Key West and "Favre says he's leaning toward retirement"

A lovely week in Key West, Florida for a conference and then some vacation is rudely interrupted with an email from my boss forwarding ESPN news, "Favre says he's leaning toward retirement."

Minus one rainy day, the weather in Key West has been wonderful. A couple of restaurant recommendations: Louie's Backyard, Pisces, Nine One Five, The Commodore, Banana Cafe, Camille's and Upper Crust, to name a few. I've also heard that Abbondonza, A&B Lobster and Michael's are very good, though I haven't had personal experience.

The sunsets from Mallory Square or the patio deck at Louie's is incredible.

Brian's smugmug

Brian has posted some of his photos on smugmug.
http://brianshaw.smugmug.com

Tucson

Lest you think it was all study and no fun in Tucson, here are a couple of photos to prove that wrong. We had one afternoon free and I subjected friends to my unmentionable golf game. We had a blast playing best ball and not taking it as seriously to the chagrin of any golf officiando. Dinner at Li'l Abner's Steakhouse was nothing fancy, but a fun experience. We also took a tram into Sabino Canyon in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains.

Snow Bird Returns to...Snow!

After spending a week in Tucson attending the Public Affairs Institute, I returned to...snow and wind gusts up to 60 miles an hour! The week included thought-provoking discussions on:

• Bioethics (Lori Knowles)
• Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy (Lee Hamilton)
• On the Media (Brooke Gladstone)
• Polling – It’s Not Just for Election Night Anymore (John Zogby)
• The Great Shift of Wealth and Power to the East (Clyde Prestowitz)
• Outlook and Prospects for the 2006 Elections (Charlie Cook)

In the middle of the night, the wind caused a lawn chair to break one of the little windows in the living room. This seems inconsequential to the news that my assistant at work and his wife lost their home and all of their possessions in a house fire Saturday night. If you remember, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

UPDATE: If you're interested in sending a note or making a contribution to my assistant, please send it to "Maurice and Andria Dotson" and mail it to our office at:
c/o Exelon Corporation
101 Constitution Ave, NW
Suite 400 East
Washington DC 20001
202-347-7500

Public Affairs Institute

No Bikram Yoga this week. I'm in Tucson spending the week with two other Exelon colleagues attending a course called, the Public Affairs Institute. The program is an educational and career-building program for public affairs professionals. It is designed to expose public affairs professionals to issues and trends that are shaping the business and public policy environments. I'm returning as a Fellow having graduated in the Class of 2005. The desert setting provides for warm days, but cool nights. The back drop is the gorgeous foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The picture is from last year (Class of '05).

Human Pretzel: The Eulogy

Well, who ever said I wasn't a glutton for (more) punishment. I can almost successfully say that I survived my second-ever claustrophobic, overly-packed, really bad smelling sauna work out otherwise known as Bikram Yoga. The class was only about 2/3 of the size of the first time that I went, definitely more manageable. I was able to complete all but one set of the 26 postures and didn't succumb to any major fainting episodes. Now, don't get me wrong; you still feel like you're going to die a very unpleasant death with your closest 20-40 sweaty, smelly friends that you've known for less than 90 minutes. AND, I can't really decide if it's good to know the routine so well that you know how many postures are left or if ignorance really is bliss. Ah, the ever famous question, will I go back for human pretzel torture #3? Always a valid question. Stay tuned...

Human Pretzel

Over Christmas, my sister introduced me to the human pretzel exercise otherwise known as Bikram Yoga. I have learned many things from my sister although forms of torture have not been among them in the past. Bikram Yoga consists of 26 postures (including two breathing exercises) twice each within the span of 90 minutes, conducted in a room heated to approximately 105 degrees. In reality, it's like a work out in a claustrophobic, overly-packed, really bad smelling sauna. As I found out Monday morning, this type of Yoga is not for the faint of heart, unless you really faint! Okay, I didn't faint, but had to sit down through a couple of postures. Although, my sister will be really proud that I didn't get stuck in any of the postures. Lest you think I jest, check out some of the Bikram Yoga postures. Well, with that ringing endorsement, I'm sure you're just chomping at the bit to find the nearest class. Never fear, just click here and go to "class finder."

Congratulations to the Badgers!

Photo by Joe Koshollek
(Milwaukee Journal Sentinal)
Congratulations to Dad D's alma mater! The 21st ranked Wisconsin Badgers beat 7th ranked Auburn in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, FL. In Barry Alvarez's final game as head coach, the Badgers made it look relatively easy with a 24-10 win.

"One More Year! One More Year!"

Photo by Jeffrey Phelps

(Milwaukee Journal Sentinal)

I'm in the "One More Year! One More Year!" camp. After capping their 4-12 season with a win against the Seahawks, I hope we haven't seen Favre's final game. However, if we have, this is how Packer fans far and wide should remember the future Hall of Famer!

Playoff Bound: Bucs and Redskins

Dad S's Buccaneers won the NFC South Division Title while Brian's Redskins won a wild-card berth with their win over the Eagles. The two teams will play each other on Saturday, January 7, at 4:30 p.m. EST. In an earlier meeting of the two teams, the Bucs edged the Redskins by a score of 36-35.


Of Wisconsin note: Casey Rabach, the Redskin center is a Sturgeon Bay, WI native who played with the Badgers. His cousin Nick Greisen plays linebacker for the New York Giants and other cousin, Chris Griesen, plays for the Dallas Desperados. Casey's great uncle, Stan Kramer, played for the Green Bay Packers.