Packer Memory
Talk about history. Sunday's game for the NFC title and a trip to the Super Bowl will be the first time the Packers and Bears have met in a playoff game since 1941--a week after Pearl Harbor Day.
The game has tweaked my memory for a bit of my Packer history.
As a sports reporter for a newspaper in Wausau, WI in the early 60s--five years before the Super Bowl existed--I decided, spur-of-the-moment, to visit the Packers training camp in Green Bay. It was August, 1961, and I drove over, accompanied by my wife and 9-month-old son.
After the morning practice, I caught up with Coach Vince Lombardi as he headed toward the locker room, figuring it was my chance for a quick interview...maybe a few good quotes. With pen and notebook in hand, I fired my opener: "Coach, how's practice going?"
I'll never forget that moment. He turned--didn't so much look at me, as through me--and said "Slow". Then he mumbled something like "Wait here." It suddenly occurred to me that maybe you don't drive 100 miles, unannounced, to an NFL team's summer practice and expect to get an impromptu interview with the coach.
After an uncomfortable wait, the Packers PR guy found me, answered a few questions and suggested that next time I'd be smart to let them know my plans in advance.
My story was heavy on the atmosphere surrounding practice.
And very light on the coach's comments.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
ZZZZZZZZZZ....
It was tough enough to watch the GOP's takeover of the Wisconsin statehouse as well as the U.S. House of Representatives (and gain strength in a Democratically-diminished Senate).
Now I learn that--OMG--Justin Bieber sometimes suffers from insomnia.
I understand that Justin, 16, is roughly the current teenagers' equivalent to Frank Sinatra back in the 40's...that's the 1940's. However, I wouldn't recognize him if he walked into my B&B.
He told Vanity Fair his mind races at night, because he begins to "think about all the things I didn't have time to think about during the day." OK, credit him for including family and God in those thoughts.
It may surprise him to learn that he's among millions whose mind works overtime when head hits pillow. Like me, on occasion, if you can't clear your mind to create a sound sleep, you may join Justin in the world of insomnia. We just won't tell our story to a trendy magazine.
Life is busy, complicated and full of challenges and choices. Thinking doesn't neatly stop at bedtime.
Man up, Justin.
Now I learn that--OMG--Justin Bieber sometimes suffers from insomnia.
I understand that Justin, 16, is roughly the current teenagers' equivalent to Frank Sinatra back in the 40's...that's the 1940's. However, I wouldn't recognize him if he walked into my B&B.
He told Vanity Fair his mind races at night, because he begins to "think about all the things I didn't have time to think about during the day." OK, credit him for including family and God in those thoughts.
It may surprise him to learn that he's among millions whose mind works overtime when head hits pillow. Like me, on occasion, if you can't clear your mind to create a sound sleep, you may join Justin in the world of insomnia. We just won't tell our story to a trendy magazine.
Life is busy, complicated and full of challenges and choices. Thinking doesn't neatly stop at bedtime.
Man up, Justin.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
A Decade Ends
A Decade Ends
In the context of the past 10 years, Dec. 31, 2010 was a very calm day...one that turned out much calmer than I expected.
Mid-morning I connected with a Madison friend who had called several days earlier to offer congratulations on my upcoming marriage. Then, a call from Bayfield friends who invited my fiancee, Chana, and me to their home to celebrate the New Year. The party's at 8...OK, I'll buy some champagne, wine and herring to go with the hosts' nibbles. Late afternoon...another call to long-time Madison friends to catch up on family happenings.
Meanwhile, the weather was getting dicey. A three-day combination of snow, rain, sleet, then cold was creating driving havoc. Chana said the roads in Washburn were sheets of ice...she was reluctant to drive the 9 miles to Bayfield for the party. Around 7:15 she said "I'm not driving." I called the hostess and cancelled.
So...a solo New Year's Eve. I had thawed a salmon for possible consumption on New Year's Day. It was tasty, accompanied by vodka and a call from son Joel in CA for the Rose Bowl. I worked through a few Sudokus (a major achievement--I finally figured out the process). I read Time's Person of the Year issue, which took 23 pages to confirm why I choose not to be part of the world of Facebook. I called Chana and wished her a Happy New Year. A couple yawns, and it was an early-to-sleep New Year's Eve.
January 1, 2011...clear head...9 a.m. greetings from Chana...temperature zero...snow to shovel...ice to chop.
Have a good year. Leave a comment.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Never Say Never...
...one of 11 principles that evolved in the career of Robert McNamara, as I learned from "The Fog of War", an Oscar-winning documentary. Not sure what prompted me to select this at our local library, but it was an enlightening two hours, especially in view of two names in today's headlines---Afghanistan and North Korea.
McNamara described the October, 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when he was involved as Secretary of Defense under JFK, and the world teetered on the brink of a nuclear confrontation. The principle emerging from that episode was "Have empathy with your enemy", referring to both Fidel Castro and Nikita Khruschev.
There was brief footage of the celebrations immediately after World War I, and a jubilant Pres. Woodrow Wilson expressing hope that it would be "the war to end all wars."
At Ford, McNamara became the first non-Ford family member to become company president, a role he held just briefly before moving to the Kennedy cabinet.
Much of the film focused on his recollecctions of Vietnam, under JFK and then Lyndon Johnson. Asked whether the principle that emerged from the Cuban crisis--"Empathy with your enemy"--helped in Vietnam, he said, with deep regret, "In the Cuban crisis, we put ourselves in the skin of the Soviets. We didn't know enough to do that in Vietnam."
Among other principles that should have application today: "Be prepared to re-examine your reasoning". "In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil" and "You can't change human nature."
It's worth watching. Tell me your reaction.
McNamara described the October, 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when he was involved as Secretary of Defense under JFK, and the world teetered on the brink of a nuclear confrontation. The principle emerging from that episode was "Have empathy with your enemy", referring to both Fidel Castro and Nikita Khruschev.
There was brief footage of the celebrations immediately after World War I, and a jubilant Pres. Woodrow Wilson expressing hope that it would be "the war to end all wars."
At Ford, McNamara became the first non-Ford family member to become company president, a role he held just briefly before moving to the Kennedy cabinet.
Much of the film focused on his recollecctions of Vietnam, under JFK and then Lyndon Johnson. Asked whether the principle that emerged from the Cuban crisis--"Empathy with your enemy"--helped in Vietnam, he said, with deep regret, "In the Cuban crisis, we put ourselves in the skin of the Soviets. We didn't know enough to do that in Vietnam."
Among other principles that should have application today: "Be prepared to re-examine your reasoning". "In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil" and "You can't change human nature."
It's worth watching. Tell me your reaction.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Threads
Sometimes it's best to tell stories on yourself. ..even if embarrassing.
I hang bird feeders daily on my deck. Two feeders hang on hooks attached to the house; a third is suspended from a plastic cord anchored by turnbuckles to the house at one end and a pole on the other.
This morning I hooked one feeder to the middle of the cord, and watched everything plummet to the deck as one turnbuckle tore away from its anchor on the house.
No big deal, I thought. I'll screw it back into the turnbuckle and re-attach it. I fitted the screw into the turnbuckle and turned it. It wouldn't engage. I tried again...and again. I took the screw off the other end to see if that would work.
No success. I figured the threads were stripped.
So I stopped at Ace Hardware, explained the problem and asked the manager to help.
'No problem" he said, fitting the screw into the turnbuckle immediately.
"Turnbuckles are threaded counter-clockwise." he said with a smile.
Which I would have known if I were a sailor.
I hang bird feeders daily on my deck. Two feeders hang on hooks attached to the house; a third is suspended from a plastic cord anchored by turnbuckles to the house at one end and a pole on the other.
This morning I hooked one feeder to the middle of the cord, and watched everything plummet to the deck as one turnbuckle tore away from its anchor on the house.
No big deal, I thought. I'll screw it back into the turnbuckle and re-attach it. I fitted the screw into the turnbuckle and turned it. It wouldn't engage. I tried again...and again. I took the screw off the other end to see if that would work.
No success. I figured the threads were stripped.
So I stopped at Ace Hardware, explained the problem and asked the manager to help.
'No problem" he said, fitting the screw into the turnbuckle immediately.
"Turnbuckles are threaded counter-clockwise." he said with a smile.
Which I would have known if I were a sailor.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Thanks, Guests
A recent breakfast helped me rediscover why being an innkeeper can be such a joy.
The weekend brought together four couples who'd never met before...and represented a wide-range of occupations, blue and white collar. I had met all eight when they checked in, but I hadn't seen any of them converse, except for a brief "hello" when I introduced them.
The next morning, I was in the kitchen starting to prepare breakfast when they emerged from their rooms, one or two at a time. They picked up coffee, immediately introduced themselves and soon the great room was buzzing with animated conversation. This isn't always the pattern, because often couples get coffee, sit by themselves and may not meet other guests until everyone is seated for breakfast.
And the table conversation was active and varied: from mining to unions to education to linguistics to politics. I believe we all left the table a bit wiser in areas in which we weren't so well-versed before breakfast.
It was my pleasure to tell them that it was occasions like this that make it so rewarding to be an innkeeper.
The weekend brought together four couples who'd never met before...and represented a wide-range of occupations, blue and white collar. I had met all eight when they checked in, but I hadn't seen any of them converse, except for a brief "hello" when I introduced them.
The next morning, I was in the kitchen starting to prepare breakfast when they emerged from their rooms, one or two at a time. They picked up coffee, immediately introduced themselves and soon the great room was buzzing with animated conversation. This isn't always the pattern, because often couples get coffee, sit by themselves and may not meet other guests until everyone is seated for breakfast.
And the table conversation was active and varied: from mining to unions to education to linguistics to politics. I believe we all left the table a bit wiser in areas in which we weren't so well-versed before breakfast.
It was my pleasure to tell them that it was occasions like this that make it so rewarding to be an innkeeper.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Formulas
A formula is what infants eat.
It's also a category of race cars.
And, thanks to a Father's Day gift from my sons--Marc in
St. Louis and Joel in Minneapolis--the three of us had a chance
to sample the latter, July 26 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI.
Elkhart Lake came to prominence in the early 1950s when
enterprising local leaders created the idea of road racing
through the town--then a population of about 500. The races
attracted large crowds and some of the world's leading
drivers. A few years later, a 4+ mile course was built nearby, and
it's hosted major events ever since.
Our instruction took place on a 2.1 mile course laid out inside the
larger Road America course. There was some classroom
conversation, then...out to the track in protective
driving suits (and they're warm) carrying our helmets.
The car is open-wheel, 1,100-pounds, capable of 130 mph--in effect,
a big, sleek go-kart on steroids. We were shown the brake-clutch-accelerator
relationship and sequential gearshift system...old stuff for motorcycle
riders like my sons, but not for me. We donned our helmets, sardined
ourselves into the car, fastened safety harnesses and were ready to go.
In small groups, we were told to follow an instructor in a lead car
show us the "line" through the series of turns (some, 90 degrees)
and straightaways.
While I didn't come close to challenging the car's potential speed
capability, I found that even 70 or 80 in a car with such immediate
response tends to focus your attention...quickly.
We had 90 minutes on the course, with a couple breaks.
I may have circled the course about 15 times, and could feel myself
gaining confidence with each lap. And I definitely was aware of
learning to anticipate what was ahead and positioning the car
accordingly.
The MasterCard ad says it well: The chance to share
an experience with the sons who gave me the gift...
Priceless.
It's also a category of race cars.
And, thanks to a Father's Day gift from my sons--Marc in
St. Louis and Joel in Minneapolis--the three of us had a chance
to sample the latter, July 26 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI.
Elkhart Lake came to prominence in the early 1950s when
enterprising local leaders created the idea of road racing
through the town--then a population of about 500. The races
attracted large crowds and some of the world's leading
drivers. A few years later, a 4+ mile course was built nearby, and
it's hosted major events ever since.
Our instruction took place on a 2.1 mile course laid out inside the
larger Road America course. There was some classroom
conversation, then...out to the track in protective
driving suits (and they're warm) carrying our helmets.
The car is open-wheel, 1,100-pounds, capable of 130 mph--in effect,
a big, sleek go-kart on steroids. We were shown the brake-clutch-accelerator
relationship and sequential gearshift system...old stuff for motorcycle
riders like my sons, but not for me. We donned our helmets, sardined
ourselves into the car, fastened safety harnesses and were ready to go.
In small groups, we were told to follow an instructor in a lead car
show us the "line" through the series of turns (some, 90 degrees)
and straightaways.
While I didn't come close to challenging the car's potential speed
capability, I found that even 70 or 80 in a car with such immediate
response tends to focus your attention...quickly.
We had 90 minutes on the course, with a couple breaks.
I may have circled the course about 15 times, and could feel myself
gaining confidence with each lap. And I definitely was aware of
learning to anticipate what was ahead and positioning the car
accordingly.
The MasterCard ad says it well: The chance to share
an experience with the sons who gave me the gift...
Priceless.
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