Making Money for the Freak Machines

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon. The hazy and humid temps of the last few days are gone, replaced by cool 60-degree and cloudy weather. Great running weather, so I got a quick 10-miler in before we went to church this morning. I haven't signed up yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to do the Maine Marathon in Portland on October 7, which means I have to start my 16-week training program in a couple of weeks. More on that later.

Yesterday, I went to the driving range for the first time in a few years. It's not like I'm going to be playing every week like I used to back in the day (i.e., before marriage), but I want to get at least a couple of rounds in this summer. Deb and the girls will be away in NJ in a couple of weeks, so I figured I could get 18 in then. I actually hit the ball fairly well for not having swung a club in a looooong time. We'll see what happens when I'm actually on a course, but it felt good to get a few hacks in.

I was at the Apple Store yesterday and a guy came up to me and asked if I used to work at the Beverly Times, which, of course, I did. Turns out it was a guy I knew about 15 years ago who worked in circulation there; now he's got a job that's a tad more interesting: he's a CIA agent, traveling around the world, working with Condi Rice and stuff. Damn.

Last night, there was a thunderstorm warning issued around 7:30, but what was really interesting was the bulletin flashing on TV that there was also the possibility of tornadoes. The sky got really dark and scary for a while, and Deb was getting ready to flee for the basement, but other than a little thunder and lightning, nothing eventful took place. Deb gets really nervous when storms move in, but I've learned to trust her instincts. About seven years ago, she had a bad feeling about the Nor'easter that was about to hit and moved her car onto the street in front of our apartment because she was nervous about the trees that lined the small lot behind our house. I blew it off and sure enough, a few hours later, an 800-pound tree branch fell on and totaled my car. Lesson learned.

It's all fun and games...

• Stanley Cup Finals update: Despite abysmal ratings, little or no attention, and getting pre-empted by the NBC affiliate in Tampa last night for a children's telethon, the finals have been pretty great. Anaheim came out and just pounded the living hell out of Ottawa the first two games. Things didn't look too good for the Senators going back home last night, but they came out and played a strong game, bouncing back from a couple of deficits to win 5-3. The series so far has had huge hits, great goaltending, controversial goals, some fighting, and a cheap shot by Chris Pronger. I'm hoping the Sens win again tomorrow and take this thing to the limit.
• No doubt you've heard about the jackass with a rare form of TB who flew around the world disregarding warnings from health officials so he could get married in Greece, endangering hundreds of passengers in the process. Now it turns out the guy may not even be legally married because of some paperwork problems. Nice going, pal.
• Google's new Street View map technology: Cool or creepy? Sounds like a little of both. The mapping tool, currently available to view streets in five cities including San Francisco, lets you see images captured of people on the streets doing whatever they may be doing: sunbathing, picking their noses, going through trash, etc. How long before the feds co-opt this to use as a crime-fighting tool?
• Apparently, folks in the Philippines take their karaoke seriously. A guy was shot to death Tuesday night for his poor singing. When American Idol starts struggling in the ratings, they may go this route to spice things up a little.