How's that for some alliteration in the title of today's post?!
It's pretty cool for a summer's day here in Chicagoland. Mostly rainy too, but at least it doesn't feel like a steambath o'humidity. That's a good thing.
Home from getting religion already - today's been a blur, as has the entire last week. Church was good - Greg Boswell gave a really powerful talk and Mari Louengrath blew the place away with her violin rendition of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief." She had no sheet music in front of her, all from memory - she is a master of the violin. And what an amazing instrument the violin is. There are very few musical instruments that capture the Spirit the way the violin does. Amazing! I taught a combined EQ/HP lesson and was really glad when that was over. It was a meaty topic and I'm not sure I did it justice in 35 minutes.
Based on attendance today at Church, summer vacations have begun in earnest. It's going to be a quiet week at work. After running all over last week, I am glad. Some of my exploits made the Chicago Tribune. Got back from New York City and ran a "fun run" 5K on Saturday morning and improved my PR by about 30 seconds. Run another one on the 4th of July, so we'll see if I shave off some more time.
Looking forward to getting Courtney home in a week. She's been gone too long. And I am still waiting for my oldest daughter to call me back from last Monday when she said she would call me right back. Sarah - call your DAD!!!
Missing my oldest is turning this into a bit of a cruel period in my life. That got me thinking about an appropriate 80's video and here it is - the ladies of Banarama and "Cruel Summer" -
29 June 2008
26 June 2008
A Couple of Days in New York City
It is so summer in New York City! It's been close to 90 degrees and borderline unpleasantly humid. And the City is AWASH in tourists, mostly Europeans (yep, a lot of black socks, sandals, and man-pris), who clearly continue to feast on the weakness of the US Dollar. I'm here for a couple of days - spent the day today in the GM Building at a forum with several of my industry peers. It was productive. We had a lot of good discussion surrounding the challenges we each face in our corporate environments. I'll spend tomorrow in my office on 40th and 5th with my team here and then back to Chicagoland late in the afternoon, in time for dinner with friends at an Argentine place and then it's home to get ready for my next 5K on Saturday morning.
After my meetings this afternoon I went down to Central Park to run a 3K trainer run. Can I just tell you that it was awesome! There were so many people running in the park that it was like running a race. Wound up pacing with a couple of other runners and it made for a really good run. I have to admit that it was pretty cool to be running through the Park. What an amazing piece of real estate...Got back to my hotel, the Iroqouis, grabbed a shower, and then was out on the street again for a little dinner at Pret-a-Manger. There are Prets all over London and whenever I get to New York, I like to at least get a sandwich there. It takes me back to London every time. The only thing missing is my beloved crayfish and rocket sandwich. That doesn't appeal, apparently, to US eaters, but it does me. So Pret, please bring it across the Atlantic!
After my meetings this afternoon I went down to Central Park to run a 3K trainer run. Can I just tell you that it was awesome! There were so many people running in the park that it was like running a race. Wound up pacing with a couple of other runners and it made for a really good run. I have to admit that it was pretty cool to be running through the Park. What an amazing piece of real estate...Got back to my hotel, the Iroqouis, grabbed a shower, and then was out on the street again for a little dinner at Pret-a-Manger. There are Prets all over London and whenever I get to New York, I like to at least get a sandwich there. It takes me back to London every time. The only thing missing is my beloved crayfish and rocket sandwich. That doesn't appeal, apparently, to US eaters, but it does me. So Pret, please bring it across the Atlantic!
21 June 2008
The Crosstown Classic=SMACKDOWN
If I recall correctly, 21 June is the official first day of summer. Is there any better way to spend such an august day than at a baseball game? I would say that no, there is no better way, especially when it's a baseball game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. There is no greater experience in baseball than a summer's day game at Wrigley with your son. What a place!
And it's even better when it's the Crosstown Classic - the epic battle of the Cubs versus the White Sox. Aramis Ramirez sealed the deal yesterday for the Cubbies in Game One and today, given the number of hits that the Cubbies were essentially spewing, like a geyser, in the fourth inning, it was the team as a whole that spanked, and deservedly so, the White Sox. It was a rout, plain and simple. Dare I say a smackdown? Yep, I do...a smackdown was served today. We had outstanding seats - Field Box seats about thirteen rows up behind home plate. I love the intimacy of Wrigley Field. I also love what the fans have to say/yell. I've never heard suicide suggestions made as, well, colorfully and creatively, as they are at Wrigley.
That fourth inning, nine run cavalcade was just outstanding. Parker and I had so much fun, getting into more and more with each run scored. It was really fun watching him get so into the game. He truly loves the game of baseball. I love being a part of these memories with him.
We used CTA to get down to the game and that was a tad challenging, thanks to the lame-o's at CTA who neglected to mention that cut in the Blue Line during the weekends for construction on their website. This meant riding the Blue Line for four stops and then transferring in between stations via a bus and getting back on the train to get down to the Red Line and up to Wrigley. The CTA is just a mess but I will say I do like the $5 one day, ride all you want pass.
Using O'Hare as our jumping off point made sense inasmuch as we left the game a little early to meet Shari, who came home from her trip to Utah today. It was odd to see her there without Sarah or Courtney. Sarah is officially ensconced in her dorm room, starting classes this coming Monday. Shari said it really wasn't all that tough to say goodbye. I'm still really glad I wasn't there. And Courtney wrapped up her week at EFY and is now running around with Shari's mom and stepdad for two weeks. At least she's coming home.
No video tonight - I'm exhausted and can't really think of a real baseball-theme 80s video. Although I seem to recall that Huey Lewis and the News may have done something and it pains me to even mention them, let alone dredge up some of their old drivel. I just can't do it.
And it's even better when it's the Crosstown Classic - the epic battle of the Cubs versus the White Sox. Aramis Ramirez sealed the deal yesterday for the Cubbies in Game One and today, given the number of hits that the Cubbies were essentially spewing, like a geyser, in the fourth inning, it was the team as a whole that spanked, and deservedly so, the White Sox. It was a rout, plain and simple. Dare I say a smackdown? Yep, I do...a smackdown was served today. We had outstanding seats - Field Box seats about thirteen rows up behind home plate. I love the intimacy of Wrigley Field. I also love what the fans have to say/yell. I've never heard suicide suggestions made as, well, colorfully and creatively, as they are at Wrigley.
That fourth inning, nine run cavalcade was just outstanding. Parker and I had so much fun, getting into more and more with each run scored. It was really fun watching him get so into the game. He truly loves the game of baseball. I love being a part of these memories with him.
We used CTA to get down to the game and that was a tad challenging, thanks to the lame-o's at CTA who neglected to mention that cut in the Blue Line during the weekends for construction on their website. This meant riding the Blue Line for four stops and then transferring in between stations via a bus and getting back on the train to get down to the Red Line and up to Wrigley. The CTA is just a mess but I will say I do like the $5 one day, ride all you want pass.
Using O'Hare as our jumping off point made sense inasmuch as we left the game a little early to meet Shari, who came home from her trip to Utah today. It was odd to see her there without Sarah or Courtney. Sarah is officially ensconced in her dorm room, starting classes this coming Monday. Shari said it really wasn't all that tough to say goodbye. I'm still really glad I wasn't there. And Courtney wrapped up her week at EFY and is now running around with Shari's mom and stepdad for two weeks. At least she's coming home.
No video tonight - I'm exhausted and can't really think of a real baseball-theme 80s video. Although I seem to recall that Huey Lewis and the News may have done something and it pains me to even mention them, let alone dredge up some of their old drivel. I just can't do it.
18 June 2008
The Swedemobile is Killing Me
Right off the bat, let me just say I am not even going to speak of today's events - putting Sarah on a plane to begin her first semester at BYU in Provo. Still too much for to process, let alone talk about.
So depending on how you look at it, the decision by my Swedemobile to up and die yesterday was some interesting timing. It's either keeping me from falling apart over my daughter's leaving and it's giving me something to blog about rather than weeping.
The Swedemobile elected to give up the ghost yesterday with no warning WHATSOEVER while I was in the McDonalds drive-thru line grabbing a large Diet Coke (for a mere dollar during the summer here in Chicagoland!!) in between conference calls. I hadn't even gotten to Window #1 to pay, and the sixteen-year old money fascist manning the window had the audacity to cancel my order. Suffice to say his complete disregard to the gravity of the situation was not appreciated. After pushing the hunk o'metal into a parking spot, I began to ponder if this was not a sign for feeding my need for an afternoon Diet Coke. But it's not like I was buying Diet Crack...it was Diet Coke!
After much negotiating with the Swedemobile (I kid you not...my solution was to talk to said car), I got it to stay on long enough to get the engine revved to about 1000 RPM and then I was off. I rolled every stop sign on the way back to my office, for if I stopped, so did the engine. I literally rolled into my parking spot and began the quest for a solution....
Long story short, the Saab dealer that services the Swede is forty miles from my office but they sent a tow truck. It took said tow truck four hours to get to my office. Let's just say happy I was not. I was even less happy when the Service Manager called me this morning with the diagnosis (a throttle gone wrong) and the bill. I won't even go into that tragedy.
So Swedemobile, I am so not happy with you right now. You have not been a Super Trouper, as your musical heritage may suggest. And so tonight's video is a reflection of that influence. It is from 1980, with some horrific cues from the 70's, and it's ABBA. Can anyone tell me what these people were thinking? Seriously. Like the Swedemobile, there's so much wrong with tonight's selection that it's not even funny. Well, yes, it is. Wait til you see this mess. Anyway, "Super Trouper"
So depending on how you look at it, the decision by my Swedemobile to up and die yesterday was some interesting timing. It's either keeping me from falling apart over my daughter's leaving and it's giving me something to blog about rather than weeping.
The Swedemobile elected to give up the ghost yesterday with no warning WHATSOEVER while I was in the McDonalds drive-thru line grabbing a large Diet Coke (for a mere dollar during the summer here in Chicagoland!!) in between conference calls. I hadn't even gotten to Window #1 to pay, and the sixteen-year old money fascist manning the window had the audacity to cancel my order. Suffice to say his complete disregard to the gravity of the situation was not appreciated. After pushing the hunk o'metal into a parking spot, I began to ponder if this was not a sign for feeding my need for an afternoon Diet Coke. But it's not like I was buying Diet Crack...it was Diet Coke!
After much negotiating with the Swedemobile (I kid you not...my solution was to talk to said car), I got it to stay on long enough to get the engine revved to about 1000 RPM and then I was off. I rolled every stop sign on the way back to my office, for if I stopped, so did the engine. I literally rolled into my parking spot and began the quest for a solution....
Long story short, the Saab dealer that services the Swede is forty miles from my office but they sent a tow truck. It took said tow truck four hours to get to my office. Let's just say happy I was not. I was even less happy when the Service Manager called me this morning with the diagnosis (a throttle gone wrong) and the bill. I won't even go into that tragedy.
So Swedemobile, I am so not happy with you right now. You have not been a Super Trouper, as your musical heritage may suggest. And so tonight's video is a reflection of that influence. It is from 1980, with some horrific cues from the 70's, and it's ABBA. Can anyone tell me what these people were thinking? Seriously. Like the Swedemobile, there's so much wrong with tonight's selection that it's not even funny. Well, yes, it is. Wait til you see this mess. Anyway, "Super Trouper"
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