Say What?

It's been weeks since I've noticed the strong and oftentimes relentless scent of smoke in my nose that I've mentioned here previously. My lungs appear to be mostly back to normal as well without the spontaneous cough from deep in my chest that I'd been experiencing. I can't say with certainty if my symptoms were Covid related but I suspect they were. Yesterday marks four weeks since crashing my bike and injuring my ribs. I'm feeling mostly healed from that as well. I took one of my golf clubs out of its bag last night and gave a few 80% swings out in our yard. I think I'm ready to at least hit the range for a few sessions before easing my way out onto the links again.  I'm not totally disappointed in being unable to golf this past month because I've used my spare time to ride more than I otherwise would have — and I needed that. My form is beginning to come around but I still have some work to do. Most of my riding lately has been on my road bike; a

Twenty years ago this afternoon, I had an encounter with a rambunctious loose pup while riding my bike north of Northfield. It was an encounter that would land me not only in the emergency room of the Northfield hospital but it would also land me on the set of the Judge Judy show a few months later. For those who haven't already seen the video, I'll post it below. Had it not been for my then-10-year-old daughter Rachel, I never would've agreed to stand in front of Judge Judy but there was no way I could say no to Rachel's request. She even offered all of her stuffed animals for me to practice speaking in front of in preparation for the show with a viewership of some 10,000,000 people. How sweet was that!? Like most everyone else, I was familiar with the show having watched it numerous times but never did I ever imagine appearing on it. I sometimes wondered how they found out about our pending small claims court case and have since learned that the program has a staff of

Mask restrictions have pretty much been lifted here in Minnesota with the rare exception of some smaller businesses that may still require them. I'm good with leaving mine in the car when I'm out and about running errands. It's disappointing to me that so many people are hesitating, with many refusing to get the vaccine — roughly 50% nationwide have had at least one jab. I would not want to be someone who abstained from getting the vaccine only to become infected and die or end up with long-haul Covid symptoms for years to come or possibly for life. It seems like a foolish risk to take simply to make a political point as it seems many are. I was a lousy student through all of my years of schooling with the exception of when I was enrolled in community college after my enlistment in the Navy. I wasn't dumb; I was immature and had zero motivation to do anything more than what was necessary. It didn't help that my parents never once asked to see my grades. Ever. And ne