The Things Children Get to Truly Enjoy

Its only a little better than the one my two nieces and their friends enjoy often in Castle Rock. The young Obama girls share another something special with them.

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/03/04/obama-girls-get-new-swing-set-not-from-an-earmark-though/

*****

The Answer for AIG Executives, Management, and Greedy Bonus Takers

The executives, management, and greedy bonus takers of AIG, as well as many other greedy overpaid corporate types should be put into a large crypt with many of these spiders to deal with. An appropriate punishment for the greed, arrogance, and foolishness of the worst of greedy corporate types. AIG must go and be carved up and be terminated. It is one of numerous corporations, often banks, but many other types, that have committed crimes against mankind and humanity.

The long and painful era of corporate greed is starting to be seemingly in reverse after 28 years of government and citizenry laxness.

Then again, maybe not....

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509876,00.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_wandering_spider

*****

Welcome to Spring 2009

The local climate continues to bounce up and down as should be expected. After a rather cold second week for March, the third week turned out to be quite warm with temps in the 50s and 60s all week. Winds were down for the most part and there was zero precipitation for the last several days and beyond. Sunshine was mixed in with cloudy days. I was able to keep the heat off all week and be comfortable. I even opened the door for prolonged periods on a couple of the days. There is a change forecast for next week starting on Sunday night 3/23 as unsettled weather is expected to be the trend for most of next week with even some moisture will fall, both in the form of rain and snow, and it may be sufficient enough to result in road closures and an inhospitable environment outdoors until next weekend.

There is still about three weeks to a month, perhaps more depending on the weather in April before we get to see any real visible signs of spring such as blooming trees and shrubs, flowers, and luxurious verdant green lawns. And this waiting is the hardest part, as one really wants to experience the explosion of life as soon as possible after about six months of nothing but dead and dormant vegetation being all around us.

I got out on a couple of occasions, once primarily to get groceries at the Wal-mart. I got about a months worth of product for about $75, but any savings was offset by having to take a taxi to and from with a pitstop on the way back to the post office. It added up to $26, so I do not think I will be taking that approach again. Hopefully I can use Todd when I need to do this again in early to mid April.

But getting back and forth to work will be tough once I get called back and restart, hopefully in the next few weeks. I will have to rely on getting a ride for about month to two months until I am able to purchase another vehicle. I had thought about renting a car to get through this period but the rates were substantially higher than I had anticipated, at around $200 per week from Enterprise; but I have yet to investigate other alternatives. I suspect they will not be much different and the advertisements for less than $100 per week rentals I have seen are not available here. Walking to the job is out as it is about nine miles from where I live and there is no public transportation option that exists. When I do get called back to work, its going to be an inconvenience for some time. I just have to keep telling myself that its a means to an end...

Other than going to the store, I walked down to the park on Tuesday. It is a nice old big park with century old trees towering throughout it with ample grassland and things for children to take part in. Holliday Park is about six blocks due south of me and its a relaxing walk to make. I wish I could have someone else to share in the activity, but thats not an option for me at this time and place. I hope when I get to Colorado Springs there is a park within a relatively short distance of where I end up. I also went to the drugstore across the street for a newspaper and a bottle of pop on Monday, but did not return there again until this morning where I would strike out on getting the Saturday Post as it was delivered there for some unknown reason.

Much of the week I watched college basketball, college hockey, MLB, and NHL. I also caught my favorite programs for the most part ( I am figuring out better what is the whole story on Lost). I also talked with family and friends including my brother H, my sisters M & K, and my friend Matt. Todd should be back in this hemisphere after about three weeks away early next week and I anticipate him visiting me to see the tournament's second weekend. I also spent much time working on the net as I usually do as well as do some limited work with my blogs as I took some time off away from them.

I awoke Sunday around dawn and looked out to see a gorgeous day in the making. After a breakfast of Quaker Cinnamon Oatmeal Squares and some surfing, I got out around 10am to get the Sunday papers and a Hershey with Almonds candy bar. I watched the Flyers / Penguins game and some of the Arizona St / Syracuse game. As morning turned into afternoon I puttered around on a minimal level as I shook the indoor rugs outside in the fresh air of their months of dust and debris; swept and mopped the kitchen and entryway floors; wiped down the outside of the refrigerator; and cleaned up the vacuum but was unsuccessful in finding the bags -- they must be in a box in the storage garage and I wasn't motivated enough to search for them. The day turned out splendidly as promised as I had the front door open and the window up for all of the day. It is hard to believe a Spring Great Plains Blizzard is just hours away, but thats the way the weather works around here sometimes in March and April. After a nice stretch it is back to a more winter like pattern for the rest of this week. I caught the first telecast of the Rockies in Spring Training and kept up on the final games of the afternoon in NCAA hoops.

Sunday supper consisted of minute rice with gravy, and after changing out a light bulb in the overhead lamp, I relaxed through the evening, watching 60 Minutes, the WBC game between the US and Japan, the Avalanche / Sharks game, Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, and the 10pm KMGH-7 news before calling it a day.

The forecast is now for a blizzard on Monday into Tuesday morning, so I will probably be home bound the next two days; but the allure of getting some ice cream may embolden me to venture out to the DQ to meet that desire.

*****

Foods One Easily Overeats: Especially Me :(

This article points a number of foods that one can easily overeat on. For me, this is a fact of life. I am almost 100 % guilty of doing this at any and all opportunity presented to me, and I have been this way since before I was in college.

Pizza is a real problem as I can always eat about 10 slices at least. But when I do go to buffet, I always try to have a heaping plate of salad with lots of lettuce, tomatoes, celery, carrots, and anything else that looks good. But I still want to eat about 8-10 slices, and with no salad, eating an entire large pizza from delivery or two Totinos is never a problem for me, even with a lot of toppings on them. But Todd can usually outdo me which is of some solace.

But I probably overdo it on salad dressing, of which either Blue Cheese, Thousand Island, or French are my preferences. I will choose Ranch if those three are not an option. Salad bars where one chooses their own quantity of dressing are not good. The preportioned packages of dressing are better for me, which makes getting a $1 salad at Wendys a good decision for me.

Its better for me to eat ice cream out rather than at home. That way a level of portion control is in place. Eating ice cream at home results in me getting a serving of about 5-6 scoops when I partake, especially since I cannot get coffee ice cream unless I go to BR for a cone, sundae, or beverage.

Whenever I have orange juice, I never have just 8 ounces. Usually I get a large if at a restaurant which is 16 or 20 ounces, or guzzle enough out of the bottle to equal that if at home drinking juice. The same is true for all juices - grapefruit (my absolute favorite), cranberry, apple, plum, V8, tomato, and grape.

Soda pop is an absolute killer for me. If I go to McDs or BK for a meal, I usually refill my pop cup 3-4 times which makes about 48 to 64 ounces less the ice in the cup. Soda pop is my vice and weakness and I try to make an effort to minimize the opportunities for consumption, but I am not always successful. I drink down almost a full two-liter bottle if I keep it near at hand through the course of an evening.

When it comes to rice, I always have about a 2 cup portion or more when I have it as part of a meal as I am these few days as I just made the Campbells chicken vegetable cheddar rice casserole which I get 4 meals from. I probably have rice as part of a meal at least three times per week.

But there is some good news, as I only consume potato chips about 2-3 times per year, usually because it is a side to another item where there is no other option available, and I want to get my moneys worth and not discard the chips. But I never buy potato chips for my own personal consumption although I have gotten Tostitos for myself twice in the last year or so.

When it comes to burgers, it depends on where I am at and the kind I choose. At home, the microwaveable burger patties that I will eat on a bun is at the most two. At McDs I will have 3 of the $1 cheeseburgers, and at BK I will get a 2 for 1 Whopper with a coupon, but anywhere else I never get more than one as I consider them poor values with the price being charged. I have a 2 for 1 coupon for Carls Jr that I will use in the next few weeks, but speaking from experience those are some rich heavy sandwiches that I only want to consume once in a rare while.

A KFC Buffet just opened here in Cheyenne and I want to pay it a visit. I know it will be outstanding and I will go hog wild, so I have to promise myself to visit it only a couple of times per year as going there as much as I would like to would probably have me dropping dead within a year.


http://health.msn.com/nutrition/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100234866&GT1=31036

*****

Spring is Here !

The official beginning of spring across the northern hemisphere will arrive this Friday, March 20th at 5:44 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time. This is known as the vernal equinox and it marks the moment when the Suns overhead position crosses the Equator during its northward progression at this time of year. As you have likely noticed the days have been getting longer since December and now the amount of daylight exceeds the amount of night, with the amount of daylight currently increasing by about 2 1/2 minutes each day at this latitude. That rate of increasing daylight will begin to decrease as springtime progresses, and will come to a stop at the summer solstice, which will occur on June 20th.

The name "equinox" is derived from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the Equinox, nighttime and daytime are approximately equal in length.

March 20 will likewise mark the first day of fall across the southern hemisphere.

*****

Meandering Along the Final Days of Winter

The Ides of March are just about upon us, and St Patrick's Day will be here shortly forthwith. I continue to surf along the wave of life and await a change in the coming weeks. I have largely been inactive, getting plenty of rest, and merely observing the outside world at a distance from the safety and warmth of my home. The last several weeks have been a blur with no significance to be drawn from. I have become a homebody almost exclusively. With no transportation and no work there is little to draw me to differentiate the days. I get out on occasion to the drug store for milk or pop; and then there is the DQ where I can get some ice cream. Beyond that I have gone nowhere else in weeks. I spend time on the 'net; listening to music; watching sports, movies, or programs; or reading. I need to go to the Wal-mart to get groceries as I have made an effort to try to get rid of much of my supply as possible. But I still have about 10 days to two weeks worth of product, but much of it is incomplete without getting additional substances: thus a trip to replenish is becoming rapidly necessary; so Monday I will call a taxi to take me to and from the store.

The weather as usual has been up and down. After a very warm first week in March, this second week has been more winterlike, with our coldest days in quite some time and some brief snowfall. Tuesday the 10th saw the mercury dip below zero, and the following four days were cold with temps at sunrise in the low to mid teens and daytime highs around 40 at best. But Friday saw the start of a warming trend, and as I input this letter on mid Saturday afternoon, the temperature has soared into the upper 50s under a crystal clear blue cloudless sky with zero wind. And the forecast for the coming several days is upbeat as we may see the upper 60s again early in the week and no chance of wind or cold for at least a few days and possibly longer.

Winter ends in less than a week and I am very grateful for that. Although winter can make frequent and harsh intrusions again and again for at least another six weeks or so, the worst is over and it is all downhill from here on out. The warm splendid days like we are experiencing today become more common in the coming weeks, and the prospect of life returning to the flora of the high prairie becomes closer to a reality. We have about a month until that begins, and about five to six weeks until it becomes an explosion of life -- Spring, indeed.

While I do not watch any college hoops for the most part, I do jump on the bandwagon about this time to get into March madness, especially this year since I am idle. I have watched MWC hoops since early in December, but no other conference except for brief snippets. But this week I have watched alot of college hoops with this being championship week and the presence of many games being televised. Today is the peak of the action, and on Sunday the brackets for postseason are announced, which is somewhat anti-climatic to the action seen this week. I have also been watching hockey as that season winds into its final 15-20 % of the regular season; as well as baseball, as spring training is going full bore with the added bonus of the WBC which has had a couple of interesting games to take in.

Saturday I arose before dawn as I have much of this week and spent some time on the net. I watched some DVR'ed programs from recent days before taking a prolonged shower and doing a shave. I went out about 10am to get the Saturday paper and bottle of pop. After I returned home I ordered a pizza from PJ and started watching some of the telecast hoops matchups. About 11:15am I got a phone call from the older of my three sisters, M, and we had a great detailed conversation for about 2 1/2 hours or so. My pizza came and I had to wait about an hour to start eating it while I continued my conversation with sister M.

She suggested I consider relocating to Houston at some point; I would think its a possiblility at best but rather improbable as to how I am thinking at this time.The heat and humidity, the insects, the strange foreign threatening people, no scenic mountains to be able to see regularly, and a number of other considerations would seem to make it a place I would have enormous difficulty in adjusting to. But the cost of living, the vibrant economy, no winter, and the relative closeness of a caring sibling and her family would be positives that make it worth considering. I know I want to relocate out of the Mountain states region in the middle of the next decade, and thus far I have only considered the Pacific Northwest of Oregon and Washington along with the Desert Southwest of Arizona and Nevada. Its not a relocation that I will embark on anytime in the next five years approximately, so other places can be considered and researched to see if they can be considered as worthy alternatives

The afternoon continued on very nicely as I was able to open the front door and let some ventilation in from the nice day. I watched hoops and surfed the net for several hours before retiring around 8pm.

Sunday started off with a predawn arising. I baked myself some cornbread for breakfast and had several cups of hot tea with honey. I once again watched some DVR'ed programs from Saturday evening - the 10pm news, a woeful SNL, and the 20/20 episode from Friday night with the usual grouchy and whinning John Stoesel. As the day got going I watched Stargate again and readied to make plans to go to the store possibly in mid to late morning, but I decided to hold off until Monday. The weather was generally okay but clear skies in the early morning changed to fully cloudy skies in the later morning and the wind was up somewhat, but temperatures made into the mid 50s when I stepped out around noon to get the Sunday Post and a root beer from Hoys and then some ice cream from DQ. I talked on the phone with Matt for several minutes about a variety of topics and he sent me an email with an enclosure consisting of a cover letter and his resume for me to review and proofread. I watched the NHL matchup between the Rangers and Flyers which was a surprisingly solid New York victory in The Garden. After the game ended, I watched some college hoops halfheartedly while reading the paper and surfing the 'net.

All in all, another lazy overall quite Sunday, much like every other day so far in 2009. Maybe I need to go get a sixpack and get trashed.

*****

Everyone is Finally Getting It Figured Out

Its nice to see the national media start figuring out something that I wrote about over two and half weeks ago: CNBC is a waste and full of hacks, lackeys, cheerleaders, bimbos, himbos, boobs, out and out liars, con men, many who aid and abet criminals, and blatant shysters and crooks. CNBC is utterly corrupt and despicable with no soul, and should be removed from the airwaves at once with grand jury investigations of its management and on air staff for probable criminal links to the financial and economic collapse.

http://www.minyanville.com/articles/ge-via-jon-stewart-jim-cramer/index/a/21628

http://www.americablog.com/2009/03/its-not-about-santelli-or-kudlow-or.html

This is but three links that has emerged on this topic in the last day or two. And the Los Angeles Times link is in the entertainment part of the paper, a utterly horrible inexcusable blunder by management and editors of that paper.

Expect damaging and destructive exposes on the corruption of CNBC and other business coverage entities by CBS' 6o Minutes and other eminent news journalist organizations.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/CNBCs-dilemma-make-a-recession/story.aspx?guid={27AE0210-5FA3-4C54-80A3-2411C511B781}

http://pundits.thehill.com/2009/03/13/cnbc-and-the-stockholm-syndrome-for-speculators-and-greed/

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-fi-cotown-cnbc14-2009mar14,0,7086061.story

*****

Back to the Future

I write about my opinions on the ongoing economic collapse extensively on my other blog, but I tend to hold back on the depths of my viewpoints and my fears and/or realizations.

Privately I think the US and its citizens are up the creek without a paddle. I believe the nation is headed downhill big time and we are going to return to a standard of living much differently than what we have seen in recent years. Much of this will be bad for some, even many; but likewise is true as well, particularly for those in the lowest quintille economically. I think stock prices and values are headed back to where they were in the early 1990s and late 1980s. The great wealth accumulation by many, primarily the wealthy, is going to be carved up and minimized substantially.

For much of the history of the nation, there was a ratio of 3:1 between home prices and per capita income. In much of the last three decades, this historical ratio has been seriously out of whack, rising to an 6:1 level in most places and even 10:1 to 12:1 or more in some locales. Incomes have been largely stagnant for a number of years and certainly have not risen anywhere near the rate of housing costs and values. I now believe the US is headed back towards housing values of the late 70s to mid 80s, which would be representational of what incomes exist. Obviously home cost more to build with more expensive materials and accessories as part of the construction, but a big part of the cost is the price of land; this particular element will be a big part of the downturn in prices and values as it will reflect more accurately and justly relative to per capita incomes.

If all this does eventuate -- and its far from a sure thing -- the nation we will be living in within the next five years will show far less social and economic stratification that what has been witnessed since the Reagon years and through the Bush Junior years.

One thing to note -- if one factors in the rate of inflation, the DJI is still at levels seen in the year 1966.... but I now suspect there is a greater possibility that the DJI is headed to levels below the 4000 mark, and going to even below the 3000 mark is certainly possible now.

What will all this mean ? Quite simply, an economic depression...

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090323/ehrenreich_fletcher?rel=hp_picks

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/03/inflation-adjusted-dow-is-at-1966-levels/

*****

The Times are so Bad, Drinking is on the Upswing

Hitting the bar or local watering hole has been a tradition and passion of a vast majority of Americans for generations. Even when times are bad economically or otherwise, the lifestyle continues unabated and probably even expands. When the world is running down, you make the best of what still is around. And that means having a cold one(s), stiff one(s), or whatever concoction one enjoys. I don't get out to do this at all unfortunately, primarily because I do not drink alone and will only do it with friends. And being here in Cheyenne, regrettably I do not have any "drinking buddies". Hopefully when I relocate back to Colorado in the next several months to year that can change. I miss getting to do that like I used to do when I was living in the Denver area. I am doomed to be a virtual shut-in and recluse here in wind tunnel of the continent while I wait out my exile here.

http://cityguides.msn.com/citylife/cityarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=17090665&page=0

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=7008002&page=1&nwltr=NL_topstory_hed

*****

The Ugliest MLB Player Contracts

Looking down the list of these players contracts and one can only conclude this is the Hall of Fame of current player stiffs. All of these guys have made off like bandits and really taken management to the cleaners. Not one of these guys is worth even 10 % of what they are making. Most were flashes in the pan that are now clearly utter has-beens.

Ownership in MLB is clearly full of pie-eyed fools and hapless saps similar to those buying on a glittery used car lot.

http://www.springtraining09.com/features/the-44-worst-contracts-in-base.php#below

*****

Some Future Promising Technologies

Among the new technologies discussed in this article are supercharged batteries, widespread 3-D printing, and pop-up instant housing.

http://www.saleshq.com/news/articles/1845-20-incredible-innovations-of-the-near-future?page=21&referral=shq_nlet_R1_20090304

*****

New and Exciting ! Hamster (yes Hamster !) Powered Vacuum Cleaners

What they won't think of next....

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=12323040&ch=4226726&src=news

http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/04/1844254

*****

A Near Miss

The planet Earth dodged a bullet literally on Monday 2 March as a fireball asteroid came very close to slamming into the planet or the moon. Had it hit, it would have caused an enormous explosion on a par with the famed 1908 Tunguska impact in Eastern Siberia. If the asteroid had come down in one of the oceans, a pretty good sized tsunami would have resulted. Sometime in the coming decades, a body from space of this size or larger will impact the planet with unbelievable detrimental and destructive consequences.

http://skywatch-media.com/2009/03/earth-had-close-encounter-with-40-yard.html

*****

March Starts Off Like a Beautiful Lamb

The first few days of March have been delightful across the Rocky Mountain Front, particularly with the wind being a minimal presence for the most part. Monday 2 March saw a number of record high temperatures, and not by just a few degrees in many places. More record highs are possible over the next three days before the region returns to a routine closer to normal over the coming weekend. But no possibility of precipitation is being foreseen in the coming 10 days to two weeks. Hopefully we will be spared of the stereotypical big March regional blizzard, and conditions remain warmer and drier than normal. As for moisture, I can be patient until we get late April into mid June rains. Better that than a regular siege of inconvenient and dastardly snowfall.

Records were also set nearby in the Arizona desert to the southwest and in southwest California around San Diego.

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
332 PM MST MON MAR 02 2009


...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT CHEYENNE WY AIRPORT...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 69 DEGREES WAS SET
AT THE CHEYENNE WY AIRPORT TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 62 SET IN 1992.


$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
0322 PM MST MON MAR 02 2009


...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT LARAMIE WY AIRPORT...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 63 DEGREES WAS SET
AT LARAMIE WY AIRPORT TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 54 SET IN 1992.


$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
515 PM MST MON MAR 2 2009

   ...NEW RECORD HIGH FOR MARCH 2...

AT 308 PM THIS AFTERNOON THE TEMPERATURE AT 
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REACHED 74 
DEGREES SETTING A NEW RECORD HIGH FOR THIS DATE.
THE OLD RECORD WAS 72 DEGREES SET IN 1901.

CLB

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO
250 PM MST MON MAR 2 2009

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET IN
COLORADO SPRINGS...

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN COLORADO
SPRINGS THIS AFTERNOON HAS BEEN 72
DEGREES. THIS TIES THE PREVIOUS
RECORD HIGH...LAST SET IN 1901.

$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO
246 PM MST MON MAR 2 2009

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET IN
PUEBLO...

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN PUEBLO THIS
AFTERNOON HAS BEEN 80 DEGREES.
THIS BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH
OF 78 DEGREES...LAST SET IN
1904.


$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO
248 PM MST MON MAR 2 2009

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET IN ALAMOSA...

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN ALAMOSA THIS
AFTERNOON WAS 66 DEGREES. THIS
BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH OF 60
DEGREES...LAST SET IN 1967.


$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY
600 PM MST MON MAR 2 2009


...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES SET IN WYOMING TODAY...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 63 DEGREES WAS SET
AT RIVERTON WY TODAY. THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD
OF 63 LAST SET IN 1982.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 64 DEGREES WAS SET
AT CASPER TODAY.  THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF
62 LAST SET IN 1992.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 64 DEGREES WAS SET
AT LANDER TODAY.  THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF
64 SET IN 1925.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 58 DEGREES WAS SET
AT ROCK SPRINGS TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD
OF 55 SET IN 1986.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 66 DEGREES WAS SET
AT CODY TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF
64 LAST SET IN 1994.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 66 DEGREES WAS SET
AT WORLAND TODAY.  THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF
66 SET IN 1992.

$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
0551 PM MST MON MAR 02 2009

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT TUCSON AZ...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 91 DEGREES WAS SET
AT TUCSON AZ TODAY.
THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 91 SET IN 1910.

...OTHER RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES SET TODAY ACROSS
SOUTHERN ARIZONA...

                 NEW                 OLD

ORGAN PIPE CACTUS      93                  91/1999
ORACLE                 78                  77/1975
PICACHO PEAK           89                  86/1999
BISBEE/DOUGLAS AP      86                  81/1967
SIERRA VISTA           85                  83/1904

$

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
538 PM PST MON MAR 2 2009

...HIGHEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDS BROKEN
OR TIED ON MARCH 2 ACROSS SW CALIFORNIA...

LOCATION       NEW RECORD  OLD RECORD PERIOD OF RECORD

SAN DIEGO          85      78 IN 1994  SINCE 1875
ESCONDIDO          85       83 IN 1994  SINCE 1964
LA MESA            86       82 IN 1994  SINCE 1934
WILD ANIMAL PARK   87       82 IN 1994  SINCE 1979
OCEANSIDE HARBOR   73 TIED  73 IN 1965  SINCE 1943


$$

*****

March Arrives

The second or third or fourth cruelest month of the year has arrived as March 2009 dawns. I think that February, December, and either January or September are more cruel, but it is difficult to say for sure. March offers the promise of spring nearing but it also can deliver more powerful slugs of winter. I believe if I were in Arizona or maybe even merely Colorado I would have a more positive attitude about March. But things are improving, albeit a little too slowly for my liking. Average daily temperatures rise from 31 degrees to almost 38 degrees; the average normal daily high temp rises from 39 to 49; the average normal low temp goes up from 17 to 25; and the length of day grows from 11:16 to 12:27, an improvement of 1 hour 11 minutes.

But at a point where winter is way too old and the signs of spring cannot begin soon enough. Sure there is a presence of the color green in the grass on the ground and a few more birds can be seen and heard, but the trees and other vegetation remain in slumber and the wind still blows quite fiercely and regularly to continue to numb the spirits. But news and images from far away offer greater hope and optimism, giving one hope the long winter is nearing its end and warm temps and leaf laden trees are getting closer to becoming a visibility reality one can experience firsthand. If its happening in places not that overwhelmingly far away, it will be happening here soon. But not soon enough.

My just ended week was one of extraordinary ordinaryness. I managed to drive the White Knight twice for some distances earlier in the week, but it was a struggle and difficult. For the most part I stayed home. Trips that used to take minutes now have their time length quadrupled and more. I did go out to the DQ thrice for meals or a dairy treat. I was distressed by the ending of The Rocky Mountain News. I have been a reader of that paper for over 20 years, and I think back to reading it in July '83 when I was in Denver for two weeks to attend "Pizza Hut University". I favored the Denver Post for a long time over the News, but the Post has declined in the last decade and that drove me to the Rocky. I also think the Rocky did a much better job on local news, opinion, and sports; all which made me feel more like a local resident which is what I had become by the late 90s.

That connection only strengthened in the last few years as I regularly read the Rocky almost on an everyday basis for the last decade. I will deeply miss the publication and all its content. I can get most all information nowadays from the 'net, but I like to go out and enjoy a pop and a sandwich more than occasionally, and newspapers are my companions on my outings. I got the Saturday Denver Post (first time its been published since early '01) and it was better than I expected. I hope the editors and writers in the Post step up their product and show regular improvement in the coming months. I cannot wait to get out of the windtunnel dump of a city I now live in and not be subjected to its horrid paper, the truest epitome of a waste of trees. I only get it on Sundays and primarily for the ads as its content is insufferable and an utter bore.

Baseball is back with spring training games on daily for the first time ever in my life. The MLB network will be telecasting 1-3 games daily except during championship week for college basketball in the second week of March. It is a nice plus to have and an enjoyable way to spend the idle hours of which I am largely overwhelmed with.

I even had a visitor today (SAT 2/28) as Todd came over to watch the Utah/BYU hoops game and spend a couple of hours with. The weather was nice with virtually no wind and cool temps, but it was fully sunny so I left the front door opened and raised the blinds in the kitchen to light up the inside more fully. He has to leave for three weeks starting early next week as part of his Air Guard responsibilities, so I won't be seeing or hearing from him until sometime in the final eight days of March. He is not happy about this but he realizes its part of his deal, of which he has to be part of for about another eight years, poor guy. He told me a few months back that he largely hates and despises his job, and merely tolerates it. I have been there and am grateful I have been able to escape the grueling depression that accompanies jobs like that, but its not much better to be in a position and mindset of economic insecurity, something that has defined me all my adult life except for brief interludes.

After Todd departed around 5:15, I watched the start of the Avalanche / Rangers game but it was a blowout early and I switched over to watch college hoops between Wyoming & Air Force. I tuned into the SDS / TCU game but drifted off into a nap for about an hour. The rest of the evening I surfed the 'net before retiring shortly after midnight.

I have a concern about my youngest brother and the precipitious drop and disappearance of his blog writing. I know he is very busy with his parenting and household responsibilities but I wonder if there are some problems and challenges, perhaps with his health, that are keeping him even more busy than usual. I also read there is a chance - how much who knows - of my second brother leaving Colorado with his family and relocating to the East Coast, Maryland in particular. I understand his job is ending finally after a few false starts with a final plant shutdown with his work ending. Jobs are in extremely short supply everywhere -- the giant looming black cloud on my horizon makes me so aware of that -- so he may have a connection to getting a job back there as his chances in Colorado would be overwhelming difficult at his age like most. I guess if a relocation happens it will be in mid to late summer before school starts up again for his daughter.

Sunday was warmer even yet as the temperature reached 63 degrees, the warmest its been in these parts since around the 20th of November. Winds remained light overall but skies were mostly cloudy with just a few instances of sunshine. I talked on the phone with Matt twice during the day, and watched "For a Few Dollars More" before going out in mid-afternoon to get the Sunday papers and have a root beer float at DQ. I returned home around 3:30 and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing, watching my Sunday television favorites: 60 Minutes and Brothers and Sisters along with a Will Farrell SNL review. Dinner consisted of some spinach and fishwiches.

The upcoming week offers nothing really different than the last eight, but it will be nice to have the nice weather continue later into the week, although the wind is expected to return and roar before too long. I will struggle to make it to Wal-mart for some groceries, and I want to go sit in the sunshine and relax while reading my papers at least once during the week. I will also go to park and walk around a little with this nice weather. Beyond that, its just purgatory.

*****

Great Story

Dog, missing 9 years, returned to family

Feb. 27, 2009 06:58 AM
Associated Press

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - A German Shepherd named Astro who has been missing from his family for more than 9 years is finally home.

The Geary family was shocked when they recently received a call from an animal control officer who said that Astro had been found.

The dog went missing from the Geary family's Port St. Lucie, Fla. home shortly after the family adopted him. Since then, they have moved three times and ended up in Louisville, Ky.

On Jan. 29, 2009, an animal control officer in Tennessee picked up Astro after receiving a report about a dog running loose. Officers tracked down the family through a microchip implanted in the canine.

Dennis Geary says he wasn't sure if Astro would remember him. But when they were reunited, the dog sat down and began licking him.

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Looming Death of the NBA

Clearly this league is in serious financial trouble, as attendance has dived precipitously this season, and what tickets are being sold are at rock bottom prices along the lines of $10 per ticket. Now news has emerged the league office has procured a $200 million loan (how they did this in this credit frozen market is a miracle) to distribute to around 15 of the 30 clubs so those clubs can continue to meet operating expenses. Television revenue and viewership are stagnant at best, and likely to decline with the ongoing increasing financial and economic collapse hammering everyone and everything. Payrolls and operating expenses are enormously out of whack with current and future projected revenues.

Add to the mix the coming meltdown of labor peace, and continued image problems with the players and products themselves in very basic and moral ways and appearances. The writing is starting to appear on the wall that this league and professional basketball is headed quickly down the path to its demise.

NCAA basketball, the NHL, and even MLB are at serious risk of moving in this direction as well.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090227

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3937034

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Off to a Reasonably Warm Start

It is not the best it could be, but I'll take it. The first fifty-five days of 2009 are the 17th warmest on average in history. What this means is that Cheyenne basically had a little more than normal Denver climate for this period. The numbers in the chart below show that ten of the warmest nineteen first fifty-five days of each year have occurred in the last 25 years.

What this means is that there is at least the possibility of a likelihood of global warming resulting in a change in climatology on this microlevel.

Statement as of 5:48 am MST on February 25, 2009

... Public information statement...

... Average 2009 temperature in Cheyenne is the 17th warmest of the
past 138 years...

The average temperature in Cheyenne from January 1st through
February 24th of 2009 was 31.4 degrees... making this period the
17th warmest such period in Cheyenne since 1872.

Here is a table of the twenty warmest January 1st through February
24th periods in Cheyenne with respect to average temperature. This
is out of the 138 such periods in Cheyenne since 1872.

Average temperature (degrees fahrenheit)... year
35.9... 1954
34.0... 1934
33.7... 1935
33.1... 1986
32.6... 1992
32.6... 1983
32.4... 1981
32.2... 2005
32.1... 1999
31.8... 1907
31.8... 2000
31.7... 1931
31.5... 1969
31.5... 1958
31.5... 1953
31.5... 1920
31.4... 2009
31.2... 1970
31.1... 1998

Through February 24th... the average maximum temperature in Cheyenne
has been 41.9 degrees... making this year the 26th warmest out of
the past 138 years in terms of average maximum temperature.

Through February 24th... the average minimum temperature in
Cheyenne has been 21.0 degrees... making this year the 10th warmest
out of the past 138 years in terms of average minimum temperature.

*****

Complete MLB Network Spring Training MLB Telecasts Schedule

Finally, here it is fresh off the wire. There will 45 games telecast live, and 16 more on tape delay: many of which are Cactus League games that will be aired one hour after they have actually started.

Some of the open slots shown at 11am and 2pm will be filled by telecasts by ESPN to be announced in the comng week or so Do not look for any telecasts for the most part between Tuesday 11 March and Saturday 14 March as this Championship Week and Conference Tournament time for college basketball across the land.


Live Games are in BOLD RED. All times are Mountain Time (standard through Saturday 7 March and Daylight from Sunday 8 March on). Games in Florida and Arizona are denoted w "v" symbol in the listing of the matchup, while games at actual home ballparks (or in Las Vegas) are denoted with "@" in the listing of the matchup.

WED 25

1pm San Francisco Giants v Cleveland Indians
5pm Boston Red Sox v Minnesota Twins

THR 26

2pm Arizona Diamondbacks v Cleveland Indians (tape delay)

FRI 27

11am St Louis Cardinals v New York Mets
3pm San Diego Padres v Cleveland Indians (tape delay)

SAT 28

11am Tampa Bay Rays v Philadelphia Phillies
3pm Minnesota Twins v New York Yankees (tape delay)

SUN 1

11am Boston Red Sox v Minnesota Twins
3pm Chicago White Sox v Los Angeles Dodgers (tape delay)
7pm Houston Astros v New York Mets (tape delay)

MON 2

11am
2pm

TUE 3

11am US National Team v New York Yankees
3pm Canada National Team v Toronto Blue Jays (tape delay)

WED 4

11am
2pm
5pm
7pm Australia National Team v Seattle Mariners

THR 5

11am
2pm Chicago Cubs v Chicago White Sox @ Las Vegas

FRI 6

11am Washington Nationals v Baltimore Orioles
2pm
5pm

SAT 7

1pm Oakland Athletics v San Diego Padres

SUN 8

MON 9

11am Baltimore Orioles v New York Mets

TUE 10

WED 11

11am

THR 12

11am
2pm

FRI 13

11am
2pm
5pm

SAT 14

2pm Texas Rangers v Chicago White Sox

SUN 15

11am St Louis Cardinals v Philadelphia Phillies
6:30 Kansas City Royals v San Francisco Giants (tape delay)

MON 16

11am St Louis Cardinals v Detroit Tigers
2pm
5pm Tampa Bay Rays v Pittsburgh Pirates

TUE 17

11am Minnesota Twins v Boston Red Sox

WED 18

11am Atlanta Braves v New York Mets

THR 19

11am St Louis Cardinals v Tampa Bay Rays
5pm Boston Red Sox v Cincinnati Reds

FRI 20

11am Cincinnati Reds v Houston Astros
3pm San Diego Padres v Chicago Cubs (tape delay)
7pm Los Angeles Dodgers v Kansas City Royals

SAT 21

11am Boston Red Sox v Florida Marlins
3pm Chicago Cubs v Chicago White Sox (tape delay)

SUN 22

11am Tampa Bay Rays v New York Yankees
3pm Cleveland Indians v Colorado Rockies (tape delay)

MON 23

11am Florida Marlins v Houston Astros
2pm
3pm Milwaukee Brewers v Colorado Rockies (tape delay)

TUE 24

11am New York Mets v Houston Astros
2pm
5pm Boston Red Sox v New York Yankees

WED 25

11am Detroit Tigers v New York Mets
5pm Atlanta Braves v Washington Nationals

THR 26

11am
2pm Anaheim Angels v Cleveland Indians
5pm
8:30 Chicago Cubs v San Framcisco Giants

FRI 27

11am Detroit Tigers v Atlanta Braves
2pm
7pm Milwaukee Brewers v Texas Rangers

SAT 28

11am Philadelphia Phillies v Pittsburgh Pirates
3pm Chicago Cubs v Colorado Rockies (tape delay)
7pm New York Yankees v Atlanta Braves (tape delay)

SUN 29

11am Atlanta Braves v Detroit Tigers
3pm Kansas City Royals v Seattle Mariners (tape delay)

MON 30

11am Tampa Bay Rays v Minnesota Twins
2pm
5pm San Diego Padres v Cleveland Indians

TUE 31

11am
2pm Anaheim Angels v Chicago Cubs
8pm Milwaukee Brewers v San Diego Padres

WED 1

11am Florida Marlins v Baltimore Orioles
3pm Texas Rangers v Anaheim Angels (tape delay)
7pm Arizona Diamondbacks v Milwaukee Brewers (tape delay)

THR 2

1pm Chicago White Sox v Milwaukee Brewers
8pm Anaheim Angels @ Los Angeles Dodgers

FRI 3

5pm Chicago Cubs @ New York Yankees (first game at new Yankee Stadium)

SAT 4

11am Boston Red Sox @ New York Mets (second game at new Mets Stadium)
4pm Baltimore Orioles @ Washington Nationals
8pm Milwaukee Brewers @ Los Angeles Dodgers

http://mlbnetwork.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2009/mlb_network_spring_broadcast_schedule.pdf

*****

Three Month Outlook Positive

The Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service is forecasting a much warmer and drier period ahead overall for the next three months. There is even a real good chance The Front Range region of Colorado and southern Wyoming will be spared of a good spring snowstorm, and snow might be quite rare in the coming months. That is in contrast to the old historical norms which have become quite the opposite more often that not in this decade or so.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

*****