Month: May 2005 (Page 2 of 3)

Also a great new song from Ryan Adams on his new record, Cold Roses…

A few days in Napa have me thinking of returning. I’ll return with the woman I love. We’ll listen to music and silently admire the beauty of the valley as we travel leisurely from galleries to vineyards and restaurants. Our hands will brush and then come together slowly like leaves floating to the ground in Fall. No words will be necessary. The kids will be home this time. Megan will be happy and looking forward to college. Kyle will be reading her the latest Harry Potter novel. Jessica will be helping her Mackenzie with homework. Sweet indeed.

I’m jumping on a plane tonight bound for San Francisco. On second thought, jumping may not be in good taste, so I’ll walk on. My lovely ex-wife believes my business trips are just vacations. In this case, the location is certainly suitable for one. Arriving in the city by the bay at 10:12pm, my boss Paul and I will drive to the Silverado Country Club and Resort in Napa Valley for two days of meetings and one day of a local User’s Conference. Even though we won’t have time for golf, we’ll be in a picturesque location and will visit the Bistro Jeanty for a team dinner and a winery for a customer event. Hopefully the brunette will be there.

Lately I’ve been seeing a substantial increase in news stories related to energy:

• debates on the construction of new nuclear power plants
• tips on conserving gasoline
• making hydrogen from excess oranges and trash in Florida
• analysis of why our domestic automakers keep getting their clocks cleaned (where did that cliché come from?) by the likes of Toyota, the leader in gas-electric hybrid technology. The reason for this, of course, is illustrated in the graph below.

That’s just what I’ve paid. Prices are much higher elsewhere, and in California drivers pay over $3.00 per gallon. In Europe prices are even higher, but they measure in liters, so who can do that conversion in their head? You’ll just have to take my word for it. So, are we nearing the “Tipping Point” when we begin a real break from oil and invest in cleaner alternative energy? Stay tuned.

A few months ago, ol’ pal Jeff turned me on to Grouper. Since then, our little group has expanded, contracted and imploded, but that’s another story. Anyway, my other buddy Dave (yeah, I have only 2), has a buddy Jim who’s in Dave’s Group-er. Get it? You with me? Actually, I’m streaming some of Jim’s music right now. The song description indicates it’s “Shaky Ground” by Uncle Tupelo, but what’s actually playing is “Take Me When You Go” by the Jayhawks. Grouper is kinda funky that way. I think Dave had an aneurism over Grouper earlier today, but I digress.

Dave having an aneurism… or singing.

A new Grouper feature is this thing called “Glog It.” It’s like a Grouper Blog… G-log. Get it? So I’m reading Jim’s glog and one entry says, “Tom Petty’s Best Song… Has to be this one.” Under it is an icon that says “Tom Petty Track 4.” I click on it and one note convinced me he was right on. From Petty’s first record, this song grabbed me by the throat back in college over a “Wild One,” but hearing the words again make me think of someone else.

Back in the fall of 1981, Marty Gronberg, one of my college roomates read aloud from the Arizona Wildcat about the Rolling Stones touring and that the closest spot to us was at the University of Colorado in Boulder. “We’re there,” quickly piped up Phil Sheridan. Phil loved the Stones, but it would be over 20 years later when I fully realized Phil was a full-fledged band groupie. I recall thinking they were over even back then. I mean it was 3 years past “Some Girls,” in hindsight, the last gasp of a great band. The trip was great, taking us through Albuquerque during their annual International Balloon Fiesta.

Seeing the Stones for the first time was exhilarating, and the scene in Boulder included the imposing background of the Rocky Mountains. I saw the band later that summer in Tempe, AZ, a show that pulled out all the props and ended up becoming the film “Let’s Spend the Night Together.”

Sixteen years passed. I got married, had two children and got divorced before seeing two 1997 shows in Boston and Nashville, which came to be as a reunion of the 1981 U of A crew. Regrettably, Bill Wyman didn’t attend.

Now they’re baaaaaack, and to quote ex-Red Sox Mo Vaughn, “It ain’t about the money.” Mick quickly contradicted Charlie Watts’ assertion that this was the last Stones’ tour. Sir Mick suggested such a grand announcement would amount to “a trap” aimed at getting money from fans. There’s no need for that, right? With ticket prices ranging from a paltry $63 to $163 and $453 each, I think they’ve got the money thing covered.

So, I ask myself, “Self, why drop a buck sixty three x 2 when you get satisfaction by seeing Sloan at a club for $10 on June 16th?

You gotta move.

Yesterday Megan, Kyle and I took my mom out for her favorite food: pizza. Yeah, she’s a cheap date. In fact, she’s so cheap she tried to order tap water in Billerica, MA. Not a good idea. I intervened and got her a Dasani. Hey, for all I know, illegal immigrants fill those by hand out of rubber hoses, but the veto made me feel better and was enough to give Mom the opportunity to tell me to watch how I spend my money. “You already got me flowers!” “Mom, it’s Mother’s Day. Have a Dasani.” Yeah, Mom says what’s on her mind. Always. The incredible thing is that if there were no flowers and no pizza, but just a phone call, she would be fine with it. She has been completely selfless in my life and continues that now in the lives of her grandchildren. She puts everyone else first.

I love you Mom. Happy Mother’s Day.

Today Kyle went with his Mom after church, so I had some alone time. I wanted to visit the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, but it’s closed for installation through May 17th.

Instead, I headed to the local driving range to hone my incredible array of hooks and slices. After a successful hour consuming a large bucket starting with the pitching wedge and ending with the driver, I went to the gym to offset the other hefty consuming I do.

A game 7 of a playoff series should include intensity as a characteristic. Tonight’s Indiana Pacer rout of the Boston Celtics didn’t have any. It was as heartless a playoff performance as I’ve ever seen by a green team.

Boston Globe Staff Photo by Jim Davis

The Celtics lost because a few undisciplined whiners didn’t allow them to play as a team. They continually forced bad shots off individual moves, while the Pacers moved the ball and got easy ones. It got so bad in the 4th quarter, TV color man, Tommy “Homer” Heinson got in a snit with play by play guy Mike Gorman after Gorman didn’t go along with Tommy’s assertion that Pacer Jermaine O’Neal “went after” Celtic Raef LaFrenz. Gorman then asked “Heinie” what he’d do now with the C’s down 21. Instead of doing his job, Heinson asked, “what would you do?” then remained silent. Just like his team.

• Investments in water purification technology and alternative energy in China look very attractive. I’m not sure yet how to get in. Speaking of energy, it sickens me that in spite of one national politician after another pledging to “reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” there’s really been no significant government investment in alternative energy since 1973, when gas prices “shot” up to 50 cents per gallon…

• If they ever do a movie about Queen front man Freddy Mercury, Johnny Depp would be a good choice.

• Thinking about cliches: “Amazingly, Jim did get his hands on the snake…”

• Some of my friends and fellow Red Sox fans have slipped into complacency. This week, one rabid fan suggested he doesn’t have much hope for the team this year, but that was OK because he would continue to bask in the glow of last year. Wait till Fall (or the next Yankee series). He’ll be out of his mind back into it.

• There’s a nice editorial piece in the Boston Globe on the current state of thoroughbred racing on this Kentucky Derby Day. The piece expresses the hope that George Steinbrenner’s Bellamy Road is just that today, and can help ressurect the sport. If not, maybe Bellamy Road can pitch…

• There’s nothing like being a winner on derby day.

• My yard looks like what I image the grounds around Chernobyl look like these days.

Years ago, I used to take Megan shopping with me when she looked like this:

Back then, at a local Market Basket, little old ladies would stop me so they could look at her. She was a beautiful and smiling little baby.

Recently I had a flashback to those days when I returned to that old store after several years shopping at Victory and more recently, Shaw’s. As I strolled down one aisle pushing a carriage, Kyle and I passed the diaper section. No, I don’t need them yet, but it brought me back to the many visits buying them for Megan and Kyle, hopefully with a dollar coupon. I don’t need to use coupons any more, but I still do. Mostly I like cutting them out of the paper on Sunday morning. Still, I returned to Market Basket for one simple reason: I was done with the exorbitant prices of the other two places.

After spending roughly $100.00 per week on groceries for what seemed a year, suddenly my bill jumped to between $107 and $110 after Hannaford Brothers bought out Victory. I wrote a letter to complain, but the management didn’t feel the need to respond. Goodbye Victory. I then went to a local Shaw’s, but I quickly sensed there were no bargains to be had there. Of course, my “buyer loyalty” card made it seem like I was saving a bundle, but in reality, I was paying even more than at Victory. To validate my estimation, I commissioned a comprehensive study. Actually, I just pulled out a few old receipts and opened Excel. Here are the shocking results. ABC’s “Primetime Live” was going with this story until that silly Paula Abdul “American Idol” thing surfaced. Whatever.

As you can plainly see, after buying milk and eggs, prices inflate like an airbag in a head on collision at my ex-grocery stores. Against a $100 weekly order, the premiums can add up to between $665 and $1,030 over the course of a year. I could almost afford to go to a Red Sox game for that kind of cake…

One thing that is consistent for me, but the Achilles heel to my brother Corey is putting. It saves me strokes and costs him matches. The way he hits the ball, he should beat me often, but 3, 4 and even 5-putts won’t get it done. Back when I was in college, a Jack Nicklaus classic, Golf My Way, provided a putting tip that has benefited me year after year. It’s very simple:

1. “Read” the line from behind the ball.
2. Draw an imaginary line from the ball to the hole while you’re above the ball.
3. Putt the ball to get it started rolling on that imaginary line.

http://www.worldwidegolfinstruction.com

Obviously, the pace of the ball is also key, but that “touch” comes from practice and getting a “feel” for the greens you’re playing. Anyway, thanks Jack.