Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Good Flick ... Gran Torino
I admit that I do like almost all of Clint Eastwood's movies (even those he is not acting in, like "Letters From Iwo Jima") but Gran Torino is really a good show. The ending is something that is a surprise but it's also a movie where you laugh, cry and live. Highly recommended.
Good skiing (cross-country for me) weather here in Iowa today. Looks like it's going to be quite cold over the next week or so. Nice that the days are getting longer though, so it won't be long until the "real cold" days are just a frigid memory.
Yesterday was one of the nicest I've had for quite awhile, and certainly the best of this year ... hmm, maybe the full moon was in control there.
Looks like I'll have at least 10 singing engagements in February, so that'll keep me busy. Would like to get another PC for backup use but it's very difficult to get one with WinXP anymore (sigh). I won't buy a PC with Vista so looks like "the wait is on" until at least Windows 7. Guess I'll have to see what develops there.
Good skiing (cross-country for me) weather here in Iowa today. Looks like it's going to be quite cold over the next week or so. Nice that the days are getting longer though, so it won't be long until the "real cold" days are just a frigid memory.
Yesterday was one of the nicest I've had for quite awhile, and certainly the best of this year ... hmm, maybe the full moon was in control there.
Looks like I'll have at least 10 singing engagements in February, so that'll keep me busy. Would like to get another PC for backup use but it's very difficult to get one with WinXP anymore (sigh). I won't buy a PC with Vista so looks like "the wait is on" until at least Windows 7. Guess I'll have to see what develops there.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Ice Walking
Very nice coating of ice on all the sidewalks (and streets) today. Well, not so nice if you have to be out driving. But for me it was a great opportunity to add some test walking time on my "Get-A-Grip" footwear. They worked very well as almost the entire 3.2 mile route was an ice challenge. This product was just a good purchase decision and stands head and shoulders above the YakTrax.
Watching the Vikings right now it seems as though they may be wanting to do all they can to hurt themselves as the end of the first half approaches. Well, perhaps they'll have luck and will win despite themselves (or Philadelphia will try to give it away ... hehe). Thus goes Wildcard Weekend in the NFL.
Watching the Vikings right now it seems as though they may be wanting to do all they can to hurt themselves as the end of the first half approaches. Well, perhaps they'll have luck and will win despite themselves (or Philadelphia will try to give it away ... hehe). Thus goes Wildcard Weekend in the NFL.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Resolved ...
Gotcha! No New Year's resolutions here. My goal is to just keep on keepin' on. In a reminder (for me), as 2009 starts, at age 55.79 years, I weigh in at 159.875 pounds standing 70 inches tall. My blood pressure is 120/68 with a heart rate of 60 and a resting heart rate of 46.
New Year's Eve wasn't too exciting as I went out early to sing but then got tired of the noise and headed home by 10:00. Of all things, I then found a nice pedometer (OMRON HJ-112) online and ordered that. During the winter I do quite a bit of walking, since the bicycle is mostly retired with the advent of ice and snow, so I figured it'd be fun to keep track of things like "steps per day" for awhile. As people reading this blog are probably already aware, I've abandoned the YakTrax for "Get-A-Grip" Advanced to allow fairly safe walking on ice and snow. The Get-A-Grip product really works well and I've updated my review comments on Amazon.com to reflect that. YakTrax just doesn't hold up ... too bad, as it's a fairly decent device.
Quite a few dates scheduled for singing at Retirement homes in the Cedar Rapids area already. One is on the 25th of February (a late Valentine's Day party).
Anyway, in 2009, it seems that Ryan has a girlfriend now. Her name is Christina and she may actually come to Iowa this summer. That would be fun.
As I reflect back, I'm glad that I got to know Larry's mom, sister and step-dad during 2008 and, of course, the many people I've met at Rest homes and in the course of singing, biking in RAGBRAI and going to the occasional dance. But I have to say that I'm glad 2008 is finally over. And it was one of the longest years ever since there was an extra day added for leap year along with 2 leap seconds (one in June and one in December). Overall, 2009 has to be a better year.
Interestingly enough, for the first time in at least 20 years, I don't already have a calendar for the New Year. And it came as a total surprise to me this morning when I went into the kitchen to turn the calendar. Then I realized that I always bought a calendar as a part of something to give to Larry for Christmas ... and that didn't happen this past Fall ... sigh. Well, I plan to head out to Barnes & Noble to get a new calendar today.
As far as resolutions, really, I just hope I can let as many folks as possible enjoy hearing me sing this year. With luck, I may get in to most of the Retirement homes in Cedar Rapids. They enjoy it, I enjoy it and it gets me practicing many new (old) songs as well as allowing the residents to hear some more recent vintage tunes. So it's a win-win.
Have a Happy New Year.
New Year's Eve wasn't too exciting as I went out early to sing but then got tired of the noise and headed home by 10:00. Of all things, I then found a nice pedometer (OMRON HJ-112) online and ordered that. During the winter I do quite a bit of walking, since the bicycle is mostly retired with the advent of ice and snow, so I figured it'd be fun to keep track of things like "steps per day" for awhile. As people reading this blog are probably already aware, I've abandoned the YakTrax for "Get-A-Grip" Advanced to allow fairly safe walking on ice and snow. The Get-A-Grip product really works well and I've updated my review comments on Amazon.com to reflect that. YakTrax just doesn't hold up ... too bad, as it's a fairly decent device.
Quite a few dates scheduled for singing at Retirement homes in the Cedar Rapids area already. One is on the 25th of February (a late Valentine's Day party).
Anyway, in 2009, it seems that Ryan has a girlfriend now. Her name is Christina and she may actually come to Iowa this summer. That would be fun.
As I reflect back, I'm glad that I got to know Larry's mom, sister and step-dad during 2008 and, of course, the many people I've met at Rest homes and in the course of singing, biking in RAGBRAI and going to the occasional dance. But I have to say that I'm glad 2008 is finally over. And it was one of the longest years ever since there was an extra day added for leap year along with 2 leap seconds (one in June and one in December). Overall, 2009 has to be a better year.
Interestingly enough, for the first time in at least 20 years, I don't already have a calendar for the New Year. And it came as a total surprise to me this morning when I went into the kitchen to turn the calendar. Then I realized that I always bought a calendar as a part of something to give to Larry for Christmas ... and that didn't happen this past Fall ... sigh. Well, I plan to head out to Barnes & Noble to get a new calendar today.
As far as resolutions, really, I just hope I can let as many folks as possible enjoy hearing me sing this year. With luck, I may get in to most of the Retirement homes in Cedar Rapids. They enjoy it, I enjoy it and it gets me practicing many new (old) songs as well as allowing the residents to hear some more recent vintage tunes. So it's a win-win.
Have a Happy New Year.
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