Wow, Christmas Eve already. Did you know that in my 73 Christmas Eve's I have spent only two away from family. I was very lonely on those two occasions. This morning Nancy and I slept in. We got up about 0730. We had breakfast at the Cheri Inn. It was very good.
When we got home I started packing. I was 1/2 complete when I got a call that my AT bike had been repaired. I got in the C2 and headed to the shop. My bike is now ready for winter riding. Speaking of winter we finally got a thin covering of snow. Snow makes it look like Christmas. Although it is now 1500 and most of the snow is gone.
I have a bill to pay so I will walk to the post office. I also need to get my 30 in today. I finished packing and was surprised to get everything I need into one small suitcase. Nancy is fixing hamburgers for dinner tonight. I earlier stopped by D&W and got some coleslaw. D&W was jammed. Everyone must need one more thing for the Holiday meal.
I will watch some football and then we will head to bed early because 0430 comes early. I want to wish all readers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Friday December 23, 2011
Friday already! I got up with the 0600 alarm. Today I begin winding down so I will be fresh when we start our trip. I did everything at 2/3. I thought that the streets might be icy this morning but a quick check indicated that they were dry. I got on the retro and pedaled to the MAC. I ended up at the Kava House. Both the WSJ and the DFP had articles on Detroit's money problems. The problem is extremely serious. Detroit has significantly more debt than they have assets. By example, Grand Rapids has $0.35 in debt for every $1 in assets. I also read articles on the problems in Syria and Iraq. The nightly news does not report on these problem areas. Most of NBC's news is now fluff.
I got home before noon a record for me. I just started having lunch when Nancy walked in. She had been to the beauty shop. She really looks good.
Tonight we are going to Great Lakes Shipping and then to Kohl's. Nancy wants me to look at a coffee pot. Ours has been acting up.
At 1700 we got in the Taurus and headed to GLS. The place was jammed. Last minute Christmas parties. We did buy a coffee pot at Kohl's. We ended the evening reading the GRP and watching some news.
I got home before noon a record for me. I just started having lunch when Nancy walked in. She had been to the beauty shop. She really looks good.
Tonight we are going to Great Lakes Shipping and then to Kohl's. Nancy wants me to look at a coffee pot. Ours has been acting up.
At 1700 we got in the Taurus and headed to GLS. The place was jammed. Last minute Christmas parties. We did buy a coffee pot at Kohl's. We ended the evening reading the GRP and watching some news.
Friday, December 23, 2011
December 22, 2011
Happy Solstice! Good news although today we have exactly 9 hours of daylight the days will start getting longer. It was still very mild this morning. I rode the retro to the MAC. Today was test day. I obtained a PB in the 2K row by hitting 9'51" and a year's best time in the mile of 9'19". I did not time myself in the 750 yard swim. After the MAC I headed to the Kava House. I said I was not going to the Kava House till spring because it is so cold. Old habits die hard. I spent a lot of time talking to several folks at the KH so I did not get home until 1315.
I get very cold when I ride my bike. I think all the lotion I put on in the winter contributes to my heat loss. Does anyone agree? After lunch I took a quick nap, 30' to warm up. Nancy and I are going to the 1700 movie this afternoon. It is a good day for a movie. I think that if you took an outdoor photo at noon today the flash would go off. The movie we selected was "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Based on popularity of the book we thought the movie would be very crowded. It has only been out two days. Much to our surprise the theater was nearly empty. It was a good movie. I said good not great. For your interest Stockholm has only 6h35' of daylight in December.
The movie got out at 2000 and so we decided to go home and Nancy would cook a pizza. It was a good idea because the frozen pizza we had was great. We opened a bottle of wine and watched some TV and read the paper. We watched "Person of Interest" and at 2200 headed upstairs.
I get very cold when I ride my bike. I think all the lotion I put on in the winter contributes to my heat loss. Does anyone agree? After lunch I took a quick nap, 30' to warm up. Nancy and I are going to the 1700 movie this afternoon. It is a good day for a movie. I think that if you took an outdoor photo at noon today the flash would go off. The movie we selected was "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Based on popularity of the book we thought the movie would be very crowded. It has only been out two days. Much to our surprise the theater was nearly empty. It was a good movie. I said good not great. For your interest Stockholm has only 6h35' of daylight in December.
The movie got out at 2000 and so we decided to go home and Nancy would cook a pizza. It was a good idea because the frozen pizza we had was great. We opened a bottle of wine and watched some TV and read the paper. We watched "Person of Interest" and at 2200 headed upstairs.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday December 21, 2011
Today is my easy day so I did not set the alarm. Nancy woke me up at 0715. I slowly got dressed and got on the retro and pedaled to Bill's. It was cold and damp but still above freezing. I had the weekday special and read my papers. Can I still call them papers if I read them electronically? The WSJ had an interesting article on Holland. Holland was one of the first proponents of the Euro. They are now having second thoughts. Are Europe's money problems solvable? I think so but it will take some political courage. Speaking of political courage, a recent Time had a very interesting article on Rhode Island's Treasurer and her successful effort to reform RI's public pension fund. She bucked the unions and the entrenched Democratic Legislature. She is also a Democrat. It was a very good article and shows that every problem has a solution if the right people are in charge.
In order to get some more exercise I changed my route home to include a trip around Reeds Lake. I had 12 miles on the odometer when I got home.
Nancy had a list of questions I was to ask the United/American folks at the airport. We had United tickets to Aruba but United put us on a American flight from GR to Chicago. I think I got most of her questions answered.
This afternoon I am cleaning off my desk and catching up on some reading. Nancy is working at the Gardens this afternoon. I recently found a letter dated 21DEC1961. I was writing my weekly letter home. I had been on Midway Island a little less than a month. I did mention in the letter that Midway was 836 acres. I was the Transportation Officer in the Public Works Department. I had 33 sailors and 8 civilians in my command. I told my Mother to watch Sgt Bilko on TV to see what running a motor pool was like. I think we had 200 sailors in the entire Public Works Department. The officer running the Department was Commander Tinklepaugh. (try singing the Mickey Mouse song using Tinklepaugh). Commander Tinklepaugh was a fire-breathing officer who came up through the ranks. As a mustang he could advance no higher. I really liked the guy. In fact I was known as Tinklepaugh's Ensign.
One of my duties was seeing that the garbage was picked up. I was also in charge of the dump. The other day the dump caught fire and the smoke was so intense they had to close the runway. The Transportation Dept was also responsible for maintaining every piece of equipment on the Island (325).
I mentioned that we are having a crime wave on Midway. Six sailors are in the Brig for kicking Gooney Birds. This is a no-no. Speaking of Gooney Birds I am also in charge of pest control. We have a sailor going around the island picking up dead birds. I wished Mom and everyone a Merry Christmas. This was my first Christmas away from home. I signed off by saying "remember that your son a leader of men (garbage that is) is on some remote island, protecting the Nation in their time of need and helping America progress on the NEW FRONTIER". I think this is sarcasm.
I took a 1.5 mile walk to end the afternoon. We had a light dinner and then read the GRP and watched the news. We were in bed by 2100.
In order to get some more exercise I changed my route home to include a trip around Reeds Lake. I had 12 miles on the odometer when I got home.
Nancy had a list of questions I was to ask the United/American folks at the airport. We had United tickets to Aruba but United put us on a American flight from GR to Chicago. I think I got most of her questions answered.
This afternoon I am cleaning off my desk and catching up on some reading. Nancy is working at the Gardens this afternoon. I recently found a letter dated 21DEC1961. I was writing my weekly letter home. I had been on Midway Island a little less than a month. I did mention in the letter that Midway was 836 acres. I was the Transportation Officer in the Public Works Department. I had 33 sailors and 8 civilians in my command. I told my Mother to watch Sgt Bilko on TV to see what running a motor pool was like. I think we had 200 sailors in the entire Public Works Department. The officer running the Department was Commander Tinklepaugh. (try singing the Mickey Mouse song using Tinklepaugh). Commander Tinklepaugh was a fire-breathing officer who came up through the ranks. As a mustang he could advance no higher. I really liked the guy. In fact I was known as Tinklepaugh's Ensign.
One of my duties was seeing that the garbage was picked up. I was also in charge of the dump. The other day the dump caught fire and the smoke was so intense they had to close the runway. The Transportation Dept was also responsible for maintaining every piece of equipment on the Island (325).
I mentioned that we are having a crime wave on Midway. Six sailors are in the Brig for kicking Gooney Birds. This is a no-no. Speaking of Gooney Birds I am also in charge of pest control. We have a sailor going around the island picking up dead birds. I wished Mom and everyone a Merry Christmas. This was my first Christmas away from home. I signed off by saying "remember that your son a leader of men (garbage that is) is on some remote island, protecting the Nation in their time of need and helping America progress on the NEW FRONTIER". I think this is sarcasm.
I took a 1.5 mile walk to end the afternoon. We had a light dinner and then read the GRP and watched the news. We were in bed by 2100.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tuesday December 20, 2011
It is still very warm for this time of year (above freezing). I get on the retro and pedal to the MAC. Today I did my tri: row, run and swim. I was done by 1000. I was going to Breton Village because the Kava House yesterday was very cold. I thought better of it and gave the Kava House another chance. The Kava House was cold. I might have to discontinue my visits until it warms up. I just checked GR's daily averages for temperature and we have been above average for the past week. In fact it does not look like snow until next week. All the big storms have been south of us. The shortest day of the year is Thursday. We will have exactly 9 hours of daylight. Today we have 9h01'.
After lunch I started running some errands. My first errand was to the LMCU to renew a CD. I am getting 0.6% on 9 month CD. Big deal. I then stopped at the GR Bike Co. I am getting a front wheel bike on my bike. This brake in addition to my coaster brake will give me better stopping power. I stopped at the MAC to exchange running shorts. My final stop was at Macatawa Bank on Burton to put all our valuable papers in a safe deposit box.
Nancy just called so I have to go down to dinner. Do not want to be late for dinner. Nancy fixed spaghetti for dinner. I also had several glasses of wine. We read the GRP and watched NCIS and 1/2 of the LA version. Bedtime was at 2135.
After lunch I started running some errands. My first errand was to the LMCU to renew a CD. I am getting 0.6% on 9 month CD. Big deal. I then stopped at the GR Bike Co. I am getting a front wheel bike on my bike. This brake in addition to my coaster brake will give me better stopping power. I stopped at the MAC to exchange running shorts. My final stop was at Macatawa Bank on Burton to put all our valuable papers in a safe deposit box.
Nancy just called so I have to go down to dinner. Do not want to be late for dinner. Nancy fixed spaghetti for dinner. I also had several glasses of wine. We read the GRP and watched NCIS and 1/2 of the LA version. Bedtime was at 2135.
Monday December 19, 2011
I get up with the 0559 alarm and get ready for the MAC. It is unseasonably warm today so I am riding the retro to the MAC. I had trouble sleeping last night but I was surprising spry this morning. My times in the row and run were very good. After the MAC I headed to the Kava House. I encountered a very strong west wind. I read several articles about the dictator of Korea dying. I cannot believe that his under 30 son will have a smooth transition. 2011 has been the downfall of many long serving dictators. I hope the world will be a better place.
I had a quick lunch and then headed upstairs. I spent several hour catching up on my reading. At 1600 I took a 2 mile walk. Right now I am watching the Swedish version of the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". This is the first time I have watched a movie on my TV screen. The picture is quite small. Can I enlarge it? The movie is in Swedish with English subtitles. It is very good.
We had our normal Monday light dinner. We started the Monday and Wednesday light dinners when Nancy was teaching. On those days she had to work late so in order to get her exercise in she took a class at the MAC. I was on my own so of course I did not fix anything I just had a bowl of cereal.
After dinner I read the GRP and watched some news. I then headed upstairs and watched the end of the movie. I hope the English version which comes out this week is as good as the Swedish version. I headed to bed abut 2130.
I had a quick lunch and then headed upstairs. I spent several hour catching up on my reading. At 1600 I took a 2 mile walk. Right now I am watching the Swedish version of the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". This is the first time I have watched a movie on my TV screen. The picture is quite small. Can I enlarge it? The movie is in Swedish with English subtitles. It is very good.
We had our normal Monday light dinner. We started the Monday and Wednesday light dinners when Nancy was teaching. On those days she had to work late so in order to get her exercise in she took a class at the MAC. I was on my own so of course I did not fix anything I just had a bowl of cereal.
After dinner I read the GRP and watched some news. I then headed upstairs and watched the end of the movie. I hope the English version which comes out this week is as good as the Swedish version. I headed to bed abut 2130.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday December 18, 2011
Today is blog number 1,161. I cannot believe that I have kept this up so long. I really enjoy writing. I think that the great enjoyment I got from reading my great-grandfather Sanborn's 1938 diary is giving me incentive. I also enjoyed my grandmother Hughes diary of her 1927 European trip. I hope my great-grand kids will be able to see what life was like in 2011.
The alarm goes off at 0656. We get right up and head to the MAC. Nancy and I had the pool to ourselves for most of our swim. When swimming the crawl (freestyle) I usually breathe every two strokes. I breathe on my left side. I have been told that good swimmers breathe every three strokes and alternate sides. I have been trying the three stroke method with little success. Nancy takes a breath ever four strokes, same side. I have been trying the four stroke method and find that it is easier than 3 strokes. Today using the 4 stroke method I took a minute off my 1500 yard time.
Since we are leaving next week for vacation Nancy said we did not have to go shopping. Instead we went right home after the MAC. I did go to the Kava House to get us some coffee. I also filled up the Taurus. Gas was $3.14. Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs with waffles. It was very good.
I took my Sunday nap and after the nap I took a 3 mile walk. It was sunny with the temperature near 40, perfect weather for a walk. We are having soup, butternut squash, and hot dogs for dinner. We will watch 60 minutes and finish the GRP.
It is now 1728 and I am spending time writing this blog. I can't believe that I am not watching the Lions game. It must be part of the aging process.
The alarm goes off at 0656. We get right up and head to the MAC. Nancy and I had the pool to ourselves for most of our swim. When swimming the crawl (freestyle) I usually breathe every two strokes. I breathe on my left side. I have been told that good swimmers breathe every three strokes and alternate sides. I have been trying the three stroke method with little success. Nancy takes a breath ever four strokes, same side. I have been trying the four stroke method and find that it is easier than 3 strokes. Today using the 4 stroke method I took a minute off my 1500 yard time.
Since we are leaving next week for vacation Nancy said we did not have to go shopping. Instead we went right home after the MAC. I did go to the Kava House to get us some coffee. I also filled up the Taurus. Gas was $3.14. Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs with waffles. It was very good.
I took my Sunday nap and after the nap I took a 3 mile walk. It was sunny with the temperature near 40, perfect weather for a walk. We are having soup, butternut squash, and hot dogs for dinner. We will watch 60 minutes and finish the GRP.
It is now 1728 and I am spending time writing this blog. I can't believe that I am not watching the Lions game. It must be part of the aging process.
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