This is just NOT FAIR!

Opening day at Wrigley Field. Carlos Zambrano on the mound for the Cubs and Ben Sheets for the Brewers. Since I worked during the day, we TiVoed the game and, without checking Internet or radio, watched the game starting at about 6:30pm. Chicago style hot dogs, beer and the Cubs -- what could be better.

The game is delayed by rain. Fortunately with the TiVo we can move ahead past all the fluff until the game begins. We go into the 8th inning a scoreless tie. Zambrano leaves as does Sheets. Kerry Wood comes in to keep it close, but gives up three runs in the top of the ninth. At just this time TiVo decides that the game has ended and the recording stops. I panic. Certainly the Cubs cannot surmount a three run deficit in the ninth inning. So I head downstairs to the office to check the score online knowing that the game has long since ended. Well...

The Cubs rally in the ninth with a Kosuke Fukudome Home Run and tie the score... but fail to hold it in the tenth and loose 4-3. This is NOT FAIR!

This is just NOT F

Athletic Endeavors

The Bowman / Dixon kids were active in athletic endeavors this weekend and last, as the following photos show. David ran the ING Georgia Half Marathon on Sunday, finishing the 13.1 miles in 1 hour and 34 minutes. Weather was very cold and very damp, which didn't seem to bother him much but chilled his Mother to the bone. Brrr... The attached photo is of David (in the red shorts) and his good friend Pete just before they crossed the finish line. MacKenzie was on an overnight field trip to Chattanooga this weekend, so her soccer game was moved to Sunday. The attached photo, however, is from last weekend's soccer game.

Final Four

The Final Four... exciting, isn't it? This year, we made history by sending four #1 seeds to the Final Four, which has never happened in the NCAA tournament. We almost made history in an entirely different way, with Davidson (a #10 seed) nearly beating Kansas. The standings for the Sandhills Gazette pool are as follows, listed in declining order based on points.

Participant Score
MacKenzie 98
Justin 96
Barb 87
Denis 87
Mary D 85
Anne 82
David - 1 81
Jerry 79
Alison 76
David - 2 71
Mike 71
Mary P 62
Austin 57
JoAnne 23

Party Time!

What better way could there be to spend an entire Saturday than at a Democratic Party? That is exactly what I did yesterday as an Obama Delegate to the Texas Senate District Democratic Convention for Senate District 61 (a.k.a., the Fighting 61st). With Alison as the Precinct Chair for the 1223 Precinct, I was nominated four weeks ago at the precinct convention, held right after the caucus, to be one of 15 delegates to the Senate District Convention. Given the continued excitement with the primary race, the convention was quite well attended.

Arriving with Alison at the SMU's Moody Coliseum (where their basketball games are played) at just after 9:00am, thousands of delegates and alternates were grouped together by precinct outside the arena. Alison suggested that I was dressed inappropriatly in my jeans and Hawiian shirt. "You're not suggesting that I should wear a suit are you?" "Of course not," she replied, "but something red white and blue with political buttons and blinky things would have been the uniform of a true blue delegate." I looked around and sure enough, buttons stating "You bet your..." "...I'm a Democrat" and "Friends don't let friends vote Republican" were pinned onto red white and blue suspenders all over. One Obama delegation even had printed name tags where all claimed a middle name of "Hussein".

Because of the tremendous turnout, and because of the disorganized nature of the Democrats, it was almost noon before everyone was seated inside and the business of the convention began. It started with rousing speech by an elected official, climaxing with the statement that "...one person is responsible for the tremendous surge in the Democratic party -- that person is George W. Bush." Cheers and applause... then quiet. The speaker continued. "Some of you may have heard of my recent arrest for public lewdness." The crowd is almost silent. "I want to assure you that I was just in the wrong place with the wrong intentions." Now this presents an interesting problem. This is the Democratic party that proclaims to welcome you regardless of race, sex, religion or sexual orientation. But it is also Texas. There was a smattering of applause, and some cat calls occasionally referrencing Larry Craig. But the show must go on and the parade of little known pols came up to give campaign speechs. When one of the pols endorsed either Clinton or Obama the factions supporting that candidate would chant "Hil- la- ry, Hil- la- ry..." or "Yes we can, Yes we can..." It was like being at a sporting event. I decided that it was important to model a chantable slogan of three sylables and told Alison that is why we gave her a three sylable name.

Alison and I left for lunch and she headed home, having fulfilled her obligations. I returned for the actual voting. When I arrived the floor battle had just begun. The credentials committee had reviewed and reported on the numerous complaints filed by the faithful foot soldiers of each candidate. Improper voting, irregular seating of delegates, etc. Imagine an arena filled with perhaps ten thousand people argueing over arcane points of order which hid more significant jockeying for a very slight advantage. The sport had turned to a blood sport. Alison, a veteran of these events told me to expect this. It is OK, she said, for people to shout out while someone is speaking. It is OK for cheerleaders on the floor to coax their delegations into cheering or booing a proposal or a vote. But the bickering ended almost as abruptly as it had started and the precincts submitted their final votes and elected their delegates to the State convention. Despite giving an impassioned speech to be sent to the State convention, I withdrew my nomination in favor of another more sincere Democrat.

All in all I had a blast. I can see how party regulars are created and nurtured. It is easy for candidates to rouse the political base when that is who they are surrounded by. It is harder to govern. I think that this year we have three truly interesting and credible candidates and I am hoping for an interesting and spirited general election.

Doings at Belle Meade

Ralph had a good round of golf on Friday and contributed to his team's winning — each team member receiving $3.00 —WOW!

On Saturday JoAnne and Ralph went to Raleigh to see the stage play The Wedding Singer. It was quite good and there was some amazing dancing. 

Birthday Greetings

Happy 26th birthday to Wesley on Sunday the 30th!

Happy 44th birthday to Carol Taylor on Monday the 31st!

Elite Eight Entry

We're down to eight teams in the NCAA tournament, and after tomorrow, we'll be down to four -- the Final Four! At this point, Justin is still in the lead with 72 points. Perhaps next year we should ask him to complete an application for participation in the Gazette tournament -- much like his dogs have to do to attend daycare... MacKenzie is close behind with 66 points, thanks to Mocha's good picks! Denis and Barb are tied for third with 63 points. As we all know, though, this can easily change -- and the points award for correct picks in the later rounds are much higher, so the balance is likely to tip before this tournament is over!

Doggy Daycare

For almost two years now, Dylan and Izzy have been staying at Amity Woods Animal Lodge while mom and dad are out of town. As far as Anne and Justin can tell, the dogs love going to camp - 3 walks a day, a luxury suite with sheepskin sleeping pad, lots of furry friends to play with, treat time - clearly way more fun than being at home!

One of the best parts of camp is doggy daycare: a supervised play area where the campers can frolick freely outside of their suites. Both dogs (and especially Dylan) are daycare veterans - so Anne was surprised when, upon calling Amity Woods this week to make a reservation, she was told that Dylan and Izzy would need to formally "apply" for admission to daycare.

We can only speculate as to the events that may have prompted the new policy, but one look at the ten-page application (yes, TEN pages...per dog) and it was clear that this was serious business.

"Does your dog eat foreign objects? If yes, please comment."

Foreign objects? What dog hasn't eaten foreign objects?! Do they want all the disgusting details of the last time Dylan dug up a rabbits' nest? Are rabbits even considered foreign objects? Is this a trick question?

And that was just the beginning. Many equally ambiguous questions later (each with a "please explain/please comment" requirement) and Anne started to seriously doubt that Dylan and Izzy would ever see the light of daycare again. But what's done is done: the applications have been submitted and all we can do is wait for the final decision. Anne and Justin are hoping that the 15-minute "interview" portion of the application will help seal the deal. Surely Dylan's sparkling personality will make up for his shortcomings on paper.

Barry

OK, so whatever one might think about Barry Manilow, his music is ingrained in so many aspects of our lives.  Norman and I went to see him in concert last night and I was NOT looking forward to it, but I loved it!  He was a bit before my time, but why did I know every word to every song that he sang?  His music is such a part of our lives, albeit somewhere in the background.  How can anyone not understand "Now when I look out through your eyes, I am young again, even though I'm very old".  Music does take us back to a particular moment in time.  Thanks, Norman, to being man enough to admit to how much you like Barry!  (Shania, too!)

The Voice of Piper Glen

The Pontii are now the proud and poor owners of two houses, having closed on 308 Shade Tree Circle in Woodstock, GA on Monday, March 24th. Painters were hired to repaint the entire house with a more durable satin finish than the original contractors' cheap/flat paint. Window tinting will be done today the 28th. Shutters should be installed the end of April as will the granite for the great room built-ins. Last Tuesday was an eventful day. Appliances were delivered and hooked-up, lighting fixtures were installed, measurements were taken for both the tint material and the shutters, built-ins were installed, the decorator visited, the ADT rep. showed up and Mary and Jerry did a lot of cleaning up.
Showings for the Charlotte house have been roughly once a week, but still no offers.
Stay tuned.

Spring Break in La Jolla!

So I am finally back in the swing of things in Oxford, OH after a relaxing week on the beaches of San Diego! One of my roommates Katie lives in La Jolla and invited me and 4 of the other girls I will be living with next year to stay with her over spring break. The weather was beautiful the entire time and despite a couple of painful sunburns I came back with a nice tan. But really, we did much more than lay on the beach all day (even though it was tempting!) One day we rented kayaks which we took near some coves and uncomfortably close to a herd of seals. Another day we went to the world famous San Diego Zoo. Well, almost all of us (Katie had been to the zoo hundreds of times and decided to go to the mall instead!) We spent around 3 hours there and were happy to rest our feet when we got back! Jamie also came and I was able to meet his brother and stay with them a couple of times.

In the end I really started to get used to the whole california lifestyle and who knows, maybe one day I will return to my roots!

Even though its hard to accept this 40 degree, unpredictable weather that is Ohio, its good to be back!

[on the right is a picture of the girls on the trip. From the left: Maura, Kelly, Katie, Me, and Ashleigh (she was my freshman roommate) I will be living with all of these girls next year plus two more! 1 1/2 bathrooms should be interesting....]

Only In New York!!

http://pictures.aol.com/ap/singleImage.do?pid=cc60torZ7j2Uls1c5cJ0pfu1wZU70xr0Rxvt

March Madness

If we're going to get "mad," let's get mad at teams like Duke and Georgetown, who upset many of our pools! At the end of Round 2, Kansas fan Justin is still in the lead, but MacKenzie (who claims Mocha filled out her bracket while she was on a field trip) is close behind. Be sure to look at the possible points, though, and you'll see that other competitors may make a late in the tournament move to the top. Below our the scores for the entire Gazette readership.

Total
Participant Score

Alison 40
Anne 38
Austin 33
Barb 43
David - 1 41
David - 2 43
Denis 43
Jerry 43
JoAnne 11
Justin 48
MacKenzie 46
Mary D 37
Mary P 38
Mike 39

Chocolate Bunnies

Sweet, and they have a sense of humor, too!

Happy Easter to All!

I am actually at the office finishing up an issue but anticipating a fabulous brunch with Norman, Mom and Dad at Belle Meade this afternoon!  I must say that I do miss the days of coloring and hiding eggs, filling baskets with chocolate bunnies and Peeps, and girls all dressed up in their pretty dresses.  But these pictures have to bring on a smile (as does our gorgeous weather!)

NCAA Pool Round 1

After Round 1, Justin is the leader in the annual Sandhills Gazette NCAA basketball pool. He had 26 correct picks (out of a possible 32), but both Barb and David are not far behind. Watch out, Justin! Attached, in alphabetical order, are the scores so far.

Alison: 20
Anne: 22
Austin: 21
Barb: 25
David – 1: 23
David – 2: 25
Denis: 23
Jerry: 23
JoAnne: 7
Justin: 26
MacKenzie: 24
Mary D: 21
Mary P: 22
Mike: 23

Lots more basketball to come today and tomorrow. We'll post the standings after Sunday's games.

Two Weeks In

Well its been two weeks now on the new job and one week commuting in my classy new TT. I even got a toll tag so that I can fly through the toll booths -- that is cool! I'm finding it much easier to adjust to the new job than I thought possible. I've had a couple of projects and work with a team of two other Architects. The application we are responsible for is a massive workflow management system that has to be configurable for different state laws and policies. This is something I know quite a bit about having to deal with all fifty states and several European countries in my past life. Today (Saturday) it is back to work on the front garage/office space. I am finishing up the new staircase and a built in bookcase.

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

Ralph's Callaway square headed driver is still performing admirably. He played yesterday and didn't hit a bad drive. Now, if he could only get the rest of his clubs to perform as well.

Also yesterday, a new garage door was installed on the Grinter cottage. Apparently the former resident tried to back out with the garage door closed — there has always been a bulge in the door — and it finally gave up the ghost. The beauty of living here is that it didn't cost a cent.

Today Ralph is going to Best Buy to get new telephones. Their 18 year old phones are starting to get a little flaky.

MY BOYS

My boys, the Boston Celtics, are having their best year by far. They are the only NBA team to make the playoffs so far; they have the very best record in the league; they are the very best defensive team in the league; they just snapped Houston's 22 game winning streak in Houston; and they make me very happy indeed.

Happy Birthday, Mary Thompson!

It seems like only yesterday that Mary exploded onto this earth!  It seems like yesterday that this little mess of a tomboy would joyfully tackle the world head on in her untied bball shoes, uncombed hair and MC Hammer cords.  Mary is 23 today.  Yippee!  All grown up (?) in high heels and dresses.  Happy Birthday, Mary Sunshine!

March Madness

Just a reminder to get your picks in by noon today... Also, I'd like to clarify -- for the Sandhills Gazette pool only -- that if you've entered multiple brackets under one name, we'll count them all. They won't be counted in the same way in the Yahoo pool, but we'll count them. For example, I entered a bracket for both Austin and MacKenzie under my name, and they appear as not associated with any group. I may have to track them separately (although I'm not entirely sure about this!), but we'll count all brackets entered. Keep in mind, though, that as in past years, each bracket submitted will cost you $5. Money will be exchanged later, of course...

Grass

Well, I was interested to read Anne's article and their future efforts to reinvigorate their lawn.  Norman and I are doing the same thing.  It doesn't seem to be as easy as going to Lowe's, buying a bag of seed, and sprinkling it all about, however.  First, here in the dry south, one needs irrigation.  Then, what kind of grass?  Fescue? Zoysia? Bermuda? Centipede? And, when to plant?  Naturally, the irrigation is the first step.  We have "uncovered" an antiquated system in the front yard (a story in itself!), but have nothing in the back.  OK, step one.  Now, a $15,000 estimate to lay sod has suddenly made us VERY patient.  We will wait the 1-3 years for our centipede seed to fill in.  But, after much research we have found that we need a couple of months of lyme on the yard before laying the seed (which shouldn't be put down until June).  I guess Step Two.  We are told that by August we should see a few delicate sprouts emerging and by next summer things should be looking pretty good.  I think we need our martini pool to see us through process!

Home Improvement

Watching the developments in the housing market and realizing that our stay in Prairie Village is likely to be longer than originally anticipated, Justin and I have decided to take the plunge and do some much-needed home improvement.

Justin has taken it upon himself to revive the backyard - which, thanks to Izzy and Dylan's attempts to scavenge for food in China, now resembles an interesting combination of a swamp and a minefield. The pictures were really too sad to even post here. Ultimately, this means that Izzy and Dylan must now spend their summer confined to the patio portion of the back yard, thanks to a very attractive mesh fence that Justin will soon be installing around the perimeter of the lawn (much to my dismay). At least he managed to find fencing that was not neon orange. And before any readers feel bad for Izzy and Dylan, remember: their pool and lounge chairs will still be accessible from the patio!

The second project will be a renovation (and hopefully, expansion) of the one and only full bathroom in the house. Those of you who have visited the Richter household probably recall the trippy turquoise art deco tiling that currently covers all the walls and floor of the bathroom - in a large space, this could be pretty neat...but in the 3x5 room it's a bit too much. We're hoping some lighter, more neutral colors will make the tiny space seem bigger.

The interesting part of this whole thing will be figuring out how long we can go without access to our only shower...losing the kitchen sink for a week was bad enough! Gracie, my goal is to have all of this over and done with by the time you move in!!

My Newest Passion

Justin has his 4-Runner, Norman has his Z-4, Karen has her 335xi, but I now have my Audi TT Quattro Roadster! A dark grey beauty with baseball glove leather stitched interior and only 55K miles on the seven year old frame. It has a twin-turbo 225 hp 1.8 litre four cylinder engine. I love it. Now I have a Vespa and a 1988 BMW for sale. Anyone interested?

At the O'Finegold's

I will be spending the week (for the MOST part) working on Brushware (stats today, specifically).  I do have my first WGA match on Wednesday morning, so I hope to get out late tomorrow afternoon for a bit o'warm-up.  We are cooking up a corned beef and some cabbage for dinner tonight, and I am wearing my funky Diane Keaton tinted green glasses in honor of "the day"  Words of advice to Mary - STAY OFF THE STREETS!!!!!

Grace is on Spring Break hopefully enjoying some warm spring weather in San Diego.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy 23rd birthday to Mary Thompson on Thursday, the 20th! GO MARY!

Ah, the luck of the Irish

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, JoAnne and Ralph had lunch at Dugan's Pub in the heart of Pinehurst. JoAnne had corned beef and cabbage and Ralph had fish and chips along with a Guinness Stout. What with the Erin Go Braugh Party tonight, it's going to be a very Irish day.

Tornados, Hoops, And A Medal, Too!

As most of you know, Atlanta had a doozy of a storm on Friday night, and it continued into Saturday. The SEC basketball tournament was going on in the Georgia Dome downtown, which is right next to the CNN Center and Centennial Olympic Park, where many of the Olympic activities took place in 1996. A tornado hit the Dome, Philips Arena (where a Hawks game was also taking place), CNN, and other buildings -- the first recorded tornado in downtown Atlanta ever! Roofs were torn off, windows knocked out, and street lamps uprooted -- a real mess.

The rain and tornados continued on Saturday, but fortunately we were in a band of non-tornados. There were storm lines both north and south of where we live -- in fact, they called it a "train line," because on radar it literally looks like a series of storms all lined up. Austin and MacKenzie were both schedule to have soccer games, and these were cancelled. We dropped Austin at the middle school to attend a track meet, but he called an hour later, and that had also been cancelled.

Denis and I went in search of bathroom ideas, with plans to gut and renovate the master bath, which as noted in past blogs, drips into the kitchen from time to time. Great success in the search, so perhaps the tornado and related cancellations had some benefit for us... We then spent time flipping back and forth between basketball and the weather reports, relieved that it wasn't taking place on our street.

While the rest of us were watching the weather reports on Menlo Way Saturday, David was running a track meet. He promised me that he'd call to let me know what time he was running, and I kept checking my phone for text messages. When he came home around 6 pm, he was wearing a 2nd place medal over his left ear (as only David can do!). He came in 2nd in the 2 mile race -- congrats!

Newspaper Boy

David is soon to be a local paperboy! By that I mean that he's been asked to be on the staff of the Lakeside Legend, the high school newspaper, starting next school year. Congrats, David, on this accomplishment!

St. Patrick's Day Parade on Greenville

DSC_0380
Originally uploaded by mikekrankota

Alison and I went to the annual St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday, accompanied by Wes, Jenny, and our friends Kelly, Preston and Reed. I'm sure Wes or Alison will write a more lengthy article about the adventure, so I'll concentrate on what I do well. Here's the link to the photoset: http://flickr.com/photos/mkrank/sets/72157604134299362/

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

Ralph had another great round of golf with his new driver Friday. He's thinking seriously of getting some fairway woods of the same design.

Saturday night the Grinters and Finegolds dined at the Ironwood Cafe. The first time for an evening meal for Grinters since under new ownership. It was delicious.

Tomorrow JoAnne and Ralph join the Miakes at the Club's Erin Go Brough Party. I suspect corn beef and cabbage will be on the menu.

Mrs. (Vice) President

No, this is not an article about Hilary, Norman. Instead, I'd like to congratulate Anne on her recent promotion to Vice President of Marketing Communication at First Horizon. Nice work honey!

When Mom's Away, The Cat Will Play...

By Peekay

Mom was gone for a couple days this week. She ususally leaves our house in the morning and comes back when it gets dark, but this week she didn't come home. I waited by the door for awhile, then I took a nap, then I waited some more, and then I woke up and it was morning and she was still gone! I decided to mull it over over my yummy fresh Iams breakfast, before I realized that no one came home last night to refill my bowl! Mom filled it up alll the way to the top when she left, and I thought she was just being super nice, but now I wish I didn't eat it all. So now I'm hungry, grumpy, and a little bit mad. She doesn't want to come home and feed me? Fine. Yummmmm a hair band! Yummmmmm toilet paper! Well, being home alone got old pretty quickly, and now I feel bad because I just threw up the hair band, and there is toilet paper all over the bathroom and kitchen, and I really am hungry, and where's Mom???? Wait footsteps!! The locks turning YEYYYYYY!! Mom's home!!!!! Next time she tries to leave like this, she's taking me with her!

Gazette

The Voice of Piper Glen

 

Well, we think we are connected, but not sure.  Opening the Gazette with the http didn’t indicate any way to make a posting.  Where is the “web utility’?

At any rate, the inspection and walk through of 308 Shade Tree Circle (next to upscale trailer homes) went well.  In the next two weeks before closing, all rooms will be painted per Mary’s color selections.

I got a new camera for my birthday!

In repose
Originally uploaded by mikekrankota

Alison, in tandem with my parents, funded the purchase of a new Nikon D40, as well as an additional 70-300mm telephoto lens for my birthday gift. As a result, I have already started taking a lot of photos. I figure I'll post one or two a day, starting with a shot of our cat Amelia in a rare moment of not stalking or killing smaller creatures, as well as a photo of Rick and Wally the Bagel that just melts your heart.

a boy and his dog
Originally uploaded by mikekrankota

Help!

On April 1st I have to do a 5-8 minute persuasive speech on the topic of my choice for my communications class...any ideas?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE KRANKOTA!!

Today, Mike Krankota turns 29. Post your best wishes and/or advice on how to head off those crows feet in the comments section.

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Joke DuJour

A woman calls her boss one morning and tells him that she is staying home because she is not feeling well. "What's the matter?" he asks. "I have a case of anal glaucoma," she says in a weak voice.

"What the hell is anal glaucoma?"

"I can't see my butt coming into work today."

One Hit Wonder

Just became a no-hit wonder.  Imagine playing golf with your father - the one who barely makes a comment whether the shot is fabulous or stinks.  The one who says "But, I was smiling" in the photos that show the emotion (as Wendy says) of American Gothic!  I clearly remember the one gymnastic meet that he was able to attend - the one meet where I fell on my dismount scraping my back raw against the uneven parallel bars.  UGH!  The pressure.  Tomorrow is opening day of the Women's Golf Association.  My first real tournament.  Today was only a practice round!

Team Grinter Triumphs Again!

Ralph didn't even need his partner to once again defeat team Finegold in today's golf match. He will not report team Finegold's score at the risk of causing undue embarrassment. 

[insert horrible Wizard of Oz pun]

Dr. Doolittle
Originally uploaded by mikekrankota

Alison and I spent the weekend in the breadbasket of America, the heartland itself, Kansas. We left from Dallas Friday evening, staying the night in Parry, OK due to an unforeseen inability to get a hotel room in Stillwater over by OSU. Evidently, college wrestling tournaments are big out-of-town draws. Gentle reader, if you are ever tempted by fatigue to just say, "whatever. Let's just stay here in Perry, Oklahoma," I urge you to reconsider. The motel was dodgy at best.

On Saturday, we bravely forged on to Wichita, KS to watch our friend Ben get married, and for Alison to attempt to woo groomsman Curtis Barton away from his job as an appellate lawyer in Huntsville, TX. Report: moderate success, and given her tenacity, I fully expect Grinter Goode, d/b/a The Law Office of Alison Grinter, to become Grinter Barton in the reasonably near future.

After the wedding, we piled back into the car and struck out for Kansas City, to visit Anne and Justin in their natural habitat. We were warmly greeted by Anne, Justin, and 2 exuberant Labradors (see photo).

Anne and Justin's house, for those who have not seen it, is absolutely lovely. They cooked a fantastic dinner, and we spent the evening eating and chatting. The next morning, we had a great breakfast out, and then grudgingly returned to the road, finally arriving back in Dallas Sunday evening.

Trip analysis:
1) Perry, Oklahoma is no good.
2) Wichita, city of many nicknames*, is not as entertaining as said nicknames would indicate.
3) Anne and Justin are fantastic hosts, and we really enjoyed the rare opportunity to hang out with them.
4) Aforementioned exuberant labs Dylan and Izzy leaping up on the bed to say good morning is simultaneously a wonderful and terrifying way to wake up.

*Wichita's nicknames, provided by Harlan Bascombe, proud father of the groom in earlier-referenced wedding: Little Chicago; The Emerald City; Jewel of the Heartland; Aviation Capital of the World; Home of Coleman Lanterns. There are at least 2 more that I can't think of right now, I'm quite sure.

Test Drive

Today (Tuesday) Ralph and his new driver are playing with 

Karen and Norman at National. Watch for the report to follow.

Goodbye (by Justin)

For more than 10 years we spent nearly every day together. She was there for me in good times and in bad - sun, rain and snow. True, she's older now than when we first met - but she's aged well and I always thought she looked great anyway. I tried to take care of her the best I could, but somehow it was never enough...she always demanded more of my money, more of my time...it was always something.

I couldn't help but notice the younger, prettier and less complicated figures that crossed my path. Surely they would never ask so much of me...and wouldn't it be nice to once again have people look at me with envy when I drove around town, instead of thinking, "He could probably do better."

Izzy and Dylan loved her and I knew they would be sad to see her go. But the constant nagging noises and blinking engine light were the last straw: me and the Explorer were over.

On Monday, I took her for one last ride to the Toyota dealership and left with a shiny 2005 4Runner. It was a sad albeit smooth ride home.

Sex and the City trailer

Ok I know I'm really into the links... But for anyone who is a Sex and the City fan, this should get you excited!!!! I know I can count on Anne and Gracie at least to check this out!!!

http://www.sexandthecitymovie.com/

My Today Show hit!!

Here is the clip featuring my client, Miss Jessies... 9 million people saw it!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23519539#23519539

Mary Thompson

What century is it again?

I just signed in and have a couple of comments:

• The type is big enough for me to read.
• I love the white space

It's a great idea!

#1 - 2008 requirement of 26 posts

One Shot Wonder

Norman and I played in a couples tournament yesterday.  No win, but boy did I drive that ball!  The format was Captains Choice and without fail, I was out-driving the men by a LOT. (Dad, I think you should have gotten the ladies' version of the FT).  I have a feeling that we will be in demand in future pairings - two high handicappers with a woman who can drive the ball 225 from the red tees!  I guess eventually I will have to learn how to hit the other clubs in my bag.

BEHIND CONFEDERATE LINES

After a good bit of frustration, trying to get into the blog on different days, from different computers, standing on my head, and on one occasion encouraging Mocha to bark at the screen, I responded to Uncle Ralph's email about the success of everyone but Mom and Dad. Rick, thankfully, came to my rescue and pointed out the misspelling. Amazing how those extra letters make such a difference!

We've had crazy weather here in Georgia -- warm and sunny changes quickly to very cold and snowy. As a result of this, both MacKenzie's soccer game and David's track meet were cancelled on Saturday. I, for one, was happy for the cancellation, as we still had three other activities scheduled for the day.

The Auburn University concert choir performed all of the music at church today. While I'm not an Auburn fan, the music was spectacular! They sang all of their songs acapella, including Battle Hymn of the Republic, which brought tears to the eyes of some in the congregation. The choir tour committee treated them to a great lunch afterward, and they headed back to Alabama.

Austin's choir has a big performance this evening -- a musical about Daniel. His middle school band will compete in a band festival later this week, which should give them an idea of how their band compares to others in the state. David's high school band competed last week and did quite well, but both boys have elected to drop band for next year.

Water continues to drip periodically into the kitchen from the master bath... we've now received an estimate to gut the bathroom, fix the problem, and bring the bathroom into the present. I hate to spend money. But -- if it gets worse, the thought of my toothbrush falling onto the stove from upstairs isn't so great either... Stay tuned...

A New Day

Well tomorrow I start again with the daily grind. My new job is with a company called National Default which handles mortgage forclosures in Texas, California and Nevada. I begin as a Software Architect. Of course I now have a commute which is a bit longer than before, so I have posted both my Vespa and my BMW for sale on Craig's list. I am hoping to get the previously pictured Audi TT for my daily commute.

If anyone is interested in a classic BMW or a nearly new Vespa -- better hurry!

Oklahoma Outpost

Oklahoma Outpost

Oklahoma Outpost

Cousin Judy ended up getting snowed in in St. Louis so her trip was postponed until April. Good news: house sparkly. Bad news: it won't last one month! Joe is in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, this week working. This is his first job in 2008. Last year he worked most of the month of February, too. Am going to try to send a picture of Seth on a camping trip with Tom. If I succeed, you can see why they love British Columbia!

Book recomendation

JoAnne has just finished a book by Richard North Patterson, Conviction.  It is a very well written and compelling story which is both troubling and thought provoking.  JoAnne spent most of the night reliving the story and still can't get it out of her mind.  You may not enjoy  it but you surely should read it and consider the subject it presents. 

Woodstock Wild Times

This and That

Well it was almost too easy for this writer to post. With intrepidation this writer created an account and what do you know but the next thing she is looking at the Blog! Very cool! This actually happend last week, but just took until now (and peer pressure:)) to re-enter and post!

Jackson lost another tooth last week. One of his top middle teeth fell out while the other one is waiting to come out any day. The tooth fairy is going broke at this rate.

Jackson has another practice baseball game on Saturday. This season he is on the Dodgers and he is one of the older more seasoned players. During their first practice game he batted 3 for 3 and in an another amazing play tagged a player out while almost sending him through the fence. He didn't mean to; he just forgot his own strength!

Carol starts tennis practice for the spring season this next week. She is looking forward to playing again with this great group of ladies

A visit from Dallas

The Taylors were the recepients of a wonderful visit from Uncle Rick last week when he passed through on his way to Southern Pines. They had a ball and the kids were excited beyond belief. Just as the Dallas editor himself----more fun could not have been had! The kids are anxiously awaiting another visit from their Uncle Rick but will take good care of his Packers pen in the meantime.

There's No Stopping Him Now

During the Grinter/Finegold golf match, Karen was using a new driver. On the 18th tee, Ralph borrowed it for his tee shot. FANTASTIC! He promptly went home and ordered one just like it, but a man's. Today when JoAnne and Ralph returned from lunch there was a long thin box on their porch. Ralph now has a Callaway FT-1 square head (the newest thing) Fujikura Speeder 586 driver with 11° loft and graphite shaft. He will be unbeatable. 

Summer in Kansas

A few days ago I had a phone interview for an internship at the Nelson-Atkins museum in Kansas City. Fortunately, it went really really well and it looks like I'll be spending the summer with Anne and Justin! The internship is in the Group Services program of the museum and pertains to my business major. On top of that I plan on getting a job at a cute store on the plaza! The job and internship will take place while Anne and Justin are at work so it works out really well! We may even be able to meet up for lunch from time to time. Anne has informed me that I will be recruited by Justin to play on some co-ed sports teams so hopefully I won't let him down (its been a while since I have played a sport!) I had a long conversation with Anne about it yesterday and I am so excited!! It should be a really good experience and also creates a really nice oppurtunity to spend time with my sister and brother!

The Today Show

Anyone by any chance catch the travel segment this morning on the NBC Today Show? If so, you saw my client featured, a hair product called Curly Pudding by Miss Jessie's! I will post the link if it goes onto ivillage.com

I was stuck on the train this morning for about an hour, so I missed it (it was during the 9am segment) so any feedback would be great! Thank goodness for DVR though, I'll be able to check it out tonight at home.

A BLAST from the Past

My one-time roommate and teacher of the fine art of sarcasm, nose thumbing, and how to be irreverent on an otherwise conservative tow-the-line Indiana college campus, MARY KAY McTAGUE!!! (now McDaniel) has come for a visit and hopefully a lifetime (ugh what a line).  Seriously, she and Her husband, Bill, live in Indianapolis but are considering a move to NC.  We played golf yesterday and today are looking at houses.  Norman is on his best behavior, but the two of them have a similar sense of the absurd (ie she actually thinks his jokes are funny!) Oh my gosh, we would have so much fun.

Crossword and Celebrity

This weekend was the 31st annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament by the New York Times. Along with Dad and Anne, equipped with a box of number 2 pencils, a sharpener and a camera, we met with all the other Xword enthusiasts at the Brooklyn Mariott. This being my second year, I was anxious to improve my standings from last year. By the second day of the tournament, I was 680th out of 700. So a definite improvement for sure, but I never expected the paparrazi to be so impressed. With barely a second to warm up with some quick puzzles on Sunday before the grand finale puzzle, I was accosted by top network, Teen TV. They looked hopeful as they asked if I was a teenager, or at least in college. A year out of college was good enough, and they interviewed me about my views on crossword puzzles and how they could help in finding a job, getting into college, etc. I answered the best I could, trying to hide my name on my name tag. If they had any sort of journalistic background, you would think they would have checked the standings which were posted just outside the door. I don't know if they would have wanted to interview me then. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I was one of the few people under the age of 40. Oh well. I googled teen TV and couldn't find it. All the posts were about stupid Tyler.

I Need This Car

Here I sit on a cold rainy Thursday with only four days remaining before I start work in Addison. Addison is a drive of about 10 miles on the highway and I will be unable to ride my Vespa. My alternative, the classic 1988 BMW Convertible has some problems for a daily commuter car:

1) It has 190,000 miles on it
2) The AC has long since ceased to function
3) The convertible top leaks in the rain.

Yesterday I took a look at the following:

A 2001 Audi TT Quatro Convertible with only 55K miles. It has a six speed manual and twin turbo four cylinder engine. I think Wendy needs to approve of this purchase don't you agree?

An Amazing Week or Does Starbucks spike their coffee with Viagra? (by Rick)

It has been quite a week. On Tuesday last I decided that it was time to get away from town and head to Southern Pines. I would stop in Atlanta and see if I could, once and for all, settle the issue of working for G4S (the English company that I had been associated with before). I figured that I would leave on Wednesday or Thursday and try to set up an appointment with G4S in Atlanta on Thursday, Friday or Monday. As usual I got calls for job interviews right to the end. I accepted two first interviews for Wednesday morning, thinking that I would leave on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. I was to meet the recruiter at Starbucks just before the first interview. I met and I went to the interview. As I left the interview headed to the next I got a call from the recruiter; "How did it go?" she asked. "Pretty well I think. But you can never tell." Well apparently it went very well since they told the recruiter that they wanted me. I headed to the next interview knowing that I now had a job offer.

I headed for Atlanta on Thursday morning bright and early. I had my cell phone fully charged and at about 9:00am the daily recruiter calls began. At about 11:00am I got a call from the recruiter that set me up with the second of Wednesday's interviews. It went well – they want to make me an offer. Now this is highly unlikely. Two interviews in one day, both the first interview, both resulting in an offer. What was in that Starbucks coffee? I headed on to Atlanta dumbfounded, but still without confirmation of any G4S interview for either Friday or Monday.

I arrived at the Taylor household around 7:30pm. Jackson and Emmy were still awake and gave me the full house tour. We then sat down for a "dangerous" rendition of Dr. Seuss' – The Fox In Sox. Jackson and I alternated reading every other page. Carol and Jim took pictures. Following dinner, and after the young'uns went to bed my phone lit up again. This time my friend, and former supervisor from the G4S, Bob Thomas was trying to get me in front of the CTO one last time. He spoke to his boss and personally vouched for me – but nothing resulted. I touched base with him the next morning before leaving Atlanta and apparently both CTO and Bob's boss had boarded a plane to Ireland. Oh well I said, I'm tired of waiting. I accepted the better job in Dallas and headed for Southern Pines.

I arrived just in time for happy hour and moments before Karen and Norman. We had a relaxing evening and weekend, aptly reported on by other contributors. On Monday I headed back to Dallas. Having removed my resume from Monster.com, my cell phone was relatively quiet. I begin my new job as a Software Architect on Monday. I will need to consider getting a new car since my 1988 BMW convertible does not have working AC and the top leaks a bit in the rain – the new job is also too far to ride the Vespa. I will keep you posted.

The Ultimate Driving Machine

Well, despite a quick trip to the emergency room for a bread knife related mishap at work (5 stitches to the hand, no big deal [pics available on request]), I will cautiously say that my luck (at least in the car department) is turning around.

After about a month of scouring the Internet for a machine that met my requirements, I stumbled upon Oxford (named for his paint color). It's a 2002 BMW 325i manual transmission with a mere 57k miles. I have only had it for about two hours but I can already say it is the sweetest car I have ever driven.

As a side note, you may notice Jenny's car in the background. While it may be the same year make and model, I can assure you mine is the most awesome.

Awesome day to be a Texan

PRIMARY DAY!

Alison and Wendy are at our precinct's polling place all day working the election. I will be headed out there at 4:00 to be a clerk. Caucusing begins at 7:00, after the primary voting ends.

It's bizarre and deeply satisfying to finally be a state that matters, results-wise. It's the kind of awesome feeling that makes you wish you lived in Iowa, except for the living in Iowa part.

Funny-- Because it's kinda true (Mary Thompson)

By Mary Thompson

I especially liked the Billy Joel and Bottled water part!!

 

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

 

PS I can’t get onto the site!!

 

Mary Thompson

Bella Public Relations, Inc.

545 8th Avenue suite 5SE New York, NY 10018

(p) 212.868.8183

(f) 212.868.8187

m.thompson@bellapr.com

 

Gone Fishin' (By Justin)

After a long, restless winter, the 2008 fishing season has officially begun. This past weekend, Justin took advantage of the fact that Anne was out of town cross-wording and spent some much-needed time at the lake. Despite a frigid winter that left most of the lake frozen on opening day, the weekend turned warm just in time for a thaw - and the trout were hungry.

One of the fruits of Justin's labor is pictured to the right: the highlight of the weekend was this especially fat and colorful rainbow trout weighing in at around 4 lbs. Said trout was promptly fileted and enjoyed by Anne and Justin on Monday night. Recipe available upon request!

Norman

Finally, I hope. Hope that this will get posted as my expertise in computer literacy is far from strong. Anyway, here goes. Karen and I hosted dinner last night for Ralph, JoAnne and Rick. Five steaks, each cooked to varying degrees. It was a success and I am mighty proud of it. Today it was back to work after spending all of last week in New York. Seems like I have been away forever. Tomorrow is a big day in the life of us Democrats, with 4 primaries and hopefully a conclusion to this extraordinary race between Barack and Hillary. It is time that we concentrate on the enemy and not each other.

Crossword Tournament, By Anne

This past weekend, Anne traveled to New York for the annual NY Times Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Anne, Bill and Mary joined a record-breaking 710 puzzle enthusiasts who flocked to the Brooklyn Marriot to compete for bragging rights within the crossword community. Suffice it to say, neither Anne nor Mary has anything to brag about today, but it was a memorable experience nonetheless. For Gazette readers who enjoy crossword puzzles, imagine being presented with one of the hardest puzzles you’ve ever seen. Imagine obscure clues along the lines of “links locale” (4-letter answer? “Deli”) Then imagine picking up your pencil, taking a deep breath, preparing to slog through the first corner, and hearing 50 other people standing up and leaving the room because they’re already done. It felt like taking the SATs blindfolded with a room full of rocket scientists.

Crossword fun aside, Anne also enjoyed some down-time with Mary and Bill, including a delicious dinner at Nobu – New York’s most famous sushi restaurant. She returned on Sunday to some of the finest in Kansas City weather: 70-degree temperatures at 5:00 with overnight snow showers. Justin kept very busy while she was gone, spending the weekend on the lake and providing 5 very nice trout for dinner Monday night. We’ll see if Anne’s fish-cooking skills can compete with the chefs at Nobu!

Oklahoma Outpost

I am so excited. It seems I have actually "gotten in"! Have been CLEANING all week in anticipation of Cousin Judy's arrival tomorrow. Let's just say -- she is even WORSE than Mary Pontius! Need I say more? :)

BEHIND CONFEDERATE LINES

We are recovering from a very busy weekend!

It all started early on Friday morning, when MacKenzie had to be at school before 6:45 am to go on a field trip... Her class went to Columbus, GA where there's an exhibit about the Challenger space shuttle. They returned on Friday evening.

Saturday morning Austin had to be at school at 7 am to leave for a track meet, which started at 9 am. Barb and Denis watched him run a great 1 mile race for Henderson M.S. and he should be very proud. Austin went from the track meet to a local theater, where he helped his confirmation partner from church on set lighting for a community theater production of Sweet Charity. He returned home around 6 pm -- but his weekend wasn't over. He played in a soccer game on Sunday, a game which his team won by a score of 3-1.

David also had a track meet on Saturday, but his events were scheduled for afternoon. He and Barb drove to the meet location, expecting the 4x800 and 2 mile events to take place at 3 pm and 5 pm, respectively. Unfortunately, the organizers were running behind, and David's last event didn't start until about 7:15 pm, so it was a very long day!

Fun Week

Norman and I had a great NY visit!  We drove as far as Wilmington Monday night, stayed downtown, had a yummy dinner, drank a lot of wine, and left for the city the next morning.  We caught Jenna's basketball game Tuesday afternoon and the three of us met up with Mary, drank a lot of wine, and had a great dinner.  Wednesday we took the train to Brooklyn to see Mary in her new digs.  She took the day off and she and I visited her office, did some shopping, drank some wine, and had a great lunch.  We then hooked up with Ben and Norman for happy hour, drank some wine and headed for Westchester to spend the evening with friends, where we drank a lot of wine.  (Are we noticing a pattern?)  Thursday, I met up with some friends at Richard Gere's new restaurant in Bedford (he is a Pound Ridge resident).  Now, here is where I am going to lose you.  Not only was there no wine, there was hardly any food.  For $13, I got a soft boiled egg on a large white plate and a glass of tap water. Period.  We immediately went to Sue's house, ate a bunch of popcorn and M&M's, and played Mah Jongh!  Then back to SP where we drank a lot of wine and had a yummy dinner with Mom and Dad.

Golf Challenge

Yesterday (Sunday) team Finegold challenged team Grinter to a golf tournament.  Despite the many lessons and hours of practice put in by the Finegolds and Karen's new "square" driver, team Grinter won handily by three strokes. Team Grinter has been challenged to a rematch the next time all are in town.

Posted on behalf of technically challenged Barb Bowman

Rick in Southern Pines

Rick arrived at Belle Meade around 5:30 on Friday to spend a few days. Karen and Norman showed up a little later, having returned from their New York visit. Cocktails and some political discussions followed, then they went to the Club for dinner.

Today (Saturday) Karen, Norman and Rick are going to play golf and Rick is playing with Karen's toy (BMW). Tomorrow Ralph will join them for another round of golf.