My son Jack and I are leaving Chicago tomorrow on a journey that will take us west. We have no cords, for we are wireless. We have no food for we anticipate being able to provision ourselves at food caches along the way - Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger King. We have no map for we have Googled every step of the way. He is Lewis. I am Martin. We hope to stay in touch as our journey progresses.
However, the blog will bog down. Check in occasionally as we may just find a navigable river to the Pacific.
Go Cardinals!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Yesterday I Sat Next to my Daughter......
in the passenger seat of the car. Wednesday, June 23, she drove a car for the first time.
Traumatizing? Not really. We never left a remote corner of Lake Bluff. Though we were close to backing into the ravine at one point.
Emotional? Completely. My daughter took one those giant steps toward independence. Crawling and walking were disconcerting for me, but I figured I had longer legs.
Then she learned to run and she ran a lot faster than I could, so catching her was out of the question, but she still needed me for food and tuition.
She learned to ride a bike but was content to stay within a couple miles of home.
She started driving school this week and began developing a skill that even without money will let her get at least a tank-full of gas away from home - nearly 350 miles in Mary Ellen's Audi. She refuses - so far - to drive my Lexus, because "it's too big." If I can get her into it, we're down to 280 miles.
She's excited about learning to drive. I'm worried about her learning to drive. I know she'll do fine, but the road is filled with people who drive like . . . . . . . . me!
So far most of her driving has been with her mother. This weekend, I'm going to start teaching her how to drive our Jeep - a stick shift. It's important she know how to drive a manual transmission.
And the Jeep is slower giving us a better chance to catch up with her should we accidentally leave a full tank of gas in the Audi.
Stay tuned.
Traumatizing? Not really. We never left a remote corner of Lake Bluff. Though we were close to backing into the ravine at one point.
Emotional? Completely. My daughter took one those giant steps toward independence. Crawling and walking were disconcerting for me, but I figured I had longer legs.
Then she learned to run and she ran a lot faster than I could, so catching her was out of the question, but she still needed me for food and tuition.
She learned to ride a bike but was content to stay within a couple miles of home.
She started driving school this week and began developing a skill that even without money will let her get at least a tank-full of gas away from home - nearly 350 miles in Mary Ellen's Audi. She refuses - so far - to drive my Lexus, because "it's too big." If I can get her into it, we're down to 280 miles.
She's excited about learning to drive. I'm worried about her learning to drive. I know she'll do fine, but the road is filled with people who drive like . . . . . . . . me!
So far most of her driving has been with her mother. This weekend, I'm going to start teaching her how to drive our Jeep - a stick shift. It's important she know how to drive a manual transmission.
And the Jeep is slower giving us a better chance to catch up with her should we accidentally leave a full tank of gas in the Audi.
Stay tuned.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Lost in the U.S. Open Comparisons
While golf journalists of every stripe were furiously writing stories comparing Rory to Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus and projecting what year he'll break Jack's majors record, everyone else was Googling the Jumeirah on Rory's shirt.
It's a Dubai-based hotel chain and having stayed in a Dubai hotel next to the Jumeirah hotel chain's flagship, the Burj Al Arab, I can tell you there isn't a "we'll keep the lights on for you" price tag in the building. Without a sponsorship it would take top ten money to pay for a couple weeks there assuming dinner was comped. The cheapest room I could find this week was $3999 AED, and with an exchange rate of .2723 US dollars to each $1 AED, it comes to about $1,500 a night at the low end - bring your own prayer rug.
I think we're missing the really meaningful comparison between Rory and Tiger. It's not about victories or when one will pass the other or each other's age, the relevant comparison between them is sponsors, so let's add up the sponsorships for both. (Getting on TigerWoods.com took about two seconds. I made lunch while I was waiting to get on Rory's site.)
Rory
Oakley Sunglasses
Titleist Golf
Jumeirah Hotels/Dubai
FootJoy
EASports
Audemars Piguet
Lough Erne
Skins
Sunseetter
Trion Z
Tiger
EASports
NetJets
Nike Golf
TAGHeuer
The Tiger Woods Golf Course Community of Dubai
UpperDeck
TLC Laser Surgery Centers
Rory has Tiger beat 10-7. It's a solid lead, too. I'm betting that no one at Oakley or Jumeirah or Titliest or any of the other of Rory's sponsors are thinking of dumping him anytime soon.
The key for Tiger is not only to get back on the course and win a couple Majors by at least 23 strokes but also to find ways to catch up in the sponsor race.
Both Tiger and Rory have watch companies, X-Box games, golf communities, sweet deals in Dubai, golf equipment and stuff for your eyes. What Rory has that Tiger doesn't is a hotel chain.
Mindful of Tiger's recent history I Googled "sex hotels" and lo and behold up came The Best Hotels to Get (Cozy) In. And guess what's on the list? Yes, the Burj Al Arab, the flagship hotel of Rory Mcilroy's biggest sponsor, the hotel that Tiger Woods hit golf balls off the roof of; the same roof on which Andre Agassi played tennis.
Rory is hot. Motel 6 would definitely keep the lights on for him. Tiger is a much better fit for Jumeirah and the Burj Al Arab. Off the top of a hotel is about the only place Tiger can hit a ball right now and just a floor down in the Penthouse he can build additional brand equity for the Burj's place on the Cozy list.
So give it up Rory. Have Chubby Chandler call Motel 6 then once that deal is done, call Mark Steinberg and give up Jumeirah or at least the Burj.
Once we have that deal done, we need to find Tiger a pub in Northern Ireland. Ah yes, lads, the Saltwater Brig in Kircubbin.
It's a Dubai-based hotel chain and having stayed in a Dubai hotel next to the Jumeirah hotel chain's flagship, the Burj Al Arab, I can tell you there isn't a "we'll keep the lights on for you" price tag in the building. Without a sponsorship it would take top ten money to pay for a couple weeks there assuming dinner was comped. The cheapest room I could find this week was $3999 AED, and with an exchange rate of .2723 US dollars to each $1 AED, it comes to about $1,500 a night at the low end - bring your own prayer rug.
I think we're missing the really meaningful comparison between Rory and Tiger. It's not about victories or when one will pass the other or each other's age, the relevant comparison between them is sponsors, so let's add up the sponsorships for both. (Getting on TigerWoods.com took about two seconds. I made lunch while I was waiting to get on Rory's site.)
Rory
Oakley Sunglasses
Titleist Golf
Jumeirah Hotels/Dubai
FootJoy
EASports
Audemars Piguet
Lough Erne
Skins
Sunseetter
Trion Z
Tiger
EASports
NetJets
Nike Golf
TAGHeuer
The Tiger Woods Golf Course Community of Dubai
UpperDeck
TLC Laser Surgery Centers
Rory has Tiger beat 10-7. It's a solid lead, too. I'm betting that no one at Oakley or Jumeirah or Titliest or any of the other of Rory's sponsors are thinking of dumping him anytime soon.
The key for Tiger is not only to get back on the course and win a couple Majors by at least 23 strokes but also to find ways to catch up in the sponsor race.
Both Tiger and Rory have watch companies, X-Box games, golf communities, sweet deals in Dubai, golf equipment and stuff for your eyes. What Rory has that Tiger doesn't is a hotel chain.
Mindful of Tiger's recent history I Googled "sex hotels" and lo and behold up came The Best Hotels to Get (Cozy) In. And guess what's on the list? Yes, the Burj Al Arab, the flagship hotel of Rory Mcilroy's biggest sponsor, the hotel that Tiger Woods hit golf balls off the roof of; the same roof on which Andre Agassi played tennis.
Rory is hot. Motel 6 would definitely keep the lights on for him. Tiger is a much better fit for Jumeirah and the Burj Al Arab. Off the top of a hotel is about the only place Tiger can hit a ball right now and just a floor down in the Penthouse he can build additional brand equity for the Burj's place on the Cozy list.
So give it up Rory. Have Chubby Chandler call Motel 6 then once that deal is done, call Mark Steinberg and give up Jumeirah or at least the Burj.
Once we have that deal done, we need to find Tiger a pub in Northern Ireland. Ah yes, lads, the Saltwater Brig in Kircubbin.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Korea's Got Talent and An Amazing Story
Dave Dezelan sent this along, and it will be the best eight minutes you'll spend this week; perhaps for many weeks. Why? Because it's a reminder that no matter the obstacles you face, there are obstacles far greater in other's lives.
This young man, seemingly trapped in an inescapable dilemma, found his way to the light.
It will be fascinating to follow his career forward.
This young man, seemingly trapped in an inescapable dilemma, found his way to the light.
It will be fascinating to follow his career forward.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Yes, I Know
I've been on a Blog-Free sojourn. Could get worse before it gets better. Watch this in the meantime. I'm not going to write today.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Graduation Weekend: The Speech We Wish Our Student Would Give
This young man is on his way to fame and fortune but if he achieves neither, he will have, on one special day, distinguished himself in a way that few have. Enjoy.
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