That loud, crushing sound Mets fans heard Monday was the final closure of their window of playoff opportunity.
John Lackey to the Red Sox?
Roy Halladay to the Phillies?
The Mets? They are seemingly sitting on their hands with their heads deep inside some other body part.
They lead the league in excuses, but little else these days.
This was a team built to win in 2006-2008 and they lost in the playoffs in 2006 and collapsed both other years.
Then age and injuries overtook them and 2009 was a disgrace, new ballpark aside.
Now, outside of the remaining possibility they will overpay for Jason Bay, it seems no impact players will be heading to Flushing this off season.
Who knows? Maybe everyone will get healthy and the Mets will compete for a time with what they have and a few low-profile additions.
But I wouldn't bet on it.
For the moment, this looks like the start of one of their 5-year periods of being uncompetitive and irrelevant.
Let's just say I'm not rushing to renew my Sunday ticket plan.
12.14.2009
12.10.2009
Farewell E&P
All of my colleagues in this every-changing, ever-challenged newspaper business probably know this already, but just in case....
It was announced today that Editor & Publisher, which has been THE newspaper industry trade journal for something like 125 years, is shutting down.
No print. No online. Not even a lingering tweet or two.
The news came from by parent company The Nielsen Co. this morning.
In a bitter bit of irony, I learned this news not from the E&P website, but from The Poynter Institute's Romenesko media news site.
How sad that this iconic newspaper industry outlet was beat to the punch on the story of its own demise.
Maybe they were too stunned to post or thought that if they didn't publish the news right away somebody in corporate might change their minds.
It is sad to see. When I was starting out, trying to land my first job in newspapers, it was the place to learn what was hot and important in the industry. The classified section at the back of the-then weekly magazine was the ultimate source for jobs. Few editors with openings -- we had them back then -- ever let a job search proceed without posting a classified ad in E&P.
When I grew to be an editor I did so too, until cheaper online sites like journalismjobs.com came along.
I must admit, I went for cheaper there and I stopped my print subscription to E&P a couple of years ago once it went from weekly to monthly in print. It was just to easy -- and too free -- to read it online. And online was updated every day.
So what killed E&P is pretty much what is challenging all print publications these days.
For too long we have given our valuable content away for free. Some efforts are under way now to try to erect pay walls. My sense is that will be of limited success, but it is worth exploring.
As for the end of E&P, it will be missed by people like me who have been in this business for decades and grew up on it.
But as we are learning increasingly, nostalgia doesn't pay the bills. Original content people can't get elsewhere -- at least for a few seconds after it is posted on your web site -- and plenty of it is key.
E&P no longer had enough of that. Just ask Romenesko.
It was announced today that Editor & Publisher, which has been THE newspaper industry trade journal for something like 125 years, is shutting down.
No print. No online. Not even a lingering tweet or two.
The news came from by parent company The Nielsen Co. this morning.
In a bitter bit of irony, I learned this news not from the E&P website, but from The Poynter Institute's Romenesko media news site.
How sad that this iconic newspaper industry outlet was beat to the punch on the story of its own demise.
Maybe they were too stunned to post or thought that if they didn't publish the news right away somebody in corporate might change their minds.
It is sad to see. When I was starting out, trying to land my first job in newspapers, it was the place to learn what was hot and important in the industry. The classified section at the back of the-then weekly magazine was the ultimate source for jobs. Few editors with openings -- we had them back then -- ever let a job search proceed without posting a classified ad in E&P.
When I grew to be an editor I did so too, until cheaper online sites like journalismjobs.com came along.
I must admit, I went for cheaper there and I stopped my print subscription to E&P a couple of years ago once it went from weekly to monthly in print. It was just to easy -- and too free -- to read it online. And online was updated every day.
So what killed E&P is pretty much what is challenging all print publications these days.
For too long we have given our valuable content away for free. Some efforts are under way now to try to erect pay walls. My sense is that will be of limited success, but it is worth exploring.
As for the end of E&P, it will be missed by people like me who have been in this business for decades and grew up on it.
But as we are learning increasingly, nostalgia doesn't pay the bills. Original content people can't get elsewhere -- at least for a few seconds after it is posted on your web site -- and plenty of it is key.
E&P no longer had enough of that. Just ask Romenesko.
11.19.2009
I don't qualify
I was born and raised in New York City and only briefly lived in the Midwest.
I not only went to college, I graduated with two degrees and went on to get a Master's. Plus, I was educated in part by Jesuits.
I don't hunt.
I don't fish.
I don't drive a truck.
I don't drink much beer.
I like to read things that challenge me.
With all those qualities in hand I have come to accept two things:
We're just not folksy enough. We think being educated is a positive.
As for me, there's this other major character flaw I've borne for more than 30 years.
I work in the media.
It's a wonder they let me vote and have a drivers license.
Later.
I not only went to college, I graduated with two degrees and went on to get a Master's. Plus, I was educated in part by Jesuits.
I don't hunt.
I don't fish.
I don't drive a truck.
I don't drink much beer.
I like to read things that challenge me.
With all those qualities in hand I have come to accept two things:
- I will never be the subject of a country music song.
- And Sarah Palin will probably never consider me a real American.
We're just not folksy enough. We think being educated is a positive.
As for me, there's this other major character flaw I've borne for more than 30 years.
I work in the media.
It's a wonder they let me vote and have a drivers license.
Later.
11.04.2009
Back from where we'd never been
One week ago today, Mary and I were riding a van with a tour guide and a couple from New Hampshire, exploring the south rim of the Grand Canyon and the adjacent Navajo Nation.
Grand doesn't quite describe the Canyon. Magnificent, awesome and spectacular come closer, but if Grand is enough for the people who named it, guess it's good enough for us.
The tour was part of a really fun week-long trip that started and ended in Las Vegas and also included a detour to Hoover Dam. Neither of us are really gamblers -- Mary likes the slots a little and I played a few times -- but Vegas was still a lot off fun. We about broke even and took in shows staring Ray Romano, the winners of "America's Got Talent" and a "Rat Pack" tribute cast -- the guy doing Sinatra was pretty good.
Neither of us had ever been there before and I wouldn't place a Vegas wager on us ever going back. But much like our 25th anniversary trip to Hawaii three years ago, this was a blast from start to finish.
Among the highlights:
-- Getting the two-seat, more leg room row on Southwest both coming and going. When you have a five-hour flight ahead of you and are 6-foot-5, leg room is everything.
-- Seeing Romano at the Mirage the night we flew in. It started at 1o p.m. -- 2 a.m. by our east coast body clocks -- but we hung in there and laughed it up like natives.
-- Getting to see some of our favorites from "America's Got Talent," a show Mary and I watched quite a bit this summer. The woman who should have won -- in our opinion -- opera singer Babara Padilla --was even better live and I got to meet her after the show. We also loived the Texas Tenors and when those three guys and Padilla teamed up, it was fabulous.
-- Getting to learn all about the Grand Canyon on Wednesday and then heading out to explore it ourselves on Thursday. It just takes your breath away.
-- Dinner at the Hard Rock cafe with that iconic huge guitar out front, and drinks at Caesar's Palace.
-- The musical fountain show outside the Bellagio
-- Not working for a week and spending great time together.
The only down sides: It was pretty damn cold at the Grand Canyon -- 16 degrees when we woke up there Thursday -- and Wednesday night we found ourselves in a hotel pub where a couple actually wanted to watch a stupid early season hockey game instead of the World Series, and talked the bartender into putting it on the big screen TV. Amazing. For a few minutes I wondered if I was still in America. Needless to say we found another place to watch.
We planned this trip initially because we needed to use money we had on account with Southwest after we cancelled last spring's trip to Arizona, when son Dan was left off the travel roster with the Division III College of New Jersey baseball team
So basically, to some degree, we owe the great time we had -- not to mention the fact that Dan is now on the roster of the much better Division I George Mason University baseball team -- to the TCNJ coach being a jerk and not wanting to play those recruited by his much better predecessor.
Thanks, Coach.
Later.
Grand doesn't quite describe the Canyon. Magnificent, awesome and spectacular come closer, but if Grand is enough for the people who named it, guess it's good enough for us.
The tour was part of a really fun week-long trip that started and ended in Las Vegas and also included a detour to Hoover Dam. Neither of us are really gamblers -- Mary likes the slots a little and I played a few times -- but Vegas was still a lot off fun. We about broke even and took in shows staring Ray Romano, the winners of "America's Got Talent" and a "Rat Pack" tribute cast -- the guy doing Sinatra was pretty good.
Neither of us had ever been there before and I wouldn't place a Vegas wager on us ever going back. But much like our 25th anniversary trip to Hawaii three years ago, this was a blast from start to finish.
Among the highlights:
-- Getting the two-seat, more leg room row on Southwest both coming and going. When you have a five-hour flight ahead of you and are 6-foot-5, leg room is everything.
-- Seeing Romano at the Mirage the night we flew in. It started at 1o p.m. -- 2 a.m. by our east coast body clocks -- but we hung in there and laughed it up like natives.
-- Getting to see some of our favorites from "America's Got Talent," a show Mary and I watched quite a bit this summer. The woman who should have won -- in our opinion -- opera singer Babara Padilla --was even better live and I got to meet her after the show. We also loived the Texas Tenors and when those three guys and Padilla teamed up, it was fabulous.
-- Getting to learn all about the Grand Canyon on Wednesday and then heading out to explore it ourselves on Thursday. It just takes your breath away.
-- Dinner at the Hard Rock cafe with that iconic huge guitar out front, and drinks at Caesar's Palace.
-- The musical fountain show outside the Bellagio
-- Not working for a week and spending great time together.
The only down sides: It was pretty damn cold at the Grand Canyon -- 16 degrees when we woke up there Thursday -- and Wednesday night we found ourselves in a hotel pub where a couple actually wanted to watch a stupid early season hockey game instead of the World Series, and talked the bartender into putting it on the big screen TV. Amazing. For a few minutes I wondered if I was still in America. Needless to say we found another place to watch.
We planned this trip initially because we needed to use money we had on account with Southwest after we cancelled last spring's trip to Arizona, when son Dan was left off the travel roster with the Division III College of New Jersey baseball team
So basically, to some degree, we owe the great time we had -- not to mention the fact that Dan is now on the roster of the much better Division I George Mason University baseball team -- to the TCNJ coach being a jerk and not wanting to play those recruited by his much better predecessor.
Thanks, Coach.
Later.
10.21.2009
Which decade do you identify with?
I was born in the 1950s.
I started high school in the 1960s.
I graduated college and got my first real job in the 1970s.
I met and married my wife and we had our first three (of four) children -- David, Katie and Danny in the 1980s.
In the 1990s, I really came into my own in my career, becoming top editor of two papers and winning president's rings as one of my company's top editors. We also had our fourth child - Megan.
This decade, I've made it to USA TODAY, seen two kids graduate college, sent two others on their way to college and survived -- so far -- in the struggling newspaper industry.
The other day I read a piece asking about which decade you felt was really yours.
Yes, it said, you've lived in all of them. but which one shaped you, had the biggest impact, influenced who you are?
For me, I think I did most of the defining of who I would become in the 1970s.
I love 60s music and the 69 Mets
I love my wife and kids.
I hate the fact that I most came of age in the days of disco
But that's the fact.
That's when I went from a naive, shy kid to almost and adult who could take care of himself.
That's when I started the career that has helped pay for those kids to go to college.
That's when I went on my first dates, kissed my first girl,. had my first girlfriend, had my first part-time job and met the most people I am still friends with today.
That's when I went to my first concert, my first car and my first job in the media.
Lots of stuff has happened all the other decades...hard to believe this first one of the new millennium is almost done.
But the 70s' made me who I am...Stayin' Alive.
Later.
I started high school in the 1960s.
I graduated college and got my first real job in the 1970s.
I met and married my wife and we had our first three (of four) children -- David, Katie and Danny in the 1980s.
In the 1990s, I really came into my own in my career, becoming top editor of two papers and winning president's rings as one of my company's top editors. We also had our fourth child - Megan.
This decade, I've made it to USA TODAY, seen two kids graduate college, sent two others on their way to college and survived -- so far -- in the struggling newspaper industry.
The other day I read a piece asking about which decade you felt was really yours.
Yes, it said, you've lived in all of them. but which one shaped you, had the biggest impact, influenced who you are?
For me, I think I did most of the defining of who I would become in the 1970s.
I love 60s music and the 69 Mets
I love my wife and kids.
I hate the fact that I most came of age in the days of disco
But that's the fact.
That's when I went from a naive, shy kid to almost and adult who could take care of himself.
That's when I started the career that has helped pay for those kids to go to college.
That's when I went on my first dates, kissed my first girl,. had my first girlfriend, had my first part-time job and met the most people I am still friends with today.
That's when I went to my first concert, my first car and my first job in the media.
Lots of stuff has happened all the other decades...hard to believe this first one of the new millennium is almost done.
But the 70s' made me who I am...Stayin' Alive.
Later.
10.01.2009
This and that about that and this
It's October 1, so here's a few ups and downs from the past month...
UP: The Jets are 3-0 (who would have thought?) and the William & Mary football team is 4-0 (for the first time since 1994. The Tribe has am awfully tough game at Villanova this weekend. I credit the fast start, in some part, to daughter Megan and the very peppy pep band for their tireless inspiration.
DOWN: The Mets have been absolutely decimated by injury and absolutely awful since August. The regular season cannot end soon enough. They announced they will lower ticket prices for next season. Good idea. Paying me to watch would be a better one if they are anywhere nears as bad next year as they have been this one.
UP: Son Dan is doing great as a walk-on for the George Mason University baseball team. Off of what he's accomplished since he transferred and tried out in August, it's looking like he might end up on this Division I team with a chance to play.
DOWN: It's October and we're still nowhere near health care reform. It has to happen. We can't have people without access to health care losing everything when they fall seriously ill.
UP: Gannett stock -- over $12 a share at this writing.
DOWN: Gannett stock -- I still have shares obtained at over $80 a share. Sigh.
UP: Mary and I saw Bill Crystal at the National Theater in D.C. on Sept. 13 in his "700 Sundays" Show. Absolutely fabulous.
DOWN: We were supposed to see Peter, Paul & Mary at Wolf Trap, but sadly Mary Travers became gravely ill and passed away.
UP: Peter, Paul & Mary's music will live forever.
DOWN: Saw a really, really bad Adam Sandler movie titled "Funny People." None of the people in it were.
UP: Saw a funny movie with Sandra Bullock -- "The Proposal." Wasn't the chick flick I thought it was going to be. It was laugh out loud funny.
DOWN: Have seen several bad new TV shows I will not be seeing again, including "Cougar Town," "Hank" and the new Jay Leno Show.
UP: Saw three good new ones I'll watch again -- Modern Family. Flash Forward and The Good Wife.
DOWN: Hate having to wait till January for "24" to come back.
UP: "24" comes back in January.
DOWN: Looks like this will be the last season for "24."
UP: It definitely will be the final season for "Lost" I like the show, but it's becoming too much like homework now. Time to wrap it up.
DOWN: My weight -- 12 pounds total so far.
UP: Oldest son Dave has a great new apartment in Hoboken, which I got to see the weekend of Sept. 19-20 when I started helping him move. His sister Katie and her husband Nick came the following weekend to help with the heavy lifting.
DOWN: He lives a little further away now and we don't see him often enough.
Later.
UP: The Jets are 3-0 (who would have thought?) and the William & Mary football team is 4-0 (for the first time since 1994. The Tribe has am awfully tough game at Villanova this weekend. I credit the fast start, in some part, to daughter Megan and the very peppy pep band for their tireless inspiration.
DOWN: The Mets have been absolutely decimated by injury and absolutely awful since August. The regular season cannot end soon enough. They announced they will lower ticket prices for next season. Good idea. Paying me to watch would be a better one if they are anywhere nears as bad next year as they have been this one.
UP: Son Dan is doing great as a walk-on for the George Mason University baseball team. Off of what he's accomplished since he transferred and tried out in August, it's looking like he might end up on this Division I team with a chance to play.
DOWN: It's October and we're still nowhere near health care reform. It has to happen. We can't have people without access to health care losing everything when they fall seriously ill.
UP: Gannett stock -- over $12 a share at this writing.
DOWN: Gannett stock -- I still have shares obtained at over $80 a share. Sigh.
UP: Mary and I saw Bill Crystal at the National Theater in D.C. on Sept. 13 in his "700 Sundays" Show. Absolutely fabulous.
DOWN: We were supposed to see Peter, Paul & Mary at Wolf Trap, but sadly Mary Travers became gravely ill and passed away.
UP: Peter, Paul & Mary's music will live forever.
DOWN: Saw a really, really bad Adam Sandler movie titled "Funny People." None of the people in it were.
UP: Saw a funny movie with Sandra Bullock -- "The Proposal." Wasn't the chick flick I thought it was going to be. It was laugh out loud funny.
DOWN: Have seen several bad new TV shows I will not be seeing again, including "Cougar Town," "Hank" and the new Jay Leno Show.
UP: Saw three good new ones I'll watch again -- Modern Family. Flash Forward and The Good Wife.
DOWN: Hate having to wait till January for "24" to come back.
UP: "24" comes back in January.
DOWN: Looks like this will be the last season for "24."
UP: It definitely will be the final season for "Lost" I like the show, but it's becoming too much like homework now. Time to wrap it up.
DOWN: My weight -- 12 pounds total so far.
UP: Oldest son Dave has a great new apartment in Hoboken, which I got to see the weekend of Sept. 19-20 when I started helping him move. His sister Katie and her husband Nick came the following weekend to help with the heavy lifting.
DOWN: He lives a little further away now and we don't see him often enough.
Later.
9.13.2009
The coaster heads down
I've always loved roller coasters, though I must say it's been a few years since I've ridden one. My kids love them too. Mary....not so much.
The roller coast of weight I've been on all my life is another matter. The way I've continually ridden that one, you'd think I really loved it too. But believe me, I'd be only too happy to get off, and now I'm trying again.
The past two weeks I've been on a nice steady downhill segment. Been stepping up the walking -- more like 4 miles a day instead of 2. And been really watching the food intake -- averaging under 2,000 calories a day. The results have been good -- down 10 pounds the past two weeks. (I always tend to drop a good number the first two weeks before settling into that pound or two a week tedium.)
There's plenty more to go, but I'm feeling good. Just got back from a 4-mile Sunday walk at the park. Made it back feeling like I might go again later today.
I have confidence I can lose the weight I need to drop. Been there, done that. Twice in my life I have lost in excess of 100 pounds. Several other times 40 or more.
Problem is, a lot of it always comes back. Not as much this time, I am happy to say. But enough so I had to stop the coaster from climbing up once more.
I believe things will be different this time. The kids are all moved on, either on their own or in college, so there's not as much tempting junk food around. I'm trying to make lasting changes, not to "diet." (An ugly word if there ever was one.)
Plus, we've discovered a nearby farmers market and have been getting some great fresh, corn, apples and other fruits and vegetables. I've particularly come to enjoy eating strawberries.
I don't know if I can completely get off the coaster. There's lots of stuff I enjoy that will always make it hard. I don't think it'll ever come naturally to turn down pizza and a couple of beers, or a nice thick steak.
But when I've succeeded in the past, it's been through lots of walking and other physical activity to burn those calories. As long as my legs and sneakers hold out, I've got a shot.
Going down on a coaster is fun, thrilling and a little scary. But it's a whole lot more fun than going up.
Later
The roller coast of weight I've been on all my life is another matter. The way I've continually ridden that one, you'd think I really loved it too. But believe me, I'd be only too happy to get off, and now I'm trying again.
The past two weeks I've been on a nice steady downhill segment. Been stepping up the walking -- more like 4 miles a day instead of 2. And been really watching the food intake -- averaging under 2,000 calories a day. The results have been good -- down 10 pounds the past two weeks. (I always tend to drop a good number the first two weeks before settling into that pound or two a week tedium.)
There's plenty more to go, but I'm feeling good. Just got back from a 4-mile Sunday walk at the park. Made it back feeling like I might go again later today.
I have confidence I can lose the weight I need to drop. Been there, done that. Twice in my life I have lost in excess of 100 pounds. Several other times 40 or more.
Problem is, a lot of it always comes back. Not as much this time, I am happy to say. But enough so I had to stop the coaster from climbing up once more.
I believe things will be different this time. The kids are all moved on, either on their own or in college, so there's not as much tempting junk food around. I'm trying to make lasting changes, not to "diet." (An ugly word if there ever was one.)
Plus, we've discovered a nearby farmers market and have been getting some great fresh, corn, apples and other fruits and vegetables. I've particularly come to enjoy eating strawberries.
I don't know if I can completely get off the coaster. There's lots of stuff I enjoy that will always make it hard. I don't think it'll ever come naturally to turn down pizza and a couple of beers, or a nice thick steak.
But when I've succeeded in the past, it's been through lots of walking and other physical activity to burn those calories. As long as my legs and sneakers hold out, I've got a shot.
Going down on a coaster is fun, thrilling and a little scary. But it's a whole lot more fun than going up.
Later
9.02.2009
Falling for an early autumn
It began Aug. 31.
After weeks of hot, sticky dog days of August, we suddenly were treated to a tase of fall.
Morning temps have been in the upper 50s. My wife Mary wore and I almost put on a jacket on our daily 6:20 a.m. walk.
Lunchtime temps have been in the mid-70s -- great to get out and walk at lunch time without fear of working up a sweat.
It simply does not get better than this -- weather-wise -- in Virginia this time of year.
As my son Dave said this morning, while I spoke to him by cellphone as he walked from Penn Station to his job as a Macy's Human resources exec on Sixth Avenue and 45th, "it feels like the first day of school today."
Speaking of the first day of school....
Strangely, although the weather is suited for it, the public schools have not yet reopened here in Virginia.
Apparently there is a state law that requires schools to stay closed until the day after Labor Day. And, since Labor Day is absolutely as late as it can be this year on Sept. 7, that means no school till Tuesday, Sept. 8.
It's an extra week for me of fewer cars and no school buses to compete with on my commute to work, but it does seem strange. Seems the tourism industry got this law passed years ago.
Could be no problem, but then again, if we have more snow this winter -- as the Farmer's Almanac is predicting -- the schools might find themselves in an unnecessary scheduling bind.
As it is, in my home Loudoun County district, the number of scheduled days is the minimum 180 this year, down from 183 last year.
Later.
After weeks of hot, sticky dog days of August, we suddenly were treated to a tase of fall.
Morning temps have been in the upper 50s. My wife Mary wore and I almost put on a jacket on our daily 6:20 a.m. walk.
Lunchtime temps have been in the mid-70s -- great to get out and walk at lunch time without fear of working up a sweat.
It simply does not get better than this -- weather-wise -- in Virginia this time of year.
As my son Dave said this morning, while I spoke to him by cellphone as he walked from Penn Station to his job as a Macy's Human resources exec on Sixth Avenue and 45th, "it feels like the first day of school today."
Speaking of the first day of school....
Strangely, although the weather is suited for it, the public schools have not yet reopened here in Virginia.
Apparently there is a state law that requires schools to stay closed until the day after Labor Day. And, since Labor Day is absolutely as late as it can be this year on Sept. 7, that means no school till Tuesday, Sept. 8.
It's an extra week for me of fewer cars and no school buses to compete with on my commute to work, but it does seem strange. Seems the tourism industry got this law passed years ago.
Could be no problem, but then again, if we have more snow this winter -- as the Farmer's Almanac is predicting -- the schools might find themselves in an unnecessary scheduling bind.
As it is, in my home Loudoun County district, the number of scheduled days is the minimum 180 this year, down from 183 last year.
Later.
8.24.2009
Wondering about this and that
Our youngest daughter is all moved in at William & Mary, where classes begin on Wednesday.
Our youngest son is attending orientation and welcome week activities at George Mason University, where he has transferred to from The College of New Jersey.
Now that the college stuff is largely behind us for the moment, I'm off to do a little training in Fort Myers, Fla. for the news staff at Gannett's News-Press.
Before I go, a few thoughts....
Why does it seem President Obama is being held to the fire for not fixing in eight months what the previous administration took eight years to mess up? He's made some mistakes, no doubt. But I'd like to suggest he merits a little more time before he's so grilled from points left and right.
Speaking of the mistakes of the past eight years, I looked at my 401K for the first time in a while recently. It's actually up a bit -- but I'm pretty sure I'll never see it return to what it was a couple of years ago.
Speaking of my 401K, having two kids in college at the same time for the first time since 2006 is a real pain in the bank account.
Speaking of having two kids in college, its cool they are both now in the state of Virginia. Gotta love in-state tuition.
Speaking of the state of Virginia, it's amazing to me that pubic schools, by law, can't start before Labor Day here, unless they have a special exemption -- due to the power of the good folks in the tourism business, from what I understand.
And speaking of the good folks in the tourism business, I think I'd enjoy seeing a lot more of this beautiful state if the traffic wasn't awful just about everywhere you try to go. Coming back from Williamsburg on I-95 last weekend was a royal pain.
But not as much of a pain as writing those tuition checks.
Later.
Our youngest son is attending orientation and welcome week activities at George Mason University, where he has transferred to from The College of New Jersey.
Now that the college stuff is largely behind us for the moment, I'm off to do a little training in Fort Myers, Fla. for the news staff at Gannett's News-Press.
Before I go, a few thoughts....
Why does it seem President Obama is being held to the fire for not fixing in eight months what the previous administration took eight years to mess up? He's made some mistakes, no doubt. But I'd like to suggest he merits a little more time before he's so grilled from points left and right.
Speaking of the mistakes of the past eight years, I looked at my 401K for the first time in a while recently. It's actually up a bit -- but I'm pretty sure I'll never see it return to what it was a couple of years ago.
Speaking of my 401K, having two kids in college at the same time for the first time since 2006 is a real pain in the bank account.
Speaking of having two kids in college, its cool they are both now in the state of Virginia. Gotta love in-state tuition.
Speaking of the state of Virginia, it's amazing to me that pubic schools, by law, can't start before Labor Day here, unless they have a special exemption -- due to the power of the good folks in the tourism business, from what I understand.
And speaking of the good folks in the tourism business, I think I'd enjoy seeing a lot more of this beautiful state if the traffic wasn't awful just about everywhere you try to go. Coming back from Williamsburg on I-95 last weekend was a royal pain.
But not as much of a pain as writing those tuition checks.
Later.
8.16.2009
Weekend at random
Great weekend -- a long one since Friday was a vacation day.
Helped son Dan move out of his New Jersey college off-campus housing to his new apartment in Fairfax, Va. on Friday. A very long driving day -- 7-plus hours behind the wheel of a rented cargo van out of 9 -- but it was worth it. He's transferred to George Mason University, and it's going to be nice to have him closer to home.
Did my training for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic in the District Saturday morning. Think I can be a real help here, reading and producing filed for college and high school textbooks for those in need. Plus it's cool to have a reason to get into D.C. more often. Learning this city is one of my goals this year.
Then Dan and I went to volunteer at "ReStore," in Purcellville, Va. Saturday afternoon. It's a store of used items, the sale of which raises money for Habitat for Humanity. Put in about 2 1/2 hours putting donated items together or on display and working to help customers load stuff into their cars. I'll definitely back. I love Habitat but don't have the greatest home repair skills in the world. This is a good way to get involved.
Biggest plus of the weekend has been the unexpected visit by daughter Katie and her husband Nick, who just finished a week at the beach in Delaware with members of Nick's family. They knew Megan was leaving for William & Mary on Thursday and took the opportunity to spend the night and say good luck. Very cool.
Sunday morning I was on to lector at 7:30 a.m. Mass -- ouch -- but everyone got out of bed and came to the early Mass. Rewarded them all by springing for breakfast at the Silver Diner in Reston.
Lots of stuff coming up...Megan to William & Mary...flying to Florida to do some writing training for the Fort Myers News-Press staff; seeing Billy Crystal at the National Theater. The nest may soon be empty, but I doubt the schedule will ever get dull.
Later.
Helped son Dan move out of his New Jersey college off-campus housing to his new apartment in Fairfax, Va. on Friday. A very long driving day -- 7-plus hours behind the wheel of a rented cargo van out of 9 -- but it was worth it. He's transferred to George Mason University, and it's going to be nice to have him closer to home.
Did my training for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic in the District Saturday morning. Think I can be a real help here, reading and producing filed for college and high school textbooks for those in need. Plus it's cool to have a reason to get into D.C. more often. Learning this city is one of my goals this year.
Then Dan and I went to volunteer at "ReStore," in Purcellville, Va. Saturday afternoon. It's a store of used items, the sale of which raises money for Habitat for Humanity. Put in about 2 1/2 hours putting donated items together or on display and working to help customers load stuff into their cars. I'll definitely back. I love Habitat but don't have the greatest home repair skills in the world. This is a good way to get involved.
Biggest plus of the weekend has been the unexpected visit by daughter Katie and her husband Nick, who just finished a week at the beach in Delaware with members of Nick's family. They knew Megan was leaving for William & Mary on Thursday and took the opportunity to spend the night and say good luck. Very cool.
Sunday morning I was on to lector at 7:30 a.m. Mass -- ouch -- but everyone got out of bed and came to the early Mass. Rewarded them all by springing for breakfast at the Silver Diner in Reston.
Lots of stuff coming up...Megan to William & Mary...flying to Florida to do some writing training for the Fort Myers News-Press staff; seeing Billy Crystal at the National Theater. The nest may soon be empty, but I doubt the schedule will ever get dull.
Later.
8.09.2009
I usually like to read about growth industries...but...
Here's a story from today's Washington Post that I'm sure will really hit home with a lot of people.
It's about a business that helps companies handle layoffs...and of course about how this small start up now has almost more clients than it can handle.
Though there are signs the economy is on the upswing, clearly a recession so many years in the making isn't going away quickly.
Here's the link.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/08/AR2009080802659.html?nav%3Dhcmodule&sub=AR
It's about a business that helps companies handle layoffs...and of course about how this small start up now has almost more clients than it can handle.
Though there are signs the economy is on the upswing, clearly a recession so many years in the making isn't going away quickly.
Here's the link.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/08/AR2009080802659.html?nav%3Dhcmodule&sub=AR
8.05.2009
After the glow
Well, the vacation afterglow is officially gone.
I'm not sure I can pin down precisely when its last glimmer faded, but I think it was near the end of my second day back to work as a variety of forces beyond my control made for a long, frustrating day.
Ah well..it is better to have glowed and lost than to have never glowed at all.
It was a great week..mostly terrific beach weather at Ocean City, Md., outside of a freakish storm that included hail on a 90-degree afternoon. Go figure.
I completed four books, finally making a dent in the stack of books I have been meaning to read. Three of our four kids were able to be with us -- Dave, Dan and Megan -- and Dan's friend Rob showed up for a few days. We really missed Katie and husband Nick, but such is the life of a high-powered retail executive when there is a new Target store to open.
The Mets won five straight games while we were gone -- perhaps we could convince them to pay us to stay on vacation and away from any ability to watch them. They started losing again just as we were readying our trip home. Coincidence? I think not.
It'll be off to college for Dan (transferred to George Mason) and Megan (starting at William & Mary) in a few weeks, and then the experience of a home without full-time resident kids for the first time since Dave was born in July, 1983. That ought to be interesting.
More to come.
Later.
I'm not sure I can pin down precisely when its last glimmer faded, but I think it was near the end of my second day back to work as a variety of forces beyond my control made for a long, frustrating day.
Ah well..it is better to have glowed and lost than to have never glowed at all.
It was a great week..mostly terrific beach weather at Ocean City, Md., outside of a freakish storm that included hail on a 90-degree afternoon. Go figure.
I completed four books, finally making a dent in the stack of books I have been meaning to read. Three of our four kids were able to be with us -- Dave, Dan and Megan -- and Dan's friend Rob showed up for a few days. We really missed Katie and husband Nick, but such is the life of a high-powered retail executive when there is a new Target store to open.
The Mets won five straight games while we were gone -- perhaps we could convince them to pay us to stay on vacation and away from any ability to watch them. They started losing again just as we were readying our trip home. Coincidence? I think not.
It'll be off to college for Dan (transferred to George Mason) and Megan (starting at William & Mary) in a few weeks, and then the experience of a home without full-time resident kids for the first time since Dave was born in July, 1983. That ought to be interesting.
More to come.
Later.
7.23.2009
This and that about that and this
As our family vacation is now just a couple of days away. some odds and ends to ponder while I'm away from web and computer access:
- I don't know everything that happened at Henry Louis Gates' home when police arrested him, apparently largely for his reaction to their questions, but I do know this. Nobody who is not a minority can really know what it is like to have suspicion raised just because of the color of your skin.
- Where you stand on health care reform probably largely depends on where you sit. If you are reasonable healthy and like your current coverage, why would you want change. if you have no coverage and your kids have no coverage and you need it desperately, why wouldn't you support an overhaul. The bottom line? Most of us are one catastrophe away from being wiped out by the cost of care. It simply should not be that you risk everything you own if you happen to have an unfortunate illness of accident.
- Trying to stop delivery of the multiple free newspapers we receive each week while we're on vacation was quite a chore, and I have no confidence that I was successful. As devoutly in favor of a free press as I am for obvious reasons, it should be my choice if I receive a publication on my driveway or not. And when i say stop, that should be that. One woman I spoke with told me there was nothing she could do. Nonsense!
- I wonder why so few priests I encounter are really good at preaching. I remember those who have been very well and appreciated every one of their homilies. But so many others are dry, overly-scholarly or simply phoning it in. Seems to me being passionate and really reaching people should be a pretty important qualification to be a priest. Maybe we should hire some of the Protestant ministers I see on TV to coach our clergy. Or gee, maybe we should allow women to be priests and broaden the field of effective preachers.
- I now officially set aside my soapbox for a week.
Later.
7.18.2009
As President Barlett used to say, "What's next?"
I used to love watching "The West Wing," and still enjoy popping in the DVD every now and reliving favorite episodes. That show, especially in its early seasons, was unparalleled in its writing and overall excellence. Aaron Sorkin rules!
The most-often repeated lines written for Martin Sheen's President Bartlett character were both two-word phrases:
When he felt his staff hadn't been as sharp as they needed to be he'd admonish: "Break's over."
And when he wanted to move on, he'd end the conversation and say: "What's next?" Invariably, there were any number of choices to answer that question.
I find myself thinking "What's next?" quite a bit lately. Having reached the point where our fourth and last child is about to leave for college, I have no intention of hanging around in the empty nest.
What's next?
Well, there's always working your butt off and trying to expand horizons at work. Check. Benn there. Still doing that.
There's planning fun things to do with Mary...trips, plays, outings with friends, making new friends, reuniting with old ones. Got it. Will do.
I'm also enrolled in a class that starts this weekend, learning to do voice-over work. It'll be interesting and challenging to see how that pans out.
I've thinking also about taking on some free-lance assignments. And, I'm looking for the right volunteer opportunity. Thinking it could be with Habitat for Humanity, or maybe something working with kids. We'll see.
The good news is, there's lots of fuel left in my tank. I'm revved up and ready to go on to "what's next."
Because break's over.
Later.
The most-often repeated lines written for Martin Sheen's President Bartlett character were both two-word phrases:
When he felt his staff hadn't been as sharp as they needed to be he'd admonish: "Break's over."
And when he wanted to move on, he'd end the conversation and say: "What's next?" Invariably, there were any number of choices to answer that question.
I find myself thinking "What's next?" quite a bit lately. Having reached the point where our fourth and last child is about to leave for college, I have no intention of hanging around in the empty nest.
What's next?
Well, there's always working your butt off and trying to expand horizons at work. Check. Benn there. Still doing that.
There's planning fun things to do with Mary...trips, plays, outings with friends, making new friends, reuniting with old ones. Got it. Will do.
I'm also enrolled in a class that starts this weekend, learning to do voice-over work. It'll be interesting and challenging to see how that pans out.
I've thinking also about taking on some free-lance assignments. And, I'm looking for the right volunteer opportunity. Thinking it could be with Habitat for Humanity, or maybe something working with kids. We'll see.
The good news is, there's lots of fuel left in my tank. I'm revved up and ready to go on to "what's next."
Because break's over.
Later.
7.16.2009
Get back, get back, get back to where you once performed
How cool was that?
Wednesday afternoon, the streets around the Ed Sullivan Theater in NYC seemed like Times Square on New Year's Eve, as Sir Paul McCartney and his band performed a surprise show, set up on top of the marquee of the theater, where he was scheduled to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Of course it was in that theater 45 years ago that Paul and the rest of the Beatles performed on the old Ed Sullivan Show.
They did about 25 minutes as a packed crowd of thousands apparently decided it was OK to take the rest of the day off from work. Who could blame them?
I will never, ever forget the goosebumps i got when McCartney surprised the crowd at Shea Stadium by showing up as a guest performer at the Billy Joel concert last summer. I'd felt Shea rock during many magic Mets moments over the years, but never had I experienced anything like that.
Paul is back in town to do three concerts at the new City Field, which replaced Shea, on Friday, Saturday and Tuesday. Son Dave has been trying to get tickets. We'll see.
Here is the link to the video:
http://www.cbs.com/late_show/video/mccartney.php
Later.
Wednesday afternoon, the streets around the Ed Sullivan Theater in NYC seemed like Times Square on New Year's Eve, as Sir Paul McCartney and his band performed a surprise show, set up on top of the marquee of the theater, where he was scheduled to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Of course it was in that theater 45 years ago that Paul and the rest of the Beatles performed on the old Ed Sullivan Show.
They did about 25 minutes as a packed crowd of thousands apparently decided it was OK to take the rest of the day off from work. Who could blame them?
I will never, ever forget the goosebumps i got when McCartney surprised the crowd at Shea Stadium by showing up as a guest performer at the Billy Joel concert last summer. I'd felt Shea rock during many magic Mets moments over the years, but never had I experienced anything like that.
Paul is back in town to do three concerts at the new City Field, which replaced Shea, on Friday, Saturday and Tuesday. Son Dave has been trying to get tickets. We'll see.
Here is the link to the video:
http://www.cbs.com/late_show/video/mccartney.php
Later.
7.13.2009
The Dentist
I'm not one of those who hesitates to go to the dentist. I saw how badly my parents' teeth had deteriorated by the time they were the age I am now, and I want to try to keep the same thing from happening to me.
Although I've had to go through crowns, a few root canals, a bridge and gum treatments over the years, the bottom line is, so far so good.
I know it's not fun, but it's not as bad as some people seem to think.
I do wish, though, they'd told me the same things when I was younger than I hear now.
The dentist I want to as a kid and teen never mentioned the word floss. The fillings I got back then were silver and, it turns out, deteriorated after a time.
There's clearly been much progress since those days, but unfortunately too late to keep people like me in their 50s from having to go through a lot of procedures to keep things OK.
But I'll keep going. Beats the heck out of dentures and toothless grins.
Later.
Although I've had to go through crowns, a few root canals, a bridge and gum treatments over the years, the bottom line is, so far so good.
I know it's not fun, but it's not as bad as some people seem to think.
I do wish, though, they'd told me the same things when I was younger than I hear now.
The dentist I want to as a kid and teen never mentioned the word floss. The fillings I got back then were silver and, it turns out, deteriorated after a time.
There's clearly been much progress since those days, but unfortunately too late to keep people like me in their 50s from having to go through a lot of procedures to keep things OK.
But I'll keep going. Beats the heck out of dentures and toothless grins.
Later.
7.10.2009
Amazin' Mess -- Part 3
Back in the early and mid 1990s. I had a newspaper editorial cartoon tacked up to the bulletin board in my office at work someone (not a Mets fan) had given me.
It had two panels. The first had a perspective passenger asking a cab driver how he could get to Carnegie Hall. The cabbie used the old punch line: "Practice. Practice."
The second panel had the same perspective passenger asking the cabbie how he could get to Shea Stadium. This time, the cabbie answered: "Don't practice. Don't practice."
After last night's embarrassing (aren't they all these days) 11-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, I was reminded of that cartoon and at how frequently, in their still relatively brief 47-year-history, this team has gone into prolonged funks that lasted several years.
Putting aside the team's initial 7 seasons (1962-68), which ended with the glorious Miracle Mets in 1969, the team from Flushing has been virtually non-competitive for several extended periods.
The decline started with Yogi still at the helm in 1974 and continued after he was fired under Roy McMillan. Then they became absolutely awful from 1977-1983 under Joe Frazier, Joe Torre and George Bamburger and Frank Howard before enjoying resurrection and either winning or at least contending under Davey Johnson (and some talented guys named Gooden, Strawberry, Hernandez, Carter et al) from 1984-1991.
The worm turned again in 1991 at the end of the brief (not brief enough?) Bud Harrelson regime, and continued through 1996 under Jeff Torborg and Dallas Green, before Bobby Valentine arrived on the scene.
The Valentine era was another fun one, until he got the ax at the end of the 2002 season. Then there was another two-year down time under Art ("He lit up the room") Howe, before Willie Randolph's first couple of years. But the loss to the Cardinals in the 2006 playoffs, and the collapses at the end of the '07 and '08 seasons under Willie and then current manager Jerry Manual has me thinking we may be in for another long losing stretch.
Yes, there have been many major injuries this year, but don't forget this is the same crew that collapsed the past two years. The crystal ball is not looking good for this team, which I believe lost its championship window of opportunity along with Game 7 in the 2006 NLCS.
Key players are aging and rapidly declining. The minor league system is virtually barren.
Yogi is reputed to have once remarked as only he can: "It gets late early here."
I think it gets ugly early here too.
Later.
It had two panels. The first had a perspective passenger asking a cab driver how he could get to Carnegie Hall. The cabbie used the old punch line: "Practice. Practice."
The second panel had the same perspective passenger asking the cabbie how he could get to Shea Stadium. This time, the cabbie answered: "Don't practice. Don't practice."
After last night's embarrassing (aren't they all these days) 11-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, I was reminded of that cartoon and at how frequently, in their still relatively brief 47-year-history, this team has gone into prolonged funks that lasted several years.
Putting aside the team's initial 7 seasons (1962-68), which ended with the glorious Miracle Mets in 1969, the team from Flushing has been virtually non-competitive for several extended periods.
The decline started with Yogi still at the helm in 1974 and continued after he was fired under Roy McMillan. Then they became absolutely awful from 1977-1983 under Joe Frazier, Joe Torre and George Bamburger and Frank Howard before enjoying resurrection and either winning or at least contending under Davey Johnson (and some talented guys named Gooden, Strawberry, Hernandez, Carter et al) from 1984-1991.
The worm turned again in 1991 at the end of the brief (not brief enough?) Bud Harrelson regime, and continued through 1996 under Jeff Torborg and Dallas Green, before Bobby Valentine arrived on the scene.
The Valentine era was another fun one, until he got the ax at the end of the 2002 season. Then there was another two-year down time under Art ("He lit up the room") Howe, before Willie Randolph's first couple of years. But the loss to the Cardinals in the 2006 playoffs, and the collapses at the end of the '07 and '08 seasons under Willie and then current manager Jerry Manual has me thinking we may be in for another long losing stretch.
Yes, there have been many major injuries this year, but don't forget this is the same crew that collapsed the past two years. The crystal ball is not looking good for this team, which I believe lost its championship window of opportunity along with Game 7 in the 2006 NLCS.
Key players are aging and rapidly declining. The minor league system is virtually barren.
Yogi is reputed to have once remarked as only he can: "It gets late early here."
I think it gets ugly early here too.
Later.
7.09.2009
Making memories - Thanks, Harry
Mary and Megan leave Sunday for a week of service with a group from St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Reston. They're going back to Nazareth Farm in West Virginia, where Mary has taken various church groups over the years. She's been joined by Megan, Dan and last year, Megan on those trips, along with myriad other teens from parishes here and in New Jersey.
It'll be hard having them gone for a week, but I know it's a special place and a special time helping the poor and needy of Appalachia.
Here's wishing them a safe trip and another wonderful week of memories. There's been nothing more important, I believe, in raising our four kids, than taking advantage of opportunities to make memories.
Now, as they are almost all grown, it's been terrific to see them share those memories and go out of their way to make the road trips necessary now for us to get together and make more from NJ, PA and VA.
I love the late Harry Chapin's music as I've written here before. One of his most commercially successful songs was "Cat's In the Cradle." I so remember hearing the words about the father and son who kept missing opportunities to be together, and remember, even as a late teen, vowing that would never be me.
Fortunately, it never has been for either Mary or me. And now that the kids have grown, they aren't letting it be them either.
I had great parents, as did Mary, so we both grew up with fine examples of being good parents. But for me, Harry's song was always in the back of my mind, especially those days when I might have been tired and didn't want to get up and do what one of the kids wanted to do. I may have said no once in a while, but most of the time it was always yes.
Here's a link to Harry performing that song if you're included to spend a few minutes with it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH46SmVv8SU
Later.
It'll be hard having them gone for a week, but I know it's a special place and a special time helping the poor and needy of Appalachia.
Here's wishing them a safe trip and another wonderful week of memories. There's been nothing more important, I believe, in raising our four kids, than taking advantage of opportunities to make memories.
Now, as they are almost all grown, it's been terrific to see them share those memories and go out of their way to make the road trips necessary now for us to get together and make more from NJ, PA and VA.
I love the late Harry Chapin's music as I've written here before. One of his most commercially successful songs was "Cat's In the Cradle." I so remember hearing the words about the father and son who kept missing opportunities to be together, and remember, even as a late teen, vowing that would never be me.
Fortunately, it never has been for either Mary or me. And now that the kids have grown, they aren't letting it be them either.
I had great parents, as did Mary, so we both grew up with fine examples of being good parents. But for me, Harry's song was always in the back of my mind, especially those days when I might have been tired and didn't want to get up and do what one of the kids wanted to do. I may have said no once in a while, but most of the time it was always yes.
Here's a link to Harry performing that song if you're included to spend a few minutes with it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH46SmVv8SU
Later.
7.08.2009
Amazin' Mess - Part 2
Oldest son Dave, who was born in 1983, might have exhibited a little hyperbole and a lack of historic perspective when he wrote on Facebook today that "the 2009 Mets may possibly be the worst team of all time."
Bad as they are, I do believe the will win at least two of their remaining 80 games and surpass the 40 won by the 1962 Mets, the Major League Baseball standard for futility.
Although the way they are not hitting, not catching the ball and not pitching it may seem hard to imagine, it's probably a pretty safe bet they'll win enough of those 80 to surpass the following teams that lost 100 games:
1962: 40-120
1963: 51-111
1964: 53-109
1965: 50-112
1993: 59-103
1967: 61-101
That having been said, their current level of "play" has made them unwatchable. As such, I have not sat down to watch a game since last Thursday's win over the Pirates.
Their many injuries do supply a certain level of explanation. Being without Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, John Maine, Oliver Perez and J.J. Putz for so long has certainly provided a mountain for the Mets to climb.
But that doesn't excuse how awfully they have played. Their many errors, misjudgments, base running blunders and myriad failures to execute baseball basics should not be happening. While they are decidedly playing the B-team, the Bees are also major league players and should be expected to perform at that level most of the time.
That they have played as poorly as they have lands squarely in the laps of GM Omar Manaya and manager Jerry Manual. Both, if this level of play continues, should be looking for new jobs come October.
Bring back Booby V.!
Later.
Bad as they are, I do believe the will win at least two of their remaining 80 games and surpass the 40 won by the 1962 Mets, the Major League Baseball standard for futility.
Although the way they are not hitting, not catching the ball and not pitching it may seem hard to imagine, it's probably a pretty safe bet they'll win enough of those 80 to surpass the following teams that lost 100 games:
1962: 40-120
1963: 51-111
1964: 53-109
1965: 50-112
1993: 59-103
1967: 61-101
That having been said, their current level of "play" has made them unwatchable. As such, I have not sat down to watch a game since last Thursday's win over the Pirates.
Their many injuries do supply a certain level of explanation. Being without Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, John Maine, Oliver Perez and J.J. Putz for so long has certainly provided a mountain for the Mets to climb.
But that doesn't excuse how awfully they have played. Their many errors, misjudgments, base running blunders and myriad failures to execute baseball basics should not be happening. While they are decidedly playing the B-team, the Bees are also major league players and should be expected to perform at that level most of the time.
That they have played as poorly as they have lands squarely in the laps of GM Omar Manaya and manager Jerry Manual. Both, if this level of play continues, should be looking for new jobs come October.
Bring back Booby V.!
Later.
7.07.2009
This and that about that and this
Some random observations from the FKB desk...
Visited the National Harbor last weekend for the special July 3 fireworks show sponsored by the Gaylord National Hotel. Great show, but the hotel, although physically very nice, was awful in almost every other respect. They were just not prepared for the big turnout. Check-in was like an airport line..it took 30 minutes to get checked in. Elevators were extremely slow and it took us 20 minutes to get one to get back up to our room after the show. The one restaurant still open after the show -- out of 7 on the property -- had a waiting time of 45 minutes to place a food order -- AFTER you waited for a table. And now, wife Mary tells, me, they charged her debit card twice.
Unbelievably bad! Run away if anyone ever suggests you stay there.
****
I will always be a Mets fan -- I don't believe the team you rooted for as a kid is really something you can ever change. But with all their injuries and awful play, they have become downright unwatchable this year. I didn't watch an inning of their series in Philadelphia last weekend -- three losses of course. I'll probably pop them on for a brief while when I get home from work tonight, but the odds are they will not be a fun diversion.
****
Megan is off to college in six weeks and two days. The empty nest beckons.
Later.
Visited the National Harbor last weekend for the special July 3 fireworks show sponsored by the Gaylord National Hotel. Great show, but the hotel, although physically very nice, was awful in almost every other respect. They were just not prepared for the big turnout. Check-in was like an airport line..it took 30 minutes to get checked in. Elevators were extremely slow and it took us 20 minutes to get one to get back up to our room after the show. The one restaurant still open after the show -- out of 7 on the property -- had a waiting time of 45 minutes to place a food order -- AFTER you waited for a table. And now, wife Mary tells, me, they charged her debit card twice.
Unbelievably bad! Run away if anyone ever suggests you stay there.
****
I will always be a Mets fan -- I don't believe the team you rooted for as a kid is really something you can ever change. But with all their injuries and awful play, they have become downright unwatchable this year. I didn't watch an inning of their series in Philadelphia last weekend -- three losses of course. I'll probably pop them on for a brief while when I get home from work tonight, but the odds are they will not be a fun diversion.
****
Megan is off to college in six weeks and two days. The empty nest beckons.
Later.
7.05.2009
Another tragedy with questions
By all accounts Steve McNair was a good guy in addition to having been a fine NFL quarterback. So why was he shot four times and murdered, and why was a woman, not his wife, dead beside him?
I heard on the TV news tonight that a huge crowd was expected for a memorial service for McNair, and I guess that's fine if fans feel the need. But the need to hero worship people who have left so many unanswered questions puzzles me.
I'd refer some answers to how events transpired before the pedestal construction begins.
Later.
I heard on the TV news tonight that a huge crowd was expected for a memorial service for McNair, and I guess that's fine if fans feel the need. But the need to hero worship people who have left so many unanswered questions puzzles me.
I'd refer some answers to how events transpired before the pedestal construction begins.
Later.
7.02.2009
Crying for a celebrity
I know this is going to sound harsh and unfeeling, but I cannot recall a single time I have cried when someone famous died.
The worst I ever remember feeling at the death of a celebrity was when Harry Chapin, whose music and personality I loved, died in a car accident in 1981.
I had seen him in several concerts and respected him greatly for his tireless work for World Hunger Year. I played his songs constantly on my guitar (still do from time to time) and he was more important to me than any musician has been before or since.
But I don't recall shedding any tears.
The photos and video I've seen in the aftermath of Michael Jackson's death got me thinking about this and wondering why so many people seem so distraught.
Is there something wrong with me?
Then I did a little informal unscientific survey at my office and found only one out of a dozen or so people I asked ever remembered crying when a celebrity died -- one guy said he did when John Lennon was shot.
I cried long and hard when my mom and dad passed away. I suspect I always will when faced with the death of a close loved one.
But a celebrity I never met? Not so far.
I'd be interested to hear from those who have experienced such emotion when a famous person they never met died and get a sense of what moved them to that point.
Later.
The worst I ever remember feeling at the death of a celebrity was when Harry Chapin, whose music and personality I loved, died in a car accident in 1981.
I had seen him in several concerts and respected him greatly for his tireless work for World Hunger Year. I played his songs constantly on my guitar (still do from time to time) and he was more important to me than any musician has been before or since.
But I don't recall shedding any tears.
The photos and video I've seen in the aftermath of Michael Jackson's death got me thinking about this and wondering why so many people seem so distraught.
Is there something wrong with me?
Then I did a little informal unscientific survey at my office and found only one out of a dozen or so people I asked ever remembered crying when a celebrity died -- one guy said he did when John Lennon was shot.
I cried long and hard when my mom and dad passed away. I suspect I always will when faced with the death of a close loved one.
But a celebrity I never met? Not so far.
I'd be interested to hear from those who have experienced such emotion when a famous person they never met died and get a sense of what moved them to that point.
Later.
6.30.2009
Back at it
Hit the ground running back at work yesterday. Lots to do, but it actually felt good being back in gear and contributing.
Believe me, I've got nothing against vacation -- although I much prefer when they are paid and not the forced furlough variety.
But for whatever reason when I return from time off, I am usually happy to be at my job, getting things done and trying to make a difference. Maybe it's that German work ethic tradition I was raised with. No doubt I'm blessed doing something I basically enjoy.
I also enjoy being around the people I work with. I know there's a lot of telecommuting these days -- people working from home by computer. I've done that some days myself. But I'm sure I would miss the back and forth exchanges with co-workers if I was working in my basement office too frequently.
Check back with me to see if I still feel that way the day after Labor Day when the traffic resumes being horrible.
Later.
Believe me, I've got nothing against vacation -- although I much prefer when they are paid and not the forced furlough variety.
But for whatever reason when I return from time off, I am usually happy to be at my job, getting things done and trying to make a difference. Maybe it's that German work ethic tradition I was raised with. No doubt I'm blessed doing something I basically enjoy.
I also enjoy being around the people I work with. I know there's a lot of telecommuting these days -- people working from home by computer. I've done that some days myself. But I'm sure I would miss the back and forth exchanges with co-workers if I was working in my basement office too frequently.
Check back with me to see if I still feel that way the day after Labor Day when the traffic resumes being horrible.
Later.
6.28.2009
Rascal Flatts and 28
Mary and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary yesterday. Amazing...yes she still is.
I got us tickets to see Rascal Flatts in concert at the Nissan Center in Virginia to celebrate...great show! Darius Rucker, sans the Blowfish, opened up. He's made an impressive transition to country. Rascal Flatts has lots of great songs. Our favorite is "God Blessed the Broken Road."
Not really sure how this city boy started to become a country music fan, but I am. Those who know me from way back may recall I hosted a country music show on my college radio station -- WFUV-FM at Fordham 1975-77 -- but that was more or less because that was the show that needed a host and I wanted a show. Now, I listen to the music -- XM Channel 16 "The Highway" is constantly on my car radio -- just because I like it. '
It also runs in the family. Both sons Dave and Dan attended a Kenny Chesney concert in Philly last night.
As for the anniversary, what can I say?. We're blessed and we know it. Thanks, God.
Later.
I got us tickets to see Rascal Flatts in concert at the Nissan Center in Virginia to celebrate...great show! Darius Rucker, sans the Blowfish, opened up. He's made an impressive transition to country. Rascal Flatts has lots of great songs. Our favorite is "God Blessed the Broken Road."
Not really sure how this city boy started to become a country music fan, but I am. Those who know me from way back may recall I hosted a country music show on my college radio station -- WFUV-FM at Fordham 1975-77 -- but that was more or less because that was the show that needed a host and I wanted a show. Now, I listen to the music -- XM Channel 16 "The Highway" is constantly on my car radio -- just because I like it. '
It also runs in the family. Both sons Dave and Dan attended a Kenny Chesney concert in Philly last night.
As for the anniversary, what can I say?. We're blessed and we know it. Thanks, God.
Later.
6.26.2009
Driving in the city
I was born and raised and learned to drive in New York City. So, while I have lived in mostly suburban areas the past 30 years or so, it never takes more than a few minutes back in the Big Apple to get my city driving legs back.
This week, I visited Queens to take in a pair of Mets games at the new Citi Field in Flushing. (Great park, by the way.) The old skills were much in demand as I wended my way through construction, heavy traffic and accidents -- sometimes all at once.
Driving in NYC requires constant vigilance, a fearless attitude and a don't take any crap from anyone philosophy. It's not that I like driving like that, but with people willing to cut you off at any moment, last second lane changers and ...OK there's no other way top say this .. and oversupply of complete idiots...there is no other way to approach things.
My one regret from this otherwise fun week -- hey the Mets won both games and I saw my son and a good friend -- is that my 2007 Honda CRV has such a pathetically wimpy sounding horn. It's hard to get your displeasure or warning shot across when your horn sounds like some little baby clown car. Gonna have to look into replacing it.
Later.
This week, I visited Queens to take in a pair of Mets games at the new Citi Field in Flushing. (Great park, by the way.) The old skills were much in demand as I wended my way through construction, heavy traffic and accidents -- sometimes all at once.
Driving in NYC requires constant vigilance, a fearless attitude and a don't take any crap from anyone philosophy. It's not that I like driving like that, but with people willing to cut you off at any moment, last second lane changers and ...OK there's no other way top say this .. and oversupply of complete idiots...there is no other way to approach things.
My one regret from this otherwise fun week -- hey the Mets won both games and I saw my son and a good friend -- is that my 2007 Honda CRV has such a pathetically wimpy sounding horn. It's hard to get your displeasure or warning shot across when your horn sounds like some little baby clown car. Gonna have to look into replacing it.
Later.
6.24.2009
The Drive
So I'm off to New York and New Jersey once again this week. With grown kids Dave living in Bergen County, N.J. and daughter Katie and her husband Nick living in Montgomery County, Pa., these trips up I-95 are frequent.
In some ways that's great. I love seeing them. In other ways, the trips -- especially the trips home -- always seem like an ordeal. Going generally seems to be more pleasant -- you're anticipating the visit and whatever else you're going to be doing. Coming home? You just want to get there and it never seems like you do quickly enough.
Taking a slightly different approach this week. I went to the library yesterday -- having dusted the cobwebs off of my library card -- and took out an audio book. I went for light stuff -- a Spenser detective novel by my favorite guilty pleasure author Robert Parker. I've only tried this once before, but it was years ago, so I thought I'd give it another shot. This book, should my mind wander -- as it almost always does -- should be very easy to pick back up. We'll see.
Wonder how many times I'll shake my head this trip at people who don't have EZ-Pass.
Later.
In some ways that's great. I love seeing them. In other ways, the trips -- especially the trips home -- always seem like an ordeal. Going generally seems to be more pleasant -- you're anticipating the visit and whatever else you're going to be doing. Coming home? You just want to get there and it never seems like you do quickly enough.
Taking a slightly different approach this week. I went to the library yesterday -- having dusted the cobwebs off of my library card -- and took out an audio book. I went for light stuff -- a Spenser detective novel by my favorite guilty pleasure author Robert Parker. I've only tried this once before, but it was years ago, so I thought I'd give it another shot. This book, should my mind wander -- as it almost always does -- should be very easy to pick back up. We'll see.
Wonder how many times I'll shake my head this trip at people who don't have EZ-Pass.
Later.
6.23.2009
Amazin' Mess
Last night, oldest son Dave and friends were at the Cardinals-Mets game at the new Citi Field in Queens. He texted me when he arrived. These were tickets from the 15-game package (10 Sunday games) I've maintained even these past two years of living in Virginia -- and since he works in NYC and lives in NJ, he uses most of the weekday game tickets.
When I texted him back that yet another Mets starter -- center fielder Carlos Beltran -- had been placed on this disabled list -- joining first baseman Carlos Delgado, shortstop Jose Reyes and a litany of pitchers -- he texted me back the following:
"Who's on first, what's on second and the only one I know (David Wright -- the last man standing from the team's core) is on third"
It is true, the Mets injury situation this year has become almost as silly as the famous Abbott and Costello "Who's on First? routine. Except Mets fans are not laughing, though Yankees and Phillies fans probably are.
Just one of those years I guess, and so far, through it all, we remain just 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies in the National League East. That bubble likely will burst -- you can only survive with a lineup of reserves and minor league call-ups for so long. And the Phillies, who by comparison have suffered very few injuries, aren't going to play badly enough to keep us in the race the whole season. Right?
Anyway, I'll see this mess first hand this week. I'm going to the Wednesday night game with Dave and Thursday afternoon game with former Daily Record colleagues Bill and Fred. I'm guessing the minor league lineup won't result in any minor league prices.
Later.
When I texted him back that yet another Mets starter -- center fielder Carlos Beltran -- had been placed on this disabled list -- joining first baseman Carlos Delgado, shortstop Jose Reyes and a litany of pitchers -- he texted me back the following:
"Who's on first, what's on second and the only one I know (David Wright -- the last man standing from the team's core) is on third"
It is true, the Mets injury situation this year has become almost as silly as the famous Abbott and Costello "Who's on First? routine. Except Mets fans are not laughing, though Yankees and Phillies fans probably are.
Just one of those years I guess, and so far, through it all, we remain just 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies in the National League East. That bubble likely will burst -- you can only survive with a lineup of reserves and minor league call-ups for so long. And the Phillies, who by comparison have suffered very few injuries, aren't going to play badly enough to keep us in the race the whole season. Right?
Anyway, I'll see this mess first hand this week. I'm going to the Wednesday night game with Dave and Thursday afternoon game with former Daily Record colleagues Bill and Fred. I'm guessing the minor league lineup won't result in any minor league prices.
Later.
6.22.2009
"Furcation"
Generally, I hate contrived non-word words like this, but "furcation" does seem to be the widely-accepted way to describe being off for a week without pay...which I am this week.
This is the third such week of the year, and of course the year is not yet half over. No way yet to know if there will be further pay-less weeks the rest of the year as the newspaper industry overall and Gannett Co. Inc. look to redefine themselves in the vanishing print newspaper era. I imagine there will be some further cuts in the second half of the year
Bottom line, we're going to have to find some way to:
1. Convince advertisers of the value of the web views vs. traditional newspaper pages.
2. We've got to develop a workable way to get at least some content paid for.
We let the genie out of the bottle with free content long ago, so the latter is going to be very difficult unless universally adopted somehow without violating anti-trust laws.
Anyway, I've have found it is important to have things planned during these weeks of "furcation," and I do have something planned each day this week...from a class I am taking to going to the District with daughter Megan to a couple of Mets games and a Rascal Flatts concert with my wife Mary as we celebrate our 28th anniversary next Saturday. More on that on a future post.
Later.
This is the third such week of the year, and of course the year is not yet half over. No way yet to know if there will be further pay-less weeks the rest of the year as the newspaper industry overall and Gannett Co. Inc. look to redefine themselves in the vanishing print newspaper era. I imagine there will be some further cuts in the second half of the year
Bottom line, we're going to have to find some way to:
1. Convince advertisers of the value of the web views vs. traditional newspaper pages.
2. We've got to develop a workable way to get at least some content paid for.
We let the genie out of the bottle with free content long ago, so the latter is going to be very difficult unless universally adopted somehow without violating anti-trust laws.
Anyway, I've have found it is important to have things planned during these weeks of "furcation," and I do have something planned each day this week...from a class I am taking to going to the District with daughter Megan to a couple of Mets games and a Rascal Flatts concert with my wife Mary as we celebrate our 28th anniversary next Saturday. More on that on a future post.
Later.
6.21.2009
Getting Started
Thanks to my super-creative, newly H.S.-graduated daughter Megan, I have entered the blogosphere. Be interesting -- for me anyway -- to see how this goes. I do admit I have missed the weekly newspaper column I wrote for many years in Morris County, N.J. and Lansdale, Pa. before I came to USA TODAY two years ago and started focusing solely on editing what other people write.
Neat, Meg. Beats the heck out of a tie or a World's Best Dad T-shirt.
So, here goes. This weekend was great in so many ways. Besides my birthday and Father's Day, it was Megan's HS graduation weekend. All three of her siblings came to Virginia for the occasions, and it was fabulous -- even when we went to the bowling center and proved once again that none of us can bowl.
The so-called empty nest approaches with Megan heading to William & Mary in August. But judging by how great we've all done hitting the road to see each other the past two years since the move to Virginia, I suspect the nest won't feel all that empty.
A the Zen master said, "we'll see." (Charlie Wilson's War reference. You could look it up.)
Later.
Neat, Meg. Beats the heck out of a tie or a World's Best Dad T-shirt.
So, here goes. This weekend was great in so many ways. Besides my birthday and Father's Day, it was Megan's HS graduation weekend. All three of her siblings came to Virginia for the occasions, and it was fabulous -- even when we went to the bowling center and proved once again that none of us can bowl.
The so-called empty nest approaches with Megan heading to William & Mary in August. But judging by how great we've all done hitting the road to see each other the past two years since the move to Virginia, I suspect the nest won't feel all that empty.
A the Zen master said, "we'll see." (Charlie Wilson's War reference. You could look it up.)
Later.
Father's Day Present
Dear New Readers,
It's easy for me to say that, as all readers right now are new. The blog is new =) This blog is actually a Father's Day present from my youngest daughter, Megan. While soon there will be mind-blowing insights and life-altering quandaries to be found on this blog, it is obviously currently rather bare. Hang in there and keep coming back to see the site as it's updated!
It's easy for me to say that, as all readers right now are new. The blog is new =) This blog is actually a Father's Day present from my youngest daughter, Megan. While soon there will be mind-blowing insights and life-altering quandaries to be found on this blog, it is obviously currently rather bare. Hang in there and keep coming back to see the site as it's updated!
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