Big Green Tractor

Combine the Academy of Country Music 2010 Duo of the Year "Brooks & Dunn", with up and comer Jason Aldean, a bunch of Ohio cowboys, and large amounts of Coors Light, and you have yourself quite a show. Last weekend I worked with the Red Cross at the Last Rodeo concert, the final tour for Brooks and Dunn. Country music definitely has a big following, even in places like Ohio.

It was a busy night with several fights, falls, and overconsumption of alcohol. I was kept busy but got to watch some of the show. I am not much of a country fan, but I did enjoy it. Certainly the crowd was a lot of fun to watch.

The preferred dress of the night was as follows: Boots, Jeans, Flannel Shirt cut off at the shoulders, No shirt underneath, Cowboy hat, extra Beer tucked in back pocket.

Race for the Cure

Last weekend Elly ran the 5K in our local Race for the Cure. It was a zoo with about 50,000 participants, many dressed up in pink for the occassion. Total funds raised has not been disclosed however it was clearly over $1 million based on the number of participants and the many corporate sponsors. It is a good cause and this is a legit charity, so it is great to see so much support.

All along the course there were bands set up to entertain the runners (and walkers) as they made their way through downtown Columbus. Along one two block stretch, Harleys were lined and revving their engines. It sounded cool but it was hard to breath through all the fumes.

Picture of the day goes to a rather large Harley rider who was giving the runners a high five.

POTD - Girl walking her Dinosaurs

Picture of the Day - Girl walking her Dinosaurs - Seen in a shop window along Oude Binnenweg, Rotterdam.

Your Head as a Cup of Tea

"There's an old analogy to a cup of tea. If you want to drink new tea you have to get rid of the old tea that's in your cup, otherwise your cup just overflows and you get a wet mess. You head is like that cup. It has a limited capacity and if you want to learn something about the world you should keep your head empty to learn it. It's very easy to spend your whole life swishing old tea around in your cup thinking it's great stuff because you've never really tried anything new, because you could never get it in, because the old stuff prevented its entry because you were so sure the old stuff was so good, because you never really tried anything new..........on and on in an endless circular pattern."

- from Lila by Robert Pirsig

OSU Mens Baseball

It has been perfect spring weather and what better way to enjoy the outdoors than a baseball game. Tonight Elly and I provided volunteered for the Red Cross at a OSU Mens Baseball game. Our main task is to watch for foul balls to see if anyone gets injured. I am happy to report that the game was uneventful and that OSU won.

POTD - Llijmas Monitored Parking

Picture of the Day - Llijmas Monitored Parking

Every day I park in the Llijmas Monitored Parking lot. It is a bit out of the way but it only costs $2. It is not in a good part of town, but people generally leave me alone. The lot is monitored during the day by a very skinny, elderly, black man. He is friendly but doesn't say much. I wonder if he owns the lot. It hardly seems worth it to pay a security guard to watch over 39 parking spaces. While parking there my car has never been touched, a better track record than some of my colleagues who park close in to work but pay $6 a day. Next to the parking low you can find two competing pawn shops - Levs Pawn Shop and Uncle Sams Pawn Shop. The other buildings in the area are abandoned.

I did a search on the internet machine for "Llijmas" and the only result was a shady limited liability company. The letters were all separated by spaces which makes me think that it stands for something. Perhaps "Little Lillie Is Just Mad About Something".

Fort Jennings International Airport

Out hiking a few years ago we ran across the Fort Jennings International Airport. No lines, no security, no limits on baggage. No planes either.

Cape May NJ 2008

This summer we will be revisiting an old favorite vacation spot. It is so nice that some places really do never change.

By the way, the Hippies Were Right.

Remembrance of the Dead

Today is the Remembrance of the Dead in the Netherlands. It is a National holiday to remember those killed in wars since WW2. Flags everywhere fly at half mast. Ceremonies are held throughout the country and there is a two minute period of silence beginning at 8pm. During those two minutes, TV broadcasts are turned off, public transport stops, and silence prevails. After those two minutes, bands play the national anthem and the flags are raised. Tomorrow is liberation day.