OUTTA HERE!

My visit home has been a good one, but as always, it has been WAY too short. I am flying out of here tomorrow for Minneapolis/St. Paul and I'll be working in south-central Minnesota for a week or so before heading off to someplace north of the border. That's right, Canada. I'm not sure what part of Canada, but I'm practicing up on the use of "eh" at the end of my sentences. KnowwhatImeaneh? The last time I saw the exchange rate it was $1.36 in Canadian money for one U.S. Dollar so perhaps I will, in effect, be getting a raise by going to the Great White North.
It's funny that I call so many people I know now that I'm in Boise. It's not like I couldn't call them from wherever I may be working, but I don't, so I call 'em while I'm here.
Spending so much time on the road is a bit of a drag. I enjoy the adventure of seeing new areas, but I miss my home and my friends. I guess I'll quit whining and go pack. I am getting very good at that; packing not whining.
One more thing. A ham sandwich walks into a bar and orders a beer and a shot. The bartender says "sorry pal, we don't serve food."
Okay, one more. Two peanuts walk into a bar. One was assaulted.
Another? A guy walks into a bar with a chunk of asphalt under his arm and says to the bartender "I'd like a cold beer, and one for the road."

STILL IN IDAHO

With all of the traveling I've been doing, it's almost odd to wake up in my own bed. In fact yesterday I had that odd feeling of not knowing where I was for an instant. You would think I would get that feeling in a far-off hotel room rather than at home, but to date, it has not happened on the road.
I've been enjoying feeding myself rather than going to restaurants all the time. Last night I had pot roast, the night before it was burgers on the grill with roasted asparagus. It's also nice to be able to amble into the kitchen and make myself a sandwich whenever I care to.
Today I am going to the dentist for a cleaning (my teeth) then to the barber for a cut (my hair) and then to visit my tax guy who probably wants some money. It has rained at least a little bit each day I have been back. The winter sow pack was far below normal so any little bit helps. Yesterday it poured for about an hour and netted about a quarter of an inch. Scattered showers are in the forecast today.
In the NBA playoffs, the Conference semifinals are underway and their outcomes would seem to be easily predictable with Miami advancing to play Detroit in the East and San Antonio getting by Seattle to play Phoenix in the West. The NBA is losing fans in this country, but it is doing extremely well abroad. I just don't hear the buzz about the playoffs anymore with the Lakers out of it, Jordan retired and a whole new brand of thuggery being showcased. I still watch, but the spark is gone just like Larry and Magic and Karl and Stockton and Michael. Can LeBron save the league and renew interest in the USA? He's very good, but I doubt it. The league's future is in Europe and Asia where the interest is great and they are gobbling up the gear. Not to dis (I'm pining for street cred') the many stars in the league, but the only three players that most casual fans can name are Kobe, Shaq and LeBron.

UPDATE TIME

It is great to finally be home for a few days. My travels were many. Here are some of the highlights:
* Several weeks in North Dakota.
* A visit to the Murrah Building memorial in Oklahoma City.
* A Rangers-Red Sox game at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Texas.

While I was in North Dakota I was lucky enough to be able to spend time with my old friend Jack Sunday (nodakjack.blogspot.com). He and his wife Loretta and his now grown son Char were terrific hosts who let me stay at their house for better than two weeks. Jack and I used to be on the radio together on a morning show in Idaho Falls and on a morning show in Boise, Idaho back in the 80's. We picked up right where we left off as good friends. We exchanged barbs, witticisms and comedic repartee for hours on end. Jack also acted as a tour guide to show off what is a terrific part of the country. He introduced me to his on-air partner Sandy and many of his other friends. He even introduced me to a a lady named Holly with whom I was quite taken, but, alas, he totally dropped the ball by not following up on my behalf and letting her know how much I liked her (something about her being happily married....sheesh!)
Fargo is a booming area with over 100,000 people who seem to really enjoy their community. I liked it too. It's clean, the people are friendly and the weather was nice. Of course, I was there in April! I also traveled to Williston, Minot, Grang Forks, Jamestown and New Rockford.
After North Dakota I flew down to Wichita and then drove to Perry, Oklahoma. We worked from there to Arkansas City, Kansas (it's pronounced Ar-Kansas, not Ar-Kan-Saw although the locals generall just call it Ark-City). Perry, OK. is the town from which the sheriff who arrested Timothy McVeigh is from. In fact, the arrest took place several miles outside of Perry.
After we worked that area, we drove to Oklahoma City. While there, I was able to spend a few hours at the Murrah Building memorial downtown. Those responsible for the display are to be commended. It was done extremely well and I was truly moved. As terrific as the official and fancy part of the memorial was, perhaps the most touching part of the scene was the remnants of the chain-link fence that originally was put up to keep people away from the site as it was cleaned up. People used that fence to place mementos of every sort such as photos, stuffed animals, notes, hats and pretty much anything you might imagine. The original plan was to remove the fence after the clean-up was completed and the memorial was built, but because of its obvious usefulness as a message board of sorts, part of it remains and visitors place items in and on the fence. The notes, photos, FDNY caps, copies of obituaries and the rest will bring you to tears.
The visit to the site was somber and sad, but I am so glad I was able to go there.
After we finished up our rail testing in Oklahoma City, we drove to Fort Worth, TX. While I was there I rented a car and went to a baseball game at Ameriquest Field in Arlington. This is one beautiful facility. I sat down the left field line just 10 rows up and was in a sea of Red Sox fans which was fine since I too, was rooting for the Sox who won 9-2. We worked our way from Fort Worth to Wichita Falls, TX and then on Saturday the 7th I flew back to Boise. I am so happy to be home. I, however, will be leaving in just a few days for another assignment in Canada!