the week in review....

Dog Gone It

Well the latest on our attempt to adopt a Greyhound has come to a halt.  It turns out Corey had some issues with her foot and will have to undergo some surgery so she is out for us.  They are going to pass our information on to another Greyhound Rescue so we will see what happens from there.  The nice thing is the rescue groups really go out of their way to make sure you are getting the right pet for your needs.  They go well above and beyond to have the dogs thoroughly checked out.

We are getting fit with You Fit
Jennifer and I finally decided to start working out and recently joined You Fit.  They have a brand new facility on Fowler Ave where the old Office Depot used to be (which is the Office Depot I used to work at for a few years).  The facility is huge, brand new equipment and very clean and neat.  All of the cardio machines have tv monitors and ipod connections as well as USB connections to save your work out data.  The real beauty of this place is the very low, no contact price.  The monthly fee is $10 per month, $10 down. No initiation fee or contract.  Their hours are from 5 am to midnight.  We considered other 24 hour clubs but though if we were not going to make it between the hours of 5 am and midnight, chances are very slim we would be working out at any other times.  Today we had our first workout and introduction.  If you see me hobbling around the next few days, that will explain it.

Living with a Wrestler

Well the King High Wrestling season has been going quite well.  The wrestlers are showing more and more improvement each week.  The coaches really have these guys progressing.  Currently we have 1 undefeated wrestler and several others with very good records as well.  Joseph went 4-0 last week improving his overall record to 28-4.  He has really been wrestling quite well and are looking forward to County and Districts coming up over the next few weeks.  The weight issues seem to have subsided for now.  He has really been doing quite well maintaining his weight in between matches.

His 4th win and 4th pin of the day

We are in the final stretch for the High School Wrestling season.  There is a huge County tournament this weekend where all High Schools in the county will be there.  I think there are around 27 schools.  It is a double elimination tournament so it will be interesting to see how far our guys go.  The following weekend is District Championship at East Bay High School.  The schools in our District are Armwood, Blake, Durant, East Bay, Hillsborough, King, Plant City and Sickles.  To move on from Districts you need to be in the top 4 in your weight class to move on to Regionals. 

START YOUR ENGINES

I am so excited the racing season is right around the corner.  The granddaddy of them all, Daytona 500 is just weeks away.  You can find the complete NASCAR schedule here SCHEDULE.  Those of you not into NASCAR here is a link for the NASCAR Jargon.  JARGON  

The front stretch of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Our seats are just before the flag stand.

INDYCAR season is right around the corner as well.  Even though I love NASCAR, I love INDYCAR even more.  The thrill of open wheel racing is just amazing.  Here is the schedule for the 2011 INDYCAR season.  SCHEDULE  We already have our tickets and our RV spot reserved for our 3rd trip to Indy.  This will be my 3rd trip in a row to Indy.  Those of you who are familiar with the whole INDY mystique would laugh at my 3 trips to Indy.  One of the best parts of going to Indy is talking with all of the fans there.  It is not uncommon to run into people in the 70's who have been going to Indy since they were my kids age.  The stories they tell are so interesting and it is a learning experience every time we go.  Looking forward to doing a lot of learning for MANY MANY years to come as I plan on attending this race for as long as I am able to.  Race fans are like no other fans.  They are some of the best people you could ever meet.  Even though you may have some STRONG differences in driver preference, we are all one big racing family.  The INDY 500 is more than just a race.  As a kid I always want to go to the Indy 500.  However, I only thought of it as just the race on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.  After attending for the first time a few years ago, I realized the INDY 500 is MUCH more than just the race.  There is so much more to it than the race.  There is Carb Day where the drivers do the final tune up before the race.  The Indianapolis 500 Parade held the day before the 500 in downtown Indianapolis is the BEST parade I have ever been to in my life.  It is the definition of a down home American Parade.  There are no drunks, flashing boobs, throwing beads or urinating in front yards at this parade.  The parade is compiled of many civic groups, dignitaries, race officials and of course the drivers presented in reverse order of the starting line up.  Usually riding in a convertible or standing in the back of pick up.  The parade is a must see if attending the Indy 500.  There are also numerous opportunities to get autographs of all the drivers.  On Wednesday before the race is Fan Fest.  A lot of interactive games, exhibits and booths.  There are several autograph sessions to get signatures from all of your favorite drivers.  Here you can find some exciting rule changes for the upcoming season.  RULE CHANGES