa.
There's a little vignette on government services at work presented on Devil's Glen Road in Bettendorf these days. They're adding a lane each way from Middle to Tanglefoot, which means one lane of traffic each way most of the time. Add the mess in the Hy Vee parking lot, and it can get real interesting trying to get to the grocery or Shell station, not to mention just getting into the northbound lane across Devil's Glen from Maplecrest to get my ride started. I don't know if there would be a good time to do this work, but could there be a worse time than the start of the school year? With the high school and JC now beginning the Fall term, the traffic congestion is impressive.
One of Daddy's responsibilities as an elected County Supervisor in Wapello county in the 60's and 70's was road maintenance. Most of the county roads were gravel. I don't know how many miles of roads existed in the county, but there were always problems, and he always got a lot of calls at night from people complaining about the status of roads in their area. In the summer, there were always dust complaints. In the winter, plowing. Then there were bridge problems, easement rights, driveways. He got them all. But he really liked his job. And I think he was pretty good at it. I always remember that he said the key was to learn how to say, "No, we can't do that", in a way the compainant could understand. I think that applies to most service- oriented businesses even today. The customer is not always right.
I'm outta here. Have a good night.
Be careful out there.
The 7th probably makes more sense from a weather standpoint. Late October can get pretty dicey. There will have been some travel for some of us the previous weekend to the Twin Cities, but that really shouldn't interfere with a little trip the following weekend. I'll be glad to run the grill.
Heat wave in the QC. Humid. But it is August, so that's OK. I just don't like it in April or September.
Lots of press these days about the anniversary of Katrina. Really an opportunity to drag various government officials and agencies through the muck again. Sounds like there are lots of places down there where FEMA has never been able to respond. And there are critics on all sides on all aspects and perspectives. Bascially, I'm glad that I live in Iowa.
There's a little vignette on government services at work presented on Devil's Glen Road in Bettendorf these days. They're adding a lane each way from Middle to Tanglefoot, which means one lane of traffic each way most of the time. Add the mess in the Hy Vee parking lot, and it can get real interesting trying to get to the grocery or Shell station, not to mention just getting into the northbound lane across Devil's Glen from Maplecrest to get my ride started. I don't know if there would be a good time to do this work, but could there be a worse time than the start of the school year? With the high school and JC now beginning the Fall term, the traffic congestion is impressive.
One of Daddy's responsibilities as an elected County Supervisor in Wapello county in the 60's and 70's was road maintenance. Most of the county roads were gravel. I don't know how many miles of roads existed in the county, but there were always problems, and he always got a lot of calls at night from people complaining about the status of roads in their area. In the summer, there were always dust complaints. In the winter, plowing. Then there were bridge problems, easement rights, driveways. He got them all. But he really liked his job. And I think he was pretty good at it. I always remember that he said the key was to learn how to say, "No, we can't do that", in a way the compainant could understand. I think that applies to most service- oriented businesses even today. The customer is not always right.
I'm outta here. Have a good night.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Tuesday
Really don't have much to add today. Need to get out of here to get some mileage in before dark.
Tracy had her baby. A boy. I think Shan, which may translate to Shaun in English. I guess all is well with Mom, son and the rest of the family.
Here's a real quick Top Ten list for my summer so far. Most fun things. Not necessarily in order.
10. Tahoe wedding. A no-brainer.
9. KC wedding. Fun with the fam.
8. July 4th in C-town with 3.
7. Crow Valley Member-Guest golf event with Roy.
6. Moving 3 and 4 in IC on 7/31. Not really. Just kidding.
6. Biking DCC.
5. Fresh tomatos from my garden.
4. Sunday breakfasts at Ross with 2 (and 4 sometimes).
3. Driving Roy's STS to KC this month. Hot car!
2. Friday nights at Biaggi's. Tuscan red.
1. Ice cold water at the Argo Store, on the return from a long ride.
Sorry for the lack of creativity. Have a great night.
But be careful out there.
Tracy had her baby. A boy. I think Shan, which may translate to Shaun in English. I guess all is well with Mom, son and the rest of the family.
Here's a real quick Top Ten list for my summer so far. Most fun things. Not necessarily in order.
10. Tahoe wedding. A no-brainer.
9. KC wedding. Fun with the fam.
8. July 4th in C-town with 3.
7. Crow Valley Member-Guest golf event with Roy.
6. Moving 3 and 4 in IC on 7/31. Not really. Just kidding.
6. Biking DCC.
5. Fresh tomatos from my garden.
4. Sunday breakfasts at Ross with 2 (and 4 sometimes).
3. Driving Roy's STS to KC this month. Hot car!
2. Friday nights at Biaggi's. Tuscan red.
1. Ice cold water at the Argo Store, on the return from a long ride.
Sorry for the lack of creativity. Have a great night.
But be careful out there.
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