Buzzy and his New Bike

Buzzy got his bike. It needs some training wheels which I'm confident he'll use for a very brief time but he can't wait to get out and ride. Ciara and Matt live on a cul-de-sac so it will be easy for Buzz to practice while mom and dad keep a close eye out. He already has a habit of scraping up his skin from knees to elbows so I'm sure it won't be long before he bangs himself up good on the bike despite how careful mom and dad are. He looks pretty sharp in his new helmet.

The Mouse Won't Work Right

I just got off the phone with Buzzy's dad, Matt. He's a computer expert. My mouse itsn't working right (it's a wireless). The keyboard mouse hasn't worked right for quite some time. Soooooo...I've got some problems. I did what Matt said and it's still not fixed. We'll have to see what we can eventually figure out.

And the other problem is that Linda's laptop won't connect to the internet. It doesn't recognize any networks at all. I re-booted the computer without relief. I think the network card is broken. Matt's not sure but he says it's possible.

And the other problem is that I think the supsension on the truck has gone south while the truck goes north. At least it's not a computer problem! But it's an expensive problem. What can you expect when it has 218,000 miles onboard.

Buzzy's Fall

Aiden went racing down the driveway on the toy truck that Colin gave him Christmas 2007. Too fast! He tipped over and skinned his just healed elbow again. His new "boo-boo" has him pretty upset. He called for Mimi (Linda) as mommy scrubbed it clean.

Another long day. Tomorrow will be my 3rd day in a row. I'm off for 4 days except for a couple of conference calls. Hopefully the weather will be nice. It's rained off and on for a couple of days and its gotten quite humid.

I'm looking forward to a long run on Thursday. Maybe MAF, I haven't been there for awhile.

Buzzy's Paper Hat

Take a look at Buzzy's hat. Obviously he's very proud of it! He made it at school.

Yesterday he independently used the bathroom without assistance: urinated (standing), flushed and washed. I pee'd (his words).

My Sunday

I didn't sleep well last night. I seemed to toss and turn all night long. I don't know if it was the sunburn and dehydration from working in the yard all day or the coffee I enjoyed at Charie's house or maybe it was the chocolate chunks in the ice cream. Who knows?

Up early for Mass then off to the grocery after breakfast. I got the propane tank filled at Ace Hardware and Linda got a deal on some flowers.

After lunch I went out to EI for a run. It was overcast hot and very humid. I was surprised that there weren't more mountain bikers on the trails. I did meet a couple who drove down from Indianapolis for the day to ride the trails. I hope they found it worth the drive.

The trails were in excellent shape but it was very humid and enervating. I can only hope that I will acclimate to the heat soon because I was really sucking wind today.

Tomorrow's Memorial Day and I want to give a shout out to my dad (Korea) and my two sons Colin and Ian (Iraq).

I talked to Buzzy a little while ago. He was playing Mario Cart (?) on the Wii. He declined going to the "man store" with his daddy. As Linda said that could be starting a baaaaaad habit!

Watched the end of the 500. It was terrific to see Helio Castraneves win (5th 3-time winner) but I would have liked to see Danica Patrick win and become the first woman. She finished 3rd. Now I'm watching the start of the Coca-Cola 600 which is being run at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. I hope they get the race in, it's been raining off and on and Ciara says it's supposed to continue to rain. We'll see.

Sunburn

Linda and I were up early for a busy day at 10553.

We started things out by meeting with Kevin to finalize plans for the kitchen remodel. That went well and I think we finally have a plan that Linda and I both can agree on. The best part is that we don't have to buy any more kitchen cabinets. We do, however, have to get a stove/oven before we go any further. That's a tall order because there are just so many choices out there. We know we're going to go with some kind of a "slide-in" but we need to determine which one. The cost ranges from 1,000.00 to 3,000.00 depending on the manufacturer and what toys you want to include. Then, of course, you have to figure out whether you want gas or electric and if you go with gas do you want an electric oven and do you want an convection oven too. And then you have to consider the manufacturer, i.e., do you go with Jenn-Air or Kenmore or GE or Bosch or Kenmore Elite or GE Profile or Electrolux. Let's see, let me count the ways.....

Then we went to Jared, oh my, that sounds just like the commercial! But we did to buy Sam's Graduation gift (yes, Samantha, if you read this, it will come in the mail) and pick-up something for Linda. No, Mark, you couldn't help us with this purchase (I wish you could).

Then it was off to the "man store" to pick up some things for hoses and the garden.

Then it was off to the races. We edged the bed at the back of the yard and spread mulch in order to make it more amenable to the "rider" so we don't have to edge with the pusher or trimmer. That actually worked out pretty good. Then we got all the hoses out and got a system together for watering everything that looks like its going to work out pretty well. I'm amazed at how much the plants have grown in the vegetable bed since Wednesday.

Now, back to that sunburn thing, the sun was out, the skies were clear and the temperature got into the mid 80's. It was about as perfect a Saturday as you could have. But...my lily white skin (and Linda's) was not properly prepared and I've now got this bright red sheen on my back, shoulders and neck. Surprisingly my naked head is relatively unscathed. I feel the heat but not the burn, yet, I'm sure that will come soon enough. As I type this I'm enjoying a cocktail (gin), listening to Elton John on XM and contemplating getting the grill going. Obviously things are moving kind of slow. Linda's surfing on the web looking for a stove. She too is enjoying a beverage of choice (rum and zero).

Hopefully I'll get that run in tomorrow.

Molly's in Charlotte visiting Buzzy (and Ciara and Matt) but she really went to see Buzzy!

Ciara called yesterday morning and said that her and Molly were at the National Whitewater Center and preparing to venture onto the "zip" line. You have to see this place. It's amazing and so cool. Linda and I have only been there during inclement weather so I can't wait to get there on a nice day. Two weeks ago when I was there it started pouring rain so Matt and I went to lunch at the bistro they have there and what was a busted day ended up being a lot of fun. Now back to that "zip" line thing. It's about 1000 feet long and goes right over the rapids. Ciara said it was worth "every penny" and she can't wait to do it again. I think it cost $10.00. I do know that you can get an "all day" pass for $49.00. That includes rafting, kayaking, climbing or whatever. It's just an incredible place if your interested in outdoor type activities: mountain biking, trail running, kayaking, you name it. Men and women from all over the world come to train for Olympic competition.

Well I guess I need to get cooking dinner. I wonder what Buzzy's doing?

Mid Afternoon At EI

I ran this afternoon at EI. The only thing nice about running in the afternoon is that its a run otherwise its just not that good. What I mean is its hot, humid and often buggy. Today though wasn't too bad. The heat was pretty enervating but the real enemy was simply the time of day. I didn't see anyone else on the trails but I know there had to be some mountain bikers because there were several cars in the parking lot. That's the thing, you can have gobs of people on the trails and not even no they are there. Thats great! I only ran for a little over an hour but that was enough.

Tomorrow I'll try to get out on the roads early.

Looooong Day

Wow, I'm glad today has finally wound down. Busy. Lots of information came my way that I, in turn, must review and then disseminate to my colleagues. Not enough time to accomplish with everything else I have going on. I'll go in early in the morning and try to get it all out of my hands before an 08:00 meeting.

Haven't talked to Buzzy today.

Linda has another cold and is not feeling well. She has a headache this evening that she just can't seem to get rid of. I think I'll just shower and go to bed.

I guess Ian and Rieko are back from Hawaii and will be heading to DFW for a visit with his Aunt JoAnn and Uncle Tom. It just so happens that his grandparents Carl and MarySue are also there. Sounds like JoAnn's going to have a full house for the holiday weekend.

JoAnn's Samantha

A candid shot of my niece Sam(antha) who just graduated from college and is now off to law school. I sure hope she likes it!

Just think Sam someone could see your picture in Uzbekistan or Mongolia or...Independence, Kentucky. That is of course if they follow my 'blog!

Congratulations.

BTW, you really, I hate to say it, look like your mother. But (that's a good thing)!

Uncle Jude and Aunt Linda

Field trip to the "Man Store"

Here's Aiden with his preschool class showing off his wheelbarrow. I like his orange shop apron. He did a few other things and got to ride on the school bus for the first time.

I'm feeling the aftereffects of my runs yesterday and today. I'm hungry, ravenously hungry. It doesn't matter what or how much I eat I'm soon hungry again. Gary Taubes in his book Good Calories, Bad Calories writes that the only thing exercise does is make you hungry. I believe it. (It's an excellent book, BTW).

It's a beautiful evening; a little cool but very, very nice. I'll be spending the rest of the evening watching "Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars" with Linda.

Banklick in 2

I got in a good road workout this morning. 2 hrs of 4 and 1 over the backroads from the house. It was great! It was 48 this morning at 06:00 but I suspect it was in the high 50s or even low 60s by 09:00 when I left the house. Crystal clear blue skies, light breeze and lots of sun. Half-way through the run a big white labrador mutt started following me and wouldn't leave my side. It's nerve-wracking because of course everyone thinks it's YOUR dog and when they have to slow down, stop or swerve because the beast is impeding traffic it becomes a problem. I couldn't get it to stop following me no matter what I tried. He ended up coming all the way to the house. I just hope its not there when I get out to start working in the yard.

Linda cut the grass last evening so we'll probably try and get the vegetable bed up and ready for planting. Maybe we can get some plants this afternoon and Linda can get them in tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to hearing about Buzzy's trip to the "Man store" and find out what he made. I'm sure Ciara will call sometime later today.

Today's Run at EI

Ran the trails at EI today. It was a great morning to run. Cool, sunny, light breeze and no humidity (or people). Had the trails to myself for 90 minutes. Tomorrow I'll get on the roads around the house for a couple of hours. The weather looks just as promising tomorrow.

After the run I went to "the Man store," also known as Home Depot for a grill cover, bird seed and two new gas cans. "Man store" is what Buzzy calls Lowe's, HD, Best Buy, etc. He picked that up from Matt and it's funny to hear him say it. In fact he goes to the "Man store" with his preschool class tomorrow. That should be fun.

After HD I cleaned out the garage and trimmed the yard grass so Linda could cut it this evening with Charie and our new John Deere lawn tractor. We've never had a "rider" and Linda's never cut the grass so we have a couple of firsts.

For Michael and JoAnn

Ok. You've both shamed me so this short post is for you.

It's cold this morning. In fact, the heat came on in the house. We didn't have frost but I guess the potential was there. The positive side is it's sunny and clear. I'll be heading out for a run soon. I haven't decided whether to run at EI, Mt. Airy or just locally but I plan on enjoying myself after a long weekend of work. I worked both Saturday and Sunday from 07:30 till 20:00 getting home about 20:45 both nights. For some ineffable reason working those hours seem a lot longer than my usual schedule of 06:30 - 19:00. I don't get it!

Linda and I had spend Mothers' Day Weekend in Charlotte and Ciara, Matt and Aiden turned around and came to Independence this past weekend. I took Buzzy to the zoo on Friday and saw him for a few minutes Saturday night but that was about it. They'll be back in town over the 4th of July and I don't know if Linda and I will get back to Charlotte in the meantime. He's really opened up and begun talking more clearly since starting preschool in March. More on all of that in a later post. For now I've got to go.