Milwaukee – Page 2 – Geoff Fox: My Permanent Record

Finally FedEx

judah and the hot wheels — Judah and the Hot Wheels

I know a three year old in Milwaukee who won’t want to go to sleep tonight. He’ll want to play with his brand new Hot Wheels. Happy birthday Judah!

If you follow my blog you know this package took the long way to Judah’s house. It was tendered at FedEx in North Haven New Year’s Eve afternoon.

It didn’t leave North Haven until the 2nd. By the 3rd it was in Keasbey, NJ. It hit Chicago early enough on the 4th to be in Oak Creek, WI (just south of Milwaukee’s airport) and on a truck for delivery that same day!

This was great. It was the service I paid for.

Unfortunately all it got was a ride in a truck. On this Milwaukee day with clear skies for the entire 24 hour period, the package was returned to the depot because of:

Local weather delay – Delivery not attempted

The same thing happened the next day with the same lame excuse.

FedEx Home Delivery only operates Tuesday through Saturday. Monday was out too.

At age three Judah probably doesn’t mind the delay as much as I do. I’m told he’s ecstatic.

My niece Jessie texted,

He’s soooo excited. He kept saying, “Whoa! This is sooooo cool!”

The box says age 6 and up. Like all relatives our assumption is he’s bright beyond his years.

It’s Milwaukee

It’s not Milwaukee’s fault yesterday was slate gray. It was. It was chilly too. My SoCal daughter and SoFla parents were quick to complain about the temperature.

Good morning from Milwaukee… or as I said yesterday as we drove from the airport, “We’re back in Buffalo.”

OK–maybe a little unfair. It’s not Milwaukee’s fault yesterday was slate gray. It was. It was chilly too. My SoCal daughter and SoFla parents were quick to complain about the temperature.

So far our whirlwind tour has been amazing! With 21 guests my sister outsourced dinner to Kil@wat at the Intercontinental Hotel. Excellent choice!

Dinner out worked well as it left everyone free to enjoy dinner and friends and family seldom together. I’m sure we were very noisy!

As we drove up to the Intercontinetal my first reaction was “This can’t be Milwaukee.” All that was missing was people! You could have shot a cannon across the lobby. I guess Thanksgiving isn’t a big night downtown.

With my parents in the car I pulled into valet parking. We ate dinner and came back to find there wasn’t a reason to move the car to the garage! It was where we left it.

My sister and brother-in-law took my folks home so Helaine, Stef and I were free to drive around Milwaukee looking for a place to buy a few cans of soda. If there was a convenience store open we didn’t see it. Again, Thanksgiving.

This is a city with immense buildings. Compare the big structures of New York City to Milwaukee and New York’s are taller. Milwaukee’s seem to take up more ground.

There is an incredible amount of architectural detail on most of these buildings. You don’t find this kind of artisan intensive construction today. It’s part of what distinguishes Milwaukee–a plus.

As we drove through downtown there were lots of trendy looking bars and pubs open. The city has a really livable and warm feel in spite of its extended winter.

I stopped the car across from Cathedral Square Park. It’s beautifully decorated for Christmas. That’s where the photo at the top of this entry comes from.

We’re in a classically beautiful hotel. The Pfister is very well know. The guest room we’re in is oddly shaped and a little dated, but well maintained. The public areas are spectacularly intricate with beautiful Victorian touches.

It’s funny the Pfister has Kohler fixtures in the bathroom!

This will be a very short trip. We’re on our way back tomorrow. So far it has been everything we could hope for and a little more. It’s great having our entire family together and meeting my niece’s two adorable kids. My nephew and another niece introduced us to their respective girlfriend/boyfriend. This is the kind of stuff we miss with the family so widely separated.

It’s wonderful my sister and I can share this time with each other and our parents. Too rare.

It’s nice for Helaine and me to spend some time with Stef.

I’m so glad we came.

Hopefully Tomorrow’s The Day My Dad Regains His Sight

Cataract surgery is so successful I’ve never heard of the operation failing–until my dad. He was left with absolutely no vision in his left eye.

I am writing this in the hope my father will read it… easily. He goes for eye surgery in the morning. This is the end of a very long, mainly awful journey.

While living in Connecticut my father was diagnosed with cataracts. Cataract surgery is so often successful I’ve never heard of the operation failing until my dad. He was left with absolutely no vision in his left eye.

I’m not going to get into the attempts to repair the damage. Least it to say they were as difficult as they were unsuccessful.

My dad was left with one working eye. It too had cataracts.

My father’s vision was bad and getting worse and, without a left eye, he had no depth perception or peripheral vision to the left. You can stand next to my dad and unless he hears you he won’t know you’re there.

“You know, you don’t get a discount,” my father said on the phone tonight. He was kidding around about eyeglasses. He only needs one lens. He’s charged for two.

“How about a monocle?” I replied.

With just one working eye he decided to pass on the surgery. Too much risk. Who could blame him?

Over the last few months his one working eye has continued downhill at an accelerating pace.

If you read his Facebook postings or get email from him you can see the misspellings that come with barely being able to make out the screen. He can no longer identify who he’s seeing on TV. He long ago lost the ability to see much less read road signs.

He doesn’t drive and probably shouldn’t even walk in unfamiliar surroundings by himself.

My mom and dad visited their newborn great grandson in Milwaukee recently. My sister watched and was concerned. In essence my dad had become functionally blind. Left alone in an unfamiliar place, like a store, he was helpless.

The cataract surgery he’s put off for the last decade or so has gone from option to necessity. There’s little left to lose. He called the doctor and set up an appointment.

Early tomorrow morning my dad goes for his surgery. The doctor is fully aware of his situation and full of reassurance, but it’s got to be a really scary night for my dad. He’s got everything to lose!

If everything goes as planned he’ll be home by afternoon and seeing within a day or two. He’ll need eyeglasses… err…. an eyeglass but his sight should be back to where it was–probably better– than when this whole thing started a decade ago.

The left eye is lost forever. He’s learned to live with that. It’s the right one that will go under the knife.

At age 84 my dad shakes and quivers. He has trouble hearing. His mind is fully sound.

He deserves to see again.

Please keep him in your thoughts.

My Nephew Matt Heads To New York City

I find NYC very appealing. As I’ve grown older my desire to live there has grown greater. Of course I would need to re-wife and re-job.

We are a small family. I have but one nephew–Matt. He flew into New York for a quick weekend visit and today I drove in to join him for breakfast.

I find NYC very appealing. As I’ve grown older my desire to live there has grown greater. Of course I would need to re-wife and re-job.

Guess no NYC.

I picked up Matt on 48th Street on the West Side, then headed crosstown finding a parking space adjacent to the building where Judge Judy lives.

Which is more surprising, that I know where Judge Judy lives or I got a free, legal, on-street parking space in Manhattan?

I suppose there are good ways to find a place to eat, but we just tried pot luck and ended up in a diner on First Avenue. Not bad. Very crowded. I had the bagels and lox special. Matt had waffles.

Along with taking Matt to breakfast I volunteered to take him to the airport. First, he asked if I’d take him to Ground Zero?

Simply put, that’s a request which cannot be turned down regardless of time constraints or circumstances.

We cut across on 34th Street past the Empire State Building, Macy’s and Madison Square Garden. As we approached the West Side I turned south, finally ending up at Vesey and West Broadway, a dead end at the edge of the pit.

There’s really not a lot to see. The work reconstructing the area has been very slow and plagued with disagreements and power plays.

There is a lot to feel. You just can’t go to that spot without remembering what happened.

By the time Matt got back to the car I’d made a U-turn putting me in the perfect position to almost go the wrong way on Broadway. I discovered my error just before driving into the police car pointed directly at me!

We took the Brooklyn Bridge to the BQE, passed over Newtown Creek, and then north through Queens to LaGuardia.

Hopefully Matt’s back in Milwaukee by now. It was great seeing him and worth every mile.

How Does Connection Change The Equation?

How will our society change if you never have to let go of old friends? Will there be sufficient room for new friends?

It is no longer possible to be disconnected.

OK–too strong.

The only way to be disconnected today is by choosing to be disconnected. That’s a huge change begun about twenty years ago, but only now picking up a head of steam. My cellphone (maybe yours too) is a multifaceted, facile, comms device.

My sister called me from the car this afternoon. The her daughter’s ultrasound has been seen. It’s going to be a boy when my niece Jessie gives birth. I knew about it a few minutes after she did in Milwaukee.

My friend Wendie is raving about her trip to South Africa, from South Africa.

it’s nighttime in cape town, which is an amazingly beautiful city…

okay, we don’t have a whole lot to go on, because we’ve only been

here 3 hours, but the grilled prawns are FANTASTIC.. so that’s good

enough for us.

She commented on the photos of Roxie at the dog park. Communications are two-way.

My daughter is in constant contact with her friends from college, though she’s graduated and now working&#185. Her contact is instantaneous and multiplatform: Facebook, text messages and BlackBerry Messenger.

She doesn’t think about cost (nor did my sister or Wendie half way around the world) because the cost of communicating is minimal and trending lower!

I have friends from high school and college I haven’t spoken to in 40 years (maybe they’re no longer really friends). How would my life have been different had I the opportunity to chat-it-up with them through the years?

Long distance phone calls were once expensive. Mail was slow. No longer.

How will our society change if you never have to let go of old friends? Will there be sufficient room for new friends? Are childhood friends really meant to be lifetime friends?

I’m not sure this is a good thing-though it might be. It’s all so foreign and yet it’s such a major game changer.

Actually, that’s my point. It’s a huge game changer though we have no idea what the implications will be except to say it will make a very big difference. How can it not?

&#185 – Stef is working as a production assistant on “Deal or No Deal,” which is taping its 2009 daytime season at Sonlyst Studios in Waterford. Helaine and I are very proud. Stef is very tired.

Alas, over time work only gets more tiring! She’ll see.

The Tropics Are Open For Business

After a non-existent early season the tropics are open for business. In a few short days we’ve seen Ana, Bill and now Claudette.

My folks are on their way to Milwaukee tomorrow where my niece is expecting their first great-grandchild. Her first child too, but I’ll see it through their eyes right now.

In Florida where they live there is special preferred parking for great-grandparents.

OK, I made that up, but there might as well be! It’s the Florida condo equivalent of receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Anyway they fly out tomorrow. I called them yesterday.

“Get the hurricane shades rolled down.”

I’m glad they’ll be out-of-town.

After a nonexistent early season the tropics are open for business. In a few short days we’ve seen Ana, Bill and now Claudette. Ana fizzled. Claudette will cause problems on the Gulf Coast, but probably as a tropical storm of minimal hurricane. Bill is the big worry.

I am actually more worried about Bill than Claudette even though Claudette will surely make landfall while the track of Bill is nowhere near as well defined.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS APPEAR FAVORABLE FOR CONTINUED INTENSIFICATION DUE TO LIGHT SHEAR AND WARM WATERS. SSTS BEGIN TO RISE MORE SIGNIFICANTLY IN A COUPLE OF DAYS AND THE NHC INTENSITY FORECAST COULD BE CONSERVATIVE AFTER THAT TIME. ALL RELIABLE GUIDANCE SHOWS THIS SYSTEM EVENTUALLY BECOMING A MAJOR HURRICANE. – National Hurricane Center discussion

I don’t disagree. And since this storm seems to be destined to turn parallel to the East Coast I worry–not just for my parents.

As storms get closer to land the ability to monitor them improves. Hurricane Hunter flights don’t go out into the mid-Atlantic. Buoys and remote sensors are limited in the middle of the ocean. Radar only covers a few hundred miles from shore.

This will not be my last entry on Bill.

My Folks Go Back To Florida

My parents are both significantly older than they look or act. That’s no small compliment

The phone just rang… or whatever it is they do nowadays. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” It was my mom calling from Atlanta. They are halfway home. She knew after we dropped them off at the airport I’d head back to bed. I am much more easily predicted than the weather!

It was a successful trip. They got to watch their last grandchild graduate college. They were in the studio for my 25th anniversary. We spent lots of time together.

My mom had back problems this past winter. She could hardly walk. Yesterday she went to Manhattan with Helaine and Stef. “I walked 8,000,000 steps,” she said. Later it became, “I walked 9,000,000 steps.”

My parents are both significantly older than they look or act. That’s no small compliment.

My dad who had his own back problems yesterday and doesn’t match up well against a hot New York day stayed home with me. This is what is meant when the words “quality time” are used.

What we did wasn’t as important as the fact we did it together! I’m saying that because I think we watched MSNBC for 12 or 13 hours straight. If I saw Dick Cheney one more time I was going to waterboard myself!

My dad and I went to the diner for dinner. Just two guys going for omelets.

It’s a place I’ve been going to for 25 years so as we left I started to talk to the boss and then a few of the waitresses. The conversation got around to Las Vegas and my dad took out “the picture.”

Holy crap, he carries it around!

We joked around at how lucky we were to have the wives we have. He said he couldn’t figure out why Helaine settled for me when she could have done so much better. He was joking–right?

After a full week my parents were ready to return to Florida. Their friends are there. It’s in their comfort zone. There’s BINGO tonight (which they play though both claim they hate it). Now they can rest.

There’s another trip in store for them before this year is out. They’re going to Milwaukee. This winter they’ll become great-grandparents! My niece Jessica, their first grandchild, is expecting.

Where they live in Florida becoming a great-grandparent is equal to winning an Olympic medal.

The Scene Of The Crime

It was a cold day and this isn’t an out-of-doors kind of neighborhood under the best circumstances. The streets were full of cars and empty of people as I slid Helaine’s to the curb and a space reserved for me by a fire hydrant (I was only staying a few seconds–no citizen’s arrest, please).

It was like one of those timing routes you hear about in the NFL–the one where the quarterback fires the ball to a spot on the field, perfectly meeting the receiver. We left Connecticut, drove to LaGuardia Airport and about three minutes later picked up Melissa, my niece flying in from Milwaukee.

Not much traffic today. The trip was a breeze in both directions.

On the way back I asked Melissa if she wanted to see where her mother and I grew up? It wasn’t for Melissa. I needed to return to the scene of the crime.

It was a cold day and this isn’t an out-of-doors kind of neighborhood under the best circumstances. The streets were full of cars and empty of people as I slid Helaine’s 4Runner to the curb–a space reserved for me by a fire hydrant (I was only staying a few seconds–no citizen’s arrest, please).

The apartment complex, originally built for electricians in Local 3, is called Electchester. This building, one of a few dozen in the complex, is 55 years old. There is neither warmth nor humanity in this stark, brick architecture.

The wall air conditioners you see were added decades after we first moved in. In the summer it was brutally hot with open windows and the added bonus of low flying planes on the way to LaGuardia.

Heading up Jewel Avenue past Pomonok, the city housing project across the street) the buildings looked smaller than I remembered them. I suspect ‘smaller’ is a common complaint when adults return to childhood haunts.

We didn’t go inside. Outside is friendlier.

The Numbers Are In

Nielen ratings are in for last night’s debate

The Nielsen ratings are in for last night’s debate. I’m confused by the list of stations aggregated which doesn’t include Fox News and MSNBC, both of which would add significantly to the final total.

If these overnight numbers stand, the ratings are well below other recent debates.

OK–I’m a little surprised. I thought for sure there would be a lot more interest considering all the buzz.


DMA Rank Market RTG Rank RTG SHR (000)

21 St. Louis 1 52.1 82.0 649

48 Memphis 2 49.5 67.0 330

26 Baltimore 3 47.1 66.0 515

9 Washington, DC (Hagrstwn) 4 44.6 68.0 1030

29 Nashville 5 44.0 66.0 424

46 Greensboro-H.Point-W.Salem 6 42.2 61.0 285

32 Columbus, OH 7 41.5 63.0 377

43 Norfolk-Portsmth-Newpt Nws 8 41.4 59.0 298

58 Richmond-Petersburg 9 40.3 55.0 211

18 Denver 10 39.7 65.0 586

24 Charlotte 11 39.3 54.0 426

7 Boston (Manchester) 12 39.3 58.0 944

22 Portland, OR 13 39.0 74.0 450

31 Kansas City 14 37.7 61.0 350

16 Miami-Ft. Lauderdale 15 37.2 52.0 573

38 West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce 16 36.4 55.0 282

27 Raleigh-Durham (Fayetvlle) 17 36.2 54.0 377

51 Buffalo 18 36.1 54.0 230

25 Indianapolis 19 35.3 59.0 379

53 New Orleans 20 34.8 48 209

11 Detroit 21 34.3 55.0 661

59 Knoxville 22 34.3 51.0 185

61 Tulsa 23 34.1 55.0 178

45 Oklahoma City 24 34.0 55.0 231

40 Birmingham (Ann and Tusc) 25 33.5 48.0 245

52 Providence-New Bedford 26 33.5 50.0 211

15 Minneapolis-St. Paul 27 33.4 59.0 569

19 Orlando-Daytona Bch-Melbrn 28 33.4 52.0 479

62 Ft. Myers-Naples 29 33.3 51.0 164

28 San Diego 30 33.0 59.0 349

50 Louisville 31 33.0 48.0 218

17 Cleveland-Akron (Canton) 32 32.9 55.0 505

37 San Antonio 33 32.9 48.0 261

20 Sacramnto-Stkton-Modesto 34 32.7 55.0 454

4 Philadelphia 35 32.1 51.0 941

44 Albuquerque-Santa Fe 36 32.1 50.0 218

23 Pittsburgh 37 32.1 51.0 371

6 San Francisco-Oak-San Jose 38 32.0 62.0 779

13 Tampa-St. Pete (Sarasota) 39 31.7 49.0 569

49 Austin 40 31.6 52.0 201

36 Greenvll-Spart-Ashevll-And 41 31.5 46.0 265

64 Dayton 42 31.4 50.0 161

1 New York 43 31.3 48.0 2317

8 Atlanta 44 30.9 52.0 714

3 Chicago 45 30.7 51.0 1067

14 Seattle-Tacoma 46 30.3 58.0 541

30 Hartford & New Haven 47 30.2 45.0 306

47 Jacksonville 48 30.0 47.0 196

33 Salt Lake City 49 29.9 63.0 261

35 Milwaukee 50 29.2 49.0 262

34 Cincinnati 51 28.3 49.0 256

42 Las Vegas 52 27.9 46.0 196

5 Dallas-Ft. Worth 53 27.7 46.0 671

2 Los Angeles 54 26.4 50.0 1484

12 Phoenix (Prescott) 55 24.8 47.0 448

10 Houston* 56 0.0 0.0 0

Weighted Avg. of 55 markets* 33.2

Notes From Bradley International

I’m at the airport, killing time while waiting for my flight. Bradley isn’t too crowded today.

William Mitchell was the skycap who took my bag. “Did they call you Billy,” I asked, referring to the famous aviator came up with the idea airplanes could takeoff and land on ships at sea (and after whom Milwaukee’s airport is named)? He said the name hadn’t been a problem until he started flying planes.

Note to self: This skycap is making more money than some of the pilots. One bag, two minutes, two bucks. He was Vegas friendly.

Speaking of which… a few trips ago, in Las Vegas, I was frisked because I was wearing a baggy sweatshirt. Same sweatshirt today. No problem.

They did look at Clicky and rubbed some bomb detecting stuff on my 70-300 mm lens.

I’m sitting off to the side, facing away from the gate. The only two people in this line of seats are me and another guy. We’re here for the electrical outlets. Airports need more of those.

My flight is scheduled to depart on time. Easy to say, even though it’s not physically here.

The Long Journey Ends

This is it. Today is my last ‘in-a-row’ day at the TV station.

It’s funny. I love my job, but after working 20 of 21 days, I’m ready to leave it for a little while. My short term goal is to lay back and do nothing. I’m not sure that’s in the cards.

When you forecast the weather, it’s tough to get away from it. This afternoon I got calls from my friend Farrell, flying from Palm Springs, CA to Warsaw, Poland via Chicago.

Chicago… December… Doh!

He made his connection and is sipping champagne somewhere over the murky Atlantic on LOT Airlines Flight 2.

My sister, brother-in-law, niece and her husband weren’t so lucky. They called from DTW (Detroit Wayne County), on their way from Ft. Lauderdale to Milwaukee.

Again: Detroit… December… hello!

MKE was closed for plowing and their flight was cancelled! Later, Detroit would get a taste of winter.

While I was answering some weather question, my niece (who I easily could have dropped as an infant) made a snide comment about my forecasting abilities.

God is good. She’s stuck in Detroit atoning for her sins.

Snow is coming here Sunday night. I intend on observing while wearing pajamas.

Blogger’s addendum: Farrell, upon arrival at Frederic Chopin Airport in Warsaw, sent this correction:

Thank you for including me in your blog entry. It’s always fun to see my name in print!

I’d like to make one small correction, while commending you on your PinPoint (TM) forecast. Over the “murky Atlantic,” I was sipping Chateauneuf du Pape, which is the most famous Cotes du Rhone wine in France. It was delicious.

Home At Last

Helaine is home. Her connecting flights connected. Her interline luggage transfer transferred.

Earlier, I mentioned the paper ticket Midwest Airlines issued in Milwaukee for the connecting Continental flight. Though confirmed, it came without a boarding pass. That was quickly taken care of at Cleveland’s Hopkins Airport.

The Continental agent took a piece of partially used blue paper, ripped off the corner, scribbled two numbers and a letter and handed it to Helaine. That’s her boarding pass on the left!

Helaine asked the podium agent if it really would be OK? She replied she’d tell the gate agent that very moment… which she did.

Helaine boarded the plane with no problem.

With Helaine in transit, I stepped up my stalkerazzi methods. Not only did I watch the plane on FlightAware, I listened to the ATC chatter as her plane cleared Boston Center and entered Bradley airspace.

Obviously, I am a sad and lonely little man.

While waiting for Helaine’s plane to get closer, I heard one inbound jet call the Bradley tower with a question… if the controller had time. Honest, I’m not making this up.

No more than 10 miles out, in that stowed tray table and fully upright seat portion of the flight, “Captain Shouldn’t I. B. Busy” asked about a building with a dome he saw on top of a ridge line. I’ve posted a photo of what he saw on the left.

As he flew a few miles closer each minute, the tower gave him the story behind the Heublein Tower on Talcott Mountain in Avon and the Heublein Family. The captain said he’d pass it along and then added, “But no one will believe it.”

I didn’t.

Delayed In MKE

I spoke to Helaine this morning. She was due back in Connecticut this evening around 6:30… until Midwest called. Mechanical problems, they said. Flight canceled.

The skeptic in me still looked to see the ‘equipment’ with the mechcanical problems will be flying passengers into Milwaukee before being pulled. I am always suspicious with airlines. Can I cancel my reservation for mechanical problems and suffer no consequences?

Helaine is much more gracious than I am, even when the reservations agent asked if she could fly to Newark (101 miles) or Washington (318 miles) instead of Bradley… where her car is?

Helaine explained the situation, so they booked her Midwest to Cleveland and Continental to Bradley. Neither the Midwest nor Continental flights are actually operated by those actual airlines. Again, can I fly under an assumed name without consequence?

With no Helaine, I have been left to my own devices. The pre-cooked food she left ran out last night. I have become needy with age, but even I can go to the grocery store – and I did.

Exactly who goes to Stop and Shop on Mother’s Day? I can’t say for sure, but it was jammed. I picked up my “Little Red Riding Hood” basket at the door and headed inside.

The losers were lined up in front of the Mother’s Day cards. Yikes! 2:00 PM on Mother’s Day and they still didn’t have a card? I joined them and began to search. I had already gotten Helaine a gift, so the card is more like icing.

Who am I fooling? It’s the card that’s important and the (in this case) peripheral that’s peripheral.

After picking up the cards and food I wanted, I moved over to the Dunkin’ Donuts stand. The girl behind the counter was scratching her arm as if she had psoriasis. Nice. Hope that rash clears. Thanks for sharing.

In a George Bush Sr. moment, I watched the guy in front me use a debit card to pay $1.80 for coffee and marveled. I have a credit card (only one) and no debit card. I’m so last century.

I pushed a $10 bill at “Itchy,” who handed me change and a receipt.

Do we really need receipts for coffee? Is someone going to return their coffee with cream and one Splenda?

At the automated checkout, I realized I don’t have a Stop and Shop card. Without it, everything is priced as if I were buying on Rodeo Drive.

I asked the guy in front of me if he would swipe his on my behalf. “No worries,” he said.

I’m home now. Helaine just called to update her progress. She hasn’t moved through security yet, but she’s confirmed on both flights. In a quirk of interairline weirdness, she’s got a handwritten paper ticket and no boarding pass on the Cleveland to Bradley leg!

Oh… and Midwest Airlines gave her a $75 flight voucher and another $8 for food. It’s little consolation, but as with everything on Mother’s Day, it’s the thought that counts.

Storms and Planes

I’ve been busy in my own world this afternoon, looking at the thunderstorms off to our west. I think they’ll stay away.

Meanwhile, halfway across the country, Helaine’s in Milwaukee, waiting for some friends to arrive from the New York area. I suppose their pilot has also been looking at the thunderstorms.

As is the 21st Century way, Helaine monitored the flight online. The information this afternoon has been less than complete. There were delays, but they were indefinite. Little solid info has been posted. I imagine it wasn’t much better in the airport.

A few minutes ago, we spoke again. This time I had a better chance to look at the flight she’s following and was amazed at what I saw.

If you look closely at the flight path, you’ll see the plane left LaGuardia and then made a few circles over the New York area. I’m guessing this was to sequence flights from the four&#185 big New York area airports for their indirect trip south of the thunderstorms and out to the west.

I’m surprised the flight took off without real clearance to actually be on its way. Circling is something I didn’t think planes did much anymore. It’s really wasteful. And even when planes must circle, you’d think it would be limited to just before landing, not just after taking off.

In Search Of Better Health

Helaine went away this morning. It’s her annual pilgrimage to Milwaukee. I was groggy as she left, but I think I said goodbye. At least that’s what I remember.

I was up early (for me) as Gil (one of my fellow meteorologists from work) was coming over. Gil, US Marine that he is, said he’d help me get started with some physical exercise.

We walked through the neighborhood, up streets and back. We cut through one yard (past a yelping dog) to visit a nearby pond. I’m sure it’s a private pond and we only reached it by cutting across private property. There was no one to ask for permission.

It was only walking, but it was a reasonably long stretch and I felt pretty good when it was over. I’d like to keep it up.

Maybe Steffie will play one-on-one basketball with me this summer?

At the moment, I’m pretty happy with my dieting progress. We changed scales midstream, but I’m guessing at least ten pounds down so far. Physical exercise shouldn’t cause you to lose weight, though most people think it does.

It would be nice to be fit. I can’t remember the last time I really was. If I can only keep this up.

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