Golfing in Minnesota...

Well, I was able to golf 45 holes during my visit home to Minnesota. First, I golfed with my friends from grade school, Hank, Joe and Orr, last Saturday in Siren, Wisconsin (very close to Hank's cabin). I shot horribly - a 114. I don't think I have had that high a score in quite some time. My excuses, though, are legion. I was using borrowed clubs, it was my first time golfing in almost a year, it was a course I was not very familiar with, and the temperature was about 98 degrees.

I golfed 9 holes with Jerry up near Pelican Rapids, and I used an extra set of clubs that he has. They were Fat Shafts - the same as my clubs - so I shot better. Not great, but certainly better than the first round. We didn't keep score since it was just nice to get out and walk around in the cool air (low 60s). Noah walked along (you can still do that in rural Minnesota!) and we let him hit a few balls off the tee and putt a few on the greens. He did pretty well considering he hasn't played before and he was using right handed clubs when he is left handed.

The last round was yesterday at River Oaks in Cottage Grove. The weather was again good, despite a few short showers on the last four holes. This time I used my nephew's clubs. I played better - a 95, or 19 strokes better than last Saturday - but I still have a long way to go. My round was typified by what I did on the 18th hole. It's a relatively long - 481 yards - par 5, dogleg left, uphill all the way. My drive was very good - long and on the right side of the fairway. I decided to hit a 3-wood off the deck and really connected well with it. Because the hole was uphill I didn't see the result of my shot until we all got up by the green. My second shot was on the green, about 20 feet short of the hole. So I was putting for eagle! I only have two eagles in almost forty years of golfing, so legitimate eagle attempts are not very common. Anyway, my eagle putt was the correct length but four feet to the right. My birdie putt missed right and I tapped in for par. Now par isn't a bad result for me, but an eagle would have been a lot better. Maybe when we get back I can play more often and improve my game.




Here is the motley group I played with at River Oaks. On the left is Lowell, who I met around 1984. He is an all-purpose friend who over the years I have golfed and played cards with. He is retired from the Government. In the middle is my brother-in-law, Dan. He married my oldest sister in 1968, but he was hanging around the house long before then. So I have known him for probably 43 years or so. On the right is Hank. I met Hank around the fourth grade, which would have been in about 1968, so I have known him for almost 40 years. No matter how long we go without seeing each other (and sometimes it's for a year or more because I have lived in Saudi Arabia and Ohio throughout the years) we can always egt together and it seems like old times.

The three of them represent over 100 years of friendship for me. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun with these guys and I can't wait until we get the opportunity to do it again.

The third set of grandparents...

We spent a couple of days up in Fergus Falls visiting Jerry and Donna. I have known them for 23 years now, and we don't see each other as often as I would like, but we are able to get together once a year or so. Jerry is former FBI and is an avid golfer (like me) who had a pretty severe battle with cancer several years ago but managed to pull through and now looks as healthy as a horse. Donna is former IRS and does crossword puzzles and Sudoku (like me).

They are the parents of my first wife, Debbie, who passed away from Cystic Fibrosis back in 1990. I like to think of them as Noah's third set of grandparents. When Noah was younger he didn't understand the concept of grandparents so he didn't know that most kids had only two sets (if they were lucky). Noah calls them "papa" and "grandma" like he does Kathy's parents and my mom, and they treat him just like a grandson (i.e. being overly generous), so in the end it is a perfect situation. The time with them is always too short, but it is always good to get to Fergus Falls for a visit.

A late 9th or an early 10th birthday party...

We are heading up to northern Minnesota for a couple of days to the parents of my first wife (those of you who know me understand that sentence, those who don't will have to wait and I will explain at some later time), so posting will probably go dormant again. And you get a second post today.

Since Noah had his 9th birthday in Prague in February, my mom wanted to do something here in Minnesota with the family while we are home this summer. So Noah got another birthday party even though his birthday was five months ago.

Of course, he loved the attention and all of the gifts. Since it is now about five months until Christmas he has things spread out nicely to keep the gifts coming all year long.

Surprise party...

This is more than a week old, but I would be remiss in not posting about it. Years ago Kathy had thrown a surprise 40th birthday party for me and I have been waiting ("biding my time" as Monte Burns would say) for the opportunity to repay the favor.

I started planning a surprise party for her 50th birthday about last Christmas. Even though her birthday was in early June I knew that she would realy like to see a lot of her friends together while back in Minnesota, so I scheduled her party for the 1st of July (the day after I got in from Prague).



As you can imagine it is a little tougher from 6,000 miles away. But I recruited a good friend of hers (Cindi) to help with the arrangements at the restaurant and sent emails to people she still knows at the various places she has worked over the years to collect a list of attendees.

In the end, although she suspected something might be up, I think she was surprised. I think that she suspected that a party for Noah (see next post) was going to be a surprise party for her as well. Anyway, it was good to see so many of Kathy's friends in one place and a good time was had by all.



Although they are fun, I think I will get her to agree that we won't do any more surprise parties.

More vacation stuff...

The visit in Minnesota continues. It now looks like I will gain about 20 pounds during my 14 day stay since I have been doing nothing but eating in restaunts with friends, or eating movie popcorn.

Saw Transformers today in East Bethel (aka The Other Side of the World) with Noah and 30-year friend Styopa (see link to his blog) along with his kids Griffin and Maggie and straggler neighborhood kid, Parker.

The consensus review from the three 9-year old boys is two thumbs way up. Non-stop movement and things exploding with giant robots that transorm from (into?) cars and trucks. What is there for 9-year old boys not to like?

I actually enjoyed it, too, but my expectations could hardly have been lower. I remember the original cartoon and thought it was lame. But the special effects were quite good, and Steven Speilberg was the executive producer and Styopa convinced me that Speilberg had some influence on what ended up on screen. There are a few references or inside jokes to Speilberg movies like Close Encounters and ET (but they are pretty subtle).

After the movie Noah and I ended up at a new Brunswick bowling center on highway 65. It has a decent arcade and you use cards that you charge with points. It's much like Dave and Buster's - but with fewer games that cost more to play. It will be back to D&B next week.

Since I have been back in MN I have taken exactly zero pictures, so there is nothing to post but lame stock photos that I find on the internet (like these).

The 100th post...

I can't believe that I've had 100 posts already. I try to do one every day, and don't always make it (but most times I do).




I spent half the day going to doctor appointments (dentist and eye doctor - both exams said I was fine. Yea!!). Tomorrow I have appointments with the dermatologist and an orthopedic specialist to look at my knee. For a few months my right knee would hurt like hell when I kneeled. It felt like I had a small pebble just under the skin. I only noticed it when I would kneel to tie me left shoe, or at mass in Prague. They use the old fashioned kneelers without padding, just wood. My guess is it has to do with playing boot hockey for years as a kid without using any kneepads. That was ill-advised and I my knees would always be black and blue from playing goalie. So there's probably chips of something floating around in there.

I must be getting old since I am spending a good deal of time explaining about all of my infirmities.

I also had lunch with my cousin, Rick. We ended up pursuing the same off-beat career - contract management - quite independently. What a coincidence. He moved back up to Minnesota from Iowa 5 years ago and works for General Dynamics in Bloomington. There is not much family resemblance since he is probably 6"2" tall and lanky while I am 5'6" and what is charitably called "stocky". But we have similar senses of humor (for better or worse) and it is always a pleasure to see him.

Surprise party...

I had a surprise party for Kathy's 50th birthday this evening at DeGidsoe's on West 7th street in St. Paul. Her birthday was actually a month ago (June 1st) but all ofher family and most of her friends are here, not in Prague, so I had to wait until we got back to MN.

Kathy threw me a surprise 40th birthday party back in 1998 at our old house in Arden Hills, so this is really just getting her back. We had about 45 there tonight and it was a good time. Despite the fact that Kathy suspected that something was in the works, she didn't suspect the visit to DeGideo's to obstentibly have dinner to celebate her parents 51st anniversary, which was yesterday. So she was officially surprised.

I will post picture later and provide a little more detail.

Prague to Minneapolis...

Arrived back in Minnesota this afternoon. The flights were Prague to Amsterdam and then Amsterdam right into Minneapolis. Both were uneventful - which is exactly what you are looking for. If you have an "exciting" flight it means that something bad happened.

I used Northwest frequent flyer miles (100,000 of them) so it didn't cost anything. The flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis is long - over 8 hours - but the new Airbus 330s have the in-seat entertainment systems so you can watch movies from a library, listen to hundreds of songs, or play games. It really helps the time go by more quickly.

I watched three movies - Wild Hoggs, Lifeboat and Toy Story 2. Wild Hoggs was OK. I was hoping for better with Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy. At the end when it looks like the good guys are going down to defeat, there is a deus ex machina that comes in and saves the day. Seriously, it's a character that is not seen, and is barely mentioned, who shows up at the end and sets things right. Just like in the ancient Greek plays. 2 out of 4 stars.

Next was the old Hitchcock thriller, Lifeboat. It's the story of civilian survivors after a U-boat sinks there ship during WWII. The entire movie takes place in the lifeboatand I was wondering how Hitchcock would appear - he makes a cameo appearance in all of his movies. It turns out that one of the characters has a newspaper and Hitch shows up as teh "before" picture in a diet ad. Very clever. I thought I would like this movie more, being a classic and all. It seemed to me that it would be a better play since the action takes place in a single setting. The only real tension involves the German U-boat captain who is brought into the lifeboat after it is sunk. Originally, only one of the 7 or so surviviors wants to eliminate him on the spot while the others treat him civilly and even eventually put him in charge. In the end, htough, he is found to have been very deceiving (he had a compass, water and food without informing the others, and directly responsible for the murder of one of the company). He is set upon by everyone and basically beaten to death and/or drowned (even the more pacifist among them join in the beating).


















I got about half way through Toy Story 2 before the entertainment system was turned off in preparation for landing. It's a good story and who can help but liking Hanks and Tim Allen?

Back to Minnesota...

I will be leaving for the airport within the hour for the flight to Amsterdam, and then the second flight to the Twin Cities. Travel has long since lost its excitement. I mean the physical transportation part of getting from one place to another. It's exhausting, especially international travel, the service and food aren't really very good, and there is always the decent chance that there will be some kind of delay. But heading back to MN to see my wife and family makes it very worth it. And it is still amazing to me that I can leave Prague at 9:30 in the morning and be in the Twiin Cities at 3:00 the same afternoon. Back in the olden days the trip would take weeks or months.

Anyway, I plan to keep posting while in the Twin Cities.

Elvis Costello ticks off Lorne Michaels

Thanks to YouTube here is the video of Elvis Costello performing Radio Radio on Saturdday Night Live way back in December 1977 (when I was a sophmore at the University of Minnesota - and had just met Steve of the linked web site Thus Spaketh Styopa).



From the web site www.zimbo.com on hosts and artists banned from Saturday Night Live by producer Lorne Michaels:

On December 17, 1977, Elvis Costello and the Attractions performed as a last-minute replacement for the Sex Pistols, who were unable to obtain passports. NBC and the show's producer Lorne Michaels didn't want the band to perform "Radio Radio", since the song protests the state of the media. The band defied them by beginning to play their song "Less Than Zero", stopping, with Costello telling the audience that there was no reason to do that song, and telling the band to play "Radio Radio" instead. It infuriated Michaels because it put the show off schedule, and the band were barred from performing again.

Note: Eventually Lorne Michaels put his grievances aside, lifting the ban, and Elvis Costello would appear as musical guest in 1989 and 1991. He also reprised his performance of "Radio Radio" with the Beastie Boys for a 25th anniversary special aired on September 26, 1999.

When you read the lyrics it's hard to believe that they were at all controversial.

"Radio Radio"

[Originally by Elvis Costello]

I was tuned into the light of the late night dial
Doing anything my radio advised
With everyone of those late night stations
playing songs bringing tears to my eyes
I was seriously thinking about hiding the receiver
When the switch broke cause it's old
Saying things that I can hardly believe
They really think we're getting out of control

Radio is the sound salvation
Radio is cleaning up the nation
Say you better listen to the Voice of Reason
But they don't give you any choice
Cause they think that it's treason
You had better do as you were told
Better listen to the radio

I wanna bite the hand that feeds me
I wanna bite that hand so badly
I wanna make them wish they'd never seen me
Some of my friends sit around every evening
And they worry about the times ahead
Everybody else is overwhelmed by indifference
And the promise of an early bed

You either shut up or get cut out
They don't wanna hear about it
It's only inches on the reel to reel
The radio is in the hands
Of such a bunch of fools
Trying to anesthetize they way that you feel

Radio is the sound salvation
Radio is cleaning up the nation
Say you better listen to the Voice Of Reason
But they don't give any choice
Cause they think that its treason
So you had better do as you were told
Better listen to the radio

Radio
Radio
Radio

Music Video Theatre III - Elvis Costello's Veronica

I have always been a HUGE fan of Elvis Costello - since way back in 1977. He is one of the most prolific and versatile songwriters in the world. Surprisingly, he has not used music videos to much effect. Part of that is due to the fact that he hasn't had much success with top 40 singles - there may be only a couple, Everyday I Write the Book and this one, Veronica. Veronica is his highest charting US song - at #19.

Veronica, from 1989, is a very personal song about his grandmother who suffered from Alzheimers. The video whisks back and forth from the '20s to the present and back again, reflecting his grandmothers troubles with distinguishing between then and now.

A couple of other items about the song. While most artists lip synch to the song, Elvis, always the rebel, sings along much like you or I would to a song on the radio - not really caring if we are mimicking it perfectly. Also, the song was co-written by Paul McCartney as the two were collaborating quite a bit at this time. Elvis co-wrote a couple of songs with Paul on his album "Flowers in the Dirt". Forgive me, but the song sounds like classic Elvis, so I doubt that Paul's contributions were significant.




Veronica, written by Elvis Costello

Is it all in that pretty little head of yours?
What goes on in that place in the dark?
Well I used to know a girl and I would have
sworn that her name was Veronica
Well she used to have a carefree mind of her
own and a delicate look in her eye
These days I'm afraid she's not even sure if her
name is Veronica
Chorus:
Do you suppose, that waiting hands on eyes,
Veronica has gone to hide?
And all the time she laughs at those who shout
her name and steal her clothes
Veronica
Veronica
Did the days drag by? Did the favours wane?
Did he roam down the town all the time?
Will you wake from your dream, with a wolf at
the door, reaching out for Veronica
Well it was all of sixty-five years ago
When the world was the street where she lived
And a young man sailed on a ship in the sea
With a picture of Veronica
On the "Empress of India"
And as she closed her eyes upon the world and
picked upon the bones of last week's news
She spoke his name outloud again
Chorus
Veronica sits in her favourite chair and she sits
very quiet and still
And they call her a name that they never get
right and if they don't then nobody else will
But she used to have a carefree mind of her
own, with devilish look in her eye
Saying "You can call me anything you like, but
my name is Veronica"
Chorus

Arghhhhhh...

I have had great success with blogspot from the first day I started the blog. For someone as technically mediocre as I am, the fact that I could start a blog and make it reasonably appealing says more about blogspot than me. Last night I spent about 90 minutes researching and drafting a few posts since I like to get a few drafted and "in the bank" so I can post about one a day even when I'm busy or don't feel like blogging. I saved them but when I went later to post one of them they weren't there. They had vanished. Arghhhhhh...

I guess I'll try again, but not today.

Geographic bachelor...

Kathy and Noah boarded a plane out of Prague early this morning bound for Minnesota. We left the house at 4:40 this morning to get them to the airport for their 6:15 flight. The airport is only 10 minutes from our little village of Horomerice, which is good on days when we are traveling, but bad on most other days when the plane noice makes us feel like we're living in Richfield. Desite a slow line at the ticket counter I wathced them go through customs at about 5:20 a.m.

I now join several thousand other expat guys as a geographic bachelor. With schools out the families head back to wherever home is, with the guys joining for a week or two, but spending most of the summer alone in Prague. My previous longest time away from Kathy and Noah was just oen week - for numerous international business trips to places like Greece, Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. I will headback to MN this Saturday for two weeks and then come back here for three weeks before Kathy and Noah return. I hope the time goes fast. I miss them already.

Viennese mime...

Or is that "performance artist? I don't like mimes. I also don't like clowns. But I'm sort of afraid of clowns, while mimes don't scare me at all. I just find them annoying. While walking through the city center of Vienna we came across this mime/performance artist acting like a statue on a pedestal. If you threw some money into the container at his feet he would let you take a picture with him, after handing you a prop sword or gun. I let Noah toss a Euro coin into the can and the guy gave him a fake gun and posed with Noah while I took a picture.

It wasn't until later when I looked at the picture I took that I realized how bad the picture is. First, Noah is too far away from the guy (maybe he has mime-fear?) so he has to lean over to put his arm on him. But...if he's a statue why is he putting his arm on Noah? He should be standing straight like a statue. It ruins whatever suspension of disbelief that otherwise would be created. Also, Noah is holding the gun straight on to the camera, so you can't really tell it's a gun. For all the viewer knows it's bagette. Finally, I realized that if you didn't put money in his can you could probably get a better picture since he should just stay still and not bother you while you snap away. If I'm ever in the same situation again I will use this hard gained wisdom.

Vienna - the city...

I'm just about through posting about our whirlwind trip to Vienna last weekend. Here are some pictures of the city center. The center is compact, with lots of outdoor cafes lining narrow streets, with lots of wonderful architecture. The city center is also mostly car-free which makes strolls easy and relaxing.