Mom just sent me an email to tell me that the 26 year old Cambridge High School boys 200 Medley Relay record was broken last weekend. So now my name is finally wiped off the record board. I don't know if any of the other guys who were on the relay with me still hold individual records, maybe Brad and Chris do. The new record was set at the Region meet while ours was set at State. We had the luxury of timing our taper for State since we competed in such a crappy Region. Hopefully this year's relay has saved a little bit for State and they'll break the 1:42.00 barrier. That would be smokin'.
I have to say that participating in the prelims at State in 1982 was probably the most fun I've had in an organized sport. We swam at old Cooke Hall on the U campus, and boy was that a wild pool to swim in. I think there was seating for about 1000 people and the footprint of the building was so small that the risers of the "bleachers" felt like they went straight up. Everything was so cramped everywhere, but in a real way I think it added to the tension and the excitement. Even though it was a crummy facility, it never seemed to hinder the swimmers from breaking records. I really believe the cramped, raucous atmosphere was probably good for a few 10ths of a second. I have such fond memories of that old dump, and I think going there year after year was part of the attraction of the U of M for me and the reason I eventually transferred there.
Remembering the State meet reminds me why I like spring so much. After spending the winter in the pool in 2-a-day practices, rarely seeing the sun, feeling your hair freeze when you went outside, it was absolutely the best feeling in the world to emerge from all the hard work and long hours into what felt like a new world. The State meet meant temperatures were warming up. It meant no longer having to get up early for morning practice. It meant being in the best shape of your life. It meant actually seeing the sun again. There was nothing quite like the end of a swim season, and I envy the kids who are finishing up the year right now.
It would be a lot of fun to get myself up to the U to catch the boys State Meet this year, but I don't know if scheduling will allow it. I'll be gone Friday down to Red Wing, and Saturday is karate day. Hopefully the relay will get past prelims into to finals. It must have been about 15 years ago that the U built a new swimming facility. This relay will have the privilege of swimming in one of the better swimming facilities in the country. I saw the NCAA championships there, and the Big 10 championships are held there quite often. I'm sure it will be terribly exciting, but it ain't no Cooke Hall.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The Big Surprise Ruined
It's becoming a tradition in our family for TOYH to take each of the girls on a special trip once she crosses the threshold into adolescence. KyKy went on a little trip to Excelsior for a couple of nights at a B&B and a play at The Old Log Theater. Today was to be the day of Madster's surprise. TOYH had planned a train trip down to Red Wing for a couple of nights stay. Part of the specialness of the event is a missed day of school for Madster, so in preparation TOYH emailed her teachers asking for homework in advance. It so happens that one of Madster's teachers was going through her email with Madster standing by her and the teacher started to read the email out loud. Yup. She read through the part of the email where TOYH said that this day was was going to be a big surprise for her, so keep it under wraps. The teacher felt awful, and the Madster, God bless her, tried to act like she didn't know anything was going on with us. But being who she is, she couldn't help but to ask innocently, "What's happening on Wednesday?" TOYH started to get suspicious and eventually the cat was let out of the bag that, well, the cat was out of the bag. There was a bit of consolation in the fact that Madster didn't know where she was going or what manner of conveyance was being used. So this morning the three of us piled into Crapmobile, Madster not knowing the destination or that there are bags packed to stay somewhere for two nights. I, of course, on the way to the Amtrak station open my big fat mouth and said something about the two of them being gone for a couple of days. Sigh. Now she knows it's not just a day trip. She did get excited when we pulled into the train station, so that part of the plan worked out. But just as we were walking up to the entrance, an Amtrak employee taped a sign on the door stating that the train was running two hours late. Good Lord, adolescence can be so difficult.
TOYH also reserved tickets for the rest of us to take the train down to Red Wing on Friday. I don't know how exciting that will be for Madster, but I'm looking forward to the trip, at least the getting there and coming back. We'll be in Red Wing for about 12 hours without a car, so I guess I better develop a sudden interest in pottery or boot making.
TOYH also reserved tickets for the rest of us to take the train down to Red Wing on Friday. I don't know how exciting that will be for Madster, but I'm looking forward to the trip, at least the getting there and coming back. We'll be in Red Wing for about 12 hours without a car, so I guess I better develop a sudden interest in pottery or boot making.
Monday, February 25, 2008
This Is Good News
MnPublius has just reported that the House of Representatives has just overridden the Gov's veto of the transportation bill. Not only will there be money for roads and bridges from the gas tax, the seven county metro will have the authority to add to the sales tax for mass transit. Hopefully there will be some serious money devoted to more light rail and to the building of a commuter rail system for the metro. I've even heard rumblings of spur being built on the Northstar line up to Cambridge. How cool would that be. We could take the train up to visit.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Ahhhh.......
I finally got outside on a bicycle this weekend. Last night, I went to the Nerds on Bikes Parade for a Friday night ride. The ususal suspects showed up. This TCBC ride leaves from Sunrise Cyclery, an establishment I have left plenty of hard earned dollars at. Jamie, the owner, is a really good guy, and he deals more used bikes than most anyone else in the Twin Cities. He is in the process of moving his shop from near 35W and Lake St to the corner of Lake and Bryant. I had arrived to the ride early to chat with him for a bit, but he was out taking care of some moving related business. I ended up standing around outside for about 20 minutes or so in my biking gear. It's really hard to stay warm in bike clothes when your just standing around in 20 degree weather. I ended up being chilled for the whole ride despite the fact that it was relatively mild.
This morning I went out with the boys (plus one girl) from Hiawatha Cyclery. Great group of people to ride and converse with. We ended up at Kramarczuk's Deli, a legendary institution in NE Minneapolis. Had a really cheap, really good breakfast there served up by some young women with heavy Eastern European accents. It's funny, but that was kind of shocking. The accents one hears from non-native speakers in the Twin Cities are normally either Spanish, Southeast Asian or East African. In decades past, that part of NE Mpls was heavily Eastern European. All you have to do is drive up and down the streets and count the churches and fraternal organizations that were started by different Polish, Slav, Croat, or whatever group. I've been Kramarczuk's a couple of times before, and it used to be just a little shop where you could get homemade sausage, kielbasa, pastries and imports from Poland and other European countries. They have expanded and added a huge dining room, cafeteria style. I'll definitely be back there.
When I got home I had to rouse KyKy out of bed. It was 10:40 and she was still dead to the world. She told me the night before that she wanted to go and get her drivers permit today. I agreed to take her, but I made her go on the bus with me, hehehe. It's really not that far to the county service center, just a few blocks, but it's those car trips in particular that make me crazy. If it hadn't been so sloppy and icy, we probably would have walked. If it had been summer, we would have biked. I made sure I pointed out to her that we were taking the bus to get her one step closer to being able to drive a car.
With that out of the way, we came back home, I gathered up 'Nika and The Madster and off we went to Brooklyn Park to get hairs cut by our friend Tanya. We arrived at about 1:15. Presently it's well after 7:00 and TOYH and the younger two are still up there. Tanya does a great job, but it takes forrrrrr-evvvvvv-errrrr to get out of her place. I wasn't getting my hair cut, since I decided to start going to Phil's Barber Shop on Nicollet and Diamond Lake. KyKy and I did not want to spend 8 hours up there sitting around while Tanya futzed with everyone's hair. TOYH had paperwork to take care of and she did not want to spend the whole day up there either. Madster and 'Nika don't mind hanging around there as much since Tanya has kids about their ages, plus a 5 month old baby to pay attention to. This brings me to a painful admission. We drove two cars up there today. There. I said it. Sure we did it for convenience, but in reality, TOYH and I admit to this abomination because we want to keep the crabbiness level down in our house. When we are all up there, all day, it's just not much fun. It's the weekend. This should be a happy time.
This morning I went out with the boys (plus one girl) from Hiawatha Cyclery. Great group of people to ride and converse with. We ended up at Kramarczuk's Deli, a legendary institution in NE Minneapolis. Had a really cheap, really good breakfast there served up by some young women with heavy Eastern European accents. It's funny, but that was kind of shocking. The accents one hears from non-native speakers in the Twin Cities are normally either Spanish, Southeast Asian or East African. In decades past, that part of NE Mpls was heavily Eastern European. All you have to do is drive up and down the streets and count the churches and fraternal organizations that were started by different Polish, Slav, Croat, or whatever group. I've been Kramarczuk's a couple of times before, and it used to be just a little shop where you could get homemade sausage, kielbasa, pastries and imports from Poland and other European countries. They have expanded and added a huge dining room, cafeteria style. I'll definitely be back there.
When I got home I had to rouse KyKy out of bed. It was 10:40 and she was still dead to the world. She told me the night before that she wanted to go and get her drivers permit today. I agreed to take her, but I made her go on the bus with me, hehehe. It's really not that far to the county service center, just a few blocks, but it's those car trips in particular that make me crazy. If it hadn't been so sloppy and icy, we probably would have walked. If it had been summer, we would have biked. I made sure I pointed out to her that we were taking the bus to get her one step closer to being able to drive a car.
With that out of the way, we came back home, I gathered up 'Nika and The Madster and off we went to Brooklyn Park to get hairs cut by our friend Tanya. We arrived at about 1:15. Presently it's well after 7:00 and TOYH and the younger two are still up there. Tanya does a great job, but it takes forrrrrr-evvvvvv-errrrr to get out of her place. I wasn't getting my hair cut, since I decided to start going to Phil's Barber Shop on Nicollet and Diamond Lake. KyKy and I did not want to spend 8 hours up there sitting around while Tanya futzed with everyone's hair. TOYH had paperwork to take care of and she did not want to spend the whole day up there either. Madster and 'Nika don't mind hanging around there as much since Tanya has kids about their ages, plus a 5 month old baby to pay attention to. This brings me to a painful admission. We drove two cars up there today. There. I said it. Sure we did it for convenience, but in reality, TOYH and I admit to this abomination because we want to keep the crabbiness level down in our house. When we are all up there, all day, it's just not much fun. It's the weekend. This should be a happy time.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Looking Up
Lots of things are looking up. Let's start with the moon. I meant to post about this yesterday, but I didn't. On Wednesday night I went over to Matthew's place for book club. At 9:00 we went out to look at the lunar eclipse. It was stunning. We had a nice clear (and cold) sky. When the moon was fully in the earth's shadow, it had a reddish hue, and the way it was shaded made it look like a real planet. Normally a full moon looks like a plain old dinner plate hanging in the sky. Wednesday it looked like a sphere. It was so vivid, I felt like I could sit back and pretend I was in some kind of science fiction movie looking up at a nearby planet or death star or just a much cooler moon. Hope you all made some time to take a look.
Secondly,tonight and tomorrow might be the first lengthy outdoor bike rides since the beginning of the month. TCBC tonight and Hiawatha Cyclery tomorrow. There have been opportunities earlier, and I would have gone on those rides if it wasn't for those meddling kids. I think I've got them pawned off so I can get out.
Third, the temperature is up.
Fourth, name improvements for the blog.
Secondly,tonight and tomorrow might be the first lengthy outdoor bike rides since the beginning of the month. TCBC tonight and Hiawatha Cyclery tomorrow. There have been opportunities earlier, and I would have gone on those rides if it wasn't for those meddling kids. I think I've got them pawned off so I can get out.
Third, the temperature is up.
Fourth, name improvements for the blog.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Things Just Keep Getting Better
It started out cold, really cold, this morning. Walking back from the bus stop, I finally started to take seriously the warnings the weather geeks broadcast - "Exposed flesh can flash freeze in 16 nanoseconds or less," or whatever it is. That wind was brutal walking up the alley back to the house. I didn't have to go straight off to work because I had an appointment with our accountant to get the taxes done. Since I had about an hour and a half to kill, I grabbed another cup of coffee and finished the crossword puzzles from yesterday's paper. Both of them. And without using any words like "surl" to make things fit.
Good news from the accountant, for us at least. Mom and Dad sold off some land a year or so ago with some of the procedes being distributed to the children. Because of the way the money was distributed, this year each of us kids would have to pay the captal gains on the sale, and believe me, there was significant appreciation in the value of the land. I decided to take a risk and use my share of the money to buy stuff, like food, and to also try and pay down some of the massive debt we've incurred while TOYH was in school. It worked out for us. Our household income was so low, and our deductions so numerous, that we are still getting a refund. What a relief. It's nice to get a refund, but I guess I'd rather not be in the position we've been in the last year financially. It's been awful.
When I got to work I had a bunch of stuff waiting for me, including trying to arrange the shipping of some gear purchased from three different military bases across the country. Jon has a penchant for the impulsive buying of used test equipment and he bought a few units from a government liquidator. He gets to click and bid on stuff he's going to play with in his repair shop. I get to fill out form after form and find people to pick it up and ship it to us. It's a gigantic pain in the butt for me. When I got to work today I was able to finalize most of the shipping arrangements for this crap. Gah. I don't understand why Jon buys this stuff in the first place. The last time we bought military surplus, all we got was a pile of garbage and as it turns out, we had to ship some of the garbage back because it wasn't properly decommissioned garbage. At least I've got shipping arranged for this present pile-o-crap and I won't have it hanging over my head.
Today was the first time I looked at this blog in a few days. Apparently only "anonymous" (and I know who you are) is interested in coming up with names. Unfortunately, anon. did not suggest anything useful for me at this time. Then I got to Francis' comment and came up with the current name. F & J, come on up and collect your prize any time. It made me happy to get one more dig in on this movie. And what a dig. This blog better than WC? Bwahahahahahahahaha. All you WC fans send in better names and maybe I'll change it again, if I deem your submission titleworthy. This name won't last if you give me some decent suggestions.
Tonight, Book Club and a total lunar eclipse, if we drag ourselves outside in the cold.
Yup it's shaping up to be a pretty good day.
Good news from the accountant, for us at least. Mom and Dad sold off some land a year or so ago with some of the procedes being distributed to the children. Because of the way the money was distributed, this year each of us kids would have to pay the captal gains on the sale, and believe me, there was significant appreciation in the value of the land. I decided to take a risk and use my share of the money to buy stuff, like food, and to also try and pay down some of the massive debt we've incurred while TOYH was in school. It worked out for us. Our household income was so low, and our deductions so numerous, that we are still getting a refund. What a relief. It's nice to get a refund, but I guess I'd rather not be in the position we've been in the last year financially. It's been awful.
When I got to work I had a bunch of stuff waiting for me, including trying to arrange the shipping of some gear purchased from three different military bases across the country. Jon has a penchant for the impulsive buying of used test equipment and he bought a few units from a government liquidator. He gets to click and bid on stuff he's going to play with in his repair shop. I get to fill out form after form and find people to pick it up and ship it to us. It's a gigantic pain in the butt for me. When I got to work today I was able to finalize most of the shipping arrangements for this crap. Gah. I don't understand why Jon buys this stuff in the first place. The last time we bought military surplus, all we got was a pile of garbage and as it turns out, we had to ship some of the garbage back because it wasn't properly decommissioned garbage. At least I've got shipping arranged for this present pile-o-crap and I won't have it hanging over my head.
Today was the first time I looked at this blog in a few days. Apparently only "anonymous" (and I know who you are) is interested in coming up with names. Unfortunately, anon. did not suggest anything useful for me at this time. Then I got to Francis' comment and came up with the current name. F & J, come on up and collect your prize any time. It made me happy to get one more dig in on this movie. And what a dig. This blog better than WC? Bwahahahahahahahaha. All you WC fans send in better names and maybe I'll change it again, if I deem your submission titleworthy. This name won't last if you give me some decent suggestions.
Tonight, Book Club and a total lunar eclipse, if we drag ourselves outside in the cold.
Yup it's shaping up to be a pretty good day.
Friday, February 15, 2008
I Lied
That last post wasn't the last one of the day. Do yourself a favor and read the last two posts. I am particularly proud of my first post of the day today. And no, this isn't just a cheap cynical way to create filler to get me to 200 posts in one year. Plus check out my little sister's blog linked on the left. That is all.
I Promise, This Is The Last Post Of The Day
From my Mother-In-Law otherwise known as E.G. - the Evil Grandmother:
Hi Family -- I just got back from the orthopedist, and have a date scheduled for my hip-joint replacement surgery -- Monday, March 10th. So, since my birthday is coming up on March 30th, I guess that what I get for a present is a new hip prosthesis! I don't mind telling you that I'm scared spitless -- but I do like this doctor very much, and since he does hundreds of these surgeries every year, he should be able to do mine successfully! He is a colleague of my usual orthopedist, and I've switched to him because the other one, Dr. Wicklund, is preparing to retire, and is backing off on his surgical load. He gave me a good report on this Dr. Jay Johnson, and I found today that I like him a lot -- and I appreciated the thorough way he explained things to me. I'll be going to United Hospital in St. Paul -- the surgery is first thing on the Monday morning, the tenth, and I'll be in the hospital until Thursday the 13th, or Friday the 14th. Depending on how well I do in therapy, I'll then go either directly home, or to a rehab facility for several days before going home.
I am very anxious to get rid of this constant pain in my hip, so I'm glad to have it scheduled finally -- however, as I said, I'm frightened at the whole prospect, and have to stifle the urge to run away and hide somewhere! I keep telling myself it can't be any worse than doing chemo, or recovering from childbirth, and I've successfully negotiated both of those, so I can do this, too.
We'll be in touch about this later, but I just wanted to give you the heads-up about it now. Love, Mom/Phyllis
Hi Family -- I just got back from the orthopedist, and have a date scheduled for my hip-joint replacement surgery -- Monday, March 10th. So, since my birthday is coming up on March 30th, I guess that what I get for a present is a new hip prosthesis! I don't mind telling you that I'm scared spitless -- but I do like this doctor very much, and since he does hundreds of these surgeries every year, he should be able to do mine successfully! He is a colleague of my usual orthopedist, and I've switched to him because the other one, Dr. Wicklund, is preparing to retire, and is backing off on his surgical load. He gave me a good report on this Dr. Jay Johnson, and I found today that I like him a lot -- and I appreciated the thorough way he explained things to me. I'll be going to United Hospital in St. Paul -- the surgery is first thing on the Monday morning, the tenth, and I'll be in the hospital until Thursday the 13th, or Friday the 14th. Depending on how well I do in therapy, I'll then go either directly home, or to a rehab facility for several days before going home.
I am very anxious to get rid of this constant pain in my hip, so I'm glad to have it scheduled finally -- however, as I said, I'm frightened at the whole prospect, and have to stifle the urge to run away and hide somewhere! I keep telling myself it can't be any worse than doing chemo, or recovering from childbirth, and I've successfully negotiated both of those, so I can do this, too.
We'll be in touch about this later, but I just wanted to give you the heads-up about it now. Love, Mom/Phyllis
This Craptastic Blog Is One Year Old!
Yup, one year tomorrow. TOYH just handed me a glass of champagne, although not for my blogging. (It was for her inaugural client visits as a real RN. She also got paid today. Woohooo!) I was thinking that for its' one year anniversary, I could rename this piece of crap, thus the new banner. It's time to shake things up a bit. Time for something fresh. Time for something hip. Time for something that says, "This blog is a record of the pointless, public revelation of my incredibly mundane life and a testament to the power of the internet to provide a forum for any delusional egomaniac to broadcast his every thought, no matter how stupid, insipid, puerile or just plain dull it is." Anything besides the pathetic, "white guy pretending to have some street cred," name it had before. I am open to suggestions, maybe even having a contest. Mind you, there would be no prizes for the winning name, just the satisfaction of knowing you have made a lasting contribution to this pile of garbage. Actually, if the coiner of the winning name is local or is passing through town, we could provide a home cooked dinner for you. And your family! Rather, TOYH would provide a home cooked dinner. If I was providing dinner it would consist of microwave burritos and Pop Tarts. On second thought, I don't know if I want to have to choose from the many entries which I'm sure will come pouring in. Maybe I could have a constantly rotating banner name and if your entry is chosen, you get dinner. I realize that as far as "branding" goes, frequent name changes would kill any "buzz" that this stinking effluence might be starting to generate, but hey we're on the edge here.
In other news, Wells Fargo loves us. A couple of weeks ago when TOYH and I went to the bank for a notarized signature and a cashier's check, they asked her if she wanted to upgrade our checking account to "PMA" checking from the basic no frills checking we had. Don't ask me what PMA means, I have no idea. Anyway, I'm finding out that with PMA checking we're getting all kinds of "free" stuff. "Free" electronic Bill Pay. "Free" checks. "Free" enrollment in a rewards program for getting and using a debit card. 100 "free" trades if we open brokerage account. You too can have all this "free" stuff. Here's how. All you need to do is take out a mortgage with Wells Fargo, have a line of credit with Wells Fargo, take out student loans with Wells Fargo and get a credit card with Wells Fargo. It's so simple.
In other news, Wells Fargo loves us. A couple of weeks ago when TOYH and I went to the bank for a notarized signature and a cashier's check, they asked her if she wanted to upgrade our checking account to "PMA" checking from the basic no frills checking we had. Don't ask me what PMA means, I have no idea. Anyway, I'm finding out that with PMA checking we're getting all kinds of "free" stuff. "Free" electronic Bill Pay. "Free" checks. "Free" enrollment in a rewards program for getting and using a debit card. 100 "free" trades if we open brokerage account. You too can have all this "free" stuff. Here's how. All you need to do is take out a mortgage with Wells Fargo, have a line of credit with Wells Fargo, take out student loans with Wells Fargo and get a credit card with Wells Fargo. It's so simple.
Bus Woes
Yesterday at work I got an hysterical call from The Madster. It turns out that to celebrate Valentines Day a few of the snot-nosed little brats on the girls' bus decided to throw candy, some of it parially chewed. Madster had a sucker stuck in her hair. This along with the swearing, throwing stuff out the window and disrespect for the bus driver put her over the top, again. This isn't the first time kids on the bus have upset her. I called the proper authorites at the district and the school, but I'm not anticipating any real changes. After the first incident, the kids from the bus were sat down and scolded, which worked for a few days. All the crap happening in the bus is taking place in the very back so the driver either isn't paying attention or doesn't care. I doubt that they'll either put another adult on the bus to ride herd on these miscreants, or kick the offenders off the bus.
It's hard to know how bad it really is on the bus. Madster tends to take things a bit too personally and when her sense of what is right or fair has been violated, she has an extreme visceral reaction. I asked her and 'Nika if the half chewed missiles were specifically directed at Madster, and they said no. She was just collateral damage. Because she was so upset, I don't want to tell her to just toughen up. That won't work. But part of life is having annoying things happen and not letting them get you all bent out of shape. On the other hand, bad behavior is bad behavior and these little turds on the bus need to be taught how civilized, socially well adjusted humans should act. But how bad was the stuff going on? I don't know. Back in the day, I remember Mr. "Stingles" warning kids to knock off the monkey-shines. Henry Hanson used to scare the crap out of me with his sullen attitude, long hair, huge presence, army jacket and foul mouth. Waay back in the day, John Larson (was he Hippo or Rhino?) used to torture Bobby Nelson. One day John was pounding the top of Bobby's head with a couple of books, Bobby pulled his jacket over his head to protect himself, John continued pounding, and ended up making Bobby's head bleed by smacking the zipper into his scalp. Was John suspended for that? I don't remember. Thoughts anyone?
It's hard to know how bad it really is on the bus. Madster tends to take things a bit too personally and when her sense of what is right or fair has been violated, she has an extreme visceral reaction. I asked her and 'Nika if the half chewed missiles were specifically directed at Madster, and they said no. She was just collateral damage. Because she was so upset, I don't want to tell her to just toughen up. That won't work. But part of life is having annoying things happen and not letting them get you all bent out of shape. On the other hand, bad behavior is bad behavior and these little turds on the bus need to be taught how civilized, socially well adjusted humans should act. But how bad was the stuff going on? I don't know. Back in the day, I remember Mr. "Stingles" warning kids to knock off the monkey-shines. Henry Hanson used to scare the crap out of me with his sullen attitude, long hair, huge presence, army jacket and foul mouth. Waay back in the day, John Larson (was he Hippo or Rhino?) used to torture Bobby Nelson. One day John was pounding the top of Bobby's head with a couple of books, Bobby pulled his jacket over his head to protect himself, John continued pounding, and ended up making Bobby's head bleed by smacking the zipper into his scalp. Was John suspended for that? I don't remember. Thoughts anyone?
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Snow, Cold, Snow, Cold, Snow, Cold
3-4 inches of snow predicted overnight tonight. Temps then go waaaay below zero on Friday morning before warming up quite nicely on Saturday. I suppose this is what winter is all about. I've really only been paying attention to whole seasons these last two years since I've been biking. Last year I remember it was a mild December, mild January, cold beginning to February and then lots of snow at the end of February. Other than last year, the only winter season that really sticks out in my mind was in '86 or '87 when there was hardly any snow and it was unusually warm. I really couldn't tell you what a typical winter is all about because frankly I don't think about them in general terms. I can tell you about specific events like the Halloween blizzard of '91, a 12 inch snowfall we got in '85 or a bitter cold snap in '94 but those are all connected to specific memories - digging out ('91), driving a friend up to Brooklyn Park in deep snow ('85) or having to take the battery in from the car to our apartment every night to keep it warm('94). Same thing goes for summer. The only one that really stands out was in '88 when we had a severe drought. We had 10 or so days over 100 degrees and scores of days above 90. I lived in a dump with no air conditioning that summer. So if you ever catch me saying things like, "Back when I was a kid (insert season) was a lot more (insert weather phenomenon)," just tell me to shut up because I don't know what I'm talking about.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
For Hours Of Listening Pleasure
If you're using Pandora on the internets to listen to music, plug in these artists to create a station. You will not be disappointed:
Thelonious Monk
Art Tatum
Billie Holiday
Charlie Parker
Coleman Hawkins
Ella Fitzgerald
Fats Navarro
Lester Young
Yeah, I know it's heavy on Be-Bop, but it is soooo cool.
My Pandora station that is contemporary pop/rock is only so-so. It actually got quite annoying. I put in artists like Tom Waits, Mike Doughty, Bruce Cockburn, Dylan, and just for kicks, the Go-Go's. I would hear a string of really cool songs but then it would go on this chick-rock jag and start playing Heart, Pat Benetar, Scandal etc. I added the Go-Go's since they created some of the best pop songs of the 80's but Pandora decided it needed to link me up with that dreck from the above mentioned "artists."
If I ever get tired of my Be-Bop station, maybe I'll try and create an old timey jazz list with Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke and Jelly Roll Morton.
Thelonious Monk
Art Tatum
Billie Holiday
Charlie Parker
Coleman Hawkins
Ella Fitzgerald
Fats Navarro
Lester Young
Yeah, I know it's heavy on Be-Bop, but it is soooo cool.
My Pandora station that is contemporary pop/rock is only so-so. It actually got quite annoying. I put in artists like Tom Waits, Mike Doughty, Bruce Cockburn, Dylan, and just for kicks, the Go-Go's. I would hear a string of really cool songs but then it would go on this chick-rock jag and start playing Heart, Pat Benetar, Scandal etc. I added the Go-Go's since they created some of the best pop songs of the 80's but Pandora decided it needed to link me up with that dreck from the above mentioned "artists."
If I ever get tired of my Be-Bop station, maybe I'll try and create an old timey jazz list with Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke and Jelly Roll Morton.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Yet Another Thing I Should Probably Take Credit For
This.
I suppose I should only take partial credit since other people have been pestering her to start her own blog. Personally I think she's doing it to shame me with her superior writing skilz. Sibling rivalry doesn't seem to end, even with our impending dotage. I'll add it to the side links as soon as I remember how.
In other news, I braved the cold yesterday to get TOYH a talking GPS unit for the Crapmobile. Her new job is going to take her out and about, and she claims she has no sense of direction. There is a bit of merit to that, although I wouldn't say it's directional confusedness. Back in the day when I was in school, there were occasions where TOYH would drop me off at Luther before she went on to her appointed rounds. Inevitably when we left home, TOYH would take off to her own destination and forget that she needed to drop me off. I wouldn't say anything. All of a sudden she would realize that she was going the wrong direction if she was to get me to school on time. Then she would get mad at me. Her get mad at me? She was the pilot, the captain of the ship, Master and Commander as it were. I was just the lowly passenger riding shotgun. So lowly, as a matter of fact, that my very existence wasn't even being acknowledged.
Anyway she now has a little box in her car that will tell her to turn right in 300 feet. It's the high tech version of the back seat driver, except this one is welcomed with open arms, and not just welcomed but purchased. I can't say it has much personality though. It would be cool if it would say stuff like, "You just missed your turn you moron." Then marketing geniuses could come up with ladies' versions that would ask, "How was your day?" or "How did that make you feel?" and guy versions that would ask, "How about that local sporting team?" or "Those jokers in Washington are a bunch of clowns aren't they."
I suppose I should only take partial credit since other people have been pestering her to start her own blog. Personally I think she's doing it to shame me with her superior writing skilz. Sibling rivalry doesn't seem to end, even with our impending dotage. I'll add it to the side links as soon as I remember how.
In other news, I braved the cold yesterday to get TOYH a talking GPS unit for the Crapmobile. Her new job is going to take her out and about, and she claims she has no sense of direction. There is a bit of merit to that, although I wouldn't say it's directional confusedness. Back in the day when I was in school, there were occasions where TOYH would drop me off at Luther before she went on to her appointed rounds. Inevitably when we left home, TOYH would take off to her own destination and forget that she needed to drop me off. I wouldn't say anything. All of a sudden she would realize that she was going the wrong direction if she was to get me to school on time. Then she would get mad at me. Her get mad at me? She was the pilot, the captain of the ship, Master and Commander as it were. I was just the lowly passenger riding shotgun. So lowly, as a matter of fact, that my very existence wasn't even being acknowledged.
Anyway she now has a little box in her car that will tell her to turn right in 300 feet. It's the high tech version of the back seat driver, except this one is welcomed with open arms, and not just welcomed but purchased. I can't say it has much personality though. It would be cool if it would say stuff like, "You just missed your turn you moron." Then marketing geniuses could come up with ladies' versions that would ask, "How was your day?" or "How did that make you feel?" and guy versions that would ask, "How about that local sporting team?" or "Those jokers in Washington are a bunch of clowns aren't they."
Friday, February 8, 2008
It's Happening Again
The weather yo-yo is about to take another big plunge this weekend. Right now it's in the mid twenties. By Sunday morning, it'll be -13F. Monday we'll be back up to 18F. Looks like no outdoor riding this weekend. I guess I'll have to stick the bike on the trainer and sweat it out in the basement (insert gigantic shudder here).
Related to no outdoor biking, I'm really getting tired of driving. This weekend is shaping up to be a fun-filled car one. On a normal Saturday I make the girls take the bus to karate. They don't really mind, they figure it puts The Old Man in a good mood when he can ride public transit and feel a sense of moral superiority. Tomorrow we're looking at windchills of 20-30 below zero. I suppose we could all stand and wait at the bus stop, but I'm afraid in doing so girls are going to end up resenting me. That resentment will turn to bitterness and the bitterness to rebellion. Rebellion will take the form of them leaving home, moving to Ft. Lauderdale, working at Hooters and driving hunormous SUVs. All because I forced them to take the bus on a cold day. Guess I'll drive. Ahhh parenting. It's all about those little compromises made today to head off a train wreck tomorrow.
Related to no outdoor biking, I'm really getting tired of driving. This weekend is shaping up to be a fun-filled car one. On a normal Saturday I make the girls take the bus to karate. They don't really mind, they figure it puts The Old Man in a good mood when he can ride public transit and feel a sense of moral superiority. Tomorrow we're looking at windchills of 20-30 below zero. I suppose we could all stand and wait at the bus stop, but I'm afraid in doing so girls are going to end up resenting me. That resentment will turn to bitterness and the bitterness to rebellion. Rebellion will take the form of them leaving home, moving to Ft. Lauderdale, working at Hooters and driving hunormous SUVs. All because I forced them to take the bus on a cold day. Guess I'll drive. Ahhh parenting. It's all about those little compromises made today to head off a train wreck tomorrow.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Mark This Day On Your Calendars
I called in sick today. I woke up with terrible stomach cramps and rather uhhh loose stools. The cramps were coming in waves and they were just miserable. I called Jon and told him I wasn't coming in to work. I honestly don't remember the last time I told an employer that I wouldn't show up because I was sick. Nearly two years at Test Equipment World Domination Headquarters. A year and a half at Fairview Southdale. 5 Years at FedEx. Prior to that, at Luther's bookstore and at ACR as a Program Counselor, I may have called in, but I don't remember.
What did I do today? I went back to bed. I slept off and on for a while and then threw in the Blockbuster movie that came in the mail yesterday, The Seven Samurai. After watching the movie for a while, I got hungry for rice. That was agreeable with my stomach so I ate some without incident. I hadn't seen Seven Samurai before and I have to admit that on first viewing I didn't understand all the hype about it being the greatest movie ever made. Blockbuster sent the Criterion Collection edition so there is a commentary track with snooty film experts telling me why it was so great. That was pretty cool. I generally watch movies purely for entertainment, so, I miss stuff left and right that snooty film experts know all about. Watching part of the movie again with the commentary track on was enlightening to say the least. Greatest film ever made? I suppose, but I wouldn't be able to tell you. Listen to the snooty film critics.
What did I do today? I went back to bed. I slept off and on for a while and then threw in the Blockbuster movie that came in the mail yesterday, The Seven Samurai. After watching the movie for a while, I got hungry for rice. That was agreeable with my stomach so I ate some without incident. I hadn't seen Seven Samurai before and I have to admit that on first viewing I didn't understand all the hype about it being the greatest movie ever made. Blockbuster sent the Criterion Collection edition so there is a commentary track with snooty film experts telling me why it was so great. That was pretty cool. I generally watch movies purely for entertainment, so, I miss stuff left and right that snooty film experts know all about. Watching part of the movie again with the commentary track on was enlightening to say the least. Greatest film ever made? I suppose, but I wouldn't be able to tell you. Listen to the snooty film critics.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Caucus Night
I went to my precinct caucus last night. Before I left, I checked the messages on our answering machine. One of our neighbors called last week to see if KyKy could babysit for them while they attended the caucus. Ooops. Too late now. (Note to self: check answering machine more than once every week or so.) KyKy had expressed in interest in coming with me to watch the process. Awesome. She'll get to see democracy in action. When we got there, there was a pretty big crowd. It was fun to see neighbors who I hadn't seen in a few months, since we're all holed up in our homes for the winter. I went to apologize to the neighbors who needed the babysitter for not returning their call, and we ended up sitting next to them. KyKy met Henry, the child in need of the baby sitter, and kept him entertained most of the night. Faux Pax averted.
While it was nice to see so many people show up for caucuses, (over 400) I don't know how instructive it was for KyKy. When you get that many people in a room with bunch of different agendas, it's like herding cats. A good portion of the time we were there was spent wrangling over the delegates who would go on the the district convention. The magic number was 35. If 36 people wanted to be delegates there was the danger of sub-caucusing which would entail lots of jockeying and horse trading of votes and delegates. Thankfully, no one wanted to go through that and the slate of delegates chosen pretty much represented the whole group when it came to the Senate race (about half for Franken and about half for Nelson-Pallmeyer, which is no surpise since he's probably the most liberal of the three running for Senate). After muddling through the choosing of delegates, it was onto resolutions. One of my neighbors told me that in previous years this precinct passed a resolution to secede from the United States. We didn't stick around to see if there were any truly wacko resolutions, but there was one, which was defeated, to require the Hiawatha Light Rail line put in turnstiles at station platforms. (Whoops, look at the time - gotta go home and get the kids to bed.)
While I like the idea of the deliberative nature of the caucus, I'm not sure it is the best way to pick candidates. It's fun to get together with neighbors, but it excludes people who work, who have child care responsibilities etc. Plus we were supposed to get all the business done in 2 hours. Fat chance. If we ran past 9 pm, there would be an extra charge for the room we were using so there was this extra incentive to get it done and get out of there. In reality our time was not really spent in discussion or deliberation, it was mostly parliamentary procedure and bureaucratic housekeeping.
I say have a primary to choose candidates and save the long dull meetings for hammering out a platform. Don't mix the two at this level.
Oh, and Obama beat Hillary 329 to 77 at our caucus.
While it was nice to see so many people show up for caucuses, (over 400) I don't know how instructive it was for KyKy. When you get that many people in a room with bunch of different agendas, it's like herding cats. A good portion of the time we were there was spent wrangling over the delegates who would go on the the district convention. The magic number was 35. If 36 people wanted to be delegates there was the danger of sub-caucusing which would entail lots of jockeying and horse trading of votes and delegates. Thankfully, no one wanted to go through that and the slate of delegates chosen pretty much represented the whole group when it came to the Senate race (about half for Franken and about half for Nelson-Pallmeyer, which is no surpise since he's probably the most liberal of the three running for Senate). After muddling through the choosing of delegates, it was onto resolutions. One of my neighbors told me that in previous years this precinct passed a resolution to secede from the United States. We didn't stick around to see if there were any truly wacko resolutions, but there was one, which was defeated, to require the Hiawatha Light Rail line put in turnstiles at station platforms. (Whoops, look at the time - gotta go home and get the kids to bed.)
While I like the idea of the deliberative nature of the caucus, I'm not sure it is the best way to pick candidates. It's fun to get together with neighbors, but it excludes people who work, who have child care responsibilities etc. Plus we were supposed to get all the business done in 2 hours. Fat chance. If we ran past 9 pm, there would be an extra charge for the room we were using so there was this extra incentive to get it done and get out of there. In reality our time was not really spent in discussion or deliberation, it was mostly parliamentary procedure and bureaucratic housekeeping.
I say have a primary to choose candidates and save the long dull meetings for hammering out a platform. Don't mix the two at this level.
Oh, and Obama beat Hillary 329 to 77 at our caucus.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Torn
My chair in the office at Test Equipment World Domination Headquarters sits right next to a window. I'm looking outside right now watching the snow fall. The National Weather Service says to expect anywhere from 4 to 7 inches by tomorrow morning. Normally I really like to sit inside and watch the snow fall, especially when I have a cup of coffee in hand. It's one of life's little pleasures up here on the tundra. But this pleasurable experience starts to decrease as the winter drags on - December snows are much more enjoyable than late February or March snows.
Since it's the beginning of February, today qualifies as a nice snowfall, BUT Saturday's Stupor Bowl reminded me of how much I miss riding outside on skinny tires, clear streets and in mild temperatures. Since there were more than 300 of us going to 17 stops, we were bound to run across other racers. Occasionally I'd some young whippersnappers put the hammer down and take off on a sprint. Man I love that feeling of a short burst when your legs feel great. I wasn't feeling it on Saturday. I've missed a lot of riding in the past month or so for various reasons, it's too cold, I'm too sick, it's too dangerous, I'm too busy. This week was shaping up to be a week where I could have biked to work quite a few days. Not any more. If we get as much snow as they are predicting, the streets are going to be gummed up for a while. Sigh.
This weekend, I exchanged one ache for some others. For a few days before the race I'd been waking up with a sore achilles tendon. I have no idea why it was sore. I told Kirk I was hesitating about the race, but he would have none of it. He reminded me of the healing powers of biking. He was right, to a point. Sunday I woke up with my achilles feeling great but my knees were all achey. Today I feel pretty good.
I'm not much of a competitor, but it's funny what a race like this does for me. I suppose it's an endorphine rush, but when Kirk and I were out there riding around I had such a sense of well being - that there was no place I would rather be at that moment. Because I used to work for FedEx I'm sure there was not a street on our route I hadn't been on, but that was in a vehicle. Biking on these streets on Saturday felt like I was on them for the first time. Plus, it wasn't a random, leisurely exploration. It had a purpose and we had to push ourselves. It's hard to explain why I felt so good. I just did.
Since it's the beginning of February, today qualifies as a nice snowfall, BUT Saturday's Stupor Bowl reminded me of how much I miss riding outside on skinny tires, clear streets and in mild temperatures. Since there were more than 300 of us going to 17 stops, we were bound to run across other racers. Occasionally I'd some young whippersnappers put the hammer down and take off on a sprint. Man I love that feeling of a short burst when your legs feel great. I wasn't feeling it on Saturday. I've missed a lot of riding in the past month or so for various reasons, it's too cold, I'm too sick, it's too dangerous, I'm too busy. This week was shaping up to be a week where I could have biked to work quite a few days. Not any more. If we get as much snow as they are predicting, the streets are going to be gummed up for a while. Sigh.
This weekend, I exchanged one ache for some others. For a few days before the race I'd been waking up with a sore achilles tendon. I have no idea why it was sore. I told Kirk I was hesitating about the race, but he would have none of it. He reminded me of the healing powers of biking. He was right, to a point. Sunday I woke up with my achilles feeling great but my knees were all achey. Today I feel pretty good.
I'm not much of a competitor, but it's funny what a race like this does for me. I suppose it's an endorphine rush, but when Kirk and I were out there riding around I had such a sense of well being - that there was no place I would rather be at that moment. Because I used to work for FedEx I'm sure there was not a street on our route I hadn't been on, but that was in a vehicle. Biking on these streets on Saturday felt like I was on them for the first time. Plus, it wasn't a random, leisurely exploration. It had a purpose and we had to push ourselves. It's hard to explain why I felt so good. I just did.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Stupor Bowl!
Here's the route Kirk and I did. 30.8 miles in one gear (he was on his fixie, I on a singlespeed). Mild weather, good times. No drinks for us until we were done. We skipped one stop on Cedar Lake Rd N because we were just too tired. There were 17 stops total if you were trying to win the big prizes. If one was to enter the stupor part, there were 11 drinking stops, meaning you stop, drink an adult beverage, and move on to the next drinking stop. Yuck. Kirk and I left the after party early which is a good thing. From what I understand, it involves quite a bit of vomiting. If they post results, I'll be sure to pass them on. The only way Kirk and I would have done well would be if there is a senior citizens division.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Here We Go
TOYH (RN) starts her new job today. People Inc sent some paperwork for her to fill out this week. Along with the requisite W-4, contact information, proof of auto insurance blah, blah, blah, there was an application for her Public Health Nursing License. I had no idea one of those even existed. The requirements include a bachelors degree in nursing from an accredited program (check) and proof that you did some kind of coursework in public health nursing (check). Then all you need is to fill out a form and have it notarized (check) and send the state a cashiers check (check). Voila you are a licensed public health nurse.
We finally replaced TOYH's phone yesterday. Now, of course, I'm filled with jealousy because she has a nicer more gizmo-y phone than I do. Maybe I can "accidentally" drop mine.
'Nika is taking off for a couple of days this weekend to spend time with her friend Lilly. Lilly's brother has a hockey tournament in St. Cloud, so her family invited 'Nika to come along to keep Lilly from getting bored. Hotel. Pool. A couple of hockey games to endure. Not too shabby. I'm sure the city of St. Cloud will not see the likes of this weekend's giggling again for a long, long time.
I am contemplating entering another bike messenger style race this weekend, Stupor Bowl XI. Yes, Stupor Bowl. The actual race consists of biking to stops (some of them being bars) and checking them off on a manifest handed out at the start of the race. The Stupor part comes from the fact that a majority of the racers are half my age and will be consuming copious amounts of alcohol. There are people who enter to try to win the fabulous prizes and there are others who simply want to get plastered and ride their bikes. My friend Kirk, who I would ride the race with, and I are really not interested in either of those options. We don't have the skills to compete seriously and we're not keen on drinking excessively. Will we try hard to get to as many stops as we can? Yes. Will we quaff a beer or two? Of course. Last year 300 people showed up when the high temp was -2F. This year it will be warmer, but there is the added complication of Barak Obama holding a huge rally at Target Center the day of the race. Could be interesting.
We finally replaced TOYH's phone yesterday. Now, of course, I'm filled with jealousy because she has a nicer more gizmo-y phone than I do. Maybe I can "accidentally" drop mine.
'Nika is taking off for a couple of days this weekend to spend time with her friend Lilly. Lilly's brother has a hockey tournament in St. Cloud, so her family invited 'Nika to come along to keep Lilly from getting bored. Hotel. Pool. A couple of hockey games to endure. Not too shabby. I'm sure the city of St. Cloud will not see the likes of this weekend's giggling again for a long, long time.
I am contemplating entering another bike messenger style race this weekend, Stupor Bowl XI. Yes, Stupor Bowl. The actual race consists of biking to stops (some of them being bars) and checking them off on a manifest handed out at the start of the race. The Stupor part comes from the fact that a majority of the racers are half my age and will be consuming copious amounts of alcohol. There are people who enter to try to win the fabulous prizes and there are others who simply want to get plastered and ride their bikes. My friend Kirk, who I would ride the race with, and I are really not interested in either of those options. We don't have the skills to compete seriously and we're not keen on drinking excessively. Will we try hard to get to as many stops as we can? Yes. Will we quaff a beer or two? Of course. Last year 300 people showed up when the high temp was -2F. This year it will be warmer, but there is the added complication of Barak Obama holding a huge rally at Target Center the day of the race. Could be interesting.
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