Starting the weekend here at SB's. Warmer here with snow melting.
A modified FFF today in Illinois. Mom, 2,3, and 4 are gathering at the C-town malls. I took a pass. It's a trip to pick up the car that 3 took back to C-town on Christmas.
Mom and 4 did attend the caucus on Thursday night. 4 couldn't cast a ballot as she is registered in IC. Interesting to note that the post-mortems suggest that Huckabee won because of the turn-out of the Evangelicals. Personally, I hope the results in the future primaries are less connected to the religious beliefs of the candidates.
The state of Illinois enacted a law last year that became effective January 1 that outlaws smoking in all bars and restaurants. We receive a lot of the media's coverage of the debate on the topic because of this being a border area. The bar owners are largely against the law as they see it as driving customers away, in this case, to Iowa establishments. Time will tell. A similar law in France effective 1/1 has received broad international coverage.
Smoking is one of those things that can engender emotions on each side of the issue. The anti's see second-hand smoke as an infringement of their rights to clean air. The smokers regard the ban as an unjust impairment of freedoms on which our country is based. Things like health care costs, general economics of the tobacco industry, and the long history of smoking as an accepted activity cloud the controversy.
The bar at Biaggi's is the designated smoking area for the restaurant. Since I normally sit in this bar area (as my usual activity is wining, not dining), I do notice the second hand smoke. In addition to the few designated dining tables near the bar where smokers can request to be seated, guests from the back dining rooms will venture out to the bar for a smoke between courses, or when the need otherwise arises. For a non-smoker trying to enjoy a dry Tuscan red, the drifting odor of cigarette smoke is a definite negative in the ambiance of the moment.
Newer places like Biaggi's have ventilation systems that mitigate some of the second-hand smoke issues. Rarely do my clothes retain the smell of the smoke, even when I've spent a longer evening at the bar. This is in contrast to an older line place like a neighborhood bar where the smoke is more dense and the ventilation is less sophisticated. The problem with any ventilation solution is that it sucks out the heated air in the Winter, and the cooler air in the Summer. Both sucking results obviously add to the heating and cooling costs of the establishments.
(As I write this, I'm trying to decide if the health problems of second hand smoke are next in line for an Al Gore solution. The Internet. Global warming. Smoking health issues. It's a natural tri-fecta.)
Most municipalities have "noise" ordinances. There's a significant on-going debate on odors from hog/cattle confinement operations in Iowa and elsewhere. Many places have banned the burning of old tires or treated railroad ties. There are significant Federal laws on toxic emissions from cars, power plants, and other industrial operations. Smokers should read the tea leaves and recognize that the limitations on public smoking will continue against their favor.
From my perspective, I'm not a full-scale smoking hater. I would be devastated if one of the girls elected to start the habit. But for people in whom I do not have a personal connection, I am not overly revolted. However, that said, I am bothered by the societal impact of smoking on our health care system. (These are exactly the same feelings that I have about motor cycle riding. I don't want my girls on one, but I don't have a quarrel with other riders. IF they wear a helmet. There's still that societal cost of the bad results of motorcycle accidents.)
So here's my short list of bad effects of being around a smoker:
1. Bad hair smell.
2. Don't even think about a kiss.
3. Yellow teeth.
4. Bad breath.
5. That ugly slot between the first two fingers.
This list is too easy.
I'm headed out for lunch with my pal Roy.
Have a great day.
BCOT
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Thursday
Happy New Year! Again.
I had great expectations of adding an entry last night, but an early evening gathering of my AAU girls b-ball team of seven years ago took precedence. 4 and this group of now college junior age girls formed the PV Breakers in 5th grade. We played for four years and it was a great learning experience for me. Seven of the nine teammates were able to attend last night's pizza dinner. A good time was had by all.
You can't turn on a national newscast of any ilk today for more than 30 seconds without the term "Iowa caucus" being spoken. Fortunately, the focus will shift to New Hampshire at 12:01AM tomorrow morning. The only segment of the state's population that will rue the day of the departed pol's will be the TV station managers whose future ad revenues will most certainly decline from their December numbers.
I've established Monday as the deadline for any New Year's goals or course-corrections. I have never considered a list of goals as "resolutions", but some goals may have a resolution ring to them. Whatever. Craig Wilson's column this week was about anti-resolutionism. Whatever, again. Mostly, I think that it is useful to periodically put some kind of a road map on the journey that we each call life.
It is interesting to note that on the sporting front, the new year brings many changes for the owners, athletes, and other various participants in three of my favorite spectator sports: golf, cycling, and NASCAR. Today is the opening round of the first PGA event of 2008, the Mercedes Benz tournament in Hawaii. In that sport, golfers change equipment sponsors, change swing coaches, change caddy's, and change virtually anything else in their control that might give them a better chance to win and/or put more jingle in their pocket.
For the riders in the peloton, whole teams can come and go in any year. Sponsors (like Discovery) fade away. Racing schedules for different riders change based on major tour participation. And there's the usual posturing among the elite teams for use of equipment, clothing and doo-dads in the market place. The pro tour kicks off January 22 with the Tour Down Under in Australia.
And shocking as it may seem, there's a real case of musical cars, sponsors, and drivers on the track. The list this year is longer than usual and I remain uninformed at this point. But you have, 1) owners with money to spend who are trying desperately to get to the front, 2) drivers crying for better equipment so that they can compete with Hendrick Motor Sports, and 3) lots of shake-out at the rear of the pack as the have-nots try to hang on to the draft.
In the business of high finance, there's a clear cut off as money managers, investment bankers, and CEO's measure annual performance at 12/31 against index averages to determine bonuses. Star managers field offers from other funds, or find venture capital or other private equity to do "their own thing". And schedule their appearances on CNBC's Squawk Box.
In those sports-related scenarios, the driver, rider or golfer is basically trying to win the race. (Hanger-ons may have to look at the money so that they can pay the bills, but deep down, they value a win more than the cash.) The annual changes made by the owners and other players are more directly connected to the money. In finance, I would argue that it's all about the money.
So anyway, stay tuned for my non-resolutions in the next couple of days.
Have a great evening.
BCOT
I had great expectations of adding an entry last night, but an early evening gathering of my AAU girls b-ball team of seven years ago took precedence. 4 and this group of now college junior age girls formed the PV Breakers in 5th grade. We played for four years and it was a great learning experience for me. Seven of the nine teammates were able to attend last night's pizza dinner. A good time was had by all.
You can't turn on a national newscast of any ilk today for more than 30 seconds without the term "Iowa caucus" being spoken. Fortunately, the focus will shift to New Hampshire at 12:01AM tomorrow morning. The only segment of the state's population that will rue the day of the departed pol's will be the TV station managers whose future ad revenues will most certainly decline from their December numbers.
I've established Monday as the deadline for any New Year's goals or course-corrections. I have never considered a list of goals as "resolutions", but some goals may have a resolution ring to them. Whatever. Craig Wilson's column this week was about anti-resolutionism. Whatever, again. Mostly, I think that it is useful to periodically put some kind of a road map on the journey that we each call life.
It is interesting to note that on the sporting front, the new year brings many changes for the owners, athletes, and other various participants in three of my favorite spectator sports: golf, cycling, and NASCAR. Today is the opening round of the first PGA event of 2008, the Mercedes Benz tournament in Hawaii. In that sport, golfers change equipment sponsors, change swing coaches, change caddy's, and change virtually anything else in their control that might give them a better chance to win and/or put more jingle in their pocket.
For the riders in the peloton, whole teams can come and go in any year. Sponsors (like Discovery) fade away. Racing schedules for different riders change based on major tour participation. And there's the usual posturing among the elite teams for use of equipment, clothing and doo-dads in the market place. The pro tour kicks off January 22 with the Tour Down Under in Australia.
And shocking as it may seem, there's a real case of musical cars, sponsors, and drivers on the track. The list this year is longer than usual and I remain uninformed at this point. But you have, 1) owners with money to spend who are trying desperately to get to the front, 2) drivers crying for better equipment so that they can compete with Hendrick Motor Sports, and 3) lots of shake-out at the rear of the pack as the have-nots try to hang on to the draft.
In the business of high finance, there's a clear cut off as money managers, investment bankers, and CEO's measure annual performance at 12/31 against index averages to determine bonuses. Star managers field offers from other funds, or find venture capital or other private equity to do "their own thing". And schedule their appearances on CNBC's Squawk Box.
In those sports-related scenarios, the driver, rider or golfer is basically trying to win the race. (Hanger-ons may have to look at the money so that they can pay the bills, but deep down, they value a win more than the cash.) The annual changes made by the owners and other players are more directly connected to the money. In finance, I would argue that it's all about the money.
So anyway, stay tuned for my non-resolutions in the next couple of days.
Have a great evening.
BCOT
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Tuesady
Happy New Year to all!
Since everyone else out there had a much more exciting New Year's Eve than did I, I'll let the peanut gallery give some guest entries today.
BCOT
Since everyone else out there had a much more exciting New Year's Eve than did I, I'll let the peanut gallery give some guest entries today.
BCOT
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Sunday AM
53rd Street SB's. Quiet. Big difference from the gathering yesterday morning at the Duck Creek store where my pal Roy hosted his now, designated-by-me, coffee entourage. The entourage has taken on a life of it's own.
I started to watch the pro football game last night in which the Patriots were attempting to complete an undefeated season. This was the game that the NFL Network had originally been scheduled to broadcast only on it's limited cable feed, and that had then been opened-up to the regular networks due to it's "historic" (to whom?) importance. I fell asleep before halftime.
Football may be the only major pro sport where an undefeated season is truly possible. There are just too many games in baseball, basketball, and hockey for a team to not to lose. Anything over 100 (out of 162) wins in baseball, 60 (out of 82) wins in basketball, and who knows (?) in hockey, are considered great seasons.
Individual pro sports also have few undefeated examples. Rocky Marciano in boxing. Others? Maybe some bowlers, archers (Robin Hood comes to mind), or runners? Seems like everyone loses. Tiger. Michael. Federer. That must be why culture gets so fascinated with the undefeated season, whatever the endeavor.
College, high school, and other amateur teams go undefeated fairly often in various sports. Talent allocations can be more easily skewed at these lower levels of sport, and competition is often un-even. Not all sports have true elimination tournaments (NCAA D-I football, i.e.), and not all teams or players may necessarily appear in all events. None the less, any undefeated season in any sport at any level is an accomplishment that will stay with the competitor for his/her lifetime.
Switching gears.
I feel somewhat vindicated from one of the Q & A's in this morning's Parade magazine. The question was as to why the female characters on the various CSI shows consistently wear such low-cut tops. Not that I have in anyway found the the fashion offensive, but it has often occurred to me that the revealing attire wouldn't normally be considered work-appropriate. The response in Parade made sense: wardrobe is decided by the shows' producers who follow the Hollywood mantra, "the deeper the cleavage, the higher the ratings." Another mystery solved.
Lots of local and national stories this weekend on the "Best" and "Worst" of 2007. Movies, music, sports, entertainment and the like. Here's my shot at the fam's Best of 2007:
1. 1 and 1.1's wedding weekend.
2. 3's college graduation.
3. 3's starting her career in C-town.
4. 4's Summer in Spain.
5. 2's half's in St. Louis and QC.
6. My successful Turkey Trot with 2.
7. 4's 21st B-day.
8. 1's first sub-4, and 1.1's first.
9. 2, 3,and 4's FFF in Europe.
10. Tuscan red with all.
Here are some "Best's"that are a bit more personal:
1. Augie b-ball games.
2. The re-model of my bathroom.
3. The Saturday TOMRV ride to Galena.
4. The laptop and a mobile 4000 Days.
5. Friday nights at Biaggi's.
6. Crow Valley golf tournament with Roy.
7. SB's coffee at multiple local sites.
8. QC Criterium sponsored by my company.
9. Successful, safe trips to KC, TC's, PHX, C-town, and others.
10. Contact from old ND friends Mary and Bill.
Those contacts from Mary and Bill came separately, and totally out of the blue. I think I wrote here about them at the times that they appeared. Good friends can last a lifetime.
Ok. I've just set a personal record of time in a SB's at a single sitting. They haven't asked me to leave, but they are looking at me funny.
Have a great day.
BCOT
I started to watch the pro football game last night in which the Patriots were attempting to complete an undefeated season. This was the game that the NFL Network had originally been scheduled to broadcast only on it's limited cable feed, and that had then been opened-up to the regular networks due to it's "historic" (to whom?) importance. I fell asleep before halftime.
Football may be the only major pro sport where an undefeated season is truly possible. There are just too many games in baseball, basketball, and hockey for a team to not to lose. Anything over 100 (out of 162) wins in baseball, 60 (out of 82) wins in basketball, and who knows (?) in hockey, are considered great seasons.
Individual pro sports also have few undefeated examples. Rocky Marciano in boxing. Others? Maybe some bowlers, archers (Robin Hood comes to mind), or runners? Seems like everyone loses. Tiger. Michael. Federer. That must be why culture gets so fascinated with the undefeated season, whatever the endeavor.
College, high school, and other amateur teams go undefeated fairly often in various sports. Talent allocations can be more easily skewed at these lower levels of sport, and competition is often un-even. Not all sports have true elimination tournaments (NCAA D-I football, i.e.), and not all teams or players may necessarily appear in all events. None the less, any undefeated season in any sport at any level is an accomplishment that will stay with the competitor for his/her lifetime.
Switching gears.
I feel somewhat vindicated from one of the Q & A's in this morning's Parade magazine. The question was as to why the female characters on the various CSI shows consistently wear such low-cut tops. Not that I have in anyway found the the fashion offensive, but it has often occurred to me that the revealing attire wouldn't normally be considered work-appropriate. The response in Parade made sense: wardrobe is decided by the shows' producers who follow the Hollywood mantra, "the deeper the cleavage, the higher the ratings." Another mystery solved.
Lots of local and national stories this weekend on the "Best" and "Worst" of 2007. Movies, music, sports, entertainment and the like. Here's my shot at the fam's Best of 2007:
1. 1 and 1.1's wedding weekend.
2. 3's college graduation.
3. 3's starting her career in C-town.
4. 4's Summer in Spain.
5. 2's half's in St. Louis and QC.
6. My successful Turkey Trot with 2.
7. 4's 21st B-day.
8. 1's first sub-4, and 1.1's first.
9. 2, 3,and 4's FFF in Europe.
10. Tuscan red with all.
Here are some "Best's"that are a bit more personal:
1. Augie b-ball games.
2. The re-model of my bathroom.
3. The Saturday TOMRV ride to Galena.
4. The laptop and a mobile 4000 Days.
5. Friday nights at Biaggi's.
6. Crow Valley golf tournament with Roy.
7. SB's coffee at multiple local sites.
8. QC Criterium sponsored by my company.
9. Successful, safe trips to KC, TC's, PHX, C-town, and others.
10. Contact from old ND friends Mary and Bill.
Those contacts from Mary and Bill came separately, and totally out of the blue. I think I wrote here about them at the times that they appeared. Good friends can last a lifetime.
Ok. I've just set a personal record of time in a SB's at a single sitting. They haven't asked me to leave, but they are looking at me funny.
Have a great day.
BCOT
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Saturday
No good excuse for the last couple of days. Just a continuation of the irregularities of the season.
We had the biggest snow of the season yesterday. I'm guessing that the official total was in the 6-8" range. I had to use my snow blower to make my driveway passable. Looks like most of it will be staying with us for a while as the forecast has cool temperatures through most of next week.
About the only news in Iowa these days is politics. It would be hard to describe that topic as interesting. At this point, it's the equivalent of a five day weekend in Vegas: no ground has not been covered, and everybody's tired of everybody.
The college football bowl season is in full swing. Rah-rah for the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte! Wish I were there. Not! The college presidents must be looking at themselves in trick mirrors to defend a position that a playoff system wouldn't work because of academic integrity. The rationale behind everything is spelled M-O-N-E-Y. If they have a Golden Goose in the NCAA b-ball tourney, why wouldn't they work to make a clone in a f-ball playoff? Some argue that the Rose Bowl and the Rose Parade are the primary impediments to making a move to a new system.
I am so disinterested in the bowl season that I haven't even gone to Wikipedia to investigate the facts. And I go to Wikipedia to look up information on some of the most obscure topics on earth.
The latest news on my laptop is that the mystery of the out-of-service cordless-mouse has been solved. Our IT guy was through the office this week and, just as he was leaving, I remembered to ask him about my mouse problem. His first question was, "Did you try the reset button?" Since I didn't even know that the thing had a reset button, it was an easy answer. And I had actually looked for something like a switch on the underside of the thing, but hadn't detected anything. Sure enough. There's a little recessed dot, the size of a ballpoint pen point on the bottom. Hit that with a pen point, and waallah! A functioning mouse. I am an idiot.
This is the weekend of the annual office clean-out. Files that haven't moved in months go to the cabinets. Unread "Read" piles go to the recycling bin. Miscellaneous "junk" goes to the dumpster. This is just like any other New Year's Resolution program, whether it be for weight, personal enrichment, or fitness. I hope I do better than my "No Pile Left Behind" program of last year.
There was a story in the local paper this morning about the Inventory Reduction Sale going on with the big NASCAR teams. The older style of cars will not be used in 2008 as The Car of Tomorrow (COT) will be the only car run in the new season. The big teams have dozens of the older cars that have essentially become obsolete. $50K (or less) can get you a real hotrod. I told my Pal Roy that we ought to keep our eyes open for the right deal.
I was going to do a top ten list of New Year's Eve stories, but with no serious additions to the list since my 25th birthday, it's a fruitless effort. This year will be more of the same.
Included in my traditional gifts to the girls were several of the current weekly Hollywood trash magazines. In the course of my afternoon ennui on Christmas Day, I paged through two or three of them and was amazed at how few names and pictures of the "stars" that I recognized. There are now probably at least two generations of starlets and hunks to which I am totally oblivious. (The girls' near-naked pictures not with-standing.) When you watch mostly sports shows on the tube, don't go to movies, don't have an ear for anything approaching modern music, and stay close to ESPN and MarketWatch on the Internet, you don't keep much contact with the current "in" set.
So tomorrow will be a SB's morning. See you then.
Have a great weekend.
BCOT
We had the biggest snow of the season yesterday. I'm guessing that the official total was in the 6-8" range. I had to use my snow blower to make my driveway passable. Looks like most of it will be staying with us for a while as the forecast has cool temperatures through most of next week.
About the only news in Iowa these days is politics. It would be hard to describe that topic as interesting. At this point, it's the equivalent of a five day weekend in Vegas: no ground has not been covered, and everybody's tired of everybody.
The college football bowl season is in full swing. Rah-rah for the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte! Wish I were there. Not! The college presidents must be looking at themselves in trick mirrors to defend a position that a playoff system wouldn't work because of academic integrity. The rationale behind everything is spelled M-O-N-E-Y. If they have a Golden Goose in the NCAA b-ball tourney, why wouldn't they work to make a clone in a f-ball playoff? Some argue that the Rose Bowl and the Rose Parade are the primary impediments to making a move to a new system.
I am so disinterested in the bowl season that I haven't even gone to Wikipedia to investigate the facts. And I go to Wikipedia to look up information on some of the most obscure topics on earth.
The latest news on my laptop is that the mystery of the out-of-service cordless-mouse has been solved. Our IT guy was through the office this week and, just as he was leaving, I remembered to ask him about my mouse problem. His first question was, "Did you try the reset button?" Since I didn't even know that the thing had a reset button, it was an easy answer. And I had actually looked for something like a switch on the underside of the thing, but hadn't detected anything. Sure enough. There's a little recessed dot, the size of a ballpoint pen point on the bottom. Hit that with a pen point, and waallah! A functioning mouse. I am an idiot.
This is the weekend of the annual office clean-out. Files that haven't moved in months go to the cabinets. Unread "Read" piles go to the recycling bin. Miscellaneous "junk" goes to the dumpster. This is just like any other New Year's Resolution program, whether it be for weight, personal enrichment, or fitness. I hope I do better than my "No Pile Left Behind" program of last year.
There was a story in the local paper this morning about the Inventory Reduction Sale going on with the big NASCAR teams. The older style of cars will not be used in 2008 as The Car of Tomorrow (COT) will be the only car run in the new season. The big teams have dozens of the older cars that have essentially become obsolete. $50K (or less) can get you a real hotrod. I told my Pal Roy that we ought to keep our eyes open for the right deal.
I was going to do a top ten list of New Year's Eve stories, but with no serious additions to the list since my 25th birthday, it's a fruitless effort. This year will be more of the same.
Included in my traditional gifts to the girls were several of the current weekly Hollywood trash magazines. In the course of my afternoon ennui on Christmas Day, I paged through two or three of them and was amazed at how few names and pictures of the "stars" that I recognized. There are now probably at least two generations of starlets and hunks to which I am totally oblivious. (The girls' near-naked pictures not with-standing.) When you watch mostly sports shows on the tube, don't go to movies, don't have an ear for anything approaching modern music, and stay close to ESPN and MarketWatch on the Internet, you don't keep much contact with the current "in" set.
So tomorrow will be a SB's morning. See you then.
Have a great weekend.
BCOT
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Wednesday PM
I had great expectations of doing an entry while while-ing-away Christmas afternoon. It just didn't happen. 2 and I finally went for a long walk before dark, but that was about the extent of our productivity. But it was a good day, none the less.
When I met up with 1, 1.1 and 3 for some adult beverages on Sunday afternoon at Chili's after their workouts at Gold's, there was a small debate as to whether the laptop was having a negative impact on blog quantity. I admit that my entries over the last couple of weeks have been below standard, but I attribute that result to the season rather than the new technology. With so many irons in the fire with work and Holiday commitments, it's been hard to get any rhythm with the blog. My guess is that that condition will continue for another 10 days.
I vaguely remember 3 stealing Mom's dinner at the hospital after 4 was born. Hard to believe that the entire crew has now reached legal age. A lot of water has passed under the bridge of my own life in that time span. A rough time here and there. But very few things worthy of change.
The first couple of glitches came up on the laptop over the weekend. The wireless mouse seems to have died. Even with a fresh battery properly installed. And my IT guy had not initially installed Adobe for reading PDF files. When I tried to download it myself, I couldn't find where I had it saved. For all I know, I have a web-cam now activated on my machine streaming video of my sorry life to the Internet.
The NFL has caved and is allowing broadcast of the Patriots-Giants game this Saturday night on the broadcast networks, not just it's own NFL network. If it were a lesser game, there would have been little outcry. I still can't see where they'll give in on the longer term issue. This was just a public relations decision because of national interest in the game.
The Bull's fired Scott Skiles after about a quarter of the season. The team has been the biggest disappointment in the league this year. This is a case of where you can't fire a team, so the coach has to go. In my opinion, the GM now has license to trade some supposedly "un-touchable" players, although it could be argued that the team's poor performance is because no such moves were made previously. They still need inside scoring.
I heard an Old Wive's tale today that you don't give knife sets as gifts because it's bad luck? I really like the set I received from 3. If I have any problems this week, I'll have to check out my Old Wive's Almanac.
Anybody notice the passing of the Winter Solstice last week? The day's already seem longer. Not!
I made a miscalculation on SB's hours yesterday. The local stores were actually open from 8-3. I had somehow recorded that in my mental computer as "opening" at 3. So I had Shell gas station coffee yesterday. SB's shouldn't worry too much about losing many customers to that brand.
We had basically no time to catch our breath from "Christmas" shopping to launch head-long into "post-Christmas" shopping. I understand that December 26th is second only to the Friday after Thanksgiving as the busiest shopping day of the year. I know the Target lot was packed at 7:30 this morning as I drove by after coffee. If cars-in-the-lot is any indication, the deals at Target must have surpassed those available at Kohl's. What's next, New Year's Day final write-downs? This all smacks of old-fashioned bartering on the streets of Tijuana.
So I'm trying to feed the masses of my readers a little literary fodder here. But that's it for today.
Have a great evening.
BCOT
When I met up with 1, 1.1 and 3 for some adult beverages on Sunday afternoon at Chili's after their workouts at Gold's, there was a small debate as to whether the laptop was having a negative impact on blog quantity. I admit that my entries over the last couple of weeks have been below standard, but I attribute that result to the season rather than the new technology. With so many irons in the fire with work and Holiday commitments, it's been hard to get any rhythm with the blog. My guess is that that condition will continue for another 10 days.
I vaguely remember 3 stealing Mom's dinner at the hospital after 4 was born. Hard to believe that the entire crew has now reached legal age. A lot of water has passed under the bridge of my own life in that time span. A rough time here and there. But very few things worthy of change.
The first couple of glitches came up on the laptop over the weekend. The wireless mouse seems to have died. Even with a fresh battery properly installed. And my IT guy had not initially installed Adobe for reading PDF files. When I tried to download it myself, I couldn't find where I had it saved. For all I know, I have a web-cam now activated on my machine streaming video of my sorry life to the Internet.
The NFL has caved and is allowing broadcast of the Patriots-Giants game this Saturday night on the broadcast networks, not just it's own NFL network. If it were a lesser game, there would have been little outcry. I still can't see where they'll give in on the longer term issue. This was just a public relations decision because of national interest in the game.
The Bull's fired Scott Skiles after about a quarter of the season. The team has been the biggest disappointment in the league this year. This is a case of where you can't fire a team, so the coach has to go. In my opinion, the GM now has license to trade some supposedly "un-touchable" players, although it could be argued that the team's poor performance is because no such moves were made previously. They still need inside scoring.
I heard an Old Wive's tale today that you don't give knife sets as gifts because it's bad luck? I really like the set I received from 3. If I have any problems this week, I'll have to check out my Old Wive's Almanac.
Anybody notice the passing of the Winter Solstice last week? The day's already seem longer. Not!
I made a miscalculation on SB's hours yesterday. The local stores were actually open from 8-3. I had somehow recorded that in my mental computer as "opening" at 3. So I had Shell gas station coffee yesterday. SB's shouldn't worry too much about losing many customers to that brand.
We had basically no time to catch our breath from "Christmas" shopping to launch head-long into "post-Christmas" shopping. I understand that December 26th is second only to the Friday after Thanksgiving as the busiest shopping day of the year. I know the Target lot was packed at 7:30 this morning as I drove by after coffee. If cars-in-the-lot is any indication, the deals at Target must have surpassed those available at Kohl's. What's next, New Year's Day final write-downs? This all smacks of old-fashioned bartering on the streets of Tijuana.
So I'm trying to feed the masses of my readers a little literary fodder here. But that's it for today.
Have a great evening.
BCOT
Monday, December 24, 2007
Monday
Happy Birthday to 4! She is Daughter of the Day.
We did our usual Chunky Cheese and a movie. I Am Legend was less than one for the fam.
Quiet day at the office. A small Santa rally on Wall Street. My pal Roy stopped in and gave me a couple of books as my gift. I still owe him. Not an easy guy to shop for. After lunch, 3 met me and helped me do a little shopping. She seems to have inherited my procrastination gene.
For those early risers on the 25th, Merry Christmas to all!
I'll be adding an entry tomorrow. I may have some help.
BCOT
We did our usual Chunky Cheese and a movie. I Am Legend was less than one for the fam.
Quiet day at the office. A small Santa rally on Wall Street. My pal Roy stopped in and gave me a couple of books as my gift. I still owe him. Not an easy guy to shop for. After lunch, 3 met me and helped me do a little shopping. She seems to have inherited my procrastination gene.
For those early risers on the 25th, Merry Christmas to all!
I'll be adding an entry tomorrow. I may have some help.
BCOT
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Sunday
Happy Tax-Birthday to 4!
Weather came in overnight. Very quick moving front. Started out as misty rain yesterday around noon. Converted to rain in the afternoon. Freezing rain by night. And then snow. Fairly clear now, but cold and windy. Definitely a Christmas feel.
Broadcasting from SB's this AM.
FFF at the Augie game last night. Good game, but the home team came up a little short against a very good Wisconsin state system team that had some serious three point gunners. 4 did a little filming for a class. She looked very officially newsy. (2 was a no-show because of a commitment to some high school friends who had scheduled a reunion dinner. Her loss.)
More FFF today as we celebrate Christmas with 1 and 1.1. They head back to Minnesota early tomorrow.
The local fishwrap endorsed Hillary and McCain in today's edition. Why do newspapers need to do endorsements for both parties? Not that anything that that paper says is worth noting. Less than two weeks now until Iowa gets rid of all the politicians. Can't be soon enough for me.
The atmosphere in SB's is always a little lighter on a Sunday as parents often come in with kids. Today has an even more festive feel as there is evidence of out-of-town relatives joining in for the fellowship. SB's is one commercial establishment that allows friends and family from all over the country to meet in a common place where everyone can feel at home (when not at home).
That's an interesting thought. Where can you go when you're not at home where it feels like you are in a very familiar place? A couple of easy answers for me: 1) a Main Street bar in a one-horse town on a hot RAGBRAI afternoon, and; 2) Wrigleyville in C-town. Places like Sand Harbor at Lake Tahoe and The Plaza in KC are possible alternative choices as well.
On a different topic, how irritating is it to have people in close proximity to you on extended, gratuitous personal cell phone calls in public places, like SB's? While loudly chewing gum? And displaying other annoying habits? But I digress.
It's getting down to the Christmas shopping time for me. Actually, 1 and 1.1's schedule has accelerated my time frame by a day.
A number of businesses have taken off Monday as an official holiday. Not Criterium. With the markets open, so are we. Till noon. But I am certain that it will be pretty quiet. After lunch I can get to my shopping.
I don't think that I mentioned it here, but I did get a clean bill of health from my regular doc on my annual physical last week. This after spending more time in medical offices in the last six months than at any time since I tore up my knee almost twenty years ago. I used to think that only old people needed a line-up card to keep track of their doctor appointments. What's that saying about "them" being "us"?
So I'm off to make a couple of stops. Hope everyone has a great day.
BCOT
Weather came in overnight. Very quick moving front. Started out as misty rain yesterday around noon. Converted to rain in the afternoon. Freezing rain by night. And then snow. Fairly clear now, but cold and windy. Definitely a Christmas feel.
Broadcasting from SB's this AM.
FFF at the Augie game last night. Good game, but the home team came up a little short against a very good Wisconsin state system team that had some serious three point gunners. 4 did a little filming for a class. She looked very officially newsy. (2 was a no-show because of a commitment to some high school friends who had scheduled a reunion dinner. Her loss.)
More FFF today as we celebrate Christmas with 1 and 1.1. They head back to Minnesota early tomorrow.
The local fishwrap endorsed Hillary and McCain in today's edition. Why do newspapers need to do endorsements for both parties? Not that anything that that paper says is worth noting. Less than two weeks now until Iowa gets rid of all the politicians. Can't be soon enough for me.
The atmosphere in SB's is always a little lighter on a Sunday as parents often come in with kids. Today has an even more festive feel as there is evidence of out-of-town relatives joining in for the fellowship. SB's is one commercial establishment that allows friends and family from all over the country to meet in a common place where everyone can feel at home (when not at home).
That's an interesting thought. Where can you go when you're not at home where it feels like you are in a very familiar place? A couple of easy answers for me: 1) a Main Street bar in a one-horse town on a hot RAGBRAI afternoon, and; 2) Wrigleyville in C-town. Places like Sand Harbor at Lake Tahoe and The Plaza in KC are possible alternative choices as well.
On a different topic, how irritating is it to have people in close proximity to you on extended, gratuitous personal cell phone calls in public places, like SB's? While loudly chewing gum? And displaying other annoying habits? But I digress.
It's getting down to the Christmas shopping time for me. Actually, 1 and 1.1's schedule has accelerated my time frame by a day.
A number of businesses have taken off Monday as an official holiday. Not Criterium. With the markets open, so are we. Till noon. But I am certain that it will be pretty quiet. After lunch I can get to my shopping.
I don't think that I mentioned it here, but I did get a clean bill of health from my regular doc on my annual physical last week. This after spending more time in medical offices in the last six months than at any time since I tore up my knee almost twenty years ago. I used to think that only old people needed a line-up card to keep track of their doctor appointments. What's that saying about "them" being "us"?
So I'm off to make a couple of stops. Hope everyone has a great day.
BCOT
Friday, December 21, 2007
Friday AM
This has been a bit of an unusual week. There are always a few business things that crop up at the end of the year, and then there are some evening social functions that disrupt the norm. My entries may remain a bit erratic over the next few days.
Hope all who will be on the road have safe travels. Keep it between the ditches.
More later. Maybe.
PCH
Hope all who will be on the road have safe travels. Keep it between the ditches.
More later. Maybe.
PCH
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Wednesday AM
Oops. I didn't even get on to say, "No blog today", last night. Sorry.
It was one of those somewhat spontaneous evenings at Biaggi's with some friends, clients and Tuscan red. And I never got to the laptop at home.
2 has had some bump-ins with Hillary and Bill that she may wish to share with you.
3 had an overnight in Minneapolis for a company office party. Details to follow?
More later.
BCOT
It was one of those somewhat spontaneous evenings at Biaggi's with some friends, clients and Tuscan red. And I never got to the laptop at home.
2 has had some bump-ins with Hillary and Bill that she may wish to share with you.
3 had an overnight in Minneapolis for a company office party. Details to follow?
More later.
BCOT
Monday, December 17, 2007
Monday
Just checking in.
2 was front row for a Hillary event tonight at the museum. So jealous.
3 is pounding the overtime clock tonight after a long weekend on the job as well. Sympathy welcome.
In honor of 3, a list of my 10 worst days at work, ever:
1. Sued by a client, circa 1992.
2. Surprise USAF safety inspection of my outfit, Korea, circa 1974.
3. April 15th, just about any year.
4. Someday in May 2007. An oversight on an account cost me five figures.
5. January 1972. I wrecked my new car while running a red light.
6. July 1957. I struck out 3 times in the City Championship game.
7. January 1995 or so. Wally and Daddy pass on.
8. May 1979. I don't get promoted to Manager at AA & Co.
9. Spring 2002. I lose a bitter personal battle with the IRS.
10. 9-11-2001. Everyone was affected.
That took quite a while to compile that list. On the other hand, I could do a "great days" list with ease. Maybe I will. Tomorrow.
This is 4's tax-week birthday. 6 days to 21!
BCOT
6.
2 was front row for a Hillary event tonight at the museum. So jealous.
3 is pounding the overtime clock tonight after a long weekend on the job as well. Sympathy welcome.
In honor of 3, a list of my 10 worst days at work, ever:
1. Sued by a client, circa 1992.
2. Surprise USAF safety inspection of my outfit, Korea, circa 1974.
3. April 15th, just about any year.
4. Someday in May 2007. An oversight on an account cost me five figures.
5. January 1972. I wrecked my new car while running a red light.
6. July 1957. I struck out 3 times in the City Championship game.
7. January 1995 or so. Wally and Daddy pass on.
8. May 1979. I don't get promoted to Manager at AA & Co.
9. Spring 2002. I lose a bitter personal battle with the IRS.
10. 9-11-2001. Everyone was affected.
That took quite a while to compile that list. On the other hand, I could do a "great days" list with ease. Maybe I will. Tomorrow.
This is 4's tax-week birthday. 6 days to 21!
BCOT
6.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Sunday
Low key day for me. Domestic stuff. My pal Roy and I did lunch at Gov's.
There was golf on TV this weekend. A non-Tour, small-field of 16 event called the Target Challenge. Hosted by Tiger. He won by a bunch. And contributed his winnings to his foundation. After not having watched golf for two months or so, I found it enjoyable viewing.
I'm really looking forward to Speedweeks at Daytona.
Sounds like I am Legend starring Will Smith may be an option for the 24th. It was the big draw this weekend. Wacha thinkin', 4? (Meet Me in St. Louis was on the classics channel this weekend.)
I caught glimpses of a couple of at least C-rated movies on cable this weekend in which Shelly Long and Cheryl Ladd each portrayed mothers to hot young daughters (who were the central characters in the movies). The disturbing thing to me was that these two actresses were at least minor fantasies of mine in years past. And I'm older than both of them! Actually, Shelly Long (whom you would not describe as aging gracefully) was amusing, at best, on Cheers, and did her best work in the sexually-charged Troop Beverly Hills. On the other hand, with proper lighting, a little Botox, and the right camera angles, Cheryl could still play a slightly older Charlie's Angel.
I feel a little guilty that the Christmas lights are still in storage in my basement. But not so guilty that I've scheduled a time to get them out to my front bushes.
A friend in C-town sent me a couple of short biker books that I read last week. (The books were short. I really don't know about the height of the bikers. As a rule, bikers tend to be shorter rather than taller.) The one book was the mental diary of the author's thoughts as he competed in a one-day amateur race in Europe 20-odd years ago. Mildly entertaining, but the guy was definitely anal retentive. He remembered all the races that he had competed in over the years (and specifics about each race), by the chronological number that he gave each race.
The one recurring factoid that he kept bringing up that I found identity with was the math in his current gear ratio. I don't necessarily worry about gear ratios, but I am always doing equations when I'm going up a hill. How many gears do I have left in my rear cassette? Do I have to go to my triple crank? Can I keep this cadence without dropping a gear? Do I need to get out of the saddle? Where's the beer vendor?
It wasn't meant to be a Christmas gift, but persistent delays basically made it so. My pal Roy's brother John acquired a framed Lance Armstrong work destined for me at another charity golf event this Fall. It's a series of all of Lance's Sports Illustrated cover shots. With an autographed card in the middle of the collage. It's going to be hung on a wall in my office. (The framed photo of Lance that Roy gave me a couple of years ago that hangs in our reception area still gets "oohs and aahs".)
Aunt Martha sent her Christmas e-card over the weekend. Nice family pics make the greeting very personal. I also received Uncle Phil's picture card last week. Great picture! Of his entire family at 1's wedding. Finally, I also recently received a very traditional card with annual letter from a long-time friend who has done a great job of keeping holiday traditions, through thick and thin, kids, grand kids, and every other family event. I admire her determination.
Just to give myself a little treat in the middle of the storm, I fired up Margret today. She initially resisted, but then couldn't deny my appeal. Those dual pipes purred like a kitty.
Hope everyone has a good week.
BCOT
There was golf on TV this weekend. A non-Tour, small-field of 16 event called the Target Challenge. Hosted by Tiger. He won by a bunch. And contributed his winnings to his foundation. After not having watched golf for two months or so, I found it enjoyable viewing.
I'm really looking forward to Speedweeks at Daytona.
Sounds like I am Legend starring Will Smith may be an option for the 24th. It was the big draw this weekend. Wacha thinkin', 4? (Meet Me in St. Louis was on the classics channel this weekend.)
I caught glimpses of a couple of at least C-rated movies on cable this weekend in which Shelly Long and Cheryl Ladd each portrayed mothers to hot young daughters (who were the central characters in the movies). The disturbing thing to me was that these two actresses were at least minor fantasies of mine in years past. And I'm older than both of them! Actually, Shelly Long (whom you would not describe as aging gracefully) was amusing, at best, on Cheers, and did her best work in the sexually-charged Troop Beverly Hills. On the other hand, with proper lighting, a little Botox, and the right camera angles, Cheryl could still play a slightly older Charlie's Angel.
I feel a little guilty that the Christmas lights are still in storage in my basement. But not so guilty that I've scheduled a time to get them out to my front bushes.
A friend in C-town sent me a couple of short biker books that I read last week. (The books were short. I really don't know about the height of the bikers. As a rule, bikers tend to be shorter rather than taller.) The one book was the mental diary of the author's thoughts as he competed in a one-day amateur race in Europe 20-odd years ago. Mildly entertaining, but the guy was definitely anal retentive. He remembered all the races that he had competed in over the years (and specifics about each race), by the chronological number that he gave each race.
The one recurring factoid that he kept bringing up that I found identity with was the math in his current gear ratio. I don't necessarily worry about gear ratios, but I am always doing equations when I'm going up a hill. How many gears do I have left in my rear cassette? Do I have to go to my triple crank? Can I keep this cadence without dropping a gear? Do I need to get out of the saddle? Where's the beer vendor?
It wasn't meant to be a Christmas gift, but persistent delays basically made it so. My pal Roy's brother John acquired a framed Lance Armstrong work destined for me at another charity golf event this Fall. It's a series of all of Lance's Sports Illustrated cover shots. With an autographed card in the middle of the collage. It's going to be hung on a wall in my office. (The framed photo of Lance that Roy gave me a couple of years ago that hangs in our reception area still gets "oohs and aahs".)
Aunt Martha sent her Christmas e-card over the weekend. Nice family pics make the greeting very personal. I also received Uncle Phil's picture card last week. Great picture! Of his entire family at 1's wedding. Finally, I also recently received a very traditional card with annual letter from a long-time friend who has done a great job of keeping holiday traditions, through thick and thin, kids, grand kids, and every other family event. I admire her determination.
Just to give myself a little treat in the middle of the storm, I fired up Margret today. She initially resisted, but then couldn't deny my appeal. Those dual pipes purred like a kitty.
Hope everyone has a good week.
BCOT
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Saturday
Real Winter here today. The snow began this morning and has continued to fall most of the day. No blizzard or anything. Just steady. Fluffy stuff. I shoveled about 4" off the sidewalk around 5 this afternoon. And there's another coat on it now.
Didn't get to the blog at the office yesterday afternoon, and 2 had borrowed my laptop for use at a function last night at the museum. Not that I ever do much writing on Fridays anyway.
3 had a scheduled weekend in NYC (New York City!) with a college friend who's working there taken away from her by a boss's decision. A deadline for some report on one of her cases that wasn't supposed to be until a February date was unexpectedly (unnecessarily?) accelerated. The fact that the East Coast is under a Winter storm watch is cold comfort. (No pun intended.) Sorry, Kiddo.
Looks like while there will be no Cabo trip, there will be a long weekend in Scottsdale. I have an invitation to a vendor conference in Scottsdale on January 10-11. The boys are now talking about heading down the 9th and staying through the 13th. I'm going to try to work it so that the vendor pays for my airfare and a couple of hotel nights. If I don't play golf Wednesday and Thursday, so be it.
SB's has opened yet another local store, this one on Locust Street in west Davenport, at a busy intersection within a few blocks of West HS. I'll likely never get there. One of the assistant managers at Duck Creek said that the busiest QCA store is over in Moline, which is their only location on the Illinois side. The multiple Iowa stores are probably just stealing business from one another. In my case, once they stole me from Panera, my daily consumption didn't add to their overall sales, regardless of the store I stopped at each day. Unless the girls came to town.
I was very impressed with a recent online transaction with The Gap. In reference to my misplaced/lost jeans from last week, I elected to order some new Gap jeans to upgrade my look. I paid (with my Gap credit card) $34.50/pair for three pair to get over a $100 minimum order to obtain free shipping. The package arrived at my doorstep within four days.
I should have my clients as satisfied with my services. The product was exactly what I wanted. The process was efficient. The delivery very timely. The online equivalent of concierge service.
(I suspect that it is not lost on the more fashion-conscious that I acquired three pair of jeans for the cost of a C-note. And while there is no designer label involved, I think that they look just fine. I mean, it's not like I bought them at Tractor Supply.)
I'm wondering if Ultimate Fighting will be supplanting "48 Hours of Bond", or perhaps, "48 Hours of Eastwood" over the holidays on Spike TV. It's a sign of the times. Young men in the preferred age groups don't know who Sean Connnerly was/is. And I don't have a clue who the players are in the Octagon. Talk about disconnect.
I heard a teaser today on Sportscenter for "Capital One Bowl Week." The onslaught of post-season games between teams with so-so records. From December 20th to 30th. Why would anybody in the media be concerned that a week is made up of seven days? At least NASCAR calls their extended stay in Daytona, "SpeedWeeks."
I have made special arrangements with my Russian cleaning lady to come by for an early visit next Friday since her normal day falls on the 25th. FFF here one of those weekend days.
More tomorrow.
BCOT
Didn't get to the blog at the office yesterday afternoon, and 2 had borrowed my laptop for use at a function last night at the museum. Not that I ever do much writing on Fridays anyway.
3 had a scheduled weekend in NYC (New York City!) with a college friend who's working there taken away from her by a boss's decision. A deadline for some report on one of her cases that wasn't supposed to be until a February date was unexpectedly (unnecessarily?) accelerated. The fact that the East Coast is under a Winter storm watch is cold comfort. (No pun intended.) Sorry, Kiddo.
Looks like while there will be no Cabo trip, there will be a long weekend in Scottsdale. I have an invitation to a vendor conference in Scottsdale on January 10-11. The boys are now talking about heading down the 9th and staying through the 13th. I'm going to try to work it so that the vendor pays for my airfare and a couple of hotel nights. If I don't play golf Wednesday and Thursday, so be it.
SB's has opened yet another local store, this one on Locust Street in west Davenport, at a busy intersection within a few blocks of West HS. I'll likely never get there. One of the assistant managers at Duck Creek said that the busiest QCA store is over in Moline, which is their only location on the Illinois side. The multiple Iowa stores are probably just stealing business from one another. In my case, once they stole me from Panera, my daily consumption didn't add to their overall sales, regardless of the store I stopped at each day. Unless the girls came to town.
I was very impressed with a recent online transaction with The Gap. In reference to my misplaced/lost jeans from last week, I elected to order some new Gap jeans to upgrade my look. I paid (with my Gap credit card) $34.50/pair for three pair to get over a $100 minimum order to obtain free shipping. The package arrived at my doorstep within four days.
I should have my clients as satisfied with my services. The product was exactly what I wanted. The process was efficient. The delivery very timely. The online equivalent of concierge service.
(I suspect that it is not lost on the more fashion-conscious that I acquired three pair of jeans for the cost of a C-note. And while there is no designer label involved, I think that they look just fine. I mean, it's not like I bought them at Tractor Supply.)
I'm wondering if Ultimate Fighting will be supplanting "48 Hours of Bond", or perhaps, "48 Hours of Eastwood" over the holidays on Spike TV. It's a sign of the times. Young men in the preferred age groups don't know who Sean Connnerly was/is. And I don't have a clue who the players are in the Octagon. Talk about disconnect.
I heard a teaser today on Sportscenter for "Capital One Bowl Week." The onslaught of post-season games between teams with so-so records. From December 20th to 30th. Why would anybody in the media be concerned that a week is made up of seven days? At least NASCAR calls their extended stay in Daytona, "SpeedWeeks."
I have made special arrangements with my Russian cleaning lady to come by for an early visit next Friday since her normal day falls on the 25th. FFF here one of those weekend days.
More tomorrow.
BCOT
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Thursday
2 and I had a nice night over at Augie. The home team won in their first game without their senior-captain, leading scorer who blew out his Achilles last weekend. He's toast for the year. A freshman off-guard stepped up for 18. A very good sign for the future.
The big news in sports today is the doping report on Major League Baseball. This has all the combined trappings of a Hollywood scandal and a mudslinging political campaign. Popular figures are accused of headline-grabbing activities. Holier-than-thou reporters are out there "representing" the public's need-to-know. I am probably more troubled by the righteous angst being expressed by the investigative media than I am by the alleged drug use. Kieth Olberman's moralizing on NBC's Nightly News was enough to make me wretch.
Sports have become largely entertainment businesses. Movie stars, musicians, artists and other people in various spheres of entertainment don't have the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) dropping by unannounced to take a syringe of bodily fluids. Why is it that athletes are held to this uncompromising standard? I suppose that it can be traced to an Olympic connection where "sports" are, in the IOC's mind, not tainted by the unpleasantness's of life on the street.
Science has made the whole matter of diet and health an evolving landscape. Gatorade is OK. Red Bull too, I think. But don't take too much Benadryl or Claritin so that you can breathe. My guess is that there are science-geeks out there now who are working on the next generation of supplements that will enhance athletic performance. Supplements that will line up the atomic structure to conform to the rules. If it looks like a duck. And walks like a duck. And quacks like a duck. Is it a duck?
All for tonight. Good luck with your Friday.
BCOT
The big news in sports today is the doping report on Major League Baseball. This has all the combined trappings of a Hollywood scandal and a mudslinging political campaign. Popular figures are accused of headline-grabbing activities. Holier-than-thou reporters are out there "representing" the public's need-to-know. I am probably more troubled by the righteous angst being expressed by the investigative media than I am by the alleged drug use. Kieth Olberman's moralizing on NBC's Nightly News was enough to make me wretch.
Sports have become largely entertainment businesses. Movie stars, musicians, artists and other people in various spheres of entertainment don't have the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) dropping by unannounced to take a syringe of bodily fluids. Why is it that athletes are held to this uncompromising standard? I suppose that it can be traced to an Olympic connection where "sports" are, in the IOC's mind, not tainted by the unpleasantness's of life on the street.
Science has made the whole matter of diet and health an evolving landscape. Gatorade is OK. Red Bull too, I think. But don't take too much Benadryl or Claritin so that you can breathe. My guess is that there are science-geeks out there now who are working on the next generation of supplements that will enhance athletic performance. Supplements that will line up the atomic structure to conform to the rules. If it looks like a duck. And walks like a duck. And quacks like a duck. Is it a duck?
All for tonight. Good luck with your Friday.
BCOT
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wednesday
No blog today. 2 and I are headed over to Augie for a game.
I considered Wilson's column today an admission that the older you get, the less you know, and the more comfortable you are in your skin to publicly admit this ignorance. The concept is obvious to most truthful old farts. The gratuitous reference to Oprah wasn't needed.
More tomorrow.
BCOT
I considered Wilson's column today an admission that the older you get, the less you know, and the more comfortable you are in your skin to publicly admit this ignorance. The concept is obvious to most truthful old farts. The gratuitous reference to Oprah wasn't needed.
More tomorrow.
BCOT
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Tuesday
Sorry for that slight omission yesterday. The best laid plans...
Interesting weather day here today. Ice. Rain. Now it's freezing whatever is on the ground. Yuck!
Glad to hear that we all have lost causes. Then again, where's 3's?
I have another example of my anti-geek-ism-ness. The wireless mouse, to my new-found wisdom, is powered by one AA battery. I actually originally thought that there was some wireless power source that came from the laptop to the mouse. Whatever. Anyway, a few days ago, the screen had given me an alert that the mouse was low on power. I disregarded the warning, thinking that re-charging the laptop would transfer to the mouse. I'm not making this up.
A couple of days back, when I picked up the mouse to stow it in my carrying case, I accidentally tripped the neatly-concealed release button...to the battery drawer/housing. Which made the "power low" warning make sense. If that were the end of the story.
So I happened to have a spare AA battery (which I thought was a new one) in my "junk" drawer. I swap out the new for the old, and, "Waallaah!" Nothing. So my natural conclusion was that my supposedly "new" battery was not so new, and a trip to Walgreen's was in order. Which didn't happen for another day or two. So I was working with the irksome touch-pad to move the mouse. Bah-humbug. (In the spirit of the season.)
I eventually do acquire said AA batteries, and subsequently do a new swap. Still no movement to the mouse. I'm mystified. I do a de-bugging exercise to see if I had unknowingly turned off some switch on the mouse protocol. I go to about the third or fourth level of the de-bugging program and I still can't find the disconnect. Do I call the geek-squad? Of course not. I resign myself to the touch-pad.
Another day later, I have an idea. I open the mouse's battery drawer and flip the battery. Problem solved. Again, I'm not making this up.
I could relate a similar story about the time a few years back when I bought a lightweight Fall coat before I realized that my Columbia full Winter coat (that I had purchased earlier that Fall) had a zip-out liner. Meant to work as a Fall jacket. But that may push the "losing the audience" envelope.
I have two graduate degrees and several professional certifications. But I wasn't in attendance at all of the classes. I'm sure some of these things were covered on those days.
3, your BFF Warren was all over the MSNBC today with Hillary. Having just hosted an intimate $1 mil fund-raiser for her. But he also supports Obama. And the estate tax. An unusual set of contradictions. Then again, when you have that much money, you can afford to be whatever you want to be.
So more ramblings tomorrow. Have a great evening.
BCOT
Interesting weather day here today. Ice. Rain. Now it's freezing whatever is on the ground. Yuck!
Glad to hear that we all have lost causes. Then again, where's 3's?
I have another example of my anti-geek-ism-ness. The wireless mouse, to my new-found wisdom, is powered by one AA battery. I actually originally thought that there was some wireless power source that came from the laptop to the mouse. Whatever. Anyway, a few days ago, the screen had given me an alert that the mouse was low on power. I disregarded the warning, thinking that re-charging the laptop would transfer to the mouse. I'm not making this up.
A couple of days back, when I picked up the mouse to stow it in my carrying case, I accidentally tripped the neatly-concealed release button...to the battery drawer/housing. Which made the "power low" warning make sense. If that were the end of the story.
So I happened to have a spare AA battery (which I thought was a new one) in my "junk" drawer. I swap out the new for the old, and, "Waallaah!" Nothing. So my natural conclusion was that my supposedly "new" battery was not so new, and a trip to Walgreen's was in order. Which didn't happen for another day or two. So I was working with the irksome touch-pad to move the mouse. Bah-humbug. (In the spirit of the season.)
I eventually do acquire said AA batteries, and subsequently do a new swap. Still no movement to the mouse. I'm mystified. I do a de-bugging exercise to see if I had unknowingly turned off some switch on the mouse protocol. I go to about the third or fourth level of the de-bugging program and I still can't find the disconnect. Do I call the geek-squad? Of course not. I resign myself to the touch-pad.
Another day later, I have an idea. I open the mouse's battery drawer and flip the battery. Problem solved. Again, I'm not making this up.
I could relate a similar story about the time a few years back when I bought a lightweight Fall coat before I realized that my Columbia full Winter coat (that I had purchased earlier that Fall) had a zip-out liner. Meant to work as a Fall jacket. But that may push the "losing the audience" envelope.
I have two graduate degrees and several professional certifications. But I wasn't in attendance at all of the classes. I'm sure some of these things were covered on those days.
3, your BFF Warren was all over the MSNBC today with Hillary. Having just hosted an intimate $1 mil fund-raiser for her. But he also supports Obama. And the estate tax. An unusual set of contradictions. Then again, when you have that much money, you can afford to be whatever you want to be.
So more ramblings tomorrow. Have a great evening.
BCOT
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Sunday
Morning coffee at SB's. A little more Winter in our lives.
There is the possibility that I may put up my four strands of Christmas lights today.
My house situation is something less than 100% perfect, but I have one exceptional next-door neighbor. For each of the two modest snow-falls this past week, my front walk was shoveled by a Good Samaritan, and the day after the second one, I came home to find my driveway cleared all the way back to my garage! Now it's not like there was a ton of snow, but Jim took the time and made a compelling statement of neighborliness
1 and 1.1 are in C-town for the weekend. An idealist might suggest sisterly affection. The realist would know that KG and the Celts were in town.
2 and I did Biaggi's on Friday night to catch up on things. 2 had had a busy and successful week at the museum. A membership event on Thursday night turned out great in spite of the snow. Way to go 2!
I was too busy yesterday to make it to The Oprah celebration. Maybe next time.
Several interesting commentaries in the op-ed columns this week about the Romney religion speech. And most conclusions from both ends of the political spectrum suggesting that Huckabee has left-handedly played the religion card to cater to religious conservatives in Iowa. Would the media put up with that tactic if the affected opponent was Joe Lieberman?
Speaking of religion, the Diocese of Davenport has reached an accord in it's bankruptcy case to pay out $37 large to the victims of clerical abuse. But the plaintiffs' attorneys have assured the public that it's not about the money. While on their way to the bank.
The revamped Veteran's Committee in Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame has nominated former commissioner Bowie Kuhn for induction next year. That nomination has been universally panned in the sports pages. Marvin Miller, the ground-breaking leader of the players' union, who won most of the significant battles against Kuhn in the course of their contemporaneous tenures, was virtually ignored in the voting. And who said men have short memories?
I seem to have lost a pair of jeans. Which has given me much consternation over the last few days. I don't have that much stuff. How can I lose a pair of jeans? (And why can one piece of clothing be called a pair? But that's a different story.) It is possible that I simply misplaced the jeans. Which raises the question, "When does an item go from misplaced to lost?" Is it a matter of time or simply a change in mental conviction?
Here's a list of some common things that people lose:
1. Keys.
2. Wallets/purses/passports (3?).
3. Trains of thought.
4. Focus/concentration.
5. Games.
6. Places (Reading).
7. Contact (proximity).
8. Contacts (eye wear).
9. Direction (life).
10. Virginity (Just checking to see if anyone is reading...:)).
Then there's the whole business of being lost on a trip. Or in one's thoughts. Or being a lost soul. Or lost at sea. Or at a loss for words. Or being lost in translation. Or having lost one's sanity. Or track of time. Interest. A bet. The cell signal. One's audience (as in this entry). This could be a long list.
This is an amazingly universal term that we each experience in some fashion every day. If we extended the analysis to the infinitive (or verb?) form, to lose, or the gerund form, losing, this little analysis could go on all day. But I guess I have made my point.
Back to my jeans. It's possible that the Russian cleaning lady made a command decision and placed a clean pair in an unexpected location. Or I may have left them (again, how can jeans be called them?) at a hotel on one of my trips this Fall. Or in the Buick which I haven't driven for three weeks. Whatever. What was most certainly initially considered as misplaced, is rapidly becoming lost.
Remember this entry when Craig Wilson goes off on a "lost" tangent. I'll also take credit if he hits the concept from the opposite direction, as in "found". Think of the possibilities of "lost" and "found". It could be a book.
Hope everyone has a good week. Thanks to 1.1 for details from Memphis. It's always good to hear from the crowd. I use that term loosely.
BCOT
There is the possibility that I may put up my four strands of Christmas lights today.
My house situation is something less than 100% perfect, but I have one exceptional next-door neighbor. For each of the two modest snow-falls this past week, my front walk was shoveled by a Good Samaritan, and the day after the second one, I came home to find my driveway cleared all the way back to my garage! Now it's not like there was a ton of snow, but Jim took the time and made a compelling statement of neighborliness
1 and 1.1 are in C-town for the weekend. An idealist might suggest sisterly affection. The realist would know that KG and the Celts were in town.
2 and I did Biaggi's on Friday night to catch up on things. 2 had had a busy and successful week at the museum. A membership event on Thursday night turned out great in spite of the snow. Way to go 2!
I was too busy yesterday to make it to The Oprah celebration. Maybe next time.
Several interesting commentaries in the op-ed columns this week about the Romney religion speech. And most conclusions from both ends of the political spectrum suggesting that Huckabee has left-handedly played the religion card to cater to religious conservatives in Iowa. Would the media put up with that tactic if the affected opponent was Joe Lieberman?
Speaking of religion, the Diocese of Davenport has reached an accord in it's bankruptcy case to pay out $37 large to the victims of clerical abuse. But the plaintiffs' attorneys have assured the public that it's not about the money. While on their way to the bank.
The revamped Veteran's Committee in Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame has nominated former commissioner Bowie Kuhn for induction next year. That nomination has been universally panned in the sports pages. Marvin Miller, the ground-breaking leader of the players' union, who won most of the significant battles against Kuhn in the course of their contemporaneous tenures, was virtually ignored in the voting. And who said men have short memories?
I seem to have lost a pair of jeans. Which has given me much consternation over the last few days. I don't have that much stuff. How can I lose a pair of jeans? (And why can one piece of clothing be called a pair? But that's a different story.) It is possible that I simply misplaced the jeans. Which raises the question, "When does an item go from misplaced to lost?" Is it a matter of time or simply a change in mental conviction?
Here's a list of some common things that people lose:
1. Keys.
2. Wallets/purses/passports (3?).
3. Trains of thought.
4. Focus/concentration.
5. Games.
6. Places (Reading).
7. Contact (proximity).
8. Contacts (eye wear).
9. Direction (life).
10. Virginity (Just checking to see if anyone is reading...:)).
Then there's the whole business of being lost on a trip. Or in one's thoughts. Or being a lost soul. Or lost at sea. Or at a loss for words. Or being lost in translation. Or having lost one's sanity. Or track of time. Interest. A bet. The cell signal. One's audience (as in this entry). This could be a long list.
This is an amazingly universal term that we each experience in some fashion every day. If we extended the analysis to the infinitive (or verb?) form, to lose, or the gerund form, losing, this little analysis could go on all day. But I guess I have made my point.
Back to my jeans. It's possible that the Russian cleaning lady made a command decision and placed a clean pair in an unexpected location. Or I may have left them (again, how can jeans be called them?) at a hotel on one of my trips this Fall. Or in the Buick which I haven't driven for three weeks. Whatever. What was most certainly initially considered as misplaced, is rapidly becoming lost.
Remember this entry when Craig Wilson goes off on a "lost" tangent. I'll also take credit if he hits the concept from the opposite direction, as in "found". Think of the possibilities of "lost" and "found". It could be a book.
Hope everyone has a good week. Thanks to 1.1 for details from Memphis. It's always good to hear from the crowd. I use that term loosely.
BCOT
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Thursday
Another snow storm here. Not a lot. Just enough to make the streets slick.
I had high hopes of getting on the site this AM, but fates did not allow.
Maybe tomorrow.
BCOT
I had high hopes of getting on the site this AM, but fates did not allow.
Maybe tomorrow.
BCOT
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Wednesday
There may not be a blog today. I'm headed over to Augie for a game. I may cut out at half and if there's time when I get home, I'll jump on. Otherwise, it will be an AM entry tomorrow.
BCOT
BCOT
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