The Golf Course Travel Bag: Paso Robles Golf Club

No Pain, No Gain

     It's Monday again and my body knows what that means. Oh, for joy, it's time to go to the gym again.  Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday I drag myself out of bed at about 4:45 in the morning to be at the gym by 5:30. Today was especially ugly because I haven't worked out in about two and a half weeks. I truly dread this. Why do I have to go, do I have to? I don't want to go. Well, I'm up now and dressed.  I might as well go, besides I don't want to take a ribbing from Denise. Here I go, I'll tell you how it went.  Why do I subject myself to this torture? I don't know if it is really worth it.
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     I'm back.  WOW, do I feel great! My back is not hurting and my body feels energized. I can feel my heart pumping and I kind of have that after workout glow. My legs tingle and my mind is clear. I can't wait until Wednesday! It's time for my coffee and breakfast.  Hello day, I am very glad to see you again and I'm ready for whatever you have for me.

Nope, not for breakfast today!
Hi Poland, It's good to see you back.
The video is for those of you who are stuck in the snow of the Frozen North or wherever it is snowing.

Who Moved My Cheese--I Mean Coffee?

     I must say this right off the bat.  If you are the author of "Who Moved My Cheese" please don't sue me for using your title. It wouldn't be advantageous to you to sue me as I wouldn't have the riches to pay off any sort of judgments anyway. I am just a poor retired teacher and starving writer. Maybe my wife could pay the settlement costs back in piano lessons, but I would have to do some heavy talking to get her to do that. I did read your book by the way and found it insightful.
     Everything is out of the old house and over here into the new house or has been placed in storage. The physical move is over but we are overwhelmed with a sea full of boxes. You have to wonder, What did we leave in storage that we should have brought over here and what is over here that really should be in storage?  I can tell you right now one important thing we took to storage, my coffee.  Who did that?  Who is responsible for misplacing the makings of the fluid that keeps life going?  I personally brought over that hot chocolate mix that is supposed to cure my ADHD, but what about my coffee.  I was sick and couldn't monitor the situation.  Wouldn't you know it somebody dropped the ball.  Where is my coffee?  Who moved my coffee and where did you put it?
     I can put up with my clothes and underwear being misplaced. Don't worry, I won't go into the details of that.  I can even go having my golf clubs in the wrong place, at least not for long. My coffee is a different story.  WHO MOVED MY COFFEE AND WHERE DID YOU PUT IT!!!!!!!

In Happier Times

Things That Go Bump In The Night.

     We are moved!  We give the keys to the old house back to our former landlords today and then we are finished. Out with the old and in with the new. Now we turn the page and delve into a new chapter in our lives. That sounds poetic, doesn't it? It's not that new, we just moved into a new house not far from where we used to live. We are not moving to Outer Mongolia to become missionaries to the Bondag tribe who don't even speak English. The people who's house we are moving into are doing that for a year. Nope, we are just moving a few miles away from where we were living.
     Moving into a new house is always a fun experience. There is always excitement for anything new.  It does have its problems though.  You have to remember that I suffer for a pretty good case of ADHD.  I am not good at change. I have bumped that dad gum curio with the nicknacs  at least 100 times.  So has Denise. Do I turn right at the hall to go to the bathroom and left for the hall closet, or is it the other way around? You could just imagine the problems that could cause.
     Nights have been especially fun.  My brain isn't quite used to the new floor plan. I am not going to mention a very important thing that happens to a sixty year old man in the middle of the night.  Those of you who are men and over sixty know what I am talking about.  There should be a door here somewhere. Nope, It's a wall...BANG! Where is that bathroom door?
     As I said, we are finished moving out of the old house.  Now on to the next fun thing. We have to unpack. I guess I can find cheer in the fact that we aren't going to move soon, at least until the house owners get back in a year. This is kind of like shampooing your hair--rinse and repeat.

I guess you are wondering what a C-47 has to do with moving into a new house. Well, the C-47 moved a lot of cargo during WWII and beyond.  I know that's a stretch, but it will have to do.

The Golf Course Travel Bag: Palm Springs In January

A Moving Experience--Part 6 ( The Oh No, Can't You Write About Something Else Edition)

     This is it folks, the final assault.  There is still materiel and some other odds and ends at the old house, but these have to be out or at least off the carpet by tomorrow. The carpet cleaners are coming to nuc the carpet tomorrow and the house detailer is coming on Saturday. Everything must be out by tomorrow, or at least off the carpets.
     Wish us luck, this may get ugly. We shall prevail!

What the inside of the old house looks like right now.  On to the final assault hopefully with no casualties. I pity the carpet cleaners.

A Moving Experience--Part 5 And I Hope The Last

     OK, so I'm being a bit overly optimistic That this will be the last in the "Moving Experience" post strand. We still are not totally moved. If I were to say that we are almost moved, I would be stretching the truth.  Today is going to be a big day though.  Most of the big stuff is out and my office is up and running in the new house, but we still have a ways to go.
     I have been sick.  Today I actually feel a lot better and can be effective in helping "The General" out in the move.  She has to work, so I am going to the house to facilitate the move.  My role today will be much more active than it has been the past few days.
     Speaking about being sick, this was not a pleasant experience. It was the kind of sick that you feel terrible, but not bad enough to go to the hospital. However, if you don't stop what you are doing and rest it hangs on forever. I never ran a fever but I ached all over and was bestowed upon the pleasure of a sore throat and ugly cough. My body ached and told me many times that I had to stop immediately what I was doing and quickly go to a slumber state.
     Yesterday I was feeling a bit better so I ran some errands with "The General" that needed to be done.  When I get a cold or the flu, I don't take anything for it as I don't want to artificially interfere with my body's immunity system. I sit--or lay down in most cases--and suffer the symptoms. What was weird about running errands with "The General" was that I was in a total state of "slow". Keep in mind that I was not medicated.
     Things were going so slow that they were almost going backward. I actually could see the words coming out of "The General's" mouth.  Here is a sample of what that looked like, and no I wasn't smoking anything or taken any controlled substances. "S--O,  H--O--W  A--R--E  Y--O--U  F--E--E--L--I--N--G  T--O--D--A--Y,  D--E--A--R? (So how are you feeling today, dear?)  Honestly, that is how it looked.  You can just imaging how long it took me to translate the messages she was sending. They were simple messages too. It was almost as if I needed to take out my C.I.A. (since declassified) spy code book and decipher the message. Even then, I couldn't find the book--they had changed the code on me and didn't tell me after I found the book so I had to make some educated guesses. You can imagine how that went.
     I feel much better.  It's off to do battle in the theater of the old house. Yes, we are working on the move today.  Big day today as the person that is coming to clean the house and the carpet cleaner is coming as well.

My nurse. She is very nice, just a little bit stiff. I noticed that she doesn't talk much though. 

     

A Moving Experience--Part 4

     Are we totally moved in yet--No.  We are working on it. The big problem is that I have been sick as a dog the past few days and I haven't been much help on the move.  I have that "Creepin Crud" that a lot of people have come down with.  I hope that I get over it soon because "The General" needs her sergeant.
     The permanent command center has been established.  I am communicating to you from there now. It has not been totally equipped and branded yet but it is up and running.  My staff has arrived and we are ready to go. King Kong and White Elephant say hello to you.  They are at their posts and are ready to fulfill their duty.  What are their duties, by the way?  One is a bit stiff and the other is stuffed, but don't tell them I said that.  They have been loyal.
    It really is great to be in this location. I have given up some very important perks, but that is the nature of the mission. This communication center is much smaller and does not have the room that the other location did. Those are the sacrifices you have to make.
 What mission, you say? I don't think there is one, I just had to write something and that sounded good at the moment.

Our new field command center.

A Moving Experience--Part 3

     Illness has struck the camp.  The general had a bout with the bug a week ago, but is healthy. I have contracted that bug. With conditions as primitive as they are here at our rudimentary camp in the secret classified location, I hope that it won't have me in its grips for long. I guess I will martial the troops an launch today's assault.
     Let's get this show on the road! Forward, hoa!

A look at the secret location bunker area.  I'm waving at you, can you see me.  Oh, that's right.  I have my camouflage on.

     

A Moving Experience-- Star Date Supplemental

     I always was a fan of Star Trek.. I used to love it when Kirk, Picard or for that matter any of the other Captains were always in a jam and could not make an entry in their Captain's log. They would say, " Captain's log, stardate supplemental." That to me was the height of cool. I thought that if they could

do it, so could I. Here it goes, Dave's blog-stardate supplemental.
     I am in a classified location writing this. We are in the middle of the move and things are going well. This location is undisclosed because of the sensitive nature of the move. It is not sensitive to the security of the country but it is still sensitive and I can't explain because that information too is classified.
     I have successes to report that have been declassified so I can share that limited information with you. The garage is pretty much moved, which is a big thing. We had to sweep it for mines--er, uh black widow spiders--so the task was very extensive and exhaustive. That bit is don and the materiel contained in the garage has been relocated to the storage bunker. Today's assault will be--oh, wait a minute I can't tell you that.  That is part of the classified operations order.
     Here is what I can tell you. Objectives have been set and we have brought up the necessary troop units and mechanized units. That Volkswagen missed the general by about six inches by the way. Troop movements are a very dangerous undertaking. The reserves are in place so we are ready to go. As information is available and declassified, I will release it so that you may have an update.
     Due to the nature of this operation, it is unknown whether or not I will publish.  I know I said yesterday that I wouldn't today, but I was able to secure a communication device. I'll keep you posted.
From the field
Dave

Staging area of the secret, undisclosed location. The troops are ready to roll.

A Moving Experience--Part 2

Can't write now, I'm moving.  This will be my last post from this location.  Hopefully, like a phoenix rising out of the ashes I will post form our new home--Maybe, maybe not. Who knows what will happen. You can rest assured that I will get this move completed, coffee cups and all. The golf clubs are already in the trunk and ready to go. God bless, and we will see you on the other side.

From...

A Truly Moving Experience--Not New Year's Day Holiday

     Well, the time is truly here.  We have put it off thinking that it was a dream or that we were caught in a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. Have you ever watched one of those--that and the Lifetime Network. When they put the definition of  "Chick Flick" in the dictionary, they have a schedule of movies that will be appearing on Lifetime or Hallmark. I am not going to admit it that I am hooked, but that's what we watch here in the Rallis house. That's kind of off the subject, I know and I guess the old ADHD is kicking in. What I really want to point out is that the move is here. I DON'T WANT TO MOVE! Too bad sucker, you're movin.
     We are not packed and we have to be out of here by Saturday. My beloved came in this morning before she went to work and told me she doesn't know if  we are going to make it all out by then. To this point, she has been the one kind of in charge of the whole thing.  As of 08:00 today, that is going to change. The private (me) is going to take personal initiative and take the hill. This thing is going to get done, and soon--like today. Get out of the way, general!
     I know what has to be done.  I have been taking this stuff Jovita which is supposed to make me more focused and decisive.  I think it is working. It is going to get done, and starting now. I have the battle plan all laid out, and if the general gets in the way, she may get run over by an A-1 tank--maybe not an A-1 tank as we can't afford the tank but how about a Bradley Fighting Vehicle? We can't afford that either. How about our neighbor's 1970 Volkswagen.  That is more a possibility.
     FORWARD, MARCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Third move in three years.  I'm buying stock in U-Haul.

Did Somebody Loose Something?

     Has someone misplaced somethings these past few days?  I have to say that I have found them for you.  I am such a nice guy that I am going to keep them for a while and take care of them, but I want you to come get them as soon as you can. I really don't want them.
     Take a look around you and see what is not there but was there a week ago. I don't know who you are, and I know that it has to be only one person.  Please come and reclaim your property.  I'm talking about the eight pounds that found me over the Christmas/New Year's Holiday. I went to the gym this morning and there they were, lost like little children and clinging to me. They got on the scale with me, all eight of them. I love you little guys, but go back to your owner, please. It was hard enough to return the other seventy pounds I lost to the person who lost them the last time I lost pounds that had come to live with me.
    I think it was Quincy that lost those pounds.  He looked a lot thinner this morning when I saw him at the gym. Quincy is always running and working out.  I did see what looked like a bit of extra meat on his bones last week before New Year's Day.  Today he looked much leaner. I think he gave me a New Year's gift of eight pounds. Thanks a lot, Quincy. Come and reclaim your pounds so they may return to their rightful owner and home.
     Maybe it wasn't Quincy. Whoever you are, come and get these extra pounds. I can only take care of them for a very short time.

Forbidden Fruit.  Honey, why did you buy those doughnuts?