Sunday - After Thanksgiving

Greetings.  Another spell of the doldrums on the blog.  My bad.  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doldrums)

Thanksgiving was a hit with the visit from the Minnesota crew.  The weather kept us inside most of the time, but we managed to make it through the days in good shape.  Lots of football.  Plenty to eat.  A little wine.  The kids are in a time when they can occupy themselves without constant attention.  Auntie Soo did a fine job.  Here's the departure shot at 2nd Coffee this AM.  I'm thinking that stairs make a better location for the group-selfie than does the back of the truck.

I elected to update the Home Page pic with a shot of the main floor of Grand Central, one of my favorite views in the city.  This one was taken just a week ago on one of my passes through the station on my way from The Westin to 4C.  I might bring back the vineyard when the warmer weather returns and green seems a little more reflective of current times. 

 

2 and I were at the start-line for the Turkey Trot on Thursday morning, but I rationalized our way to the coffee shop rather than spend 75 minutes in a heavy rain.  It was a good choice.  Hats off to 1 and 1.1 for sucking up the 5-mile challenge.  Maybe next year for me.

My Black Friday shopping was per usual...none.  I did stop in to Lowe's this morning after 2nd Coffee to pick up a snow shovel for Maplecrest and a scraper for the truck.  My neighbors pretty much take care of my snow, as they did when I went to NYC last week, but my old shovel died last Winter and I needed something for that occasional need.  (I may even try to fire up the snow blower this afternoon as a precaution for the next storm.)

I know that retailers say that the brick-and-mortar stores aren't going away, but it sure seems to me like on-line activity is where the future lies.  Chilli's had a crowd for Friday lunch, but there was immediate seating just down the road at Buffalo Wildwings.  Not sure if that means much, but when I was out for work things on Friday morning, the traffic wasn't awful.  That said, the economic reports coming to the wires for Monday seem to be more positive than not.  Maybe the lower gas prices do matter.

Sounds like it was a successful holiday in The Big Apple.  He's a beauty.

When Thanksgiving falls so late in November, the next week is already December and the holiday season is in full swing.  December will be another vapor month with Christmas Eve only three weeks from this coming Thursday.  I think I'll be staying close to home until my scheduled departure back to NYC on the 23rd.  I have WAY too much to do here at work.  Scary.

I just tried to find the opening line on the Iowa-Michigan State game for next Saturday and wasn't able to find anything.  I think Iowa will be getting as many as 10 points due to the pervasive thought that their schedule just wasn't that tough.  I dunno.  Neutral site.  Iowa isn't exactly dangerous, but if Sparty thinks it'll be easy, they'll lose.

ND will get to play in the Blah-Blah Bowl, lamenting all the way how they lost their season by a total of 4 points.  Meh.  When it counted, they couldn't get'r done.  Not a lot of sympathy felt at this end.

We have had enough moisture in the last two weeks to prep the soil for a productive 2016.  After the big snow storm that Friday/Saturday a week ago, we had two or three days of steady rain.  My sump pump was at work at least two nights.  Really not sure if buying futures in the corn or bean pits is the bet right now.

OK.  I'll try to be a little more regular here this week.  It might be Bear and Toad time.

BCOT

Monday

Great weekend in NYC.




























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Thursday

That trip over to Iowa City on Tuesday night was worth the drive.  Airliner pizza is always a hit, but for some reason, the one we got on Tuesday was better than the last couple I have had there.  We each took some leftovers home...and I finished mine off for dinner last night.  (We did a little Freakshow as our pre-dinner libation.  Always a good choice.)

The local weather forecast has some snow in it for the weekend.  I don't think that we are supposed to get a lot of accumulation, but it does signal that Winter is nigh.  We've had enough rain this week to have my sump pump kick on a few times.  So getting that fertilizer down on my yard Sunday was a good thing.  (I already have another light cover of leaves on my front yard.  Thanks again, neighbors!)

Here's a topic for debate:  Is the money aspect of NCAA football and basketball more insidious than the politics of open border immigration?  Who thinks the other side is the most gullible?  They had a basketball double header at the United Center in Chicago this week with Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and Michigan State student athletes.  Apparently, these four schools have agreed to play each other in prior and future years at different sites.  It makes sense from an entertainment perspective, but really, the charade of calling these guys "students" is almost insulting.  Especially the way Calipari and now Krzyzewski have embraced the "One 'n Done" baller.  Whatever.

Then you have the debate on whether the USA should open the door to all of the illegal immigrants already in the country, as well as anyone else that may come knocking.  Let's face it; the Democrats see their humanitarianism as the right step to get results at the ballot box.  The conservatives are racists for raising any question on the propriety of the whole idea, or on the process that might be necessary.  Again, whatever.

That said, I think the current debate on the Syrian refugees is a slippery slope.

Big doin's at Homestead, Florida this weekend.  Jeff Gordan goes for a season championship Sunday in his last NASCAR race.  He is actually just running against three other drivers as they have gone to a system in recent years where the last ten races are set up to eliminate drivers to get to a Final Four for the last race.  I'm not that big of a fan of the new system, but if the 24 comes home a winner on Sunday, I'm gonna be OK with it.  The key will be to keep out of trouble for the first 2/3's of the race and drive hard to the checkers.

I head out to NYC to meet my new grandson on Saturday at oh-dark-hundred.  Can't wait.  Staying at my fav hotel...the Westin at Grand Central.

Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Tuesday

I am back in a continuing education program again today. This one is being conducted at the iWireless Center in Moline...so at least there's not any travel involved. The program is one presented by the University of Illinois...that is actually an outgrowth of what they used to call The Annual Farm Tax School.

There was a time when the U of I would do the program specifically directed for preparers with agricultural clients. Farmers have always had a lot of industry-specific tax issues...deductions, elections and filing requirements. In recent years, they have shed the "Farm" designation in the title, but they still bring in any special updates that are obviously relevant to farmer clients.

Remember the old Michael Jordan and Spike Lee commercials where the tag line was always, "It's the shoes!!"? (The gratuitous punctuation is mine.) Anyway, my pal Pete always used that line whenever I (or anyone else for that matter) complained about muscles strains, ankle issues or other leg problems (from running or other workout experiences). Yesterday, I had made a nominal effort to spiff-up my appearance just a bit due to a meeting with with a group of client employees. That spiff-up included a dress shirt and a newer pair of Rockports from my closet.

Yeah, that choice of shoes was a mistake. I had forgotten that those shoes had been purchased over a year ago to replace a similar pair that had been showing some wear. As is my wont, the intent was to acquire a new pair of the exact same style of shoe (since the shoe had been a success for me). Of course, I immediately learned that the exact pair of Rockports was no longer available. Rather, they had a "new and improved" version. Right. But the new version "fit" my foot so I made the purchase. Well, that was a mistake.

After the first few days of wearing the new shoes, I noticed an extra ache in my back and some soreness in my knees. The new model had a harder sole and my rotation through a normal step was disrupted. I finally suspected the shoes, took a few days wearing the old ones, and those aches went away. "It's the shoes!!" So rather than get rid of them, they went to the closet. Smart move.

Fast forward to yesterday. Nicer shoes for the meeting? Here we go, right here! How do you say, "Slow learner!"? Now the word is, "Salvation Army".

Here's a daily dose of 3.01.


It's a bit interesting that the financial markets have kind of shrugged off the Paris attacks, actually moving higher this week. Part of the explanation for that result might be that there had been some selling last week that had taken the averages off of their recent highs. I had been telling clients before the attacks that the trends were suggesting a soft holiday season, there was likely an interest rate hike next month, and slow growth in China was still a factor. All are true. This geo-political event hasn't caused a ripple. Yet.

There's A LOT of chatter in the USA political class on the Paris event. And I think most of it, at least from the POTHUS and all of the current presidential candidates, is ALL politics. I mute them all. Prime Country on Sirius is my go-to audio choice.

The plan is to head over to Iowa City tonight to participate in half-price pizza night at The Airliner with 3. Always a choice. We'll most certainly be doing a selfie for the Twitterverse.

BCOT

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Monday

I am deficient for failure to recognize 3.01's one-week birthday yesterday!  So Happy Birthday, one day late, Bear!

Its a bit unusual for this time of year that I was out on the golf course yesterday, but it was 65 degrees out there.  My pal Ron really wanted to play, and I had no good reason not to, so we teed 'em up.  No money changed hands...meaning that we both played poorly enough to finish in a tie.  My back survived.

I still had plenty of time when I got back home to finish picking up leaves and mowing my back yard.  As a bonus, I noticed a half-bag of weed 'n feed lawn fertilizer in the garage as I was putting the mower away, and did an application to stop the advance of some broad-leaf weeds that are coming over from the neighbor's yard in the back.

I have almost twenty bags of leaves for the city to pick up later this week.  Most of these are attributable to a couple of big trees in a neighbor's yard two houses to my West.  All the while I'm raking, I'm thinking what a useless endeavor I'm being required to effort simply because of this guy's trees.  There's my time.  There's an out-of-pocket cost.  Really an irritant.  There oughta be a law.

One bright point of the experience was that, after having a bit of an ineffective time of it with the leaves around my front bushes in Act I on Saturday afternoon, I found/discovered/remembered the yard vacuum/blower that I had in my garage.  (Another example of CRS.  I'm sure it has been years since it was last used.)  So I was able to go in and suck all the leaves in the hard-to-get place in both the back and front yesterday.  Its a loud tool, but it is efficient.

It was a year ago this past weekend that we had the clan gathering in LV to remember Aunt Martha.   Lots of water under the bridge since then.  I miss her.

Internet Explorer is evil.  Just sayin'.

For the record, I don't think climate change is on the radar screen of the jihadists.  I don't think that the Left would have any problem naming them as Christian radicals if they came from a murderous segment of the that religion.  And "vetting" hundreds of thousands of immigrants is a pipe dream.  Leading from behind ain't gonna cut it.

Make it a good week in your neighborhood.

BCOT

Saturday

So I am finally getting back here after an unanticipated hiatus.  No real explanation for my failure.  I simply haven't managed my time well the last couple of weeks.

First things first.  Our family has had the joy of welcoming a new member this week!  Hello 3.01!!!  You are Grandson of the Day!!  Congratulations to 3 and 3.1 for this bundle of joy.  It is truly a wonderful time for all of us.

3.01 will remain in the headlines here on the blog over the next several weeks as there will be a steady stream of visitors to The Big Apple to welcome him to the fam.  Grandma is there now, I head there next weekend, and the aunties are also on the schedule.

Anything I write further in this entry is really of insignificance.  3.01 is the only news that matters right now.  But, I will go on anyway as I need to get back on the horse.

There is an item of news that does come around on this date every year.  November 14th is the anniversary of 4000 Days.  This year marks, a bit unbelievably, 10 years(!) since the first entry to this tome.  I'm not sure what that means...other than that as a wannabe writer, I have been persistent, if not always creative.  By the math, I'm in the 90th percentile of reaching the destination.  But it was never about getting to a destination, really.  The fact that I still come here regularly (this recent hiatus accepted), is of note. 

I made it through Friday the 13th without incident...I think.

My week started off in The Windy City.  I had scheduled myself for a two-day continuing professional education (CPE) program at the Illinois CPA society in the West Loop.  (CPA's need 40 hours of CPE each year.)  My original plan was to meet my pal Lee (who lives in Wheaton) for dinner on Sunday evening, but I got a late start and had to reschedule him for Monday night.  I stayed at a hotel in another western suburb, Lombard, and then took the commuter train downtown both mornings.

The decision to stay in Lombard was mostly financial as the downtown hotels usually run in the $150 range per night, plus $30-40 per day for parking.  Then you have the traffic to get outta the city.  So with the dinner with Lee and a familiarity with the trains (from days of old), Lombard worked out just fine (and my total out of pocket costs weren't even half of a downtown scenario, all in).  Lee and I had a good meeting on Monday evening, Lombard train parking was $1.25 per day(!), and the train rides were all on time and not that crowded.  I'll likely follow the same protocol for future CPE sessions.

One C-town sidebar of note...I did wear the black Cowboy hat all of the time.  It was a big hit with counter people, doormen and numerous other strangers whom I encountered.  It has been a learning experience to have such a favorable response to the hat...throughout the globe.  I ask myself why I didn't go for it at an earlier time.

Big doin's in Iowa City today.  They have a wrestling meet scheduled this morning/early-afternoon with Oklahoma State...in Kinnick(!)...and then the undefeated football team takes on Minnesota at 7 PM this evening.  I think they sold 38K tickets for the wrestling meet, which is huge, but the football game may not even be a sellout.  Go figure.

My pal Pete managed to have a minor accident at his home last weekend while cleaning gutters. There was a ladder involved.  The result was/is a boot on his right foot.  Even more data to support my position that tasks that can be hired-done need to be hired-done.  (I then found out late in the week that a client of my proximate age also fell off a ladder at his home...doing similar chores...had to do 9-1-1...broken humerus in his arm...immobilized for weeks.  Yeah, maybe we have Rule # 4: Call a handyman.)

All for now.  I have leaves to rake.   I think I may be qualified to do that.  Looks like it will be a good afternoon to do it.  The wind that has been howling here all week has subsided, mostly.  Mid-November.  Vapor year.

Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Monday

Hello Daylight Savings Time!  We may have some sun in the morning now, but come 5 PM, it be dark outside!  We now have that march to December 21st when the days will finally start lengthening.

As a small sidebar, I think I have all of my clocks switched to the new time except my new, $10 Walmart special.  On that one, I can't figure out which buttons to push to get it to 12-hour timing.  I now have it on the full 24-hour cycle.  And I threw away the instructions from the purchase...and I refuse to go on-line for help.  Maybe after a glass of wine or two I'll try again...or not.

It was a good weekend for the LtPC up in Woodbury.  I continue to use the Iowa City-Waterloo-Rochester route, with even a final leg on decidedly country-pavement up through Cannon Falls and Hastings.  While I tend to test the speed limit on the Interstate portion, I try to keep it within reason on the two-lanes.  With just a single pit-stop, it can be a trip of maybe 5 hours 15minutes.  Even with slower Friday evening traffic in Minnesota.  Not so bad.

The book on this trip was (is!) an odd, murder mystery.  I don't think I have read (listened to) this author previously.  I still have one full disc and part of another to finish.  There's the possibility that I may punt.  After eight discs and 10+ hours of listening, I'm still not sure if it has been a good investment of my time.

The timing of my visit obviously co-insided with Halloween and the Trick or Treating celebration.  Of all of the manufactured holidays(?), Halloween is my least favorite.  From the nonsense of the retailers, to the uncontrolled production of sugar-coated everything, to the too-old-to-be-doing-this teens, I'm just always glad to get to November 1st.  That said, we had a couple of keepers on Harvest Path.  Let's make them Granddaughter and Grandson of the Day!

There haven't been many Saturdays when all three of the football teams that I follow come away with good-feeling victories.  But the Hawks, 'Clones and Irish all made the grade last weekend.  Full disclosure...I had to read about ND and ISU on-line on Sunday morning.  How the heck does Iowa State beat up Texas?

And how does KC win a World Series?  All that money in New York and LA, and the Royals are the guys left standing?  Pretty impressive.  Further proof, money can't buy you happiness.  Find a good GM who can evaluate talent, and leave him alone.  (Listening Jerry Jones?)

Election Day tomorrow.

Yeah, my call on that GOP debate was exactly on point.  Not that I watched it at all.  But I did enjoy reading the trashing of the moderators.  In the aftermath, the candidates are now talking about trying to gain more control of the format, time allotments etc.  I don't agree with that angle.  Get grown-up, legitimate news people (oxymoron?) and roll the cameras.  Unfortunately, we're in a situation where you can't determine who are the inmates and who are the caretakers.  And don't think for a nanosecond that I limit that brush to the GOP easel.

Here's a shot of the kids from their family-pics session on Saturday.

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week.

BCOT