Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Sidewalks, dad, TGC2

I tell ya. The most ugliest part of that drive is the high plains of Colorado.  Nebraska is fine, green lush, flat but Colorado without the mountains is the armpit of America and I'm not talking about a woman's armpit but a big, hairy, cavernous sweaty armpit.

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I put the photo on the right up on Facebook on Fathers day (or close to it) and people are saying I look like my dad. 

WELL - since I think he is in his 20s there I'm taking it as a compliment that I still look like I'm in my 20s which is probably why I get carded at HyVee.

So I found a photo of me when I was 26.  




Nope - I don't see any resemblance at all.  

What I really wonder is why is my hair so short there.  WTF. Did I turn Republican?




This is me just a few years earlier in my more natural state and this is AFTER I had a haircut before a wedding.


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There has been some comments about how that first block of James Street looks and how horrible the sidewalks look and I agree.  However, when we were building our house in Columbus it looks pretty hideous also. Unfinished things look bad. 


I took a walk yesterday with a person that knows a thing or two about these projects and he explained to me a few things. 

First of all this is the WORST this street will look.  Once the white curing powder washes away the black lines will disappear the actual sidewalk will look much better.  Once trees, poles and lights are installed it will go back to looking normal.  The slopes seem to be what is bothering people but no one remembers that the entire sidewalks were not flat. They all slanted towards the road.  

Now there is a flat section and then the slop part that will contain poles, lights and trees that nobody will walk on.  Another issue were the 100+ year old buildings.  Every store front has an issue with small steps or slopes and so forth.  

Remember, there use to be an oyster bar at the corner across from Sharrows which is now a basement. If the DOT takes out any small step it has to be replaced with a legal step which then would not match the building.  

That part of James Street is a nightmare for reconstruction.  You can not raise the road because there is an intersection and a highway and there are rules.   

Another thing was it looked like there were no cut outs for trees. There are. I looked and yup. they are there.

So I feel that once everything is finished it will look fine.  Yea - there are things I WISH we could have done but everything costs money.  Personally I wish we could have borrowed a crap load of money and do it right but . . . . perhaps in this I am not the most fiscally responsible person. 

I feel downtown should be like a piece of art and raising taxes to create art would be OK with me. But I'm only one person. 

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FUN FACT.  Did you know that all of our hotels in Columbus were booked full last week because of the US Open.  Well, the one we have was full.  BUT WAIT - there could be more hotels in the future - stay tuned. 

There is also some very big news on the horizon but I will let the REAL news cover that as I do not want to steal anyone's thunder (the newspaper and the newsmaker).  While most of the world was sleeping city council has been up to 11:00 at night the last few meetings tweaking and fixing and suggesting issues and words and things are getting pretty solid.  Again - stay tuned. 

I tell ya - there is a lot of interest in Columbus.

OH - the Cercis Brewery (140 N Dickason) was granted their liqueur license with a planned opening in October.  Cercis?  COME ON - how the heck do you pronounce that. Like Bistro Racian how do you pronounce that! (and remember it once told).  Took me a year to learn La Tolteca and before that Napoli's which I heard pronounced 3 different ways.  And don't get me started on calling a street 2 different names. Park Street "turns" into Ludington?  COME ON!  Did we have too many names so we were forced to give one street two names?   

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Speaking of bars - in Dawson City Yukon there is a bar that sold a shot with a human toe in it.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Those crazy Yukonions.  Well, there was a penalty for swallowing that toe and some guy took the shot, swallowed the toe and slapped down $500.

The penalty is now $2,500 but my real question is. . . . . where are the toes coming from. Should somebody look into this?

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An era is coming to an end.  Along with actual golf I play the best virtual golf game on the planet and WAS on the tour.  But now that 3 year era is over as TheGolfClub1 is being replaced with TheGolfClub 2 next Tuesday.  

Seriously one of the best golf simulations out there. Not the arcade game like Rory or Tiger Woods on EA Sports.  Actual real ball dynamics and this version is suppose to be even better. Sadly everything like rankings have to start all over.   Now there will be different sets of clubs you can choose from depending on how good you are and all sorts of tweaks 

The GolfClub2          

I honestly think TGC1 has helped parts of my golf game.  Not unlike my 10,000 hours of virtual road racing in my life has help my driving skills (no moving violations in my life . . . and I'm a passive aggressive driver).

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OH - I got my lawnmower back from Prairie Power Center.  6 weeks.   The front drive wheel was locked so I took it in.  After 2 weeks I called and they said the part was on back order with ZERO idea when they would get the part.

I called a week later and nope - no clue.  Well, I figured I would wait a week and just go get it unfixed.  Went on vacation and came home and oh year the mower.  I went there and asked for my mower back. They said the bill was $120.  WHAT?  It's fixed?  NO ONE CALLED ME?

Good God people get a freaking clue.   SO - I have two GREAT lawnmowers.  Know anyone that wants a self propelled front wheel lawnmower in nigh perfect condition?  $200.  It really is a good mower.   11 weeks at Prairie Power Center to get two wheels fixed.  It's about 11 years old.  Perfect engine and new wheels.