The Good Life

Kelly's father is a big fan of golf.  Actually he's fanatic about the game.

Here's a thought - I'd go so far as to suggest that a drug addict has a better chance of making it through detoxification than does my father-in-law successfully making his way through any period in excess of five days without visiting a golf course.  

I should also add that Kelly's dad is arguably Tiger Wood's greatest fan.  Like all Tiger disciples, I'm guessing it's been killing my father-in-law that his beloved 'Tiger' has been sidelined for the past eight months due to injury.  

But no longer.

Marking Tiger's return, his major sponsor Nike, recently launched a new ad campaign wherein many tour players revel the "good life" with no Tiger on the PGA Tour claiming a disproportionate number of tournament wins.  The ad is a parody, mocking the end of the good life many of the other PGA players enjoyed during Tiger's absence.  It's a pretty funny spot. 

I'm quite certain Kelly's father thought it was brilliant.

By the way, having lost in the second round of the Accenture match play yesterday, Nike's hope for a Tiger Woods storybook return will have to wait.  The delay is not all bad, with no competition from Tiger this weekend it looks like the good life continues just a bit longer for someone; we'll find out who on Sunday.

Small Town 'News'

During my freshman year of college I took a trip to visit my buddy at his parent's home in Milbank, SD.  Upon returning to campus, I learned of and took humor in the fact that my visit was referenced within the Milbank weekly newspaper as - ahem - 'news'.  

Apparently, my buddy's parents took the time and effort to submit certain details about me and my visit to a local reporter.  

Good grief.

At the time, I could not understand why this sort of content is contained within a small town newspaper.  Now, nearly eighteen years later, I have the benefit of reflection and tend conclude that such reporting helps to foster a sense of community.

So here I am with Kelly, now living in a small community of our own - the antithesis of Chicago.  There is no daily newspaper in our town, rather, the Bainbridge Island Review arrives once a week complete with much of the same hokey content as was contained within that Milbank paper so long ago.  

Ironically, our small-town newspaper now provides me with a sense of delight.  More specifically, the said delight is mostly contained within the Police Blotter, a summary of police activity.

Here are recent samples:

11:02 a.m. A woman reported that she suspected her boyfriend had taken $300 from her dresser drawer before leaving for Boise, Idaho. She had not heard from her boyfriend in five days and had no way of reaching him. She said they were planning on getting married. 

2:15 p.m. A citizen found a Swiss DMQ, women’s-style watch on the sidewalk near Winslow Mall. The watch was entered into storage for safekeeping.

8:45 p.m. A woman flagged down an officer on Winslow Way and turned over a Verizon cell phone found near a picnic table in the parking lot of the police station. The phone was wet and its battery was dead. It was entered as found property.

10:22 p.m. A Lariat Loop resident called police to report an incessantly barking dog. An officer responded and found a small, white poodle barking in the driveway of a home. The dog ran to the front door when the officer approached. The temperature was in the 30s and the officer noted the poodle “did not appear to be an outdoor-type dog.” A homeowner came to the door and attempted to catch the dog, which promptly scurried into a neighboring yard. A report was forwarded to the humane society.

Certainly, this reporting is not likely to warrant a Pulitzer, but it does put a smile on my face.  

Surely that has got to be worth something.

Happy Birds, Happy Kelly.

Anyone who knows Kelly is very aware that she is a animal lover - perhaps a bit over the top at times, but that's for another post, another time.


It is also accurate to state that Kelly is huge big fan of clementines. During season, she takes to a clementine like a little kid takes to candy.

One waste byproduct of the clementine has nothing to do wit the fruit itself, rather the waste is store packaging of the fruit itself. More specifically, the wooden shipping crate one finds for themselves in possession of after consuming this tasty citrus fruit.

The other day it dawned on me that I can refashion these wooden crates while also fulfilling Kelly's desire to nourish the birds.

This modest contraption keeps everyone happy - Kelly is delighted that birds are getting adequate food supply, my cat is giddy with all this new action, and I get to see a variety of interesting birds from the comfort of my deck.

It's a win-win-win anyway you look at it.

Hoping For An Abundant Yield

Kelly and I have always enjoyed food, especially good food.  To clarify, for us *good food* is that which is fresh and without a lot of fanfare.  Often times we feel that less is more.   

We also really like fresh fruits and vegetables.  When we lived in Chicago, we often frequented the Evanston Farmer's Market and also were members of a local CSA.  Upon relocating to Washington, Kelly and I were anxious to get a garden of our own planted.  Upon learning of our intentions, some friends recommend that we read Michael Pollen's The Omnivore's Dilemma as a catalyst to further cement our commitments to the garden.   

As you might image, life as a Chicago condo dweller did not serve to lay a solid gardening foundation, but nonetheless, last summer we took our initial steps at growing food with - albeit with modest results. 

This year, we've decided to really increase the stakes and approach our garden planning without reservation.  To that end, over the past couple weeks Kelly and I have poured hours into planning and preparing the garden in hopes of a high-yielding crop for 2009.  There is ample opportunity to apply many lessons from last year and also much of the reading we've compiled over the winter.  

One garden project we are especially keen on is our decision to plant a couple varieties of berries - both Raspberry and Tayberry shoots. 

Most people are very familiar with Raspberries, but if you are any thing like Kelly and me, you may not be familiar with the Tayberry - we certainly weren't prior to last summer.  In short, Tayberries are extremely delicious and I would recommend them to anyone (although watch out of the thorns).

Where once yard clutter resided, there is optimism - and hopefully tasty berries to sprinkle atop some home-made ice cream.

 

 

Corporate America's spin on NASA (or is it the other way around...)

I'm not really sure how it happened, but years ago I became a really big fan of Nation Public Radio (NPR). Sure, there is lots of local and national news to be heard, but in addition to the news, I really like the variety of stories about anything and everything. Recently, I heard a story about how some NASA engineers (no kidding around) wrote and recorded a short video about life at NASA.

Apparently, some within NASA's management ranks have responded to employee complaints and other rumblings that life within the prestigious space agency has gone stale. More specifically, NASA's top brass has been accused of being resistant to and afraid of change and innovation. To counter these allegations, NASA management afforded employees a chance to articulate their frustrations.

The folks at NPR aired a story about one particular video which has secured some significant traction amongst NASA's employees as being particularly accurate.

Me, I find that this video - while supposedly illustrative of a government agency - is particularly applicable to many of my experiences within the corporate world.

You can find the NPR story here (and also a link to the video) and then judge for yourself whether or not NASA's perceived shortcomings resonate within your company.

By the way, if you are not yet a member supporter of NPR, you should locate your local affiliate station and donate a few dollars.

Me

I am Dave Burns, husband, and along with my wife, owner of one dog (Murphy)
and one cat (Moo-Moo).

Having spent the better part of 13 years living in Chicago, my wife and I recently relocated to our current home on Bainbridge Island, WA in hopes of chasing better weather and an environment more slanted towards outdoor living.

We've been here now for just over a year and think that life on the island is pretty good.