Tuesday

THE MICHELIN MAN PRODUCT: Michelin tiresDATE INTRODUCED: 1898CREATOR: Idea conceived by Edouard Michelin; artist's rendition created by O'Galop; DDB Needham Worldwide handled later executions Andre Michelin commissioned the creation of this jolly, rotund figure after his brother, Edouard, observed that a display of stacked tires resembled a human form. The artist's sketches of a bloated man made of tires was exactly what the brothers had in mind. One in particular, picturing the character lifting a beer glass and shouting, "Nunc est bibendum! (Now is the time to drink!)" seemed to embody Michelin's slogan at the time, "Michelin tires swallow up all obstacles." The artist reworked the hulking figure, replacing the beer bottle with a goblet of nails and glass that the character rose in a toast to all road hazards. Today, the Michelin Man is one of the world's oldest and most recognized trademarks and it represents Michelin in over 150 countries. <http://www.adage.com/century/icon08.html> Tuesday was a blustery, rainy day and pretty much remained that way through night. We were getting the leftovers from hurricane Katrina. Whenever we get those heavy, cool rains either in late August or early September I can’t help but get a sinking feeling that summer is slipping away. And that always gets me where it hurts and makes me a little blue. I just can’t ever seem to get enough summer. Just when I get into the summer groove, it all comes crashing down. Reflecting back to last year, I recall a similar day when the weather took a turn. It was the week after Labor Day, Wednesday, September 8 to be exact. It was a rainy, windy, blustery day. And it just so happened to be my grandmother’s last full day on earth in human form. I’ll never forget it! I had spent the prior night at the nursing home at her bedside along with my dad. We both slept in lumpy chairs. I went home around 630AM to shower, eat, walk Sparky, and run. I remember the chilling rain hitting my face while running and noticing the first flying leaves of the season. Mostly I remember that sinking feeling that summer was indeed over. That’s the same way I felt on Tuesday. My work day was crammed full of interviews with a couple of meetings sprinkled between. I interviewed six people. I got out of the office around 530PM and was home by 550PM. I got home just in time for another heavy down pour which translated into a wet walk with Sparky. He doesn’t seem to mind the rain too much at all. I think the rain amplifies the scent of other dogs from the grass and trees because he seems to pee and poop more when it rains. He’s one of those dogs that requires a sniff or two first. Come to think of it, I am a bit like that too! J I forgot to share that I spoke with my ex (Kelly) last evening for a few. We chatted about each of the girls and a few other miscellaneous topics. I shared the story of the “burning boots” at the campfire and the mysterious charred steel toe found three weeks later at the same camp site by my father. I invited Kelly to check out my blog. After all, it’s not just for friends and family, it’s for enemies too! Just kidding, Kelly – you’re a friend! The evening was pretty boring. I read a little bit of The Power of Now and played a little guitar. The night went by in the blink of an eye.

Katrina

pics courtesy of Yahoo.com All through the night , Sunday, we experienced thunder, lightning, and heavy rains. Daybreak, however, brought a welcome but short lived reprieve. It was long enough to get Sparky out for his morning walk without getting drenched. Despite the gloom, I was happy for the rain. We've needed a good soaker for some time. I heard that we were gonna get it over the next couple of days, too. My morning ritual was my morning ritual. I left for work with lots of thoughts spinning through my head. Just as I closed in on the last mile before work, the skies opened up and dumped buckets of heavy rain. It was almost comical once I realized that I had left my umbrella in the garage. Heck, I haven't used it all summer. For a spell back in mid spring, it seemed having my umbrella permanently attached to my hand might be a viable option, or at a minimum a necessary accessory. Headed into the summer season, we were several inches above normal with yearly rainfall. But I heard this past weekend that we are now 6 inches below normal for the year. Definitely did an about face there! I know that we've suffered a dry summer in my neck of the woods, but just north of Columbus in Delaware it seems they've gotten several big storms that have somehow skipped the majority of western Columbus. So to say we're all suffering an extremely dry summer would be inaccurate. Nevertheless, the rain was a welcome sight. Just ask my lawn! And, yes, as you might guess, I got soaked running into the building. Once I got settled in at work I made it a point to follow-up on my goal to get new tires for my baby (Trooper) today. She's needed new shoes for sometime and I was beginning to feel unsafe driving about town, let alone pulling my boat. So, without further ado, I picked up the phone and called Tire Discounter's to validate the pricing I found on the Internet. They had Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tires cheaper than any where else in town and the added bonus of a $50 rebate provided you bought four. Well I'll be damn, I needed four! As it turned out, the price I found was accurate and the manager, Robert, was more than friendly. He promised that if I drove in now he'd have me in and out of there in less than 1 hour. However, as I have told you all before, I can't find it within myself to stray from my normal routine much at all until I've completed my daily run. So, instead of driving right over, I left the office for my run about an hour or so earlier than normal. Once the run was in the bag, I headed over to Mill Run to have my tires replaced. When I got there I quickly picked up on Robert's name tag and told him who I was. He remembered our conversation and without hesitation asked for my keys. I handed them over without thinking. Once I thought about it, I thought I'd better ask him to clarify the out the door price once again. I mean, shit, their webpage price was even cheaper than Walmart by $10 per tire, not to mention the additional rebate. Being the smart ass that I learned him to be, he nonchalantly quoted me an out the door price of $850!! Wow! That was a far cry higher than he had stated on the phone and what their webpage quoted. About that time his buddy behind the counter quipped, "I'm gonna laugh when a customer comes across the counter and pops you one of these days". His peer assured me that he was pulling my leg and that the price was what he had quoted me on the phone. Well, being the smart ass that I am, I bonded with him pretty quickly. After that he invited me to watch the boys go to work from behind the glass. Since I was the only car in the shop at the time, my car got the royal treatment. I had about five guys going to town on my tires. I felt for a moment like I was Bobby Labonte or Richard Petty, except better looking! As promised, in less than an hour I had four new tires on my baby and I was back on the road. I should not have waited so long to get new tires. It was amazing how much better she handled now, too! Once back at the office I organized myself for a full day of interviewing on Tuesday. This included printing out résumé's, my interview questions, and rating sheets for each candidate. In addition, I sent electronic copies to my peers that promised to assist. A little peak into my personal life will reveal that my middle daughter, Lindsey is always struggling with this or that. Her latest crisis was that her phone service had been turned off for non-payment (of course it wasn't her fault!) . The thought of something happening to my grandson (lil' Jimmy) and her not being able to call anyone for help was a little unnerving, so I did what anyone would do. I told her to get a frickin' JOB... Kidding!:) I called SBC and paid her back balance as well as made arrangements to have her service reconnected and the bill sent to my house for a while. What an ordeal! It was a challenge just to get a hold of a live person to talk through the issue, let alone finding all of her personal information they required to get her service restored. I talked with three different people who I must admit we all very courteous and friendly. After an hour of fun, the job was done! Her service will be restored Tuesday around 8AM, or so they reported. Just as I hung up from SBC, Jean "the hot tub guy" called from All Seasons Spas and wanted to know if he could meet me at my house around 520PM to look at those last couple leaks. I said, SURE, and headed for home. He was already there when I pulled up. Long story short. he tried to tighten the light fixture but it was either too tight or stripped. He'll have to order another light fixture and schedule a return trip to replace it. Hopefully that'll cure the drippy light that's plagued my hot tub once and for all! Guitar practice Reading A little Monday Night Football

Sunday ,Sunday , Sunday!

The pics: Dad in his canoe demonstrating his paddling prowess. Sheila is doing well with the no-smoking thing but is having noticeable trouble walking up stairs. Spiritual guides...

I was up at 730AM with no worries in the least. What a great day to be alive! We were blessed with yet another splendid summer day. The sun was shining and the weather prognosticators promised that it would remain that way. I casually went through my morning routine of exercise, walking Sparky, coffee, and running. I had completed it all, including my run, by 915AM. I used music in my ears again today, except this time with my new ear buds. They worked much better than the old ones that would always fall out.. When I got back home I made breakfast which consisted of some bacon, a pizza omelet, and some pineapple chunks. Turned out really good! After cleaning up my mess, I had to commit to my day. I had toyed around with going boating again. However, as nice as it was, I couldn't give it 100% of my attention so I opted not. instead I thought that I'd stay around the house and do some dreaded hum-drum chores like weed the flower beds and spray the dandelions that have realized a rebirth with all the dry weather we've had. Not real glamorous or romantic but needing done just the same. That is kinda why I question buying my boat back. You see, there is always so much else needing done that the boat often sits there on perfectly sunny days not getting used. That is why so many people end up selling them. Good intentions gone to hell! The hot and sunny weekends are slipping away fast too. After Labor Day, we're lucky to have two or three real summery weekends left. Sure, it might be warm and sunny, but it really needs to be alt least 80 degrees and clear to enjoy a day on the lake. Anyway, I found enjoyment in weeding my flower beds and killing dandelions. While doing my yard chores an old friend that lives in my subdivision happened by. But for the life of me, I can't recall her first name. Tell me that's not embarrassing!. Oops! We talked for about an hour. She's a kindergarten teacher for Columbus Public Schools, divorced, and just finished her Master's program. Plus, she's one motivated individual. She runs, blades, and loves to take care of yard and home. We hadn't talked, I'd guess, in about two years. I think she was a little upset with me for seemingly blowing her off one evening about two years ago. I was in school then, and had a paper to write. And like I've expressed a number of times, when I get focused on a goal, I get focused. She cam over knocked on my door, I refused to break my concentration to answer her calling. I felt kind of bad but knew I needed to stay the course or risk losing the moment.. All's good, however. We agreed to hook up real soon for some beers and chit chat. She always makes me feel good by complimenting my beautiful landscaping. I finished my lawn responsibilities, had some lunch, then went for a drive in my BM'er. While out and about, I decided to stop at my Dad's and check on their dog, thinking they were still camping. To my surprise, they were home. When my Dad came out I asked if he would do me a favor and get back in his canoe like I found him a week ago (paddling in his yard). He obliged! I asked Sheila to join him but she declined. We all enjoyed the mini photo shoot. They shared a few of their camping stories, and Sheila reported that she and Margie are doing great with their no smoking program. She admitted to having a couple over the course of the last two weeks though. In stead of admonishing her, I praised her effort and wished her well on this difficult journey. I know it's not easy but what worth while ever is? After about an hour I decided to head home. Sparky awaited me. After our evening walk I returned to make tacos for dinner. Soon after the tacos, I read for about an hour then prepped the hot tub for some relaxation, and relaxing it was! Words of wisdom: rather than a song how about this... A couple of weeks a go I was IMing with Vicki B. She reminded me that we always have a choice how we respond to a given situation rather than allowing the situation to rule us. Specifically, we were talking about whether she might be offended by a blog entry. She responded by simply saying "If I so chose, I could be offended ten times a day, but no, I am not offended at all". That's a simple but profound thought. It speaks volumes to ones ability to choose how they respond. We can allow the world to happen to us, or we can choose to make the world happen for us. The choice is truly ours. It's not often what happens, but instead how we respond to it. It goes along with the thought that I can't MAKE you mad, or I can't CAUSE you troubles. Nope, we make those things happen all by ourselves via choice. This also reminds me of a similar thought shared by Stephen Covey, the author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he said, "The biggest difference between man and animals is our ability to pause between stimulus and response". I always appreciate a wise and a well thought out perspective on life. Thanks Vicki!!!

...my car is in the front yard...

As planned, I got my butt out of bed around 630AM so that I could accomplish all I needed prior to our scheduled tee time. To be in Groveport by 950AM would require that I leave my house by 9AM. Consequently, that left me with 2.5 hours to exercise, walk Sparky, have some coffee, run, shower, and prep for golf. That might sound like plenty of time, but I like to do all those things at my own pace - never hurried. For the most part, I stayed right on schedule. I decided to run with music this morning. It's been a while. You see, I bought a RIO MP3 player back in early April and had been using it religiously for a few months straight, but after some technical difficulties with the ear buds I had gotten away from it. Running with music in your ears changes the benefits of the run considerably. Sometimes I enjoy the quiet and use my run as a meditative exercise, while at other times I want the tunes to energize me. Today I chose the latter. It was a welcome change! The skies looked a little threatening all morning and the forecast was calling for scattered showers, so at the time golf seemed a little "iffy". I was out of the house by 9AM as planned. The drive to Groveport Links took a little longer than I had imagined but still, I was there on time, but with little time to spare. As it turned out, Bob pulled up at the same time as me so it's not like they had to wait on me though. It was Bob, Bob, and I golfing today. Groveport Links was formerly a private country club and still has that look and feel. Further, it is an old course with lots and lots of old trees, streams, ponds, and bridges. I won't bore you with all the details but I shot a 97. Certainly not a score to write home about but not terrible either. One of the most notable features of this course were the extremely small greens. I mean they are tiny! some aren't but about 10 yards across. I was driving as close to lights out as possible, but my second shots (remember I told you that my game is all about second shots) were a little off. Plus the course is moderately long typically requiring a 3 wood approach on several par 4's, even after a good drive. They actually have an old suspension bridge across a large creek that cuts through the course on a couple of holes. That was cool! Despite the threatening skies, we were fortunate to avoid rain through the first 16 holes. However, on hole number 17, the skies opened up on us. It rained fairly hard for about 20 minutes. We hung out under a tree (no lightning) until it all but subsided. Prior to the heavy rain, each of us got our tee shots off. Mine was right down the middle! Wahoo!!!! The last hole is a long par 5 that bends right twice. It would be next to impossible to ever get there in two. Three shots was hard enough! You'd have to see it to understand. We finished around 215PM. I had a nice time and I really enjoyed the character of this course. I'd like to play it again sometime. Once home, I had some lunch (almonds and cheese) and finished blogging Thursday and Friday. Around 330PM the skies began to clear up and it looked like we were in for a nice summer evening. I had yet to go grocery shopping so that was next on my list of things to accomplish - that and finishing laundry. Just before heading out, John Vereb gave me a call. He wanted to let me know that the Steve Weiss charity golf outing has been moved out an additional week to October 16 and he invited me to join his foursome. I agreed to play. I'll be golfing with he and Joey Dooley two of my old high school friends that I got in lots of trouble with! :) Off I went to the Walmart Super Center for food. Walmart is a difficult experience for me, but I am getting much better at it. I love grocery shopping, but I don't care for the clientele that Walmart sometimes attracts. let's just say that many of the shoppers are abrasive, rude, and smelly. Don't you just hate it when someone blocks the entire aisle with their shopping cart, or they stop right up against another oncoming shopper making impossible to pass? I always make it a point to either pull off to one side or leave my cart at the end of an aisle while I walk down to retrieve my goods. And unlike Kroger's, beautiful woman are rare at Walmart. I guess the lesson is that if you want to save a little money then you've got to sacrifice a few things. The produce aisle as a pick-up point is over rated anyhow! :) By the time I was home and put away, it was time to decide what my evening would entail. I had made no firm plans for night and would simply allow the universe to guide me. I like that a lot. I had thought about the new Winking Lizard, The Greek Cuisina, or even Barley's - again tonight. I decided on The Greek Cuisina! They have some really good Greek food and the place is really nice. It's located at Fishinger and Riverside Drive. Because I went alone, I found a seat at the bar. I had a Goose Island Ale, Greek salad, and a large gyro. It was fantastic! After all that food, I was feeling a bit lethargic. My desire was to go back home, so I did. Once home I grabbed a Honey Raspberry Ale from the fridge and sat down with my guitar. Just about that time my phone rang. It was Teri Vereb! She was calling me from Panama City, Florida. Her parents retired there. This is the first time that I have talked with her since Xmas time. She had talked with John earlier in the day and thought that she'd give me a call. She sounded good. She's been down there with her folks I think she said for about five weeks! She'll probably be coming home in the next few weeks. Maybe we'll hook up for some dinner or something. I had another Honey Raspberry Ale and then a Sam Adams before throwing in the towel. I was pretty tired. I thought that I might get in the hot tub but I simply didn't have the energy. Night - Night! Song of the Day: Lit, My Own Worst Enemy: (I absolutely love this tune!) Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunkI didn’t mean to call you thatI can’t remember what was said or what you threw at mePlease tell mePlease tell me whyMy car is in the front yardAnd I’m sleeping with my clothes onI came in through the window last nightAnd you’re goneIt’s no surprise to me I am my own worst enemyCuz every now and then I kick the living sh*t out of meThe smoke alarm is going off and there’s a cigaretteStill burningPlease tell me whyMy car is in the front yardAnd I’m sleeping with my clothes onI came in through the window last nightAnd you’re gonePlease tell me whyMy car is in the front yardAnd I’m sleeping with my clothes onI came in through the window last nightIt’s no surprise to me I am my own worst enemyCuz every now and then I kick the living sh*t out of meCan we forget about the the things I said when I was drunkI didn’t mean to call you that

Frgedaeg

Dodie claims I never get any good pictures of her. Here we lay that speculation to rest. What do you suppose she's got her mouth open so wide for? The other two are Samuel, Hannah, and Alysia (great pic - huh) & Kaileigh and me!! Friday was beautiful! Why you may ask. Friday was beautiful because it was Friday. Need I say more? I didn't think so! I have to admit, I got up late again this morning. I have been doing that all week. I think it's a leftover thing from vacation. I'll pull out of it soon. Still, I didn't sleep so late that I was late for work. Instead, I just had to cut back my leisurely approach to the morning. No time to water flowers, play guitar, and send email. Otherwise, I still had plenty of time to exercise, walk Sparky, have coffee, meditate, and make lunch and breakfast. Work was pretty exciting. Set up 6 interviews for one day next week ( I prefer to set aside one whole day. Once I am in the mode, I am in the mode). Also, I reached out and touched two customers that I am responsible for and got some valuable feedback for helping us improve as a provider of services. Lastly, I solved a problem for a very large customer at one of their sites in Pakistan. My run went well, too. It was overcast and rather cool, so that always makes for outstanding running conditions. But you know what, it's Friday, and when Friday afternoon rolls around my adrenaline begins to flow. I was out of the office by 530PM. A little late, but still not too bad. On my way home I saw my dad pulling his little trailer with his canoe in tow. I assume that he was headed to Alum Creek to camp for the weekend. I heard a rumor that they were going camping with brother Bob's family. As usual, I went to Barley's to meet my friends at around 8PM. They had IPA on the firkin tonight. It was really good! I met a couple of Mary Ann's friends from the pharmacy. One in particular, Jill, was very cute. She was a little too tall for me, though. She's 5'10"! However, she has very pretty lips, a firm physique, and a slender build. yum yum! We sat out on the patio for an hour or two. It was a nice evening for that. Bob and I firmed plans for tomorrow's golf. We have a 950AM tee time at Groveport Links. It should be fun! After four beers, it was time to head home. By the time I left it was getting close to 1130PM. I wanted to be in bed by midnight so that I could rise feeling strong and healthy on Saturday. Plus, I wanted to leave plenty time for my morning run prior to golf. That meant I'd have to be up no later than about 630AM. Can't do anything big until I've ran - remember!!!! BTW: The Vikings played the Chargers tonight. They won 19-16!!!!! Song of the Day: George Strait, You Look So Good In Love.

Oh how you sparkle And oh how you shine That flush on your cheeks Is more than the wine And he must do something That I didn’t do Whatever he’s doing it Look’s good on you

You look so good in love You want him That’s easy to see You look so good in love I wish You still wanted me

He must have stolen Some stars from the sky And gave them to you To wear in your eyes I had my chances But I set you free And now I wonder Why I couldn’t see You look so good in love You want him That’s easy to see You look so good in love I wishYou still wanted me

Thursday

I hope you didn't think, even for a moment, that summer was over. No sir! And Thursday reaffirmed that. It reminded us all that it's still alive and well. Given that Wednesday was so September like, Thursday sort of snuck up on us. It ended up being a typical late August day. The skies were clear, the temps warm, and the humidity soared. By early evening, we were back to what we've come to depend on this summer - steam bath conditions! I wanted to drive my Z3 to work today, but Thursday's are golf league days, so that put a slight crimp in that idea. Realistically, however, I still could've and should've. Hell, I live directly across the street from the golf course. I could have easily drove home to change cars and pick-up my clubs on the way to golf league. That's not my nature though. It's a quirk in my personality. I do not like to add or throw diversions into my day such as the one described. Just like I can't do anything "big" in my day until I have my run under my belt. It's as if there isn't room in my cerebral cortex to think, process, or store that information. Perhaps this kind of thinking will prevent me from experiencing some spontaneous pleasure, but more often than not it is what keeps me on track towards accomplishing personal goals. It's like I can hear what you're saying, but I am vfocused on nothing but this particular end result right now. I am zeroed in! Not gonna do it! Some call it bull headedness, a few more call it being focused, while the rest call it insanity! What about you - do any of you do anything similar? Misery loves company! Work was work... My lunch time run was very nice. Maybe here soon I'll write about all the cool things that I've found over the years while on my daily run (money, jewelry, peace, love). As mentioned above, today was a golf day. That means leaving work a couple hours early. I don't care who you are, that'll always energize me! By design, I hadn't golfed for the last few weeks. I had a scheduled bye last week, and because of vacation, I asked for a sub the two prior weeks. One thing I know about myself is that if my golf game goes is the dumper, I need to walk away from the game for a while. Going out and playing & practicing more does not work. It usually makes matters worse. This week proved to be no exception to the "Jim" rule. While I had a little rust on my game, I shot a 43 on the back nine which without question is the more difficult nine. I nearly chipped in for eagled on hole 11 and pared 5 of the 9 holes. The biggest improvement was with my second shots, though. That's key to my game. When I can hit my irons fairly straight, I am golden. Wahoo!!! I feel the need to tell you this, too. I don't take golf too seriously. Those that should play golf for a living. The rest of us are doing it for recreation and should treat it as such. Too often I hear guys belittling themselves, throwing or breaking their clubs, or swearing like a sailor. I love myself and my stuff too much to do that. Golf is a diversion and a game. It's not a measure of manhood! Nevertheless, like anyone, if I have a good hole or a good round, I feel good about myself. But enough about golf. Once I was home for the evening, I had to tend to my normal routine stuff (Sparky, next day prep, mail, etc). Nothing too exciting. I did a load of whites (laundry) while practicing some guitar and PCing. I was tired from the long active day, so I went to bed kinda early - about 10PM. Once in bed, however, I couldn't fall asleep, which is quite out of the ordinary for me. Usually I can lay down, close my eyes, and presto - I am out! Rather than fight it, I turned on the telly and tuned to the National Geographic channel. They were repeating a show on dangerous, horrific professions. It was good but I couldn't stand to watch it again, so I tuned to NFX - Fox's entertainment outlet. There I stumbled upon a really crazy, zainy show called, "Starvin". Man, was it weird. Funny, but weird. It seems to be built around an eating disorder theme, but has the look and feel of "Best in the Show". Lots of provocative situations and social banter, sprinkled with "shared inner-dialogue", you know the type of dialogue I am talking about, when only you, the viewer, is suppose to know what the character's thinking or saying, not the other characters. Remember how I mentioned how poor I am at describing books? Well, that goes for TV shows too!! :) Somewhere along the line, I fell asleep. Good night...

Wednesday

The pictures are of my middle daughter, Lindsey with my grandson, Rocky ( I like to call him lil' Jimmy), Kaileigh, my granddaughter, and my hot tub - for no good reason...

Wednesday - Word History:

Days and years are natural divisions of time based on the astronomical relation of the earth and the sun, but weeks and the names for the days of the week have their source in astrology. The practice of dividing the year into seven-day units is based on the ancient astrological notion that the seven celestial bodies (the sun, the moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn) influence what happens on earth and that each controls the first hour of the day named for it. This system was brought into Hellenistic Egypt from Mesopotamia, where astrology had been practiced for millennia and where seven had always been a propitious number. The ancient Romans did not divide their calendar into weeks; they named all the days of the month in relation to the ides, calends, and nones. In A.D. 321 Constantine the Great grafted the Hellenistic astrological system onto the Roman calendar, making the first day of the week a day of rest and worship and imposing the following sequence of names on the days: Dis Slis, “Sun's Day” Dis Lnae, “Moon's Day” Dis Martis, “Mars's Day” Dis Mercuri, “Mercury's Day” Dis Jovis, “Jove's Day” or “Jupiter's Day” Dis Veneris, “Venus's Day” and Dis Saturn, “Saturn's Day.” This new Roman system was adopted with modifications throughout most of western Europe. In the Germanic languages, such as Old English, the names of four of the Roman gods were converted into those of the corresponding Germanic Gods. Therefore in Old English we have the following names (with their Modern English developments): Sunnandaeg, Sunday; Mnandaeg, Monday; wesdaeg, Tuesday (Tiu, like Mars, was a god of war); Wdnesdaeg, Wednesday (Woden, like Mercury, was quick and eloquent); Thunresdaeg, Thursday (Thunor in Old English or Thor in Old Norse, like Jupiter, was lord of the sky; Old Norse Thrsdagr influenced the English form); Frgedaeg, Friday (Frigg, like Venus, was the goddess of love); and Saeternesdaeg, Saturday.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth EditionCopyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Hello and congratulations!Together we've made it to "hump" day. I know that I went into rather great detail yesterday describing the weather, so I'll spare you that same agony today. But I will tell you this: It was really chilly this morning! Very nipply! Sparky asked for his dog sweater, but I didn't oblige - nope not today. After all, he looks ridiculous in it. Work - OK Run - very good Read about 20 or so more pages of The Power of Now. Getting to the meat and it's getting good. Pulled about five more tomatoes off my vines. I think that I'll make some salsa soon! Yummy! Dinner consisted of nuts, cheese, and some summer sausage. After a few weeks of carb slippage, I've been doing pretty good getting back to a more normal "Jim" diet. No worries!!!!! Called All Seasons Hot Tubs this evening and asked for a service call to take one more look at my leaky light. After having it repaired earlier this summer, it continues to leak from what appears to be around the light, despite a number of attempts made to fix it by another repair dude. He didn't charge me for his many attempts to fix it because he felt bad that he couldn't seem to resolve the trouble. It only loses about 1 inch per week, but because my hot tub is typically sunk into my deck ( i have it raised now for the repairs) I hate to re-sink it knowing that I still have a seemingly fixable leak. One more try before accepting it as it is. Nonetheless, I can still use it and have been most of the summer. Just kinda drives me crazy knowing that this leak is still there. We'll see what comes of it. Evening meditation - this one I needed Did some hot tubbing after Blogging. Off to bed - great sleeping weather!!

Tuesday Afternoon, I'm Just Beginning to See...

Man, a little cold this morning!!!! Boy, am I ever thinking hard! I am energized by a few thoughts about the mind and time that I've hopelessly gleaned from The Power of Now. And yes, I am finally getting it! The past is nothing more than a memory of now, and the future is nothing more than the now yet to come. Nothing here to radical - right? This does, however, make pretty obvious the significance of now. Yet most of us spend all our time dwelling on the past or looking to the future. Now is all we really have. It is fleeting. Grab it! Embrace it. Nothing I can do or ponder can ever change the past. And the past is not who I am. Instead, I am! Oh yeah, BTW - please don't rely on me to help sell a book. I have always been very poor at giving a book its due justice. Tuesday was a spectacular autumn preview. Cool & crisp. My typical summer morning dog walking attire is my boxer shorts and a t-shirt. This morning was no exception and that made for a cold walk. Sparky usually walks a little fast and ahead of me only because he's embarrassed by my boxers. I guess he doesn't want the other dogs to see that he's with me. Today, however, he was walking even faster because he was chilly too! If I have one complaint about Sparky it's that he's an exhibitionist. It seems he always wants to poop when a pretty girl is running by on her morning jog, or when a neighbor is out watering their flowers or picking up the morning paper. It's a source of great concern for me. Never can he just sneak off behind a bush like me. Nope, even in the winter when it is still dark early mornings he finds a street light to highlight the "special event". Drives me crazy. I spent a better part of my work day screening candidates to fill a couple of openings I have. This can be a tedious process. One that takes the proper mindset if I don't want to be sorry later, and I don't. I'll get r' done, though - I am certain. It was barely sunny when I left the office for my midday run. No threat of rain though, rather just some overcast skies. This, mixed with a very mild air temp, made for an almost effortless run. Honestly, though, I am feeling a bit out of sorts and conflicted this week. Feeling a little blue; a little agitated; a little lonely. Can't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps it's the transition in the air - the looming autumnal equinox. Being a September baby you'd think that I'd openly embrace it. Nothing stings like the realization that summer's gonna end soon. And what's funny, it's not that I dislike the fall. Nope! In fact, I love crisp clear sunny September mornings, ripe tomatoes, and football. Instead, I think it's the fact that the cold, gray, damp, and dreary (CGDD) can't be far behind. YUCK YUCK YUCK! Hate it! Hey, I'll trade Jan 15 through April 15 for two versions of Jun 15 through Sept 15 . Any takers? Summer just isn't long enough to get everything done you know you should while also enjoying the casual nature of the season. As mentioned earlier, you just can't beat rolling out of bed in boxers, grabbing the dog leash and putting it on the wife and heading outdoors for a morning stroll through the neighborhood without all the fuss of putting on layers of clothes, shoes, and all that. I'm sorry. Did I say wife? I meant dog - oops! Sorry Sparky. Did I tell you that a neighbor of mine is going through a pretty messy divorce? It's so deflating to hear how their relationship has completely deteriorated over the past year or so. What once seemed like the perfect marriage has recently soured and rotted. Their life now sounds very much like the War of the Roses. The antics, stories, and accusations are incredible and almost unbelievable. It's really sad. But, unfortunately, it's a true picture of what America has become. Their stories make me want to run out and get married again! Yeah - you betcha! But on a lighter note, if the ball game gets too boring, I can always pop some popcorn and go watch them do battle! Wonder if they'd mind me placing bleachers in the cul-de-sac?

Bye-Bye Blue Monday

I checked the calendar and even though there was a hint of Autumn in the air, it's still summer - dammit! Unlike the last couple of months, there was next to no humidity and the temperature was in the low 80's today. In turn, I was able to give the A/C a break when I got home from work. In its place, I opened a few windows and let the cool evening breeze sweep through my home. Nothing like adding some freshness to the stale, re-circulated air. Work was uneventful compared to last week. No complaints though. It was nice to have a day without drama. If you recall, my Lead Engineer resigned last week. He came in today so that I could take him to lunch. We went to Spagheddi's in Mill Run. I hadn't been there in probably 8 years. In fact, I think I was married the last time I was there! YUCK!!! Because of my pre-planned lunch outing, I had to go for a run at 1045AM. The air was still a tad cool, even with the sun shining brightly. Needless to say, that made for some splendid running conditions. I barely broke a sweat! And as if I needed another reminder that summer was about done, I happened upon the Hilliard High School Band doing a full rehearsal in the school parking lot. That's always a bad sign! Received an Email from my brother Tommy seeking closure on the boat deal. After listening to him speak sentimentally about his personal attachment to the boat at our karaoke outing a couple of weeks ago, I wrongly assumed that he had a change of heart, so I hadn't pushed the issue. Nope! He's ready to finalize our deal. I'll call him on Tuesday and nail things down. Looks like I'll be taking legal possession just in time to pay to have it winterized and stored for the winter. Joy joy! :) At home Monday evening, I did some reading on the deck since the weather was so nice. My back yard is most excellent this time of the day and this time of the year. No direct sunshine, moderate temps, and lots of long shadows from the numerous trees. All this adds up to extreme comfort. I am finding it difficult to immerse myself in Tolles book, The Power of Now. The ideals and concepts are interesting and familiar but the style is a little choppy for my liking. Sometimes, though, it just takes me a few days to switch gears and warm up to another very different writing style, especially after taking an entire month to re-read Chopra's, The Book of Secret's. IM'd with Dodie for a few sometime around 7PM. She's doing well and seems excited about her upcoming "girl" party. She was readying herself for an evening walk down Bier Run rd. That sounded really good. I've written about it a time or two. If you close your eyes and picture a curvy country road setting against a back drop of hills, trees, and farm land, that's Bier Run. Very nice! I really appreciate the relationship that Dodie and I have forged! She's like the sister I never had. At the tail end of the evening I caught a little bit of the Dallas Seattle Football game. Seattle had a quarterback, can't remember his name, that looked awfully impressive in the short amount of time that I saw him play. It seems to me that his name was Senneca something or other. While watching the game, I practiced guitar. Speaking of which, I found a new instructor that I am slated to begin lessons with the week of Labor Day. I haven't had a real lesson since pre Cozumel. I really enjoyed the personality and style of my old instructor, but coordinating our schedules and driving out east once a week proved to be too cumbersome. I knew that I'd eventually find a new instructor without making it into a chore. I simply allowed the universe to bring him to me. This guy is going to come to my house rather than me doing all the traveling. And instead of a half hour lesson, we're gonna do a full hour. We both agreed that works better. It allows the lesson to sink in a little more. Originally we planned for once a week, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes to me to go every other week. That way I'll have plenty of time to practice what I've learned. Meeting once a week with my old instructor always left me feeling pressure to nail down the scale or riff he taught me before our next meeting. Playing the guitar should never be "pressure". Right?? Can you believe that it's practically Labor Day already? Shit! It seems like summer just began! I hate that. Can we slow it down just a little...please? I'll write more about this later. It was almost completely dark at 850PM tonight. ...another sign! I took special notice because I've been watching the stars of late. Excitement for the day... There was this guy in a large SUV behind me on the way to work. It seems he wanted to go faster than the posted speed limit on the new Trueman Road in Hilliard (new Target and Home Depot). It is one of those roads that begs 45 MPH or higher but has a limit of 35 MPH. To make matters worse, there are always Hilliard cops lurking about. When I looked in the rear view he was flipping me off. Now I rarely get incensed behind the wheel these days. I mean, why would I let someone else having a bad day ruin mine? Suddenly, he jerked out from behind me, purposefully pulled up beside me and began uttering something behind glass. Couldn't hear a word, but he was jerking around and making God awful faces and even more hand gestures. What can I say, I mistook it for "I love you". But when I blew him a kiss it seemed to throw him over the edge. Hmmm? Guess he wasn't flirting after all. He stayed beside me for a quite a while. I could feel my blood pressure rising and a minor adrenaline rush. All I could think to do was to show him "thirty-five"MPH with my fingers. He didn't like that either. The thing was, he seemed in such a hurry to pass me, yet he continued to stay right beside me for about ¼ mile until he got to his place of employment. Do you think he was having a bad morning. Probably married to some nagging wife that complains about his short comings and never gives him any praise. :) Who knows? Song of the day: Brad Paisley, Alcohol. "I can make anybody pretty...I can make you pick a fight with somebody twice your size...I got you in trouble in high school...had some of the best times you'll never remember with me...Alcohol".

Floatin' Away

Now we're talking! This day looks like it’s gonna be a good one! The local weather forecasters promised a day of sunny skies, warm temps, and much lower humidity. Looks like they hit the nail on the head, too. After a very relaxing Saturday evening and an equally rewarding sleep, I woke up Sunday AM around 7AM ready to do a little more living. I went about my morning ritual (exercise, walking Sparky, coffee, meditation, email, running, and breakfast) at a much slower than normal pace. Hey, it’s Sunday! As I often do, I IM’d with a few buddies after my run, but before committing to the day’s activities. Ultimately I decided that today would be a good boating day. So, without giving it too much thought I showered, grabbed a few necessities, and headed out for an afternoon on the river. I made one call to Ashley to see if she wanted to join me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a hold of her so I proceeded alone. No biggie! First stop was by my Dad’s to pick-up my boat. No problems. It was no more than 45 minutes from the second I made the decision to go boating until I had the boat in the water. The river is pretty close to my home. It was a little more crowded than I had hoped but still far less so than Alum Creek. The biggest difference is that the river, when full, is loaded with serious water skiers. That typically isn’t a problem for me though. More often than not I head far up north beyond the designated ski areas where the water's shallow and lazily flows down stream and wildlife is abundant. This day was no exception. I anchored where I have the last three times I have been there. It’s so damn peaceful! My goal was to get some sun, do some reading, and perhaps even catch a wink or two. To the surprise of many, this was the first time that I have ever taken the boat out completely by myself. To say that I was a little nervous would be an understatement. The process of putting the boat in the water and later pulling it out, is so much easier with another person, especially if they can drive a boat. As it turned out, there were no crowds at the dock, so the process of putting in and later pulling out wasn’t such a big deal. I ended up spending about three hours out there and got plenty of sunshine and nap time. I’ll definitely do that again! After boating I dropped the boat off back at my dad’s house. I spent about an hour visiting with him before heading home. We talked about a number of different things. Most notably, he let me know that he wouldn’t be joining me for my annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage to Portland this year. His reasoning was that Glenn will be home visiting us in Ohio in late October. Makes sense to me! I encouraged him to spend a little more time on his front entry way project. It really needs some TLC. I’d go about it much differently than he is, and I know he realizes that. I am careful not to impose too much of my will upon him, though. I’m just happy that he’s working on it. As a mtter of fact, I offered to help during my vacation week but he declined. He told me, too, that Brother Bob has invited he and Sheila to go camping up at Alum Creek. Seems that Bob and his family are exploring the idea of camping and want to do it with a familiar face or two, but not with all the hustle and bustle having 20 other people brings. I understand. I guess April and the kids have never camped before, so the whole concept is a little foreign and frightening to them. Lastly, dad got to telling me some “old war stories” from his days at Trowbridge & Heer Printing Companies. Some of these stories I have heard a number of times but they seem to make him happy so I quietly listen. I headed home around 6PM. Once home I walked Sparky, who was waiting by the door with his legs crossed. He was about to turn into the dreaded aye-aye lemur that many of my readers are already familiar with. After our walk we were on speaking terms again! Part of me wanted to kick back and relax for the rest of the day but my grass sorely needed cut and quite honestly, I wanted to get it looking good again. So, with our much hesitation, I headed out to “fix” my lawn. I weed wacked, edged, cut, and rode. After about two hours my yard was looking pretty damn good again. By then it was approaching 830PM. I decided to casually water my front flowers even after the soaking rain we had late Saturday afternoon. Sometimes I do it as much for the meditative impact as I do for the benefit of the plants and flowers. I've never been one to like Sunday evenings. You? I often have this empty sorta feeling in the pit of my stomach. Kind of like "the party's over". So, anything I can do to get erradicate that funk or divert my thinking, I do. I spent the final hour or so of my weekend choking down some dinner and playing on the computer. Interesting feedback, Scarlet! You rock in my book! ;)

Nothing Matters but the Weekend...

Ahh - the weekend. It's what I live for! Nothing better than waking on a Saturday morning and realizing that I have made no commitment to be here, go there, or do this. Instead, I have a day to relax, tinker, play, or whatever. That's how my Saturday evolved. I slept in for a Saturday. Didn't get up till about 815AM. Sometimes that doesn't sit well with me cause I like to greet the new day before dawn. Guess it helps me feel more in control. Hey, you know when you're talking or writing and suddenly you have this epiphany? Well, just had one! I think that I am a control freak!!! Yikes! It's just maddening to know that I can't control the weather, my daughters, the neighbors yard, and that blonde down the street.. :) Thing is, I am absolutely convinced that I can create /control my future. I wrote a paper once titled "Fork in the Road". It addressed all the choices one makes in their life and how each decision typically builds on the other to ultimately lead us where we are today. Looking back, it's easy to see where a seemingly innocent choice lead us here or there. The trick, of course, is to realize it when we're making the decision. Which one is "the key" decision?. To further complicate matters, choices or "forks", decisions that others make impact our lives too, which may in turn lead us to take another completely different fork in the road. So, consciously or unconsciously, we truly do create our world. And through the force of life, we're all undeniably connected. I decided that today would be the day that I'd drive up to Macy's and finally write that check for the new dining room suit that I bought back in February. I had the cash then but they were offering 6 months - no payments - no finance charges, so I decide to keep the money in MY pocket for the six months. However, being the anal one that I am, I don't know how wise that choice was. I stressed over it countless times, always thinking of the looming deadline and the possibility of missing it by a day or something like that and being stuck paying ridiculous finance charges for the six month span. Done deal though!!! Also, those that read my Thursday entry are familiar with the Spanish Peaks - Black Dog, Honey Raspberry Ale that I raved about. I made a point to find it locally in a six pack. After some exhaustive web surfing, I read that it was sold at Grapes of Mirth in the North Market. So, after leaving Macy's I drove to the North Market. To my dismay, this is the first time that I have ever gone down there during a busy Saturday afternoon. It was exciting! It reminded me of Pike Place in Seattle or Thaniel Hall in Boston. Not quite to the same scale but still the same general atmosphere. To my chagrin, they didn't have it but promised to order it for me if that is what I desired. Hmmm? That was an awesome gesture! Instead, we discussed where else it might be sold. I wanted it NOW. He recommended I check the Viking Carry-out which is located on King ave, east of Neil across from Estrada. Now I was on a quest. If this beer is sold in the City, I will find it! Viking Carry-out was a rather scary looking place, but my thirst for the prize was dominant. They had lots of variety and many many microbrews from all over - no Spanish Peaks, however. Now I could have thrown in the towel, but that isn't my character now is it? So, next stop, Gentiles in Grandview. Gentiles is a Columbus landmark for beer and wine connoisseurs. I could feel success in the air even as I pulled up in their lot. Sure enough, once inside and at the beer cooler, I found the coveted prize!! They had plenty. I bought two six packs. Goal, goal, goal, goal!!!!! Headed home, I decided to stop by and say hello to my Dad. And let me tell you, you just never what you're gonna get when you pull up at his house. As I pulled around their wrapping drive, I caught a glimpse of my dad sitting in his canoe (on dry land mind you) acting out a rowing routine! What in the hell??? He had a sheepish look on his face, too. I guess I would too if someone pulled up and saw me laying in my boat Tube on the front lawn. :) Anyway, he said he was simply prepping it for use and wanted to get a feel for where he should mount the paddle storage clips. Right!! This was a Kodak moment if ever there was one. And guess what? I had my digital camera with me. I quickly jumped out of my car and said, "stay right there, Ive gotta get this picture". He smiled and went along with it. Of all times for my camera battery to be dead. Dammit!. I missed a golden opportunity there! That is right up there with his first iteration of the boat canopy he rigged up for his old Larson back in early July. We chatted for a few then I headed for home. The sky threatened rain and I didn't want to be caught out in my convertible again. Once home I made some lunch and watched the storm roll in. We got quite a bit of rain in a rather short amount of time. It was between 92-95 degrees prior to the storm and in the low 70's immediately after. The heat index was pretty high too. I know it was about 96 when I ran earlier in the morning. Decision time...what do I do with my evening? Had an open offer to hang with neighbors, but opted not. Instead, I decided to stay at home and play. I cleaned, played guitar, organized and backed up my photos to CD's. I sent some photos to friends, updated my Blog, and drank a few of my Honey Raspberry Ales.

Jeckyl & Hyde

This is Sparky before and after my trip to Dodie's last weekend. Seems somebody forgot to come over and walk him. I told my dad that he gets a little harried if he doesn't get out for a walk every 12 hours or so. And if you think he looks bad, you should see my house! :)

Vikings, Barley's, BMW's, Isela...

Uh-Oh! Slept a little late again today! Didn't crawl out of bed until 610AM. Now that's late for me, but no worries. Once again, I have worked late every night this week, so what if I stroll in a little late again today. I absolutely refuse to rush and hurry through my morning ritual. That has a tendency to make Jim a dull boy! And a dull Jim is no fun to have around - trust me! Instead, I like to leave myself ample time to explore my consciousness, welcome the new day, relax, meditate, reflect on yesterday and such. To that end, I did. Here's my mornings in a nut shell: exercise, walk Sparky, coffee, meditation, make lunch, breakfast, email, shower, guitar, work, in that order almost every weekday morning. Friday's at work can be overwhelming for a number of reasons. less staff, heavier workload, etc. Sometimes I dread walking in Friday mornings never knowing if Im waking in to a ticking time bomb so to speak. Probably a good time to explain why I don't expand much about work here on my blog (web log). You see, in today's world of confidentiality, the internet, and paranoia, one can get themselves in deep trouble if they divulge the wrong thing even if it's innocently or ignorantly expressed. So, rather than risk someone from work stumbling upon my blog and being offended for the company, I'll refrain from sharing much specific information. Sad though, cause work often brings about some of the most interesting relationships and stories. As it turned out, the day was not that eventful thus it allowed me to focus on less critical issues and address some of my more administrative type duties. Before I knew it, it was running time! My run went well, as usual. Again, it was a little warm and humid, but that always makes for a good sweat. And a good sweat is sometimes exactly what the doctor ordered. I received an email today from a young lady that I met in Cozumel back in April. She is such a sweetie and very beautiful. She works at the resort, and as I recall, she's originally from Panama. To my surprise, she tells me that the resort has experienced yet another set back since my departure. You see, about one month after I left the main restaurant burnt to the ground ( looked like a large tiki hut) and she and many other employees wondered if they'd still have jobs. She did! It seems they rallied all their employees, regardless of roles, to help with the clean-up as well as the rebuilding efforts. Anyway, due to hurricane Emily, the resort has now been destroyed - a complete loss! Again, though, she remains employed and is part of the clean-up and rebuild effort. She's very attractive, smart, and youthful. She tells me, too, that she'll be on holiday for two weeks & headed back home to visit family, although she doesn't want to spend the entire two weeks with them. Of course, I'll be recommending that she come visit me the second week, then. :) The Mexican culture is so different from ours. The people are much less demanding and are so humble, friendly, loving, and appreciative. It's refreshing! I am looking forward to Friday night! The Vikings game is televised and it's a Barley's night!!! Wahoo!!!! When I got home from work I purposefully sat down to read a little of the Power of Now. My real motivation, however, was to read myself to sleep. I love to come home on a Friday evening and take a 15-20 minute nap! And I did! After I awoke, I decided to wash my Z3. It needed a bath after the drenching it received last evening. I've never seen it that dirty before. I washed and polished her until she shined like new - all better! Afterwards I watered all my backyard plants and flowers. They needed it despite the rainfall Thursday evening. After a quick shower, I was out the door headed to Barley's, my favorite watering hole! My first order of business was to get one of the few televisions tuned to CBS for the Viking game. I was successful and now content. I ordered the "Firkin Friday" special, Chocolate Stout. It was OK, to be honest. Not great, but good. The Vikings looked very sloppy and their tendencies from the past few years still looked to be firmly entrenched. I was a bit discouraged, but that's why they have preseason, I guess. I just have such high expectations! My second beer was the house IPA. It's very flavorful. About this time my buddies began showing up. I hadn't been in on a Friday for a number of weeks due to vacation, so we all had some catching up to do. My friends, Thad and Monica, and Bob and Mary Ann were all there. We did some catching up and all stayed a little later than usual. Personally, I drank one more beer than I probably should've. I had four. Make no mistake, either. These microbrews are far more potent than your bottled Bud or the like, so four is plenty and maybe even too many! BTW: the Vikings got beat! :( We talked for another half hour about each others vacations in the parking lot before taking off. We planned to meet next Friday for more brews. Mary Ann made a point to tell me that she'll be bringing some of her friends from the pharmacy. Cool! Also, her husband Bob and I planned a tentative golf outing for next Saturday at The Players Club. I was home around midnight. Because I decided not to do dinner at Barley's (should've though). I was hungry. I made myself some more of those tortilla pizzas that I made the other night - very good! I didn't do any email, IMing, or hot tubbing, which is unusual on a late Friday night. Too tired, I guess. Song of the Day: Cold Play, "Till Kingdom Come" ""Let me in, unlock the door...don't know which way I am going...I need someone who heals...for you I'd wait till Kingdom comes..."

One more day till the weekend

The morning looks promising - looks like it's gonna be another nice hot summer day. Yeah, that's right, uh-huh, that's two in-a-row. In turn, I decided it would be another "convertible" day. And like I have almost all week, I took a more leisurely approach to my morning ritual and didn't press to be out of the house by 730AM. I have worked pretty late almost every night and for that reason I've been tired in the AM's, so I gave myself permission to sleep a little extra long. Thanks Jim! Nothing out of the ordinary... exercise, walk Sparky, coffee, meditate, email, shower, to work. It's amazing how after just two days you lose some of the details surrounding the day. My work day was pretty uneventful. No new drama. In kind, my afternoon run was uneventful too. It was warm and sticky, but not too hot. Over the years I have become accustom to running in the varied weather conditions of central Ohio. Running in the extreme heat or extreme cold is really no big deal. I will tell you this though, on a Monday, about three weeks ago when the heat index was around 110 with no breeze and direct sunshine, I was a little freaked out about overheating. That was the second time in all the years I've been running that I actually worried about my health while running. The other time was self-inflicted. That time I pulled a real "Jimmy". I thought it was a good idea to put on some tan accelerator before running. I effectively clogged all of my pours so I ended up rendering my internal cooling system inoperative. Smart move!! That day I felt like I might explode! On the other hand, two winters ago, I ran one early AM when the actual temp was -7 and the windchill was -20. Truthfully, that's cake comparatively speaking. The biggest factor for extreme cold weather running is out-the-door motivation. Once running, the lean mean fat burning machine within takes over, and before you know it, you're cookin' like a team engine! You'd never know it's freezing outside. Thursday would normally be my golf league night, but I had a scheduled bye this week. So, instead of golf, I planned to meet some old friends and co-workers at the Winking Lizard in Worthington for a few cocktails. I hadn't been there before but had been meaning to stop by. Now they have a new one much closer to our office and close to the BW3's on Bethel Rd. Still, we planned to meet at the Worthington branch. I left work with my top down even though the sky admittedly looked threatening. By the time I had gotten to Tuttle and 270, it was raining. Certainly I'll get stopped at a light or two and then I'll put my top up, I thought to myself. Of course of all times to NOT get stuck at a light, it would be now, and it was! So, I had to stop on the freeway on-ramp and put my top up. Good thing I did too, cause by the time I was on the freeway headed north, it started raining hard. This is the first time that I can recall ever driving my Z in the rain. I'm sorry little Z!! Once I got to the 23 N exit, traffic was a complete mess. We were in gridlock. A quick glance at the traffic snarl was all I needed to motivate me to think/find an alternative route. If I wanted to get off on 23 N I'd be waiting an awfully long time. Plan "B"!! Exit to 23 south, then turn around first opportunity. That is what I did, and the results were good. Before you knew it, I was back headed north Too bad I didn't take a better look at the directions to the bar though. Once headed north, I realized that I didn't know exactly where this place was. I got a little lost and ultimately had to do the unthinkable...pull in and ask for directions! I stopped at Domino's Pizza and asked for directions. Sure enough, I passed the place up. So I had to back track, but in the end I found my destination. ( notice this....guys only get "a little lost") One thing about the Winking Lizard that you'll learn right away, they have over 100 brands of beer. I looked over the menu and decided that I wanted to try their Honey Raspberry Ale. When Jen brought the beer I was excited to see the distinct label of an old fave of mine that I thought was extinct. I used to buy this beer at Kroger probably 8 -10 years ago and then suddenly it disappeared from the shelves. It's Spanish Peaks, Black Dog - Honey Raspberry Ale. I had two of them. They were as good as I remembered them to be. Over the years I have looked for a good replacement but never found one. Many imitators out there but in the end they all were nothing but glorified wine coolers. This was a true dark Ale with a hint of raspberry! Those reading this probably know that I have a thing for raspberry and have resorted to making my own! Anyway, had some of their 911 wings too. As I thought might be the case, the 911 was really not all that hot, but it was their hottest. Additionally, the wings, themselves, were mediocre at best. Not that I'm critiquing the place, though. It's the company anyhow, so no complaints. I stayed for about 1 1/2 hours then headed for home. I don't really like to drink and party on a "school" night because it takes a little air out of the weekend anticipation. I have weekend envy! The sky looked to have cleared so I put my top down for the ride home (about 20 miles). By the time I had got around to my Hilliard exit, the sky began to cry again. Once again I found myself in a predicament. I had no choice but to come to a complete stop on Wilson Rd to put my top up as the rain started coming down pretty hard. Once home, I spent a little time organizing myself for the following morning and putting Sparky's needs at bay. He's such a good dog! He holds it longer than any other dog I know. Nothing exciting to share about my personal life at home tonight - sorry!

Wednesday, August 17 - Over the hump!

Wednesday was an exceptionally beautiful day. And to that end, I drove my convertible to work. With few exceptions, "convertible" days always seem to go better! It's mostly psychological I am certain. Top down, stereo on, sun shining, what could be better - right? And because I worked so late the night prior, I decided to sleep for an extra ½ hour or so - just because. Despite the extra sleep, I was still up and at my normal routine by 6AM. This would be my first day with out my lead engineer that had resigned on Monday. You see, I granted him vacation this last week so he could start fresh next week with his new employer. He did call me at around 9AM to see how things were going, and things were going well. I had several planned meetings so the morning flew by, which has been the case everyday so far this week. I was still able to get away for my daily run at 1215PM sharp! The run was awesome; sunshine, warm temps, and a slight easterly breeze! The second half of my day went equally fast even though I ended up staying late, again (630PM). The drive home was nice. Again, it's that convertible thing! Once home I went through my normal ritual or prepping for the next AM. Once I returned from walking Sparky, I realized that I had accidentally turned the coffee maker on instant brew rather than timed brew, which meant I had a fresh pot of vanilla coffee waiting for me. Oops! Hey, if that's the worst thing that happens to me then I am golden. It wasn't long before I was snuggled up to my book in my over-sized chair. I was able to finish The Book of Secret's, by Deepak Chopra (2nd time around). Great read, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an eye towards higher spiritual guidance. Tomorrow I will begin reading The Power of Now. I received an email from an old friend of mine late tonight. I am looking forward to catching up with her soon. Seems she's having some challenging times in her life right now and would probably enjoy some fun time. Before going to bed, I practiced on my guitar for about 15 minutes. Some thoughts that ran through my head today were... Can I really create my own tomorrow? Am I in the world or is the world in me? I have so much untapped power, and I am determined to cultivate that power to create and discover peace within myself. Today was an extra good day at work! I should use my hot tub one heck of a lot more! The week is going really fast I thought plenty about a few special people in my life and what they mean to me. Some are doing just great, while some others are having a few struggles. They need to know this: We will all struggle a time or two throughout our lives. Regardless, they are loved for who they are. Song of the day... OUTKAST ... "Sorry Ms Jackson...I am for real. Never meant to make your daughter cry. I apologize a trillion times" :)

More Camping Trip Pics

Tuesday, August 16 - The Reality of Work Sets In

Tuesday brought with it another unusually cool August morning. The skies were cloudy and it rained some throughout most of the early day. The temperature didn't break 70 degrees until mid-afternoon when the sky finally gave way to a little sunshine. Without question, that kinda weather makes me blue. But it does make for excellent running conditions! So, I just suck it up! My day at the office was fast paced and busy. I barely had time to address all of the "big rocks" on my plate. Some how I managed - as I most often do. Because of some important customer issues, I was at the office until around 730PM EDT. That made for a long day. By the time I got home for the day, the weather had fully recovered and it was absolutely superb outside! It was probably around 74 and sunny with next to no humidity. Felt like a September eve. All in all the day was pretty uneventful - especially from a personal life perspective. What can I say, I have a boring life from time to time too. Truth be told, my work nights are often like that almost by design. Don't tell anyone!!! For dinner I made homemade pizzas out of flour tortilla shells, pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni that I had originally bought for our camping trip last week. You see, I had planned to use my campfire sandwich press to make them over a camp fire but never got a round to doing it. Probably has something to do with making drinking a priority instead. Anyway, they turned out perfectly baked in the oven tonight. I am a good cook! There's just no question. I decided to take a break from reading & guitar practice tonight. Instead I worked on another special project of mine that I just can't talk about right now, but might divulge at a later time. :) After that I went through my home email. Some thoughts going through my head today.... I feel kind of bad for blowing off a new friend that I had made tentative date plans with for last Saturday night. In fact, for a moment I thought about calling and apologizing but didn't. Where am I head with the rest of my life? Am I afraid of a committed relationship? Why do I gravitate towards difficult relationships and often deny myself the less risky ones (with women that is). Am I ready to tolerate yet another long cold, gray, damp, and dreary Columbus winter? (YUCK!) Am I being charitable enough? Who do I love? Who loves me? Who needs my love?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake

Ingredients Regular size roll of Chocolate Chip Cookie dough 2 packages of cream cheese 1/2 cup sugar 1 bag mini chocolate chips 1 tbsp of lemon juice 12oz of Coolwhip 2 tbsp of cocoa 1/2 pint strawberries preheat oven to 425 roll out cookie dough to edge of 12 " round pizza pan or 9x13 brownie pan TIP... ( moisten finger tips to avoid sticking to hands) Bake for about 10 -12 minutes cool to touch while the cookie is baking... In a large mixing bowl, mix cream cheese until fluffy - best if using an electric mixer add sugar and lemon juice add cocoa slowly add in coolwhip while continuing to mix add in about a 1/3 cup of mini chips spread evenly onto cookie sprinkle mini chips on top slice strawberries into quarters and distribute uniformly da-dum

Monday, August 15 ...Returning to Work

My first day back to work after a weeks vacation is always a bit difficult to face. You see, I love the life of leisure and truly wish sometimes that I could just be on vacation forever or "retire" now. I would undoubtedly find lots of things to keep me busy. But for now that's just a dream. This Monday began just like you'd expect a Monday to. It was a little drizzly and gray, much like my mood. That didn't last long, however. I woke up at my usual 530AM EDT, and once I exercised, walked Sparky, and had my morning coffee, I was feelin' mighty fine. I did struggle a little returning to my "normal" morning routine. What is painfully obvious is that the days are shrinking. It's funny how all of the sudden, one day you notice that it's still dark at a time when it was seemingly already light just a few short days ago. That, of course, always spells doom for Summer! After a little meditation, some more coffee, some eggs, and a shower, I was ready to face work once again like most other folks. Immediately following my arrival at work, I was greeted first by my favorite employee, lead engineer, long time confidant, and friend. He handed me his resignation letter. :( This put a little damper in my morning to say the least! He's been my go-to guy for a couple of years and someone who I have admired since the day we hired him 6 years ago. He's leaving for an opportunity at "The Bank" like many of our engineers. I will miss his approach and undying work ethic dearly. But I had plenty of other catching up to do so I had to move on and jump right back on the horse. That I did. The morning flew by and before I knew it, it was time for my run! The temperature was hovering somewhere around 70 degrees with little if any sun, so the weather was a complete non-factor in my run. Needless to say, it went extremely well. Over the course of the past vacation week, I probably consumed more carbs than I have in the past year and one half. Honestly, I do notice a difference when I run - a positive one at that. If I have eaten a bunch of carbs the day before, my run always seems effortless the following day. I guess the trade off is the ultimate weight gain if that type of diet is maintained, even when running five miles per day. The afternoon went almost as fast as the morning. I found myself out the door by 515PM and headed for home. Once home I had to quickly reacquaint myself with my "get-home" routine, which includes walking Sparky, preparing my coffee maker for the following morning, and cleaning my packed lunch containers. I really hate this routine but it helps keep me focused and on track. I spent the better part of my casual hours journaling and catching up on personal email. Before kicking back and watching part of the Steelers game, I did a little more meditation, and then got in my hot tub. And that felt grrrreat!! I deserved it! Did I tell you that I'm special? If not, well, I am!! I went to bed around 1015PM - not too tired though since I had a such a great sleep the night prior.

Pics from Dodie's

Saturday/Sunday August 13 & 14 - A weekend at Dodie's

Saturday was another tremendously beautiful summer day. My day began pretty early, at around 630AM. Before 9AM rolled around, I had already exercised, walked Sparky, drank 3 cups of coffee (good coffee), emailed, and ran. I also began watering my sun stressed frontlawn, which I continued until I left the house for the day. As mentioned yesterday, my plan was to head down to Randy & Dodie's around 3 or 4 so I had to make sure I had all the right provisions for an afternoon an evening of fun. So, off I went to the local Walmart to stock up on ice, beer, and the ingredients to make my favorite new dessert, chocolate chip cheesecake. I was really looking forward to the trip for a few reasons. First and foremost, It sounded like I was finally going to meet her life-long friend, Vicki whom I had casually spoken to via IM on a number of occasions over the past ten months. Secondly, I simply love their company. And lastly, I love the area. You just wouldn't believe the serenity of the evening and night time sky down there. It's to die for! As usual, I over packed. But the last thing I want to be is without enough provisions to carry me through an entire evening whether that be beer, extra clothes, or sleeping gear. I even took my new tent & sleeping bag just in case I was barred from sleeping in their house :) In my cooler I had a little more than a case of beer and about another 3/4 case of back-up beer, Bud Light. Hey, you can't allow a party to end because there's no more beer! Also, I took my Raspberry Schnapps and Raspberry Vodka (yum-yum). There's nothing like a small shot of Raspberry Schnapps in a Sam Adams when drinking in the hot sun. Try it! For whatever reason ,the drive seemed shorter than before. I did take the aptly named "short cut" this time, and you know what? It's shorter!!! It cuts the drive down to 49.5 miles drive way to drive way. Once I was on 104, it was so eerie as it seemed like I was the only car headed that way. What's more, once I turned onto the "short cut' (Hickory Bend and Westfall) I WAS the only car. What a scary feeling driving out in the country with absolutely no one else around. The drive takes right about an hour give or take. I arrived around 430PM and the the temp was still hovering somewhere around 95 degrees! By now I was ready to drink some beer, play some cornhole, and just be a social animal that I was created to be. I met her friend Vicki as well as her three lovely daughters before any others arrived. Honestly, If I may say, Vicki is even prettier than I had assumed. ;) And her daughters, K-ub-ate, Hannah, and Lauren are equally cute and animated, to say the least. As the sun began to slowly sink in the western sky, some of Dodie's other local friends arrived. I believe their names were: Summer, Andy, Rachel, Sarah, Susan, and Donny. Even the neighbor boy, Josh stopped over when he smelt the meat on the grill! :) As darkness fell upon us, the sky became a little threatening and the winds picked up a bit. You could see some beautiful lightening off in the distance eventhough the stars were fairly thick overhead. Trust me, you don't see stars like that here in the city! We checked the radar and became somewhat convinced that the storms would spare us and they did. Good ol' Randy built a real nice fire and so we spent the rest of the evening soaking it up. In fact, we enjoyed the fire well into the wee hours. All in all, everyone seemed to have a really good time and I got some really great pics! Over the course of the evening I heard some great fireside conversations that I'd like to share. I heard somebody talking about Sarah's boobs, Donny's (Sarah's boyfriend) auto paint job, Rachel's pricey purses, Dodie's weight loss success, Vicki's resemblance to Connie, Randy's fire building skills, and my glowing personality (just joking). I think I got to sleep at around 4AM. Something about me and campfires - they give me stamina! As the morning sunlight found its way through the basement windows, I woke up feelin' pretty darn good - considering. It was about 730AM. The trick was taking two Advil and drinking about a quart of water before falling asleep. Before 15 minutes could pass, I had brushed my teeth and completed my normal routine of push-ups & sit-ups. Yuck! I had smoked a couple cigars the night before so my mouth felt and tasted like - well cheap cigars! By 745 or so, I was out the door for my morning run. I couldn't wait. You see, the country roads make for an extra awesome run. The rolling hills against a rising sun, along with a dog or two barking off in the distance is very relaxing. Throw in a some goats, a few sheep and couple of horses and it just doesn't' get any better!Any remnants from a night of drinking and a shortage of sleep was now forgotten. The run went very well. By the time I was back Randy and the boys were up and around. Travis was playing with his "gameboy" and was at it for at least 2 or 3 hours! In the meantime, Samuel introduced me to his large collection of Pokeman cards. Let's just say he has a lot! Randy graciously agreed to make everyone breakfast (omelets and bacon). Thanks Randy - you're awesome! After eating some food Randy and Travis headed off to mass while the rest of us spent the next couple of hours out by the pool enjoying the energy and imagination of the children (K-ub-ate, Hannah, Lauren, and Samuel). Not for certain exactly what time I finally left but believe that I was home by 3PM. The drive home went fast but it did make me extremely drowsy. The rest of the day was spent napping. I think I took about three naps before finally retiring for the night at around 930PM. Too, I was a bit melancholy because this marked the end of my relaxing summer vacation week. I want to say a special thank you to Randy & Dodie for sharing their home, food, family, and friends! I had a really nice time and it was a perfect ending to a good weeks vacation. In closing, they say that you should learn something new everyday. I learned a few things... there are still a few beautiful women in the world, a new language ( ubby dubby), and that I am the new king of corntoss!

Happy Birthday Tammy. I think that you're 9 today!

Friday, August 12 was another sunny, hot summer day where temps reached into the low 90's. Because of the lack of rain, my lawn is beginning to look like straw. At this point watering with the sprinkler is almost hopeless. I didn't have much of a plan today aside from addressing some routine tasks like grocery shopping. I did make a trip over to Lindsey's to drop off a batch of food left over from our camping trip (lot's of high carb food; bread, peanut butter and jelly, donuts, cookies, cereal, etc.). If I kept it it would certainly go to waste. I got a hair cut at Saturday's near the Tuttle mall. I like that partuclar one because there is never a crowd. Alicia does a perfect job everytime with little direction from me. On the way home I stopped at my Dad's to do a little work on the boat and to see how Sheila's doing with the smoking thing, or should I say the "no smoking" thing. Dad was working on his boat engine. He was trying to address the very problem that casused me to have to tow him in last Sunday afternoon. Together I think we might have fixed it. We took the fuel filter apart, cleaned and replaced it. Presto! It started almost flawlessly after. Also, found out that Tommy had over inflated the tires on MY boat trailer. The tires were rated for 40 PSI. He had more than 60 PSI in one of them! No wonder the trailer would bounce all over without the boat on it. Sheila got home shortly before I left and reported that the stop smoking program is working. It seems that the physical addiction is remedied leaving only the psychological craving, which I think is the toughest to beat. However, if you think about it, it's the one you have the most control over too, so the battle gets minimized to a question of will power. Before leaving, Dodie called to firm up plans for tomorrow. She's having a small get-together at her place in Chilly town. I will be going down mid/later afternoon on Saturday and will probably spend the night (I'll take one of my tents and a sleeping bag). It is a really pretty drive in a beautiful country setting. Around 7PM I headed to BW3's in Hilliard to hopefully catch the Vikings first preseason game along with a couple of beers and wings. Unfortunately, that game wasn't on but they did have the Bengals game, so I opted to watch a little of that. I left at halftime, though. I thought that I might do some hottubbing when I got home but didn't have the energy or a very strong desire given the hot and humid conditions.

Thursday, August 11

Thursday was a slow summer day. I planned and accomplished very little but did mange to complete a few minor tasks. I replaced my once lovely hanging petunia basket that had all but died despite my daily waterings. Unfortunately, if you miss just one day in the hot summer sun, it'll respond in kind. And I missed a day about two weeks ago and the foliage yellowed leaving only the purple flowers on long spiney stems. I drove up to Strader's and bought a flourishing geranium basket for only $6.50. They do exceptionally well in the hot sun and can typically go a few days without water. They should hold up just fine. I was suppose to go to Columbus State with Ashley to resolve her class schedule for fall quarter. it seems they won't allow her to register on line due to past "slackin". She didn't show - On Ashley!! During the hot afternoon I spent a few hours re-reading The Book of Secrets, written by Deepak Chopra. I am almost finished...again. What a great book! I have two other books waiting to be read, The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle, and Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts. At around 8PM I headed to my favorite watering hole, Barley's Smokehouse for a few brews. I was home by 1030PM.

Wednesday, August 10

Another day off work... It just doesn't get much better! Today Ashley and I went boating together, just the two of us. We went to Griggs Reservoir and we were one of only a small handful of boats out on the water even though the weather was ideal. We headed as far north as one can easily go and anchored just shy of 161. There we napped, read, and chatted about life, love, and our futures. It was a good father/daughter talk, but I think I freaked her out a little with my unusual candor about some of my personal relationships. As thunder began to rumble near, we pulled anchor and headed back in to the dock around 330PM. Later that evening I went to see brother Tom and co. Do some karaoke at Charts in Picktown. Present were Dad, Sheila, Shawn, and I. Shelly's parents attended too, as well as several friends of theirs. Tom sang some of his favorites and did exceptionally well. You can tell he's practiced a lot. I opted for ice water all-night for not wanting to drink and drive. I made it an early night and was home by 1030PM. Points of interests... Sheila plans to quit smoking tomorrow by using a new "shot" method. I wish her well in her journey and hope that it brings her the results she seeks. In fact, I hope that all of my family members find the strength and courage to give up cigarettes. I'll let the BLOG know how she's doing' come Friday or so.

Puttin' my campin' persona away...

I had forgotten just how challenging and time consuming it would be to properly stow away all of my camping gear. Realistically, it took me all day Monday to accomplish this seemingly simple task. Of course the idea is to clean and store it in such away that the next trip requires only minor planning and loading prior to use. We'll see soon! Tuesday, August 9 I spent the day washing both of my cars and the boat. By the time I was done, the day was all but over. I had little if any partying energy left over so I opten to stay home and do some "deck time". I drank some raspberry vodka, strummed my guitar, and stared off into the star lit sky. God, thanks for the magnificent sky!

These are just a few pics from our camping trip.