The thing I enjoy most about this silly blog is that it seems to be a simple portal to memories of growing up ... my history (short & sweet as its been). One of the best sets of memories are the times I was fortunate enough to spend w/ Mr. Bob Gleichsner. Mr G, along w/ having maybe the hardest surname to spell this side of Krzyzewski, was one also one of the wisest people I have ever met.
He had the wisdom to stay young at heart. He was always able to talk w/ you about things that he knew interested you. I'm certain that if he'd been born into the early computing generation, he'd have been a Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, he seemed to have an infinite curiosity for how computers/technology worked. He was always ready to try new things. I remember an early internet-chat tool called ICQ. I had it installed on my computer, as did Mr G. He used to "ring" me just to say, "Hey, I see you're online. Shouldn't you be working."
He had the wisdom to be a UofL fan. We had many spirited discussions whenever the glorious St. Louis University Billikens took on the Cardinals. He was always patient w/ my impudent trash talking whenever the Bills edged the Cardinals. And he was always generous the many more times that the Cards thrashed poor SLU. Mr. G had one of the best lines of any sports fan w/ his "Well, this one's over." Whether it was a three-pointer in the waning minutes to put a game out of reach, a touchdown that pulled Louisville to w/in 21-7, or even sometimes the first basket of the game ... we could always expect a call from Mr. G saying there really wasn't much reason for watching the rest of it, because the contest had already been decided in Louisville's favor. The times we spent w/ the Gleichsners in Memphis, St. Louis, & Cincinnati watching Conference USA tournaments were some of the best days of mine & Kristy's lives.
What I'm most grateful for is that he also had the wisdom to share his wisdom. I'm not sure what the motives were for the origin of the Red Bench Gang, but for teenagers & college folk in our neighborhood there was no better place to observe how upstanding adults interacted, how friendships should be maintained, how your character should be built, & what you should look for in a mate (someone brave enough to withstand the RBG approval process). Is there any thing wiser than purposely devoting parts of your days to conversation w/ friends?
And the amazing thing is, he touched SO MANY people in the same way.
From a book, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. G read at some point, I saw this poem from Charles Wesley:
If death my friend and me divide
Thou dost not, Lord, my sorrow chide
or frown my tears to see
restrained from passionate excess
Thou bidst me mourn in calm distress
for them that rest in Thee
I feel a strong immortal hope
which bears my mournful spirit up
beneath its mountain load
redeemed from death, and grief, and pain,
I soon shall find my friend again
within the arms of God
Pass a few fleeting moments more
and death the blessing shall restore
which death has snatched away;
for me Thou wilt the summons send,
and give me back my parted friend
in that eternal day
Monday, January 29, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
APD's 10th B-day
Sunday we had a b-day party at the Ice House, an ice skating rink. He had six friends there for cake, pizza, and ice skating. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. When Dolberry was on the ice, they seemed to enjoy much baiting me into chasing them, then lapping me & trying to push me over from behind.
Monday we had our family party. We'd been talking about getting him the HeroClix figure he's most talked about. Thanos. You could find him on e-Bay for $20. We never got around to doing it, & just got him two packs instead. Amazingly enough, Thanos was in there (odds about 200-1). It was that sort of birthday for him. He really enjoyed all his gifts: 20 Questions, gift cards, the Games DVD, checks, etc. We got him a Game Boy w/ a Marvel cartridge which he really seemed to enjoy.
Plus, as an extra bonus it is Spirit Week at his school this week, so he got to wear Pajamas into school on his birthday. Today he got to wear all his Bears gear for Sports Day. Tomorrow is "Tacky Day". That ought to be interesting. We'll try to get a picture for the blog.
Hope everyone's having a nice week.
Monday we had our family party. We'd been talking about getting him the HeroClix figure he's most talked about. Thanos. You could find him on e-Bay for $20. We never got around to doing it, & just got him two packs instead. Amazingly enough, Thanos was in there (odds about 200-1). It was that sort of birthday for him. He really enjoyed all his gifts: 20 Questions, gift cards, the Games DVD, checks, etc. We got him a Game Boy w/ a Marvel cartridge which he really seemed to enjoy.
Plus, as an extra bonus it is Spirit Week at his school this week, so he got to wear Pajamas into school on his birthday. Today he got to wear all his Bears gear for Sports Day. Tomorrow is "Tacky Day". That ought to be interesting. We'll try to get a picture for the blog.
Hope everyone's having a nice week.
More Global Warming Support
CEOs of major corporations (inc. Duke Energy, GE, Caterpillar, etc.) call for legislation for significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. http://www.us-cap.org/
If business and evangelicals are behind this issue, who's going to be the last conservative to the party?
If business and evangelicals are behind this issue, who's going to be the last conservative to the party?
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Today was an exceptionally good day!
Softball signups. Only about 7 weeks 'til first practice. I think I can make it.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Thoughts on Global Warming
Typically, the DCV will avoid issues political & religious ... generally you're only going to irritate people. However, at the AMS conference, I attended several interesting presentations on climate change (though, probably only 10% of what was offered). Here's what I gathered based on the data/summaries:
1. Global mean temperatures are increasing at a rate that is w/in the bounds of uncertainty of the climate model predictions.
2. While the number of global tropical systems is very consistent over the past 40 years (basically the full satellite record), hurricane intensity is up over the last 20 years. This increase in intensity correlates very well w/ increases in sea surface temperatures. This is also consistent w/ climate model predictions.
3. Stratospheric temperatures are rapidly cooling. This is consistent w/ surface warming (more trapping of radiation). The stratospheric cooling exceeds that which has been predicted by climate models. Further, this long-term cooling effect is not due to volcanoes, which tend to have effects on the order of 1-2 years.
4. Snow cover in the U.S. is trending downward, except in the lee of the Great Lakes. (Lakes that don't freeze over will have a longer lake effect season.)
5. Some models now predict the Arctic Ocean will be completely ice-free in the summer by 2050.
6. Extreme precipitation events have been increasing upward, consistent w/ the fact that a warmer atmosphere will contain more water vapor. Climate models predict this trend will continue.
Presumably, there was more that I didn't see.
Some additional thoughts on the subject. The Weather Channel climate expert, Dr. Heidi Cullen made a blog comment to the effect that the AMS should refuse to certify meteorologists who don't accept global climate change just as the Society wouldn't accept anyone who didn't accept the idea that Atlantic hurricanes rotate cyclonically (counter-clockwise). I think this is an inappropriate stance, as I don't think you ever want to discourage healthy scientific debate. The response from the rabid anti-warmers has been instructive. If this group is a true sample, the main objections to the global climate change arguments are the following:
1. Al Gore won't debate anyone about climate change & Heidi Cullen is a idiot.
2. Scientists are promoting global climate change solely to earn grant money.
3. Global climate change supporters are left-wing socialists who want to take your car away.
4. We were once in an ice age. We've been warming ever since.
5. Sunspots occur in cycles. Plus, there's volcanoes. And ice sheets are growing in Antartica.
6. It's cold out right now where I'm at. (Um, it's January 20th, you're going to get some cold.)
If you weigh the two lists of six against each other, even accounting for the bias of the compiler, there seems to be more hard evidence on one side than the other. Something that is very exciting to me though was this week's "Urgent Call to Action" by the National Association of Evangelicals which wrote to President Bush the following:
1. Human-induced climate change is real. (based on the IPCC report primarily)
2. Climate change consequences will be significant & hit the poor the hardest.
3. Christian moral convictions require a response to climate change.
4. The need to act is urgent and we all have a role to play.
This was signed by a Who's Who of evangelical leaders: Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, Duane Litfin (President of Wheaton College), Robert Yarbrough (Chair of NT Studies, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), etc. Amen.
Anyway, I think the anti-global climate changers need to understand three things. It's just my opinion.
1. Nobody's blaming anyone for this. At least I'm not & nobody should be. For me this is like abortion ... the past is the past. It can't be undone. But let's make the future better. We are all complicit.
2. Scientists have been wrong in the past. Logically, this allows the possibility that the science is wrong here as well. It is, of course, illogical to assume that because theories have been disproven in the past that this one will be as well.
3. The initial steps to solve this problem will be relatively painless & will almost certainly have large benefits. This seems to be the irrefutable law of "low hanging fruit". There are steps that can be taken now (energy efficiency, hybrid cars, more sensible fuels) that will reduce the manmade influence that will not cost any more than getting lead out of gasoline, or eradicating severe acid rain, or lowering smog levels by 20% over the past 20 years.
Here's a bonus 4th observation ... just because the conservatives, right-wing, Republicans were wrong on this one ... doesn't mean they're/you're/we're wrong on any other particular issue. This never should have been a partisan/philosophical debate, at least in the terms it has degenerated into. At some point though, the stonewall response reflects an unflattering image.
Pat D. (standing in for Dolberry)
1. Global mean temperatures are increasing at a rate that is w/in the bounds of uncertainty of the climate model predictions.
2. While the number of global tropical systems is very consistent over the past 40 years (basically the full satellite record), hurricane intensity is up over the last 20 years. This increase in intensity correlates very well w/ increases in sea surface temperatures. This is also consistent w/ climate model predictions.
3. Stratospheric temperatures are rapidly cooling. This is consistent w/ surface warming (more trapping of radiation). The stratospheric cooling exceeds that which has been predicted by climate models. Further, this long-term cooling effect is not due to volcanoes, which tend to have effects on the order of 1-2 years.
4. Snow cover in the U.S. is trending downward, except in the lee of the Great Lakes. (Lakes that don't freeze over will have a longer lake effect season.)
5. Some models now predict the Arctic Ocean will be completely ice-free in the summer by 2050.
6. Extreme precipitation events have been increasing upward, consistent w/ the fact that a warmer atmosphere will contain more water vapor. Climate models predict this trend will continue.
Presumably, there was more that I didn't see.
Some additional thoughts on the subject. The Weather Channel climate expert, Dr. Heidi Cullen made a blog comment to the effect that the AMS should refuse to certify meteorologists who don't accept global climate change just as the Society wouldn't accept anyone who didn't accept the idea that Atlantic hurricanes rotate cyclonically (counter-clockwise). I think this is an inappropriate stance, as I don't think you ever want to discourage healthy scientific debate. The response from the rabid anti-warmers has been instructive. If this group is a true sample, the main objections to the global climate change arguments are the following:
1. Al Gore won't debate anyone about climate change & Heidi Cullen is a idiot.
2. Scientists are promoting global climate change solely to earn grant money.
3. Global climate change supporters are left-wing socialists who want to take your car away.
4. We were once in an ice age. We've been warming ever since.
5. Sunspots occur in cycles. Plus, there's volcanoes. And ice sheets are growing in Antartica.
6. It's cold out right now where I'm at. (Um, it's January 20th, you're going to get some cold.)
If you weigh the two lists of six against each other, even accounting for the bias of the compiler, there seems to be more hard evidence on one side than the other. Something that is very exciting to me though was this week's "Urgent Call to Action" by the National Association of Evangelicals which wrote to President Bush the following:
1. Human-induced climate change is real. (based on the IPCC report primarily)
2. Climate change consequences will be significant & hit the poor the hardest.
3. Christian moral convictions require a response to climate change.
4. The need to act is urgent and we all have a role to play.
This was signed by a Who's Who of evangelical leaders: Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, Duane Litfin (President of Wheaton College), Robert Yarbrough (Chair of NT Studies, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), etc. Amen.
Anyway, I think the anti-global climate changers need to understand three things. It's just my opinion.
1. Nobody's blaming anyone for this. At least I'm not & nobody should be. For me this is like abortion ... the past is the past. It can't be undone. But let's make the future better. We are all complicit.
2. Scientists have been wrong in the past. Logically, this allows the possibility that the science is wrong here as well. It is, of course, illogical to assume that because theories have been disproven in the past that this one will be as well.
3. The initial steps to solve this problem will be relatively painless & will almost certainly have large benefits. This seems to be the irrefutable law of "low hanging fruit". There are steps that can be taken now (energy efficiency, hybrid cars, more sensible fuels) that will reduce the manmade influence that will not cost any more than getting lead out of gasoline, or eradicating severe acid rain, or lowering smog levels by 20% over the past 20 years.
Here's a bonus 4th observation ... just because the conservatives, right-wing, Republicans were wrong on this one ... doesn't mean they're/you're/we're wrong on any other particular issue. This never should have been a partisan/philosophical debate, at least in the terms it has degenerated into. At some point though, the stonewall response reflects an unflattering image.
Pat D. (standing in for Dolberry)
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Trip to San Antonio
Glad to say these travels were less eventful than last work trip. Went to the American Meteorological Society annual meeting. Didn’t do any blogging as the wireless internet at the hotel was $16/day & was relatively busy rest of the time. Will spare all the details & hit the highlights (though it’ll still be in the characteristically tedious style that DCV readers expect, nay demand).
Weather: Had to leave 73 sunny degrees in Raleigh on Sunday afternoon to go to 31 wet degrees in San Antonio. The cold rain and freezing rain started on Monday & didn’t let up until Wed. afternoon. Flights were fine today (Thurs). The roads seemed fine to me, but all the trees, traffic lights, & basically anything elevated had a nice glaze on them. The only real impact on the conference was that lots of restaurants (including most on Riverwalk) were closed. The humorous thing was that from the baggage carousel on Sunday to every TV broadcast during the “storm”, the inclement weather was blamed on the “convention of meteorologists” in town.
Conference: I saw several interesting presentations over a broad range of subjects (climate change, TV meteorologists & blogging, developing meteorological material for K-12 instruction, & of course a lot of air quality stuff). My two posters seemed to be well received. Spent most of those 90 minutes sessions talking w/ random inquisitors. Also manned the EPA AirNow booth periodically … dispensing free pens, touting the merits of our products, & talking w/ students looking for jobs. My feet were sore from the standing & my brain is tired from all the conversations. That said, these conferences really fire me up again about my job. There were over 2000 attendees.
Old friends: Saw three fellow students & a teacher from the U. of Chicago days. We had lunch one day & talked thru all the old memories. Thankfully, I’ve repressed many of them & believe I’ll be able to repress them again. Many laughs … in the end the consensus agreement was that it was not the best of times for anyone & we were all glad to be gone, but that there was no permanent damage & that the experience had probably left us for the better. One is a fire weather expert at NCAR. Another is a TV meteorologist for the ABC affiliate in Detroit. Another works for the IL State Water Survey & teaches at Ill. St. The main feeling I always associate w/ U of C is failure, but the past few days have made me feel better about it though … feel good about my place in the met world. Also got a chance to talk w/ one of my old professors, Dr. Roscoe Braham. He is/was an expert in cloud physics … one of the first to understand the dynamics of thunderstorms. It was really gratifying to get to talk w/ him & thank him for his teaching me cloud physics. (It was one of the few classes I really got into & aced.) He was elected to the AMS Hall of Fame this year. Ironically, my advisor, Dr. Ramesh Srivastava won the award for Teacher of the Year for his “patient mentoring”. He was always nice to me, though I’ve seen more effective mentors. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there to achieve the award.
Other than that, got to hobnob w/ a few cool meteorologists at a few dinners & during hallway conversations. There was a crazy party we crashed run by Harris Corp. where they gave out cowboy hats at the door, had a mariachi (sp?) band, & offer line dancing opportunities (passed). The main attraction to most may have been the open bar. Ethics rules prohibit us from accepting gifts/services of any sort exceeding some de minimis level (disagreement whether it was $15 or $25.) I think I stayed under the $15 limit as long as the going rate for shrimp is $0.15 per pound. The head of NOAA & frequent DCV nemesis, Vice Admiral, Baron von Lautenbacher VII was there gorging himself at the corporate trough (allegedly). I was going to interview/grill him for the blog, but the stuffed mushroom table impenetrably separated the Admiral from the Dolberry. And to think I questioned his skill as a military tactician. Another cool thing was I got to stand in a hurricane wind tunnel w/ winds up to 78 mph. A colleague got a video of it … will try to post on blog sometime. It didn’t really seem all that windy, but w/o the blowing debris (e.g. sand, tree limbs) I imagine some of the impact is muted. I did pantomime the Stormtracker pretending to broadcast live from the teeth of the storm, like ~97% of everyone else I saw in the exhibit the rest of the week.
Anyway, I’ll start blogging more again. Looking forward to a 3-day weekend.
Weather: Had to leave 73 sunny degrees in Raleigh on Sunday afternoon to go to 31 wet degrees in San Antonio. The cold rain and freezing rain started on Monday & didn’t let up until Wed. afternoon. Flights were fine today (Thurs). The roads seemed fine to me, but all the trees, traffic lights, & basically anything elevated had a nice glaze on them. The only real impact on the conference was that lots of restaurants (including most on Riverwalk) were closed. The humorous thing was that from the baggage carousel on Sunday to every TV broadcast during the “storm”, the inclement weather was blamed on the “convention of meteorologists” in town.
Conference: I saw several interesting presentations over a broad range of subjects (climate change, TV meteorologists & blogging, developing meteorological material for K-12 instruction, & of course a lot of air quality stuff). My two posters seemed to be well received. Spent most of those 90 minutes sessions talking w/ random inquisitors. Also manned the EPA AirNow booth periodically … dispensing free pens, touting the merits of our products, & talking w/ students looking for jobs. My feet were sore from the standing & my brain is tired from all the conversations. That said, these conferences really fire me up again about my job. There were over 2000 attendees.
Old friends: Saw three fellow students & a teacher from the U. of Chicago days. We had lunch one day & talked thru all the old memories. Thankfully, I’ve repressed many of them & believe I’ll be able to repress them again. Many laughs … in the end the consensus agreement was that it was not the best of times for anyone & we were all glad to be gone, but that there was no permanent damage & that the experience had probably left us for the better. One is a fire weather expert at NCAR. Another is a TV meteorologist for the ABC affiliate in Detroit. Another works for the IL State Water Survey & teaches at Ill. St. The main feeling I always associate w/ U of C is failure, but the past few days have made me feel better about it though … feel good about my place in the met world. Also got a chance to talk w/ one of my old professors, Dr. Roscoe Braham. He is/was an expert in cloud physics … one of the first to understand the dynamics of thunderstorms. It was really gratifying to get to talk w/ him & thank him for his teaching me cloud physics. (It was one of the few classes I really got into & aced.) He was elected to the AMS Hall of Fame this year. Ironically, my advisor, Dr. Ramesh Srivastava won the award for Teacher of the Year for his “patient mentoring”. He was always nice to me, though I’ve seen more effective mentors. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there to achieve the award.
Other than that, got to hobnob w/ a few cool meteorologists at a few dinners & during hallway conversations. There was a crazy party we crashed run by Harris Corp. where they gave out cowboy hats at the door, had a mariachi (sp?) band, & offer line dancing opportunities (passed). The main attraction to most may have been the open bar. Ethics rules prohibit us from accepting gifts/services of any sort exceeding some de minimis level (disagreement whether it was $15 or $25.) I think I stayed under the $15 limit as long as the going rate for shrimp is $0.15 per pound. The head of NOAA & frequent DCV nemesis, Vice Admiral, Baron von Lautenbacher VII was there gorging himself at the corporate trough (allegedly). I was going to interview/grill him for the blog, but the stuffed mushroom table impenetrably separated the Admiral from the Dolberry. And to think I questioned his skill as a military tactician. Another cool thing was I got to stand in a hurricane wind tunnel w/ winds up to 78 mph. A colleague got a video of it … will try to post on blog sometime. It didn’t really seem all that windy, but w/o the blowing debris (e.g. sand, tree limbs) I imagine some of the impact is muted. I did pantomime the Stormtracker pretending to broadcast live from the teeth of the storm, like ~97% of everyone else I saw in the exhibit the rest of the week.
Anyway, I’ll start blogging more again. Looking forward to a 3-day weekend.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Not much going on obviously
Let's see ...
Alex made Principal's list again last quarter.
We joined a new fitness club / pool, but it doesn't open 'til May.
I go to San Antonio tomorrow for the AMS conference. Is supposed to be abnormally cold there.
Was super nice here again today. Rode my bike 15 miles on a hilly but nearly car-free route.
Alex & I tossed the ol' horsehide around some. That was fun.
The Billikens are beating Xavier at halftime 29-17, after getting off to a 15-2 start.
I beat Alex in HeroClix today which is rare.
Order Spring Training tix today. Less than 2 months away. Yay!
Alex made Principal's list again last quarter.
We joined a new fitness club / pool, but it doesn't open 'til May.
I go to San Antonio tomorrow for the AMS conference. Is supposed to be abnormally cold there.
Was super nice here again today. Rode my bike 15 miles on a hilly but nearly car-free route.
Alex & I tossed the ol' horsehide around some. That was fun.
The Billikens are beating Xavier at halftime 29-17, after getting off to a 15-2 start.
I beat Alex in HeroClix today which is rare.
Order Spring Training tix today. Less than 2 months away. Yay!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
DCV Top 40 Bands of the 80's
Before we start the countdown, I'd like to thank all those responsible for global warming. It was a nice 72 deg here & while that was impressive, there were similar temperatures in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. I got out my bike today & rode ~10 miles. I've been a little scared of riding since Carrie's accident, but as they say "if you're sister falls off a bike, you gotta get right back on it". Anyway, thank you anti-reasonable-environmental-regulation types.
The scoring system at play here is a combination of how much I liked them in the 80's (60%), how much I like them now (30%), & how popular they were w/ other folks (10%). The DCV will also be employing a liberal interpretation of "band", so Springsteen & Mellencamp are eligible. W/o further ado, here's 40 thru 36. Keep in mind, being in the DCV Top 40 is huge, even if you're toward the top of the list.
40: Paul Simon:
Included here principally for his Graceland album & the Concert in Central Park w/ Garfunkel. My biggest memories here are listening to the CiCP tape on the way to/from SLU and home & always either tearing up or singing vociferously at "Homeward Bound". I believe I was slow to the party on Graceland ... think one of the sisters pointed me in that direction, but it's a pretty exceptional album & truly innovative for American pop music at the time. Won a Grammy for Best Album of Year & is typically ranked between 50-100 in all-time best albums among professional music reviewers. Also, Ron & I did a mean cover of "I Am a Rock", even though the song was recorded earlier.
Best songs: Graceland, Mrs. Robinson (live), Boy in the Bubble
Worst song: You Can Call Me Al ('though the video was funny)
39: The Clash:
The Clash were huge among a very small subpopulation of Trinity HS students. I wasn't part of that, but I did admire their skinny ties, PIL buttons, and especially their nouveau hairstyles from a safe distance. London Calling was released in the US in Jan 1980 & that's typically regarded as one of the best albums of all time. The main album of influence on Dolberry was Combat Rock (which according to Wikipedia was supposed to be titled Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg) & the classic songs "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go". I defy anyone to listen to the beginning of "Rock the Casbah" and not be singing along by the time you get to the chorus. The song was prompted by Kholmeni's banning of rock in Iran upon his ascendence to power. Now that's worth protesting against! It was the first song to be played on Armed Forces Radio during Desert Storm. It's still in commercials today (rock the catbox). "SISoSIG" was a school dance staple; it's background lyrics were always rumored to be filthy but are actually an echo of the chorus in Spanish. Now you know.
Best Songs: Rock the Casbah, Should I Stay or Should I Go, & Train in Vain
Worst Song: probably one of the 36 songs on Sandinista!
38. The Call:
It seems as if the purpose of being a teenager is to transition from being a child to an adult. Rebellion is an embedded element of that process as one determines which things taught from childhood (by elders) are to be kept and which are to be discarded in favor of alternate elements (from self or peers or other elders). I don't look forward to this process w/ APD, because clearly Dolberry's way is better (meta-reference to first ever blog entry), but I'm sure we will make it through. Dolberry himself was a rebel, if but a minor one. Seems to me that most of my rebellion was expressed via music, either by playing it too long & too loud, or by listenting to tunes that allowed me to vicariously rebel along with the singer. The Call fit that bill w/ their brooding "The Walls Came Down". "I don't think there are any Russians. And there ain't no Yanks. Just corporate criminals. Playing with tanks." This was followed by about 90 seconds of well-intentioned "Yi Yi Yi Yi ... Yi Yi Yi's"). They closed the decade with two other pretty exceptional songs "Let the Day Begin" and "I Still Believe", both of which are extremely positive, Christian-themed tunes that could fit nicely into U2's portfolio.
Best songs: The Walls Came Down, I Still Believe, Let the Day Begin
Worst songs: Undercover
37. Queen
Queen's Greatest Hits album released in 1981 is the all-time best selling album in the U.K. (just ahead of Sgt. Peppers). I can distinctly remember joyously singing along w/ Sis 1 and Sis 2 in their bedroom when we had the singles for "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" & "Another One Bites the Dust". Obviously, Queen had some earlier, Kong-sized, gems prior to the 80's that were theme songs for any number of cultural groups ("We Will Rock You" and "We are the Champions") in the 80's from THS football to other groups that were still mostly invisible to early-80's Midwesterners. Freddie Mercury was a genius artist that died way too soon, one of too many on this list.
Best songs: Another One Bites the Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, One Vision
Worst song: Radio Ga-Ga
36. Billy Idol
After four straight bands that were generally more critically appreciated than commercially appreciated in the 1980's, comes the motorcycle-crashing, MTV-darling, William Michael Albert Broad. The story goes that he took his name from an high-school report card that shamed with the comment "William is idle." Anyway, I think Idol was one of the first to tread in the dangerous waters of pop-punk which is probably my favorite musical subgenre. The key is to maintain a punkish-enough attitude to appeal with music that doesn't intentionally antagonize the listener. Anyway, more of the DCV Top 40 leans toward the Idols of the world than the Calls, so I'm glad he was #36, so as not to give the wrong impression (i.e., that Dolberry was already a snob twenty years ago).
Best Songs: Rebel Yell, White Wedding, Dancing with Myself
Worst song: Mony Mony (& worst is insufficiently negative to describe the loathing I have for this one)
The scoring system at play here is a combination of how much I liked them in the 80's (60%), how much I like them now (30%), & how popular they were w/ other folks (10%). The DCV will also be employing a liberal interpretation of "band", so Springsteen & Mellencamp are eligible. W/o further ado, here's 40 thru 36. Keep in mind, being in the DCV Top 40 is huge, even if you're toward the top of the list.
40: Paul Simon:
Included here principally for his Graceland album & the Concert in Central Park w/ Garfunkel. My biggest memories here are listening to the CiCP tape on the way to/from SLU and home & always either tearing up or singing vociferously at "Homeward Bound". I believe I was slow to the party on Graceland ... think one of the sisters pointed me in that direction, but it's a pretty exceptional album & truly innovative for American pop music at the time. Won a Grammy for Best Album of Year & is typically ranked between 50-100 in all-time best albums among professional music reviewers. Also, Ron & I did a mean cover of "I Am a Rock", even though the song was recorded earlier.
Best songs: Graceland, Mrs. Robinson (live), Boy in the Bubble
Worst song: You Can Call Me Al ('though the video was funny)
39: The Clash:
The Clash were huge among a very small subpopulation of Trinity HS students. I wasn't part of that, but I did admire their skinny ties, PIL buttons, and especially their nouveau hairstyles from a safe distance. London Calling was released in the US in Jan 1980 & that's typically regarded as one of the best albums of all time. The main album of influence on Dolberry was Combat Rock (which according to Wikipedia was supposed to be titled Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg) & the classic songs "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go". I defy anyone to listen to the beginning of "Rock the Casbah" and not be singing along by the time you get to the chorus. The song was prompted by Kholmeni's banning of rock in Iran upon his ascendence to power. Now that's worth protesting against! It was the first song to be played on Armed Forces Radio during Desert Storm. It's still in commercials today (rock the catbox). "SISoSIG" was a school dance staple; it's background lyrics were always rumored to be filthy but are actually an echo of the chorus in Spanish. Now you know.
Best Songs: Rock the Casbah, Should I Stay or Should I Go, & Train in Vain
Worst Song: probably one of the 36 songs on Sandinista!
38. The Call:
It seems as if the purpose of being a teenager is to transition from being a child to an adult. Rebellion is an embedded element of that process as one determines which things taught from childhood (by elders) are to be kept and which are to be discarded in favor of alternate elements (from self or peers or other elders). I don't look forward to this process w/ APD, because clearly Dolberry's way is better (meta-reference to first ever blog entry), but I'm sure we will make it through. Dolberry himself was a rebel, if but a minor one. Seems to me that most of my rebellion was expressed via music, either by playing it too long & too loud, or by listenting to tunes that allowed me to vicariously rebel along with the singer. The Call fit that bill w/ their brooding "The Walls Came Down". "I don't think there are any Russians. And there ain't no Yanks. Just corporate criminals. Playing with tanks." This was followed by about 90 seconds of well-intentioned "Yi Yi Yi Yi ... Yi Yi Yi's"). They closed the decade with two other pretty exceptional songs "Let the Day Begin" and "I Still Believe", both of which are extremely positive, Christian-themed tunes that could fit nicely into U2's portfolio.
Best songs: The Walls Came Down, I Still Believe, Let the Day Begin
Worst songs: Undercover
37. Queen
Queen's Greatest Hits album released in 1981 is the all-time best selling album in the U.K. (just ahead of Sgt. Peppers). I can distinctly remember joyously singing along w/ Sis 1 and Sis 2 in their bedroom when we had the singles for "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" & "Another One Bites the Dust". Obviously, Queen had some earlier, Kong-sized, gems prior to the 80's that were theme songs for any number of cultural groups ("We Will Rock You" and "We are the Champions") in the 80's from THS football to other groups that were still mostly invisible to early-80's Midwesterners. Freddie Mercury was a genius artist that died way too soon, one of too many on this list.
Best songs: Another One Bites the Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, One Vision
Worst song: Radio Ga-Ga
36. Billy Idol
After four straight bands that were generally more critically appreciated than commercially appreciated in the 1980's, comes the motorcycle-crashing, MTV-darling, William Michael Albert Broad. The story goes that he took his name from an high-school report card that shamed with the comment "William is idle." Anyway, I think Idol was one of the first to tread in the dangerous waters of pop-punk which is probably my favorite musical subgenre. The key is to maintain a punkish-enough attitude to appeal with music that doesn't intentionally antagonize the listener. Anyway, more of the DCV Top 40 leans toward the Idols of the world than the Calls, so I'm glad he was #36, so as not to give the wrong impression (i.e., that Dolberry was already a snob twenty years ago).
Best Songs: Rebel Yell, White Wedding, Dancing with Myself
Worst song: Mony Mony (& worst is insufficiently negative to describe the loathing I have for this one)
Friday, January 05, 2007
1/05 Update
KMD reports that APD's play went great. One mom asked if he was going to be part of their drama program. Guess he was really into it ... delivering his lines w/ some flair. Apparently, the teacher wrote the skit w/ certain "actors" in mind, so it sounded like he was playing APD almost as much as Doubt. (But, that seems to work for many actors.) I wish I'd have taken a few hours off of work to see it. Live and learn.
Also, he got his 2nd Q report card & got all A's and A+'s making the Principal's list. He's really loving school.
KMD is going to a job fair tomorrow morning for Lifetime Fitness. She says she's feeling a "wave" of confidence, so that's good. She's not at all sure what it's all about, though. S'worth a shot.
All is fine w/ me. Am on Day 4 of diet & am doing well, but that's boring enough discussion face-to-face, let alone in a blog, so I won't bother you w/ it any further.
Also, he got his 2nd Q report card & got all A's and A+'s making the Principal's list. He's really loving school.
KMD is going to a job fair tomorrow morning for Lifetime Fitness. She says she's feeling a "wave" of confidence, so that's good. She's not at all sure what it's all about, though. S'worth a shot.
All is fine w/ me. Am on Day 4 of diet & am doing well, but that's boring enough discussion face-to-face, let alone in a blog, so I won't bother you w/ it any further.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
New DCV Feature: Top Bands of the 1980's Countdown
They say you should write about what you know & there's not much I know better than the pros and cons of almost every band that showed their mullet and/or spandexed-self (I'm looking at you here Mr. Roth) on MTV at some point in the 1980's. So, I'm going to indulge myself here w/ a prolonged countdown of the Top 40 bands of the 1980s, what their best & worst songs were, & what role they played in Dolberry's formative years. It won't be every day, but when I don't have anything else to share, I'll use this as blog filler.Anyway here are the bands that just missed the Top 40 (in no particular order): REO Speedwagon, Madness, XTC, Guns and Roses, AC/DC, Eagles, Icicle Works, Saga, Asia, Outfield, Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, the Alarm, GoGos, and the Cure.
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Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Some notes from the first day back at work after 12 days off
It wasn't quite as painful as I expected, but all things equal (i.e., they still pay me) I'd rather be off.
APD is in a play at chapel at school on Friday. His character is Doubt, or Dr. Doubt as he prefers. His main line & the reason his teacher cast him in the role starts out w/ the expression "Actually ..." He delivers it well. He has some other funny lines as well & he gets to "drop dead" on stage. Unfortunately, I have to work Friday. Maybe KMD will blog us an account.
We went to see Night at the Museum yesterday afternoon. 5 stars all around. Inventive, clever, non-offensive, funny, good use of CGI, & Ben Stiller is funny as always. Plus, it has a monkey in it. Saw the trailer for the Simpsons movie & Silver Surfer (a HeroClix guy) which both come out this summer.
APD is in a play at chapel at school on Friday. His character is Doubt, or Dr. Doubt as he prefers. His main line & the reason his teacher cast him in the role starts out w/ the expression "Actually ..." He delivers it well. He has some other funny lines as well & he gets to "drop dead" on stage. Unfortunately, I have to work Friday. Maybe KMD will blog us an account.
We went to see Night at the Museum yesterday afternoon. 5 stars all around. Inventive, clever, non-offensive, funny, good use of CGI, & Ben Stiller is funny as always. Plus, it has a monkey in it. Saw the trailer for the Simpsons movie & Silver Surfer (a HeroClix guy) which both come out this summer.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Orange Bowl Champs!!!!
C - A - R - D - S!
Thought team played exceptionally well, esp. Brohm, Douglas, Jackson, Gay, Grady, Okoye, O Line, all the way down the line really. Think there was only one UL penalty all game. I give WF credit. They were tough through three quarters, esp their DBs.
Looks like we'll finish #3 in the country & maybe #2 if ND wins (doubtful). Unreal.
I can wait until February to hear who's coming back & where we'll be ranked in the preseason. Will savor this for a long time.
Hope everyone who went down there had a good time & gets back home safely.
Thought team played exceptionally well, esp. Brohm, Douglas, Jackson, Gay, Grady, Okoye, O Line, all the way down the line really. Think there was only one UL penalty all game. I give WF credit. They were tough through three quarters, esp their DBs.
Looks like we'll finish #3 in the country & maybe #2 if ND wins (doubtful). Unreal.
I can wait until February to hear who's coming back & where we'll be ranked in the preseason. Will savor this for a long time.
Hope everyone who went down there had a good time & gets back home safely.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Barkley
We had to take Barkley in to be euthanized last Friday. She had large cancerous mass (sarcoma) on her front leg that was oozing blood. She hadn't really eaten (beyond a nibble) in nearly two weeks. She was suffering. Couldn't walk more than a few steps w/o resting.
It was an emotional Friday, having basically made the decision (as advised by vet) after picking her up on Thursday after getting home from Louisville. It was a blessing that she didn't die while we were gone as we got to have one last day to pet her & just have her around.
Barkley'd been part of our family since Dec 1995 and the shelter estimated she was two when we got her, so she was probably 13. There are lots of indelible memories, many of which form the foundation of our family. I have a horrible memory but I can still remember the room where we first met her. (Ironically, it was a lot like the room where she left us. Guess most vet / animal hospitals use the same floor plan.) I "got" her for Kristy for Xmas 1995, but we went as a couple to pick her out. I remember liking her, because she was the quietest (ha, fooled me). She was so shy & had probably been abused previously (found as a lost dog). It took a few minutes to coax her over to us & then when Kristy first petted her she accidentally shocked her (dry static air) & Barkley retreated to the wall. We remember the early times w/ Alex. When Alex would cry it would alarm Barkley ... she'd get nervous. She was always great w/ Alex, but didn't like it early around kids. (Though by moving down to NC, she was fine w/ them.) Her favorite activity in IL was when we'd go on "hikes" in the Forest Preserve in Naperville. We'd let her off the leash & she'd just roam along w/ us ... she LOVED that. Years later, you could still get the floppy ear to go erect if you said anything that ended in "ike". I think she loved having her own backyard down here. When we added Cherish last fall there was a transition period, but it enlivened Barkley (sure it added at least a year to her life). She even joined Cherish in digging up the backyard on occasion.
She was incredibly loyal and fiercely protective of us ... even nipping at least two people. Interestly, Cherish who was always junior backup security dog, loping to the door whenever the doorbell rings as opposed to Barkley fierce barking charge, has taken up the doorbell duty over the past few days. Odd.
Anyway, we all cried a river & I wish she was still here. APD & I spent a bawling moment outside the vet (Kristy was inside w/ her for the process) & he asked "Why". I blubbered that it was all part of life & that's why we needed to appreciate the everyday things that make up a life. He knows that already, everyone knows that already, but I think I needed to hear it anyway.
Miss ya pup. Hope you're somewhere where you can run to your heart's content, w/ a pack of friends, and a full bowl of food & a nice comfy bed waiting for you when you're ready to rest. Hope it works out that we see you again someday.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
3rd Annual Worst E-mails of the Year
2006 will be remembered as the "Year of the Seagull", as NOAA's Safety
Seagull campaign won almost every major national award in the category
of stupid e-mail. The only suspense was would the entire Seagull series
(installments 3 through 7 were released in 2006) sweep Dolberry's 3rd
Annual Top 5.
#5: Revised Endorsement Supplement Form to Host Foreign National Guests:
This e-mail was the best example of NOAA's tendency to frequently send
all staff e-mails whenever they update a website that nobody in a
million years would ever look at. This one "clarified requirements
regarding the need to contact Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
(OMAO) staff when foreign nationals will be accessing OMAO platforms
(i.e., ships and planes)". Anyway, since Alfonso Soriano went to the
Cubs, how many foriegn Nationals are going to even be invited on one of
our boats?
#4: SUBJECT: Safety Tip #6 From NOAA Safety Seagull: This one featured
a dazed, barenekkid seagull bereft of feathers after apparently dropping
or perhaps quaffing a greenish looking beverage. His skin is slightly
greenish-tinged. The caption to the right reads: "Be careful when
handling hazardous materials.". It's clear from the drawing that the
Seagull is about 15 days overdue for another Betty Ford stay, but the
NOAA Safety flacks want us to think he mishandled some hazardous
material. Yeah, hazardous to his liver maybe.
#3: Friday, February 3 is National Wear Red Day: The lone EPA entry
this year encouraged us to wear red on the day after Groundhog's Day to
combat heart disease in women. The first lady was quoted as saying "I
encourage every one of you to go home, pull out your favorite red dress,
and tell every woman you know that heart disease doesn’t care what you
wear.” No offense intended here, but I'm pretty sure that if Dolberry
goes home and puts on his favorite red dress that the one woman he does
know (Mrs. Dolberry) damn well WILL care what he's wearing & that her
heart attack risk will probably be on the rise.
#2: Message From the Under Secretary -- Personal Accountability for Laptops and Equipment: I have to admit I have a certain bias against the
sender of this e-mail. First, Dolberry finds his 43-letter handle (VADM
Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., USN (Ret.)) a little extravagant in this age
of fiscal responsibility. Also, he invariably sends his e-mails out
late of Friday afternoon which presumably is meant to leave us w/ the
impression that he's still hard at work at the end of a long week. Of
course, we all know he's out on a Booze Cruise w/ the Seagull and Felipe
Lopez (a foriegn National, for you non baseball fans) and some DC flunky
has been left behind to hit the send button. But anyway, the worst of
his late Friday e-mails this year was the one that told us not to have
stuff stolen from us. Some highlights: "NOAA has not been immune to
lapses in properly safeguarding these devices. For the period
2001-2006, we can not account for 325 laptops. They have been lost,
misplaced, improperly disposed of or stolen. ... Our past performance
is unacceptable and we must do a better job protecting such equipment
and its content. The loss or theft of this equipment represents a loss
of taxpayer money and mission capability. ... Our goal must be 100
percent accountability for this equipment, i.e. No loss or theft. ...
Each of you must take seriously the responsibility that comes with
having these devices, and care for them as if you had paid for them
yourselves." This whole e-mail had the feel of a middle school assembly
after one punk pulled the fire alarm & then everyone was called in to
get berated for it by the principal. The e-mail looked even more
ridiculous three weeks later when a stash of 323 laptops were found in
the Safety Seagull's trunk after Silver Spring MD police pulled him over
for going 87 in a 35 mph zone.
#1: Safety Tip #5 From NOAA Safety Seagull: Wow. The first four Safety
Seagull serials were kinda funny in their own uninimitable "tell me
something I don't already know" style (e.g., getting struck by lightning
is NOT good for you), but they set a high-water mark here at #5. The
picture is of a guy, driving a car that's about 10 times too small for a
human, talking on a cell phone, & swirving from lane to lane. The
Seagull then tells us to "Keep Your Wings on the Wheel. Drive Safely."
Yo. Seagull. The guys does have his hand on the wheel (one of them at
least). It's like the only thing he's doing right in the whole picture
as far as safe driving goes. Appropriate safety approbations could have
been "Don't Try to Drive Toy Cars" or "Keep Your Eyes Open When Driving"
or "Make Sure Your Car Has a Door Handle" or even "Dude, That Striped
Turtleneck Is Gonna Get You Beat Up Someday".
Seagull campaign won almost every major national award in the category
of stupid e-mail. The only suspense was would the entire Seagull series
(installments 3 through 7 were released in 2006) sweep Dolberry's 3rd
Annual Top 5.
#5: Revised Endorsement Supplement Form to Host Foreign National Guests:
This e-mail was the best example of NOAA's tendency to frequently send
all staff e-mails whenever they update a website that nobody in a
million years would ever look at. This one "clarified requirements
regarding the need to contact Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
(OMAO) staff when foreign nationals will be accessing OMAO platforms
(i.e., ships and planes)". Anyway, since Alfonso Soriano went to the
Cubs, how many foriegn Nationals are going to even be invited on one of
our boats?
#4: SUBJECT: Safety Tip #6 From NOAA Safety Seagull: This one featured
a dazed, barenekkid seagull bereft of feathers after apparently dropping
or perhaps quaffing a greenish looking beverage. His skin is slightly
greenish-tinged. The caption to the right reads: "Be careful when
handling hazardous materials.". It's clear from the drawing that the
Seagull is about 15 days overdue for another Betty Ford stay, but the
NOAA Safety flacks want us to think he mishandled some hazardous
material. Yeah, hazardous to his liver maybe.
#3: Friday, February 3 is National Wear Red Day: The lone EPA entry
this year encouraged us to wear red on the day after Groundhog's Day to
combat heart disease in women. The first lady was quoted as saying "I
encourage every one of you to go home, pull out your favorite red dress,
and tell every woman you know that heart disease doesn’t care what you
wear.” No offense intended here, but I'm pretty sure that if Dolberry
goes home and puts on his favorite red dress that the one woman he does
know (Mrs. Dolberry) damn well WILL care what he's wearing & that her
heart attack risk will probably be on the rise.
#2: Message From the Under Secretary -- Personal Accountability for Laptops and Equipment: I have to admit I have a certain bias against the
sender of this e-mail. First, Dolberry finds his 43-letter handle (VADM
Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., USN (Ret.)) a little extravagant in this age
of fiscal responsibility. Also, he invariably sends his e-mails out
late of Friday afternoon which presumably is meant to leave us w/ the
impression that he's still hard at work at the end of a long week. Of
course, we all know he's out on a Booze Cruise w/ the Seagull and Felipe
Lopez (a foriegn National, for you non baseball fans) and some DC flunky
has been left behind to hit the send button. But anyway, the worst of
his late Friday e-mails this year was the one that told us not to have
stuff stolen from us. Some highlights: "NOAA has not been immune to
lapses in properly safeguarding these devices. For the period
2001-2006, we can not account for 325 laptops. They have been lost,
misplaced, improperly disposed of or stolen. ... Our past performance
is unacceptable and we must do a better job protecting such equipment
and its content. The loss or theft of this equipment represents a loss
of taxpayer money and mission capability. ... Our goal must be 100
percent accountability for this equipment, i.e. No loss or theft. ...
Each of you must take seriously the responsibility that comes with
having these devices, and care for them as if you had paid for them
yourselves." This whole e-mail had the feel of a middle school assembly
after one punk pulled the fire alarm & then everyone was called in to
get berated for it by the principal. The e-mail looked even more
ridiculous three weeks later when a stash of 323 laptops were found in
the Safety Seagull's trunk after Silver Spring MD police pulled him over
for going 87 in a 35 mph zone.
#1: Safety Tip #5 From NOAA Safety Seagull: Wow. The first four Safety
Seagull serials were kinda funny in their own uninimitable "tell me
something I don't already know" style (e.g., getting struck by lightning
is NOT good for you), but they set a high-water mark here at #5. The
picture is of a guy, driving a car that's about 10 times too small for a
human, talking on a cell phone, & swirving from lane to lane. The
Seagull then tells us to "Keep Your Wings on the Wheel. Drive Safely."
Yo. Seagull. The guys does have his hand on the wheel (one of them at
least). It's like the only thing he's doing right in the whole picture
as far as safe driving goes. Appropriate safety approbations could have
been "Don't Try to Drive Toy Cars" or "Keep Your Eyes Open When Driving"
or "Make Sure Your Car Has a Door Handle" or even "Dude, That Striped
Turtleneck Is Gonna Get You Beat Up Someday".
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
DCV presents "Life Episodes -- Berghoff's"
By their nature, most DCV "Life Episodes" will be happy recountings of various Dolberry triumphs. They will be stories that, if you didn't know the subject, could appear to border on folklore, or possibly consist of something less than full veracity (though if anything the presentation will be understated). There'll invariably be a hero ... typically Dolberry. Sometimes there'll be a villian. Generally, the location will be an everyday venue that are often populated by the everyday readers of the DCV. Maybe J-town. Maybe Apex. This one's from Chicago & unlike most DCV episodes it's a decidedly unhappy tale.
Dolberry was a strapping young lad making his way in the rush & bundle business world of downtown Chicago. Specifically, the 26th floor of the (i forget the name) building. First job out of school, drawing down the serious dough that comes the way of Environmental Protection Specialists (for reference: the panhandlers in the El tunnels were doing better on most days). The work was hard ... trying to bring to completion EPA's approval of the State of Wisconsin's SO2 attainment plan. The plan had been submitted sometime shortly after Wisconsin had been admitted into the Union and had been languishing at EPA ever since. Approval was complicated by the fact that most of the facilities originally subject to the plan had gone out of business in the Depression. And while you think that might make it easier to conclude those facilities no longer posed a threat to air quality in Badgerland, you'd be wrong (for reasons Dolberry never understood).
Anyway, visitors were common to the big city. Dolberry's high rise luxury appartment overlooking Lake Michigan was frequently employed by some of his, well, "thriftier" relatives as free board for mini-vacations. I was ok w/ that ... sometimes it's hard to know when your generous nature is being stretched. But all that is a but a long prelude to the story at hand. One busy Novemeber Friday at the Region 5 offices, Dolberry was knee deep into the plan for limiting emissions from a Kenosha AMC plant that made Gremlins (the cars, not the fuzzy things you shouldn't get wet) sometime in the mid-70s before going bankrupt, when an interruption intruded ... some relatives were in town & wanted lunch. And not just lunch ... they wanted German food ... because it was Oktoberfest. (The only thing more confusing than the WI SIP to me is how it can be Oktoberfest in September, or April, or any other month they want.)
I've thought long & hard about this and DCV management has decided not to name names for this "Life Episode". I believe the culprits know who they are and the more respectable of them probably feel some guilt about their association w/ the whole ugly episode. (Though, some of them are probably beyond hope. Sis, I'm looking at you here.)
We went to Berghoff's, a travel guide favorite, but a real dump of a place. We had some pedestrian strudel or dumplings or whatever it is that Germans eat, & all was tolerable until the bill comes. Can you believe it ... these freeloading squatters believe Dolberry should pay?!? Fortunately, I had sold some blood for some extra money earlier in the week & while I was hoping to use that money for repairing the hole in the bottom of my shoes, especially noticed after an earlier snow. I had $35 bucks in my wallet & the bill came to $33.84. (You'd be astonished how many dumplings those guys could put down.) The waiter came for the bill & I gave him everything I had. I shot him a glance ... a furtive and ultimately futile non-verbal attempt to convey my situation hoping the pale bloodless non-glow of my face would yield some sympathy.
I should have known better. His name tag read ... "I'm Adolf SChott. I'm your server, ya," I don't think he spoke any English. Upon being confronted w/ the meager but totally acceptable tip he erupted saying "Nein!" "Nein tip!?!" "Das Boot!" "Nein tip! "Auf Wiedersen to you, dirty Yank." Dolberry doesn't like to further stereotypes so that's why I quoted him directly ... with his scathing rebuke ... words that left me so mortified that they remain etched in my cerebellum to this day. Were my dining parters equally mortified? In a word, no. They were still laughing as they picked up their Bloomingdale's bags on the way out of the restaurant.
Fifteen years later, a lot of things have changed. Berghoff's finally got shut down by the Health Dept. Dolberry is a ZP-4 which despite being one less than a GS-5, allows our hero to tip steadfastly at 30%. The Dolberries don't get as many visitors any more (once you've seen the Apex Chemical Plant Fire site once, there's not much left to see). SOme visitors even race past Apex on their way to the beach (bypassing their Bro in lieu of 10 minutes more at the beach. Again, -athy, I'm looking at you.) Another thing that has changed, and this is tragic, is the telling of the Berghoff's story. It has been cynically spun by the guilty into a legend of a maybe-too-eager-to-impress 20-something and some really bad math. Dolberry and the DCV would like to set the record straight here.
About the only thing that hasn't changed is that the Wisconsin SO2 SIP still resides at the Region 5 offices ... approval pending.
Dolberry was a strapping young lad making his way in the rush & bundle business world of downtown Chicago. Specifically, the 26th floor of the (i forget the name) building. First job out of school, drawing down the serious dough that comes the way of Environmental Protection Specialists (for reference: the panhandlers in the El tunnels were doing better on most days). The work was hard ... trying to bring to completion EPA's approval of the State of Wisconsin's SO2 attainment plan. The plan had been submitted sometime shortly after Wisconsin had been admitted into the Union and had been languishing at EPA ever since. Approval was complicated by the fact that most of the facilities originally subject to the plan had gone out of business in the Depression. And while you think that might make it easier to conclude those facilities no longer posed a threat to air quality in Badgerland, you'd be wrong (for reasons Dolberry never understood).
Anyway, visitors were common to the big city. Dolberry's high rise luxury appartment overlooking Lake Michigan was frequently employed by some of his, well, "thriftier" relatives as free board for mini-vacations. I was ok w/ that ... sometimes it's hard to know when your generous nature is being stretched. But all that is a but a long prelude to the story at hand. One busy Novemeber Friday at the Region 5 offices, Dolberry was knee deep into the plan for limiting emissions from a Kenosha AMC plant that made Gremlins (the cars, not the fuzzy things you shouldn't get wet) sometime in the mid-70s before going bankrupt, when an interruption intruded ... some relatives were in town & wanted lunch. And not just lunch ... they wanted German food ... because it was Oktoberfest. (The only thing more confusing than the WI SIP to me is how it can be Oktoberfest in September, or April, or any other month they want.)
I've thought long & hard about this and DCV management has decided not to name names for this "Life Episode". I believe the culprits know who they are and the more respectable of them probably feel some guilt about their association w/ the whole ugly episode. (Though, some of them are probably beyond hope. Sis, I'm looking at you here.)
We went to Berghoff's, a travel guide favorite, but a real dump of a place. We had some pedestrian strudel or dumplings or whatever it is that Germans eat, & all was tolerable until the bill comes. Can you believe it ... these freeloading squatters believe Dolberry should pay?!? Fortunately, I had sold some blood for some extra money earlier in the week & while I was hoping to use that money for repairing the hole in the bottom of my shoes, especially noticed after an earlier snow. I had $35 bucks in my wallet & the bill came to $33.84. (You'd be astonished how many dumplings those guys could put down.) The waiter came for the bill & I gave him everything I had. I shot him a glance ... a furtive and ultimately futile non-verbal attempt to convey my situation hoping the pale bloodless non-glow of my face would yield some sympathy.
I should have known better. His name tag read ... "I'm Adolf SChott. I'm your server, ya," I don't think he spoke any English. Upon being confronted w/ the meager but totally acceptable tip he erupted saying "Nein!" "Nein tip!?!" "Das Boot!" "Nein tip! "Auf Wiedersen to you, dirty Yank." Dolberry doesn't like to further stereotypes so that's why I quoted him directly ... with his scathing rebuke ... words that left me so mortified that they remain etched in my cerebellum to this day. Were my dining parters equally mortified? In a word, no. They were still laughing as they picked up their Bloomingdale's bags on the way out of the restaurant.
Fifteen years later, a lot of things have changed. Berghoff's finally got shut down by the Health Dept. Dolberry is a ZP-4 which despite being one less than a GS-5, allows our hero to tip steadfastly at 30%. The Dolberries don't get as many visitors any more (once you've seen the Apex Chemical Plant Fire site once, there's not much left to see). SOme visitors even race past Apex on their way to the beach (bypassing their Bro in lieu of 10 minutes more at the beach. Again, -athy, I'm looking at you.) Another thing that has changed, and this is tragic, is the telling of the Berghoff's story. It has been cynically spun by the guilty into a legend of a maybe-too-eager-to-impress 20-something and some really bad math. Dolberry and the DCV would like to set the record straight here.
About the only thing that hasn't changed is that the Wisconsin SO2 SIP still resides at the Region 5 offices ... approval pending.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Day 3: The Return of the Dolberry
9:15: Awake.
9:30: Go to fitness center. All 4 treadmills & 4 exercise bikes are in use. Head back up to room w/ another "its the thought that counts workout".
9:40: One thing Dolberry likes to do at hotels is to walk past the conference rooms & decide which meeting he would rather be attending on that day. Today, it's a close call between the "Cobra Resources Meeting" & the "Retired United Pilots Association Meeting". I suspect the RUPA folks might catch that Dolberry's too young looking still to be a retired pilot. Am guessing that the "Cobra Resources" meeting is a CIA-front for some upcoming paramilitary action in the jungles of Venezuela. Knowing Dolberry & his people-pleaser nature, I'd probably be on a flight to Caracas by dinner. So, I decide to do my SECA meeting instead.
11:15: Headed to meeting. Walk takes me right past CA Capitol. Is very nice. While I saw t-shirts that said "The Governator", I didn't actually see Arnold. Would have been a highlight of the trip had it happened (right behind that Dire Straits song). I still have some questions about the plot of Predator.
3:00: Meeting was fine. Get to airport & gate in time to find the people from the 1:30 flight to ORD, deboarding their plane. Can't think this bodes well for our 4:30 flight. Or making the connection into RDU. But the Sacramento airport provides free WiFi, so that's pretty nice.
4:00: Still waiting. According to united.com, our flight's scheduled for 5:50 & the flight to RDU is now scheduled for 2:00am to get in to Raleigh at 3:56a. Sheesh, I might as well go straight in to work.
5:15: Getting on plane.
6:00: Wheels up from Sacramento.
6:30: The baby that was crying in the terminal is still going strong in the plane. At one point in the overcrowded terminal there was a screaming baby, a blaring security buzzer, and a little yappy dog barking in a portable kennel ... all competing for the title of loudest irritant. My colleague said the scene only lacked someone w/ Tourette's. Dolberry thought a dash of Jehovah's Witnesses might be a nice addition.
7:15: Flight attendant takes screamer for a little walk. This only increases volume. But shortly after return, little one quiets down. They must have had a talk about "security considerations". In defense, Dolberry has had to don the headphones & the classic rock channel again. Still on the same loop. I've now listened to enough CSN, Pink Floyd, and late Beatles to experience some sort of secondhand hallucenogenic experience. At one point, I could swear that the baby was screaming in time w/ "Dark Side of the Moon".
7:30: Am really getting bored here. Looking forward to the Italian Beef place at O'Hare w/ probably an undue amount of excited anticipation. This has me thinking of my favorite roast-beef-related sandwiches of all time. Here's what I've got. If I've forgotten anything, let me know.
#8: Quizno's Smokehouse Beef Sandwich. Very good. Kinda pricey though.
#7: Jersey Mike's Philly Cheesesteak. GpD swears by this one. I agree they are excellent.
#6: Regular roast beef w/ homestyle fries at Arby's. Thankfully there's no Arby's nearby Dolberry, or there wouldn't be a plane that could get him off the ground.
#5: The Italian Beef sandwiches at O'Hare: Filled w/ juicy shirt-staining roastbeef goodness and supplemented w/ the gentle tongue-tinging taste of shredded sweet peppers. Also nicely complimented w/ fries.
#4: The hot roast beef and gravy sandwiches we used to get at that lunch place in Hikes Point. I want to say it was called Salmonella's, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't. It was right by that bowling alley that used to be there, if I remember right. Recall going there for lunch w/ Mom & GGma & Junior Dolberry always ordering the hot RB w/ gravy. Mmmmmmm.
#3: Any buffet or wedding reception where there's a guy w/ a funny white hat carving roast beef that you can put on those little buns & scarf down about 14 of 'em.
#2: The Philly Cheesesteaks at BrightHouse Stadium in Clearwater FL. It is impossible to explain how good these are. If it wasn't a 26 hr roundtrip trek to get these footlong slices of heaven on earth, I'd have at least one a day. As it is, I'm counting down the days until I next partake of them. 91.
#1: The sandwiches Mom used to make for my school lunch after we'd have a rump roast for Sunday dinner (if Junior Dolberry didn't eat it all the preceding night). Meat, Miracle Whip, White Bread, & the touch of Mom's love that makes everything just a little bit more special.
7:55: Believe DCV has officially "jumped the shark" w/ the Top 8 roast beef countdown.
8:30: TV had an episode of "The Office". Love that show. "The office is like a jungle. I am like a tiger. And Dwight is like the monkey who stabs the tiger in the back. But we don't know what's in the tiger's mind. We don't have the technology."
9:05: Switched now to the air traffic controller channel. Chicago put us into a hold at 1-3-thousand, 10 mile lanes are approved, tango-echo-delta-delta-yammer (somewhere near Janesville WI), hold Northwest as published. Speed at our discretion. Pretty cool to know (they pilots haven't informed the non-Channel 9 listeners), but doesn't help me much. We are scheduled to be released from the hold at 0247 (9:47). Our pilots didn't complain, but another pilot said "what's gives, clear skies, I can see you from here." ATC says tstorms over NE IN have shut down that corridor.
9:50: Plane lands. Sprint to meet 10pm flight.
9:56: Get to gate E2 (from B6) in a 6 minute sprint ... actually I sprinted about 4 minutes, then walked the last 2... to find the flight had just closed out. Gate agent said, "Oh you're Mr. Dolwick. Yeah, we tried to to go as slow as we could. Sorry." Customer service was of no help. Blamed it on ATC, claimed no responsibility. Booked us on the earliest flight tomorrow (2pm) & put on standby for 630a flight.
10:15: Start the O'Hare allnighter at the only open restaurant (Chili's). First real meal all day. Nothing beats Hot Wings at 10:15p.
11:30: Starts to get pretty quiet.
12:45: Settled into a nice routine here. Lots of vacuuming. Fair number of refugees. I'd say 20 w/in sight. One nice guy also on his way to RDU. Talked some football.
2:00: Now. Not much going on. Rich can walk the moving sidewalk backwards in the wrong direction in 47 seconds. I'm going to beat that.
2:15: Now, now. Pretty dull. My collegeue (need to figure out how to spell that) & I are having an e-mail discussion for the sake of our EPA friends. Every 15 minutes we send another e-mail debating a specific topic. The goal is to have each e-mail become more & more incoherent.
2:55: Getting tired. Thinking about calling C-Lo for place to crash for a few hours. Wish I knew the number. Tried information asking for C-L0 & I got a Carlos Lopez from Oak Park. He wasn't happy to hear from Dolberry.
3:30: OK, here are my PR's for going the wrong way on an O'Hare moving walkway:
backwards: 74 seconds
forwards: 48 seconds
one leg: N/A (fell over)
one leg backward: N/A (fell over)
3:45: Wish I would have taken that flight to Caracas like that guy w/ sunglasses I was talking to in the elevator suggested. Wonder if it's too late ....
4:40: Found a remaining set of chairs w/o an armrest & fell asleep w/ a NY Times over my head as a blanket.
6:00: Wake up. Feeling worse than before went to sleep. Airport has lost it's empty charm as all the vaccumers have been replaced w/ busybee travellers who weave in & out in front and behind me as I walk zombie-like to the restroom w/ my shirt untucked & airport-terminal-seatlines pressed into my face.
6:30: Get some McDonalds. Feel slightly better. Getting a good feeling about this standby flight at 7:34.
7:35: Get on flight as standby passenger #9.
9:35: Land at RDU. Bag even makes it as well.
10:10: Get to work, almost in time for 10am team meeting.
12:00: Go home & sleep for a few hours.
8:30: Updating last blogs w/ pics.
9:30: Go to fitness center. All 4 treadmills & 4 exercise bikes are in use. Head back up to room w/ another "its the thought that counts workout".
9:40: One thing Dolberry likes to do at hotels is to walk past the conference rooms & decide which meeting he would rather be attending on that day. Today, it's a close call between the "Cobra Resources Meeting" & the "Retired United Pilots Association Meeting". I suspect the RUPA folks might catch that Dolberry's too young looking still to be a retired pilot. Am guessing that the "Cobra Resources" meeting is a CIA-front for some upcoming paramilitary action in the jungles of Venezuela. Knowing Dolberry & his people-pleaser nature, I'd probably be on a flight to Caracas by dinner. So, I decide to do my SECA meeting instead.
11:15: Headed to meeting. Walk takes me right past CA Capitol. Is very nice. While I saw t-shirts that said "The Governator", I didn't actually see Arnold. Would have been a highlight of the trip had it happened (right behind that Dire Straits song). I still have some questions about the plot of Predator.3:00: Meeting was fine. Get to airport & gate in time to find the people from the 1:30 flight to ORD, deboarding their plane. Can't think this bodes well for our 4:30 flight. Or making the connection into RDU. But the Sacramento airport provides free WiFi, so that's pretty nice.
4:00: Still waiting. According to united.com, our flight's scheduled for 5:50 & the flight to RDU is now scheduled for 2:00am to get in to Raleigh at 3:56a. Sheesh, I might as well go straight in to work.
5:15: Getting on plane.
6:00: Wheels up from Sacramento.
6:30: The baby that was crying in the terminal is still going strong in the plane. At one point in the overcrowded terminal there was a screaming baby, a blaring security buzzer, and a little yappy dog barking in a portable kennel ... all competing for the title of loudest irritant. My colleague said the scene only lacked someone w/ Tourette's. Dolberry thought a dash of Jehovah's Witnesses might be a nice addition.
7:15: Flight attendant takes screamer for a little walk. This only increases volume. But shortly after return, little one quiets down. They must have had a talk about "security considerations". In defense, Dolberry has had to don the headphones & the classic rock channel again. Still on the same loop. I've now listened to enough CSN, Pink Floyd, and late Beatles to experience some sort of secondhand hallucenogenic experience. At one point, I could swear that the baby was screaming in time w/ "Dark Side of the Moon".7:30: Am really getting bored here. Looking forward to the Italian Beef place at O'Hare w/ probably an undue amount of excited anticipation. This has me thinking of my favorite roast-beef-related sandwiches of all time. Here's what I've got. If I've forgotten anything, let me know.
#8: Quizno's Smokehouse Beef Sandwich. Very good. Kinda pricey though.
#7: Jersey Mike's Philly Cheesesteak. GpD swears by this one. I agree they are excellent.
#6: Regular roast beef w/ homestyle fries at Arby's. Thankfully there's no Arby's nearby Dolberry, or there wouldn't be a plane that could get him off the ground.
#5: The Italian Beef sandwiches at O'Hare: Filled w/ juicy shirt-staining roastbeef goodness and supplemented w/ the gentle tongue-tinging taste of shredded sweet peppers. Also nicely complimented w/ fries.
#4: The hot roast beef and gravy sandwiches we used to get at that lunch place in Hikes Point. I want to say it was called Salmonella's, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't. It was right by that bowling alley that used to be there, if I remember right. Recall going there for lunch w/ Mom & GGma & Junior Dolberry always ordering the hot RB w/ gravy. Mmmmmmm.
#3: Any buffet or wedding reception where there's a guy w/ a funny white hat carving roast beef that you can put on those little buns & scarf down about 14 of 'em.
#2: The Philly Cheesesteaks at BrightHouse Stadium in Clearwater FL. It is impossible to explain how good these are. If it wasn't a 26 hr roundtrip trek to get these footlong slices of heaven on earth, I'd have at least one a day. As it is, I'm counting down the days until I next partake of them. 91.
#1: The sandwiches Mom used to make for my school lunch after we'd have a rump roast for Sunday dinner (if Junior Dolberry didn't eat it all the preceding night). Meat, Miracle Whip, White Bread, & the touch of Mom's love that makes everything just a little bit more special.
7:55: Believe DCV has officially "jumped the shark" w/ the Top 8 roast beef countdown.
8:30: TV had an episode of "The Office". Love that show. "The office is like a jungle. I am like a tiger. And Dwight is like the monkey who stabs the tiger in the back. But we don't know what's in the tiger's mind. We don't have the technology."
9:05: Switched now to the air traffic controller channel. Chicago put us into a hold at 1-3-thousand, 10 mile lanes are approved, tango-echo-delta-delta-yammer (somewhere near Janesville WI), hold Northwest as published. Speed at our discretion. Pretty cool to know (they pilots haven't informed the non-Channel 9 listeners), but doesn't help me much. We are scheduled to be released from the hold at 0247 (9:47). Our pilots didn't complain, but another pilot said "what's gives, clear skies, I can see you from here." ATC says tstorms over NE IN have shut down that corridor.
9:50: Plane lands. Sprint to meet 10pm flight.
9:56: Get to gate E2 (from B6) in a 6 minute sprint ... actually I sprinted about 4 minutes, then walked the last 2... to find the flight had just closed out. Gate agent said, "Oh you're Mr. Dolwick. Yeah, we tried to to go as slow as we could. Sorry." Customer service was of no help. Blamed it on ATC, claimed no responsibility. Booked us on the earliest flight tomorrow (2pm) & put on standby for 630a flight.
10:15: Start the O'Hare allnighter at the only open restaurant (Chili's). First real meal all day. Nothing beats Hot Wings at 10:15p.
11:30: Starts to get pretty quiet.
12:45: Settled into a nice routine here. Lots of vacuuming. Fair number of refugees. I'd say 20 w/in sight. One nice guy also on his way to RDU. Talked some football.
2:00: Now. Not much going on. Rich can walk the moving sidewalk backwards in the wrong direction in 47 seconds. I'm going to beat that.
2:15: Now, now. Pretty dull. My collegeue (need to figure out how to spell that) & I are having an e-mail discussion for the sake of our EPA friends. Every 15 minutes we send another e-mail debating a specific topic. The goal is to have each e-mail become more & more incoherent.
2:55: Getting tired. Thinking about calling C-Lo for place to crash for a few hours. Wish I knew the number. Tried information asking for C-L0 & I got a Carlos Lopez from Oak Park. He wasn't happy to hear from Dolberry.
3:30: OK, here are my PR's for going the wrong way on an O'Hare moving walkway:
backwards: 74 seconds
forwards: 48 seconds
one leg: N/A (fell over)
one leg backward: N/A (fell over)
3:45: Wish I would have taken that flight to Caracas like that guy w/ sunglasses I was talking to in the elevator suggested. Wonder if it's too late ....
4:40: Found a remaining set of chairs w/o an armrest & fell asleep w/ a NY Times over my head as a blanket.
6:00: Wake up. Feeling worse than before went to sleep. Airport has lost it's empty charm as all the vaccumers have been replaced w/ busybee travellers who weave in & out in front and behind me as I walk zombie-like to the restroom w/ my shirt untucked & airport-terminal-seatlines pressed into my face.
6:30: Get some McDonalds. Feel slightly better. Getting a good feeling about this standby flight at 7:34.
7:35: Get on flight as standby passenger #9.
9:35: Land at RDU. Bag even makes it as well.
10:10: Get to work, almost in time for 10am team meeting.
12:00: Go home & sleep for a few hours.
8:30: Updating last blogs w/ pics.
Monday, December 11, 2006
B.U.I.
All right, I'm blogging under the influence (of about 3/4 a glass of beer) so the DCV will likely be even more prone to wild exagerations , incoherent babbling, & flat out prevarications than usual (if that's even possible). Buyer beware.
(Also, it's been pointed out to me that it's not really a "live" blog if it comes on line at 11:30pm. Point taken. I could've live blogged during some of the presentations today (thx to wireless internet magic), but it would've been pretty rude. So, here's a recap of the day.)
(I'm just going to do this whole thing in parentheses. Heh heh heh. That's funny. True dat!
(all times now PST)
6:15: Woke up. Great sleep. Close to 9 hours. Wonder what's so nice about a Hyatt? Six pillows. One person, six pillows. Do the math on that & it comes to about 6 pillows per person. That is hard to beat. Clearly one of the highlights of the trip.
6:45: Spent about 15 minutes looking for the hotel fitness center. Didn't find it, but figured it was a decent enough workout looking for it to count as my exercise for the day. (This lack of effort is probably why the aircraft people had me move to the back of the flight yesterday for "takeoff considerations".)
8:35: Got danish & oj for breakfast.
9:05 Meeting started. California ARB has a really nice office.
1:15: Break for 30 min lunch. This is 4:15p DST (Dolberry Stomach Time). Rush & find a Quizno's & hurry back to mtg.
1:45: Our presentation. All the a.m. presentations were very interesting, and the other modeling ones were really well done. My collegeue suggests I start off w/ the line "All the other presentations were so well done, that we thought we'd take a different tack." I did my six slides. Nobody seemed to be hurt. Got some easy questions, but then one hard question about chemistry that I had to pass on. Turns out you can't just "pass" like on a game show. Who knew?
2:30: Am kinda the EPA spokesperson at the meeting, and Dolberry is enjoying it immensely. This marks about the 4th time, I said "EPA will give that its proper consideration." It rolls off my tongue, I think, more mellifluously than when I hear actual EPA policy types say it. It's a great phrase because it can be applied to any situation (an alternate proposal, suggestion for lunch, suggestion to go to hell, etc.) and it doesn't betray any position you might have toward the "its" in question. Either way, we're giving it the proper consideration. The key is to say it w/ the right amount of pompous gravitas.
4:30: Day 1 of meeting wraps up. Rated a useful expenditure of Dolberry's time, all in all (but that doesn't make for good blogging, so that's why I made up the 2:30 entry.)
4:45: Called home. Great to hear K&A's voices.
5:10: Called one of the Sparkies to wish her a happy birthday. So glad to be related to this particular Sparky (the other one is kinda hit & miss & I haven't formed an opinion on the new one yet.) Aunt Sparky is just a flat out impressive person. Sometime maybe I'll give the "life episode" treatment to KMD & Dolberry's first date when I gushed on & on about how impressive my lil' sis was (& still is) (as are my other sis' too, but it's not their birthday is it. No.). At the time I figured ... lead w/ your strengths ... "Hey, I'm related to someone really cool." Amazed there was a second date, in retrospect.
6:00: Went to a microbrew w/ my SECA friends. All very nice, probably because most of them were from Canada. Canadians seem to be about 35% nicer than your average American. Another one of those conversions to keep track of, I guess.
7:45: Returned to hotel. Asked front desk where the fitness center was. Apparently, it's a FAQ (frequently asked question) because the guy gave me a printed list of directions. There were 6 steps. Looking back, I made it through 4.5 of the steps this morning. It appears I was less than 5 feet from the Fitness Center when I turned around. Tomorrow, I will make that extra five feet.
8:30: Blog is now a live blog at last, because I am blogging right now ... and now ... and now ... still blogging ... Goodnight!
)!
(Also, it's been pointed out to me that it's not really a "live" blog if it comes on line at 11:30pm. Point taken. I could've live blogged during some of the presentations today (thx to wireless internet magic), but it would've been pretty rude. So, here's a recap of the day.)
(I'm just going to do this whole thing in parentheses. Heh heh heh. That's funny. True dat!
(all times now PST)
6:15: Woke up. Great sleep. Close to 9 hours. Wonder what's so nice about a Hyatt? Six pillows. One person, six pillows. Do the math on that & it comes to about 6 pillows per person. That is hard to beat. Clearly one of the highlights of the trip.
6:45: Spent about 15 minutes looking for the hotel fitness center. Didn't find it, but figured it was a decent enough workout looking for it to count as my exercise for the day. (This lack of effort is probably why the aircraft people had me move to the back of the flight yesterday for "takeoff considerations".)
8:35: Got danish & oj for breakfast.
9:05 Meeting started. California ARB has a really nice office.1:15: Break for 30 min lunch. This is 4:15p DST (Dolberry Stomach Time). Rush & find a Quizno's & hurry back to mtg.
1:45: Our presentation. All the a.m. presentations were very interesting, and the other modeling ones were really well done. My collegeue suggests I start off w/ the line "All the other presentations were so well done, that we thought we'd take a different tack." I did my six slides. Nobody seemed to be hurt. Got some easy questions, but then one hard question about chemistry that I had to pass on. Turns out you can't just "pass" like on a game show. Who knew?
2:30: Am kinda the EPA spokesperson at the meeting, and Dolberry is enjoying it immensely. This marks about the 4th time, I said "EPA will give that its proper consideration." It rolls off my tongue, I think, more mellifluously than when I hear actual EPA policy types say it. It's a great phrase because it can be applied to any situation (an alternate proposal, suggestion for lunch, suggestion to go to hell, etc.) and it doesn't betray any position you might have toward the "its" in question. Either way, we're giving it the proper consideration. The key is to say it w/ the right amount of pompous gravitas.
4:30: Day 1 of meeting wraps up. Rated a useful expenditure of Dolberry's time, all in all (but that doesn't make for good blogging, so that's why I made up the 2:30 entry.)
4:45: Called home. Great to hear K&A's voices.
5:10: Called one of the Sparkies to wish her a happy birthday. So glad to be related to this particular Sparky (the other one is kinda hit & miss & I haven't formed an opinion on the new one yet.) Aunt Sparky is just a flat out impressive person. Sometime maybe I'll give the "life episode" treatment to KMD & Dolberry's first date when I gushed on & on about how impressive my lil' sis was (& still is) (as are my other sis' too, but it's not their birthday is it. No.). At the time I figured ... lead w/ your strengths ... "Hey, I'm related to someone really cool." Amazed there was a second date, in retrospect.
6:00: Went to a microbrew w/ my SECA friends. All very nice, probably because most of them were from Canada. Canadians seem to be about 35% nicer than your average American. Another one of those conversions to keep track of, I guess.
7:45: Returned to hotel. Asked front desk where the fitness center was. Apparently, it's a FAQ (frequently asked question) because the guy gave me a printed list of directions. There were 6 steps. Looking back, I made it through 4.5 of the steps this morning. It appears I was less than 5 feet from the Fitness Center when I turned around. Tomorrow, I will make that extra five feet.
8:30: Blog is now a live blog at last, because I am blogging right now ... and now ... and now ... still blogging ... Goodnight!
)!
Live blog: Travels w/ Dolberry
Live blogging of Dolberry's trip to Sacramento.
1:15: K&A drop me off at the perpetually-under-construction RDU airport. Sometimes it's good to say goodbye, if only because it forces you to realize how much you love two people & how you really hate to be away from them. Already ready for hello again.
3:10: Flight scheduled to leave at 2:14 departs terra firma. Spend most of the trip working on my presentation for tomorrow that is designed to hide the fact that we haven't really progressed at all on this project since the last meeting w/ our partners in October 2005 (... through absolutely no fault of Dolberry.)
4:25: Requisite cloud shot over Chicago. I think if you look closely, you can C-Lo waving near the upper right corner of the frame. (oops, problems w/ laptop & camera not liking each other ... pics will have to be added later).
5:15: At O'Hare, I experience what I expect to be the highlight of the trip. An Italian Beef sandwich w/ sweet peppers at the Billy Goat kiosk. Say what you will about Chicago (& I have), but the place has a few exceptional foodstuffs.
1:15: K&A drop me off at the perpetually-under-construction RDU airport. Sometimes it's good to say goodbye, if only because it forces you to realize how much you love two people & how you really hate to be away from them. Already ready for hello again.
3:10: Flight scheduled to leave at 2:14 departs terra firma. Spend most of the trip working on my presentation for tomorrow that is designed to hide the fact that we haven't really progressed at all on this project since the last meeting w/ our partners in October 2005 (... through absolutely no fault of Dolberry.)
4:25: Requisite cloud shot over Chicago. I think if you look closely, you can C-Lo waving near the upper right corner of the frame. (oops, problems w/ laptop & camera not liking each other ... pics will have to be added later).
5:15: At O'Hare, I experience what I expect to be the highlight of the trip. An Italian Beef sandwich w/ sweet peppers at the Billy Goat kiosk. Say what you will about Chicago (& I have), but the place has a few exceptional foodstuffs.
6:00: Shot of weird terminal C light thingy. That was another thing I liked about Chicago. T'was always a bummer when you didn't have a Terminal C flight.
6:30: Almost miss flight while waiting 8 minutes in a two person line to get a Diet Coke. OK, I'm ready to leave the Windy City now.
7:10: In the air again ... heading west ... judging by how desolate it is below ... I'm guessing we're over Iowa ... a place so dull people have nothing better to do than get obnoxiously proficient at Fantasy Football. Am listening to the United musical selections that are powered by XM satellite radio. Am on the classic rock channel. Someone needs to do some better QC on their choices. They've played "Fly Like an Eagle" which I believe is a theme song for a competing brand to United. Then they did "Broken Wings" by Mister Mister. The song is none to good to begin w/, even when you're standing on the ground, but when Dolberry is 30K feet above the Earth's surface, I don't want to be reminded that wings can break. Keeping on the sadistic theme, they've played Tom Petty's "Into the Great Wide Open" TWICE. Programmer dude, the "great wide open, under the skies of blue, out in the great wide open, a rebel w/o a clue ..." is only a thin metal aircraft skin away from me at present. Jerk.
7:35 Flight attendent makes 2nd announcement requesting that "for security reasons" we should use the lavatory in the compartment we are in (i.e., don't use the first class bathroom, your pee isn't good enough for that.)
8:25 First good song ... Dire Straits "Skateaway". This will probably be the #2 highlight of the trip.
9:05: Pre-write a soon-to-be-published "Life Episodes" DCV entry ... entitled "Berghoff's". Coming soon.
9:50: This stupid channel is on like a 11 song loop. Not that good for a 4hr flight. "So take these broken wings. And learn to fly again. Learn to live so free. When we hear the voices sing. The book of love will open up and let us in." WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT MISTER MISTER. THAT MAKES NO SENSE! Seriously, I would like to take the book of love & whap it upside ol' Mister Mister's head.
10:00: OK. There's some games show on the in-flight TV that looks like Hollywood Squares if Hollywood Squares had been left in the fridge too long w/o the lid on. There are about 80-90 squares. It's gonna take forever to get a line of X's or O's. The answer to the current question is "Kofi Kofi Bo Bofi". Wow. Bob Sagat's the host. (Four of the scariest words in the English language when strung together like that.)
10:50: Plane lands in Sacramento ... early.
12:00: Check in at hotel. Bright neon sign right out my window (IMAX). Won't bother me. Goodnight.
6:30: Almost miss flight while waiting 8 minutes in a two person line to get a Diet Coke. OK, I'm ready to leave the Windy City now.
7:10: In the air again ... heading west ... judging by how desolate it is below ... I'm guessing we're over Iowa ... a place so dull people have nothing better to do than get obnoxiously proficient at Fantasy Football. Am listening to the United musical selections that are powered by XM satellite radio. Am on the classic rock channel. Someone needs to do some better QC on their choices. They've played "Fly Like an Eagle" which I believe is a theme song for a competing brand to United. Then they did "Broken Wings" by Mister Mister. The song is none to good to begin w/, even when you're standing on the ground, but when Dolberry is 30K feet above the Earth's surface, I don't want to be reminded that wings can break. Keeping on the sadistic theme, they've played Tom Petty's "Into the Great Wide Open" TWICE. Programmer dude, the "great wide open, under the skies of blue, out in the great wide open, a rebel w/o a clue ..." is only a thin metal aircraft skin away from me at present. Jerk.
7:35 Flight attendent makes 2nd announcement requesting that "for security reasons" we should use the lavatory in the compartment we are in (i.e., don't use the first class bathroom, your pee isn't good enough for that.)
8:25 First good song ... Dire Straits "Skateaway". This will probably be the #2 highlight of the trip.
9:05: Pre-write a soon-to-be-published "Life Episodes" DCV entry ... entitled "Berghoff's". Coming soon.
9:50: This stupid channel is on like a 11 song loop. Not that good for a 4hr flight. "So take these broken wings. And learn to fly again. Learn to live so free. When we hear the voices sing. The book of love will open up and let us in." WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT MISTER MISTER. THAT MAKES NO SENSE! Seriously, I would like to take the book of love & whap it upside ol' Mister Mister's head.
10:00: OK. There's some games show on the in-flight TV that looks like Hollywood Squares if Hollywood Squares had been left in the fridge too long w/o the lid on. There are about 80-90 squares. It's gonna take forever to get a line of X's or O's. The answer to the current question is "Kofi Kofi Bo Bofi". Wow. Bob Sagat's the host. (Four of the scariest words in the English language when strung together like that.)
10:50: Plane lands in Sacramento ... early.
12:00: Check in at hotel. Bright neon sign right out my window (IMAX). Won't bother me. Goodnight.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Hey, Sorry I haven't blogged much lately.
Not much to say, I guess.
Was an ok week. Have to go on a work trip to Sacramento tomorrow. Maybe I'll blog my trip.
Barkley's 11th anniversary w/ us is tomorrow. Amazing.
Hope all my readers are doing well.
Dolberry
Was an ok week. Have to go on a work trip to Sacramento tomorrow. Maybe I'll blog my trip.
Barkley's 11th anniversary w/ us is tomorrow. Amazing.
Hope all my readers are doing well.
Dolberry
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