Travel Tuesday.
I made the initial inquiry of Uncle Phil to check out the availability of the retro condo at Tahoe for some time in the latter half of July 2008. That condo, or something similar to it in Incline, should do the trick. Scheduling conflicts need to be voiced now.
Now that the BCS games have been set, I'm wondering if all the .500 and 7-5 teams are excited about their destinations. The upper tier teams who maybe didn't get their appropriate recognition, like Missouri and Georgia, at least get to go to decent bowling destinations. On the other hand, how high do you suppose that the enthusiasm is running for trips to Boise, Detroit, Shreveport and Birmingham?
My most memorable travel experiences, not necessarily in order of enjoyment:
1. 1973 USAF to Korea.
2. Tahoe. Any year.
3. Cabo. Any year, although 1999 was a real hoot.
4. First airplane ride, circa 1968. ND to Omaha. Via C-town.
5. Family vacation to the 4 Heads (Rushmore, to the world), circa 1989.
6. The trip from my HS g/f's house to the farm to make curfew.
7. Washington DC, circa 1962 with Mother, Rosie and Marg.
8. C-town commuting 1976-1980.
9. Fishing in Canada, circa 1990.
10. RAGBRAI. Good and bad days abound.
It is interesting that travel tends to be a memory maker almost all the time. Perhaps it's the break from the routine that gives us the extra thrill. New experiences in unfamiliar places tend to take up a semi-permanent residence in the back of our minds. And if the experience is particularly good (like Tahoe) or bad (like my Canadian trip), the recollection is even more defined. I still can almost taste the shore lunches from that fishing trip (which was about the only good thing on that adventure).
Our extended family has been extremely fortunate to experience a wide range of travel. Here and abroad. The cousins generation has seen the world. Quite a contrast to myself and my siblings who saw little beyond the Midwest before college. Then again, Southwest Airlines didn't exist in 1950's and '60's. It might be worth the debate to consider where wealth comes into play with the ability or requirement to travel. Join the Army. See the world. Europe on $5 a day?
Travel tends to be a avocation of many, and a goal of many retirees. Personally, I don't mind staying closer to home. Security is a huge hassle. My back doesn't like hotel beds. There's the funkiness of the body clock and time zone changes. Then again, I do like the concierge floors at the nicer places (if Criterium can afford the freight). And I would be remiss if I didn't add that whenever my pal Roy needs a companion for a weekend in PHX, I can be had.
I can take the Winter in the Midwest. KC. The TC's. C-town. I can get into plenty of trouble there and not be that far from home.
Not all that eloquent here. Don't be afraid to share.
BCOT
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
Monday
Here's a couple of general discussion topics that Craig Wilson could absolutely use for a weekly column and be done with each inside of an hour: 1) memory issues, and 2) long term mental and physical heath effects of working third (midnight) shift.
Memory is a crazy thing. And selective. It continues to amaze me that I can remember my high school girl friend's birthday, but I have to look up my Mother's. I remember my telephone number on the farm...2-2548..., but I have to go through a process to recall my own current cell number. For years, I had my ND laundry number at the drop of a hat, and there was a combination for a padlock that followed me through the USAF, grad school, and C-town that I couldn't forget.
Jerry Lucas, one of the old NY Nicks who played at Ohio State, is a renowned memory expert. He has pulled schticks like regurgitating the name of every person in an audience after meeting each person as they come in the door. Check him out on Wikipedia. He's an interesting guy.
My pal Jake's Pants can give you a phone number of some guy he met six years ago at a bar in Malibu. Then again, he may forget his passport the next time he leaves for Mexico.
Mother remembered many things from her younger days much better than any recent things in those last couple of years of her life. Of course, she also remembered driving to South America with Daddy.
Smells have a memory trigger too. Although my sense of smell has diminished over the years, popcorn is one that still registers and brings back to mind lots of times and places. The "new car" smell is a good one too, for obvious reasons. Incense at church. Burning leaves.
Sounds too can be memory makers. Favorite songs. The crunching of snow beneath your feet on a cold Winter night. Hearing an old phrase or term in a conversation.
So we establish that all of these things allow us to recall various moments or times in our past. Does that mean that we need to crack a small vial of distinctive smelling salts to permanently etch in the date of an anniversary or birthday? Or maybe have a recording of fingernails scratching across the blackboard that you can leave with your message on the phone for a friend to return your call.
I'll tackle the graveyard shift matter tomorrow.
Have a great week.
BCOT
Memory is a crazy thing. And selective. It continues to amaze me that I can remember my high school girl friend's birthday, but I have to look up my Mother's. I remember my telephone number on the farm...2-2548..., but I have to go through a process to recall my own current cell number. For years, I had my ND laundry number at the drop of a hat, and there was a combination for a padlock that followed me through the USAF, grad school, and C-town that I couldn't forget.
Jerry Lucas, one of the old NY Nicks who played at Ohio State, is a renowned memory expert. He has pulled schticks like regurgitating the name of every person in an audience after meeting each person as they come in the door. Check him out on Wikipedia. He's an interesting guy.
My pal Jake's Pants can give you a phone number of some guy he met six years ago at a bar in Malibu. Then again, he may forget his passport the next time he leaves for Mexico.
Mother remembered many things from her younger days much better than any recent things in those last couple of years of her life. Of course, she also remembered driving to South America with Daddy.
Smells have a memory trigger too. Although my sense of smell has diminished over the years, popcorn is one that still registers and brings back to mind lots of times and places. The "new car" smell is a good one too, for obvious reasons. Incense at church. Burning leaves.
Sounds too can be memory makers. Favorite songs. The crunching of snow beneath your feet on a cold Winter night. Hearing an old phrase or term in a conversation.
So we establish that all of these things allow us to recall various moments or times in our past. Does that mean that we need to crack a small vial of distinctive smelling salts to permanently etch in the date of an anniversary or birthday? Or maybe have a recording of fingernails scratching across the blackboard that you can leave with your message on the phone for a friend to return your call.
I'll tackle the graveyard shift matter tomorrow.
Have a great week.
BCOT
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Sunday
Hangin' out at SB's. Just like the college kids.
The ice has shrunk from the streets and any high traffic area. Now they are saying that cooler weather is on the way, so we may see the stuff on the edges stay around for the week. Welcome to Winter.
Looks like the annual trip to Cabo will be a no-go this year. My pal Roy needs to stay in a US area code. Maybe a long weekend to Scottsdale, if the spirit moves us.
3 sent me a text, and later a call, last night from the Bulls' game at the United Center in C-town. She and some friends had come into some comp tickets from another friend who works for the team. Turns out the seats were in a box actually above the SRO area. At least you have TV monitors in those areas. I know that when I go to Arrowhead in KC with my pal Jake's Pants that I usually sit inside the box and watch the game on the tube. Sounds like 3 had to buy her own $5 beers as well.
The local fishwrap this morning had a story in the business section about a QC company that gives employees a 30 day sabbatical (paid, I think) after 10 years of service. It's a fairly progressive concept, and I'm sure allows some longer-term employees to do some things that they otherwise just wouldn't be able to do. And I'm sure that there are some "recharging of the batteries" benefits to the individuals that may indirectly benefit the company. (As I recall, some colleges and universities have similar programs that extend to at least a semester in length.)
While such a program may make the HR hit parade, there has been no complementary impact on the Investor Relations side of things. The stock has been in the tank for years.
The Frederic Remington program that 2 and I attended on Thursday night at the museum was a bit of a let down. The speaker was a doctoral candidate at Iowa, and her presentation was mostly just read from her notes. I could have learned as much from a little time on Wikipedia. The speaker was actually more of a fan of the other Old West artist featured in the exhibit, Charles Russell. And the paintings/canvasses/sculptures in the exhibit hall were just so-so to me. Live and learn.
The DaVinci exhibit, on the other hand, is worth a visit.
Rick Reilly has announced his departure from SI and will be moving to ESPN in June 2008. He is a very popular sportswriter, but I have never been a huge fan, mostly because, I suppose, that I don't like sportswriters. He does have a good sense of humor, and he's done some good charitable things. He's adept at pulling the "heart strings" of readers on little human interest stories that come to his attention.
Reilly is in a fairly select group of sportswriters that would include Dan Patrick and John Feinstein, among others, whose works tend to become the story rather than the story itself. I attribute this phenomenon to the post-Watergate condition in the mainstream media where the writers have pietiously (sketchy word usage) become the Protectors of Truth, Justice and The American Way. In a bit of stilted logic, it could be argued that we have Richard Nixon to blame for all of this. And to think that upon his departure,Tricky Dick had the audacity to say that we, "wouldn't have him to kick around any more".
If it were not for RMN's arrogance, Robert Woodward and Carl Bernstein may have had nothing more to report on other than routine Pentagon malfeasance. This after a decade of Viet Nam. The public was ready for real dirt, and Bob and Carl delivered. And those glory days of investigative journalism spawned a generation of wannabees. With steroids, HGH, and other doping story lines, not to mention rap sheets (music or criminal, you pick), unwed mothers, Bobby Knight, and the likes of Pacman Jones, Latrell Sprewell, Reilly and his friends will be able to opine from On High for years to come.
I guess I have become as judgemental on sportswriters as they have on sports. I can live with that.
Speaking of sportswriters, the local guy writes (I use that term very loosely) a catchall Sunday column that is nothing more than a collection of primarily negative items about mostly college or pro coaches/players in various sports. Zero creativity. If it was a football game, he would be flagged for piling-on after every paragraph. Do these guys think such efforts qualify as journalism?
Sorry about that tirade. It was too easy.
I'm off to find Nirvana. Have a great day.
BCOT
The ice has shrunk from the streets and any high traffic area. Now they are saying that cooler weather is on the way, so we may see the stuff on the edges stay around for the week. Welcome to Winter.
Looks like the annual trip to Cabo will be a no-go this year. My pal Roy needs to stay in a US area code. Maybe a long weekend to Scottsdale, if the spirit moves us.
3 sent me a text, and later a call, last night from the Bulls' game at the United Center in C-town. She and some friends had come into some comp tickets from another friend who works for the team. Turns out the seats were in a box actually above the SRO area. At least you have TV monitors in those areas. I know that when I go to Arrowhead in KC with my pal Jake's Pants that I usually sit inside the box and watch the game on the tube. Sounds like 3 had to buy her own $5 beers as well.
The local fishwrap this morning had a story in the business section about a QC company that gives employees a 30 day sabbatical (paid, I think) after 10 years of service. It's a fairly progressive concept, and I'm sure allows some longer-term employees to do some things that they otherwise just wouldn't be able to do. And I'm sure that there are some "recharging of the batteries" benefits to the individuals that may indirectly benefit the company. (As I recall, some colleges and universities have similar programs that extend to at least a semester in length.)
While such a program may make the HR hit parade, there has been no complementary impact on the Investor Relations side of things. The stock has been in the tank for years.
The Frederic Remington program that 2 and I attended on Thursday night at the museum was a bit of a let down. The speaker was a doctoral candidate at Iowa, and her presentation was mostly just read from her notes. I could have learned as much from a little time on Wikipedia. The speaker was actually more of a fan of the other Old West artist featured in the exhibit, Charles Russell. And the paintings/canvasses/sculptures in the exhibit hall were just so-so to me. Live and learn.
The DaVinci exhibit, on the other hand, is worth a visit.
Rick Reilly has announced his departure from SI and will be moving to ESPN in June 2008. He is a very popular sportswriter, but I have never been a huge fan, mostly because, I suppose, that I don't like sportswriters. He does have a good sense of humor, and he's done some good charitable things. He's adept at pulling the "heart strings" of readers on little human interest stories that come to his attention.
Reilly is in a fairly select group of sportswriters that would include Dan Patrick and John Feinstein, among others, whose works tend to become the story rather than the story itself. I attribute this phenomenon to the post-Watergate condition in the mainstream media where the writers have pietiously (sketchy word usage) become the Protectors of Truth, Justice and The American Way. In a bit of stilted logic, it could be argued that we have Richard Nixon to blame for all of this. And to think that upon his departure,Tricky Dick had the audacity to say that we, "wouldn't have him to kick around any more".
If it were not for RMN's arrogance, Robert Woodward and Carl Bernstein may have had nothing more to report on other than routine Pentagon malfeasance. This after a decade of Viet Nam. The public was ready for real dirt, and Bob and Carl delivered. And those glory days of investigative journalism spawned a generation of wannabees. With steroids, HGH, and other doping story lines, not to mention rap sheets (music or criminal, you pick), unwed mothers, Bobby Knight, and the likes of Pacman Jones, Latrell Sprewell, Reilly and his friends will be able to opine from On High for years to come.
I guess I have become as judgemental on sportswriters as they have on sports. I can live with that.
Speaking of sportswriters, the local guy writes (I use that term very loosely) a catchall Sunday column that is nothing more than a collection of primarily negative items about mostly college or pro coaches/players in various sports. Zero creativity. If it was a football game, he would be flagged for piling-on after every paragraph. Do these guys think such efforts qualify as journalism?
Sorry about that tirade. It was too easy.
I'm off to find Nirvana. Have a great day.
BCOT
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Saturday
I had planned to get a good entry in today, but I just couldn't sit myself down to do it. Sorry.
Congrats to 1.1 for his success today in completing the Memphis marathon. He had been unable to get the bad taste of the Chicago out of his system, and he found the cure in in Elvis' hometown. You da man today, 1.1.
Winter here. Ice. But there's a warm front on the way, so it all should be gone by tomorrow night.
I'm taking the laptop to SB's in the AM for an early entry.
BCOT
Congrats to 1.1 for his success today in completing the Memphis marathon. He had been unable to get the bad taste of the Chicago out of his system, and he found the cure in in Elvis' hometown. You da man today, 1.1.
Winter here. Ice. But there's a warm front on the way, so it all should be gone by tomorrow night.
I'm taking the laptop to SB's in the AM for an early entry.
BCOT
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Thursday
Our trip to Augie last night was unsuccessful. Wisconsin-LaCrosse won in a nail-biter, with a winning three-point shot by my pal Pete's son with one second to go being disallowed by a whistled push-off foul. Ouch! Then again, Augie played poorly and probably didn't deserve to win. Their #4 in D-III national ranking will be gone, but so will the pressure. Now they can concentrate on getting better.
Tonight, 2 and I are moving up the cultural spectrum and are attending a lecture at the museum on the Frederick Remington exhibit. I've always been a fan of his Western sculpture work.
2 had a fender-bender this AM on her way to work. No injuries, and relatively little damage to her wheels. She can provide details at her leisure. Suffice it to say, it was a learning experience.
And 4 seems to have good news on a Spring internship at a TV station in CR. She too can give details when she has the time. She deserves another, "Way to go, Kiddo!"
The geek-squad in KC at my securities information desk sent me by overnight delivery a new electronic token (the size of a computer memory stick) that is a random number generator for my secure entrance to the system. Every time I log in I have to go through several pass-code queries to establish my bona fides. I had wondered what happened when whatever the power source in my initially-issued token expired. The cover memo with the new token indicated that the old token was scheduled to expire on 11/30/07. Tomorrow. I was oblivious to that fact. Techies rule.
I am only remotely interested in the NFL game tonight between Green Bay and Dallas. What does engender some curiosity is the fact that the game is not being broadcast by a network or major cable system, but by The NFL Network, a start-up system owned by the league. And The NFL Network has not reached contractural agreements with most of the major cable systems. So the game will not be available in many markets. Why? One word. Money.
This is the same type of problem presented around here with The Big Ten Network which has not reached agreements with many of the cable systems. So a lot of Iowa games are not shown here. Unless you have Dish (which I do).
Ultimately, the consumer will pay. Cable rates will go up so that cable companies can have access to these NFL Network or Big Ten Network games. And the NFL and Big Ten officials will hold themselves out on high ground saying that it wasn't them raising fees. Rather, it was the cable systems who took advantage to raise their already-too-high monthly fees. The reality is that the Big Ten and the NFL are doing these things because they can. And the consumer will pay.
They'll pay the higher access fees because they can't afford to actually go to the games.
Got to go.
Have a great evening.
Yea to 4!
BCOT
Tonight, 2 and I are moving up the cultural spectrum and are attending a lecture at the museum on the Frederick Remington exhibit. I've always been a fan of his Western sculpture work.
2 had a fender-bender this AM on her way to work. No injuries, and relatively little damage to her wheels. She can provide details at her leisure. Suffice it to say, it was a learning experience.
And 4 seems to have good news on a Spring internship at a TV station in CR. She too can give details when she has the time. She deserves another, "Way to go, Kiddo!"
The geek-squad in KC at my securities information desk sent me by overnight delivery a new electronic token (the size of a computer memory stick) that is a random number generator for my secure entrance to the system. Every time I log in I have to go through several pass-code queries to establish my bona fides. I had wondered what happened when whatever the power source in my initially-issued token expired. The cover memo with the new token indicated that the old token was scheduled to expire on 11/30/07. Tomorrow. I was oblivious to that fact. Techies rule.
I am only remotely interested in the NFL game tonight between Green Bay and Dallas. What does engender some curiosity is the fact that the game is not being broadcast by a network or major cable system, but by The NFL Network, a start-up system owned by the league. And The NFL Network has not reached contractural agreements with most of the major cable systems. So the game will not be available in many markets. Why? One word. Money.
This is the same type of problem presented around here with The Big Ten Network which has not reached agreements with many of the cable systems. So a lot of Iowa games are not shown here. Unless you have Dish (which I do).
Ultimately, the consumer will pay. Cable rates will go up so that cable companies can have access to these NFL Network or Big Ten Network games. And the NFL and Big Ten officials will hold themselves out on high ground saying that it wasn't them raising fees. Rather, it was the cable systems who took advantage to raise their already-too-high monthly fees. The reality is that the Big Ten and the NFL are doing these things because they can. And the consumer will pay.
They'll pay the higher access fees because they can't afford to actually go to the games.
Got to go.
Have a great evening.
Yea to 4!
BCOT
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Wednesday
Short today. 2 and I are headed over to Augie for a b-ball game.
4 reports that she has been elected to a position on the Panhelenic Council at Iowa. This gives her responsibilities to help govern various activities for all of the Greek houses on campus. Way to go Kiddo!
ESPN is hosting Jimmy V Week this week on all of it's media outlets. He's the flamboyant NC State b-ball coach who died of cancer in the early 90's. In his honor, The Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research carries on. It's a worthy charity.
The bleeding heart media are already crying about minority hiring for the open D-1 football coaching jobs. Texas A&M wasted little time in hiring lily-white Mike Sherman, and the sportscasters of color are chirping from the peanut gallery. At least it gives them a break from the piling on of ND.
Is the Big Ten - ACC Challenge a bit of a misnomer? When will Hilton Magic return? And where are the fans at Carver Hawkeye?
I learned today that the cordless mouse doesn't do well on a glass table-top. I wonder what the physics on that situation is?
So I obviously have no theme here. I'll pour a little more wine and get ready for 2.
Congrats again to 4.
BCOT
4 reports that she has been elected to a position on the Panhelenic Council at Iowa. This gives her responsibilities to help govern various activities for all of the Greek houses on campus. Way to go Kiddo!
ESPN is hosting Jimmy V Week this week on all of it's media outlets. He's the flamboyant NC State b-ball coach who died of cancer in the early 90's. In his honor, The Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research carries on. It's a worthy charity.
The bleeding heart media are already crying about minority hiring for the open D-1 football coaching jobs. Texas A&M wasted little time in hiring lily-white Mike Sherman, and the sportscasters of color are chirping from the peanut gallery. At least it gives them a break from the piling on of ND.
Is the Big Ten - ACC Challenge a bit of a misnomer? When will Hilton Magic return? And where are the fans at Carver Hawkeye?
I learned today that the cordless mouse doesn't do well on a glass table-top. I wonder what the physics on that situation is?
So I obviously have no theme here. I'll pour a little more wine and get ready for 2.
Congrats again to 4.
BCOT
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Tuesday
1 reports that her 9th grade girls b-ball team lost their first outing today. Wins may be hard to come by this year. Most of the girls with skills have been moved up to the soph or JV teams. Hang in there, Kiddo.
A side-bar to the telephone story from the weekend was the store manager's effort to provide some extra customer service to me as 3 made her phone and plan selections. I was in attendance because I was needed to sign-off on the swap of the phone number from US Cellular to AT&T, not because I like dealing with "the phone company". And I had just finished my run with 2 within the hour of 3's request to tackle what we both anticipated (correctly) to be a pain in the posterior. The run in which I re-strained my gastocnemius calf muscle.
Anyway, I was hobbling around the store a bit just looking for a place to sit and do my crossword (NYT Friday) while 2 did her business. Recognizing my search, and potential disability, the manager asked if she could get me a chair from the back. And was quick to consent to my suggestion of me taking a spot on the floor partially behind the counter. Then she repeated her offer for the chair. And then offered me a glass of water to boot! I must have presented a very elderly sight.
In a surprising move, my carrier, US Cellular, actually ended service for 3's phone on the day of the switch. Like they were supposed to do. I'll be curious about the final bill. You pay for the month in advance on the regular bill. I wonder if I have a refund in my future?
My pal Roy is back in the saddle. But he needs to have the medics cut back on some of the drugs. I think that they have prescribed drugs for him to counter the effects of some of the other drugs that he's supposed to take.
Tuesday was a better day for me than Monday, but I'm hoping for a consistent upward trend for the week. In the service business, a substantial chunk of your time is devoted to problem-solving. When new problems occur at a faster rate than your solution generation capacity, you end up with an excess inventory of problems. (There's a linear relationship between problem inventory and desk-pile altitude. But that's another story.) There must be an algebraic equation that can help here.
I need to get out of here. Y'all have a good evening.
BCOT
A side-bar to the telephone story from the weekend was the store manager's effort to provide some extra customer service to me as 3 made her phone and plan selections. I was in attendance because I was needed to sign-off on the swap of the phone number from US Cellular to AT&T, not because I like dealing with "the phone company". And I had just finished my run with 2 within the hour of 3's request to tackle what we both anticipated (correctly) to be a pain in the posterior. The run in which I re-strained my gastocnemius calf muscle.
Anyway, I was hobbling around the store a bit just looking for a place to sit and do my crossword (NYT Friday) while 2 did her business. Recognizing my search, and potential disability, the manager asked if she could get me a chair from the back. And was quick to consent to my suggestion of me taking a spot on the floor partially behind the counter. Then she repeated her offer for the chair. And then offered me a glass of water to boot! I must have presented a very elderly sight.
In a surprising move, my carrier, US Cellular, actually ended service for 3's phone on the day of the switch. Like they were supposed to do. I'll be curious about the final bill. You pay for the month in advance on the regular bill. I wonder if I have a refund in my future?
My pal Roy is back in the saddle. But he needs to have the medics cut back on some of the drugs. I think that they have prescribed drugs for him to counter the effects of some of the other drugs that he's supposed to take.
Tuesday was a better day for me than Monday, but I'm hoping for a consistent upward trend for the week. In the service business, a substantial chunk of your time is devoted to problem-solving. When new problems occur at a faster rate than your solution generation capacity, you end up with an excess inventory of problems. (There's a linear relationship between problem inventory and desk-pile altitude. But that's another story.) There must be an algebraic equation that can help here.
I need to get out of here. Y'all have a good evening.
BCOT
Monday, November 26, 2007
Monday
I had a totally crappy day. Fortunately, I had plenty of Tuscan red available in the wine cellar, so the evening has been just fine.
The stock market sucks. Which makes for antsy clients. Not many good answers.
It does make my day to learn that Oprah Winfrey will be in Iowa next week to stump for Barak Obama. I'm applying for tickets tomorrow. I'm hoping that her appearances won't conflict with Bill's schedule for Hillary.
I attended an executive meeting for the 2008 Criterium bike race today. Since I am the presenting sponsor, I have a say-so on most of the planning stuff. They need several secondary sponsors to make the budget work. At this point, I don't think that you can say that we have a well-oiled machine in place.
I'm optimistic that Tuesday will be a better day. Hope your's is too.
BCOT
The stock market sucks. Which makes for antsy clients. Not many good answers.
It does make my day to learn that Oprah Winfrey will be in Iowa next week to stump for Barak Obama. I'm applying for tickets tomorrow. I'm hoping that her appearances won't conflict with Bill's schedule for Hillary.
I attended an executive meeting for the 2008 Criterium bike race today. Since I am the presenting sponsor, I have a say-so on most of the planning stuff. They need several secondary sponsors to make the budget work. At this point, I don't think that you can say that we have a well-oiled machine in place.
I'm optimistic that Tuesday will be a better day. Hope your's is too.
BCOT
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Sunday
I've obviously been very erratic with the blog over this extended weekend. The days are just so unusual with the Thursday holiday. This wouldn't be a problem if I were retired. I always say that the retirees often don't know which day it might be since most days it doesn't matter if it is a weekend or not. I know I could easily get used to a half day schedule. Too bad I have bills to pay.
This entry is being posted from the 53rd Street SB's as I await a call from 3 to do a Ross's breakfast with her, 2 and 4. And 3's friend James. They head back to C-town later today. And 4 returns to IC.
3 and I did the switcheroo on her cell phone yesterday and the process was actually more than the dread that we had anticipated. Since the current phone was in my name, and 3 wanted to change providers but keep the number, I was needed to sign-off on the exchange. The local AT&T retail store was something less than full-disclosure when we signed the new paperwork, and I have a suspicion that there will possibly be some double-billing before the thing is complete. Whenever a service contract situation is off the beaten path, whether it be phone, Internet, or refrigerators, the attending salesperson has a greater-than-50% chance of screwing the deal up. We'll see where this one concludes.
2 and I did a little run yesterday, but my calf muscle again cramped. If that had happened earlier in the week, I would not have been able to do the TT. So now I am forced to get my indoor bike and weight training schedule sorted out. This is a good thing. I have to make some decisions on 2008 biking goals. Which will likely include a trip up Mt. Rose.
Today's Sunday paper reminds me of an observation that I have wanted to note here in recent weeks.
A couple of popular comic strips have been running stories outside of the normal current-day presentation. For Better or Worse is back in time with the characters whom we have come to know as young adults being portrayed as toddlers. Funky Winkerbean is in the future with the main characters whom we have followed through their teens and up through their 30-somethings, now parents of their own teens, or retired.
I read somewhere that the illustrator of For Better or Worse, Lynn Johnston, has a medical problem that limits her drawing skills. And they're re-running earlier stories at times. I'm not sure of the rationale for Funky's leap forward. There was a cancer death of one of the main characters, and this just may be a transition period for the author.
Continuing a little more on the concept of juxtaposition of plot-line presentations, I watched most of the 13 episode FX series, Damages, this Fall, and I never did get the exact sequence of the events in that show. The premier started out with one of the main characters shown in jail, bloodied and ghost-like. Then they went back and forth in almost all the shows, always coming back to the scene of the one character in the jail cell. Glen Close and Ted Danson were central characters. The series was recently re-upped, in spite of marginal ratings, so the confusion will likely continue next year.
And several years ago, I kind of liked the quirky (and canceled) TV series Boomtown with Neal McDonough. That show had a less-ambitious format where they showed most of each week's climatic scene at the start of the show, and then spent the hour following just one of the character's actions/activities which brought him/her to the final scene.
I guess the flash-back has been, and continues to be, used many times in movies and TV shows. But the standard network flash-back tends to be a single linear scene meant to explain an element in a murder mystery. The various CSI shows do this a lot. And the "Kill Green" segments of ER beat the concept to death.
The danger with any of these indirect time line presentations is that the viewer can become frustrated with the need to concentrate and watch the entire episode(s). I know I have limited patience. It's one thing to show a re-play in a sports event. It's a whole other matter to base the entire show on a series of mixed-up scenes and think that the audience cares enough to take notes.
So I have no conclusions to this topic.
David Broder had a very insightful column today. It's worth the read.
Finally, I have to comment that as I have put this entry together this AM, I've had what has to be a Match.com initial meeting going on at the next table. This guy will be single for the rest of his life.
So, hope the holiday weekend ends well for the masses. Thanks for reading.
BCOT
This entry is being posted from the 53rd Street SB's as I await a call from 3 to do a Ross's breakfast with her, 2 and 4. And 3's friend James. They head back to C-town later today. And 4 returns to IC.
3 and I did the switcheroo on her cell phone yesterday and the process was actually more than the dread that we had anticipated. Since the current phone was in my name, and 3 wanted to change providers but keep the number, I was needed to sign-off on the exchange. The local AT&T retail store was something less than full-disclosure when we signed the new paperwork, and I have a suspicion that there will possibly be some double-billing before the thing is complete. Whenever a service contract situation is off the beaten path, whether it be phone, Internet, or refrigerators, the attending salesperson has a greater-than-50% chance of screwing the deal up. We'll see where this one concludes.
2 and I did a little run yesterday, but my calf muscle again cramped. If that had happened earlier in the week, I would not have been able to do the TT. So now I am forced to get my indoor bike and weight training schedule sorted out. This is a good thing. I have to make some decisions on 2008 biking goals. Which will likely include a trip up Mt. Rose.
Today's Sunday paper reminds me of an observation that I have wanted to note here in recent weeks.
A couple of popular comic strips have been running stories outside of the normal current-day presentation. For Better or Worse is back in time with the characters whom we have come to know as young adults being portrayed as toddlers. Funky Winkerbean is in the future with the main characters whom we have followed through their teens and up through their 30-somethings, now parents of their own teens, or retired.
I read somewhere that the illustrator of For Better or Worse, Lynn Johnston, has a medical problem that limits her drawing skills. And they're re-running earlier stories at times. I'm not sure of the rationale for Funky's leap forward. There was a cancer death of one of the main characters, and this just may be a transition period for the author.
Continuing a little more on the concept of juxtaposition of plot-line presentations, I watched most of the 13 episode FX series, Damages, this Fall, and I never did get the exact sequence of the events in that show. The premier started out with one of the main characters shown in jail, bloodied and ghost-like. Then they went back and forth in almost all the shows, always coming back to the scene of the one character in the jail cell. Glen Close and Ted Danson were central characters. The series was recently re-upped, in spite of marginal ratings, so the confusion will likely continue next year.
And several years ago, I kind of liked the quirky (and canceled) TV series Boomtown with Neal McDonough. That show had a less-ambitious format where they showed most of each week's climatic scene at the start of the show, and then spent the hour following just one of the character's actions/activities which brought him/her to the final scene.
I guess the flash-back has been, and continues to be, used many times in movies and TV shows. But the standard network flash-back tends to be a single linear scene meant to explain an element in a murder mystery. The various CSI shows do this a lot. And the "Kill Green" segments of ER beat the concept to death.
The danger with any of these indirect time line presentations is that the viewer can become frustrated with the need to concentrate and watch the entire episode(s). I know I have limited patience. It's one thing to show a re-play in a sports event. It's a whole other matter to base the entire show on a series of mixed-up scenes and think that the audience cares enough to take notes.
So I have no conclusions to this topic.
David Broder had a very insightful column today. It's worth the read.
Finally, I have to comment that as I have put this entry together this AM, I've had what has to be a Match.com initial meeting going on at the next table. This guy will be single for the rest of his life.
So, hope the holiday weekend ends well for the masses. Thanks for reading.
BCOT
Friday, November 23, 2007
Friday
The day after Thanksgiving. I guess the girls all went shopping in the early AM. I'll let them provide details at their leisure.
My pal Roy is much better. We had a group lunch out at the Pebble Creek Golf dining room. He may be a day or two away from driving, but otherwise, he's ok.
Very low key day at the office. The phones were very quiet. Which, for today, is good.
FFF at my place tonight. I'm not sure if we need to eat anything after yesterday.
BCOT
My pal Roy is much better. We had a group lunch out at the Pebble Creek Golf dining room. He may be a day or two away from driving, but otherwise, he's ok.
Very low key day at the office. The phones were very quiet. Which, for today, is good.
FFF at my place tonight. I'm not sure if we need to eat anything after yesterday.
BCOT
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thursday
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
FFF in Bettendorf has been a success.
The TT was a success as well. 1 finished seventh out of seventy-some in her age group. I broke an hour which was my goal. And 1.1 and 2 finished at their respective paces. 2 ran with me and 1.1 was doing a short training run in anticipation of another try at a marathon next week in Memphis. It was a bit cool and there was a northerly breeze. SB's for a post-race cup-o-joe.
My pal Roy has had a tough couple of days. He had a dizzy "episode" while playing golf in South Carolina on Tuesday and ended up coming back to some hospital time. He was discharged earlier today, but he's going to have to take it easy for a few days. No truth to the rumor that the new Mrs. Carver was doctoring his drinks while on the honeymoon.
The crew might head out for "combat shopping" in the AM. I see where Kohl's is open at 4 AM tomorrow. I'll definitely be avoiding the retail areas all day.
OK. With everyone here, I'll rely on face-to-face dialog for the rest of today's exchange. More here tomorrow.
BCOT
FFF in Bettendorf has been a success.
The TT was a success as well. 1 finished seventh out of seventy-some in her age group. I broke an hour which was my goal. And 1.1 and 2 finished at their respective paces. 2 ran with me and 1.1 was doing a short training run in anticipation of another try at a marathon next week in Memphis. It was a bit cool and there was a northerly breeze. SB's for a post-race cup-o-joe.
My pal Roy has had a tough couple of days. He had a dizzy "episode" while playing golf in South Carolina on Tuesday and ended up coming back to some hospital time. He was discharged earlier today, but he's going to have to take it easy for a few days. No truth to the rumor that the new Mrs. Carver was doctoring his drinks while on the honeymoon.
The crew might head out for "combat shopping" in the AM. I see where Kohl's is open at 4 AM tomorrow. I'll definitely be avoiding the retail areas all day.
OK. With everyone here, I'll rely on face-to-face dialog for the rest of today's exchange. More here tomorrow.
BCOT
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Tuesday
No blog today.
2 and I went to the first home Augie b-ball game this evening. After doing our last training run for the TT. Augie wins going away, but it was not easy. They could be good this year.
Everybody be careful on the road tomorrow. We have had a pretty god rain tonight. Cooler weather is on the way.
BCOT
2 and I went to the first home Augie b-ball game this evening. After doing our last training run for the TT. Augie wins going away, but it was not easy. They could be good this year.
Everybody be careful on the road tomorrow. We have had a pretty god rain tonight. Cooler weather is on the way.
BCOT
Monday, November 19, 2007
Monday
A little late today. I didn't get this done before I left the office, and then 2 and I met to do a short run. I'll have to figure out my timing for 4000 Days now that I have the flexibility to work on it a home.
I'll give some thought to 3's comment about baseball stories. Not that I have enough to write a book about, but I played a lot of games in a lot of places by the time I was 22. A little known fact: I never played another game after my last game senior year at ND. Cold turkey.
The conversion of my business to a securities-based model means that we need to be open on all of the days that the stock exchanges are open. Which includes the AM on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Historically, the accounting firm has always taken that Friday as a full holiday. I have always worked that day, but have not required or requested that staff observe the exchanges' schedule. Beginning in 2008, I'm making the change. The upside is that we get off President's Day. Is MLK Day next?
Which brings up the whole subject of holidays. For different businesses or professions. In different parts of the country. Pro basketball and Major League Baseball each have the All-Star break in mid-season. NASCAR has the off-season of December and January. School teachers get the Summer off. CPA's get April 16th off. Veteran's Day. Columbus Day. Patriot's Day (in Massachusetts. Boston Marathon day). Election Day (in several states). Check out "____ State Holidays" in Wikipedia. Especially Texas.
My pal Bill and his spouse were separately pictured recently in successive weeks' editions of the Bettendorf News. He in a crowd shot at the school assembly to honor the two-time state cross country team. She in a color ad for the Life Fitness Center. Bulletin board material at the office for sure. I've always been a believer in a below radar profile.
Starbucks' stock has been taking a hit in the market. They have had good profits, but their business model is leaking oil. They just don't make enough money to justify a higher price for the stock. I think they end up spending a lot of money to be able to make the money that they do make. And I don't think that they sell enough of the music or expensive coffee grinders to inflate their profits. Maybe too much in bricks and mortar as well. I think that they can continue to make money, just not print it.
In a related topic, McDonald's is marketing lattes and the like to franchisees as a further step into the higher-end coffee business. But the franchisees are not embracing the move whole-heartedly. It's an expensive expansion and will not have a short payback period. My observation is that Mac's will never be able to get staff trained to make these more exotic drinks. Their people have problem enough servicing their current menu. I will say that I can drink their coffee.
OK. Way too late. I'll do better tomorrow.
BCOT
I'll give some thought to 3's comment about baseball stories. Not that I have enough to write a book about, but I played a lot of games in a lot of places by the time I was 22. A little known fact: I never played another game after my last game senior year at ND. Cold turkey.
The conversion of my business to a securities-based model means that we need to be open on all of the days that the stock exchanges are open. Which includes the AM on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Historically, the accounting firm has always taken that Friday as a full holiday. I have always worked that day, but have not required or requested that staff observe the exchanges' schedule. Beginning in 2008, I'm making the change. The upside is that we get off President's Day. Is MLK Day next?
Which brings up the whole subject of holidays. For different businesses or professions. In different parts of the country. Pro basketball and Major League Baseball each have the All-Star break in mid-season. NASCAR has the off-season of December and January. School teachers get the Summer off. CPA's get April 16th off. Veteran's Day. Columbus Day. Patriot's Day (in Massachusetts. Boston Marathon day). Election Day (in several states). Check out "____ State Holidays" in Wikipedia. Especially Texas.
My pal Bill and his spouse were separately pictured recently in successive weeks' editions of the Bettendorf News. He in a crowd shot at the school assembly to honor the two-time state cross country team. She in a color ad for the Life Fitness Center. Bulletin board material at the office for sure. I've always been a believer in a below radar profile.
Starbucks' stock has been taking a hit in the market. They have had good profits, but their business model is leaking oil. They just don't make enough money to justify a higher price for the stock. I think they end up spending a lot of money to be able to make the money that they do make. And I don't think that they sell enough of the music or expensive coffee grinders to inflate their profits. Maybe too much in bricks and mortar as well. I think that they can continue to make money, just not print it.
In a related topic, McDonald's is marketing lattes and the like to franchisees as a further step into the higher-end coffee business. But the franchisees are not embracing the move whole-heartedly. It's an expensive expansion and will not have a short payback period. My observation is that Mac's will never be able to get staff trained to make these more exotic drinks. Their people have problem enough servicing their current menu. I will say that I can drink their coffee.
OK. Way too late. I'll do better tomorrow.
BCOT
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Sunday
Not a lot new on this end. Not an overly productive weekend for me.
AM's comment yesterday about the mouse was on point. I got one of those gadgets with my laptop and it works pretty slick. Even on the couch next to me while the laptop is on my lap. Kudos to the geeks.
4 gets in tonight for the holiday week. She had stayed in IC for yesterday's non-game at Kinnick, and for the b-ball game this afternoon at Carver Hawkeye. Chili tonight at Mom's. Beans? Or no beans?
The Irish survived Duke. That doesn't say a lot about Duke football. (In an extremely minor recess of trivia, I recalled today that Duke was ND's opponent at the first game I ever attended at ND Stadium. In the Fall of my junior year of HS when I visited campus with an ND graduate from Ottumwa. A big rout of Duke that day as well.)
I did my runs this weekend, two both days, without further calf problems. Slow. But I was primarily concerned about injury. I'm wondering if I have a shoe problem.
An interesting comment made by different announcers over the weekend was that a particular player, often the quarterback, had "the game slow down for him." This was meant in a complimentary manner to describe the skill of the player in handling the challenges of the game. ( In football, a good offensive line is usually the biggest contributor of a quarterback being able to work the game at his pace.) Nonetheless, I do think that different players have varying amounts of ability to handle the pressures presented in a game. Some of it is just natural ability. Some of it is experience.
This personal attribute is evident in most sports, and in most businesses. In whatever the field of endeavor, stars tend to find their way to the top. Innate skill. Harder work ethic. Generally, not much reliance on luck.
Ultimately, I think that skill wins out. As a college junior, I learned how to hit a good lefty's duece, but the guy who also had a good heater made me a "guess hitter." I was lucky to break the Mendoza line against a righty with the same pitches. The guys who make it to "The Show" see those pitches in slow motion.
Finally, the media has stories this weekend that suggest that Warren Buffet was/is responsible for keeping A-Rod a Yankee. I think that A-Rod found out that there weren't many GM's in line to bid on his services after his agent, Scott Boras, had him opt out of the last three years on his then current contract. The fact that A-Rod could give Buffet a call for advice is a bit of an indication of the economic circles A-Rod calls home. And some execs at Goldman Sachs were part of the game as well. Very interesting!
Short week ahead. Looking forward to time with the fam.
BCOT
AM's comment yesterday about the mouse was on point. I got one of those gadgets with my laptop and it works pretty slick. Even on the couch next to me while the laptop is on my lap. Kudos to the geeks.
4 gets in tonight for the holiday week. She had stayed in IC for yesterday's non-game at Kinnick, and for the b-ball game this afternoon at Carver Hawkeye. Chili tonight at Mom's. Beans? Or no beans?
The Irish survived Duke. That doesn't say a lot about Duke football. (In an extremely minor recess of trivia, I recalled today that Duke was ND's opponent at the first game I ever attended at ND Stadium. In the Fall of my junior year of HS when I visited campus with an ND graduate from Ottumwa. A big rout of Duke that day as well.)
I did my runs this weekend, two both days, without further calf problems. Slow. But I was primarily concerned about injury. I'm wondering if I have a shoe problem.
An interesting comment made by different announcers over the weekend was that a particular player, often the quarterback, had "the game slow down for him." This was meant in a complimentary manner to describe the skill of the player in handling the challenges of the game. ( In football, a good offensive line is usually the biggest contributor of a quarterback being able to work the game at his pace.) Nonetheless, I do think that different players have varying amounts of ability to handle the pressures presented in a game. Some of it is just natural ability. Some of it is experience.
This personal attribute is evident in most sports, and in most businesses. In whatever the field of endeavor, stars tend to find their way to the top. Innate skill. Harder work ethic. Generally, not much reliance on luck.
Ultimately, I think that skill wins out. As a college junior, I learned how to hit a good lefty's duece, but the guy who also had a good heater made me a "guess hitter." I was lucky to break the Mendoza line against a righty with the same pitches. The guys who make it to "The Show" see those pitches in slow motion.
Finally, the media has stories this weekend that suggest that Warren Buffet was/is responsible for keeping A-Rod a Yankee. I think that A-Rod found out that there weren't many GM's in line to bid on his services after his agent, Scott Boras, had him opt out of the last three years on his then current contract. The fact that A-Rod could give Buffet a call for advice is a bit of an indication of the economic circles A-Rod calls home. And some execs at Goldman Sachs were part of the game as well. Very interesting!
Short week ahead. Looking forward to time with the fam.
BCOT
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Saturday
Ok. Saturday AM at the new 53rd Street SB's. First blog on the new wireless laptop.
2 was by earlier on her way to the museum to help with an event they are hosting this morning to view the Festival of Trees parade from their building's prime location. I suppose that the parade is the kind of event we would have taken the girls to when they were little. Cheap. Close. Free candy.
The keyboard for the laptop will take some getting used to. I have big hands, and, as you all are aware, a laptop keyboard is pretty compact. Plus, my modified hunt-and-peck technique typing skills add to the challenge.
I was out with my friend Pete and some other friends last night and we spent the most time at a bar located in the old McDonald's on Brady Street by Duck Creek. A bit surreal considering how much time we spent there when the girls were young. Lots of stops there while biking. The new place is okay, but I'm not sure who might be their target market. Maybe if Rookies up the street gets too crowded and the college kids need an over-flow option. The drinks were pretty cheap. A lot less expensive than an evening of Tuscan red at Biaggi's. Or sushi at Ron's of Hawaii in The Loop.
My pal Pete has diagnosed my calf problem as a strained gastrocnemius muscle. Wikipedia has a good description that exactly fits my situation. I'll be going out again later this AM to test it. More shuffling, I suspect.
The political climate is heating up with the Iowa caucuses now just about six weeks away. A couple of stories and op-ed pieces have focused on "planted" questions in town-hall-type settings where candidates respond to inquiries from the audience. I guess that this is common in most of the campaigns run by both Democrats and Republicans. A shill in the crowd leads a speaker into the "stump" response to one of the issues. Like the interview where, whatever the question, the candidate/politician answers with a reply right off his speech writer's notes.
I pretty much ignore all of the campaign stories, print ads, and commercials in the various media. Most of it is promises of one sort or another to end the war, lower taxes on the non-rich (I think I qualify), raise taxes on the rich (I fear that I may qualify under some definitions here too), universal health care, pro life, pro choice, or an answer on one side of the fence or the other on the matter of immigration. My suspicion is that, ultimately, the great divide in our country will carry over to next November and whomever wins will do so with a very narrow margin.
Well, I'm off to do my run/shuffle and some yard work. No Martian eggs, but there will be several paper yard-waste bags by the time I'm done.
The big question is, "Can ND get by Duke?"
BCOT
2 was by earlier on her way to the museum to help with an event they are hosting this morning to view the Festival of Trees parade from their building's prime location. I suppose that the parade is the kind of event we would have taken the girls to when they were little. Cheap. Close. Free candy.
The keyboard for the laptop will take some getting used to. I have big hands, and, as you all are aware, a laptop keyboard is pretty compact. Plus, my modified hunt-and-peck technique typing skills add to the challenge.
I was out with my friend Pete and some other friends last night and we spent the most time at a bar located in the old McDonald's on Brady Street by Duck Creek. A bit surreal considering how much time we spent there when the girls were young. Lots of stops there while biking. The new place is okay, but I'm not sure who might be their target market. Maybe if Rookies up the street gets too crowded and the college kids need an over-flow option. The drinks were pretty cheap. A lot less expensive than an evening of Tuscan red at Biaggi's. Or sushi at Ron's of Hawaii in The Loop.
My pal Pete has diagnosed my calf problem as a strained gastrocnemius muscle. Wikipedia has a good description that exactly fits my situation. I'll be going out again later this AM to test it. More shuffling, I suspect.
The political climate is heating up with the Iowa caucuses now just about six weeks away. A couple of stories and op-ed pieces have focused on "planted" questions in town-hall-type settings where candidates respond to inquiries from the audience. I guess that this is common in most of the campaigns run by both Democrats and Republicans. A shill in the crowd leads a speaker into the "stump" response to one of the issues. Like the interview where, whatever the question, the candidate/politician answers with a reply right off his speech writer's notes.
I pretty much ignore all of the campaign stories, print ads, and commercials in the various media. Most of it is promises of one sort or another to end the war, lower taxes on the non-rich (I think I qualify), raise taxes on the rich (I fear that I may qualify under some definitions here too), universal health care, pro life, pro choice, or an answer on one side of the fence or the other on the matter of immigration. My suspicion is that, ultimately, the great divide in our country will carry over to next November and whomever wins will do so with a very narrow margin.
Well, I'm off to do my run/shuffle and some yard work. No Martian eggs, but there will be several paper yard-waste bags by the time I'm done.
The big question is, "Can ND get by Duke?"
BCOT
Friday, November 16, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Thursday
Thanks to 3 for a Wednesday entry on my behalf.
The medical procedure went pretty much as forecast. Not a lot of fun.
The new laptop is in my possession. The hookup with Verizon should be confirmed tomorrow. I'll be in business by the weekend.
My pal Roy has returned from an extended trip to South America. Sounds like they saw lots of stuff. I'll be anxious to get "the rest of the story" over dinner sometime soon.
The Anniversary Edition of 4000 Days has really not been outlined. I know that two years equals 730 days and that 730 is around 18% of 4000. And 18% of 5 miles is not even a single mile. So in terms of the Turkey Trot, I haven't even hit the Main Street hill on my journey to 4000. Does that make any sense?
The Top Ten occurences since the start of the blog. No necessarily in the order of importance:
1. 1 and 1.1's wedding in St. Paul July 2007.
2. 3's graduation from Iowa in May 2007.
3. Cabo January 2006. The 2007 trip sucked.
4. KC wedding June 2006.
5. Tahoe wedding July 2006.
6. 4's birthday 2005. And every other time the fam was all there.
7. Wrigleyville with 2,3, and 4 September 2007. Not going to the game.
8. Tailgating in IC. Particularly with the VIP parking pass 2006.
9. Training with 2 for the TT. Today. Are you kidding?
10. Coffee chatting at SB's. From coast to coast.
This list could be a lot longer. Interesting how most of the events are travel experiences of some sort or another. But all require the inclusion of family or close friends.
I have also enjoyed the time at the computer adding to the 0dyssey that has become 4000 Days. My challenge has become to capture a topic and find something to say that will be of interest to my readers. No one wants to read about another's daily life unless there is an element of escapism that can fire a little imagination in the reader.
The media, sports columnists in particular, get to the reader by controversial statements meant to inflame one segment and to spark advocates to defend the premise. That's how they keep their readers/listeners. That's the equivalent of taking a sledge hammer to a classic Mercedes at the carport of an exclusive country club. Little creativity to get a sharp reaction.
My goal in the next year, the next 9% of my trek for the mathematicians in the crowd, is to continue to find a few interesting things in this collective thing called life. I've been satisfied with the use of USA Today-like sections to group topics and ideas. Unfortunately, these last couple of weeks have been difficult to find a groove because of travel or medical matters. But that's the organizational direction that I will follow as I continue to work these keys.
Sorry for not being more eloquent. Gotta go for training with 2. By this time next week, we'll be into turkey leftovers and reading our times in the TT on my laptop.
BCOT
The medical procedure went pretty much as forecast. Not a lot of fun.
The new laptop is in my possession. The hookup with Verizon should be confirmed tomorrow. I'll be in business by the weekend.
My pal Roy has returned from an extended trip to South America. Sounds like they saw lots of stuff. I'll be anxious to get "the rest of the story" over dinner sometime soon.
The Anniversary Edition of 4000 Days has really not been outlined. I know that two years equals 730 days and that 730 is around 18% of 4000. And 18% of 5 miles is not even a single mile. So in terms of the Turkey Trot, I haven't even hit the Main Street hill on my journey to 4000. Does that make any sense?
The Top Ten occurences since the start of the blog. No necessarily in the order of importance:
1. 1 and 1.1's wedding in St. Paul July 2007.
2. 3's graduation from Iowa in May 2007.
3. Cabo January 2006. The 2007 trip sucked.
4. KC wedding June 2006.
5. Tahoe wedding July 2006.
6. 4's birthday 2005. And every other time the fam was all there.
7. Wrigleyville with 2,3, and 4 September 2007. Not going to the game.
8. Tailgating in IC. Particularly with the VIP parking pass 2006.
9. Training with 2 for the TT. Today. Are you kidding?
10. Coffee chatting at SB's. From coast to coast.
This list could be a lot longer. Interesting how most of the events are travel experiences of some sort or another. But all require the inclusion of family or close friends.
I have also enjoyed the time at the computer adding to the 0dyssey that has become 4000 Days. My challenge has become to capture a topic and find something to say that will be of interest to my readers. No one wants to read about another's daily life unless there is an element of escapism that can fire a little imagination in the reader.
The media, sports columnists in particular, get to the reader by controversial statements meant to inflame one segment and to spark advocates to defend the premise. That's how they keep their readers/listeners. That's the equivalent of taking a sledge hammer to a classic Mercedes at the carport of an exclusive country club. Little creativity to get a sharp reaction.
My goal in the next year, the next 9% of my trek for the mathematicians in the crowd, is to continue to find a few interesting things in this collective thing called life. I've been satisfied with the use of USA Today-like sections to group topics and ideas. Unfortunately, these last couple of weeks have been difficult to find a groove because of travel or medical matters. But that's the organizational direction that I will follow as I continue to work these keys.
Sorry for not being more eloquent. Gotta go for training with 2. By this time next week, we'll be into turkey leftovers and reading our times in the TT on my laptop.
BCOT
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Tuesday
Happy Tax Anniversary to 4000 Days!
My training for the TT took a hit last night. I was on my way back on my normal 0ut-back route when I got a cramp in my left calf. I struggled home, but it remains a concern. I had a similar problem when I was in training for a TT a few years ago. When my conditioning gets to the point where I can actually have a running motion rather than my old-man's-shuffle, those calf and thigh muscles go into hemorrhagic shock. I'm taking a day off to lose some of that acquired conditioning and revert to the shuffle.
So I'm headed out and will have some comments tomorrow on the two year thing.
BCOT
My training for the TT took a hit last night. I was on my way back on my normal 0ut-back route when I got a cramp in my left calf. I struggled home, but it remains a concern. I had a similar problem when I was in training for a TT a few years ago. When my conditioning gets to the point where I can actually have a running motion rather than my old-man's-shuffle, those calf and thigh muscles go into hemorrhagic shock. I'm taking a day off to lose some of that acquired conditioning and revert to the shuffle.
So I'm headed out and will have some comments tomorrow on the two year thing.
BCOT
Monday, November 12, 2007
Monday
Let's make this a Travel day.
Some of my pet peeves with regard to land, air and sea transportation.
At the top of my list currently is the driver approaching a stop sign with the intention of turning right, and not making any significant effort to actually stop. I know that some town recently added a smaller rectangular sign beneath the stop sign that said something like, "Yes, this means that you are supposed to stop." I'm very conscious of this problem when running along Devils Glen with all the side streets that enter on to that arterial road. Cars will ultimately honor your right-of-way as the pedestrian, but I don't trust them until I see them stop.
There are two other specific intersections in town where that right-turning car is a problem: Jersey Ridge headed North at Kimberly, and Elmore headed South at Kimberly. In both cases, the right-turning driver is looking only at the traffic flow coming from his/her left, which is natural. But both intersections have other traffic to be wary of; the u-turning car at the Jersey Ridge intersection, and the left-turning car from across the intersection at Elmore. People in a rush, or on the phone, are too distracted to look for that other traffic.
On the train from the 'burbs down to The Loop last Thursday night, I had the delight of sitting next to a gal who should have been under house confinement for a cold/flu condition. In my current let's-not-shake-hands mentality, the germs in commuter trains make me cringe.
Torpedo shaped commuter airplanes were designed by engineers who never grew beyond 5'8". On my trip to Phoenix last month, the planes to and from Denver were both the "one seat on one side and two seats on the other side" of the aisle. I got the "one" seat both times, but I felt like I was holding my knees all the way.
Pricing of airline tickets, car rentals, and hotel rentals are always a treat. I think that we have all become conditioned to the vagaries of airline pricing. We have low expectations on the consistency of fares, and we assume that a "good" fare will only be there briefly, so we had better act rather than wait. Is there another industry where people just expect to be manipulated as a matter of course?
An interesting phenomena of the financing of any local hospitality industry is the variety of "charges" that get added to tickets and rental agreements. In many cases, municipalities see this as an opportunity to tax non-locals to help pay for infrastructure that will ultimately help the home community. Paying for streets, sewers, and utilities in a new commercial area costs millions of dollars. If the buildings placed on the property are hotels, casinos, and outlet malls, it's easier to sell the development to the local residents if the concept is financed by the transient population.
In theory, once the development is up and running, the local community can collect real estate taxes for their return on their efforts to bring the development to being. It doesn't always work out that way. And sometimes the communities grant tax concessions to the developers which further delays local receipt of direct monetary benefits. That's when the mayors and councilpersons start blustering about the ancillary benefits of more commercial activity being generally good for everyone. Particularly the developers. Who almost always live out of town.
I don't have too many peeves about water transportation. I like Uncle Phil's (Aunt Jan's?) boat at Tahoe. And the Log Ride at Adventureland is a great memory. Does anyone remember, "It's A Small World", at Disney World?
Finally, my trip to SB's this AM was marred by a full dumping of my Americano as I reached for another section of the paper. Aaauuuuurrrggghhh! I hate it when I do those things! What a klutz. It was not a good start for a Monday.
So I'm off to do my run. 10 days to the TT.
BCOT
Some of my pet peeves with regard to land, air and sea transportation.
At the top of my list currently is the driver approaching a stop sign with the intention of turning right, and not making any significant effort to actually stop. I know that some town recently added a smaller rectangular sign beneath the stop sign that said something like, "Yes, this means that you are supposed to stop." I'm very conscious of this problem when running along Devils Glen with all the side streets that enter on to that arterial road. Cars will ultimately honor your right-of-way as the pedestrian, but I don't trust them until I see them stop.
There are two other specific intersections in town where that right-turning car is a problem: Jersey Ridge headed North at Kimberly, and Elmore headed South at Kimberly. In both cases, the right-turning driver is looking only at the traffic flow coming from his/her left, which is natural. But both intersections have other traffic to be wary of; the u-turning car at the Jersey Ridge intersection, and the left-turning car from across the intersection at Elmore. People in a rush, or on the phone, are too distracted to look for that other traffic.
On the train from the 'burbs down to The Loop last Thursday night, I had the delight of sitting next to a gal who should have been under house confinement for a cold/flu condition. In my current let's-not-shake-hands mentality, the germs in commuter trains make me cringe.
Torpedo shaped commuter airplanes were designed by engineers who never grew beyond 5'8". On my trip to Phoenix last month, the planes to and from Denver were both the "one seat on one side and two seats on the other side" of the aisle. I got the "one" seat both times, but I felt like I was holding my knees all the way.
Pricing of airline tickets, car rentals, and hotel rentals are always a treat. I think that we have all become conditioned to the vagaries of airline pricing. We have low expectations on the consistency of fares, and we assume that a "good" fare will only be there briefly, so we had better act rather than wait. Is there another industry where people just expect to be manipulated as a matter of course?
An interesting phenomena of the financing of any local hospitality industry is the variety of "charges" that get added to tickets and rental agreements. In many cases, municipalities see this as an opportunity to tax non-locals to help pay for infrastructure that will ultimately help the home community. Paying for streets, sewers, and utilities in a new commercial area costs millions of dollars. If the buildings placed on the property are hotels, casinos, and outlet malls, it's easier to sell the development to the local residents if the concept is financed by the transient population.
In theory, once the development is up and running, the local community can collect real estate taxes for their return on their efforts to bring the development to being. It doesn't always work out that way. And sometimes the communities grant tax concessions to the developers which further delays local receipt of direct monetary benefits. That's when the mayors and councilpersons start blustering about the ancillary benefits of more commercial activity being generally good for everyone. Particularly the developers. Who almost always live out of town.
I don't have too many peeves about water transportation. I like Uncle Phil's (Aunt Jan's?) boat at Tahoe. And the Log Ride at Adventureland is a great memory. Does anyone remember, "It's A Small World", at Disney World?
Finally, my trip to SB's this AM was marred by a full dumping of my Americano as I reached for another section of the paper. Aaauuuuurrrggghhh! I hate it when I do those things! What a klutz. It was not a good start for a Monday.
So I'm off to do my run. 10 days to the TT.
BCOT
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