Facebook keeps telling me that it has been a long time since I have written. That I have XX new notifications and XX group updates and XX pokes and XX friend suggestions and XX people inviting me to spend all my time playing games.
I guess that is true. But if you know me, you know that Facebook and I don't get along. Without a nom de plume, I simply am not going to be anything but vague and ambiguous and mysterious. Understand, I don't mind telling the world what I do, what I think, the things I get into and who I get into it with. I wrote a blog for many years, way back to the Modblog days. But I always protected myself and my friends and was none too specific over where I live and where I shop and who I spend time with. Few proper nouns. That's not Facebook's style.
I suppose, though, it is time for an update.
If you remember me from the Modblog days, you know that wrote about a certain number. It was counting down to a certain date: I would write about "1300 and counting." I kept track of the number on a countdown app on my phone. When the number hits zero, I turn 66, defined by Social Security qs the "full retirement age" in the States.
The countdown hasn't hit zero yet, but it will before another day is over. In fact, I "retired" a year ago, in the sense that I started collecting Social Security and went on Medicare (when I turned 65). But I kept on working part-time. At times, I wrote that I was working "part-time" (with the quotation marks, to indicate its ironic use) because it could really be a lot of hours and took a toll on me. Mind you, I like the extra money, and I didn't lose any Social Security benefits (I didn't make THAT much) because of my earnings. But it simply took too much time that I wanted to spend with my wife or my friend or ... just by myself, doing things I enjoy most. Especially in summer.
I will probably be working a lot this winter, helping with the basketball coverage. After that, I think it's time to dial it down a ways.
One personal crisis in 2015. I started taking a new medication, and I started feeling less energetic. I worry about my legs and the strength of my legs (and hips, knees, ankles). You see, I walk a lot, and when I'm with my friend we go hiking or occasionally camping. In fall, when I'm covering high school football, I'm never in the press box. You don't get good action photos from the press box. So, day or night, nice weather or cold or rainy or snowy, I'm treading the sidelines all game for 2 1/2 or 3 hours. Could I still do that?
Turns out that I could. My friend and I did some hiking, went camping several times, and I survived all 12 weeks of the high school football season (12 weeks for the team I cover, including three weeks of playoffs). I tromp, tromp, tromped along the sidelines all season.
My wife had had a crisis, too. Nope, no details on Facebook. A health issue. Bottom line, though, is that we faced it together, she got through it in wonderful shape, our life is back to normal, all is well, and the future is bright. That's good. She's my best friend, after all, and has been since we first met. That was a month or so after Apollo 11 landed on the moon.
My older son's family (500+ miles away) visited us over the summer, and we visited them in November for the grandson's first birthday. In late June, I went on my first bus tour--several days in Chicago--with my wife. Pluses and minuses, but I didn't have to drive. A few weeks earlier, my friend and I spent a couple days in the Twin Cities. In mid January, we're going to see a hockey game at Michigan Tech. More adventures to come, I'm sure.
I recently bought a new camera and lens (not a cheapie, either), and I want to spend time really learning about it. I also want to learn the software I use with it. I still like learning new things. More interesting (to me) than Facebook.
Who knows what's going to happen next year? Who ever knows what Fate has up its sleeve? We don't get a sneak preview. So all I can do--and all any of us can do--is play it by ear and enjoy each day you have. Not to impress people on Facebook. Just to make the most out of this life. Enjoy new adventures and have fun. That's my plan.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Sunday, May 25, 2014
I know I haven't written for a while. It's not because there hasn't been anything happening. The opposite: too much happening, too little time to write it all up for posterity (as they used to say). May went by like that.
But before the main news, I want to tell you about a recent incident so incredibly cool and cute and wonderful. I told my wife about it that night, and now I'm going to tell you. Get comfy.
I had covered a high school track meet on a Tuesday afternoon, getting photos, had a quick supper in Iron Mountain, and now I was driving home on a two-lane road through the woods. Wisconsin Highway 70, the same road I usually take. (My camera, I should mention, was in its bag in the back seat, all safe and protected and out of reach.) It was cloudy and late in the day, but sunset was still an hour away.
Straight stretch of road, woods on either side. Of course, I was watching for deer. Didn't see any deer. But about 50 to 100 yards ahead of me, I saw something dark moving across the road. Easily identified: a black bear. Not a large one. It was a little larger than a 50-pound sack of potatoes. It was running across the road ahead of me, south to north. I gradually put on the brakes, and the bear had plenty of time to finish crossing the road.
Then I saw something else dark on the edge of the road. It was much smaller. About the size of a chihuahua but in the shape of a little, tiny, itsy, bitsy bear. (Feel free to go "Awwwwwwwwww!) The little, tiny, itsy, bitsy bear was starting to cross the road, but then it must have noticed my car coming to a stop. It stopped and turned back onto the shoulder and then into the roadside weeds.
I pulled ahead to where the little, tiny, itsy, bitsy bear had disappeared, hoping I would see it again. I did. It was going back along an overgrown woods trail--and nearby was another little, tiny, itsy, bitsy bear, also going back to the south. And further back was a much bigger bear. It was running away from me down the trail. Hauling ass, as they say. It seemed that the little, tiny, itsy, bitsy bears were not a big concern of the big bear at that moment.
In a few seconds, they were all gone. That was about the moment I thought to myself, "Self, it would have been nice to have that camera handy. Where is that dash cam when I need it?"
I started to pull away but kept an eye on the scene in the rear-view mirror. Sure enough, within seconds bear No. 1 emnerged from the north side of the road and re-crossed the road to rejoin the two little, tiny, itsy, bitsy bears. And the big chicken.
****
Since I last wrote (early April) plenty of things have happened. We will skip all the reports on snowstorms we had in April and even early May. (We had light snow and temperatures only in the mid 30s at the regional track meet, held on May 15. It was a brutal, nasty day! That's right in keeping with the spring of 2014.)
In early April, my older son Phil sent me a text message, telling me to watch for a package in the mail--but we were not to open it until we were on the phone with them. A big green envelope arrived a few days later, and we played along, waiting until the phone call Sunday evening. The big moment came. We opened it up. Inside was a golden plastic egg. Inside the egg was pair of little tiny socks and a hand-written message: "You're going to be grandparents!"
This will be our first grandchild. The baby is due in early December. Janet is busily planning a baby quilt. We had planned a visit to the Detroit area during June (after my busy spring sports season ends), but that been pushed back to July due to other news. Needless to say, excitement is the order of the day. Janet is looking through her quilt books for the perfect pattern for a baby quilt. She has decided on the colors already.
Phil is our older son. Our younger son, David, went with us to Marquette on a recent Friday, to look at apartments. He was born here in 1982 and has lived here all his life. But for years, he has wanted to live in a bigger city. This is a tiny town, and if there's little for the kids to do (no theater--it closed; no bowling alley--it burned), there's even less for young adults. Unless they like to drink.
Since David is autistic, he has been involved with state agencies all his life. He has lived on his own, in an apartment building here in town, for the last six or so years. He worked about 30 hours per week at a nearby wood products plant (vacuum-packing wood chips and shavings for animal bedding). But he lost his job in January. No fault of his--the company bought a machine at its New York plant that does the work faster and more quickly. He has not been working since then.
No jobs here. Not much to interest young people here, either. No peers--just a few. Time for a change. The agencies have been working on finding a situation for David in Marquette (the U.P.'s biggest city--it has 20,000 people!), and the Friday visit was about meeting with the local housing commission with documentation that shows he qualifies for subsidized housing. During our brief visit, we also met with a young adult group that meets at the city library (about two blocks from the apartment building), and he got along with them very well. Once he moves--early to mid June--they can start work on finding a job for him. The people I spoke with sound pretty positive about that. They know David and like him.
Bottom line: After living with/near us all his life, David will be leaving us in a few weeks. I do not like it. Not at all. For my selfish reasons--I like having him around and doing things with him, taking him places. But it doesn't take a genius to see that this will be very good for David in many ways--more job prospects, more people his age to spend time with, more intersting stuff taking place, more shops (the apartment building is near the downtown area). Marquette has a bus system, too, so he can get around even though he doesn't drive. (Honest to goodness mass transit--a totally foreign concept here!) I know David will grow and be happy there. What more could I want? He's really looking forward to it. One thing he has to do is get a cell phone--we went to Iron Mountain on Tuesday to take care of that.
Before you ask: Marquette is about 90 miles from Iron River. And I checked on Google Maps: It won't be much harder to take David to Detroit with us--going to Detroit by way of Marquette only adds about 20 miles to a 500+ mile trip. With the baby coming, we probably will be driving down there more often, especially as I dial down work and go from full-time to part-time. That may be happening around the end of the year, after I turn 65. Not sure exactly when.
Lots happening. Looks like a busy summer. We will help David with his move early in June. Since the move is in early to mid June, we pushed back the Detroit trip to early July. And I want to get together with Kitty whenever I can. She is working part-time in home health care now, and has flexible hours. We got together for an afternoon recently. Just a few hours together. We talked a lot and went to a local park, where we lay down and cuddled. It was warm enough that we could take off our jackets. I think we were in the mid 50s! (One day later was the snowy track meet I mentioned earlier.)
If I didn't mention it, she and I are NOT going to Freedom Festival in southern Wisconsin over the Fourth of July. She has a family wedding on July 5, and that's impossible to miss. She's sad about that--our trips to Freedom Festival the last two years have been the highlight of our summer, despite dealing with record heat in 2012 and record mosquitoes in 2013. We hope to go camping some time this summer, if schedules and the weather permit. I probably will not go to the event by myself this year, simply because too much is happening already, and it's not fun to sleep in a tent by yourself.
What I did do, however, is get a nice acrylic Mexican-type striped blanket for us to relax on during our hikes and visits to area parks and campgrounds. I also got a canvas backpack, where we can stow things like jackets and water bottles and lunches and discarded articles of clothing during our summer adventures.
The last major piece of news is that I am growing a beard. A playoff beard. The Detroit Red Wings ended their season on April 13, and that's when I put the razor away--not to be used again until after the Red Wings were eliminated from the NHL playoffs. That happened in less than two weeks. But my wife took pity on me and said I can keep it as long as the Chicago Blackhawks are in the playoffs--they have made it to the conference finals.
Kitty loves it. She loves beards and facial hair, so I'm her grizzly bear. (I feel pretty grisly and pretty scratchy, too.) As for Janet, I think she is enjoying it, too. She strokes my furry face and teases me from time to time. The chips are down once the Blackhawks' season is over. What will she say then?
The thing about it ... the last time I grow a beard, it was in the early 1980s, and it was part of a centennial celebration here. The beard came in reddish brown. Thirty years later, it's coming in whitish white. My grandpa (on my dad's side) had white hair late in life, and so did my dad. So will I. The hair on my head is still mostly brown, but I can see more and more white. Comes with the territory, I guess.
Work is ... work. I'm looking forward to cutting back more and more.
But before the main news, I want to tell you about a recent incident so incredibly cool and cute and wonderful. I told my wife about it that night, and now I'm going to tell you. Get comfy.
I had covered a high school track meet on a Tuesday afternoon, getting photos, had a quick supper in Iron Mountain, and now I was driving home on a two-lane road through the woods. Wisconsin Highway 70, the same road I usually take. (My camera, I should mention, was in its bag in the back seat, all safe and protected and out of reach.) It was cloudy and late in the day, but sunset was still an hour away.
Straight stretch of road, woods on either side. Of course, I was watching for deer. Didn't see any deer. But about 50 to 100 yards ahead of me, I saw something dark moving across the road. Easily identified: a black bear. Not a large one. It was a little larger than a 50-pound sack of potatoes. It was running across the road ahead of me, south to north. I gradually put on the brakes, and the bear had plenty of time to finish crossing the road.
Then I saw something else dark on the edge of the road. It was much smaller. About the size of a chihuahua but in the shape of a little, tiny, itsy, bitsy bear. (Feel free to go "Awwwwwwwwww!) The little, tiny, itsy, bitsy bear was starting to cross the road, but then it must have noticed my car coming to a stop. It stopped and turned back onto the shoulder and then into the roadside weeds.
I pulled ahead to where the little, tiny, itsy, bitsy bear had disappeared, hoping I would see it again. I did. It was going back along an overgrown woods trail--and nearby was another little, tiny, itsy, bitsy bear, also going back to the south. And further back was a much bigger bear. It was running away from me down the trail. Hauling ass, as they say. It seemed that the little, tiny, itsy, bitsy bears were not a big concern of the big bear at that moment.
In a few seconds, they were all gone. That was about the moment I thought to myself, "Self, it would have been nice to have that camera handy. Where is that dash cam when I need it?"
I started to pull away but kept an eye on the scene in the rear-view mirror. Sure enough, within seconds bear No. 1 emnerged from the north side of the road and re-crossed the road to rejoin the two little, tiny, itsy, bitsy bears. And the big chicken.
****
Since I last wrote (early April) plenty of things have happened. We will skip all the reports on snowstorms we had in April and even early May. (We had light snow and temperatures only in the mid 30s at the regional track meet, held on May 15. It was a brutal, nasty day! That's right in keeping with the spring of 2014.)
In early April, my older son Phil sent me a text message, telling me to watch for a package in the mail--but we were not to open it until we were on the phone with them. A big green envelope arrived a few days later, and we played along, waiting until the phone call Sunday evening. The big moment came. We opened it up. Inside was a golden plastic egg. Inside the egg was pair of little tiny socks and a hand-written message: "You're going to be grandparents!"
This will be our first grandchild. The baby is due in early December. Janet is busily planning a baby quilt. We had planned a visit to the Detroit area during June (after my busy spring sports season ends), but that been pushed back to July due to other news. Needless to say, excitement is the order of the day. Janet is looking through her quilt books for the perfect pattern for a baby quilt. She has decided on the colors already.
Phil is our older son. Our younger son, David, went with us to Marquette on a recent Friday, to look at apartments. He was born here in 1982 and has lived here all his life. But for years, he has wanted to live in a bigger city. This is a tiny town, and if there's little for the kids to do (no theater--it closed; no bowling alley--it burned), there's even less for young adults. Unless they like to drink.
Since David is autistic, he has been involved with state agencies all his life. He has lived on his own, in an apartment building here in town, for the last six or so years. He worked about 30 hours per week at a nearby wood products plant (vacuum-packing wood chips and shavings for animal bedding). But he lost his job in January. No fault of his--the company bought a machine at its New York plant that does the work faster and more quickly. He has not been working since then.
No jobs here. Not much to interest young people here, either. No peers--just a few. Time for a change. The agencies have been working on finding a situation for David in Marquette (the U.P.'s biggest city--it has 20,000 people!), and the Friday visit was about meeting with the local housing commission with documentation that shows he qualifies for subsidized housing. During our brief visit, we also met with a young adult group that meets at the city library (about two blocks from the apartment building), and he got along with them very well. Once he moves--early to mid June--they can start work on finding a job for him. The people I spoke with sound pretty positive about that. They know David and like him.
Bottom line: After living with/near us all his life, David will be leaving us in a few weeks. I do not like it. Not at all. For my selfish reasons--I like having him around and doing things with him, taking him places. But it doesn't take a genius to see that this will be very good for David in many ways--more job prospects, more people his age to spend time with, more intersting stuff taking place, more shops (the apartment building is near the downtown area). Marquette has a bus system, too, so he can get around even though he doesn't drive. (Honest to goodness mass transit--a totally foreign concept here!) I know David will grow and be happy there. What more could I want? He's really looking forward to it. One thing he has to do is get a cell phone--we went to Iron Mountain on Tuesday to take care of that.
Before you ask: Marquette is about 90 miles from Iron River. And I checked on Google Maps: It won't be much harder to take David to Detroit with us--going to Detroit by way of Marquette only adds about 20 miles to a 500+ mile trip. With the baby coming, we probably will be driving down there more often, especially as I dial down work and go from full-time to part-time. That may be happening around the end of the year, after I turn 65. Not sure exactly when.
Lots happening. Looks like a busy summer. We will help David with his move early in June. Since the move is in early to mid June, we pushed back the Detroit trip to early July. And I want to get together with Kitty whenever I can. She is working part-time in home health care now, and has flexible hours. We got together for an afternoon recently. Just a few hours together. We talked a lot and went to a local park, where we lay down and cuddled. It was warm enough that we could take off our jackets. I think we were in the mid 50s! (One day later was the snowy track meet I mentioned earlier.)
If I didn't mention it, she and I are NOT going to Freedom Festival in southern Wisconsin over the Fourth of July. She has a family wedding on July 5, and that's impossible to miss. She's sad about that--our trips to Freedom Festival the last two years have been the highlight of our summer, despite dealing with record heat in 2012 and record mosquitoes in 2013. We hope to go camping some time this summer, if schedules and the weather permit. I probably will not go to the event by myself this year, simply because too much is happening already, and it's not fun to sleep in a tent by yourself.
What I did do, however, is get a nice acrylic Mexican-type striped blanket for us to relax on during our hikes and visits to area parks and campgrounds. I also got a canvas backpack, where we can stow things like jackets and water bottles and lunches and discarded articles of clothing during our summer adventures.
The last major piece of news is that I am growing a beard. A playoff beard. The Detroit Red Wings ended their season on April 13, and that's when I put the razor away--not to be used again until after the Red Wings were eliminated from the NHL playoffs. That happened in less than two weeks. But my wife took pity on me and said I can keep it as long as the Chicago Blackhawks are in the playoffs--they have made it to the conference finals.
Kitty loves it. She loves beards and facial hair, so I'm her grizzly bear. (I feel pretty grisly and pretty scratchy, too.) As for Janet, I think she is enjoying it, too. She strokes my furry face and teases me from time to time. The chips are down once the Blackhawks' season is over. What will she say then?
The thing about it ... the last time I grow a beard, it was in the early 1980s, and it was part of a centennial celebration here. The beard came in reddish brown. Thirty years later, it's coming in whitish white. My grandpa (on my dad's side) had white hair late in life, and so did my dad. So will I. The hair on my head is still mostly brown, but I can see more and more white. Comes with the territory, I guess.
Work is ... work. I'm looking forward to cutting back more and more.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
About time, right?
I've taken a break from blogging in the past. Nothing like this, of course.
But Monday was my birthday (No. 63. Thank you very much!) and nearly the end of the year, so I thought I should give you an update.
It just got too busy. I'm writing too many people, trying to do too many things. Something had to give. Posting to the blog drew the short straw.
I came to the conclusion that I was merely entertaining myself. I have a few good bloggy friends who read it, but if you count them on one hand, you'd still have several fingers left over.
I have never warmed up to Facebook. I go there from time to time to see what everybody else is writing about, but I keep my thoughts and wisecracks to myself. OK, Zuckerman didn't make a mint with his stock offering after all.
I enjoy Twitter more. Despite the amazing quantity of verbosity my blog posts can provide, I find the world of 140-character updates more appealing. And I still find it kind of pathetic that people--not to mention companies and corporations--are pleading for others to "like" them.
That's definitely not my style. My attitude has always been: "I am what I am. If you like me, fine. If you don't, move on and find something else to read." Thus, I am "an acquired taste."
Since I haven't written for so long, I feel obliged to give you an update on the cast of characters:
Me: I'm doing fine. But I have been feeling tired and weary lately. I'll explain later.
My wife: She is fine. We are planning a visit to her sisters around New Year's, assuming the winter weather isn't too bad. Either one or two nights away.
My younger son: He is fine. He came over for Christmas Day, when we feasted on sliced ham, scalloped potatoes and watched DVDs together.
My older son and his wife: (My account of their wedding was my last blog post, in early May.) They are both fine. They drove up from Detroit to visit us a week before Christmas, since that's when they could get away. They came here Saturday and left Tuesday morning. Nice having them around for a couple days. Sad that they had to leave so soon. But they are happy together, and that's all that matters.
As for my friends known by their initials:
--S and her friend T are doing OK. It's always touch-and-go with them financially, but things are moving positively. Last visited them in early August.
--B is immersed in her poly life in Alaska. Both she and her husband have friends here and there. They moved from one city to another early in 2012, and her latest letter said they just sold their old house, which is a big load off their minds. They went to Hawaii in November and are in Florida over the holidays. Haven't seen her since 2009.
--N was temporarily in Illinois but will be back home in northern Wisconsin late this week. Last saw her in September.
--M is at her home near Los Angeles. During the past year, she has cut back on work from five days a week to three days. Her choice, since she is (I think) 67. She also had bariatric surgery this fall. She is involved in a vocal group, and I recently sent her a CD I made of a vocal group from northern Wisconsin that my wife and I have seen several times--it was their holiday concert from November. High quality music, many vocal parts. M and I started writing in March. We have never met, and there are no plans to at present. Just pen pals in this internet era.
--K is at her home in northern Wisconsin. We had many adventures over the past year, too many to even start telling you about. Our last visit was just a week or so ago when the four of us (me, my wife, her and her guy) went to dinner and then saw "Lincoln" together. It was a movie we all badly wanted to see but few cinemas up this way are showing. Finally, everything came together: A theater in her city was showing it, and both she and I had the night off.
I don't want to give away the plot. ;) But late in the film, there's a scene where Lincoln and General Grant are talking on a porch--it's days before the end of the war, and they were going to meet with a delegation from the Confederate government about ending the war. In the scene, Grant tells Lincoln how much he has aged over the last few years--how tired/weary he looks.
I felt the tears building up and spilling out. I really related to that. At my job, we have had some changes recently. They told me in October that the editor was going to be out for a while--she had an operation for ovarian cancer, and if you don't know, that's a bad one. At the same time, our part-time writer left to take another job. And we only had three writers, including me. So it has been stressful.
We have added a new editor--a guy who used to live here and who has worked at papers. He's good, but it has taken a while for him to get up to speed with learning the computer equipment and programs we use. So it's just him and me now in the news department. We're hoping the old editor can get well enough to come back part-time. Time will tell.
So it has been sad at work lately. I don't say it has made me depressed, because that suggests something that isn't true. If that isn't bad enough, the National Hockey League may not have a season this year (labor pains), and I love to watch hockey. And finally, K and I have had a very hard time finding time to spend together lately, especially since the holiday shopping rush began, because we're both working full-time. It should be better in January.
I think a lot about one of the apps on my smartphone. It's a timer app with a countdown. I made one countdown with the title "When I'm 66!" When I started it, the number was in the high 1,400s. Now the big number is just under 1,100 ... and counting.
But Monday was my birthday (No. 63. Thank you very much!) and nearly the end of the year, so I thought I should give you an update.
It just got too busy. I'm writing too many people, trying to do too many things. Something had to give. Posting to the blog drew the short straw.
I came to the conclusion that I was merely entertaining myself. I have a few good bloggy friends who read it, but if you count them on one hand, you'd still have several fingers left over.
I have never warmed up to Facebook. I go there from time to time to see what everybody else is writing about, but I keep my thoughts and wisecracks to myself. OK, Zuckerman didn't make a mint with his stock offering after all.
I enjoy Twitter more. Despite the amazing quantity of verbosity my blog posts can provide, I find the world of 140-character updates more appealing. And I still find it kind of pathetic that people--not to mention companies and corporations--are pleading for others to "like" them.
That's definitely not my style. My attitude has always been: "I am what I am. If you like me, fine. If you don't, move on and find something else to read." Thus, I am "an acquired taste."
Since I haven't written for so long, I feel obliged to give you an update on the cast of characters:
Me: I'm doing fine. But I have been feeling tired and weary lately. I'll explain later.
My wife: She is fine. We are planning a visit to her sisters around New Year's, assuming the winter weather isn't too bad. Either one or two nights away.
My younger son: He is fine. He came over for Christmas Day, when we feasted on sliced ham, scalloped potatoes and watched DVDs together.
My older son and his wife: (My account of their wedding was my last blog post, in early May.) They are both fine. They drove up from Detroit to visit us a week before Christmas, since that's when they could get away. They came here Saturday and left Tuesday morning. Nice having them around for a couple days. Sad that they had to leave so soon. But they are happy together, and that's all that matters.
As for my friends known by their initials:
--S and her friend T are doing OK. It's always touch-and-go with them financially, but things are moving positively. Last visited them in early August.
--B is immersed in her poly life in Alaska. Both she and her husband have friends here and there. They moved from one city to another early in 2012, and her latest letter said they just sold their old house, which is a big load off their minds. They went to Hawaii in November and are in Florida over the holidays. Haven't seen her since 2009.
--N was temporarily in Illinois but will be back home in northern Wisconsin late this week. Last saw her in September.
--M is at her home near Los Angeles. During the past year, she has cut back on work from five days a week to three days. Her choice, since she is (I think) 67. She also had bariatric surgery this fall. She is involved in a vocal group, and I recently sent her a CD I made of a vocal group from northern Wisconsin that my wife and I have seen several times--it was their holiday concert from November. High quality music, many vocal parts. M and I started writing in March. We have never met, and there are no plans to at present. Just pen pals in this internet era.
--K is at her home in northern Wisconsin. We had many adventures over the past year, too many to even start telling you about. Our last visit was just a week or so ago when the four of us (me, my wife, her and her guy) went to dinner and then saw "Lincoln" together. It was a movie we all badly wanted to see but few cinemas up this way are showing. Finally, everything came together: A theater in her city was showing it, and both she and I had the night off.
I don't want to give away the plot. ;) But late in the film, there's a scene where Lincoln and General Grant are talking on a porch--it's days before the end of the war, and they were going to meet with a delegation from the Confederate government about ending the war. In the scene, Grant tells Lincoln how much he has aged over the last few years--how tired/weary he looks.
I felt the tears building up and spilling out. I really related to that. At my job, we have had some changes recently. They told me in October that the editor was going to be out for a while--she had an operation for ovarian cancer, and if you don't know, that's a bad one. At the same time, our part-time writer left to take another job. And we only had three writers, including me. So it has been stressful.
We have added a new editor--a guy who used to live here and who has worked at papers. He's good, but it has taken a while for him to get up to speed with learning the computer equipment and programs we use. So it's just him and me now in the news department. We're hoping the old editor can get well enough to come back part-time. Time will tell.
So it has been sad at work lately. I don't say it has made me depressed, because that suggests something that isn't true. If that isn't bad enough, the National Hockey League may not have a season this year (labor pains), and I love to watch hockey. And finally, K and I have had a very hard time finding time to spend together lately, especially since the holiday shopping rush began, because we're both working full-time. It should be better in January.
I think a lot about one of the apps on my smartphone. It's a timer app with a countdown. I made one countdown with the title "When I'm 66!" When I started it, the number was in the high 1,400s. Now the big number is just under 1,100 ... and counting.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Nicholas Sparks' sausage machine
Not much to report from recent days. I've been working and doing this and that. But on Saturday, my wife and I went out of town for most of the day. Destination: Iron Mountain.
Ordinarily these trips center on department stores and, of course, Walmart. But this time, would you believe it, we never dropped anchor in Walmart's parking lot. Or any other store, really. One exception. We stopped in at the big grocery store in town because my wife remembered she had to get a lemon--to make lemon bars for this morning's fellowship dinner at church. I always cooperate with her on such endeavors--because there are usually a few lemon bars that go home with her, and I like the lemon bars.
Let's face it, I was a little bored, too. I had visited K the week before (just for a few busy hours), and the next visit won't be for another week and a half. And I know my wife and I hadn't gone anywhere since the wedding (which was only two weeks earlier, true), and I don't want her to get too bored at home.
So during the week, I had mentioned going to a movie with her. In looking over the offerings, she seized upon the current movie adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks book, "The Lucky One." I'm neutral on Nicholas Sparks books, but I'm not the one in the family who reads them at night before going to sleep.
We were a little early getting to town, so we stopped briefly at McDonald's to try their cherry berry chiller. We both agreed that we liked it and probably will get more during the summer months. It was sunny at that time--later, it clouded over.
Next, the movie.
Since I had seen a few movie adaptations of his Nicholas Sparks books before, I knew what to expect. And that was exactly what I got. Feisty, independent girl. Rugged, handsome, quiet, mysterious stranger who always seems to have lost his razor. (Understandable that he doesn't shave, since during the course of the movie his whiskers never seem to grow.) Borderline psycho ex-boyfriend/ex-husband, deeply jealous and hostile to quiet mysterious guy. Charming, intelligent little kid. Wise old mother/female relative, trying to guide feisty independent girl towards rugged, handsome man. Inevitable sex scenes where some flesh but no naughty parts are shown--barely even the curve of a breast! And, of course, the inevitable rainstorm at some dramatic point in the saga.
It was about as edgy as a glass of milk. I swear to you, all the movie adaptations of Nicholas Sparks books seem to come out of the same sausage machine. You've seen one, you've seen them all. I suppose it's like a cinematic version of comfort foods. If you like Doritos, you like Doritos. My wife likes Nicholas Sparks books. I've got other stuff to read.
One other thing worth noting: Back on April 27, K and I saw "The Hunger Games" in Rhinelander, That theater has digital video and sound. Very sharp picture and impressive, powerful sound, especially during the trailers that preceded the film. I made a mental note to compare that theater experience to Iron Mountain. Saturday, I got my chance.
Not even close. In Iron Mountain, you hear the projectors whirring softly in the background and see slight variations in the picture (frame-to-frame brightness, mostly) during the film. It was ... OK. What we are all used to. It's sort of like the first time I saw a hockey game televised in HD. Wow! I have seen many hockey games on TV over the years--but nothing like that. Same thing here. The difference between the two theaters is like high def TV vs. standard definition, for both video and audio.
I had told my wife about the Rhinelander theater before. After seeing the film yesterday, I told her the next time we see a film, we're going to Rhinelander. She will be impressed. And it's only slightly farther away.
Anyway, after the movie, we went to a local sit-down type restaurant for dinner. I had an omelet, and my wife had haddock. We both got lemonades--but I drink a lot during dinners, and they didn't offer refills of the lemonades. So I asked the waitress for a glass of water, and she eventually came back with a six-ounce glass. I'm not a complainer, and I didn't say anything. But her tip was much closer to 10% than 15% or 20%.
From there, we went to visit an aunt of mine. My dad had three brothers and sisters. The two sisters are still alive--one is far away in downstate Michigan. The youngest one is in Kingsford, 82 now, and still pretty active. We wanted to show her pictures of the wedding. I put them on a tablet computer and we looked at them for a while. Then we sat and talked for a while. We hadn't visited that much since my mom died (September 2010), so we talked for quite a while, and we met her two little dogs and then she took us on a tour of her house.
She has a background in interior decorating and really has expanded and furnished the house--it's what she enjoys doing, and she is justifiably proud of what she has done. She also visits flea markets and auctions and picks up items that she cleans up/fixes up. We were suitably impressed and had a nice visit--for about two hours. We all looked for "the supermoon" as we were leaving--but it had clouded over already.
We left for home a little after 9. That means we got home a little after 10---too late for making lemon bars, so I made sure my wife got up early this morning, and she is making them now.
So while we didn't do a heck of a lot, we had a nice day, and my wife was happy. I like to take her out on trips and do different things with her--break her out of her routine at home--and she enjoys that. A busy day--we did a lot of different things, and we were both tired when we got home.
Today will be quiet. We finally are having a rainy day--the rain moved in during the night--so it sounds like a good day for resting and relaxing. And maybe a little reading.
****
Here is another piece of news from last week:
My wife has made her final decision: The bus tour vacation with me to Nashville is now officially off the calendar. Instead, she and two of her sisters will be making a bus tour to Door County in early August (the week before the planned Nashville trip). That's the weekend of the rodeo and a strongman competition I will have to cover, so I can't come along.
But I will drive her to Ladysmith (in NW Wisconsin, where the sisters live and the tour starts and ends) and pick her up afterwards. By a strange coincidence, the road to Ladysmith passes right through Rhinelander, where K lives. I am hoping I can take advantage of that.
My wife and I took a trip to Door County a few years ago, but we only went as far north as Sturgeon Bay. The most memorable part of the trip (to me) was touring the maritime museum there--since the 19th century, they have had several big shipbuilders in Sturgeon Bay, and there is still a major defense contractor in the area today. So that was a nice visit--the rest of the time, we were in the Green Bay area, shopping and looking around.
Ordinarily these trips center on department stores and, of course, Walmart. But this time, would you believe it, we never dropped anchor in Walmart's parking lot. Or any other store, really. One exception. We stopped in at the big grocery store in town because my wife remembered she had to get a lemon--to make lemon bars for this morning's fellowship dinner at church. I always cooperate with her on such endeavors--because there are usually a few lemon bars that go home with her, and I like the lemon bars.
Let's face it, I was a little bored, too. I had visited K the week before (just for a few busy hours), and the next visit won't be for another week and a half. And I know my wife and I hadn't gone anywhere since the wedding (which was only two weeks earlier, true), and I don't want her to get too bored at home.
So during the week, I had mentioned going to a movie with her. In looking over the offerings, she seized upon the current movie adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks book, "The Lucky One." I'm neutral on Nicholas Sparks books, but I'm not the one in the family who reads them at night before going to sleep.
We were a little early getting to town, so we stopped briefly at McDonald's to try their cherry berry chiller. We both agreed that we liked it and probably will get more during the summer months. It was sunny at that time--later, it clouded over.
Next, the movie.
Since I had seen a few movie adaptations of his Nicholas Sparks books before, I knew what to expect. And that was exactly what I got. Feisty, independent girl. Rugged, handsome, quiet, mysterious stranger who always seems to have lost his razor. (Understandable that he doesn't shave, since during the course of the movie his whiskers never seem to grow.) Borderline psycho ex-boyfriend/ex-husband, deeply jealous and hostile to quiet mysterious guy. Charming, intelligent little kid. Wise old mother/female relative, trying to guide feisty independent girl towards rugged, handsome man. Inevitable sex scenes where some flesh but no naughty parts are shown--barely even the curve of a breast! And, of course, the inevitable rainstorm at some dramatic point in the saga.
It was about as edgy as a glass of milk. I swear to you, all the movie adaptations of Nicholas Sparks books seem to come out of the same sausage machine. You've seen one, you've seen them all. I suppose it's like a cinematic version of comfort foods. If you like Doritos, you like Doritos. My wife likes Nicholas Sparks books. I've got other stuff to read.
One other thing worth noting: Back on April 27, K and I saw "The Hunger Games" in Rhinelander, That theater has digital video and sound. Very sharp picture and impressive, powerful sound, especially during the trailers that preceded the film. I made a mental note to compare that theater experience to Iron Mountain. Saturday, I got my chance.
Not even close. In Iron Mountain, you hear the projectors whirring softly in the background and see slight variations in the picture (frame-to-frame brightness, mostly) during the film. It was ... OK. What we are all used to. It's sort of like the first time I saw a hockey game televised in HD. Wow! I have seen many hockey games on TV over the years--but nothing like that. Same thing here. The difference between the two theaters is like high def TV vs. standard definition, for both video and audio.
I had told my wife about the Rhinelander theater before. After seeing the film yesterday, I told her the next time we see a film, we're going to Rhinelander. She will be impressed. And it's only slightly farther away.
Anyway, after the movie, we went to a local sit-down type restaurant for dinner. I had an omelet, and my wife had haddock. We both got lemonades--but I drink a lot during dinners, and they didn't offer refills of the lemonades. So I asked the waitress for a glass of water, and she eventually came back with a six-ounce glass. I'm not a complainer, and I didn't say anything. But her tip was much closer to 10% than 15% or 20%.
From there, we went to visit an aunt of mine. My dad had three brothers and sisters. The two sisters are still alive--one is far away in downstate Michigan. The youngest one is in Kingsford, 82 now, and still pretty active. We wanted to show her pictures of the wedding. I put them on a tablet computer and we looked at them for a while. Then we sat and talked for a while. We hadn't visited that much since my mom died (September 2010), so we talked for quite a while, and we met her two little dogs and then she took us on a tour of her house.
She has a background in interior decorating and really has expanded and furnished the house--it's what she enjoys doing, and she is justifiably proud of what she has done. She also visits flea markets and auctions and picks up items that she cleans up/fixes up. We were suitably impressed and had a nice visit--for about two hours. We all looked for "the supermoon" as we were leaving--but it had clouded over already.
We left for home a little after 9. That means we got home a little after 10---too late for making lemon bars, so I made sure my wife got up early this morning, and she is making them now.
So while we didn't do a heck of a lot, we had a nice day, and my wife was happy. I like to take her out on trips and do different things with her--break her out of her routine at home--and she enjoys that. A busy day--we did a lot of different things, and we were both tired when we got home.
Today will be quiet. We finally are having a rainy day--the rain moved in during the night--so it sounds like a good day for resting and relaxing. And maybe a little reading.
****
Here is another piece of news from last week:
My wife has made her final decision: The bus tour vacation with me to Nashville is now officially off the calendar. Instead, she and two of her sisters will be making a bus tour to Door County in early August (the week before the planned Nashville trip). That's the weekend of the rodeo and a strongman competition I will have to cover, so I can't come along.
But I will drive her to Ladysmith (in NW Wisconsin, where the sisters live and the tour starts and ends) and pick her up afterwards. By a strange coincidence, the road to Ladysmith passes right through Rhinelander, where K lives. I am hoping I can take advantage of that.
My wife and I took a trip to Door County a few years ago, but we only went as far north as Sturgeon Bay. The most memorable part of the trip (to me) was touring the maritime museum there--since the 19th century, they have had several big shipbuilders in Sturgeon Bay, and there is still a major defense contractor in the area today. So that was a nice visit--the rest of the time, we were in the Green Bay area, shopping and looking around.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
A very special day
At about 6 p.m. on a recent Saturday, the knot was officially tied. My son became a husband, and after more than 40 years, my wife and I finally had a daughter.
It took place at a suburban golf course on the outside rim of the Detroit metro area. On Friday, the day of the rehearsal, it rained, and the rehearsal took place inside. The forecast for Saturday said the rain would clear out overnight and the skies would clear, but temperatures were only to be in the low 50s, and a stiff breeze from the north was expected. Wind chill!
Fortunately, the stiff breeze blew off the wedding. An occasional puff but not very strong or very sustained. The sun was out, and the sky was clear. Bright, sunshiny day. ...
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Time for a flashback.
It took place at a suburban golf course on the outside rim of the Detroit metro area. On Friday, the day of the rehearsal, it rained, and the rehearsal took place inside. The forecast for Saturday said the rain would clear out overnight and the skies would clear, but temperatures were only to be in the low 50s, and a stiff breeze from the north was expected. Wind chill!
Fortunately, the stiff breeze blew off the wedding. An occasional puff but not very strong or very sustained. The sun was out, and the sky was clear. Bright, sunshiny day. ...
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Time for a flashback.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Nothing you'll see on Facebook
I haven't written for a while, have I? Well, so it goes. It seems hardly anybody is writing lately. Most of them are busy telling their life stories on Facebook. But I'm not a Facebook person.
To be clear: If I seen an online article I like, I will hit the Facebook icon and write my comment about it--what I liked about it or a excerpt that I particularly liked. But that's the extent of it. I would rather talk about my life as Dr. Dog. Or some other nom de plume that effectively conceals my identity. That may also be why I really haven't warmed up to Google+ yet.
But my inactivity here is for other reasons as well. Let me count the ways:
1. The big one--the really, really big one--is my son's wedding, which takes place next Saturday, April 21, in the Detroit area. We will be leaving Wednesday morning and returning late Sunday night. Remember, both of those are all-day drives, since it's over 500 miles between here to there. So we will be gone five days and four nights. We have someone (one of the gals in the office) coming in to feed the kitties and replenish their water.
My to-do list for the wedding is down to one item: cufflinks. I think I have some in a dresser drawer, but I didn't want to do the spelunking around in it the other night. My son told me about that last Sunday night when he last called.
Otherwise: Pictures to scan and e-mail down? Check. Measurements for my tux? Check. A check to help them pay costs? Check check. A new, larger suitcase (actually, a gen-you-wine travel bag, like you would use for air travel)? Check. Haircut? Check. Extra key for the lady who is feeding the kitties? Check. Motel rooms booked (for us and our younger son)? Check. Addresses entered into my car's nav system, to help us find our way in the big city? Check.
My wife predictably has been more chaotic about getting prepared, but she is nearly ready, too. The final item on her list was finding a pair of shoes. The pickings are pretty slim up here (where the only shoes are small departments in department stores), but we went to Iron Mountain Saturday and found a pair of brown shoes (which will go well with her mint green dress). Also, I assured her that we will be visiting an area with shopping malls and outlet malls, so finding specialty shoe shops should be no problem.
Nearly everything is in readiness up here. We leave at mid-morning Wednesday--a day earlier than I had expected because my son and I have to try on our tuxes Thursday, and, as I said, it's an all-day drive. Besides that, we will have plenty of free time in Detroit, to go shopping or see the sights.
Most likely, we will be enjoying the sumptuous accommodations at a local Knights Inn. Other motels may be nicer and have more amenities, but Knights Inn is relatively cheap, and for my wife, that sort of outweighs every other factor. At least they have wi-fi, so my laptop is coming along. My e-reader, of course.
2. My e-reader is getting plenty of use. I recently discovered the "Song of Ice and Fire" series by George R.R. Martin, and I am now officially "into" it. I've just started reading "Game of Thrones," and it's very interesting. But with all the other things I am doing, there really isn't a lot of time. So it's 15 minutes here, a half hour there, the way I usually read a book.
I know there's also the HBO series, but I am not watching it. Since I don't know the story yet, I want to read the book first and savor the uncertainty and plot turns. That's the way I am. I like surprises, and I get a better picture of each character as he/she is developed in the book. (I do wish the chapters were numbered, though.)
3. The Stanley Cup playoffs started Wednesday, and there are usually two televised games per night. So between 6 p.m. and midnight, I am watching the action on the ice. My favorite team, of course, is the Detroit Red Wings, and right now they are tied 1-1 with the Nashville Predators going into today's game. Nashville is a very good team, but Detroit outplayed them Friday night. It's going to be fun to see how it all plays out.
You know, it's sort of like me reading "Game of Thrones": All the excitement and drama and uncertainty of a good story. How is it going to end? Will the "good guys" prevail? What dramatic plot twists will turn things around? What's going to happen along the way? What awful mistake will send one team to glory and the other into despair? Who will be the hero?
Two of the games will be played while we are away on Detroit odyssey: one on Friday night (the night of the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner--I'll probably get to see the end of it) and one on Sunday afternoon (at least I'll be able to listen in the car as we make the 10-hour trip home).
4. My poly friends. I don't get to see them as often as I want to because of time and distance and work schedules. I got to visit N last week, for the first time this year. We had a nice, quiet visit. As usual, we watched several old TV shows and a dumb movie and talked for a while. She made an omelet for me in the morning.
I last saw K in late March--it was an overnighter at a motel. We had dinner, talked a lot, took some photos and enjoyed the motel's pool and hot tub. We did other things, too. It was a good night. A few weeks earlier, she and I went on a one-day trip to Wausau, where we did some shopping. Just a day trip--I picked her up about noon, and I dropped her off at her place about 9 p.m. and drove home. No playing around this time and just a little cuddling. We were simply a couple that day, spending time together, and it went very well. We both really enjoyed it. K and I have become very good friends. I would daresay I have just one closer friend than her. And that's the girl who rides with me to Detroit this week.
I continue to write with B and S, and I have a new penpal, too. May I introduce you to M. She is a widow, she is 67 (five years older than me), and she lives near Los Angeles. We write long letters, talking about this and that. There are no plans to meet, and I think it will stay that way.
5. This isn't taking much time now, but it could. My wife and I have been talking about taking some trips this year. The shorter one would be to Mackinac Island (near the Mackinac Bridge--but it's an island, silly!). We have been at the bridge and the nearby city (St. Ignace) many times, but neither of us have been to Mackinac Island. If we do that, it would be in June, a mini-vacation. Bring on the fudge!
Also, she wants to go with me on a bus tour to Nashville in early August. This would be another five-day, four night trip, so it's a major commitment of time and money. No final decision yet, but I have blocked off those days on my calendar. She wants me to go with her--I didn't go with her on the two bus tours to Branson, Mo., in recent years, because they took place during my busy season at work. Early August is not my busy season, and I told her that if she wants to go and wants me come along, I'm willing.
****
That's all for now. Just wanted to check in and say hi.
Everyone I have talked to about the wedding plans says the same thing: They want to see me in a tux. It should be good for a laugh. OK, OK, OK.
To be clear: If I seen an online article I like, I will hit the Facebook icon and write my comment about it--what I liked about it or a excerpt that I particularly liked. But that's the extent of it. I would rather talk about my life as Dr. Dog. Or some other nom de plume that effectively conceals my identity. That may also be why I really haven't warmed up to Google+ yet.
But my inactivity here is for other reasons as well. Let me count the ways:
1. The big one--the really, really big one--is my son's wedding, which takes place next Saturday, April 21, in the Detroit area. We will be leaving Wednesday morning and returning late Sunday night. Remember, both of those are all-day drives, since it's over 500 miles between here to there. So we will be gone five days and four nights. We have someone (one of the gals in the office) coming in to feed the kitties and replenish their water.
My to-do list for the wedding is down to one item: cufflinks. I think I have some in a dresser drawer, but I didn't want to do the spelunking around in it the other night. My son told me about that last Sunday night when he last called.
Otherwise: Pictures to scan and e-mail down? Check. Measurements for my tux? Check. A check to help them pay costs? Check check. A new, larger suitcase (actually, a gen-you-wine travel bag, like you would use for air travel)? Check. Haircut? Check. Extra key for the lady who is feeding the kitties? Check. Motel rooms booked (for us and our younger son)? Check. Addresses entered into my car's nav system, to help us find our way in the big city? Check.
My wife predictably has been more chaotic about getting prepared, but she is nearly ready, too. The final item on her list was finding a pair of shoes. The pickings are pretty slim up here (where the only shoes are small departments in department stores), but we went to Iron Mountain Saturday and found a pair of brown shoes (which will go well with her mint green dress). Also, I assured her that we will be visiting an area with shopping malls and outlet malls, so finding specialty shoe shops should be no problem.
Nearly everything is in readiness up here. We leave at mid-morning Wednesday--a day earlier than I had expected because my son and I have to try on our tuxes Thursday, and, as I said, it's an all-day drive. Besides that, we will have plenty of free time in Detroit, to go shopping or see the sights.
Most likely, we will be enjoying the sumptuous accommodations at a local Knights Inn. Other motels may be nicer and have more amenities, but Knights Inn is relatively cheap, and for my wife, that sort of outweighs every other factor. At least they have wi-fi, so my laptop is coming along. My e-reader, of course.
2. My e-reader is getting plenty of use. I recently discovered the "Song of Ice and Fire" series by George R.R. Martin, and I am now officially "into" it. I've just started reading "Game of Thrones," and it's very interesting. But with all the other things I am doing, there really isn't a lot of time. So it's 15 minutes here, a half hour there, the way I usually read a book.
I know there's also the HBO series, but I am not watching it. Since I don't know the story yet, I want to read the book first and savor the uncertainty and plot turns. That's the way I am. I like surprises, and I get a better picture of each character as he/she is developed in the book. (I do wish the chapters were numbered, though.)
3. The Stanley Cup playoffs started Wednesday, and there are usually two televised games per night. So between 6 p.m. and midnight, I am watching the action on the ice. My favorite team, of course, is the Detroit Red Wings, and right now they are tied 1-1 with the Nashville Predators going into today's game. Nashville is a very good team, but Detroit outplayed them Friday night. It's going to be fun to see how it all plays out.
You know, it's sort of like me reading "Game of Thrones": All the excitement and drama and uncertainty of a good story. How is it going to end? Will the "good guys" prevail? What dramatic plot twists will turn things around? What's going to happen along the way? What awful mistake will send one team to glory and the other into despair? Who will be the hero?
Two of the games will be played while we are away on Detroit odyssey: one on Friday night (the night of the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner--I'll probably get to see the end of it) and one on Sunday afternoon (at least I'll be able to listen in the car as we make the 10-hour trip home).
4. My poly friends. I don't get to see them as often as I want to because of time and distance and work schedules. I got to visit N last week, for the first time this year. We had a nice, quiet visit. As usual, we watched several old TV shows and a dumb movie and talked for a while. She made an omelet for me in the morning.
I last saw K in late March--it was an overnighter at a motel. We had dinner, talked a lot, took some photos and enjoyed the motel's pool and hot tub. We did other things, too. It was a good night. A few weeks earlier, she and I went on a one-day trip to Wausau, where we did some shopping. Just a day trip--I picked her up about noon, and I dropped her off at her place about 9 p.m. and drove home. No playing around this time and just a little cuddling. We were simply a couple that day, spending time together, and it went very well. We both really enjoyed it. K and I have become very good friends. I would daresay I have just one closer friend than her. And that's the girl who rides with me to Detroit this week.
I continue to write with B and S, and I have a new penpal, too. May I introduce you to M. She is a widow, she is 67 (five years older than me), and she lives near Los Angeles. We write long letters, talking about this and that. There are no plans to meet, and I think it will stay that way.
5. This isn't taking much time now, but it could. My wife and I have been talking about taking some trips this year. The shorter one would be to Mackinac Island (near the Mackinac Bridge--but it's an island, silly!). We have been at the bridge and the nearby city (St. Ignace) many times, but neither of us have been to Mackinac Island. If we do that, it would be in June, a mini-vacation. Bring on the fudge!
Also, she wants to go with me on a bus tour to Nashville in early August. This would be another five-day, four night trip, so it's a major commitment of time and money. No final decision yet, but I have blocked off those days on my calendar. She wants me to go with her--I didn't go with her on the two bus tours to Branson, Mo., in recent years, because they took place during my busy season at work. Early August is not my busy season, and I told her that if she wants to go and wants me come along, I'm willing.
****
That's all for now. Just wanted to check in and say hi.
Everyone I have talked to about the wedding plans says the same thing: They want to see me in a tux. It should be good for a laugh. OK, OK, OK.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Republican for a day?
What to do!
It's primary day here in Michigan, where you can in either party's primary.
No Democrats have called me, but Romney, Santorum and their henchmen have been besieging my phone lines for weeks, disparaging the other candidate and begging for my vote.
Should I do it? Should I become a Republican for a day? With malicious/mischievous intent, should I vote for the candidate who will scare the bewillikers out of most reasonable people once they know more about him than his name?
It's a moral dilemma.
****
Meanwhile, a big, mean winter storm is licking its chops and bearing down on us. I've got to cover a basketball game on the other half of the county tonight, but the most recent guidance from the Weather Service says the storm isn't going to be baring its fangs around here, until after midnight.
The thing is, tomorrow I have a 7 a.m. meeting for a board I serve on. And since I'm the president, I've got to be there. At least it's in town. That's about the time the storm should be at its stormiest, dumping maybe 2 inches of snow per hour. Wow! Better take my snow shovel along!
We are expecting 8 to 12 inches by the time it's over. If it snows that much, the district basketball championship game I'm supposed to cover that night (60 miles away) should be postponed. Any reasonable person would make that call. But these are school administrators we are talking about, so let's assume nothing.
By the way, maybe we are in for another storm this Friday or Saturday. Fun. Of course, I'm covering a different high school championship game about 80 miles away Friday night. Between here and there, it's the loneliest stretch of two-lane road you have seen in your life. Mainly forests and swamps on either side. The biggest town along the way has a population under 1,000.
Yes, it's fun to live up here in God's Country.
It's primary day here in Michigan, where you can in either party's primary.
No Democrats have called me, but Romney, Santorum and their henchmen have been besieging my phone lines for weeks, disparaging the other candidate and begging for my vote.
Should I do it? Should I become a Republican for a day? With malicious/mischievous intent, should I vote for the candidate who will scare the bewillikers out of most reasonable people once they know more about him than his name?
It's a moral dilemma.
****
Meanwhile, a big, mean winter storm is licking its chops and bearing down on us. I've got to cover a basketball game on the other half of the county tonight, but the most recent guidance from the Weather Service says the storm isn't going to be baring its fangs around here, until after midnight.
The thing is, tomorrow I have a 7 a.m. meeting for a board I serve on. And since I'm the president, I've got to be there. At least it's in town. That's about the time the storm should be at its stormiest, dumping maybe 2 inches of snow per hour. Wow! Better take my snow shovel along!
We are expecting 8 to 12 inches by the time it's over. If it snows that much, the district basketball championship game I'm supposed to cover that night (60 miles away) should be postponed. Any reasonable person would make that call. But these are school administrators we are talking about, so let's assume nothing.
By the way, maybe we are in for another storm this Friday or Saturday. Fun. Of course, I'm covering a different high school championship game about 80 miles away Friday night. Between here and there, it's the loneliest stretch of two-lane road you have seen in your life. Mainly forests and swamps on either side. The biggest town along the way has a population under 1,000.
Yes, it's fun to live up here in God's Country.
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