Spring 2014 March 24 Monday

39 degrees this morning.  I am tired of wearing long-johns when I walk and ride in the morning!  I am ready for just putting on my shorts and t shirt and riding!

I always look forward to April and the start of baseball season.  Not quite sure why I started liking professional baseball, it is really the only professional sport I like and watch much.  (I don't dislike professional football, and do watch it occasionally, but am not really a fan of it.  It has become rather boring a lot of the time.)  Like college basketball and football, I can watch a professional baseball game where I don't really know anything about either team and develop a "favorite" and enjoy the game.  I also like auto racing, although it takes so much time, I normally watch only on tape.  

Since we started going to the Memphis Redbirds games I have become even more of a professional baseball fan.  What is really interesting is seeing the young players coming up and then hitting the "Wheel of Fortune" and getting called up to St. Louis.  We are basically Chicago Cub fans, but "knowing" the players (watching them play for the Redbirds), really had made St. Louis Cardinals a close second, if not an equal.  One thing I will really miss about Memphis if we move is the Memphis Redbirds.  Other cities may have minor league (AAA) baseball or even the MLB, but it won't be the same since the tie between Redbirds and Cardinals is what makes it so interesting.  The purchase of the Redbirds by the Cardinals really institutionalizes the relationship.  One of the regrets of moving if we move.  I realize the Memphis Redbirds are no different than any commercial business, but the stadium, and especially the Redbirds personnel and personnel at the stadium (and the concessions) really have made it a special experience.  It is just fun and one of our favorite pastimes during the summer months.  I think the saying that "life is a series of hellos and goodbyes" is especially applicable to AAA baseball.  You hate to see your favorite called up, but you feel good for the individual, regardless of how it affects the teams.

I always hated the saying ("life is a series of hellos and goodbyes) even as I recognized the truth to it.  Actually, every day is a series of hellos and goodbyes, even as you say "goodbye" to the time allotted for each day.  Even as I suddenly found myself with what I thought would be more time last December, I really didn't realize how I still feel extremely time limited now.  I think that is one reason I usually take the positive note, I don't have the time for negative thoughts.  Negative people will take care of themselves eventually.

I think the biggest problem with time management is setting priorities and saying "goodbye" to activities I enjoy.  I am really debating the amount of time I spend reading the daily newspapers I do.  I long ago learned to scan "Facebook" and ignore most e-mails etc., but I still have a problem setting priorities for time.  Most of my extreme time wasting activities (if you can call them that) happen early in the morning, my walk, bicycling, reading the newspapers etc.  All good activities, with at least the walking being a necessity.  

I do attempt to "manage" my reading by putting some articles aside/saving them to Evernote etc., but....my followup isn't always the best!  I'm still not sure how to handle this.  

Since my coffee brewer (It grinds the coffee immediately as part of the coffee making process) is so loud, I don't use it when we have guests in the house, but for some reason it doesn't bother Aliene.  So I am enjoying my first "real" coffee  in a week. While Kali and Katherine said they could sleep through anything, I didn't want to take a chance, so I ground my coffee in advance and used a "single cup" coffee maker.

Sun is out today.  Still cool, but it is nice to see the sun.  We are going to have to do something soon about the poor Weeping Willow Tree that is bent over in the yard.  (It bent over from the ice events.)

That's it for now.  Currently morning, will add more if the events or the day merit it!

Fall 2013 October 24

45 degrees this morning.  Cool, but not cold.

We watched many of the St. Louis Cardinals who started in the World Series as Memphis Redbirds THIS summer and over the past several seasons.  Going to the Redbirds games has actually turned us from Chicago Cub fans to St. Louis Cardinal fans as we watched the players develop.  Don't get me wrong-we are still strong Cubs fans, but we ALMOST are as fanatic Cardinal fans

So, last night, it was like watching your children (or person you have mentored etc.) get a big chance and blow it as they made stupid errors etc.  You love them anyway, but the pain is a bit deeper when we watched the players develop from hopefuls (although AAA is excellent anyway) into big league stars.  Of course, we have faith in them.  We saw them stumble and get back up as Memphis Redbirds and St. Louis Cardinals and we have faith!

It probably is worse in that baseball is our favorite sport.  We can take or leave pro football (but like college) and don't care for pro basketball at all (although we think the Grizzles are special), so it is a special treat to see one of our two favorite teams make it to the top.  Aliene is actually a better baseball fan then I am.  She recognizes the players and is good at knowing the basic strategic.

Thinking about disappointments this morning, I have to think about my disappointment at never being able to find a coffee cup I can using while driving.  Either it spills, or drips, or breaks or whatever.  The McDonalds coffee cup is actually the best, and I have a lot of candidates for the absolute worst travel mug or car coffee cup.  It seems it shouldn't be that hard to invent one that doesn't spill, drip or break etc!  I have tried all types (yes Starbucks is actually one of the worst) and I have tried several of their mugs, they don't work

Fall 2013 October 12

61 degrees.  Wonderful day yesterday, I hope it continues.

Watching DRV on St. Louis Cardinals game yesterday.  Somehow avoided seeing the score of yesterdays game.   We are actually Chicago Cub fans, but became St. Louis fans via way o attending the Memphis Redbirds games.   Many of the players on the St. Louis team are players we saw play (and develop their skills) with the Memphis Redbirds, so we have  become passionate St. Louis fans also.  (When Chicago and St. Louis play, we just kind of route for both teams.)

We haven't watched a pro-football game yet, probably will after the baseball season ends.  We have  watched college football.

Glad the weekend is here.  Even though I need to catch up some work, it really is nice to have the flexible time.  My early morning routine actually doesn't change that much, except I wait to eat until Aliene gets up.      

In Starbucks for breakfast and coffee.  We have adopted the routine of breakfast at Starbucks on Saturday and Steak n Steak on Sunday.  Still trying to avoid seeing the score for the St. Louis game.             

Summer 2013 August 16

66 degrees this morning!  I am ready for the return to hot weather, although the daytime has been nice, weather wise.

Finished reading (actually listening to) "Steve Jobs".  It is a great book on the development of the computer age, regardless of what you may think of Steve Jobs or Apple Computer.  I will probably buy the book just to have it around to re-read.  He made some major mistakes on products (I have several of the latest iPod Shuffles to prove it!), but also some wonderful products (iPhone 5, iMac etc.).

I thought the second of my three original iPod shuffles (the gumstick ones) battery had gone out this morning, but I think it is recharging. I really like the gumstick ones and feel the iPod shuffles after that were basically failures.  I do like the latest iPod Nano.

I started listening to a book on "Willpower".  I'll give it several sessions, but was not impressed by the first listening.  I guess I don't have the willpower to suffer through it!  

The political campaign in Lakeland continues.  Obviously I can't say much about it, except it brings out the worst in some people and the best in others.  Worst of all, it trashes up the environment with signs.  Realize they may be necessary, but I'm not sure why.  In as way it is insulting to voters to assume their votes can be obtained by a large number of signs hoping they will vote based on name recognition like selling soft drinks.  At least is will be over in a month or so.

The last weekend of Redbirds baseball (The Memphis Redbirds, the minor league team for the St. Louis Cardinals).  It has been a lot of fun attending the games.  While both Aliene and I are extreme Chicago Cubs baseball fans, we have become (almost) as extreme St. Louis Cardinal fans since many of the players we have seen playing on the Memphis Redbirds are now stars of the Cardinals.  Hard not to be for them.  The Memphis Redbirds also just are a class organization and the Autozone baseball stadium is wonderful.  We are rapidly becoming diehard (whatever that means) Cardinal fans.

Friday.  While I spend much of my weekend on work activities, it is difference since I am not tethered to the office etc.  Gives me a chance to catch up on work as well as personal activities.