A fine day to spend outside

It's amazing how the weather can vary from one day to the next, especially during the fall. It's been sunny but fairly cool over the past several days. But today was really warm and sunny; in fact, I think the temperature in Brookings reached 70 degrees. It was warm enough outside that, when I went running, I was able to do so in a t-shirt and shorts. Go figure.

I was able to sleep in some this morning, but I didn't stay in bed as long as I had originally thought. My feet hit the floor around 8 this morning and I was in the office by 9. There wasn't a whole lot that needed to be done at work today, but the work was important. My main goal for the day was to send off information to the University Program Council so artist/performer contracts can be drawn up. I have final information for everyone we've confirmed thus far, and there will be a few more contracts drawn up as soon as I finalize a few things with some student organizations. But the main contracts will be processed now, so that's one more item I can cross of my "to-do" list.

Since there was nothing more I could do at the office today, I left a little before noon to meet up with Dave. We enjoyed lunch at Jimmy John's and talked about plans for the remainder of the day. Dave and I made plans to wash the Acura MDX he and Tasha bought the other weekend and talked about what we've been up to over the weekend. We wrapped up lunch around 1 and I then headed back to my house while Dave returned to work at VeraSun.

This afternoon was gorgeous, and it was easy to decide to spend as much of the day outdoors as I could. I also decided to put another coat of wax on the Miata while the weather is still good. The Miata really didn't need another coat of wax, but I wanted to do what I could to get some of the swirl marks left by the last wax job out. A combination of Meguiar's NXT wax and my orbital buffer did the trick; the Miata has another layer of protection on its finish and the swirl marks are gone. My cars really aren't big priorities for me, but I'm very satisfied when my cars look their best. The cars look good, and I feel a sense of accomplishment in a job well done.

Once I finished with the Miata, I paid my cable bill and headed downtown to mail it. I started out walking but soon ramped up to jogging. I pounded the sidewalks of Brookings for about 45 minutes this afternoon and probably jogged about two miles out of the three I covered in the process. As a result, I've felt really, really strong and healthy today in spite of some soreness in my left ankle. And my good feelings today seem to be an extension of the overall heightened feeling of well being I've experienced in the past month or so. Feeling the way I do is really, really good, and I'm sure all the physical activity is a big part of it.

I returned home after my jaunt downtown, checked messages, and then headed over to Dad's place. There wasn't a whole lot of time remaining until I was to meet Dave to work on his car, so I visited with Dad for what turned out to be an hour. During our time together, we discussed what we did today and also talked about investments. And speaking of investments, I finally found out why it's taking so long to transfer some mutual funds from First Bank & Trust to my Vanguard brokerage account. There's some more paperwork that needs to be sent in, and I'll get that taken care of tomorrow. Once the paperwork is submitted and processed, the transfer should be able to take place.

Dave and I finally caught up around 6:30; we hung out at his place for a few minutes and then headed to the car wash. We would normally wash his car in his driveway. But it was dark by the time we started working, so we washed the car at Gas 'n More. The gunmetal gray SUV really wasn't all that dirty, but I'm sure Dave was glad to give the vehicle a bath. It's in really good shape for a 2003 vehicle, and I'm sure it will serve Dave, Tasha, and their family well. Before he dropped me off at my car, Dave took me for a little spin down the Interstate and in town, and the car certainly rides well and is very quiet.

Another good day is at an end, and I'm very much enjoying the lingering good feelings I've experienced today. At the same time, I'm looking forward to climbing into bed, relaxing, and resting for the night. In the meantime, tomorrow's another day, and I'm looking forward to the coming dawn.

Cruising around the city

It's amazing how much of the Twin Cities area I was able to see today. I didn't really mean to see as much of the city as I did, but road construction, mainly on I-35W, forced me to change my route somewhat. But changing my route was all right; doing so gave me an opportunity to cover a greater distance than I would have otherwise.

There really was no solid agenda for the day, but there were a few different places around the area I wanted to visit. And I was able to visit all the places I wanted save for one, an Infinit dealership. No big deal, though.

The original plan this morning was for Uncle Gene, Diane, and me to meet my cousin Sarah and other realtives for brunch in Hugo this morning. I learned just after rising from bed, however, that our plans had changed. Diane went ahead to Hugo while Gene and I remained behind. So Uncle Gene and I had a quick bite to eat at McDonald's before I set out on the day's quest. The breakfast was good, and it was nice to be able to sit down and have a meal with Gene.

My first stop after leaving Cottage Grove was the Ellis Drum shop on Lyndale. It was really easy to find; all I needed to do was take I-494 West to Lydale Avenue and then turn right. The store was only a few blocks off the Interstate. While there, I had a chance to check out various mass produce and custom drums, and I struck up some good conversations with the manager there. It was good to be able to play various models of drums and cymbals, and it's good to know the shop could make my 12X14 Pacific rack tom into a floor tom. And the cost would be only around $50 out the door. I may have the shop do the work for me the next time I'm in the area.

I really enjoyed visiting with the manager and other patrons in the store. But my favorite aspect of the visit was being able to play a Mapex Pro M maple drum set with hardware. The drums had a really nice, round, resonant tone similar to that of my Pacific CX drums. I especially enjoyed the crisp responsiveness of both snare drums that come with the set. As I've said before, I'm not really in the market for any more drums right now. If I do decide to buy another drumkit for my collection, though, I'm definitely putting Mapex on my list. And I'm happy with the treatment I received at Ellis, so I'll likely buy from that place.

After leaving Ellis, I headed north to White Bear Acura. I had hoped to find a TSX or TL Type-S with six-speed manuals but was unable to find either. The salesman with whom I talked was very friendly, though, and told me he would contact me in the event that such cars came into inventory.

My next stop turned out to be only a few miles down the road on Highway 61. Maplewood Imports sells Porsches, Audis, and Mercedes-Benzes; Porsche is the marque in which I was most interested today. A Dutch salesman named George was the one who attended to me, and he was most helpful as I checked out a few Caymans and 911s. The Cayman is a potent performer, I'm sure, and it's priced a good deal less than the 911. But I like the overall design of the 911 better. So if I ever decide to shop in that kind of price range ($50,000+ for the Cayman and $65,000+ for the 911), I think I'll patronize Maplewood Imports. I don't know if I'll ever be interested in paying that much money for a car, though, and there are many alternatives that offer similar or the same performance for far less money. The Nissan 350Z comes to mind. Still, having a Porsche would be cool under any circumstances.

Having failed to find the Infiniti dealership I sought, I headed south on I-35E toward Walser Mazda. As you may recall, Walser Mazda is the dealership from which I purchased my '06 Miata on St. Patrick's Day. The main purpose for my visit was to say "hi" to the salesperson with whom I worked in buying the Miata and to take advantage of the promise of lifetime free car washes. Another purpose was to look at a 2003 Miata LS my friend Dave Jones is interested in. A salesman named Tom showed me the car and allowed me to take it for a test drive. The car drove as well as I would expect, and both the body and interior appear to be in excellent condition. One thing that surprised me, though, was the seating position seemed a good deal higher than in either my '06 Miata or the '01 Miata I used to have. I had the same experience when I drove a 2004 MazdaSpeed Miata a few years ago. No matter, though; I would have no trouble recommending the '03 Miata to my friend Dave, and it will be interesting to see if he decides to purchase the car sometime next week.

Nighttime is once again upon us, and I'm once again sitting in the confines of the Cottage Grove Caribou Coffee. I took a good 40 minute walk after Gene and I dined at Ruby Tuesday, and Gene is now back at his place watching the World Series. I'll be here at the coffee house for a little while longer, and I, too, will soon retire to Gene's for the night. My plan is to head back to South Dakota by noon tomorrow.

Today has been another full day, and I'm pleased to find I've had as much energy as I've had in spite of not sleeping much. I've enjoyed all I've experienced today, especially my time in Ellis Drums. And it's a good feeling to know, as I've gotten to know the Twin Cities better, that my world has gotten just a little bit bigger. The Twin Cities are fewer than four hours away from Brookings, so I should plan on visiting more often. In the meantime, and until my forthcoming next adventure to Wikwemikong, there's no place like home.

In the Twin Cities for the weekend

Skies are starting to darken and are spitting rain as I write these words. I'm sitting in the Cottage Grove, Minnesota, Caribou Coffee right now. My travels brought me to Cottage Grove around 12:30 this afternoon, and I expect I'll be in town through Sunday. There's a chance Uncle Gene and I may travel to Waseca on Sunday for some kind of family gathering, but that's up in the air right now. In the meantime, Gene's at home watching the news and I'm checking out what's happening on the 'Net.

I haven't felt good for a sizable chunk of the day, but I feel pretty good now. There's nothing bad that happened today; the drive from Brookings to Uncle Gene's was good and I've already gotten to have some good food and do some fun things today. But lingering tiredness has been stalking me for the past several days with everything going on and I haven't had many opportunities to rest. Fortunately, I was able to lie down and rest my eyes for nearly two hours this afternoon, and I feel refreshed and headache free. And though I have plenty of energy and am fully awake now, I doubt there's much chance that I won't be able to sleep much tonight.

Dad picked me up for breakfast around 8 this morning and we enjoyed each others' company at McDonald's before I hit the road by 9. We had originally talked of going to our usual breakfast place, Cook's, but we both agreed we're tired of that place for a while.

Breakfast was good, and it was good to be able to spend some time with Dad before traveling away from Brookings for a few days. There was no real direction to our conversation, but we did cover a few different topics. Most of our time was spent talking about Praise Team practice last night and peoples' objections to the volume of my playing (?!!), about the stock market, and about the health of various elderly relatives.

After we finished eating, Dad dropped me off at my house and I took care of a few last things before climbing into the Miata and heading east on Highway 14. My first thought after leaving was to fill up the car before leaving Brookings. But I ended up waiting to fill up until I reached Gibbon, Minnesota. Gas was cheaper there than it was in Brookings, and I still have about 7/8 of a tank of fuel after driving the 80+ miles between there and here.

I didn't see or experience anything out of the ordinary during the drive today except for a bald eagle that crossed paths with me above Highway 23. It's been some time since I've seen a bald eagle in real life, and I took what I saw a good omen. The bald eagle is such a beautiful, majestic bird, and seeing one for the first time in a long time really lifted my spirits. It also lifted me out of the lull of thinking I had fallen into after not sleeping much last night and ruminating about my drumming at Praise Team last night. Apart from the bald eagle sighting, I enjoyed lots of good talk radio on Minnesota Public Radio and on various AM stations. And I've continued to get used to and enjoy the suspension modifications I've made to the Miata. The car's ride is pretty compliant on smooth roads and really isn't that bad on choppy ones. I also appreciate the fact that the car's handling limits have been pushed higher and body movements, whether moving side to side or speeding up and slowing down, are far better controlled.

When I spoke with Uncle Gene on the phone this morning, he asked me to not eat anything for lunch and said we would have lunch together. His suggestion fell in line with what I had planned, and I ate nothing save for a Snickers bar between Brookings and Cottage Grove. My hunger wasn't ravenous by the time I pulled into Gene's driveway, but I was ready to eat by the time 1 this afternoon rolled around.

Uncle Gene and I visited in his house for a few minutes before we headed to Woodbury for lunch. As I had hoped, we ate at Chipotle's Mexican Grill. The last time I ate at a Chipotle's was when I ate in the same restaurant when I last come home from visiting Dolly. As always, I ordered a steak burrito, and it was delicious. But it was perhaps too much for me to eat in one sitting. Rather than get a stomach ache, however, I developed a splitting headache not long after. I don't understand why it happens, but I seem to get headaches regularly after I have "large" meals. It's weird.

Though I felt headache-y and would have been content to lie down and sleep for a while, Gene and I drove around Woodbury a bit and ultimately found a Guitar Center. We didn't spend that much time at the Guitar Center, but I had the opportunity to visit with some cool drum guys there. And one of them graciously set up a Tama StarClassic Performer drumkit so I could "test drive" it. I'm really not in the market for another set of drums right now, but a Tama StarClassic Performer kit is probably what I would buy if I were - especially if I were looking for a birch kit. In the coming months, if I have the desire and can get some money together, I may pick up one of these kits. That way, assuming I keep my current Pacific drums, I would have a drumkit with maple shells and a kit with birch shells. I was really various impressed with the way the drums sounded and responded, especially for the price.

I enjoyed my visit to Guitar Center and my headache abated a bit while I was checking out goods in Guitar Center. But it returned as soon as I stepped out of the store. At my request, Gene drove us back to his house so we could rest. It was good to be able to close the windows and my eyes for a bit. Again, I don't know if I actually slept, but I know I did rest my eyes for nearly two hours. Even resting my eyes without sleeping seemed to help. I rested until I received a phone call from my friend Valerian; he wanted to know about software alternatives to Norton Antivirus. By the time we finished talking on the phone, I was ready to get up anyway and rejoin the rest of the waking world. And I'm happy to report I felt much better after rising than I did before I bedded down for a while.

Not a whole lot has happened since then. Gene and I watched a bit of Jeopardy and the news for a while before I headed over to Caribou Coffee to check messages and see how our investments did today. It was good to see I had messages in my inbox from close friends like Dolly and Leet, and I was happy to see how well our investments performed today. The overall American stock market really jumped today, and I think our investments grew in value the most in a single day than they ever have. So I'm feeling good about that as well as physically.

There's no real agenda to the rest of the evening, I suppose. I'll try to jump online again a little later before the coffee joint closes at 10. In the meantime, it sounds as though Uncle Gene and I are going to go out to eat either in Cottage Grove or in Woodbury. And we're expecting my cousin Diane to arrive from Illinois around 11 this evening. In the meantime, I'm going to continue to enjoy the day and take in all I experience the rest of the evening. And I hope I'm able to catch up with my dear Dolly sometime soon, too.

Suspension upgrade

I can't believe how tired I feel tonight. In fact, it feels as though I want to go to sleep right here at the computer. I won't do that, of course; I'll wait until I climb into bed before going to sleep. And the tiredness I feel isn't a bad tired; it's a satisfied tired, the type of tired one feels after one has had a good full day.

Nothing really out of the ordinary has happened today, but it's been full of activity as most days seem to anymore. My first task this morning was to run the Miata over to Dale's Alignment to have my suspension upgrades installed. The upgrades include Bilstein Sport shocks, Eibach Pro-Kit springs and Eibach sway bars. I dropped the car off around 7:30 and the car was finished by about 1:30 this afternoon. The cost of installation was higher than what I had expected, but I realize now that the cost was inflated because of the four-wheel alignment performed on the car once all the parts were installed. I'm sure the shop did good work on the alignment, but I'll seek a cheaper alternative in the future. W.W. Tire has aligned my Miata and my 3 before and they've been less expensive. Apart from the alignment, though, I can't complain about the cost of installation for my suspension parts.

In the meantime, I spent a few hours this morning in the Office for Diversity Enhancement. And those hours were full and in a good way. As always, I began my work day by checking messages and responding to notes that urgently required my attention. From there, I plugged my MacBook into the network and finished up the flyer for the Festival of Cultures. The flyer really doesn't need to be finished for another few months, but I figured it couldn't hurt to get started right away. And I've had fun working with Adobe's InDesign and being creative in putting together the flyer. There's still some information that needs to be finalized and there are some changes Al wants me to make. But the flyer is practically finished.

I really wasn't that hungry around noon, so I made a quick jaunt up the street to Taco John's and then returned to the office. My lunch was finished within 10 minutes and I got back to work. There really wasn't much left to do today, so I did some online research and waited for e-mail replies from a few people. Dale's Alignment called in the meantime and told me my car was ready. Since there was nothing more I could do today, I left the office for the afternoon.

Dad met me at Dale's so I could load my original shocks, springs, and sway bars into the van and haul them back home. When I first saw my car after it had been worked on, I was filled with good feelings. The Miata doesn't really seem to ride that much lower than it did originally, and that's all right with me. I didn't want the car to be lowered more than an inch of inch and a half, and so far there hasn't been any problem in terms of scraping the bottom of the car on dips or speed bumps. I took the car out for a lengthy test drive around the area once business with the alignment shop was complete.

I'm sure it will take some time to fully grasp how much the Miata's driving dynamics have changed as a result of the suspension modifications I've made. But I have driven the car enough to come up with some first impressions. The car's ride is definitely firmer now, but it's not harsh even on poor-quality roads like many of ours here in the Brookings area. My Miata's ride is also busier over broken pavement, but body movements seem better controlled. Handling seems improved as well; I've been able to take some of my favorite curves at higher speeds than I have before. And the car feels more stable and secure going into curves at any speed.

One pleasant side effect of the suspension mods appears to be the car is easier to drive smoothly, whether at speed or putzing around town. When I accelerate, regardless of how hard I mash the throttle, the car seems simply to squat and gather speed smoothly. And when I take my foot off the clutch to re-engage the clutch after shifting, there seems to be less driveline shock. So the overall driving experience feels more solid and smooth.

The only downside I've experienced with these suspension changes is that more interior rattles seem to have surfaced. Then again, my noticing the rattles after the modifications may be coincidental. And I'm going to have them addressed at Billion in Sioux Falls tomorrow. Overall, I'm happy with the changes I've made to my car, and I look forward to autocrossing the car in C Street Prepared next year.

After bringing the car home and cleaning it inside and out, I paid some bills, walked downtown, and then headed over to Dad's place to cook supper. Dad's freezer is full of plenty of lean ground beef, so I made some cheeseburger macaroni for our supper. The food was good, but I'm surprised by how tired I felt after finishing our meal. I became downright slugging and almost fell asleep in one of Dad's living room chairs while we watched Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO. I had thought to see Into the Wild at the theater tonight, but I decided I didn't have the energy.

Feeling as tired (and yet good) as I do, I decided to retire from Dad's place not long and return home. It's starting to get late, and I'd better head for bed. I don't need to get up especially early tomorrow as I did today. But I still want to get up early enough so I can take care of a few things around the house before I go into the office. And before bed tonight, I can say it's been another fine day, and I'm happy with how everything in life is going. Above all, I'm truly grateful and hope the bounty and blessings I've been given will continue.

Days of contentment

Today turned out to be another in a series of nice, good days. And the day was good inwardly as well as outwardly. The sun shined for the first time in several days today and the rain has finally subsided. My mood and overall sense of well being matches what I experienced in the outside world today.

I didn't sleep in as long today as I had planned, but I still feel as though I got plenty of rest. At least I felt that way until the middle of the afternoon. My eyes opened for the first time this morning around 8:30. It would have been nice to sleep longer, but it's on days like these that my body won't let me sleep any longer. Failing to go back to sleep, I cleaned up, had some cereal and toast for breakfast, and prepared to greet the day.

There was no real agenda for the day, but I did recall telling my friend Al at Sioux Falls Music that I would stop down to see if I would buy a ride cymbal he had put on hold today. No other plans developed, so Dad and I made our way to Sioux Falls. Rather than head directly to Sioux Falls Music, Dad and I had lunch at Olive Garden first. We originally would have had to wait about 15 minutes to get a table, but we were able to eat at the bar instead.

Dad and I then, after walking briefly under the mostly clear calm sky and enjoyed the warmth of the midday sun, headed to Sioux Falls Music. I took in my Zildjian K Custom Dry ride for comparison purposes and set it up next to the Sabian Signature Tri-Top I had intended to buy. Before comparing the two cymbals side by side, I had thought that they were quite similar. It turns out I was wrong; the K Custom Dry ride was a good deal darker and drier than the tri-top ride. In all, I decided I liked the sound of the Sabian ride and decided it was different enough from the Zildjian ride to justify buying it. It was on sale, and I was able to pick it up for about $177 plus tax. Al even through in some free cymbal cleaner.

My main mission to Sioux Falls accomplished, I at first thought to head directly back to Brookings. Instead I went to Guitar Center to look for some additional drum hardware. It may be laziness on my part, but I've decided it's a good idea to have two sets of drum hardware for two sets of drums. With having two of everything, i.e., two hi-hat stands, two snare stands, etc., it will be easier to haul equipment around and play gigs. And having two sets of hardware means I won't have to tear down one drumkit to use its hardware for a gig I play with the other set. To make a long story short, I bought a new heavy-duty Pearl snare drum stand, a DW hydraulic four-legged throne, and a new cymbal bag. For the time being, my hardware collection seems to be complete. And I look forward to using my new equipment on future gigs.

Dad and I drove home to Brookings; our first stop was my house so Dad could drop me off and so I could unload the new hardware I purchased today. Dad headed back to his place and I was left to set up what hardware I planned to use at the house and put away that which I'm saving for gigs. Once I put everything away, I sat down behind my Pacific drums, played along with various tunes in my iPod and tried out my new ride cymbal. I'm really pleased with my purchase, and I'm glad I'm able to add such a bright and versatile ride cymbal to my palette of tonal colors. And I couldn't be more pleased with my red sparkle Pacific drums. These drums have to be the roundest, fullest, most resonant drums I've ever owned, and I can't wait to use them more in the future. I'm even more pleased that I picked up the set new for around $500.

After playing drums for a while, I decided to go out for a walk before meeting up with Brian. I've been very active physically over the past several days, but haven't taken a good walk in the interim. My route took me about two miles around campus. About a quarter of the way through, my brisk walk turned into a jog. So I'd guess that I jogged about a mile and a half. I tend to walk fast anyway, and I feel that walking is a good exercise for me to do. But I've felt the need to change up things a bit; jogging, upping my intensity, seems the logical thing to do. I wasn't really out of breath by the time I returned to my house, but my legs, especially my upper thighs, feel kind of stiff. I'm sure I'll be a bit sore in the morning, but that's a good sign. The soreness will be a sign I've been working my body.

Brian and I ended up going downtown and eating at George's Pizza. We shared eight slices of a Chicago-style thick crust supreme pizza. Each of us ate three slices and I took what was left over home with me. I'll eat the remaining two slices in the coming days. After we ate, Brian took me for a ride down the Interstate so I could hear and feel the ride of his new Cooper CS4 tires. The tires seem to add comfort to the ride of Brian's Ford Focus, but the tires seem quite loud, especially in the rear. It's possible the tires need to be worn in first before they quiet down.

Once we finished with our ride, Brian and I went back to his place for a bit, watched baseball on TV, and visited about his studies in counseling. I felt pretty tired by the time 9:30 rolled around, so I bade Brian good night and returned home. And home is where I am now.

It's quiet in my house as it is often in the evening. And it's during quiet moments like this I'm given to reflection. As I have over the past several days and weeks, I can't help but feel that I'm entering a new phase of my life given the changes I've experienced. I don't know if it has anything to do with the fact I'll be 30 in less than a month. But I do know that changes have occurred inside me and I feel like a generally happier, more content person. It seems I'm able to take things more in stride than I have before, and fewer things seem to excite me in a bad way than they used to. I haven't yet pinpointed the cause of these changes in my life, but I suppose it really doesn't matter. All that matters is that I'm always moving forward and evolving, and I should enjoy life as much as I can. So far, that's what I've been doing. And that's what I plan to continue doing. Life is for the living.

A long, good day

It feels really good to have so much energy to keep up with what's happening in my life these days. Each day is full of activity. Sure, there are times when I get tired and I need to rest. But I'm generally able to meet every task that comes my way, and I generally feel good in all I'm doing. And I'm really grateful for that.

I slept in a bit this morning before rising to take care of some home business before heading into the office. It's been cloudy and rainy all day, and the temps have been in the 50s. Still, in spite of the rain and the cold, I feel good and have been able to get a lot done.

Today required me to be in the office longer than I had expected, and that worked out fine; I really didn't have any other plans until this evening. I spent most of the morning working on the Office for Diversity Enhancement's Web site and also helped Valerian work on a proposal he needed to send off today. Around noon, I took a quick lunch break, mailed off some more copies of my book, and returned to the office. I was in the office until about 4 this afternoon. In the meantime, I made some phone calls and sent some e-mails with regard to the Festival of Cultures. And Sandy and I went over the entertainment schedule and made a few updates to it. There are still some groups I'm trying to book for entertainment, and I'm hoping to have that wrapped up by the end of the week. Once the entertainment details are addressed, contracts can be sent out to all who are going to perform.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent waiting for one of Valerian's associates to send him a document he needed before he could send off his proposal. The document didn't come while I was in the office, but Valerian called me a little before 5 and told me it had come in. So he e-mailed it to me, I converted it to an Adobe PDF, and e-mailed it back to him for his submission. Time will tell whether Valerian's proposal will be accepted. I haven't really read into it, but it sounds like it pertains to some kind of Mandan language preservation project.

After leaving the office, I headed over to Dad's place to visit with him for a bit. We talked for a few minutes before heading to Burger King for a quick early supper. I received some coupons in the mail the other week, and one of them is for buy-one-get-one-free Whoppers. So Dad and I each had a Whopper and I had a small order of fries. It's not the healthiest dinner we could have selected, but it satisfied us.

We then went back to Dad's place and hung out for a bit and discussed some new investment possibilities in China and Brazil. Our visit lasted perhaps another 20 minutes and then I excused myself to go home and pick up my hi-hat stand and earplugs for my rehearsal with Dan and Jonathan tonight.

I stepped outside into the rain and prepared to get into my car when I happened to notice a little bird sitting not far behind my car. It didn't move as I stepped close to it, but I saw that it was breathing hard; it was definitely alive. I couldn't understand why it didn't try to fly away, and I figured it must be sick or injured. So I took a dustpan and a small broom, lightly ushered it into the dustpan, and set the small bird in a corner of the garage. I didn't know the bird's overall condition, so I gave it some bread and hoped it would be all right. Satisfied that the bird would be all right for the time being, I headed back to my house and then headed over to Dan's place for the practice.

Our rehearsal didn't last more than an hour, but Dan, Jonathan, and I accomplished much. We finally finished "CanMan," one of our originals, and we also ran through Cheap Trick's "Surrender." Our plan is to perform "CanMan" during an open-mic event on Friday night, and we're going to run through the song a few more times on Thursday evening before Praise Team practice. I'm sure we'll do well during Friday's performance, and I think it will give us additional incentive to finish more of our original songs and play more gigs.

My first thought after band practice was to head straight home. But as I sat at a stoplight, I thought it would be a good idea to check on the little bird I had helped out earlier. I opened Dad's garage door and saw that the little bird had moved some, had dried out, and appeared to be doing better. It still didn't seem to react much to my presence, but it ultimately turned out to be all right. I found a tennis racket in the garage and lightly tapped the bird with it. And at that it sprung (or flew!) into action. It flew around inside the garage a bit before ultimatley flying away. I was glad to see the bird was all right and I felt some relief once the bird was out of the garage. It still puzzles me why it was in kind of bad shape this afternoon, and I may never know. At this point, though, it's not important. The main thing is the bird is all right.

It's nearly 11 o'clock, and I'm starting to feel tired from all that has happened today. But as is often the case, it's a good kind of tired. I'm ready for another good night's sleep, and I feel content with what I've accomplished today. And I look forward to the dawning of a new day.

Fun Friday

I'm really pleased with how good I've felt about everything lately. I feel good physically, but I also feel good inside, too. Overall, I'd have to say that I'm really happy with how life is going these days. A lot has changed for the better in my life over the past several months, and now I'm reaping the benefits. And now I'm working on keeping the good times rolling. Surely there are many more good times ahead.

Today wasn't a day for working, and besides, it turned out to be a warm and sunny October day. I spent the first part of the morning taking care of business around the house before Dad picked me up and we went to Arlington for lunch. On the highway, Dad and I talked about various investment opportunities and our plans for the day. We also talked about how the new Yokohama Avid TRZ tires on the van compare to the original equipment Michelins. It's hard to compare the tires back to back, but my feeling is the Yokos provide a softer, quieter ride, and should last for about 80,000 miles with proper care and rotation. The Michelin Energy LX4s were noisy and shot by 35,000 miles. So far it seems the Yokohamas were a good choice. Dad was reluctant to replace the tires at first, but now I think he's at least as pleased as I am.

Lunch was good as always and we had a nice drive to Sioux Falls after that. Ordinarily we would travel from Brookings to Sioux Falls via Interstate 29. But since we were west of Brookings today, we took Highway 81 to Madison. From there, we hopped onto Highway 34 and headed about 20 miles east to I-29. Dad and I proceeded to Sioux Falls from there.

When we arrived in Sioux Falls, I first steered us downtown to Phillips Avenue via 12th Street. I didn't have a specific mission for the trip to Sioux Falls today, but I did hope to visit a few bookstores and make some more sales in the process. I first wanted to try Zandbroz in downtown Sioux Falls, but couldn't find a place to park. I didn't give up, but I then resigned myself to the thought that I can call the various bookstores and make some sales that way.

We gave the Odyssey a bath before stopping at Best Buy to check out some potential good deals on electronics. Normally I would wash the van myself. But the weather is starting to get colder, and I wanted to make sure the van gets a good cleaning inside and out before winter hits. That reminds me ... I'll probably put all of my wash hoses and materials inside the garage over the weekend. The weather is getting progressively colder and soon it will be too cold to wash the cars in my driveway.

Dad and I didn't find much in Best Buy, so we didn't spend much time there. I did find a cool book full of photos taken of the band The Police over the years but didn't buy it. I figure if I decided I want the book I can always order it at Amazon. I always seem to get really good deals by ordering books and such things from Amazon.

The one place where I spent a fair bit of time today was Guitar Center. While there, I visited with my friend Boyd, who manages the store. And he was very attentive to me when I was in the drum area. More specifically, he was very helpful in letting me try out various models of cymbals. There was a DW drumkit set up there, and its cymbal selection included a ride cymbal and a few 18-inch crashes that were used on the drums used for the Guitar Center Drum-Off. I was pretty well sold on the crashes right away, but I wanted to try a few various ride models. In the end, though, I think I like the original ride cymbal I tried best, and I may pick up those crashes and the ride cymbal sometime next week. In the meantime, I'll figure out what cymbals I have now I'd like to trade and then figure out how much I can expect to pay after the trade. Plus I have a punchcard for 15 percent off purchases. Receiving the card was one of the perks of competing in the Drum-Off.

Before leaving town, Dad and I filled up the Odyssey's gas tank with $2.50-per-gallon regular unleaded. Dad originally wanted to get gas in Volga, but I advised him to wait in Sioux Falls thinking it would be cheaper. And I was right. Once the gas tank was full we headed north to Brookings on I-29.

I spent a few hours at my house cleaning up the place and moving my drums around in the living room before heading over to Dad's. By the time I arrived I was pretty hungry, so I fixed some sharp cheddar macaroni and cheese for the two of us. The supper was good, but I'm surprised each of us was only able to have one portion before it was gone. No matter, though; our meal satisfied us and I don't expect I'll be hungry again until the morning.

Before I left to head over to Brian's for a bit, Dad and I discussed investments some more. I also ordered some aftermarket shocks, springs, and sway bars for the Miata from an outfit called Shox.com. My guess is the parts will be at my place sometime next week and I'll have the parts installed the following week. I only hope that I can get all the work done before the snow flies. And I'm looking forward to seeing how much better the Miata performs once all the parts are installed.

It's getting late now and I'm plenty tired. At the same time, though, I feel really, really good, and all seems well in life. There are always things I need to work on, of course, both inside and outside myself. But life truly is fun and sweet, and I look forward to each coming day. And I make the most of each day I can.

A fine end to a long week

This week has been busy, and it's finally come to a close. And now that the week is over, I can reflect upon all that's happened and enjoy all the victories I've experienced. I can also kick back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of my labors. Some of those fruits are tangible, but most of them are not. The intangible fruits are the good times and memories I've made over the past seven days or so.

A few of those victories have come as the result of "defeats," but they're victories nonetheless. In some cases, such as the Guitar Center Drum-Off on Wednesday, I didn't emerge as the winner in the competition. Not winning contests can always be kind of a bummer, but I try to take a larger view whenever I can. In the case of the Drum-Off, taking the larger view means that though I may have lost the contest, I've truly won because I've made some new friends and have learned some new skills from others. In such a case, there's no such thing as losing.

I'm also pleased with how everything went with the Carol Burnett Variety Show. It's hard to believe that four shows, of which each was about two hours long, are already over. Time passed so quickly during rehearsals and performances, and I had a lot of fun playing 60s and 70s music and hanging out with new and old friends. I've met so many great people through Brookings Community Theater, and I look forward to making more friends in future productions and performances. Further developing myself as a drummer and overall musician in the process will be a boon as well.

Fast-forwarding to today, I'm happy to say that today was a lot of fun as well in spite of the miserable cold and mist during the autocross today. The day could have been a lot colder, of course, but it could have been warmer, too. Still, the cold didn't hurt the Sports Car Club of Siouxland's turnout and it couldn't dampen the spirits of the nearly 60 drivers who attended today's event. Today's autocross was the last for our season.

I left home a little before 7 this morning. I stepped outside into my driveway before leaving for Sioux Falls. The sky was still dark in spite of the arrival of the morning sun not long after. To my surprise, the air was still and quite warm. The weather in Sioux Falls offered quite a contrast once I arrived. Rather than warm, balmy early fall weather, my senses were assault with chilling mist and cold winds. I'm glad I wore layered clothing today, but it would have been good if I had worn a warmer jacket and had brought some gloves. Still, I survived today without getting sick, so I can't complain too much.

As is often the case, I was one of the first to arrive at the venue. I put my number and class decals on both sides of the car and helped set up the course once more people arrived. I didn't toss out any cones today, but I did help chalk each of the cones on the course once it was established. In the meantime, I made quick run to McDonald's to get some bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits and later ran to Burger King with my friend Steve, who drives a 1996 Miata. Steve's car has aftermarket shocks, springs, and swaybars, and it was good to drive his car to get an idea of how putting similar equipment on my car would affect the car's dynamics. I'm sure my car won't feel exactly the same once I make similar changes to my Miata, but I now have an idea of how my car will be different.

Our driver's meeting began a few hours later around 11:30, and we began driving in competition by about noon. I ended up in the first run group and was among the first to run the course. My best time of the day came during my second run; the time was 78.5 seconds. I feel good about running such a time, but feel that I could have done better. Then again, I know I can always do better, and I had a lot of fun. And having fun and competing with oneself and getting progressively better is what it's all about.

I'm not sure if I won the C Stock category today, but I guess I've taken first place in C Stock for the season overall. Prior to today's race, I knew I was in second place. But I didn't realize I was so close in points to first place. My friend Brad told me that I was only a few points out of first place; I had thought that I was six or seven points out of first place. No matter, though. It sounds as though I've clinched first place for the season given the number of points I earned today. I would have been fine with placing second overall, but it's nice to come in first, too.

After those of us remaining finished tearing down the course around 4:30 this afternoon, we headed to Buffalo Wild Wings for some snacks and drinks. I had expected we'd be at the restaurant a little over an hour; the party was still going by the time I left around 7:30. I'm glad I stuck around as long as I did because it allowed me to get to know some of the other drivers better and gave me a chance to eat something after the race. But it was also good to get home a little while ago considering how worn out I feel. It's not that I haven't rested and slept well the past several days. It's just that being out in the wind and cold really sucked the energy out of me.

That said, I'm going to head for bed for the night. It'll be nice to sleep in in the morning assuming my body will allow me to do that. Tomorrow is Native American Day in South Dakota, so that means campus offices are closed. I plan to take it easy tomorrow, but there are a few errands I'd like to run. In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy all the goodness of the past week and will look forward to continued fun times in the days ahead.

Opening night

Our production of the Carol Burnett Variety Show opened tonight to a packed house. I have no idea how many people were in the audience, but all of us could see the house was full. Seeing all those people was an encouraging sign, especially for a Thursday night opener. But more on that later ...

I spent some time in the office this morning updating our Diversity Enhancement Web site and working on the Festival of Cultures. There wasn't a whole lot of Web stuff that needed to be done. Al wanted me to switch a few links around on a page, and that was all that was needed with that. And for the Festival, I confirmed a few more entertainers and also gathered some financial information on last year's festival and passed it along to the International Relations Club advisor. Sandy and I had hoped to sketch out a revised entertainment schedule, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Today is a day when I haven't felt all that well physically; I think I haven't felt well because I drank too much caffeine before bed last night and I didn't sleep soundly. So I was kind of dragging throughout the morning and through lunch. In hopes of clearing my head and making myself feel better, I took a walk over my noonhour. The walk seemed to help me feel better as the day went on. I worked in the Diversity office for about an hour more before I returned to my house to take care of a few things before my radio interview this afternoon.

I arrived at the Brookings Radio studios around 4 this afternoon and met Brian. Brian is filling in for regular "Great Afternoon Smorgasbord" host Grant Peterson while he's on vacation. We didn't go on air for about ten minutes, so Brian and I had a chance to visit and catch up before we had to go on the air. Brian told me of how busy he's been working on campus and in getting ready to run the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. It sounds as though Brian and his dad will both be heading to the Windy City by 10 tomorrow morning. Brian expects to return to Brookings sometime Sunday night. It's a good thing that he doesn't have to work on Monday because of Native American Day.

Brian and I were on the air for about 17 minutes; it didn't seem like that long. I was a little nervous going into the interview, but I was pleased with how calm and collected I felt when Brian and I were rapping on the radio. Brian asked some really, really good questions, and I appreciate all the good things he said about me and about my book. It was fun being on the radio with him, and it sounds like Grant Peterson would like to have me on again as a guest close to Christmastime. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to seeing what feedback, if any, I get on my appearance on the radio today. And for those of you who didn't get a chance to hear the radio interview, you can download an MP3 file of the broadcast by clicking here.

After Brian finished starting the news at 5, he and I headed to Jimmy John's for a quick bite to eat. And when we finished, he returned to work on campus and I headed home to get cleaned up and ready for tonight's show. I didn't need to be at the theatre until about 6:30, but I arrived well before that to make sure the drums were set up to my liking. The drums were set up the way I wanted, for the most part. But I did adjust the positions of some of the cymbals.

After running through "Surrender" a few times, Dan Merchant, Jonathan Burns, and I retreated to the theatre's green room until the show began. I didn't have to play drums until "Dancing Queen" after the first skit, so I had plenty of time to dittle on chairs and tables with my sticks and collect my thoughts before going onstage.

I didn't get to see much of the performance apart from what I saw when I was sitting behind the drums. But from what I've heard, the show went very, very well tonight. There are always a few minor things we'll need to fix for tomorrow night's performance, but everyone seems pleased. I know I made some mistakes, and there will be a few things I need to work out with the other percussionists. But the show tonight was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to the next three shows.

The next three days are going to be busy with work, the performances, and the autocross on Sunday. But it should all turn out well, and all the activity makes life more interesting. Besides, I have Monday off for Native American Day, so I can rest up then. In the meantime, I need to do what I can to take care of myself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. For now, taking care of myself means going to bed.

Full days abound

Life seems really busy lately. And the reality is that life doesn't just seem busy; it is busy. There's a lot going on in life right now, which is good. I'd much rather be busy than sitting around and doing nothing. But I am looking forward to next week when things slow down a bit and I have a chance to catch my breath.

I didn't spend all that much time in the office today, but I did make the best use of the time I could. One bright spot on the whole day, at least as far as the office is concerned, is the Amazing Budabi Brothers from Houston, Minnesota, contacted me and told me they want to be part of the Festival of Cultures. With the addition of the brothers, our entertainment lineup is nearly complete. All that remains then is to get commitments from everyone, get them placed into the six-hour festival schedule, and get them to sign contracts. All of this work doesn't need to be done until the end of November, but it's good to know that I'm so far ahead of the game.

My noonhour was spent with my friend and former co-worker Mary. Mary and I worked together in the AgBio Communications Unit, where I interned for a couple of years as a graduate student. Mary recently retired from the unit, and we had lunch to catch up on what's been happening in life and what she plans to do now with her time. It was good to sit down and visit with her, and I can certainly relate to some of her uneasy feelings pertaining to what to do with her time now that she's retired. She worked in her position for about 35 years, so I'm sure it will take some adjustment into retired life. Along with her retirement life, we also talked some about my book.

After finishing my visit with Mary, I drove over to Dad's place to have him sign a few documents for First Bank & Trust. We talked for a few minutes before I jumped back in the car and headed for Sioux Falls. I didn't need to be at Guitar Center for the drum-off until 5:30, but I headed south early to check out some vehicles and run some errands.

The one vehicle I wanted to check out was a V6 Toyota RAV4. There were no V6s in stock, but there was a four-cylinder model available in all-wheel-drive. When my car-selling friend Harriet showed up not long after I arrived, we took the car for a spin. I liked driving it, and it felt like it had plenty of power. To be honest, it reminds me of driving a larger version of my Mazda 3. Before I left, I told Harriet what I was looking for in a RAV4 and she told me she would call me when a vehicle meeting my criteria was in stock.

I spent the remaining time before the drum-off checking out a few tire stores like Graham Goodyear on 41st Street. My friend Brian said he had gotten a good deal on Kuhmo tires there earlier this week, and I wanted to see if I could find similar tires for Dad's van. Unfortunately, the salesperson with whom I spoke there wasn't very helpful, and there were virtually no tires available for the van. If I end up ordering tires for Dad soon, I'll likely get them from an online vendor like the Tire Rack or Discount Tire Direct.

To make sure I had plenty of fuel for my muscles during the competition, I had a roast beef sandwich and some potato cakes at Arby's on East 10th Street before heading to Guitar Center. And when I arrived at the music store, I was the first competitor there. I filled out some paperwork, visited with other drummers, and warmed up some before the contest began. Before we started performing, the six of us drew numbers out of a hat to determine the order in which we would play. I ended up being fifth. It would have been good to be either first or last, but fifth wasn't so bad.

As with the previous contests, I found that each of us brought something a little different to the table. And it was fun to see what others were capable of and to see the styles each of us had developed. To make a long story short, I came up with the best solo I could on the spot, but my best wasn't good enough; I didn't win the competition. I have no idea how I ranked among the six who competed, but I do know that I won't be advancing to the district finals in Minneapolis in a few weeks. My playing was OK, I guess, but most of the other guys simply were in a different class than I'm in. I never really expected to win, but it would have been nice. Still, it was good to learn from the other musicians, and tonight's competition provided me with another opportunity to refine my skills at losing graciously.

I ended up leaving Sioux Falls later than I had expected; I had thought I'd be back in Brookings around 8 but ended up arriving a little before 9. No one was expecting me to make it to play practice tonight, but I was able to catch the last few skits and songs. I made it in time to run through "Surrender" with Dan and Jonathan, and Jay and I were able to work out who's going to do what song during the show. I would have liked to play on more songs, but I guess I'm content with the songs I'll be playing.

Now that play practice is over, I'm pretty well done in from the day. The days this week have been full to capacity, and it's time to rest. Overall, I'm happy with how things have gone, but I need to be on guard to take good care of myself in the meantime and not allow myself to get run down. And I need to remain positive and upbeat regardless of what happens. It's always easier to be upbeat and positive when I've had plenty of rest. I hope I can get that kind of rest tonight.