A Few Random Tidbits

Just some things I have been thinking about lately:

• This winter has been brutal. We have received more snow than in my previous seven Chicago winters. The fact that it just doesn't melt really gets me. I want to stop wearing shoe rubbers to work, but there are still sidewalks with snow and ice everywhere.
• Because of the previous bullet point, my trip to Phoenix this weekend will be extra nice. They are calling for 72-73 and sunny.
• Most people know I have a buddy that works at Taylor Made. The tour players just last week got their hands on the new R9 driver. I am anxious to try it out this weekend, but for now, I can't figure out why I would want to take the head off just to fix my slice. I think fixing the swing may be more important.
• There was a big to-do about the inauguration last week. I felt it was over played. I understand the historical significance of electing the first African American president, but uncontrollable weeping? Obviously I have never lived in a segregated world, but weeping? You had a year to prepare yourself. Get it together.
• The new president's approval rating as of last Friday was something like 68%. How is that? The only thing he did was say his people aren't getting raises this year. First off, welcome to my world. Secondly, who are the 32% that thought they should get raises? Thirdly, and I reiterate, how can you have an approval rating for someone on the job three days?
• Back to unshoveled sidewalks. Is it that hard?
• We have gone trough three workforce reductions in the past two years. One of the things I am working on is determining whether or not there is sufficient staffing to cover our key controls for Sarbanes purposes. Short story is there are. My problem is looking over the list of reductions and wondering what all of these people actually did in the first place.
• Very happy that Lost has returned. How I Met Your Mother, Lost, Chuck - those are probably my top three shows right now. I haven't watched Mad Men, but overall, there are very few shows on that are worth anyone's time.
• IU basketball is struggling, like everyone knew they would. My problem is that everyone anoints Tom Crean as the perfect person to turn it around - why? What happens if he's not the right guy? Do we then anoint the next coach as the savior?
• Even though it hurts the Red Wings, I like the fact that the NHL suspends their players if they don't go to the game. Two Red Wings were named to the team, but neither went to Montreal citing injuries. Since they played in the last game before the All Star break, they are now suspended for a game. It only hurts the league and the perception of the game when the players don't show. Maybe the NFL can take a page from the NHL and MLB where the All Star games actually mean something.
• We have a bunch more pictures of E-man, but we now struggle to do a blog post every few days. Blame Facebook - Ali is on it instead of the blog. Its not that she spends a ton of time on it, but if she gets online for 20 minutes a night, 15 are spent on Facebook tracking down kids from 3rd grade.
• I am soon kicking some blogs off of our list of Friends and Family to the left. Our three months since last post limit has expired on a few of you. We have added a few to the list recently, such as my cousin and her husband that just had a new baby a couple of weeks ago. Welcome to the blog world JB.
• I am determined to start riding my bike to work again in the spring. I did it for a few summers then not once last year. Not only does it reduce my carbon footprint (that's for you Al Gore) but I get just a smidge of exercise as well. That is about a smidge more than I have ever done, so its a good thing.
• We still have not paid one bill for Ethan's month and a half long hospital stay. Due to the incompetence of many parties including the hospital, Blue Cross (of California - Gibson would want me to note that it was not an Illinois plan) and Ali's old employer - good ole Skidmore Owings and Merrill, we are sitting on paying anyone until the correct insurance plan Aetna, gets all of the information they need. By the way, Aetna at first denied E-mans 42 day hospital stay, approx $131k, because the hospital had not sent the correct information. Trust me, I am ready to part with my money, if they would ever figure it out.