Quick Hits

This has been one of the more hectic months I've had in some time, resulting in a poorly populated blog. So I thought I'd give an idea of what's been going on and cover a few items in a "Quick Hit" format.

* April 21-25

My aunt and I traveled to Florida to meet my parents, my niece, brother, sister-in-law and her family for my brother's anniversary/wedding ceremony and my niece's baby naming ceremony. It was an absolutely delightful time. My new "extended" family couldn't have been more gracious, hospitable or personable. I look forward to a time when I can visit again. In fact, I might be most excited about visiting Kira's brother Seth in New York to catch a Yankee game and get an "insider's" view of the city.

* May 14

Samantha had her final drama class/performance and we got to see her utilize
the skills she's learned during her acting classes this summer. She really enjoys it and it's good to see her confidence level grow the more she participates.

*May 14 (cont.)

The "young folks" reception was held for Jeremy Mai's wedding. It was enjoyable to talking to folks I haven't seen in a while, doing a little dancing and sipping on a gin and tonic. I'm glad I didn't hit the sauce as hard as most had, given that the wedding was the next day. Jeff and Sarah were in town, which always makes for a great time.

*May 15

Jeremy and Amanda's wedding was held outdoors on a nearly perfect day. The "old folks" reception was nearly as enjoyable as I ate more food and got to talk to Carrie Carlson for the first time in a couple of years. Hanging out at Ty and Kimberly's just extended the good times. Doug, J.J. and I played a male-centric game of "Stand Still and See If You Get Hit By a Thrown Football From 20 Yards Away". Good stuff.

*May 17

Ryan Thye and I took full advantage of my status as a F.O.K.er (Friend Of Kenny, the morning DJ on the radio station I listen to) and watched the Royals blow a huge lead to the Orioles. The good part was that we got free tickets (for being a F.O.K.er), free Chipotle burritos, free Sprite and the Royals got 12 hits which means we can turn in our ticket stubs for a free dozen Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts. If the team's not going to win anyway, may as well horde all the free stuff you can!

*May 19

Thursday Night at the Hiller's included nice weather, grilled chicken and great conversation. A couple of things I learned: Shea saw two U2 shows in Chicago the weekend previous and had picture from inside the circular-shaped stage. Lance shared with me the practice of trading "weather futures" in the energy market, which I found to be rather interesting and somewhat related to the commodities industry I work in.

*May 21

My friends the Atkinsons held their annual "Norway or the Highway" party, celebrating Norwegian independence day. While it's mostly just an excuse to get outside and eat bbq and drink beer, this year was the 100th year of independence, marked by t-shirts reading: "Norwegian Independence Day 2005. 100 Years Swede-Free." For those of you keeping score at home, Rich Barr won the lutefisk eating contest.

Somewhere in all this chaos, my favorite teams had bits of news to keep up on. The Jayhawks starting shooting guard J.R. Giddens was stabbed in a bar fight and will not be able to play any basketball during the summer months. With the crop of youngsters coming in and the chance for Bill Self to mold this team into his image, this latest lapse of judgement by J.R. could very well derail his NBA hopes. When he got caught burglarizing Wal-Mart in high school, you could say that he was in an awkward position given that his uncle was the ringleader. But this one's all on him. It's sad to see such great potential wasted because of a total lack of guidance.

The Royals managed to do a little addition by subtraction when Tony Pena up and quit. He was obviously not cut out for a managerial spot in the big leagues, though I think he would make a great bench coach or instructor, especially for young latin players. Now the search is on for a new manager. My first thought was that I'd like Larry Dierker, but recent interviews make that seem like a long shot at best. Bobby Valentine would be another intriguing choice, but he's currently under contract in Japan and guiding a winning team. I have the greatest admiration for Frank White as a player and person, but if he is hired as our manager, I just might find another team to root for. He has only two years of managerial experience and that is at the Double-A level. Good guy, bad choice for Royals manager. At least the boys in blue have started scoring a few runs since Pena's departure. Interim manager Bob Schaefer has coaxed them to a 5-6 record while actually outscoring their opponents 67-66 over that span. Schaefer is one of those old-school guys who I think would be a lousy fit in the long term, but I'll take what I can get in this (unfortunately) unforgettable season.


So, I've had my hands full for a while now. I hope to start putting up some more articles soon, especially now that I've completed my marathon viewing of the first season of "24" at John Hiller's recommendation. So stay tuned for more good stuff to come!