Up Sky, Daddy!

We’re off on another Big Adventure for Fourth of July fun in Indiana.

The travel checklist please:
- Portable DVD Player
- Elmo & Baby Einstein DVDs
- iPod w/Sesame Street, Dora and TMBG video podcasts
- “Good Night New York City”
- “Harold and the Purple Crayon”
- Mini-Magazines (Wild Animal Baby and Nat Geo’s Little Kids)
- Crayons and Paper
- Car Seat
- Tickets

Poppy loves airports and airplanes mostly becuase she gets to watch the mint TV and gets juice “from the nice lady.” She likes car travel now, too, since our trek to Vermont included the lighter-plug for said DVD player. She may overdose on TV a bit, but praise the mini TV for our own sanity as well. Plus, once we arrive there’s so much to do with Grandparents, Uncles, Aunt and Cousins TV is the last thing on her list.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Holy Smokes!

Walking up Madison Avenue the other day, I stopped in a fancy bodega (oxymoron?) for a banaba and a Gatorade. At checkout, I saw the sign for cigarettes:
*New Price* $10.50! Stop Smoking!
Are you kidding me? My first impression - that has to be Uptown, MadAve pricing. Another day, the bodega built into the Complex, a 4×6 card on each of three shelves, sorted by brand read: $9.50, $8.75 and $8.50.

Wow. I thought gasoline and milk were expensive.

I recall the days we’d get a pack of squares from the firehouse vending machine for .65 cents, and only paid that high a price when we couldn’t pay .55 by convincing the Haag Drug cashier that the pack “is for my mom” (yes, that used to work!). When I moved to New York in 1997, the price trippled in a year, and at $5 a box, I decided to quit (along with a few hundred other reasons.) Since then, I could rationalize a pack for weddings, holiday parties or golf. Now, at TEN BUCKS A PACK even those “luxuries” are eliminated.

P.S. The vending machine at Villa Pasta? in New Fairfield, CT had them for $6.50. That’s a 1000% increase in 30 years. Courtesy of an actual Ducati Monster ride by the lakes.

Hit ‘Em Sideways

I’ve seen a lot of concerts and bands in my now advancing years. Until last night, I don’t think I have ever (as in ever!) seen a drum kit turned sideways facing stage right and toward the keyboard player not the audience. Tortured Soul did it last night during their appearance at The Complex. He (the drummer) also sang for the band. I’ve seen Don Henley, another singing drummer, but they too, are few and far between

Interesting set up. Impressive sound. I wonder if ComplexManagement warns these bands that their most attentive audience will be kids four and under.

Poppy loves to dance.
Don’t they (toddlers) all?

P.S. I’ve been pillaging the Weekend MP3 collections from Muzzle of Bees (again). Really, really great stuff. Give ‘im a visit for some new sounds for summer.

Almost Demoted

I’m about ready to rescind my own “blogger” title.

I’ve been trapped in the full time job of finding a job and the hectic world of having a toddler, a wife and some time off. Too many things to manage and I’m a professional manager. Not that I’m short of topics - we went to Vermont (subtopics include Poppy’s first 6-hour car rides, she attending her first Sporting Event and how much she loves ice cream), the Job hunt (interesting offices, people and places), my existential vs. practical argument over whether I can build websites again and again and again, how hard it is to jump career tracts, annoying trends in getting a car repaired, running and the fading dream of a 1:45 half, golfing a.k.a. “Why do I get worse the more I play?”, and Poppy’s ongoing struggle with The Potty.

I just haven’t had the inspiration nor the dedication to writing and have no response to Why. That can change as I have a list to start from and a place to begin . . . next.

Race Report #7 : Dad’s Day

Forgot my watch. Forgot my phone. Forgot how humidity makes for heavy breathing. Remembered to think of My Dad and Chief while running the WABC Father’s Day Prostate Cancer 5M. They’re both survivors and doing quite well.

During my trot around Central Park and I (finally) convinced myself that the coral system is a really good thing. (Groups of runners are put into color-coded pens based on previous times run in a sanctioned event identified by a color bar on the race number bib). I like it because it generally keeps the slower people from the front of the pack. As the NYRR has tweaked and tuned the process, those 10 minute milers and odd groups of walkers (not speed walkers!) are no longer in front much faster runners. More importantly, I realized this week that being in a group like-timed runners forces me to start and stay at an even pace. Prior, if I wanted to really race, I had to be closer to the front and in the end would be passed by many. Likewise, if I started further back, I’d end up passing people the entire run – good for the ego but bad for overall effort.

This race, I stayed with many of the same runner’s from start to finish, we never tripped over nor had to weave our way through slower traffic and they helped my time. All in all, a good 5 miler for me. I felt comfortable and strong most of the way but did cross the threshold of pain the last mile or so, to be expected on a very humid day. I’ve also been running much shorter and faster loops so my distance is a bit off. Need to change that before July 27th.

WABC Fight/Prostate Cancer
Central Park , NYC
June 15, 2008 8:30 am
70 Deg. 93% Hum. Wind 5 MPH
Bib : 4562
Net Time : 42:07
Pace/Mile : 8:25
Overall Place : 1860 / 5504
Gender Place : 1587 / 3458

Two Under Par

A number of things are going on ’round here, but since it’s U.S. Open week, let’s talk golf. As a member of the USGA, the governing body of the U.S. Open, I have privileges for volunteering and tickets. Next year’s Open is being held at Bethpage State Park on Long Island so I wanted to take full advantage of my opportunities.

Sometime last fall, I was notified by them and completed a volunteer application hoping I could get an insider view of the tournament. Come March, I found out I was to be assigned a role for the week, next June. The advance work is impressive and I should find out sometime in the spring exactly what my role will be.

In the meantime, I entered my name and membership info for the advance-sale, members-only ticket raffle. Jackpot! I was recently notified via mail and on my Amex bill that I “won” and bought two week-long tickets specific to USGA members – I’m still trying to figure out what the perks are other than I have them and you don’t.

Now I’m double booked for a week in June of 2009. As a volunteer – who knows what I’ll be doing or how much golf I’ll actually see – I need no admissions nor tickets. As an interested spectator and golfer, I could forgo one for the other and have a week-long excursion to Long Island. I’ll do the volunteer work and see what happens with the tickets. Hit me up next May if you’re interested and take a peek at the TV on Saturday or Sunday to see what happens this year in La Jolla. Enjoy.

Pray thee, do tell . . .

where have you been? It’s been so long I thought the RSS feed was broken or that weird index page you put up blocked me out of everything in your life. You’ve grown distant and are quickly fading off the blogspherre, as small an iota you once possessed. Tell me.

• Drove from NYC to Indy and back to a) contribute family support as Grandma had major surgery. She’s now at home and doing quite well and b) play some golf, chat with Dad and attend the Indy 500, a family tradition. We missed Grandma there but know she’ll be back next year.
• Been teetering between enjoying time off of working and full-on jobless panic. Internet job hunting is a black hole of nothingness and a massive time-suck. I’ve got to tap the network and get things going there. The one connection I did made resulted in an interview on Friday. If you know of anything, check out the resume page or send it my way.
• Watched that rather amazing three-overtime hockey game the other night. Detroit won’t roll-over even with a rather devastating loss, and we finally got a good game.
• Poppy continues to impress with her amazing energy, happy approach (mostly) and her cute self. We attended New Parents Night at the nursery school and they’re already asking for committee members. The Girl and I decided it’s time for a new web site.
• Accepted into the NYC Half Marathon, again. I’m ramping up the mileage now and since I have some time to dedicate to training, I’m going to break 1:55. I am.
• Writing has been tough as of late, but it’s time to take on the craft again and try to get more things up here, at Fast Machines and Bleacher Report.
• More soon . . .