New Years Day = Football

If it's one thing New Years Day has always meant to me is college football. All day long. In the old days, a good part of the day might have been spent recovering from the night before. So parking myself in front of the TV was more a necessity then anything else. These days I'm a lot smarter not to mention older. The thought of going out partying on New Years eve has long lost its appeal. My stomach and head are much better off as a result. I was hoping to plop down in front of a fire and enjoy the games, but it actually was too warm here today to even consider having a fire going in the fireplace. So I settled for chips and dip with a turkey sandwich.

The first round of games turned out to be pretty uninteresting for the most part. Blowouts for the most part. I started off watching Michigan State vs Alabama. I was hoping to watch Alabama go down, which is always a treat for me. No such luck. I finished up the first round watching the Florida vs Penn State. At least it was a game for the most part. I was looking forward to the Rose Bowl to see how TCU would do. They didn't disappoint beating Wisconsin. It was a good game, but TCU and by extension other nonBCS teams, showed that they can play with the big boys. So good for them. Oh and the Big 10 Conference - 0 for 5 today. Me thinks that's a conference a tad overrated this year

As entertaining as the bowl games are, the fact that Div 1 football is the only NCAA sport without a Championship is a travesty. I think we will eventually have one, it's just a question of when. This whole BCS thing is just a crock.

A Follow Up and Things

In a follow up to yesterday's post, Maryland gave Coach Friedgen a proper send off by beating East Carolina 51-20. I was happy to see plenty of Maryland fans had brought along "Thanks Ralph" signs. I'm glad his team was able to send him out on a high note. The team has a lot of young talent. Ralph didn't leave the cupboard bare for the next coach. Things should be bright for next year if the new coach is any good at all. Maryland has said they want to name a new coach by January 4 - the official start of recruiting. Lets hope they stay on schedule.

Given the name of this blog you would think I would mention rowing every once in a while. Well it is winter and the temperatures have been below freezing for an unimaginable time for Virginia. For sure on water rowing is done until 1 April, weather permitting. So it's time for that all so popular winter conditioning. Like in most years past once our last race is over (1st weekend in November), I fall off the wagon during the rest of November and most of December only to try and drag myself back out of the fitness abyss. I have dug my erg out of Daughter#2's old bedroom put on a new handle and did my first 5,000 meter indoor row yesterday. It was painfully slow, but not unexpected given the long layoff. It's just about getting a bit faster and stronger with each workout. I'll be doing another 5,000 meter row tomorrow. If I manage anything close to respectability for my age, I will certainly post it here.

Today was also my last workday for the year. I'm off until Monday and low is the work backed up. That first week back is going to be pure hell. Retirement is sounding better all the time.

End of an Era

Tomorrow marks the final game for Ralph Freidgen as coach of the Maryland Terrapins. His team will face the East Carolina Pirates in the Military Bowl in nearby RFK Stadium. He was fired after refusing to retire by the brand new Athletic Director Kevin Anderson. That after Anderson declared The Fridge would be back next year. Anderson comes from a similar position at Army. Army! Well qualified I'm sure. Ralph deserved much better then how he is being treated by his alma mater. He was just voted Coach of the Year in the ACC after what I believe was the second biggest turn around in NCAA history. Who gets fired after being named Coach of the Year? The man took the Terps to 7 Bowl games in 10 years. Thats pretty remarkable given Maryland's football history. When it comes to football, Maryland isn't Texas. It isn't USC. They have a hard time recruiting the blue chip football players. Maryland is first and foremost a basketball school. I've been a Maryland season ticket holder for over 30 years now. I've seen the ups and downs of this program. More downs then up. Ralph was a bright spot during that run of years. The rumors have it that Mike Leach recently of Texas Tech fame will be the new head coach. That he will bring some sizzle to the program that was lacking under Ralph. That he will fill the seats and empty luxury suites at Byrd Stadium. He might ultimately be able to do that, but he will have to fill some big shoes to do it.

Wars? Unemployment? Terrorists?

You would think living in the Washington area that the lead stories on the news would be about things like the economy, unemployment, terrorist threats, politics, the wars and you would be so wrong. The lead story all week has been the Redskins. Considering the Redskins finished a dismal 4-12 this season being the big news story takes some doing. It all involves the firing of their current coach and the search/hiring of a new one. Nothing stirs this town like the Redskins. The town is kiddy when they win and an area wide depression fills the air when they lose. Needless to say there has been a lot of depressing Mondays this year. This year's coach has been dead man walking for weeks now and it was just a matter of time before the axe fell and everyone knew it. As usual, the team owner was all class about the situation, first stripping him of his play calling authority by bringing in a new offensive consultant to do so and then holding interviews for the head coaching position with members of the coach's own staff before he had been let go. You can buy your "Worst Owner Ever" tshirts here. Its been the worst kept secret that Mike Shanahan would be the next coach. In reality the deal has probably been sealed for weeks with only the formalities to complete. The signing of Bruce Allen was thought to be the start of the Shanahan tenure - bringing in his own General Manager as it were. Shanahan will also bring his son along to be the new Offensive Coordinator. The old adage that the Redskins are the best team in the NFL during the off season continues to hold true. Shanahan's past record will be dissected in great detail over the next several weeks on the two sports radio stations in town and there will be great anticipation heading into training camp this summer. Wars? Unemployment? Health Care? Just give us more Redskins news.

The Cold Dark Side of Work and College Football

I can't tell you how much it sucked when the alarm went off this morning at 3:30. It was so hard to get up. The house was dark and cold. Even our dog had the sense not to get out of bed. Cursing my fate, I did roll out of bed and get in the shower to start getting ready. The only upside was the van we commute in was already warmed up by the time Ann and I got to the commuter lot where we pick it up. There is nothing more depressing then leaving for work in the dark and getting home in the dark. I live the life of a vampire. Work itself wasn't bad for a first day back. It was uncharacteristically quiet. No calls from the Program Office and none from my Contractors. Even my boss, who was in, didn't stop by my desk all day. All that quiet did let me be pretty productive though.

I'm watching the Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and TCU while I type this out. What an injustice that these two non-BCS schools are playing each other rather then one of the ranked BCS schools. It's as if the BCS Committee has relegated them to the equivalent of the kiddie table at Thanksgiving. I think the Committee intentionally sought to minimize the impact these two schools would have on the whole BCS ranking process. Not to mention sparing a school like Oklahoma from being embarrassed again at the hands of a non-BCS school. Sooner or later they have to institute a play-off system. It's the only sport that doesn't have one. All other divisions of college football have one, why not the majors? There would be still plenty of money to spread around, which is what it's all about. This rant brought to you by Jimmy Football. Tailgate tested, tailgate approved.

What I Have Been Up To

Well it has certainly been a while since I have updated. I'd like to say I have been way to busy, but in fact I have not. Not any more so then usual anyway. With Holidailes coming up (starts Dec 7), I need to get back into the swing of things here. So what have I been up to? I'm glad you asked. Lets get to it.

On November 14, Daughter#2 and her husband, otherwise known as Wookie, traveled up from their home in the Valley to go with us to the VA Tech vs Maryland football game. The game was played at Maryland. Daughter#2 whipped up a vegetarian chili for us to eat while tailgating. It was cold and drizzled on and off as we partied in the parking lot so hot chili was the perfect choice. It was quite tasty and this from a non-vegetarian. Ann chipped in the a five-level Mexican dip, which was also very good. When it comes to presentation at tailgates, we're not much. We just ate out of the back of our van, but it was all good.

Mmmmmm...the chili was so good. Thanks Daughter#2! Excellent choice! Ann, Daughter#2 and Wookie dig in.

There was, of course, beer. I had picked up a Sam Adams variety 12 pak for us to partake of. My favorite was the Irish Red. I wish I could find it just by itself. Very hard to find though. Part of the 12 pak was a Cherry Wheat, which Daughter#2 shows off here. It sounded interesting, but tasted more like cherry flavored cough medicine. Daughter#2 liked it though.

By game time, the drizzle had stopped and it warmed up a bit. There were as many Hokie fans in the stands as there were Terrapin fans. Given the season the two teams have had (VA Tech - good/Maryland - terrible) and the large number of VA Tech alumni in the Washington area, it's wasn't that surprising. As I'm a fan of both teams, it was hard to decide who to root for. I shot this picture from our seats, Maryland is in black and VA Tech in white. I wasn't a fan of VA Tech's new white helmets.


Next up in November was Thanksgiving. Since the daughters are now married, we do have to share them with the In-Laws for the major holidays. This year we have the Daughters for Thanksgiving and the In-Laws have them for Christmas Day. We'll see them the day after Christmas, which means two Christmases for us. It will be weird just having Christmas Day with just Ann and The Son though. Back to Thanksgiving, it was great having everyone home. Lo the kids (The Son, Daughter#1 and Daughter#2). We are very proud of all three.

There is nothing I enjoy more then a turkey dinner with all the fixings. The leftovers are almost as good. Nothing like a good turkey sandwich the day after. This year we had a 22 lb Butterball.

Daughter#1 is big on appetizers while we catch up with everyone. She fixed us up with some hot cider. Very tasty.

Daughter#1 also made us some zucchini flat bread, which was also very good. She made a regular and a vegetarian version. Sort of like pizza.

We do put The Son to work in the kitchen. We tried a new to us oyster dressing this year, which he put together and which came out great. Definitely a keeper. We also put him in charge of the garlic mashed potatoes. I peel the 5 lbs of potatoes and cube them. Ann cooks them and then The Son does the rest. They come out amazingly good. He'll have this job forever.

We also make accommodation for daughter#2 our vegetarian. We picked up a Tofurky for her. It comes in a box with sides. Having tried it, its really pretty good.

We serve ourselves sort of buffet style. We place all the food on the kitchen table and let everyone help themselves. Except for Gracie, Daughter#2's dog. She doesn't get anything except what her Grandma and Grandpa can slip to her on the side. From left to right: Wookie, Son In Law#2 (married to Daughter#1), me, The Son, Daughter#2 and Daughter#1.


We actually eat Thanksgiving dinner in our dining room. We almost never eat in this room. Just Thanksgiving and Christmas really. From left to right: Wookie, Daughter#2, The Son, Ann, Son In Law #2 and Daughter#1.

On Black Friday rather then fight crowds at the mall, we headed south along I-95 to visit the newest member of our clan (we're Scottish). My Cousin's wife had given birth to their first child - a boy, Cameron Duncan [last name] just 4 weeks ago. We all took turns holding him and giving baby presents to the new parents. Here Daughter#2 takes her turn



As did Daughter#1

I took a turn as well. It's been quite a while since I've held a baby.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well. I am certainly grateful for my family and the joy they bring me. Now its time to cue up the Christmas music and get in the Christmas spirit. Joy to the World!

More Rowing and Football

The weekend certainly had its ups and downs. The rowing was on the upside and the football was mostly on the downside. Lets take the upside first. Saturday practice was a very light workout as we were racing the next day. Due to a lack of enough coxswains, we were limited to taking out the 8+ rather then two 4+s. I wasn't scheduled to race in the 8+ so that left me and another rower to ride along with the coach in the launch. Rather then do that our Coach suggested rowing in a double, which sounded better then just sitting and watching. The row in the double actually went better then I expected. It was a decent row although short. We only rowed about 3.5 miles. That's probably half of what we normally row in a practice. On Sunday the 4+s were scheduled to race at 1130. However, our coach wanted my 4+ to come at 830 for a short practice. I'm not exactly sure why. It's not like we haven't rowed together before. In fact this would be our second race together, but out we went. Our coach had some good tips particularly for our two starboard rowers (get your hands down during recovery so the boat isn't off to port during the recovery. I'm a port rower so, of course, anything wrong with the set of our boat is due to the starboard rowers :-) ). At 11:00 we launched and rowed up to he start, which just upstream from Jacob's Rock. The race use to start at Jacob's Rock and started with a straight shot onto to a long straight away. Now it starts just upriver and requires negotiating a big sweeping turn to starboard of at least 120 degrees. I suppose it makes the race more interesting with that big turn at the start, but given the Chase's move slightly upstream and the Head of the Occoquan moving theirs downstream from Fountainhead Park, it makes the two races too similar. That can't be good for either regatta where you're competing for the same rowers. There will be some that will come to both, but there are a lot that will chose between one or the other figuring why spend the money to come to the Occoquan to run what is essentially the same race? Anyway back to our race. We were led to understand that we had three boats in our age category (50+). One from Alexandria and the other from Oakton Masters. Oakton would start right in front of us and Alexandria behind us. For those that aren't familiar with Head Racing, boats start single file about 15 seconds apart. You win by having the fastest time, but the idea is to pass as many boats ahead of you as you can while not letting the boats behind you pass you or close the distance from the start. We had mixed results. the boat from Alexandria passed us about the halfway point while we passed Oakton with less then 1,000 meters left. They caught back up to us and we dueled for the remainder of the race including clashing oars with each other at one point. As far as the race itself, I thought our 4+ rowed much better then we had in the Head of the Potomac. Can we improve? Surely. Enough to make up the 35 seconds we need to catch up to Alexandria? Probably not, at least not this year. After I got home, I checked the results and was surprised to find that Oakton was actually in the 40+ category. So we finished second in a two boat race. Not quite as satisfying as saying that you finished second of three. Overall the club had an excellent day. Our Men's 8+ finished 2nd, the Women's 8+ finished 1st and the Women's 4+s finished 1 and 2. Lots of medals and more important respect for our club.

Most of my Saturday, after practice, was spent watching football. Both Auburn and VA Tech were on TV at noon. Auburn was playing at Arkansas and VA Tech was playing Boston College. The Auburn game turned out to be quite the disappointment given that Auburn was undefeated going in. Not anymore. On the other hand, VA Tech took apart Boston College, which made Daughter#2 and The Son In Law, but VA Tech grads, quite happy. Sunday I watched the Redskins play and lose to the previously win less Carolina Panthers. The only good thing about the loss is listening to the fan base bitch and moan and call for heads on sports talk radio the next few days. Lets face it, the 'Skins offensive line is just terrible. Without a good O line, it doesn't matter how good a Quarterback you have or how good a running back, you'll lose.

Monday I went for a row in a single. I practiced the Head of the Occoquan course and overall it was a good row. It never ceases to amaze me how my ability to make the boat run really well comes and goes over the course of a piece. I guess the idea is to be able to hold that good technique throughout a race. I need to get more zen like with the boat - become one with the boat. 19 days until my first race in a single.

Quite the Weekend

This past weekend was quite the satisfying and fun time. Between the football and the rowing, I was in heaven, especially the way everything worked out. First the football. Maryland was playing Clemson at Bryd Stadium. It was a noon start. Getting up to College Park for a noon game when I have rowing practice from 730 to 930 requires a lot of hustling as the trip to College Park takes an hour. Given how badly Maryland has struggled this year, I had no illusions that Maryland would win. I was just hoping it wouldn't be a blow out. It was a perfect day for college football. Bright blue fall skies, plenty of sun and warm without being hot. Because we got there only a little before game time, there wasn't really time for tailgating. I enjoyed a beer before we headed for the stadium. Ann and I grabbed sausage subs with the works from the concession stand for lunch and ate at our seats. I also picked up a Maryland hat since I seem to have lost the one I had. The game started auspiciously with Clemson jumping out to a 10-0 lead and gaining 140 yard in the first quarter alone. After that Maryland turned the game around and ended up winning 24-21 despite some strange calls by Maryland in the 4th Quarter. When you are up by 3, how do you go for it on 4th down on your OWN 29? Especially when you've gotten stuffed all day on short yardage situations. Luckily the Maryland defense was up to the task or Clemson was inept enough. Having their field goal kicker miss 2 field goals in a row helped too. Everyone left the game quite happy - well at least Maryland fans did.

After driving home with a stop to buy some KFC grilled chicken since neither Ann or I was in the mood to cook, I settled in to watch more football because you know one game just isn't enough. I watched the tail end of the Navy-Air Force game. An OT victory for Navy so good there. Really I was just biding my time until The Auburn-Tennessee game came on. When I was attending Auburn back in the old days, we played Tennessee every year and early in the year. Usually the winner of that game went on to have a good year. It was a fierce rivalry with no lost between fans. Not quite on the level on Auburn-Alabama, of course, but what is? But close. Anyway, it was very satisfying watching Tennessee get dominated, even if the final score wouldn't indicate so. Next up - Arkansas. An interesting by line of that game is that the Arkansas coach, Bobby Petrino, is a former Offensive Coordinator at Auburn and later when Head Coach at Louisville, was involved in a somewhat clandestine interview to become the Head Coach at Auburn to replace Tommy Tuberville. The meeting involved influential boosters, the Auburn Athletic Director and midnight jet rides. The scandal led to the resignation of the Auburn Athletic Director and banishment of the Booster involved. I'm sure it will come up during the week. Ann and I are considering going to watch the game with a bunch of Metro Washington Auburn supporters up in Crystal City. We'll have to see what our plans are for the weekend.

Now for the rowing. This past Sunday was the Occoquan Challenge. I was only scheduled to row in the Men's 8+. The interesting part of this particular race from almost all other head races is that halfway through there is a 180 degree turn that has to be navigated, which poses quite the challenge for coxswains and rowers alike (hence the race name). It's quite possible to shave or add significant time to your race depending on how you navigate the turn. The conditions on Sunday were sunny, cool and windy. The water was quite choppy, particularly at the turn. Our race was ok, but not great. Our ratio could have been better. Despite that we ended up winning. We beat our rivals from across the water, something we haven't ever done before and by 30 seconds to boot. So another Gold medal, which now makes three races in a row that I've been lucky enough to be a part of. Sort of unheard of for the men's side of our club. Overall it was a good day for our club. The Women's 8+ also won as did one of the Women's 4+ and a Men's 4+ (by default as there was no other boat in their age category) and our mixed double. I might have missed some others, but everyone went home happy. I need more weekends like this. How was your weekend?

I Love Football

There are a few things I love about this time of year - Head Races, warm weather, but not hot weather and most of all football. I enjoy pro football and follow our home team (the Redskins) as close as the next fan, but my true love is college football. I love the tradition, I love the atmosphere, the rivalries, the BCS upstarts, in short everything (except for the lack of a football playoff ,but that's a post for another day). I love being able to watch several college games a week. I look forward to College Game Day every Saturday morning. I went to a college (Auburn) where football is king. There was nothing like attending a game at Jordan Hare Stadium. I was lucky to have attended Auburn during the run of Pat Sullivan and Terry Beasley. While Auburn never won a National Championships during those years, Pat Sullivan did win the Heisman so it was exciting times for Auburn football. If I didn't know it before, going to Auburn taught me there is no better thing to do on a Saturday then to be at a college football game.

My life travels have taken me far away from my alma meter so attending games back on the loveliest village on the plains isn't practical. That doesn't mean there aren't options. When I moved back to the Washington DC area, I started attending University of Maryland football games. My now ex-brother in law (actually deceased now) was a big fan of Maryland so Ann and I would go. Eventually we bought season tickets with him. Section 6, on the 45 yard line. We've had those tickets now for over 25 years. By no stretch of the imagination is Maryland on the same level footballwize as Auburn and to be sure there have been some ups and downs over the years. The fact remains though that we enjoy going to the games. The tailgating, the band, just the sense of excitement as you enter the stadium. It's a perfect way to spend a day. And so it was this past Saturday. After Saturday's rowing practice, Ann and I headed to College Park. It was a gorgeous day. Bright blue sky with not a cloud to be seen. The temperature in the high 70s. We munched on veggies with ranch dressing, Italian Subs and chips, washed down with some cold Coronas. The only downer was Maryland lost - to Middle Tennessee State. Ugh. Maryland hosts Rutgers next week so hopefully the outcome will be better. On a happier note, Auburn rallied to beat West Virginia Saturday night on ESPN2. West Virginia has some of the most obnoxious fans I've even encountered so I love when they lose. So Saturday night closed out on a good note.

On the rowing front, we had our first race last weekend and I've been meaning to write about it ever since. I took pictures that I want to include, but I'm always forgetting to upload them. I need to get that done, but the good news is we won! Details to follow. On other rowing news, I got bumped out of our 8+ for our next race, which comes this coming Sunday - Head of the Potomac. It's a great venue as you race down the Potomac through the key Bridge and the Georgetown waterfront and finish in front of the Kennedy Center. I'll be racing in our old (50+) 4+ and in a mixed 8+ with some of our women. I have been rowing 2 seat in the 4+, but got asked to move to stroke. A little added pressure there, but I've rowed stroke before so we'll see how that goes.

End of the Season

Today marked the official end of our holiday celebration as we took down our tree and put it out on the curb for the garbage men to pick up in the morning. I always find it so depressing taking the ornaments off the tree and putting it outside. Needless to say, I put it off as long as possible. We were really happy with our tree this year. It's probably one of the best we have ever had. Even in taking it out out today, the needles were still pliable and it still smell piney. I was really sad to see it go. I think we'll seriously consider getting this type of tree next year Goodbye tree.
Before dealing with the tree, I did attend my erg class and managed to finish with slightly over 10,500 meters. A good total for me. I also do the weekend breakfasts so after I got home from the gym and showered, I made waffles for Ann, The Son and myself. We also tried some turkey bacon today. It's a lot less fatty and I had heard, I think on the "Today" show, that it tastes pretty much the same as regular bacon. I thought it was ok ,but my other panel of experts gave it a thumbs down. I guess we are back to the real thing next time we shop. The rest of the day, except for dealing with the tree, was spent lounging in front of the TV watching football games and just maybe slipping into a nap or two in the process.

Saturday Ann, The Son and I traveled up to Fairfax for a lunch of BBQ at Red, Hot and Blue. I do love me some BBQ. I got the pulled pork and rib combo. I was delightfully stuffed when we finished. After lunch we drove across the street (almost literally) to the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University. GMU was playing the Monarchs of Old Dominion University from down in the tidewater region of Virginia. As before its good couple hours of fun with GMU winning in the end. We hope to attend a few more games during the course of the season.

Friday was our compressed work schedule day off and payday. Yea! I did the grocery shopping and worked on the books for my rowing club. Nothing too exciting, but it's always nice having a day off.

Hope you had a fun weekend.

New Year and It's Back to the Gym

You could certainly tell it was the beginning of a new year in my Sunday erg class at the gym. All the people who made New Year resolutions to hit the gym more often and lose that weight or get in better shape help fill the class. Of the 20 or so ergs there were only a few were not in use. We had many more first time rowers than we usually have on any given date. I can't imagine being a first time rower in that class as it's pretty demanding. However the woman rowing next to me kept right up although her form needs a little refinement. New rowers are a good source of rowers for my club so we really try and encourage them along. If they like to erg, they'll definitely like doing it out on the water. Unless they can't swim, of course. I managed to get in 10,000 meters during the class, which is more than enough for me in one sitting.

After erg class, Ann made us tuna sandwiches for lunch and she, The Son and I settled in to watch the football play-offs. We watched the Baltimore Ravens beat up on Miami and once the game was in hand we decided to watch a Netflix movie - "Burn After Reading". I have to say, given the cast, it was a bit disappointing. It had a few good chuckles, but definitely could have been better. After the movie was over, we switched back to football and watched Philly play Minnesota. I think I'm about footballed out for a while anyway.

It will come as quite a shock to have to go back to work tomorrow. Getting up at 3:30 sounds like torture. I haven't had to go in on a Monday since October. Back to the old routine. Retirement sounds better everyday.

Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving has come and gone and overall it went well. We ended up having a total of five for dinner. My cousin and his wife were no shows.. The Son did show, but there is a limit on how much family reminiscing he can tolerate. The food turned out well, which is what the day is all about. We did end up with a lot of leftovers even after giving my uncle some to take back home. We got the turkey in the oven around 9:00 AM. Here it is all covered in foil.

A picture of Ann after the turkey went in the oven. She always a lot more relaxed once the turkey is cooking.


I had the task of peeling the potatoes to make the mashed potatoes. My handiwork before I cut them into cubes. Ann cooked them and then The Son was given the task of turning them into mashed potatoes. He runs a mean hand mixer and is generous with the spices and sour cream.


Mmmmm is there a better smell in the world then a turkey fresh from the oven? Here it is in all its 21 lb glory before I carved it up.


We all ate our fill and then some including the pumpkin and sweet potato pies. My Uncle's wife made the pumpkin pie from scratch starting with a real pumpkin. We're a lot lazier at this house (when we make pumpkin pie) relying on Libby to make the pumpkin filling. After laying around in a post turkey haze, we headed up and we were in bed by 9:00 and happy to be there.
Today, Friday. i actually broke out my erg for the first time since May. I was hoping to grab one more day out on the water before Sandy Run closes for the season at the end of this month, but it doesn't look like the weather will cooperate. I did an easy 5,000 meter piece. I'm not going to try and kill myself until I can get my fitness level back to where it should be. After erging and getting cleaned up, Ann and I walked the dog for about an hour. I don't know who needed the walk more - us or the dog. After lunch we looked on line for some deals, but really only managed to get a few things and nothing major. After that time sink, I retired to the family room and watched Miracle on 34th Street. That movie always does my heart good, but its really so politically incorrect these days what with the insane talk and commitment to Bellevue all because Kris thinks he is Santa Claus. I ended up the day by going out for pizza by myself. Ann was just too tired and not up for it at all. Our pizza place is like our "Cheers". They know our names and get us our drinks without even asking anymore. It's friendly and cozy and it wasn't a big deal for me to go by myself.

Tomorrow will no doubt be more attempts at shopping and watching football. Va Tech plays Virginia and my game, of course, is the Auburn vs Alabama game. If Auburn only had an offense. Hopefully the defense will keep it close.

A New Blog and Family BBQ

Since Daughter#1 was laid off from her job, she has a lot of free time on her hands now. She has chosen to start a Blog (a chip off the old block). She'll be sharing details of her job search and of her upcoming wedding. She'll also throw in some rowing stuff too since she'll be coxing a Women's Master 4+ in the Head of the Charles. Check it out.

We had my uncle and his wife over for a cookout this afternoon. They recently moved to Virginia from Florida along with their son (my cousin) and his wife. They were due to work at the nuclear plant at Lake Anna and that job was put on hold and then they were hired to work at Ft Belvoir and that job went away so they're hustling to find jobs. Even though he's my uncle (father's side), he's only 4 years older than me and my cousin is about 28 years younger than me. Very unusual. We grilled up some brats and chicken and swapped stories for the afternoon. It was good to see them again. He was a big part of my life growing up and it's nice having some family close by again.

It was a good day for my football teams. Auburn hung on to beat Tennessee. Maryland beat Clemson, Ohio beat VMI, Navy beat Wake Forest and Va Tech is winning at Nebraska. Lets hope the Redskins can do as well tomorrow against the hated Cowboys.

Football and More Football

Fall made it to Virginia just in time for the weekend. morning temperatures would be in the low 50s and climb to mid 70s by the afternoon. coupled with the low humidity, it made for a delightful weekend. This past Friday was a day off and I decided to run over to Sandy Run for a row in a single scull, something I haven't had time for in a while. Since I also had a Doctor's appointment later that morning, I didn't try to make it too long an row and just went up as far as Fountainhead Park before turning around - a total of 7 miles round trip. Just as I was reaching Fountainhead, here came the George Mason Women's Crew team, in 8+s, four abreast heading back toward Sandy Run. It was an impressive start and it appeared that that they were racing as pairs with the varsity boats racing each other and two novice boats racing each other. It was quite impressive seeing all four boats coming down the river. My row was a good one considering I hadn't sculled in a single for a while. The boat seemed to move pretty well, particularly on the way back. My muscles were pretty sore though afterward proving that I need to get out on a much more regular basis.

The Doctor visit went well. It was just a checkup to see how I was doing on some new medication to control my high blood pressure. High blood pressure runs in the family unfortunately and I hate having to take medicine to control it. However the alternative of stroking out is hardly a pleasant alternative so take it I must.

Saturday was my usual club rowing practice. What a gorgeous morning with the cooler air temperature raising mist off the warmer morning and the rising sun turning it a beautiful shade of gold. We were preparing for the Head of the Potomac to be held on Sunday as well as do some final seat racing to select the 8 rowers to row at the Head of the Charles. Being one of the shortest and lightest member on the Men's side, I new I was a long shot to make the boat and alas, that's what happened. So no trip to Boston this year. I covered my disappointment with a few donuts, eggs and home fries as our novice rowers provided breakfast for the club.

After practice, I raced home and showered as Ann and I had tickets to the University of Maryland football game against Eastern Michigan. Actually we have season tickets, but this was the first game we could actually make. We like to go early and tailgate for a while before heading to the stadium. Maryland won by a wide margin 51-24 although the game was a little closer than the score would indicate. The people that sit around us are all pretty nice and it was good to see them again. After the Maryland game we came back home in time to watch Va Tech come from behind to beat UNC on TV, a game Daughter#2 and the Son In Law were at down in Chapel Hill. We grilled up some steaks after that game in preparation to watch LSU play Auburn. An exciting game to say the least except Auburn came up on the short end Damn.

In some sad and shocking news, Daughter#1 was downsized and laid off today. Life can sure be sucky some days.

Bachelor Weekend

This will be a bachelor weekend for me. Ann and Daughter#2 left early this morning to visit Daughter#1 in Connecticut to have a girl weekend and do some wedding planning. Its been a long, long time since I've been alone for a weekend. The question is how to spend it. Some of the choices are:

Rowing - This is sort of a given. Besides practice Saturday morning, I can go out in a single, which is something I haven't done in a while now.

Biking - Again not that surprising. This was suppose to be the weekend we would ride the entire 45 miles of the W&OD Trail like we did last year. Alas, The Son opted out to go to Atlantic City and Daughter#2 is headed to Connecticut. Ann, who is our pick up and drop off driver, is with her. I really do want to do the ride again, but it is not to be. Unless someone out there is interested in being a drop off and pick up person for me. A free lunch is in for you and a friend, if you'd like. I've decided trying a modified ride would have to do. I would ride to Purcellvile and back from Rt 28. That would be 42 miles. I could ride an additional 8 miles toward Vienna and back to round up to 50. A trip to Old Dominion brew Pub would be in order after that.

Football Game - I do have tickets to the Maryland vs. Delaware football game. I'm not sure how crazy I am about going to the game by myself plus I'd have to find someone to take care of the dog. It's a 3:45 start too, which would put me home late (yes I'm old).

Baseball Game - The Nationals are home this weekend and their new ball park is terrific. The downside is that they are terrible although they just did sweep the Dodgers.

Movie - Always a choice especially when it's raining out. I can't say that anything really excites me right now. Any recommendations?

TV - College football does start this Saturday. Who Hoo!

Feel free to to help me figure out on what I should do.

Super Bowl and Low Rate Erging

Like most of America, I spent Sunday evening watching the Super Bowl. I had no real routing interest in either team, but as I got into the game I found myself routing for the Giants. It's not so much that I didn't want New England to go undefeated. On the contrary, anything to shut up the 1972 Dolphins and their annoying toasting to themselves every year. Grow up. I guess it was more routing for the underdog. Back in the day when I was little and growing up in NJ, I was a big Giants fan. At least until the AFL and the Jets came along. There has been talk that this was the biggest upset in Super Bowl history. So not true. Anyone who says the 1969 Jets - Colts (the true Colts from Baltimore not the sham Colts in Indianapolis) wasn't the biggest upset just doesn't understand football or more likely is under the age 35.

While waiting for the game to come along, I made it to my Sunday erg class. There were far fewer rowers than normal. I think it's because the Mid-Atlantic Erg Sprints were held on Saturday and those rowers, wisely, decided to skip the Sunday class. We also had a substitute Instructor. I know her as she's one of the younger rowers from our club not long out of college. Rather than our usual row, she had us doing pyramids at very low stroke rates - 16 to 18 strokes per minute to start out. At these lower rates, you have to put a lot more omph into it. It's basically a strength exercise rather than an aerobic one. It turned out well and was something different. I ended up putting in almost 13,000 meters so I got my money's worth. Now to make myself at home tomorrow to keep things moving along.

Tis the (End of the) Season

Today officially marked the end of our Holiday Season as we took down the tree and our outside lights. To me this is always the most depressing day of the year. I hate taking the tree down. Not so much because of the mess of needles that always occur, but it's so sad to dismantle what was once so beautiful and looked like this:

To it lying in the gutter waiting for the garbage men to haul it away. Actually I think there is a poem or story that tells the sad story of the Christmas tree. Alas poor tree, we will miss you in all your lighted glory and your sweet pine smell.

I had a problem with my outside lights this year. They worked fine until the weekend before Christmas when about half of them failed to come on at dusk. The ones that wouldn't come on were all linked to an extension cord I run from the back of the house. In a brain fart designing the house, the builder did not include any outside sockets in the front of the house. Brilliant. Anyway, I discovered that a circuit breaker was tripped. Every time I reset it, it would immediately trip off again. I even tried a different outlet, but the same thing happened. I assume both outlets must be on the same circuit. Finally I just gave up and they stayed dark until I took them down today. In dismantling the various connections and extension cords, I discovered this:
At first I thought it was just covered by mud since it rained yesterday. Closer inspection revealed that it was burnt and had melted some of the rubber insulation. I couldn't separate the two cords since the melted insulation from both cords had made them one. No wonder the circuit breaker would trip. I suspect that when Daughter#1 arrived home and used her hair dryer that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I swear half the house is wired into that one circuit. I'm glad to see the circuit breaker did what it was suppose to do.

I watched the Redskins exit the playoffs on Saturday. It looked so promising after they had rallied and scored 14 points to take the lead in the second half. They then recovered the ensuing kickoff on the Seattle 14 yard line only to come up empty missing a field goal. I think that was the defining moment of the game. After that it was all Seattle. Time to wait for next year.

I made my erg class today. I got in my goal of 10,000 meters and lord was it hard. There was a good turnout today. Every erg was taken, which means we had 24 (I think) people rowing, including the instructor. It's amazing the energy that group will generate. It's really hard for me to plant myself on my erg at home and rattle off 10,000 meters. It would take me about 43 minutes and the boredom that would ensue boggles the mind. Not to mention the exhaustion in rowing that far on the erg. It's much easier doing it as part of a group. Shared misery and all that.

Tomorrow is my first day back at work after being off for two weeks. The idea of getting up at 3:30 is not very appealing and I know it will just be crazy at work with everyone coming back. I just want to survive the day. Hope you all had a great weekend.

New Year's Day

Today was not atypical from almost everyday since I've started my Christmas break. I get up around 8:00. I walk the dogs. Some days I feed them and most times Ann feeds them. I'll get on the computer while enjoying my morning Coke and a breakfast bar. I'll check my e-mail, read some blogs, listen to the Junkies, although they've been off most of the time too. They've been running best of shows. After being on the computer, I'll row sometimes or sometimes Ann and I will go out to lunch. It's actually getting a bit boring. Makes me wonder about retiring, although Lord knows I don't want to work forever either. As it turns out, I did row today. 5,000 meters. My heart really wasn't in it so the time was just so so, but at least I did it. I'm trying to get on a 3 to 4 time s a week schedule.

Today after I had made myself a late breakfast, Ann and I watched football most of the day. I fell asleep on the couch, but managed to wake up in time to catch the second half of the Florida vs Michigan game. I expected Michigan to go down the way most Big Ten teams do against SEC teams, but they hung in there and won. I suspect the combination of Florida taking Michigan too lightly and Michigan wanting to upstage the Heisman Trophy winner and send their coach out with a win tipped the game Michigan's way. The Rose Bowl was a rout and boring. The Sugar Bowl looks like much of the same even though I was hoping Hawaii would do well. Oh well at least Auburn won last night.

The Son dropped by for dinner. It's the first time he's been back since moving into his new place. He seems to be doing well. We'll see how often he becomes a dinner guest.

Tomorrow is actually a work day for me although it will be from home, which is a nice way to transition back into it. I suspect there will be a ton of phone calls and e-mails as everyone tries to get back on track after being off for the Holidays. It might actually be enjoyable. Even better is I have Thursday off before heading into the weekend.

What To Do?

So today I woke up and really didn't know what to do with myself. No rowing practice to be at by 7:00AM. No College Game Day to watch. No college football to watch. My whole world was different. Oh I suppose I could have hung around and watched some college basketball, but in my mind its still too early. I can't really start getting into college basketball until all the college football bowl games are over. Speaking of college football, how sad is it that Navy football coach Paul Johnson is leaving Navy to coach at Georgia Tech? He's paid his dues, of course, and what he has done at Navy speaks volumes of him as a coach. I can understand him wanting to move up the football food chain. But still. It takes someone really special to coach at a service academy. Anyone can win at Ga Tech, but not at Navy. Many have tried and few have succeeded. You're not getting the real blue chip prospects. Those with designs on the NFL don't want to waste their prime parked on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean. Still it was nice to see Navy returned to respectability. Navy has a soft spot in my heart. I wanted to go there when I was a little kid. I lived not far from the academy when I was in high school. We use to drive down to the academy and sneak into their squash courts to play handball. The first college football game I attended was to watch Navy play. So thanks Paul, but you'll be missed.

So while trying to decide what to do with my day, Ann dragged me into our office to do some on-line Christmas shopping. We got one person done. Speed shoppers we are not. Sometimes you just have to hit the button that says "Proceed to Checkout". Reminds me of the scene in "Top Gun" where after Goose dies and Maverick is flying with a new RIO and he's trying him to get Maverick to engage. Sometimes you just have to quit reading on line reviews and take the shot. Talk to me Goose.

Our dilemma of what to do with our day was finally solved by The Son, who upon his emergence from his cave, demanded to be fed and, oh by the way, lets go shop for furniture. What guy likes to shop for furniture? So we went and feasted on some ribs (Memphis Dry Rub for me and Honey Glazed for The Son, Brunswick Stew and a Pulled Pork sandwich for Ann) and I had a beer to steady my nerves before we headed off to look at new furniture for The Son's new condo. It wasn't as bad as I expected and he did find some things he liked for his bedroom and living room. We'll be heading back tomorrow to buy them when they're suppose to be having some big sale. We'll see. After all that the afternoon was all but gone. On getting home, I was tagged with the responsibility for making something for dinner, but since we have no food in the house at the moment, bacon and eggs it was. Such an exciting life.

This post also marks my 100th post. Let's hope it's the first of many such milestones.

Houses, Gutters and Football

So today, The Son, Ann and I viewed six properties. Three townhouses and three condos. It's a lot of properties to see in one outing before they all start running together in your mind. After looking at each of the properties, we retired to our favorite Tex Mex place for lunch and to discuss the pros and cons of each property. Across from chili and Texas Devil Steak, we ranked each of the properties as to price, location, kitchen, master bedroom, other bedrooms, bathrooms and deck/patio. In the end, two condos came out very close in score with a townhouse a close third. We will be sitting down with our Realtor tonight to map out an offer. It's quite possible that his first choice might be slightly out of his price range, the second is definitely not. So we'll see.

After lunch we came home, built a fire in the fireplace and watched the Redskins. They played a so so first half. At halftime, I broke out our ladder and climbed up on our roof to clean out our gutters. It had been misting on and off and the roof was slicker than I care for. I always make sure I have a spotter as I've had the ladder kick out on me before as I've tried to descend. As it turned out, I did slip on the roof once, but I managed to catch my foot in the gutter to stop me before I went over the edge. I've decided that my new sneakers don't grip all that well and I'm getting too old to be climbing up on our roof. I did manage to get all the gutters clean right before the heavens opened up and the serious rain began. That mood carried over to the second half of the Redskins game as they let another second half lead fritter away. Watching the coach incur a 15 yard penalty for Unsportsmanlike Behavior because he didn't know the rules for calling back to back time-outs thereby changing a 51 yard field goal try to a 36 yard try is just inexcusable. Its just sad.

Because of the rain and house search, I wasn't able to get our outside Christmas lights up. Maybe tomorrow, if the weather clears in time. Maybe we'll get a tree as well. If the rain stays, Ann and I will just curl up with a good movie.