It's been a long time!

I'm pretty sure all Americans can do this!  But in case you are a little rusty maybe you need to practice up a little.




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DJ had a procedure yesterday - a VIRTUAL colonoscopy and I believe a normal one is better.  At least you are put to "sleep" (3 words dogs and cats don't really appreciate).  OH - there are still things that go on back there in "virtual" ones.  There is no free lunch.  

Of course you are never really "asleep".  In reality you are wide awake, you just don't remember any of it,  which is so weird.
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I've been preparing my body for a 20+ mile bike ride May 11.  The 143rd annual Heinie Bike Ride.

So I've been getting my bike out and slowly building up endurance.  My problem is that my soon to be 60 year old body is not as forgiving as it was 20 years ago when I could go 100 miles in a day.  WHO KNEW!  

This year I would hop on my bike and ride into the country but MY GOD,  I was so gassed after 5 miles it was scary. WTF!!!  

Sunday I went out a gain with a new app on my phone and now I see why that first 5 miles was a nightmare.   Not only am I heading SW which is into a normally strong wind,  it's also 5 miles of a long slow climb!!  NO WONDER..  You know, one of those climbs you really don't see?  Not hills where you can be prepared, but just a constant, slow climb against the wind where you swear you have two flat tires.

I've always called it the Columbus ridge when I'm on 151, which peaks as you go over 73 on the bridge. 

I'll be ready for 20 miles. I've always said that a person can ride twice his normal distance.  When I used to ride 75 miles a day on a bike that 1st 10 miles were always just getting the cadence and muscles ready for the final 60 miles!     
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I am honored that a book I suggested is going to be the Columbus Library's Book Club.  "The Graveyard Book"   excellent award winning book about a child that grows up in a cemetery helped by (mostly) friendly ghosts.

But now I'm reading a fantastic almost textbook called "Europe 101"  written by Rick Steve's.  Seriously, it's really a good read of European art and history in a conversational way.  I think he writes like I do (except with a better spelling checker).  Jeff Probts writes like I do also.

For instance, I'm reading about the pharaohs "Tutankhamen was just a mediocre pharaoh-basically an ancient Gerald Ford-who achieved fame only because his tomb was discovered intact.

Or about mummies - Cats were worshiped in life as incarnations of the peaceful goddess Bastet.  In death, they were mummified, memorialized with statues, and given the adulation they've come to expect ever since.  

It's a book about History and Art for the Traveler.
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Seems I'm giving a presentation for the 6th graders at the Middle School next week.  I guess I was not voted completely off the island.  

gotta get MORE work do!  sigh! 

Game Changer

We had our house checked to see what it would take to have a solar water heater installed.   Pretty cool stuff and with so many tax credits (about 40%) it would be only about a $5K investment.  

Payoff time would be about 9 years and then basically free hot water for life (we could water our lawn with boiling water if we wanted too and it would cost us almost nothing . . . except for grass seed for the next year).  We would either have a pergola in the backyard or something on the roof which would make more sense.   Have to see if the panels are golf ball resistant.

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My partner for golf will be balderdash this year which has me pumped.  We were partners about 10 years ago and learned that we should NEVER bet each other on who will not make it across the water as it seems nether of us would. The lesson learned here is negative thinking rarely works in golf if you want positive results.

League starts in less then two weeks, I'll have to find my golf clubs.
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Got the Heinie Bike Ride coming up in two weeks. yea - I'M READY.  I've already logged OVER 5 MILES on my bike this year.  All I have to do is quadruple that.  Seriously though, check out the website and join us.  It's a ride for Pizza!!  We end up at Heine's Famous Pizza in Minnesota Junction. 

COME ON MAN - JOIN US!
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Did I hear there will be background checks for pressure cookers?

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OH - Rick Steves.  Being obsessed with the guy and and his travel empire AND having a friend contact me from a travel agency and tell me he is very respected in the travel world and trying to not make this an incredibly long sentence I had been surmising on how he got his start, as I had an idea.

We watched a video yesterday and he explained it all and I was right.

He was a hippy dude that just loved to travel Europe in a van. Then when he got back in the States he discovered that no one really had a clue on how best to travel Europe, so he started booking tours in his 9 seat van.  Ini fact he called it across between Woodstock and a slumber party.

Here he is in the 80's

His first years he would travel MOST OF THE TIME with 8 woman.  Guys would never book with him.  It was sort of a touring commune, staying in the cheapest places they could find.  But then it all came into focus.

In fact he had people sign waivers  "I understand that on some nights we may find no accommodations. If we need to sleep in the van, I will do so without complaint."

One night they were in this huge tent with hundreds of other people (in Germany I believe) and a woman was crying.  He ask what was wrong and she said she was not cut out for this.  Well, he said, there was nothing I could really do, all we had in our medical kit was Valium . . . .

And now it was all clear.  We did notice that when Rick was showing us the ins and outs of Amsterdam that if you wanted coffee don't go to a coffee shop.  Coffee shops do not sell coffee and there he was in a "coffee" shop and DJ and I looked at each other and laughed because Mr. Steves had this big shit eating grin on his face.

We have also noticed that he seems to never turn down wine or beer and loves a good party  LOL

I love this guy!   OH - when in Amsterdam do NOT go into establishments with BLACK DOORS!     
But seriously. His tours are so much better then other tours.  Small groups that get you to places no other tour company can get too.  More walking, small local hotels and you can bring only one backpack of everything you will need for 3 weeks.  But when all the thousands of tourists leave a city you are still there in the middle of everything.  When in Venice you stay overnight in the middle of the city, not in the luxury hotels 15 miles away.  You can experience city's at night when 90% of tourists are all gone. 
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I have to say something about the Boston Bombing.  First of all I'm so glad they did not make up some silly name for this event. I was just waiting for some marketing group to have some catchy catch phrase.

Second. Monday afternoon, once I heard about the incident, I was really . . .excited?? No that is not the word but I really wanted to see how we would catch the people responsible.  I mean, this was the first time that social media was really in the mix.   I was interested on how our government would deal with this.

WOW - they smacked it out of the park.  GAME CHANGER WORLD!!

DO NOT F*CK with AMERICA.

I want to find the one component that goes into all outdoor surveillance cameras and buy stock in that company.   Madison has ordered 100 more.  OH - the "right" will have a fit as big brother is watching. (Where are all of those hand wringers now anyway, the ones saying we are taking away their rights. They seem pretty quiet).

OH - ABC news sort of sucked Friday night.  I think they were watching the wrong boat.  Switching back and forth, NBC had the best news coverage.  On CNN Wolf Blitzer is replaying the entire night in real time droning on and on. In fact maybe when people are talking about banning drones they are talking about Wolf Blitzer.

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Is anyone as excited about the new show coming on TV (I think CBS)?  UNDER THE DOME.  It's about a small town of 5000 that all of a sudden has a impenetrable dome over it that no one can get in or out of (which, I guess is what impenetrable would mean)!   AWESOME!!

Remember the show Jericho? About a town of 5000 after a nuclear war and everyone knows everyone.  How does that happen?  How does everyone in a town of 5000 know EVERYONE.  Am I missing something?
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I'm not going to get into nepotism.  I'm not on City Council so I think I'll just keep my mouth shut. I truly see both sides and I don't know what is right and what is right. Is nepotism a form of cronyism? and is it in direct conflict with the political philosophy of meritocracy (government jobs should be awarded on the basis of merit). But then you need to define "merit".  

As I said - I'm staying out of it and glad I don't have a vote.  There is no right answer. 

NOTE - ACTUALLY - there is a right answer - I found out this morning that the Pool is a family run operation and NOT part of  a governmental body. Which further confuses me, but confusion is actually my comfort zone. 

Anyway

Rod out


    

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Rain Rain Go Away - AND CLOUDS

WELL NOW - we seem to be pulling away in the rain race.   1.34 inches yesterday.

Of note is that last year has finally taken last place. The interesting thing about last year was not the lack of rain during the summer but the drought was caused by the lack of snow melt that replenishes the earth in spring.  

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Heard something in HOT Brewer broadcast last night that was disconcerting in a funny way. 

They mentioned how great it was that already in April players from the Triple A were helping the club. . . . . . . I'm not sure that is a really a GOOD thing LOL
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mmmmmm BABY CHIPS

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Speaking of the Boston bombing - wouldn't it be a powerful image to get all of the people that were injured in the Boston Marathon bombing together for one photo shoot?

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NEWS from Columbus

North Korea

“The stream of stagey propaganda stills depicting Kim in an overcoat, staring grimly into the distance like a dinner-theatre performer in the role of MacArthur, leave unclear whether he is part of a performance he does not fully control.” From “The Korean Crisis: Kim’s Dangerous Game,” by Evan Osnos.

The rest of todays blog is at 

NEWS from Columbus

First Wort Hopping

This is for sale at a Costco in the UK.  I will ask for one for Christmas.

A life size race simulator.

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I'm planning on a new beer to brew in the near future which will be my first attempt to do a process called First Wort Hopping.

It's an old process that was actually forgotten until the middle 90s and I believe Ale Asylum uses the process to make their hoppy beer smoother.  Not that they would ever tell anyone (they are sort of jerks to home brewers, unlike Karben4 brewing who are now in the old Ale Asylum Brewery, those guys are awesome).

First Wort Hopping means adding your bittering hops BEFORE you start your boil.  Basically adding hops in the sparge (when you are rinsing the grains to collect the sugar water which is now call wort).

What this does is allows the hops to steep in the hot water which will reduce the Ph of the mash (where all the grains are soaking), which in turn will enhanced isomerization* of later hop additions, increasing overall hop utilization during the boil.

*isomerization - the process by which one molecule is transformed into another molecule which has exactly the same atoms, but the atoms are rearrange, this is why brewing is so much fun.

What this does is increase the IBU (International Bittering Unit which measures how much hops you can taste) by about 10% which will also "create a complex bitterness and aroma to you beer that is both smooth and pleasing to the pallet".

Low alpha hops are recommended (hops with a lower amount of oils) because high alpha hops tend to add too much bitterness.

As you know, typically there are three hop additions to a boil.  The first hops are called bittering hops which are like a foundation and are used to offset the sugars in a beer.  The second addition, normally at the 30 minute mark are flavor hops and hops at the very end of the boil are aroma hops.  

What kind of hops and how long they boil all account to the flavor of a beer (along with what kind of malt and what s in the water and so forth).

SO - I will let you know.  This beer will also be dry hopped with a new hop called Zythoes. Dry hopping is a process where the hops are added after fermentation is complete. Sort of like adding salt and pepper to the top of a hamburger after it's cooked.

On a side note, I'm going to brew a Weizenbock for a few competitions this fall. I could really use a cheap refrigerator that will hold a 6 gallon carboy. Anyone have one??
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First city council tonight - a bit awkward as the outgoing and incoming aldermen will pass in the dark (except the lights will be on).  Big agenda tonight . Maybe I'll tweet the play by play.

I do not feel this is an inappropriate way to seat a new council.  Just have them come in and take the old members warm chairs and start new business??   BUT, how often in Columbus history has there been a 42% change-over in city government. Plus we need to hire a new City Admin.  Talk about CHANGE.  Glad I'm not in their shoes  :-)  

My big challenge will be attending a meeting on a new 6 hole disk golf course at Firemans Park.  Of course there has been some controversy on THAT which seems to be how things are done in Columbus  LOL    

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And my deepest condolences to Jenny who's Nana passed away. 

Nana is an odd word and is used in so many ways.  In America it is a  grandmother or grandmotherly figure.  In Hispanic cultures, a Nana can be a dearly loved babysitter. In India, nana is the word for "maternal grandfather."   In French, nana means "chick.  In Italian, nana means "dwarf."

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See ya

blah blah

0.47 inches of precip last night - yea - we need the rain  LOL 

In baseball news

The Cubs tied a Major League record yesterday by throwing 5 Wild Pitches in one inning!   COOL!!


"42" became the all time best opening day baseball movie at the box office.  I bet you can't think of the baseball movie it beat out (without looking at the internet)!!
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Are the actions of North Korea looking more and more like a cartoon?

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This is how you cross a street in Cairo

http://youtu.be/Azric1DDQsM

Yet another photo of where Enerpac will go.  I believe these trees MIGHT be saved but perhaps they are not in great condition anyway.

   
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OH - for any State employees that decide to take a payment out of their deferred comp.  Here is the deal.


When filling out the form make sure you check the box that says "take State tax OUT of payment".   There is some double wording so be careful. The default is NOT to take out tax and that will totally crush you come tax time - lesson learned.  Also - about 20% will be automatically kept so if you take out $10,000 you will get a check for $8000 AND you will have a crap load of taxes to pay.


And another thing - Dollar Cost Averaging is not THAT wonderful.  OH - don't get me wrong - it's pretty nice but back in 1989 when I signed up for Deferred comp and they were running the numbers by me I had dreams of becoming a millionaire as my wealth would grow exponentially.

AND I would have - if the market would grow at a steady pace every year.  But in reality, it does not.  Some years 30% some years -20%. So it averages out to 10% a year but . . . . . the dips and valleys kill your earnings.  I'm not the millionaire I was hoping to be.


But You REALLY REALLY should put money away every check. Very very important.  It does add up.
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Suet!  I was surprised how my suet was disappearing from my bird feeder.  I knew we had a red headed woodpecker eating it but then I saw like 4 Grackles having a buffet on the feeder the other day.

BTW - if you get suit -  Never, never buy suet where milo, oats, wheat, processed grain by-products or artificial flavorings.  Total garbage. The birds don't want that crap.  The only reason it's in there is to make it cheaper.

What you want is suet with only rendered beef fat, chopped peanuts and peanut butter.  IF you have problems with squirrels get Hot Pepper Suet.

Suet is the most concentrated energy source a bird can eat.

Nuff said - it's sunny gotta do some yard work in our hour of sunshine

Rod

New Toys Arriving Daily

WOW - Zak Greinke out for the year!  Broken shoulder after a fight in LA.  There goes a good portion of $147 million.
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Another 0.38 inches of drizzle yesterday.  Have we now had 48 hours of drizzle?

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Last word on the election (as I move into a different phase) . . maybe

I'm finding more out on why I lost the election.  Seems there was a pretty big effort to NOT let Melotte into the City Council by the TIPC people that try to run the city.  Funny thing is they were more worried about Bomcamp then the former Mayor as they left him out to dry by concentrating on me (I feel somewhat honored)!  Talk about dropping the ball AND shooting yourself in the foot at the same time.  Mayor Bob was a work-a-holic and a nice guy and they did not seem to care (or were just inept).

It was interesting - I talked to a number of older people that said they were voting for me and excited, then a week later I met them at the Columbus Agridinner and I could tell that someone had gotten to them and told them how to vote as there was a weird vibe. BTW - only Paula Schumann, Bob Link and I were there, no other aldermen were at the dinner.  

It's a sad state of affairs when a group will secretly try to run a city.   This is why I loath politics! It's no longer about candidates, it's about special interest groups with their own agenda. 
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Every day new toys are arriving at THE GATEWAY!   Pretty exciting - I love this stuff.

I continue to take shots of the farmland where Enerpac will be located. It's important to capture the past. 

Have a great weekend.

Rod 

Crazy wind last night

Crazy wind last night. We have street signs down in our area.  Sadly we have had so much cloud cover lately that the solar battery on my weather station has dried up. We have rain and showers forecast every day but one for the next 10 days.   yuck.

Last night Columbus only received 0.40 inches of rain. phhhht  why even bother.
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Remember yesterday when I was trying to figure out how to get Brandon Moss into my fantasy teams line-up?  I decided to take a chance and sit Braun down thinking the Brewers would get rained out.  Well, the Brewers DID get rained out and Moss went 3-for-4 with a homer, a triple, two walks, two runs and five RBI's.

At the moment my team is 16-2.

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DJ and I are dreaming of a big vacation to Europe in a few years, a Rick Steves tour.  I really hated the idea of a "tour" but after looking at HIS tours we changed our minds as they are small groups on a huge bus.

ANYWAY - our hero is on a personal tour in Egypt and he is blogging about his adventure.  Rick, in his younger days was one of those dudes that traveled Europe in a van hippy-like and now as a grown-up he is sharing his adventures.

Here is a video he made of shopping in Cairo.

http://youtu.be/DYa0hj8ep8I


Best lines from hungry merchants.

“You’re breaking my heart.”
“How many camels for your woman?”
“Just look. No problem.”
“Can I sell you something you do not need?”
“No charge for looking.”
“Special price… 90 percent discount.”
“Come upstairs where we make things.”
“You are back! How can I take your money?”

I don't think I want to go to Egypt.

What we are finding interesting is that his tour tells you exactly how to travel on his trips as it is not for everyone.  All you get to bring is basically a back pack of stuff for 3 weeks.  Small local hotels normally in the middle of the cities you are visiting.  They say there is a good amount of walking.  Most tours keep you on the peripheral of the city but his tours you are in the heart so at night you can get out and see the REAL city, not the tourist city.

Enough of that though.

I need to get to work and apply to some art fairs today.

Cheers   
Rod 

The Delicate Sound of Thunder - John Axford

WOW - I have a problem with my fantasy team (as if anyone cared).  I went 7-1 last week and am 8-1 this week so far.  But here is the problem, I can't get Brandon Moss who is hitting .500 the last 7 days into the game.  No room for someone only hitting .500  LOL

At 1st base Billy Butler has 10 RBIs can't take him out

In the outfield  I have
Micheal Cuddyear,  2 HRs 6 RBIs and is hitting .461
Austin Jackson, 8 Runs  .375
Ryan Braun .700

I could put him in as a utility player but
Alex Rios  6R, 4HR, 7RBI 2 SB .375
Chris Davis 4R,3HR 14RBI .450

I might sit Braun as the Brewer game will get rained out tonight.
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Columbus has received less rain then Madison in the last few days.  Monday 0.34 and yesterday 1.69.  STILL, crushing the last few years in total precipitation and we are no longer in drought mode.

I suspect we will continue to pull away in the next few days.  

Lots of flooding going on.  Sort of reminds me of a certain foreclosed house that I know.  Locks were put on the house and it seems all the pipes burst this winter.  For the last 3 or 4 months water has been gushing through the house running down stairs and so forth.  Think about THAT water bill.  

Back to storms - expect HEAVY rains tonight as this classic spring setup takes hold.  Perhaps 2 more inches of rain on the way.  I do love love love the sound of thunderstorms!
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And then there is John Axford.  I was reading an article by Jeff Sullivan who was trying to see WHAT the heck is wrong with Axford.  He was using the latest in sabrmetrics and other technology that can be found today.

He  compared his first two years and the last two years and found some really interesting things.

Actually what he found was . . . . nothing has changed.   His K% is exactly the same,  BB% the same,   GB/FB%  same,  fastball velocity - same, the number of times a batter makes contact with a pitch, the same, number of times he throws in the strike zone , the same.

So his pitches AND movement on the ball are all the same.

There was talk about maybe he is tipping off his pitches?  Nope, his release point from the first two years and the last two years - the same.

The average flyball travels 294 feet compared to 289 feet in his 1st two years. Not much difference.

The conclusion (and I have read this in a number of articles) is  . . .BAD LUCK.  He had good luck the 1st two years and has bad luck now.   It does not SEEM like luck as we watched him last night.
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And here is a political question.

Why is it, in Columbus all the boards meet once a month.  But the Police and Fire Commission who have greater then 1/3 of the Columbus budget, only meet once every 3 months. 

Rainy Monday

For Columbus happenings check out MelotteforCityCouncil.org 
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Forty years ago today Southern Wisconsin received 15-20 inches of snow with 50 mph winds.  The interstate was closed for two days.

Sadly(1) this did not happen this year so the Brewers were able to lost five straight games.  On March 26th I predicted the Brewers would not win 80 games this year.  I did not know that after six games they now have to be on pace to win 83 games just to win 80 . . . . . did that make any sense?

Sadly(2) my fantasy draft was held a few weeks ago and not that I was TRYING I feel like a homer with so many Brewers on my team.  It;s not like I was trying to Brew up but every time my pick came the next position I wanted .. WAS A BREWER.  

I had the 2nd pick of the draft and picked Ryan Braun. My 3rd pick was Ramirez. My 8th pick and 3rd starting pitcher was Gallardo (Gio González and Mat Latos went before Gallardo). Then I needed a 2B and look who I can get Rickie Weeks, BUT WAIT!!    pick 15 is up and I need a shortstop,  JJ HARDY (not actually a brewer but  . . .) BUT WAIT . . .  my catcher is on the DL so with pick #20 I pick up Lucroy (who was only championship team last year) AND, it's not over yet!!

Pick 22 of 23 is Cory Hart as I can use him as 1B and OF when he comes off the DL. 

In case you are wondering John Axford was the 11th pick in round 13.

BUT, Braun has not played for a few days and Ramirez is now on the DL. 

After one week I'm 7-1-2 in 2nd place.  
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This is for all of you ladies out there looking to meet that special man.  A list came out on some of the best places to meet men.

1. Your local hardware store
2. The driving range, early on Saturday afternoon
3. Jury duty . . . jury duty????  
4. Improv classes  
5. A big-box store’s TV section
6. The blackjack or craps table at a casino
7. In the line at the DMV
8. The pub closest to the sports arena after a big game ends
9. Guitar Center (or another store that sells musical instruments)
10. Frequent-flyer lounge in your local airport

Ok then , there ya go!  I can totally see Jury duty as a hot place.  Who KNEW.

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I had a tree house when I was a kid . . . well more like a tree deck behind the garage but it was fine.  Nothing like THIS tree house though.  I feel cheated!

 Once our Autumn Blaze Maple gets a little bigger I have a project for Caydance and Sydney.

Speaking of trees.  Lost of plans this year, the two biggest are a Colorado Spruce which will be only 3 feet high but with 50 feet to go and 15 feet wide and another Heritage River Birch.

That's it for today - gotta work on my business taxes!  

See ya!
Rod
      

Not Broken

What doesn't break you only makes you try harder . . . .or something like that.

A watched pot never rings!
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Someone took our snowman.   We had a plastic snowman on our front porch this winter.  A few weeks ago during that last big blast of winter, DJ and I got home and looked outside at the weather and there was our snowman rolling across the fairway.

I'M FREE I'M FREE!! 

He got stuck in some weeds  DAMN YOU WEEDS, FOILED AGAIN!!  he said.

Anyway we were going to go get him once the two rivers of water left the course and the snow melted. BUT - he's gone.   The weird thing is how he got free in the first place.  He was on our porch on the OTHER side of the house. He would have had to somehow get off the porch that has railings, tumble to one side of the house, roll between the houses, across the backyard and then once he made it to fresh air on the golf course run like hell.

Strange things happen on our little front porch. There most be some little environmental weirdness that goes on from time to time.
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As you all know I lost the election and I feel I let people done a little (especially with my angry blog which was a little embarrassing and is no longer on the net, although it was true).  I did get a write-in vote for School Board so I hope no one lost by one vote.

So after regrouping my brain I'm ready to move on and am looking into some local boards, particularly Parks and Recreation (I want to be the Leslie Knope of Columbus) or the CDA (Columbus Development Authority) which I have always liked.  Actually the CDA was my first choice of all boards and I inquired a few years ago about getting on that board.

The CDA has to do with business but they also "assist in marketing the City of Columbus"  which is what Columbus really needs.

I have not found what Parks and Recreation actually do but I do like parks,  and recreation is always fun so . . . . .

And I have not ruled out of running again for City Council.  My problem there is this blog which can be problematic at times as I voice my inner thoughts to the world on one hour of sleep.   Now I know how Mitt Romney felt . . . . well a little  LOL

SO - the city government has not heard the last of me.  My other political blog will become the REAL Truth In Columbus Politics.  I am so happy for the good changes that are happening in city government and I feel that FINALLY we can start moving in the right (slightly left) direction and start caring more for the people that live in Columbus.  I hope.   

I do want to say thank you to Bob Link as he worked very hard at being mayor and many people appreciate his work.  He came in at a time when we needed some calmness.  I did not always agree with his views but his work ethic was outstanding and disagreeing is never a bad thing.

Thanks Bob.

As for the new people.

Kelly Crombie - I'm not sure I agree with everything he has to say either but we shall see how it goes.  I like him as a person and wish him all the luck.

Micheal Thom.  I got to know Micheal very well.  He is much further left then I am but has energy and I think he will do very well and really wants to clean up the infrastructure of the city.

Aaron Adams - not really a politician but has a good logical common sense head and is the voice of calm and has an entrepreneur brain which is such a huge bonus. 

I think we have turned an important corner and things are looking good for Columbus.
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OH - West James Gallery has moved. They are next door to where they used to be and I visited the new home yesterday and it's REALLY cool.  Much better then the old place.  A little smaller but I really liked the layout.  

I took a couple photos of where the new Enerpac will be going.

Have a great weekend.
Rod    

Sour grapes? Hell yea. And I apologize

Anybody that knows me knows that I wear my emotions on my sleeve and yea - I was pissed.  More at myself actually for felling . . . pissed.

I don't believe you can fault me for feeling angry though.  If you lose an election OF COURSE you are angry, if you are not, perhaps you should not have run.  I felt I was a better choice - obviously. I believe the voters made a mistake.  Does this sound arrogant?  Probably but if I thought I was NOT the better choice . . . . why run.  LOL  Seems logical.

Dave Bomcamp is a nice guy and I have nothing personal against him at all.  I don't appreciate his politics but I'm sure he does not appreciate mine either - we agree to disagree. Well, I agree to disagree with him, I don't know what he is agreeing too . . . . or disagreeing either.

What really did surprise me was how my brain was completely messed up after the loss. WTF!!

I guess when it's the first thing I have ever run for in my life I was not prepared to what emotions win OR lose I was going to have. 

I do apologize to anyone I offended earlier in the day - getting one hour of sleep will do that.  I believe I was blowing off some steam from a stressful few months.  And knowing that Dave (my opponent) was pretty much stress less through the entire thing made things even worse.

I almost wish I would have lost by more.  Getting 281 votes blew my mind and I thank all of you.I do feel I let people down though. which was yet another emotion I was dealing with. 


I tell ya - running for an office is not a fun thing at all. Now I see why I have never done it before.  The candidate forum  was freakishly stressful, walking the miles of roads with no sidewalks in the rain and snow knocking on doors. creating lit and so forth.  NOT FUN!

I know all the TICP was all jumping up and down with joy when they saw this morning blog which is what I would have been doing so I can't fault them at all. They worked hard to get the 318 votes.

I'll have more control over my emotions in future elections.

remember - all of you out there that might be saying I'm a loose canon with my emotions. Until you run for office you have know idea what your emotions will do.  I do now!  It was certainly a learning experience.

BACK THE THE OPTIMISTIC FUTURE!

which really is what it's all about right? 

And BTW - my dad really was a Mason - I have the ring and remember a few times as a kid on vacations when we needed help and the Mason came to the rescue.

and a cold air note - you can blame all of this cold air on Greenland.  I'll get into that at some point.  But there has been a huge mass of air over Greenland that pushes the jet stream which brings OUR cold air.


Rod 

FULL IMMERSION SPORTS

WELL NOW!  Let's see.  I'm in 385th place in Fantasy Golf (out of 1,147) but need to climb another 271 places to get to the money ($22,940 prize pool).

My NHL Hockey system is ROCKING!! The NBA system broke down a little but am still up and Baseball has started with a bang.  FULL IMMERSION SPORTS.   Makes for a hectic morning when I have to work for the state (2 weeks in a row).  How do you people get things done with a 40 hour a week job!

I mean seriously.  I think the whole problem is that when I'm working at home I'm not tied to a chair. I can work for 2 or 3 hours, run to the post office come back drive to Lake Mills, deliver artwork, drive to Sun Prairie order more canvas, stop at the grocery store and so forth.

It's true that you are just as busy when you transition from a cube worker to a free range worker but being free range you can get little chores done at the same time.
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About 30 years ago I was on a bike ride south of Madison and we came across a farmish place.  I can not remember why we stopped but I do remember an old guy bringing us water and then he wanted us to look at something he created.  I remember being a little nervous but there were 4 of us and we were in good shape and the dude was like ancient (perhaps 50ish).

What he showed us were the most amazing cars I had ever seen.  One opened from the back.

I have always wondered if I dreamed that or what because the cars were so odd and who was this guy.

A few days ago my friend Todd Frey had a photo of a car on facebook and it reminded me of that long ago experience.

OH OH - Im drifting off topic.

 Did you know Columbus had a car manufacturing company?  The Badger Motorcar Company.   Completed cars were stored on the third floor of the  Columbus Canning Company*. The slogan was

"a Hill Climber with Power to burn" 


Columbus Canning Company* was the largest canning operation in the country at one time.  (The little town with a big history).

WELL - Todd, out of the blue, mentions the Ostentatienne Opera Sedan.  OMG - that is the car.

Built by the Mohs Seaplane Corporation, Madison Wisconsin.  With 7.50"20" nitrogen  filled tires and a International Harvester truck engine.  The Ostentatienne could be ordered customized to suit its buyer’s wishes; Ming styled oriental rugs, refrigerators and sealed beam taillights were some of the options available. Production was reported to be three to four vehicles per year, only one was ever built (and I saw it).

They also made a Safarikar which I remember seeing.

 
So I have had run in's with two of the Mohs brothers.   Bruce Mohs the founder of the Mohs Seaplane Corporation and Dr. Mohs who invented MOHS chemo surgery that was used on my malignant melanoma some 25 years ago.

Anyway - I just thought I would mention it.
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DJ and I watched Life of Pi which was REALLY REALLY good.  Way better then I thought and I had high expectations.

Remember the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)?  At the time it was the very first REAL movie that combined animation and live action. I did a lot of reading and the guy that did the animation said "just wait, you have not seen anything yet".


The reason I mention this is I believeThe Life of Pi was 25 years in the making.  I cannot say UNBELIEVABLE because it was BELIEVABLE!

What got me was that while everyone talks about the animation, it was the story, the spirituality of the movie that moved me.  I strongly suggest you watch this on a big screen TV or theater.

http://youtu.be/mZEZ35Fhvuc

    

   
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Question of the day - What the hell is an iota?  Like - I'm not budging one iota!

An iota is the ninth and smallest letter of the Greek alphabet, hence when someone says they "don't care one iota," they don't care one teensy weensy little bit.

have a great day and VOTE!!!

Rod