Some months ago I asked a bunch of friends if there was any doubt who would win the World Series, American League or National League. It was unanimous that the American League team would win, as the AL was trouncing the NL in games at that time. Fast forward 3 months and I’m watching the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate a World Series win. Okay, so I was wrong. Detroit literally threw this series away, the pitchers most notably.

But I’m glad to see Tony LaRussa win a series. He deserves it and I’m glad the Cards management stuck with him. 

As an aside, Fox’s coverage was terrible. The announcers were obviously biased. Inexcusable for a supposedly “balanced and fair” network.

Some days I just can’t deal with the highway, especially when it’s raining. So today I had a somewhat solitary ride home. Very relaxing. 🙂

At the risk of boring you, I have just one more shuttle pic which I think deserves mention. This was taken as it approached the space station. The links below the image are for wallpaper suitable versions.

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Shot from the WB57 chase plane. Too cool for words.

Who’da thunk it?

We’re in Chicago for a few days as Sarah was invited to the Illinois Authors’ Luncheon, which took place on the Navy Pier. The weather was awesome. We hit the Shedd Aquarium afterwards. Pretty fascinating. Check the snake pic below. Not bad pics for a phone camera, although the colors are weird. The tall building is not red and green. It was also nice being able to use the XV as a Bluetooth modem to access the internet on my laptop and avoid paying the hotel $10 for their wireless. 😉 We got pretty decent speeds on the EV-DO network around Chicago.

Just got a new XV6700 PDA/Phone from Verizon. Very sweet toy. Lots of bells and whistles, but the thing I like most of all is the “push” email feature. As soon as someone sends an email to my campus Exchange account, it shows up on the phone within a minute or two. For an email junkie like me, this is ambrosia. 🙂

And because my 740iL is in the shop yet again, I’m driving a loaner. Maybe the dealer felt sorry for me or maybe they feel I’ve paid my dues, because they gave me a brand-spanking new 330i for a few days. Last night I made a late run to the store (for kitty litter, of all things) and discovered the joy of adaptive headlights. These headlights turn as you move the steering wheel so they are lighting your path around a bend or corner. There’s a 90 degree turn off the main road and down a side road on my way home that’s particularly hairy because it’s very dark and the side road has very steep drops on both sides. Overshoot the corner and you’ll be calling AAA to tow you out of the field below. With these headlights, the minute you start to turn the wheel, the path around the corner is suddenly illuminated. And as you drive through the turn, the headlights shift back forward. Very trick, indeed. The only thing I don’t like about this car is the color. I can only imagine what folks think when they see me driving a candy apple red BMW at my age. 😉

The last gadget isn’t really a gadget at all. It’s a website. But Google Earth is still fun to play with. Apparently it has given birth to a whole new hobby of treasure hunting for strange images, such as the KC-135 refueling the Galaxy C-5 in mid-air. Gotta love technology.

Too bad it’s so short. It seems summer intrudes on one end and winter on the other. But while Autumn is in full swing, it’s pretty spectacular.

You’ve no doubt seen those motivational posters hanging on the walls of various businesses. You may even have a few in your office. Or perhaps your tastes run more cynical and you’re a fan of Demotivational Posters. Well now you can make your own. All you need is a picture and an idea.

That means “the barrel has been tapped.” It’s Oktoberfest time in Munich, Germany. This is New Years Eve in Times  Square, except it lasts 16 days. Non-stop partying and revelry. The map below shows the location of the beer tents. (Yes, that’s plural. Very plural.)

Each tent (actually a large temporary building) holds thousands of beer drinking festivites. You’ll be stunned the first time you see one. They’re *immense* structures. Like large aircraft hangars filled with beer drinking, song singing, bratwurst eating friends. If you can’t enjoy yourself in a beer tent, well…..

Did I mention that each of those blue tent-like symbols represents a separate tent? And each holds thousands of people. And scattered around the tents is the best carnival you’ve ever seen. Rides and food and vendors and people. Good times, for sure.

If you go, plan to spend a couple of weeks. You’ll have your fill of Oktoberfest after a day or two, but Munich is a beautiful city and it’s very close to the Alpine region of Garmisch and (just over the mountain) Innsbruck, Austria. September and October are the perfect weather months in Germany. Warmish days and cool nights. Usually sunny, too. Innsbruck is a great city to meander around and the Alps are like nothing you’ve ever seen. Truly spectacular.

If you’re so inclined, rent a car for a few days. Go big and get a BMW or Mercedes and enjoy the freedom that is the autobahn. There truly is no speed limit and you won’t believe how quickly you get used to traveling at 120 MPH. Of course you’ll hate driving here once you get back. 😉