My turn!

{one}have you ever been on tv?

No - but I have been in the newspaper several times in the past year or two

{two} what was the best movie you saw last year?

The Social Network


{three} do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?

Always tucked in on the end. Nice and snug


{four} do you cut coupons?

No but I do enjoy a good emailed coupon. Used one for lunch at Nelore in Houston with Sarah.


{five} do you ever count your steps when you walk?

No - what kind of nut would do that?


{six} what sauce do you dip your chicken nuggets in?

BBQ sauce if I must, but I prefer "sauceless"


{seven} do you have any magazine subscriptions?

Lots: Rolling Stone, Runners' World, Men's Health, Motor Trend. Also enjoy the family subscription to Vanity Fair.


{eight} when was the last time you wrote a letter on paper?

Just this last week. 3-5 lines on a notecard is a great way to stay connected.


{nine} what’s your favorite fruit pie?
Apple - the classic

{ten} black olives or green olives?
Green - reminds me of being in Spain

Advice for the Younger Generation

I've been full of it lately... advice, that is. With the intern Ruben, I was telling him on his last day to make the most of his last semester in law school.

I told him to keep studying - finish strong! No letting up.

He was thinking of working as an unpaid intern. I recommended he get a paying job. The difference between the practice squad and the starting lineup. His excuse: it would be too hard. I looked online and found there were many court in New York (where he is) and that there would be lots of opportunities for someone that wanted to work.

I advised that he should take a trip before starting work. He said he had a friend in school who was from Lebanon. I suggested he go there and visit. Ruben said "He's been asking me to do that". I said "Go - they'll probably pay for everything while you're there"

Checking flights, you can get to Beirut (BEY) from New York for $969. Not a bad price for a long flight like that.

Interesting I found out about a new class of air service "Premium Economy" (contradiction?) It is in economy but the seats and legroom are larger.

Price differentials from JFK to BEY:

Economy $1000

Premium economy $2000

business class $4000

First class $5500

Just get there!

We'll see if any advice is followed....

My golf courses - Part I - McAllen C.C.

My friend Mark T. said today that the course he learned to play golf on, the McAllen Country Club was basically no good and that he didn't like it and would not play it again.

It got me thinking that I'm the opposite. I think good things about the courses that I have a history with.

So working back in time, here's my thoughts on the McAllen Country Club:

The golf course is divided by S. Col Rowe Blvd (2nd St.) and the old timers would recall how the course used to be only on the west side of that street. Holes 3-8 are on the East side.

The course is characterized by a compact layout. Most fairways are side by side, allowing a wayward shot to be played down the other fairway. A old style walkable course. I think it compares favorable to the Dallas Country Club in that respect. Not overly long, but many trees (especially for this area) lend to the need for the punch shot out.

The greens are usually in excellent condition. They generally slope from back to front, and are particularly fast, leading to the need for a good lag putt in the bag.

The course requires accuracy if not great length off the tee. Numbers 1 and 9 are played with an iron or fairway metal off the tee, but once in the fairway only have a wedge or 9 iron into the green. Number 2 and 8 are par 3's, with 8 being slighly longer and with a very difficult green. Water comes into play to the side of the green on #2.

Long drives are the order of business on the east side par 4's, numbers 3, 4, 5 and 7. With a good drive a mid to short iron will get you home.

Number 6 is a par 5 and is a risk/reward with the driver off the tee. Water comes into play on the second shot to the left. Many trees encroach on the fairway and will catch even the slightest errant shot.

On the back side,#10 may very well be the quirkiest hole with a cement ditch crossing the fairway that could catch a long drive from the back tees. Even if you clear the ditch, more trees grow into the fairway.

More long drives called for on the next 4 and 5 par holes, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, and 18. South 10th St. comes into play on the back side as O.B. is a possibility over the green and off the left side on #15. It can be very distressing to see your ball bouncing in that busy street!

The signature stretch is appropriately 16 through 18. #16 is an uphill long par 4, the number one handicap hole. Even with a good drive, you still have a second shot mid to long iron carry over water to a small green. Layup is ususally a good option. Play it like a par 5 and birdie it.

Number 17, downhill par 4 plays much shorter than the card reads. Brings the OB over the green into play. Not the bouncing ball on S. 10th Street again!

Number 18, back uphill to the modern clubhouse. OB left off the tee onto Wichita. A good drive will leave a challenging iron shot to an elevated large green. A fine finishing hole that is not easy to par, much less birdie.

Overall, a fine course for the members and fortunate guests. Local knowledge a must to take advantage of the holes where a good drive can make a differerence and knowing when to adjust your iron distance can make a differnce between birdie and bogey.

Great day back

It was a tough day to get up, but it turned out to be a great day. All the hard work I had done for my big new client came to fruition when he called and asked "How are you coming on that?" I had it all lined out. Perfect!

I went to Justice Greg Perkes' investiture today. It was like a wedding with my friend Mark as the best man and my friend Dori as the friend of the ex-wife. Mark introduced him as someone he had known since a young age. The old crowd had all grown up on the same street.

I got a good run in as well. 1 mile X 4 @9:45/mile.

When I got home the Color Guard was here watching a bootleg version of Black Swan.

My Best Golf Round

Interestingly, my best round of 69 (October 27, 1982) had a similar disjointedness.

I played the first 9 holes with Tracy and Flip. Shot 34 (-2). It was about 5:00 pm when we finished. They left so I had to find a new person to play the second 9 with me.

I teamed up with Clint for the second 9. I hit #10 in regulation but I was on the back and the pin was in the front. Green sloped back to front. I 4-putted for a 6. Now I'm back to even par.

I did settle down and parred the next 2 holes and then birded #12 and #13 to go back to -2. It was white-knuckle ride to finish. Lots of pressure! On # 17 (long par 3, I hit a good 3 iron but missed the green and made a gutsy up and down for par. On # 18, I hit driver / wedge to 4 feet. With the pressure on to shoot 68 and score the best of any Austin High player that I knew ... I missed it. 69.

Looking back at the scorecard, I also see that there were temporary tees set up. The tees on many (not all) holes were forward of the usual places. Considering that Lions Municipal in Austin was 6001 yards from the blue tees, it was definitely playing short. But as my dad said "You played the course as you found it". And no one else on the golf team shot anywhere near that low that day.

9 holes today

Its been such great weather I had to hit the course today for 9 holes. I ran into John K who invited me to play with his group. We played "Wolf" which I had not done since I played with Bob and Co. at Golfcrest Country Club in the late 9os. That was some time ago!

I started rough, going OB on 1 and then making a mess around the green on 3 for a handicapper's 7.

After then, I got going and parred # 4 and #6 and #9 for a 43. It was such a positive round that I saved the scorecard and plan to go play the second 9 holes this week and turn in the scorecard for handicap purposes.

Talked to Ed today and he recalled Sean's story about his best round of 68. Sean started on hole # 13 (eagle 2!) and played 13-18, then went to #1 where he played until dark. He then went back the next day and completed the round. Coming into #12, he was playing for a safe par and 69, and lo and behold, sunk the birdie putt for 68.

Ed seems to think that was somewhat "unofficial" starting on 13 and finishing the next day, but I don't think its any different that a tournament being postponed.

The question was "What's your best round?" - Not "What's your best round in competition?"

He also likened it to hitting a hole in one when playing alone (which he has done). Count it! How many people have done that under any circumstances?

Like Clint Holmes said of his 1 single Billboard hit - "How many do you have?"

Happy New Year!

I think that I have a new second-favorite holiday (after 4th of July of course). Its New Years Day. We had a nice family day, things were quiet but not dead, and there was a lot to do.

I did get up early to do my 22 mile training run. I think there were more cars out at 0615 that at 0900. People going home from the night before I guess. I ran well and felt that I was not fading.

We went to Dillards for a big sale and the mall was crowded. I guess that's a good sign for the economy. We looked for a restaurant to go to that was open ( I had already chowed down at the food court) and we went to Luby's. Blackeyed peas were free! My kind of promotion.

That evening we went to the Vipers game and sat courtside. Thanks Larry! We had gone to his house for New Years Eve and it was a lot of fun. Afterwards we came home, changed into PJs and watched Easy A.