Road Trip Report - Day 2

All about the weather
Due to our late arrival Friday night we slept in Saturday morning. After a good breakfast in the hotel restaurant, we started out on our next leg of the journey. It was raining as we left Lincoln, and continued to rain for the next hundred miles or so. After about 2 hours the rain stopped, and we had dry, but completely overcast skies. We chugged along through Nebraska, where there wasn't much interesting scenery. A few pretty fields of sunflowers brightened the view for a while. (picture from web, not Nebraska)

As we got close to Colorado, the skies cleared up and we had mostly sunny skies all the way into Denver. It gave us a chance to put the top down and soak up some sun.

I was watching for the Rocky Mountains to appear as we approached Denver. I expected to see them gradually rise up from the horizon. There was heavy cloud cover to the southwest as we headed that direction along I76, and perhaps that was the reason, but we couldn't see mountains until we were about 35 miles from Denver. Then almost suddenly their dark outline began to resolve itself against the clouds, and they were already looming tall against the horizon. It clouded over completely again by the time we reached Denver, and as we headed up I70 into the mountains it got much cooler. We stopped to put the top up, and just in time because it began raining shortly after. We had rain on and off almost the whole way to Vail.

Just before the Eisenhower Tunnel we heard a loud dull thud. We thought the car had been hit by a falling rock. When we got to Vail we checked the car but found no dents. Investigating further, we figured out that a plastic tub with a sealed lid inside the cooler had popped open from the reduced outside air pressure. It must have popped like a balloon.

Here are some pictures from Vail:

I-70 towards Grand Junction

The Marriott Vail Resort

Empty Ski Slopes

View from our hotel room window

Road Trip Report - Day 1

Our first day out was pretty much uneventful. Janet picked me up at work a little after 2pm. As we were re-arranging the contents of the car, Jody from the Innovation Center came out and asked us to wait for a minute. When she returned, she had packed us a large bag of road trip snacks: chips, candy, granola bars, slim jims, etc. Thanks Jody! Before hitting the road we made one more stop at a Jewel for some ice and a couple of other road trip essentials: pretzel rods and twizzlers.

As I said, the drive through Illinois and Iowa was uneventful. We've all seen our share of cornfields, so I don't think pictures are necessary. We passed the highly acclaimed World's Largest Truck Stop, but we weren't hungry and didn't need gas, so we didn't stop. There was a pretty sunset that we got to watch for quite a while since we were driving west right into it.

A few hours later we were starting to run low on gas, so we started looking for a gas station. It was getting late and being unsure when the next exit with fuel would come up, we exited at a small Iowa town that advertised fuel and camping. It was about a 2 mile drive off the highway to the town. When we got there, we found 2 things open in the town: the gas station, and the American Legion hall. We laughed about going in for a drink, but continued on. We made it to Lincoln around 12:30 AM. The Cornhusker Marriott is very nice. Gas price survey: Illinois - 3.99, Iowa - 3.47

Joke Friday

Late Night jokes about the Beijing Olympics

"China is getting ready for the Olympics. The official motto for the Olympics is 'One World, One Dream.' Restrictions Apply. Tibet Not Included." --Jay Leno

"There's excitement in the air over the Olympics...also lead, arsenic, benzene." --David Letterman

"Beijing skies are so polluted that Chinese authorities are planning emergency measures for the Olympics. For example, protesters will now only be run over with hybrid tanks." --Jay Leno

"Now you think I'm exaggerating, but they had a practice today in Beijing for the Olympics and a javelin thrower threw the javelin up into the air and it stuck." --David Letterman

"The government of China announced that it will ban restaurants from serving dog meat during the Olympics. Which gives new meaning to the phrase, 'Hello Kitty.'" --Conan O'Brien

Measure Up Monday

I managed to get rid of last week's pound of birthday cake, but that's all. Only 7 weeks left to lose 13 more pounds if I'm going to hit my target. It may be time to speak the dreaded "E" word. I shortened the table to just the last 4 weeks, since it could end up taking up the whole page before I'm done.

Date	Weight	Gain/Loss	Upper Waist	Lower Waist
07/14/08	218	+4	44.0	41.0
07/21/08	212	-6	43.0	40.5
07/28/08	213	+1	43.0	41.0
08/04/08	212	-1	42.5	40.5

Joke Friday

A doctor and a lawyer were talking at a party, but their conversation was constantly interrupted by people describing their ailments and asking the doctor for free medical advice. After an hour of this, the exasperated doctor finally asked the lawyer, "What do you do to stop people from asking you for legal advice when you're out of the office?" "I give it to them," replied the lawyer, "and then I send them a bill." The doctor was shocked, but agreed it was a good idea and decided to give it a try.

The next day, still feeling slightly guilty, the doctor prepared the bills. When he went to place them in his mailbox, he found a bill from the lawyer.

Chicago Indoor Racing

Last night the Retail Technology Team had a company sponsored outing at Chicago Indoor Racing in Buffalo Grove. CIR is an indoor track where you can compete in races driving high performance 'Go-Karts'. These carts are powered by a 200cc four cycle gasoline engine, and can reach speeds of up to 35 miles an hour. But I can tell you it feels much faster than that. Before racing you sign a liability waiver and watch a short training video. Then you put on a racing jumpsuit and full helmet with visor. You climb into your cart, sitting just inches off the ground with a steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedals. All participants in the race pull out onto the track and do one starting lap in a single file line. Then the green flag waves and you're off on a 15 lap race. The racing experience is very intense, and when you finish and come off the track you are exhilarated and breathing hard.

The racing format for our group was four 15 lap qualifying races, and one 30 lap final. Each driver participated in three qualifiers, and sat out for one. In each qualifier you had a different starting position, one near the front, one near the middle and one near the back. Your score for each race was based on your finishing position, with the highest points for first, and fewer points for each subsequent finish. At the end of the qualifiers, the top ten scoring drivers got to compete in the final. For the final, your starting position was according to your accumulated qualifying scores, with the highest score in the front.

In the first race, I started in 6th position, but gained 2 positions, finishing in 4th. I sat out the second race, and really needed that rest. I was surprised how physical the racing was. In the third race I started in 3rd position. I gained one spot when the 2nd place driver spun out, and finished in 2nd place. By the 4th race I had started to gain some experience with the car and the track. I started in 8th position just one car before the last, but quickly managed to work my way up to 3rd. Unfortunately, I got passed by my colleague Dave Burkhart, and finished in 4th place. However, my accumulated scores qualified me to race the final, with a starting position right behind the leader. The final 30 lap race was grueling, but I managed to maintain my position all the way through, even lapping some of the slower drivers. But I couldn't overtake the leader who by the way has raced at CIR before, and I ended up in second place on the final. But I was pretty proud of my performance and received a number of high fives.

Happy People Dancing

"Matt Harding traveled through many nations on Earth, started dancing, and filmed the result. The video is perhaps a dramatic example that humans from all over planet Earth feel a common bond as part of a single species. Happiness is frequently contagious -- few people are able to watch the above video without smiling." - Astronomy Picture Of The Day

Measure Up Monday

Four Birthday Parties in one week! With great food and birthday cake at each one. A lot of the people who read this blog attended those parties too. If any of you lost any weight after that, I'd like to hear about it. As for me, I managed to hold it to a 1 pound gain.

Lately I received a few compliments about the weight I've taken off, but I'm doing it for my health more than for my appearance. At 241 pounds with a 48" waist, I was a serious health risk. My 34.6 BMI was deep into the obese category. Now, with a 30.6 BMI, I'm almost over the edge into the just "overweight" category.

Date	Weight	Gain/Loss	Upper Waist	Lower Waist
6/16/08	219	---	45.0	41.0
6/23/08	216	-3	45.0	41.0
7/7/08	214	-2	45.0	41.0
7/14/08	218	+4	44.0	41.0
7/21/08	212	-6	43.0	40.5
7/28/08	213	+1	43.0	41.0

Holly

Early this year, an aquaintance introduced me to the music of Eva Cassidy. Eva was a remarkable songstress who's career and life were cut short in 1996 by melanoma at the age of 33. I bought some of her music via Amazon mp3 downloads and really enjoy listening to it. I especially liked her cover of the Sting classic "Fields of Gold".

Wondering if a video of Eva performing "Fields of Gold" existed, I went searching on YouTube. I didn't find the Eva video I was looking for, but instead landed on this cover version.

I honestly think my jaw fell open as I listened to this extraordinary 17 year old from the UK perform her version of the song. I browsed her YouTube channel and found I liked many of the 25 videos she had posted, so I subscribed to her channel. At that time I think she had around 200 subscribers. Currently her subscriber list is closing in on 1000.

Her name is Holly Kirby, and she is a high school student living in the UK. She is studying music and plays several instruments. She also has an artistic eye for photography and video production that you'll observe in her later videos, but I think her greatest strength is in her vocal performances. She is a big fan of Loreena McKennitt and Enya, among others. You can certainly hear their influences in her music. In fact, at the age of 14 she appeared as Enya singing "Orinoco Flow" on a British television show. Holly's musical taste seems to lean toward the 'Celtic Woman' genre, but she is equally adept performing pop styles like this KT Tunstall cover, or this original song.

Speaking of original songs, about the time I started following her progress, Holly began a collaboration with a gifted lyricist here in the U.S. Together they have produced some astounding original music:


I think they have a great future as a songwriting team. If she gets the right opportunities, I think Holly has the potential to make it big in the music world, but that's a big IF. There are probably thousands of musical talents that never get the recognition they deserve. Holly is very level headed about this, and has expressed in her comments that while a breakthrough career in music would be wonderful, she is currently content to continue her studies and enjoy her life as a teenager.

Recently, Holly celebrated over a year on YouTube and posted her 50th video appropriately called "Who Knows Where the Time Goes", a cover of the 1968 Sandy Denny classic. The video includes clips of herself growing up, but it is her rendition of the song that makes this one of her best performances yet.

If you don't have one yet, I recommend you create a YouTube account, and then subscribe to this young lady so you can watch her progress. I think you will see a star in the making.

Joke Friday

Dog Name Tags

Guest Post From Jennifer

Jennifer's boys went away to a farm camp last week. Here's what she had to say about it.

July 13, 2008
Hello!

We've arrived safely at our hotel. Got a little lost which added 1 hour to the drive, unfortunately. You see, I realized that I forgot my Marriott ID at home. This is needed to get the associate rate, of course. So, I called Angie at the Courtyard and she was able to save my life by faxing an authorization form to the Fairfield Inn. However, while I was on the phone we passed our exit and I didn't realize it. Then, after turning around, I got off the highway at the wrong street. I called the Fairfield and Doug knew exactly where I was when I mentioned a Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Chinatown restaurant! He guided us in. So, now we're going to breakfast, er, dinner at Denny's. Talk to you tomorrow.

July 15, 2008
It's Tuesday night, my second evening without my boys. I think about them constantly. I hope they're enjoying what they're doing and busy enough to not be feeling homesick. Bedtime is hard, I mean for me! I slept with the blankets that they've been sleeping with since they were born.

The dropoff went so smoothly. Although we missed 2 turns on the way there, we had a cushion of time and made it with plenty to spare. We had to wait 5th in a line of cars at the end of the driveway. As one car came up, another was sent down. While we waited we talked about meeting kids from other states, finding a new friend and perhaps becoming penpals. I mentioned that I went all the way to France to meet my friend Odile. We joked about killing the chicken that was going to be dinner. And, I reminded them that they are guests and to be kind and respectful. When it was our turn, we pulled up in front of the house, took out all the bags (3 each), shared kisses, hugs, I love yous, and I was back in the car driving off. No tears from anyone. No last minute cold feet. If they were nervous it really didn't show. Except that Elliott was calling me Mommy. He only does that when he's feeling clingy. I felt good about the whole thing my entire drive home. It wasn't until bedtime that I began to miss them. It's a good thing Paul is driving us there on Friday. I'm afraid I would be speeding the whole way... I can't wait to see them again.

July 18, 2008
Friday, after a 5am stop at Starbucks for morning human fuel, Paul and I were on our way to Ohio to pick up our boys. It’s nearly a 7 hour drive and we planned to stop in a town 20 minutes from the farm to give ourselves a break before proceeding. We made it in record time! Maybe Paul was speeding. I wouldn’t know because I was fully immersed in the book I was reading. So, we rested for about 2 hours and then left to retrieve our Pride, and Joy.

If I may interject for a moment… Most of you know I am not an early riser, hitting snooze 4 times before forcing myself out of bed. However, even after going to bed at 1am, I practically jumped up when the alarm sounded at 4:20.

Paul napped during our 2 hour intermission, but I couldn’t. I read some more despite my burning eyes. Anticipation got the better of me. Once again, we missed 2 turns. The road signs are not prominent. While I wanted to be 15 minutes early, we arrived with less than 10 minutes and took our place as the 9th car in line. Fortunately, pick up moved along at a much quicker pace than drop off. We were soon pulling up in front of the house. Luggage piles were scattered across the lawn, but no kids were in sight save 2. We stepped out of the car and told a young man the names of our children.

The eagerness I felt during the delay in their appearance was like waiting to hold your newborn while he’s being cleaned and weighed. A boy came into view from around the side of the house, not ours. Then another boy, still not ours. Where are they?! Finally my two sons emerged, grinning from ear to ear. Paul and I had expressed to each other a concern that Elliott might actually be mad at us. Our fear was unwarranted after a hug and even more so as he shared tales of his previous days. I let Christian sit in the front seat, partly so that he and Elliott each had a parent to focus on and could more easily take turns talking, but mostly so that I could comfortably behold them both. They had a lot to say and were enthusiastic in their telling. They confessed to feeling homesick, but it had subsided by the third day. I told my boys how proud I was of them for successfully surviving this past week.

Leaving my boys in the care of strangers for 5 whole days and 4 entire nights really helped me realize how much I cherish them. Raising children may be challenging and trying with most of my time spent doing everything for them and little for myself, yet I do not want it any other way. Home was a void, lonely and uncomfortable. Christian and Elliott are my life and when I do things for them, I am automatically doing for me. There is no doubt that their experience on the farm was priceless, but it was invaluable for me as well. Would I send them again? I would. Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.

~Jennifer~

Mac Update

If you haven't already seen or heard, The Cyclone team finished the Mac at 10:41 AM today. The phone report from Danny said that he was up for the last 25 hours of the race. Purportedly because they had encountered some serious weather conditions near the end, but knowing Danny, I think he would have stayed up for the last 24 hours anyway because he would want to experience every possible minute he could. Congratulations to Danny and the rest of the Cyclone's crew. Regardless of results, the experience must be awesome.

I understand that part of the Mac tradition is the partying that follows. I hope you all have a great celebration, and look forward to your stories when you return.

Mac Update

3 posts in one day. Lots going on today. The picture shows Cyclone in relation to the rest of the boats in their section. It would seem that they are not as far along as they would like to be, but it aint over 'til it's over. And there are still handicap corrections to take into account. I'm sure whatever the final result, they will all be exhilarated for having competed in the 100th running of the Mac.

Bipartite Birthdays

Janet and Mom share this day as their birthday. As the family has grown, it seems surprising how many shared birthdays there are, but actually

P(N) = [365 × 364 × · · · × (365−N+1)] / 365^N

shows that you only need 23 people to have a greater than 50% chance of a shared birthday.

So Happy Birthday to Janet, and to Mom, the two people who have had the greatest impact on me. Mom guided me from diapers through dating with unconditional love that is still evident today. Janet who enabled me to be where I am today, stuck with me when I made bad choices, and continues to make dreams come true for me. I wish you both a birthday filled with love.