Heckler

Ok, so I'm quietly minding my own buisness in my phillies jersey when
this old lady stands up, turns around and says, "ha ha" after a
brewers home run. Hmmmm ....

Cheese!

If Illinois is totally flat and full of corn fields, then Wisconsin is
all about cheese! This particular sign is for a cheese castle. Hmmm,
I bet the wolf could chew his way right through this cheese castle.
Look out little piggies!

It's better than it looks

I tried a new French toast recipe this morning. It was pretty easy to
make but I could have cooked it a little longer. I grated fresh
cinnamon for the top and it was really good. I've never had fresh
cinnamon (except in winter warmers), so I was surprised at how strong
it tasted. Yummy!

I needed a big breakfast to fuel up for the trip to see the Brewers
and Phillies. Go Phillies!

Beer caps!

My adopted city is trying to kill me. I don't think I did this many
things in eight years in Philly. We have seen Brandi Carlile - three
times, including last Friday at the House of Blues. We had a nice
dinner before the show and saw this guitar hanging on the wall. It's
made out of beer caps. I've been saving cool beer caps for a while for
a project, and I think it will be cooler than this guitar, if I ever
get around to making it.

The concert was pretty good, but ended with two slow songs, one of
which was new. We all agreed that it was an odd choice. Next up - a
Phillies game in Milwaukee!

Week 2 down

My second week on the job is winding down. It is the end of the
quarter, so things are pretty hectic. Fridays are usually pretty
quiet, but today is an exception. I drafted my first opinion and I'm
happy to have one under my belt. I hope to get more efficient with
each case. Also, I'm finally feeling pretty good about knowing how
things work. I have a lot to learn, but I don't feel quite so
overwhelmed. Everyone has been patient and very helpful.

Urban assault ride

Sunday was an interesting (and fun) day. We had signed up for the New
Belgium urban assault ride. It was sort of like a bike race /
scavenger hunt through the city. We biked 3 miles to the start line,
then biked about 20 miles around the city to various checkpoints where
we performed random tasks (e.g., a modified three-legged race). We
finished at the same place we started and had one task left - ride a
big wheel around a course. It was lots of fun. I made at least one
mistake, however. Or maybe it was 6 mistakes. After 23 miles of biking
on an empty stomach, I thought it was a good idea to have a few (6)
beers. Needless to say, that was about 5 too many. Overall, everyone
had a good time and I think we will do it again next year in some
crazy costumes. Someone suggested Catholic school girl outfits, but
there was already a team of them this year. If you have any
suggestions, please post them here!

Also overheard

From a very nice straight female friend:
If you go to five Ani DiFranco concerts, you're going to end up sleeping with a woman. It's just true.

Still more on cows

You may not be able to see this cow very well, but she sees you! She
is looking through a telescope and spying on us all.

A funny thing I overheard

By pip - I'm so gay, my dog can't even run straight.

More on cows

Ok, I guess the Midwest truly is addicted to cows! This one is inside
one of the state buildings downtown. I guess that is a sunburst from
underneath. I'm not sure whether this is from the parade of cows or
not, but I hope it is! Otherwise, there's no excuse.

What is it about the cows?

I know I'm now in the Midwest, but there are some crazy cows out
here! I'm not sure how the cow ended up orange. Or how the woman
ended up green, for that matter. I guess I'm just way out of the loop
on fashion because this neon cow was in the window of a very hip
store! I'll take my brown cows thank you very much.

Motorcycle!

After a tough day at my new job, i needed a ride on my motorcycle! The
job was interesting today and I am excited about the next four months.
And I was very pleased with my ride on the bike because I have not
ridden since before my self-discovery trip.

I looked at this picture and realized a few things: 1) my bike is
small; 2) I need cooler riding gear; and 3) I would ride the franchise
to the end of the earth. Some day my rents will learn that I bought a
motorcycle, but you probably don't want to be the person who tells them.

If you would like a ride (jf or as) I'm just about ready to oblige.

New job

Today is the first day of my new job. I'm nervous and feeling very
anxious, so I made sure to get to the office early. The only problem
is that I do not have a security pass and I cannot get into the office
until someone else is there to authorize my admission. And I got here
before the mail person delivered the paper, so I don't have anything
to read. Sometimes I wonder whether I made the right choice to take
this job.

I'm excited to clerk for the judge, but there is a big difference in
the resources available here as compared to the large law firm where I
worked. I think the thing I will miss the most is the copier/scanner
that converts images directly to PDFs.

Tired dogs

I went for a 9.5 mile trail run this morning after taking a break from
running while on vacation. It was a beautiful day today - sunny and
about 80. My dog (the Weimaraner) got a ride around the trail in a
doggy trailer. The dog I was dogsitting had to pull me around the
loop. Bad draw for her. As you can see, both dogs were exhausted
from the work out. I got them large Jimmy John's sodas to wake them
up, but it didn't help. Didn't help me much either as I got home and
crashed on the couch to watch tennis for the rest of the day.

Trolley party

The fun continues! In honor of some friends who are getting married
this fall, I am taking a trolley tour through Chicago. Shhhh, don't
tell because it's a surprise! (at least for 5 more minutes)

The Sampler

Although I was disappointed not to see any former gymnastic stars, I
enjoyed the tour and the sampler. I tried six varieties of beer and
two sodas. I have had all but one of the beers before. My favorite is
still the Domaine DuPage, but the non-alcoholic root beer was a close
second! The cream soda was also good, but I'm not a big cream soda
fan. I recommend the tour and lunch at the tap room.

Brewery # 3

Continuing our brewery trips, we drove out to Two Brothers brewery
this afternoon. The building is really large and not well-marked on
the outside. The inside, however, still has the logo of the old
gymnastic academy that used to be located there.

I look like my passport photo

I think it was Erma Bombeck who said that she knew it was time to go
home when she looked like her passport photo. Well, I have two
corollaries to her theory.

First, my passport photo is not bad, but my driver's license is
horrendous. It is more fitting for me to reference my driver's license
because I was exploring the U.S. (even though Arkansas feels very
foreign). I'm not attaching a photo, but trust me, I look like my
driver's license so I knew it was time to go home.

Second, you know it's time to go home when your eyebrows have grown
together. Maybe this is more a comment on the quality of the hotels at
which I have stayed in the last few days. Since my first night in the
luxurious Hilton in St. Louis, I have not stayed in a room with one of
those lighted magnifying mirrors. As a result, I was ready to head
home to use my mirror (for about half an hour).

I'm also ready to sleep in my own bed for the first time in ten days.
I would say that I hope I sleep past five, but I'm getting up early to
play tennis. I hope to have a chance to reflect on my journey tomorrow
and maybe even post some thoughts on what (if anything) I've learned
about the Midwest, my job, my relationship, my new life here and
myself. I think I can fit it in a sentence or two.

The dog is exhausted!

You would think the dog did all the driving! She has been sleeping
since she got home from the kennel. Well, after her bath!

The Cider Mill

I worked at the cider mill for two fall seasons while I was in high
school. I think this was my favorite job ever, although being a lawyer
has been a close second so far. I worked the register over 20 years
ago, but remembered the codes for a half a dozen doughnuts and a quart
of cider. More impressive is that the codes haven't changed! I was
disappointed because they were not pressing cider or making doughnuts.
I had a fresh quart of cider and a powdered sugar doughnut. Both were
as good as I remembered.

My least favorite job at the cider mill was putting the sticks in the
apples that would become candy apples. It sounds easy, and for the
first five or six, it feels easy, but try doing 250 apples in an hour
and your hands will really hurt.

I enjoyed going back, but it also made me sort of sad. I have not
found anything like the cider mill in my adopted home and I doubt I
will.

Slightly out of order - flying home

Scranton is a small airport! Our flight is at 5:17, but there are only
four more flights tonight and one of them is because it was delayed!
I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed for the first time in
like ten days.

My hometown

Sometimes I think about moving back to New York, but I wonder what I
would do here. Maybe I would go back to teaching tennis at the club
where I used to work. Not much has changed here, except for the two
columns in front of the door. I think I will spend the rest of the day
touring my old stomping grounds. I get a little sad driving around and
seeing all the boarded up stores.

Breakfast of champions

I thought that I already had posted this, but I guess not. This is a
picture of the breakfast of champions - one chocolate chip cookie and
a can of Pepsi. It doesn't get much better than that.

Za!

This is my favorite pizza, ever (yes, Pip, I like this better than
Piece). This is a large pie with extra cheese and extra sauce. All
for $13.00. Every time I come home I try to have pizza from either
Tony's or Nick's - they are brothers and both make fantastic pizza.
It's so good that I might sneak the leftovers in my suitcase for the
trip back to the Midwest.

Guns?

What is it about rural areas and guns? When I was driving back from
St. Louis, there was a road side ad like the old Burma Shave ads that
basically said something like "In trouble sonny, it ain't funny, guns
save lives." So then I see this just outside Oneonta and I'm a little
scared. What you can't see is the mounted automatic rifle like a
surface to air anti-airplane gun that is mounted in the front yard of
the Pistol Packing Mamas store. Lots of gun references on the blog. I
don't like guns. I will not write about them any more.

Fresh hops!

The Cooperstown Brewing Company grows some of it's own hops, which
were drying in the sun. These smelled incredible, good enough to make
me drink some pale ales. The India Pale Ale offered by Cooperstown is
fantastic.

Brewery # 2

After the successful tour at Ommegang, we headed off to the
Cooperstown Brewing Company in Milford, just down the street. The
brewery is a little smaller and the tour a little less formal - and a
great time was had by all! This photo shows the selection of beer
brewed by Cooperstown. We were able to sample each beer and we
enjoyed them all. The labels are cool and all but two have a baseball
theme. They have a wall of bottles that they have exchanged with
other independent brewers. If I can get my act in gear, I will send
them a bottle from New Glarus - a cool Wisconsin brewery that does not
distribute outside Wisconsin.

A beer diet?

I don't know, but if it's in a book, it must be true.

The northeast rocks

Ommegang made a special election beer. I'm not sure whether this was
a political statement, a business statement or both. Either way, I'm
sad I missed it. I did, however, have an Avery Ale to the Chief (or
Inaugurale - I can't remember). If you get your hands on an
Obamagang, let me know how it tastes.

Ommegang brewery

I'm not sure why they needed to put up this warning because the
opening in this tank is barely big enough to stick your head in. I
guess there are too many lawyers in the country. Or, too many minus one.

Brewery #1

After the hall of fame, we took a short trip down the road to the
Ommegang Brewery. Although it was started with a minority investment
from Duvel, the Belgian brewer, Duvel recently purchased a majority
interest and took over the brewery. This building, modeled after a
traditional Belgian brewery, was built in 1996 and they started
brewing in 1997. The 1549 date on the archway is the date that Duvel
started brewing in Belgium.

Having just toured the Budweiser brewery in St. Louis, I would say
that this tour was far more informative and enjoyable. And I actually
had the free beer samples instead of Pepsi (like I did at the Bud tour).

Yum yum shack

I didn't go in to check it out, but I think it is a restaraunt and not
an adult novelty store. Although there were two carvings of naked
mermaids on either side of the door ...

Tired of baseball?

This will be quick and then on to the Ommegang brewery. These are
early 1900s baseball cards that were given away inpacks of cigarettes.
I happen to have a few of these - including a Matthewson (third from
the right, top row) and Cobb (different card than the one pictured). I
don't know how much they are worth or where they are right now, but
it's still cool!

The birthday no hitter that wasn't

This is a picture of a ticket (and the game ball) commemorating a no
hitter that was thrown by Kevin Millwood. You see, I had tickets to
that game because I had season tickets that year. Needless to say, it
was a beautiful day and the Phillies (and Millwood) were playing
poorly. It was also my birthday. So, I decided not to spend a day in
agony at the Vet watching Millwood blow up, so we got rid of the
tickets and took off for some other better destinatons. I don't
remember how I spent that birthday, but I'll never forget that I
missed a no hitter. That goes down as one of my all-time best
decisions. That and buying a Betamax player.

The baseball hall of fame

I love it when a plan comes together! We arrived at the little lake
town of Cooperstown just as the kids went back to school! We had the
hall of fame all to ourselves except for about twenty people, who were
all over the age of 70 - and we ran circles around them! The hall has
changed a lot since the last time I was there (1992). There were lots
of cool Phillies things there and I will have at least one more post
that brags about the Fightin' Phils.

Cross-eyed cat

My mother recently adopted two kittens - a girl and her brother. This
is a picture of the boy - Tonka. You might not be able to tell, but
he is slightly cross-eyed. He is also a menace, but a very cute
menace. My mother assures me that his sister also lives here, but I
have not seen her yet.

Tennis ball car

This was actually pretty cool - a car covered in tennis ball material.
There are a couple down sides: 1 - the yellow was filthy from everyone
touching the car (I can't even imagine what birds would do to it); 2 -
it's only good for a few outings and then you have to buy a new one (just like a can of balls); and 3 - the salt from the roads would wreck the fuzz. At least you would bounce off anything you hit.

More fun with food

Sticking with two of my favorite themes (junk food and gunshots), I
thought that it was odd that my chicken finger looked like a band gun,
but then I am in Queens. Some of you may also have mistaken this
picture as a duplicate of my meal from the other night, but those were
fish sticks - I mean fish and chips.

The grandstand

Our third court of the day - the grandstand. This used to be the
second biggest court at the open. We bought some food and found a seat
in the fifth row to watch the number five seeds knock off the number
two seeds in the mens doubles. When you sit this close you can see
how much pace and spin the pros put on their shots. What I really
learned is that they play a whole different game than what I try to
pass off as tennis. And these guys can't even make it on the singles
tour. I don't think I could get one serve back in play in an entire
match. Sort of like Letterman trying to return Roddick's serve. If you
haven't seen it, check it out.

Baby roller derby

NYC has some very flexible child labor laws and some very good skating
babies. The pink headband is a very nice touch.

Is this roller derby?

I don't know if you can see it, but one of the women is wearing tube
socks. Reminds me of one of my good camp friends ...

This is the women's quarterfinal doubles match on Louis Armstrong
stadium, which used to be the biggest stadium on the grounds.

Murray is a punk

Andy Murray is single-handedly trying to ruin our day at the Open. He
lost a tough first set to Cilic and has been moping around the court
and shaking his left (non-dominant) wrist on the changeovers. He is
losing the second set and our box is taking guesses at when he will
retire. Meanwhile, the weather is perfect - partly sunny and a very
occasional slight breeze. Go Cilic!

NYC - something for everyone

If tennis isn't your thing, NYC has lots of museums. For example, we
found this pamphlet in the lobby of our hotel right next to a pamphlet
for The Met.

View from the top

This is the view from the top of Arthur Ashe stadium. It might not
look much different, but it is about 35 rows and one concourse up from
us. From up there, you can see Louis Armstrong stadium and Citi field,
the new Shea stadium. Also, you can see the ball hit before you hear
it. The air must also be thinner because I was winded when I got to
the top!

Awesome seats!

The second day at the Open is off to a great start! After a sleepless
night that involved at least three gunshots outside our hotel (it is
Queens), we settled into our awesome seats for a day of great tennis,
starting with the Bryan twins.

Wet paint

One fun night at the open down, one day session to go. We all had one
question - if the open is the same two weeks every year, why decide to
paint during the event? Just a rhetorical question.

Love NYC, hate Long Island

Our seats were in the 300 level, but came with extra entertainment -
these two women from long island. If you've ever met anyone from long
island, you know what I'm talking about. If not, check out the bling.

Dinner at the Open

Beer - $9.00
Pretzel - $5.00
Ticket - $69.00 (really)
Fantastic 4th round women's match with friends and family -priceless!

The Open rocks!

The U.S. Open is setting attendance records again this year. I have
been every year since 1983. It is a great event. If you have not gone,
I highly recommend it.

Five star hotel

So we checked in to our awesome hotel and took the complemtary shuttle
to the U.S. Open, which dropped us off here - amidst the urban bleight
that is Queens. On our way to the open for a night of great tennis.

Welcome to New York

It took 1 hour to drive the first ten miles and 1 hour to drive the
last ten miles. But we made it!! And the GW bridge shakes when you
are sitting on it.

Jinxed!

I must have jinxed myself when I bragged about getting a full night of
sleep. After an entertaining dinner and relaxing second night at the
Bon fire, I woke up at five a.m. and lie awake tossing and turning
until the rest of the house was up. I thought my weeks of early
morning rising were behind me, but I guess I'm still wrestling with
some demons. Oh well. We went for a nice morning jog in the cool
mountain air - we had the two best days of the summer so a cool
overcast morning for our drive to the city was not bad.

We packed up my mother's car and headed east to the big city. After
watching the tennis on tv for a week, I'm excited to see it live and
in person! We are going to the night session tonight and will see
Djokovic vs. Stepanek, a match that Novak should win, but he has been
struggling so far. We will also see a women's match, Kuznetsova vs.
Someone I can't remember. It should be a fun night. Sometimes the
night sessions get crazy and go really late. Look for us on tv, just
like when they kept showing me in the background of the Holliday home
run at the Cardinals game!

Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink

We had to take a quick trip to wegmans for a fresh bag of marshmallows
and discovered that they have over 550 microbrews for sale, but none
on Sunday, of course. Ok, one strike against PA.

Blogging is hard

I've been informed that the picture of the mint next to the dime did
not accurately display the puny mint, so I had to try again. And I
forgot to mention that it smells like skunk in here. Dixon city still
stinks.

By the way, we have not yet been up for twelve hours yet. It's a good
day, despite the don pablos / Fridays / dixon city disaster.

Times are tough all over

Is it me or are these mints tiny? First the Mrs. Paul's fish sticks
now this. I can't wait to get to the city (NYC, just in case there was
a question), where this would be expected. Dixon city stinks.

Fish and chips or fish sticks and fries?

You decide, but I think I was the victim of false advertising. This
clearly is a photo of my dinner, which clearly is NOT fish and chips.
At least I had a Guinness on draft.