Ride Up The Coast

Well this morning I took a ride up the coast with my pal Mike. Steph
and I (and some friends for KU including Mike) are doing the Kansas
half in June.
The pic is not from this morning bit this is the view from the portion
of the rise that travels through Cardiff.

Heaven.....

My Giggling Gal

My little lady thinks her dad is a funny guy!

Big Day!

Well it was a BUSY day for little Kenzie yesterday. She had her first bit of "food." It was soupy rice cereal but she used a spoon so it qualified. She didn't care for it too much and ended up grabbing the spoon out of mommies hands.

Kenzie also showed us how she can do a "push-up" and look around. She will be mobile in no time. Mom and Dad better get ready.....

And after a brief blogging intermission....

Our Little Jumper!!!

My new toy!!!

I love my new toy!!!! Thanks uncle Sean!!!

Rolling Over!!!!

This rolling over thing is EASY! And I think it is funny how easy it is for me to get mom and dad to talk so silly.

First (Real) Doctor's Visit!!!!

So today we took the little lady to her first (real) doctor's visit with our pediatrician. Our pediatrician went on vacation the day Mackenzie was born and returned the day after her two week check-up, so this was the first time he saw her.
They weighed her (10 pounds - 25th percentile) and measured her (23 3/4 inches - 90th percentile). And at the end they stuck her with three needles which was the most horrible thing I have even been through.
The scream of terror is indescribable, and I fear that she will blame me for that pain for years to come. Other than that, she was a very good girl, considering that she was super tired, half-naked, and very hungry.

My Morning Stretching Routine....

And now for something ..........

Relaxing in Del Mar

So my mom and dad took me to Southern California last weekend. We stayed in Del Mar, met some friends in downtown San Diego for lunch (Ramz and Co.), had dinner out on the town (Luke and Amy), had breakfast in Solana Beach (Mike, Theresa and Ross). It was great - and except for one accident at dinner, I went easy on mom and dad. Really, most of my time was sitting around the resort, swimming in my indoor pool, and going for long walks with my old man (he couldn't hack it - passed out after our walk).

My indoor pool



The view of the adult pool outside my room (I let my mom and dad stay there also)


Me and the old man after our walk

At breakfast in Solana Beach



Relaxing in my plush bed

Twice in a Week!

Well my last swimming workout worked so well I thought I would take my dad back to the pool tonight. This time, we swam for a lot longer. I even did a back float and we bounced around for a bit. It was great! But when we got out, the wind was a bit chilly and I had to take a nice warm bath.



[This video was taken a few weeks ago, but dad couldn't figure out how to upload it....]

Taking My First Dip With Dad!!!

Well I didn't want to say anything, but dad hasn't been making it to the pool quite as often as he should be going. So today, after a long day of sleeping and visiting my cousins Abby and Eve, and a few aunts and uncles, and grandma and grandpa, I decided it was time I took matters into my own hand. So I took Dad to the pool and made him do a few laps. It just so happened to be my first time in the pool also!

Keep up Dad

Ok. First, let's get something straight.... If I am going to work out everyday with tummy time, streching, and no snacking between my 8 meals a day, I expect my dad to record my big accomplishments when they happen. For example, the other day I am laying on my mom and dad's bed and I think to myself, "hey I haven't tried rolling over, maybe I should give that a try." So I go ahead and roll over. Well, dad decides to record only a little bit of my roll. What is up with that?



Anyways, next time I do something cool, I expect dad to get it all down on tape, and not just a few moments. Keep up dad - things aren't going to get any slower for you.

Joining the Jet Set?

So my girls left this morning to head back to the Midwest to visit the fam out there. It was a real hastle getting Mackenzie past security, waiting in the boarding line ..... oh wait. Mackenzie doesn't travel with the commoners.

We pulled up next to the jet, she boarded the plane, and they were off. So little Mack's first travelling experience was on a private jet. Let's hope she doesn't get used to it.

Now daddy has a few days to work, hang out, watch some of the Tour de France, and catch up on some sleep.

Are you kidding me?

So on Thursday, July 3rd was my godson's FIRST birthday. I think he was none too excited to find out that the goofy guy with the camera was his godfather.

Happy Birthday Mark!

Retraction

I retract my ealier statement that "Mackenzie is pretty mellow so far. She let us sleep all night and seems to be picking up this "living' thing pretty quickly."

She does not let us sleep all night. While she does sleep in four hours blocks, that equates to three hour blocks for mom and dad. Two three hour blocks doesn't feel like enough.

Happy girl

So I turned one week old last night. To celebrate we had a low key evening: movie, ice cream and q.t. with mom, dad and grandma. Auntie #6 came over also!
To top it off, I let mom and dad sleep a lot more - almost 7 hours (not in a row of course)!
Anyways, I have a pretty low key second week of life planned. But then things are going to get crazy. My cousin Mark is coming to Reno for his one year bday party and I get to meet him and Uncle #5 and Aunt #10.
Mark has already distinguished himself as one of the top competitors on the mom-push go-cart circuit so I can't wait to hear his racing stories.

June 18

So Mackenzie decided to join us on June 18. I will never forget that day. The 18th of June is occupied with great achievements by famous women throughout history, or at least american history. For example, in addition to the birth of Mackenzie....

1429 - French forces under the leadership of Joan of Arc defeat the main English army under Sir John Fastolf at the Battle of Patay. This turns the tide of the Hundred Years' War.

1873 - Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.

1928 - Aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean (she was a passenger; Wilmer Stutz was the pilot and Lou Gordon the mechanic).

1983 - Space Shuttle program: STS-7, Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.

Other facts about June 18th:

Before Mackenzie's birth, there seems to be an absense of famous people born on June 18. However, among those sharing Mackenzie's birthday, John D. Rockefeller IV, U.S. Senator was born in 1936, Roger Ebert, American film reviewer was born in 1942, and Sir Paul McCartney, English singer and songwriter (The Beatles) was also born in 1942.

You can check out the Library of Congress or wikipedia for other things that happened on various days.

Back at Home

Well we have succesfully made it through the first few days in my new home. I love hanging out with my mom and grandma: not sure about that guy they call "dad," he seems like he is in way over his head. Hope he makes it.
Anyways, I had my first bath today and last night I let my mom and dad have about 3 hours of sleep, so things are good.

Few more pics.....

Here are a few more pics of me, Big Mack (now that I am around full time, I may guest blog from time to time).

Dad says I have have been great, and I think I am going to take mom and dad home tomorrow. I got a few shots today so I am not speaking to the nurse right now, but with grandma and the rest of the Kansas clan out to hang out with me, I have plenty of people to hang out with.

Anyways, enough blogging, dad wants to hold me.

Born, yesterday, June 18, 2008, at 5:25 p.m.
Mackenzie Lynn
7 lbs., 20 inches.

Things will never be the same.

#13 was incredible.

Mackenzie is pretty mellow so far. She let us sleep all night and seems to be picking up this "living' thing pretty quickly.

Father's Day Plans

Well a year ago, I had plans for Father's Day. They had just announced that they were going to have an Ironman 70.3 in Lawrence, KS - my old college stomping grounds. I thought, can't pass that up. Well things happen, and this Father's Day, rather than racing for 5 hours, I will most likely be a daddy.
But my friend Mike answered the challenge and is signed up and ready to go on Sunday. For those interested, you can check it out at www.ironmankansas.com.
Mike is bib #1045.
As for me. There is always next year. Hoepfully Mike will do a good job this weekend, and then next year there will be a larger former-KU-swimmer contingent racing.
Good luck Mike!
As for the rest of you..... better start training for next year!

Numb What????

This is GREAT!



Thanks to #5 for the link.

Belated Pic

It is a bit untimely, but this is my niece - #7's daughter. She came
over to trick-or-treat and was a monkey. As you can see by her
chocolate filled smile, she got treats.

Big Mack

Here are the latest pics of the little one - taken yesterday. She is getting a little upset with the paparazzi trying to catch her in compromising photos, so these may be the only ones until the big day.

So there is a small pool started with the arrival date and the weight. My pick has always been June 5, and I think she will weigh in at a beefy 6 lbs 11 ozs.

Recent Travels

Well amidst Baby Watch 2008, there have been a few other adventures....


A week after spending the night in the hospital with #13 and some contractions, I flew down to Vegas with my dad. He had a deposition; I had a hearing. The hearing was fine, but let's just say the trip was . . . . a nightmare. Enough said about that.


Two days later, still nervous that the little tyke would poke her head out any day, my dad and I boarded a plane to go to Pasadena for a 9th Circuit BAP argument. Usually LA is terrible and going there for anything is a pain. But, on the good advice of my brother, we flew into Burbank, and 20 minutes after getting our rental car, we were in Pasadena.


If you haven't seen the Ninth Circuit Courthouse in Pasadena, it is quite amazing, at least as far as courthouses go.

And making the trip even better was the fact that the next morning at breakfast, we ran into our opposing counsel who informed us that - while my brother, dad and I were enjoying a nice dinner outside - she had a two hour shuttle ride from LAX the night before.

Well the hearing went great, and all that is left is to wait for the decision.

Anyways, a few days later, some of #13's great friends from Chicago flew in for a weekend up at Tahoe. And then this last weekend we have some good friends from Sacramento come up to spend the weekend in Tahoe as well.

Random Fact - Fishing Spiders

I don't know why, but the little fact at the end of this blurb (from Wikipedia) caught my eye. I just think that the strange ways species protect themselves is pretty interesting.

Dolomedes is a genus of spiders of the family Pisauridae. They are also known as fishing spiders or dock spiders. Almost all Dolomedes species are semi-aquatic, with the exception of the tree-dwelling D. albineus in the southwestern United States and the grassland spider D. minor in New Zealand.

Like all pisaurids, female Dolomedes carry their egg sacs in their chelicerae, and use silk to build a nursery web. These nursery webs are built shortly before the spiderlings emerge from the eggsac. The female places the eggsac in the nursery web and the spiderlings emerge within twenty four hours. The spiderlings of most North American Dolomedes species remain in the web for one week, and then disperse en masse.

D. triton, the six-spotted fishing spider, lives primarily in small lakes and ponds. This spider consumes mostly water striders, but like all Dolomedes, is an opportunistic ambush hunter that will eat anything that it can capture.

What is particularly cool about this spider is that it can detach its legs to escape preditors. As you can see in the picture below, this fishing spider is missing two of its legs. A predator likely grabbed the spider by the limbs, which the spider jettisoned in response - a process known as autotomy.

Pretty cool. I can't wait to share this random info with my daughter.

M.I.A.

So I have been missing lately. Things have been getting pretty crazy at home with the baby coming. It is amazing how many things need to be done before she gets here - build dressers, bookshelves, cribs; buy clothing, supplies, strollers, diaper genies; clean the baby's room, paint; etc. On top of all of that, we thought our little one was going to be making a suprise appearance and spent the night in the hospital on Monday night while the doctor's tried to stop #13's contractions. I guess delivering the baby at 34 weeks is a bit early, so hopefully the baby can stay indoors for a few more weeks.
Things have also been crazy at work as I prepare for a number of hearings and depositions this month.
Oh, by the by, hospitals are the WORST place to try and get some sleep. There is always something going on that keeps you up: alarms, nurses coming in and out checking on #13, people in the hallways, etc.

White men can't jump????

Well maybe they can jump, but as you can see by this video, there is a BIG difference between jumping and DUNKING!
Arthur and Rush are just in a different league!

KANSAS JAYHAWKS - NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!

For all of the years when Kansas was SOOOOO close, and even those years when KU should have been close, but was upset in the first few rounds.... This more than makes up for it.

What a year! What a tournament! What a final game!!!!

Oldie But Goodie

I was at lunch today with my brother and was telling him about this Craig's List posting that a trader friend from NYC had sent me a while back. It was hilarious.

Because I like nothing better than sharing, here it is for you to enjoy.

This is a personal add that was posted on Craig’s List in NYC a while back:

What am I doing wrong?
Okay, I'm tired of beating around the bush. I'm a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I'm articulate and classy. I'm not from New York . I'm looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don't think I'm overreaching at all.

Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 - 250. But that's where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won't get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she's not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level?

Here are my questions specifically:

- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms

-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won't hurt my feelings

-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I'm 25)?

- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I've seen really 'plain jane' boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I've seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What's the story there?

- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?

- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY

Please hold your insults - I'm putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I'm being up front about it. I wouldn't be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn't able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.


And this is an answer that was posted:

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament. Firstly, I'm not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here's how I see it.

Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a cr@ppy business deal. Here's why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here's the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity...in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won't be getting any more beautiful!

So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you're 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!

So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold...hence the rub...marriage. It doesn't make good business sense to "buy you" (which is what you're asking) so I'd rather lease. In case you think I'm being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It's as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.

Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as "articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful" as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn't found you, if not only for a tryout.

By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn't need to have this difficult conversation.

With all that said, I must say you're going about it the right way. Classic "pump and dump."

I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.

I'm a Real Boy, er, Cyclist

There are some things in life that by their very nature are a right of passage; first kiss (dating life), getting your drivers license (freedom), birth of first child (parenthood), etc.

Well yesterday I had one of those "right of passage" moments. You see, I have been doing triathlons and riding my bike for a number of years (off and on). And until yesterday, I had never crashed. So on my way home from my noon ride yesterday, I entered the ranks of "cyclist" - a label that I am told is only attained upon, among other things, the successful completion of a road race, the shaving of one's legs, and a good crash!

Anyways, crusing home I was turning right into a little neighborhood when I felt my front wheel get a bit "mushy" and it became a bit difficult to control - Apparently it is a bit difficult to turn when you get a flat tire. Go figure. Anyways, I was leaning into the turn and my front wheel followed by my back wheel) came out from under me. My hip took the brunt of the initial impact before I slid across the pavement.

All in all, it wasn't too bad. Could have been much worse. My hands stung a bit and I got a little road rash on the fore arm and hip.

The thing that is driving me nuts now is my broken thumb. You would be amazed how hard it is to button your pants/shirt without the use of a thumb.

Anyways, it is handy having a brother around who is an orthopedic surgeon. I got right in and got an x-ray. First crash - first broken bone!

Few things I learned from this experience: (1) gauze pads were created by the devil and Tegaderm is the cat's meow (thanks for the heads up John); (2) I would much rather fall on a bike that most other injuries - it happens so fast that you don't have much time to react and as long as you don't break your collarbone (most common cycling break), you will not be too bad; and (3) road rash stings like hell when you first get in the shower.

Random Stuff While Waiting for the 4:10 tipoff

Well today - after swimming - I have sat on my rump and waited patiently for the KU game to start. 6 hours is a long time to wait. So in the meantime, I cheared against Duke, watched K-State exit the tourney, and worked on my video-editing skills, which are pretty limited right now. I got my "trial" software last weekend and this is my second video. I figure I better start working on my skills now so that by the time our "star" shows up in June, I will be ready.
Anywho, here is my latest creation - again, my new niece.....



Anyways, the game starts in 20 minutes, so I gotta limber up and get ready.

Beware! Crackdown on NCAA Pools....

If this year is anything like 2005, BE CAREFUL!!!!

As some of you may recall (most will not), American jails "flooded over" in 2005 after law enforcement officials conducted a nationwide NCAA March Madness bracket sting. In total "[a]bout 67 million people were rounded up, which experts said exceeded the government's expectations by 'almost 67 million people.'"

So keep those office pools quiet and be vigilant!

To get the full flavor of what happened in 2005, click here.

Kansas #1 in Midwest Region

The Bear Stearns "banksters"

Most people who pay attention to the financial news have been mesmerized by the Bear Stearns fiasco. This is the biggest fraud since Enron and another good reason why you cannot rely on the government to protect you or your money.

A little background, in January 2007, Bear was worth about $20 billion and was trading at about $175 per share. Last Friday Bear had a market value of about $3.5 billion. Last night, it sold for $236 million to JP Morgan, a price that is far lower than the book value of the building that it owns; estimated to be worth about $1.3 billion. Now, Bear and JP Morgan contend that this price is preferable to filing bankruptcy; however, if Bear were forced to file for bankruptcy, all of its payments over the last 90 days prior to filing bankruptcy would have to be repaid to the company under the 90-day lookback provision of the bankruptcy code. If that happens, it would most likely be revealed that Bear paid out billions, that's right, BILLIONS of dollars to its employees and executives last January as bonuses. Now where does the government come into this? Well last week, before the $2 JP Morgan offer was announced, JP Morgan, with the backing of the Federal Reserve, announced a plan to bail out Bear Stearns and guarantee Bear's financial future. The current $2 sham offer is also backed by Uncle Sam; which of course means that you, as a taxpayer are paying for this bail-out.

As the "gentleman" in the following video says it much better, the american taxpayer is paying for the Bear Stearns executives' maseratis.



And on the funnier side, Jim Cramer, the blowhard who is tolerable for about 4.5 seconds, said last week on CNBC that there was NOTHING to worry about, and if you were to take your money out of Bear, you would be silly, silly, silly.



Oh really? Bear Stearns has dropped from $30 per share to a little over $4 per share today.

Let the games begin.

(Thanks to #5 for the videos)

Introducing Eve Marie

My new niece - Eve Marie .....

I am Challenging You to Men's Tournament Challenge on ESPN.com

This message is from thirdof9 who is challenging you to play Men's Tournament Challenge on ESPN.com.
This game gives you the chance to win $10,000 by predicting the winner of the most games in the 63 game men's college basketball tournament. A correct selection in the first round counts as 10 points, and in each succesive round the point values are doubled. You can create up to ten entries, and best of all, it's FREE to play.

Get in the action now:
http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/group?groupID=130

Game Front: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/frontpage
Group: Fans of Kansas

Here's what else they had to say:

And so it begins.....

March madness for the Kansas faithful officially begins tonight. And like all Kansas fans, I am very optimistic this year (like every year). There is something about being a Kansas fan that makes it impossible to place anyone other team in the winner's box in my bracket. Much like Boston Red Sox fans I would assume.
Unlike a Red Sox fan, I have never experience the highs of watching my team win the big one. I was not a KU fan in 1988 when Danny and the Miracles brought it home. And since becoming a fan after enrolling at KU in 1994, I have witnessed only disappointment at the end of the season. This leads to two things.
First, I am forced to laugh at myself when I actually feel disappointed when the 'Hawks ONLY make it to the final four or the elite eight. Not many teams around the country have enjoyed the level of success that KU has enjoyed. And most teams and their fans would love to make it past the first and/or second weekend of the tourney. This year I will tell myself that it doesn't matter how far KU goes (as long as they don't get beat in the first round) and I will be happy with the season as a whole. But that is a lie and I am incapable of actually feeling happy after KU loses.
The Second thing about KU getting so close to winning it all in most years is that I hate, absolutely HATE any team that beats KU in the tourney. For example, I never really cared about U of A basketball, but after the 1997 tourney, I hate them. The same with Rhode Island (1998), Kentucky (1999), Duke (2000), Illinois (2001 - I was in Chicago at the time, so it was even more painful), Maryland (2002 - final four), Syracuse (2003 - final game), Georgia Tech (2004 - final four, OT), and UCLA (2007). And ALL self-respecting KU fans get a sharp pain when they hear about Bradley (1st round loss in 2006) and Bucknell (1st round loss in 2006).
But KU basketball is amazing. KU's history is UNMATCHED and you can trace the roots of a slew of major program to KU. For example:
-Dr. Naismith, the inventor of the game was KU's first coach
-Adolf Rupp (of Kentucky fame) was a reserve on the basketball team under legendary coach Dr. Forrest "Phog" Allen from 1919 to 1923.
-Dean Smith (of Carolina fame) played for Kansas in the early 50's and won the national championship in 1952 and finished second in 1953.
So this year, I am not going to worry about the results, I am just going to enjoy the game(s). And if you believe that.........

Saturday Morning Ride

Crazy Week

Wow what a week. Where do I begin? How about at the beginning? Sounds good.
Last week was my brother and my first trial. It was a three day breach of contract action concerning a lady (our client) who tried to purchase a manufactured home. Long story short, the guy who owned the dealership jerked her around a bit and then breached the contract.
Anyways, after working at the office all weekend on the preparation, #4 and I packed it in at around ten and were going to meet back there at 6:30 the next morning. So the next morning as I am driving to the office at 6:30, I get a call from #4 to tell me that we had burglarized and our laptops had been stolen. Great start to our first trial!!!
Anyways, the next few days were a blur and when we surfaced on Wednesday, we had won our first trial.
The next few days were spent getting back to the daily grind and getting past the loss of our computers. It is much more of a hastle than you would think.
So then on Friday I met with a few people who helped me our with some great info on a separate case, which was great.
Saturday morning was spent getting back into the workout routine. Went swimming (quick 2500) and then went for an easy ride around Verdi and then up Geiger Grade. I am guestimating that it was about 60-70 miles.
And to top it off I made it home in time to see the jayhawks handle Texas A&M. No bad.
Currently I am on a bench outside of a dressing room typing this on the trustee iPhone while I wait for #13 to try on a few maternity outfits. Then it is on to a movie - hopefully "Semi Pro."
No matter what happens next week, it will most likely seem boring in comparison.

Baby moving

So the little critter is moving around inside #13. It is pretty crazy to feel and makes me a tad nervous that the little one will pull an "Alien" and just POP out on her own.


P.S. This is NOT #13 or our baby. But it is crazy how much they move.

Got change for a hundred?

Video clip of the day!
Had to dig deep into my repertoire for this one, but Chris Rock's greatest performance may have been his first....
Enjoy....

Betcha Smile....

Some things just make you smile. This actually makes me laugh out loud.

Finding Perspective

Everyone has a person in their life, that for some unknown reason, at some random time, is inexplicably faced with a challenge that forever changes them - and all those around that person who open themselves up. That person is my mother-in-law, who was stricken with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease almost thirty (30) months ago. The doctors told her that she would have only 18 months, but we are still enjoying her today (she is in Reno visiting #13 and I).

Anyways, the following video was sent to me from Carol's son. It gives an insight into the inspiration that Carol has given to her me and everyone else who is privileged to know her.


http://video.stumbleupon.com/?p=ithct48cqw

The Tour of California Kicks Off

The 3rd running of the Tour of California kicked off yesterday in Palo Alto. I was not able to watch because we weren't getting our Versus feed. But on the tour website I was able to follow along on the Adobe Tourtracker. Fabian Cancellara of team CSC cruised to the prologue victory, winning by almost 5 seconds over Velodrome monster Bradley Wiggins of Team High Road (formely T-Mobile).

Reno resident Bobby Julich (also of CSC) sits 15 seconds off the leader in 28th place. Reno resident and long-ago swimming buddy Alex Candelario (Kelly Benefits - Medifast) sits in 112th; 31 seconds off the leader.

Today, the tour travels from San Francisco to Santa Rosa.

The first addition

The mosquito bite looking thing on #13's belly will the first addition
to our family. No name picked out yet but we did decide to have a
girl!!!

Me and my buddy

Spending some quality time with my godson.

Can't Handle Their Alcohol, er, I mean Success

Come on .... seriously.  As if it isnt bad enough that K-State's first win in their basketball stadium came last night (the stadium was built around 1983) it seems that the coaching staff are incapable of acting appropriately.

 

http://www.themercury.com/News/article.aspx?articleId=fb1c36793e8c40058526527e4cf08d79

Hill arrested for DUI

Staff

Kansas State associate head basketball coach Dalonte Hill was arrested for DUI early Thursday morning, authorities said.

Hill was pulled over shortly after 2 a.m. for a traffic violation on McCall Road, east of Limey Point, according to Pottawatomie County sheriff Greg Riat. The deputy who made the stop believed Hill to be under the influence of alcohol and took him into custody. He was arrested for DUI and released on $500 bond.

Seriously guys.  I will be the first to admit that, from what little of the game I was able to see, K-State was the better of the two teams on the court.  Michael Beesley was a monster and more than backed-up his victory guarantee.  But if the first thing the coaches are going to do is go get bombed and picked up for a DUI, then maybe they don't desserve a successful program.  On the other hand, think of how many lives KU has saved by beating K-State 24 straight times at K-State. 

Weekend in Vegas

Sophia and Abby Playing

My two nieces going nuts up at the Tahoe condo. I guess they had a little left over energy after a day of sledding....

Who can tolerate intolerance?

I went over to my parents house for lunch today before my mom flies off to Canada to visit her brothers and sister and took a gander at the local paper - the Reno Gazette Journal. Now the RGJ will NEVER ever EVER be mistaken for good journalism, but from time to time, if a paper is laying around I will pick one up and see what they have to say.

So today during lunch I was browsing the stories and this story caught my eye: "Anti-gay group to picket Reno soldier's memorial." I thought to myself how ridiculous it is that an "anti-gay group" would picket a fallen hero's memorial service because he is gay. I mean this guy gave up his life for this country and people have the nerve to picket his memorial service and degrade the celebration of his life. But then I actually read the story and found out the soldier is not gay!!!! That's right. This group is going to picket his memorial on an anti-gay platform and the guy is not even gay. So why are they going to do it? Glad you asked, because this is where I really start questioning people and the "tolerance" that Christianity and America is supposed to stand for. According to the article,

"Members of the Westboro Baptist Church, headquartered in Topeka, Kan., frequently picket the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan because church leaders said God is killing soldiers to punish America for condoning homosexuality."

Are you serious? Oh, but it gets better.

"According to its Web sites, the church claims that the deaths in the Iraq are God's way of punishing gay people and at the nation for "enabling" gay people."

* * *

"The group has numerous Web sites such as GodHatesFags.com, GodHatesAmerica.com and others expressing condemnation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, Roman Catholics, Muslims and Jews and populations it believes are supporting those groups, including Swedes, Canadians, Irish, British and Americans."

What can any rational person say to this because really, not only are they categorizing and discriminating people for the gender and sexual identities, but they are condemning religions (Catholics, Muslims and Jews) and entire populations and cultures for what they view as supporting "those groups" (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people).

I love Kansas, but I am continually embarrassed by the narrow minded and intolerant political and social positions which seem to consistently come from Kansas.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church, headquartered in Topeka, Kan.

But wait, there's more! Who can tolerate intolerance?

As most of you know, Heath Ledger - star of one of my wife's favorite movies "A Knight's Tale" died of an apparent overdose this week. Well it seems that the folks from Topeka will be busy on both coasts as Mr. Ledger's funeral will also be picketed. The "church" "insists that Ledger, the 28-year-old movie star who was found dead in his New York apartment on Tuesday, supported homosexuality because of his highly acclaimed performance in the film 'Brokeback Mountain.'"

Disgraceful.

Shirley Phelps, of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, told a Sydney radio station that they will also picket any attempt to honour Ledger, 28, at next month's Academy Awards ceremony.
"I'm going to stand outside of any public memorial service that he has here," Ms Phelps said.
"And then the other place I'm going to picket him is when they prop him up to worship his dead, rotting carcass further at the Oscars. I'll be right outside by the red carpet."

Nothing like taking hate and wrapping it up in "christianity" to make someone feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Greatest Christmas gift

So the UPS man came by yesterday and brought a christmas gift from my father-in-law which was sent straight from Lawrence. It is a piece of the basketball floor at Allen Fieldhouse floor. This small piece of Naismith court was the playing surface in the Phog from 1995-2002, which includes the time I was at KU. I even got to play on the floor a few times, although the pick-up games comprised of a bunch of swimmers may have been the be the worst games ever played on this floor.

Anyways, here is a little photo history of the installation of the new floor.

Here is a history of Allen Fieldhouse.

And here is the history of Dr. James Naismith, the father of basketball, and Kansas' only basketball coach with a losing record. The floor at Allen Fieldhouse was named for Dr. Naismith before the start of the 1997-1998 season, the 100th year of Kansas basketball.

Back in the Saddle

After a brief hiatus, I am back in the saddle. Since my last posting, I spent Christmas morning with the Reno family, only to get on a flight that afternoon to Kansas, where I spent the rest of 2007 with the Wichita family. New Years was pretty uneventful - no crime fighting, no nothing.
But hopefully the old wive's tale about staying with the one you kiss at midnight on New Years comes true, especially with the new baby on the way!!!
Anyways, during that time, a lot happened. On the sports front, Kansas finished off their football season with a bang, the bball team is tearing it up. As far as the fam goes, the nieces and nephews are great, and #13's family is coming out to Reno/Tahoe this weekend for a gymnastics meet and ski trip. Should be fun since there is a ton of snow at Tahoe.


Anyways, as you can see from the above video, I am now armed with a digital video camera and will be able to post more content. In the meantime, enjoy the "horsey rides" Uncle Tim gave out last week.