Roger's Blog
A place to put my stuff...
The Indy 500
05/10/24 01:17 PM
"Welcome to the greatest spectacle in racing!"
I believe those words are true. I think there is no greater motor race than the Indianapolis 500. The history, the traditions and the sheer magnitude of the track all combine to make the experience of the Indy 500 like no other. And I have been fortunate enough to attend it in person for many years.
The first time I attended the race was in 1988 when I worked for Domino's Pizza and was able to secure free tickets through that company's sponsorship of a race car. Doug Shierson's team had some success with Al Unser, Jr., but the driver I saw that year was Raul Boesel, who finished in 7th place. I truly did not appreciate the race back then. I only cheered for Boesel because of the company affiliation. In fact, I missed exactly half the race when I went to get food, waiting in a massive line for hot dogs while 100 laps transpired. I missed almost everything that makes the race great, and I truly didn't appreciate the talent of the drivers and teams that work so hard to put on a competitive race.
Fortunately, two buddies who were regularly attending the race, Murv and Jerry, invited me to join them a few years later. That first year I joined them, I felt the fun we had was all about the activities we participated in during the weekend leading up to the race. We began the weekend in Dayton, OH, where Jerry lived, where we'd play a round of golf on the Friday before the race, followed by adult beverages. Saturday was all about ping pong and foosball in Jerry's garage, followed by adult beverages. Saturday night, we headed into Indianapolis, where the tradition became a trip to The Slippery Noodle, a blues bar steeped in tradition and great music! After a full night of blues and rock, we'd head to Kroger to do our grocery shopping, followed by a trip to the overnight parking near the track around 3 AM. There, we'd catch a few hours of sleep before the grill started up with steaks in the morning, followed by adult beverages. After a few hours of talking, tossing a frisbee or football around and adult beverages, it was time to walk to the track to see the race.
If you've never been to the Indy 500 race, then you might be curious how over 300,000 fans, many who have consumed numerous adult beverages, get along. What continues to amaze me to this day is that they get along incredibly well. I attribute this to three key elements. First, the majority of people who go to this race have been going to the race for years (decades for a large portion of this majority), and they share a love for the track, the drivers and the traditions. Therefore, they don't let the challenges of being in a crowd of over 300,000 people frustrate them. They wait their turn. They help each other when needed. They mostly look out for each other. It is incredibly rare for this many people to be in one location for a sporting event, and I am so proud of Indianapolis for successfully hosting this event year after year without any major incidents for over 100 years! It is no small feat. I am also proud of the fans who attend every year who behave so well when so many things could go wrong. It's one of the many reasons I love this event.
The second key element that greatly contributes to the success of the race are the police that work this event. Local, county and state police all work together to keep everyone safe while still allowing them to have a good time. There are lots of people who overindulge in adult beverages, so the police often have to show incredible patience and understanding with the crowd. They continually find the balance between keeping people safe and allowing them to enjoy the event. Their focus never seems to be to arrest people, which they could do in hundreds of instances every year. However, they choose to find a strategy to help people through the challenges of being in a crowd of 300,000 fans without becoming oppressive. The only time the police step in with a "heavy hand" is when someone is doing something stupid enough to hurt themselves or others. The police don't get enough credit for walking this fine line.
The final key element is the infrastructure built into the speedway and the community of Speedway, Indiana. After 100 years, they have it down to a science. From parking to vending to communications, they find a way every year to invite a mass of people into a relatively small space and get them back out of that space in a reasonable amount of time. The Hulman family oversaw the operations for decades and can be credited with creating an incredibly strong brand. As the brand started to fade, Roger Penske, former driver and the most successful team owner in Indy history, stepped in to take over the management of the speedway. Mr. Penske has done an amazing job of bringing the brand back to life and returning to the days of filled grandstands, no small feat after attendance had dropped so low.
For the first few years, the race was almost an afterthought to me. I was usually fatigued from the events of the weekend, so I often watched the race in a casual manner. Over time, I started to pay more attention to the pageantry of the race. It began when we started to go into the track earlier than we had, and we started becoming a part of the pre-race ceremonies:
The 6 AM Aerial Bomb - This deep, percussive retort, which can be heard throughout the area of the massive track and beyond, signifies that the gates to the parking lots and track are open. Since we no longer arrive at the track at 3 AM, we now hope to be near the entrance to the North 40 parking lot when this goes off, waiting to get a spot near the track.
The Breakfast Brats ("unofficial group" ceremony) - Shortly after arriving in our parking space, we set up our canopy (to shade us from the usually hot sun), our chairs and the grill, so we may begin the grilling of the brats, always with onions and peppers.
The Post-Brat Break ("unofficial group" ceremony) - After finishing the brat breakfast, some people take a nap, since we've likely started our journey between 3 AM (from Ohio) or 4 AM (from Bloomington). During this time, we begin the pre-race hype by discussing which drivers we will each pick as our favorites to win the race. Everyone gets to pick one driver for their primary pick, followed by a second round of picks, as our backup pick to win. There is no betting or prizes. We just do this for bragging rights. It simply became part of our annual ritual.
The 8 AM Parade of Bands - We don't go into the track this early, as those of us that burn easily try to avoid sitting in the sun any longer than we must. Local and area high school and university bands take a trip around the 2 and 1/2 mile oval, playing music to the fans in the stands (and to those of us sitting on the outside).
The Walk To Our Seats ("unofficial group" ceremony) - I truly enjoy this part of the event. I love walking from a small group of people into the mass of fans entering the track. Even though I've done this over a dozen times, I am still in awe of the size of the track and the size of the crowd here to see the race. I have never and will never see a crowd this size in my life that compares. We usually head over around 10 AM to get to our seats in time to see the ceremonies we enjoy. However, at our age, a vital part of the trip is ensuring we hit the bathrooms before we get to our seats. At this stage, the port-a-potties are still relatively clean and mostly odor-free, which will change over the next few hours. In recent years, we've identified a set of portable toilets that don't get used as much as others, and it's a secret I will take to my grave.
Driver Introductions - Depending on how "on time" we are in getting to our seats, we may or may not see this. The drivers walk onto the stage three abreast, just like they begin in the race, with introductions for each driver through the 11 rows, some bringing their children on stage with them. This is where you begin to see that, while everyone has favorites, you hear cheers for every driver. There is a respect for all of the drivers that I haven't seen with other racing circuits. In most non-Indy Car races, you hear cheers and boos for each driver. It's rare to hear boos from the Indy 500 crowd. The vast majority of the fans respect what the drivers go through, and the respect I see from the fans to the drivers is something I have come to truly enjoy about this event.
The Military Parade - This is one of my favorite parts of the pre-race ceremonies and one that we usually are in our seats early enough to enjoy. This involves military personnel who have recently returned from active duty riding in the back of pickup trucks around the race track, receiving cheers from the fans in the stands. Our reserved seats are directly across from the staging area for this event, so we get a "front row" seat to the military getting prepared for this. You can tell that many of the military personnel are unaware of the reaction they will receive from the crowd, as most of them seem both taken aback and greatly appreciative of the cheers. In a small way, it allows me to show support to these true life heroes in our society during the Memorial Day weekend, which I appreciate and enjoy.
The Invocation - This is the prayer before the race, including a plea to watch out over the safety of both our troops and the drivers in the race.
Taps - This is always an emotional moment for me. I have never served in the military, and I have always been grateful to those that have. Even though I am at a sporting event that I love, I always take this time to think of all the military personnel who have given their lives in hopes of providing a free society in which we all can live. Our country has certainly been involved in controversial wars and conflicts but I will never blame the military personnel who have served their country when asked. I find it important to support both those that have returned and particularly the families of those who have not. Our society owes them a debt of gratitude that we rarely adequately repay.
God Bless America/America the Beautiful For years, Florence Henderson (The Brady Bunch mom actress) sang one of these two songs, backed up by the Purdue All-American Marching Band. I came to love this song and Florence's version of both songs. Alas, she has passed, and they now have new singers that do a wonderful job of it, but they don't do it like Florence did.
The Star Spangled Banner The Purdue All-American Marching Band plays this and are accompanied by a new singing star every year, and I have loved every one of them. However, this ends in a military flyover, which is one of the most awesome elements of the whole pre-race ceremony, as they have had some incredible aircraft, which they mix up with a variety every year.
Back Home Again in Indiana No part of the pre-race ceremony was more beloved to me than Jim Nabors singing "Back Home Again in Indiana." Mr Nabors starting singing this song in 1972. He continued the tradition almost every year until 2014, when his poor health finally made the trip unfeasible. Many others have sung the song, before and since, but no one could pull it off like Mr Nabors. Sadly, he is no longer with us either. I think about Mr Nabors every year, and I can still hear him bellowing out the lyrics when the song begins.
"…,start your engines." For decades, Tony Hulman spoke the eternal words before the beginning of every race, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" He tended to hesitate between each word, adding effect to the phrase. After Tony Hulman died, his widow, Mary Hulman, gave the starting command. Starting in 2020, Roger Penske began giving the starting command. With the addition of women drivers, it became, "Lady and Gentlemen, start your engines!" For some years when there were multiple women drivers, it appropriately became, "Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!" Occasionally, they just said, "Drivers, start your engines!" but I prefer specifying the fact that we now have men and women participating in this race. I look forward to the day when a woman wins this race, although I must admit that there are some "old-school idiots" that hope that never happens. It will, and I hope I'm around to see it.
Waiting to Hear That All Cars Have Successfully Started Occasionally, a car has trouble starting, so I always sigh in relief when they announce that every car has started. After all the time, energy and money that these teams have put into preparing for this race, the last thing I want to see is a team that can't start the race due to mechanical problems. Of course, that will not continue to be the case once the race begins. This is a grueling race, and it will test every team's hardware.
For years, I watched the race without utilizing race scanners and truly enjoyed the race. However, one year, I decided to rent a radio and a set of headphones just to listen to the communication between the drivers and their pit crews, and it absolutely changed my understanding of the race. I always knew that gas efficiency was a part of the race strategy but, after listening to one race, I learned that fuel economy drives the strategy of every team. Teams and their drivers win primarily because they develop a strategy of fuel use that is superior to everyone else's (and there is often an element of luck based on yellow flags, weather, accidents and tire efficiency). It's also quite humorous to hear some of the discussions that go on between drivers and their pit crews. If you ever attend the race, I strongly recommend you pay to rent a set of headphones for your group and a radio. It provides an insight into the race that you will never experience just watching the race. Murv, from our group, has actually purchased two radios and 4 sets of headphones and we rent them from him each year. Thank you, Murv!
I'm a big Helio Castroneves fan (as well as Tony Kanann) but I'm happy for every driver that wins the race. I also cheer for the drivers who have been participating in the Indy 500 for years but haven't won yet because I know that they all have dreamed of winning in Indy. It is the pinnacle race for Indy Car and winning the race will change their lives forever.
Some tips I've learned over the years from attending the Indy 500:
-Get up incredibly early to avoid waiting in line to get into the parking lots before the race. It's well worth it and allows you to enjoy the company of your group more once you are in the parking lot, rather than sitting in your vehicle for hours waiting to get in. Try to arrive at your particular parking lot's entrance by 5:30 AM, and you should get in quickly after the gates open at 6 AM.
-Bring a canopy to provide your group with shade while you wait for the time to enter the race track. Bring comfortable portable chairs and a table (for eating or playing games). Bring a grill and fuel for the grill and make your own food. This is MUCH cheaper than buying the food there, and you will likely enjoy better food than you can purchase. Bring PLENTY of drinks (including WATER to hydrate) for both the pre-race and during the race. The track and stands get very hot, and you will get dehydrated if you aren't drinking PLENTY of water. This is especially true of you decide to drink alcoholic beverages, that will further dehydrate you.
-Give up on the idea of getting out of the parking lot quickly once the race is over. First, don't rob yourself of the best part of the race (the finish) by leaving early to beat the crowd. Frankly, I've never understood people who go to an event, only to miss part of the event (in this case, the BEST PART of the event) by leaving early. Simply have a plan for what you will do while you wait for 300,000 to find their way out of the track and parking lots. In the case of our group, we always schedule another meal after the race. Once we return to our vehicle, we start up the grill again and have chicken. By the time the meal is over and we've cleaned up our area, we can usually leave the lot with very little waiting in line to get out. It's hilarious for us to watch someone get in line to leave at the same time we start getting out the grill, and they don't move more than a few hundred feet by the time we are eating.
-Have patience. There are hundreds of thousands of people sharing this experience with you. Some things will take time (going to the bathroom, buying a souvenir, etc). Be a good neighbor and look out for one another. Help anyone who is too old, too young or too drunk to do what they are trying to do. You will end up enjoying yourself more than being a selfish idiot. Live in the moment. Rarely will you ever experience something like this again.
Until my next entry…
I believe those words are true. I think there is no greater motor race than the Indianapolis 500. The history, the traditions and the sheer magnitude of the track all combine to make the experience of the Indy 500 like no other. And I have been fortunate enough to attend it in person for many years.
The first time I attended the race was in 1988 when I worked for Domino's Pizza and was able to secure free tickets through that company's sponsorship of a race car. Doug Shierson's team had some success with Al Unser, Jr., but the driver I saw that year was Raul Boesel, who finished in 7th place. I truly did not appreciate the race back then. I only cheered for Boesel because of the company affiliation. In fact, I missed exactly half the race when I went to get food, waiting in a massive line for hot dogs while 100 laps transpired. I missed almost everything that makes the race great, and I truly didn't appreciate the talent of the drivers and teams that work so hard to put on a competitive race.
Fortunately, two buddies who were regularly attending the race, Murv and Jerry, invited me to join them a few years later. That first year I joined them, I felt the fun we had was all about the activities we participated in during the weekend leading up to the race. We began the weekend in Dayton, OH, where Jerry lived, where we'd play a round of golf on the Friday before the race, followed by adult beverages. Saturday was all about ping pong and foosball in Jerry's garage, followed by adult beverages. Saturday night, we headed into Indianapolis, where the tradition became a trip to The Slippery Noodle, a blues bar steeped in tradition and great music! After a full night of blues and rock, we'd head to Kroger to do our grocery shopping, followed by a trip to the overnight parking near the track around 3 AM. There, we'd catch a few hours of sleep before the grill started up with steaks in the morning, followed by adult beverages. After a few hours of talking, tossing a frisbee or football around and adult beverages, it was time to walk to the track to see the race.
If you've never been to the Indy 500 race, then you might be curious how over 300,000 fans, many who have consumed numerous adult beverages, get along. What continues to amaze me to this day is that they get along incredibly well. I attribute this to three key elements. First, the majority of people who go to this race have been going to the race for years (decades for a large portion of this majority), and they share a love for the track, the drivers and the traditions. Therefore, they don't let the challenges of being in a crowd of over 300,000 people frustrate them. They wait their turn. They help each other when needed. They mostly look out for each other. It is incredibly rare for this many people to be in one location for a sporting event, and I am so proud of Indianapolis for successfully hosting this event year after year without any major incidents for over 100 years! It is no small feat. I am also proud of the fans who attend every year who behave so well when so many things could go wrong. It's one of the many reasons I love this event.
The second key element that greatly contributes to the success of the race are the police that work this event. Local, county and state police all work together to keep everyone safe while still allowing them to have a good time. There are lots of people who overindulge in adult beverages, so the police often have to show incredible patience and understanding with the crowd. They continually find the balance between keeping people safe and allowing them to enjoy the event. Their focus never seems to be to arrest people, which they could do in hundreds of instances every year. However, they choose to find a strategy to help people through the challenges of being in a crowd of 300,000 fans without becoming oppressive. The only time the police step in with a "heavy hand" is when someone is doing something stupid enough to hurt themselves or others. The police don't get enough credit for walking this fine line.
The final key element is the infrastructure built into the speedway and the community of Speedway, Indiana. After 100 years, they have it down to a science. From parking to vending to communications, they find a way every year to invite a mass of people into a relatively small space and get them back out of that space in a reasonable amount of time. The Hulman family oversaw the operations for decades and can be credited with creating an incredibly strong brand. As the brand started to fade, Roger Penske, former driver and the most successful team owner in Indy history, stepped in to take over the management of the speedway. Mr. Penske has done an amazing job of bringing the brand back to life and returning to the days of filled grandstands, no small feat after attendance had dropped so low.
For the first few years, the race was almost an afterthought to me. I was usually fatigued from the events of the weekend, so I often watched the race in a casual manner. Over time, I started to pay more attention to the pageantry of the race. It began when we started to go into the track earlier than we had, and we started becoming a part of the pre-race ceremonies:
The 6 AM Aerial Bomb - This deep, percussive retort, which can be heard throughout the area of the massive track and beyond, signifies that the gates to the parking lots and track are open. Since we no longer arrive at the track at 3 AM, we now hope to be near the entrance to the North 40 parking lot when this goes off, waiting to get a spot near the track.
The Breakfast Brats ("unofficial group" ceremony) - Shortly after arriving in our parking space, we set up our canopy (to shade us from the usually hot sun), our chairs and the grill, so we may begin the grilling of the brats, always with onions and peppers.
The Post-Brat Break ("unofficial group" ceremony) - After finishing the brat breakfast, some people take a nap, since we've likely started our journey between 3 AM (from Ohio) or 4 AM (from Bloomington). During this time, we begin the pre-race hype by discussing which drivers we will each pick as our favorites to win the race. Everyone gets to pick one driver for their primary pick, followed by a second round of picks, as our backup pick to win. There is no betting or prizes. We just do this for bragging rights. It simply became part of our annual ritual.
The 8 AM Parade of Bands - We don't go into the track this early, as those of us that burn easily try to avoid sitting in the sun any longer than we must. Local and area high school and university bands take a trip around the 2 and 1/2 mile oval, playing music to the fans in the stands (and to those of us sitting on the outside).
The Walk To Our Seats ("unofficial group" ceremony) - I truly enjoy this part of the event. I love walking from a small group of people into the mass of fans entering the track. Even though I've done this over a dozen times, I am still in awe of the size of the track and the size of the crowd here to see the race. I have never and will never see a crowd this size in my life that compares. We usually head over around 10 AM to get to our seats in time to see the ceremonies we enjoy. However, at our age, a vital part of the trip is ensuring we hit the bathrooms before we get to our seats. At this stage, the port-a-potties are still relatively clean and mostly odor-free, which will change over the next few hours. In recent years, we've identified a set of portable toilets that don't get used as much as others, and it's a secret I will take to my grave.
Driver Introductions - Depending on how "on time" we are in getting to our seats, we may or may not see this. The drivers walk onto the stage three abreast, just like they begin in the race, with introductions for each driver through the 11 rows, some bringing their children on stage with them. This is where you begin to see that, while everyone has favorites, you hear cheers for every driver. There is a respect for all of the drivers that I haven't seen with other racing circuits. In most non-Indy Car races, you hear cheers and boos for each driver. It's rare to hear boos from the Indy 500 crowd. The vast majority of the fans respect what the drivers go through, and the respect I see from the fans to the drivers is something I have come to truly enjoy about this event.
The Military Parade - This is one of my favorite parts of the pre-race ceremonies and one that we usually are in our seats early enough to enjoy. This involves military personnel who have recently returned from active duty riding in the back of pickup trucks around the race track, receiving cheers from the fans in the stands. Our reserved seats are directly across from the staging area for this event, so we get a "front row" seat to the military getting prepared for this. You can tell that many of the military personnel are unaware of the reaction they will receive from the crowd, as most of them seem both taken aback and greatly appreciative of the cheers. In a small way, it allows me to show support to these true life heroes in our society during the Memorial Day weekend, which I appreciate and enjoy.
The Invocation - This is the prayer before the race, including a plea to watch out over the safety of both our troops and the drivers in the race.
Taps - This is always an emotional moment for me. I have never served in the military, and I have always been grateful to those that have. Even though I am at a sporting event that I love, I always take this time to think of all the military personnel who have given their lives in hopes of providing a free society in which we all can live. Our country has certainly been involved in controversial wars and conflicts but I will never blame the military personnel who have served their country when asked. I find it important to support both those that have returned and particularly the families of those who have not. Our society owes them a debt of gratitude that we rarely adequately repay.
God Bless America/America the Beautiful For years, Florence Henderson (The Brady Bunch mom actress) sang one of these two songs, backed up by the Purdue All-American Marching Band. I came to love this song and Florence's version of both songs. Alas, she has passed, and they now have new singers that do a wonderful job of it, but they don't do it like Florence did.
The Star Spangled Banner The Purdue All-American Marching Band plays this and are accompanied by a new singing star every year, and I have loved every one of them. However, this ends in a military flyover, which is one of the most awesome elements of the whole pre-race ceremony, as they have had some incredible aircraft, which they mix up with a variety every year.
Back Home Again in Indiana No part of the pre-race ceremony was more beloved to me than Jim Nabors singing "Back Home Again in Indiana." Mr Nabors starting singing this song in 1972. He continued the tradition almost every year until 2014, when his poor health finally made the trip unfeasible. Many others have sung the song, before and since, but no one could pull it off like Mr Nabors. Sadly, he is no longer with us either. I think about Mr Nabors every year, and I can still hear him bellowing out the lyrics when the song begins.
"…,start your engines." For decades, Tony Hulman spoke the eternal words before the beginning of every race, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" He tended to hesitate between each word, adding effect to the phrase. After Tony Hulman died, his widow, Mary Hulman, gave the starting command. Starting in 2020, Roger Penske began giving the starting command. With the addition of women drivers, it became, "Lady and Gentlemen, start your engines!" For some years when there were multiple women drivers, it appropriately became, "Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!" Occasionally, they just said, "Drivers, start your engines!" but I prefer specifying the fact that we now have men and women participating in this race. I look forward to the day when a woman wins this race, although I must admit that there are some "old-school idiots" that hope that never happens. It will, and I hope I'm around to see it.
Waiting to Hear That All Cars Have Successfully Started Occasionally, a car has trouble starting, so I always sigh in relief when they announce that every car has started. After all the time, energy and money that these teams have put into preparing for this race, the last thing I want to see is a team that can't start the race due to mechanical problems. Of course, that will not continue to be the case once the race begins. This is a grueling race, and it will test every team's hardware.
For years, I watched the race without utilizing race scanners and truly enjoyed the race. However, one year, I decided to rent a radio and a set of headphones just to listen to the communication between the drivers and their pit crews, and it absolutely changed my understanding of the race. I always knew that gas efficiency was a part of the race strategy but, after listening to one race, I learned that fuel economy drives the strategy of every team. Teams and their drivers win primarily because they develop a strategy of fuel use that is superior to everyone else's (and there is often an element of luck based on yellow flags, weather, accidents and tire efficiency). It's also quite humorous to hear some of the discussions that go on between drivers and their pit crews. If you ever attend the race, I strongly recommend you pay to rent a set of headphones for your group and a radio. It provides an insight into the race that you will never experience just watching the race. Murv, from our group, has actually purchased two radios and 4 sets of headphones and we rent them from him each year. Thank you, Murv!
I'm a big Helio Castroneves fan (as well as Tony Kanann) but I'm happy for every driver that wins the race. I also cheer for the drivers who have been participating in the Indy 500 for years but haven't won yet because I know that they all have dreamed of winning in Indy. It is the pinnacle race for Indy Car and winning the race will change their lives forever.
Some tips I've learned over the years from attending the Indy 500:
-Get up incredibly early to avoid waiting in line to get into the parking lots before the race. It's well worth it and allows you to enjoy the company of your group more once you are in the parking lot, rather than sitting in your vehicle for hours waiting to get in. Try to arrive at your particular parking lot's entrance by 5:30 AM, and you should get in quickly after the gates open at 6 AM.
-Bring a canopy to provide your group with shade while you wait for the time to enter the race track. Bring comfortable portable chairs and a table (for eating or playing games). Bring a grill and fuel for the grill and make your own food. This is MUCH cheaper than buying the food there, and you will likely enjoy better food than you can purchase. Bring PLENTY of drinks (including WATER to hydrate) for both the pre-race and during the race. The track and stands get very hot, and you will get dehydrated if you aren't drinking PLENTY of water. This is especially true of you decide to drink alcoholic beverages, that will further dehydrate you.
-Give up on the idea of getting out of the parking lot quickly once the race is over. First, don't rob yourself of the best part of the race (the finish) by leaving early to beat the crowd. Frankly, I've never understood people who go to an event, only to miss part of the event (in this case, the BEST PART of the event) by leaving early. Simply have a plan for what you will do while you wait for 300,000 to find their way out of the track and parking lots. In the case of our group, we always schedule another meal after the race. Once we return to our vehicle, we start up the grill again and have chicken. By the time the meal is over and we've cleaned up our area, we can usually leave the lot with very little waiting in line to get out. It's hilarious for us to watch someone get in line to leave at the same time we start getting out the grill, and they don't move more than a few hundred feet by the time we are eating.
-Have patience. There are hundreds of thousands of people sharing this experience with you. Some things will take time (going to the bathroom, buying a souvenir, etc). Be a good neighbor and look out for one another. Help anyone who is too old, too young or too drunk to do what they are trying to do. You will end up enjoying yourself more than being a selfish idiot. Live in the moment. Rarely will you ever experience something like this again.
Until my next entry…
NCAA Basketball Tournament & NCAA Pix
04/09/24 02:19 PM
I love college basketball. I could make the ridiculous statement, as some do, that the fact that I am from Indiana is why it is in my blood. However, basketball is loved all over the world, and I refuse to believe that fans from Indiana have any more stake to this claim than any other fans.
I attended Indiana University and, during the 1979-1980 season, I lived in a dorm room across the hall from Isiah Thomas. No, I never really met Isiah or knew him at all. He was busy in his world, and I was busy in mine. In fact, at the time, I didn't really know how great a basketball player he was, as my college basketball knowledge at that point was minimal. I did overhear some interesting conversations when he invited other members of the basketball team over to his dorm room but, beyond that, I didn't try to get to know him. However, this was the year I truly began to fall in love with college basketball. It didn't hurt that IU won the national championship the next year, as Isiah was in the process of becoming a superstar.
I'll never forget the night of the 1981 championship game for three reasons. For those of you too young to remember, the game was almost postponed because there had been an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan earlier in the day by John Hinckley, Jr. It was a tense day but the decision was made to play the game in spite of the situation after it was reported that President Reagan had scribbled a post-surgery note stating, "All in all, I'd rather be in Philadelphia," which was the location of the championship game. This, combined with the news that the president's prognosis for a complete recovery was good, was enough for the NCAA to choose to move forward with the game that night. The country was ready for some stress relief, and college basketball was going to provide it.
The second reason that night was unforgettable was because of the environment in which I watched the game. I had been invited to a party at a friend's house to watch the game. What made it so unique was the fact that they had set up a TV in every room in the house, including the kitchen and bathroom. Therefore, regardless of where you were in the house, you wouldn't miss a minute of the game. Yes, I watched part of the game in the bathroom due to poor bathroom planning.
The third reason was the experience in Bloomington after the Hoosiers had won the game. We were within walking distance of the downtown area, and that's where everyone headed. Everywhere you went, people were hugging and yelling and celebrating. Everyone loved everyone that night. People were cruising down the street in their cars, hanging out of their windows, occasionally catching and hanging onto people who would jump into their arms, in effect "carrying" them down the street. The only other experience I've had of being that connected to thousands of people at once has been at the Indy 500 on race day (more on that in my next blog).
Ever since then, I have enjoyed watching college basketball. At first, it was mostly Big Ten basketball, since that's primarily who I saw playing against IU. Back then, channel 4 out of Indianapolis/Bloomington carried every IU game, which fed into my love and appreciation for the game. Eventually, I began enjoying watching other teams from other conferences, especially during the annual NCAA tournament. 1987 was the first year I decided to fill out a tournament bracket. Of course, as a homer, I naturally picked IU to win it all, and I was fortunate enough to be correct. (Unfortunately, that hasn't happened since.) That year, I correctly picked 75% of the winners in that tournament, and I was hooked. At that point, I decided I would fill out a bracket every year. That's when the addiction started.
Nine years later, I decided to buy software to track my picks as well as my friends' picks. In 1996, the NCAA Pix Tournament was born. My friends Mark and Jerry and myself, along with Jerry's brother, Jeff, started the competition. I even had a pewter mug, affectionately known as the Suds Mug, engraved with our tournament logo, with the plan of engraving each year's winner and passing the mug along to the winner, allowing them to use it until next year's tournament. The next year, I added of friend of mine to our group and Jerry added a friend of his. My friend won the tournament, received the Suds Mug and promptly disappeared, taking the Suds Mug with him. So, Suds Mug the second was engraved, and we started all over. This went on many years until it became a real pain every year to get the mug engraved, shipped off to the winner, along with the follow-up (and often multiple attempts) to get the mug back in time to get to the following year's winner. Unfortunately, that tradition stopped, although I still have that mug around here somewhere.
The tournament had gotten up to as many as 32 people (in 2012) but about that time, I decided it would be a cool idea to set up a tournament for my company's customers, allowing them to win free prizes to promote our company and share our love for college basketball. We eventually moved to free gift cards for the top 20 finishers, and eventually moved that 40. It quickly became popular with our customers, and soon I was not only running my personal tournament but also the company tournament for around 300 total people. Then, I decided I should add to the work by running a staff tournament. Now I'm up to 3 different tournaments and tracking close to 400 players. As IU's women's basketball became one of the best in the country, it was a "no-brainer" to add another competition for the women's tournament; one each for the customers and staff. Suddenly, I'm running 5 tournaments, with a total of around 600 players, and I'm struggling to pay any attention to my own tournament, which started seeing a large decrease in participation. While I eventually got up to over 700 total players between the five tournaments, my own tournament was struggling to keep a dozen players involved. 2023 was my last company tournament year, as I retired in August of that year.
Now, I'm down to just focusing on my own tournament, and I'm back to loving the tournament and loving the games. There's something special about the "one and done" concept, which allows any team to have a great game and beat a team they normally couldn't. The upsets are what I enjoy the most but, because of that, my picks are often not very successful. I tend to pick too many upsets, which keeps me in the running longer but usually results in my elimination and ultimately low score. I have won my tournament twice but it's been many years since my last win. Jeff, Jerry's brother that started with us back in 1996, has won the most tournaments, at six! Even though I don't win, I truly enjoy managing the tournament and updating the scores. I tend to watch at least a little, and often a lot more than a little, of every game in the tournament. In the process, I watch a lot of great basketball. The college game is reaching a level of parity that makes almost every game in the tournament worth watching, and you can't ask for much more as a fan.
If you like to watch the tournament and want to try your hand at making picks in our tournament, use the "NCAA Pix Tournament" link in the drop-down menu at the top of this page and give it a try. We just finished the 2024 season but, like every year until I can't, we're returning for another year in March. I think you'll enjoy yourself. We include several people who aren't totally into the tournament but still have fun making picks. I encourage you to give it a try. I hope to see you there next year!
Until my next entry…
I attended Indiana University and, during the 1979-1980 season, I lived in a dorm room across the hall from Isiah Thomas. No, I never really met Isiah or knew him at all. He was busy in his world, and I was busy in mine. In fact, at the time, I didn't really know how great a basketball player he was, as my college basketball knowledge at that point was minimal. I did overhear some interesting conversations when he invited other members of the basketball team over to his dorm room but, beyond that, I didn't try to get to know him. However, this was the year I truly began to fall in love with college basketball. It didn't hurt that IU won the national championship the next year, as Isiah was in the process of becoming a superstar.
I'll never forget the night of the 1981 championship game for three reasons. For those of you too young to remember, the game was almost postponed because there had been an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan earlier in the day by John Hinckley, Jr. It was a tense day but the decision was made to play the game in spite of the situation after it was reported that President Reagan had scribbled a post-surgery note stating, "All in all, I'd rather be in Philadelphia," which was the location of the championship game. This, combined with the news that the president's prognosis for a complete recovery was good, was enough for the NCAA to choose to move forward with the game that night. The country was ready for some stress relief, and college basketball was going to provide it.
The second reason that night was unforgettable was because of the environment in which I watched the game. I had been invited to a party at a friend's house to watch the game. What made it so unique was the fact that they had set up a TV in every room in the house, including the kitchen and bathroom. Therefore, regardless of where you were in the house, you wouldn't miss a minute of the game. Yes, I watched part of the game in the bathroom due to poor bathroom planning.
The third reason was the experience in Bloomington after the Hoosiers had won the game. We were within walking distance of the downtown area, and that's where everyone headed. Everywhere you went, people were hugging and yelling and celebrating. Everyone loved everyone that night. People were cruising down the street in their cars, hanging out of their windows, occasionally catching and hanging onto people who would jump into their arms, in effect "carrying" them down the street. The only other experience I've had of being that connected to thousands of people at once has been at the Indy 500 on race day (more on that in my next blog).
Ever since then, I have enjoyed watching college basketball. At first, it was mostly Big Ten basketball, since that's primarily who I saw playing against IU. Back then, channel 4 out of Indianapolis/Bloomington carried every IU game, which fed into my love and appreciation for the game. Eventually, I began enjoying watching other teams from other conferences, especially during the annual NCAA tournament. 1987 was the first year I decided to fill out a tournament bracket. Of course, as a homer, I naturally picked IU to win it all, and I was fortunate enough to be correct. (Unfortunately, that hasn't happened since.) That year, I correctly picked 75% of the winners in that tournament, and I was hooked. At that point, I decided I would fill out a bracket every year. That's when the addiction started.
Nine years later, I decided to buy software to track my picks as well as my friends' picks. In 1996, the NCAA Pix Tournament was born. My friends Mark and Jerry and myself, along with Jerry's brother, Jeff, started the competition. I even had a pewter mug, affectionately known as the Suds Mug, engraved with our tournament logo, with the plan of engraving each year's winner and passing the mug along to the winner, allowing them to use it until next year's tournament. The next year, I added of friend of mine to our group and Jerry added a friend of his. My friend won the tournament, received the Suds Mug and promptly disappeared, taking the Suds Mug with him. So, Suds Mug the second was engraved, and we started all over. This went on many years until it became a real pain every year to get the mug engraved, shipped off to the winner, along with the follow-up (and often multiple attempts) to get the mug back in time to get to the following year's winner. Unfortunately, that tradition stopped, although I still have that mug around here somewhere.
The tournament had gotten up to as many as 32 people (in 2012) but about that time, I decided it would be a cool idea to set up a tournament for my company's customers, allowing them to win free prizes to promote our company and share our love for college basketball. We eventually moved to free gift cards for the top 20 finishers, and eventually moved that 40. It quickly became popular with our customers, and soon I was not only running my personal tournament but also the company tournament for around 300 total people. Then, I decided I should add to the work by running a staff tournament. Now I'm up to 3 different tournaments and tracking close to 400 players. As IU's women's basketball became one of the best in the country, it was a "no-brainer" to add another competition for the women's tournament; one each for the customers and staff. Suddenly, I'm running 5 tournaments, with a total of around 600 players, and I'm struggling to pay any attention to my own tournament, which started seeing a large decrease in participation. While I eventually got up to over 700 total players between the five tournaments, my own tournament was struggling to keep a dozen players involved. 2023 was my last company tournament year, as I retired in August of that year.
Now, I'm down to just focusing on my own tournament, and I'm back to loving the tournament and loving the games. There's something special about the "one and done" concept, which allows any team to have a great game and beat a team they normally couldn't. The upsets are what I enjoy the most but, because of that, my picks are often not very successful. I tend to pick too many upsets, which keeps me in the running longer but usually results in my elimination and ultimately low score. I have won my tournament twice but it's been many years since my last win. Jeff, Jerry's brother that started with us back in 1996, has won the most tournaments, at six! Even though I don't win, I truly enjoy managing the tournament and updating the scores. I tend to watch at least a little, and often a lot more than a little, of every game in the tournament. In the process, I watch a lot of great basketball. The college game is reaching a level of parity that makes almost every game in the tournament worth watching, and you can't ask for much more as a fan.
If you like to watch the tournament and want to try your hand at making picks in our tournament, use the "NCAA Pix Tournament" link in the drop-down menu at the top of this page and give it a try. We just finished the 2024 season but, like every year until I can't, we're returning for another year in March. I think you'll enjoy yourself. We include several people who aren't totally into the tournament but still have fun making picks. I encourage you to give it a try. I hope to see you there next year!
Until my next entry…
40th Anniversary
03/08/24 11:42 AM
On February 29th, 2024, my wife (Maurica) and I celebrated our 40th anniversary!
Well, unofficially we only celebrated our 10th anniversary, since we were married on February 29th during a leap year (1984), otherwise known as Leap Day. Therefore, this year was only the 10th time we could actually celebrate the anniversary on that specific day.
Why did we get married on Leap Day? No, it was not because I'm cheap and didn't want to celebrate our anniversary every year. OK, so I am cheap but that's not the reason for this. We chose Leap Day so that we could both remember the day. We were concerned that one of us (not just me) would forget our anniversary date, so we decided to get married on an unusual day. Maurica wanted to get married on Halloween but I just couldn't wrap my head around combining the sanctity of marriage with Halloween. Fortunately for me, Maurica was willing to compromise, and we agreed to get married on February 29th. Did the strategy work? Better than we expected. Not only do we remember every year but a lot of our friends and family remember our anniversary due to the novelty of "only celebrating every 4 years." This fact was never our intention but we are amazed every year how many people reach out to us to wish us a happy anniversary.
In fact, we do celebrate our anniversary every year. What is great about getting married on Leap Day is that you get to choose which day on which to celebrate every three out of four years; either February 28th or March 1st. This means we have flexibility if our plans involve activities where we compete with others, such as dining out or taking a vacation.
In recent years, we were fortunate enough to be able to plan a trip around our anniversary, usually some place warm due to the fact that late February in Indiana doesn't offer that opportunity. This year provided our first challenge, since we now live in Florida, which was often the place to which we traveled. Now where do we go?
After making a few suggestions (I tend to be "the planner" in our marriage), we decided to stay in Florida. While that doesn't sound very special, what we chose to do was, at least for us. We decided to repeat what we did on our honeymoon. We stayed in Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness cabins. Some background…
When we got married, we were such big Disney fans that we took a trip down to Orlando and stayed in these cool trailers in Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness campground area. As young adults, we both enjoyed being in a "wilderness" area while still having all the comforts of home, and we had a great time staying in the campground and visiting the parks, at which time there were only two; Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Remember, this was 1984. Along with the obligatory bedroom and bathroom, our trailer also included a living room area and a kitchen, which was important because we didn't have a lot of money, so we were able to economize by making some of our own meals. Back to the current time…
Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness now has "cabins" but the basic layout is the same. We had a wonderful two days in the cabin, and we decided to visit Epcot while we were there. Epcot is my favorite WDW park, so we have been dozens of times over the years. Since we've been there so often, we can actually relax during our visits and just enjoy the atmosphere and people, rather than rush around from one attraction to the next. Yes, they are "attractions," not "rides." How do I know this? This requires more background…
Besides my incredible relationship with my wife, the other amazing thing that has come out of our marriage is our daughter, Kat. Remember how I said that Maurica and I were big Disney fans? Well, that meant that our daughter had no choice but to follow in our footsteps. She was raised on Disney movies, the Disney Channel (the old one, not the new one)…Disney everything! Apparently, that had a profound effect on her because, while she was going to college, she participated in Disney's College Program. For the uninitiated, this offers an opportunity for college students to work for a semester (or longer, in some cases) at a Disney resort. In Kat's case, she worked at Walt Disney World in Orlando. That led to her later deciding to return to the College Program after she graduated from college. This led to her meeting and falling in love with a fellow College Program participant, which led to her marrying said "CP." When your daughter and son-in-law both work at Disney, you learn to call them "attractions" or risk a tongue lashing. While I am kidding about the tongue lashing, I will admit that I have had more than one correction about what to call them. Back to the current time…
One cool benefit of having your daughter work for Disney is that immediate family members can sometimes get into the parks for free. No, this wasn't our plan from the beginning when raising our daughter to be a Disney fan (you wouldn't be the first to accuse us of that) but it is a happy coincidence. Therefore, we got into Epcot on this trip for free.
Our visit coincided with Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival, so the money we saved getting into the park allowed us to spend money on many of the food treats offered during this festival. We also decided to treat ourselves to the Garden Rocks Dining Package, which included a dinner along with "reserved seats" for the nightly concert. We decided to try a new restaurant for our anniversary, so we decided on Spice Road Table. This is a Mediterranean restaurant and, while we don't go to a lot of Mediterranean restaurants, we realized that we have enjoyed every one we have tried. It was an amazing meal. Our dining package allowed both of us to get two items off the menu, along with an order of Tagine and two desserts. I ordered the Spicy Shrimp, while Maurica chose the Naan Spreads. We also both ordered the Spice Road Table Sampler, which included three different entree choices. While it may seem crazy for both of us to get the same second choice, allow me to explain to some of you how long-term married couples make decisions quickly. We both knew that it was likely that each of us would love at least one of the items, like one of the items and be indifferent, or averse, to one of the items. By each of us ordering this dish, we felt it guaranteed that we would each get enough of at least one dish we loved. The problem is, we both liked all three. However, there's only so much food you can eat, so we split things up and managed to "clean our plates," making all of our parents proud of us. What has changed for us over the years is how quickly we can make these decisions simply because we know each other so well.
The food at Spice Road Table was incredible (here's a menu for as long as Disney keeps this restaurant, and this link, active), and we vow to return to this restaurant in the near future! If you've never been there, we strongly urge you to try this (relatively new) little known restaurant. The concert we attended was "Jason Scheff, longtime lead singer of Chicago", as Disney billed it. Now, I was a huge Chicago fan during the 70's, and I knew that Peter Cetera was the lead singer during that time. However, I decided that I loved the music of Chicago enough to take a chance on this concert. Unfortunately, after the first song, I realized that Jason took over around the time I lost my taste for Chicago because they had become a "love ballad band." Nevertheless, Jason is a talented singer (even at this age) and the band they put together played old and newer Chicago songs quite well, so it was an enjoyable half-hour concert.
All in all, we had an amazing 40th anniversary celebration. However, the best part wasn't about what we did. It was about who we did it with.
I feel I am an incredibly lucky person. You don't get to pick what family you are born into but I was fortunate enough to be born into a family where both my parents were around when I was born and stayed together until my father passed away. Both parents made it clear to me how much they loved me. Both parents taught me everything they knew about life and trying to be a good person. I had a brother and sister who both made it clear to me how much they loved me and both helped shape the person I am today. I have been fortunate in my career to have worked with amazing people who I learned a great deal from and who were critical to my success.
However, the most fortunate element in my life is the person I met, fell in love with and married; my wife, Maurica. No, luck isn't the only thing that matters when you get and stay married. There is a lot of hard work involved. However, there is a certain amount of luck that has to do with whom you meet and what opportunities you have with which to explore a romantic relationship. In that area, I hit the lottery! I'm one of the fortunate few that get to spend the rest of my life with someone who I have genuinely always felt is as much my friend as my wife. I don't just love Maurica, I like Maurica…and that means the world to me! If there's any advice I can give to people starting out in a relationship, it is to find someone who you genuinely like before you decide to get married.
Our anniversary's best moments, as all of our best moments have been, were the times we spent together doing something we both enjoy while enjoying each other's company. One of the best times we had during our anniversary was putting a puzzle together in our cabin. Some of the best times we ever have together are playing games together. Are we so boring that this is all it takes to have fun? Well, yes, but that's not the point. The point is, what makes these trivial events enjoyable is the talking and laughing and crying that we've done over the years (actually decades) together. I've never really bought into the idea of "soul mates," as I feel the idea romanticizes the fact that long-term relationships are more about compromise and hard work than just simply "finding the right one." However, if you're going to make the case for soul mates, I feel I've found the right one for me.
Thank you for making me so happy, Maurica! I probably don't deserve you but I will continue to work hard every day to earn the right to be your husband!
Until my next entry…
Well, unofficially we only celebrated our 10th anniversary, since we were married on February 29th during a leap year (1984), otherwise known as Leap Day. Therefore, this year was only the 10th time we could actually celebrate the anniversary on that specific day.
Why did we get married on Leap Day? No, it was not because I'm cheap and didn't want to celebrate our anniversary every year. OK, so I am cheap but that's not the reason for this. We chose Leap Day so that we could both remember the day. We were concerned that one of us (not just me) would forget our anniversary date, so we decided to get married on an unusual day. Maurica wanted to get married on Halloween but I just couldn't wrap my head around combining the sanctity of marriage with Halloween. Fortunately for me, Maurica was willing to compromise, and we agreed to get married on February 29th. Did the strategy work? Better than we expected. Not only do we remember every year but a lot of our friends and family remember our anniversary due to the novelty of "only celebrating every 4 years." This fact was never our intention but we are amazed every year how many people reach out to us to wish us a happy anniversary.
In fact, we do celebrate our anniversary every year. What is great about getting married on Leap Day is that you get to choose which day on which to celebrate every three out of four years; either February 28th or March 1st. This means we have flexibility if our plans involve activities where we compete with others, such as dining out or taking a vacation.
In recent years, we were fortunate enough to be able to plan a trip around our anniversary, usually some place warm due to the fact that late February in Indiana doesn't offer that opportunity. This year provided our first challenge, since we now live in Florida, which was often the place to which we traveled. Now where do we go?
After making a few suggestions (I tend to be "the planner" in our marriage), we decided to stay in Florida. While that doesn't sound very special, what we chose to do was, at least for us. We decided to repeat what we did on our honeymoon. We stayed in Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness cabins. Some background…
When we got married, we were such big Disney fans that we took a trip down to Orlando and stayed in these cool trailers in Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness campground area. As young adults, we both enjoyed being in a "wilderness" area while still having all the comforts of home, and we had a great time staying in the campground and visiting the parks, at which time there were only two; Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Remember, this was 1984. Along with the obligatory bedroom and bathroom, our trailer also included a living room area and a kitchen, which was important because we didn't have a lot of money, so we were able to economize by making some of our own meals. Back to the current time…
Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness now has "cabins" but the basic layout is the same. We had a wonderful two days in the cabin, and we decided to visit Epcot while we were there. Epcot is my favorite WDW park, so we have been dozens of times over the years. Since we've been there so often, we can actually relax during our visits and just enjoy the atmosphere and people, rather than rush around from one attraction to the next. Yes, they are "attractions," not "rides." How do I know this? This requires more background…
Besides my incredible relationship with my wife, the other amazing thing that has come out of our marriage is our daughter, Kat. Remember how I said that Maurica and I were big Disney fans? Well, that meant that our daughter had no choice but to follow in our footsteps. She was raised on Disney movies, the Disney Channel (the old one, not the new one)…Disney everything! Apparently, that had a profound effect on her because, while she was going to college, she participated in Disney's College Program. For the uninitiated, this offers an opportunity for college students to work for a semester (or longer, in some cases) at a Disney resort. In Kat's case, she worked at Walt Disney World in Orlando. That led to her later deciding to return to the College Program after she graduated from college. This led to her meeting and falling in love with a fellow College Program participant, which led to her marrying said "CP." When your daughter and son-in-law both work at Disney, you learn to call them "attractions" or risk a tongue lashing. While I am kidding about the tongue lashing, I will admit that I have had more than one correction about what to call them. Back to the current time…
One cool benefit of having your daughter work for Disney is that immediate family members can sometimes get into the parks for free. No, this wasn't our plan from the beginning when raising our daughter to be a Disney fan (you wouldn't be the first to accuse us of that) but it is a happy coincidence. Therefore, we got into Epcot on this trip for free.
Our visit coincided with Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival, so the money we saved getting into the park allowed us to spend money on many of the food treats offered during this festival. We also decided to treat ourselves to the Garden Rocks Dining Package, which included a dinner along with "reserved seats" for the nightly concert. We decided to try a new restaurant for our anniversary, so we decided on Spice Road Table. This is a Mediterranean restaurant and, while we don't go to a lot of Mediterranean restaurants, we realized that we have enjoyed every one we have tried. It was an amazing meal. Our dining package allowed both of us to get two items off the menu, along with an order of Tagine and two desserts. I ordered the Spicy Shrimp, while Maurica chose the Naan Spreads. We also both ordered the Spice Road Table Sampler, which included three different entree choices. While it may seem crazy for both of us to get the same second choice, allow me to explain to some of you how long-term married couples make decisions quickly. We both knew that it was likely that each of us would love at least one of the items, like one of the items and be indifferent, or averse, to one of the items. By each of us ordering this dish, we felt it guaranteed that we would each get enough of at least one dish we loved. The problem is, we both liked all three. However, there's only so much food you can eat, so we split things up and managed to "clean our plates," making all of our parents proud of us. What has changed for us over the years is how quickly we can make these decisions simply because we know each other so well.
The food at Spice Road Table was incredible (here's a menu for as long as Disney keeps this restaurant, and this link, active), and we vow to return to this restaurant in the near future! If you've never been there, we strongly urge you to try this (relatively new) little known restaurant. The concert we attended was "Jason Scheff, longtime lead singer of Chicago", as Disney billed it. Now, I was a huge Chicago fan during the 70's, and I knew that Peter Cetera was the lead singer during that time. However, I decided that I loved the music of Chicago enough to take a chance on this concert. Unfortunately, after the first song, I realized that Jason took over around the time I lost my taste for Chicago because they had become a "love ballad band." Nevertheless, Jason is a talented singer (even at this age) and the band they put together played old and newer Chicago songs quite well, so it was an enjoyable half-hour concert.
All in all, we had an amazing 40th anniversary celebration. However, the best part wasn't about what we did. It was about who we did it with.
I feel I am an incredibly lucky person. You don't get to pick what family you are born into but I was fortunate enough to be born into a family where both my parents were around when I was born and stayed together until my father passed away. Both parents made it clear to me how much they loved me. Both parents taught me everything they knew about life and trying to be a good person. I had a brother and sister who both made it clear to me how much they loved me and both helped shape the person I am today. I have been fortunate in my career to have worked with amazing people who I learned a great deal from and who were critical to my success.
However, the most fortunate element in my life is the person I met, fell in love with and married; my wife, Maurica. No, luck isn't the only thing that matters when you get and stay married. There is a lot of hard work involved. However, there is a certain amount of luck that has to do with whom you meet and what opportunities you have with which to explore a romantic relationship. In that area, I hit the lottery! I'm one of the fortunate few that get to spend the rest of my life with someone who I have genuinely always felt is as much my friend as my wife. I don't just love Maurica, I like Maurica…and that means the world to me! If there's any advice I can give to people starting out in a relationship, it is to find someone who you genuinely like before you decide to get married.
Our anniversary's best moments, as all of our best moments have been, were the times we spent together doing something we both enjoy while enjoying each other's company. One of the best times we had during our anniversary was putting a puzzle together in our cabin. Some of the best times we ever have together are playing games together. Are we so boring that this is all it takes to have fun? Well, yes, but that's not the point. The point is, what makes these trivial events enjoyable is the talking and laughing and crying that we've done over the years (actually decades) together. I've never really bought into the idea of "soul mates," as I feel the idea romanticizes the fact that long-term relationships are more about compromise and hard work than just simply "finding the right one." However, if you're going to make the case for soul mates, I feel I've found the right one for me.
Thank you for making me so happy, Maurica! I probably don't deserve you but I will continue to work hard every day to earn the right to be your husband!
Until my next entry…
Inaugural Entry
02/06/24 11:56 PM
Some would say it's crazy to start a blog section since this is likely to be both my first and only blog entry. Website blogs are notorious for having no updates. However, my plan is to periodically update this section, at least each month, to let my friends and family know what's going on in our lives AND to give me an avenue to write, as this is something I feel the need to do at this point in my life. Unfortunately for the reader, I do it because I enjoy it, not because I excel at it.
I've been wanting to maintain my own website for a very long time. In my defense, I have had "sections" of a website available on and off for a long time but it was never really an "entire" website, just a few disconnected web pages. My hope for this website is to maintain one complete website with connected links between the pages. There will be some web pages that are private that will only be available to some people for reasons of privacy. One example will be the web pages for the Williams Reunion, as that information is only germane to my family members.
As this section will be a place to provide life updates, I will take this opportunity to tell those of you who may not know that I retired in August of 2023, and Maurica and I have moved to Florida to be closer to our daughter and son-in-law. We have been very happy with our decision, as the area seems to suit us well. We are very happy with our house despite the fact that it is much smaller than our previous home, which was clearly too large for us.
As it turns out, retirement is quite enjoyable. I would recommend it to everyone. ;-)
The plan for the website will include sections on; Music, Virtual Pinball, Movies, TV Series, 3D Printing, Tabletop Gaming, Virtual Reality, the Williams Reunion and the NCAA Basketball Tournament. I welcome suggestions from others. It will take a while to get all of these sections completed, so I hope you will be patient.
Until my next entry…
I've been wanting to maintain my own website for a very long time. In my defense, I have had "sections" of a website available on and off for a long time but it was never really an "entire" website, just a few disconnected web pages. My hope for this website is to maintain one complete website with connected links between the pages. There will be some web pages that are private that will only be available to some people for reasons of privacy. One example will be the web pages for the Williams Reunion, as that information is only germane to my family members.
As this section will be a place to provide life updates, I will take this opportunity to tell those of you who may not know that I retired in August of 2023, and Maurica and I have moved to Florida to be closer to our daughter and son-in-law. We have been very happy with our decision, as the area seems to suit us well. We are very happy with our house despite the fact that it is much smaller than our previous home, which was clearly too large for us.
As it turns out, retirement is quite enjoyable. I would recommend it to everyone. ;-)
The plan for the website will include sections on; Music, Virtual Pinball, Movies, TV Series, 3D Printing, Tabletop Gaming, Virtual Reality, the Williams Reunion and the NCAA Basketball Tournament. I welcome suggestions from others. It will take a while to get all of these sections completed, so I hope you will be patient.
Until my next entry…