Gold Status

In the Milwaukee airport, we were right behind Garrett Weber-Gale in the security line.

Who is Garrett Weber-Gale, you ask?

He won two Olympic gold medals as part of the U.S. 4 X 100 relay team (the awesome relay race where Michael Phelps, Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak bested the French) and the 4 X 100 medley. And, he's from Milwaukee!
www.gwgswims.com
http://swimming.teamusa.org/athlete/athlete/922
www.garrettwebergale.blogspot.com

To be honest, I didn't recognize him until the TSA agent was inspecting his two gold medals. On the flight, we sat in the row right in front of him. We didn't ask for his autograph, because you never really want to bother someone who must get bothered all the time!

Six Of One, A Half Dozen Of The Other

On Saturday, we went to see the Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. It was interesting photography (slight warning to parents: not all photos rated-G!).

Richard Avedon (1923–2004), America’s pre-eminent portraitist and fashion photographer, photographed the faces of politics throughout his career. As the country enters the next presidential election season, the Corcoran will bring together Avedon’s political portraits for the first time. Juxtaposing images of elite government, media, and labor officials with counter-cultural activists and ordinary citizens caught up in national debates, this exhibition will explore a five-decade taxonomy of politics and power by one of our best-known artists.

And you thought this post was going to focus on Aaron Rodgers' shoulder injury, Green Bay's loss, Brett Favre's record-breaking six touchdown and Jets' win. Alas, I know you're disappointed.

Did I mention Favre had six touchdowns?
http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80b2d31e

What Are We Reading?

Brian is reading:
Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Sanction by Eric Van Lustbader

Ellie is reading:
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

A Thirteen Hour Tour

Friends from Minnesota came to visit! Yes, they're Vikings fans. I know, we still let them stay. Of course, we did provide some appropriate reading material. :-)

It was really great to see them. I've known them my whole life. One of the friends was my 4-year old Sunday School teacher. They arrived late Friday and left Sunday morning, so we only had Saturday to see everything you can see in DC! Here's what we were able to see: the Netherland Carillon, Iwo Jima, Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery, Washington Monument, saw Bob Dole at the World War II Memorial, Korean Memorial, Lincoln Monument, found our friend's cousin's name at the Vietnam Memorial, White House, Old Post Office Pavilion tower, FBI building, Archives, Navy Memorial, my office!, found our friend's father's police partner's name at the Law Enforcement Memorial, Building Museum, St. Matthew's, Mayflower Hotel, Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Union Station and FDR Memorial. All in about 13 hours! It was 93 degrees with 92 percent humidity. It was hot, but we all had fun.

We also finished re-doing our guest rooms. This is how they look. The yellow room needs a few wall decorations and maybe a chair or bench, but it's just about done.

The middle room with the new futon, needs to be painted a new color, curtains/valance, wall decorations. So, it's still a work in progress, but we've come a long way since we started!

What do you think?

I Remember

Photo by Bill O'Leary / Washington Post

I remember that it is was a Tuesday. It seemed like any other Tuesday. But it wasn't. It was a day that would change the world.

I remember the crisp, cloudless, crystal, bright blue sky that morning.

I remember watching the unbelievable scenes on TV with colleagues.

I remember finally reaching my family because the phones weren't working right away.

I remember the eerie three plus hour drive to get home.

I remember the voice of my best friend when I finally reached her.

I remember thinking that we would know people who had lost loved ones.

I remember we had just moved in to our house the weekend before.

I remember watching TV the rest of the day with friends.

I remember the scenes on TV from the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA.

I remember watching the head of Cantor Fitzgerald weep over the loss of so many employees and friends.

I remember seeing on TV the signs posted on lamp posts seeking news on loved ones lost.

I remember every time I visit our headquarters that is right across from where the World Trade Center Towers stood.

I remember the 11 employees I never knew, but were lost that day.

To all the families who were impacted on that day, seven years ago, I remember.

Also see Eleven Tears and In Remembrance

The New Packer Era

Are you ready for some football?

It's true, I'm still smarting from the Favre trade. I am a Packer fan. Nearly my entire football watching life has been with one quarterback. He never missed a start. He played when he was hurt. He played when he was healthy. He just always played. It was never even really a question. You never wondered on a Sunday if he was going play.

But tonight, on Monday, September 8, 2008, the Packers start a new era with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Offense started out with about 2813764912837649128736598213 yards of penalties, but after they got it going, they had a couple of really nice drives. Although they lacked a little consistency throughout 60 minutes of play, all that counts is the 24-19 W at the end!

The offensive line needs to give Rodgers a little more time, but Rodgers also proved he can scramble.

The running game was adequate. Grant had a nice 57 yard TD run.

Receivers had their moments. It was a shame that a 68 yard bomb to Driver was called back because of an ineligible receiver down field.

Special teams was special as Blackmon had a 76 yard punt return for a TD.

Did I mention defense was defending Adrian Peterson, I mean the Vikings? Kampman had a nice sack.

Aaron's Lambeau Leap: B+

#4 Throws #1 (and #2)

Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images

Yep, that's what it looked like. Favre threw the first of two Jet touchdowns. The first was a 56-yard pass to Jerricho Cotchery.

Speaking of which, I'm sure you're all dying to know about my "Cheeseheads" fantasy football team. Here are today's starters:

QB • Donovan McNabb • PHI
RB • Frank Gore • SF
RB • Larry Johnson • KC
WR • Randy Moss • NE
WR • Wes Welker • NE
WR • Jerricho Cotchery • NYJ
TE • Tony Gonzalez • KC
PK • Nick Folk • DAL
Def • New York Giants • NYG

So far, I'm beating Hairy-backed Marys, but he's got two players yet, and I'm done with a 38 fantasy point spread...we'll see if that holds!

Come and Visit!

As I mentioned in the last post, we've been re-doing our guest room, or the "yellow" room as we often call it. We decided on the Porto frame from Crate and Barrel. In addition to the the room being yellow, it has a floral ceiling border that has yellow, blue, green, beige tones. I chose the striped duvet and blue polka dot sheets.

This afternoon, I'm on the way to Targét (la boutique de France) to look for possible bed side tables, lamp and window treatment options.

In the room at the top of the stairs, or the "middle" room, we decided on queen size futon. This is the style, ignore the unattractive futon cover in the picture. We went with a neutral tan color that looks nice with the wood finish.

Curb Alert

You post; they come.

It's the beauty of craigslist.com. It becomes a little addictive. Is it gone yet? Do I have a new email? Is it gone? Do I have a new email? You get the idea.

This weekend, we've been working on our guest rooms. Along with making sure we're doing our part for the U.S. economy, we've been doing a little purge. On Friday, we posted a double mattress/box spring/frame AND a single box spring (not really sure how we have only a single box spring, but that's a different story) for pick up Saturday. It became a game of F5 (website refresh) to see if there was a new message. We were afraid to do a straight out curb alert, first-come-first-served because the afternoon called for isolated thunderstorms. Within five minutes, I had 8-10 new emails. We responded to the first and scheduled a time on Saturday. Unfortunatley, they had misjudged the size of the double for the size of their room, so they only took the single box spring. Hmmmm. A double mattress/box spring/frame sitting in our kitchen was not going to work. Back to the drawing board, aka craigslist.com. Once again, we posted. Response was minutely slower, but sure enough within a half an hour, we had arranged pick up and a new home for our old bed.

Today, it was an old desk. With the weather looking gorgeous, we posted:

Curb Alert - Desk

First come first serve. Pick up at (location). Will take down this post when it's gone.

A few minutes ago, I saw someone loading the desk into their vehicle and drive away. Good bye old desk. We hope you enjoy your new home.

The First Step is to Admit You Have a Problem!

Brian is laughing at me. I am switching between the Redskins vs. Jets game and the Olympics on TV, and have the Packers vs. 49ers game on Sirius radio, NFL.com, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Packers blog.

It only gets worse in September as pre-season hockey starts!

Hi, my name is Ellie, and I'm a sport-aholic.

Yep, That's What it Looks Like

Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Legg Mason Tennis

Playing a little hooky to watch tennis! Not really, they're company tickets because of our sponsorship. It was a beautiful day for tennis: a bit overcast with a rain sprinkle and a light breeze to keep us comfortable.

A Bagel Save

With a few extra minutes on the way to La Guardia today, I stopped at Ess-a-Bagel to pick up bagels. Mmmmmm

I have a bad habit of not putting my seat belt on right away when I'm in the back seat of a car service. So we took off and a few miles down the road, the driver had to jam on the brakes.

Did I worry about my neck and shoulder blade muscles that has been bothering me since I slept on it the wrong way more than a week ago?

No, instead, I reached out my arm instinctively to protect the bagels sitting on the seat in a bag next to me. I hope they're worth it!

This is Just Going to be Weirder-er

Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr., Newsday

Football Fatigue?

Tired of hearing about Favre, Packers and football? The season is just beginning!

"I've always wanted to be a Packer, I think I always will be a Packer"

Favre had a "how did things end up like this" look throughout the press conference. Although he said "excited" six times, he looked about as excited as someone having a root canal.

I think this was the quote of the press conference. It was in response to: What would you tell Packers fans, Favre fans? How can fans move on?
"Well, I can't answer that for them. All I can say is I've always wanted to be a Packer, I think I always will be a Packer. Sixteen years is hard to forget for everyone and I'd like to think those 16 years people will say, 'Best 16 years I've ever watched.' It was a lot of fun for me."

This is Just Going to be Weirder

Photo by Antonelli/News

Was it Fate?

I like to tease Brian by saying, perhaps the Favre trade to the Jets was destiny after all!
http://brianandellie.blogspot.com/2008/01/green-and-white.html

This is Just Going to be Weird

Photo by Moore/AP

Jet Set

End of an era. It's a sad day in Packer land. Both sides ultimately got what they wanted: the Packers wanted to move on and Favre wanted to play football. However, I'm not sure either side can claim "success."

Here's the statement from Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy and Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson:

"Brett has had a long and storied career in Green Bay, and the Packers owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for everything he accomplished on the field and for the impact he made in the state. It is with some sadness that we make this announcement, but also with the desire for certainty that will allow us to move the team and organization forward in the most positive way possible.

"We respect Brett's decision that he could no longer remain here as a Packer. But there were certain things we were not willing to do because they were not in the best interest of the team. We were not going to release him nor trade him to a team within the division. When Brett ultimately decided that he still wanted to play football, but not in Green Bay, we told him that we would work to find the best solution for all parties involved. We wish Brett and his family well.

"We appreciate the tremendous passion shown by our fans. We, like them, always will see Brett Favre as a Green Bay Packer and our respect for him never will change. Moving forward, we are dedicated to delivering a successful 2008 season for all Packers fans."

Welcomed Back with Open Arms

Okay, maybe not exactly. Here's the Packers' statement. Just a few not-so-subtle hints of unhappiness.

Statement By Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy

Sixteen years after Brett Favre came to the Packers, he is returning for a seventeenth season. He has had a great career with our organization and although we built this year around the assumption that Brett meant what he said about retiring, Brett is coming back. We will welcome him back and turn this situation to our advantage.

Frankly, Brett's change of mind put us in a very difficult spot. We now will revise many actions and assumptions about our long-term future, all predicated on Brett's decision last March to retire. As a result of his decision, we invested considerably in a new and different future without Brett and we were obviously moving in that direction. That's why this wasn't easy. Having crossed the Rubicon once when Brett decided to retire, it's very difficult to reorient our plans and cross it again in the opposite direction - but we'll put this to our advantage.

Brett will be in camp tomorrow. Although there has been uncertainty regarding Brett's return, Ted Thompson and Coach McCarthy had previously discussed this and have had a plan in place. Coach McCarthy will talk to the team and the quarterbacks about the plan moving forward, and after he has done that we will share it publicly.

No matter what, I look forward to another successful season for the Packers and our fans. This has been a tough situation, but the Packers will make the most of it.

Pro Football Hall of Fame

I watched the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction this evening. It got me thinking about how players are chosen.

So, in the category of "I'm sure you could care less," here is the Hall of Fame selection process.

Charged with the vital task of continuing to be sure that new enshrinees are the finest the game has produced is the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 44-person Board of Selectors (see list below).

The Board consists of one media representative from each pro football city with two from New York, inasmuch as that city has two teams in the National Football League. A 33rd member is a representative of the Pro Football Writers of America and there are 11 at-large delegates.

With the exception of the PFWA representative who is appointed for a two-year term, all appointments are of the open-end variety and can be terminated only by retirement or resignation, as long as the member continues to attend meetings regularly.

The Board of Selectors meets annually at the time of the Super Bowl to elect new members. There is no set number for any class of enshrinees but, the Board's current ground rules do stipulate that between four and seven new members will be selected each year. The 1973 and 1976 classes of three were the smallest ever named.

Every candidate is carefully scrutinized and must receive at least 80 percent approval of the Board at the annual meeting before he can be elected. A scale of negative votes for elimination that will vary depending on the number of Selectors in attendance is used.

When the Selectors meet in Arizona next February to name the Class of 2008, they will have before them a roster of 17 final candidates, along with detailed biographies on each. To assure that older players will be considered along with the younger breed, the Seniors Committee - made up of nine veteran members of the overall Selection Committee - have named two nominees from the pre-1983 era to be included on the final list.

The other finalists will be the survivors from a preliminary list of candidates that the Board will have screened by mail ballot. That original list will have been in part provided by the fans themselves.

A slight modification to the bylaws in August 2006 resulted in an increase to 17 finalists based on 15 modern-era candidates and two senior nominees being named. In the past, the finalists numbered 15 that included 13 modern-era candidates and the two senior nominees.

Any fan may nominate any qualified person who has been connected with pro football in any capacity simply by writing to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only restriction is that a player and coach must have last played or coached at least five seasons before he can be considered. For example, a candidate for the 2008 class must have concluded his career not later than the 2002 season.

There is no mandatory retirement period for a contributor. Every nomination received will be processed and forwarded to the Board of Selectors.

It is important to emphasize that the Hall of Fame itself has no say whatsoever as to who is or is not elected to membership. The only function of the staff is to process the nominations as they arrive and to coordinate the annual meeting.

From Pro Football Hall of Fame http://www.profootballhof.com/

For His Glory and Our Greater Good

Last week's sermon was really a perfect reminder as I think about family and friends going through some painful circumstances in their life.

The sermon's theme was "God has the freedom to work in our life for His glory and our greater good."

There were two points in last week's sermon that stood out for me.

1. Trusting in circumstances only sets us up for disappointment. It's never about how much faith we can have but what is the object of our faith.
2. Faith by grace: Know that God will bestow faith on us without us ever earning it.

Read more at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church:
www.emmanuelarlington.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=35418&articleId=2584

Brian always phrases it, God doesn't need our permission to work in our life.

We need to remember that these circumstances we find ourselves in are for our greater good. But, "our greater good" as defined by God.

Too Old or Too Good?

Once again, I'm sure that no cares about my opinion on the Favre-Packer stand off. However, over the past couple of days, I'm falling closer in the camp that have been voiced in two recent articles: the Packers can't have it both ways. You can't think he's too old to play for the Packers, but too good to play for another team. Watching Favre for 17 years, I never thought it was about the money for him, it was about playing, and the love of the game. So, I hope he's able to play. However, don't get me wrong, I will be the first to cringe if it's for a team in the NFC North.

The New York Times
As Hall of Famers Reunite, an Insult to a Future One
By William C. Rhoden

Brett Favre deserves better. This is not conduct worthy of a franchise like Green Bay, certainly not on a weekend when players who have given so much to the game are being honored. Given Favre’s tenure and stature, the Packers should have had a what-happens-if-he-changes-his-mind contingency plan that would accommodate his return.
[...]
Favre has insisted all along that this is not about money, but about a mixture of honor and glory and the love of the game.

You can’t fault Favre if he takes the money, but hopefully he will tell Thompson and Murphy to keep their millions. He wants to play football.
Read more

The Washington Post
On Favre, Packers Can't Have It Both Ways
By Michael Wilbon

If you don't want Favre, if you think he's washed up and ready to be bronzed, then why would you care if he winds up with the Vikings or Bears? If you don't want Favre, why would you care who he plays for in the limited time he has left?
Read more

A Maze of Maize

From Yahoo! News:
This recent but undated photo, supplied by Mike Berg, shows a corn maze that Carlene and Duane Schultz are developing on their property in Elva. Wis. The maze, which reads 'thanks' and shows quarteback Brett Favre's upper body holding a football, opens on Sept. 1. Even though Favre's desire to be released from the Green Bay Packers has created a controversy, Carlene Schultz thinks people will still be open to going through the maze.
(AP Photo/Mike Berg)

Divine Power to Demolish Strongholds

Recent news of two friends and a family member who have cancer have made me think of how I respond during times of diversity, especially when it's someone close.

I admit that I am not one to handle such news with a kingdom perspective. I let my earthly, sinful nature take over and allow me to worry, fret and forget that God is in control. I think that is why I so greatly admire Kristin whose husband was diagnosed with liver cancer. Here's one of her daily updates.

We want to ask you all to pray as Ray has his first chemo treatment tonight and over the next two days.

We have had an amazing day. God moved the earth through a few good friends and we were able to have the top GI Cancer doctor at MD Anderson review Ray's case and confer with our doctor here. What we were praying for was agreement or else a clearly superior course. The two doctors agreed that the course our doctor here has outlined is the right course.

Praise the Lord.

This cancer is a fast growing cancer. We did not want to let it grow one second longer and so we are beginning treatment tonight.

The way Ray's body responds to this chemo will determine the success of this treatment.

Here are our prayers: that the chemo would have a dramatic effect on the fast growing cancer cells, that Ray's liver will respond quickly and grow more and more healthy, potentially allowing additional therapies to be added, for Ray's strength and fortitude in fighting this cancer.

Above all this, we continue to pray that God will cure Ray.

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."

Thank you for standing with us in this battle.

All of Kristin's subsequent daily updates conclude with a verse, and "Not afraid and not alone." I am in awe of her courage and her faith.

Retire...Reinstate...Backup...Trade...Release

Well, I'm sure you're wondering why I haven't weighed in on the Favre maelstrom. I'm sure nobody cares what my opinion is anyway, but frankly, I have really mixed feelings about the whole situation. I always said he retired a year or two too early. As always, I'm sure there's a lot more to the story than we'll ever know.

Here's an interesting timeline per Packers general manager Ted Thompson that was posted on the Journal Sentinel Inc.'s Packers Blog. As it mentions, this wasn't verified on the Favre side.

The following is a timeline provided by Packers general manager Ted Thompson of the off-season dealings with quarterback Brett Favre. All of the information comes from Thompson and several sources close to Favre did not return phone messages seeking verification of Thompson's account.

• Jan. 20, 2008 - The Packers lose in overtime to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game. Both Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy speak briefly to Favre before he returns home to Hattiesburg, Miss.
• Jan. 30 - McCarthy and Favre are both at the Super Bowl media center in Phoenix to collect post-season awards and spent about an hour chatting. The two talk again when McCarthy is at the Pro Bowl in Honolulu and later when McCarthy returns home.
• Feb. 22 - Sometime during the scouting combine Thompson calls Favre because he had heard reports that the quarterback was mad he hadn't called him. "I called him and he said, 'Well I don't know where you're getting that from, because that's not true.'" Thompson said he reassured Favre he was wanted back and told him McCarthy would be the one communicating with him most often.
• Feb. 25 - McCarthy calls Favre on trip back from combine and discusses how he might be able to lesson the quarterback's load and whether Favre can commit 100%.
• Feb. 29 - Favre calls McCarthy and tells him if he had to make a decision now, he would retire. McCarthy tells him to think about it over the weekend and both think Favre will play. "Mike talked to him about, ‘Well, what if we change (reduce) some reps or off-season things' and things like that and he was pretty sure that he wanted to retire."
• March 3 - Favre calls McCarthy at a function in Austin, Texas, and tells him he's retiring. McCarthy asked if he needed more time and he said no. Favre tells him he can't commit 100%. McCarthy flies back to Green Bay.
• March 4 - Thompson, McCarthy and public relations director Jeff Blumb are in Thompson's office and Blumb reaches Favre on his cell phone. "Jeff spoke for a few minutes and then I talked to Brett for I don't know, 20 minutes, 15 minutes, something like that. We got to the point where he wanted to go ahead and make the announcement here and then I think Jeff got back on the phone and then they worked it out that he would come up here and do the press conference."
• March 6 - Favre conducts retirement press conference.
• Week of March 24 - Offensive line coach James Campen, who is visiting Louisiana, stops in to see Favre at his Mississippi home and is asked by Favre whether he thinks the Packers would take him back. Campen reports the conversation to McCarthy and Thompson. McCarthy calls Favre and hears the same things Campen did.
• March 27 - Thompson and McCarthy decide they would be fine with Favre returning even though Aaron Rodgers is set to begin off-season workouts as the starter, and they inform Favre. "Mike said, ‘Ted and I talked and we said, fine.' But we'd like to come see you, and Brett was kind of excited that we were coming to see him." In preparation to leave for the owners meetings in West Palm Beach, March 30-April 3, they arrange to meet with Favre and wife, Deanna.
• March 29 - McCarthy makes plans to fly to Hattiesburg on April 1 to make plans for Favre's return. McCarthy is leaving for evening Mass when Favre calls to inform him he has changed his mind. "We were all set for them, but Brett called back and that he and Deanna had a long talk about it and they were going to stick with their original decision."
• May 6 - Thompson is down South and decides to pay a visit to Favre at his home. "I called him and said I am thinking about seeing you, I don't have any agenda or anything. So I did, I went and visited. Had lunch sat out on the veranda. We had a long talk and good talk. Nothing really came up other than like with any retired player, you could tell there were a few things that he would throw in there; 'there might be some doubts, I may change my mind,' or something like that. And that was that."
• June 8 - Campen goes to Favre's home and has a long talk with Favre and leaves feeling Favre wants to return.
• June 20 -- Favre calls McCarthy and the two have a 45-minute conversation in which Favre tells him he might want to play again. "There was more wondering, you know, what ifs." McCarthy and Thompson go on vacation for the July 4th weekend.
• July 4 - Thompson receives a text message from Favre and sends a message back at about 8 p.m. back telling him he's traveling and can they talk on Monday? "By Monday I hadn't heard back from him. I sent him back a text saying, ‘Haven't heard from ya, hope you're getting these messages, can we talk Tuesday at noon?' He got back to me and said 'OK,' that it would be better sooner, but I was kind of doing some other things so we set up a conference call."
• July 8 - Favre and his agent, James (Bus) Cook ask Thompson for Favre's release during the conference call. It's understood Favre won't be the starter in Green Bay. "There were, I think, conversations with Mike where both parties acknowledged that time had gone by and the Packers had been asked to move on, or move forward, or whatever. That's what they were thinking there (about asking for his release)."
• July 11 - Thompson receives a letter from Favre and Cook formally asking for Favre to be released.

Delicate & Refined Expressions

My wife asked me why I shoot continuously sometimes. It's simple really. - I find I can capture certain nuanced, delicate, & refined expressions on my subject's faces. I would have missed those expressions if I were just waiting for the shot.
For example, click on the image series below of my Brother-in-law and his daughter.
Then look at row 4, column 2.
That photo goes into a special collection I'm amassing over the next 15 years.
The collection will be revealed 15 years from now, at the exact moment when my niece's date arrives to pick her up for her high school prom.
The collection is entitled: Photos-to-embarrass-my-niece-when-she's-older.
I reckon, in the 15 years or so, I'll be able to build up quite the collection.
I can't wait to see the delicate & refined expression on her face.

Going Home

Here are some fun recaps from our visit to Wisconsin

• Hugging and kissing the cutest niece ever!
• Beautiful beach on Lake Michigan
• Late night talks with my Mom
• Hearing my niece run around looking for "Gumma"
• Six adults, a toddler and bullmastiff in a Ford Expedition (picture National Lampoon's Vacation)
• Picnicing with friends at the park
• Seeing the old bridge and the new bridge
• Driving by our old house, the restaurant and grocery store where I worked during the summer
• Visiting my Dad's double first cousin (two brothers marry two sisters, their children: double first cousins) and other family
• Watching my brother and brother-in-law water ski
• A pontoon boat ride
• Watching the fireworks with the Special Ks
• Did I mention hugging and kissing the cutest niece ever! :-)

Happy Fourth of July!

From our celebration of Independence Day with our family. This is my brother-in-law with his daughter.

Pressing Thought

I never met him. I didn't know him or his family. I was almost always at church when "Meet the Press" was on. Yet, when I heard the news of Tim Russert's death on Friday, it felt shocking. Almost personal. Why? Is it just the "celebrity" syndrome? I think it may have been slightly more pronounced because I had heard Tim Russert on the radio on the way in to the office that morning. He was giving political analysis and talking about the guests who were scheduled to be on "Meet the Press." It is odd to realize that just a few hours later he would be dead.

Last Lecture

I'm sure most of you have seen this already, but just in case you haven't.



Updates on Randy Pausch can be found at http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch.

Today's Non Sequitur

I haven't posted for a while!

More friendly skies for me this month. I will be in New York four times (one down, three to go!) and Florida once.

I love Twitter. I'm glad I overcame by skepticism of Twitter. It fills the gap when it's not enough for its own blog post. It's really easy and it's fun. It doesn't take long, because you can't write a novel in 140 characters.

My bagel courier career continues. (search "Ess-a-Bagel" in this blog)

Sometimes winning a hockey game is about momentum. I will be surprised if the Red Wings don't win this game and with tonight's win, the Stanley Cup.

Surviving the "Friendly" Skies

Flying really isn't that much fun anymore: passengers are irritable; airline staff are cranky; and cute kids in normal circumstances turn into kids-on-flights. I have noticed this more acutely over the recent months. Here are a couple of possible reasons:

• The airlines are charging for everything! ¢50 per toilet paper square
• We have begun our descent into [fill in city], please begin turning off your iPod, laptop, DVD player, cell phone, satellite radio, sound canceling head phones, washing machine, dryer, refrigerator (which would actually come in handy since they don't feed you anymore).
• Planes are packed. I'm sorry, isn't that my lap?
• Place the mask over your nose and mouth before helping others. The bag may not inflate, but oxygen will be "flowing" through the mask.
• You will not make your connection and the two later flights are each oversold; you're thirteenth on the list
• "No really, it's okay, let me get up" before you crawl from the window to the aisle...for the fifth time
• Chatty Charlie
• I think Aunt Jemima was my flight attendant
• My luggage is in Siberia (again?)
• On take off, the kid in front of me is repeatedly saying loudly, "we're going to crash; we're going to crash" and the kid behind me is saying, "the plane is broken" & "when are we going to land?"
• $5 for peanuts? Really, but this is a round-the-world flight.
• In case of a water landing... (do I really have to say more?)

Humbled

I went about today complaining about the rain; that we couldn't golf on Saturday; that the charity golf tournament was canceled today; that I wore my golf outfit to the office, because I didn't know the tournament status before leaving the house; that lunch was never delivered; that my students didn't show up for tutoring; and I'm sure the list is even more extensive.

I return to the office to a message from a friend that has recently found out she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Fibrosarcoma. There is news of many deaths and recent destruction from the cyclone in Myanmar, tornadoes in the Midwest, earthquake in China, and of course that doesn't include many other world events that go unreported, or under-reported.

As always, I'm humbled by my trivial and minor inconveniences. I thank God for my health, my family and friends, and the reminder of what's really important in life.

Actual Nature

As you may know, I enjoy photography. Part of that enjoyment comes from having your ego crushed when you lose yet another photography contest. So, I've started to regularly participate in some of these free, nothing to lose, online photography contests.

Right now, I'm contemplating competing in one contest that has a particular theme - Landscapes. You know the type - like the images that 'Ansel Adams' photographed of nature and stuff.

Here is their rule about what may be included - "Landscapes shots are self explanatory, architecture doesn't count!"

Immediately, I notice something funny about their rule. No architecture, no buildings! This means that I would have to go out to ... nature. Actual nature!

Before I mention my concerns, let me clarify that I'm not saying there is anything wrong with nature. My wife and I are very pro-nature. For example, my wife buys specially formulated bird food to put in the the 7 to 10 bird feeders located around our house. We do this so we can regularly feed our slightly obese squirrels. As a matter of fact, we feel that our resident family of fat little squirrels would probably go hungry if we didn't give them this specially formulated bird food.

Plus I think it's kinda' cute the way the squirrels wait to be feed. They sit back on their hind legs and rest their front paws on their little pudgy bellies - very cute - they look like tiny NASCAR fans waiting for more beer. So, you can see, we are pro-nature.

At this point, you may conclude that I have a lawn, that I must tend to the lawn, and some consider lawns to be natural. You are half correct. I do have a lawn, but I believe we have undocumented workers tending to the lawn. However, I'm not really sure, 'cause we contract with the lawn service through the internet. We find it's cheaper to hire them, than pay for the gas to put in my lawnmower.

Also, as you know, the rule clearly stated no architecture - so a panoramic of my dandelion garden with my house in the background isn't appropriate. (My lawn service is very good at cultivating dandelion lawn cover.)

Anyway, I mention all of this because ... um..... it's that I'm a bit nervous about going out into actual nature.
Here are just a few of my questions and concerns:

• How long can I be exposed to actual nature before something happens to me? Will my blackberry have a signal?
  
• If I were to get over exposed to actual nature, are there readily available antidotes?
  
• Do these natural places have the good Starbucks with wi-fi hotspots? Or, do they have just the small Starbucks, the ones with out the wi-fi hotspots?
  
• Importantly, do any of these natural places have partnerships with any airlines? I want to, at least, get some airline miles out of this endeavor.

Twittering

We (I) finally took the Twitter plunge. After much contemplation for at least 12938570139487 seconds, we Twitter. You can see the updates on the right navigation bar.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

You can Twitter from your computer, IM or cell phone. Each Twitter is limited to 140 characters, so it takes less than one minute to send a Twitter.

A Real Packer Fan

And you thought I was a big Packer fan...

David Witthoft, the 12-year-old Ridgefield, Conn. boy wore the No. 4 jersey every day since receiving it as a gift for Christmas in 2003. That's 1581 days.

"David's father, Chuck Witthoft, says Monday that his son's last day wearing the jersey was April 23 on his 12th birthday. Witthoft conceded his son was starting to become more concerned about his appearance after the jersey barely came down to his belt line."

Don't worry, the article said that, "His mother, Carolyn, had washed the jersey every other day and mended it when needed."

A Surprising Finish

We were guests of The Home Depot for Saturday's race at Richmond International Raceway. We cheered on Tony Stewart who had a strong 4th finish. The garage and pit road tour were definitely great additions this year. And, although there was a slight rain threat, no drops fell.

The hometown favorite, Denny Hamlin, also a Joe Gibbs driver, was on the poll and led 381 of 400 laps, but it was not to be. On lap 382, his tire developed a leak that resulted in a 24th place finish, three laps down. It was a very exciting finish as Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kyle Busch duked it out with some exciting side-by-side racing. There will be some debate this week about whether Kyle got loose underneath or if Dale Jr slipped down a bit, which resulted in Dale Jr wrecking in turn 4. Being in the right place at the right time, Clint Bowyer secured his first win of the season and the second win of his career.

Bonus

A couple of favorite quotes from the weekend.

"This is the worst day of MY life."
-- From a six year-old.

"Why are you going to get in trouble? You don't have a parent."
-- From a five year-old in response to why Brian had to finish something for work.

"Po-hantus" (for Pocahantus)
-- From a 22 month old.

We loved Iowa so much, we decided to stay an extra night. Well, in all honesty, it wasn't all up to us. United decided for us. We arrived for our 3:52 pm flight, which was delayed until 5:03 p.m. Of course, no update at the airport, but the United alerts sent us email updates. The delay would result in us missing our connection, not a problem since there are two more flights to Dulles. Wrong. They're both oversold. By more than 10. No availability for Northwest, Delta or American. So, instead of spending the night in a hotel in Chicago, an extra evening with the Special Ks is more than okay with me!

Packers Draft

Here are the picks.

2nd round, 36th overall, Kansas State WR Jordy Nelson.
2nd round, 56th overall, Louisville QB Brian Brohm.
2nd round, 60th overall, Auburn CB Pat Lee.
3rd round, 91st overall, Texas TE Jermichael Finley.
4th round, 102nd overall, Wake Forest DE Jeremy Thompson.
4th round, 135th overall, Central Florida T Josh Sitton.
5th round, 150th overall, Louisville T Breno Giacomini.
7th round, 209th overall, LSU QB Matt Flynn.
7th round, 217th overall, San Diego State WR Brett Swain.

I'm not sure anyone predicted Jordy Nelson as the team's first pick. Two QBs are pretty interesting too. They picked up much needed WRs, CB and TE. This was definitely an offense-heavy draft.

In the State of...no, not chaos

Where are we? Here are a few clues.

Flower: Wild Rose
Tree: Oak
Bird: Eastern Goldfinch
Rock: Geode

We are visiting two of Ellie's college friends this weekend. We are having a great time and even had a very successful restaurant outing with six adults and six children.

A couple of observations:

• It is a true testament that Brian can find a camera store in any location.
• He can always find something to buy in said camera store.
• O'Hare is still Brian's nemesis. There's no guarantee that gate checking your bag won't result in someone else grabbing your bag disregarding the slight variation in bag color, the business card luggage tag and TSA lock that didn't exist on their own. Somehow, it's all still Dayton's fault.
• It is always great connecting with friends.
• I realize how much I've missed the Special Ks since they moved last fall.

So, what state are we in?

No peeking.

*******************

Iowa

He's Still Retired

The Packers placed Brett Favre on the team's reserve/retired list this afternoon.

It's a First

Lots of first's tonight.

• First game for us at the new Nationals Park
• First grand slam in Nationals Park
• First time seeing a grand slam

The National's second baseman Felipe Lopez hit a grand slam, the fourth of his career and first grand slam in the new Nationals Park. The last member of the Nationals to hit a grand slam was outfielder Justin Maxwell on Sept. 11, 2007.

Lopez had a career-high six runs to help the Nationals beat the Mets, 10-5.

Packers 2008-2009

The schedule is out!

Mon., Aug. 11 Cincinnati Bengals
(Bishop's Charities Game) 7 p.m. ESPN
Sat., Aug. 16 @ San Francisco 49ers 8 p.m. State
Fri., Aug. 22 @ Denver Broncos 8 p.m. State
Thurs., Aug. 28 Tennessee Titans (Gold Pkg.)
(Midwest Shrine Game) 7 p.m. State

2008 Regular Season Schedule
Mon., Sept. 8 Minnesota Vikings 6 p.m. ESPN
Sun., Sept. 14 @ Detroit Lions 12 noon FOX
Sun., Sept. 21 Dallas Cowboys (Gold Pkg.) 7:15 p.m. NBC
Sun., Sept. 28 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12 noon FOX
Sun., Oct. 5 Atlanta Falcons 12 noon FOX
Sun., Oct. 12 @ Seattle Seahawks 3:15 p.m. FOX
Sun., Oct. 19 Indianapolis Colts 3:15 p.m. CBS
Sun., Oct. 26 Open Date
Sun., Nov. 2 @ Tennessee Titans 12 noon FOX
Sun., Nov. 9 @ Minnesota Vikings 12 noon FOX
Sun., Nov. 16 Chicago Bears (Gold Pkg.) *12 noon FOX
Mon., Nov. 24 @ New Orleans Saints 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Sun., Nov. 30 Carolina Panthers *12 noon FOX
Sun., Dec. 7 Houston Texans *12 noon CBS
Sun., Dec. 14 @ Jacksonville Jaguars *12 noon FOX
Mon., Dec. 22 @ Chicago Bears 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Sun., Dec. 28 Detroit Lions *12 noon FOX

Jamba Juice for Her; Camera Accessories for Him

So to wrap up our weekend in New York, we visited the Museum of Modern Art on Saturday. You will probably remember my parochial view of art from previous posts. I did enjoy several pieces, particularly works by Alexander Calder, Vincent van Gogh and Vasily Kandinsky.

But what was my favorite thing about New York? Jamba Juice. On our way to Little Italy for a late dinner, we chased Jamba Juices, only to get to there just after they closed. (We were successful on Sunday!) Okay, so maybe it wasn't my absolute FAVORITE, but Jamba Juices are far and in between in the DC area, so it's a treat!

On Sunday, we went to electronic (and of course, camera) mecca, aka B&H. It's quite amazing. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything quite like it. There's a constant hum of bins whizzing to and fro along a system of conveyor belts. You are "processed" through a series of steps similar to the Seinfeld soup nazi experience. Select product to buy. Proceed to the cashier. Pay. Proceed to merchandise pick-up where the bin-whizzing culminates with your purchase.

New York

I had a meeting in New York on Friday and we're spending the weekend. My meeting was in Midtown, so we stayed in Times Square last night. We had dinner in a local diner and walked around Times Square. There are so many things that make it a unique place.

Friday and Saturday, we are staying at the Hilton in lower Manhatten. The view is literally across the street from where the World Trade Center Towers stood. It's always amazing to see the progress there. We had soup dumplings for dinner at Joe's Shanghai and walked around Chinatown and Tribeca.

Close only counts in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

Guessing is not always overrated. Take for instance, my NCAA office pool (AESFGANCAAMBCBT2008). [NOTE: I should mention, the non-gambling, not-for-cash, almost voluntary, in case anyone from the office stumbles upon this blog.]

Basketball is not a sport that I follow. At all. So I sort of worked backward. Assuming that the #1 seeds are there for a reason, I worked from that assumption. Much to my surprise, all #1 seeds did make it to the Final Four for the first time. Ever. There goes my theory. Fortunately, I picked Memphis in the final round. Unfortunately, I picked North Carolina to win the National Championship. Maybe next year, I will try the dart board approach.

Flippy and Modern

So I finally bit the bullet and went to a different hairdresser on Friday. Say, it isn't so! I know there are many a story on "divorcing" your hairdresser (see this one, which has eerie similarity).

It began so innocently, so simple. I needed a hair cut. Brian went to a very nice woman in a mall near to where we live. I never thought twice.

Many years ago, he eased his way to other hair cutting establishments. And, I have endured the anticipated, eager query of, "How's Brian?" as she passive aggressively cut my hair. Really meaning, "Where's Brian, and why doesn't he come here anymore, and what have you done with him?" I always wondered if there wasn't a little resentment and that's why my hair was never quite the requested length. I digress.

So, after several months of letting it grow to a length it hadn't been in years, I finally decided to take the plunge...at a salon closer to my office. My only requirements, I told the new hairdresser: shoulder length and I still need bangs. The result: I love it! Brian calls it "flippy" because of the layers and one of my colleagues commented, "modern." What does that say about the past eleven years? Again, I digress.

There are a few additional reasons I have dreaded changing hairdressers. One is that you always have to train new ones. It took many years (see high school through college years) to realize that Asian hair doesn't do anything but variations on straight. It's the Asian-hair curse. Just embrace it, stay away from drastic measures. That, and the fact that when you get a cut-straight-across-just-shorter, you hate to pay more than $25.

Well, it was definitely more than $25, but I justify it by the Membership Reward points I earned as this salon takes American Express!

Death by Blogging

In case you wonder why I don't blog every day...

From The New York Times:

To be sure, there is no official diagnosis of death by blogging, and the premature demise of two people obviously does not qualify as an epidemic. There is also no certainty that the stress of the work contributed to their deaths. But friends and family of the deceased, and fellow information workers, say those deaths have them thinking about the dangers of their work style.
Read more

Just kidding, I'm sure it's just because I'm lazy! And, my life really isn't that interesting.

Two-by-Two

I know what Noah feels like. Okay, not really, but why do drivers in the mid-Atlantic area react to rain like it's the first time they've ever seen it? Seriously! It's rain. It falls from the sky. I'm pretty sure you've seen it before. And most likely, unless you're 16, you've driven in it before. And, I bet you even made it to where you were going.

I get cranky when the commute for 15 miles is 1.5 hours.

Cool Camera Clique

Remember when you were in high school and kids checked each other out to see if they had the cool jeans on or if they were in the popular, nerd, jock or brain clique?

Well, Brian and I went down early this morning to see the cherry blossoms, which were gorgeous by the way. I borrowed Brian's "old" camera. As we walked around the monuments and the tidal basin, photographers of all caliber size you up by the camera equipment you're carrying. Are you sporting the black neck strap with the yellow Nikon logo? Do you have the Canon EOS 492092385709128374019384750192837409123D? Is your Konica Minolta lense longer than I am tall? So, what does your camera brand say about you?

Here are some photos from today.

To Twitter or not to Twitter, that is the question...

Does anyone Twitter? I'm sure it would just be another opportunity to waste time!
www.twitter.com

Happy Easter!

Of course, we know Easter is so much more than bunnies, candy and baskets. But the promise of being able to find our Easter baskets before sunrise service when we were kids was enough to get even my brother out of bed on Easter morning.

We hope the resurrection brings you a renewed sense of grace, not of anything we could ever do, but what He has done for us. Wishing you a blessed Easter.

It's Spring!

I particularly like the creative, seasonal Google logo designs.
www.google.com/holidaylogos.html

Green with Envy

Happy Birthday, Mom! Once on my Mom's birthday, her best friend made and brought us dinner. It was green scalloped potatoes and ham, green jello and green milk! Well, it was memorable.

My Mom shares her birthday on the day they celebrate Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick was a Roman Britain-born Christian missionary and is the patron saint of Ireland along with Brigid of Kildare and Columba. When he was about sixteen he was captured by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. He entered the church, as his father and grandfather had before him, becoming a deacon and a bishop. He later returned to Ireland as a missionary in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked and no link can be made between Patrick and any church. By the eighth century he had become the patron saint of Ireland. The Irish monastery system evolved after the time of Patrick and the Irish church did not develop the diocesan model that Patrick and the other early missionaries had tried to establish.

Why the shamrock? St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish.
Source: Wikipedia

Tribute

SI Cover x 9

Commemorative Section

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel commemorative section with photos and career highlights.

I know I've said it before, but it's going to be really weird to watch the Packers and not see #4 out on the field.

Thanks for the memories, 4ever a fan!

Photo by Jim Biever
Packers.com

"I'd like to thank the Packers, for giving me the opportunity as well. I hope that every penny ... I hope that every penny that they've spent on me, they know was money well-spent. It was never about the money or fame or records, and I hear people talk about your accomplishments and things ... It was never my accomplishments, it was our accomplishments, the teammates that I've played with, and I can name so many. It was never about me, it was about everybody else. It just so happens the position I played got most of the attention. But the Packers have been, ... it's been a great relationship, and I hope that this organization and the fans appreciate me as much as I appreciate them."
[...]

"I can't leave without saying thank you to the fans. When I laughed and when my family laughed, they laughed. When I cried, they cried. When I cheered, they cheered. When I threw an interception, well, you know."

[...]

"I am honored. I hope everyone knows how special this is and I truly appreciate the opportunity, and as they say all good things must come ... come to an end. "

-Brett Favre

Full Favre retirement transcript and video

Favre-well

Joe Heller
Green Bay Press-Gazette

Favre-lous

Here's a list of Favre's significant league records:

• Most TD passes: 442
• Most passing yards: 61,655
• Most passing attempts: 8,758
• Most wins by a starting QB: 160
• Most consecutive starts, quarterback: 253 (275 including playoffs)
• Most 3,000-yard passing seasons: 16
• Most consecutive 3,000-yard passing seasons: 16
• Most pass completions: 5,377
• Most seasons with 30-plus TD passes: 8
• Most consecutive games with a TD pass, postseason: 18
• Most NFL MVP awards: 3

Memories 4-Ever

Here are some of the headline and banners from today's announcement.

packers.com

jsonline.com

nfl.com

packersnews.com

Sweet Sixteen

To be honest, I don't remember his first throw, his first NFL game, or his first start with the Packers. But, I will remember the 16 years in Green Bay that he has amazed us all, his love for the game and that we may have been witness to one of the greatest careers in NFL history. We've watched him grow as a player and a person. As a Packer fan, we have dreaded this day. He's a class act, one of a kind. Thanks 4 the memories.

One Goat or Two?

From time to time, displayed on my forehead is a sign that says, "Freak Magnet." It occurs at the some of the most inopportune times. I've noticed most often in a cab. Sometimes you can tell immediately. Sometimes it takes at least two seconds.

This past week I was due. It happens about one out of every five cab rides or so.

I opened the door, and had barely even had a chance to sit down when he asked where I was from. That was my first clue. He announced that he was from India, introduced himself and turned around from his front seat to shake my hand. Which then proceeded into a barage of additional questions, such as how long I had been on the east coast, if I had moved here with my family or alone, etc.

My only thought was if I would have been considered one or two goat-worthy.