Sunday

Wow!!!

Go Cubs Go!!!

Busy day for me. I thought that I was going to beat the wind on the way to DeWitt. It didn't workout that way. But the ride back was a hoot.

2 came over after lunch and helped me scrape and prep my deck for new paint/stain. I got two new coats on it and it should be in good shape for a year or two.

The Indy cars were in Newton today. My guess is that that series will keep coming back, but what the promoters really want is a NASCAR race. Ain't gonna happen.

4 had her new clubs out at the driving range today. I need to get Roy involved.

I'm not riding tomorrow, so I'll try to spend some time here.

Have a great week.

BCOT

Saturday

FFF at my place tonight with 2, 4 and 4's friend, Phil. Salad, and all from the grill, steaks, corn-on-the-cob, steamed broccoli, and grill-toasted garlic bread. A little Tuscan red on the side. Anyone not here lost out.

33 this AM. McCausland. Into a pretty steady 7-10 mph wind going out. But the ride back was fun. DeWitt for breakfast tomorrow. 40 days to Tahoe.

4 has new golf clubs. It's not easy being left-handed. And that's just about finding left-handed clubs. Time will tell as to whether the sport itself will make her question her sanity as it does for most everyone else. I'm going to test my friendship with my pal Roy to have him spend some time with 4 so that she can have an idea of what to practice on and how to do so.

Another win for the Cubbies at Wrigley. Get out the brooms tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday.

BCOT

Friday

Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs win!

This would have been a perfect day in Wrigleyville. A walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Sox. I'm sure that the hard core are still at the Cubbie Bear.

For the pure baseball fan out there, I heard a comparison today that resonated for me. A radio announcer on ESPN this morning offered that Cincinnati's Adam Dunn is the modern day Dave Kingman. Strikeouts and home runs. Not much of a glove. But the home runs are(were) of legend. In the late 70's when Kingman was with the Cubs, his at-bats were must see events. Those were the good old days.

More tomorrow.

BCOT

Thursday

I've decided to give Tiger some props on 4KDays for toughing it out last weekend and winning on one leg. The ACL is one thing, but a couple of stress fractures adds quite a bit to the legend. What does it say about the rest of the field?

My ACL reconstruction was done with a cadaver ligament. You can also use a piece of the patella tendon or a man-made substitute. My guess is that golf magazines will be some of the best sources of ACL surgery information over the next several months.

It has been hard to keep up with the blog these last few weeks as I try to maintain a training schedule. The rain has meant that I have to mow my yard twice a week, and Friday's are hardly ever open. What's a blogger to do?

The deal with Roy in Scottsdale on Tuesday was to listen to a pitch for a medical diagnostic process developed by a PhD in biophysics. See www.epicdiagnostics.com.

This gal did a very survey-level test on me and was able to detect most of my major ailments. She also said that I had "a lot of stress" in my life. (Like I needed a PhD to make that call.) I'm thinking that the company has a bit of a hill to climb to convince the hospitals, medical docs and the insurance companies of the effectiveness of the system. Roy is in, so I guess I'll have a view from the sidelines on whether the buyers bite.

I tried to follow 2's advice on the "cut and pasting" thing for my Word draft for the blog, but my technological skills were inadequate.

Father's Day was great. We did steaks on the grill at Mom's. 2, 3, and 4 in attendance. Steamed broccoli was the hit. 1 called in. (Thankfully, 1's card finally arrived today. I had been very concerned.) I now have enough outdoor chairs to seat everyone when the fam meets for FFF.

The air show is here this weekend. The US Navy Blue Angels are in town for the occasion. They spent the afternoon today practicing their maneuvers, buzzing the locals. It's a bit of a show. And loud. Back in time, as a Lt. in remote Korea, my barracks was right under the flight path of the airfield. And those F-4 Phantoms were not under any noise abatement protocol. But after a month or so, a guy on a check-ride going to immediate afterburner straight up wouldn't even register on my internal audio reference meter.

I had little interest in the NBA series, but I was glad to see Boston dump on LA. Does Kobe have the same appeal as OJ or what?

I'll try to be better with the blog in the days ahead. With no major plans over the weekend, I should have the time to upgrade the quality of my musings.

Have a great Friday.

BCOT

Tuesday

I'm in Scottsdale with my pal Roy for the day. Back tonight.

I did a blog on Word while on the plane ride, but I haven't figured out how to up load it to 4000 Days. Maybe later.

BCOT

Sunday

I'm back!!!!

It's been a hectic week, and the blog suffered. Hopefully, the pace will slow and I'll be able to recapture the routine.

The golf event with my pal Roy was a success, although we didn't win anything but the booby prize for the highest score in our flight. I actually played pretty well the first day, and we were in decent shape. Then we ran into some bad shrimp that night, and the second day wasn't pretty. My back survived, and I think that I'll play a little more golf the rest of the Summer.

The rain has been the big story in Iowa this past week. Cedar Rapids and Iowa City have been inundated with flood waters. Check out The Cedar Rapids Gazette online for pictures. www.gazetteonline.com

3 made it from C-town over to IC on Friday, but ultimately had to go South on the Illinois side and then cross over at Burlington, and head North. Even within IC, travel was limited. 4 tried to get there earlier in the day as well, but her boss told her to stay home as the shoots in IC had been cancelled. You don't realize how your life can get impacted until something like day-to-day travel is restricted.

My Top Ten memories of my Father:

1. Working on the farm: milking cows, haying, fixing fence.
2. Baseball.
3. Ushering at 9 o'clock Mass at St. Pat's.
4. Kneeling at a kitchen chair saying his prayers.
5. His life as a County Supervisor: elections, night meetings.
6. Visitations/rosaries/funerals. He went to them all.
7. Taking naps on the couch.
8. Bad jokes. Stories.
9. Coffee and toast. Throughout the world.
10. His lousy handwriting.
11. His weekly letters with $5 to me at ND.
12. Ford LTD sedans. Crown Vic's.
13. Dagwood Bumstead.
14. Oshkosh B'gosh overalls.
15. His dreams. Travel. New house.
16. Family.

Ok. So this was a little more than a Top Ten list. I could go on, but you get the drift.

My Top Ten list of being a Dad:

1. FFF. Anytime. Anywhere.
2. Trips to K&K, Whitey's.
3. Adventureland trips to DM.
4. Tahoe.
5. Christmas Eve. Any year.
6. Emails and phone calls from around the world.
7. Marathon watching.
8. Indian Princesses. PV Breakers.
9. Augie basketball.
10. Cheerleading. NYT puzzles.
11. The Turkey Trot.
12. Memorial Day at The Arsenal.
13. Sharing breakfasts at McDonald's.
14. Sledding at Duck Creek.
15. Graduations. (One to go!)
16. 1's wedding.

I could go on here too. And the list just keeps growing.

Switching gears...

I did get back on the bike yesterday for 27 on the DCC hills. Maybe a short 15-20 later today if the weather cooperates. Now less than 50 days to Mt. Rose.

And the Tiger Woods legend continues to grow. He made three shots in the space of six holes yesterday that stunned even the most jaded of critics. I know that the guy is a great golfer, and that he works on his game to the nth degree, but to continually pull off these incredible shots suggest to me that there is more going on here than just skill and practice. Something like lottery winners. I have always felt that the big jackpot winners are chosen by a higher power. For a reason. I'm thinking that Tiger is in that same group. Something between (or beyond) skill and luck.

Lots of eulogies in the press in honor of Tim Russert. I was not a big fan, nor a critic. He lived a full life, and was respected by his peers. I can't quite elevate him to sainthood as the members of the 4th Estate have seemingly suggested.

So we are doing some FFF today. 3 to join. If she can get back from IC.

Have a great day.

BCOT

Tuesday

OK. I don't understand the problem. The tomatoes that are sold in stores today are terrible to start with. I'm able to forego their inclusion in my salads with no regrets. My own will be ready in less than 60 days.

I've already reached overload on the political accusations. The spin doctors in each camp need to take some tranquilizers.

My first day on the course with Roy was not a total failure. We stayed on the range.

Biaggi's tonight to map strategy for tomorrow. Mostly, we drank wine.

3 has had a couple of interviews this week. She'll survive. Hang in there, Kiddo.

I over-bought on the bedding plants this year. I finally got them all planted. I feel like I am winning an undeclared competition with a neighbor lady who always plants way too many flowers.

So get out there and have a great day. I am.

BCOT

Monday

This is my location for most of the next three days. If the weather cooperates. We've had enough rain here for a month. I've played in this event in years past where storms came in and stopped play. It's never as much fun when we're dodging rain drops.

I've recovered from TOMRV. Enough to go out tonight and do a DCC route this evening. I'm actually thinking that my conditioning is coming around. If I keep up the schedule, I may not suffer quite as much on Mt. Rose in August.

My employee who's an avid biker said that the Sunday portion of TOMRV was awful. Driving rain. Headwinds. She made it past the halfway point, and got a ride the rest of the way. Makes my plan for the ride look more and more brilliant.

My pal Bill and I are taking a big leap into a new computer system at the office. We've basically been on the same platform, updated on an as-needed (or as-required) basis, since the mid-80's. In an effort to gain a modicum of control, we're essentially throwing out the bathwater, and starting over. Our new IT vendor will be able to monitor a lot of the systems from afar. And by making all of our workstations identical, we hope to avoid the aggravations that come when the tech has to first determine what programs belong on which machine. We'll see.

In other news at the office, the young staff person whom I hired a year ago on the investments side has moved on to greener pastures. Further proof of my lack of managerial skills. More specifically, I suppose that there was a difference of opinion on expectations. Developing profitable clients in the securities business is a bit complicated. And you know how easy-going I can be.

Lots of the same names seem to be headed to Omaha for the College World Series. My bet is that Erin will get more airtime next week than anyone.

Interesting tidbit on the wires today about the most-heavily recruited women's basketball player leaving the UConn campus after less than a week on site. If they can't resolve this bump in the road, how can you understand such a colossal "miss" in judging the fit for new players? Geno is a hardcase coach, but didn't the girl and the family know that going into the program?

Speaking of tough days, anyone see the video of the big two-story house in Wisconsin getting swept off its foundation and sent on down the river? Don't fool with Mother Nature.

So good luck to everyone on a great day.

BCOT

Sunday

So this is a simple rendition of the ride from yesterday. My pal Pete and I did the portion from Bettendorf to Galena, a trek of just over 85 miles. The full ride goes onto Dubuque, overnights there, and then comes back to Bettendorf today. I figured out several years ago that 85 miles was plenty for the weekend.

We left Bettendorf around 6:15AM, and arrived in Galena a little after 2PM. The good things included a nice tailwind for most of the ride, well-stocked sag stations staffed by the ride organizers, and no rain. The other side of the ledger included heat, humidity, and hills. When the route you are directed on points with an arrow to "Ski Resort", you can pretty well figure that the flat part of the ride is over.

This is an annual ride that usually attracts around 1400-1500 riders from several states. Unlike RAGBRAI, you don't see a lot of casual riders looking for a party. It's just too hard. While there are plenty of higher level Greeks with skills, most of the riders are Boomers who understand the challenge and just want another chance to confirm that they still have it.

That same southery tailwind from yesterday that helped push us along is hanging in there today, but with the riders heading home it will be a headwind. The last time that I did both days, I remember that headwind, and the rain, and the misery. That was the year that I figured out that the "old f**ts" who had done the Saturday-only Bettendorf-Galena route were actually the sages of the peleton. And I became one of them.

2 does get another nod for Daughter of the Day for her effort to meet us in Galena and bring us home. With little specific directions from me, she found her destination and we connected as planned at the designated saloon. Good job, Kiddo. Thanks. See you next year. Same place.

2 and I met for dinner at Biaggi's after we got back home. A quiet meal at the bar as we had not called in for reservations. A note of interest at the restaurant was a wedding gathering in the primary party room behind the general dining area. I learned that some brides actually switch wedding dresses mid-event. 2 said that this was a new development traced to TV Bride-zilla shows. I am amazed at how far out of the loop I am with these kind of things.

Tough day for Big Brown at the Belmont Stakes yesterday. There is a lesson to be learned here that has direct application to the investment market place: if something is promoted as a can't miss opportunity, either run (as in, "don't walk") the other way, or sell it short.

Speaking of the stock market, Friday was one of those days where the only direction was down. Except in the oil pits, where the only direction was up. There is no question that $5 gas will be here soon. How far up does it have to go before habits are fundamentally changed? Saving money on gas has become acceptable further up the social ladder. Even the rich notice the price at some point. Supply and demand have a way of kicking in. Will China and India notice?

No big plans for today. A little recovery. Maybe a trip to the driving range. My pal Roy and I have that golf tournament this week and I don't want to embarrass myself.

More later. Have a great day.

BCOT

Thursday

Does this person look like an investment banker, or what? Her story, or more, to follow.

Sorry to have been off line the last few days, but my evenings have just been a bit busy. Between riding, planting my petunias, and hitting balls for next week's golf event, I just haven't had the end-of-evening motivation to jump onto the computer.

And with the primary season now over (?), the material is just about endless.

Hope all is well with the masses.

BCOT

Monday

Note my corrections to last night's entry. I got my 2's and 3's mixed up.

Sorry for the confusion.

Here's a bone to 1. A little whiney today, aren't we?

BCOT

Sunday

Here's a little culture for the peanut gallery. 2 was a primary organizer/planner for the museum's annual fund-raiser last night. It was an Asian Indian art-themed event with displays and artifacts from India. Keeping with the theme, 2 donned an Indian sari to welcome the many Indian guests. You rock, Kiddo!

I'm told that this photo is a bit inaccurate as the sash was supposed to come from the left shoulder. I'll let 2 explain in comment.

Given her willingness to step fully into a roll, 2 is definitely Daughter of the Day.

Today was a Top Ten day on the weather charts. I did a 47+ mile ride to DeWitt, and for basically the first time this Spring, there was no substantial negative influence from wind. Contrast this with yesterday when I did 25 on the hills around DCC, and every time I turned North or West, I was like, "Why am I doing this?"

The belligerent red-winged blackbird has moved to a new nesting area. I got "pecked" coming and going to DeWitt today. Actually, there's one stretch of road that has a string of interested parents.

2 came over for a steak on the grill this evening. Unfortunately, I learned too late that she doesn't care for broccoli, and I left the meat on the fire a little too long to boot. (BTW, broccoli steamed in tin foil on the grill with a little butter is excellent.) But it is always good to have an impromptu FFF, and the Tuscan red was a bonus.

No big plans for the week. Tapering rides Tuesday through Thursday for the Saturday 85 mile ride to Galena. I also need to practice some golf. I'm playing in a tournament with my pal Roy a week from Tuesday, and I don't want to embarrass myself.

Hope everyone has a good week.

BCOT

Saturday

Pics from the Rochester Marathon















































Great day in the QC today. Sunny and in the low 80's. I did a little 25 miler around the DCC course. OK except any leg into the West wind was a bear. If the moon and stars are lined up tomorrow, it will be McCausland or DeWitt.

What happened to May?

More tomorrow.

BCOT

Thursday

This is a bit overdue. It's the poster from the Monday bike races that my company sponsors. The day was a reasonable success from attendance and participation perspectives. There had been some concern that the number of competitors would be down this year given the experience at other races, and the price of gasoline. But I'd say that in the end, it was all pretty comparable to last year.

Guys, and gals, who follow a circuit and do these races throughout the Summer are basically nuts. Understand that there are age and ability-rated races for all comers on the schedule. So a 40 year old with some skills gets to race against his peers with a winner's take of maybe $100. (The feature men's pro race pays maybe $5000 to the winner.) There are lots of accidents, and little consolation. I find it personally a little surprising that older guys keep such a competitive edge. Mine is back there on the Slausen Cutoff.

4 is headed in to C-town to visit 3 for the weekend. I'm wondering if this will be the GPS event that will lead to a certain purchase decision.

The big movie release for the weekend is Sex in the City. My bet is that this decidedly chick flick offering will not match the Indiana Jones numbers from last weekend. Plus, it's rated R, which may bring in some young adult males looking for a little skin, but will also keep families at home. I never watched the show that much whenever I had HBO. Too much city-woman's angst for me. With just the normal length weekend to capture the $$$'s, I'm saying $50 million.

My friend who wrote the book about the ultimate fighter had a big spike in eBay book orders after a USA Today story this week on an upcoming competition for the fighter who was the book's subject. That's a culture I just don't get. Back to that competitive passion thing, and my detour to the Slauson Cutoff.

Anyone see the reports where a Belgium company, InBev, is looking at acquiring Anheuser Busch, the maker of Budweiser? If Bud is for sale, is Coke next?

Thanks for the input from 1. It's always good to feel not Far from the Maddening Crowd.

BCOT

Wednesday

I pulled this off of a story about the Mars lander. Pretty cool. Amazing photography. Amazing technology.

21+ out around DCC tonight. I consciously weighed my options as I pulled out of the neighborhood: 1) fight the cars on the roads or, 2) fight the Greeks and others on the bike path. After last night being so cold and unfriendly, I knew that the bike path would be packed. So I opted for the roads.

Impatient drivers between 5 an 6. Them boys in the pick-em-ups don't like to share the road. You have the speed freaks doing 70 mph in a 45 zone, and one of every three drivers on a cell phone. And the bad guy is the geeky cyclist. Gotta love it on the open road!

1 says that she has pretty well recovered from her marathon. She's having thoughts of qualifying for Boston. Which will require her to shave just about seven minutes off her best time. An average of just under 8:30 miles. That hurts just thinking about it.

I think I came up with a title for my biography: What Happened? I came up with this title on the bike tonight. A quick Google-search suggests that this may not be a viable title though as there have been other genius's who have used variants for other books. My idea came as I considered my state in life as compared to other 60 year olds who are retired and completing their training rides in the late morning when traffic is nominal. At just which fork in the road did I get caught in the Slausen Cutoff?

So hope everyone has a good evening.

BCOT

Tuesday

My regular 15 mile round trip route on the bike path has three Frisbee golf courses within view. And the courses get a lot of play. All of them are along the creek, and players are always in there trying to fetch their discs from errant throws.

I remember stashing a Frisbee in my car when I was in the USAF in Dover in the early '70's. When I would travel to D.C. for weekends to visit friends and girlfriends, I had to deal with traffic back-ups on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. They actually would make the bridge one-way toward the beaches on Friday, and one-way toward the city on Sunday. Since I was always going against traffic, I always had to deal with down time. Hence, the Frisbee, to offer to other similarly stranded motorists. It wasn't that much fun.

I know that it is unofficially Summer now that Memorial Day is passed, but I actually turned the heat back on in my house tonight. They're talking lows in the 40's. After a warm 80 degree day yesterday, I'm thinking that Mother Nature is a bit bi-polar. Pun intended. The ESPN baseball game tonight was at Wrigley, and the fans looked like it was March in South Bend. Global warming, eh?

The NASA/JPL nerds landed another space-craft on Mars. This one with a more conventional reverse-thruster landing. No sight of our cousin in any of the NASA photos. Even ones taken on this planet. Seriously. (I think that the rovers that they landed there 3-4 years ago are still wandering about. Taking a licking and keeping on ticking.)

I won my bet with my friend on the Indiana Jones movie weekend gate. They're talking about $150+ million for the holiday weekend. I think that the masses are so bored that they'll follow the old-time successes off the cliff. Rocky? Pirates? Rambo? I guess that the new question will be about the next Indy flick.

Has there been a female movie star that could reprise the same star character for multiple movies since Shirley Temple?

I did my DeWitt 47 mile ride on Saturday before we took off for Rochester. That was the first time for that ride since my thumb accident before the wedding. No excitement. I needed the mileage as TOMRV is just a week from Saturday. My pal Pete is riding TOMRV with me, which is good because, if there's a head wind, I'm hanging in his draft all the way to Galena.

Hope everyone has a good week.


BCOT

Monday

Happy Memorial Day to all.

QC Criterium today in Rock Island. Check it out at www.quadcitiescriterium.com

BCOT

Sunday

This is not the perfect picture, but 1 is Daughter of the Day!

Happy Birthday, Kiddo.

3:46:58 this morning in Rochester. Big time PR.

Details to follow tomorrow.

FFF at TGI Friday's last night, and at Panera Bread for lunch after the race today. All good. Except that we all were real tired of the car.

And that we all missed 3.

See you on line tomorrow.

BCOT

Wednesday

I have a small wager with a friend that this movie will open with 100 million in revenue this weekend. The reviews have not been so great, but the franchise has been a gold mine. Harrison Ford has been a lot of movies, many very forgettable, but the Indiana Jones movies have been at least mildly entertaining. My guess is that the crowds will come for this one too.

At least Clint Eastwood has denied reports that he'll take another swing as Harry Callahan.

My gripe today is with the rampant cell phone use by drivers, dog walkers and diners at the local Hy Vee. Weren't we able to function in the car, on the bike path, and at lunch without a telephone for all of our history before, say, 1985? I vote for a return to "the good old days".

How 'bout 'dem gas prices? Those big SUV's are being discounted in a hurry by the auto dealers. And they don't want trade-in's of SUV's either. Biking is going to look better all the time.

A couple of the network shows that I watch at least somewhat regularly have elected in season finales to kill off, dismiss, or otherwise lose one or more regular cast members. NCIS last night, and Criminal Minds tonight both left the viewer with the suggestion that multiple stars were questionable Fall returnees. Most of it is just business, but sometimes actors/actresses want a change, or more money. It may be the entertainment/fantasy industry, but those are just real life issues.

15+ on the bike path tonight. Lots of Greeks out there.

Have a great evening.

BCOT

Tuesday

The connection here is that I was out on the bike path for my routine 15 miler tonight and I couldn't help but start fingering the on-coming riders (and a couple who passed me) by their appropriate Greek letter.

Obviously, the Alpha bikers are those young-guns decked out in their brightly colored, Lycra-tight-fitting team "kits", riding their racing machines. And looking very important. To themselves.

The Beta boys are modestly less-intense, maybe a little older, still well-appointed in dress and equipment, almost always alone. Trying to hold on.

Moving a little further down the scale, you have the Theta's and Kappa's, college boys on hybrids or mountain bikes. No helmet. Cruising along at a good clip. Not as many of these guys.

Sigma's really don't merit a rating. They have old, beat-up, up-right bikes with beefy tires. They wear baseball caps. The "missus" may be right behind them in similar attire. Not pretty.

I'm an Omega. Because there isn't a lower letter.

Somewhere in the middle of this system you get the Mom's and Dad's out there with their kids. Their only problem is crowd control when the little ones are trying to ride their own bikes. One of my recommendations to future parents who want to take their kids out for a ride is to get a child trailer to pull rather than a seat on the back of the bike. Having been in as many accidents as I have been in, I have the personal experience to say that the safety of the trailer is light years ahead of the chances we took with our kids with the bike seat. We were very lucky. Except for 3 in the well-documented Mercy Park crash.

Another area of biking observation is tattoos. Or more accurately, the lack of tattoos among bikers. Unlike the traditional "manly" sports, the girly men of cycling are not big into body art. Now motorized bikers do do tattoos. I think they may have set the standards for the bballers and football players that have memorialized in their epidermis every significant event or person in their lives.

These images are a little out of preferred balance, but it's late and I"m out of patience.

4 started a Summer internship at Channel 6 today. We'll be anxious for the "inside scoop" on our local media celebrities.

Looks like some FFF in Rochester this weekend for 1's marathon. Hope the weather cooperates.

More tomorrow.

BCOT

Sunday

Happy Birthday to 2! She is Daughter of the Day! (That little wisp of hair in the wind just adds to the character of the picture!)

Bright and sunny here, but not all that warm. And I think that they have wind in the afternoon's forecast. That may relegate me to the bike path after the battle I had with the wind in the country on yesterday's ride.

I see where Robert Mondavi passed away last week. His obituary notices have credited him as a key architect in the development of the Napa Valley wine industry. I was never a big fan of his wines, but since my interest in wine has evolved mostly in the last 10 years, my likes and dislikes as it might relate to his products isn't all that relevant. I did associate his wines with altar wine for most of my first 50 years.

It is interesting from a historical perspective to look at a person, or a small group of people, and realize that he, she, or they, was/were Ground Zero in a phenomenon that registers on a society's equivalent of the Richter Scale. The phenomenon doesn't need to be socially responsible, just measurable. I'd say that today's California wine industry qualifies.

Bill Gates and Steven Jobs will obviously be remembered as having been in the leading edge of computing systems. Will we have Al Gore to thank for the Internet? How 'bout the guy who came up with Legos? The receipe for Coca Cola? $3 coffee?

I joke a little about the variance in staff performance that is often evident at this SB's. I don't think that they truly have an A-Team. As a general rule, the Sunday AM crew struggles when the drive-through gets backed-up and the inside line is steady. I'm not sure what the average tenure is for a barista, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was something less than a year. Few of the employees see this as a long-term deal, and many are either students or otherwise displaced from their primary career. The job is not stress-free, and the pay isn't that great. Working for the general public can't be fun. But the customers keep coming back.

Here's my list of worst jobs that I can think of, not necessarily in order of disgust:

1. Rush-hour toll booth collector on C-town expressways.
2. Animal shelter cage cleaner.
3. McDonald's fries cooker. (Does a person actually "cook" fries?)
4. Circus parade "sweeper".
5. H&R Blocker tax preparer at a Walmart walk-in desk.
6. Airport departure terminal "No-Parking-Zone" enforcer.
7. Holiday Inn Night Desk Manager most Friday or Saturday nights.
8. High School Assistant Principal for Discipline.
9. Highway repair sign holder for "go" and "stop" when it's one lane only.
10. Road kill retriever.

Ok. Hope everyone has a great day. BBQ with 2 later.

BCOT

Saturday

This is a view of McCausland, Iowa from about 5,000 feet. McCausland was the regular destination for The Monday Night Ride when I first started riding. There's a bar at the lower right corner of the main intersection (the yellow dot) that was our turn-around point. About 16 miles one-way from Gov's in Bettendorf.

So anyway, I did my first trip of 2008 to McCausland today. It wasn't much fun. A West-North-West wind that never let up. I'm not so sure that the wind wasn't almost as strong as it was a couple of weeks back when my pal Pete and I wimped-out and did a tailwind ride.

1.1 finished Fargo in under five hours today. Congrats to the man. Doing more than one marathon in less than a year is Psychology 101 material, but then again, who am I to judge? I have my own issues.

2 and I were joined at Biaggi's last night by my pals Roy and Pete, plus a couple of others. Plenty of Tuscan red. It was a bit of a pre-birthday party for 2.

BTW, Happy Tax Birthday to 2.

Somehow I missed the fact that today is Armed Forces Day. They had several local events here and I would have attended if I had seen any notices.

I did buy my tomato plants at the Farmer's Market this AM. The plan is to plant them tomorrow. I swear, throw up some tents, display some goods, and the folks with nothing better to do will show up. Like me. With Margret for a little show.

Regular Sunday blog from SB's in the AM.

BCOT

Thursday

This image is for effect only. 1.1 is scheduled to take the start Saturday morning for the Fargo Marathon. Good luck, Matt! Don't get hung up on time. Finishing is a good result.

The Iowa State sports caravan had a stop in Bettendorf tonight. They had the head men's and women's basketball coaches, several players, and other athletic department yea-hoo's in attendance. And a partial pep band. I stopped by the festivities at the start of my bike ride. Pretty good turn-out for a Hawkeye town. Lot's of red and gold. I felt a little out of place in my blue bike shirt.

Congrats to 4 for her completion of year 3 at Iowa. She comes home Saturday after filming graduations for UITV. She might not be bored with us until at least Monday.

Anybody notice that it's the middle of May? For me, there's always been a natural decompression period after April 15th, as my mind and body adjusted to a less-pressured, and less stressful environment. Then it's like, May 15th, and my mind screams, "What happened to the last month?" And I then need to figure out again which tasks are way past due.

I may have said this here before: I've lived for years with a certain low volume, but constant fear of getting (or a client getting) a letter or call from the IRS or an attorney representing an unhappy client. When you work in my areas of expertise, the lines always have shades of gray. You make decisions everyday that another professional might take a slightly different course to resolve. Outcomes can be cloudy, and...then I wake up at 3 AM and stare at the ceiling.

Don't know where that came from.

Make sure you all drive safely tomorrow and this weekend.

BCOT

Wednesday

This is the clubhouse at Davenport Country Club. The road that I ride runs along the front side of the building. The location is on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.

My plan to play golf never got off dead center. I finally left early enough to get in a normal 16 miler.

I fixed myself a truly great salad for dinner tonight. The only shortfall was that the tomato was cardboard awful. How can something that looks so good on the grocery shelf be such a disappointment? I can't wait for local tomatoes to become available.

I'm thinking that it is time for a guest writer.

BCOT

Tuesday

Professional cycling's Giro d' Italia is in progress. This is the first of the "Grand Tours" each year (France and Spain following in July and late August/September). The Giro started last weekend in Palermo on the island of Sicily. I had heard of Palermo before, but I had never placed the location on Sicily.

The trip that 2 and I plan for September 2009 places us in the upper right section of the country for a few days, in the Dolomites, and then another few days in the left side of the Northern part of the country that abuts France. Briancon France is located just a few miles across the border and is a frequent overnight for both the Giro and the Tour.

There were more bikers out on the local roads last night than I had seen on a non-organized-ride day for years. With this level of biking interest, they need to consider marking "Bike" lanes on these roads. With the price of gas going up, there will be more people seriously looking at using a bike to commute to work. Rednecks beware! Or should it be, "Beware of Rednecks"?

Did anyone realize that Hillary won West Virginia today? Anyone care?

Annika Sorenstam announced her retirement as of the end of the year today. She's 37. She's won a zillion dollars, has a variety of businesses to which she lends her name, and has her economic future pretty well in control. She doesn't have four daughters (or sons), and I wouldn't trade places for anything. Not that I would turn down a winning Powerball ticket.

I may look for a golf course tomorrow. A good client/friend of mine calls it, "National Wednesday"!

Have a good one.

BCOT

Monday

The title of tonight's entry could easily be, 4000 Days' Biggest Loser. Obviously, there's a story to be told.

First we have The Grim Reaper, otherwise known today as Piper Jaffray & Company. 3 got the message last night that the decision to close the C-town office appeared imminent. The ax fell today. From afar, the office closure was an all-too-personal by-product of the U.S. economic slowdown. As a fairly low-level analyst, 3 was a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

So just to review, this smiling-face beauty is not the biggest loser here. PJ & Co effectively threw the baby out with the bathwater. 3 accepted her job 6-8 months before the mortgage crisis hit the surface of public knowledge. Everybody but the short sellers got caught in the mess.

3 will land on her feet. She's got the talent and the moxie. Every bump in the road means that an opportunity is ahead. Stay tuned.


The goof ball in blue is a candidate for for biggest loser. He lost the Monday Night Ride draft on the first hill North of 53rd Street. Now, I did have my chain lock when I shifted down on the front chain ring, but it wouldn't have mattered much. I was huffing and puffing just to keep up on the downhill past 53rd.

The group has changed a lot over the years. I know the three or four oldtimers, but the newbee's are all anally-inclined, speed and mileage guys. I have little in common with their goals and objectives. Or cycling talent.

It got late all of a sudden. My computer skills were severely tested to get these pictures displayed, and in the right order. I had put the two photos on my desktop, but had left the disk at the office. So I had to dial in and jump on my desktop to get the pics, which I couldn't find at first, and then I disconnected and edited from the laptop. It was work!

More tomorrow.

BCOT

Sunday

Here's a little recognition to all the Mom's out there. Have a great day. I can state universally, "You deserve it!"

Miserable day here so far. Rain and wind. Maybe a let-up later in the afternoon? This is the kind of day where a ride-no ride decision is a no-brainer. The couch wins.

The state highway patrols and local police/sheriffs have joined forces for a "speed-trap" weekend. It started Friday afternoon, and I heard that there was a trap set on the main Interstate connecting the states here across the Mississippi. On my ride yesterday North of town, I came across an officer sitting in a chair on an overpass over I-80 with a "radar gun", and a radio headset connecting him to several officers on the road below. I told him that he was not playing fair. He hardly even smirked. I think that he was liking his work a little too much for my tastes.

I also got "red-necked" on my ride yesterday. At the infamous red-winged-blackbird corner, there was no cross traffic, so after multiple looks both ways and slowing to about 5 mph, I went across the intersection. Going into about a 15-20mph headwind. Some yea-hoo in an extended cab, full-sized pick'em-up then comes from behind, slows to my speed, lowers his passenger-side window, and advises me, "you need to be stopping at that sign just like everybody else." I always appreciate this kind of advice from concerned citizens.

It is Bike To Work Week here this week. I, of course, will not be using the two-wheel approach for my commute, but it is an interesting, and timely, topic for conversation. Do the math. Say gas is $4 a gallon, your car gets 20 miles per gallon in town, and your commute is 16 miles round trip. That's 80 miles per week, at a gas cost of $16. Times 50 weeks equals $800 per year. Just to get to work. Save half that (and the cost of your SB's), and you could be a millionaire one day.

My neighbor fired-up his roto-tiller yesterday and prepped my garden for my tomato plants. Does a 3' x 4' space qualify as a garden? What is the difference between a plot and a garden? Is the term "garden-plot" redundant? How many usages of the word "garden" can be as an adjective, as in garden variety? Difficult questions, all.

This was the day for a fairly popular local running event, the QC Distance Classic, a half-marathon on the Illinois side. An acquaintance who runs quite a bit was just through here and he and his girlfriend (who regularly wins her age group in these local races) had taken a weather-related pass on the event. I would have made the same choice. As a matter of fact, if the wind alone is like it was yesterday come TOMRV, I'll be a no-show. I mean, it's not like I get paid to ride into head-winds. I hope the Rochester and Fargo marathon runners have good weather luck for their days.

Later...

The weather improved this afternoon, but I couldn't muster the energy to head out into the wind. Tomorrow may be my first venture out with The Monday Night Ride for several years. The post-ride get-together at Gov's is really the appeal. Not that I have become a wine snob, but do you suppose that Gov's actually serves wine that doesn't come in a box?

I watched a lot of golf this afternoon. The guy whom I wanted to win lost out to Sergio in a play-off. That course should have had a warning sign posted at the first tee today. Phil carded a very pedestrian 78, and the guy who started the day second, and who has won like nine times on tour, shot a not-so-funny 81 in the wind.

2 did a fine job with spaghetti tonight at Mom's house.

Good luck to 4 on her last week at Iowa as a junior.

And "hey" to everyone else on having warm sunshine to your face, and a slow breeze to your back.

BCOT

Friday

Before.

During.

After.


BCOT

Thursday

Why I do what I do.

BCOT

Wednesday

OK. Based on yesterday's comments, I think that the facts substantiate that I don't qualify as your ideal, modern-day uber Dad. My title may be more aptly stated as, Ogre Dad. Sorry, guys. I gave it my best shot.

I finally took the risk and put the house plants outside that normally spend Summer in the real world. At least one ficus tree may not make it back in come Fall without some serious trimming. What do you do with highly successful house plants?

Another 15 on the bike path. Rain got me on the last couple of miles. But it keeps the pretenders off the path. I have concluded that I cannot afford to slack-off training next Winter. It's just too hard to regain the form.

That spill 3 took by Mercy Park was a great crash, when it comes to crashes. Speeding down hill, completely out of control, 3 screaming her head off, and Ogre Dad watching in the background, knowing that there was going to be a bad result, very soon.

All for today. It's always good to hear from the readers.

BCOT

Tuesday

Just a few lines today.

Here's a list of my accidents over the years:

1. DeWitt, last Summer. Broken thumb.
2. Dubuque, RAGBRAI, maybe 1995. Wounded pride. Alcohol may have been involved.
3. Bettendorf, Middle Road, East of Whitey's. Maybe 1990, right before TOMRV. Deep high thigh bruise. No TOMRV.
4. Bettendorf, Devils Glen near Tanglefoot. Maybe 2000. Deep hip, non-displaced fracture. Excessive orthopaedic fees.
5. Bettendorf, Hy Vee parking lot, maybe 1994. Grooved my front tire in an expansion joint in the concrete. Scratches and abrasions.
6. RAGBRAI, maybe 1993, some small town in Eastern Iowa. Scratches and abrasions. Alcohol was involved.
7. Bettendorf bike path. Various incidents over the years. Laying down my bike when others do stupid things. Scrapes.
8. Davenport, Scott Street alley 1993. Trying to learn to ride my new rode bike with click-in pedals. A very humbling experience.

I'm sure that there are a few others, but nothing overly serious. I could get my list to 10 by breaking up those bike path tumbles, but who's counting?

So hope this was worth a chuckle to the peanut gallery.

BCOT

Monday

I think that this is an appropriate image for today. Unfortunately, the visual suggest a party, which just didn't happen for me today. Since I don't like Mexican food, and don't hang much at cantina's, I've never done much on this day. (OK, there have been a couple of Jose Cuervo nights, but those aren't exactly pleasant memories.)

I got caught watching a CBS show called "Dexter" last night. It was a two-part episode of a serial that was originally produced and appeared on the premium cable channel Showtime. Cable programming tends to be a little edgier than that shown on regular broadcast TV, and this one is no exception. And I think that they even cleaned this one up for CBS.

HBO and Showtime have had things like Sex in the City, The Sopranos, and Entourage that have all extended the limits of propriety. Showtime has had The L Word. Sex ,violence and anything else that can add shock value. And viewers.

Dexter is a closet killer/benevolent vigilante who works for the Miami PD. The show has a fair amount of narration by Dexter himself as to why he does some of the gruesome things that he does. There was no appeal to me in the story line nor in the characters in this one. I'm not likely to watch again.

Entertainment and fantasy drive most TV watching. Results matter. Whatever.

2 is safely back home. She needs to share her story on her half-marathon.

I know that I am naive , but did you know that you can go on-line to the county courthouse and checkout the real estate facts on any residence in town? Owner. Assessed value. Taxes paid the last three years. No identification of the inquirer required. Like I've been telling my pal Roy for years, you're not below radar. Nobody is.

Hope everyone has a great day.

BCOT

Sunday

This is just a teaser photo of the Cincy marathon that 2 completed today. (Actually, she did the half.) I hope to have better stuff later this week.

Great day here. Got quite a bit done. 23 on the road. Anything going West was like riding in a wind tunnel. Against the wind. New mailbox. Steaks on the grill. Asparagus too.

Big controversy in NASCAR. Kyle Busch, the very talented young driver whom Hendrick Motor Sports sent packing last Fall so that they could put Junior in one of their cars, spun Junior out when Junior was leading the race with just two laps to go. Junior Nation was not happy. That's a story that won't go away soon.

It was easy to work outside today. Not only was the weather beautiful, but there was zippo on the tube for sports nuts. No Tiger. NBA Nobodies. (Just not that much of a fan, KG or not.)

Here's another little recommendation on red wine: Murphy Goode Cabernet. It's a California wine from Sonoma County. $15-18 at Hy Vee.

No big plans for the week. Maybe prep the garden. The tomatoes can go in after Mother's Day.

Have a great week.

BCOT

Saturday

It was Derby Day in Kentucky. I really don't follow horse racing, but I have a number of client's who own horses and who will frequently go to the track.

This is a picture of the winner, Big Brown. The second place finisher, a filly named Eight Bells, broke both front ankles at the end of the race and was "put down". Now the critics will be lined up to offer their opinions that fillies should not be allowed to race against the boys.

My pal Pete and I attended a funeral this morning of a long-time mutual client. He was an 85-year-old attorney who had fought cancer over the last couple of years, but who had remained fairly active up through the first part of this year. Never married. No kids. An old-time, smokey back-room politician. An interesting personality.

I had attended the visitation of a retired gentleman of like age a couple of weeks ago. He had six kids, lots of grand kids and was well-known and well-liked on the Iowa side where he lived and had run a successful business.

I remember Margaret and Philip going to a lot of "Rosary's" and funerals in my high school and college years. (For Roman Catholic visitations back then, it was normal for the evening gathering to be lead by the priest in saying the rosary.) He would have been about my current age at that time. It has occurred to me that when a person has lived in one town for 25-30 years, and gets to be 60 years old, you have come to know a lot of people, and they start dying on you.

It was real windy here again today. And a bit cool. Pete and I put those two factoids together and decided after the funeral that biking was not in the cards for the day. Then later in the day, I talked to 1 who was reporting on her final "long" run which she had completed in similar conditions in preparation for her May 25th marathon. So I sucked it up late in the day and got in 17+ on the bike path.

2 runs her half marathon early tomorrow in Cincy. At the pre-race expo, she signed up for a service to have her splits coming to my cell phone as text messages. Cool.

4 reports that she didn't get lost today on an assignment to the Amana Colonies.

Aunt Martha's report on Whitey's Ice Cream in USA Today was from the Travel Section. I had missed the story since I don't always read that section.

My plan tomorrow is SB's, Lowe's, mailbox repair, yard, bike ride, and maybe, steak on the grill.

Have a good evening.

BCOT

Thursday

I'm including this map as a little geography lesson for 4. She had a small detour on her return from Mt. Pleasant to CR for her work today. Somehow, she managed the "long-cut" home via Ottumwa.

2 is headed off in the AM for Cincy. Good luck on the road, Kiddo.

The Rocket seems to have had more girlfriends in his time than Steve Garvey. The list is growing daily. Below radar he wasn't.

My big project for the weekend is the replacement of my mailbox. My current mailbox has one of two legs rusted all the way through, and the door of the box closes only with effort. I'm not adding curb-appeal to my place right now. Not that my mail is all that exciting. But the mailman/woman may refuse delivery of anything, and everything, if I don't make a correction.

More IT issues at the office the last couple of days. My email has to also pass through my brokerage company's server in KC and they've added new security measures recently. Which meant, we learned after the issue evolved, that we had to re-program the security paths in our machines. Machine by machine. How do they come up with this stuff?

All for tonight.

BCOT