Just a few lines today to check in.
It has been a good weekend, but no major highlights. I played golf with my pal Roy on Saturday, and my back reminded me why I do not play regularly. I suppose that if I did some stretching and strengthening exercises specifically for the muscles that are affected by "the turn" when you swing a golf club that I could play with less pain, but I don't, and I pay when I do play.
I was back on the bike today, and went down for the first time in a while. It was on the bike path at a Davenport street crossing where the street pavement had settled over the Winter a couple inches below the level of the path at the street's edge. That's not a problem when you are riding in the direction where you just drop down a little, but when you are riding into it, you can blow a tire or worse. I tried to lift the front wheel of my bike when I saw the variance, but I lost a little balance and then went down sideways. I wasn't going that fast and my only injury was a little road rash on one finger and my right knee. But the incident is an example of Rule One of cycling: If you ride, you will eventually crash.
My ride was for 20 miles which means that by the weekend I should be ok for the open road. Traffic on the bike path just makes me nervous. Kids, dogs, families and other users require a lot of defensive riding. At least on the road you know that most cars are going to try to avoid hitting you. Most cars.
My writer friend from SB's gave me a signed copy of his book this AM. Very cool. He had been in Indianapolis yesterday to help friends time a half marathon that had 40,000+ runners. I don't know if those numbers were all half runners, or whether there were shorter runs as well, but that's a lot of runners! He said that their software allows for automatic wireless notices to family and friends of splits while you are on the course. And it spits out your splits and whatever as you go across the finish line. That's a long ways from tear-offs in the chutes.
In a separate conversation at SB's yesterday, a couple of women runners from a regular group that meets there on weekends said that Chicago had capped their entries at 45,000. I clicked on the website and it does say that registration is closed. There are a lot of nutty people in the world.
Less than a week to go for 3. Has anything been decided on the celebration? Do we need to make reservations?
Hope everyone has a good week.
Be careful out there.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Friday, May 04, 2007
Friday
Well, I made it through another week. A couple of ups and downs. Kind of like life.
The peanut gallery has been pretty quiet this week too.
I may buy my tomato plants tomorrow. The Old Wives' wisdom is to wait until Mother's Day, but the temperatures have been pretty steady the last week or so. I remember the last Summer that I had that other house in Bettendorf where I took care of Grandma when I tried to put out plants in mid-April. They didn't die, but they didn't grow either. So around Mother's Day I put out another set. And both sets grew like wild fire. I had more tomatoes that year.
My pal Roy stopped by the office this AM and I think we established a new low standard for meeting decorum. A female friend of his who had been at SB's coffee with him, came along to the office. With her miniature rat/dog. And they were joined by a guy (whom I knew previously) who wanted to talk about the possible purchase of one of Roy's businesses. When they came in, I was in the reading room, and I thought I heard a dog barking. Strange, I thought to myself. So I finished my reading business, and came out to a discussion going on about sending the dog in after me!
We eventually made our way down to the conference room. Dog included. And had a half hour meeting about the possible business transaction. The discussion was frequently interrupted by the rat/dog walking on the table between Roy and his friend! I'm not sure what was decided upon from a business standpoint. But my billing rate for that session was at a record high.
Uncle Phil advises me that he is now in a program at LT as a volunteer in the sheriff's department, or the conservation board. To assist with supervision on the lake. He had to do an in-the-water wet/dry suit test today. These retired guys get into some interesting things.
Hope everyone has a good evening. I'll be back for more tomorrow.
Be careful out there.
The peanut gallery has been pretty quiet this week too.
I may buy my tomato plants tomorrow. The Old Wives' wisdom is to wait until Mother's Day, but the temperatures have been pretty steady the last week or so. I remember the last Summer that I had that other house in Bettendorf where I took care of Grandma when I tried to put out plants in mid-April. They didn't die, but they didn't grow either. So around Mother's Day I put out another set. And both sets grew like wild fire. I had more tomatoes that year.
My pal Roy stopped by the office this AM and I think we established a new low standard for meeting decorum. A female friend of his who had been at SB's coffee with him, came along to the office. With her miniature rat/dog. And they were joined by a guy (whom I knew previously) who wanted to talk about the possible purchase of one of Roy's businesses. When they came in, I was in the reading room, and I thought I heard a dog barking. Strange, I thought to myself. So I finished my reading business, and came out to a discussion going on about sending the dog in after me!
We eventually made our way down to the conference room. Dog included. And had a half hour meeting about the possible business transaction. The discussion was frequently interrupted by the rat/dog walking on the table between Roy and his friend! I'm not sure what was decided upon from a business standpoint. But my billing rate for that session was at a record high.
Uncle Phil advises me that he is now in a program at LT as a volunteer in the sheriff's department, or the conservation board. To assist with supervision on the lake. He had to do an in-the-water wet/dry suit test today. These retired guys get into some interesting things.
Hope everyone has a good evening. I'll be back for more tomorrow.
Be careful out there.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Thursday AM
I need to get better organized. I left the office a little earlier than normal yesterday, and didn't get to the blog. I may have added and entry if I had access at home, but my pal Roy called and we ended up at Biaggi's for a cocktail. So it could have been a washout anyway.
The IC girls are wrapping up their semester. We have a graduation to celebrate on the 12th, but the details of the party have yet to be finalized. It may be back here in the QC. That weekend may be our last full-family event before 1's wedding in July. Does that draw another strata-line in my life's story?
That's a good question. How many strata-lines are there in a life? Can a life be easily divided? For me, there was always High School (and prior), ND, USAF, IC, C-town, QC, kids, my own business, and then it gets a little less definitive. The lines can be drawn by geography, employment, relationships, family events, and, in basic terms, time.
Hope everyone has a great day.
Be careful out there.
The IC girls are wrapping up their semester. We have a graduation to celebrate on the 12th, but the details of the party have yet to be finalized. It may be back here in the QC. That weekend may be our last full-family event before 1's wedding in July. Does that draw another strata-line in my life's story?
That's a good question. How many strata-lines are there in a life? Can a life be easily divided? For me, there was always High School (and prior), ND, USAF, IC, C-town, QC, kids, my own business, and then it gets a little less definitive. The lines can be drawn by geography, employment, relationships, family events, and, in basic terms, time.
Hope everyone has a great day.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Tuesday
I'm headed out to get in a ride before the masses hit the bike path.
I'm going through a period where I have too many "sticky notes" on my desk. Does that mean I have too much to do, or that I have a short memory? Or perhaps, that I don't get anything done?
3 says that she has her cap and gown and her honors braid. She is ready to go!
Have a good evening.
Be careful out there.
I'm going through a period where I have too many "sticky notes" on my desk. Does that mean I have too much to do, or that I have a short memory? Or perhaps, that I don't get anything done?
3 says that she has her cap and gown and her honors braid. She is ready to go!
Have a good evening.
Be careful out there.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday II
It turned out to be a great day here. But we had to turn on the air in the office as the circulation is just not that good.
The big news in cycling is that Ivan Basso requested and was granted his release from Discovery. It all relates to the Spanish investigation on doping that was supposedly over and done with when Basso was signed by the team last Fall. Now, the investigation has been given new life and there could be some substantial fallout in the peloton. If they're dirty, they need to go.
The Bulls made quite a statement with the sweep of the Heat. In some respects, it was a case of match-ups, which favored Chicago. Hard to think that way when you have Shaq and Wade on the other side, but the energy, speed and relentlessness of the Bulls' attack made it an open-court game, and Miami just couldn't keep up for a whole game. The next series with Detroit will not be so one-sided.
The friend at SB's who's been writing the book has the final product on the market. It's a soft-bound book with maybe 200 pages or so. He was highly motivated/inspired by his subject, an ultimate fighter who endured an extremely difficult and abusive childhood, and later became a world champion.
What happened to April?
The repair to my "good" bike was more than I spent on several kid bikes in years past. Ouch! They replaced several items, including the right gear shifter that never worked 100% correctly after the UPS shipping problem of 2003. The components are a little expensive to start with, but I can imagine that I paid top dollar for just the right hand unit as opposed to a matching pair. I suppose that a full "tune" to a high-end bike every three years should not be expected to be cheap. The price of a good ride, I guess.
The Monday Night Ride is this evening, but I'm taking a pass. I'm in such embarrassingly bad shape that I need a couple more weeks before I join with those guys.
So I'm headed home for some domestic chores. Send 4 a "get well" note. She had a bug last night with bad results. She and 3 did do the 10K yesterday morning, although 3 says that there were no land speed records broken.
Have a good evening.
Be careful out there.
The big news in cycling is that Ivan Basso requested and was granted his release from Discovery. It all relates to the Spanish investigation on doping that was supposedly over and done with when Basso was signed by the team last Fall. Now, the investigation has been given new life and there could be some substantial fallout in the peloton. If they're dirty, they need to go.
The Bulls made quite a statement with the sweep of the Heat. In some respects, it was a case of match-ups, which favored Chicago. Hard to think that way when you have Shaq and Wade on the other side, but the energy, speed and relentlessness of the Bulls' attack made it an open-court game, and Miami just couldn't keep up for a whole game. The next series with Detroit will not be so one-sided.
The friend at SB's who's been writing the book has the final product on the market. It's a soft-bound book with maybe 200 pages or so. He was highly motivated/inspired by his subject, an ultimate fighter who endured an extremely difficult and abusive childhood, and later became a world champion.
What happened to April?
The repair to my "good" bike was more than I spent on several kid bikes in years past. Ouch! They replaced several items, including the right gear shifter that never worked 100% correctly after the UPS shipping problem of 2003. The components are a little expensive to start with, but I can imagine that I paid top dollar for just the right hand unit as opposed to a matching pair. I suppose that a full "tune" to a high-end bike every three years should not be expected to be cheap. The price of a good ride, I guess.
The Monday Night Ride is this evening, but I'm taking a pass. I'm in such embarrassingly bad shape that I need a couple more weeks before I join with those guys.
So I'm headed home for some domestic chores. Send 4 a "get well" note. She had a bug last night with bad results. She and 3 did do the 10K yesterday morning, although 3 says that there were no land speed records broken.
Have a good evening.
Be careful out there.
Monday
A few lines to check in this AM.
Nice weekend here. Sunny and warm. I had intended to add an entry Sunday morning, but as I was getting started, I got a call for a SB's second cup. And I never made it back to the office.
BBQ with 2 and 3 last night. Good stuff. 3 is in town to have a hip looked at by the athletic chiro up the street. (He's works with athletes!) She's down to her last two weeks of college.
15+ mile bike rides both weekend days. I'm a wimp. The wind made both rides a little less than enjoyable. More of the same this week.
This feels a little like the unofficial "first day of Summer" today. I'm two weeks past April 15th. It's warm and sunny. (No jacket today.) I can reasonably expect to ride most evenings this week. I'm motivated to get some over-due projects out the office door.
So I'll check in later. Have a great day.
Be careful out there.
Nice weekend here. Sunny and warm. I had intended to add an entry Sunday morning, but as I was getting started, I got a call for a SB's second cup. And I never made it back to the office.
BBQ with 2 and 3 last night. Good stuff. 3 is in town to have a hip looked at by the athletic chiro up the street. (He's works with athletes!) She's down to her last two weeks of college.
15+ mile bike rides both weekend days. I'm a wimp. The wind made both rides a little less than enjoyable. More of the same this week.
This feels a little like the unofficial "first day of Summer" today. I'm two weeks past April 15th. It's warm and sunny. (No jacket today.) I can reasonably expect to ride most evenings this week. I'm motivated to get some over-due projects out the office door.
So I'll check in later. Have a great day.
Be careful out there.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Friday
Thanks to 1 for checking in.
Not much new today. At least we have some sunshine. If it weren't Friday, I would be out there on the bike.
Dogs at Golick's for lunch.
Hope 3 and 4 have luck on their Sunday run. Do the pasta tonight. Saturday won't do any good.
Be careful out there.
Not much new today. At least we have some sunshine. If it weren't Friday, I would be out there on the bike.
Dogs at Golick's for lunch.
Hope 3 and 4 have luck on their Sunday run. Do the pasta tonight. Saturday won't do any good.
Be careful out there.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Thursday
Short tonight. The cleaning people are in and are annoying me.
2 did a fine job with her event at the museum last night. Nice turnout and well done. One of the featured artists was a now-deceased priest from St. Ambrose, and the other was the gal who creates horse sculptures out of scrap iron and dead wood. I learned that the priest was the creator of the street sign that presents to passers-by the name of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Davenport. A carved-in-slate piece with the letters then painted. Kind of commercial, but a distinctive kind of thing apropos of a church. The horses were particularly interesting, although it made me wonder if the artist ever saw anything in her creative visions that didn't end up as a horse.
Cultural events like that always make me wish that I did more of those types of things. Isn't art one of the things that separates us from the less-developed species?
4 is working on a paper for school and asked for ideas. It's a news report with a little controversy angle, perhaps. I gave her the hog confinement facility debate. In Iowa, I think that the divisions on that topic go about as deep as those on abortion.
Speaking of politics, the first debate among 2008 Democratic presidential hopefuls is tonight. And just when is the first primary vote? This is why I got rid of my land line. Excuse me while I yawn. Is there going to be a referee there to call piling-on penalties as they all agree on the need to exit Iraq and the overall incompetence of the current administration? I suspect that the weeding-out process will come down to a contest of collecting good old American greenbacks. I may be forced to watch the NBA instead.
Hope everyone has a good evening.
Be careful out there.
2 did a fine job with her event at the museum last night. Nice turnout and well done. One of the featured artists was a now-deceased priest from St. Ambrose, and the other was the gal who creates horse sculptures out of scrap iron and dead wood. I learned that the priest was the creator of the street sign that presents to passers-by the name of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Davenport. A carved-in-slate piece with the letters then painted. Kind of commercial, but a distinctive kind of thing apropos of a church. The horses were particularly interesting, although it made me wonder if the artist ever saw anything in her creative visions that didn't end up as a horse.
Cultural events like that always make me wish that I did more of those types of things. Isn't art one of the things that separates us from the less-developed species?
4 is working on a paper for school and asked for ideas. It's a news report with a little controversy angle, perhaps. I gave her the hog confinement facility debate. In Iowa, I think that the divisions on that topic go about as deep as those on abortion.
Speaking of politics, the first debate among 2008 Democratic presidential hopefuls is tonight. And just when is the first primary vote? This is why I got rid of my land line. Excuse me while I yawn. Is there going to be a referee there to call piling-on penalties as they all agree on the need to exit Iraq and the overall incompetence of the current administration? I suspect that the weeding-out process will come down to a contest of collecting good old American greenbacks. I may be forced to watch the NBA instead.
Hope everyone has a good evening.
Be careful out there.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Wednesday
Dow 13,000. I wouldn't have bet on that level as of the first of the year.
Crappy day here today. Lots of rain. My sump pump at my house has been working overtime. I did get my yard mowed on Sunday so if the rain abates, I should be able to keep it under control if we get some dry weather in the next day or two.
I'm headed down to the Figge for a little event with 2 this evening.
Craig Wilson's column this morning was about his nightmare in air travel a couple of weeks ago, and the $800+ he spent on a one-way ticket to get home. Most of us have had an experience like that to remember. Here is my top ten list of worst travel experiences:
1. Iowa to Dallas for the 1970 Cotton Bowl. By car. Iced highways.
2. San Francisco to Kunsan, Korea 1973. It took 24+ hours to get to my new home.
3. Iowa City to Sterling with Mom 1975 Thanksgiving. Blizzard.
4. Dover, Delaware to South Bend 1972 to visit. Sideways rain on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
5. Chicago winters of 1978/79 and 1979/80. Snow on The Kennedy.
6. Steamboat, Colorado back to Brooklyn, Iowa 1982. The day the car died of cold!
7. South Bend to Philly in an USAF twin-prop 1968 for the Navy game. Scary.
8. Cabo back to Quad Cities 1999. It took forever. Finally by bus from C-town.
9. International Falls to Quad Cities 1992. Cancelled flights. Nothing to do.
10. Rural Delaware, 1972. He was over-served. I got out of the car in the middle of no-where and took two hours to walk home in the middle of the night.
Have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
.
Crappy day here today. Lots of rain. My sump pump at my house has been working overtime. I did get my yard mowed on Sunday so if the rain abates, I should be able to keep it under control if we get some dry weather in the next day or two.
I'm headed down to the Figge for a little event with 2 this evening.
Craig Wilson's column this morning was about his nightmare in air travel a couple of weeks ago, and the $800+ he spent on a one-way ticket to get home. Most of us have had an experience like that to remember. Here is my top ten list of worst travel experiences:
1. Iowa to Dallas for the 1970 Cotton Bowl. By car. Iced highways.
2. San Francisco to Kunsan, Korea 1973. It took 24+ hours to get to my new home.
3. Iowa City to Sterling with Mom 1975 Thanksgiving. Blizzard.
4. Dover, Delaware to South Bend 1972 to visit. Sideways rain on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
5. Chicago winters of 1978/79 and 1979/80. Snow on The Kennedy.
6. Steamboat, Colorado back to Brooklyn, Iowa 1982. The day the car died of cold!
7. South Bend to Philly in an USAF twin-prop 1968 for the Navy game. Scary.
8. Cabo back to Quad Cities 1999. It took forever. Finally by bus from C-town.
9. International Falls to Quad Cities 1992. Cancelled flights. Nothing to do.
10. Rural Delaware, 1972. He was over-served. I got out of the car in the middle of no-where and took two hours to walk home in the middle of the night.
Have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Tuesday
I had great expectations of getting the blog done early this morning, but it didn't work out. I had a client come in at 7:30 and I had to prepare some things for the meeting. I would like to get my life organized enough to do the blog before work so that I could get away earlier at the end of the day to ride. It's a goal.
I attended an executive meeting of the QC Criterium yesterday to check in on my investment. The Memorial Day races are just five weeks away so the organizers are starting to get serious in their preparations. The website is up. Check it out at www.quadcitiescriterium.com. In addition to the promotion work that the race is doing itself, I'm doing some radio spots emphasizing our sponsorship of the event. The next month is pretty important to maximize our involvement in the race.
Basso was put on the sidelines today by Discovery in response to new efforts in the Spanish doping scandal of a year ago. A big one-day race tomorrow in Belgium and another on Sunday will not have him in the peloton. An Italian prosecutor has decided to pursue the investigation even though the Spanish authorities determined that there was no Spanish law in effect at the time was broken. Messy stuff. They have some bagged blood that they think has been doctored for various racers, including Basso. DNA testing may be utilized, and if the bagged stuff is Basso's, he's toast.
Another ugly day in Iraq and on Capital Hill. More casualties in the field, and more lies uncovered in the Tillman matter. I have elected to not place current politics on the menu here, but we need a better answer to this mess.
The Bulls go for a 2-0 lead tonight against the Heat. I don't care much about the NBA, but it would be nice to see the Bulls' perimeter game and defense carry the day.
And in significant other news, Toyota took the worldwide lead in the first quarter over GM on units sold. I vaguely remember seeing the first Corollas that hit the market in Ottumwa in the late '60's or early '70's. Times change. It is a world market today. And we will not always be the center of it.
Speaking of change, my one-time fantasy girl Sheryl Crow is now off my list. Her latest recommendation for conservation is to use one square of tissue per bathroom sitting. I don't think that'll work. She has continued her global warming bus tour with Laurie David who is the wife of Larry David, the producer of Sienfeld (and, news to me, the voice of George Steinbrenner on the show), and the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Liberal is a term that does not do justice to their perspectives. In any event, I have emailed Sheryl that she need not change her schedule on my behalf.
So have a good evening.
Be careful out there.
I attended an executive meeting of the QC Criterium yesterday to check in on my investment. The Memorial Day races are just five weeks away so the organizers are starting to get serious in their preparations. The website is up. Check it out at www.quadcitiescriterium.com. In addition to the promotion work that the race is doing itself, I'm doing some radio spots emphasizing our sponsorship of the event. The next month is pretty important to maximize our involvement in the race.
Basso was put on the sidelines today by Discovery in response to new efforts in the Spanish doping scandal of a year ago. A big one-day race tomorrow in Belgium and another on Sunday will not have him in the peloton. An Italian prosecutor has decided to pursue the investigation even though the Spanish authorities determined that there was no Spanish law in effect at the time was broken. Messy stuff. They have some bagged blood that they think has been doctored for various racers, including Basso. DNA testing may be utilized, and if the bagged stuff is Basso's, he's toast.
Another ugly day in Iraq and on Capital Hill. More casualties in the field, and more lies uncovered in the Tillman matter. I have elected to not place current politics on the menu here, but we need a better answer to this mess.
The Bulls go for a 2-0 lead tonight against the Heat. I don't care much about the NBA, but it would be nice to see the Bulls' perimeter game and defense carry the day.
And in significant other news, Toyota took the worldwide lead in the first quarter over GM on units sold. I vaguely remember seeing the first Corollas that hit the market in Ottumwa in the late '60's or early '70's. Times change. It is a world market today. And we will not always be the center of it.
Speaking of change, my one-time fantasy girl Sheryl Crow is now off my list. Her latest recommendation for conservation is to use one square of tissue per bathroom sitting. I don't think that'll work. She has continued her global warming bus tour with Laurie David who is the wife of Larry David, the producer of Sienfeld (and, news to me, the voice of George Steinbrenner on the show), and the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Liberal is a term that does not do justice to their perspectives. In any event, I have emailed Sheryl that she need not change her schedule on my behalf.
So have a good evening.
Be careful out there.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Sunday
Just a few lines this AM. Looks like a nice day out there and I have quite a bit to do.
2 and I did brats at my place last night. Nice.
The 24 won in Phoenix last night, but I fell asleep and did not see the end of the race. The new design of the cars (they call it The Car of Tomorrow) is more bulky and the teams have not figured out the perfect set-ups yet. But the 24 and teammates 48 and 5 have all run at the front in the races that have used the car, so it is no surprise that he won.
And the Discovery boys continue in the lead in Georgia. But the big guns on the other teams are in Europe, so it will be interesting in the next few weeks to see who will reach prime form for the big races in Italy and France.
I got out for 75 minutes yesterday and will try to do the same today. Doesn't say much for a biker if he feels it after 15 miles on a bike path. It will be a long road back.
Less than 90 days till the gathering of the clan in Minnesota. 1 seems to have a good handle on preparations. No major problems at this point.
I've had Margret out the last couple of days. My neighbor tells me that I have a work car (the Taurus), a good car (the Buick), and a toy car (Margret). I guess he's technically correct.
That same neighbor was putting out ant-traps along the foundation of his house to combat an invasion of the creatures into his house. Knock on wood, but I haven't seen them in my place. I do get some small spiders in my basement, but nothing very serious. At the old house on the farm, we used to get flies in the summer, and an occasional mouse in the winter. I think the flies were a combination of the close proximity of livestock and kids who never shut the screen door.
I had my old bike in for a Spring tune-up last week, and I swapped it back yesterday for my newer bike to have the same service performed on it. The seat on the old bike is a little off positioning-wise, and if I had my hex-tool I would be able to adjust it myself. Anything to add here 3?
Less than three weeks now until 3's college graduation. On the comparative numbers game, she's age 22 and I'm 58. When I graduated from ND in '71, I was 22 and Grandpa was 61. In that period of time between mid-May graduation and reporting for USAF duty in July, I stayed on the farm, visited the girl friend in New Orleans for a week or so, and generally "hung out" in Ottumwa. I think that that is the only time I have ever been to NO. It was fun, but I remember it as being very warm and humid.
I reported for duty at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas in July and spent 12 weeks going to Transportation Officer school. I needed that to run the Motor Pool? I could have just watched a few episodes of Sgt. Bilko and I probably would have been ok.
So hope everybody has a great day.
Be careful out there.
2 and I did brats at my place last night. Nice.
The 24 won in Phoenix last night, but I fell asleep and did not see the end of the race. The new design of the cars (they call it The Car of Tomorrow) is more bulky and the teams have not figured out the perfect set-ups yet. But the 24 and teammates 48 and 5 have all run at the front in the races that have used the car, so it is no surprise that he won.
And the Discovery boys continue in the lead in Georgia. But the big guns on the other teams are in Europe, so it will be interesting in the next few weeks to see who will reach prime form for the big races in Italy and France.
I got out for 75 minutes yesterday and will try to do the same today. Doesn't say much for a biker if he feels it after 15 miles on a bike path. It will be a long road back.
Less than 90 days till the gathering of the clan in Minnesota. 1 seems to have a good handle on preparations. No major problems at this point.
I've had Margret out the last couple of days. My neighbor tells me that I have a work car (the Taurus), a good car (the Buick), and a toy car (Margret). I guess he's technically correct.
That same neighbor was putting out ant-traps along the foundation of his house to combat an invasion of the creatures into his house. Knock on wood, but I haven't seen them in my place. I do get some small spiders in my basement, but nothing very serious. At the old house on the farm, we used to get flies in the summer, and an occasional mouse in the winter. I think the flies were a combination of the close proximity of livestock and kids who never shut the screen door.
I had my old bike in for a Spring tune-up last week, and I swapped it back yesterday for my newer bike to have the same service performed on it. The seat on the old bike is a little off positioning-wise, and if I had my hex-tool I would be able to adjust it myself. Anything to add here 3?
Less than three weeks now until 3's college graduation. On the comparative numbers game, she's age 22 and I'm 58. When I graduated from ND in '71, I was 22 and Grandpa was 61. In that period of time between mid-May graduation and reporting for USAF duty in July, I stayed on the farm, visited the girl friend in New Orleans for a week or so, and generally "hung out" in Ottumwa. I think that that is the only time I have ever been to NO. It was fun, but I remember it as being very warm and humid.
I reported for duty at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas in July and spent 12 weeks going to Transportation Officer school. I needed that to run the Motor Pool? I could have just watched a few episodes of Sgt. Bilko and I probably would have been ok.
So hope everybody has a great day.
Be careful out there.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Saturday AM
Sorry, but I took off last night and was on the road before I remembered that I hadn't left an entry. Fridays tend to be slow blog days anyway.
4 is over in Ames for a sampling of Veisha. ISU has had some problems controlling the masses in some recent years. The formula of cabin-fevered students, alcohol, and a taste of Spring have lead to some unpleasant results. I'll be curious to hear of 4's experience there.
We had a Spring event at ND called An Tostal which fortunately never lead to visits from the local SWAT teams, but there were some pretty outrageous activities on those weekends.
I see in the local paper this AM that the lone remaining really good player for Iowa is transferring to a yet-to-be determined school closer to home. No surprise there. The Hawks will be lucky to win 15 games next year.
John Edwards did admit that his $400 haircut paid for from campaign funds was a little pricey.
Lots of domestic things on my schedule today. Bike. Yard. Garage. Is that a triathlon?
I'll be checking in later.
Be careful out there.
4 is over in Ames for a sampling of Veisha. ISU has had some problems controlling the masses in some recent years. The formula of cabin-fevered students, alcohol, and a taste of Spring have lead to some unpleasant results. I'll be curious to hear of 4's experience there.
We had a Spring event at ND called An Tostal which fortunately never lead to visits from the local SWAT teams, but there were some pretty outrageous activities on those weekends.
I see in the local paper this AM that the lone remaining really good player for Iowa is transferring to a yet-to-be determined school closer to home. No surprise there. The Hawks will be lucky to win 15 games next year.
John Edwards did admit that his $400 haircut paid for from campaign funds was a little pricey.
Lots of domestic things on my schedule today. Bike. Yard. Garage. Is that a triathlon?
I'll be checking in later.
Be careful out there.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Thursday
1 reports that her betrothed had a successful evening behind the dish last night. And that more appearances in Big 10 games may be in his future. Kudos to him. I'll have to think about it for a while before elevating him to numbered status in the blog. It's a big step.
The Discovery boys are back at it in Georgia. In one of the weirder stages of this or any recent year, the peloton let a break of 13 riders get away yesterday on a relatively benign route for a 30 minute gap. This essentially gave the win in the week long race to whomever in that 13-rider group does the best in the remaining stages. Pardon me while I explain.
Since Discovery had two strong, but second-line riders in the break, the remaining Discovery riders in the peloton had no incentive to chase the break. The team of the then over-all race leader simply didn't have the horses to drive the peloton, and the two teams who were not represented in the break, tried to make the catch, but wore themselves out before a connection was made. Interestingly, Discovery's two primary leaders, Leipheimer (who won California earlier this Spring) and Danielson (who won Georgia two years ago), both had designs on the over-all win here, but the peloton would never have let either of them go with a break, so they remained tucked in the peloton and followed racing protocol which is not to lead the chase for a break that includes capable teammates. Odd circumstances that might have been a little tough for the two Americans to swallow as they allowed their much less-heralded Slovenian teammate to take the headlines.
Leipheimer did win the individual time trial earlier today, but his teammate Brajkovic who was in yesterday's break has the yellow jersey. And Leipheimer is more than 26 minutes back. So the Discovery team will be charged with escorting Brajkovic up the big, beyond-category hill tomorrow to assure a team victory for the week.
In other drama, Junior created a stir at the end of last Sunday's race in Texas. After his car was wrecked beyond repair, he agreed to drive the last few laps for the 5 team because their driver, the volatile Kyle Busch, had left the track after his own wreck (which was the same one as Junior's), but the crew was able to repair the car, and they had no driver. So Junior jumped in and earned an additional 3 championship points for the 5 team. Lots of media-types out there want to criticize Junior for being reckless with himself, his own team, his company, sponsors, and lots of other current-day proprieties. I say, "Go for it, Junior." That's certainly how NASCAR was before Hollywood, TV contracts, and microscopic sports analysis.
I registered for TOMRV today (Tour of the Mississippi River Valley). That's the bike ride June 9-10 from Bettendorf to Dubuque on Saturday and back on Sunday. My TOMRV is Bettendorf to a bar in Galena on Saturday. Have a couple of adult beverages. And get a ride home, sleep in my own bed and have a full Sunday to do whatever. I mean, it's 85 miles to Galena. I'm not getting paid to ride. And my butt just doesn't do 200 miles in less than 48 hours any more.
My training for TOMRV starts Saturday. I'm taking a couple of more days of "nothing" to recover my sanity.
Have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
The Discovery boys are back at it in Georgia. In one of the weirder stages of this or any recent year, the peloton let a break of 13 riders get away yesterday on a relatively benign route for a 30 minute gap. This essentially gave the win in the week long race to whomever in that 13-rider group does the best in the remaining stages. Pardon me while I explain.
Since Discovery had two strong, but second-line riders in the break, the remaining Discovery riders in the peloton had no incentive to chase the break. The team of the then over-all race leader simply didn't have the horses to drive the peloton, and the two teams who were not represented in the break, tried to make the catch, but wore themselves out before a connection was made. Interestingly, Discovery's two primary leaders, Leipheimer (who won California earlier this Spring) and Danielson (who won Georgia two years ago), both had designs on the over-all win here, but the peloton would never have let either of them go with a break, so they remained tucked in the peloton and followed racing protocol which is not to lead the chase for a break that includes capable teammates. Odd circumstances that might have been a little tough for the two Americans to swallow as they allowed their much less-heralded Slovenian teammate to take the headlines.
Leipheimer did win the individual time trial earlier today, but his teammate Brajkovic who was in yesterday's break has the yellow jersey. And Leipheimer is more than 26 minutes back. So the Discovery team will be charged with escorting Brajkovic up the big, beyond-category hill tomorrow to assure a team victory for the week.
In other drama, Junior created a stir at the end of last Sunday's race in Texas. After his car was wrecked beyond repair, he agreed to drive the last few laps for the 5 team because their driver, the volatile Kyle Busch, had left the track after his own wreck (which was the same one as Junior's), but the crew was able to repair the car, and they had no driver. So Junior jumped in and earned an additional 3 championship points for the 5 team. Lots of media-types out there want to criticize Junior for being reckless with himself, his own team, his company, sponsors, and lots of other current-day proprieties. I say, "Go for it, Junior." That's certainly how NASCAR was before Hollywood, TV contracts, and microscopic sports analysis.
I registered for TOMRV today (Tour of the Mississippi River Valley). That's the bike ride June 9-10 from Bettendorf to Dubuque on Saturday and back on Sunday. My TOMRV is Bettendorf to a bar in Galena on Saturday. Have a couple of adult beverages. And get a ride home, sleep in my own bed and have a full Sunday to do whatever. I mean, it's 85 miles to Galena. I'm not getting paid to ride. And my butt just doesn't do 200 miles in less than 48 hours any more.
My training for TOMRV starts Saturday. I'm taking a couple of more days of "nothing" to recover my sanity.
Have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Wednesday
The comment about the cobbler's kids yesterday was indeed a reference to me completing my own tax return extension at the last hour.
This was a very low key day. In years prior to my establishment of the securities business, I would usually take a day or two off from work after April 15th. But with the securities markets open today like any other day, I do not have the luxury of taking a personal day to recover my sanity. But the phones have been pretty quiet so it has been ok.
My Russian cleaning lady is back in Russia for several weeks to visit a daughter and new grandchild, so I have a substitute, whom I think is also Russian. She called to confirm her schedule last weekend. I stopped by over the noon hour to meet her, but she had come and gone. It looks like she did a good job, although I did have to rearrange my throw rugs. She probably put them in a pile to vacuum, and then had to guess where they needed to go afterwards.
I need to mow my yard tonight. My neighbors on either side have each mowed their yards twice. I may need to catch the clippings to capture the winter's waste on the first go-around. I noticed that some of my decorative shrubs have had their early leaf-sprouts singe by the spate of cold weather that we had last week. What had started as an early Spring may be somewhat the opposite.
I hope to re-energize 4000 Days in the next few weeks. I know that the stress of tax season has found it's way on to these pages and I want to get back to talking about the more positive things in our lives. The original goal was to provide a portal to reach out to the girls in their diverse lives and to share my thoughts and perspectives. It is interesting to realize that a well-considered entry on a daily basis is not that easy of a task to execute. Particularly when the pressures of work get in the way.
Maybe we need to revive Frank and Melanie.
OK. All for the day.
Be careful out there.
This was a very low key day. In years prior to my establishment of the securities business, I would usually take a day or two off from work after April 15th. But with the securities markets open today like any other day, I do not have the luxury of taking a personal day to recover my sanity. But the phones have been pretty quiet so it has been ok.
My Russian cleaning lady is back in Russia for several weeks to visit a daughter and new grandchild, so I have a substitute, whom I think is also Russian. She called to confirm her schedule last weekend. I stopped by over the noon hour to meet her, but she had come and gone. It looks like she did a good job, although I did have to rearrange my throw rugs. She probably put them in a pile to vacuum, and then had to guess where they needed to go afterwards.
I need to mow my yard tonight. My neighbors on either side have each mowed their yards twice. I may need to catch the clippings to capture the winter's waste on the first go-around. I noticed that some of my decorative shrubs have had their early leaf-sprouts singe by the spate of cold weather that we had last week. What had started as an early Spring may be somewhat the opposite.
I hope to re-energize 4000 Days in the next few weeks. I know that the stress of tax season has found it's way on to these pages and I want to get back to talking about the more positive things in our lives. The original goal was to provide a portal to reach out to the girls in their diverse lives and to share my thoughts and perspectives. It is interesting to realize that a well-considered entry on a daily basis is not that easy of a task to execute. Particularly when the pressures of work get in the way.
Maybe we need to revive Frank and Melanie.
OK. All for the day.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
Monday
While it is Patriots'Day, the real reason for the extended IRS filing date to April 17th is Emancipation Day in Washington, D.C. This was the renewal of a holiday celebrated years ago, but only reinstalled as a holiday in DC a couple of years ago. Wikipedia has a nice discussion.
Other than that, I have no news. It's been another long day.
Be careful out there.
Other than that, I have no news. It's been another long day.
Be careful out there.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Sunday
Another day at the office.
Congrats to 2! She had a chip time of 2:11 this AM in her half in StL. She's the Daughter of the Day. She needs to provide details.
Tomorrow will be a huge day. Tons of things to get done. I will need my "A" game to have the kind of day that I need to have. I hope my mind can keep the mass amounts of information about various clients properly compartmentalized.
I wonder at times about that last straw of data that makes the brain overloaded. If the theory of the geometric growth in information applies to the human race in general, how does one individual who functions in a position of a constantly changing/growing data base keep the circuits from frying? No wonder we are The Prozac Nation.
Have a good evening.
Be careful out there.
Congrats to 2! She had a chip time of 2:11 this AM in her half in StL. She's the Daughter of the Day. She needs to provide details.
Tomorrow will be a huge day. Tons of things to get done. I will need my "A" game to have the kind of day that I need to have. I hope my mind can keep the mass amounts of information about various clients properly compartmentalized.
I wonder at times about that last straw of data that makes the brain overloaded. If the theory of the geometric growth in information applies to the human race in general, how does one individual who functions in a position of a constantly changing/growing data base keep the circuits from frying? No wonder we are The Prozac Nation.
Have a good evening.
Be careful out there.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Saturday
Full day at the office today.
2 and Mom took off for StL around noon. I feel badly that I cannot follow her on the course tomorrow. Hugely bad timing for me. She did pasta at Olive Garden last night. It wouldn't do any good for her to have pasta tonight.
Yesterday was the date of the 71st wedding anniversary of Phil and Margaret.
The normal IRS deadline for individual tax returns when April 15th falls on a Saturday or Sunday is the following Monday. This would mean that the date this year would be Monday the 16th. However, since the 16th is also Patriots' Day, a holiday in Washington D.C. and six Eastern states, the IRS has elected to make Tuesday the 17th the deadline for all taxpayers this year. I've been doing returns for 30 years and this is the first time that I can recall this additional one day extension to a Tuesday. This must mean that the circumstances are truly unusual, or that my Alzheimer's is kicking in again. I'd bet on the latter.
You could make the tax deadline for individual returns July 15th and most accounting firms would be working weekends through that date. Nothing like a deadline to make things interesting.
Sunday is the Paris-Roubaix bike race in northern France. It is by many accounts the most significant one-day bike race in the world. "The Hell of the North." A little over 160 miles over mostly flat terrain, but with many sections of pave (General Classification) types of the big multi-stage races, but rather the gritty hard men who are willing to put up with lots of misery. Discovery's main man for this event, George (cobblestones). And the weather is often a bit sketchy. The winners of this type of race are generally not the Lance Armstrong GCHincapie broke his wrist in the California race and will not compete. They have some good guys though, so who knows. Luck plays a role too. A flat tire. A crash.
My pal Roy completed his coach's courses this week and will be an assistant coach in due time. In a style associated with PE instruction by cynics, the last two classes were supposed to go from 5 to 10, but actually went from 5 to 7, with a film included. He is certainly now well-trained.
All for today.
Be careful out there.
2 and Mom took off for StL around noon. I feel badly that I cannot follow her on the course tomorrow. Hugely bad timing for me. She did pasta at Olive Garden last night. It wouldn't do any good for her to have pasta tonight.
Yesterday was the date of the 71st wedding anniversary of Phil and Margaret.
The normal IRS deadline for individual tax returns when April 15th falls on a Saturday or Sunday is the following Monday. This would mean that the date this year would be Monday the 16th. However, since the 16th is also Patriots' Day, a holiday in Washington D.C. and six Eastern states, the IRS has elected to make Tuesday the 17th the deadline for all taxpayers this year. I've been doing returns for 30 years and this is the first time that I can recall this additional one day extension to a Tuesday. This must mean that the circumstances are truly unusual, or that my Alzheimer's is kicking in again. I'd bet on the latter.
You could make the tax deadline for individual returns July 15th and most accounting firms would be working weekends through that date. Nothing like a deadline to make things interesting.
Sunday is the Paris-Roubaix bike race in northern France. It is by many accounts the most significant one-day bike race in the world. "The Hell of the North." A little over 160 miles over mostly flat terrain, but with many sections of pave (General Classification) types of the big multi-stage races, but rather the gritty hard men who are willing to put up with lots of misery. Discovery's main man for this event, George (cobblestones). And the weather is often a bit sketchy. The winners of this type of race are generally not the Lance Armstrong GCHincapie broke his wrist in the California race and will not compete. They have some good guys though, so who knows. Luck plays a role too. A flat tire. A crash.
My pal Roy completed his coach's courses this week and will be an assistant coach in due time. In a style associated with PE instruction by cynics, the last two classes were supposed to go from 5 to 10, but actually went from 5 to 7, with a film included. He is certainly now well-trained.
All for today.
Be careful out there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
