Yep...that pretty much covers it.....

All I wanted.....

...was to pop into a newish bookstore in a newish strip center that I had never been to before...almost done with my current Stephen King ("Lisey's Story") and ready to pick up "The Cell" (yes, I know it has been out for a while....just never picked it up) What I was greeted with was an announcement over the store intercom stating "Good morning customers; if you are here for the Laura Ingraham book signing to begin at noon today, please make sure you have your books checked in, or if you need to purchase one, please visit the numerous displays in place throughout the store. Thank you." Hmmm...intriguing....I don't even know who this person is, but from the looks of the folks milling about in the store at only eleven o'clock, I thought it would be in my interest to pick up a copy of the book (to at least look at the book jacket) to find out.

I found that Ms Ingraham is a talk radio personality and author, categorized in the ranks of Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh. Although not a political person by design, I am not really all that fascinated with folks on this side of the political spectrum, and I was really torn if the draw of getting an autographed copy of the book was that strong, considering. In a moment of weakness I picked up my Stephen King, and impulsively walked to the check out with the other book in my hand as well...I would be lying if I said that I didn't think of laying it down and leaving without it at least once before the woman at the check out took my money.

After paying, I walked back to the front of the store, where the followers of Ann Ingraham were assembling. The thronging tens of them were any make and description of quintescential midwesterner you might be able to imagine....at the front of the VIP line a very round and plain looking woman with Dr Scholl's type sandals with stars and stripes on the straps, homemade cookies in a Tupperware container and a plain white envelope (which we found later to have a contribution, which was acknowledged before the rest of the waiting folks). The rest of the mix was very much the same...pasty white guys and their bossy wives/girlfriends, and outspoken older folks, both male and female, that agree with Ms Ingraham that America is going to hell in a handbasket and something has to be done about it.

My line companions were, to the front of me, a married man who was there because he heard of the signing while engaged in his daily listening and to the rear, a sometimes talkative and very opinionated older lady who had no trouble letting everyone around her know exactly her thoughts on anything and everything. As she engaged me in conversation and I realized exactly what I had gotten myself into, my mantra became "Nod and smile....nod and smile..." and for goodness sake don't say anything stupid!
Her opinions regarding politicians, family and the state of the country were about what I had expected, given age and obvious affiliation...I seemed to be nodding at the appropriate times, as it appeared that I was ingratiating myself to her somewhat. At one point, when engaging me in a little more personal conversation, she made a comment on my relatively dark tan...slyly hinting that my legs were very dark, but she bet that my "rear" was very white....I thought for a tick on just the right way to come at the topic, then gestured with an index finger that she should lean in a little so that i could talk quietly in her ear. When she did, I said only this, "No, my butt is just as dark as the rest of me...I tan naked in the tanning bed." With that I stood up again and smiled a little amused smile. She looked at me as if I had told her I eat children, took a step back, and did not engage me in personal conversation for the duration of our wait in line....she appears in the photo that is in the upper left of this entry (she, left and Ingraham, right).

In any case, I escaped unscathed, a signed copy of Ms Ingraham's book in my possession; the author spent no longer with me than absolutely necessary to sign the book...(perhaps she got wind of my nasty secret...***hearty belly laugh***). It was an interesting beginning to the afternoon...and I imagine that since I bought the book I will probably at least peruse it a bit....perhaps the next time I go to the tanning salon ;-)

That's it for now....till later, much love to you....

v

Sooo.....you wanna be a "voice talent"?.....

At work on Friday, while intent on something on my laptop screen, one of the "e" guys came over to the cube wall by my desk with a bundle of paper in his hand and asked me this question. Basically, what they needed was someone to read sound bytes for a project they are working on - they record the segments and then they are used in an interactive activity that they are building for a client. I was able to experience recording in the studio (first time I have really seen how it works) and when the project is all done (and as long as the script does not get altered again and get re-recorded by someone else) my voice will be representing interaction between a customer service representative and a customer in a training tool for a cable/internet service provider.

Pretty cool huh? This ROOT place just gets more and more interesting every day!

That's it for now....till later, much love to you....

v

PS - to my friend who just had surgery....I am thinking of you and look forward to hearing from you when you feel up to it <3

Wildwood Metropark in autumn....

This was a beautiful weekend to be outdoors....the skies of Ohio were blue and bright with the occasional cloud from time to time and the air was cool and beginning to give a hint of the autumn that is coming soon. I spent an afternoon in the park, walking and taking photos of the changing leaves, the autumn flowers and the interesting structures that are on the grounds. The photo at the left was taken in the covered bridge...the water below meandering slow and calm beneath, causing the sunlight to flicker and sparkle on its surface and casting an interesting shadow dance on the ceiling inside the bridge.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and had time to enjoy the beautiful fall weather in Ohio....I look forward to many more cool and beautiful weekends...and as they happen and I find photogenic places to go, I will share them here with you....there are a few more photos of the park (and me) in the current additions to my Flickr account, accessible by clicking on the Flickr banner at the right.

Till later, much love to you....

v

Thanks for not being part of the "nerd herd"....

I was recently congratulated on my ability to leverage my "technology prowess" without draping myself in the mantle of IT superiority with this very humorous and heart-felt compliment. In this age when every person in most industrialized countries are dependent on technology of all types to conduct business, stay connected and get through their daily lives with some level of competency, the roll of the IT professional has moved well beyond the "geek in the server room", with black plastic framed eyeglasses held together with tape, to a more accessible, friendly and customer-oriented facilitator, charged with the task of assuring that technology "works", in whatever capacity the user requires.

This recognition has contributed greatly to the success of the group Geek Squad, whose affiliation with the company Best Buy as their on-call, on-site tech support professionals has set a new standard for the IT geek and their place in the home/small business technology user's arsenal of technology resources. The Geek Squad image, although slightly reminiscent of the quintescential geek, shows younger folks, male and female, bedecked in their chosen "geek uniform" (admittedly spec-ed out to inspire confidence and be unintimidating), but still "cool". Their manner is also the product of specific training...their approach is meant to make them easy to talk to, friendly and cooperative; totally contradictory to what so many people have experienced in IT support experiences of the past.

In my job, I take the "Geek Squad" approach - which is easy for me, because it was not THAT many years ago that I was on the other side of the tech support equation...I also have been able to leverage my skills in a more personal and accessible private venture that I call "Creative Tech Solutions"; offering my help to home folks (mostly people that I already know) with their home and small business technology challenges....the best part? Success for the folks I work with without a lot of pain....IT is looking better every day....hurray for the geek squad...SO LONG, "nerd herd"!

That's it for now....till later, much love to you...

v

The Toledo Blade and WTVG TV13 Toledo Present....

The Scripps Corporate and Community Spelling Bee to benefit "Read for Literacy"...When I was working in the Creative area of the office (Park or "Garden" level)on my very famous and successful "deployment project", I commandeered a desk within very close proximity of the proofing staff...the two ladies who single-handedly assure that every "customer-facing" Rootster is articulate and erudite in their written communications. These amazing women also assure that all materials produced for clients are grammatically accurate and all spellings are correct (not only for US customers, but also for Spanish,French, Japanese, and British English, just to name a few) These ladies have participated for the last two years in this spelling bee event for charity, there presence funded by donation to "Read for Literacy" by Root. This year, one of our two proofers is occupied in a very important and time consuming project and was not going to able to attend. This is where my close proximity to them and my penchant for writing, proofreading and innate spelling skill came into play. The ladies were aware of my "mad skills"; I have a reputation for being a little wordy but interesting in internal emails....on an impulse one day about two months ago, one of the ladies mentioned that the contest was coming up and the team was a "man" down...she suggested "You should do it this year!" Without a moments hesitation (or thought, really) I agreed. Not until later, when I started to discuss the process with them, and later still when I was issued my expansive notebook of the half of the alphabet I was to study, did I realize what I had gotten myself involved with.

I studied in my usual way...the method I have used since my high school years....wait till the last minute...(gasp! I KNOW....you must be so shocked!!!)...frantically pawing through page after page of word lists this past weekend and looking at the lists every chance I had during the day at work the last few days.....I was really starting to panic....there was no way that I was going to be an asset to the team (more like an "A**" I thought) I was worried that I would make Root look foolish since their name was affixed to everything involved with us being at the contest, and I was more upset about the prospect of letting the ladies down who had enough confidence in me to ask me to participate with them. Both of them were generous and kind as they assuaged my fears...."Do your best, and Have Fun" they both advised...."we know you will do just fine".

Today, as we were getting ready to leave for the competition, the lady who was not able to participate this year made a point of finding us to wish us luck. She also provided us with a mesh pouch with a half dozen small polished stones inside...each stone, she explained had a "power"...which it would impart to us, as we held them in our hands as we spelled. I was grateful for her thoughtfulness...and held tightly to one of the stones the entire time....feeling its smoothness and concentrating on its power (strength) it was easier for me to sit on the platform with the 34 other teams and actually feel that OUR team had as much of a chance as anyone else there to be successful.

We arrived at the venue in time for a very quick attempt at the lunch provided, the officials were introduced (one of them a teacher from the school district in which I was the Help Desk Tech before I came to Root) then all the participants were herded into the hall outside the contest room to be lined up for introductions and the walk to the risers where we were to sit. The entry was made through open double doors, each team being announced by business affiliation and then the individuals' names....they went to great lengths to make this part exciting and fun.....each team entered the hall through a cloud of "smoke" to the strains of some triumphant sounding musical fanfare (probably Rocky theme, now that I think on it!) The announcer was the voice of the Toledo Mudhens (who happens to be the sig other of one of our folks at the office) Our team was introduced as "The returning 2006 champions, Root Learning, team members Alma ******* and Vicki Timman"....I would be a liar if I said that this part was not fun (in a contrived sort of way)

We proceeded through the first round with the local celebrity talking heads who were participating for WTVG going out on the word "condolences"....we quietly offered ours as they left the platform. Round after round, continued to be successful....my teammate with her own set of "mad skills" assuring that we were right on with every word we were asked to spell. Ultimately we were in a small elimination group of four teams, where we finally met our killer word...."halophyte"...pronounced badly by the word guy....but that's OK....we still ended up with a very respectable 3rd....a little trophy to display in the office with our names engraved on it, and a good experience this year that will make it easy for us to accept next year, if Root decides to participate.

When we returned to the office, the folks there already knew how we had finished. The Creative team had already printed posters of congratulations and as we arrived we came upon them affixing the posters to every entry/exit door on both floors of our offices....no matter where we went, folks stopped us to congratulate...and also to hear the killer word....everyone was interested and excited that we made it in the contest as far as we had.

The photo at the top of this entry is of me and my teammate, proofer Alma...it was taken on the platform only a moment or two before the competition was to begin, so the quality is questionable at best, although it does generally reflect our positive attitudes as we embarked on this literary adventure this afternoon.

Hope you enjoyed my view of the day....that's it for now....till later, much love to you....

v

Labor Day weekend...

Everyone has had to work at least part of the weekend, with the young one working on Saturday AND Sunday and the firstborn working Monday....I even went in on Saturday, trying to get my head around the stuff that will be coming up fast and furious on Tuesday morning. The young one was off today and went to play "Guitar Hero" with a couple friends. I decided to do some sight-seeing....went to Maumee Bay State Park, Farnsworth Metropark in Waterville to eat my dinner (cut veggies with dip and a Jones Green Apple) by the Maumee River, and on the way home stopped at Fallen Timbers Monument in Maumee. Photos from the roam-around are on Flickr, if you are interested.

Well, back to it...stuff to get started before tomorrow morning...hope you had a relaxing weekend...till later, much love to you...

v

Hmmmm...

Who cares?

Currently thinking about.....

Interpol - No "I" in Threesome

- from the album Our Love to Admire (2007)

Through the storms and the light
Baby, you stood by my side
And life is wine
But there are days in this life
When you see the teeth marks of time
Two lovers divide
Sound meets sound, babe
The echoes, they surround
And know that we need is one thing
Now what is there to allow?
Babe, it's time we give something new a try
Oh, alone we may fight
So, just let us be free
And baby tonight
I see your lips are on fire
And life is wine
Now the windows are open the moon is so bright
There's no one can tell us what love brings, you and I
Sound meets sound, babe
The echoes they surround
And know that we need is one thing
Now what is there to allow
Babe, it's time we give something new a try
Oh, alone we may fight
So just let us be free, tonight
Through the storms and the light
Baby you stood by my side
And life is wine
You feel the sweet breath of time
It's whispering, its truth not mine
There's no I in threesome
And I am all for it
Babe, it's time we give something new a try
Oh, alone we may fight
And feathers bend like trees in the moonlight
Babe, it's time we give something new a try
Oh, alone we may fight
So just let us be free tonight

Some people really need to stop using the "mat"....

From the movie, Office Space (1998)

"It was a "Jump to Conclusions" mat. You see, it would be this mat that you would put on the floor... and would have different CONCLUSIONS written on it that you could JUMP TO."

- Tom Smykowski

____________________________________________________

I have been mulling over some occurrences recently....some interactions I have had with "friends"...folks that I felt I understood and trusted and that understood and trusted me....I have come to realize that there is a level of understanding and trust that I extend to people that seems not to come naturally to others, either because of their life experiences, some deep-seated self-doubt, a sort of protecting behaviour, because they have been hurt when trusting people before, or something else which I do not have the capacity to understand. All I do know for sure is that for these people, there is no question that all actions of others are first and foremost rooted in insidiously bad intentions...there is nothing that can be said or done EVER to change that ingrained, gut reaction. People like me get very frustrated with that sort of reaction....even when disappointed by people, I tend to let those things pass...there is nothing accomplished by holding grudges or keeping score...it only tends to hurt YOU and the person who you feel has disappointed you is often unaware of how serious you feel the injury was that they were responsible for.

My recent experiences have made me painfully aware that the wrestling match of trust that I have been having with a few of my "friends" can no longer continue....these people have already gotten their pre-release copy of the "Jump to Conclusions" mat and use it regularly with regard to me, and there is nothing I can ever do to change that behaviour. I feel like a failure as a friend for admitting that I am giving up the struggle, but that is something I will have to work through on my own....in the meantime, I will keep moving forward with my own good intentions and trusting attitude intact and hope for the best for the folks who insist on keeping their fatalistic outlook on people and relationships....

Till later, much love to you,

v

A difficult choice....

I received a phone call from the young one at noontime, as I have several times during the past week since marching band rehearsals have begun. It started out much in the normal way, with noise in the background and the young one talking about the morning's activities....as is sometimes the case when you are caught off-guard, I was trying hard to listen to the phone call and continue with my work in progress as well...until I heard the words that stopped my heart..."I can't do it anymore...I'm leaving the marching band...going to talk to the director at 1 o'clock"....I was absolutely stunned, and obviously by the tone of the young one's voice, he was struggling as well. He did not want to talk to me about the decision at that time and had another commitment to keep before his meeting with the directors, so we parted phone company then... I was left to worry and wonder...what could have possibly happened this morning to make the young one want to let this treasured goal, finally achieved, go?

I discovered out later in the day that the stress of the strenuous rehearsal schedule had finally become too much for him to bear...he had come to the cold realization that even after all the challenges and obstacles he had overcome to attain this position on the drumline, he was not physically capable of maintaining the grueling energy level that participating in the band required. His admission to himself of his lack of preparation in that regard was probably the most difficult thing he has ever done...he is not one to give up when the going gets rough...but he realized in his heart that there was no way that physical fitness and stamina was going to magically be granted to him in the final few days before classes and performances officially begin.

He will be realigning his course work for this academic year to include Symphonic Band as his large ensemble (required of music majors) and has spoken of making it his goal to become fit enough to audition and participate in Marching Band next fall. Field percussion is a passion for him, and the lack of its presence this fall for the first time in four years will be difficult...but it will also be a motivating force...I look forward to watching his progress in this quest and participating if I can....please send the young one your good thoughts...his journey is just beginning....

Till later, much love to you...

v

Overexposed

Too much exposure? Too many hits? Coming back too high on the list of boolean search results from Google, Dogpile or Yahoo? How many people are you acquainted with that would like that to be their problem...in fact labour long and hard to make just such a thing occur?

I have decided that I have too many places to maintain content on and as a result, they all are half-hearted efforts and do not reflect my real abilities or intent as I keep a presence in cyberspace. For that reason, I am making a conscious decision to continue actively participating in only one social networking site (Facebook), one full fledged blogging site (Blogger), one site with a personalized domain name (tekkbabe.net) one photo sharing service (Flickr) and one flash blogging service (Twitter). I am not eliminating other sites where my name and presence appear, but over time they will become static and probably become defunct on their own.

In the over-abundance of places to "Put things", there is a significant amount of garbage being created...I am tired of contributing to mediocre content just for the sake of having a presence on every server on the internet. Goodbye to the many and here's hoping that the few I choose to support will contain content worth your effort to peruse.

Much love to you, till later

v

Everybody's Zooin' it....Toledo Zoo - August 11, 2007

Having a beautiful day and nothing in particular that I HAD to do, I decided to make a visit to the Toledo Zoo...haven't spent a great deal of time there since the kids were younger. Driving down to the Broadway entrance (back side) I recalled all the Mondays that I took the huge mob of kids (my own and the ones I was babysitter for back then) to the zoo for free, how much fun we had running willy-nilly from one end of the zoo to the other, having little snacks and when I was really "flush" everyone picking out a souvenir from the gift shop.

When I got inside the gates, I soon discovered that this particular Saturday was some sort of family day at the zoo...lots of families with youngsters with the accompanying wagons, strollers, whining and crying children and irritated parents....even at that, all I could do was smile....thinking back to my own kids and our own experiences....not much like these I was watching....my own brood was pretty even tempered and knew that if they wanted to continue to have fun activities to fill their days, they had better make every good effort to stay that way!

I walked to all the places that hold appeal for me at the zoo and captured them in photos (see the new Flickr entries for today) I was using my new camera, a pink Polaroid 5 megapixel (a small bump up from my 3.2 mpx HP Photosmart) I like it just fine, the pink is for a donation to Susan Kolmen breast cancer research, and it suits my recent "pinked up" appearance.....added bonus...the photos are really noticeably better than some taken with my old one.

Take a look at the photos if you like....bout all I got for now....more as time allows and interesting things present themselves....much love to you till then....

v

FINALLY...something worth writing about!

As those who know me know, the young one is now an official freshman at the University of Toledo as a Music Education major. His first large ensemble activity for the academic year is his all time favourite activity, marching band, having auditioned and been accepted into the UT Rocket Marching Band. Band rehearsals started Wednesday evening, with the young one only knowing that he was in the band, but not knowing what percussion position he would be serving in. He had been through several clinics at UT with the percussion line section leaders and the percussion professor. He had expressed his preference for instrument when asked, and was very nervous once the rehearsals began, not knowing for sure if his choice instrument would be the one he would actually be allowed to play for this football season. He has been through several days of arduous rehearsal time and until today was not absolutely positive whether he would be a "drummer" or a "cymbal player" in the UT marching band.......

UNTIL TODAY....when positions were finally announced.....and the winner is.....MY YOUNG ONE!!!! He is one of two freshman percussionists in the quad section of the UT Marching Band....now the pressure of unsure is gone and the pressure of overachieve can kick in...one that I know he is more than up to....a HUGE "attaboy" to the young one and here's looking forward to a fantastic Rocket Football season!

Till later, much love to you....

v

Water Fascination....

I had intended to spend another Saturday afternoon in Port Clinton today, but my favourite place to go there is the public beach, to sit in the sand and enjoy the water and sun; unfortunately the Ohio weather was not cooperating, with overcast skies and spotty showers all day. Instead of heading for Port Clinton today, I headed south to Findlay...to visit my favourite coffee house there and spend some time exploring the area, which is one with which I am becoming quite familiar.

For some reason, this summer I have grown into a "water person" of sorts....I am finding enjoyment being around it, seeing the waves lap the shore of whatever body of water I am at...walking the beaches and shorelines and enjoying the parks and picnic areas that are usually around them. This is an amazing thing to me; I, the person with the aversion, nay, fear of the water. I do not swim and become petrified to the point of tears when in a swimming pool, but the lakes and ponds, in being around them, seem to have some calming effect on my soul. I leave them feeling renewed and in touch with myself again...I imagine that this may be the reason that folks buy boats and lakeside homes....

In any case, today, I took a long walk along the top of the banks of the reservoirs outside of Findlay...after an iced tea at the coffee shop and a walk through the weekend event taking place downtown...the current photos in the Flickr album are from there...

That's it for now...still may make it to Port Clinton tomorrow, but first have to finish a job for a friend and get their equipment back to them...back to work for awhile...more later if there is anything interesting to say...much love to you..

v

It's not Hawaii, but the intent (and result) is the same....

With the weather this weekend as nice and cool for Ohio as it was, I made another trip to Port Clinton, with a bit of forethought this time so I could really enjoy my time there and be comfortable. I stopped on the way out of Toledo to pick up a book to read while sitting in the sun on the beach and assured that I had my folding chair snugly packed away in the trunk of my little car. The drive was nice...brilliant blue sky and bright sunshine giving the day such crisp detail and beautiful color that everything I saw seemed like a photo op to me, and I finally just had to force myself to lay my camera down and drive, or miss it all because of my obsessive snapping.

Once I arrived in Port Clinton, it was obvious that I was not the only one who was appreciative of our Ohio weather good fortune...the streets were thronging with folks on foot or in cars, so much different from the last time I was here when it was so ungodly hot and humid. I headed toward the public beach (it was a little before 11 AM) and I was surprised to see that there were many free spots in the parking area. As I locked up the car and got all my things together, I noted the cool breeze blowing across the road from the water...cool and felt good as it passed over my hot from the car skin. I loaded myself up with my supplies and crossed the street to the beach.

As I stepped upon the sand and looked over the beach, I was astonished to find that as far as sun worshipers went, I was one of only three there. I scanned from one end of the short public patch to the other...then stopped short, amazed at the tableau that appeared before my eyes....the scene, one that so many girls dream about....a light breeze, a small group of friends, a flowing white dress and a minister on the sand by the water...a wedding in progress....the beginning of a new chapter in two people's lives, just happened upon by the random decision to "go to the beach"....

It was a very short ceremony...I had arrived at what had appeared from the distance to be the exchange of vows phase...in a mere few minutes the couple was in a passionate embrace, him holding her so tightly that he picked her up off her feet and spun her around, her flowing white skirt fluttering in the breeze. There were then hugs for all the half dozen attendees and the clean up of the cameras and other accouterments of the occasion, then the happy group started their short walk up to the exit from the beach and assumably to their luncheon celebration. The bride walked barefoot, carrying her sandals in one hand and holding fast to her new husband with the other. He, carefully assisting in her progress on the soft sand, looked at her with affection and chatted amiably with the others in the party, surely relatives or friends who were there to share the moment with them. I watched this procession with appreciation...what a nice day for a wedding and how happy they appeared at this moment...although I am not acquainted with either the bride or groom, I silently wished them luck and happiness....a leap of love and faith...but a crap shoot whether it will last a lifetime or die in a day...

I spent a long time on the beach after the wedding party left, reading Stephen King (Lisey's Story - great book so far, by the way) and napping when I felt the cool air from the lake make me drowsy. The unfortunate part of the great breeze was that it made me totally unaware of how long I was actually in the sun. When I awoke from my last micro-nap, I became aware that my arms and thighs were warm and staying that way, even with the breeze. When I opened my eyes, I could see that I was pretty badly sunburned....I sit this afternoon coated in Noxema to soothe the pain...hopefully I will not peel....and right now, my sunburn is a very stark contrast to my blonde hair that continues to get lighter the longer I am in the sun.

Today was much quieter and spent on the day to day things that have to be done to keep a civil house...the firstborn did not have to work today, and the young one worked open till 5 (just arrived home). I have some other things to get to, so am done with this entry for now...for more of what I have seen lately, check out my Flickr account at the right...till later...love to you...

v

No reason to be surprised....

Sooo....checking back here to see if I have posted something new...visiting to live a little vicariously through my entries, or just be a voyeur in my and my close acquaintances personal lives....noticing that it has been awhile since I have posted anything new....there is a reason for that....

I TOLD YOU SO!!!!

I have been struggling to find reason to keep on writing every day on this site and have found little to inspire or spur me on in recent weeks...until the dry spell passes, you can keep checking back or not...obviously it doesn't matter enough for a comment or encouragement...maybe I will get some golden flash of enlightenment...meh...who knows....

Anyway...be back sometime...when I have something I want to say...

v

Sylvania Ohio Activities - July 12, 2007

Today was the first day of actual tournament play for the Jamie Farr. Today was also the second annual "Takin' It to the Street" community festival, featuring food, a farmer's market, and music, including the regional entertainment personality, Eddie Boggs, shown in the photo, left. Hope you had an opportunity to participate in whichever event interested you...the second day of the LPGA will be taking place tomorrow.

Till then, much love to you....

v

The LPGA Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic presented by Kroger

As happens every year in Sylvania, the LPGA is coming to town to take over Highland Meadows Country Club golf course to hold the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic presented by Kroger. The country club is but a stone's throw from my house, and I and all my neighbors will be favored with the following during this week:

- horrible traffic snarls from early morning until late in the evening
- constant fly-overs by helicopters, blimps and small planes
- lots of strange people wandering the streets of our small community
- media swarming the golf course and surrounding area all week long

I know that in principal, this is a humongous feather in the cap of the city, and even in the inconvenience, there are a lot of folks who manipulate this event to their financial advantage (you will see photos later this week documenting how that actually happens). I have exposure to the other side of the coin...the young one for several years was a member of the brigade of young people whose services are exploited to assure that this event is successful (yes, the vast majority of folks who will be bad mouthed and abused by the visiting "guests" are volunteers, unfortunately)...

So folks, as you visit our fair city, take advantage of our hospitality and amenities, and please remember that the folks that live here every day are holding out hope that this year, the impressions we leave on each other at our parting at the end of this week will be favorable ones.

More later....much love to you...

v

For more photos of the prep for the LPGA Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic presented by Kroger, please feel free to click on the Flickr badge at the right to view my uploaded photos.

"A time will come when a politician who has willfully made war and promoted international dissension will be as sure of the dock and much surer of the noose than a private homicide. It is not reasonable that those who gamble with men's lives should not stake their own..."

-- H.G. Wells