Noone Update: Just had a great interview with a great cause on the Noon News go to www.danasmiraclejourney.com for more information about Dana Smith and her inspiring story.
Also www.airoproject.org for more information about how to donate to patients like Dad dealing with a life threatening illness.
Good morning. I am going to be brief here...set a match to what I am sure will be a powder keg of marital controversy and then leave.
We'll do that in a minute
First, the news:
Tsunami
American Samoa was hit with a high tsunami yesterday after an underwater earthquake. The Des Moines Register got some great accounts of the incident from Rekha Basu and Rob Borsellino's son who is in Samoa teaching. As per usual the Today show held the video of the tsunami for it's show instead of sharing it with it's affiliates.
Olympic Bid
Chicago is making it's case in Copenhagen this week and according to the NBC reporter that traveled with the bid team, Chicago is not off to an impressive start.
The bid team (according to this reporter), looked tired and non-plussed about it's first meeting with the Media while Rio's team looked sharp and enthusiastic.
According to one blog I read, the bid may come down to Chicago and Rio. If the IOC voted with their heads they'll pick the better financed and more profitable Chicago bid. If they vote with their hearts, it will be a first time bid for South America.
A Change of Plans
I've been making more than my share of phone calls over the last 24 hours trying to get out of here early for a wedding with weekend on the East Coast. We're seeing some friends in Boston (one of whom is a loyal blog stalker...Happy Birthday TP). Then it's off to Maine where we are joining Sally's extended family for a wedding. It also happens to by my wife's birthday this weekend and we're married ten years next week. So I've got a few things to do before I go. A couple of kudos to give out. United changed out flight plans without penalty...I may feel different when they try to charge me for the pack of gum I'm carrying on. Second Budget rental car also changed our plans and made an over-ride of a computer system glitch that added an exorbitant amount on to our rental for 12 extra hours of use. Common sense...that's all I ask.
Diaper Debate
Moms and Dads, who changed more diapers in the house. I bet the answer...whoever it is, has a lot more to do with time spent with the kids than it does fear of poop. This is one of those marital myths like Men don't do housework or Women don't mow the lawn. People make their deals and fall into their roles. If you feel like you're getting screwed, say something...hand the baby to your husband and say...change em!
What I can't stand is the parent who chooses to spend the most time with the child then complains about the work that comes along with it. Sally and I do a pretty good job of divvying it up. She changed a lot more of the diapers than I do, but she also recognizes this is circumstance. She remembers, often, to thank me for going to work each day, and recognizes that I am also providing for, and caring for our family. There's no I in team...but there is in diaper.
I'll let Brooke Jeriann or Megan add to this form the woman's point of view if they like. I hope you will as well.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Olympics, All things Presidential and Weather Mess
Good morning
I am writing this as a watch the third episode of Glee. Just a refresher for this Wednesday's episode.
News:
Double Shooting:
In Ames they're trying to figure out what happened that left two people shot and one person dead. Seems like it was a chaotic situation when police showed up...No word on who the victim is or who the shooter was.
All Things Presidential
And there's a lot of it.
-The first order of business is Afghanistan. The President meets with his Military and foreign policy advisers today to talk about it. The question is, should we send more troops to Afghanistan? Top Dems say no, and Speaker Pelosi says the American people don't want more troops in Afghanistan. I'll put up a new poll...I'd like to hear what you have to say.
-Next up for the President a five hour trip to Copenhagen. He'll be part of the Chicago 2016 delegation. The chartered 747 with the rest of the delegation left Chicago last night. My question is, how many people does it take to make the case for Chicago. Capacity for a 747 is 416 passengers.
-After that little stopover, The President moves on to that little problem over in Iran. He'll be in Geneva for talks with Iranian officials and most of the Us's European allies.
-Finally the LA times ran a story this morning saying a poll went up on Facebook yesterday asking if the President should be assassinated. I'm sorry what? Anyway it's a felony to threaten the President so the computer genius behind this one is probably going to jail.
iPod Aps
2 billion downloaded, that's what Apple said about it's apps today. They're applications for the iTouch and iPhone. I've got thirty or forty on my iTouch and most of them were free. If I can think of a use for the iTouch, they've probably already got an app for it. I'll ask again, how many of you are using the iPhone or iTouch,...and what are your best apps?
Conan
Did you see him fall the other day? It's on Youtube. At least he can laugh about it now...
Weather Mess
So I'm looking at the forecast for Thursday. I'm supposed to get on a plane to Boston at 6am. Not going to happen. It looks like the weather is going to get in the way. Our first travels with the boys went well. We got down to Florida and back without a lot rigmarole. Looks like we won't be so lucky this time. I can't think of anything I want to do less than sit in the airport all day with the boys trying to entertain them, find a place for them to nap, feed them and change them. Any Zen-like travel tips for new parents?
I could use em.
PWD
I am writing this as a watch the third episode of Glee. Just a refresher for this Wednesday's episode.
News:
Double Shooting:
In Ames they're trying to figure out what happened that left two people shot and one person dead. Seems like it was a chaotic situation when police showed up...No word on who the victim is or who the shooter was.
All Things Presidential
And there's a lot of it.
-The first order of business is Afghanistan. The President meets with his Military and foreign policy advisers today to talk about it. The question is, should we send more troops to Afghanistan? Top Dems say no, and Speaker Pelosi says the American people don't want more troops in Afghanistan. I'll put up a new poll...I'd like to hear what you have to say.
-Next up for the President a five hour trip to Copenhagen. He'll be part of the Chicago 2016 delegation. The chartered 747 with the rest of the delegation left Chicago last night. My question is, how many people does it take to make the case for Chicago. Capacity for a 747 is 416 passengers.
-After that little stopover, The President moves on to that little problem over in Iran. He'll be in Geneva for talks with Iranian officials and most of the Us's European allies.
-Finally the LA times ran a story this morning saying a poll went up on Facebook yesterday asking if the President should be assassinated. I'm sorry what? Anyway it's a felony to threaten the President so the computer genius behind this one is probably going to jail.
iPod Aps
2 billion downloaded, that's what Apple said about it's apps today. They're applications for the iTouch and iPhone. I've got thirty or forty on my iTouch and most of them were free. If I can think of a use for the iTouch, they've probably already got an app for it. I'll ask again, how many of you are using the iPhone or iTouch,...and what are your best apps?
Conan
Did you see him fall the other day? It's on Youtube. At least he can laugh about it now...
Weather Mess
So I'm looking at the forecast for Thursday. I'm supposed to get on a plane to Boston at 6am. Not going to happen. It looks like the weather is going to get in the way. Our first travels with the boys went well. We got down to Florida and back without a lot rigmarole. Looks like we won't be so lucky this time. I can't think of anything I want to do less than sit in the airport all day with the boys trying to entertain them, find a place for them to nap, feed them and change them. Any Zen-like travel tips for new parents?
I could use em.
PWD
Monday, September 28, 2009
Hit and Run, Family Rocks and Family Visits
Good Morning!
I hope you all had a relaxing weekend.
There's a lot to talk about in the news...
Hit and Run
Two stories of hit and run accident caught our attention for two different reasons today. In the first instance someone drove off after hitting three teenagers. I can't imagine. I'm not sure I could hit the gas pedal much less make the decision to leave the scene of an accident like that. I imagine myself paralyzed by the whole thing.
The second was a bizarre story from the Drake neighborhood where a girl got hit...talked to the person behind the wheel, who then left. The driver's excuse, according to the victim, was that she had a car full of people and somewhere to get to...OK...I'll just sit here and bleed for a little while, I wouldn't want to interrupt.
Presidential Threats and Leverage
The President isn't mincing words about Iran. Friday the administration announced it had convinced European allies including Russia to be tougher on Iran for building and operating a secret nuclear facility. So, Iran took the opportunity to fire off three test missiles this weekend, including one that can hit US bases in Europe and Israel. We'll see if The US and it's allies were serious or not.
Then there's a side trip the President is now planning. We learned late in our show that MR Obama will travel to Copenhagen to personally lobby the International Olympic Committee to award the games in 2016 to Chicago. Watch for this announcement Iowa. I've read about some of the initial plans in Chicago and they could include a more regional feel to the Olympics. Most of it would be centered in Chicago, but to my memory, sites as far away as Iowa City, Madison, and South Bend have been discussed.
Papajohn
I'm looking forward to seeing the new sculpture garden downtown. I know it won't be everyone's thing...sculpture isn't my first favorite form of art. I do hope people give it a look. We heard from someone at the CVB that they're already getting calls from people around the country and around the world who are interested in making a visit to Des Moines to see it. When people ask, why put this thing downtown?...that's why. It's one more reason for people to visit Des Moines rather than drive through or fly over. Once you're here, I think people get a pretty good impression of the city.
Gateway
Speaking of making a good impression, I hope the golfers in town for the Gateway Tour Championship have a good time this week. The tour championship starts Wednesday and goes through Saturday. Pro-ams today and tomorrow benefit Variety, local Police K-9 units and some other charities. Go out and check these guys out if you like golf. There are guys like Tiger who pick up a ten million dollar check in a week, then there are these guys who are grinding out a living on the mini-tours.
EFR
Went to the Every Family Rocks event Sunday at the Zoo. My kids aren't mobile yet so they aren't into the Justin Roberts of the world...but they will be. Judging from my Brother's kids reaction...the concert was a success. It's a good family friendly event and I hope they expand on it next year. What a perfect day to be outside Sunday.
Visits
I think we're done with visitors for a while. My Aunt Kay's visit was a success this weekend. The kids were appropriately cute. JT is going to start crawling here soon so that was eventful.
The only side effect of our family time is my boys seem to have caught a cold from their cousins. I'm all for sharing germs...eat more dirt I say. But not this week. We're looking at seven hours of air travel between here and Boston for a wedding. That may not go as well for us, or any of the 300 or so people we have to travel with, if the kids have a cold. We'll see how everyone is feeling later this week.
I hope you all have a sweater and some jeans handy...
I hope you all had a relaxing weekend.
There's a lot to talk about in the news...
Hit and Run
Two stories of hit and run accident caught our attention for two different reasons today. In the first instance someone drove off after hitting three teenagers. I can't imagine. I'm not sure I could hit the gas pedal much less make the decision to leave the scene of an accident like that. I imagine myself paralyzed by the whole thing.
The second was a bizarre story from the Drake neighborhood where a girl got hit...talked to the person behind the wheel, who then left. The driver's excuse, according to the victim, was that she had a car full of people and somewhere to get to...OK...I'll just sit here and bleed for a little while, I wouldn't want to interrupt.
Presidential Threats and Leverage
The President isn't mincing words about Iran. Friday the administration announced it had convinced European allies including Russia to be tougher on Iran for building and operating a secret nuclear facility. So, Iran took the opportunity to fire off three test missiles this weekend, including one that can hit US bases in Europe and Israel. We'll see if The US and it's allies were serious or not.
Then there's a side trip the President is now planning. We learned late in our show that MR Obama will travel to Copenhagen to personally lobby the International Olympic Committee to award the games in 2016 to Chicago. Watch for this announcement Iowa. I've read about some of the initial plans in Chicago and they could include a more regional feel to the Olympics. Most of it would be centered in Chicago, but to my memory, sites as far away as Iowa City, Madison, and South Bend have been discussed.
Papajohn
I'm looking forward to seeing the new sculpture garden downtown. I know it won't be everyone's thing...sculpture isn't my first favorite form of art. I do hope people give it a look. We heard from someone at the CVB that they're already getting calls from people around the country and around the world who are interested in making a visit to Des Moines to see it. When people ask, why put this thing downtown?...that's why. It's one more reason for people to visit Des Moines rather than drive through or fly over. Once you're here, I think people get a pretty good impression of the city.
Gateway
Speaking of making a good impression, I hope the golfers in town for the Gateway Tour Championship have a good time this week. The tour championship starts Wednesday and goes through Saturday. Pro-ams today and tomorrow benefit Variety, local Police K-9 units and some other charities. Go out and check these guys out if you like golf. There are guys like Tiger who pick up a ten million dollar check in a week, then there are these guys who are grinding out a living on the mini-tours.
EFR
Went to the Every Family Rocks event Sunday at the Zoo. My kids aren't mobile yet so they aren't into the Justin Roberts of the world...but they will be. Judging from my Brother's kids reaction...the concert was a success. It's a good family friendly event and I hope they expand on it next year. What a perfect day to be outside Sunday.
Visits
I think we're done with visitors for a while. My Aunt Kay's visit was a success this weekend. The kids were appropriately cute. JT is going to start crawling here soon so that was eventful.
The only side effect of our family time is my boys seem to have caught a cold from their cousins. I'm all for sharing germs...eat more dirt I say. But not this week. We're looking at seven hours of air travel between here and Boston for a wedding. That may not go as well for us, or any of the 300 or so people we have to travel with, if the kids have a cold. We'll see how everyone is feeling later this week.
I hope you all have a sweater and some jeans handy...
Friday, September 25, 2009
G-20, New Car and Visitors East and West
Good Morning!
I'll get right to it with some quick thoughts this morning...
-The G-20 summit in Pittsburgh is another chance for protesters to show their compassion for the oppressed by breaking windows and torching cars. Good work, I'm sure Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr would be proud.
-Sen Harkin says he's not sure how a Co-Op system would work if you transfer jobs or cities...how would a person make sure they have insurance? Maybe have one co-op? If so, he says, why not just have one, government run option? The logic leaves out one small detail. The Co-op would be run by private insurance companies and there would be competition among those private insurers to get the business. In a one payer system there is no competition. I' not saying one or the other is a better plan, I'm just filling in a blank the Senator left out of his line of logic.
-Guiness is 250 years old. I feel like a Black & Tan.
-We picked up a new car last night from the Honda Dealership. It's a new Pilot to replace the old one. The inside is a little bigger and this one has a three month trial of XM. So what's the odds on whether the Dix family subscribes to XM after the three months are up?
-Another note from our car search. I went to another dealership in town to see about a deal. I figured they might want to try to get me out of a Honda and into their brand. I walked in and was honest. I have a Honda, I like it...make me a better offer and I would consider coming over to your brand of car. The guy told me his lease deals for September didn't start till the 9th and that he would have to call me. He took all of our information...then never even called. Last I checked the car business isn't that good.
-Glee is the best new show I've seen thus far this Fall. Now granted, I haven't seen any other shows...but I really like Glee. It's inappropriate...for sure. But, it's also got some overriding themes in it I like. I think the show is telling just about everyone that there's something about them they can laugh about. We all tend to take it all so seriously...our flaws, shortcomings, identities. This show teaches us to laugh at it, and reminds us that the only person who needs to accept you...is you. After that, everyone else usually is a lot more comfortable with who you are.
-We've got a weekend full of visitors including my Aunt Kay who came all the way from California to see the boys. Sally and I are really flattered. My sister Katie is back for more nephew time as well. She can't seem to get enough, and it gives me great joy to see my family enjoying our sons. I hope they continue to give people a reason to smile their whole lives.
I hope you get at least one chance to smile this weekend.
PWD
I'll get right to it with some quick thoughts this morning...
-The G-20 summit in Pittsburgh is another chance for protesters to show their compassion for the oppressed by breaking windows and torching cars. Good work, I'm sure Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr would be proud.
-Sen Harkin says he's not sure how a Co-Op system would work if you transfer jobs or cities...how would a person make sure they have insurance? Maybe have one co-op? If so, he says, why not just have one, government run option? The logic leaves out one small detail. The Co-op would be run by private insurance companies and there would be competition among those private insurers to get the business. In a one payer system there is no competition. I' not saying one or the other is a better plan, I'm just filling in a blank the Senator left out of his line of logic.
-Guiness is 250 years old. I feel like a Black & Tan.
-We picked up a new car last night from the Honda Dealership. It's a new Pilot to replace the old one. The inside is a little bigger and this one has a three month trial of XM. So what's the odds on whether the Dix family subscribes to XM after the three months are up?
-Another note from our car search. I went to another dealership in town to see about a deal. I figured they might want to try to get me out of a Honda and into their brand. I walked in and was honest. I have a Honda, I like it...make me a better offer and I would consider coming over to your brand of car. The guy told me his lease deals for September didn't start till the 9th and that he would have to call me. He took all of our information...then never even called. Last I checked the car business isn't that good.
-Glee is the best new show I've seen thus far this Fall. Now granted, I haven't seen any other shows...but I really like Glee. It's inappropriate...for sure. But, it's also got some overriding themes in it I like. I think the show is telling just about everyone that there's something about them they can laugh about. We all tend to take it all so seriously...our flaws, shortcomings, identities. This show teaches us to laugh at it, and reminds us that the only person who needs to accept you...is you. After that, everyone else usually is a lot more comfortable with who you are.
-We've got a weekend full of visitors including my Aunt Kay who came all the way from California to see the boys. Sally and I are really flattered. My sister Katie is back for more nephew time as well. She can't seem to get enough, and it gives me great joy to see my family enjoying our sons. I hope they continue to give people a reason to smile their whole lives.
I hope you get at least one chance to smile this weekend.
PWD
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Breaking News and Back to Work
I'm getting too old for this...
That's what I thought as I woke up this morning. Not too old to go to work...too old to take a five day vacation where I play 36 holes of golf a day. I had a great time and I'll get into a little bit if it later but bottom line is...I'm sore.
To the News:
Breaking News
Big fire this morning and a bigger traffic backup gave us a lot to talk about. The fire was in Latimor. It was a vacant house but it was also a big fire. Great work by our on-call photographer to get down to Union County and back.
The traffic backup came East of the East mixmaster. The DOT was out painting lines on new pavement and it rained. Bad mix if you're driving over it at 65 miles and hour or more. So they shut down some lanes and let the paint dry. Should be OK tomorrow.
Back to Work
Vacation was great...and tiring. It was a choice so please don't hear me complaining but this was not a sit on the beach kind of trip. Friends from all over the country came into Iowa for a long weekend golf trip. We've done it for ten years now and we always have a good time. These are college buddies and friends we've picked up along the way. I am, by far, the worst golfer in the group.
The weekend started over in the Quad Cities Friday. TPC Deere run is the site of the John Deere Classic. It's a hard golf course from the back tees, and that's where we play. If you haven't been over there, the course has great rates for the Fall, a good restaurant and a fantastic replay rate for your second round.
Saturday we were part of the crowd at Riverside Casino, but we were essentially by ourselves by Saturday 9am. The Hawkeye fans went up to tailgate and we went out to play two more rounds of golf.
I can't say enough about the entire facility at Riverside. If you like golf gambling and good food, it would be a great place for a weekend getaway. The course is in great shape. We stayed in one of the rental condos on the property. It was really nice and slept five of us comfortably.
The food at Ruthie's Steakhouse was very well done. A good meal is always nice after a long day of golf. The problem is, all that rich food makes me tired. I almost fell asleep at a poker table. I rallied and decided to go to bed.
Sunday, we went over to the Harvester in Rhodes (think Marshalltown). Again, if you haven't been, you really should go. The facility has rental condos and a rental house as well. We stayed in the house. What a great place! We figured you could sleep six couples comfortably, and everyone would have a bathroom. The course is being worked on right now and that leaves the appearance of some rough spots but if you know what they're doing you can see these are going to be major improvements to the golf course. The parts that weren't being worked on were in top condition, especially the greens.
Monday it was back to Des Moines but we got rained out for our morning round at Wavelend. It was actually a welcome break. We invaded Kinley's on the south side and bought up some knick-knacks we needed and got a quick repair job done on a club. Always the staff there was so accommodating and helpful.
The afternoon we went over and played Wakonda Country Club. The renovations the club has undertaken really paid off. A good friend of mine hosted us and fit right in.
Tuesday it was off to Legacy(Norwalk) in the morning. The Gateway Tour has it's championship there next week and the pros are going to have a tough test.
Tuesday Afternoon we golfed at Tournament Club of Iowa. I noticed they've got a lot of Fall bargains going for golf as well so if you're going to play some more this year, that is a good place to look.
The week was a mix of some old jokes that get resurrected some time every year, some new stories that will be told for a long time (one of the guys broke his five iron on the practice range Sunday and had to ask everyone to hold their fire for a minute while he went downrange and retrieved it). But this year we also talked a lot about family and relationships and careers and our future. Three of us had our first child this spring so a lot of pictures got passed around. We even talked about making this a family vacation in the next few years rather than a guys trip.
I guess we're growing up a little.
Everyone should have a group of people where the conversations range from the proper way to hit a draw off the tee, to the place of religion in our lives. These are good friends and I appreciate that they came so far to see some Iowa golf.
Probably boring for you non-golfers but it's a little something personal that I love to do every year. I should make special mention of our wonderful wives who let us do this. Sally went to Chicago with the boys. I found I missed them all terribly.
We'll get back to more news tomorrow...It's good to be back.
PWD
That's what I thought as I woke up this morning. Not too old to go to work...too old to take a five day vacation where I play 36 holes of golf a day. I had a great time and I'll get into a little bit if it later but bottom line is...I'm sore.
To the News:
Breaking News
Big fire this morning and a bigger traffic backup gave us a lot to talk about. The fire was in Latimor. It was a vacant house but it was also a big fire. Great work by our on-call photographer to get down to Union County and back.
The traffic backup came East of the East mixmaster. The DOT was out painting lines on new pavement and it rained. Bad mix if you're driving over it at 65 miles and hour or more. So they shut down some lanes and let the paint dry. Should be OK tomorrow.
Back to Work
Vacation was great...and tiring. It was a choice so please don't hear me complaining but this was not a sit on the beach kind of trip. Friends from all over the country came into Iowa for a long weekend golf trip. We've done it for ten years now and we always have a good time. These are college buddies and friends we've picked up along the way. I am, by far, the worst golfer in the group.
The weekend started over in the Quad Cities Friday. TPC Deere run is the site of the John Deere Classic. It's a hard golf course from the back tees, and that's where we play. If you haven't been over there, the course has great rates for the Fall, a good restaurant and a fantastic replay rate for your second round.
Saturday we were part of the crowd at Riverside Casino, but we were essentially by ourselves by Saturday 9am. The Hawkeye fans went up to tailgate and we went out to play two more rounds of golf.
I can't say enough about the entire facility at Riverside. If you like golf gambling and good food, it would be a great place for a weekend getaway. The course is in great shape. We stayed in one of the rental condos on the property. It was really nice and slept five of us comfortably.
The food at Ruthie's Steakhouse was very well done. A good meal is always nice after a long day of golf. The problem is, all that rich food makes me tired. I almost fell asleep at a poker table. I rallied and decided to go to bed.
Sunday, we went over to the Harvester in Rhodes (think Marshalltown). Again, if you haven't been, you really should go. The facility has rental condos and a rental house as well. We stayed in the house. What a great place! We figured you could sleep six couples comfortably, and everyone would have a bathroom. The course is being worked on right now and that leaves the appearance of some rough spots but if you know what they're doing you can see these are going to be major improvements to the golf course. The parts that weren't being worked on were in top condition, especially the greens.
Monday it was back to Des Moines but we got rained out for our morning round at Wavelend. It was actually a welcome break. We invaded Kinley's on the south side and bought up some knick-knacks we needed and got a quick repair job done on a club. Always the staff there was so accommodating and helpful.
The afternoon we went over and played Wakonda Country Club. The renovations the club has undertaken really paid off. A good friend of mine hosted us and fit right in.
Tuesday it was off to Legacy(Norwalk) in the morning. The Gateway Tour has it's championship there next week and the pros are going to have a tough test.
Tuesday Afternoon we golfed at Tournament Club of Iowa. I noticed they've got a lot of Fall bargains going for golf as well so if you're going to play some more this year, that is a good place to look.
The week was a mix of some old jokes that get resurrected some time every year, some new stories that will be told for a long time (one of the guys broke his five iron on the practice range Sunday and had to ask everyone to hold their fire for a minute while he went downrange and retrieved it). But this year we also talked a lot about family and relationships and careers and our future. Three of us had our first child this spring so a lot of pictures got passed around. We even talked about making this a family vacation in the next few years rather than a guys trip.
I guess we're growing up a little.
Everyone should have a group of people where the conversations range from the proper way to hit a draw off the tee, to the place of religion in our lives. These are good friends and I appreciate that they came so far to see some Iowa golf.
Probably boring for you non-golfers but it's a little something personal that I love to do every year. I should make special mention of our wonderful wives who let us do this. Sally went to Chicago with the boys. I found I missed them all terribly.
We'll get back to more news tomorrow...It's good to be back.
PWD
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
New sculpture park and keeping kids busy
Good morning. It's just me again today.
I drove by the sculpture garden yesterday and saw a lot of people walking around looking at the art. Our photojournalist Jimmy Vowell took his video camera out to the park yesterday after it opened and got some great pictures of people looking around. He found all kinds of people there including families with young children, college students and a couple laughing at themselves as they try to figure out what the sculptures represent. I think the sampling represents the kind of people organizers of this project hope will enjoy the project. In other words, they want everyone to see it. I think it looks like a great place to take your camera and get some cool pictures. Can't wait to take a look myself.
Yesterday I shared my anxiety about keeping Evan busy this winter. Well, I got some great suggestions from one of our viewers and I thought I would share some them with everyone in case there are some parents with young children reading today:
1. Walks in the skywalk
2. Make cookies
3. Visiting a care center and handing out fruit.
4. Read a book by the fireplace at Jordan Creek Mall
5. Kids movie during the day at the theater
6. Craft projects with friends
I drove by the sculpture garden yesterday and saw a lot of people walking around looking at the art. Our photojournalist Jimmy Vowell took his video camera out to the park yesterday after it opened and got some great pictures of people looking around. He found all kinds of people there including families with young children, college students and a couple laughing at themselves as they try to figure out what the sculptures represent. I think the sampling represents the kind of people organizers of this project hope will enjoy the project. In other words, they want everyone to see it. I think it looks like a great place to take your camera and get some cool pictures. Can't wait to take a look myself.
Yesterday I shared my anxiety about keeping Evan busy this winter. Well, I got some great suggestions from one of our viewers and I thought I would share some them with everyone in case there are some parents with young children reading today:
1. Walks in the skywalk
2. Make cookies
3. Visiting a care center and handing out fruit.
4. Read a book by the fireplace at Jordan Creek Mall
5. Kids movie during the day at the theater
6. Craft projects with friends
Thanks, Brenda for the ideas. I know it requires a little planning and creativity, but I know there are ways to entertain in the winter. I love the idea of going to a care center. I know Evan and the residents would love it. Children have a way of bringing out smiles!
That's all for now. Sorry it's so short but I have a dentist appointment to get to. Have a great day.
Brooke
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Boss and holding on to summer
Good morning everyone! When I was getting into the shower this morning before coming to work it hit me that I haven't done the blog the past two days. Sometimes I forget to do it when Patrick is on vacation. Don't know what triggered that thought at 3 a.m., but at least it helped me remember to do it today!
Speaking of getting up early this morning. I didn't exactly get much sleep last night. In fact, it was more like a nap. That's because Eric and I had an old friend fly into town yesterday and we all went to the Bruce Springsteen concert. It was a LATE night. In fact, the Boss didn't sing his last song until about 11:30. I don't think I have ever done the morning show on such a small amount of zzzzs... but I think I did ok. I don't usually go out on a school night, but I guess you have to live every now and then, right.
Ok... so I am no the kind of Springsteen fan who can sing along with all his songs... but last night it didn't matter. If you didn't know a single song, you still would have enjoyed the concert. The man can sing and the E-Street Band can play. The guy turns 60 in a couple of days and he played for 3 hours straight. I think what made this one of my favorite concerts is that you could tell he had fun performing and he gave it his all! Like it was his first concert. Thank you Bruce!
So... today is the official end of summer and the weather will make it feel like fall. I am not ready for the change of season quite yet. And I think I finally figured out why I am not looking forward to cooler temperatures like I usually do. In one word: Evan. I am already freaking out about how I am going to handle this energetic two year old inside the confines of 2,000 square feet. I might need to invest in some really good toddler snow gear. Any suggestions for keeping your sanity and your children busy when the weather gets bad?
Well... that's all for now. It's just me again tomorrow. Pat's still golfing with friends. Enjoy the day. I plan to take a really long nap today thanks to a friend who is helping me with Evan today.
Brooke
Speaking of getting up early this morning. I didn't exactly get much sleep last night. In fact, it was more like a nap. That's because Eric and I had an old friend fly into town yesterday and we all went to the Bruce Springsteen concert. It was a LATE night. In fact, the Boss didn't sing his last song until about 11:30. I don't think I have ever done the morning show on such a small amount of zzzzs... but I think I did ok. I don't usually go out on a school night, but I guess you have to live every now and then, right.
Ok... so I am no the kind of Springsteen fan who can sing along with all his songs... but last night it didn't matter. If you didn't know a single song, you still would have enjoyed the concert. The man can sing and the E-Street Band can play. The guy turns 60 in a couple of days and he played for 3 hours straight. I think what made this one of my favorite concerts is that you could tell he had fun performing and he gave it his all! Like it was his first concert. Thank you Bruce!
So... today is the official end of summer and the weather will make it feel like fall. I am not ready for the change of season quite yet. And I think I finally figured out why I am not looking forward to cooler temperatures like I usually do. In one word: Evan. I am already freaking out about how I am going to handle this energetic two year old inside the confines of 2,000 square feet. I might need to invest in some really good toddler snow gear. Any suggestions for keeping your sanity and your children busy when the weather gets bad?
Well... that's all for now. It's just me again tomorrow. Pat's still golfing with friends. Enjoy the day. I plan to take a really long nap today thanks to a friend who is helping me with Evan today.
Brooke
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Healthcare and the Young, Young People and Discipline and Vacation
Good Morning!
Another quick blog this morning because I'm headed out...for a few days. Brooke will take you through the weekend and the first part of next week.
Healthcare and Young People
There was an interesting article in The Washington Post about the idea that younger, healthier people who would be forced to get health insurance under the President's Healthcare plan would essentially subsidize the cost of the millions of people who are about to enter "seasoned" citizenship.
The President goes to College Park Maryland to sell his ideas today.
Young People and Discipline
I wasn't at the Indianola Football game in early September. The School Principal is now on leave and a student is accusing him of assault after the student said The Principal Grabbed his arm and then pulled him by the hair. As I say, I wasn't there. I have a feeling the first question my parents would have asked me is...what did you do? Adults generally don't go nuts on a kid.
The part of the story am missing is why the kid refused to tell the Principal his name?
One thing I will be clear with my kids about...you will be respectful to adults. There is no excuse for mouthing off to an adult. If you feel you are being treated unfairly...make your case respectfully. In fact, use the word, "respectfully" a lot if you're contradicting an adult. It's just not that hard, and you're going to get a lot farther. We'll see what happens.
Vacation
So, I'm off. For the first time since last fall I am going to get a long weekend. Welcome to Parenthood right?
I have my beautiful, talented, generous, (and did I mention beautiful?), wife to thank. Every year since we were married she's made good on a promise she made to our Best Man. He asked that once a year He and I get a long weekend with our friends to go play some golf. Sally's always come through and never complained about it. I am a pretty lucky guy.
So we're off to play A LOT of golf. 36 holes a day for the next five days. The trip is coming back to it's roots this year. We are touring some of Iowa's best courses starting over in the Quad Cities and moving west from there. I'll try to share some of the stories that are age appropriate when I get back.
Have a good weekend.
PWD
Another quick blog this morning because I'm headed out...for a few days. Brooke will take you through the weekend and the first part of next week.
Healthcare and Young People
There was an interesting article in The Washington Post about the idea that younger, healthier people who would be forced to get health insurance under the President's Healthcare plan would essentially subsidize the cost of the millions of people who are about to enter "seasoned" citizenship.
The President goes to College Park Maryland to sell his ideas today.
Young People and Discipline
I wasn't at the Indianola Football game in early September. The School Principal is now on leave and a student is accusing him of assault after the student said The Principal Grabbed his arm and then pulled him by the hair. As I say, I wasn't there. I have a feeling the first question my parents would have asked me is...what did you do? Adults generally don't go nuts on a kid.
The part of the story am missing is why the kid refused to tell the Principal his name?
One thing I will be clear with my kids about...you will be respectful to adults. There is no excuse for mouthing off to an adult. If you feel you are being treated unfairly...make your case respectfully. In fact, use the word, "respectfully" a lot if you're contradicting an adult. It's just not that hard, and you're going to get a lot farther. We'll see what happens.
Vacation
So, I'm off. For the first time since last fall I am going to get a long weekend. Welcome to Parenthood right?
I have my beautiful, talented, generous, (and did I mention beautiful?), wife to thank. Every year since we were married she's made good on a promise she made to our Best Man. He asked that once a year He and I get a long weekend with our friends to go play some golf. Sally's always come through and never complained about it. I am a pretty lucky guy.
So we're off to play A LOT of golf. 36 holes a day for the next five days. The trip is coming back to it's roots this year. We are touring some of Iowa's best courses starting over in the Quad Cities and moving west from there. I'll try to share some of the stories that are age appropriate when I get back.
Have a good weekend.
PWD
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Quick Blog
Good Morning...
I asked Jeriann is she wanted to mow my lawn today. She doesn't have a lot of "forecasting" to do. It's going to be beautiful through next week.
In the News
Racism
Do any of you believe Rep Joe Wilson's outburst to the President was motivated by Racism? I'm interested in hearing from people. I think it has a lot more to do with the fact that Republicans are focused on provisions of this bill dealing with illegal immigrants. I guess you can consider that view racist if you want but was the outburst about the President being African American?
Honor Flight
If you buy a pizza at Casey's this week, $1 of the cost goes to Honor Flight's around Iowa. Casey's already paid for one. The letters just went out this week to 350 veterans of WW2 who will get a free trip to DC to see the WW2 Memorial.
Biggest Loser
Did anyone else think the language on the Biggest Loser was a little harsh last night. Jillian dropped more F-bombs than I've heard in a long time. Then again I've been out of High School Sports and a Fraternity House for a while now.
Acorn
Did anyone actually believe this was a non-partisan group? Of course it is! Did anyone actually believe it was going to end any other way for Acorn? I sure didn't.
League of Women Voters and Secretaries of State in each state should register voters. I think community activism is great but only when the actual goal is benefiting the community...not benefiting one political party...Any Party
Google Upgrade
I'm going to try out Google's new features today. Go online yourself and see how it works. Apparently it allows you to turn pages of websites like a newspaper...What do you think?
Facebook
The CEO of Facebook says the company is making money...In other News...the Sun will rise tomorrow and the Earth is round.
Go have a great day.
PWD
I asked Jeriann is she wanted to mow my lawn today. She doesn't have a lot of "forecasting" to do. It's going to be beautiful through next week.
In the News
Racism
Do any of you believe Rep Joe Wilson's outburst to the President was motivated by Racism? I'm interested in hearing from people. I think it has a lot more to do with the fact that Republicans are focused on provisions of this bill dealing with illegal immigrants. I guess you can consider that view racist if you want but was the outburst about the President being African American?
Honor Flight
If you buy a pizza at Casey's this week, $1 of the cost goes to Honor Flight's around Iowa. Casey's already paid for one. The letters just went out this week to 350 veterans of WW2 who will get a free trip to DC to see the WW2 Memorial.
Biggest Loser
Did anyone else think the language on the Biggest Loser was a little harsh last night. Jillian dropped more F-bombs than I've heard in a long time. Then again I've been out of High School Sports and a Fraternity House for a while now.
Acorn
Did anyone actually believe this was a non-partisan group? Of course it is! Did anyone actually believe it was going to end any other way for Acorn? I sure didn't.
League of Women Voters and Secretaries of State in each state should register voters. I think community activism is great but only when the actual goal is benefiting the community...not benefiting one political party...Any Party
Google Upgrade
I'm going to try out Google's new features today. Go online yourself and see how it works. Apparently it allows you to turn pages of websites like a newspaper...What do you think?
The CEO of Facebook says the company is making money...In other News...the Sun will rise tomorrow and the Earth is round.
Go have a great day.
PWD
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Celebrities behaving badly, Remembering Patrick Swayze and my vacation
Good morning everyone! It's Brooke today, not Pat. After a week of vacation... I am back at work and trying to get back on a schedule which includes going to bed early. I thought I was rested until I got just 5 hours of sleep Sunday night. I guess all that rest is out the window - just an occupational hazard, right? At any rate, I am actually really glad to be back. Most of the time, it feels like vacation just flies by. But this time, I feel like I had enough time off and got lots of things accomplished. I had a lot of fun, too. I'll get to some of the highlights later.
Kanye Behaving Badly
But first... have you been following this Kanye West thing? It was actually a little hard for me watching the video of him bursting onto the stage Sunday night and interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. So awkward. Patrick thinks it was a publicity stunt so Jay Leno would have something really good when he interviewed him on his first night. Maybe. But I don't think this makes anyone want to go out and buy a Kanye West song. Kanye apologized.
Patrick Swayze
Dirty Dancing is one of my "comfort" movies. You know... the one you like to watch after a rough day and you don't want to have to think... you just want to be entertained. I think for a lot of people my age, it's also nostalgic. It reminds me of high school days and all the fun and freedom of those days. Anyway, I was sad to hear about Patrick Swayze's death. He really was talented even if some of his movies got panned. But I think my favorite Patrick moment was on Saturday Night Live. The dancing skit with Chris Farley was classic. You can't help but laugh when you watch it.
One of the highlights of my vacation was celebrating my wedding anniversary. My husband and I spent the day doing some of the things we enjoy most. Getting a message, eating cake and going to the movie. In years past, we've gone on elaborate trips and had fancy dinners, but I think this year was my favorite. We started at noon by skipping lunch and instead eating this delicious cake I ordered from a place called Sweet Binney's. OMG! It was to die for. It was pistachio flavored with cream filling and nuts on the side of the cake. Usually cake frosting is a little too sweet for me (you know... the kind made with sugar and crisco) but this was fluffy and buttery. We also had some champagne... which was a nice treat... especially at noon! Then we watched our wedding video and then had a couples message at Sahar's which I highly recommend. After that, we went to the movies and later had dinner at the place where we had our first dinner date. It's a little place in Beaverdale called Marino's. Talk about a fun day. I think after you have a child, you start to appreciate the simple things in life that you used to take for granted when you were so free. Like going to the movies!
I am almost embarrassed to admit this last part, but another highlight was going to the Brittney Spears concert. Eric's and my friend Doug VanWyk is a personal trainer at Gym/Fx downtown and got some free tickets from some of Brittney's dancers when they worked out at the gym while they were in Des Moines. So, he invited us along. It ended up being a fun night although I only recognized one of her songs. Maybe this is a good thing. She clearly didn't sing (lip syncing the whole time) and her outfits made me blush a little, but the production and dancing was wild. Definitely worth seeing. We even got to meet some of the dancers after the show. Hopefully Doug will send some of the pictures so I can share them. One of her dancers was born without legs but started the show with an amazing trampoline routine that got a lot of reaction from the crowd. Very inspiring.
Ok... I am out of here. See you tomorrow.
Brooke
Kanye Behaving Badly
But first... have you been following this Kanye West thing? It was actually a little hard for me watching the video of him bursting onto the stage Sunday night and interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. So awkward. Patrick thinks it was a publicity stunt so Jay Leno would have something really good when he interviewed him on his first night. Maybe. But I don't think this makes anyone want to go out and buy a Kanye West song. Kanye apologized.
Patrick Swayze
Dirty Dancing is one of my "comfort" movies. You know... the one you like to watch after a rough day and you don't want to have to think... you just want to be entertained. I think for a lot of people my age, it's also nostalgic. It reminds me of high school days and all the fun and freedom of those days. Anyway, I was sad to hear about Patrick Swayze's death. He really was talented even if some of his movies got panned. But I think my favorite Patrick moment was on Saturday Night Live. The dancing skit with Chris Farley was classic. You can't help but laugh when you watch it.
One of the highlights of my vacation was celebrating my wedding anniversary. My husband and I spent the day doing some of the things we enjoy most. Getting a message, eating cake and going to the movie. In years past, we've gone on elaborate trips and had fancy dinners, but I think this year was my favorite. We started at noon by skipping lunch and instead eating this delicious cake I ordered from a place called Sweet Binney's. OMG! It was to die for. It was pistachio flavored with cream filling and nuts on the side of the cake. Usually cake frosting is a little too sweet for me (you know... the kind made with sugar and crisco) but this was fluffy and buttery. We also had some champagne... which was a nice treat... especially at noon! Then we watched our wedding video and then had a couples message at Sahar's which I highly recommend. After that, we went to the movies and later had dinner at the place where we had our first dinner date. It's a little place in Beaverdale called Marino's. Talk about a fun day. I think after you have a child, you start to appreciate the simple things in life that you used to take for granted when you were so free. Like going to the movies!
I am almost embarrassed to admit this last part, but another highlight was going to the Brittney Spears concert. Eric's and my friend Doug VanWyk is a personal trainer at Gym/Fx downtown and got some free tickets from some of Brittney's dancers when they worked out at the gym while they were in Des Moines. So, he invited us along. It ended up being a fun night although I only recognized one of her songs. Maybe this is a good thing. She clearly didn't sing (lip syncing the whole time) and her outfits made me blush a little, but the production and dancing was wild. Definitely worth seeing. We even got to meet some of the dancers after the show. Hopefully Doug will send some of the pictures so I can share them. One of her dancers was born without legs but started the show with an amazing trampoline routine that got a lot of reaction from the crowd. Very inspiring.
Ok... I am out of here. See you tomorrow.
Brooke
Monday, September 14, 2009
Financial Anniversary, Borlaug, and Family Visit
Good Morning!
So Happy to have Brooke back I could just scream. It's just a better show when she's around.
I'm happy to have her back and hopeful the week of vacation helped her get a little rest.
To the News...and there's a lot of it.
Financial Anniversary.
So this probably isn't one of those days you remember where you were, but we probably should. It's the day most of our money was flushed down the toilet. I wish I could go back to the week before all of this happened last year and sell.
The President will lay out some of the steps he sees as necessary for the Financial system to be healthy after it fully recovers. I found it interesting that No new laws have been written or enacted yet having to do with regulation of the financial system. Nothing to stop a repeat of last Sept 14th...yet.
Borlaug
How do you describe the life's work of a man who changed the lives of billions of people? Norman Borlaug, for those who don't know the name, invented a kind of dwarf wheat. The genetic modification made it possible for these plants to grow in places like India, and therefore made it possible for India to feed itself. Read More here. Interesting.
MTV Awards
Kanye West is an idiot. Anyone disagree?
Sports Weekend
Great weekend for Sports. The Iowa Iowa State game could have been more competitive, but as the commentators on Fox Sports said...over and over and over and over again...Iowa St will get better under Paul Rhodes. I agree. What else do you say when a game gets that one sided?
Speaking of one sided, I loved watching Tiger shoot 62 on Saturday. A round at Cog Hill was my Birthday present from my parents more than a few years growing up. I love the course. It was really hard before. Now it looks impossible. Can't wait to play it!
Two things made US Open tennis interesting. Roger Federer's shot through his legs and Serena Williams tirade. One was amazing to watch. the other was just hard to watch.
Weekend
My folks were here this weekend and we had a really nice time. We got together with my brother's family for dinner Friday night. JT got my mom going with a giggle fit in the middle of dinner. I am sure they would say it's rewarding for them to see their children parent. It's certainly as rewarding for me to see my children bring them joy.
Golf Sunday with my Dad and brother was a rare treat. We played Waveland. I need to get my act together before next weekend. My friends are coming to town for a 5 day, 36 holes per day golf marathon. I need some help!
Hope you all had a good weekend too.
PWD
So Happy to have Brooke back I could just scream. It's just a better show when she's around.
I'm happy to have her back and hopeful the week of vacation helped her get a little rest.
To the News...and there's a lot of it.
Financial Anniversary.
So this probably isn't one of those days you remember where you were, but we probably should. It's the day most of our money was flushed down the toilet. I wish I could go back to the week before all of this happened last year and sell.
The President will lay out some of the steps he sees as necessary for the Financial system to be healthy after it fully recovers. I found it interesting that No new laws have been written or enacted yet having to do with regulation of the financial system. Nothing to stop a repeat of last Sept 14th...yet.
Borlaug
How do you describe the life's work of a man who changed the lives of billions of people? Norman Borlaug, for those who don't know the name, invented a kind of dwarf wheat. The genetic modification made it possible for these plants to grow in places like India, and therefore made it possible for India to feed itself. Read More here. Interesting.
MTV Awards
Kanye West is an idiot. Anyone disagree?
Sports Weekend
Great weekend for Sports. The Iowa Iowa State game could have been more competitive, but as the commentators on Fox Sports said...over and over and over and over again...Iowa St will get better under Paul Rhodes. I agree. What else do you say when a game gets that one sided?
Speaking of one sided, I loved watching Tiger shoot 62 on Saturday. A round at Cog Hill was my Birthday present from my parents more than a few years growing up. I love the course. It was really hard before. Now it looks impossible. Can't wait to play it!
Two things made US Open tennis interesting. Roger Federer's shot through his legs and Serena Williams tirade. One was amazing to watch. the other was just hard to watch.
Weekend
My folks were here this weekend and we had a really nice time. We got together with my brother's family for dinner Friday night. JT got my mom going with a giggle fit in the middle of dinner. I am sure they would say it's rewarding for them to see their children parent. It's certainly as rewarding for me to see my children bring them joy.
Golf Sunday with my Dad and brother was a rare treat. We played Waveland. I need to get my act together before next weekend. My friends are coming to town for a 5 day, 36 holes per day golf marathon. I need some help!
Hope you all had a good weekend too.
PWD
Friday, September 11, 2009
Anniversary
Not much else needs to be said about today.
It's 9/11 and forever in this country it will be the day we see the pictures again. People will tell the story of where they were and who they knew that was in New York that day. 
I am interested to hear what you all think about the Anniversary. It seems to me people are acknowledging the anniversary, but the best I can tell, it seems to be stacked in with all of the days "other" news.
Do you want to see those pictures every year? Does anyone think it's important that we see them? How should we treat this day?
I'm more interested in hearing your opinion that I am in writing today.
We're looking forward to a weekend with my parents. Grandma and Grandpa haven't seen the Whale babies in a little while so it may be a shock. Should also be a lot of fun.
I hope you all have a good weekend.
Enjoy the Game.
Go Irish!
Go Bears!
See you Monday Morning.
PWD
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The Speech, Inturruption, and I'm Cut!
Good Morning,
The Speech
Well, who expected The President to deliver anything other than a well delivered...well written speech.
It at least gives people a starting point to debate. It's disturbing though that a man elected to the House of Representatives feels the need to yell an insult at the President while he's speaking. I don't care if you disagree. Dozens of your Republican colleagues do too, and you didn't see them screaming at The President like he's on a Jerry Springer Panel.
And don't tell me it was your emotion. You had the speech hours ahead of time. Another reason I believe this was calculated...One of the groups that supports Wilson had an email all ready to go asking people to forward the video of him yelling at The President. And why was there a picture of Wilson yelling this morning. You're telling me someone just happened to have a camera pointed at him at the exact moment the President was talking about immigration? I don't mean to go Oliver Stone on anyone but it just seems a little calculated to me. And by the way...it backfired big time.
I was glad to see the rain is moving furthar west and south...keep going I say. I want to golf this weekend!
A new poll is up...please vote.
PWD
I got the blog written yesterday but it didn't post for some reason so you get a twofer today.
I started my day off my cutting my lower lip shaving. How you ask? Look, wave a razor in front of your face thousands of times and you're bound to cut yourself. The thing is...you bleed a lot from your face! My sink looked like I'd done some sort of Civil War amputation by the time I was ready to go. The good news is I stopped the bleeding in time to go to work. I think I'll pull through.
The Speech
Well, who expected The President to deliver anything other than a well delivered...well written speech.
It at least gives people a starting point to debate. It's disturbing though that a man elected to the House of Representatives feels the need to yell an insult at the President while he's speaking. I don't care if you disagree. Dozens of your Republican colleagues do too, and you didn't see them screaming at The President like he's on a Jerry Springer Panel.
And don't tell me it was your emotion. You had the speech hours ahead of time. Another reason I believe this was calculated...One of the groups that supports Wilson had an email all ready to go asking people to forward the video of him yelling at The President. And why was there a picture of Wilson yelling this morning. You're telling me someone just happened to have a camera pointed at him at the exact moment the President was talking about immigration? I don't mean to go Oliver Stone on anyone but it just seems a little calculated to me. And by the way...it backfired big time.
I was glad to see the rain is moving furthar west and south...keep going I say. I want to golf this weekend!
A new poll is up...please vote.
PWD
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
New Deal, New SHow, and Old Friends
Good Morning,
We had a great dinner with some friends last night at our house. I grilled pork chops. I'm getting better but it always makes me nervous grilling inch and a half Iowa chops. Get it right and it's juicy and really good...get it wrong and it's a hockey puck.
Our friends have a little girl who's about 4 weeks younger then Will and JT. She's already crawling and pulling herself up on things. I have to admit I momentarily felt a competitive twinge and wonder why my boys aren't crawling already and sitting up. Then I realize, I need to be careful what I wish for. Just rolling around, our boys are hard to keep track of. When they start moving...we've got problems.
We had a great dinner with some friends last night at our house. I grilled pork chops. I'm getting better but it always makes me nervous grilling inch and a half Iowa chops. Get it right and it's juicy and really good...get it wrong and it's a hockey puck.
Our friends have a little girl who's about 4 weeks younger then Will and JT. She's already crawling and pulling herself up on things. I have to admit I momentarily felt a competitive twinge and wonder why my boys aren't crawling already and sitting up. Then I realize, I need to be careful what I wish for. Just rolling around, our boys are hard to keep track of. When they start moving...we've got problems.
New Deal
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is part of the so called Gang of Six negotiating a healthcare plan. This morning they came out with a new $900 billion dollar plan for healthcare reform. The work isn't done but the Committee Chairman came out late last night and said there wasn't going to be a public healthcare option with it. That was the headline. We'll see what the President says tonight.
New Show
Glee Premieres tonight.I have to say I am one of the people who's excited. I know many of you won't get this show. The time I spent doing musicals and singing in a choir in High School produced some lifelong friends and some great memories. Yes, I sang in the choir...enough with the jokes. The show is getting good reviews. One thing I didn't know, the guy who created the show based it on Prosepect High School. It's not far from the High School I went to. Anyway, the daily drama in the music wing of my High School seemed very serious at the time, but I can now look back and laugh. We were over the top.
9/9/09
So some people thought 9-9-09 was lucky...other people thought it was going to be the end of the world. Here's what I found interesting. It's the geek in me...
Last year we had 8/8/08, and 7/7/07 the year before that. But today’s special numerals, 9/9/09, mark the last single-digit date for the next 92 years. (The next one is 1/1/2101.) And for math nerds, the date falls on a Wednesday in September, both of which have 9 letters. September 9 also is the 252nd day of the year. 2+5+2 = …you guessed it, nine! In addition, if you multiply any single-digit number by 9, the resulting two digits add up to 9.
Ok so that's it. I hope you have a good day, remember the President speaks tonight at seven Iowa time. We will carry it live on WHOTV. We will have reaction tomorrow morning on Today in Iowa.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
The Speech, The Vote and Facebook Faux Paux
Good Morning...A week without Brooke is starting to grind. That's just the reality of three hours of news a day.
No complaining...As I said to Sally last night. I feel pretty lucky.
To The News:
The Speech
You all had a lot to say about the President's speech to schoolkids today. Now that you're read his remarks (they're online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/), what do you think? I'd like to hear your comments but I'm putting up a new poll so you can just vote if you like.
The Vote
It is election Day around Iowa today. We vote for our School Board Members. No one controlled more of your tax money than this Board of volunteers you elect today. Take two minutes out of your day and GO VOTE. If you don't you don't get to complain about the leadership that's elected. Decisions are made by those who show up!
Also on the ballot is the Des Moines District's Revenue Purpose Statement. I'll try to explain this as dispassionately as I can.
If you vote yes you vote for the District's plan to spend about $23 million a year. If you vote no, you are saying the district can have about 16 million a year but the extra seven million has to go to property tax relief. It adds up to about $45 saved on your property tax bill if you have 100k of valuation on your home.
So it's a choice between letting the district do what it likes with all of the money or forcing some of the money to be used to lower taxes.
Important: This is not a new tax. The tax was passed by the legislature and you are paying it. The question is how should the money be spent.
Facebook Faux Paux
So I am on Facebook now and I like being able to keep up with old friends and some of the people I rarely see around here. Should there be some limit to what you post?
I'm not saying a hard and fast rule imposed by the site...what would your personal limits be?
I think I've read posts about people's spouses cheating on them, bosses who are abusive and "friends" who are backstabbers. These people know this goes out to everyone right? I just wonder what your limit on a post is?
Have a good one
PWD
No complaining...As I said to Sally last night. I feel pretty lucky.
To The News:
The Speech
You all had a lot to say about the President's speech to schoolkids today. Now that you're read his remarks (they're online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/), what do you think? I'd like to hear your comments but I'm putting up a new poll so you can just vote if you like.
The Vote
It is election Day around Iowa today. We vote for our School Board Members. No one controlled more of your tax money than this Board of volunteers you elect today. Take two minutes out of your day and GO VOTE. If you don't you don't get to complain about the leadership that's elected. Decisions are made by those who show up!
Also on the ballot is the Des Moines District's Revenue Purpose Statement. I'll try to explain this as dispassionately as I can.
If you vote yes you vote for the District's plan to spend about $23 million a year. If you vote no, you are saying the district can have about 16 million a year but the extra seven million has to go to property tax relief. It adds up to about $45 saved on your property tax bill if you have 100k of valuation on your home.
So it's a choice between letting the district do what it likes with all of the money or forcing some of the money to be used to lower taxes.
Important: This is not a new tax. The tax was passed by the legislature and you are paying it. The question is how should the money be spent.
Facebook Faux Paux
So I am on Facebook now and I like being able to keep up with old friends and some of the people I rarely see around here. Should there be some limit to what you post?
I'm not saying a hard and fast rule imposed by the site...what would your personal limits be?
I think I've read posts about people's spouses cheating on them, bosses who are abusive and "friends" who are backstabbers. These people know this goes out to everyone right? I just wonder what your limit on a post is?
Have a good one
PWD
Monday, September 07, 2009
Laboring as Usual
Good afternoon. I just couldn't do it this morning. I felt like...well you paint the picture for yourself. It's hard to get through a two hour show when you feel like that.
I've rallied and we're ready for the Nooner.
Not a heck of a lot to report this morjning. The big news is still The President's speeches this week.
The one to Congress is still in the works...and is being overshadowed by this...It's a shocking piece of political propaganda...suggesting that kids do outrageous things like putting down their X-box to study..set goals, treat each other with respect...
It suggests they get in lock step with the President's Liberal manifesto ,by...(cover your ears), finishing their High School degree.
What a joke. Someone is going to say this speech changed as a result of the complaints. I doubt it. I'll be interested to hear if the Iowa School Districts that said they needed to pre-screen the speech will actually do it. If they wait and do it tomorrow and hope the issue just goes away...it will be clear to me their hesitation had nothing to do with looking out for their student's best interest and that's sad.
I am going to go enjoy the rest of my Labor Day.
I've rallied and we're ready for the Nooner.
Not a heck of a lot to report this morjning. The big news is still The President's speeches this week.
The one to Congress is still in the works...and is being overshadowed by this...It's a shocking piece of political propaganda...suggesting that kids do outrageous things like putting down their X-box to study..set goals, treat each other with respect...
It suggests they get in lock step with the President's Liberal manifesto ,by...(cover your ears), finishing their High School degree.
What a joke. Someone is going to say this speech changed as a result of the complaints. I doubt it. I'll be interested to hear if the Iowa School Districts that said they needed to pre-screen the speech will actually do it. If they wait and do it tomorrow and hope the issue just goes away...it will be clear to me their hesitation had nothing to do with looking out for their student's best interest and that's sad.
I am going to go enjoy the rest of my Labor Day.
Friday, September 04, 2009
When The President Speaks, Punk, and Don't be Angry
Good Morning,
(See Wednesday's final comment before reading)
Don't be angry with me Lorrie. We just missed updating the Blog Yesterday.
The last post was Wednesday, the previous post says Friday, but it was actually posted Monday. The date stamp on this thing isn't always right, but you are right. I've taken to updating the blog, only when I've got something to say. I enjoy writing this but it seems like an exercise in ego most of the time because no one comments. I actually want to write about the things you find interesting. I can tell you what I find interesting or spout off like I did today, but in the end, feedback will feed the blog.
That and stupid stuff...which we've got a lot of today.
When the President Speaks
So the President was/is set to give two big speeches next week. The first is the one you know about. It's to those men and women in Congress. He's going to try to get some agreement on Healthcare reform. The thing Lawmakers want to hear is some specifics. What does the President want? On a related note the President is looking forward to a much easier assignment next week...Herding Cats.
The speech you may just be hearing about this morning is the one the President wants to make to schoolkids. The White House staff is presenting this as a chance for the President to encourage kids to stay in school, pay attention in class, maybe set a few goals for the year. The Political Right went nuts yesterday. I read someone's quote this morning saying that this was the President's attempt to indoctrinate all American school kids to the "President's Socialist agenda." Glen Beck suggested the President would try to slip in subliminal messages (watch today in Iowa) on health care into his speech.
A couple of things here. The first is, this one is payback. Democrats went nuts when the first President Bush (41) tried to do the same thing...They called it a waste of taxpayer money. To me, this feels a little bit more like payback and a little bit less like it has anything to do with what the president is actually going to say.
Second, who cares what he says? I want to talk to the parents who feel like this isn't an opportunity to teach and connect with their child on any number of subjects. Even if the President starts spouting off on Health care, or Teacher pay or Making sure we punish all rich people...Why wouldn't you talk to your kids about it?
When did it become a bad thing to consider more than one idea in this country? Why are people so scared to listen to each other, consider someone else's point of view and then reconsider their own opinion. That doesn't mean change your opinion. It may strengthen your own convictions to hear the other side of an argument.
I'm reading about school districts across the country giving parents the option of pulling their kid out of class that day. We got an email claiming on District is BANNING the speech from classrooms. I'm sorry, we're going to ban kids from hearing from the President? I imagine getting my teenagers to watch the State of the Union with me in a few years is going to be like pulling teeth! This is a chance to open a conversation. TO TEACH!!!!!
Finally, President Obama is the President of the United States. If there is no other lesson in this for our kids, it should be respect for the office.
Punk
Oregon's running back Lagarrette Blount decided to give us all a lesson in how to be a total PUNK. After his team lost to Boisie State, He hit a Boise State Defensman with a cheap shot to the jaw. After backing up like he's just knocked Mike Tyson down in Vegas, Punk-Blount decided to run off the field.
Apparently he has the memory of a gypsy moth.
Chicken little brain forgot he was in deep doo-doo already and decided to get into it with the fans. The Security Guards and his own coaches had to restrain the guy. Add to all of this, Blount hit the guy while he (Blount) still had his helmet on! You know he's not going to hit you back and if he does....he's gonna hit your helmet.
Punk.
Here's another example of something a lot of people "don't want their kids to see". I disagree, and may follow the lead of some good friends who talk to their kids about this stuff when it comes up in the headlines. They use it as a way to teach their kids what not to do.
-Congrats to Iowa State, Good Luck Hawks and Panthers...and Bulldogs...
It's going to take some sort of natural disaster for my Missouri Tigers to beat Illinois this year.
I'll watch anyway.
Spent the afternoon on the golf course Thursday. Thanks to my wife for taking the boys in the afternoon when they're usually my responsibility. I need to get into some sort of shape for this golf trip. Thirty six holes of golf for five days ...and I still have a wicked slice...
Hey, Have a good day, and remember...comment, write us an email, whatever. We want to talk about the subjects you want to hear about on this blog.
Have a good one
PWD
(See Wednesday's final comment before reading)
Don't be angry with me Lorrie. We just missed updating the Blog Yesterday.
The last post was Wednesday, the previous post says Friday, but it was actually posted Monday. The date stamp on this thing isn't always right, but you are right. I've taken to updating the blog, only when I've got something to say. I enjoy writing this but it seems like an exercise in ego most of the time because no one comments. I actually want to write about the things you find interesting. I can tell you what I find interesting or spout off like I did today, but in the end, feedback will feed the blog.
That and stupid stuff...which we've got a lot of today.
When the President Speaks
So the President was/is set to give two big speeches next week. The first is the one you know about. It's to those men and women in Congress. He's going to try to get some agreement on Healthcare reform. The thing Lawmakers want to hear is some specifics. What does the President want? On a related note the President is looking forward to a much easier assignment next week...Herding Cats.
The speech you may just be hearing about this morning is the one the President wants to make to schoolkids. The White House staff is presenting this as a chance for the President to encourage kids to stay in school, pay attention in class, maybe set a few goals for the year. The Political Right went nuts yesterday. I read someone's quote this morning saying that this was the President's attempt to indoctrinate all American school kids to the "President's Socialist agenda." Glen Beck suggested the President would try to slip in subliminal messages (watch today in Iowa) on health care into his speech.
A couple of things here. The first is, this one is payback. Democrats went nuts when the first President Bush (41) tried to do the same thing...They called it a waste of taxpayer money. To me, this feels a little bit more like payback and a little bit less like it has anything to do with what the president is actually going to say.
Second, who cares what he says? I want to talk to the parents who feel like this isn't an opportunity to teach and connect with their child on any number of subjects. Even if the President starts spouting off on Health care, or Teacher pay or Making sure we punish all rich people...Why wouldn't you talk to your kids about it?
Dad: Hey Jimmy, what did you learn in school today?
Jimmy: We learned Oil is bad, and Republicans are trying to ruin the environment
Dad: Whoa there Jimmy...what do you think of those statements?...They sound kind of extreme to me!
When did it become a bad thing to consider more than one idea in this country? Why are people so scared to listen to each other, consider someone else's point of view and then reconsider their own opinion. That doesn't mean change your opinion. It may strengthen your own convictions to hear the other side of an argument.
I'm reading about school districts across the country giving parents the option of pulling their kid out of class that day. We got an email claiming on District is BANNING the speech from classrooms. I'm sorry, we're going to ban kids from hearing from the President? I imagine getting my teenagers to watch the State of the Union with me in a few years is going to be like pulling teeth! This is a chance to open a conversation. TO TEACH!!!!!
Finally, President Obama is the President of the United States. If there is no other lesson in this for our kids, it should be respect for the office.
Punk
Oregon's running back Lagarrette Blount decided to give us all a lesson in how to be a total PUNK. After his team lost to Boisie State, He hit a Boise State Defensman with a cheap shot to the jaw. After backing up like he's just knocked Mike Tyson down in Vegas, Punk-Blount decided to run off the field.
Apparently he has the memory of a gypsy moth.
Chicken little brain forgot he was in deep doo-doo already and decided to get into it with the fans. The Security Guards and his own coaches had to restrain the guy. Add to all of this, Blount hit the guy while he (Blount) still had his helmet on! You know he's not going to hit you back and if he does....he's gonna hit your helmet.
Punk.
Here's another example of something a lot of people "don't want their kids to see". I disagree, and may follow the lead of some good friends who talk to their kids about this stuff when it comes up in the headlines. They use it as a way to teach their kids what not to do.
-Congrats to Iowa State, Good Luck Hawks and Panthers...and Bulldogs...
It's going to take some sort of natural disaster for my Missouri Tigers to beat Illinois this year.
I'll watch anyway.
Spent the afternoon on the golf course Thursday. Thanks to my wife for taking the boys in the afternoon when they're usually my responsibility. I need to get into some sort of shape for this golf trip. Thirty six holes of golf for five days ...and I still have a wicked slice...
Hey, Have a good day, and remember...comment, write us an email, whatever. We want to talk about the subjects you want to hear about on this blog.
Have a good one
PWD
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Things I learned...
-I learned the H1N1 flu vaccine won't be here until mid October. I learned We'll probably need three shots spaced two weeks apart. Then it takes the body 2 weeks (according to the CDC), maybe more according to some doctors. So if I learned my math right in school, I'm going to get the shot in October, and it should be some time after the new year before I actually have any protection against the H1N1. That should help.
- I learned the president's approval rating dipped to the low fifties.
-I learned the Pentagon will send 14,000 more troops to Afghanistan to replace clerical staff, lookouts and guards. "trigger pullers" is what the Pentagon called them.
-I learned a flying elbow produces a wicked slice...Thanks to David Gantt out at Longview Golf for the correction...
-I continue to learn how many kids someone can have in a lifetime...Thanks to the Duggers
-I learned sweet potatoes don't stain when your kid "returns" them to you.
Sometimes you have to take an accounting of what the day brought you.
That's mine
PWD
- I learned the president's approval rating dipped to the low fifties.
-I learned the Pentagon will send 14,000 more troops to Afghanistan to replace clerical staff, lookouts and guards. "trigger pullers" is what the Pentagon called them.
-I learned a flying elbow produces a wicked slice...Thanks to David Gantt out at Longview Golf for the correction...
-I continue to learn how many kids someone can have in a lifetime...Thanks to the Duggers
-I learned sweet potatoes don't stain when your kid "returns" them to you.
Sometimes you have to take an accounting of what the day brought you.
That's mine
PWD
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