Sunday

Saturday

So still Winter here. At least we have a little sunshine today.

In a weekend full of a variety of sports stories, the retirement of Greg Maddux should garner lots of headlines. He will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in five years. These pics reflect his tenure with the Cubs and the Braves, although he finished his career with the Dodgers and Padres. (I wonder which cap he'll wear for Cooperstown?) For much of the '90's he defined "The Art of Pitching", living on the corners, befuddling hitters (and umpires). He's a guy in that select group of people whom I might walk across the street to meet.

The Wall Street Journal ran a story today about the health care hardships different people have encountered in the shrinking economy. When companies go into bankruptcy or just shutter their doors, benefits will often just stop. For an employee in the middle of treatment (think pregnancy), its not like the condition goes away. The financial impact can be huge. More stories are sure to follow as the economy goes further into the tank. The Big O will not have a bailout solution for everyone.

Our health insurance at work is through a major carrier, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, but we get rated as a small group. Our 2009 rate quote came in last month at a 40% increase. I think the monthly premium for a family-covered employee this year was in the $800-900 range. Do the math. (I ended up saving a couple hundo per month in 2008 by going to single coverage in the group plan for myself and buying a stand-alone policy for 4.) I agree that there needs to be reform in health care, but I don't support nationalizing the process. If the TARP and Big Three hearings are examples of Washington's leadership, spare me.

Call me old-fashioned, but can't a rich, professionally successful, good looking guy run off with a young hottie rather than some quirky over-the-hill paparazzi target? I couldn't pick a Madonna song out of a multiple-choice test with a single foil, and her look to me has always been more scary than sexy. So he leaves his wife and young kids. By Hollywood standards, its a minor offense. And I suppose there are some Boomer guys who had Material Girl fantasies. But I thought that the standard trophy wife was a generation or two younger rather than one generation older. How long will it take for A-Rod to wake up?

And exactly what is Kabballah? Do they sell sports equipment too?

Tough day for the Corps of Cadets against the Midshipmen today. (Although Army did win the fashion show on uniforms.) I like to see all of the academies win. They truly do have the Best and the Brightest. It never bothered me much when the USAF ran off those wins against ND.

I'm off to Gold's to start the drill. Now I just need to figure out a short term goal to justify going through the drill.

Have a great weekend.

BCOT

Thursday

Winter is here. The snow from Sunday has pretty well stuck around, and we got an additional 2-3 inches on Wednesday. Now, a cold front has come in and we're looking at single digits tonight.

This guy is complaining about missing the memo to head South. On my front tree with the new Canon.

My really nice-guy next-door neighbor was diagnosed with a bulging disk in his back last week. Bummer. He's been considering retirement, and I actually met with him last month to help him and his wife with some of the pension numbers. And he's a guy who is always outside, working in the yard, doing a project in the garage, or tweaking something on his truck. It looks like he's going to be on the shelf for a while, so I (gladly) become his sidewalk and driveway snow clearer. I need to fire up the blower. The shovel is OK, but we're talking several linear feet now.

I supplemented somebody's bottom line today as I signed up for an additional $12/month sports package with DirectTV. For some reason, DTV's normal expanded package of channels included ESPN, ESPN News, ESPN Classic, and ESPN 2, but not ESPN U. And the last couple of Iowa games had been on ESPN U. Of course. Add to it the fact that the expanded normal package also did not include the other Comcast regional sports channels, other than Chicago, and I figure that my marginal cost was worth it.

Since the marginal cost of adding me to the user list was the sunken cost of some computer program time (I signed up online), DTV has a marginal benefit of $12 per month less the contract fees to the various channels (which are zero-cost marginal benefits to those folks as well). Everybody wins incrementally (provided I watch, and feel good about, a game or two each month).

My general marginal costs were also increased today by a Winter season subscription to the local Gold's Gym. I figured I needed a destination (other than my basement) to keep up a fitness regimen over the next four months. I sweet-talked the clerk to piggy-back 2 on to my membership with no entry fee and with a fee of only $20 per month. The combined charges were very reasonable (especially considering 1.1's one-day fee over Thanksgiving). So we're both in there until April.

Here's a little shout out to 1 as Daughter of the Day. This pic was taken last Saturday when she and 1.1 left for their return to the TC. She's got a plate-full going these days with teaching full time, assistant varsity girls b-ball coach, marathon training, wife and Lucy-watcher. The hours get pretty well consumed, and that's when everything goes right. You're the best, Kiddo!

And just for yuks, here's a view of 1.001 getting ready to head North. Is this the first "pet" to make it on 4000 Days?

3 reports that the landlord is sending in the exterminators. There's film out there recording the last visit of the creatures. In case anyone is interested.

Have a great day.

BCOT

Wednesday

The thief has struck again.

Craig Wilson in his USA Today column today offers examples and fluff on the 6 Word Biography. See www.usatoday.com and go to the Life section.

Maybe mine should be: "My random thoughts. Craig Wilson's inspiration."

BCOT

Tuesday

I thought my last Top Ten list might arouse some response.

I hear around the vine that 3 had another visit from the American cockroach. Hardy creatures in Boston.

2 and I went to the Augie-Ambrose game last night. Augie killed 'em. Not much of a crowd, which was surprising. I think that the difference is cultural. Which takes time to develop and sustain. It's not so much about the players as it is the system. The Augie coach has it figured out. And his players have bought in. Of course, good players make a difference too.

Then there's Plaxico Burris in New York. Everyone needs a Glock at the club.

More tomorrow.

Bcot

Sunday

Hello Winter! A scene out my front door this morning.

Fortunately, 1 and 1.1 took off for the TC before noon yesterday, and 3 departed for Boston on a 5:30 on-time flight last night. I really don't think that today's weather is all that serious, but with the number of folks on the road, today is a good day to be home.

Lots of positive reports on Thanksgiving. Good food. Great company. No unexpected surprises. (Including the massacre at The LA Coliseum last night.)

I'm liking the way that the Thanksgiving Day weekend fell this year compared to 2007. Remember, last year, the fourth Thursday of November was as early as it could be on the calendar, and there was a full week of November work days in the week following Thanksgiving Day. That made the Christmas shopping season go on forever. With tomorrow being December 1st, it just "feels" like this is how the holiday season is supposed to flow.

Anybody else get the sense that the early season college basketball tournament schedules are in new territory? The rules seem to have changed as the top teams have abandoned the Great Alaska Shootout. At one time that tournament was the premiere event, along with the Maui Invitational. This year, Alaska drew the likes of Hampton (Hampton?), Northern Illinois, Western Carolina and San Diego State. Maui is still strong (like, who doesn't want to go to Hawaii?), but a couple of other new tourneys seem to have bled off the other big name talent. Times change.

I just saw the Sony HDTV commercial that has the San Diego Chicken on a panel with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Payton Manning (along with a couple others). Has there been another mascot that has achieved such widespread recognition? Let's do a Top Ten List.

Most recognized mascot (or mascot-like) in sports with cross-cultural acceptance:

1. The San Diego Chicken. This guy appeared everywhere. And generated a highly publicized law-suit when he broke away (or was fired) from the Padres. We saw him years ago at John O'Donnell in Davenport at a minor league game.

2. The Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. No explanation required.

3. Uga, the Georgia Bulldog. They've been using a real dog at the U of Ga. (thus, the name) for 50-odd years. He is ugly.

4. Herky the Hawkeye. OK, a little provincial, but he does make a lot of appearances in Iowa. And 3 dated one several years ago.

5. Florida State's Seminole Indian. Around the Midwest, Chief Illiniwek from the U of Illinois is a little more well-known, but Max Osceola (news to me as well) has a national following, largely due to the civil rights arguments associated with the use of Native American culture in contemporary sports. Whatever.

6. The Oscar Meyer Weiner. Again, no explanation required. Well, it doesn't exactly represent a team, but it is a great mascot.

7. USC horse and rider. This is a little hard to take, but with the Trojans having been one of the most dominant football teams in recent years, this pic has seen a lot of air time.

8. Tie. The AFLAC duck,the Geico gecko and the Budweiser Clydesdale's. I'm not sure why/how/who came up with these two animals being the faces of a couple of insurance companies, but they definitely work. The horses have surely been in a parade in every town in the country.

9. The Coors Light twins. A little weak here, but I forgot to put these two in my comments on 4's list of sexy athletes. They were good for about one season before they became a little over-exposed. So to speak.

10. Donald Trump. Look, he's a caricature of a real estate mogul with diverse business and entertainment interests, sponsors various sporting events, and is generally considered as representing a variety of excesses. And for the right amount of cash, he'll speak at your meeting and share his wisdom. (See also, Bill Clinton.)

So obviously there are few rules with regard to the inclusion on this list. Actually, after the first two, everything else was a stretch. Feel free to add your submissions.

Hope everyone can get their lives in order for December. You're about outta time.

See you online.

BCOT

Friday

The Turkey Trot was a success, at least for Old Dog. 58:47. Room to spare.

A couple of photo-ops.

More later.

BCOT

Tuesday

I had good intentions of posting on Sunday, but it just didn't happen.

The Augie game on Saturday night was exciting, but ended in a bad result for the good guys. A five point loss in OT.

This is the new hanging scoreboard (reflecting the halftime score and the time remaining in halftime). Very cool. Although not quite as easy to read at this point as the old scoreboard that required a redirection of vision, but not a straining of the neck to look upwards.

The halftime entertainment remains a bit iffy. A girls dance team at a religious-oriented school has some choreography challenges given the contemporary norms in song and dance. (Those American Music awards recipients last weekend were all outside of my knowledge-base except for the country groups.) At least the costumes for this performance didn't look like they came from Strippers-R-Us.

The college gave recognition to a couple of Trustees whose companies made special contributions to offset the costs of the scoreboard, new seating, and general refurbishment of the gym. My pal Roy also was recognized, but quietly after the game (at his request). I jumped into the picture to add flavor. What do you think of the new jacket?

2 and I went to the Augie game tonight as well. The result was better, but the competition was quite a bit lower. It should be a good year for the home team. They're fun to watch.

Hope the travels for 1, 1.1 and 3 go safely tomorrow. I'll make sure that we have some good vino for the lasagna at Mom's.

BCOT

Saturday

A little Saturday afternoon action at SB's.

I'm meeting my pal Roy for din-din, and then a trip over to Augie for the first home basketball game of the season. The defending D-III champ is in town. They've had a re-hab of the Augie gym over the Summer. The building is named after Roy's dad who contributed the money for the original construction 25-30 years ago. I'll take some pics for posting tomorrow.

The shoppers are getting a head start this afternoon on next Friday's official launch of the holiday shopping season. 53rd street was in gridlock at the light to the theaters. Duck Creek parking is a joke. There is a recession going on, right?

The local holiday season event called the Festival of Trees kicked off today with a parade in downtown Davenport. They usually have 12-15 large helium-filled character balloons like this one to give the parade a bit of distinction. I've never been down to watch it. 2 over sees a function at the museum during the parade that allows guests to view the parade from the comfort of an inside perch. I suppose if they did this when the girls were little I may have made the effort for their benefit. Or not.

I did 5.3 miles today just to give myself the knowledge that I in fact could do 5 miles come Thursday. (1 did 16, but my motor has gone way beyond warranty.) My route ended with the last 1.2 into a southerly breeze that reminded me that it was not July anymore. My goal of under 60 minutes remains realistic.

I'm thinking that "running my age" in each year's Turkey Trot may be an acceptable parameter for the next few years, particularly since I dislike running so much. This method gives me the built-in measuring stick that allows me to exceed the one hour limit without abandoning a goal that requires a lot of effort.

In golf, "shooting one's age" is considered quite an accomplishment for most retirees. Consider that most of these guys are in their sixties and seventies (with an occasional eighty year old tossed in), so 75 for a 75 year old would be a real good score, even if he used the ladies tees.

Minnesota lost to ND in women's soccer last night 1-0 in OT on a penalty kick. Ouch.

They had to plow a foot of snow off the field in order to play the game. South Bend is susceptible to "lake-effect" snow that rolls off of Lake Michigan. (I may have reported here or elsewhere in the past a tongue-in-cheek "river-effect" snow coming off the Mississippi. That phenomena does not exist.) Basically, you have cold winds blow across wide expanses of warmer water, pick up moisture, and then drop the resultant snow on the land just off the lake. With prevailing winds this time of year being northwesterly, South Bend is in the perfect spot for these snows. I remember it well in my previous life.

3 's in the Big Apple for the evening. 1's over in DM for the Christening of her friend's baby. 4's hoping for a win in the TC, and 2 will be over at Augie. The fam is on the move. Have fun, but...

BCOT

Thursday

Winter has arrived. Low teens here tonight, with some wind. I've taken the chicken route and have put off running until daytime tomorrow.

Less than a week now until the next official FFF. Not that I'm counting.

3 has had another "critter" turn up in her apartment. Not a pleasant experience. I'm thinking that her building must be a little older and has a little more Boston history in it's walls and floors than what might be expected in a newer property.

My basement has a regular crew of spiders. An occasional centipede of some sort. I spray killer-stuff every once in a while, but they always come back. I think that all basements get buggy.

Which reminds me of the "non-basement" in the original house on the farm. That single-room basement was one with a dirt floor and stacked-stone walls. There really wasn't even a set of stairs down to it. The ingress may have been altered when we put in the furnace sometime in my early grades. (Before then, there was only an old coal-oil fired stove in the kitchen to heat that room only. But this is an area that AM would have better knowledge.)

I think that Mother had a cabinet down there and stored some canned goods (tomato juice, corn and green beans). No insulation. But really not a lot of "critters", probably because of the cats and dogs.

Another bad day on Wall Street. Is this like a broken record, or what? I have no answers. Work longer. Save more. Stay healthy. Trust me on this one: regardless of how honest that you think that you are with yourself, your risk tolerance is lower than you think that it is, and much lower than what your broker thinks that it is.

Yankee hurler Mike Mussina announced his retirement today, ending his 18 year career with 270 wins. He won 20 games this last year, for the first time. Were the Fates, his relievers, and the fielders behind him a little more clutch in some key games, his 20 win season numbers could easily have been in the 5-6 range. He was a tenacious competitor without overpowering stuff, and probably could have hung on for a couple more years to get to the 300-win level that would cinch his election to the Hall of Fame. Now, his HoF fate rests in the hands of that august group, the Baseball Writers of America. In my book, he deserves the nod.

3 asked me to test the local SB's baristas on the recipe for an American misto. An Americano with steamed milk. The Duck Creek girls were all over it. I think that I need to tweak whatever the standard portions are just a little as I don't like all that much cream in my coffee. But I like the idea of steaming everything. Good idea, 3!

Glad to see Friday. Hope the weekend is good.

BCOT

Wednesday

Little to add tonight.

Another brutal day in the market. The auto boys need to survive until at least 1/20/2009 to get $$$'s from Washington. The executives before Congress all cut less-than-sympathetic figures.

I forgot to mention earlier this week the little factoid that the marathon scheduled for Pasadena, California last Sunday had to be canceled for air quality reasons. The fires. What a bummer for the people who had trained for the race. And for the city that was putting on it's first marathon. They're still trying to figure out if they reschedule or take some other action for the benefit of the registered runners. It could be a Cubs-like refrain; "Wait'll next year."

More economic effects on sporting events have been in the news. Cut backs on Buick courtesy cars at PGA events. Testing prohibited in 2009 at all NASCAR tracks with any races in the top three divisions. Three LPGA events eliminated in 2009. Perhaps an emphasis on regional teams in the lower tier bowl games.

Finally, an interesting sidebar on the golf pages. J.P. Hayes, the 2002 winner of the local stop on the PGA tour, the John Deere Classic, was DQ'd from the second round of qualifying for the 2009 schedule when he first took a two shot penalty on himself on the 12th hole for playing a ball of a slightly different profile than the one he had begun his round with. He was still OK to advance even with the penalty, but that night he remembered that he had had a prototype ball in his bag that had not been approved for play by the PGA. He later checked, and confirmed that that was the ball he had played. And he turned himself in, and was DQ'd by operation of the rules.

All of the other sports almost pride themselves in, "getting away with it", bending the rules, not getting caught, taking advantage. Golf, at the highest levels, is, declare your own penalties. Take your medicine. I'm sure that this is the same Honor Code passed around on Wall Street.

Have a great Thursday.

BCOT

Monday

4's blogs are much more interesting than the OPB (Old People's Blog). Generational connectivity is a bit of a problem. Or should I say, dis-connectivity?

The Big Three auto executives are still testifying before the Senate, essentially begging for money. Their problems extend beyond the credit crunch. They operate in an excess-capacity industry, that has failed to anticipate modern day dynamics in the market place. They can't adapt quickly. They can't run fast enough to catch up on negative cash flow. And their credit supply sucks. My guess is that even if we lend them $25 billion now, they'll be back for more inside of a year.

I did read an interesting analysis in this week's Barron's magazine about the problems at AIG. The conclusion was that one of their investment divisions was led by a hard-charger who pushed the envelope in a large mortgage portfolio, and got caught in bad bets. Their basic insurance business was fine. But they got greedy, and when the tide turned, they were "out of trust", a term used to describe an entity with borrowings that exceed the value of the assets upon which the funds were originally acquired.

These stories are why OPB's suffer.

The business of Bowling for Dollars gets a change in 2011 when ESPN gets all of the BCS bowl games after winning those rights in a bidding contest this week. While ABC (a Disney-owned company like ESPN) retains the Rose Bowl, the other four BCS games jump over to the cable service. I'm not sure that this is all that bad. The old argument that there was something un-American about major sporting events not being on free-access network TV, has lost a lot of substance with the proliferation of reception choices for consumers. Satellite. Internet. Blackberry. We pay for everything anyway.

In related information, there was a big stink in these parts last year when Mediacom did not carry The Big Ten Network (BTN) on it's primary packages. Each side politic-ed in the media about their respective interests to serve their constituencies. Lots of posturing, but no BTN football or basketball broadcasts in our area last year. Finally, this Fall there was the much-hyped announcement that the two sides had finally reached an agreement and the BTN would be added to the Mediacom package.

Oh. And last month, Mediacom announced that it was raising it's rates in Iowa for it's expanded basic package by $4 per month. Shocking.

Here's a little recognition to former PV Breaker Lindsay S for leading the Minnesota Golden Gophers into the third round of the NCAA D-I women's soccer tournament. The senior from Bettendorf has been the team's leading scorer this year. Great accomplishments for a hard-working girl. The reward for this success is a date with #1 rated Notre Dame in South Bend on Friday. Ouch!

AM commented last week that they had received their SB's gold card for free after having been an online SB regular card customer for some time. These retirees are killing us. First, it's this monster unfunded liability in Social Security. Then its all this free AARP crap. And now we're paying their bills at SB's. I'm reorganizing myself as a bank, and applying for TARP money.

For the fans of Sports Not Stilettos, Brady Quinn won his first pro football game as a starter last night. It took a kicker for the other team to go "wide right" at the end of the game. But a win is a win is a win. And he looked good doing it. Not great. But not bad.

Have a great evening.

BCOT

Sunday II

A few more lines for the day.

4's lament today on trackingkch is the stuff of a theatrical farce. Or a new case of Murphy's Law.

OK. What would be on your list of the 10 things you would take with you to a deserted, tropical island with no stores or existing structures? A contemporary Swiss Family Robinson.

Here's my first take:

1. A laptop with satellite Internet access. And a solar recharger system.
2. A miniature, solar-powered desalinization plant.
3. Plenty of S-things. ( shoes, shorts, sandals, socks and sunglasses.)
4. A solar-powered hot plate.
5. An espresso machine. (The island has coffee plants.) (An Americano is just hot water and Espresso.)
6. A complete set of cutlery, including scissors, ax, clippers and an industrial strength saw.
7. An adequate set of pots, pans, glasses, dishes and silverware. (Half coconuts and wooden spoons just don't appeal to me.)
8. A solar-powered refrigerator with ice machine.
9. A stash of pens and paper.
10. A basic tool kit with pliers, hammer, duct tape, etc.

This is kind of an interesting exercise. Give it a go!

Have a great week.

BCOT

Sunday

A little SB's this AM.

2 and I bailed on the Augie game in Indianola last night. I did the math, and had we gone, it would have meant a return home around 1AM this morning. Way too late for me. (They won in a tight game. Its never easy on the road.)

The Iowa game was officially recognized as a non-sellout yesterday, breaking a string of 30-odd home game sellouts dating back to 2003. As we approached the stadium 20 minutes before kick-off, the upper reaches of the student section in the South end zone were completely empty. And that section never collected any fans. Lots of tickets were held up "for sale" by fans all around the stadium. They say that Iowa "travels well", but a mediocre team in nasty November conditions suggests a slightly fair-weather fan base for those last 10K of followers. Now, a Florida bowl game in January might be a different story. Everybody in Iowa (who can beg, borrow or steal the travel costs) likes a Florida trip after Christmas.

There was an extremely quiet passing last week of the three year anniversary of 4000 Days. Lots of meaningless information has passed through this site since it opened in 2005. Imagine the possibilities for the future.

For those who may not know, Trackingkch.blogspot.com is back up with some new posts. She has a great way with words, and her spin on life is worth the read.

There was a story on one of the sports pages this AM that the Big O was quoted as wanting to exert his influence to get an 8 team D-1 playoff in college football. Is there any area of endeavor where the wanderlust of this guy's prescience will be limited? Given the rapture on his persona in most of the opinion pages, it looks like the honeymoon period accorded most newly-elected officials may extend indefinitely for him.

More to be added to this post later today...

Saturday

A couple of shots from our day in Iowa City. If you "click" the photo, it expands to full page. Pretty good results with the new Canon.

The guy in the red hat is the TV on-field "go, no-go" guy. He's positioned at the South 20 yard line and moves onto the field when there's a change of possession or other stoppage in play when the commercials are run. The game will not be re-started until this guy raises his arm and gives the "go" sign. At the game, it seems like we're always watching Redhat and waiting for the game to get going.

Blogger is being uncooperative at this point. More tomorrow.

BCOT

Thursday

Just a few lines today.

I had a substitute Russian cleaning lady today. The regular gal is out of town this week. Irina must have schooled this gal pretty good, as everything from the laundry to the kitchen counter arrangement was left in identical fashion as Irina's style. Do you give the pinch-hitter notes on how to dust? I like the results.

I had the regional administrative coordinator from my broker-dealer in the office this afternoon to conduct her annual audit of our procedures and documentation protocols. This is the grass-roots over-sight that all brokers must endure. I get critiqued on whether I have enough paper in my files. I wonder if the derivative creators on Wall Street actually had a compliance officer look over their shoulder. I have to put a disclaimer on the note card stock that I use to send informal greetings to customers. And those guys get millions on exit contracts.

Glad to see RevKev back online.

Anybody have an answer as to why all the investigators on the CSI shows always work with flashlights? In the middle of the day? Are all of their crime scenes located in buildings with no electrical service?

The economic turmoil will likely have some significant impact on some of the sports that rely heavily on sponsors for financial backing. I'm thinking NASCAR and golf tournaments in particular. NASCAR gets lots of support from the manufacturers ( Ford, GM and Chrysler), who are all standing in the halls of Congress with hats in hand looking for bailout money. If they get it, how will it play on Main Street that the manufacturers are still bank-rolling race cars?

Buick (a division of GM), is the title sponsor for at least three PGA tournaments. And Tiger Woods is the lead spokesman for Buick. See where this leads? And Wachovia is the lead sponsor for the Charlotte stop. Cadillac (another GM model) has always been a big advertiser for golf as well. Anybody trust the regulators, the executives or Congress to keep a lid on this? To say that the soup is murky is an understatement.

Kill Green is back on ER tonight. I didn't know that ER was still on the schedule.

I bought a SB's Gold Card. $25. It gives you a 10% discount on every purchase. For a five-day-a-week visitor with a $2 habit, the payback is 25 weeks. This scheme may front some money to the corporation, but I think that its a financial loser in the long run. And the sign-up packet gives you three, one-time 10% cards that 2 will be able to use for her one-pound purchases that she uses for home brew.

They're talking mid-30's for a high in IC on Saturday for the game. Peppermint schnapps may be the order of the day.

Have a great Friday.

BCOT

Wednesday

The good news today is that 3 has made arrangements for her Thanksgiving trip home. Sounds like we have FFF wine at PC's on Wednesday night. Not too much. Turkey Trot in the AM. We can do excess vino on Friday at 2's.

Looks like an NCAA day for 2 and I on this Saturday. I've been asked to join a client at the Iowa-Purdue game in IC. 2 is coming along, although she and 4 may take in the game at a non-disclosed location. After the game, and any post game festivities, we're off to Indianola (south of Des Moines) to get to the Augustana basketball game with Simpson College. It will be a late night coming home.

There is little going on in Washington to create any economic confidence in the hinterland. Every big corporation is converting itself to a bank so as to be eligible to feed at the trough of the Federal bailout. GM and Ford are desperate, and the politicians in affected districts are lined up to plead for their constituents. American Express is now a bank. Srarbucks might be next. Paulson now says that the bailout money won't be used to buy bad paper, like the original intent. Rather, they want to get more capital into the banks. Ostensibly to have them with more money to lend.

So gas prices are coming down. Oil is down in the mid-50's. Explain to me why it was $145 this Summer. Supply and demand. Right.

Wait. Latest word: Exxon has just been reorganized as a bank. I mean, they do issue credit cards. They need a bailout. To find storage for their last quarterly profits.

Actually, if you look at the approximate $2 per gallon reduction in gas prices over the last few weeks, Americans are again receiving a modest economic "stimulus". This time at the pump. Say a 15 gallon fill-up once a week. $30 times pick-your-number-of-weeks and its not a small number. Certainly more than the $0 that I received on the first go-around. And more than the $0 that I'll likely be eligible for on the next brainchild from Nancy, Barney, Harry & friends.

I used to like the CMA awards show for the female stars that could make a man daydream about the possibilities. Now, the females on the show aren't old enough buy beer. Watching it has the feel of going to a high school musical.

4 is Daughter of the Day. This was on the last roll taken on my old camera. At the tailgate at the Hawkeye game last month. I'm not saying that the new Canon digital would have eliminated that glare, but the new Canon digital would have eliminated the glare. Or a second pic would have been taken. We're talking progress. Anyway, 4, you 'da girl!

Have a good evening/day.

BCOT

Monday II

So the earlier post was set apart from my normal ramblings out of respect for our veterans. It doesn't seem quite right to honor the vets, and then shift gears and lament the reality of Olberbaman's new MSNBC contract.

Anyway, my topic tonight is marginalism. Actually, I want to make (more than) a few observations, and maybe some distinctions, about the application of marginal analysis in a person's (mostly mine) daily life. I know that 3 has a half of a double major in Economics, and 2 has had at least one MBA course in macro econ, but the stuff I think about is decidedly micro. I vaguely remember the old "Guns or Butter" discussion from Week 1 of Econ 101, many years ago, but I find that most of my choices today are truly off on the margins.

There's really not much marginal cost or marginal benefit in these obscurities. And the end result is usually the same place.

As a further aside, its worth noting that "marginal" has been used in our family as an adjective of conduct, originally used to describe one (or more) of the girls' deportment in Sunday church. I think that the term is still in use when the girls need to respond to an inquiry over any social arrangement that doesn't quite make the grade, as in, "The party was marginal."

Marginal analysis really needs to be distinguished from risk tolerance or the cost-benefit ratio. Both of these concepts suggest that a decision is predicated on producing a different and preferred outcome from other alternatives. Investing in CD's usually allows one to sleep better at night than buying pork belly futures contracts. The $15 dollar bottle of wine tastes just fine compared to the $50 bottle. (Well, maybe not for my pal Roy.)

My first marginal decision of the day comes as I awaken and need to decide whether it is easier to check the time by rolling over to look at the clock-radio on the bed-side table, or in the alternative, check my Ironman wrist watch. In the Summer, a look at the wrist watch is a lay-up. Very little effort. Come Fall and Winter, waking in the dark means that the wrist watch option requires two moves, moving the left arm for the proper angle, and moving the right arm to push the Indiglo button. I've laid there thinking about this choice for several minutes some mornings.

Next, after minor choices while getting ready for work, I need to decide whether I take the Taurus, the Buick, or Margret to work. Margret doesn't go out in bad weather, or the threat of bad weather (or in the months of November through March). The Taurus doesn't travel out of town. And I try to limit the Buick's miles, generally, and those in snow in particular. Client travel is also a consideration as the Buick doesn't go on a visit to the Ford dealer, and the Buick stays away from the GM store.

Then I need to decide on a route to work with coffee and the papers on the way. There are a number of SB's options, and a couple of other places, all influenced by the need or desire (or lack thereof) for a bagel or other treat.

Most of the work day is about risk tolerance and cost-benefit. And responsibilities.

After work, I need to map my workout, biking most of the year, running in the Fall. (Hello Turkey Trot!) My regular routes are loops of some sort, and total distance is the deciding factor. Which way is the wind blowing? Which direction do I want to take on the hills? What time is sundown?

After the workout, we're talking din-din, and the options are geometric. Is there anything that needs to be done before dark? If I water the plants and garden, are the results better than waiting until the morning? After my shower, what's the coefficient of water usage if I throw in a medium load of laundry, compared with waiting another day or two for a large load? If I have another glass of wine, is there another midnight trip to the bathroom in my future?

And, of course, if I add to the blog, will anyone care? Is there anything that I need to get off my chest? Do I have anything creative going? Or is it another day of blah, blah, blah?

All for now. Get out there and make some choices!

But...

BCOT

Monday

Tomorrow. November 11th.

So lest we forget those who have made the commitment to allow us the freedom to argue over media influence and spreading the wealth. Country first.

Full post to follow.

Saturday

Congrats to the Iowa Hawkeyes on their big win today against previously unbeaten Penn State. 4 might be in the background of this picture that shows the students rushing the field as the clock expired. I talked with her after the game and she was in the crowd on the turf.

It seems like they have a "black" out, or "gold" out in Iowa City several times during the year (where all of the fans are encouraged to wear the color of the "out"). Today, I noticed a lot of green shirts and I didn't get the message until midway through the second quarter when the camera was showing a section of green-draped fans right after a running play by the Hawks' outstanding back, Shonn Greene. Duh!

So I got my flu shot this week. The Visiting Nurses Association had set up in the Hy Vee pharmacy by the office so I stopped in and took my medicine. Thirty-seven samoliens. I'm thinking that I paid twenty bucks when I got my first shot a few years back. 85% inflation! I need to raise my rates.

We had a scintilla of FFF today at 2's raking her leaves. She lives in an older section of town with mature trees. And lots of leaves. These are just a few of the 20-odd bags that we gathered this afternoon. My guess is that there will be at least one more afternoon of raking this season. There are still leaves on many trees...and the neighbors seems to want to wait until everything is down.

When we packed the "Martian Eggs" over on Scott Street, we had my pick 'em-up to take the bags down to the collection point by the river where we dumped the bags and re-used them for more eggs the next time. Without the convenience of the truck, we're all now stuck with the city's collection of the paper bags.

We've had snow showers here each of the last two days. Nothing to stick to the ground, but a clear indication that the 70 degree days are likely done for the year. My bet is that we see 60 at least once, but with the shorter days, and the low angle of the sun, its time to button down the hatches and put the shorts into storage.

The Irish are in Boston tonight. 3 will need to let us know if the local watering holes had any ND flavor this weekend.

Let the world know that it is my intention to be on a "boy's" golf trip for my 60th birthday in January. The 8th is a Thursday, and I'm probably leaving on the 7th for Phoenix, coming back on Sunday the 11th. (Cabo has been dropped from the rotation due to costs and travel time. At our ages, we can get into all the trouble we need in Scottsdale. Plus, we can actually play golf on the 7th after arrival, if we were so inclined.)

I'm trying to figure out where the Federales will draw the next line in the sand. Ford and GM are both burning through cash at rates that will deplete their reserves in a short period of time. Their stock prices have crashed. Are they "too big to fail"? I don't think that Uncle Sam wants to own a car company, but if he forks over $100 billion-plus to rescue AIG, why not offer the same deal to Detroit?

Don't be fooled by short term ups in the market. The slope remains slippery.

Here's another sign of the times. I haven't spent near as much time listening to the radio over the last few years, and as a result, I have lost much of my contact with contemporary country music. The Country Music Association awards show is on TV next week and ABC is promoting the show at seemingly every timeout in every game on the schedule. I know Brad Paisley, but most of the other singers are young, blond and off my charts. I do listen to a country station as I go to sleep, but that's usually for only a short period. Then again, with my Alzheimer's, length of listening may not matter.

Finally, another observation about Blogger protocols. When I pull images off the Internet, the system is fairly efficient and usually clears the picture for upload quickly. On the other hand, when I try to upload one of my own photos, like the one of 2 with the leaves above, it might take two or three minutes. I know that they have some controls to minimize publishing anything pornographic, but its interesting that the software distinguishes these different types of visuals. You don't think that they have a little man behind the screen that looks at each picture, do you?

So more tomorrow, maybe from SB's in the AM.

BCOT

Wednesday

I have a couple of Top Ten lists to offer today.

During the now completed political campaign, I found myself spending a lot of time, day and evening, reading the Internet news sites and political blogs to keep up on the latest developments. In retrospect, I think that those efforts were a poor and non-productive use of one of a person's primary assets: time.

Now, what constitutes wasting time can be a debatable point. For a sports enthusiast like myself for instance, I still don't get the deal of playing fantasy sports. (Sorry, 1.1.) But this list is just about me, and where I think that I have thrown away the most time. Not in any order of importance. In relevance sometime during the last 25 years.

1. Watching old, old reruns of Law & Order on cable.
2. Spending anything more than 1/2 hour per day on a crossword puzzle.
3. Surfing the 'net.
4. Reading the third daily newspaper. Maybe the second too.
5. Listening to the talking heads on any business channel. More so if NBC is involved.
6. Sitting in drive-time traffic in Chicago.
7. Attending any all-day insurance license continuing education seminar.
8. Eating lunch by myself rather than with a client or associate.
9. Watching any pre-game, half-time, or post-game NFL, MLB or NBA show.
10. Watching a NASCAR race.
11. Following the Tour de France and other bike races on-line.
12. Reading the comments following any Internet political blog article.

My guess is that the Internet is today's biggest waster of time. Replacing TV from the old days. (Is/was watching The Lone Ranger an act of wasting time?) I have no experience to opine on video games. And I'm not sure where comic books fall on the continuum.

And befitting the conclusion of the elections, my Top Ten things learned from the campaign:

1. I can live without late-night TV.
2. MSM does kind of stand for a network.
3. Hope Floats.
4. Eight Is Enough.
5. It's the economy, stupid.
6. I know what I want. Don't confuse me with the facts.
7. Technology and politics do mix.
8. The tanning of America matters in politics.
9. The GOP: we met the enemy, and he was us.
10. On November 5th, The Sun Also Rises.

I have been struggling this week to adjust to the Circadian Rhythms of the time change. Running my days on the same clock time as last week just hasn't worked as well as normal. My body is just a click off.

Looks like we're back into Fall weather tomorrow. That's OK. November and all.

1 reports that she will be Assistant Varsity Coach for the girls team at her new high school.

I'll catch up with some more here tomorrow.

BCOT

Sunday

These are pics that I took just a few minutes ago out my front window as some birds were having breakfast of red berries from my ornamental tree. The 70 degree temps probably have these robins confused on their latitude setting for this time of year. (They doubtlessly remain unbothered by Daylight Savings Time, or the "Falling Back" that occurred last night.)

I spent some time this morning trying to effect a download of pictures from my cell phone to my computer. No luck. I was inspired when I discovered that the cord provided for downloads from my new camera to a computer had the same shaped plug-in as the receptacle for my phone's external power source. But the computer queried for a Motorola RAZR program and it looks like you need a license.

A quick Google search suggested some hacking procedures, but since I'll be running for elective office in the future, I didn't want my reputation tarnished. So I took a pass. The pics weren't that good anyway. But I may stop by the phone store and see if there is a legal option available on the cheap. This is definitely getting me out there into the techno culture.

The Saturday Wall Street Journal had a good human interest story on the concept of handicaps for golfers. It was written by a guy who had recently done a weekend boys trip with a bunch of guys and it had struck him in the aftermath that the handicap system had very successfully evened-up whatever teams had been matched up over the weekend. For any of the golf trips that I have been on, we've always used a rough handicap system, and it has usually been reasonably successful for us as well.

A low handicapper is a good golfer, shooting close to par most of the time. A high handicapper is a hack. So if a good golfer is matched in an event against a hack, the hack gets lots of shots. Lots of mulligans. Lots of do-overs. The equivalent of a head start in a foot race. It evens the playing field. If both golfers shoot their handicaps, the match should end in a tie. But as with all things human, handicaps are a function of averages, and on any given day, one golfer usually does better relative to the averages than the other. And, wall-ah! We have a winner.

One of the worst critiques of a golfer's character would be to have the reputation of a "sandbagger". A sandbagger is a golfer who knowingly and intentionally inflates his handicap for the express purpose of receiving more strokes in a match based on handicaps. A cheat. And every club has a few.

Sandbagging terminology has found it's way into the general lexicon. Anyone who under-performs or tries to shade the truth for their own advantage merits the moniker.

I'm going to get out this afternoon and do a little yard work, rinse Margret down and generally enjoy the day. Maybe fire up my new grill. And get a 3+ miler in to start the week.

Have a great day.

BCOT