"I like to picture my Jesus in a tuxedo T-shirt...

...cuz it says, Hey I'm formal, but I like to party."

-Talladega Nights

Vacation?

I walked into the office today only to realize that I had been away from my desk for exactly one week. Aren't you supposed to feel rested after taking a week's vacation. The trip to Albuquerque went well, but the weather was crazy. 87 degrees when I got there, with a 30-40 mph wind that gusted above 60 a few times. It was so windy that the NCAA suspended play for the day. I had never seen a golf tournament suspended for wind before. The ladies who were playing would, literally, hit a ball on the green and then the wind would blow it off. Crazy!
The 3rd and 4th rounds were wet, periodically stopped for storms, and the temps never got out of the low 50's. It was cold! The weather was so crazy (random hail too) that it was the top story on the local news. Never really got a chance to explore the city, but I really liked the golf course:

As for the webcast, apparently it went really well. I can be a little hard on myself at times, so it was difficult to feel great after talking for 16 hours+ about the same two holes. But, the farther I get away from it, the better the experience rests in my mind. However, I don't have much time to worry. This Friday and Saturday, you can catch my call of the Men's Division 1 Golf Championships from Purdue's Kampen Course. Head to http://www.ncaa.com/ or http://www.golfstat.com/ for the webcast. My partner is the founder of GolfStat, Mark Laesch. The man knows college golf! Times for the stream (weather permitting) are 10-2 / 3-7 EDT on Friday and 9-4 on Sunday.

Coming home from NM was a chore, with two layovers and a total of 12 hours in airports or on planes. But, I made it home in time to get barely enough sleep to wake up for the Indy 500 on Sunday. I wish Mandy could have pulled the double, but I hear a bachelorette party and 500 tailgate = trouble for those of us in the 26-and-older crowd. Weather was perfect and the group had a good time. While my outfit was good by my standards (see the blog post below), Kyle once again was the big winner in terms of finding something that was both funny and strangely appropriate all at the same time.

So, how did I spend my Memorial Day? Well, for the most part, Mandy and I slept all day. It was glorious. We did find time to tidy up a few things around the house and do some nature park exploring with the dog, but napping was the activity du jour. In fact, I think I am still too tired today even after having a "week" off from work. Since when did vacations become draining?

Memorial Day Wknd

Feeling like an old fart....
One of my best girlfriends will be getting married this summer, and as a good bridesmaid, I make the trek up to Lafayette to throw her one last “fling before the ring,” or so her Coozie said.
We had a cheering, jeering time singing along with Bruce in the Piano Bar, dancing for hours, and ended the night with a little Taco Bell since the bar that gives out free hots dogs (my personal heaven) was closed. Anywhoozer, we finally made it back for a couple hours of sleep before the sun came up, and now I feel like I did push ups all night long. I am sore, exhausted, and have some nasty really-cute-shoes blisters. Uff.

Hence, I am enjoying a little snuggle time with big Grace (who has been super lazy today), while Will parties down at the 500, and cleaning a little.

I don’t usually get evangelical about cleaning products, but lately I have been thinking about how much I love what I’m using now. It’s called Shaklee. It’s non-toxic and super safe for the environment—inside and outside the house!

About a year ago, Grace stuck her head in a bucket of Mr. Clean, and after her eyes swelled completely shut, and we spent an evening at the puppy EV getting her some doggie drugs, I began thinking about the little chemical cocktails we cook up in our houses just trying to keep things clean! Bleach on the tub, bleach on our clothes, and that acidy Easy-off you spray on the inside of the oven that almost took my eyelashes off the first and last time I used it….these things can’t be safe.

I love knowing know that Grace can lick the wet kitchen floor after I’ve mopped it (and she will), and be just fine.

The even cooler thing about the products is that they send you one bottle of basic H2 (one bottle is 16 oz and makes 48 GALLONS of cleaner) and several empty bottles for you to mix/create your own combos based on what you’re cleaning. Genius! This cuts down on the bottles that you would otherwise toss into our growing landfills, and lets us recycle and reuse for our own purposes.

In addition to how much I love this concept, I love that this stuff really cleans. I have some of my mommy friends hooked on the stain removers, and the “scour off” is gentle on your skin (and your eyelashes) and gets the grit off the oven just a well. I am a big fan. No more rubber gloves when I clean, no more putting Grace in her kennel, no more poisoning the people I love!

Okay, getting off the sop box now. If you’re interested, though, visit http://www.shaklee.com/ for a starter kit. Happy Memorial Day everybody!

Off for the side job

Well friends, it's time again for me to dust off the cheesy vocal cords and hit the road for some broadcast work. Everybody knows how much I love sports broadcasting and sometime wonder why I don't do it full time. Don't get me wrong, with the right gig I would jump back into it full time with no hesitation. But in the meantime, having several freelance opportunities throughout the year is the best "hobby" I could have ever asked for.

As many of you know, I've been doing more and more freelance work for the NCAA and their championships. The best thing about it is that it gives me exposure in a lot of different (some might call them unique) sports. I've done more and more volleyball lately and now the time has come for a new broadcast endeavor: GOLF!

Yeah, it's hard to believe that somebody who has been so involved in every aspect of the game, I have never actually broadcast a single round of golf. Well, over the next two weeks, I will get a whole lot of it. So, check me out for both the 2008 NCAA Men's and Women's Division-1 Golf Championships.

Starting on Thursday, you can watch the women's action from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Broadcast times are 10:00-2:00 & 3:00-7:00 Mountain Time. Same schedule on Friday. That's 16 hours of golf coverage. Everything can be seen on http://www.ncaasports.com/.

I am not sure about the exact times, but you'll get the same coverage next weekend for the men's championships from Lafayette (Purdue's home course). We will be broadcasting on Friday and Saturday. I hope you can spare a few moments to log on and see some of the action. I would appreciate any feedback. Since I am terrible about taking pictures, I hope somebody will snap a few while I am out there and I'll throw them up here when I get back.

Coming home on Saturday just in time for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing... which, with our ever-growing group of race attendees, has become the greatest spectacle in bad outfits. Here's a preview of coming attractions for Sunday. I'm sure more embarassing photos will surface after the weekend:

Life according to Grace: Stop and smell/pee on the bushes

I know what you're thinking... I am obsessed with this fuzzy girl. Grace got a hold of the paper towel roll today and gave it a growling, pawing chow down. It was adorable. What joy she brings us-- when a paper towel roll can entertain you for more than 30 minutes or until someone pries it from your furry grasp, I can’t help but think, ‘There's a lesson to be learned for us all.’ No, don’t start chewing on your trash, yet….
As I get older and busier, I sometimes find that my attention span is shot. It’s a frustrating problem to have—just ask Will. :) I always laugh the hardest when Ellen DeGeneres talks (in her Here and Now sketch) about how we need help keeping up with the pace of things (“so we put a coffee shop here, and a coffee shop here, and a coffee shop here”), don’t have time to make conversation, and have “TBD-- Too Busy Disorder.” We give it an acronym, she says, because we are too busy to say the whole name. So true. Here’s a little clip if you feel like chuckling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfx7UUJbjvo

On Saturdays with Grace, though, there’s never any hurry. We stop to sniff every shrub at the park, we (and by we I mean she) stops to pee on every rock. We stroll along and slow it down, and look for familiar faces on the Monon to actually chat with. We watch the kayakers row down the river from the bridge on the Monon Trail, bark at the ducks (again, Grace, not me), and we take the long way home.

What a great reminder that life’s greatest pleasures can be found in the smallest, most organic things—things we miss when we (and by we I mean me) are on our second double latte, 11th hour of email, 3rd stress-induced zit of the week, and tearing up the carpet doing wind-sprints to/from the printer.

Lucky for me, I get to hang up my heels and spend my evenings with an 87 lb puppy who is able to teach me about the finer things in life….

Just say...Ahhhh!

Spring is alive and well in our neighborhood. Here are a few picts from our garden and surrounding sights.

Golf and Travel

Two of my favorite things and it's that time of year for both of them on my schedule. And while Mandy doesn't like the time it might take me away from home (damn those slow golfers and airport security lines!), I am excited about getting into my element in the next few weeks.

Tomorrow, I am off to New York City for the 2nd time this year. It's what I like to call a "quickie" in terms of business trips. I'll actually be in the city for less than 24 hours. Fly in, change clothes, spread the good word, chat over a cocktail with alumni, sleep, fly home. I actually enjoy these trips the most. You feel like you're out working and gone, but the time away from home is minimal. Not to mention that I love visiting NYC, but not staying for an extended period of time.

And, next week, I can cross another state of my USA travel accomplishments, as I will be in New Mexico, broadcasting the Division-1 women's golf championships. You'll be able to watch them online at http://www.ncaasports.com/. I am really excited about the opportunity.

Speaking of golf, I have been trying to play a bit more competitively this year, joining a couple of low-impact leagues, but it still puts you with strangers and some expectations to perform. And today, I put my hat in the ring for the Indiana State Amateur. I'd have to qualify during the first week of June, but hopefully I can get on the big stage and see where my game is compared to the studs around the state.

I'll be sure to keep everybody posted on if I make the field or not.