Happy Birthday J!

Wishing a very happy birthday to J who is 6!

Conflict averted

In March, I tried to sign up for a race we like nearby, and the entries sold out in less than 2 hours. I did write a bitter post here as I recall. I whined in an email, and they told me we were on the wait list. Well I got an email on Thurs AM that I was in, but they did not say if Mike was in or not. So, do I forge on without him? Thankfully I emailed back and they told me that I could register Mike as well, so now we can gear up together and finish holding hands! The only crappy thing is that the race is so friggin' expensive! At least it benefits charity, but I am sure I can not write it off. So now we have to get off our sorry arses and actually train this summer.

Tommorrow begins our social life. Of course nothing has been going on for weeks, but when it rains it pours. Sunday night we are seeing the Police with Anita, but it is way out in Sandy Hook, NJ. Monday we are getting together with Ed in the city. Tues we are meeting with Regina and Igor as well as Tracey, Marcello, and baby Stephanie. It never fails that all our plans fall at the same time.

Saw a good flick last night. It was a French thriller called, "Tell No One", and I give it a thumbs up. Catch it at an artsy fartsy screen near you!

Bear hunt under way in Harrison | lohud.com | The Journal News

Bear hunt under way in Harrison | lohud.com | The Journal News

Maybe they need a pic-a-nic basket! That is right up the road from us!

The endless? summer

I can not believe it is almost August. The summer seemed really short since the schools I work in got out on June 26 and Labor day is September 1rst. I wish summer could seem as long as it did when we all were kids. It seemed like endless hot days at the BHAC. Lazy weeks at Aunt Catherine's cottage and the adventures we had there. That is where I learned to be an expert Petosky hunter, rehabilitate tent worms (from their trials at "Death Stadium"), and knock the wind out of myself via the sand dunes.

Mike and I spent the weekend doing some real training. We rode at Harriman on Saturday which is always intense due to the huge hills (and occasionally exciting traffic). We ran on Sunday which was pretty warm and muggy. We hit Rockefeller preserve with the rest of the runners. I wanted to do a tri on Sunday in Greenwich, but luckily we sat it out. They had to make it a duathalon since there was a thunderstorm when it started. A duathlon is my idea of a nightmare. We tried to swim but we got kicked out 10 minutes into it on Sunday. They close the Y pool (indoor) for lightning. Recently they closed it thinking the weekly Playland fireworks was a storm. When we drove home, we saw the biggest lightning bolt ever, so I was glad they over-react in the Y.

This morning I got an email from the Westchester Tri. That was the race that sold out in less than 2 hours, and I emailed on got on the waiting list. I am in, but I am not sure if Mike got in. I included his name in the email. So that may cause a dilemna. I just as soon let him do it since my hour run felt pretty bad on Sunday.

This weekend, The Police in Jersey
Next weekend, Radiohead in Liberty State Park (Jersey)
Weekend after, Tri in Rhode Island
Then vacation,
Then back to serious work :(

Fitness - Recent Triathlon Deaths Have Experts Searching for Answers - NYTimes.com

Fitness - Recent Triathlon Deaths Have Experts Searching for Answers - NYTimes.com

She Likes Kielbasa - Scrubby

While Dyngus day was on my mind, here's an old ditty we all can appreciate.

Rude awakening

I was lying on the couch trying to wake up yesterday, and I put on the mindless morning news shows. They are all so dumb, but there is nothing else on and I wanted to check weather. On at least 2 channels they were showing women getting a new type of pedicure where they put there feet in water with a bunch of baby carp (I think but am not certain)to gnaw on their feet. I had to change the channel on one story, and there it was on another channel. That is so f'in gross, and I found it hard to get my coffee down. I have no idea why there was a media blitz over that. I also have no idea why I found it so gross since I can tolerate most everything (except for coughing phlegm, puking, and saying the word fluids).

Bad Moon Risin'

It has been friggin' hot and humid as of late. I noticed the last few days that the moon has been full too. I do not know if it is the heat or the full moon, but there is a great deal of tension in the air around here lately. People driving like maniacs for no reason. People seem louder than usual. I think the heat makes me slower and more quiet. The moon has been really excellent lately, full of colors with a haze around it (beauty=pollution). Tonight we got some good Peruvian food for dinner (with some bitchin' ceviche) and decided to go to Rye to walk it off and gaze at the sound. We ended watching the moon rise. I have not seen many moonrises, and this one was pretty cool. The moon was red. Hopefully the humidity will burn off so I do not feel like I am going to suffer from heat exhaustion every time I step outside. We ran this AM, and we decided it was for tolerance to the heat versus speed or performance.

The Best Nest

I do not know if anyone remembers my pictures of the 13 Robins nests in various stages of completion under our new deck. It seemed like the Robin thought, "This is great place for a nest", started building, and abandoned the project over and over again. I have noticed a Robin hanging around too much, and alas there are some chicks now. She just did not pick the nest I expected. I guess the Robin did not struggle finding the best nest which I recall as being one of my favorite early childhood books.

Dara Torres - Profile - Olympic Swimming - NYTimes.com

Dara Torres - Profile - Olympic Swimming - NYTimes.com

Tour De Jersey

Today we raced, helped out Mike's sister, hung out with Mike's family for dinner, dropped off Mike's sister and drove home. We left the house at 5:30 AM, and did not get back until 9:20. Here is a summary of our day of driving which I coined, "Tour De Jersey".

PURCHASE, NY 10577
RANDOLPH, NJ
Distance: 63.2 miles, Time: 1 hours 15 mins

Point Maneuver Distance Cumulative Action
RANDOLPH, NJ
WHARTON, NJ 07885
Distance: 5.8 miles, Time: 18 mins

Point Maneuver Distance Cumulative Action
WHARTON, NJ 07885
LITTLE FERRY, NJ
Distance: 34.2 miles, Time: 39 mins

Point Maneuver Distance Cumulative Action
LITTLE FERRY, NJ
ORADELL, NJ
Distance: 10.5 miles, Time: 18 mins

Point Maneuver Distance Cumulative Action
ORADELL, NJ
DUMONT, NJ
Distance: 2.8 miles, Time: 10 mins

Point Maneuver Distance Cumulative Action
DUMONT, NJ
WHARTON, NJ 07885
Distance: 38.6 miles, Time: 50 mins


Point Maneuver Distance Cumulative Action
WHARTON, NJ 07885
PURCHASE, NY 10577
Distance: 62.8 miles, Time: 1 hours 9 mins

Total Distance: 218 miles, Total Time: 4 hours 39 mins (approx.)

A reason to stick to the Great Lakes

Great white shark reported at 'Jaws' filming site - Yahoo! News
I thought K+A would appreciate this.

Noise Pollution

I swear whenever I am outside in my neighborhood during the day(or out visiting client's homes), I am bombarded by the deafening drone of massive lawnmowers and leaf blowers. There are towns nearby that have a leaf blower ban over the summer months, and I think it is a good idea. What seems to always happen is that the minute it gets nice and I take a kid outside, I can not hear a damn thing. I guess I am really getting old! This morning they were fired up outside my window at 8:10 AM. I think that is obnoxious to say the least.

Mike just informed me the financial world is crashing! If Freddie and Fannie fail, we may never get a mortgage. Oh well, at least we are saving money for a distant rainy day. I just suggested that we rent a sweet mansion and blow our down payment. There seems to be plenty that are not selling around here.

On a totally unrelated note, have you seen the ad for Nuvaring? It is a birth control method. The ad features a bunch of synchro swimming cartoon characters (who mimic birth control pills). They are wearing old school swim suits with caps. The thing that strikes me is that some of the swimmers break away (rip off the conservative suits, shake their long sexy librarian hair out of the swim caps, and walk over to a hot tub with other liberated swimmers who use nuvaring). All the cartoon women that break away are wearing some slutty bikinis and one piece number. The message that I gleaned from the ad was that the nuvaring is for hoochie mommas. Is it just me?

We are racing this weekend in NJ. It is just a short sprint, but I swear my body has not recovered from last weekend. I suppose it is the fact that I do not rest at work and began working with some big and difficult to handle clients again this week. No excuses though. I recall the bike is hilly, and the run ends on a trail so W has the edge. My goal is to finish the trail section without a spill. The other funny thing about the race is that it is going "Green" this year. They had you offset your carbon footprint and are encouraging carpools this year. Wow, I am so eco-conscious that I am driving about 50 miles to race! I suppose we should stick to local races to save the planet.

Our Towns - Build a Wiffle Ball Field and Lawyers Will Come - NYTimes.com

Our Towns - Build a Wiffle Ball Field and Lawyers Will Come - NYTimes.com

Still married

6 years and counting. That went really fast.

Breakin' Turbo Broom Dance

This one's for Pat.

Upstate Update

We were really spontaneous this week. We packed the car and headed north on Tues night without a real plan. We were prepared to cross over the Vermont if need be or even Montreal. We were ready to hike, bike, read, and play guitar.

We headed up the thruway and went mountain biking the first day. We stopped at the ADK (Adirondack Mountain Club) info center for hike and bike recommendations. The trail was a dirt road for the first few miles, and then there was a snowmobile trail that was in nice shape. We have not been mountain biking much since we moved out here. The riding is very rocky and technical, and my forearms can not take it. I may be the only mountain biker who gets more sore in the upper body after riding (as Brian and KC can attest). I like to get dirty and work up the hills the most. We also tried out our new pedals and shoes (proud of us finally doing on the mountain bikes Brian?). I of course had a low speed tip over with my feet clipped in. That is the first set of scratches I got for the day. I did not know what I was in for! We discovered that whenever we would stop, the black flies would swarm me (and a few deer flies to boot). I was just covered with them, and Mike was not getting attacked to the same degree as I was. I suppose I can thank genetics for that (Caraher trait). I would scratch my head and was greeted by dried blood and bug carcass. Mike kept singing, "My wife has fleas". Mike thinks that my jersey was attracting the bugs since it was blue like a flower. We continued since it was OK as long as we were moving and the woods were cool and beautiful. Then the unthinkable....I got a flat! Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!
Let me just say here that Mike is officially my hero. I tried to get the bike pump going, but I was getting swarmed so bad I was trying to work the pump with my ear on my shoulder and doing a spastic dance. He sent me for the car and I left fear behind and tore down the rest of the trail. I guess I need proper motivation. He sent me since he was not getting bit like I was, but I felt bad about it since it was my bike that pooped out.

We headed up to stay in Saranac Lake which is 10 miles down the road from Lake Placid. The guidebook said that it was less touristy so we chose to stay there. We stayed in an old hotel, and we kept running into a local dude who worked there. We then discovered that the town was on the rough side from him. The hotel was old and historic, but good. The town did kinda suck though. We looked for a bite to eat, and there were 4 pizza joints and 1 Chinese restaurant. I am not kidding about the pizza. We settled on one, and ordered. The guy kept coming back and asking us what we had. He forgot our salads (the place was not crowded by the way). He brought me a burger when I ordered a chicken sandwich (twice). I was going to be a good sport and just eat the burger, but it was almost raw. So I tracked him down and also told him we never got salad (I was starving by then). He then told us some weird story about our salads getting stolen and how that happens around there. We decided to eat in Lake Placid the next night!

The next day was rainy, and we ended up doing a road ride in the evening when it was clearing up. We checked out Lake Placid too. We picked up some new sports when we were in Lake Placid.

We moutain biked again the next morning, and we had a black fly bailout plan. The trail was fine for bugs and the ride was beautiful. It was a rail trail through wetlands and forest. We saw several beaver dams along the ride. We also got a hike in (Poke o' Moonshine mountain) that had an amazing view and fire tower on the top. We could see Burlington, Vermont and Lake Champlaign from up there. The descent did not agree with my knees. I need to bring poles up there!

We drove down to Lake George on the 4rth, and we watched the town fireworks from our dinner table outside. The place was a zoo and the traffic would not clear out of town. It took us an hour to drive 2 miles, and we waited an hour and 15 minutes to leave after the show. Lake George attracts a rough crowd so we did not want to hang out too late. Sat we hiked on the Tongue mountain range. It was really hot, and we ran into a couple on the trail who had a close encounter with a Eastern Timber rattlesnake (the guidebook we had said they are rare and seeing one would be a "treat". We saw a picture of it, and it was 2 feet long! We stayed in Bolton Landing last night, and today we were too sore to run, bike, or hike. We kayaked and read books before heading home.

Hitcher

When Mike came home from work last night, he handed me a little bottle of water. He then told me it was from his hitchhiker. I thought he just meant that he gave somebody a lift from work, but he really meant a hitchhiker. He was driving down the road (about 2 miles from home), and some dude dressed up in golfing clothes and carrying a big bag was trying to run down the road. He was in the way, so Mike slowed down since there was oncoming traffic. Somehow he talked to the guy, and he had missed his bus and wanted to catch it down the road. Mike picked him up. At about the same time, a cop stopped from the other direction and warned Mike about picking up people he did not know. The area he stopped is right next to a golf course on the border with Greenwich, and the guy was Krameresque (versus homeless looking). Mike said he had the look of someone rushing to their gate at the airport. So Mike dropped him off at the next bus stop. After Mike turned the car around, he flagged him down again. Mike this time stopped reluctantly, but the guy said something like, "Thanks Dude" and handed him a little bottle of water. So Mike survived picking up a hitcher in a affluent area.

From 1978 - Carvel Ice Cream Store

I think this may be what KC was talking about!

Clean Bill....

I had 3 doctor's appointments in the last week. I have to get a physical every year since I am a provider for the dept. of health, and I managed to get some appointments quickly for some other doctors while I was thinking about it. I decided that I needed to start seeing a dermatologist for skin checks due to my Irish heritage and years lifeguarding without sunscreen. Luckily my appointment went well, but I learned that I will need to put some sun protection on when I am treating in the pool. The pool is technically indoors, but it is under a glass atrium. Apparently, UVA rays go through glass and UVB do not (or the other way around, I can not remember). Time to buy your Coppertone stock!

We walked at Rockefeller tonight, and there were new signs saying that runners can not run in groups larger than 3. There must have been an incident like an impromptu race. I wonder what cranky person complained about runners. I think people should not walk in large groups of 3 either.

I am taking next week off, but still no plans. We will see after W closes his deal (or not) tommorrow. Good thing we are spontaneous.

I was schooled in Carvel tonight. I am not familiar with Cookiepuss or Fudgie the Whale. Cookiepuss is a little scary looking. His facial proportions are off. I guess I am so midwestern when I do not know anything about these ice cream cakes. Mike told me that they are the same basic shape, but they make it into several different characters depending on the season. Like the whale turns into Santa. That is a clever business model. The dumbest cake design I saw was back to school. It must be for the adults!

http://www.carvel.com/products/signature.htm

His Abs are criminal!

Vital Signs - Researchers Find Link Between Crime and Fitness - NYTimes.com

Happy Birthday Ann!

Radler Part II

Mike asked me to enter "Radler" into the German-English search engine. The result was not the drink I am familiar, but "cyclist". It sounds like the right drink for me after hearing the history of the dring. Here is the text I lifted from Wickipedia (seemed accurate since it matched Mike's story).

The Radler (“cyclist”) is a beverage consisting of a 50%/50% or 60%/40% mixture of lager beer and German-style lemonade. It was invented by the Munich gastronomer Franz Xaver Kugler in September 1922 when approximately 13,000 cyclists visited his tavern. His beer started to run out, so he cleverly mixed the remaining beer with lemonade and pretended he created the Radler especially for the cyclists so that they could ride home without the risk of falling off their bicycles. Nowadays the Radler is not just drunk only in Bavaria but across Germany and Austria. During the summer months, Radler is very popular there due to its reputation of being a thirst-quencher.

We rode 56 miles today, so guess what I am drinking right now!

Guten tag Yanet!

I recently picked up a client from Germany, and she is 2. She does not speak English, and I am sure she thinks I am an idiot in German. In fact she kept looking at me and repeating "yellow ball" yesterday to teach me. Her mom told me that she did not think she could pronounce my name, so I told her she could say Yanet. Thank God Mike taught Kefin and I the word for "Hedge Hog Toy", because part of the compound word is coming in handy.

Sign of the Times

We get certain signs that tend to pop up along the road near busy intersections. One of them is for a youth sports program. Inevitably one of the youth sports signs always gets another stapled to it that states, "This is a BAD idea". I can not imagine what horrible event will cause somebody to always have a answer to staple to the youth sports ads, but there is a vindictive parent out there that is always ready. I am telling you all that the youth sports signs for a particular company always end up with the response signs nailed to them.

The latest smear campaign by us has been popping up over the last 2 weeks. They all say, "Shame on you ------ -------". The name is not important, and I do not want to smear anyone. Somebody must really be mad at that guy. The mad people must have a lot of time on their hands to make signs that probably get taken down daily.

Moral of the story? Do not piss off the New Yorkers!

Odds and Ends

I spent my father's day in a way that most fathers would enjoy most. Hours of drinking German beer, eating Brats, and (of course) yummy cake. I did worry that the Jaegermeister or Killipitch would appear, but my father in law had mercy on me. Mike and I did dilute the brew into Radlers at one point, so we did not drive home under the influence. My in laws are active in a German-American club, and they go to many of the picnics. Since the club is way down in Jersey (I think it is exit 145 off the Parkway), we have not been to a picnic there in some time. I have been to one since I moved here. The traffic out that way is notoriously horrible, and there used to be several toll booths charging a quarter every 2-3 miles (I think they are getting phased out). So we heard a lot of Oompah music and hung out with the folks (or volks).

We did laundry tonight. I need a house.

There is a cafe nearby called the Fair Deal Cafe. I think it is quite a bad name for a eating establishment. It implies that it is not a good deal or a bad deal. It is just a fair deal which does not make me want to rush over there and chow down. Even if the price is fair, maybe the food would be considered "fair".

We concluded last night that everyone in NYC metro area should be required to have an EZ pass. You would not believe the massive traffic jam we encountered just for the tolls at the Tappan Zee. If you can afford a car, it is likely that you have a credit card too. Just get the damn thing already! Think of all of the gas that would be saved and the reduction of pollution. As for you paranoid people who do not want to be tracked, get over yourself! I am sure the kind people at the Thruway authority have better things to do than stare at what bridges you have been crossing.

Note to governors: This is what losing a hockey bet looks like - Puck Daddy... - NHL - Yahoo! Sports

Note to governors: This is what losing a hockey bet looks like - Puck Daddy... - NHL - Yahoo! Sports
I liked that he was drinking Faygo, and it looks like Rock N' Rye which is one of my favorites.

Happy Father's Day

Here is a shout out to all of the Dads who are closest to my heart!

I can relate...

Realtors Blame Housing Market For Slump In Creepy-Mansion Sales | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Are you kidding me?

property details connecticut real estate from william raveis real estate, one of the leading real estate agencies in connecticut, featuring homes for sale in ct: fairfield, ridgefield, hartford, greenwich, stamford, litchfield

Look out KC!

A Pint-Size Problem - WSJ.com

This essential article was sent to me by alert Brian Z! I guess it will curb drunk driving!

Taormina's spot on US Olympic team now official - Olympics - Yahoo! Sports

Taormina's spot on US Olympic team now official - Olympics - Yahoo! Sports

B and M

We got some mailings this week that were addressed with our last names properly spelled, but with the following first names:
Bronwen
Meghan
We decided Mike gets to be Bronwen, and I am Meghan. He can be Bron or Wen for short, and I am Meg of course.

We went to some open houses yesterday and looked at some overpriced homes that have not been changed for 45 years. They were asking 1.2 and 1.3 million respectively, and one of them was the brownest house I have ever seen. It was just too hot to do anything else frankly.

Garden Vigilantes - NYTimes.com

Garden Vigilantes - NYTimes.com

Wild Westchester

Last week, I saw a big coyote on the side of the parkway when I was exiting to go home. It was weird since he was trotting around in broad daylight in the open. Yesterday, I thought about the coyote when I was driving home, and I saw it again in the same place.

I also saw a flock of wild turkeys yesterday (7-10) on a street in Rye. Some of them were even puffed up Thanksgiving style. It was pretty cool.

Pomp and Circumstance

I spent this weekend in Indiana with nearly my entire family (only missing Pat) to celebrate Jim's graduation. It was a mad-cap weekend to say the least, but it was really great. We had tornado warnings, multiple airport pick ups and drops, belated birthday gift exchanges, and graduation itself. Jim was salutatorian and delivered a fantastic speech at graduation. The twist in the weekend plans was that Jim also qualified for state meet in his individual event in track (800 meters). Graduation started at 4, and his race was at 7:45 in Bloomington (which is 90 minutes away roughly). Crazy timing to say the least. So Jim spoke, grabbed his diploma, changed into his track uniform, and we all piled onto a school bus to Bloomington. His poor track coach was subjected to us on the bus for 3 hours total--poor guy. I have to say that John managed to make the countryside interesting. Jim was quite a star in Crawfordsville to say the least. He kept getting pictures and interviews in the local paper. It really did not get to his head. I capped the weekend off by getting delayed by a day coming home and knocking my brand new cell phone into a cup of coffee (after all, I was in the land of basketball). It still beat getting stuck in Chicago last night! I could have used the dryer Sue demonstrated from the restaurant in Bloomington. It was like drying you hands with a jet engine. I managed to get a shot of Brian's face since he was surrounded by family with cameras and we could get him!

Misc

I dreamed last night that I somehow broke an ancient Greek statue in 3 pieces. I was at a museum with Sue looking down on them (a sort of balcony), and somehow knocked over something that fell and broke the statue. The guard did not notice for a while, and I am still free.

There is a phenomena (doo doo doo doo doo!)that I think is local. I just do not recall this happening while I was still in MI. The stores here have narrower and more crowded aisles, and I prefer to leave my cart and run down aisles to get things. Inevitably, somebody takes my cart (with the things that I have gathered so far). I find it to be incredibly annoying. Go walk your lazy ass to the front and get your own cart! Or if the store employee counts to 10 and it is not attended, they start to clean up. I do not know, but I swear it never happened to me before I moved here. It is in stores like Target, but not grocery. I realize people take carts by mistake all the time (but you quickly correct it when it happens). When I found my cart last night, the lady said, "I thought you were done with it". Yeah, I leave 10 items in a cart and just leave the store piehole!

Busy Students Get a New Required Course - Lunch - NYTimes.com

Busy Students Get a New Required Course - Lunch - NYTimes.com

This one's for A and K

Car thief held after stand-off with boars - Yahoo! News

Obama, Clinton, McCain Join Forces To Form Nightmare Ticket | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Obama, Clinton, McCain Join Forces To Form Nightmare Ticket | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Quick trip to Beantown

We just got back this afternoon from a short jaunt to Boston to see Mom, John, Ann, Kevin, and Peg. There was a lot of relaxin', good eatin', and tourin'. We hit Glouchester up to Rockport yesterday and had dinner at Kowloon (a wild and kitschy Asian restaurant). Here is the link for Kowloon, and it is quite a cool joint.

http://www.kowloonrestaurant.com/

I am the eggman...

Walruses - Animals - Natalie Angier - Science - New York Times
I have to say when this picture appeared on the NY times homepage, I could not resist. I have now concluded that Walruses are pretty kick ass, and I recommend listening to their sounds.

When it rains...

Normally we have nothing going on. The social life out here is really tough, and many of our closest friends out here have moved away (or do not live nearby). Most weekends we putter around and try to figure out plans. What always seems to happen is that everyone comes to town or suddenly wants to do something all the same weekend. This was one of them. Sat night we met with friends from Jersey.
Yesterday seemed to be the day when we packed it all in. We got up at 6, went to ride a bike tour with our friend who now lives in Ohio and our other friend that we do not see much. We rode the tour (beat the rain too!), drove to friend's hotel to say Hi to wife and kids, went home and showered, drove to city, dropped off friend (in pouring rain), got a good parking space, and met up with Jon. We arrived back home at 11:30. So that was about 3 days of activity in one! It was all good, now it is time to get back to mundane life!

Fake out

I am a good sleeper. I rarely have trouble getting shut eye. Mike has trouble some nights, but I think he just drinks way too much coffee. Yesterday I had a can of pop at 5:30, but I can usually get away with drinking coffee at the Ws and sleeping (despite the high octane brew).

Last night, we did an intense workout (starting to train a little seriously) and did a lot of responsible and productive chores. I went to bed at 1:00 which is late for me (I usually fall asleep on the couch at about 11:18 every night). It took a while to fall asleep. Then I woke up hot at 3:30, because Mike was scolding me for something (I just asked and he said I was shaking the bed like crazy). I dozed off, and about an hour later I went to the bathroom. Our room was hot, so I decided to try out the couch. I heard Mike get up right after me to go to the bathroom and I went back to sleep.

Suddenly I woke up right before Mike was about to lie down on me on the couch! I scared the daylights out of him, and he spun around and fell over. Mike tends to walk around either without glasses or with his eyes shut at night. I just really messed with his routine. He usually goes out to the couch to sleep when he is having trouble.

I guess it was payback. Mike and I were riding our bikes the other night, and I gave him the decision about how far (I always want to go further and I get in trouble for it). He started rolling into the parking lot like we were done, and suddenly shot out for another loop. I was really faked out!

Tiger Stadium Faces Partial Demolition Amid Opposition - New York Times

Tiger Stadium Faces Partial Demolition Amid Opposition - New York Times

Mama!

Happy Mother's day to all the mamas in the family!

For the Birds

The deck in the backyard was replaced last summer. The old deck was home to a perfect bird nest that was used year after year. Mike wondered if any new nests would appear, and here is the answer.

We think that the bird (or birds) kept trying out different sections before realizing the boards were not wide enough. There are about 13 partial nests.

Bird-Babble to Song Takes Surprising Route - New York Times

Bird-Babble to Song Takes Surprising Route - New York Times

Holy Pollen!

Mike had a whopper of an allergy attack the rivaled Nuremnburg yesterday. We were out biking, and thank God he was wearing glasses! You all should be proud that I did not laugh at any sneezes either. I must be growing up.

We went to more open houses. I received a lukewarm response by one of the realtors when she asked my price ceiling. I guess I can not afford your fancy town!

Goodbye Escort Wagon :(

We took the remaining wagon to the junkyard today, and it barely made it. 1999-2008 is the '94 Wagon that will always be known as "BCC".

The Paper of Montgomery County

The Paper of Montgomery County

Heaven?

Oh Good Lord!

Moss Makes a No-Care Lawn - New York Times

Moss Makes a No-Care Lawn - New York Times
Mike is always talking about having a alternate lawn, so it was funny to see this here.

Paging the Donner party

Occasionally when I am treating in the pool, a bunch of pilots come in and get survival training. They always blow up their clothes and float, and the finale is always blowing up this huge lifeboat with a top (and 10 guys piling into it). Their trainer is an military looking dude who talks non-stop about what they should do in every survival at sea situation. Usually I am working and I do not pay attention much to what they are saying. A discussion occurred yesterday that caught my attention.

"When your buddy dies on the lifeboat, do not throw his body overboard". He discussed cases where the body came in handy.

Now that's good eatin'!

Mr. Juggle

Somebody has some mad skillz!

the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, Mirror Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies - www.hometownlife.com - Michigan

the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, Mirror Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies - www.hometownlife.com - Michigan
I saw the thumbnail on the page and it really looked like my old school uniform. Alas, it was! I can not believe they still wear the same plaid.

Calipics

I did not take a lot of pictures since we were mostly just hangin' out, but here are a few.

Return from Lala Land

I made it back tonight after rescheduling my flight from yesterday, getting delayed for three hours, and making my way home from JFK in the pouring rain!
It was fun seeing Sue and the kids. Mike made an appearance and we both received new monikers from Jake. Mine was Grandma Judy, and Mike was "That guy", "Uncle Rich", and for a short while, "Hot guy". When we asked him what our names were, he always knew. I suppose when he got excited an involved in something our names do not automatically come up.

Happy Bday

Happy Birthday Lhes!

I want my 2 hours back

Last night we went to see a movie at our awesome art theater. Here is the description straight from the website.

Flight of the Red Balloon
Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou, Country: France, Release: 2007, Runtime: 113, Rating: NR, Language: in French with subtitles
“A work of tremendous precision and heartfelt emotion, made by one of the great artists in the medium.” (Salon.com)
Starring Juliette Binoche, this exquisite homage to the original Red Balloon is by one of cinema’s masters, the Taiwanese director Hsiao-Hsien Hou (The Puppetmaster, Flowers of Shanghai). Receiving rave reviews at last year’s Cannes, this subtle and lyrical meditation on childhood and loss is told through the quiet story of a young boy in Paris and his harried mother (Binoche, in a marvelous performance), whose life is slowly fraying at the seams. Not for children.

Both of us wanted to walk out. Mike ended up sleeping through a fair amount of the movie. First of all, I still do not have any idea how it was a homage to the original movie. They kept showing a red balloon floating around at times with some really dull piano music. It just appeared like they were trying way to hard. As Homer would say, "Less Artsy, More Fartsy". I sensed we were in trouble when a character in the movie raved about a movie she saw, because it was so real. It was really like watching paint dry with absolutely no plot. I could have stared into space at home and been more entertained. There was no intellectual challenge either. Here are some quotes from Mike:
"I think I want to do some taxes when we get home; it would be more exciting than that movie"
"I liked Barney's submission to the Springfield Film Festival better"
"Forget the $20, I want my life back"
I lamented that we could have snuck over to the other screen and saw part of "Where in the World is Osama?" Grandma would have appreciated that one. It also reminded me of a movie I saw with Ann and Kevin years ago at the DIA. The first 10 or 15 minutes was a guy drinking tea. At least that movie picked up when the old lady used a basket as a marital aide!

How to look 10 years older....

Put your passport pictures side to side after renewal and see how you have changed! I suppose I cheat with my hair color, but the world really is not ready for my salt n' pepa hair!

Changing Speeds to Go the Distance - New York Times

Changing Speeds to Go the Distance - New York Times

I respond to commands

I did not know this for a long time, but I recently learned that when I am snoring at night, Mike tells me "No Snoring" and I stop. Last night I stirred when he got up in the middle of the night, and I was laughing and repeating the word, "Ghosts". That's when Mike said, "There are no ghosts", and I returned peacefully to sleep.

Doing something wrong

Mike and I cruised by a new house on the market in CT in a neighborhood we liked. When we went to turn around, there was this huge stone and shingle house (classic snooty New England style, but I just really love the stone and shingle despite how impratical it is). Parked next to the estate was one of the local hot dog lunch trucks. In our town, there are 3 trucks that park at regular spots every day. I wonder what they charge for those hot dogs?

WE presents - High School Confidential - March 10th

I would have been the lamest subject for this show. I did not get pregnant, anorexic, or cut myself during high school. My statements would have been, "This is where I shared a whole packet of crackers with HH every morning". I suppose the worst would have been, "This is where I would avoid the creepy comments of our school's diving coach".

Munich

There was a NY times article about Munich. It is becoming hip to visit there apparently. This is what I remember about Munich. I did have a gut time there.

1. Thinking I was jaded when we wandered over to the Glockenspiel to see the clock in action. By then I had seen a lot of old clocks going off on my trip, and I did not have my camera ready. Whoah, I wrestled the camera out of the bag for that one. It is the best old clock I have seen.
2. Hofbrau house: eating at the long picnic tables and Mike arguing in German with the waiter.
3. The seedy bar that featured booths with curtains and Eurotrash techno musik pumping. The song that captured our collective attention had a refrain "I want to go to Ibiza" in a staccato rhythm.

So although it was not hip when I visited, it was a good time.

Run Noisy, Run Deep - The New York Times

Run Noisy, Run Deep - The New York Times
Am I a geek for thinking this is interesting? I will have to take a listen next time I am underwater.

Birthdaypalooza

Happy Birthday Gucky.

The big one...

Happy Birthday to Sue!

Dream analysis

Here are some of the bizarre events during my dreams over the last few days:

Discovered that I was another of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends

Swimming with seals in the ocean that were swarming me and getting close, nuzzling my neck, and being generally friendly.

I was late to my second wedding, even though I had a wedding already. Since I had a wedding already, I was not concerned about how the second wedding would go. I think I have had a similar dream before.

Please don't commit me.

Go Team

Mike and I got into a discussion about mascots tonight. We noticed that the following mascot types are not generally represented:

primates
rodents (except the MIT beavers, and occasional gophers)
African animals (elephants, hyenas, zebras, hippos, giraffes)
insects (I know about the banana slug)
most birds (except Raptors and things like Cardinals)
most fish (How about "Go Flounders"?)
Ungulates
fruits and vegetables

Speaking of flounder, what the hell is up with those fish? They are too ugly to eat. I wonder if their mothers love their looks.

This one's for P

Can you find the fine athletes from our family in these pictures. These are from the same year. I put a bad one of me so I would not hear any whining.

BP Opens Multi-Floor, 1,000-Pump Flagship Gas Station In Times Square

Is it me, or is the baby a little creepy in this logo?

Who Cares About Pennies When There’s Candy? - Freakonomics - Opinion - New York Times Blog

Who Cares About Pennies When There’s Candy? - Freakonomics - Opinion - New York Times Blog
I think it is time to move!

Not worthy

Check out what Mike got in the mail today. I get invited to test drive Masaratis, and he gets to carry an Ironman credit card. If only the Ironman people could see what sorry shape we are in! If you have not completed an Ironman, can you really use this? That would be another layer of poserdom.

We go to possibly one of the most hard-core Ys I have ever seen. There are a bunch of triathletes that train there, and they are into it all year. I have witnessed something that resembled a transition in the locker in the WINTER (going from Masters to a spin class)! There are a ton of people who are rocking Ironman tattoos. One dude was decked out head to toe with Ironman gear (bike shorts, jersey, helmet, backpack, possibly underwear). There are a lot of oval stickers that have the 140.6 on it parked in the lot. We used to joke about getting 1/2 of the ironman logo tattoed since we have only done half ironman distance! So I am willing to bet somebody has the credit card!

One of the hard core people we talk to is going to do Lake Placid this summer. He was telling us about riding over this winter. I will not ride under 45 degrees. It is just not fun at all. That is what you would need to do though to get ready for a race in the end of June! Otherwise, biking, swimming, and running inside! It is hard enough to train long distances, but indoors? Forget it. That is why we are never in shape until August! We are signed up for our first event on May 18th, so here's to motivation!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you find a great way to celebrate. I also hope that your day is more springlike.

Ambivalent

I am thinking I need to get off my sorry arse and contribute to society in some way (rather than ranting and raving about the state of affairs or lying on the couch). So I will be searching for some ideas how to accomplish that. Any suggestions are welcome.
Horney told me that they are planning a 20th reunion for high school. Holy crap how did that many years fly by? So she told me about some of the people organizing, and I have to say that I really did not know them. Entering high school after going to a different elementary and middle school did not allow for much clique infiltration frankly. So I am mildly curious about the reunion, but I am not sure if I would get anything out of it. I would love to go to a grade school reunion since that group of 30 or so kids is who I remember the most. A swim team reunion would be really great since by high school that is all that I did besides school. Is is just me? Pat said he had fun at his 10th. Maybe it would be more fun than I think. Horney says she is not going, so I do not think I will since I will not have any close friends there.