I was very fortunate to be able to experience a Thanksgiving vacation trip to Albuquerque to spend the holiday weekend with my sisters and their families, as well as my youngest brother HBL who accompanied me on the trip along with his two daughters. This was the first time I have spent Thanksgiving with my two youngest sisters since they were teenagers back in 1983 or 1984, 24 or 25 years ago. My, how time does go by.
The trip started for me on Tuesday 25 November in late afternoon after finishing the day at work. After a therapeutic hot shower, the remaining packing, and loading up the White Knight, I headed out of Cheyenne towards Colorado, Denver, and inevitably Castle Rock, around 5pm and made the 135 mile door-to-door trip effortlessly with no hassles. I stopped at the Longmont exit (#240) on southbound I-25 around 6pm and got a couple of sandwiches from Arbys to carry me through the evening. I arrived in Castle Rock around 7:15pm and enjoyed the evening with my brother and his family before retiring around 11pm.
Wednesday was the main travel day south. We had hoped to get a reasonably early start, but with two small children to take into consideration, to accomplish that was difficult and next to impossible. After a slow start and a number of small obstacles to overcome, we finally got on the road about 1pm. HBL made a wise decision to have a worrisome tire on his van checked out and serviced before we left town which saved us a potential nightmare while on the highway. We stopped a few times for restroom breaks for the children, as well as for a pizza in Fountain, a small town just south of Colorado Springs. The pizza restaurant there is an ideal example of the kind of small business I would like to have some day. It was a simple basic operation with seating for about 75-100, a couple of big screen TVs, pinball and video games, and a kitchen operation that appeared straightforward. Some day I hope to come up with about $100k to just that: be my own boss and do something that is enjoyable in many ways. Someday...
We drove on through southern Colorado and stopped in Trinidad for a treat for the girls. Being tied down in their carseats for a even a relatively short trip like this is really tough for children that age and breaks are essential every hour or two to keep them in a favorable mindset. We popped into a McDonalds and got them an ice cream cone each. The weather all day was sunny and pretty warm with temps climbing into the mid to upper 60s all along The Front Range. But as soon as the sun slipped behind the mountains west of Trinidad, it cooled quickly. Trinidad is a quaint little town with a population of less than 10,000. Its downtown is quite historic and scenic, and I consider it the best old west downtown of all the communities along the Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming, and is clearly superior to the overhyped favorite that many believe is Cheyenne. But the downtown and history of Cheyenne pales in comparison to Trinidad.
We continued south soon, crossing Raton Pass while still in daylight and continuing south across the vast empty northeast plains of New Mexico. Its about 110 miles from Raton to Las Vegas and this stretch is largely desolate with only a couple of small hamlets -- Wagon Mound, Springer -- along the way. Darkness fell, and the warmth and motion of the vehicle we were driving in -- HBL's white Honda van -- mesmerized his oldest daughter to sleep for better than two hours. But the younger daughter was feeling feisty and still energetic and compelled us to stop a couple of more times briefly for a restroom break before she finally faded away to sleep west of Las Vegas. With the girls asleep, we made better time and was able to cruise in the northern part of Albuquerque by around 8:15pm.
We tried initially to get accommodations at the La Quinta Inn but found what was available unacceptable. We then went next door to a Quality Inn and found a great room and accommodations for our four day stay. The hotel was located just off of the San Antonio exit off of I-25 (exit 231), one mile south of the main connector expressway, Paseo del Norte, that links north Albuquerque to the suburbs that lie west of the Rio Grande River, such as Rio Rancho, Corrales, Paradise Hills, and the broad neighborhoods which have sprung up in such vast numbers west of Coors Blvd over the last 25 years that continue to sprawl west.
After getting briefly settled in, we were joined at the adjacent Denny's for a late dinner and snack by my sisters and most of their families. Only K's husband was absent, although her two children ( I have to figure out a better term) (ages 20 and 16) joined us a little later. HBL's daughters were exuberant and thrilled to see their cousins and there was much laughing and revelry while the meal was being eaten. We ended being in the restaurant for over an hour and a half before parting and calling it a night.
Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, saw a significant change in the weather with overnight rain into the morning with cloudy skies and cooler temps than what had been the case in Albq in recent days. H and the girls arose a little before me and partook of the complimentary breakfast downstairs in the motel. I took advantage of the alone time to take a nice leisurely hot shower and get dressed into my nice clothes for the upcoming day. After he and the girls returned to the room, I returned the favor and let them have some alone time while I walked over to Dennys for some breakfast. He and the girls got ready and we headed west around 12;30 for the start of the celebration and in anticipation of the splendid tasty feast. We made a pitstop at an Albertsons for a deli vegetable tray, some milk for the girls, and some flowers for L to further adorn her holiday table.
We arrive at L's home around 1pm and enjoyed a long afternoon into night of companionship, an absolutely scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner, and good conversation. The meal was great with a full choice of favorites that L and her husband truly put a lot of effort and expense into which turned out perfect. I enjoyed all the entrees, and had some wine with dinner. Later the young ones watched some movies while the adults talked and conversed further. A game that was whimsical was a nice part of the evening and resulted in a lot of fun shared by all. The cleanup of the preparation of the meal and the remains of the meal itself went seamlessly and in a flash. We wrapped up things around 10pm and returned to the hotel.
Friday started out a little shaky as the young C could not locate her tennis shoes, compelling us to make a stop and get her some new replacement ones. After taking in the complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we headed over to the Target at Wyoming and Montgomery where younger sister K works. We hoped to see her while there, but the store was mobbed with shopping zealots and consumerists, and our stay was very short as the young C had a blowup over her father's choice of tennis shoes, resulting in a crying temper tantrum that lasted over one-half hour. Upon completion, we decided to drive around the old areas of the NE Heights where we once lived, worked, played, and participated in many years ago. We saw the old houses we resided in along Wyoming Blvd, Phoenix St, Christine St; some of the schools we attended: Eldorado, Sandia, Matheson Park, Collett Park, Jackson; some of where we worked at: McDonalds, Mr Swiss (its been erased from the planet completely), and the neighborhoods we walked, bicycled, and drove in during our younger years. My overall impression was that most had deteriorated and had been a prolonged downscale in recent years. Lawns had all but disappeared on most residential lots. Businesses had come and gone as could be expected. I would have like to have explored more extensively but time was short. Perhaps I will get a chance to in the next few years when I make a return visit.
No trip to Albuquerque is complete without enjoying at least a few of the local restaurants. One of the more basic and simpler one is Blake's Lotaburger. The menu is all but unchanged all these years later, and the tremendously unhappy employees labor in their totally unpractical white uniforms. A Lotaburger with green chile always hits the spot and Friday was no different. We explored further down Juan Tabo before making arrangements to rendezvous with my sister at a Fuddruckers in the Coronado Center mall. As expected, it was a zoo in that part of the city, but parking turned out not to be a problem. We had a small snack and then went over to the Borders Book Store next door and spent about an hour and a half reading and browsing. The young girls particularly enjoyed having a number of stories and books read to them by their relatives. Afterwords, we headed over to the westside via I-40. We took a brief detour and saw the edge of the city ever creeping west as we drove along Unser Blvd at the height of the western desert of the city which sits at an elevation in excess of 6200' and provides a splendid view of the valley below and the mountain chain that spans the eastern edge of the city and surrounding region both to the north and south. The development is just in its infancy but I imagine it will be in full force within just a few years and largely complete in about a decade.
After we returned to L's home we spent a couple of hours visiting and relaxing. Her daughters are 16 and 12, but remain children at heart with a lot of enthusiasm, wonderment, and relatively ignorant bliss. Lots of laughing, screaming, running, and overall excitement was seemingly always present throughout the visit, delighting the young daughters of H and providing them a warm and enriching experience they will remember for a time given their ages. I know they will pester their parents to do it again as soon as possible.
For supper on Friday night, we went over to an Italian restaurant in Rio Rancho that turned out to be a disappointment. It was not as nice as we thought it would be, and the preparation of meals turned out to be large mistake and hassle as the pastas ordered by some were quickly served and long gone before the baked entrees like calzones which took well over one - half hour to get to us from the time they were ordered. But at least the kids had a good time. We returned back to L's home where we watched a Jim Carrey movie, Bruce Almighty, before calling it a night around 11:30 pm to midnight.
Saturday we started out again with the hotel breakfast buffet. We headed over to L's around 11am as plans had been made for the girls and their cousins to go to the zoo. I spent the afternoon halfheartedly watching some college football while surfing the 'net. In early afternoon H took a couple of photos of me, and while they turned out okay for the most part, the photos made it quite clear I am getting quite aged in my appearance and bear a resemblence to a goblin. Maybe having a smile and wide open eyes would help somewhat. What a drag it is getting old. Mike provided us with some microbrews to enjoy through the afternoon including an "Alien Ale" from a Roswell brewery. The girls returned around dusk with tales of excitement and ready to play away through the evening. They did so with enthusiasm and energy. Around 7pm we ordered some pizzas for delivery which hit the spot. Shortly afterwords, the nieces S, A, and S surprised my younger brother HBL with a tasty birthday cake, candles and all, that made the evening a glorious success. Shortly then, most everyone watched the movie, Enchanted, which is a really good movie that is hypnotizing and a wonderful story. We adjourned the evening around 11pm in hopes of getting on the road early.
Sunday was the day to depart and naturally the girls were a little glum. We managed to get organized at a decent hour, and after a breakfast with everyone at Denny's, were able to be on the road by around 10pm. The departure for everyone was a hugfest and everyone wished it did not have to be so soon.
The weather improved slowly over the days we were in Albq and Saturday and Sunday were both warm days with the high temp around 60. But as we hit the road we could see change was in the air in the direction we were going as clouds coated the tops of the mountains as they blew in from the north.
As we emerged on to the northeast plains east of Las Vegas we ran into some light snow and streets were wet, but it was not inconvenient. Mostly it was cold and windy, about 20 degrees less than what it was in Albq when we left. By the time we made Raton, snow clouds were everywhere. Raton Pass was treacherous, particularly on the Colorado side as the highway was snowcovered and slick. We made into Trinidad for our meal and the town was a winter wonderland. Choices for a meal were limited so we ended up at a so-so diner converted out of an gasoline station that was quite downscale, but the food was acceptable. Within several miles north of Trinidad all signs of winter disappeared, but it would turn out to be short lived. We made it to the southern reaches of Colorado Springs just as daylight faded and by the time we made it through downtown, the weather and traffic drastically turned bad with heavy snow, snowpacked and slick roads, and traffic that was gridlocked.
It took us close to an hour to creep up I-25 from downtown to the Academy exit on the northside, about 5-6 miles at best. I attempted to get some information on what lie ahead for us. I called Matt in Denver and got some great information from him which made it necessary for us to abort finishing the trip and waiting out the storm in a motel in the Springs. HBL's wife got us a room at the Howard Johnsons on the north side of the city, and we had dinner at the Olive Garden before fighting the storm outdoors. The streets and pavement were incredibly slick, and parking at the hotel was difficult with all the snow and ice. Our room was across the lot a good couple of hundred yards away from the car on the fifth floor after struggling to traverse a sloping hill that nearly put us on our keisters more than once trying to get our luggage to the building where our room was.
We managed to get settled in after the struggle and got a reasonable good nights sleep for all of us, save my brother who had to wrestle with the girls for space in the bed that kept awakening him often through the night, as was the case every night. The poor guy is desperately in need of a week off from his life where he can get about 80 - 90 hours of sleep and peace (Hint, Hint, nieces). He is aging noticeably before my eyes with his lack of rest, constant stress, and a demanding lifestyle which keeps him on the go and dealing with long commutes that he and his spouse utterly deplore.
Monument Hill is a gorgeous area filled with trees and scenic views, but it is utterly treacherous in winter as bad weather is amplified over this area with its sudden rise in elevation relative to the areas to the north, south, and east. The localized blizzard that pummelled that area Sunday night into Monday morning was a whopper as about 15 to 20 inches of snow fell and the winds hollowed in excess of 35 mph creating a traffic nightmare for anyone attempting to travel.
But by midmorning Monday, skies had cleared to a brilliant blue and melting was underway. We got going by 11am after breakfast at IHOP. The highway home had largely dry roads but the aftermath of prior night's storm was evident with many cars along the sides of the highway and in the median. Traffic was sluggish and it took us over an hour and a half to return to his home, about twice as long as could be regularly expected.
We returned into Castle Rock by around 12:30 pm. Skies were sunny, winds were calm, and temperatures had warmed to above 50 degrees, but heavy snow was everywhere in sight. We got HBL's van emptied out; enjoyed a midday small meal, and then readied for the final leg of the trip, for me, back to Cheyenne. After hugs from the girls I started out around 2:45 pm for the trip back. The snow all but disappeared from along the sides of the highway by the time I got into Centennial and South Denver. Traffic was good for the most part, although I was caught in a lockdown from south of Santa Fe to about Speer which slowed me by about 20 minutes. The rest of the trip was uneventful except for a pit stop for gasoline at Windsor ($1.68 per gallon). I pulled into Cheyenne shortly after sunset. I emptied the truck of my luggage, bedding, and everything else; put everything away once I got into the house; had a couple of chickenwiches for supper; and relaxed watching MNF between the Jaguars and Texans as well as the NHL contest between the Avalanche and Wild. At 9pm, I tuned into Boston Legal (only two episodes left before the series is history) before calling it a night and a week around 10:15pm, as work looms in the early am on Tuesday; and very nasty weather is arriving in Cheyenne early Wednesday which will plunge us into the core of winter with a good snowfall and very cold temps for much of the rest of the week with no more 50 degree days in sight for at least the coming several days and probably much longer.
Thank you to L, her husband Mike, their girls A and S, for their hospitality and generosity over the holiday. Also thanks to K, her husband Ken, their offspring J and S (they really are not children anymore for sure) for the great time over the four plus days we were in town. I missed getting an opportunity to talk with and see Mark G as I had hoped to, but hopefully I can get follow up on that sometime in 2009.
Special thanks to my brother H, his wife D, and their girls J and C, for deciding to have the girls and him accompany me on the trip and for the time with them which was truly enjoyable and very satisfying. Given all the things that could have gone wrong, I could not have asked for things turning out much better than they did.
This has been about the best Thanksgiving I have had in recent years, particularly in this decade. I could not have asked for much more and certainly got more than I expected and merited. Hopefully I can do this again sometime in the next few years or so. No waiting 23 years to do this again....
..I will edit this post at least a couple of times in the coming days to week as I recall more details and information...
*****
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Entrepreneurship: More is Needed
...From guest columnist Ron Tilton in the Monday 24 November edition of The Rocky Mountain News:-
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The Pilgrims' Legacy
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Thanksgiving usually is a celebration of gratitude and feasting in the tradition of the Pilgrims. But that satisfactory sense of plenty might not resonate with Americans this year, considering the current economic problems. And, in truth, that satisfaction certainly was not shared by the Pilgrims at that "First Thanksgiving." Like many Americans today, they were feeling some discontent and desperation.
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When the Pilgrims landed in North America in 1620, they brought with them the strong entrepreneurial spirit that is an important part of the United States' economic and cultural consciousness. Entrepreneurship still is the foundational rock of capitalism, just as solid as the famed Plymouth Rock. And in today's challenging economy, we should take a lesson from our Pilgrim legacy.
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Although Jamestown was settled in 1607 for profiteering purposes, the Pilgrims' Plymouth Colony really was the start of America. The Mayflower carried families of religious dissenters, the ship's crew, planters, workers and servants. To embark on such a journey, they all had to have some sense of adventure, a tolerance for risk, and a calling to create something new, all of which are entrepreneurial traits.
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New World venture capital was difficult to obtain, much like credit is today in the wake of the financial crisis. To fund their enterprise, the Pilgrims entered into a partnership with English investors. They accepted a high credit interest rate: a seven-year contract, at the end of which all lands and profits would be split evenly between the investors and the colonists.
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To achieve their strategic objective, the inventive Pilgrims used skills that are valued today. For example, in a recent survey, businesses said that innovation is one of their top three priorities; 40 percent said it's their first priority (The Boston Consulting Group, 2007).
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The first winter in the Plymouth Colony was hard, and more than half of the Pilgrims perished. They continued to face meager harvests and hunger, rescued only by long-awaited supply ships from England. Part of the difficulty was that the equalization-of-assets policy created conflict and dulled the motivation to work. When Gov. William Bradford authorized privatization in 1623, each family received its own portion of corn and land and became its own business concern. The result was increased corn harvests and more general success for the colony.
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The Pilgrims demonstrated that entrepreneurial expertise produces results. Today, more than 54 percent of Fortune 500 companies list entrepreneurial skills as a valuable attribute for new recruits (Zell Lurie Institute, 2008). Some things just don't change.
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There is a need for entrepreneurs at this moment in U.S. history, and they require solid financial knowledge and skills to develop successful businesses. We should utilize proven financial education programs, such as those offered by organizations like Junior Achievement, to inspire America's future entrepreneurs to effective action. Then they can be forces for positive change in the world, just as the Pilgrims were.
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Ron Tilton is president of FirstBank Denver, and chairman of the board of Junior Achievement, Rocky Mountain Inc.
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*****
Saturday, November 22, 2008
A Tribute for Thanksgiving
... From reporter Jennifer James in the Sunday 23 November issue of the Los Angeles Times...-
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" Giving Thanks"
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It was Thanksgiving, and for the first time our whole family was together. Mom and Dad had to drive all night just to get here, but boy was it worth it! The Grandsters really know how to do it up right. The Grandsters being Grandpa and Grandma. We were all seated at the table, and I couldn't wait to dive into those mashed potatoes and gravy. And the smell of the turkey -- I thought I was going to faint with happiness.
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"What's that, Mindy?" demanded my little cousin Sam. He can be such a pain. He is 8 years old, two years younger than I am.
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"What's what?" I asked.
"What's what?" I asked.
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He pointed to a little paper cup containing just three kernels of corn beside Grandpa's plate. I opened my mouth to answer and then realized I didn't know. Ugh! How I hate admitting that I don't know something!
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Grandma answered, "It is to pay tribute to the Pilgrims."
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"But why three kernels?" asked the always curious Sam. Give it a rest, I thought.
"But why three kernels?" asked the always curious Sam. Give it a rest, I thought.
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Grandpa answered, "It reminds me of what a tough time the Pilgrims had. In the beginning, three kernels of corn was each person's daily food ration." The table got real quiet after he said that.
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Grandpa continued, "Against all odds, they made a life for themselves in the wilderness. Let's talk more about it after dinner."
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Sure enough, dinner was over and Sam wanted to know more.
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" Squanto taught the Pilgrims to grow corn!" Sam exclaimed. He's never going to forget that -- he played Squanto in the Thanksgiving Day play at school.
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"That's right," Grandpa said. "But at first the Pilgrims were terrified of the Indians, as they called them. Then one day a tribesman named Samoset ventured into their encampment. He was tall and dark and by many accounts quite handsome. Loudly and plainly he proclaimed, 'Welcome!' in perfect English."
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"The Pilgrims must have freaked!" shouted Sam.
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Grandpa laughed and agreed. "I'm sure you're right. He had learned the language from English fishermen. For the Pilgrims, life was a constant battle for survival. Later, Governor William Bradford made a decision. Instead of the colonists sharing their crops equally, he assigned a parcel of land to each family and told them they could keep whatever they produced for themselves."
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"Then what happened?" asked Sam.
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"At last the Pilgrims began to prosper. Governor William Bradford wrote in his book 'Of Plimoth Plantation,' 'This had very good success, for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been.' "
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"Shoot! If you can keep everything you make, of course you're going to work harder. Everybody knows that."
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Grandpa answered, "The first seed had been planted for the American Revolution. People were free to practice their religions as they saw fit and were free to keep the fruits of their labor. This had never happened before in the history of mankind. In the words of William Bradford, 'As one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation.' "
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"That William Bradford sounds like a pretty cool guy," said Sam.
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"He was a pretty cool guy," Grandpa said with a chuckle.
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*****
The Best Saturday of the Year
I was very happy for this week to conclude. This just ended week was one that saw me have my work schedule changed from an afternoon into evening (and sometimes morning shift) to one that starts at 7am and runs until 3:30 pm. I will be on this schedule for the foreseeable future, although I still think I could get laid off sometime in December or maybe January as the economy continues to seriously worsen. I start my day around 6am and have about a 20 minute drive out which is a little less timewise than when my shift started later. The return trip home does take longer, as there is much more traffic obviously than at midnight or afterwards when usually I only see 5 to 7 other motor vehicles in total on the road at bes for the eight to ten mile jaunt. It usually takes about one-half hour for the trip. I am working with a new group of crew members, and this seems to be a much better group as there is a better team workmanship ethic presence as well as a refreshing lack of conversation and discussion about the awful subjects the other crew seemed to focus on all the time day in and day out (sexual conquests, rap performers, criminal acts they were doing, mass profanity, and other numberous stupid and inane subjects) that drove me bonkers. Almost all of those people are still on nights on a staff that is basically a skeleton at this point and that shift will disappear in the coming couple of weeks completely which is why I still think a layoff for me may yet occur.=
The week was one of transition physically as I had to switch the body clock massively. Monday and Tuesday were days where I fell asleep early and struggled for continuity and longivity in my rest cycle. Wednesday was better, and I was good by Thursday. With afternoons after 4pm free now, I can do some tasks after work that were not possible or impractical after getting off following a night shift. Tuesday with the ideal weather I recycled my newspapers and plastic bags; straightened up the bed and cab of the White Knight; took some empty boxes down to the garage; and emptied all the trash. Wednesday I stopped at McDonalds to have a sandwich and leisurely enjoy reading the newspapers. Thursday night I cooked some mac & cheese for supper and accidentaly set off the smoke alarm which necessitated me having to open some windows and the door to vent out the smoke that accumulated from debris beneath the stove burner smoldering. And Friday I got the big job of doing the laundry completed. I had six washer machines full of clothes and linens, and after drying everything the expense was around $20. After getting this job done, I stopped at a local Mexican restaurant, Estevans, for dinner which consisted of smothered enchiladas, a taco, a tostada, and beans and rice. It was better than last week's meal at Guadalahara, so there is a clubhouse leader for best Mexican restaurant now. But I still need to check at least a couple of more options in the coming months. I think I will try to go out for a nice dinner for myself on Fridays or Saturdays (no fast food) each week over the coming months while I have this schedule at work. There is a steakhouse that is offering a steak dinner at half price for anyone born in 1958 so I definitely need to partake of that the next time I go out.
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The weather this week was up and down with much warmer than normal days Sunday through Wednesday; a cold raw Thursday; a brisk Friday; and today warming more more than forecast. We had a record high of 71 on Tuesday, but I awoke on Thursday to windows on truck covered by a thick glaze from an overnight session of freezing rain, of all things this late into November. Other than the 4 to 6 inches of snow on Thursday night/Friday predawn 13 - 14 November, snow has been all but missing so far this season. Usually by the last week of November we have a good couple of dumps which has had an impact. And the forecast for the upcoming week is devoid of any precipitation until at least next Friday. Maybe the outlook for a much warmer winter and one with less precipitation is going to be realized. If so, I will not be complaining at all. ==
Friday night after I returned home from the laundry and restaurant was an evening of relaxation after getting the newly cleaned laundry folded, hung, and put away. I remade the bed and then settled in for an evening of music. I am going to try to dedicate Friday evenings exclusively to music playing on the stereo for at least a few hours if not longer. My selections for this night were The Alan Parsons Project, Chuck Mangione, and Natalie Cole. I have such an extensive collection of music that I will be able to listen to some of my collection I have not enjoyed in a couple of years and longer. It truly is relaxing and gives me a chance to think and be inspired and moved as my circumstances and life have seen many changes, some quite profound, in the years since I lasted listened to some of this music. I finally fatigued by midnight and retired for a relaxing night of rest knowing I would not be abruptly roused by a predawn alarm clock in the morning.
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Saturday saw me waken around 9:15 am. After lying in bed for about one-half hour, I arose and had a couple of bowls of hot oatmeal for breakfast. This is about my favorite Saturday for college football all season, as there are always some good rivalry game and action that settles much. I started my day out with Michigan at Ohio State, a game I have watched every with only a few exceptions for 39 years. I think I have only missed 4 or 5 of these matches all these years. It was not as entertaining or important as in past years as Michigan is having its worst season in school history as they lose convincingly to the hated Buckeyes to end their year at a woeful 3-9.
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As the afternoon commenced, I slipped out over to DQ to get some Frozen Cappucino Lattes as I had a 2 for 1 coupon to use. Its a bright sunny day although a little windy, but better than I thought it would be as I probably did not need to have worn my coat as I did. I continued to watch games: The Border War between my alma mater Wyoming and their rivals Colorado St; Indiana and Purdue for the Oaken Bucket as former Wyoming coach Joe Tiller (an instructor of mine in a class I took 17 years ago) retires from coaching after 12 seasons for the Boilermakers in South Lafayette; Michigan St - Penn St from snowy State College; Air Force - Texas Christian; Washington - Washington St from Pullman for the Apple Cup ( a game I hope to attend in future years after I relocate to Washington in the coming years); The Big Game between Stanford and California from Berkley; Iowa St - Kansas St; Boise St - Nevada from Reno at the foot of the Sierras in a great setting; the first of two huge games with Brigham Young playing Utah at Rice-Eccles in The Holy War;
Oregon St and vastly improved Arizona from The Old Pueblo; Pittsburgh - Cincinnati (ironically in the same week as when the Steelers played the Bengals in the NFL); Florida St - Maryland from the land of crabcakes; Nevada-Las Vegas against the San Diego St Aztecs; and last but not least, the monumental matchup between Texas Tech and Oklahoma from Norman. A great lineup of games. There are still two weekends left of games to take in, but today is really the best day for games all season long most years, the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
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Unfortunately many of the games turned one-sided, so I was able to do some tasks while the time went on. I worked on my vacation trip packing and preparation. I would say I am mostly prepared with only the selection of shirts and trousers needing to be done still. I should be able to be fully packed before bed on Monday with the exception of bathroom personal hygiene supplies that will be used Tuesday morning before work and in the afternoon after work. I hope to be on the road before 5pm and arrive in Castle Rock by 7:30 pm. I am taking the trip with my youngest brother and his two daughters which will be nice though it will lengthen the time of the drive from around 7 hours to around 9 hours. We will try to depart Wednesday morning before 8am so we can drive the journey fully in daylight and be in Albuquerque by around 4:30 pm to 5pm.
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I briefly considered ordering a pizza for delivery, but opted instead to eat a couple of cans of chile for supper. I also worked on straightening up my desks and filing paperwork.
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Sunday saw an arising of me around 9:30am and I had some oatmeal for breakfast. I halfheartedly watched some NFL before going out around 12:30 to get the newspapers. I popped into McDonalds to read them over a Coca-Cola. About 1:30 I headed out of town to Brant's home which is about 22 miles from me in Federal, WY. I had not been over there in several months so it was nice to get together and visit with him for a few hours while we watched the Broncos game. Denver got plastered by the Raiders by a 31-10 count in a stunning outcome, the Broncos' third consecutive home defeat. But we found plenty to talk about during the game. Both of us are of the same mind about leaving the Front Range Region within the next five years to move to the Pacific Northwest. My other friend Matt is also considering the same action at some point down the road. So if I do move there it is possible I may have some friends there already or soon to come. I will probably spend Christmas evening at Brant & Sara's home since I am planning on staying in Cheyenne for that upcoming holiday.
Sunday saw an arising of me around 9:30am and I had some oatmeal for breakfast. I halfheartedly watched some NFL before going out around 12:30 to get the newspapers. I popped into McDonalds to read them over a Coca-Cola. About 1:30 I headed out of town to Brant's home which is about 22 miles from me in Federal, WY. I had not been over there in several months so it was nice to get together and visit with him for a few hours while we watched the Broncos game. Denver got plastered by the Raiders by a 31-10 count in a stunning outcome, the Broncos' third consecutive home defeat. But we found plenty to talk about during the game. Both of us are of the same mind about leaving the Front Range Region within the next five years to move to the Pacific Northwest. My other friend Matt is also considering the same action at some point down the road. So if I do move there it is possible I may have some friends there already or soon to come. I will probably spend Christmas evening at Brant & Sara's home since I am planning on staying in Cheyenne for that upcoming holiday.
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I departed from Brant's around 6pm and made a brief stop to get gasoline ( I paid only $1.56 per gallon -- utterly amazing -- the least expensive gasoline I have purchased since March of 2004 when I was still driving a taxi !). Following that, I made a brief visit to Walmart for a quart of milk to get me through the next two days, some cookies and beverages for the upcoming roadtrip, and two bananas for lunches. I got home around 7:30 and spent the remainder of the evening mostly relaxing, surfing the 'net and watching the Colts / Chargers game won in the closing seconds by Indianapolis. I also selected my apparel for the vacation and responded to a text message from my sister M letting me know that I have an appointment on Saturday 16 May 2009 to be in Texas for the graduation of my first neice L.
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I will have to figure out how to travel to that wonderous event. The bus is one option but probably the least appealing. I could rent a car but that is a long haul from Denver (about 1100 to 1150 miles each way) which would take two days each way which would result in about a week of commitment. But when that time arrives, I plan on already being in Denver or just about ready to move there. I plan at this time to already have left my job and having started the process of packing to move. Of course, these plans are fluid at this time with what will happen over the next five months of critical importance on what I will decide to do. If circumstances and the environment compel me to stick out up here for another summer at least, then the car rental option for the trip is out. And then there is always the flying option. Southwest Airlines flys direct from DIA to Houston Intercontinental and I may be able to get a deal which makes the round trip cost less than $300. Frontier also flies from Denver to Houston or Austin, and with Matt's wife working for them, perhaps I can figure out a way to get a less expensive flight through her connections. The cost for the flying option would probably be in excess of $600 when factoring in a rental car, gasoline, lodging and meals for three days; the bus option would be about $50 to $75 less at best and it may be a wash when all is said and done; and the rental car trip option would be about $75 to $100 less at best. As Spring arrives (and boy I cannot wait when until that happens !) I will have to start more carefully analyzing how much and which way I will perform this trip.
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The weather forecast for the vacation trip this week is looking fine with no inconveniences expected. I caught the forecast from both Marty Coniglio and Mike Nelson on two of the Denver stations and they affirm what the NWS is already saying: it will be smooth sailing. Temps are looking to be in the 50s and 60s during the days and nighttime lows in the mid 20s at worse. Lets hope no troubles with H's white Honda van occur, particularly somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
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As I observed earlier, autumn thus far has been relatively mild and devoid of snow. Mike Nelson reported Denver has had but 0.1" of snow up to this point which is about 17" below normal. And here in Cheyenne, officially there has been about 4" of snow thus far which is about 14" below what can be normally expected. The forecast for the next three months across the Front Range region is for a much warmer temperatures and below normal precipitation. So far we are on target for following that forecast unlike what happened in the last few years. I also have seen video of the Colorado mountains around Vail, Aspen, and Steamboat, and they are all but devoid of snow as well which is unusual but could change radically at any point over a matter of mere days.
=
Sunday saw a supper of two fishwiches and a can of spinach.
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The week ahead is the most momentous and event filled one for me in at least a couple of years. I think I will have a nice time and am grateful and greatly looking forward to sharing in the Thanksgiving Holiday three days period with my sisters and their families, as well as sharing in the travel with my brother and his daughters at both ends of the vacation journey and the holiday days as well.
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*****
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Autumn's Last Hurrah...
...I am not sure if it will be, but for it to reach 71 degrees with virtually no wind under crystal clear blue skies in the last 12 days of November at this elevation and latitude is truly remarkable. It was really a fantastic beautiful day, and I took advantage of it to do some recycling of newspapers and plastic, as well as straightening up of the inside and in the bed of the White Knight. It was the third time this month a record high has been set. The forecast for the next three months is for it to be much above normal for temperatures; so who knows, maybe we are destined to get some days still into the 60s during these next 100 days before March 2009 arrives...-
This temperature reading at or above 70 degrees is the second latest ever recorded so late in the calendar year. A 71 degree day was recorded on the 25th of November in 1990 which is the latest ever for that threshold. December in Cheyenne has seen a best of 69 degrees once on the 5th (1939), and five instances of 67 degrees on the 6th, 9th, 11th (all three instances in 1939), 18th (1931) and 20th (1941). 66 degrees is as warm as it has ever gotten in January: twice, on the 20th (2005) and 26th (1934). And a 70 degree record is not seen again in the books until the 11th of February (1962), when it once hit 71 degrees, and later in the month when it reached 70 degrees on the 26th (1950). Ten days in the period from 19 December through 18 January have never seen a 60 degree day which says alot about the kind of weather we can normally expect in the opening month of winter.
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So as one can see, historically it is all but unlikely we will see any kind of nice high temperatures in the coming three months.
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High temperature records have been set all over the Mountain West and High Plains over the last three days, including in Phoenix where high temps neared 90 degrees. But all good things must end being this is November, as a sharp cold front is in the process of arriving as I write this article. Winter is back in strong fashion within a few hours for the Front Range region.
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RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
1228 AM MST WED NOV 19 2008
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...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT CHEYENNE WY...
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RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 71 DEGREES WAS SET AT CHEYENNE WY TUESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2009. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 65 SET IN 1949.
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*****
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RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
1228 AM MST WED NOV 19 2008
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...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT CHEYENNE WY...
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RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 71 DEGREES WAS SET AT CHEYENNE WY TUESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2009. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 65 SET IN 1949.
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*****
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Slobs are Winning, The Classy are Disappearing
...From the Sunday 16 November 2009 edition of the Denver Post by guest columnist Teresa Keegan...-
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Police yourselves — and don't frighten the horses
By Teresa Keegan
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I wish I could place a 911 call to Saudi Arabia, directly to the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Members of this unapologetically strict group regularly patrol the streets of that nation's cities, enforcing rigid dress and behavioral codes. They have nearly unlimited power to arrest, detain, interrogate and even punish suspected offenders. Prudes and proud of it, these men mean business.
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Showing cleavage? Drunk in public? You're in a world of hurt. Prepare to be flogged.
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Now, why would I want foreign virtue police running lights and sirens to our shores? Because I am under siege and in need of backup. Some examples:
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Last summer, all summer long, up and down my street late at night drove the boom cars. With supersized subwoofers thumping and bumping, rattling windows and knocking dishes off shelves, they transformed my peaceful neighborhood into the epicenter of a quake registering 8.0 on the Richter scale. Best I could tell, the "music" blaring from these mobile stereos consisted largely of chanted profanities in praise of gang-banging and cop-killing
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As I was strolling through Washington Park recently, enjoying the glorious weather, approaching me on my left was a young female jogger (aka near-naked wiggler-jiggler). As she passed by me, she turned her head and spat, narrowly missing my shoe. I had the temerity to give her a disgusted look. She apparently took this as a direct challenge to her First Amendment rights, called me a vile name and trotted off.
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Last week I was crossing Colfax by the courthouse, in the crosswalk, with the "walk" light. A man making a right turn on red nearly ran me down. I expected, if not an outright apology, at least a glimmer of contrition, some microscopic acknowledgment of wrongdoing. Instead, he called me a vile name, gunned his engine and sped off.
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Forget the Preble's meadow jumping mouse. I vote we declare ladies and gentlemen an endangered species. Every day the evidence mounts: polite, considerate and classy native flora and fauna are being inexorably overrun by noxious invaders (scientific name: malus vulgare). I'm talking about the gross and stupid, coarse and crude, aggressively rude, right-in-your-face crowd. You've seen them in LoDo at let-out, drunk and screaming, cursing and brawling, vomiting on sidewalks, urinating in alleys. You've heard them on the shuttle bus, loudly regaling one another with lurid details of their latest amorous exploits. And you, of course, are not allowed to object to their nastiness.
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Even the gentlest rebuke, the mildest criticism, elicits from them a torrent of obscenities, raised middle fingers, sometimes even physical assault on your person.
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Make no mistake, jackbooted jerks are everywhere on the march, trampling graciousness and courtesy into the mud. Their coup de grace? The demand that we in the white hats forgo all remaining manners and morals, join ranks with their anything-goes standing army and goosestep to its cadences: loosen up, lighten up, get a life, get over yourself.
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My response? No thank you. I choose to stand and fight.
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You want to cruise down my street blasting Ludacris at 3 a.m.? Fine. Here's a little Lawrence Welk right back at you. You want to chug nine beers and barf down my back at the ballgame? Say hello to 50,000 volts of electricity from my little friend the Taser. You won't see a white flag from me.
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I realize I can't totally defend against the blitzkrieg of modern-day slob culture. But I can join with like-minded others in demanding baseline standards for public behavior. Leaving public spaces inviolate is not a new idea. Consider Mrs. Patrick Campbell, 19th century British actress, who said, "Does it really matter what these people do, so long as they don't do it in the streets and frighten the horses?" If Mrs. Patrick Campbell could magically time-travel to present day Saturday night LoDo, what would she say?
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Please stop, people. The horses are terrified.
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Teresa Keegan (tkeegan@ecentral.com) of Denver is a court clerk
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*
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Amen ! This column sums up my feelings, observations, and beliefs completely. But it is hopeless to think it is going to ever stop. I shudder at the thought of what it will be like in 2030...
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*****
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Winds of Change, Season of Change
This week was one that saw some change arrive for me. I found out that I was going to keep working for the foreseeable future and not get laid off. But I do change shifts from my past swing shift, usually 3:30pm to midnight, or later, to one that will run from 7am to 3:30 pm. I guess it will be alright although I positively despise having to awaken at 6am five days a week especially in the dark, cold, and snow of winter. But I have to look at it as a means to an end: getting out of Cheyenne and back to Denver. My plan is to do that as soon as possible in the middle six months of 2009. The timing of the act will depend on how much money I have saved up. And of course, the more the better as there are always unanticipated expenses when doing a move. By working through the winter, I perhaps can leave in as early as six and one-half months or by the end of May. I could move that up to earlier that month, or wait until later in the summer. Right now I believe the latest month for leaving will be September of 2009. I simply cannot imagine or bear the thought of dealing with another winter here whatsoever.Speaking of winter, our first real blast (and I mean blast) came late Thursday evening into early Friday morning. A potent blizzard came roaring around 10 pm and dumped about six inches of heavy wet snow accompanied by fierce powerful winds. The trip home from work was a treacherous adventure as I lost control of the truck twice on the snowpacked icy roads, and once slid into a curb which fortunately caused no damage and was at a moment when no traffic was around. The switch to dayshift at work started Friday, so after only about five and a half hours home, I had to venture out in the dark and discovered drifts around 3' in height around the truck and windows covered with a thick glaze. This storm was short lived as it was gone in a matter of hours. But there was still a lot of snow around still at dusk on Saturday night although the streets were generally clear. It got down to a frigid 13 degrees this morning but warmed up to 52 degrees Saturday afternoon. And the upcoming week is supposed to be very nice with a 67 degrees afternoon forecast for Tuesday the 18th.
The past week saw a lot of wind. Most days and nights it howled, often with gusts in excess of 50 mph, and there were a few nights and days where gusts were in excess of 70 mph. One just has to bear it. The worst is still yet to come in January, February, and March.
Working over 16 hours in a 24 hour period left me exhausted as my body clock has to be reset for a major time shift which will take a good part of next week to accomplish. After completing my shift on Friday I went and had Mexican food at Guadalajara's, a joint on the main commercial drive on the north side of town, Del Range Blvd. It was okay but I have had better. I have been out to about five Mexican restaurants here in Cheyenne in the nearly two years I have been here and have yet to find one I am enthusiastic about, like what I have found in Denver with Santiagos, the Armadillo, and Little Anita's. I figure I still have about five to ten other ones to visit here in Cheyenne in the coming months, so maybe I will find one that is worthwhile.
I slept a lot after getting only about two and a half hours on Friday morning after that Thursday shift and before the Friday shift. I fell asleep on Friday night before 7pm and woke up around 3 am. After a few hours, I got sleepy again and slept from about 5:30 am until around 1:30 pm. I think I also am battling a little bit of a cold which is impacting me, so the rest was helpful with that. I have been sneezing alot and have congestion in my throat and sinal cavity which is difficult to loosen and remove with coughs. How I got it is an unknown as I am largely not exposed to possible risks, but I do touch door handles at work which may have been the source.
Saturday was largely a day of rest. I watched some college football in the afternoon and a good part of the evening. I did venture out around 5pm for about an hour to pick up a part for the truck at Checker; go to the post office; get gasoline; and pickup a submarine at Subway. The evening wrapped up with a look into the end of the Avalanche / Oilers game, which went into a shootout won by Colorado in a thriller.
The price of gasoline continues to sink like a rock, a shocking and stunning development. Even into early July we were around $3.80 to $3.90 per gallon here in Cheyenne which was a fast and furious increase from where it was last February at $2.30 per gallon. But as of today the price here in Cheyenne has fallen to $1.85 per gallon. I do not think its been this inexpensive since 2004 or 2005. And its likely to go lower. Up the road to the north 80 miles in Wheatland, the price is all the way down to $1.40 per gallon, and in Casper its around $1.65 per gallon !!! For the price to have dropped so precipitously and quickly is simply amazing. I know its going to go back up again, probably to even higher levels, but I am very surprised and grateful to have this enormous benefit. I am saving about $50 a month already which is a nice gift.
With the cold weather here, I am less than enthusiastic about getting my frozen cappucino lotte; so its back to home made hot cocoa. I also will try to drink some hot green tea regularly.
I made my reservations for my rental car and have targeted my motels that I will be staying at for my vacation which is now but ten days away. One thing about now working earlier is that I will be able to work on Tuesday 25 November before going down to Denver. But in a trade off, I will have to take Monday 1 December off since thats when I am going return the rental car. I am truly looking forward to the trip and getting an opportunity to visit with and share activities with my sisters and their families, as well as see a friend from my past, Mark. I just hope the weather is cooperative. It is a little disconcerting to see the forecast for the upcoming week to have temperatures to near and above 70 degrees across the Front Range region. I cannot think that the next week, when I need to travel, will be as pleasant.
But I still have much to do in these ten days. I have to get thoroughly organized and prepared for the trip and vacation, making sure I think of everything I need to bring with me and then be sure to do so. Usually one forgets something for a trip like this, so I have to be fully aware of what I need to bring.
Sunday was another usual quiet day. Todd surprisingly stopped by briefly in midafternoon with his three rowdy pooches as he was out on a walk with them. It turned out to be a pretty nice day as the temperature reached 60 degrees. After watching NFL for a time, I went out around 5:30 to get the Sunday papers and make a stop at Walmart for a minimal amount of supplies for lunches. I may get back there later this week if I get around to it to further stock up on foods.
The remainder of Sunday evening was spent relaxing, and I went off to bed before midnight in preparation for the early arising Monday and the following four days ahead.
*****
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Colorado Rockies Ship Matt Holliday to Oakland
Seeing Matt Holliday leave the Colorado Rockies was not a surprise, except for what team he was traded to, the Oakland Athletics. And the players acquired in the deal do not generate any kind of anticipation or excitement whatsoever. Nevertheless, it is a tremendous disappointment to see him go. Holliday may have been the best player in the history of the club, and would have been without question had he played his entire career in Denver. I am not angry, but some others truly are.-
I fully understand why he had to be traded, and the truth is unpleasant. Basically the ownership of the Rockies is financially unable and unwilling to sign players to long term contracts and to sums of money that are really obscene. The owners, the Brothers Monfort, have been burned three times seriously doing just that: with Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle in 2001, and with Todd Helton in 2002. All three deals turned out to be disasters.
-The Rockies simply lack the revenue to support a payroll much in excess of $75 to 80 million dollars. It took them those three expensive contract errors to understand that. The club only gets a limited amount of income from televison and radio, and it is of an amount that will never be more sizeable anytime soon. Revenue for naming rights to Coors Field will only increase marginally in the coming years with the contract in place for the future. Attendance for games will never return to the levels seen in the first decade of the club's existence except on a limited basis. The club is reasonable to budget for an average attendance of around 25,000 to 30,000 fans per game. The season ticket base will likely remain around 10,000 to 12,000 for the foreseeable future with swings of 20 % either way depending on how the club performs on the field and in the standings. While the internet holds some promise of new revenues, most of that will be kept by Major League Baseball and distributed in a shared way to all 30 clubs. Beyond that, there is little or any other revenue sources that can be increased.
-The Rockies made pre-emptive strikes with Troy Tulowitzski and Manny Corpas in signing them to longterm deals after only their rookie seasons. In hindsight, this is what should have been done is regard to Holliday. A deal should have put in place in '05 to keep him in Denver for several years, but it was not done due to the bad taste left in the mouths of the Monforts after the disastrous deals for Hampton, Neagle, and now Helton.
-I expect the Rockies to continue their strategy of signing promising young players to deals similar to the ones with Tulowitzski and Corpas. I believe similar deals with length of years in the same range (3 to 6 years) for C Chris Ianetta, 3B Ian Stewart, and OF Ryan Spilboroughs. If young up - and - comers like Dexter Fowler also excel, they may be signed to early deals.
-As for current players 3B Garrett Atkins, C Yorbit Torrealba, and CF Willie Taveras, I expect them to be traded in the weeks and months ahead. RF Brad Hawpe is another player I would not be surprised to see dealt, probably during the upcoming 2009 season.
-The pitching staff should see some turnover as well in the back of the rotation and in the long part of the bullpen. Lets hope Jeff Francis bounces back from a disastrous season. And hopefully the decent to good pitching we saw for much of 2008 from Aaron Cook, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Jorge De La Rosa will continue in 2009 for the most part. Who will be the 5th starter is one of the questions to answer before Opening Day. Candidates on the roster currently include newly - acquired Greg Smith, veteran Glendon Rusch, oft - injured Jason Hirsch, and often roughed up young Greg Reynolds. One has to think the starting pitching will be better in 2009, and if there is to be any hope for contending, the area where success will be have to be generated beyond expectations.
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The bullpen looks as if it is the best and most promising part of the club in spite of the departure of longime closer Brian Fuentes. Corpas, newly - acquired Huston Street, Taylor Bucholz, Jason Grilli, and Ryan Speier have the history and continued potential to to perform superbly overall in the upcoming season.
-The projection for the 2009 starting eight is an infield of Todd Helton at 1B; a platoon of Clint Barmes, Jeff Baker, and Omar Quintinilla at 2B (but one of these three could be dealt away); Tulowitzski at SS; and Stewart at 3B to replace the soon to be traded Atkins. Ianetta is now established at C, while the outfield now looks to be Spilboroughs in LF, newly acquired Carlos Gonzalez in CF, and Hawpe for at least the time being to be in RF. The bench will have OF Seth Smith, 1B - OF Joe Koshansky, C Edwin Bellorin, and one other OF. Dexter Fowler could get the job, but I believe now it is more likely he will start the season in AAA Colorado Springs until the need arrives for him to come and play regularly either due to a trade or an injury to one of the other Rockies outfielders. I have heard the Rockies would like to re-sign Scott Podsednik, but he is a free agent right now and may end signing with another club this offseason. Another veteran free agent OF will likely be signed to fill the reserve role if Podsednik moves on.
-There will be a big hole in the Rockies lineup with Holliday leaving. Helton is nowhere what he was several years ago, and Hawpe has yet to show any consistency over the length of an entire season. With Atkins likely gone as well, the offense will struggle to score runs a lot more often. And the ability to manufacture runs will be steeply limited with the departure of Taveras following that of Kaz Matsui prior to the 2008 season. I look for the Rockies to be in the bottom half of all NL team batting and hitting statistics in 2009.
-Most fans had high hopes for the Rockies coming into the 2008 season after their sudden and exciting National League pennant victory in 2007. The mood for the upcoming 2009 will be completely subdued. I would say at this time the Rockies are ticketed for a fourth place finish in the National League West in 2009. They will struggle to win 70 games. They will be thankful San Diego is in their division, as only the now hapless Padres are sure to be worse than Colorado due to the messy divorce proceedings ensnarling San Diego owner John Moores that will keep the Padres from any kind of improvement in 2009 from their disastrous 2008 season. It is amazing in some ways and not in others how these two clubs, participants in an exciting great memorable play - in game on 1 October 2007 to get into the NL postseason that my brother and I witnessed in person, have crashed to earth so fast and so hard.
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With others and my glum outlook, it is probably better than 50 - 50 that Manager Clint Hurdle does not survive the season, and a managerial change before midseason would not be shocking.
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Maybe soon, very soon, there will be a change of ownership for the Colorado Rockies and the Monforts will depart and not let the door hit their collective large asses on the way out. But it seems unlikely another owner with deeper pockets and a willingness to spend his own money will be coming anytime soon. There simply are not many of the kinds of individuals in the Rockies region, and the ongoing economic collapse and deep recession is paring down their numbers as we breathe.
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Lets just hope we are not doomed to become like Cubs' fans.... Another winter of our discontent is now here again for us Rockies fans throughout the West and nation...
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But I still plan to attend at least one - half dozen games in the upcoming 2009 season, largely with my good friend Matt but also hopefully with my younges brother as well.
-*****
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Into the First Depths of Winter
Like with many if not most people across the nation, my workplace has started to see a significant downturn in business. No shifts were run last Friday (Halloween) and the same was true for today, 7 November. I expect this to be the case for the foreseeable future, and it is likely to worsen. A letter was posted 16 days ago stating layoffs would be coming and it is all too possible to have this happen in the next week or two. Whether I am included in the numbers to be laid off remains to be seen, but my age is working against me as well as my complete lack of seniority having been working there less than five months. But I am a good and hard worker and I seem to be on the good side of the manager which should work in my favor. I will just have to see what eventuates in the coming weeks and beyond.-
One of the big concerns about a layoff possibility is how it could impact my plans to move from Cheyenne to the Denver area next May. An early and prolonged layoff could force me to delay my move until next October or November, and the worse case scenario of having to delay the move until 2010 move becomes more possible as well, much to my ardent dislike.
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So this Friday was one free of any obligations. After staying up until around 5am the prior night/morning, I rested until around 2:30. I then went out into the icy cold wind to get some newspapers and enjoy a leisurely afternoon reading them at a nearby McDonalds. I made it back home around 6pm and spent the remainder of the evening relaxing, watching some television and surfing the 'net. I got to talk on the phone for about two hours with my youngest brother in some rich and informative conversation which was a nice treat. I prepared myself some chicken brocolli rice for a late supper and worked on my blogs.
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The weather this week turned seriously from warm Indian Summer - like Autumn into the start of harsh winter. After a record warm stretch in late October and the first days of November, winter roared in Wednesday and I mean roared in as winds howled with gusts in excess of 60 to 75 mph and a continuous sustained wind around 35 to 45 mph all of the last three days. We got a dusting of snow on Tuesday night but otherwise it has been mostly clear, but cold, with temps only making it into mid 30s Wednesday and Thursday and upper 40s today. Saturday is supposed to be slightly nicer, and then all next week it is forecast to be unsettled with highs only in the 30s and 40s with periods of snow and lots of wind. Sunday night and on through Monday should see our first real snow session as the last two were overnight events and amounted to less than an inch which melted away within an hour after sunrise both times. That will not be the case this time as it should stick around for at least a day if the forecast is correct. And nights from now on for the next five months or so will always be cold with lows below freezing for the most part.
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Saturday started out with a change of plans. After arising around 11am, I thought I was to be going over to Todd's to watch football, but when I called him I found out he was in Estes Park and would not be back today. So I settled in at home instead. Around 1pm I went out and was dismayed to find that my truck would not start. The battery had lost its charge so I had to juice it to get going. I have decided to deal with this on Sunday once and for all as there is a Checker not far from here. After getting going, I went and checked the mail at the post office and cruised down to B&R for my weekly frozen mocha cappucino. The weather was improved as the wind was barely blowing if at all after three days of terrorism. Skies were strongly overcast and the temperature was about 45 degrees. I returned back home to catch some more college football. Then I caught some reruns of movies half-heartedly before calling it a night.
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Sunday was a nicer day than earlier anticipated as the wind completely ceased and temps made it into the mid 50s under partly to mostly cloudy skies. After watching some NFL for about an hour and a half, I went out to take care of the battery problem. It took a little longer than I anticipated, but eventually I got a new replacement battery that is more powerful. I ended spending over $45 as the original battery was now 28 months past the initial purchase in spite of having been replaced in April 2007 a first time, making today's transaction the 3rd battery. I do not believe I will be purchasing a motor vehicle battery ever again at Checker, given this experience of annual failures with this product. While in the process, I stopped over at Family Dollar and got some soup, applesauce, cookies, and pop for the week ahead which allows me not to have to do the Walmart trip until another date in the next week or two. I do need to get some milk, bread, and bananas in the next few days. After the battery mission was completed, I got the Sunday newspapers and took them while having a chicken sandwich at Carl's Jr. Then it was back home by around 7pm to enjoy the SNF game and my other television I regularly watch this evening.
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Later I embarked on a lengthy post for my biography blog as well as watch some movies deep into the night, including Wild at Heart, Twins, and Flipper.
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I almost forget to mention how much I really enjoyed blogging all the election results and my observations and reactions last Tuesday 4 November and well into the early morning on Wednesday 5 November and keeping up on all the unsettled even afterwards. That experience was truly rewarding and enjoyable, and it gave me a sense of purpose over the short term which is almost always missing in my life at this time: I have long term goals and purposes but unlike most I rarely have a daily purpose outside of the mundane and trivial. Blogging is one noteworthy exception to that seemingly regular daily norm.
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The week ahead does not have anything of importance looming. I will probably work but 32 hours and have Friday off. I do have to get that Walmart grocery run done, but I have enough food for the most part to make it through the week with no problem. I still need to do that laundry I have been procrastinating on for a few weeks now. This Friday may be the best time to do this. But I also have thought about going down to Castle Rock to see my brother and his daughters. I have not been down there for almost four months now, so I am long overdue for a visit. I know he and his wife are seriously busy and stressed out with their workload and other numerous responsibilities. But maybe I can get them dinner like a pizza and occupy the exuberant girls briefly to allow him to focus on some other matters while I am there, perhaps even overnight on Friday into Saturday for a time.
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If this option does not eventuate, then it will be laundry Friday and perhaps the last Saturday of college football at Todd's. He will be gone to Utah the last two Saturdays in November, and has his monthly weekend national guard duty the first weekend of December which means the 15th is the finale this year.
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I also need to make all the reservations and plans for my upcoming Thanksgiving trip to Albuquerque which is now but 16 days away. I am greatly looking forward to it; hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate at all the key moments of the trip.
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*****
Sunday, November 2, 2008
November Comes in Like a Lamb
We have made it to November, the eleventh and penultimate month of the year, and it is the month where any remains of Summer completely disappear into the gloom of winter for the next five months or so. Thankfully, the month started out with a nice surprise as we had a record high here in Cheyenne of 72 degrees, a temperature more typical of early to mid September. Days in the 70s in November are pretty rare for places at this latitude and at over 6000' in elevation, but we may cross the treshold again on Sunday. But the big changes are nearing as by Wednesday it will be near 40 degrees for a high with lots and lots of wind and a chance of precipitation in the form of snow. It is forecast for there to be a large number of record high temperatures across the Great Plains on Sunday before the cooldown starts. But it was a nice stretch this last week as the last five days have been at least ten to fifeen degrees above normal overall relative to normal which is usually means highs in the low 50s and lows in the upper 20s. November sees a decline in normal highs from 50 to 42 and lows from 27 to 19 through the month. And although the forecast is for a much warmer than usual winter ahead, I suspect we will get at least a few days where the lows drop close to zero and the afternoon highs fail to make freezing during November and more often for sure in December. Brrrr !The workweek was shorter than expected as we were given Friday off meaning I only got 33 1/2 hours in which is disappointing. I enjoyed the extra day off and did run a few errands: mailing the gift for J & C at the post office; stopping by TV repair place to get some info; stopping by the newsstand; talking for awhile to Brant on the phone; and spending about two hours in Barnes & Noble doing some reading and browsing. I had some tomato soup and French bread for dinner and spent the rest night surfing the 'net and watching some TV.
Saturday was spent entirely at home as I did not venture out. After getting a good nights sleep I just relaxed watching college football and surfing the 'net. I had some oatmeal for breakfast and I fixed a box of Hamburger Helper for supper.
I think I have eaten Hamburger Helper probably about 4000 times in my life. I have tried every variety, and some of those have been discontinued. Lasagna is my favorite, and the stroganoff with the dried slices of potatoes is my least favorite. Sometimes I make my own version of hamburger helper by cooking some beef and mixing in something of my own choosing like rice, noodles, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cheese, or a can of soup like Cream of Mushroom. Nevertheless it is a filling meal and easy to prepare. I used to fry the beef in a skillet on the top of the stove, but in recent years I place it in a covered glass dish and microwave it for eight minutes, stopping it midway to stir. It doesn't seem any different than frying it stovetop. It may cost more money to run the microwave for 20 -25 minutes to fully prepare the dish but it requires less attention as I do not have to keep constantly stirring it like when it is in the skillet. I wish there were more that had a vegetable element to them, but it not like vegetables will keep in a box. Hamburger Helper and its cousins Tuna Helper and Chicken Helper are godsends for longtime bachelors like me who lack the discipline, skill, and motivation to cook fancy meals. I am sure, however, that there are many strong rebuttals and rebukes from some about my choice of HH on my menu. I probably eat Hamburger Helper about twice a month; Tuna Helper about twice a month, and Chicken Helper about once every two months.
Saturday evening was spent the same way the day was as I caught more college football including Texas Tech defeating Texas on the last play of the game. I largely did nothing else of any significance. That will have to change on Sunday.
I have started to work on my autobiographical blog http://dob5-31-58thestoryofmylife.blogspot.com/. One must have special permission to enter into the site and read it. If you are interested, please email me at mtzperspective@mail.com to let me know you want to read it so I can send you an invitation.
Sunday was a day similar to Saturday. We had another record high as the temperature reached 71 degrees under partly cloudy skies with a warming southerly breeze. This is probably the last 70 degree day here until perhaps sometime in the second half of March at the earliest, but more likely mid - April. I rested until late morning and then watched football which included another disappointing loss for the Denver Broncos with their fourth defeat in five games to drop their record to 4-4, still good enough for first place at this point in the AFC West. I slipped out afterwards to make a small grocery run at Albertsons and get the Sunday papers. I stopped at Subway for a footlong and read the papers.
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Today was the first day after the end of Daylight Savings Time and it was noticeable as darkness came around 5pm. I always strongly dislike the end of DST as it is very disappointing for darkness to come much earlier so suddenly. I sometime would like on the western edge of a time zone so the change is not so abrupt. One thing I would like to see is to have DST extended in November to the first Saturday night /Sunday morning for the changeover after the first Tuesday of the month instead just being the first Sat pm/Sun am changeover we have now. I think it is important to have Election Day conducted while DST is still be observed for the safety and welfare of voters and to help assist in late afternoon turnout. Maybe Congress will consider this at some point in the future.
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Sunday evening saw nothing special as I watched my TV shows while keeping track of the SNF game between the Patriots and Colts. The night ended around 2am as I retired for a nice nights rest.
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The week ahead is one that initially will focus on the elections. I will record the Monday Night Football game between two of my favorite clubs, the Redskins and the Steelers to enjoy after I get home from work. Then I am taking Tuesday off and will blog live starting around 4:30 pm and will stay with it through at least midnight and maybe beyond, reporting anything I find out from news sources such as CNN, ABC News, NBC News, MSNBC, as well as local sources such as KMGH, KUSA, KTWO, and KCNC. There are too many internet sources I will be looking at to list here. I believe I will be largely happy and satisfied with the anticipated results that occur in this election; more so than anyone with the close exception of 2006. This is the tenth presidential election I have followed since when I was a boy and probably the one that is bringing me the greatest level of excitement and anticipation ever. I was not able to be so involved in 1976 with the Jimmy Carter election, but it seems somewhat like that one was similar to this one with an honorable GOP candidate being exceeded by an exemplary Democratic one also. The elections in 1968, '72, '80, '84, '88, '92, '00, and '04 were very disappointing, and '96 was another one like '76 and this year as a Republican that was highly respected and decent was exceeded by a simply better Democrat. In '68 I was pulling for Humphrey; in '72 McGovern; in '80 Anderson; in '84 Mondale, in '88 Dukakis; in '92 Perot; in '96 Clinton; in '00 Nader; and '04 Kerry. So it looks like '08 will be only the third time that I will have been happy with the results. And it looks to be sweeter if the results for the Senate and House turn out to be as good or better than expected.
Later in the week I will record the CMA show; the Broncos game at Cleveland; and the TCU - Utah game. I also need to pay the monthly bills for the rent, cable, internet, and cell. For all of that it runs about $625 or so. And as usual there is the ever endless task of trying to get the place more neater and organized that seems to always be on the plate but never gets done. And next weekend will definitely require me to face the ugly fact of having to do the laundry after procrastinating on the project for a few weeks now, with it being done perhaps on Friday if that is another day off. I also see The Dark Knight is showing at the Dollar Movie Theatre so I may have to take that in while I have the chance to. I have to remember to bring my free movie tickets gift card I got from my sister earlier this year with me to Denver the next time I go down there or with my to Albuquerque later in the month so I can take in some newer films at some of the nicer theatres there.
I also need to make reservations for my motel rooms and car rental for my upcoming trip to NM Thanksgiving week. The itinerary as of now is to leave Cheyenne Tuesday afternoon; spend that night in Centennial; pickup the rental car Wednesday am and leave my truck at either Matt's or Hank's; drive Wednesday afternoon and early evening to Albq; check into the motel probably around 8pm; and make plans for Thursday. I will stay through Sunday morning and spend that night in Denver so I can return the rental car Monday morning and return to Cheyenne that Monday afternoon to return to work. Of course the itinerary is flexible and is contingent upon the weather so I may have to make changes as needed.
I also have to do that Walmart grocery trip, but I think I can delay that until next weekend with the exception of picking up some bread, milk, fruit, and vegetables which I will need sooner than then.
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Thursday, October 30, 2008
Philadelphia Phillies Take the 2008 World Series
Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies on winning the 2008 World Series with a four games to one game victory over the young overachieving upstart Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa Bay, much like the Colorado Rockies in 2007, tremendously overachieved and went much farther than most everyone could have anticipated. And, unlike the Rockies, they will be back strongly in contention in 2009 and have to be among the favorites to win it all next season.-
But for now, it is Philadelphia's moment to shine as the city gets a championship for the first time since the 1984 Philadelphia Stars won the second United States Football League title over the Arizona Wranglers in, somewhat ironically, in Tampa. It was a game that I attended !
-The Phillies are probably a one year wonder. In 2009, certainly the Mets will not fail a third consecutive time, and the other three clubs in the National League East will be improved, particularly the Florida Marlins.
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The Phillies clearly are a great team with excellent leadership from GM Pat Gillick and Manager Charlie Manuel. Manuel is a name from the memories of my past, as he played for the Albuquerque Dukes baseball club in 1974 and hit 30 home runs for the Dukes that summer. I believe I got to go to about 4 - 5 games that season and I seem to recall seeing a game where he hit one out over the left field wall in the drive in parking area that used to be above and beyond the left field fence.
-Only about 95 to 100 days until pitchers and catchers report !
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*****
Monday, October 27, 2008
Tony Hillerman, 1925 - 2008
I was introduced to Professor Tony Hillerman's unique fictional tales (described as tribal mystery) that are set on the Navaho Indian Reservation when I was in high school, as assignments included reading his books The Blessing Way and Dance Hall of the Dead and doing reports on them. The books had compelling characters and intriguing plots that kept one's interest. Later on, I read a few other of his books after they were published in the 1980s and 1990s, but it never seems like I find time to indulge in fiction with everything else I like to read and keep up on in the nonfiction genres. Hillerman was a decorated combat veteran of World War II, a journalist at and editor of The Santa Fe New Mexican (among other newspapers), and a Professor of Journalism at the University of New Mexico. He had 22 books of fiction, several three-in-one volumes of nonfiction, 12 books of nonfiction, and five books of photos published over his long illustrious writing career with one more book of fiction that may be published posthumously. He was honored on a number of occasions professionally for his works and also by the Navaho tribe. Hillerman leaves his wife of 60 years, Marie; six children; and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. -
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*****
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
October Going Out Like a Lion
The most unpleasant weather feature that comes with living in Cheyenne made its first real appearance this autumn for much of this past week as strong winds blew almost every day from Monday through today. We had our first cold days on Tuesday through Wednesday with temps never making 40 degrees and a small dusting of snow covering vehicles and vegetation, but not streets and sidewalks. That will come soon enough. Fortunately things did improve as it got much warmer by Saturday with a high temperature that neared 70 degrees but accompanied by continued ferocious west and northwest winds all day and night that I could hear through the vents. The forecast for the week is for a brief noticeable cooldown on Sunday then back into the low to mid 60s for the next several days, including Halloween surprisingly. Keeping winter at bay as long as possible is always a positive in any way.-
My past week improved as it went along. My sadness, depression, and malaise over my mother's passing ever so diminished as time elapsed and I kept busy at work. I ended up with just a few hours of overtime but also learned I would get paid for taking a couple of days to grieve the loss which is a small compensation for the tragedy. I continued to have trouble with the battery in the truck as my vehicle would not start without a jump on Wednesday. My juicer died which created an inconvenience. I had to take the battery out after I got home early Thursday morning and put it on the charger overnight to renew its power which was unpleasant in the icy cold winds blowing that night. Fortunately it took the charge and the last three days have been without incident. But I remain concerned the problem will recur soon and I may be looking at replacing the battery in the coming weeks.
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Saturday was a nice relief as the sunny skies were very much welcomed in spite of the hostile winds. I arose about 11:15am and then headed over to Todd's after stopping for my weekly frozen cappucino mocha from Baskin Robbins with a coupon to make it less costly. We ordered some pizza to tide us over through the afternoon. I departed about 5:45pm. This was probably the last time I get to go over this season to watch college football at his home as his schedule for the remaining coming weeks is largely prohibitive with the possible exception of the 8th and 15th of November. Hopefully we can continue the practice in January when Mountain West Conference basketball gets into the full conference game schedule on Saturdays.
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It was back to the home unit where I relaxed through the evening surfing the 'net and watching some more football as well as parts of the Sabres / Avalanche game won by Colorado on a shootout; and parts of the 3rd game of the World Series that started late due to rain and was won by the Phillies after 1:45 local time in the City of Brotherly Love. Later I caught parts of SNL as the political sketches were quite enjoyable. Supper consisted of eating the leftover pizza from earlier in the afternoon. I retired for the night around 12:30.
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Sunday saw me awaken around 9:30 am. I headed over to Safeway around 10:15 am to pick up some milk, bread, bananas, and the Sunday newspapers. It was quite colder than Saturday as the temperature was right around freezing. The wind had also calmed down significantly from Saturday's sustained 35 mile per hour winds with 50 mph gusts to something like 15 and 25. I got back home and just relaxed. I really should go do the laundry but I am totally unmotivated to take on the task that requires me to haul three bags of clothes plus baskets, hangers, and chemicals down the flight of stairs to the truck and drive across town to the laundromat. I need to do it soon but there will come a day in the next few weeks where the time will be right. Instead I watched NFL and surfed the 'net until around 4:15 when I laid back on the recliner and took a nap for about 75 minutes. I then enjoyed Sunday TV while keeping the World Series game four on the small television: 60 Minutes; the debate on PBS between Chris Rothfuss and Mike Enzi for one of the US Senate seats; Desperate Housewives; and Brothers and Sisters. Supper consisted of the rest of the leftover pizza. I caught the end of the game as the Phillies pounded the Rays to take a 3 -1 series lead with a possible worlds championship to be completed tomorrow (Monday 10/27) evening. I continued to surf the 'net and less than half-heartedly listen to the television until I retired around 2:30am. It was 19 degrees outside when I called it a night.
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The week ahead does not seem like there is anything that needs special attention to be paid to unlike the last two weeks. I imagine I will only get the most minimal of overtime, if any at all, this week at work. The weather forecast is for improving conditions and much above normal temps with less wind through the end of the week. Even Halloween is supposed to be nice and mild which seems to be the exception to what we normally experience here in the Front Range region. Maybe I can find the motivation and energy to work on some projects around the place and do some further organizing and straightening up. I can also think once again about making a trip down to Denver to possibly see my nieces and their father as well as Matt, and check into some businesses like Newsland, Microcenter, Best Buy, and elsewhere to see what or if there are any products that I am interested in. I also need to get that bleepin' laundry done and get the recycling taken care of while the weather is favorable. And a trip to Walmart to restock with food is on the horizon, either this upcoming weekend or the next.
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One thing I will be doing with great interest is following the economy and markets this week. I believe this week may be the worst yet with quite a few shocking developments, downturns, and unsettling news. It will be darkest before the dawn that is on the horizon that starts with the elections next week that I will be deeply focused on as well.
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*****
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