For Comparison

August 1997
August 2007

1st Day

Funny, Very, Very Funny

It is not very often that things make me laugh out loud.
The Wooden Porch has a hysterical cat video today. If you have ever lived with a cat it's a don't miss!

PS AJ started kindergarten this morning! We had some camera issues (I forgot mine and Kim couldn't find her memory card) so I took some pics with the new I Phone. Will post some as soon as I figure out how.

Still Hot!

Well...that about says it all.

I'm not sure if the heat has sucked every ounce of creativity out of my brain or if the lack of fresh air is beginning to affect my personality.

I'd like to throw open the doors and windows and let the breezes in, sit on the front porch with my coffee and not sweat onto the keyboard of my laptop, drive my car with the windows down...I feel like a prisoner.

When I spend this much time locked in my house (and why is that...if the doors and windows are open nothing is locked but if the AC is on and the doors are shut, man, I've locked every lock I have...) When I spend this much time locked in my house everything starts to bug me.

I can't stand the tile in the bathroom. I need new blinds. I really do live like a college student. I haven't paid for any piece of furniture I have. Arghhh...I need to get out of here! Or I need to stop watching all of those redecorating/renovating shows.

I even think the dogs are a little stir crazy. Rescue seems to be making friends with the cats and Maggie goes out, comes in, goes out, comes in, goes out...see the problem...she doesn't want to be inside and once outside she realizes it's a bit like standing on the sun. But her memory is very short. Good thing she's cute.

Well...I Did It...Crazy, I Know.

My cell phone died and it seemed silly to spend $50-$100 on a phone I know I don't want only to buy this one eventually.

So... if I call you randomly and hang up it's because I haven't yet figured out how to use the dang thing and it seems to want to call everyone...even when I'm just trying to turn it off.

(and if I don't call you at all it's because when my cell died it took all my phone numbers with it!)

He Starts High School Tomorrow...Yikes.

Enough Already

It's 102 degrees...holy frying pan!

Is It Fall Yet???

Orange and Green are fall colors.

Maybe today I'll turn the AC to meat locker, put on jeans and a sweatshirt and pretend...

Just Some Good Advice

So...say you've been drinking.

And you've foolishly decided to drive your car.

And your car is old and maybe not well maintained and it breaks down on the highway late at night.

And the fire department shows up because a passerby thought perhaps your car might be on fire.

And the nice firefighter suggests strongly that you call someone to come get you. Instead of trying to wait until the car cools down and putting some more oil in the radiator. (which is always a good sign that you should not be driving)

And the firefighter explains that if the highway patrol will eventually stop by and then you will be in a world of s*#@.

And you make a few calls and try to get the firefighters to leave you, drunk and stupid on the side of the highway at night. (which they will NOT do)

It's probably not a good idea to get smart with the firefighter holding the radio.

Because she will then go to her fire truck and CALL the highway patrol and turn your drunk, stupid butt over to them and go back to her station and go back to sleep.

Should have just called them in the beginning.

So much for being nice.

Just Random Saturday Stuff

I don't really have anything of substance to share. Just 24 hours of fire station living stretched out in front of me.

I got moved back to 10's for today...fun to be 'home' even for just a day, even if it's not really 'home' any more.

Started Weight Watchers again. Worked well for me a few years ago and if I'd paid attention to what I was doing I wouldn't need it again. But that's what we all do so...

My god dog Hugo is visiting this weekend. There is a lot of grumbling for about the first 3 or 4 hours then they all settle in and get along fine. He's really funny. A stocky little Boston Terrier, all attitude with Maggie but VERY respectful of Rescue. I keep telling him that Mags is gonna take his head off but he doesn't listen. He kinda likes the cats. Gus thinks he's okay but Jack, of course, is very put out by his presence.

I've been working on the club Fall schedule. I think I've got it worked out...just need to get it to Dusty and then get it all put on the calendar. Just mindless work.

Skyped with my friend Tina in Singapore last night. Good to see her, Steve and the kids. I think I'm going to try to get there in February...Tina is blogging and as soon as I get her permission I'll link her so you can see what they are up to on their side of the planet.

That's about it...

Tagged

I've been tagged by Bec...

Five Things In My Frig

1. Fresh green grapes, cleaned and ready to eat.
2. Fresh cilantro, my favorite!
3. 42 small containers of apple sauce (too expensive to send to Singapore...now what do I do with it?)
4. 6 week old home made pesto...kinda afraid to open it.
5. A half flat bottle of Dr Pepper (my brother's calling card)

Five Things In My Closet

(This is easy since my closet will only hold five things)
1. Shirts (most of which I never wear)
2. Shoes (most of which I never wear)
3 Sweaters (most of which I never wear)
any one seeing a pattern here?
4. Sweatshirts (most...yada, yada, yada)
5. Jeans

Five Things In My Purse/Backpack
(Since I currently seem to not be carrying either I will give you 5 things in my coaching bag)

1. electrical and athletic tape
2. stroke watch
3. 16 pens (and not a single one works)
4. dead stroke coach batteries
5. 3 7/16 wrenches

Three Things In My Car

1. A TV
2. 14 Mc Donalds wheel thingys that come in those kids meals
3. A lint roller
4. Pool floats
5. 4 pairs of shoes

Five Things In The World That I'd Like To See Before I Die

1. The 'Tour De France"
2. Greece
3. The Galapagos Islands
4. The Grand Canyon
5. The McLeod Castle in Scotland

More Of My Goofy Nephews

You need to take a look at my sister Kimmy's blog.
The nephews are crazy funny.

Home At Last

We did some shopping. Granny and Grandpa found some shoes for Aus! Yeah!
Shopping wears a little guy out...thank goodness for Brother's shoulder.
The guys did a lot of fishing.
Grandpa had to put the worms on.
Aus got a new hat.

AJ played and played and played in the pool.
We rode the jet skis.
Even AJ went for a ride. (he likes the green one better...go figure)

We didn't have nearly enough pool toys.
AJ played with his 'boats'.
"Brother" in the pool.

Granny's tree needed watering.
AJ caught a fish. So did Aus.
AJ learned how to use the camera.

"Next Morning"

He's stopped saying it...."wipes tears"...he now says "tomorrow morning".

Didn't realize how sad it would make me...

Sweep Technique

In this photo Ed is just approaching the catch. He has a common fault here. Notice that his left shoulder (outside shoulder) is lower than his right shoulder (inside shoulder). This commonly happens when someone is trying to gain the extra 2-3 inches in length and is not quite flexible enough. His inside elbow has a nice soft bend to it and he is beginning to relax his outside leg to allow the torso to rotate and swing through. These are good things.Here he has just taken the water at the catch. His shoulders are beginning to level out and nearing the correct level. Notice the torso rotation and the relaxed outside knee. His inside arm should hold the softness from the above picture.Ed is now into the meat of the drive. His shoulders are even and he has moved his legs back into line with his shoulders...the position of power. His arms are straight and he is moving the boat with the power in his legs.Here he is nearing the release and is transferring the power to his back and arms. His outside arm may be a tad high. This is often caused by anticipating the release and trying to keep the outside elbow in the correct position. The elbow should travel in line with the end of the handle.The blade has now left the water and this is the beginning of the recovery. Notice the proper position of the outside elbow and the levelness of the shoulders.Notice that the knees have already broken but the shoulders are still over the hips. Try to lead out with the hands and hold the knees until the torso swings over.

Here is the middle of the recovery. Notice the great posture, great hand position and the outside elbow is level with the end of the handle.

Random Photos From My New Fancy Camera...and a pic of Gus's new look

One of my Blackeyed Susans
Jack, a willing subject but a bit over exposed.
Gus has a new haircut. He looks a little funny but he feels better. He had some mats on his flanks and wouldn't let me touch them...
I'm so proud of my lemon tree...doesn't it look great!
My baby rowers...not sure why they are so blue...may need a filter or just need to learn how to use the camera.
Isn't Maggie a happy girl!
Rescue's fav spot in the garden. My love.

More On Courage...

I cannot take any credit for this post but it is something that goes with my Courage post.

Please take a look at The Ronneblog.

It really is all about the love...

Thanks GB....

What Was I Thinking...

You know...it occurred to me...just now at 12:44am. That perhaps I should have chosen a career path (or two) that allowed for more sleep.

(and I've just noticed that my blog clock is off...an hour...hmmm)

Some Thoughts About Summer

I've thought a lot about this summer and the different path the Juniors have taken.

I was concerned, early on, about the lack of competitive opportunities and the great distance we'd have to travel to Nationals. We had a small group that was to make the very expensive trip. A small group to do the hard work.

We decided not to go. To stay home. Maybe we'll try the Head of the Charles in October...

As we have moved into July (and it seems like it gone very fast!) I have begun to feel good about summer. It's been relaxed. We've had time to spend in singles, we've rowed the four...Ed has rowed with the kids. Everyone has had a lot of coaching and really improved.

Remember when we were kids (my generation....) summers were long days spent sleeping 'till noon. Sunny afternoons at the pool or Sherwood beach. Hanging out with neighborhood friends as the evenings cooled.

Seems like today kids are scheduled, camped, sports teamed, activitied half to death.

What happened to summer?

I didn't realize how much I missed it.

Don't Blow Your Fingers Off

A mindless meme

I was tagged by My Cousin Rebecca to do this multi part meme!



INSTRUCTIONS:Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:

1. The Buzz Queen

2. Tiggerbob's Temporal Typings

3. Skittles

4. Rebecca of Sunnybrook

5. Just Another Drill



Next select five people to tag.

1. Donna RonneBlog

2. June the Celestial Teaser

3. Duane when he's ready

4. I guess I need more blogger friends

5.



Then answer the following questions:



What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was enrolled in Paramedic School. Working for an EMS service, poor and tired and ever hopeful. Coaching a small group or rowers.



What were you doing 1 year ago?
Getting my kids ready to Compete at US Nationals. Everyone was working hard and looking fast.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Chips and homemade salsa
2. Ice Cream, of course
3. Blueberries
4. Apples and peanut butter
5. Tortillas and cheese

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1. The KU Alma Mater
2. The Alphabet song
3. The State Song
4. Happy Birthday
5. Silent Night
(I thought it was more appropriate to name songs I can sing solo...well, not really sing since I can't really sing but...)

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Fund a Juniors rowing program
2. Spend time traveling with my family
3. Fund college accounts for my stinky nephews
4. Travel around training coaches
5. Pay off all my debts

Five bad habits:
1. Eating out instead of eating what I have at home
2. Not putting stuff back where I got it
3. Snooze button...need I say more
4. Talking over people....working on it
5. Not listening well....also working on it

Five things you like doing:
1. Spending time with my family.
2. Coaching
3. Reading in the hammock
4. Watching mindless TV (sorry)
5. Traveling

Five things you would never wear again:
1. Stirrup pants
2. A wedding dress (IF...I ever do that again, I'm getting married in shorts)
3. High heels...don't really see the point
4. A unisuit
5. Toe ring

Five favorite toys:
1. My laptop
2. My camera phone
3. My bike(s)
4. Rescue's frisbee
5. My stroke watch ( a coaching thing)

Just Cause It's Fun To Be A Fire'man' Today

Young Rowers

This morning I had the pleasure of coaching a brand new, young sculler. A rower with great potential.

I don't coach new rowers very often and today it was just me and him. This kid is smart, very coachable, asks GREAT questions, understands that he is a visual learner, talked about going online and looking at rowing video...it was so much fun!

Watch for this young man...he's our only boy so it's easy to know who I'm talking about.

I'm Gonna Need A New Name Tag

To go with my new promotion!

Now they actually let me hold the title of driver!

And I get a few more cents a pay check!

Yipee for me!

I will be leaving my guys at Station #10 and that will be really hard. They have been my family for the last 8 years...maybe someday I can get back there. And hopefully I will land at a station with guys as great as mine.

I won't know where I'll be permanently for several weeks/months. The bid process takes a while and I will rove until then, filling openings at various stations. If everything goes the way I hope I should at least be able to stay on second shift but...one never knows.

Now, not only will I have all the rowing club stuff in my car but I will also have all my fire gear!

The Fourth Of July Compromise

Well...we seem to have come up with a system.

The girls will go out to pee only when absolutly necessary.
I must go with them. Rescue pees in the garden. Maggie pees on the front walk.

Good thing they don't pop fireworks in the mornings...that could get messy.

And We've Got Another Drinkin' The Koolaid!

Check out my riding buddy...Celestial Tease.

They're dropping like flies...

PS the Pink Troll is a close friend of the Chicken.

PSS apparently the Chicken has gone missing again...wonder where she's off to?

Will Wonders Never Cease!

So the first big surprise this week was discovering a new lurker...Dave...you need to read this post...Lurkers. Just when you think you know all three people who read your blog...

Next is a new blogger!!! So, my BFF Donna is not someone who I thought would ever blog. She stayed home sick from work and, well, the Blog bug bit. Boredom is a wonderful thing.

Check out The RonneBlog.

And just a PS...if this freakin rain doesn't stop I'm, I'm...well...it won't be pretty.

Fall Down, Go Boom

Please always wear a helmet when you ride...

Last night June and I decided to go ahead with our planned ride even though it was a little rainy. We chose to ride on the Indian Creek Trail instead of the Brookside group ride. Thinking that being out of traffic would be a good idea. Probably good thinking.

We were riding conservatively, taking our time, careful. Coming around a small curve I got a bit close to the edge and hit some mud. Bike slid out from underneath me and boom, down I went. My left knee took most of the hit but as this morning has gone on I am feeling it in my wrist and shoulder.

The thing that rings loudly for me is the sound my helmet made when it hit the pavement. Very loud.

It's easy to think, 'Oh, I'm just riding on the trail. We'll go slow...". Yeah...

Wear your helmet!

Gotta ice the knee...

Thursday Thirteen (haven't done one of these in a while)

13 very, very random thoughts at 5am.

1. I hate the Fourth of July...now don't get all patriotic on me. I understand the significance and I'll eat hot dogs, drink beer and blow stuff up, same as the next person. But here in the getto they start blowing things up a good week out. I have two skittish dogs who, from the VERY FIRST pop, refuse to go outside...at all. So for me the 4th is all about begging the neighbor kid and his buddies to cease and desist for 5 minutes so I can drag the pooches out and hold them in the grass until they realize they can't go back inside until they pee. I hate the 4th of July.

2. My ability to read the radar and predict what will happen at the lake was not so accurate this morning. I cancelled practice and it now appears the rain is over...oh well.

3. It seems I have a cat that needs a bath...aren't cats supposed to take care of that themselves?

4. Does anyone care about Paris Hilton...

5. All I ate yesterday was chips and ice cream...might be why I had a tummy ache.

6. The toe I broke in Texas is numb after all that riding...I guess I need to go see the Doc.

7. I miss the Chicken.

8. I'm SOOOO glad we are not rowing at the river this summer. I can't imagine wrangling the dock in all this rain.

9. I need a haircut.

10. There is a new movie coming out on Friday...about the mouse who cooks...looks cute. I think I'll take AJ and Austin.

11. Girl's weekend is less than 2 weeks away! New beds and the shitter works.

12. It has been hard to come up with 13 random things...perhaps I am not as awake as I thought.

13. None of the kids called this morning so I guess they figured it out!

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It's The Middle Of The Freakin' Night...Or So It Seems

I tend to hope for rainy mornings in the summer. Even though I like morning practice I still like to occasionally sleep in. So it's raining. My alarm goes off at 4:40am...yes, am. I get up, check the radar, look outside, make a decision to cancel practice, post on the message board...then I feed the dogs.

The automatic coffee maker is a great thing when you stumble out of bed at 0 dark 30 and need to wake up but the smell of fresh hot coffee at 0 dark 30 when you have the opportunity to go back to sleep...well, it will derail the best laid plans.

So, I'm up.

R & R

Okay, so June and I rode much of the way across the state of Missouri...she had to go back to work while I have slept much of the last 5 days.

I've averaged 12-14 hours a day...yawn...maybe I'll go to bed early...

Moms

I really, really love my mom.