Morning all:

Since the morning coffee is a bit of a mix this morning I thought my ramblings also should be a bit of a mélange. Let’s get started:

I might as well get my thoughts about the currently televised “Chick Games” on paper. The prattle from Katie and Bobby is doing me in. Every story has a choke in the voice; the athlete who is competing the day after cancer recovery, the athlete who hangs, Christ-like, 24 hours a week in iron rings to honor his grandparents, the Chinese girls who were artificially co-joined to then be separated and now can dive off the 10-meter board and hit the water within 1/8000ds of a second of each other. And on and on it goes, all in the newsy format of a 30-second sound bite.

What is brilliant is the chief designer who managed to convince the Greeks that it is not only necessary, but visually attractive and cost effective, to build stadiums containing 20 more seats than required for every one sold—just in case. We should hire that person immediately for any new highway design. Just think, overbuild a new road by twenty lanes; it would almost guarantee no orange barrels when going on vacation.

Cathy came through in a clutch. We had removed from our apartment re-do an old free-standing claw foot tub. The thing is heavy, awkward, and not easily disposed of; we were at a loss. She forwarded me a website where people may only list free items, this is to share, and recycle unwanted items. Two hours later I had five e-mails asking for the thing. All two-hundred pounds of cast iron will be picked up later today–for free!

It’s probably an age thing but I went completely nuts this week. My two year search ended when I spotted the toy of my dreams on eBay. The bidding started and Marcia and I are now the proud new owners of a classic French Citroën 2CV “Charleston”, the Ugly Duckling. The history of the 2CV model is wonderful and ours has a pedigree “par excellance” –one owner, 28,200 miles, winters in storage, and totally babied. By many the car is considered “crude” but over a 40+ year production run it went from low cost rural transport to chic Parisienne run-about. Ours is currently in Canton Ohio and I will be picking it up in a week. Stop over for a drive and be sure to bring a French beret! In the meantime, please have a look at the car by clicking on “Photo Album” located on the left side of the screen.

This next week I will be in Mexico and very much in time for a haircut at my favorite shop. Not that am totally overgrown mind you, it’s just that age thing again. As I pointed out at Thursday evening’s adult pool get-together, it’s the ears. I have discovered, over the last seven years or so, that the rate of growth of my ear hair is accelerating. Now it is at a stage where my hair, topside, is still quite OK. However in the same timeframe, only based on my ear sproutings, I start to look more and more like a devoutly coiffed Hasidic Jew.

This evening Marcia and I will call “into the future”, assuming that the phone is plugged in at the other end. With Adrianne’s birthday being next week, the weekend is the ideal time to reach her. Nine-ish this evening will be Sunday mid-afternoon in Tonga and be after Church and lunch at her end. Her joy at what she is experiencing and accomplishing is so very apparent in all her writings. What a great time in her life.

May it be a great time in your life also, and on that note; have a great week.

Cheers,

Dirk