Daily Victories: It Takes Neighbors

This week, we got the bad guy. 

A patron reported to one of our managers there was a suspicious person looking in car windows in our lot.  It's a big lot--close to 3,000 spaces.  So, you can imagine that a lot of people might wander around a bit after they've misplaced their car.  Still, we checked it out.  Sure enough, this young man was weaving through aisles, peaking in windows, ducking down for a minute or two and walking quickly in the other direction when he saw us watching him. 

He moved his car one aisle over, driving about two miles an hour...slow enough that it catches your attention even in a parking lot.  He probably figured that I couldn't see him...magic cloak of invisibility once he got in his car.

We called the police department, which I'd like to say that our PD is awesome.  They're always polite, professional and respond to problems in a reasonable amount of time, considering the size of the city. 

Mr. I'm Not Acting Weird bolted a few seconds before the cruiser arrived.  But they did notice his little red car careening out of the lot and wandered off to stop him after getting a few details from me and my manager.

The next day, the officers stopped by to tell me the perp ran away.  But they got the car.  And they got a purse that he had stolen from a car he broke into.  The patron got her purse back.  The perp lost his car.  And we've got all the info to nail him with when he reappears on the radar...and he probably will.

It all started with a concerned citizen, a manager who acted on the information and a police department that took the time to investigate a suspicious person.  We can make a difference and we can help each other to keep our world a little safer.

Until next time! Have a great day.

Daily Victories: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

You know, when you leave your swim suit hanging out to dry, I can imagine if it went missing you might not want to say anything. A little embarrassing, don't you think?  But what if you know who snagged it off the line?  Then what? It seems it's time to face off with the burglar...

And so the residents of a California neighborhood have.  Except they're not ticked off.  Not really.  Because it's funny more than tragic.  When Dusty the kleptomaniac kitty goes on his nightly prowl, he just can't resist bringing home any little, medium or even surprisingly hefty object that his neighbors leave in their yards.

You'll love the night vision shots at the end of the video as he brings in his nightly haul.  Smile!  And I hope all of life's little challenges are as benign as Dusty's neighbors.

Daily Victories: Listen Well

Sail Boston 2009...by R.J. Grady

I love listening to people talk. Having grown up with parents who hail from two different parts of the US, living in more regions besides those and listening to Monty Python from an early age, my own accent is something of a mutt.  Little bits from different places hang around in there.  It does cause raised eyebrows from time to time.  As such, I relate to anybody who is struggling to work their mouth around a new sound.

But sometimes, those sounds do make you smile.  You can't help it.

Today I visited a store where the clerk, a middle-aged gentleman who hailed from Barcelona, I think, was struggling with his printer.  Very polite.  Made every effort to ensure I understood exactly the terms of the contract.  Waved his hands a bit.  And then when the contract refused to print he began mumbling, "Paper yam.  It has a paper yam." 

There was picking up the tray, turning it upside down, crumpling paper, pushing of buttons, turning around, asking the customer that entered the store, "Un momento, please. S'okay? I am having a paper yam," and other bits of dancing behind the counter.  There was putting the phone on speaker while he waited for another patron to come back on the line...canned music filled the air.

Had it been another day, I might have eyed the circus with dread, knowing the receipt would never print.  But you know, Javier made it worth the wait.  Eventually he won the battle with the recalcitrant printer, we shook hands and I continued on with my day.

I would never trade the world we live in with another.  It's too full of intriguing people, with and without accents.

Consistently Changing the Rules: An Obsession NASCAR Needs to Stop

If you didn't read your Frontstretch Newsletter this morning, feel free to enjoy my column by clicking on the link:

http://www.frontstretch.com/sdgrady/32587/

And a big thank you to Mellissa Monk for reading :) 

The Frontstretch Returns Full Time for 2011

The 2011 NASCAR season is getting ready to go green!  And my other obsession besides writing romance has returned for another year of news and commentary about my favorite sport:

The Frontstretch

Today we're examining the changes made to the Chase and the Points System.

Also, if you like NASCAR coming to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter:

Frontstretch Newsletter Sign Up

Tomorrow my weekly commentary, Sittin' In the Stands, will appear in the newsletter.

Until then, have a great day.

Daily Victories: Small Kindnesses

Life is like a box of chocolates...literally.

You never know what to expect.  It's a sad truth in retail life that you make very few friends.  You might have many customers, even familiar faces that you exchange smiles with, but that personal connection is often lost amidst the throngs.  Thus, when somebody leaves you a small box of valentines candy, it makes your entire day.

My valentine is simply a gentleman who had a couple trying experiences and I spent a few minutes talking to him about it.  We came to an understanding.  I hoped he would still come back.  And he did...with that box of chocolates.  This came on the heels of a neighbor plowing our driveway during the latest snowstorm.

It's at moments like this that I am reminded that we all are part of a neighborhood, no matter how large the city we live in.  Or even how seldom we actually speak to those around us.  Yet, we are all human and I can vouch most of us have kind hearts.  Each of us looks to our neighbors for reassurance that we live in a good world and it is our personal responsibility to live up to that obligation.  It's not hard.  It just takes small kindnesses to help keep the fabric of life whole.

A smile.  A thank you.  A gesture of good will.  And the strength to Pass It Forward when you have the chance. 

Who would you like to thank?  Have you?

Have a great day.

Daily Victories: The Sun Does Shine

Two days and more than a foot of snow MORE later...the sun came out.  It does that, you know.  Blue skies.  White piles all around.  Really pretty.  And to top it off, I spotted two bald eagles this morning fishing over the Merrimack River. Fantastic!

While I grew up in the Merrimack Valley, wildlife really wasn't part of the daily life.  The river was off limits back then to just about everything.  Filled with trash and pollution, it boggled the mind how it could even be a water source for communities along its banks.

But things have changed.  Those eagles are proof.  They aren't plants.  Nobody put them here.  They came back.  We have a few nesting pairs, but the Merrimack is also host to a wintering colony that fly south from Canada.  Apparently snow drifts and frozen rivers are balmy for these guys.

But you know, after you've been shoveling and shoveling and laugh while your neighbors curse the skies at the now freezing rain that's falling, it is a glorious thing to drive around and see that massive bird with its white head and tail hovering over some open water. 

Things do change.  Our water ways are cleaner.  The fish stocks are larger.  And the eagles are returning.  It makes one believe Spring might arrive one of these days.

Better times are ahead.  Have a good day.

Daily Victories: Give Yourself Credit



Atlanta Botanical Gardens



 If cleanliness is next to godliness, I'm no saint.

This winter, I've been working on tossing out those piles of boxes and doo-dads you accumulate over time.  You know...the "it might be useful" someday stuff.  And I must be imaginative, because most of this stuff ain't ever gonna be of use to anybody.

This last week I made the big step of calling a junk guy to haul off the big stuff...bikes, mattresses--the ones you wouldn't want the cat to sleep on, TV's, etc. etc.  After he departed I walked around the house and realized that although there's still a goodly pile of stuff nobody will ever want or use, I can actually make use of three rooms in my house I couldn't three months ago.

This wasn't an overnight success.  It happened a little bit every day...or every other day, depending on the rest of life.  It happened because I kept repeating to myself, "Hey! You got those bottles returned!" or, "See? You can open the china cupboard, now."  Not that I'm serving a fancy dinner soon, but still.

I poked my head into the sun porch and realized that the piano was accessible...I can call the tuners! Ah! Not yet.

You see, the really big goal is to finish the living room.  So, piano tunings and china cupboards aside, there's still a lot of trash and donations to be cleared.  But I'm getting there.  Honestly getting there.  And it's happening because you just gotta keep saying, "I completed a little tiny something today that wasn't done yesterday."

When you look back after a week or two, it's pleasing to see, or not see in my case, just how much can be accomplished with persistence, and giving yourself a pat on the back for achieving one small extra goal a day.

Maybe I'm the little train that could...maybe that's a childhood story we should all revisit when we're feeling like life is impossible.

'Til next time, keep smiling!

Daily Victories: Lost and Found

If you dropped your wallet at a major entertainment venue, would you expect to get it back?

I ask, because like many people in this world, I have to admit that I wouldn't necessarily expect to find that wallet again.  But, you know what?  More people turn in those wallets to the lost & found departments and the police than you'd think.

Yesterday, in a single eight hour shift, I returned to worried individuals two cell phones, a wallet, set of car keys, an iPod and various hats and scarves.  And I'm only the person rummaging through the lost & found bucket...not the one finding and turning in the items.  I still have a lost wedding ring note on the bulletin board--perhaps that, too, will appear.

But besides lost items, there are also lost people.  My high school principal stopped for a friendly hello last night, as well as a police officer who used to work details for me over ten years ago.

Yes, we all have too many things to keep track of in our daily lives.  But we'd all be a bit happier if we truly believed that the people in our neighborhoods are willing to help us keep it all organized. 

The next time you misplace an item, ask around.  I bet somebody will be happy to bring a smile to your face and return it to you.

Daily Victories

Yes! I found the focus for this blog.  I am always impressed by the series of TV ads placed by the Foundation for a Better Life.  If you read their website, they don't accept donations.  All this independently run concept charity asks is for every person on the planet to take those values we all cherish and utilize them in our daily lives. 

And as I've considered one topic after another for this blog, I am usually faced with one truth, I don't want to turn this blog into a place to whine...it's not becoming and there's far too much of that on this planet.  So, I will use this space to talk about what makes me happy, what I saw today that made me smile...or made somebody else smile. 

We forget, but there are many kindnesses that are extended from one human to another each and every day.  Strangers are kinder than we'd believe, due to the nightly news with stories of murder, war, theft.  There're far too many places for you and me to learn about that.  So, here will be a good place.

For today's daily victory I'll share something I saw between two of my employees: One a teenaged girl, the other a young asian immigrant.  They were leaving for the night and chattering away.  When they passed me, she kept repeating the word 'vocabulary'.  He was attempting to say it.  She spelled it out.  He spelled it out.  They sounded out the word together...it has a couple sounds difficult to say.  He said it very slowly by himself.

"There you go!" She smiled.  "You got it!"

He thanked her and left for the night.

They're not particular friends.  Just co-workers.  People with good hearts.  One wanted to help, the other was willing to accept the olive branch.

And that is today's daily victory. 

The picture?  I'll be using pics from my vacations...they made me smile at one point.  I hope they'll make you smile, too.

Share your daily victories!  I'll post them :) 

Have a great day.

Is it a Hobby or an Obsession?

I dare not call it a career or even a job.  Writing just seems to be something I can't stop doing.

When attempting to succeed in the arts--whether it be music, art, film, dance, or writing--first there must be a belief that you have something to offer that others don't.  You practice, hone and research.  Try once, throw it out, and try again.  Sometimes you decide it is no longer worth pursuing.  I've pursued a number or artistic endeavors throughout my life, but writing is the one that keeps coming back.  It always has. 

But does that make my musings worthy of supporting me? In a materialistic manner?  I am not vain enough to think that like geniuses of centuries past, my prose is meant for readers of future generations, and thus I shall never see the true worth of these words in my lifetime.  lol  No...not that.

My dream...I am foolish enough to have those...is to manage to support myself with my maunderings.  This year is the year of the agent hunt.  It is a dreary process, but one you must struggle through in this particular area of the arts.  But mostly, you must believe in yourself.  Your voice. 

Time and again I have tried writing "for the market."  Ultimately, my works tend to live in the margins of those popular markets, but never in the fast lane.  Perhaps that will be my epithet..."From the sidelines."

It's not a bad place to be.  You get to see a lot of life from that angle.  And you will never really end up in the middle, due to a lack to fitting in, if you will.

Currently, I am querying my latest work "The Heart of the Dragon," and just starting on the next idea.  Novel or novella remains to be seen for The King's Mistress.  NASCAR cranks up in just a couple more weeks and I'll be returning to the world of sports opinion on a weekly basis.

I am hoping to make this blog something more regular over the next few months.  It will take a bit to find this one's focus...NASCAR Notes took me in a direction I never believed I could achieve, really never intended to achieve...I covered a Sprint Cup race from the infield!  That there is proof that the improbably can happen if you follow your heart.  Good things come from good effort.

Well, that's all for this morning.  I shall return when I have more to share :)  Enjoy the snow! We've got enough of it.

Blogging...and movies

This week I finally got to watch Julie & Julia--the story of a frustrated writer turned government employee who finds her true self through cooking.  Hrmmm...not really the proper tag line for the movie, but there it is.

Of course, totally enjoyed the movie, but perhaps moreso because of the struggles that both Julie and Julia encountered in their path to "authorhood".  Publishers who don't think the book is quite right,  redo, rewite, recreate...and then the choice of finding employment that pays the bills while you chase your creative dreams through sheer determination.

I can relate to the latter quite well.  Blogging has brought me a certain amount of reward in my relatively short career as a writer.  It has brought me recognition in the NASCAR world...something I'm not really sure I appreciate on a daily basis.  Perhaps that's where the paycheck comes in...such greedy creatures, aren't we? 

Writing is still something I want to do and be, and yet haven't quite made the leap to full-time commitment.  My career of choice at the moment permits some latitude in pursuing authorship as something as a hobby, and yet that's not quite the reward I am seeking for my inner self.

As I age, and look around at artists' biographies in other places and times, it occurs to me that we all struggle to find that place where we are free to search for that true creative spirit that dwells within.

If only there was time, money and the daily inspiration...perhaps there is and I just haven't managed to put them all together, yet.  Eh...

Tonight, I'm gonna bake a pie.  What has this to do with anything?  Ah--it's the moment of decision where you will take the ingredients, time and effort to create something out of something else.  And maybe...as Julie said...knowing that when you add apples, cinnamon, butter and bake it you get something yummy--that is reassuring.  And helps in this world of uncertainty with never enough time to finish all you want to do.

I think today would be a good day to walk around my house and take stock of my achievements:  The books in print, the award for my Wallflower victory, the blankets and tableclothes I crocheted, two happy cats, photos of places experienced and a loyal husband.

That's a whole lot of good.  And proof that we do accomplish something in our daily lives.  Sometimes it just takes forever to get there...

After the Race...

Some Images from Indy

Qualifying at Indy

Juan Pablo Montoya's No. 42 Target Toyota took the pole this morning. Really a beautiful facility. Enjoyed the vantage point from our seats for Sunday's Race.

Trucks at ORP

Another track checked off the list...the truck race last night at O'Reilly Race Park was really good for a number of things. Ron Hornaday won, fending off an eager Kyle Busch and took Timothy Peters to school on "the slide job." Just plain great.

A bit about the facility:

They charge for parking--I don't really get this. They're obviously jacking the prices for the NASCAR week anyway...$47 for just the trucks and $52 for the Nationwide. This is for a spot on a backless bench, which is much too narrow to share with the rest of humanity. So the extra $10-$15 for a parking spot seems just gratuitous.

With all the extra income from Speedfest...I would ask ORP to fix their score board. They use "7" for the digit "1" and "9" for the digit "4"...which is all very confusing when you're checking what lap you're on. Things just don't seem to be counting up or down. I won't hold the four position board, that's what most regional tracks manage to maintain.

Restrooms...well maintained and plenty. Thank you!

No tunnel...but as I said before. As a local track, that's fine.

The dragstrip is a thing of beauty! Makes me wanna try out some NHRA action. You can see this is where ORP gets the $$$, as they've even got some suites for the strip.

Getting there from Indy...so simple. Especially where we ignored the DOT signs and just followed Crawfordsville Road. Literally only 15 minutes. Leaving was just as sweet, once somebody wth more sense than us opened the gates for the strip, allowing us to leave the way we arrived. Otherwise it was everybody going nowhere as nobody knew which way to go--humans are creatures of habit. Don't give us a rat maze all of a sudden. We knew how this worked when the sun was up.

The racing: Awesome. Two real racing grooves with just enough room to squeeze a third when you had to. Tires gave up after 60 laps, putting a lot of wheel back in the driver's hands. And seats are down close to the action and can still see all the turns. That's the hallmarks of a great little facility.

And a note about the Trucks: Look, when the Top 10 trucks are running a totally separate race from the rest of the field, you don't really have parity. You have 26 trucks in the way of the frontrunners. NASCAR even lowered the threshold for minimum speed, the difference between first and last speed was so disparate. In this case, there is no possibility for the wanna-be's to win. All they can hope for is to stay out of the way of Hornaday & Busch's front bumper.

To me, this is a clear indication that the Truck Series is in far more trouble than the lack of sponsors tells us. Not this year...probably not next. But unless things turn around in the higher series, the Camping World Truck Series will not be long for this world.

Later! (More heat today...ughness)

A Morning Walking at Indy

With the forecast for 100+ again, we agreed to walk over to the track around 10am for a couple hours before the heat really took over. I'm glad was did--although, the walk to the track is possibly the shortest we've ever enjoyed. I'll give it about 1/3 of a mile from the camper.

Having never been to Indy, I was curious just where all the t-shirt haulers and such were located, since they aren't outside the gates and there's about 20 feet from the gate to the stairs to head up to your seats. There's a tunnel! For the pedestrians! That goes to the infield...and where there's all sorts of good things to do.

Oh, we walked up to Victory Lane for some pics, enjoyed the sight of some Camaro's taking some laps around the track, studied the stands and then walked down to the garages where there are areas provided for the fans to watch all the inspections and such--with no Cold Pass required. First time I've run into this at any track I've visited--even the local tracks.

And yes, lots and lots of shopping available. I now have the requisite AJ Allmendinger t-shirt I promised Dinger I would have for the next race I was at. Also, picked up a signed Brad Keselowski 1/24th No. 12--really had to debate 12 vs. 22. Especially after last week's drama. Richard said I could have the car as long as he could set up a scene with Edward's car wrecking him...I then had to point out he would have to buy the Edward's car...

Anyway, this is a beautiful facility that has really engineered its vast infield for the benefit of the fans. Since the streets outside the track could use some beautifying, I have to applaud the management for making an actually boring grandstand and track surface have something more to offer...

Oh! Listen to that! We're on the track. I'll probably cheat and watch from the comfort of the camper for practice...but I really love sitting outside and hearing that noise go by.

Til Later! When I have some updates from ORP! I love trucks...

I'm Melting!

We made it! We're parked just outside the frontstretch of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The famous pagoda is visible from our campsite. The top is illuminated with blue lights, and should somebody be running on the track, there is a massive leader board wrapping around the roof.

We are in a city. This is a unique experience for racing. At the corner of Turn One, there is a gas station, a liquor store and the kind of three-way intersection that makes most urban residents of our nation cringe. The campground is surrounded by pleasant one-level homes built in the 50's. Most of them have RV's renting space on the front lawn. The American Legion Speedway Post is within a stone's throw, and promises a $7 breakfast buffet on Sat. & Sun morning. Also, of note, they claim to have a biker club...only in America.

The weather....100 degree heat index with very high humidity. We shopped for food (A/C), went to the museum (A/C) and took a brief tour of the track (more A/C) then figured out how to fool the RV into allowing the Honda generator to run the A/C without blowing a circuit for a short time. They say more of the same to come for the weekend...it will be a battle between watching racing maintaining our sanity.

What is unique about Indy vs. the other racing venues we've visited is the history. This is where automotive history has been made over and over. It's not all about NASCAR. In fact, their museum deigned to make enough room for two whole stock cars in the collection...that says something. We looked at Daemler carriages from the late 1800's--metal, wood, leather and all moving parts visible. Speedometers run off gears from the front wheel. Suspension parts made out of woven straps. Basic rudder systems for steering. Dashboards? What are those?

It's proof that we've been going as fast as possible since the beginning of time, and we've spent the last century figuring out how to do it with an engine and four wheels. Sometimes with understated elegance, and at other times stripped to the bare essentials. There was one car from the 20's that was pock-marked with an effort to strip weight off the behemoth to meet a race entry requirement--unsuccessfully.

Otherwise...the track is much the same as any other. Grandstands stand empty waiting for the pomp and ceremony of Sunday to arrive. That's when the magic happens.

Until then... :)

Memories and Mayhem

The Midwest...or at least approaching it. According to the endless cornfields, I'm gonna call Indiana at least something akin to my early memories as a child in Nebraska. Although, there are changes...

Farms no longer sport a windmill next to the barn. The few that appear here and there are decrepit reminders of a time when electric pumps weren't the cheapest and most reliable form of obtaining water. Instead, cell towers dot the landscpapes. Clapboard farmhouse of indeterminate years, garage with a few random four-wheeled creatures in front of it, a larger shed for the big equipment and then either a billboard or a cell tower. The cows are the same. You don't see the corn cob hills that figured so large in my "Don't play on that" childhood or the few chickens scratching in the yard, either. Farming is bigger, and the fields less...cared for.

Other triggers that brought me back...the smell of a summer thunderstorm. We passed through one near the end of the trip today. It's...intense. Back in the East, we do talk about the smell of rain, but this is different. It hits you hard. Something significant just happened. And it makes you smile. The sound...of the grasshoppers. This is not such a pleasant memory, but still...it's there. If you've never heard about the "year of the grasshoppers" story, I'll have to tell you sometime. Expect me to wiggle and frown. It was not nice. And finally, the lilt of the accent. I didn't find that until we checked in at the campground. Not so pronounced in the swing of the vowels as the south, but it's still much softer than the east with a healthy complement of r's in all the correct places :P Wonder what I sound like to them these days...

And finally, my two cents about the current NASCAR controversy:

Last Saturday, Carl Edwards spun Brad Keselowski in the final stretch of the Nationwide race. It resulted in a scary wreck you've probably seen twenty times on the news by now. Well, NASCAR decided enough was enough in the "have at it boys" world and docked Edward's No. 60 team 60 driver and owner's points, fined Counsin Carl $25,000 and placed him on probation until the end of the season.

I don't know if I like this. I wonder...is NASCAR permitting the fans to dictate their actions? The world had Carl painted as an assassin after the race. He was racing hard. He spun Keselowski. We've seen these kind of finishes before...remember Earnhardt Sr. & T. Labonte back when? It was hard racing then...what's different now? The intent between competitors isn't any different. Is it us? hrmmm... You could tell me the sanctioning body has changed, that's truth. But not what makes this sport go round, so to speak.

If (yes, we're playing the "if" game) nobody else had hit Keselowski's No. 22 at Gateway, I am fairly certain that NASCAR would've looked the other way. It wouldn't have made international headlines. Fans would've still hated Edwards and still said Keselowski got what he had coming...but it changed when that No. 22 was nailed again and went spinning across the finish line. It blew the intention and the actions of the competitors out of perspective.

What do I hope for in the near future? Now I want to see another pair of competitors (let's say Harvick and Logano) go at it for the second time this season. I want to see the same actions by those specific competitors without the entire field piling into the wreck after and then I want to see what the NASCAR Gods decide to do...it'll be a joke. Guaranteed. Because they just took the "have at it boys" logo off the big screen and now nobody knows what to do.

Catch ya'll later from outside the frontstretch of Indianapolis Motor Speedway!

On the Road Again

Hi guys! Yes, we're on the way to Indianapolis Motor Speedway--the mecca of auto racing in America. I'm sort of bouncing from foot to foot even as I write this...Indy is one track I've always wanted to see since I sat in the living room as a kid and watched the little "pointy" cars attack it. But anyway, there will be a whole week to discuss the wonders of a track that made a town just for itself...

Rolling across America in an RV is a unique and fun way to travel. Instead of waiting in lines, taking off my shoes and undergoing creepy x-ray machines, my day has been spent watching the great forest of the Northeast roll past my window. There's the counting of the other RV's we see on the road (BING) and slight complaints about road construction, but it's really a less stressful manner of travel once you're accustomed to it.

Rookie RV'ers are fun to watch, and I say this with full knowledge that we once looked ragged and worn after having the trailer drive our truck down the highway without proper just about everything. But once you've passed the novice status, you stop worrying about the location of gas stations that provide diesel and revel in the funny looks you get when you pull your rig up next to a "real" truck at the service center. Somehow, my phone's camera managed to make our Silverado look pretty stout next to that Freightliner, but in reality the 2500/35ft RV combo looks a bit silly wallowing next to the grunts of the transporation world.

You can't help notice the big rigs as you head west over I84/I80--they nearly outnumber the cars. You do get to realize the vast number of trucking companies out there and what they haul.

Somewhere in Connecticut they're building a bridge...the I-beams kept appearing over the horizon at regular intervals. Prefabbed sheds were another favorite of the day. The BING meter went nuts as a trailer had six pop-ups piled on it. Fed-Ex, UPS, Conway, Millis...it goes on for some time. Pre-fabbed pools, cranes, boats, tractors, etc. etc. We did notice a lack of livestock trailers--we can never forget our drive through Georgia years ago as we seemed to encounter the entire population of the Perdue plant in an endless parade of feathers trapped in trailers.

All this under alternating overcast and blue skies framed by the green climbing hills. We're settled in at the first campground--several other rigs have NASCAR stickers on them. We've got the A/C going, the bed is made with our own sheets, supper was an impromptu tuna salad sandwich deal and I'm rocking in my comfy chair. Outside the picture window, rabbits and robins are decorating the edge of the woods. This ain't bad...

I'll take the calm before the storm, for on Thursday we'll be planted in the vast maze of race fans at the track amidst the dull roar of all those generators...Ain't that cool?

Catch ya'll later !