Random Notes

Hello everyone! Back from vacation and another trip to Iowa. Work has been very hectic, and I think I have spent 10-12 days in Iowa this month alone.

Anyway, here is 2 weeks of Bill Simmons-like ramblings on various topics:

- Derek and I are interested to see what will get higher ratings: an NBA Finals game on ABC next week during the week or the Spelling Bee last week.

- What is up with these chain restaurants and these obnoxious commericals? First there was the Applebee's ripoff of the Gilligan Island song during the NCAA tournament, now there is Friday's with that God-awful "Vegetable Medley" ad. Do people really think other people act this way? No wonder Red Robin doesn't do TV ads.

- Did you see all the hand-wringing commentary about the lack of attention that the public gave Bonds (and the story) for #715? Jayson Stark's article was horrendous. "It's a shame nobody cares". Why? It's a non-story, and you bored us to death with THREE WEEKS of wall-to-wall covergae forced down our throat.

- Chicago O'Hare on a Friday early evening is a mad house.

- I'm not torn up about the Cavs lost at all. I'm not- honestly! They were not expected to win, they lost to a superior opponent - so what? Yes, they were close. But they don't have the experience to close out those games yet.

- Remember how excited you were as a kid to stay in a Holiday Inn - especially if it was one of those with an indoor pool and a game room? Usually those hotels were built in the 70s. Now, they look scary. We stayed in one in Newport, TN. There actually was a warning not to put your hair in the hot tub, lest it turn green. Just creepy.

- Someone could make a bundle of money listing and reviewing fast-food restaurant playplaces for family vacation road trips. A snippet of the book could be:
1. The McDonald's playplace in Danville, IL is the gold standard, but the McDonald's in Columbia, SC is a very close second.
2. The Burger King playplace in Columbia, SC is outdoor and the kids are not recommended to take their shoes off if it is sunny - the black rubber mats will be too hot.
3. The McDonald's playplace in Newport, TN does not drain well after a rain.

- What is the proper procedure if you are in a hotel and the alarm is ringing in the room next to you , but the guy next door refuses to get up or turn it off? This is, of course, before you were planning to get up. What's the correct etiquette? A bang on the wall? A phone call? Yelling obsenities?

Golf update to follow. Suffice to say that last week I had a bogey-free round.... and shot an 80. The big number is plaguing me.