Ups and Downs of the week.

 Top Gear – Love this show.

 Patriots – I didn’t think they’d get far in the post-season, but I didn’t think they’d get embarrassed. Geez.

 Warmer Weather – Finally a January thaw. Might get the Z4 out this weekend.

  School – One more semester. Can’t wait till this is over.

 Little Guys – They’re so much fun to watch when they’re kittens.

Ups and Downs of the week.

Another year older -Ah well, better than the alternative.

 Weather – Brrrrrrr. I’m really beginning to hate the cold.

 Red Sox – Building a nice team for next year after all.

Illinois politicians – They’d gladly see the state go bankrupt if it would benefit their own careers. Losers, all of them.

Here’s something you don’t see very often. Harvesting corn in the snow in January.

It’s not often you get a sunny, 60 degree day in November around here. Not unheard of, but rare enough. Yesterday was such a day, so I took the opportunity to head out for a drive. The corn in the fields, while picturesque, is actually a bad thing. There’s been so much rain that the fields are mudpits. The farmers are hoping they can clear the fields before the first snow. Harvesting in December. Who’d have thought?

Ups and Downs of the Week.

 Hopscotch – One of my favorite movies. Even more so now that I’ve been to Salzburg and recognize the scenery.

 Weather – After a week of rain, a bit of sun. Not looking forward to winter.

 Chuck’s home – My nephew is safely back from Iraq. His fourth combat tour.

Ups and Downs of the week.

 Adobe Bridge – Neat program. You can batch rename images, add copyright info, and do a ton more. Very handy.

  Ft. Hood/Orlando shooters – Why can’t these pathetic souls just take their own lives and leave others alone? 

 Weather – Finally some decent autumn weather. Mid-60’s today, 70’s for the weekend. Lots of sun.

  Yankmees – The Steinbrenners finally got their money’s worth.

Ups and Downs of the week.

 Vacation – Our ten days in Germany and Austria were excellent. I have a million pictures to post later, but for now, here are a few pics and a video from the Dom zu Salzburg in Salzburg, Austria.

You may recognize the background in this next pic from the webcam stills I post every now and then. It was great being there in person.

I’ll have many more pics later after I’ve done some editing and uploading. Below is a video I shot inside the Dom zu Salzburg during a program called LichtNacht (Light Night) on our second night in Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg is an amazing city with history everywhere you turn.

  Weather – Second wettest October in history here. We may even set a new record. So far 19 days of rain this month. 

 Phillies – They took one game in the Bronx. I hope they take all three at home and send the Yankmees off to play golf for the winter.

Sixt Car Rental – We returned our rental car on Tuesday evening. The attendant there walked around the car meticulously inspecting it for damage, even going so far as to wipe off some road grime to check for scratches underneath. He found no damage. Our receipt clearly states there was no damage on the car. But now, several days later, Sixt is claiming there is a dent and scratches on the trunk and bumper. This despite the fact that the attendant and I stood at the rear of the car while he finalized the inspection and neither of us saw any such damage. It should also be noted that upon picking the car up initially, the car was a long walk from the rental desk at the airport and there was no one around to inspect the car with me then. I did, however, look the car over and saw no damage. This is an entirely bogus claim. Still, I checked with Visa services about coverage and they said they’d cover any claims and that this type of claim was not unusual. It seems that Sixt knows they can make a few extra bucks off bogus claims when the car is covered under the credit card insurance. I would advise Americans traveling in Europe to avoid Sixt car rental as it appears that they will make claims after the car is returned despite the client having a receipt verifying no damage.

  Home – Good to be here after a long trip. 

Ups and Downs of the week.

 Vacation – As of today I’m off until Nov. 1st.

  Weather – It’s been a miserable autumn so far. Cold and rainy. The poor farmers couldn’t get their crops in the ground this spring, and now they can’t get harvest going. It’s supposed to warm up this coming week.

 Phillies – I’d love to see them take the World Series again. Talk about a quiet, under-the-radar group of performers.

  Kid-in-the-Balloon – Had to be a hoax. The father is a pathetic attention whore and should be billed for the rescue services.

  No Less Than Victory – Jeff Shaara’s latest novel is another winner. Outstanding novel about the end of WWII in Europe.

  Illinois State Employee Ethics Training – It’s sadly ironic that the crooks at the top of state government want us to take ethics training.

Yesterday I left work at noon and drove over to Springfield to get an International Driver’s Permit (IDP) for our trip to Germany next week. It was a gorgeous fall day, so I took only backroads and grabbed some pictures of central Illinois in Autumn. I had the road to myself. Good fun.

The commute today was an entirely different story. Still kind of cool, though.

Ups and Downs of the week.

 Backyard Deer – This little guy has lost his spots and red coat and is beginning to grow his antlers.

 Red Sox - As expected, they grabbed the AL Wild Card slot. Lester looked good last night, but he was facing the Indians, so a grain of salt is needed. All the pitchers will need to be on top of their games for the coming weeks. 

  Weather – Downright blah for the past few days and not looking great for the coming days. The last thing the farmers need is more rain.