Lauren and friends skiing at Hyland

It was a school field trip from Eisenhower. A bunch of 5th graders off to Hyland for some skiing with a few parents coming along to help. That is Lauren in the middle with 2 of her pals at the top of one of the local "hills". Actually the view is quite nice. From the top of the lift you can see the office buildings of Bloomington in the foreground with Downtown Minneapolis behind it in the distance.
Although the runs are short by comparison to anything East (Vermont) and West (Vail) it is a great tune up day for kids. For Lauren it was a great way to hang out with friends and still get credit for going to school. For me, I was also able to hang out with her pals and get to know them without being the nosey parent. It is amazing what you can learn on the chairlift if you just keep your mouth shut.

I think the day was enough of a teaser for her that a year of skijammers like her brother could be in next years future.

Panama Trip

The trip to the Panama Canal is nearing and I can almost feel the sun already. Oops, I guess it was the stove. Anyway, this is not the exact ship but a sister ship traveling the Canal.

My cabin is towards the bow on the starboard side.

Packing is always a challenge because of the formal and "smart casual" evenings. Try to Google smart casual and see what you get. This from Wikipedia.

Smart casual (as distinct from Business casual) is a dress code which generally consists of a suit or sports jacket and/or a sweater (and other appropriate clothing). A tie is optional. As "smart casual" is not formally defined, the lines between it and the other casual styles (see Dress code (Western)) are often blurred. See the link below, "Cracking the Dress Code", for details. Current interpretations of Smart casual may vary from the more gentrified description above through to conservative, tailored street attire. This may include denim jeans with a collared shirt for men.

Tucson: January

This is Tucson in January. I travelled there this past weekend leaving a Minneapolis storm for an Arizona storm. The attire was mostly wrong and I assume these guys have not seen snow since the Alamo.

Costa Rica: Jim Cameron's place

This picture was taken while visiting my buddy Jim Cameron in Sierpe, Costa Rica. I went in the Fall of 2005 for a week of Diving and touring. The area he lives is perched on a hill with a view up the Sierpe River on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. Majestic is an understatement.

The house is accessible only by boat with no roads nearby. Kind of different concept when considering food and a trip to the local watering hole. Although the boat ride is a vision, it sharpens your planning skills and teaches you to do without.

Girls Softball clinic

Girl's softball is an entirely different animal than traditional guys baseball. The rules differ and the players require a different coaching style. Coach Jim is running the beginning pitcher class and after watching him instruct for a 1/2 hour I was curious about his thoughts on the differences with the boys. He had a very well thought out answer.

1. Boys think they know everything
2. Girls listen better
3. The dads are more receptive to girls fast pitch. The reason is that most of them played baseball and right or wrong have strong opinions about how it should be played. With softball, it is such a different game (pitching in particular) that they are active listeners without the benefit of direct experience.
   

James Bond - Casino Royal

I liked Pierce Brosnan. When the Broccoli family decided to pass on him for the next film and go with a blue eyed blond relative unknown, I am the first to admit disappointment. However, with that said I was surprised how much I liked the new direction they are taking the franchise and how great Daniel Craig was in the role. In some ways it is a coming of age film about Bond and how he developed his detached style.

WISDOM - FROM THE MILITARY MANUAL

"A slipping gear could let your M203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what's left of your unit." - Army's magazine of preventive maintenance.
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"Aim towards the Enemy." - Instruction printed on US Rocket Launcher
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"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend. - U.S. Marine Corps
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"Cluster bombing from B-52s are very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed to always hit the ground." - USAF Ammo Troop
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"If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal
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"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed." - U.S. Air Force Manual
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"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons." - General Macarthur
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"Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo." - Infantry Journal
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"You, you, and you .. Panic. The rest of you, come with me." - U.S. Marine Corp Gunnery Sgt.
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"Tracers work both ways." - U.S. Army Ordnance
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"Five second fuses only last three seconds." - Infantry Journal
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"Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last, and don't ever volunteer to do anything." - U.S. Navy Swabbie
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"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid." - David Hackworth
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"If your attack is going too well, you're walking into an ambush." - Infantry Journal
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"No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection." - Joe Gay
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"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once."
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"Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do." - Unknown Marine Recruit
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"Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you." - Your Buddies
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"If you see a bomb technician running, follow him." - USAF Ammo Troop
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"Though I Fly Through the Valley of Death, I Shall Fear No Evil. For I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing." - At the entrance to the old SR-71 operating base Kadena, Japan
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"You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3." - Paul F. Crickmore (test pilot)
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"The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire."
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"Blue water Navy truism: There are more planes in the ocean than submarines in the sky." - From an old carrier sailor
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"If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe."
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"When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash."
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"Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying club."
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"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots? If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; If ATC screws up, .... The pilot dies."
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"Never trade luck for skill."
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The three most common expressions (or famous last words) in aviation are: "Why is it doing that?", "Where are we?" And "Oh S...!"
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"Progress in airline flying: now a flight attendant can get a pilot pregnant."
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"Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight."
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"A smooth landing is mostly luck; two in a row is all luck; three in a row is prevarication."
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"I remember when sex was safe and flying was dangerous."
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"Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there!"
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"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it."
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"The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you." - Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)
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"There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime." - Sign over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970
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"If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to."
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"You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal."
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As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives, the rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks "What happened?".

The pilot's reply: "I don't know, I just got here myself!" - Attributed to Ray Crandell (Lockheed test pilot)
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White Christmas

Watched White Christmas with the family the other night. My holiday movie is Scrooge which we watched with Pop while he was visiting. Bing and Danny Kaye were both very good, and the movie was a pleasant surprise. There is another movie out there called Holiday Inn.

I was unaware of the WW2 references and what the general premise was about. The banter was good as was the dancing. I did not think much of either female lead, not attractive, but maybe they were for the time.

Week in review: Year End

New Years Eve: Wild game with the Crocketts against the Anaheim Ducks. Great game although 5:00 is a bit early for the LaBattes Blue games to begin. We ran into Nevin and Jill. Both look great and were in good spirits. They clearly get to a lot of games and have seats in about 106, a great section. Karin Mac was there with a friend also and was on the hunt for the DeGuilio family who were also in attendance. With the snowstorm that came through the Western Suburbs, we took 62 to the game and parked at the Science Museum lot. I hate ramps but this one worked out just fine and we avoided the Viking traffic that would have been there had we taken the 394 route.

The kids joined club penguin as members on a month to month basis. Seems like a fun game but keeping the commitment short makes the most sense.

Snowstorm last night left the yard looking magical. I will get outside, to capture and post.

Dick Clark looks like a Zombie. We watched him on the ABC special for New Years Eve and he does not seem the rocker he once was, but at 100 years old, who can blame him.

In the middle of Season 2 of 24. Great show. Season 6 will start on January 14th and I know I will not make up the middle seasons in time. I will have to use the web as my resourse.

King Kong

Quotes:

1. Defeat is always momentary


2. Prelude to the moment

Rocky Balboa

Good movie, a few thoughts,

This is a bookend movie as one reviewer would put it. Thematically similar to the first movie with the go the distance story line. He knocks the champ down once, goes all 10 rounds and leaves with the respect of himself and his son.

The new love interest "Marie" is very believable with good chemistry with Stallone. Simple like Adrienne but with some depth.

Take away lines:

• What's in your basement (Fire in the Belly)
• Fighters fight
• It is how hard of a punch you can take and still keep moving forward

Pauly when asked at the restaurant if he had a reservation said he "wasn't no Indian."

Cardinals Stadium

What they do right:

• Sight lines
• Interior design
• Hole in the roof
• Open concourse
  

What they do wrong:

• Men's Bathrooms
• Food is not interesting and nothing is healthy
• Parking and shuttle rides
  

Happy Holidays

For My Democrat Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting these greetings, you are accepting the aforementioned terms as stated. This greeting is not subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself/himself/others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wish.

For My Republican Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Reagan Quotes

Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose."

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant: It's just that they know so much that isn't so.

Of the four wars in my lifetime none came about because the U.S. was too strong.

I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandment's would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.

The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.

Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.

The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program"

I've laid down the law, though, to everyone from now on about anything that happens: no matter what time it is, wake me, even if it's in the middle of a Cabinet meeting.

It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.

No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.

If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

The Vikings continue to disappoint

What started as a promising first half start has most people turning the channel and finding other past times at Sunday noon. Even though Miami tried everything in their power to self destruct with Harrington the Vikes failed to take advantage of any of the opportunities presented to them.

Not too many games ago, before they entered the cream puff portion of their schedule, it was said that Brad Johnson may not be lighting the offense on fire but he is not hurting them. Well clearly that has changed with key turn overs in the end zone killing 2 weeks of late 4th quarter drives. It is not all Johnson's fault. Williamson is much like the Stone Hands character in Necessary Roughness. He shows just enough brilliance at moments to tease us with what is possible with a great catch and effort, then this first round pick shows us what he is really about: long on speed with no ability to catch a football. Is it time for a look at Jackson? If the season becomes an even bigger horror show, then let's give the younger guys a chance. When the Twins did it this summer, they stepped up to win the Central. Look for Tavarius in 2 weeks.

Dumpster Lessons

A commercial size dumpster is about 20 yards. I have no idea what a yard represents since the last time I heard the term it was a beer reference so I was surprised to see how big one of these suckers really is. I bought this house as a single guy 15 years ago. Since then it has been filled with the worldly possessions of 4 people and an 8 pound cat with very little leaving in the form of landfill. Critical mass of "stuff" was finally reached and we were close to being accused of being hoarders. Something had to give before the snow was to fly and it was in the form of a gigantic green dumpster.

What a difference and relief 20 yards makes.

Lauren is a Blogger too!

Staying with family tradition, Lauren now has her own blog site. If you would like to visit her go to http://www.leharlow.blogspot.com/

There are some great updates on her many activities. One of her school projects was the creation of a blog site for out of town family and friends to view. It is a great way to keep people updated without relying on email.

Gardy runner up as manager of the year

After several magazines in April / May were calling Gardy the worst manager in baseball, this voting shows how fast things can change. I am always amazed how quickly perceptions change with a few wins since his coaching style remained relatively consistent. He was chosen as manager of the year as a runner of to Jim Leyland.

Gray, the ebay shopper

I guess they start the Ebay early these days. Gray spyed a gamecube game called Need for Speed / Hot pursuit 2 and placed a 1 cent bid on the item. We won and are now waiting to find out the shipping will be in excess of $50.00! (Just kidding).

The "New Pet" Discussion

Every parent would like to offer their kid the opportunity to experience a pet. Parents are also keenly aware that the new pet usually becomes their responsibility of the parent. This usually happens after the pet poops / pukes all over their favorite pants thus becoming a projectile dying of sudden deceleration against something like a wall.

After a carefully orchestrated PowerPoint presentation, the pet finalist included: Bunny, kitten, bearded dragon, and guinea pig. I was pushing for fish but for some reason it failed the "cuddly" test. (Maybe that is why my fish died?) Since the priorities were a moving target it was interesting watching the pet pitch turn into a self fulfilling prophecy. More on this later after the next visit to the pet shop.