I was reading an article today about investor Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway fame. In this Thanksgiving season, I'm really thankful that I've not lost near as much money in the stock market as he has. Believe it or not, Buffett has lost 13.6 BILLION dollars this year! If I'd lost that much, I'd be owing somebody about 13.599999999 billion dollars.
I'm pretty sure he's not downsizing his turkey for tomorrow - he's still worth $48.1 billion.
Being a big fan of the Oracle of Omaha, I've noticed that he's been buying stocks for the last few weeks so he must think a turnaround in the stock market must be in sight. Of course the Dow, NASDAQ and the S&P are all down nearly 50% for the year. Think about it for a second: If you went to the supermarket and everything was 50% off, wouldn't you be stocking up, too?
Now to what I'm really thankful for: A great family. Outstanding friends. Lessons learned from my parents about the value of hard work. Enjoying coming to work. Knowing that my kids are going to be tremendous adults. The ability to help others in need. Good health.
The list could go on and on. I've truly had a blessed life.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
For Men Only
I noticed on the MSN homepage today that there was a link to an article about 100 Things Every Man Should Know How To Do. Thinking I'm pretty handy around the house and growing up with a dad who could fix anything and a mother who cooked, sewed and generally ran a tight house, I figured I'd surely ace this thing. I only know how to do 77 of them.
Here's the link to the story.
http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/bigger-picture/articlepm.aspx?cp-documentid=11258170>1=32001
Let me know how many of them you're able to do. By the way, I was disappointed that "filet a fish" was not on the list!
Here's the link to the story.
http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/bigger-picture/articlepm.aspx?cp-documentid=11258170>1=32001
Let me know how many of them you're able to do. By the way, I was disappointed that "filet a fish" was not on the list!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
My Brush with Greatness
I had written about my daughter's chance meeting with Paula Abdul. Honestly, I was a bit jealous because I never meet anyone famous or even semi-famous. Okay, there was the one night I saw Peyton Manning in the men's restroom at the Murat Theater in downtown Indianapolis but looking at a guy while standing at the urinal is generally frowned upon so we just won't mention it.
Anyway, every once in a while I work concessions at a Colts, Pacers or Indianapolis Indians game to raise money for my daughter's dance. It's not a bad deal - sell a little food, a little beer and collect money to help pay for her costumes and lessons. This past Saturday night we were prepping the stand and food when a tall older gentleman walked up to the counter and asked if we had any coffee ready yet. I got him a cup, he paid me and as he walked away, nearly everyone in the stand yelled "Boom Baby!". It was Bobby "Slick" Leonard - former coach of the Pacers in the ABA days and current color man on the Pacers radio broadcasts.
Anyway, every once in a while I work concessions at a Colts, Pacers or Indianapolis Indians game to raise money for my daughter's dance. It's not a bad deal - sell a little food, a little beer and collect money to help pay for her costumes and lessons. This past Saturday night we were prepping the stand and food when a tall older gentleman walked up to the counter and asked if we had any coffee ready yet. I got him a cup, he paid me and as he walked away, nearly everyone in the stand yelled "Boom Baby!". It was Bobby "Slick" Leonard - former coach of the Pacers in the ABA days and current color man on the Pacers radio broadcasts.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Charlie's Angels
Since my oldest son, Kyle, has been singing a capella music for the past few years, I've become a big fan. A few of Kyle's friends graduated last year and moved on to Ball State University. They've now formed an a capella group there, Charlie's Angels.
The name comes from the fact that the Ball State mascot is a cardinal named............you guessed it.........Charlie. Anyway, here's a shameless plug for them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtXuhpLOxnU
Also, if anyone likes this music, check out Straight No Chaser. SNC started as an a capella group at Indiana University and the group still exists. Anyway, most of the original guys in SNC were recently signed to an Atlantic Records contract and just put out their first CD, "Holiday Spirits". Their most well-known song "12 Days of Christmas" can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8
Hope you enjoy it!
The name comes from the fact that the Ball State mascot is a cardinal named............you guessed it.........Charlie. Anyway, here's a shameless plug for them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtXuhpLOxnU
Also, if anyone likes this music, check out Straight No Chaser. SNC started as an a capella group at Indiana University and the group still exists. Anyway, most of the original guys in SNC were recently signed to an Atlantic Records contract and just put out their first CD, "Holiday Spirits". Their most well-known song "12 Days of Christmas" can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8
Hope you enjoy it!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Life with Libby
My good friend, Shelley, has her own blog that she's much better at keeping up-to-date than I am with mine. Being much more computer-experienced than myself, she has her blog arranged by different categories. One such category is titled "Life with Libby" where she writes about her relationship with her brown lab, Libby. Every time I see that category, however, I always think of my 13-year old daughter, Libby. Feel free to browse through Shelley's blog here: http://whatifitdid.com/
The past few days my kids have been on Fall Break and my wife is in New Orleans on business so I decided to take a few days off just to hang around the house with the kids. Now, if you've ever had a teenage daughter, you'll understand when I say that they're not always easy to deal with.
My wife left early Wednesday morning and won't be returning until mid-day Saturday. We've talked on the phone every day and I find it interesting that she asks the same question every day: "How was Libby? Have you killed her yet?" You'll be happy to know that we've actually gotten along very well in spite of her moodiness and haven't had a single confrontation yet. Yes, I'm surprised, too! Hopefully, we're rounding the corner on all this puberty stuff and she'll actually become somewhat likeable in the very near future. Of course, I'm not really holding my breath as my soon-t0-be 15-year old son is still driving my wife and I completely crazy!
And for those of you who are wondering: Yes, we did eat some meals at home. Yes, the dishes have been done. Yes, the house is recognizable. Yes, the kids did get everywhere they were supposed to be. And most importantly, yes we are ready for my wife to come home!
The past few days my kids have been on Fall Break and my wife is in New Orleans on business so I decided to take a few days off just to hang around the house with the kids. Now, if you've ever had a teenage daughter, you'll understand when I say that they're not always easy to deal with.
My wife left early Wednesday morning and won't be returning until mid-day Saturday. We've talked on the phone every day and I find it interesting that she asks the same question every day: "How was Libby? Have you killed her yet?" You'll be happy to know that we've actually gotten along very well in spite of her moodiness and haven't had a single confrontation yet. Yes, I'm surprised, too! Hopefully, we're rounding the corner on all this puberty stuff and she'll actually become somewhat likeable in the very near future. Of course, I'm not really holding my breath as my soon-t0-be 15-year old son is still driving my wife and I completely crazy!
And for those of you who are wondering: Yes, we did eat some meals at home. Yes, the dishes have been done. Yes, the house is recognizable. Yes, the kids did get everywhere they were supposed to be. And most importantly, yes we are ready for my wife to come home!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Going, going, GONE!
I attended an auction a couple of weeks ago. The items being sold were from a competing surveying company that closed it's doors (presumably from lack of work). Going into the auction, I was excited to possibly pick up some equipment at a good price.
However, once I got there I certainly didn't have a good feeling knowing that another surveyor had been forced to sell all his equipment, vehicles, office furniture, supplies, etc. I only stayed long enough to see most of the high-end equipment being sold. Due to the tough economic times everyone is facing, most of these items were going for probably 25 to 35 percent of their real value. I had an idea of buying a lot of this stuff and putting it on E-bay but didn't since I wanted to see the equipment stay in the hands of local surveyors.
I'm still a little torn as to how I should have felt coming out of the auction. Scared because survey companies are going out of business? Relieved that we're still in business? Regardless, it certainly gave me the motivation to work hard to establish new relationships and continue our old ones to insure that work would continue coming in the door.
I guess the whole moral to the story is what we've always heard. Be grateful for what you have now because it may not be there tomorrow.
However, once I got there I certainly didn't have a good feeling knowing that another surveyor had been forced to sell all his equipment, vehicles, office furniture, supplies, etc. I only stayed long enough to see most of the high-end equipment being sold. Due to the tough economic times everyone is facing, most of these items were going for probably 25 to 35 percent of their real value. I had an idea of buying a lot of this stuff and putting it on E-bay but didn't since I wanted to see the equipment stay in the hands of local surveyors.
I'm still a little torn as to how I should have felt coming out of the auction. Scared because survey companies are going out of business? Relieved that we're still in business? Regardless, it certainly gave me the motivation to work hard to establish new relationships and continue our old ones to insure that work would continue coming in the door.
I guess the whole moral to the story is what we've always heard. Be grateful for what you have now because it may not be there tomorrow.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Embrace The Pace
I had the good fortune of spending a weekend away with my wife a few weeks ago so we decided to head to Nappanee, Indiana and stay at a bed and breakfast. Nappanee has a large concentration of both Amish and Mennonites - thus the town slogan of "Embrace the Pace".
When we made the reservations at the B&B, the inn owner asked if we would be interested in attending a dinner hosted by an Amish couple. She noted that she had set this up for others who were staying at the inn and always ones to try new experiences and learn of other cultures, we very quickly said yes.
We arrived at the house at about 5:15 and met the owners, Mose and Etta. Mose took us on a buggy ride down the county road in front of their house. I was lucky enough to sit up front with Mose. Having grown up in a rural area myself, I was able to have a conversation with Mose about farming, raising livestock, etc.
Once we got back from the buggy ride, we were welcomed into what I can best describe as a pole barn with a poured concrete floor. In the corner was a kitchen where Etta was preparing a very large meal. She had fixed chicken, ham, potatoes, vegetables, bread and way more food than any of us could have eaten in two meals. Not to discredit my mother or my wife, but this may have been the best homemade meal I've ever had. Then she brought out the two desserts and the three pies.
After the meal was over, Mose asked if we had any questions about the Amish and their beliefs and traditions. Mose and Etta answered every single question we had and probably would have stayed longer if my wife and I (and the other guests) hadn't felt like we were keeping them from other things they needed to be doing with their family.
I certainly came away from our dinner with Mose and Etta having a different idea of the Amish faith and, more importantly, the reasons for these beliefs. I have to wonder sometimes if they might not have a more fulfilled life being out of the "rat race" that the rest of us English people (as the Amish call us) have become accustomed to.
I know that the next time I feel that my life is getting a little crazy running kids around, working and being involved so much, I'm going to take a deep breath and think back to my evening with Mose and Etta and "Embrace the Pace".
When we made the reservations at the B&B, the inn owner asked if we would be interested in attending a dinner hosted by an Amish couple. She noted that she had set this up for others who were staying at the inn and always ones to try new experiences and learn of other cultures, we very quickly said yes.
We arrived at the house at about 5:15 and met the owners, Mose and Etta. Mose took us on a buggy ride down the county road in front of their house. I was lucky enough to sit up front with Mose. Having grown up in a rural area myself, I was able to have a conversation with Mose about farming, raising livestock, etc.
Once we got back from the buggy ride, we were welcomed into what I can best describe as a pole barn with a poured concrete floor. In the corner was a kitchen where Etta was preparing a very large meal. She had fixed chicken, ham, potatoes, vegetables, bread and way more food than any of us could have eaten in two meals. Not to discredit my mother or my wife, but this may have been the best homemade meal I've ever had. Then she brought out the two desserts and the three pies.
After the meal was over, Mose asked if we had any questions about the Amish and their beliefs and traditions. Mose and Etta answered every single question we had and probably would have stayed longer if my wife and I (and the other guests) hadn't felt like we were keeping them from other things they needed to be doing with their family.
I certainly came away from our dinner with Mose and Etta having a different idea of the Amish faith and, more importantly, the reasons for these beliefs. I have to wonder sometimes if they might not have a more fulfilled life being out of the "rat race" that the rest of us English people (as the Amish call us) have become accustomed to.
I know that the next time I feel that my life is getting a little crazy running kids around, working and being involved so much, I'm going to take a deep breath and think back to my evening with Mose and Etta and "Embrace the Pace".
Friday, September 5, 2008
Assumed Bearings
Yes, it's another survey-related blog today so if you're looking for an update in what's going on in my life, you can skip this one!
We just finished a boundary survey project here in the office. In all the deeds except for one, the same bearing system was used. The descriptions appear to have been used for quite some time, so the basis of the bearing system could not be determined but the deeds were tied into two section lines so they were easily established.
Anyway, the other description appeared to be written by a large firm here in Indianapolis. The first call from the point of commencement was described as "South 87 degrees 11 minutes 35 seconds West (assumed bearing)". Since we had used GPS to establish the location of the section corners and lines, I checked to see what our bearing was on that line. Guess what? It matched exactly to the "assumed" bearing!
I had kind of wondered why, if someone was assuming a bearing, they'd assume South 87 degrees 11 minutes 35 seconds West. Normally, we're not that good at guessing directions in the field so we probably would have assumed due west.
I guess the point of my post today is this: NOT EVERY BEARING BASE IS ASSUMED! If you established the bearings based on published coordinates, say so. If you established the bearings based on record descriptions from adjoiners' deeds, say so. If you established the bearings based on GPS observations, say so. It certainly makes it much easier to retrace your steps if we know what was used to establish your survey.
We just finished a boundary survey project here in the office. In all the deeds except for one, the same bearing system was used. The descriptions appear to have been used for quite some time, so the basis of the bearing system could not be determined but the deeds were tied into two section lines so they were easily established.
Anyway, the other description appeared to be written by a large firm here in Indianapolis. The first call from the point of commencement was described as "South 87 degrees 11 minutes 35 seconds West (assumed bearing)". Since we had used GPS to establish the location of the section corners and lines, I checked to see what our bearing was on that line. Guess what? It matched exactly to the "assumed" bearing!
I had kind of wondered why, if someone was assuming a bearing, they'd assume South 87 degrees 11 minutes 35 seconds West. Normally, we're not that good at guessing directions in the field so we probably would have assumed due west.
I guess the point of my post today is this: NOT EVERY BEARING BASE IS ASSUMED! If you established the bearings based on published coordinates, say so. If you established the bearings based on record descriptions from adjoiners' deeds, say so. If you established the bearings based on GPS observations, say so. It certainly makes it much easier to retrace your steps if we know what was used to establish your survey.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Selling time
Many times on forums regarding land surveying services, I hear surveyors complain about not being respected as a professional in the same way as doctors, lawyers, etc. Unfortunately, we've put ourselves in that position because we're not pricing our services based on the value of our service but rather on the amount of time it takes us to complete a project.
Let's say that you've got an illness that requires a medical specialist to treat. The other option is death. The value of that service? As they say in the commercials - priceless! Relating that to the surveying business, if a survey is needed to close a real estate transaction or the deal falls through, the value of that service should be priceless as well, right? Nope, now that we've got GPS, robotic total stations, the best software and fastest hardware money can buy, we can complete a project faster and base our fees on that reduced time.
Let's say that my tw0-man conventional crew rate for last year was $100/hour (for the sake of me being able to do the math easily) and that my rate as a professional land surveyor was also $100/hour. Let's also say that it takes that crew eight hours to complete a project and twelve hours for the analysis and drafting. That's a bill of $2,000 to my client. This year, however, I'm going to keep up with inflation and raise my crew rate and my rate to $105/hour. To keep up with "big boy" surveying firms, I decide I need to buy GPS equipment for $20,000, subscribe to a VRS system for $5,000 per year and upgrade my CAD package for $8,000. With all of this technology, we can now complete a job in the field in half the time and my analysis and drafting can be done in 2/3 of the time. So for my $33,000 investment, I'm now billing $1,260 to my client for the same project that I billed him $2,000 last year.
Let's go back to the doctors and lawyers. There have certainly been advances in technology and surgical procedures to reduce the amount of time necessary for a doctor to complete a procedure. Attorneys have most certainly reduced the amount of time necessary to research cases by use of the internet instead of poring over books in the law library. When was the last time you remember a doctor or attorney lowering their fees?
We need to stop selling our services based on time but rather on the value of our service to the client.
Let's say that you've got an illness that requires a medical specialist to treat. The other option is death. The value of that service? As they say in the commercials - priceless! Relating that to the surveying business, if a survey is needed to close a real estate transaction or the deal falls through, the value of that service should be priceless as well, right? Nope, now that we've got GPS, robotic total stations, the best software and fastest hardware money can buy, we can complete a project faster and base our fees on that reduced time.
Let's say that my tw0-man conventional crew rate for last year was $100/hour (for the sake of me being able to do the math easily) and that my rate as a professional land surveyor was also $100/hour. Let's also say that it takes that crew eight hours to complete a project and twelve hours for the analysis and drafting. That's a bill of $2,000 to my client. This year, however, I'm going to keep up with inflation and raise my crew rate and my rate to $105/hour. To keep up with "big boy" surveying firms, I decide I need to buy GPS equipment for $20,000, subscribe to a VRS system for $5,000 per year and upgrade my CAD package for $8,000. With all of this technology, we can now complete a job in the field in half the time and my analysis and drafting can be done in 2/3 of the time. So for my $33,000 investment, I'm now billing $1,260 to my client for the same project that I billed him $2,000 last year.
Let's go back to the doctors and lawyers. There have certainly been advances in technology and surgical procedures to reduce the amount of time necessary for a doctor to complete a procedure. Attorneys have most certainly reduced the amount of time necessary to research cases by use of the internet instead of poring over books in the law library. When was the last time you remember a doctor or attorney lowering their fees?
We need to stop selling our services based on time but rather on the value of our service to the client.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Political decisions
I don't normally talk about politics or religion but we were having a discussion at work on Friday about the candidates for president and where they stand on important issues.
For the most part, we decided that we really didn't know exactly what the candidates stood for other than change. Obama keeps talking about needing change from the policies of the current administration. Now with McCain choosing Sarah Palin for his vice-presidential candidate, their message is now that of change, too.
So my question then becomes this: what exactly are the issues that are important to the voters in the U.S. and are the majority of the voters really informed on the issues?
For the most part, we decided that we really didn't know exactly what the candidates stood for other than change. Obama keeps talking about needing change from the policies of the current administration. Now with McCain choosing Sarah Palin for his vice-presidential candidate, their message is now that of change, too.
So my question then becomes this: what exactly are the issues that are important to the voters in the U.S. and are the majority of the voters really informed on the issues?
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Partyin' Like a Rock Star
I had mentioned that we were to meet friends in L.A. on Hollywood Boulevard for dinner on Thursday evening and, in fact, we met Trish, a single mom, and her daughter Riley right after we finished our taping of "Ten Years Younger".
As a little background, Riley dances with my daughter, Libby, and has a passion for performing. Because Trish's job allows her to basically work from anywhere, they decided to spend about a month in L.A. so Riley could take classes and see what work she could get, even if it was only small parts in movies that wouldn't be seen by the general public.
Trish had told us that the movie premier for "Swing Vote" starring Kevin Costner was going to be held on Hollywood Boulevard at 6:00 p.m. right across from the mall where we were parked. We found some positions on the north side of Hollywood Boulevard across from the red carpet and waited for the stars to arrive. Surprisingly, there really aren't that many people (other than tourists like us) that show up for these premiers. It wasn't long before Kevin Costner showed up and Karen and Libby both got pictures of him.
Now the movie also stars Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, George Lopez and a few other not-so-recognizable stars. They were all there as well and we were able to get pictures of them as they talked to reporters along the red carpet. Being across a four lane roadway, sometimes it was difficult to tell who some people were. Spectators were sure they saw Zac Efron (it wasn't), Clay Aiken (it wasn't), Frankie Muniz (it wasn't), Abigail Breslin (it wasn't) and Jodie Sweetin (also known as Stephanie Tanner on the 80's show, Full House). Okay, actually it really was Jodie Sweetin!
After the stars had entered the theater to watch the movie, we decided to get some dinner at an Italian restaurant at the west end of Hollywood Boulevard. It was a nice meal and we decided to save some room for ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery back at the mall where we were parked. We ordered our ice cream and proceeded to some outdoor seating to eat it and talk. As we were sitting around, we heard people cheering down on Hollywood Boulevard. Looking over a wall, we were surprised to see the people from the movie premier leaving the theater and crossing the street to our side to attend the premier after-party in one of the restaurants in the mall.
I think in an earlier post I had mentioned that I'm not necessarily awe-struck by famous people. We figured that there must have been a back entrance to the restaurant that the party people were using so we decided to call it a night and head back to our cars to head "home" for the evening.
As we rounded a corner in a somewhat remote hallway, we were asked to move over to the side by some fairly large men who were escorting a very petite lady. The lady was instantly recognized by us and Riley, who is very outgoing, asked if she could pose for a picture with her. The lady obliged and also posed for a picture with Libby.
Here's the picture - I think you'll recognize this person fairly quickly.
As a little background, Riley dances with my daughter, Libby, and has a passion for performing. Because Trish's job allows her to basically work from anywhere, they decided to spend about a month in L.A. so Riley could take classes and see what work she could get, even if it was only small parts in movies that wouldn't be seen by the general public.
Trish had told us that the movie premier for "Swing Vote" starring Kevin Costner was going to be held on Hollywood Boulevard at 6:00 p.m. right across from the mall where we were parked. We found some positions on the north side of Hollywood Boulevard across from the red carpet and waited for the stars to arrive. Surprisingly, there really aren't that many people (other than tourists like us) that show up for these premiers. It wasn't long before Kevin Costner showed up and Karen and Libby both got pictures of him.
Now the movie also stars Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, George Lopez and a few other not-so-recognizable stars. They were all there as well and we were able to get pictures of them as they talked to reporters along the red carpet. Being across a four lane roadway, sometimes it was difficult to tell who some people were. Spectators were sure they saw Zac Efron (it wasn't), Clay Aiken (it wasn't), Frankie Muniz (it wasn't), Abigail Breslin (it wasn't) and Jodie Sweetin (also known as Stephanie Tanner on the 80's show, Full House). Okay, actually it really was Jodie Sweetin!
After the stars had entered the theater to watch the movie, we decided to get some dinner at an Italian restaurant at the west end of Hollywood Boulevard. It was a nice meal and we decided to save some room for ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery back at the mall where we were parked. We ordered our ice cream and proceeded to some outdoor seating to eat it and talk. As we were sitting around, we heard people cheering down on Hollywood Boulevard. Looking over a wall, we were surprised to see the people from the movie premier leaving the theater and crossing the street to our side to attend the premier after-party in one of the restaurants in the mall.
I think in an earlier post I had mentioned that I'm not necessarily awe-struck by famous people. We figured that there must have been a back entrance to the restaurant that the party people were using so we decided to call it a night and head back to our cars to head "home" for the evening.
As we rounded a corner in a somewhat remote hallway, we were asked to move over to the side by some fairly large men who were escorting a very petite lady. The lady was instantly recognized by us and Riley, who is very outgoing, asked if she could pose for a picture with her. The lady obliged and also posed for a picture with Libby.
Here's the picture - I think you'll recognize this person fairly quickly.
Yes, sure enough, that really is Paula Abdul! She was very gracious in letting us take the pictures of her with the girls and was very nice to them. Of course, Kyle and Brad couldn't even think about asking for a picture with her as they were busy trying to get their tongues back in their mouths.
Never in a million years did I really think that we'd see anyone famous in L.A., let alone get a picture.
Sometimes it's more important to be lucky instead of good.
Becoming a TV Star
The latest in the continuing series of our vacaction.........
We spent Thursday in L.A. While there, we went to the world's largest linear freak show as I called it. Everyone else calls it Venice Beach. Actually, it was a little more tame than what I expcected and I thought there would be more people working out at Muscle Beach. We walked along the Oceanfront Walk, checking out the condos, shops, street performers and mostly, the food.
After making our way back through downtown L.A., we drove down Rodeo Drive so my daughter could take pictures of the stores there. Unfortunately, there were no celebrity sightings.
We made our way over toward the "Hollywood" sign and drove up Beachwood Avenue to get a good look at it (and some good pictures, too). This was just a short little trip but every tourist has to see the sign!
We had made plans to meet some friends of ours on Hollywood Boulevard for dinner and arrived there about an hour before our meeting time. We had parked in a mall parking garage and really didn't know where we were headed when we saw some light indicating that we were obviously headed in the right direction - outside! We were on the second floor so I was a bit surprised to find that it opened into an open-air courtyard. Right in the center was a big glass box. As soon as we saw it my daughter, Libby, recognized that it was from the TLC show "Ten Years Younger". While looking at the box a cameraman came by and asked if we wanted to be in the audience. My wife and daughter said yes so we walked the stars for a while and then returned at about 5:00. There were people from TLC there asking people to be in the audience. My wife, Karen, my son, Brad and Libby decided to do so and they were asked to fill out a waiver to be included in the show. My oldest son, Kyle, and I decided to just watch from a convenient bench so we were in charge of holding purses and cameras.
As the taping for the show got closer, the TLC people realized that they didn't have enough people for the audience so a lady walked up to Kyle and I and asked if we would please fill in the back. They pulled up some tables for us to stand on so it looked like everybody was on risers.
Now, if you don't know the premise of the show, here's the quick synopsis: TLC finds a person and puts them in a big glass box while they have passer-bys guess the age of the person. In this case, the person was named George and we weren't around when they did this part of the filming. Anyway, they took George away and gave him a makeover and then revealed the "new and improved" George to his family. It's the big reveal that we were a part of. During the course of the makeover, George never gets to see himself (wink, wink) so when he comes out from behind a curtain, there's a big mirror that he walks up to and looks at himself.
As George looks at himself in the mirror, I realize that the cameraman is behind George and is pointing the camera at the mirror. Kyle and I happened to be in a direct line behind the camera. Karen, Brad and Libby were on the front row behind the family and the "Glam Squad" so I'm pretty sure they'll be seen when the show airs.
As for Kyle and I.........well, I don't know if we'll be seen on the show or not but if you happen to see this show and the makeover is done on a guy named George, look for me in the top row of the audience. I shouldn't be hard to find - I'll be the guy with the purse!
We spent Thursday in L.A. While there, we went to the world's largest linear freak show as I called it. Everyone else calls it Venice Beach. Actually, it was a little more tame than what I expcected and I thought there would be more people working out at Muscle Beach. We walked along the Oceanfront Walk, checking out the condos, shops, street performers and mostly, the food.
After making our way back through downtown L.A., we drove down Rodeo Drive so my daughter could take pictures of the stores there. Unfortunately, there were no celebrity sightings.
We made our way over toward the "Hollywood" sign and drove up Beachwood Avenue to get a good look at it (and some good pictures, too). This was just a short little trip but every tourist has to see the sign!
We had made plans to meet some friends of ours on Hollywood Boulevard for dinner and arrived there about an hour before our meeting time. We had parked in a mall parking garage and really didn't know where we were headed when we saw some light indicating that we were obviously headed in the right direction - outside! We were on the second floor so I was a bit surprised to find that it opened into an open-air courtyard. Right in the center was a big glass box. As soon as we saw it my daughter, Libby, recognized that it was from the TLC show "Ten Years Younger". While looking at the box a cameraman came by and asked if we wanted to be in the audience. My wife and daughter said yes so we walked the stars for a while and then returned at about 5:00. There were people from TLC there asking people to be in the audience. My wife, Karen, my son, Brad and Libby decided to do so and they were asked to fill out a waiver to be included in the show. My oldest son, Kyle, and I decided to just watch from a convenient bench so we were in charge of holding purses and cameras.
As the taping for the show got closer, the TLC people realized that they didn't have enough people for the audience so a lady walked up to Kyle and I and asked if we would please fill in the back. They pulled up some tables for us to stand on so it looked like everybody was on risers.
Now, if you don't know the premise of the show, here's the quick synopsis: TLC finds a person and puts them in a big glass box while they have passer-bys guess the age of the person. In this case, the person was named George and we weren't around when they did this part of the filming. Anyway, they took George away and gave him a makeover and then revealed the "new and improved" George to his family. It's the big reveal that we were a part of. During the course of the makeover, George never gets to see himself (wink, wink) so when he comes out from behind a curtain, there's a big mirror that he walks up to and looks at himself.
As George looks at himself in the mirror, I realize that the cameraman is behind George and is pointing the camera at the mirror. Kyle and I happened to be in a direct line behind the camera. Karen, Brad and Libby were on the front row behind the family and the "Glam Squad" so I'm pretty sure they'll be seen when the show airs.
As for Kyle and I.........well, I don't know if we'll be seen on the show or not but if you happen to see this show and the makeover is done on a guy named George, look for me in the top row of the audience. I shouldn't be hard to find - I'll be the guy with the purse!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Vacation, Part 2
So here's an update of what we've done in California.
We went to Muir Woods on Sunday to look at the redwoods. It's just a few miles across the Golden Gate Bridge but the roadway had so many curves in it, my arms were about worn out by the time we got there. The parking lot is tiny and there's an overflow lot that has only a few spots as well so we had to park about 3/4 mile away and walk to the park. Once inside, the redwoods were amazing! Many of them were nearly 250 feet tall and were probably ten feet or more in diameter.
After checking out the redwoods along a two mile trail, we headed back across the Golden Gate Bridge and stopped on the south end. There we found an old fort, The Presidio, that we explored and got some fantastic pictures of the bridge. Following a dinner at Olive Garden, we pretty much just hung out at the hotel and played some cards.
On Monday, we had purchased tickets for Alcatraz. So far, this has been the highlight of the trip for me and I'd certainly recommend it for anyone visiting San Francisco. When you first get off the ferry, there are park rangers that give short talks about those who tried to escape from The Rock. Then there's a self-guided audio tour of the prison. After the tour, we were mulling around the souvenir shop and Kyle decided to get a book called "Escape from the Rock". Little did we know when he picked up the book that the author was there that day signing them. Her dad had been the warden at Alcatraz at one time and she basically grew up on the island. I was wearing a Purdue jacket and she asked if we were from Indiana. When I said yes, she explained that her dad had been the warden at the Terre Haute federal correctional facility before he had been transferred to Alcatraz.
Tuesday we tried to finish off all the other things we had wanted to do while in San Francisco. It started with a trip down Lombard Street (also known as the world's crookedest street) and then we proceeded to Coit Tower. The tower sits on top of Telegraph Hill and is about 280 feet tall. Other than the Transamerica Tower, this may be the highest observation area in San Francisco and has some great views of both the bay and the city.
From there, we wandered throught Chinatown for a while. Karen and I had decided that we were going to give the kids a real cultural eating experience so we dropped in a little restaurant. We split some chow mein, pot stickers, fried rice and chow fun and the kids really enjoyed eating something a little different.
After lunch, we decided to take a cable car ride. One word of wisdom for anyone wanting to do this in the future: ride the cable car up the hill and walk down the hill to get back to your starting point! Yes, we made that mistake!
Today we got up and drove from our hotel to Arcadia, just northeast of Los Angeles. The drive down I-5 was boring as there's nothing but rocky mountains and brown vegetation on either side of the roadway. On our return trip to San Francisco, we're going to take the Pacific Coast Highway. Anyway, our hotel here was having a barbecue tonight so we ate some hot dogs and hamburgers and headed over to the Rose Bowl. Purdue had played in the Rose Bowl a few years ago and I wish now that I'd had come out for the game. It was hard to see much of the stadium but there were all kinds of people walking around, jogging, playing soccer, etc. On our way back to the hotel, we drove by the Santa Anita race track. Growing up not far from Louisville, Kentucky, most people are surprised that I've never been to Churchill Downs or the Kentucky Derby but I was surprised by the size of the track and the stands.
After a quick dip in the pool and a few minutes in the hot tub, I was ready to call it a day.
Hard to believe that our vacation is half over already. I'll catch up with all of you in a few days to let you know how the rest of it went.
We went to Muir Woods on Sunday to look at the redwoods. It's just a few miles across the Golden Gate Bridge but the roadway had so many curves in it, my arms were about worn out by the time we got there. The parking lot is tiny and there's an overflow lot that has only a few spots as well so we had to park about 3/4 mile away and walk to the park. Once inside, the redwoods were amazing! Many of them were nearly 250 feet tall and were probably ten feet or more in diameter.
After checking out the redwoods along a two mile trail, we headed back across the Golden Gate Bridge and stopped on the south end. There we found an old fort, The Presidio, that we explored and got some fantastic pictures of the bridge. Following a dinner at Olive Garden, we pretty much just hung out at the hotel and played some cards.
On Monday, we had purchased tickets for Alcatraz. So far, this has been the highlight of the trip for me and I'd certainly recommend it for anyone visiting San Francisco. When you first get off the ferry, there are park rangers that give short talks about those who tried to escape from The Rock. Then there's a self-guided audio tour of the prison. After the tour, we were mulling around the souvenir shop and Kyle decided to get a book called "Escape from the Rock". Little did we know when he picked up the book that the author was there that day signing them. Her dad had been the warden at Alcatraz at one time and she basically grew up on the island. I was wearing a Purdue jacket and she asked if we were from Indiana. When I said yes, she explained that her dad had been the warden at the Terre Haute federal correctional facility before he had been transferred to Alcatraz.
Tuesday we tried to finish off all the other things we had wanted to do while in San Francisco. It started with a trip down Lombard Street (also known as the world's crookedest street) and then we proceeded to Coit Tower. The tower sits on top of Telegraph Hill and is about 280 feet tall. Other than the Transamerica Tower, this may be the highest observation area in San Francisco and has some great views of both the bay and the city.
From there, we wandered throught Chinatown for a while. Karen and I had decided that we were going to give the kids a real cultural eating experience so we dropped in a little restaurant. We split some chow mein, pot stickers, fried rice and chow fun and the kids really enjoyed eating something a little different.
After lunch, we decided to take a cable car ride. One word of wisdom for anyone wanting to do this in the future: ride the cable car up the hill and walk down the hill to get back to your starting point! Yes, we made that mistake!
Today we got up and drove from our hotel to Arcadia, just northeast of Los Angeles. The drive down I-5 was boring as there's nothing but rocky mountains and brown vegetation on either side of the roadway. On our return trip to San Francisco, we're going to take the Pacific Coast Highway. Anyway, our hotel here was having a barbecue tonight so we ate some hot dogs and hamburgers and headed over to the Rose Bowl. Purdue had played in the Rose Bowl a few years ago and I wish now that I'd had come out for the game. It was hard to see much of the stadium but there were all kinds of people walking around, jogging, playing soccer, etc. On our way back to the hotel, we drove by the Santa Anita race track. Growing up not far from Louisville, Kentucky, most people are surprised that I've never been to Churchill Downs or the Kentucky Derby but I was surprised by the size of the track and the stands.
After a quick dip in the pool and a few minutes in the hot tub, I was ready to call it a day.
Hard to believe that our vacation is half over already. I'll catch up with all of you in a few days to let you know how the rest of it went.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Vacation!
I'm writing this blog from beautiful San Francisco, California. With our oldest son going into his senior year in high school, my wife and I decided that we'd take a big trip this summer since the number of "family" vacations available left to take is approaching 0.
We flew out of Indy at about 9:30 Friday night and arrived in S.F. about 11:00. It's about a four and a half hour flight but with the time change, we only lost an hour and a half! Getting a rental car and luggage was easy and we were soon on our way to the hotel, which is only about four miles from the airport.
Needless to say, we were all completely worn out so the excitement of the trip did not outweigh the need for sleep so getting everyone in bed was pretty easy.
Yesterday we decided to head downtown S.F. to check things out. We were headed to Fisherman's Wharf and passed by the baseball stadium. There was an afternoon game yesterday and we considered stopping but since none of us are really big baseball fans anyway, decided to move on.
Fisherman's Wharf was a great place to walk around and get some lunch. The view of Alcatraz Island was fantastic but there was just a bit too much fog to see the Golden Gate Bridge. We toured a bakery, Boudin Bakery, to see how they made bread. I wasn't too excited about the tour when we bought the tickets but for $3 a person, how bad could it have been? I was pleasantly surprised to have a self-guided overhead tour of the bakery. We could see every step in the bread-making process and there were displays showing exactly what was going on. At the end of the day, we all decided this was one of the highlights of the day.
We also visited the world's crookedest street (Lombard Street) and walked up and down the steps next to it. My daughter wanted to drive down the street but the line of cars stretched as far as we could see so we decided to try this another day.
Today we'll be off to see the redwoods in Muir Woods if I can get everyone else out of bed.
Stay tuned and I'll keep you informed where we are and what we're doing. Unfortunately, I don't have the camera software installed on my laptop so I won't be able to post pictures until we're back home.
We flew out of Indy at about 9:30 Friday night and arrived in S.F. about 11:00. It's about a four and a half hour flight but with the time change, we only lost an hour and a half! Getting a rental car and luggage was easy and we were soon on our way to the hotel, which is only about four miles from the airport.
Needless to say, we were all completely worn out so the excitement of the trip did not outweigh the need for sleep so getting everyone in bed was pretty easy.
Yesterday we decided to head downtown S.F. to check things out. We were headed to Fisherman's Wharf and passed by the baseball stadium. There was an afternoon game yesterday and we considered stopping but since none of us are really big baseball fans anyway, decided to move on.
Fisherman's Wharf was a great place to walk around and get some lunch. The view of Alcatraz Island was fantastic but there was just a bit too much fog to see the Golden Gate Bridge. We toured a bakery, Boudin Bakery, to see how they made bread. I wasn't too excited about the tour when we bought the tickets but for $3 a person, how bad could it have been? I was pleasantly surprised to have a self-guided overhead tour of the bakery. We could see every step in the bread-making process and there were displays showing exactly what was going on. At the end of the day, we all decided this was one of the highlights of the day.
We also visited the world's crookedest street (Lombard Street) and walked up and down the steps next to it. My daughter wanted to drive down the street but the line of cars stretched as far as we could see so we decided to try this another day.
Today we'll be off to see the redwoods in Muir Woods if I can get everyone else out of bed.
Stay tuned and I'll keep you informed where we are and what we're doing. Unfortunately, I don't have the camera software installed on my laptop so I won't be able to post pictures until we're back home.
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Fresh Start to the Morning
I'm normally the first one in the office in the morning and, as such, am the one who makes the coffee. It was no different this morning as I rolled in, got my computer fired up and went to the kitchen to start the coffee. Twelve cups of water, filter, seven scoops of coffee, push the button, etc. I can do it in my sleep now.
The smell of the coffee seemed to be especially strong this morning and now I know why. When I went back to get my first cup of the morning, the coffee was running all over the counter. Apparently, I had not quite gotten the pot on the warmer so good old Mr. Coffee was holding the coffee in the filter holder until it was placed properly. Of course, at some point, there was more coffee being made than what the filter could hold so it started pouring out over the top, along with the grounds that had been in the filter.
About 15 minutes later, I've got a new pot of coffee going. And yes, I did stand next to the pot to make sure I had replaced it correctly.
The smell of the coffee seemed to be especially strong this morning and now I know why. When I went back to get my first cup of the morning, the coffee was running all over the counter. Apparently, I had not quite gotten the pot on the warmer so good old Mr. Coffee was holding the coffee in the filter holder until it was placed properly. Of course, at some point, there was more coffee being made than what the filter could hold so it started pouring out over the top, along with the grounds that had been in the filter.
About 15 minutes later, I've got a new pot of coffee going. And yes, I did stand next to the pot to make sure I had replaced it correctly.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
More summer fun
I was out working in the yard a couple of weekends ago. After mowing, trimming and edging, picking up fallen branches and putting them in the fire pit, I decided to wash and seal the deck behind the house. Since it was hot, I had started my day of outdoor work at 9 a.m. I wasn't really paying much attention to the time when my neighbor hollered over and asked if I was about done for the day because he was getting tired watching me work. It was closing in at about 4 p.m. by that time. When the deck was finished a few minutes later, my neighbor, Jim, said he really only yelled over at me because he had something he wanted to share with me.
Having only lived in this house for a year, I'd have to say that Jim may be the friendliest neighbor I've ever had. He regularly mows all the way over to my driveway and from time to time will edge my driveway and sidewalks. In return, I've shoveled the snow off the sidewalk all the way to his driveway.
Anyway, Jim really enjoys kicking back with an adult alcoholic beverage and shooting the breeze. That Saturday, Jim said, "I've found my summer beer" and handed me a bottle. Having never seen the beer and being really hot, I took a quick look at the label and unscrewed the cap. Maybe it was the fact that the beer was incredibly cold or that I was really hot but I'd have to say that this may have been the best tasting "summer beer" I've ever had.
Now let me stop and say that I'm definitely no beer connoisseur as I'd bet I only drink about one beer a month so I should not be considered an expert by any stretch of the imagination.
Oh......the beer...........it's Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. The bottle says "Weiss beer with lemonade". It definitely has a lemonade flavor to it.
I found it at Marsh so you can probably find it in about any local grocery store. Give it a try on a hot summer day after working out in the yard. It won't disappoint you.
Having only lived in this house for a year, I'd have to say that Jim may be the friendliest neighbor I've ever had. He regularly mows all the way over to my driveway and from time to time will edge my driveway and sidewalks. In return, I've shoveled the snow off the sidewalk all the way to his driveway.
Anyway, Jim really enjoys kicking back with an adult alcoholic beverage and shooting the breeze. That Saturday, Jim said, "I've found my summer beer" and handed me a bottle. Having never seen the beer and being really hot, I took a quick look at the label and unscrewed the cap. Maybe it was the fact that the beer was incredibly cold or that I was really hot but I'd have to say that this may have been the best tasting "summer beer" I've ever had.
Now let me stop and say that I'm definitely no beer connoisseur as I'd bet I only drink about one beer a month so I should not be considered an expert by any stretch of the imagination.
Oh......the beer...........it's Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. The bottle says "Weiss beer with lemonade". It definitely has a lemonade flavor to it.
I found it at Marsh so you can probably find it in about any local grocery store. Give it a try on a hot summer day after working out in the yard. It won't disappoint you.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Summer Camp
My wife and I dropped off our 12-year old daughter, Libby, at summer camp this past Sunday. She's going to Flat Rock YMCA camp between Shelbyville and Greensburg, Indiana. For those interested, information can be found at http://www.flatrockymca.org/. My two older boys both went to the same camp for two years each and loved it. My youngest son, Brad, wanted to go back again this year but just couldn't fit it in his schedule.
Libby didn't really want to go to camp but Karen and I figured that a week at summer camp is good for any 12-year old girl and maybe even better for the parents of a 12-year old girl. She didn't fight us too much but was a little nervous since she was not going with a friend so she'd be there all by her lonesome. Since Brad was not doing anything that afternoon anyway, he decided to go along to drop her off. Karen and I "coached" him about how he had to talk up the camp on the ride down there. Thankfully, he followed the script and by the time we got there, Libby was feeling pretty comfortable about being there for the week.
Because there's no electronic communication available to the campers, Libby and I sat down before she left and tried to come up with a way that we'd know she was okay. From experience with the boys, I knew that on the second day, the camp took pictures of each of the cabin occupants for that week and posted them on their website. Libby and I decided that if she was having fun, she'd give us the "peace" sign in the picture.
My wife and I waited nervously for the picture to be posted. For some reason, it was much harder for us to leave her at camp by herself than it had been with the boys. I think it was because she wasn't really sure she was going to have a good time.
Finally, I saw that the pictures had been posted. Here it is: http://www.flatrockymca.org/blogimages/bigWyandot2.jpg
Look for the hidden peace sign!
Peace out.
Libby didn't really want to go to camp but Karen and I figured that a week at summer camp is good for any 12-year old girl and maybe even better for the parents of a 12-year old girl. She didn't fight us too much but was a little nervous since she was not going with a friend so she'd be there all by her lonesome. Since Brad was not doing anything that afternoon anyway, he decided to go along to drop her off. Karen and I "coached" him about how he had to talk up the camp on the ride down there. Thankfully, he followed the script and by the time we got there, Libby was feeling pretty comfortable about being there for the week.
Because there's no electronic communication available to the campers, Libby and I sat down before she left and tried to come up with a way that we'd know she was okay. From experience with the boys, I knew that on the second day, the camp took pictures of each of the cabin occupants for that week and posted them on their website. Libby and I decided that if she was having fun, she'd give us the "peace" sign in the picture.
My wife and I waited nervously for the picture to be posted. For some reason, it was much harder for us to leave her at camp by herself than it had been with the boys. I think it was because she wasn't really sure she was going to have a good time.
Finally, I saw that the pictures had been posted. Here it is: http://www.flatrockymca.org/blogimages/bigWyandot2.jpg
Look for the hidden peace sign!
Peace out.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Financial sense (or is it cents?)
As most of you have figured out by now, I'm what you probably call "old fashioned." Other words to describe me would probably be frugal or thrifty.
Sometimes I listen to Dave Ramsey on the radio. For those of you unfamiliar with Dave, he gives financial advice to people who need some major help. I think part of the reason I listen to it is to make myself feel better about my own personal financial situation.
A typical caller would be something like this: "Hi Dave. I've got a situation I'd like to have some advice on. I've currently got an older car that is worth about $3,000. I owe about $10,000 on it. I drive a lot and need a reliable car so I'm looking at a $50,000 BMW. I don't think I can qualify for a loan for the car because I've got about $25,000 that I owe on four different credit cards and haven't made a payment on them in several months because I only bring home about $1,000 per month. I've been at my job for 30 years and have built up my 401(k) to almost $70,000. I was thinking about cashing in most of my 401(k), paying off my old car and paying cash for the BMW. With what's left over, I can start to pay down the credit cards. What do you think, Dave?"
Dave, to his credit, normally very calmly explains the stupidity of the plan.
I guess I don't get what some people are thinking regarding their finances. When I was growing up, I was taught that if you didn't have the money to buy something, you didn't buy it. It's really not a very hard concept. Why is this so difficult for so many people?
Sometimes I listen to Dave Ramsey on the radio. For those of you unfamiliar with Dave, he gives financial advice to people who need some major help. I think part of the reason I listen to it is to make myself feel better about my own personal financial situation.
A typical caller would be something like this: "Hi Dave. I've got a situation I'd like to have some advice on. I've currently got an older car that is worth about $3,000. I owe about $10,000 on it. I drive a lot and need a reliable car so I'm looking at a $50,000 BMW. I don't think I can qualify for a loan for the car because I've got about $25,000 that I owe on four different credit cards and haven't made a payment on them in several months because I only bring home about $1,000 per month. I've been at my job for 30 years and have built up my 401(k) to almost $70,000. I was thinking about cashing in most of my 401(k), paying off my old car and paying cash for the BMW. With what's left over, I can start to pay down the credit cards. What do you think, Dave?"
Dave, to his credit, normally very calmly explains the stupidity of the plan.
I guess I don't get what some people are thinking regarding their finances. When I was growing up, I was taught that if you didn't have the money to buy something, you didn't buy it. It's really not a very hard concept. Why is this so difficult for so many people?
Friday, May 30, 2008
Blogging in the Comics
One of my favorite comic strips to read is Zits. I actually have a Zits daily calendar that I religiously look at every single morning when I come down for breakfast.
For those of you not familiar with this comic strip, it's about a middle-aged set of parents, Connie and Walt, and their 15 year old son, Jeremy. It's appropriate for me at this time because my wife and I have a 16 year old son and can relate to most of what's in the comic.
In one particular comic, the parents and the son are having dinner when Jeremy says, "I have a good idea." Of course the parents look up from their food as Jeremy continues, "If you two would start a blog, you could post all of the long, boring stories you would ordinarily tell at dinner. Then I could read them on my own time and we could eat dinner in peace."
Shocked, the mother says, "If we're not going to talk, why bother even eating together?" to which the son responds, "There's another good idea!"
If you have a teenage son, try reading Zits for a while. It can be found here:
http://www.arcamax.com/zits
For those of you not familiar with this comic strip, it's about a middle-aged set of parents, Connie and Walt, and their 15 year old son, Jeremy. It's appropriate for me at this time because my wife and I have a 16 year old son and can relate to most of what's in the comic.
In one particular comic, the parents and the son are having dinner when Jeremy says, "I have a good idea." Of course the parents look up from their food as Jeremy continues, "If you two would start a blog, you could post all of the long, boring stories you would ordinarily tell at dinner. Then I could read them on my own time and we could eat dinner in peace."
Shocked, the mother says, "If we're not going to talk, why bother even eating together?" to which the son responds, "There's another good idea!"
If you have a teenage son, try reading Zits for a while. It can be found here:
http://www.arcamax.com/zits
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Celebrity Reality TV Shows
I've never been one to be awed by celebrities. Apparently I'm in the minority with all the celebrity reality shows on TV now. The latest to hit the tube are Denise Richards and Lindsay Lohan. I couldn't care less.
Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey were divorced before I knew about their show, Newlyweds.
I've never watched Scott Baio nor do I care what age he's turning.
I never watched Anna Nicole Smith or any of her drug induced shenanigans.
I never watched Ozzy Osbourne or any of his drug induced sheningans.
Hulk Hogan's show was as fake as wrestling itself.
I didn't live the simple life with Paris and Nicole.
I didn't go to college with Tommy Lee.
Hey Paula, your show was off the air before I even knew it existed.
Never seen Gene Simmons family jewels (but I understand that lots of women have).
I just don't get it. What's the fascination with these has-been celebrities who are trying to revive their careers?
Maybe somebody can fill me in on why people watch these shows. Until then..........
Peace out,
Rev Run
Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey were divorced before I knew about their show, Newlyweds.
I've never watched Scott Baio nor do I care what age he's turning.
I never watched Anna Nicole Smith or any of her drug induced shenanigans.
I never watched Ozzy Osbourne or any of his drug induced sheningans.
Hulk Hogan's show was as fake as wrestling itself.
I didn't live the simple life with Paris and Nicole.
I didn't go to college with Tommy Lee.
Hey Paula, your show was off the air before I even knew it existed.
Never seen Gene Simmons family jewels (but I understand that lots of women have).
I just don't get it. What's the fascination with these has-been celebrities who are trying to revive their careers?
Maybe somebody can fill me in on why people watch these shows. Until then..........
Peace out,
Rev Run
Monday, May 26, 2008
Homemade Ice Cream
One of the traditions we've created with our family is making homemade ice cream during summer holidays. I guess what we really make is custard, though, since the recipe has eggs in it. We've had a great time over the past several years making the ice cream with our kids and then inviting the neighbors over to sit on the deck and share.
A few years ago, the kids decided that plain vanilla was boring and that we needed to spice it up with something mixed in. We've tried candy bars, cookies, M&M's and all other candies for our ice cream but to me the best we've ever had is Oreos. We simply crush them with a rolling pin in a plastic bag so it's pretty fine. After we've eaten several Oreo cookies, we make the ice cream mix. Here's the recipe that we've used for years and the best we have been able to find:
INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
2 Tablespoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 cups whipping cream
1/4 teaspoons salt
Milk (about 5 cups or so)
1/2 bag Oreos
DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until their foamy. Gradually add in the sugar and beat it until it thickens. Add the whipping cream, vanilla and salt and mix it thoroughly.
Pour this mix into the freezer can. Add milk up to the fill line on the can and stir it so it's consistent.
I usually start the ice cream freezer and let it run for 10-15 minutes before I put in the crushed Oreos. If you put in the Oreos at the beginning, they tend to fall to the bottom.
Let me know if any of you try this recipe or if you've got a different one.
By the way, the most surprising look to the ice cream came when we used mini M&M's once. We had expected the ice cream to be very colorful. What we didn't know was that as the ice cream was mixing, the outer coating comes off the M&M's, leaving just the chocalate inside remaining. Of course, the mixture of the colored coating was about like dipping the easter egg in every color so it turned out a lovely shade of brown.
A few years ago, the kids decided that plain vanilla was boring and that we needed to spice it up with something mixed in. We've tried candy bars, cookies, M&M's and all other candies for our ice cream but to me the best we've ever had is Oreos. We simply crush them with a rolling pin in a plastic bag so it's pretty fine. After we've eaten several Oreo cookies, we make the ice cream mix. Here's the recipe that we've used for years and the best we have been able to find:
INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
2 Tablespoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 cups whipping cream
1/4 teaspoons salt
Milk (about 5 cups or so)
1/2 bag Oreos
DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until their foamy. Gradually add in the sugar and beat it until it thickens. Add the whipping cream, vanilla and salt and mix it thoroughly.
Pour this mix into the freezer can. Add milk up to the fill line on the can and stir it so it's consistent.
I usually start the ice cream freezer and let it run for 10-15 minutes before I put in the crushed Oreos. If you put in the Oreos at the beginning, they tend to fall to the bottom.
Let me know if any of you try this recipe or if you've got a different one.
By the way, the most surprising look to the ice cream came when we used mini M&M's once. We had expected the ice cream to be very colorful. What we didn't know was that as the ice cream was mixing, the outer coating comes off the M&M's, leaving just the chocalate inside remaining. Of course, the mixture of the colored coating was about like dipping the easter egg in every color so it turned out a lovely shade of brown.
Mowing grass
There's been a fair amount of talk on different blogs about moving up the mower blade and leaving your grass a little high. I've done this for a few years and can tell you that it works very well. My grass is very healthy and it certainly keeps the weeds from being able to germinate.
When we moved into this house last year, there were a fair number of dandelions in the yard. My wife enjoys going around and spraying dandelions with Weed-B-Gone so I let her have all the fun she wanted. The previous owners had kept the yard fairly short but I kept my mower blade up as high as it would go as I had done at the previous house. This year I probably only ever saw maybe a dozen dandelions!
Now this can be carried to extremes. I won't tell you who did this because they might be a bit embarrassed but they have the same initials as my mom and dad. As a matter of fact, they just happen to have the same names as my mom and dad!
Since they spend about half the year in Florida anymore, they didn't return until just after May 1 this year. Normally, they had had somebody mow their yard until they returned but for some reason decided not to do so this year. Of course, when they got home, the grass was about knee-high. Knowing that the riding lawn mower wouldn't be able to cut the grass, my dad jumped on his tractor, attached the bush hog and started cutting his yard. After he got it to a manageable height, he got out his riding lawn mower and cut the yard like normal.
I was down at their house this past weekend for my niece's high school graduation. Their grass is more lush and green than normal. And my dad says he hasn't seen a dandelion yet this year!
Maybe the quality of their yard comes from the fact that it's been very wet and cool this spring but I'm attributing it to their mowing height. By the way, this bush hogging of your front yard works well when you live in the country without neighbors within view. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for those who live in town.
When we moved into this house last year, there were a fair number of dandelions in the yard. My wife enjoys going around and spraying dandelions with Weed-B-Gone so I let her have all the fun she wanted. The previous owners had kept the yard fairly short but I kept my mower blade up as high as it would go as I had done at the previous house. This year I probably only ever saw maybe a dozen dandelions!
Now this can be carried to extremes. I won't tell you who did this because they might be a bit embarrassed but they have the same initials as my mom and dad. As a matter of fact, they just happen to have the same names as my mom and dad!
Since they spend about half the year in Florida anymore, they didn't return until just after May 1 this year. Normally, they had had somebody mow their yard until they returned but for some reason decided not to do so this year. Of course, when they got home, the grass was about knee-high. Knowing that the riding lawn mower wouldn't be able to cut the grass, my dad jumped on his tractor, attached the bush hog and started cutting his yard. After he got it to a manageable height, he got out his riding lawn mower and cut the yard like normal.
I was down at their house this past weekend for my niece's high school graduation. Their grass is more lush and green than normal. And my dad says he hasn't seen a dandelion yet this year!
Maybe the quality of their yard comes from the fact that it's been very wet and cool this spring but I'm attributing it to their mowing height. By the way, this bush hogging of your front yard works well when you live in the country without neighbors within view. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for those who live in town.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Radio Daze
Like many of you, I really enjoy listening to the radio on my way into work in the morning and back home again in the evening. It seems to keep me in a relaxed mood.
As a creature of habit, I normally turn on the station my kids call "the Oldies station" which I correctly point out that it's classic rock, not oldies. I mean, it's Journey, not Guy Lombardo.
Anyway, over the past month I've been trying something new. Each day when I get in my car, I hit the scan button and let it move to the next audible station. That's the one I listen to for the day. It doesn't matter whether it's talk radio, student radio, Christian music, rap, whatever - that's what I listen to for the day. If I have a meeting and need to drive somewhere, that's what I listen to that day.
I've found out that I've started to develop a little more of a balanced opinion of things when I listen to varying viewpoints on many of the same topics by doing this.
Yes, some days are better than others. Today, for example, was Radio Disney and I was in my car a little more than normal traveling to meetings. I'm pretty sure they only have about eight songs that they play because I know I heard some version of Cruella DeVille from 101 Dalmatians at least four times today.
Anyway, try if yourself for a month and let me know what you think.
As a creature of habit, I normally turn on the station my kids call "the Oldies station" which I correctly point out that it's classic rock, not oldies. I mean, it's Journey, not Guy Lombardo.
Anyway, over the past month I've been trying something new. Each day when I get in my car, I hit the scan button and let it move to the next audible station. That's the one I listen to for the day. It doesn't matter whether it's talk radio, student radio, Christian music, rap, whatever - that's what I listen to for the day. If I have a meeting and need to drive somewhere, that's what I listen to that day.
I've found out that I've started to develop a little more of a balanced opinion of things when I listen to varying viewpoints on many of the same topics by doing this.
Yes, some days are better than others. Today, for example, was Radio Disney and I was in my car a little more than normal traveling to meetings. I'm pretty sure they only have about eight songs that they play because I know I heard some version of Cruella DeVille from 101 Dalmatians at least four times today.
Anyway, try if yourself for a month and let me know what you think.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Mini Marathon Training
Indianapolis holds the largest half-marathon in the U.S. on the first Saturday in May to kick off the weeks leading up to the Indy 500. I've had the pleasure of doing the mini-marathon a few times and always enjoyed doing it. It's a great atmosphere with bands, cheerleaders, students, etc. lining the entire 13.1 mile route encouraging the 35,000 participants to finish. A big highlight is running around the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and crossing the yard of bricks at the start/finish line there.
For me, it's not about racing, it's more about running (or maybe more appropriately, jogging). I really couldn't care less about trying to keep up with the Kenyans. And, of course, it's about being able to say that you accomplished it. While I can't say that I've had any earth-shattering times in the mini, I can say that I've completed it every time.
I believe I had mentioned before that I've signed up for the mini-marathon again this year. I had planned to complete it with Ed Sweetland, another surveyor and the past-president of the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors. Our goal was to complete it in 2 hours, 30 minutes.
I was fairly confident that I could make that goal as I've been a pretty regular runner at the YMCA here in my hometown since we joined in January of 2003. As a matter of fact, I was running about 26 miles a week back in November and December and, using one of those running calculators you can find on the internet, it projected my half-marathon time at around 2:15.
A few weeks ago I had started getting some soreness in my achilles and down through my right heel. It was so tight that I couldn't walk down steps without pain because it just wouldn't stretch out. I was running 4 to 5 miles on a consistent basis and had my long run on the weekend up to 7 miles so I decided that it would be foolish at my age to try to train through the injury. I took a week off and it was still a little sore. I didn't want to re-injure it so I took another week off.
Still, it was a little tight and sore, although it felt much better. So I went back to the Y last Friday night and did five miles. My legs felt fresh and I didn't get winded much at all but the pain was there still. It was better, just not what I had hoped for.
I took another two days off to let it rest again and returned to the Y again tonight. I wish I hadn't. At just over 2.5 miles into the run, I felt a pain that went from the back of my heel to the inside of my ankle. Not just a tweak but a full blown pain, one that almost dropped me to my knees. I've had a broken ankle before and remember that when it happened, I immediately felt light headed and nauseous at the same time. It's the same feeling I had tonight.
Right now, I'm sitting in my kitchen, fingers on the keyboard and foot propped up on a bag of ice.
I believe my mini marathon training may be over for this year. Maybe that's what happens as your body gets older. I just wasn't expecting it to be this soon. As stated by my doctor and repeated in an earlier post - welcome to the mid 40's!
For me, it's not about racing, it's more about running (or maybe more appropriately, jogging). I really couldn't care less about trying to keep up with the Kenyans. And, of course, it's about being able to say that you accomplished it. While I can't say that I've had any earth-shattering times in the mini, I can say that I've completed it every time.
I believe I had mentioned before that I've signed up for the mini-marathon again this year. I had planned to complete it with Ed Sweetland, another surveyor and the past-president of the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors. Our goal was to complete it in 2 hours, 30 minutes.
I was fairly confident that I could make that goal as I've been a pretty regular runner at the YMCA here in my hometown since we joined in January of 2003. As a matter of fact, I was running about 26 miles a week back in November and December and, using one of those running calculators you can find on the internet, it projected my half-marathon time at around 2:15.
A few weeks ago I had started getting some soreness in my achilles and down through my right heel. It was so tight that I couldn't walk down steps without pain because it just wouldn't stretch out. I was running 4 to 5 miles on a consistent basis and had my long run on the weekend up to 7 miles so I decided that it would be foolish at my age to try to train through the injury. I took a week off and it was still a little sore. I didn't want to re-injure it so I took another week off.
Still, it was a little tight and sore, although it felt much better. So I went back to the Y last Friday night and did five miles. My legs felt fresh and I didn't get winded much at all but the pain was there still. It was better, just not what I had hoped for.
I took another two days off to let it rest again and returned to the Y again tonight. I wish I hadn't. At just over 2.5 miles into the run, I felt a pain that went from the back of my heel to the inside of my ankle. Not just a tweak but a full blown pain, one that almost dropped me to my knees. I've had a broken ankle before and remember that when it happened, I immediately felt light headed and nauseous at the same time. It's the same feeling I had tonight.
Right now, I'm sitting in my kitchen, fingers on the keyboard and foot propped up on a bag of ice.
I believe my mini marathon training may be over for this year. Maybe that's what happens as your body gets older. I just wasn't expecting it to be this soon. As stated by my doctor and repeated in an earlier post - welcome to the mid 40's!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Shopping is so much fun!
Like most men, I've not stepped foot in a mall for a long, long time except for the food court. Shopping, obviously, is not at the top of my list of fun things to do.
Lately, however, I've had a great time shopping with my 16 year old son, Kyle. We've been college shopping!
Since he's finishing his junior year, Kyle has been fully engulfed in trying to decide exactly what he wants to do for a career. Since he's been very young, my wife and I were pretty sure he'd do something in the area of mathematics. At one time, he thought his dream job would be as a statistician for a professional sports team.
And then he met my friend, Andy.
Andy graduated from Purdue with a degree in mathematics and was a fraternity brother with my business partner, Greg. Being young and living at home, he was able to "find himself" for a few years. During that time, he worked with Greg and I as a surveyor and, with the math background, was very good at it. After a couple of years, however, he realized that it was time to put on some big boy pants and try to find a career. I think he knew all along what he wanted to do - be an actuary.
Once Kyle found out what an actuary does, he decided that's what he wanted to go to college to study.
So back to the college shopping.
Our first trip was to Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. It's probably best known as the college that David Letterman attended. Anyway, we listened to the people from the admissions office and then took the tour of the campus. After the tour, we were able to meet with a professor in the area of actuarial sciences. Ball State has about 18,000 students or so and has outstanding architectural and education programs.
Last Wednesday, we went over to the University of Dayton. It was a beautiful day and the students were all out in the courtyard areas between classes, throwing frisbees and footballs and generally enjoying the great weather. We met with the chair of the math department there and enjoyed the ride over and back. It's only about a two hour drive from Indy. The campus is fairly small and it has somewhere around 10,000 students.
I can't wait for our next trip as we're headed to Notre Dame. Following those, we'll be at Butler and Purdue. I'll let you know how those trips go.
Off the record, the best part of making these college visits is that it gives Kyle and I a chance to do some geocaching, which has quickly become a favorite hobby of ours. For those of you who don't know what geocaching involves, it's basically a huge scavenger hunt. There are containers hidden throughout the country. Some are as large as a thermos, others are small like a film canister. Normally, there's a sheet of paper in each one so a log can be kept of anyone who finds the cache. All caches are documented on www.geocaching.com with a short explanation of what you're looking for and maybe a hint. The most important part of the location of the cache is its latitude and longitude. With handheld GPS units fairly commonplace anymore, anyone can load the lat and long into their unit and go off hunting. It's a great activity for kids and lets you roam around to places you might not normally see. Try it and let me know what you think.
Lately, however, I've had a great time shopping with my 16 year old son, Kyle. We've been college shopping!
Since he's finishing his junior year, Kyle has been fully engulfed in trying to decide exactly what he wants to do for a career. Since he's been very young, my wife and I were pretty sure he'd do something in the area of mathematics. At one time, he thought his dream job would be as a statistician for a professional sports team.
And then he met my friend, Andy.
Andy graduated from Purdue with a degree in mathematics and was a fraternity brother with my business partner, Greg. Being young and living at home, he was able to "find himself" for a few years. During that time, he worked with Greg and I as a surveyor and, with the math background, was very good at it. After a couple of years, however, he realized that it was time to put on some big boy pants and try to find a career. I think he knew all along what he wanted to do - be an actuary.
Once Kyle found out what an actuary does, he decided that's what he wanted to go to college to study.
So back to the college shopping.
Our first trip was to Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. It's probably best known as the college that David Letterman attended. Anyway, we listened to the people from the admissions office and then took the tour of the campus. After the tour, we were able to meet with a professor in the area of actuarial sciences. Ball State has about 18,000 students or so and has outstanding architectural and education programs.
Last Wednesday, we went over to the University of Dayton. It was a beautiful day and the students were all out in the courtyard areas between classes, throwing frisbees and footballs and generally enjoying the great weather. We met with the chair of the math department there and enjoyed the ride over and back. It's only about a two hour drive from Indy. The campus is fairly small and it has somewhere around 10,000 students.
I can't wait for our next trip as we're headed to Notre Dame. Following those, we'll be at Butler and Purdue. I'll let you know how those trips go.
Off the record, the best part of making these college visits is that it gives Kyle and I a chance to do some geocaching, which has quickly become a favorite hobby of ours. For those of you who don't know what geocaching involves, it's basically a huge scavenger hunt. There are containers hidden throughout the country. Some are as large as a thermos, others are small like a film canister. Normally, there's a sheet of paper in each one so a log can be kept of anyone who finds the cache. All caches are documented on www.geocaching.com with a short explanation of what you're looking for and maybe a hint. The most important part of the location of the cache is its latitude and longitude. With handheld GPS units fairly commonplace anymore, anyone can load the lat and long into their unit and go off hunting. It's a great activity for kids and lets you roam around to places you might not normally see. Try it and let me know what you think.
Yelling & Screaming
First of all, yes, I know it's been a long time since I've had a blog entry.
A couple of weekends ago, my wife was yelling and screaming my name from one of the back upstairs bedrooms. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear her because we had gone to the nursery that morning and I was in the front of the house planting a new viburnum bush at the corner near the garage.
The kids thought mom had either lost her mind or had injured herself doing something. They soon realized that she was not injured as she came running down the stairs yelling "Where's dad, where's dad?" That led them to believe that she had lost her mind. When they told her that I was in the front of the house, she came flying out the garage door and whispered, "Dan, come here." She walked me carefully around the back side of the house and there they were - two deer standing in the back yard!
I finally got my deer this year!
A couple of weekends ago, my wife was yelling and screaming my name from one of the back upstairs bedrooms. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear her because we had gone to the nursery that morning and I was in the front of the house planting a new viburnum bush at the corner near the garage.
The kids thought mom had either lost her mind or had injured herself doing something. They soon realized that she was not injured as she came running down the stairs yelling "Where's dad, where's dad?" That led them to believe that she had lost her mind. When they told her that I was in the front of the house, she came flying out the garage door and whispered, "Dan, come here." She walked me carefully around the back side of the house and there they were - two deer standing in the back yard!
I finally got my deer this year!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Flood & Basketball Update
First, the basketball update.
All four number one seeds are still in but that 's about the only prediction I've hit on so far.
Now for the flood update. I've had several people ask me if the water got into our town hall project. Fortunately, it did not.
As I mentioned before, we were questioned about why the building was sitting up so high compared to the other buildings in the area. Within this stretch of S.R. 56 through West Baden Springs, every other building except ours had water inside. In an e-mail to my cousin, I noted that whether by design or by luck, we certainly looked like we knew what we were doing!
All four number one seeds are still in but that 's about the only prediction I've hit on so far.
Now for the flood update. I've had several people ask me if the water got into our town hall project. Fortunately, it did not.
As I mentioned before, we were questioned about why the building was sitting up so high compared to the other buildings in the area. Within this stretch of S.R. 56 through West Baden Springs, every other building except ours had water inside. In an e-mail to my cousin, I noted that whether by design or by luck, we certainly looked like we knew what we were doing!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
NCAA Tournament Picks
Here's my last minute secret for all of you bracket players out there:
There are going to be very few upsets this year. The only 9 over 8 will be Kent State over UNLV. No 12 seed will beat a 5 seed this year. Wisconsin will beat Georgetown to get into the Elite 8. Gonzaga/Davidson will go into overtime. So will Mississippi State/Oregon. Drake will be the Cinderella team. All four #1 seeds get to the Final Four with North Carolina winning it all.
If I'm right, I'll look like a basketball genius. If I'm wrong.........well, I'll find that "edit post" button on here somewhere!
There are going to be very few upsets this year. The only 9 over 8 will be Kent State over UNLV. No 12 seed will beat a 5 seed this year. Wisconsin will beat Georgetown to get into the Elite 8. Gonzaga/Davidson will go into overtime. So will Mississippi State/Oregon. Drake will be the Cinderella team. All four #1 seeds get to the Final Four with North Carolina winning it all.
If I'm right, I'll look like a basketball genius. If I'm wrong.........well, I'll find that "edit post" button on here somewhere!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Project Flood
We recently completed a project in West Baden Springs, Indiana for a new town hall. My cousin was the architect on the job. Anyway, we had to show the Indiana Department of Natural Resources that the floor elevation for the new building was higher than the 100-year flood elevation. The Corps of Engineers had done two studies in the area to determine this elevation and the building was designed accordingly. The building is now under construction.
Most people were wondering why the building sat up so high. Even the oldest residents noted that they had never seen water up to that level.
I received a couple of e-mails from my cousin today. The first noted that there was water coming up around the building but that it ought to be safe. The second was a forwarded e-mail from the West Baden Springs police department indicating that water may actually enter into the new town hall building sometime today.
I've attached several pictures showing the extent of the flooding in this town. Unfortunately, the pictures were taken by a local resident who wasn't really part of the new town hall project so it's not in any of the pictures. However, I can tell you that it's directly across the road from Fast Eddie's gas station and you can see that the water in that picture is getting up to the top of the pumps.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Great Training
I allow myself a stop at Starbucks on Wednesday mornings on my way in to work. I'd do it more often but my wife doesn't give me a big enough allowance. To me, their coffee is the best. And for those of you who owe me a favor, my favorite is the vanilla nonfat latte.
Normally, I always go to the Starbucks on 82nd Street in the Castleton area of Indianapolis. It's right on my way in so it's a quick drive thru and the people there have gotten to recognize my face which is always nice when you're in the customer service business. Also, they've never failed to make the latte exactly the same every time I've been there.
You might remember a few weeks ago that Starbucks shut down their entire operation for training. If memory serves me correctly, it was on a Monday night. Of course the following Wednesday, I arrived promptly at 7:20 for my vanilla latte.
Now I don't like my coffee steaming hot so I normally place it in my cup holder and don't take a sip out of it until I get in the office. That morning was no different except that when I took a drink I realized that they had forgotten the vanilla! Yep, that's right - they messed up my first latte after they had shut down for training to improve their quality!
Not to worry - I've been back to that same Starbucks and they've since always gotten my latte the way I like it. I just thought it was ironic how their training had not paid off in my eyes.
Normally, I always go to the Starbucks on 82nd Street in the Castleton area of Indianapolis. It's right on my way in so it's a quick drive thru and the people there have gotten to recognize my face which is always nice when you're in the customer service business. Also, they've never failed to make the latte exactly the same every time I've been there.
You might remember a few weeks ago that Starbucks shut down their entire operation for training. If memory serves me correctly, it was on a Monday night. Of course the following Wednesday, I arrived promptly at 7:20 for my vanilla latte.
Now I don't like my coffee steaming hot so I normally place it in my cup holder and don't take a sip out of it until I get in the office. That morning was no different except that when I took a drink I realized that they had forgotten the vanilla! Yep, that's right - they messed up my first latte after they had shut down for training to improve their quality!
Not to worry - I've been back to that same Starbucks and they've since always gotten my latte the way I like it. I just thought it was ironic how their training had not paid off in my eyes.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Expiration Dates
Many of you know of my dislike of attorneys. Most of our elected officials at the national level are attorneys and look where that's gotten us!
Anyway, here's another thing I'm pretty sure we can blame on attorneys:
To help my wife out, I normally do the weekly grocery shopping. When I pick up items, I normally check out the expiration date just to make sure it's still good. I've noticed lately that there aren't many expiration dates on stuff anymore. Now it's a "sell by" date.
So here's my question: how long is something good after it's been sold? If the "sell by" date is March 14, how long do I have to use the product before it's bad? Obviously if my cheese has turned green or my milk is lumpy, I'm throwing it out. But what about other products that may be "bad" but still look fine visually?
I'm sure the change is because of a lawsuit so the attorneys came up with this to weasel out of future lawsuits but I want my expiration dates back!
Anyway, here's another thing I'm pretty sure we can blame on attorneys:
To help my wife out, I normally do the weekly grocery shopping. When I pick up items, I normally check out the expiration date just to make sure it's still good. I've noticed lately that there aren't many expiration dates on stuff anymore. Now it's a "sell by" date.
So here's my question: how long is something good after it's been sold? If the "sell by" date is March 14, how long do I have to use the product before it's bad? Obviously if my cheese has turned green or my milk is lumpy, I'm throwing it out. But what about other products that may be "bad" but still look fine visually?
I'm sure the change is because of a lawsuit so the attorneys came up with this to weasel out of future lawsuits but I want my expiration dates back!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Passwords
Okay, so does anybody else get frustrated by needing user id's and passwords for everything anymore? I know that it's a security issue so people can't access my online bank accounts and such but why does there have to be different rules on every website for the creation of my password?
I've tried to use the same password as much as possible but some sites will only let you use letters, some require letters and numbers and yet others want you to use a special character like a question mark or exclamation point.
Now I've had to resort to creating a spreadsheet showing sites I've registered for, userid and password.
Not to worry, though. If I forget my password I only need to know my mother's maiden name, the town I was born in and my first pet's name.
Now if I can only remember my user id and which e-mail address I used when I registered.........
I've tried to use the same password as much as possible but some sites will only let you use letters, some require letters and numbers and yet others want you to use a special character like a question mark or exclamation point.
Now I've had to resort to creating a spreadsheet showing sites I've registered for, userid and password.
Not to worry, though. If I forget my password I only need to know my mother's maiden name, the town I was born in and my first pet's name.
Now if I can only remember my user id and which e-mail address I used when I registered.........
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Alisa's blog about her hesitancy to fly reminded me of a story of a trip our family had taken a few years ago. My in-laws live in Cape Cod, Massachusetts which is about 1,000 miles from Indianapolis. Many times, we've completed this trip by car and it takes about 17 hours to do so. With young kids, it seems like the trip is about 17 days so this particular year we decided to fly into Boston and have the in-laws pick us up.
The trip out there was fine. Even with a three, five and eight-year old, the quick trip was certainly less stressful than driving. We always have a great time on the Cape and it's a relaxing time for all of us.
But then there was the trip home.
Our flight was to leave Boston fairly early in the morning so we got to Logan Airport, checked our bags, made it through security and proceeded to our gate to catch our plane. We got on the plane and was off to our layover in D.C. After a short time at Dulles Airport, our flight was off and headed to Indy.
Or so we thought.
A few minutes into the flight the pilot made an announcement that we had lost an engine but should be fine although it would delay our arrival in Indy. After about another ten minutes, the pilot came on the P.A. system, asked the stewardesses to take a seat and noted that we were turning around to head back to Dulles.
No problem I thought. The plane is still in the air. What's the worst that could happen? Of course the words "we're turning around" brought fear to most passengers in the plane and it became deafly quiet. Still, I wasn't that worried until I looked out the window.
Now, being a surveyor, I love the window seat because I can see different properties and how cities have been developed over time.
This time I didn't like what I saw out my window.
As we started to make our approach to Dulles, I happened to notice that one runway was lined with several emergency vehicles. Okay, not just any runway - OUR runway. I didn't know until later but we had lost another engine and the pilot wasn't sure that he was going to be able to get the plane stopped before running off the end of the runway. Fortunately, the landing was pretty uneventful and we taxied back to the terminal.
We sat in the terminal for a couple of hours before we were told that they finally had some flights that we could get on to continue our trip. Unfortunately, these flights were originating at National Airport so they put us and our luggage on buses for the trip there.
While we were on the bus, an announcement was made that there were four flights available and that we'd all get on one of them. Some how, we lucked out as we were told that we would be on the first flight out of National. Maybe it was the fact that we had three young kids that were getting restless.
As soon as we got off of the bus and collected our luggage, we headed directly to the counter to get our tickets and boarding passes for the flight. Sure enough, we had been scheduled to go out on the very first flight available.
The one that had taken off five minutes before we got there.
I'm normally a pretty patient person but when I got to the counter at about 4:00 in the afternoon the lady there asked "and how are you today, sir?" At this point, I had had enough and replied, "I'm not very happy but that's okay because I'm going to Disney World for free." When she inquired what I had meant by that statement, I let her know that I was not leaving the line without complimentary air tickets in my hand. She went and got her supervisor who brought me five vouchers for free tickets for anytime within the next year. On a side note, we did use them to go to Disney World later that year.
Anyway, she informed me that there were no other flights that she could get us on but she'd put us up at a hotel for the night and give us food vouchers. I explained in no uncertain terms that I was not going to be spending the night in D.C. and that I'd be flying another airline home. At this point, she was just trying to get the crazy guy (me) out of the line so she got us booked on a flight from D.C. to Cincinnati and another from Cincy to Indy through Delta.
We made our way to the new terminal and sat down to wait for our flight. As it was dinner time, my wife and my oldest child took off with the food vouchers to find something for all of us to eat. She ordered dinner for all of us and handed the cashier the vouchers. The vouchers were worth more than the cost of our dinner but the cashier told her that he could not give her the difference back in change. Seeing two Delta stewardesses in line behind her and thinking quickly on her feet, she told the cashier that she was buying their dinner, too, since they were getting us home and making sure she spent all of the other carrier's money.
We finally got into the airport at Indy, I retrieved our car from long-term parking and we headed home.
We pulled into the garage at 1:30 a.m. - about 17 1/2 hours from the time we had left Cape Cod.
Yep, that's right - we could have driven and gotten home earlier.
The trip out there was fine. Even with a three, five and eight-year old, the quick trip was certainly less stressful than driving. We always have a great time on the Cape and it's a relaxing time for all of us.
But then there was the trip home.
Our flight was to leave Boston fairly early in the morning so we got to Logan Airport, checked our bags, made it through security and proceeded to our gate to catch our plane. We got on the plane and was off to our layover in D.C. After a short time at Dulles Airport, our flight was off and headed to Indy.
Or so we thought.
A few minutes into the flight the pilot made an announcement that we had lost an engine but should be fine although it would delay our arrival in Indy. After about another ten minutes, the pilot came on the P.A. system, asked the stewardesses to take a seat and noted that we were turning around to head back to Dulles.
No problem I thought. The plane is still in the air. What's the worst that could happen? Of course the words "we're turning around" brought fear to most passengers in the plane and it became deafly quiet. Still, I wasn't that worried until I looked out the window.
Now, being a surveyor, I love the window seat because I can see different properties and how cities have been developed over time.
This time I didn't like what I saw out my window.
As we started to make our approach to Dulles, I happened to notice that one runway was lined with several emergency vehicles. Okay, not just any runway - OUR runway. I didn't know until later but we had lost another engine and the pilot wasn't sure that he was going to be able to get the plane stopped before running off the end of the runway. Fortunately, the landing was pretty uneventful and we taxied back to the terminal.
We sat in the terminal for a couple of hours before we were told that they finally had some flights that we could get on to continue our trip. Unfortunately, these flights were originating at National Airport so they put us and our luggage on buses for the trip there.
While we were on the bus, an announcement was made that there were four flights available and that we'd all get on one of them. Some how, we lucked out as we were told that we would be on the first flight out of National. Maybe it was the fact that we had three young kids that were getting restless.
As soon as we got off of the bus and collected our luggage, we headed directly to the counter to get our tickets and boarding passes for the flight. Sure enough, we had been scheduled to go out on the very first flight available.
The one that had taken off five minutes before we got there.
I'm normally a pretty patient person but when I got to the counter at about 4:00 in the afternoon the lady there asked "and how are you today, sir?" At this point, I had had enough and replied, "I'm not very happy but that's okay because I'm going to Disney World for free." When she inquired what I had meant by that statement, I let her know that I was not leaving the line without complimentary air tickets in my hand. She went and got her supervisor who brought me five vouchers for free tickets for anytime within the next year. On a side note, we did use them to go to Disney World later that year.
Anyway, she informed me that there were no other flights that she could get us on but she'd put us up at a hotel for the night and give us food vouchers. I explained in no uncertain terms that I was not going to be spending the night in D.C. and that I'd be flying another airline home. At this point, she was just trying to get the crazy guy (me) out of the line so she got us booked on a flight from D.C. to Cincinnati and another from Cincy to Indy through Delta.
We made our way to the new terminal and sat down to wait for our flight. As it was dinner time, my wife and my oldest child took off with the food vouchers to find something for all of us to eat. She ordered dinner for all of us and handed the cashier the vouchers. The vouchers were worth more than the cost of our dinner but the cashier told her that he could not give her the difference back in change. Seeing two Delta stewardesses in line behind her and thinking quickly on her feet, she told the cashier that she was buying their dinner, too, since they were getting us home and making sure she spent all of the other carrier's money.
We finally got into the airport at Indy, I retrieved our car from long-term parking and we headed home.
We pulled into the garage at 1:30 a.m. - about 17 1/2 hours from the time we had left Cape Cod.
Yep, that's right - we could have driven and gotten home earlier.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
I'm a Big Loser
I was reading an article today about Jared Fogle. You know him as Jared the Subway guy who lost 240 pounds about 10 years ago and has been the spokesman for Subway since then. He lost the weight by eating a Turkey Club sandwich twice a day. Fortunately for Jared, he's been able to keep the weight off.
I did something similar beginning January 1, 2006 but not near as drastic as what Jared did. At one time, I weighed in the neighborhood of 240 pounds. That wouldn't have been so bad if I was about 6'10" but I'm only 5'10" and trust me, it wasn't pretty. I tried the Atkins Diet at one time and got down to about 205 but couldn't stay with the reduction in carbs and ballooned back up to about 225 by January 1, 2006. It was at this point that I decided I had to do something.
The NBC show "The Biggest Loser" had been inspiring to me as the people on the show were able to not only change their physical appearance but also their psychological approach to food. While I wasn't sure that the rapid weight loss the contestants had was optimal from a medical standpoing, by August of 2006, I was down to 178 pounds. My weight loss was about two pounds per week average and I probably didn't have any single week when I lost more than five pounds.
Many people have asked me how I did it. I wish I could say that there was some magic involved in losing the weight but, as I had heard from my doctor several times, the key was exercise and watching what I ate.
So here's what I learned to help me with the weight loss:
1. It's all about calories in versus calories out. Your body needs calories to function so there's no way you can cut them out completely. For me, the number of calories I consumed in a day was 7 times my then-current weight. So for example, when I was 200 pounds I set my target for 1400 calories a day. There's no reason to get carried away with it - if I ate 1500 calories one day, I'd try to eat only 1300 the next. As long as I averaged the target amount for the week, I was happy and able to lose weight.
2. Fat calories definitely count. I was religious about reading labels. If the percentage of fat calories to total calories was more than 30 percent, I didn't eat it.
3. Cardio workouts were a must. I tried to burn 500 calories a day by working out at the YMCA. Why 500? Because it take 3,500 calories burnt to lose one pound. If I burnt 500 calories per day, seven days a week, I knew I'd at least lose a pound. I've been a member of the Y for just over five years. I've probably ran a couple thousand miles in that time and biked five to six thousand miles.
4. Strength workouts are much more important than I ever thought because when your muscles are repairing themselves after a workout, it raises your metabolism. With an increased metabolism, more calories are burnt. I lifted weights no more than every other day because your muscles need a day off to repair themselves. I'd lift one set of 12 reps. If I could get in all 12 reps, I'd raise the amount I lifted by 5 pounds until I got to a point where I couldn't lift 12 reps.
5. You can't diet all the time. I had a goal to eat 20 good meals a week and one bad one, normally on Sunday night. That was the night I'd allow myself to eat chips, a bowl of ice cream or something that wasn't "good" for me.
6. Weigh yourself every day. If I found that I had gained a pound from one day to the next, my workouts were normally a little longer or more strenuous. Weight gain was certainly a motivator for me to get my butt to the Y to get it right back off.
7. When you're hungry - eat! Your body is trying to tell you something. It was not unusual for me to eat a cup of yogurt at 10:00 a.m. after eating breakfast just three hours earlier. I've heard on other diets that you're supposed to eat until you're no longer hungry. For me, I ate until I was satisfied, meaning that sometimes I was still a little bit hungry. At meals, I had to learn when to push away my plate.
8. Learn what a portion really looks like. In these days of supersized everything, I learned that a portion of food is about the size of your fist or a hockey puck. I always made sure I only got one serving spoon of a food on my plate and no more.
For what it's worth, my current weight is normally in the upper 180's but I'm training for a half marathon in May so I'd guess I'll probably get down into the 170's again. My "long run" day is normally on Saturday and I'm up to five miles on those days right now following Hal Higdon's (www.halhigdon.com) half-marathon training plan. I'm running the race with another surveyor who is the past president of the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors. We're not in it to race with the Kenyans but basically our goal is to finish in under two and a half hours. That's about an 11:24 per mile pace and today I was around 10:54 for the five miles so I think I'm in pretty good shape to make the goal. I'll keep you updated from time to time on my training.
If you've been on every diet imaginable, try some of the things that worked for me. Let me know how it works out for you.
I did something similar beginning January 1, 2006 but not near as drastic as what Jared did. At one time, I weighed in the neighborhood of 240 pounds. That wouldn't have been so bad if I was about 6'10" but I'm only 5'10" and trust me, it wasn't pretty. I tried the Atkins Diet at one time and got down to about 205 but couldn't stay with the reduction in carbs and ballooned back up to about 225 by January 1, 2006. It was at this point that I decided I had to do something.
The NBC show "The Biggest Loser" had been inspiring to me as the people on the show were able to not only change their physical appearance but also their psychological approach to food. While I wasn't sure that the rapid weight loss the contestants had was optimal from a medical standpoing, by August of 2006, I was down to 178 pounds. My weight loss was about two pounds per week average and I probably didn't have any single week when I lost more than five pounds.
Many people have asked me how I did it. I wish I could say that there was some magic involved in losing the weight but, as I had heard from my doctor several times, the key was exercise and watching what I ate.
So here's what I learned to help me with the weight loss:
1. It's all about calories in versus calories out. Your body needs calories to function so there's no way you can cut them out completely. For me, the number of calories I consumed in a day was 7 times my then-current weight. So for example, when I was 200 pounds I set my target for 1400 calories a day. There's no reason to get carried away with it - if I ate 1500 calories one day, I'd try to eat only 1300 the next. As long as I averaged the target amount for the week, I was happy and able to lose weight.
2. Fat calories definitely count. I was religious about reading labels. If the percentage of fat calories to total calories was more than 30 percent, I didn't eat it.
3. Cardio workouts were a must. I tried to burn 500 calories a day by working out at the YMCA. Why 500? Because it take 3,500 calories burnt to lose one pound. If I burnt 500 calories per day, seven days a week, I knew I'd at least lose a pound. I've been a member of the Y for just over five years. I've probably ran a couple thousand miles in that time and biked five to six thousand miles.
4. Strength workouts are much more important than I ever thought because when your muscles are repairing themselves after a workout, it raises your metabolism. With an increased metabolism, more calories are burnt. I lifted weights no more than every other day because your muscles need a day off to repair themselves. I'd lift one set of 12 reps. If I could get in all 12 reps, I'd raise the amount I lifted by 5 pounds until I got to a point where I couldn't lift 12 reps.
5. You can't diet all the time. I had a goal to eat 20 good meals a week and one bad one, normally on Sunday night. That was the night I'd allow myself to eat chips, a bowl of ice cream or something that wasn't "good" for me.
6. Weigh yourself every day. If I found that I had gained a pound from one day to the next, my workouts were normally a little longer or more strenuous. Weight gain was certainly a motivator for me to get my butt to the Y to get it right back off.
7. When you're hungry - eat! Your body is trying to tell you something. It was not unusual for me to eat a cup of yogurt at 10:00 a.m. after eating breakfast just three hours earlier. I've heard on other diets that you're supposed to eat until you're no longer hungry. For me, I ate until I was satisfied, meaning that sometimes I was still a little bit hungry. At meals, I had to learn when to push away my plate.
8. Learn what a portion really looks like. In these days of supersized everything, I learned that a portion of food is about the size of your fist or a hockey puck. I always made sure I only got one serving spoon of a food on my plate and no more.
For what it's worth, my current weight is normally in the upper 180's but I'm training for a half marathon in May so I'd guess I'll probably get down into the 170's again. My "long run" day is normally on Saturday and I'm up to five miles on those days right now following Hal Higdon's (www.halhigdon.com) half-marathon training plan. I'm running the race with another surveyor who is the past president of the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors. We're not in it to race with the Kenyans but basically our goal is to finish in under two and a half hours. That's about an 11:24 per mile pace and today I was around 10:54 for the five miles so I think I'm in pretty good shape to make the goal. I'll keep you updated from time to time on my training.
If you've been on every diet imaginable, try some of the things that worked for me. Let me know how it works out for you.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Do Unto Others
I frequent a surveying message board and mostly lurk around but post from time to time when I feel I have something to add to a thread. It seems like about once a week or so, a surveyor posts a message about low-ballers who throw out ridiculous fees that in no way can cover their true expenses. The thread normally goes on about how we're a profession and should be paid accordingly. I readily admit that I'm right on board with this thinking.
What I don't get is that some of these same posters will then start another thread about needing tax or legal advice and mention that they're looking for the cheapest accountant or lawyer around. Yep, that's right - they're looking for the low-baller!
Why on earth would we complain about not being treated as professionals when the public is basing their choice of surveyor on fee only and then turn around and try to treat other professionals the same way?
To me, I want the best accountant I can get to help our company make as much money as possible. If the accountant charges a fair fee, I don't have a problem with it. Heck, I WANT my accountant to stay in business!
I guess the whole point of the post is that to be respected as a professional, we have to show the same respect to other professions.
What I don't get is that some of these same posters will then start another thread about needing tax or legal advice and mention that they're looking for the cheapest accountant or lawyer around. Yep, that's right - they're looking for the low-baller!
Why on earth would we complain about not being treated as professionals when the public is basing their choice of surveyor on fee only and then turn around and try to treat other professionals the same way?
To me, I want the best accountant I can get to help our company make as much money as possible. If the accountant charges a fair fee, I don't have a problem with it. Heck, I WANT my accountant to stay in business!
I guess the whole point of the post is that to be respected as a professional, we have to show the same respect to other professions.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wildlife update
This past week, there was a lot of excitement in our house when my two youngest looked out the window to see five deer walking through our back yard.
All while I was not at home.
In the words of Charlie Brown - Good grief!
All while I was not at home.
In the words of Charlie Brown - Good grief!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Longest Day of My Life
As I've mentioned on here a few times, my 12 year old daughter is a competitive dancer. Between the first of February until the first of June or so, she's normally at competitions about every other weekend. I try to attend at least part of them but it's usually my wife that is with her while I handle the soccer duties. It's not a sexist thing but with the costume changes between dances, the moms help in the dressing room with keeping everything organized, doing makeup, hair, etc. and the dads, for obvious reasons, are not allowed in there.
This past weekend, however, she was involved in a competition that was a little different than normal. Instead of wearing costumes, all the girls wore black leotards with tights and shoes and little or no makeup. Since my daughter can take care of these things by herself, my wife asked if I would take her to this competition. Being the supportive dad that I am, I quickly agreed.
I should have looked at the schedule first.
My daughter's first dance was at 1:00 p.m. The studio has a standard policy that dancers are to arrive one hour before their first dance so we left the house a few minutes after 11:00 and arrived at Southport High just before noon. I helped her find the dressing room and went into the auditorium to find a seat to watch.
I knew that Libby's routine was number 105 so you can imagine my surprise when they announced that the next dance to perform was number 70! Knowing that the average dance lasts anywhere between 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, I quickly calculated that I had about an hour and a half to kill before Libby's dance. Fortunately, I had my laptop with me so the time went by quickly as I worked on some proposals. It was about 1:30 before she took the stage and they did very well.
That wasn't the worst of it. Her next dance was not scheduled until about 6:30 p.m.
Without trying to seem happy that someone is sick, one of the dance moms was running a fever so the dad, Kent, brought his daughter. I quickly found him and we made plans to grab something to eat with our girls and maybe kill some time.
After a nice lunch at Ruby Tuesday's that we tried to make last as long as we could, we asked the girls what they wanted to do. They wanted to go to a pet store and see the puppies so we did. After that, the girls decided they wanted to head back to the competition to watch their friends from the studio perform their routines so we did.
And arrived back at 3:30. Great, only three more hours until the next dance.
Oh, wait. Did I say three hours? Nope! Shortly after we got back, Libby came over to inform me that the competition was running about an hour behind and she wouldn't be back on stage until closer to 7:30. Great, only FOUR more hours until the next dance.
Well.......let's just say it's a good thing Kent was there as he and I have somewhat similar backgrounds and interests so we had some good conversations. We alternated taking walks in the hallway, going to our cars to catch up on the Purdue basketball game and driving around to get something to drink. For the record, Kent had a Mountain Dew that REALLY looked good to me but I gave up soda for Lent so I opted for a frappucino instead. Okay, we had both gotten our caffeine fixes so we were ready to go!
The caffeine didn't last near long enough as shortly before the girls were to go on stage, Kent turns to me and states, "Okay, this is officially the longest day of my life!"
The girls took the stage shortly before 7:30 and danced three other numbers in the span of about 45 minutes or so. Seeing my daughter on stage several times got me re-energized and I knew I'd need it as her last dance was originally scheduled for 9:40 but, of course, was now going to be at about 10:30 or so. Great, only three more hours until the next dance!
One of the things that Kent and I have in common is that we both formerly were high school basketball officials and still enjoy the game very much. And guess what else was going on at Southport High School on Saturday night? Yep, the girls regional basketball finals. We got to see an exciting game between Carmel and Ben Davis that was close. Now I was full of energy and could easily make it to the end of the night at dance.
Well..........in the words of Lee Corso..........not so fast my friends.
Being a guy, if I'm watching dance, I want to be entertained. My daughter's studio does a great job at that. As with everything in life, though, everybody has their own style. There was a studio there that, well, is a little more, shall we say, artsy-fartsy. After watching a few of these from this studio, I was completely drained of all energy again.
When yet another performer from this studio came out onto the stage, Kent said loudly enough for several of us to hear, "Oh great, another performance of rolling around on the floor!"
So to make a short story long (I know, it already is), our girls performed their final dance number at about 10:30, awards were given and we were out of there and on the road at about 11:15. My daughter was hungry so we went through the drive-through at Wendy's to get some chicken nuggets. For what it's worth, I don't go inside Wendy's anymore after the experience I posted about on here earlier. We were home just before midnight.
Another mom told my wife that Kent and I were real "troopers" this weekend.
I hope my days of trooping are over.
This past weekend, however, she was involved in a competition that was a little different than normal. Instead of wearing costumes, all the girls wore black leotards with tights and shoes and little or no makeup. Since my daughter can take care of these things by herself, my wife asked if I would take her to this competition. Being the supportive dad that I am, I quickly agreed.
I should have looked at the schedule first.
My daughter's first dance was at 1:00 p.m. The studio has a standard policy that dancers are to arrive one hour before their first dance so we left the house a few minutes after 11:00 and arrived at Southport High just before noon. I helped her find the dressing room and went into the auditorium to find a seat to watch.
I knew that Libby's routine was number 105 so you can imagine my surprise when they announced that the next dance to perform was number 70! Knowing that the average dance lasts anywhere between 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, I quickly calculated that I had about an hour and a half to kill before Libby's dance. Fortunately, I had my laptop with me so the time went by quickly as I worked on some proposals. It was about 1:30 before she took the stage and they did very well.
That wasn't the worst of it. Her next dance was not scheduled until about 6:30 p.m.
Without trying to seem happy that someone is sick, one of the dance moms was running a fever so the dad, Kent, brought his daughter. I quickly found him and we made plans to grab something to eat with our girls and maybe kill some time.
After a nice lunch at Ruby Tuesday's that we tried to make last as long as we could, we asked the girls what they wanted to do. They wanted to go to a pet store and see the puppies so we did. After that, the girls decided they wanted to head back to the competition to watch their friends from the studio perform their routines so we did.
And arrived back at 3:30. Great, only three more hours until the next dance.
Oh, wait. Did I say three hours? Nope! Shortly after we got back, Libby came over to inform me that the competition was running about an hour behind and she wouldn't be back on stage until closer to 7:30. Great, only FOUR more hours until the next dance.
Well.......let's just say it's a good thing Kent was there as he and I have somewhat similar backgrounds and interests so we had some good conversations. We alternated taking walks in the hallway, going to our cars to catch up on the Purdue basketball game and driving around to get something to drink. For the record, Kent had a Mountain Dew that REALLY looked good to me but I gave up soda for Lent so I opted for a frappucino instead. Okay, we had both gotten our caffeine fixes so we were ready to go!
The caffeine didn't last near long enough as shortly before the girls were to go on stage, Kent turns to me and states, "Okay, this is officially the longest day of my life!"
The girls took the stage shortly before 7:30 and danced three other numbers in the span of about 45 minutes or so. Seeing my daughter on stage several times got me re-energized and I knew I'd need it as her last dance was originally scheduled for 9:40 but, of course, was now going to be at about 10:30 or so. Great, only three more hours until the next dance!
One of the things that Kent and I have in common is that we both formerly were high school basketball officials and still enjoy the game very much. And guess what else was going on at Southport High School on Saturday night? Yep, the girls regional basketball finals. We got to see an exciting game between Carmel and Ben Davis that was close. Now I was full of energy and could easily make it to the end of the night at dance.
Well..........in the words of Lee Corso..........not so fast my friends.
Being a guy, if I'm watching dance, I want to be entertained. My daughter's studio does a great job at that. As with everything in life, though, everybody has their own style. There was a studio there that, well, is a little more, shall we say, artsy-fartsy. After watching a few of these from this studio, I was completely drained of all energy again.
When yet another performer from this studio came out onto the stage, Kent said loudly enough for several of us to hear, "Oh great, another performance of rolling around on the floor!"
So to make a short story long (I know, it already is), our girls performed their final dance number at about 10:30, awards were given and we were out of there and on the road at about 11:15. My daughter was hungry so we went through the drive-through at Wendy's to get some chicken nuggets. For what it's worth, I don't go inside Wendy's anymore after the experience I posted about on here earlier. We were home just before midnight.
Another mom told my wife that Kent and I were real "troopers" this weekend.
I hope my days of trooping are over.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Wild Life
Or maybe more correctly as wildlife.
If you're in my age category, you'll rememer watching the show "Green Acres" growing up. Well, that show could easily describe the relationship between my wife and I as she grew up in New Jersey, not too far from New York City, and I grew up in the little town of Crothersville, Indiana.
My wife lived in a suburban subdivison, I grew up on a farm. My high school graduation class had 58 students in it; hers had somewhere around 700. Heck, her high school was bigger than my town!
Anyway, since graduating from Purdue, we've lived in the Indianapolis area. Our first place was a one bedroom apartment. We jumped into home ownership with a three bedroom ranch in a newer subdivision that we outgrew fairly quickly as kids came along. Our next house was a three bedroom two story with a basement in a brand new subdivision that was okay but not necessarily comfortable as our kids got bigger. Both of these houses had wide open yards that left us open to all of our neighbors anytime we were in the front or back yard. While this was what my wife was accustomed to, I still longed for a little more privacy as I had grown up without a neighbor any closer than about a quarter mile away.
So this past summer, my wife and I moved into our current house. Honestly, it's only a little bigger than the last house but does have a fourth bedroom so everybody has their own. The best part for me though, is that our lot is wooded and during the summer when the leaves are on the trees, we can't see any of our neighbors even though they're not really that far away. It's got a small creek on two sides so traversing to the neighbors to borrow an egg is not that easily accomplished.
Growing up, I had always enjoyed walking back into the woods and seeing animals in their natural habitat but I never expected to see them at our current house because, while the lot is wooded, it's much more of a suburban setting in a subdivision.
I've been pleasantly surprised. I put up a bird feeder and bird house within the first week we were here and attracted all kinds of birds that I could sit and watch on a Saturday morning. I've probably seen a dozen squirrels at one time chasing each other around in the trees. We've seen snakes, raccoons, possums, and rabbits from time to time as well but all along I've been telling my family that the ultimate would be seeing deer in the back yard. Well........it finally happened..........twice..........both times while I was not home. I'm so disappointed that I'm thinking about running to Tractor Supply and picking up a salt block just and putting it out only when I'm at home to increase my chances of seeing them.
I did get a nice surprise last week as I was standing at the kitchen window and thought I had seen a dog running through the back yard. I did a double take as I realized that it wasn't a dog but rather a wolf making his way through. Probably going somewhere to see if he could get a little venison.
I'll let you know when I finally get my deer. Maybe this week...........
If you're in my age category, you'll rememer watching the show "Green Acres" growing up. Well, that show could easily describe the relationship between my wife and I as she grew up in New Jersey, not too far from New York City, and I grew up in the little town of Crothersville, Indiana.
My wife lived in a suburban subdivison, I grew up on a farm. My high school graduation class had 58 students in it; hers had somewhere around 700. Heck, her high school was bigger than my town!
Anyway, since graduating from Purdue, we've lived in the Indianapolis area. Our first place was a one bedroom apartment. We jumped into home ownership with a three bedroom ranch in a newer subdivision that we outgrew fairly quickly as kids came along. Our next house was a three bedroom two story with a basement in a brand new subdivision that was okay but not necessarily comfortable as our kids got bigger. Both of these houses had wide open yards that left us open to all of our neighbors anytime we were in the front or back yard. While this was what my wife was accustomed to, I still longed for a little more privacy as I had grown up without a neighbor any closer than about a quarter mile away.
So this past summer, my wife and I moved into our current house. Honestly, it's only a little bigger than the last house but does have a fourth bedroom so everybody has their own. The best part for me though, is that our lot is wooded and during the summer when the leaves are on the trees, we can't see any of our neighbors even though they're not really that far away. It's got a small creek on two sides so traversing to the neighbors to borrow an egg is not that easily accomplished.
Growing up, I had always enjoyed walking back into the woods and seeing animals in their natural habitat but I never expected to see them at our current house because, while the lot is wooded, it's much more of a suburban setting in a subdivision.
I've been pleasantly surprised. I put up a bird feeder and bird house within the first week we were here and attracted all kinds of birds that I could sit and watch on a Saturday morning. I've probably seen a dozen squirrels at one time chasing each other around in the trees. We've seen snakes, raccoons, possums, and rabbits from time to time as well but all along I've been telling my family that the ultimate would be seeing deer in the back yard. Well........it finally happened..........twice..........both times while I was not home. I'm so disappointed that I'm thinking about running to Tractor Supply and picking up a salt block just and putting it out only when I'm at home to increase my chances of seeing them.
I did get a nice surprise last week as I was standing at the kitchen window and thought I had seen a dog running through the back yard. I did a double take as I realized that it wasn't a dog but rather a wolf making his way through. Probably going somewhere to see if he could get a little venison.
I'll let you know when I finally get my deer. Maybe this week...........
Shameless plugs
I've been an administrator for a website designed for my hometown of Crothersville, Indiana for a few years now. It was started by a friend of mine, Shelley, and she's really the one who runs it all but she allows three others of us to keep tabs on what's going on and moderate the posts. Most people are pretty good on the forum and there's really not much work to it.
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that Shelley and another of the administrators, Alisa, both have their own blogs as well that I really enjoy reading.
Shelley's can be found at http://whatifitdid.com/
and Alisa's can be found at http://itsoffmychestnow.blogspot.com
If you have a chance to check out either one of them, it will be well worth your time.
One warning with Alisa's blog, however, is that she's a huge Tony Stewart fan. So if you're a Jeff Gordon fan like me, you can skip over all the orange Home Depot #20 stuff and it's bearable.
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that Shelley and another of the administrators, Alisa, both have their own blogs as well that I really enjoy reading.
Shelley's can be found at http://whatifitdid.com/
and Alisa's can be found at http://itsoffmychestnow.blogspot.com
If you have a chance to check out either one of them, it will be well worth your time.
One warning with Alisa's blog, however, is that she's a huge Tony Stewart fan. So if you're a Jeff Gordon fan like me, you can skip over all the orange Home Depot #20 stuff and it's bearable.
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Heartbreak of Psoriasis (er, I mean parenting)
It's heartbreaking for me as a parent to see one of my kids come to the realization that their dreams are probably not going to come true for them.
I remember as a youngster that I would spend hours outside shooting hoops (because that's what we do in Indiana) just knowing that I was going to be a professional basketball player. I'd count down the seconds and heave a shot just before the buzzer sounded. A few times I actually made it and was the hero of the game. Of course, when I missed it was because I had been fouled and went to the free throw line to win the game.
It's probably because she's my youngest or maybe because she's my only girl but my daugther, Libby, has recently realized that she's not going to become a professional dancer. She's a good dancer but not a great dancer, technically sound but not one that draws your eye in a group.
I guess I should be happy that I've no longer got "kids" in the house and they've all become great young people but there's a part of me that loved it when they still had big dreams, believed in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.
I hope there are still big dreams ahead for each of them.
I remember as a youngster that I would spend hours outside shooting hoops (because that's what we do in Indiana) just knowing that I was going to be a professional basketball player. I'd count down the seconds and heave a shot just before the buzzer sounded. A few times I actually made it and was the hero of the game. Of course, when I missed it was because I had been fouled and went to the free throw line to win the game.
It's probably because she's my youngest or maybe because she's my only girl but my daugther, Libby, has recently realized that she's not going to become a professional dancer. She's a good dancer but not a great dancer, technically sound but not one that draws your eye in a group.
I guess I should be happy that I've no longer got "kids" in the house and they've all become great young people but there's a part of me that loved it when they still had big dreams, believed in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.
I hope there are still big dreams ahead for each of them.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Hot Tub Talk
Without a doubt, my favorite place to spend time at our house is in the hot tub. Fortunately for me, my 14 year old son, Brad, likes to sit and relax there, too.
It must be the relaxed setting that makes the conversations between Brad and I special as he feels he can ask me anything while we're in there. Topics of discussion can range anywhere from soccer to school to how much money a car costs and everything in between.
Seems like the same happens with Brad and I when we're in the car alone going to and from soccer practices and games.
So.......if you're a parent, try to find that special place when you can relax and have conversations with your kids. You'll be glad you did!
It must be the relaxed setting that makes the conversations between Brad and I special as he feels he can ask me anything while we're in there. Topics of discussion can range anywhere from soccer to school to how much money a car costs and everything in between.
Seems like the same happens with Brad and I when we're in the car alone going to and from soccer practices and games.
So.......if you're a parent, try to find that special place when you can relax and have conversations with your kids. You'll be glad you did!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Standard Survey Price
I'm a little bothered by the phrase "standard survey price".
I had submitted a proposal for an ALTA survey in Shelbyville recently that involved an apartment building and was near a railroad that we'd have to deal with. After looking at it, I proposed a fee of about $3,000. When the potential client received the faxed proposal, he called me to inquire why the fee was so much. I explained to him the steps we had to go through to complete the survey and he replied "Okay, but I was looking for a standard survey price of $1,500." While I was trying to explain to him that there was no standard survey, he interrupted me and ended the phone conversation.
Later last week, I was reading a popular survey message board (which makes me a big survey geek just by association) and someone was asking about fees for an elevation certificate. This person was doing multiple certs in one area and was wondering if he should reduce his fee from his "standard survey price" of $700.
Somebody's gonna have to educate me, I guess, since I've never done a "standard survey" yet. If someone else has, please send me a copy so I can see what a "standard survey" is.
I had submitted a proposal for an ALTA survey in Shelbyville recently that involved an apartment building and was near a railroad that we'd have to deal with. After looking at it, I proposed a fee of about $3,000. When the potential client received the faxed proposal, he called me to inquire why the fee was so much. I explained to him the steps we had to go through to complete the survey and he replied "Okay, but I was looking for a standard survey price of $1,500." While I was trying to explain to him that there was no standard survey, he interrupted me and ended the phone conversation.
Later last week, I was reading a popular survey message board (which makes me a big survey geek just by association) and someone was asking about fees for an elevation certificate. This person was doing multiple certs in one area and was wondering if he should reduce his fee from his "standard survey price" of $700.
Somebody's gonna have to educate me, I guess, since I've never done a "standard survey" yet. If someone else has, please send me a copy so I can see what a "standard survey" is.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Free Frosties for Everybody
I had an interesting lunch last Thursday and must admit that I've never quite had an experience like this before. So let me set the scene:
The location: A well known fast food restaurant named after a girl with orange pig tails and (for those of us a little older) is known as the "Where's the Beef?" restaurant.
The players: Me (well, not really - just an innocent bystander)
Cashier Lady - probably in her late 20's and works the cash register
Fry Guy - early 20's guy who scoops fries and makes sure orders are complete
Hamburger Guy - late teens and assembles the burgers
Customer Lady - mid 30's lady, professionally dressed with co-workers
Here's the story: I'm on my way downtown, hadn't had lunch and decided to pull in to get a quick burger and fries. Cashier Lady puts in my order wrong so she verbally tells Hamburger Guy what he's supposed to be making and let's him know that he's not just supposed to be preparing whatever's on the screen. I get what I've ordered and move on my way, sit down and start my meal.
As I'm eating, Cashier Lady continues taking orders and discussing with Hamburger Guy why it's important tto listen to her verbal orders and not just watch the screen. The discussion continues getting louder and louder until Cashier Lady and Hamburger Guy are in an all-out screaming match and dropping curse words on each other (the kind that my mom would STILL wash my mouth out for saying). At this point, none of the dozen or so people in the restaurant are eating their meals but rather watching the escalating argument. Finally, Fry Guy decides that he needs to step in between Cashier Lady and Hamburger Guy as they are about to get physical.
As if it's not interesting enough, Customer Lady, who happens to be sitting as far away from Cashier Lady as is humanly possible and still be in the same room, decides to throw in her two cents worth by continually chanting "fight, fight, fight" and then topping it off by yelling "and that's why you don't have a professional job, honey." Of course, this catches Cashier Lady's attention who, without missing a beat, turns to Customer Lady and starts dropping the "F" word on her. Me? I'm in the line of fire right between the two of them. So this new shouting match goes on for what seemed like an hour but was probably only 30 seconds and findally subsides thankfully.
About a minute later, Cashier Lady comes out from behind her post and walks out into the dining area towards Customer Lady. I'm expecting food flying but am surprised by Cashier Lady's sincere apology and it's acceptance by Customer Lady. After this, Cashier Lady goes around to each table and personally apologizes to every customer in the place. She then returns to her post at the cash register and begins waiting on customers again. Where the manager is during all of this, I have no idea.
Anyway, Cashier Lady then comes out from the back with a great big tray full of Frosties for everyone in the restaurant and I'm talking the big ones, not the tiny little ones they give away because your kid got straight A's in school or something.
Even with the apologies and Frosties, it didn't stop the patrons of the place from stopping to look at the "How was your experience with us - Call (800)xxx-xxxx" sticker on the door, dialing their cells and reporting what happened.
Thanks for the Frosty, Cashier Lady. I'll miss you. Good luck on your job search.
The location: A well known fast food restaurant named after a girl with orange pig tails and (for those of us a little older) is known as the "Where's the Beef?" restaurant.
The players: Me (well, not really - just an innocent bystander)
Cashier Lady - probably in her late 20's and works the cash register
Fry Guy - early 20's guy who scoops fries and makes sure orders are complete
Hamburger Guy - late teens and assembles the burgers
Customer Lady - mid 30's lady, professionally dressed with co-workers
Here's the story: I'm on my way downtown, hadn't had lunch and decided to pull in to get a quick burger and fries. Cashier Lady puts in my order wrong so she verbally tells Hamburger Guy what he's supposed to be making and let's him know that he's not just supposed to be preparing whatever's on the screen. I get what I've ordered and move on my way, sit down and start my meal.
As I'm eating, Cashier Lady continues taking orders and discussing with Hamburger Guy why it's important tto listen to her verbal orders and not just watch the screen. The discussion continues getting louder and louder until Cashier Lady and Hamburger Guy are in an all-out screaming match and dropping curse words on each other (the kind that my mom would STILL wash my mouth out for saying). At this point, none of the dozen or so people in the restaurant are eating their meals but rather watching the escalating argument. Finally, Fry Guy decides that he needs to step in between Cashier Lady and Hamburger Guy as they are about to get physical.
As if it's not interesting enough, Customer Lady, who happens to be sitting as far away from Cashier Lady as is humanly possible and still be in the same room, decides to throw in her two cents worth by continually chanting "fight, fight, fight" and then topping it off by yelling "and that's why you don't have a professional job, honey." Of course, this catches Cashier Lady's attention who, without missing a beat, turns to Customer Lady and starts dropping the "F" word on her. Me? I'm in the line of fire right between the two of them. So this new shouting match goes on for what seemed like an hour but was probably only 30 seconds and findally subsides thankfully.
About a minute later, Cashier Lady comes out from behind her post and walks out into the dining area towards Customer Lady. I'm expecting food flying but am surprised by Cashier Lady's sincere apology and it's acceptance by Customer Lady. After this, Cashier Lady goes around to each table and personally apologizes to every customer in the place. She then returns to her post at the cash register and begins waiting on customers again. Where the manager is during all of this, I have no idea.
Anyway, Cashier Lady then comes out from the back with a great big tray full of Frosties for everyone in the restaurant and I'm talking the big ones, not the tiny little ones they give away because your kid got straight A's in school or something.
Even with the apologies and Frosties, it didn't stop the patrons of the place from stopping to look at the "How was your experience with us - Call (800)xxx-xxxx" sticker on the door, dialing their cells and reporting what happened.
Thanks for the Frosty, Cashier Lady. I'll miss you. Good luck on your job search.
Welcome to the mid 40's!
"Welcome to the mid 40's!" was the first statement out of my doctor's mouth last Wednesday. I knew whatever conversation followed wasn't going to be to my liking.
I had had a stiff neck and some pain in my lower neck/upper back before but this one was a little different. The others had gone away in a couple of days. This one had been going on for two weeks and my wife was getting tired of me complaining about it so she called the doctor and made an appointment for me to see him.
These things happen as we get older, the doctor said. We? We? Who's the we we're talking about - I'm not getting older. He went on to explain that I had probably suffered a slipped or herniated disk in my C6 or C7 (whatever that means) and that I had three options to try to fix it. The first sounded to my liking - take some medicine to relieve the pain. The next was to go to physical therapy and see if they could get me back in alignment. And finally, the third was to have some huge needle stuck through my neck and basically deaden the area so I wouldn't feel it. Needless to say, the needle through the neck thing didn't sound so pleasant.
I'll be starting physical therapy soon.
Great. Can't wait till my next appointment with the doctor. I can hear it now:
"Welcome to the 50's!" Yippee.
I had had a stiff neck and some pain in my lower neck/upper back before but this one was a little different. The others had gone away in a couple of days. This one had been going on for two weeks and my wife was getting tired of me complaining about it so she called the doctor and made an appointment for me to see him.
These things happen as we get older, the doctor said. We? We? Who's the we we're talking about - I'm not getting older. He went on to explain that I had probably suffered a slipped or herniated disk in my C6 or C7 (whatever that means) and that I had three options to try to fix it. The first sounded to my liking - take some medicine to relieve the pain. The next was to go to physical therapy and see if they could get me back in alignment. And finally, the third was to have some huge needle stuck through my neck and basically deaden the area so I wouldn't feel it. Needless to say, the needle through the neck thing didn't sound so pleasant.
I'll be starting physical therapy soon.
Great. Can't wait till my next appointment with the doctor. I can hear it now:
"Welcome to the 50's!" Yippee.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
A capella music
My 16 year old son, Kyle, has been a part of a men's a capella group for a couple of years at his high school. On January 14, they had the opportunity to open for Straight No Chaser, an a capella group from Indiana University. I was able to capture the event on video. Here's a song with lyrics written by the group, AG Harmeny, called Tiger Girl. The melody is Surfer Girl by The Beach Boys. I picked this one because it's a funny song and the fact that Kyle's the one singing the solo. I cut it into two pieces because there was some bantering between the guys in the middle of the song after the solo that wouldn't interest you unless you're a student at FHS.
Hope you enjoy!
Hope you enjoy!
Monday, January 21, 2008
ISPLS Convention
Another year, another convention done. Maybe I'm wrong but this seemed like the smoothest running convention yet. Apparently, Doug and Dianne have done these things before and the two chapters who hosted seemed to have everything under control. A big pat on the back to everyone involved!
A few disturbing things occurred to me during the course of the convention, though. With attendance in the 700+ range, does it bother anyone else that we can only get maybe 80 people at the membership meeting? Granted, some of the attendees don't have voting privileges but we were discussing revisions to the Constitution of the organization for pete's sake! It's the framework for the entire Society. Another discussion focused around the state of the Purdue program. I'd think that more people would be interested. I understand that everyone has to prioritize their schedule during the day so I only assume that those not there had something more important to do at that time. I'd love to hear from others what they did instead of attending the membership meeting.
Same thing with the banquet. Yes, it was better attended - probably because it included food - but the percentage of attendees at the banquet was probably less than 25%. If you're staying at the hotel for the evening, why not go? And for those that live in Central Indiana - is it too convenient to simply head home instead of waiting around for the banquet?
I hope that you continue to read this blog. No, it won't be about surveying all the time. Who knows - I may include sports, life with kids, music, business ramblings or any other myriad of topics. If you have any thought-provoking topics you think may be interesting, let me know.
A few disturbing things occurred to me during the course of the convention, though. With attendance in the 700+ range, does it bother anyone else that we can only get maybe 80 people at the membership meeting? Granted, some of the attendees don't have voting privileges but we were discussing revisions to the Constitution of the organization for pete's sake! It's the framework for the entire Society. Another discussion focused around the state of the Purdue program. I'd think that more people would be interested. I understand that everyone has to prioritize their schedule during the day so I only assume that those not there had something more important to do at that time. I'd love to hear from others what they did instead of attending the membership meeting.
Same thing with the banquet. Yes, it was better attended - probably because it included food - but the percentage of attendees at the banquet was probably less than 25%. If you're staying at the hotel for the evening, why not go? And for those that live in Central Indiana - is it too convenient to simply head home instead of waiting around for the banquet?
I hope that you continue to read this blog. No, it won't be about surveying all the time. Who knows - I may include sports, life with kids, music, business ramblings or any other myriad of topics. If you have any thought-provoking topics you think may be interesting, let me know.
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