Merry Christmas to All

From us to you all !!

-Doc and Friends

Goodbye Greinke

I enjoy sports, but I’m not a sports fan. I will watch a game on tv if it has one of the teams I like and either nothing else is on, or it is suppose to be a really good game. Outside of KU Jayhawk basketball the sport I follow the most is baseball. I love the fact it is in the summer time and the rules are pretty much the same for the professionals as it is for little league. Movies about baseball are great to watch and my favorite has to be The Sandlot. I love history, and baseball has a great history.

I will confess I don’t know a lot about the different teams. My three teams are: KC Royals, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs, however, I can be persuaded to add to the list. Royals are the home team, and you must root for them. The Red Sox and the Cubs both have fans that even when they sucked they were still loved, and they have chosen to keep their stadiums. I have not yet seen Wrigley Field and I plan to tour/go to a game when I finally make a trip to Chicago. I did have the opportunity to tour Fenway Park in 2007, and fell in love. I have been told by some Yanks fans when discussing why I can never be a fan because they tore down their stadium – they had the nerve to say Fenway was going to be torn down. Uh no, the owners realize the history and are sinking a lot of money into Fenway – they realize it won’t be the same if they tore down and rebuilt. After watching Under Cover Boss I think the owners of the Cubs realize the same thing with Wrigley. The only team that got the “I will still like you even though you destroyed your history” pass is the St. Louis Cardinals. They are my second home team and many of my friends are fans of the Red Birds. I’ve gone to games in the old and new Busch Stadium. I should have added them to my list above.

I’ve grown up going to games at Kauffman Stadium since I was in elementary school. I pretty much wasted my role of film taking pictures of the fountains at that first game. Every time I go to a game I remember that first trip. They’ve done a major remodel and it looks great, but we still have the features that make it The K – a view of I-70 and the fountains. Walking in and near the top you can see Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Chiefs.

Sunday, the Royals made the news. Zack Greinke is leaving the Royals for the Milwaukee Brewers. He played for the Royals for 5 years, and asked to be traded. Apparently he didn’t want to be on a re-building team anymore. I’ve watched many great players start out with the Royals and move on to better teams. There are very few players in any sport that are willing to stick to a team. I don’t buy shirts with a player’s name on the back because I know it will soon be outdated. I know they can get more money elsewhere, but I would like to see a real competition of talent and not just talented players on a team that pays. I’m disappointed, but I understand. When I hear the name Greinke I will remember he once played for the Royals just like Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran. I wish Greinke luck in Milwaukee, and hope he doesn’t forget his beginning.

-Disaster Chick, Weekly Coorespondent

Better than Happy Holidays, right?

For those that haven't caught the seasonal spirit yet!

-Disaster Chick, Scrooge Coorespondent

Changes

My world is changing, and major announcements were made shortly before I sat down to write this that will change life as I know it to a certain degree. I usually welcome change, but can sometimes apprehensive. I think that is a normal reaction, because you never know how positive or negative those changes are until a little ways down the road. I like to think that I adapt well and go with the flow. What else can we do – yesterday is history and who knows what tomorrow will bring? We cannot live in either period – I’ve unsuccessfully tried before.

Living in the now is challenging. It is easy to look back and make the past better than what it actually was and long to return to that perfect time. The future holds endless possibilities, and in our minds can be utopia. Living in the moment is hard because there are things we just don’t want to deal with and procrastinate. How often do you step back, take a deep breath, and fully take in the moment you are living? Probably not often – let’s try to do that more!

I’m sure that everything is going to work out. There are just a lot of rumors and unknowns in my career at this moment. One of my oxymorans is that I’m a free-spirited planner. I like to have a general map or directions that I consider a guide, but not a requirement.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Don't want to be a richer man

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Just gonna have to be a different man

Time may change me

But I can't trace time

I watch the ripples change their size

But never leave the stream

Of warm impermanence and

So the days float through my eyes

-David Bowie, Changes

-Disaster Chick, Weekly Correspondent

Happy Monday!

Good luck with that!

-Disaster Chick, Monday's Suck Correspondent

Motivational Poster of the Week 12/11/10

Have a great weekend!

-Doc

Party on, Wayne!

Sunday between 6 – 10 PM CST if you can send any intelligent or trivial thoughts my way please do so. My team, “Party on, Wayne!” will be competing with about 55 others teams in the Kansas Trivia League. We made it though the semi-finals last Sunday.

The readers of YJKOBT seem to be an eclectic group and if we use our powers collectively to send knowledge to me then maybe just maybe “Party on, Wayne!” can win! Even if we don’t have super powers positive thoughts are always helpful.

Oh, yes every time our name is said my team and many others shout out, “Party on, Garth!” Even if we don’t win we are having a good time!

Inexperienced Coffee Snob

I’ve always thought I was just a foo-foo coffee drinker – like the high calorie ones you get from Starbucks. I’ve never been able to stand the coffee that comes from the “office” coffee pot and that is not just because I’ve smelled it burning. I had convinced myself it is because it is hard to have the fancy liquid creamers around – they usually need refrigeration and some of my offices that has been a slight challenge. I wonder how many inches I’ve added to the derriere making it the color of hot chocolate? Recent developments convinced me that I’m an inexperienced coffee snob.

At a Kansas City restaurant on Saturday I had Turkish coffee, and it was fabulous. I didn’t add sugar or anything to it. I could smell the coffee along with other spices. It tasted strong, rich, and the way I’ve always wanted coffee to taste.

The little sweet little grocery next to it sold their own Turkish coffee. Since I can’t get this fantastic drink where I live I’m thinking about getting all the supplies to do it at home and enjoy whenever I want. However, I will continue to avoid the office coffee pot at all costs and stick to my hot tea.

-Disaster Chick, Back-Up Coorespondent

The Diet Dr Pepper Challenge

Doc had talked a couple weeks ago about Diet Dr Pepper tasting as good as regular Dr Pepper, and this got me thinking about the Cola Wars back in the 80s.

I barely remember commercials of the Pepsi Challenge to see if people liked the taste of Pepsi over Coca-Cola which I will not refer to as Coke.

I was reading a book that talked about this and they had professional food taste testers comment. Pepsi is sweeter and if you take one sip you are going to like Pepsi over Coke. However, Coke remained the leader. Why? Well, most people are not just going to open up a can of soda-pop (this is my way of preventing the pop v. soda war) take one sip and walk away from it. We are going to drink the entire can. Most people don’t want that initial sweetness for their entire soda-pop drinking experience and hence go back to drinking Coke.

Now it looks like Dr Pepper is doing a little soda-pop war of their own by saying their unleaded is as good as the leaded. Diet Dr Pepper was the first diet soda-pop I actually enjoyed. Other diet drinks were too icky and regular was too sweet. If you are going to do the Dr Pepper challenge enjoy a can of each to make your decision. My advice would be to split in half and take the challenge with a friend. Have fun!

-Disaster Chick, Weekly Correspondent

A hiatus of sorts

Is anyone else busy as heck with work, the holidays, kids, and everything else? Yes I thought so. Everyone is busy, and so am I. Something has to give and I have decided to give the blogging a little rest.
No this blog isn't shutting down. It will still be here. I just can't promise that I will be posting on it daily for the time being. The great and insightful Disaster Chick will still be doing her weekly commentary on Tuesdays and I won't be totally gone. Whenever something reaches out to me and really needs posting I will post it. I will also of course be updating my Walk to 100 progress. (I am still outpacing the Bobcats)
So that's it... Maybe after we get through the holidays I will have more time and inspiration...

-Doc

Motivational Poster of the Week 12/4/10

Yes it would!

Have a great Weekend!

-Doc