Tag Archives: Friends

Down from the Summit

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MLB and I arrived home late (10:45 PM or so) last night, after navigating 5 state’s worth of toll roads back from Chicago.

The Red Hat Summit was another outstanding affair; the sessions were well-attended, the food good and plentiful, and I’ll attend again next year. The event is just that don’t miss in my book.

MLB was well-entertained; I had some initial trepidation about how she’d fare during the conference. My concerns were unfounded; the presence of a college bud who’s temporarily between positions helped out; he squired the missus around for one day while I was at the conference; she spent the other day lounging about the pool of the Hilton, and doing some solo sightseeing.

After the conference broke camp on Friday, and we spent the balance of our time at my friend and his wife’s condo. They have lived in Chicago around 20+ years; they love the place, and are excited when out-of-towners arrive; they are also excellent tour guides in their own right.

My only regret was that I missed the tour bus/trolley trip around the Windy City on Saturday; several days of conference attendance combined with unseasonably cool1 Chicago weather and the stindeen-frosting temperature of the session halls to send me into a sneezing, coughing, chilling fit on Saturday. And so it was, that MLB, our host and hostess went on the bus/trolley sightseeing tour, whilst I wrapped up in a quilt and slept. I got up around 1PM and watched NCAA football until they got home. An excellent steak, grilled on their 16th floor balcony, an evening of conversation, in which we solved nearly all the world’s problems, and I was feeling pretty human again.

Then Sunday, the big drive, and home. I’m glad to be back; I guess the back-of-the-mind pressure of not wanting to be on the road on Labor Day compelled us to make the ~700 mile journey yesterday.

And it’s great to be back. Now, we can watch the rest of the world, as they wend their way home, on the teevee tonight. On the 11:00 news. Which I’ll miss, because I’ll be in bed.

-k-

1 Though pleasant.

For the Fourth, a 4 Day Weekend

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Thanks to the nuances of holiday scheduling, tomorrow is the paid holiday for this Independence Day weekend. Thanks to a balance of PTO1, I’m taking off July 6th.

4 for the 4th. Neat! Our usual trip to visit our West Virgina friends begins on Saturday, with the BBQ, beer swilling, fireworks shooting, and Indepencence Cake2. An overnight stay, and back to tbbs WorldHQ.

Then, on the 7th, back to $DAYJOB. I’ll contemplate this event sometime the evening of the 6th.

Happy Fourth! Be safe, y’all.

-k-

1 Paid Time Off

2 The strawberry, blueberry, and Cool Whip concoction, atop a nice cake base; you know what it is

Becoming a Jaded Roué Looks Easy

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I made several posts over the last few days about my freshly rekindled interest in horse racing. Until last week, it had been 15 years since I’d been to a track during the live racing season; the last time, our good friends Dale and Kathy spent a couple of days with us; they were on a Search for America Tour of their own. We all went to Pimlico; MLB cashed about $400.00 worth of tickets that day. As I recall, Dale, Kathy and I enjoyed the great crabcake sandwiches, a few libations, and each other’s company; we also gave thanks for our day jobs, our handicapping being our greatest handicap, falling far short of being remotely capable of supporting us in the lifestyle to which we’d have loved to become accustomed. But, as the old saw goes, a good time was had by all.

Dale and Kathy went back to Augusta; MLB and I settled into the rut of day-to-day life, and time just rolled on. We still liked the ponies, and watching the Triple Crown coverage on teevee scratched the racing itch.

My early interest in computers was partially fueled by my interest in compiling and analyzing racing data1. When we lived in the same small town in Northwest Kansas in the early 80′s, Dale and I were both sure that given the proper tools, proper analysis of the data, and astute money management, we could live relatively unencumbered lives, on our own terms, and still provide for our families.

28 years bring many changes; the TRS-80 of byegone times has given way to computing and storage power unheard of in the 80′s; the internet has brought the Daily Racing Form from dead tree media, into a fully customizable racing tool.

Sadly, Dale passed away about 6 years ago. I think of him often, and wish he were still here to enjoy the techno-marvels of race handicapping. It may still boil down to Bet on the gray horse, but we’d have had a blast.

So, on a lazy, cold Sunday afternoon, I’ve been trolling the internet for racing tips, tricks, and tools. I think I’ll sign up with Daily Racing Form on some type of low-cost plan, follow one track or so, and play on paper, like we used to do, update results, and get some good data.

Then, in a total non-shocker, I found online horse wagering sites. Once the system looks good, I’ll back it with a few bucks at one of these online places, and see how it goes. Even if the system winds up being Bet the gray horse, with every ticket cash, whether on paper or for real, I’ll raise a glass and toast my friend Dale.

-k-

1 This whole subject merits a post of its own; stay tuned.

Off into the Revelry we Go

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For several years now, my little bride and I, along with three other couples, meet on New Year’s Eve, for dinner and dancing. It’s pretty cool, I guess. Big Band kinda music, balloons, noisemakers, and the whole shittaree. BYOB – reminds me of my years in “dry” Kansas.

I like the other couples that we gather with annually. My only problem is, I gotta wear a suit. And tie. And dress shoes.1 And this year, the Kansas Jayhawks’ post-season bowl game is tonight2 Tivo armed. At least tomorrow, I’ll have a game I care about watching.

MLB looks forward to this, and heaven knows she doesn’t ask for much. Gotta go along to get along, I guess.

Happy New Year!

-k-

1 And dark socks. I gotta wear dark socks.

2 The Hawks’ first back-to-back bowl appearance. Ever.

The Brunch Bunch

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One of the hoped for but not expressly articulated events of our trip was being reintroduced to our friends’ eldest son, his lovely wife, and their cute-as-a-bug’s-ear daughter. I had not seen their son since he was in diapers; it was inappropriate to go through my usual my how you’ve grown routine.

On Saturday morning, we were delighted to hear that they were dropping by to join us for brunch. We had a great meal; I forget the name of the place, but you can get red beans and rice with your scrambled eggs if you so choose. And an out of this world good Bloody Mary. I had the bacon omelette with cheese grits and biscuits … Good Eats. After I got totally aced out of picking up the check, eldest son’s lovely wife used her cell phone to snap this photo of the rest of us.

Front row, left to right: me, my little bride, eldest son.
Back row, left to right: Sue (Richard’s wife), my friend Richard, holding their lovely granddaughter. The little one goes by Pippy; her given name is Penelope.

Aren’t they a beautiful bunch?

-k-

The Out-of-Towners

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We took a cruise down the Chicago River and out onto Lake Michigan on our recent visit. Our host had gone below to avail himself of the plumbing facilities and cash bar. So, my little bride and I did the classic touristy thing; we handed our camera to a fellow tourist, who was kind enough to snap this photo of us with the Chicago skyline in the background. The sky looks more threatening than it actually was; the sun was shining brightly when we boarded the boat; the cloud cover and breeze was welcome. As my hair thins, my head needs protection, and my Kevin Harvick racin’ hat was left behind.

Our friends have an obvious affection, if not outright passion, for the city and living in it. MLB and I are small town folk. But being shown around the city by people who actually live and work there was a treat. Our host and his wife have only one minor nit with the Windy City, and that’s that It’s not New York. In addition to the boat ride, we did a lot of walking around the city, and revelled in the architectural magnificence of it all.

I was glad the NASCAR events were held at night; we would have missed out on a lot of Chicago sightseeing otherwise. And there’s much more that we want to see; if we haven’t worn out our welcome with our friends, we will definitely make a return trip.

-k-

Search for America Tour, 2008

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Tomorrow, we head west and a tad north towards Chicago. We’re visiting a college bud of mine, and his little bride.

Whilst there, we’re planning on attending the first night Nextel Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway.

Like every trip, getting the electronics and spare batteries packed is always the biggest challenge. That’s done, and we’re down to skivvies and toiletries.

We are, in other words, ready to roll.

Updates to follow from the road.

-k-

West by God Virginia

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As is becoming our custom, my little bride and I spent the Fourth with our friends in West Virginia. The grilling was done just as the skies opened to a steady rain. So the party moved indoors, and didn’t miss a beat. After the serving of the Independence Cake1, most of the local revellers went home.

That left our host and hostess, her daughter and SO, my little bride and me, to reduce the beer and liquor supply, so as to prevent its spoilage. The rain stopped, we went back out on the deck with our libations and had a great view of fireworks . We also solved the country’s energy problem and mortgage ills, amongst other pressing items.

I only wish someone had taken notes, so the results of our round table could have been preserved for posterity.

Safely back at tbbs WorldHQ, we’re now putting the finishing touches on our plans for the Search For America Tour, 2008, Chicago edition.

-k-

1 One of those slathered in Cool Whip, and adorned with strawberries and blueberries, you know what I mean.

Congratulations, James!

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Via the Evil Genius Chronicles, an update on James Slusher’s run in the WSOP. By the numbers:

  1. James wound up 230th in a field of 2706.
  2. He was knocked out by Bernard Lee, who now leads the tournament event.
  3. Bernard Lee isn’t a newbie at this.
  4. James netted $3,000 for his efforts, not bad for a $1500 buy-in. Definitely more money than I made yesterday.

Congratulations, James!

-k-