Sunday, April 30, 2017

2017 Petersen Shootout Day 3

Up early, Larkin and I used our $5.00 food voucher for breakfast at Katie's Country Kitchen in the hotel. We had a chance to visit a little with Rod and Scott and Kevin and Rick.

We packed up the room and started for home. Almost everyone was getting an early start.

I made a circuit around the Carson Valley looking for a number of Nevada Historical Markers, including: Luther Canyon (Fay Canyon) [#118]; Walley's Hot Springs [#120]; Pottsville [#121]; Sheridan [#122]; Gardnerville [#129]; Minden [#130]; Dresslerville [#131] and Boyd Toll Road [#142]. Heading home via Highway 88 to Highway 89 to Highway 50, I rolled up to the house about 11:40 am.

Due to a number of factors, I probably enjoyed this year more than I have any previous year of the Petersen Shootout. I always enjoy Larkin's company. I am getting to know more of the regulars. Kevin and his posse were a great addition. Finally, I was very pleased with how well I played on Friday!

Saturday, April 29, 2017

2017 Petersen Shootout Day 2

Petersen Shootout Day 2

Up fairly early, Larkin and I had breakfast at Katie's Country Kitchen in the hotel. The package for the weekend included a $5.00 food voucher for use at the hotel. After breakfast, with me feeling a little slow, we lounged in the room.

The plan for the day was to play the Carson Valley Golf Course. Rod started with a chipping contest at 11:30 am. This was followed by a shotgun start at 1:00 pm. I feel like both events should have started a little earlier. The format for the day was a shamble.

Larkin and I played with David [played football at Cal?] and Bob. They were playing in the tournament for the first time. They both crushed the ball; they were consistently driving 280 to 300 yards off the tee. Even when Larkin hit a solid tee shot, he would be 20 to 30 yards behind them.

In spite of the advance of using the drives, I struggled around the greens. The greens were fairly small. I had trouble landing the ball on the green and then putting once I was on the green. Unlike Friday where I only three putted twice, I ended up three putting eight greens. In spite of all my struggles, I ended up with a 94.

Play was faster than Friday. We were done a little after 5:30 pm.

We ended back to the hotel and got cleaned up. The golf weekend included dinner on Saturday. We got to the banquet room just before they opened the door. There was a hosted bar from 7 pm to 8 pm with a buffet dinner at 7:45 pm. Our table at dinner included Kevin, Rick, Art, Colin, Larkin and I.

Before dinner, they shuffled the scorecards from the day and randomly assigned foursomes. Rod, Scott, Larkin and I ended up in a foursome. Our foursome ended up with the second lowest combined score for the day and we each won $20?!?

After dinner, Rod's brother Scott emceed. They require all of the first time attendees to get up and tell a joke. There were a lot of newbies this year.

After dinner, we wandered back to Rod's suite. Larkin wandered off at some point. We both crashed fairly early. Although I usually try to play some blackjack, I am just not interested in a table with a $10 minimum...

Petersen Shootout Day 2

Friday, April 28, 2017

2017 Petersen Shootout Day 1

At Genoa Lakes Golf Course

For the six time in eight years, Larkin and I played in the Petersen Shootout [2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016]. We missed 2013 when Rod kept moving the date around and it finally landed on a weekend when Sharon, Jack and I were in H@waii. In 2015, Larkin wasn't available. I signed up with Borja as my wingman, but when he canceled at the last minute, I bailed.

Scrambling to get going, I finally left the house about 8:50 am. Taking Highway 50 to South Shore to the Kingsbury Grade, I got to golf course about 11:10 am. It was an extremely easy drive with very little traffic. I was surprised how quickly I got to the Genoa Lakes Golf Course. We played the nearby Genoa Ranch Course in 2010.

Rod started the day with a long putt contest at 11:30 am. The group teed off in a shotgun start at 1:00 pm. Larkin and I played with Dave and Wes. While the sky was clear, the day was cold with a stiff north wind.

This year's group was big. While in most of the previous years, the count was in the mid-twenties. This year, there were 42 people in the tournament, including Kevin, Rick, Art and Colin.

After struggling at Se@ Ranch in February, I was very pleased with how I played. I shot a liberally scored winter rules 101. I pared four holes and only three putted two greens.

The course played slow. It was after 6:30 pm by the time we finished.

The group is staying this year at the Carson Valley Inn in Minden. I stayed at this hotel in a suite once in late 1991 with she-who-will-not-be-named.

After getting cleaned up, Larkin and I spent some time in Rod's suite before we headed to a late dinner. We had dinner at the CV Steak (Pacific Calamari Steak and spicy Seafood Linguine). We literally closed down the restaurant. We crashed in the room about 11:30 pm.

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Rey Azteca

After a lap around Ancil Hoffman Park and through the Effie Yeaw Nature Center together, Sharon and I had dinner at Rey Azteca. Although we have been there fairly often over the last five years, I can't remember the last time that we ate there...

The next two weeks are going to be hectic. Sharon and I are going in different directions. Jack finishes his freshman year at Georgetown University and will be home on May 9!

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Monday, April 24, 2017

146,322 steps

146,432 Steps

Last Father's day, Sharon give me an Apple Watch. Amongst its uses, the Apple Watch is a great step tracker. I have both the Apple Watch and iPhone connected to the Withings app to log my steps.

Feeling stronger over the last eight weeks, I did 146,322 steps last week. This is the most that I have logged in a week in the short time that I have had everything connected to the Withings app. This translates into 77.5 miles!

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Sacramento Rainfall Records

After a cool and wet April, it finally looks like the weather is starting to dry out and warm up. For the 2016-17 season, the Executive Airport rainfall total is 33.66 inches.

At this point, 2016-17 is the fourth wettest record on record! The wettest rain season on record happened during the 1982-1983 season when Sacramento tallied 36.57 inches of precipitation.

The top 10 wettest years are:

1. 1982-83: 36.57

2. 1889-90: 34.60

3. 1981-82: 33.92

4. 2016-17: 33.66

5. 1885-86: 32.19

6. 1997-98: 32.16

7. 1994-95: 31.78

8. 1957-58: 30.73

9. 1940-41: 30.09

10. 1985-86: 29.83

When we were at the Kings game in mid-April, Larkin said that they had more than 90 inches of rain at their property near Greenwood.

Saturday, April 22, 2017

House of Cards - Season Three

While we were on the East Coast Easter trip, Jack chided us about how long it is taking us to watch a season of House of Cards. Sharon and I banged out the last three episodes and finished the third season of House of Cards. We finished Season One in October of 2016 and Season Two in November of 2016. This season was originally released on July 7, 2015.

Season three starts six months after Frank Underwood's ascension to the Presidency at the end of Season Two. The season ends just after Underwood's narrow win in the Iowa Caucus. In between, there is a twisted mess of plots including the AmWorks Bill and dealings with the Russians.

I didn't enjoy most of the season. I just didn't find the storylines interesting. In particular, I just didn't care for the entire Doug Stamper arc. The show got more interesting as the story shifted to the beginning of the presidential campaign.

Friday, April 21, 2017

Arden Hills

Sharon and I had dinner in the restaurant at Arden Hills. Sitting outside in gorgeous weather, we used a couple of gift certificates for entrees that Arden Hills had sent us for our birthdays. We spilt a dungeness crab salad and both had blue cheese angus bacon burgers.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

No Ordinary Time: Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin

My book for April was No Ordinary Time: Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I finished reading the book on the flight to New York City during our East Coast Easter Trip. The book was awarded the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for History.

This is part of my long term project to read books about all of the presidents. This book is on a Washington Post list of recommended books for each president.

The book focuses on the period between May 10, 1940 (the end of the so-called "Phoney War" stage of World War II) and President Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945. While there is a lot going on in the book in a wide variety of areas including race relations, women in the workforce and labor relations, I was struck by three things.

First, Eleanor and Franklin really lived separate lives with a number of people revolving around them. Eleanor had Joe Lash and Lorena Hickok, while Franklin had Lucy Mercer, Missy LeHand, Margaret Suckley, Laura Delano, Crown Princess Martha of Norway and Harry Hopkins. The number of different people living with the Roosevelts in the White House is fascinating. It would be impossible for them to maintain these kinds of relationship in this era of press coverage and social media.

Second, I never really appreciated how wheelchair bound FDR was. There are very, very few pictures that captured him in a wheelchair. Additionally, even as Franklin was running for a fourth term, his health was not good.

Third, I didn't understand how engaged Eleanor was in social issues. She used her position to travel the world and poke her nose in all kinds of places.

This is a very good book. I have always enjoyed Goodwin's writing style. I give it a "A-" and recommend it. It is an interesting look at War World II from a very different angle. My only qualm is that there are a couple of themes that get a little repetitive.

At the end of the book, Eleanor Roosevelt is cleaning out the White House. It talks about how the Truman's came to visit their new home and were appalled at the condition of the living quarters. This reminded me that I had The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America’s Most Famous Residence on the book shelf. I turned right around and started reading this book.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Chester Allan Arthur Statue

While we were in New York City for our East Coast Easter trip, I walked to this statue of Chester Allan Arthur. I have wanted to visit this waymark ever since finishing his biography.

Chester Allen Arthur
Statues of Historic Figures

See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
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This waymark is located in Madison Square Park, New York City, New York. The GPS coordinates for this location are 40° 44' 34.5" N 73° 59' 14.9" W.

You can log your visit to this landmark at waymark.com.

Chester Allan Arthur Statue

The sculpture is bronze. It was cast in 1898. The sculptor was George Edwin Bissell [1839-1920]. The founder was Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company. The architect was James Brown Lord [1859-1902]. The base is polished Barre, Vermont granite set on concrete. The statue was dedicated June 13, 1899.

Chester Arthur stands holding a book in his proper left hand. His proper right hand is bent at the elbow and rests at his waist. Behind him is an elaborate armchair which has the presidential seal on the back. An Oriental rug is draped over the seat of the chair.

The inscriptions on the statue include: (Right side near base of sculpture:) GEO. E. BISSELL/SCULPTOR 1898 (Back side of sculpture:) THE HENRY-BONNARD BRONZE CO./FOUNDERS, NY (Front side of sculpture:) JAMES BROWN LORD/ARCHITECT (Front of pedestal:) CHESTER ALAN/ARTHUR/TWENTY-FIRST PRESIDENT/OF/THE UNITED STATES/OF AMERICA signed Founder's mark appears.

This sculpture was the last installation of a group of four political contemporaries--Roscoe Conkling, Admiral Farragut, and William Seward--were already installed around the corners of Madison Square.

Monday, April 17, 2017

2017 East Coast Easter Trip Day 5

Up at 4:00 am, Sharon and I caught a cab to the Reagan National Airport at 4:30 am. We boarded a 6:00 am Southwest flight from Reagan to Chicago Midway. With two hours on the ground, we had a leisurely sit-down breakfast at Harry Caray's Seventh Inning Stretch. I can't remember the last time I saw Sharon eat pancakes at a restaurant...

We boarded a 8:50 am Southwest flight from Midway back to Sacramento. We were home about 12:30 pm. I ended up spending more than 3 1/2 hours on work calls in the afternoon.

Although we covered a lot of ground in a few days, it was a very nice trip. It was great to spend some time with Jack! When we first started the planning for the trip, I questioned the effort. In hindsight, it was important. I didn't realize how much the Georgetown campus shutdown for the long Easter weekend. Jack would have been rattling around a ghost town if we hadn't gone back to see him.

Sunday, April 16, 2017

2017 East Coast Easter Trip Day 4

A post shared by Mark Heringer (@heringermr) on

A busy day... Up early, Sharon and I had breakfast at the hotel. Afterwards, we caught a cab to Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown. Getting there a little after 9:00 am for a 9:30 am Mass, the place was already packed. Sharon made a quick decision to head up into the choir loft. We were able to grab seats in the last row of the loft! Given the number of people milling around over the next 30 minutes, I felt very lucky to have gotten some seats. At one point, the priest asked people to move together to make room for the hundreds of people in the back!?! Jack wandered over from his dorm and joined us. It was a nice service; I enjoyed the homily.

After Mass, we walked to Jack's dorm room. He changed clothes and then we caught an Uber back to the hotel.

The plan for the afternoon was to go to the Nationals versus Phillies MLB game. We walked to the Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro station and took the Metro to the game.

Nationals versus Phillies

We had some very nice seats down the third baseline. Although it was a good crowd, the area right around us was empty, including the whole row we were in [Section 114, Row U, Seats 1, 2 and 3]. With temperatures in the high 80s, we were in the shade after about the fifth inning. [Note to self], you need to be higher up on the third base side in order to be in the shade in the afternoon.

Jack was very motivated to get a foul ball. He had one very good chance; a ball bounced on the seat right in front of him as it went for it. He was not empty with his effort.

Harper hit a two-run homer in the third inning and a game-ending, three-run drive with two outs in the ninth, leading the Washington Nationals over the Philadelphia Phillies 6-4 on Sunday.

After the game, we caught the Metro back to the hotel. Getting cleaned up, we headed to an early dinner at the Blue Duck Tavern. The Blue Duck Tavern was awarded a Michelin Star in 2016 is continuously listed as one of top restaurants in Washington, DC by the Washington Post, Washingtonian and Zagat. Sharon and Jack ate there last August and Sharon and I had a dinner there last October.

We had a very nice Cheese and Charcuterie Board for an appetizer. For entrees, Sharon and Jack had Moulard Duck Breast, while I had Braised Beef Rib. The food was very good. The service was not. The waiter was kind of a shit...

With a very early start on Monday morning, we put Jack in an Uber and sent him back to his dorms after dinner.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

2017 East Coast Easter Trip Day 3

A lazy morning. Sharon, Jack and I slept late and then had breakfast at the the hotel. The lounge was not quite as chaotic as yesterday.

After packing up the room, we hung around the room and tried to talk to Jack about the next school year. We didn't use the morning as effectively as we probably should have... I had originally though about walking back to the MoMA to buy a Starry Night coffee mug; I might order one from the museum's store on-line.

A little before 11 am, we caught a cab to Penn Station. We took a 12:00 pm Acela train from Penn Station to Union Station in Washington DC. We got lucky and queued up in the right spot before they announced the track. We boarded the train, stowed our three big bags and grabbed seats quickly. Over the course of the trip, I was surprised at the number of people wandering through the train looking for seats.

It was an easy three hour trip to Washington DC. I was surprised how good the wireless was on the train. We got to Washington DC just after 3:00 pm. Unlike LaGuardia, it was easy to get a taxi. We are staying two night at the Georgetown Marriott. Since we stayed at this hotel during the move-in weekend, they finished a major upgrade of the rooms and the concierge lounge.

While Jack wandered back to his dorm room, Sharon met Mary Maloney at The Top of the Gate at the Watergate Hotel. I ran about five and a half miles on the treadmill watching the second half of the Cavs versus Pacers round one NBA playoff game. The Cavs won the game by the score of 109 to 108. CJ Miles missed a shoot at the buzzer that could have won the game for the Pacers.

Getting all back together about 6:45 pm, we finished the night at the Teddy and the Bully Bar. We had Caviar Deviled Eggs, Duck Fat Steak Fries and Oysters as appetizers. For entrees, the Jack had Oven Roasted Lobster, Sharon had Whiskey Braised Short Ribs and I had Seared Scallops. The entrees were unremarkable. While I had a very nice drink [The Conservationist], I don't recommend the restaurant.

Afterwards, Jack took an Uber back to his dorm.

Friday, April 14, 2017

2017 East Coast Easter Trip Day 2

While Sharon and I were working our way through the Oscar nominated films, we must have seen a trailer for the movie Dunkirk at least a half a dozen times. While I was reading No Ordinary Time, there was a fairly long section that talked about Dunkirk and Churchill's speech afterwards. Sleeping late, Sharon and I went down to get breakfast at the Residence Inn. As we walked into the dining room, the thought that popped into my head was "My God, it is the beaches of Dunkirk." There were people everywhere with dirty dishes scattered across many of the tables and long lines at most of the food stations. It was chaos.

The plan for the day was to hit a couple of museums. Jack is considering a minor in Art History. With a quick stop at St. Patrick Cathedral, we walked to the MoMA. Over the years, I have probably been to the MoMA at least half a dozen times. Nevertheless, I always enjoy the fifth floor gallery; Starry Night has always been one of my favorite paintings. Jack was disappointed that the fourth floor collection was closed. In an odd twist, a member ended up buying our tickets. As a result, we were able to tour a members only collection titled "Women Artists and Postwar Abstraction."

From the MoMA, we caught a cab to the Guggenheim Museum. Sharon and I had only been to the New York Guggenheim once in June of 1998. It seems to me that some of the building was closed when we there before. We had a forty plus minute wait to get into the museum. It was worth it. I really enjoyed this museum; it is a nice collection and a very interesting building.

Exiting the Guggenheim, we walked east towards the Upper Eastside to find a place to get a snack. We stopped at Ristorante Morini for some Carciofi (crispy artichokes, lemon) and Burrata (soft cow's milk cheese, olivada). Although we had been using cabs, I called for an Uber to take us back to the hotel.

While Sharon and Jack lounged in the room, I went for a walk about. I trucked about 2.5 miles to Madison Square Park and back. Ever since I read the Chester Allan Arthur biography, I have wanted to find his statue in New York City. I believe that it is the only tribute to him.

Back at the room, I got cleaned up. We had dinner across the street from the hotel at Avra Estiatorio. This is a Greek restaurant that specializes in seafood. After some oysters and stuffed calamari, Sharon had bronzoni, I had swordfish and Jack had Youvetsi (Shrimp, scallops, clams and mussels in tomato and herbs with orzo and feta cheese). We had a very nice bottle of Kosta Brown Pinot Noir.

Sunday in the Park with GeorgeFrom there, we caught an Uber to the Hudson Theater. Sharon and I had debated for a long time which Broadway play to see. With Jack's interest in art, we settled on Sunday in the Park with George. The play is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It is limited-run revival starring Jake Gyllenhaal as George and Annaleigh Ashford as Dot/Marie. It opened February 13 and is only scheduled to run until April 23. The original Boardway production opened in 1984. It tells the story of Georges Seurat painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.

Both Sharon and I were lukewarm on the show. I am not going to run out and buy the soundtrack. Reading about the history of the play afterwards and realizing it was a limited run revival, I felt more fondly about the production...

Much to Sharon's chagrin, we walked back to the hotel from the theater. Jack and I finished the night watching game 2 of the San Jose Sharks versus Edmonton Oils NHL playoff game.

Thursday, April 13, 2017

2017 East Coast Easter Trip Day 1

Up at 3:15 am, Sharon and I caught a 6:10 am Southwest Flight from Sacramento to Denver. With a short layover in Denver, we caught a 10:30 am flight to New York's LaGuardia Airport. We landed at LaGuardia on time about 4:00 pm. It was a very easy and uneventful set of flights... I finished reading No Ordinary Time, Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography of FDR.

At this point, the fun began. It took us an hour to get our luggage and get a taxi. The taxi line was at least 30 minutes long. It then took us almost an hour to get into Manhattan to the hotel. I am going to have to look, but I think that it is only 6 miles.

It was after 6:00 pm by the time we got to the hotel. We are spending two nights at the Residence Inn on East 48th. Jack had taken a noon train from Washington DC and met us at the hotel.

After getting settled in the room and finding some refreshments, we caught a cab to Gato. Sharon had made an 8:15 pm reservation for dinner. Gato is a Bobby Flay restaurant. We had an assortment of appetizers that included meatballs and eggplant. We split a pizza with green tomato. For entrees, Sharon and Jack had rabbit, while I had kale and Wild mushroom paella. It was an excellent meal.

By the time, we got back to the hotel and to bed, it was after 11:30 pm. It was a long day.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

2017 Kings versus Suns

Last Kings home game of the season - Kings 129, Suns 104Larkin and I went to the Sacramento Kings versus Phoenix Suns NBA Basketball game. This was the last home game of the inaugural season in the new arena.

The Kings opened the game on an 11 to 1 run and pulled away in the second quarter. The Kings won by the score of 129 to 104.

Buddy Hield led the Kings with a career-high 30 points on 12 for 20 from the field, 4 for 8 from three point range and 2 for 3 from the free throw line. Ty Lawson had his first career triple double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.

Tyler Ulis(?!?) led the Suns with 27 points on 10 for 25 from the field, 3 for 8 from three and 4 for 6 from the free throw line. Ulis was a second round pick in 2016. Booker, Bledsoe and Knight were DNPs...

I always complain about how all of the give-aways end up in the first couple of rows on the lower deck. For this game, the Kings sent people into the upper deck to toss mini-balls. I ended up with four mini-balls!

We talked to Hunter and Yuli during halftime. In an odd sequence, I spilled my drink while waving my hands talking to Larkin. A Kings employee asked me what I was drinking and went and got me another drink.

While I often complain about the seats in the upper deck, there were enough empty seats around us that it was possible to stretch out! At one point, a couple came and sat down in the seats to our left. They were literally there for two or three minutes on their phones, but they took off.

Larkin and I had dinner at the Foundation Restaurant and Bar before the game.

The Kings have 5 wins and 3 losses in games that I have seen in person during the 2016/2017 NBA season.

Monday, April 10, 2017

Jesuit High School National Signing Day 2017

Over the last couple of years, I have been fascinated by the national signing day process at Jesuit High School. It is interesting how few boys actually sign letters of intent and get scholarships. Out of a class of more than 250, only seven boys got scholarships as of national signing day.

Additionally, I still don't understand what a letter of intent with commitment is. Last year, there were ten boys listed with letter of intent with commitment compared to only one this year.

With Scholarship:

Baseball:
Tyler Adge - University of New Mexico
Darren Baker - UC Berkeley

Football:
Jonathon Amadi - UC Davis
Calvin Brownholtz - University of Texas El Paso

Soccer:
Casey Bravo - University of the Dominican
Lucas Churchill - UC Berkeley
Tyler Moss - California State University- Sacramento

With Commitment:

Rugby: Jake Vassar - Boise State


Jesuit High School National Signing Day 2016

Saturday, April 08, 2017

fun with passwords

Due to some struggles with passwords, Sharon and I spend almost eighteen hours trying to swap her iPhone for a new one. Thanks to some great customer support from AT&T, Sharon was finally able to get around the password problem and get everything restored on her new iPhone 7 Plus!

The AT&T customer service woman that Sharon talked to was based in Ohio. Fifteen years ago, it seemed like most companies had outsourced their help desk to India. Like Sharon's encounter, my experiences in the last few years have been very different than my experiences with the India call centers. When I have called help desks in the last few years, it seems like they are all based in the United States...

Thursday, April 06, 2017

Captain Fantastic

Sharon and I watched Captain Fantastic as an iTunes rental on Saturday night. This is still part of our continuing effort to see all of the Oscar nominated films.

The film stars Viggo Mortensen. It was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten independent films of 2016. Mortensen was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor and an Academy Award for Best Actor at the 89th Academy Awards.

The story centers on a family that is forced by circumstances to reintegrate into society after living in isolation for a decade.

Sharon liked the film a lot more than I did.

Wednesday, April 05, 2017

Spring Cerner Security Council 2017 - Day 2

I spent the morning at the Cerner Security Council in Kansas City. The agenda included: welcome and recap; Application security at Cerner; Multi-factor authentication; Incident response, and; Wrap-up.

About 11:30 am, I started to wind my home. I took a town car with two other guys back to the airport. I caught a 1:30 pm Southwest flight to Phoenix. Boarding the plane, I had an unusual experience. I had boarding number B06. When I got on the plane, almost every aisle seat was taken; almost no-one was sitting on the window or in a middle. For me to get an aisle, I literally had to go to the back of plane and take the second row from the back...

When I checked the status early in the morning, my flight from Phoenix to Sacramento was delayed about an hour. Over the course of the day, the status showed more and more delayed. At one point, the flight showed four hours delayed. All of a sudden, it then showed on time. The flight ended up leaving Phoenix about 30 minutes behind schedule. I landed in Sacramento about 6:45 pm and was home about 7:20 pm.

Three notes from the trip. First, as I said before, the Kansas City Airport is a mess. I don't know that I have seen anything like it. There is no concourse and no room to walk around. It is literally just gates and seats. Second, I have flown Southwest a number of number over the last five months and every flight has been completely booked; I have a hard time understanding how this is possible. Finally, I usually adapt to time changes pretty easily. Even thought it was only a two hour change and a short trip, I could never get my body in sync.

Tuesday, April 04, 2017

Spring Cerner Security Council 2017 - Day 1

I spent the day at the Cerner Security Council in Kansas City, Kansas. The agenda included: welcome and council introductions; Vision: Cerner updates; Implementing a cybersecurity network; Vulnerability management; IP Security update; DOD impacts; Client collaboration topics, including Justifying a CISO, HIPAA security audit, Data classification and Risk assessments; Innovations in cloud-enabled environments, and, Wrap-up.

The group finished the day with a buffet dinner at the Grand Street Cafe in Lenexa, Kansas.

Monday, April 03, 2017

To Kansas City

Up at 3:30 am, I caught a 6:10 am flight from Sacramento to Denver. Changing planes in Denver, I boarded a flight to Kansas City. It felt like a quick trip. I am not impressed with Terminal B of the Kansas City Airport! I took a Uber to the hotel and was in the room by 2:00 pm.

After an an hour and a half Skype interview, I ran 6.60 miles on the treadmill. I finished the night at a welcome reception for the Cerner Security Council at Jazz - A Louisiana Kitchen. The reception was sponsored by Fishtech.

Sunday, April 02, 2017

Frame Family Dinner

While Tom and Eric were hiking the Camino, Tom sent a group text saying that he wanted to start a monthly Sunday afternoon family dinner. He has been trying to do it the first Sunday of every month.

We headed over to Tom's a little after 2 pm. The group included Tom, Eric, Kevin, Leah, Lydia, Teri, Steve, Sharon and I. Tom served a variety of Spanish horderves and a great piaya with mussels, shrimp and sausage for dinner.

Saturday, April 01, 2017

Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing

The original plan for the day turned into a little bit of a fiasco. Based on a snowshoeing trail book that we have, we were heading to snowshoe at Yuba Gap. Apparently, there was once a Snowpark there. Given the drought over the last few years, they must have closed it down. When we got there, the road was blocked off.

Starting to search on our phones, we decided to continue up the road to Boreal. Parking at the Boreal Snowpark, we walked under the freeway and pick up the Andesite Peak trail. This was a great alternative. It is a pretty heavy traveled trail; we passed a number of people both ways with snowshoes or skis and more than a few dogs.

We ended going just under four miles round trip. Partly due to the wind, we stopped short of Andesite Peak. In total, we climbed about 750 feet in two miles. We stopped for a late lunch about 0.40 of mile and 350 feet from the summit.

We finished the day watching the second of half of the Gonzaga versus South Carolina NCAA basketball semi-final game (Gonzaga won 77 to 74) and watching Capitan Fantastic.