Sunday, September 24, 2006

Road Trip Day 1

2006 Road Trip Vacation – 2006-09-23



I purchased a voice recorder to take notes with for my journey… I’m going to post my raw notes to give you a feel for my thoughts as I go through the day… enjoy!




  • Here we go… it’s a little after 4pm on September 23rd and it’s a little later than I wanted to take off but hey, I’m ok with it. It’s a rainy day, cloudy, got the rental car… it’s not bad, not luxurious… a Nissan Altima 18k miles…. Been waiting on our crashed mail server to finish off some work before I left, but as luck would have it, the server just came up right after I left! I just coming out of Target from buying this thing (recorder), a knife, corkscrew (my buddy gave me a bottle of his home made vino for the trip), and I’m thinking it’s time to hit the road!




  • So my initial direction is south on route 59, not sure where the hell I’m going… just going south… don’t know where I’ll turn, but for now I’ll just head south… this ought to be an adventure to say the least…




  • So yeah I’m thinking one of the strategies I need to follow is not to take expressways, it will probably be more interesting on side roads… even with the weather the way it is… clouds menacing and tornados last night, if I stay on the county and state highways it ought to be more interesting. Another thing I need to do is make sure I keep the gas tank topped off… one of the problems you have with these small towns is you never know where the gas stations are or how late they stay open…. So I should just top it off at about half a tank… as I pass through Plainfield gas is about $2.61 so we’ll see how the prices change as I head south…




  • I’ve decided to get the camera out and put on the lens just in case I see a shot while I’m stopped at a corner, but I’m looking at it and thinking what if I have to make a sudden stop and the thing flies onto the floor… so I put my jacket on the floor to soften the potential fall…. This is probably a stupid idea.




  • You know, it hasn’t been even 20 minutes since I left and I’m sitting here in traffic on route 59… I mean this is one of the reasons I need to get away, I mean what the Hell is going on? There’s nothing going on… this is friggin Plainfield, friggin route 59, friggin Illinois… I mean there’s not supposed to be stand-still traffic!




  • So one of the things I had to do before I left was free up some drive space on my laptop so I wouldn’t have to constantly clean up files while I upload images from my camera… I have a USB hard drive, and was able to free up about 12 gig of space… hope that’s enough to get through the week… I’m gonna get off of 59 now… traffic sux




  • Well it turns out the traffic was due to a detour and of course the detour sign says right, and I’m in the left turn lane, lol. So I’m gonna turn left and of course I’ll probably be on a dead end street and have to turn around…. We’ll see…




  • Well this didn’t take long…. I’m giving up on the county roads… I know this area anyway… so I’m getting on 55 south and get off the highway in an area that I don’t know…




  • So I got on 55 south off of 52… a bunch of road construction signs so I’m sitting here thinking… one, did I bring the camera mount to my tripod or leave it in my old camera bag like an idiot? 2, how long will it take me not to check my email every 5 minutes…. And 3…. I forgot 3…





  • LOL – number three was I wonder what it will be that I’ve forgotten to bring with me – apropos that I forgot number 3 huh?




  • Well the 2nd guessing begins… it’s raining so hard that I cannot see through my windshield so I’m thinking that maybe I should have gone west, but I’m gonna keep pushing south and make a decision in Bloomington






  • Well here’s one of my 1st little jaunts … I’m driving down 55 and watching the sun to the west of me… but 1st things 1st… I went 2 hours without having to stop at a restroom so that’s good… anyway, I’m getting off 55 and going to drive toward the sun and see if I can get some pix before the end of the day…. I think this is route 24 and it’s about 48 miles to Peoria… yah, maybe I’ll just stay in Peoria tonight… we’ll see




  • So you gotta love small town Midwest America… so I stop at this small town, I don’t even know what it is… it only has 2 gas stations and can’t be more than 2 blocks deep on either side of the highway… anyway I stop for gas and the price is 2.21… I get ready to start pumping and a lady runs out saying “Wait! We’re resetting the price…. Down!”… we’ll I can’t pass that up so I go inside, buy some diet pepsi and they drop the price to $2.19… rock n roll – God bless America




  • So this is pretty cool – I’m in el paso Illinois on route 24, just to the south of me are some of the nastiest looking clouds I’ve ever seen… perhaps the worst I’ve seen since we lived in South Dakota …. In front of me and above me are pretty clear skies… the sun’s beaming on my smiling face… this is pretty cool












  • So right out side of el paso is basically the intersection for 39 south or 51 north or whatever…. And I’m just gonna blow on by this guy…. South of me is nasty… west of me is sunny… that’s a pretty easy decision to make.






  • So it’s about 6:41 and I’m pulling into Peoria and I think I’m on 151, but it’s … whatever.. there was the most glorious sunset as I came into Peoria down the hill over the Illinois river… I wish there would have been a good place to pull over for some shots, but I managed to stick the camera out the window to get a couple of shots.









  • So somehow I wound up winding my way around Peoria and I missed the sunset – no good places to stop – too many obstructions… so I’m on 74 west… don’t know where this is going to lead me, but I hope I can find a place with internet access so I can finish the work I wasn’t able to last night… looks like I’m on my way to Moline… which is weird… more north than I thought… anyway…




  • Well as the sun goes down it’s a little after 7 now and what I’d call dusk – really too dark to take pix – not hard core driving time – 20 miles to Galesburg Illinois and I’ll probably try to find a place there… right now I’m gonna put in Dark Star Safari by paul thouroux…. One of my wifes recommendations… we’ll see how it is…




  • Alright so we’re cooking with gas… I didn’t make it all the way to Galesburg, I’m in Knoxville, but who cares… there’s a super 8 here in Knoxville and they have free wireless internet so this is what I’m calling home for the evening so yeah me!










Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Is it really only Wednesday?

Well… I bought a new camera this yesterday. I made the leap to Digital SLR with the Canon Digital Rebel XTi. I’m a little gut sick because it’s a big commitment, but I’ll feel better, I hope once I get my zoom lens and battery pack. I also haven’t had much time, or really any time this week to take pictures with it. We had a director quit monday, another director ask for that job which creates a hole I will need to fill, which creates a hole I filled yesterday with the hire of another director type person. It's only the 3rd person to quit for us in almost 7 years.... and I think I'm catching the crud that's floating around... gah!

Here are some pix I shot driving home tonight and last night at home…

Sunday, September 17, 2006

How to spend the last days of summer

It was a beautiful day yesterday. The sun was shining, no birds, but summer's about over. I started the day by taking a drive to downtown Naperville to visit the Riverwalk Art Festival. This coincided with the annual wine tasting event, but I hadn't the foresight to purchase tickets for that, and frankly, I wouldn't be interested in it by myself. I'm not a huge wine drinker either. There were some interesting works of art. Mostly local artists, but I noticed some from the east coast.




I returned home after strolling through the exhibits to play with the dogs outside, taking pix of butterflies and flowers, and laughing hillariously at watching Dakota leap into the air after the butterflies. Apparently they do not get to play in our yard.





My wife was attending the 3rd and final day of a Parelli seminar, so I made sure to swing back by the house, play with the dogs, let them out, check on the kids, ask if they wanted to come with me.... I did this every couple of hours.

My next trip was to the Lisle Depot Days/Smile Days... I'd heard that Ides of March were playing but I couldn't find a time. When I got there they were holding a charity auction and the final items were oversized benches... no thanks.

I found out what time they were playing, had a couple of beers. It was another Jaycees event, so guilt free enjoyment ;-)

I called home to see if my wife were home yet, and she wasn't, so I decided to pick up some groceries and supper on the way back home. By the time I got there, my wife was home, but she was sick as a dog and had thrown out her back. I fed the kids, dogs, pups, applied Vics to the sickly one's back (edit: doh! the vix was the night before) and went back to take in the concert.

I'm glad I did. I didn't know that the lead singer of the Ides of March, Jim somthing or other, had co-written many of the hits for 38 Special and Survivor. They were awesome and I had a blast.



After this, I meandered to a local bar that had American English playing... Awesome!

The bad news is that my camera quit working last night too... I think I've worn it out. 60,000+ pix in 13 months. So, I'm setting off to take some muscle relaxers and soda to my wife, then take the camera to Best Buy to see if I can get it repaired before my "driving/photography" vacation starting next weekend. Nice timing.... grrrr. I guess it could be worse. It could have broke down during the vacation. (Update: It will be at least two weeks without my camera.... now what?)

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Friday Night



This spring my business partners and I attended the Certificate in Business Administration program at the University of Illinois of Chicago. This is the only program that I'm aware of that you actually develop a strategic plan for your own business, as opposed to theoretic case studies. It was an immensely helpful program in the sense that it forced our ownership and management team to think about the future and goals of our company and forced the discipline on us to develop a detailed plan for how to grow the business. I've been working for myself in partnerships for 17 years, and this is the first time we've had a clearly defined strategy with goals and objectives for growth and a plan for success. It's exciting.



Last Friday night was the graduation ceremony for the program. It was held at the Hyatt Lodge on the McDonalds corporate campus, a very nice facility. The keynote speaker was Evelyn Eckles (sp?), an 91 year old entrepreneur who started her own commercial travel agency in 1954, landed Pepsi, Westinghouse, and many others through creative and ingenious techniques. She sold her New York based agency in 1960 and moved to Chicago with her husband. She spent the next 30 years developing schools for travel and hospitality for the young and disadvantaged. She is an impressive woman, at any age.



Dinner, drinks, and conversation were good. Some of us went to an upscale bar/restaurant afterward, "The Clubhouse" in Oak Brook. It was a good night.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

A little story; truth is stranger than fiction

In the late 80's when I was just starting in the computer industry I would attend a computer networking conference in California called InterOp. The first couple of years I went the conference was in San Jose.


This particular year InterOp was held in San Francisco at the Moscone center. I don't remember what hotel I was staying at, but it was within walking distance of the conference center. Most years I went, someone I knew would be at the conference with me, but that year I was there alone, so during my downtime I would walk around the city, or catch a cab to different parts of the city to sight see.


The day that I remember most vividly I was walking around Market Street at quitting time. I guess I've always enjoyed people watching and striking up conversations. Not knowing the city too well, I drifted off of Market, to what I think was the south side of Market. It's been a while so my memory may not be real clear now.


Anyway, after about a block in this new direction it was becoming evident that I was out of my element as a woman came running out of one of the many barred and fenced shops along the street, knife in hand, chasing a guy down the sidewalk. At this, I decided that this would be just a walk around the block. It's amazing the details you remember of past events, and one of my recollections is that this entire area smelled like pee mixed with garbage. Lovely.


So I made it through turn 3 without further incident, although I must say I was very intimidated by the city, more that I'd been in Chicago (and having been mugged at gunpoint before).


I'm halfway into my return to "safety" when all hell breaks loose on the street about 100 yards ahead of me. A funked up looking car, purple I think, tears up the street in my direction, slams on the brakes, and screeches to a halt. A guy stands up through the sunroof with a shot gun and begins firing; at what or whom I don't remember either.


I'm transfixed at what I'm seeing, thinking that I surely cannot continue down the street, and I don't relish walking back around the block either. As I'm contemplating this next move, a hand grabs my arm.


I look down to see a black man, in his 30's would be my guess, and he says "You're in the wrong place" and proceeds to lead me down the street past the car with the gunman in it who is now in a heated screaming match with people on the other side of the street.


I forgot to mention that I was wearing a suit. It was the 80s.


We exchange chit-chat; he asked where I was from; told me he was from St. Louis and what not. Before I know it we're at the corner, across from the block we were on. I turn around to thank him and he's gone! I'm talking less than a second and he had his hand on my arm the entire time!


Some would say that he just blended into the rush hour crowd. Others might infer that I couldn't distinguish one black man from another.


I've thought about that day a lot since then.


I believe I was saved by my guardian angel that day. I've had other experiences that have bolstered my belief in the presence of my guardian angel and maybe I'll share those with you sometime later.


Friday, September 08, 2006

Each Soul Bleeds

Each Soul Bleeds


Strangers hustle in and amongst

Most see only shoes, cuffs, and hemlines

In passing few leave lasting impressions

Easily forgotten, as though never beheld


A rare acknowledgement

A simple nod or smile

Only once by chance

Eyes meet in understanding


To see, to feel, to regard

In what lies within and behind

A stranger’s gaze

If only held for a moment


Leaning forward

With warmth and compassion

A whisper carried on soft breath

The sweet scent of humanity


But the words seem dark

Full of contempt

Vile and venomous

Assaulting the heart


Fueled by instinct

Shrouded in confusion

With hand over mouth

A scream of denial


Feet stopped

Chatter muted

Accounts retold

Comfort sought


Distress abounds

Over an opportunity lost

Remorse takes control

Of an unknown offense


Wound upon wound

Each soul bleeds

Seeking refuge

Eyes cast downward


Taking another step

Wanting to turn back

To find that gaze

That instant seam


The moment lost

Reality irrelevant

Perceptions indelible

Scars serve to admonish


To loose the nerve

To look up from shoes

To doubt oneself

Become wary of chance


Does the warmth escape

From a heart pierced

By a fleeting moment

Or a life of pain

Monday, September 04, 2006

2006 Naperville Last Fling Day Three

So I'm a day behind, but it was a long day yesterday and the weekend is catching up with me in more ways than one.

First on the agenda was the UFO Frisbee Dog Open. I simply love this event and this is the 2nd year I've gone. These dogs are beautiful and amazing athletes and completely into catching frisbees. People and dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds participated and a field of 50 teams from across the country was pared to a single winner in multiple categories.


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After visiting the beer garden (why's it called a garden anyway?) and listening to Suns of Earth, I headed home for a quick break and then back for the concerts.


The first show was Josh Kelley. I'd never really heard any of his stuff, but he's a talented guy. He broke out into a Michael McDonald tune after commenting on his new beard - and it was really good!


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The finale was a return performance from Collective Soul - and this was their last stop on a 2 year tour. It was evident that they were glad to be done, and having fun. They were as outstanding as last year, maybe better as the lead singer interacted with the crowd more. At one point they called Josh Kelley back to the stage and sung an impromptu version of Squeeze Box. Even though it began to rain toward the end of the show, nobody seemed to care.


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I had a pretty good time, although I have to say that no amount of good music, or no amount of beer could distract me from the fact that I was there by myself, surrounded by 9000 cheering fans.

2006 Naperville Last Fling Day Two

The day started as any other, well, no... it didn't :-)

I woke up on the couch having apparently dozed off there after returning home last night, and after answering mail and comments. Happily I felt great, aside from being a little parched. Nothing that a glass of water didn't fix.

Got a haircut, fixed my glasses ( oh yeah, my glasses got broke last night 8-0 ), took my daughter to pet the kitties at the pet store, then we went to the stable to watch my wife ride the beast. She's come a long way in the last couple of years with the help of Parelli and Clinton Anderson. I then took my son and daughter to Best Buy as they wanted to spend some of their money on CDs and a video game

After returning them home, I changed my shirt and freshened up to head to the Fling when the telephone becons... it's ADT security reporting a general burglar alarm at my office - GAH!

I hate this. I get one of these about every other month lately. Usually it's someone fat-fingering their code when leaving - I can't for the life of me understand this. Sometimes even the air conditioning will trip the motion detectors. Anyway - it's time to change the call list as I'm sick of having to drive 45 minutes each way to deal with a lot of nothing.

So I get to the office, and of course... nothing. I turn around and finally make my way to get flung at the Fling.

Happilly I get there early enough to catch most of Marty Casey and the Lovehammers. I really didn't know who he/they were - checked out their website earlier and apparently this Marty guy was on some reality TV show to try to win the lead singer gig with INXS... anyway, he came in 2nd.

The Lovehammers rocked the park with an awesome performance. Casey has some pretty wierd moves, like Michael Hutchence of INXS too. Since Casey's a local boy, he had a ton of fans - including some of the bands parents :-)








So that was the good. Well, with the exception of Casey's ass hanging out of his pants, which I have the shot, but won't post it ;-p

We waited even longer for Everclear than we did for .38 special.

.38 special was worth the wait. Everclear wasn't. I had fairly high expectations for them and was disappointed. The instrumentation was good, in fact, very good but Art's voice was shot. He couldn't hit the notes and sounded out of breath. I hope it's just overuse or something, cause if they go on the college tour with that act... well, it ain't gonna be pretty. In addition to Art's shot voice, the sound guy crapped all over the park, having the percussion levels way to high, the vocals, as bad as they were were mush, and pure volume, for which there was plenty, couldn't hide the reality. It pretty much sucked with a capital SUCK. It was the suckiest suck that ever sucked.

Oh well.... people were streaming out by 9:30pm, including me, only about 40 minutes after they began.

So, I'm looking forward to tommorow. I enjoyed myself anyhow.





2006 Naperville Last Fling Openning Night

What a time! What a concert!




I changed out of my work clothes at the office before leaving around 5pm. One of the guys asked if I had a date, hahahaha. I solicitted companions for the concert from the office, but there were no takers. Not too suprised. People usually have prior committments on the weekends, especially holiday weekends.




I called home to see if anyone there would be coming with me, and no, there wouldn't be. But my daughter asked what was for supper and if I'd bring some pop home.




I got home, made Belgian Waffles for the kids, played with the pups, transfered some $$$ into my checking account, and set off to get beer money.




I arrived at the park about 7:30pm, with .38 special slated to start at 8pm. I bought my tix, got my drinking wrist band, and purchased my first beverage of the night.




Anywho, the band was easily 30 minutes late, and it was good and dark by the time they took stage. I'd also had a couple more drinks by then :-)




These guys are old, but man, they can blow your hair back. What a trip. Here are some pix.