Kirby's Graudation

Sunday May 24, 2009 was the "Big" day for Kirby's High School Career.  The ceremony began at 2:00pm and was over by 5:50pm.  Kirby was anxious to end her HS days and move on the College. She plans on attending Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI and focus her studies on Pre-Med.  At the moment she has plans on becoming a Physicians Assistant, or PA.  This will allow her to diagnose patients, but not have to worry with the administrative responsibilities or carry the same malpractice insurance.  Four years undergrad and two years medical followed by one year residency.  Here are two Pics from the grand event.

Sasha Update

Sasha is now 13 months old.  The first pic is April 2009, the second is March 2008.  She is a very smart dog and loves the family.

West Chicago Prom

Brooke and some friends attended the West Chicago Prom in May.  This was Brooke's first prom. According to Brooke she had a really great time! The Dance was at a banquet hall in Addision with the "after-prom" on a cruise ship on Lake Michigan.  This Picture is of Brooke & Stu, and Brooke's friend Kaitlyn with Ryan. Brooke is in the Teal dress and Kaitlyn is wearing the pink.  The car is a 57 Chevy Two door hard top...nice!

Memphis In May Triathlon 2009

Kirby and I traveled to Memphis on the 15th.  Kirbs hung out with some friends for the weekend, while I participated in the MIMTRI Olympic Distance Tri.  This was my second time to participate in this event.  Unlike 2008, the weather was quite unusual for Memphis.  The morning of the race, the Air Temp was 57 with a 20-25 MPH wind.  My time in 2008 was 3:40, my time in 2009 was 2:54 a 46 minute improvement!  I think I could have gone 2:30, but the wind really slowed me down on the bike.  My friend Adam Zucco, came in second in the 30-34 male age group, while his wife Lindsey came in second in the female group.  They both did great. Next race in the Rockman 1/2.  This race was also the first race at which my parents attended.  I think they enjoyed themselves. (except for the weather)  We all went to Corky's after the race...I earned it!  IronMan in Sept

Training Update

Last Saturday a group of us met at 5:00am for a 1:45 hour run. The pace was easy but the weather was sour. It was cold with a steady wind. We got in about 10.5 miles and then went to the Masters Swim at 7:00. The Swim was a challenging 4000 meters with tons of intervals. Training in the winter in Chicago is tough! I am looking forward to Memphis in May. Sunday Morning it snowed 5" and the Bike Training was moved indoors. Hopefully the weather will turn soon as I am ready to ride outdoors. Many of my Tri buddies have had the chance to travel to more favorable climats lately. Several had the chance to travel to Tucson for a long weekend with great weather and plenty of outdoor training. Another friend is in Southern Cal this week for Super Seal. You can check out his blog at www.trainingbible.com. Look for Adam's blog. Yet others are in Florida this week for warm weather training and relaxation. My coach is Carla Hastert, you can read more about her at www.trainingbible.com. Look under Find a Coach. She is doing a great job keeping me focused on Ironman and building a strong base for endurance and stamina. I would recommend her to anyone. Check back for more training updates. Iron Man Wisconsin, September 13, 2009.

Two Cows

Okay, My second Political-Type of Post in two years:

The Two Cows...



TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows.
You sell them and retire on the income.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.
Later, you hire a consultant to analyze why the cow has dropped dead.

A FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike, organize a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'Cowkimon' and market it worldwide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows, but you don't know where they are.
You decide to have lunch.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
You count them again and learn you have 2 cows.
You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you.
You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity.
You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Both are mad.

AN IRAQI CORPORATION
Everyone thinks you have lots of cows.
You tell them that you have none.
No-one believes you, so they bomb the shit out of you and invade your country.
You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of Democracy....

AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Business seems pretty good.
You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.

A CORPORATION IN THE STATE OF Mississippi

You have two cows.
The one on the left looks very attractive

Economic Stimulus

Okay, my first Political-Type of post...don't know where it originated.

Economic Stimulus Plan Explained...

This year, taxpayers will receive an Economic Stimulus Payment. This is a very exciting new program that I will explain using the Q and A format:

Q. What is an Economic Stimulus Payment?
A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q. Where will the government get this money?
A. From taxpayers.

Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?
A. Only a smidgen.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?
A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a highdefinition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China ?
A. Shut up.

Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the US economy by spending your stimulus check wisely: If you spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China. If you spend it on gasoline it will go to the Arabs. If you purchase a computer it will go to India. If you purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala (unless you buy organic). If you buy a car it will go to Japan. If you purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan. And none of it will help the American economy. We need to keep that money here in America. You can keep the money in America by spending it at yard sales, going to a baseball game, or spend it on prostitutes, beer and wine (domestic ONLY), or tattoos, since those are the only businesses still in the US