I (heart) S.F.: It was a beautiful day here – got out for some errands, listened to the last Giants’ game of the season while getting things done, and just enjoyed a comfortable, sunny fall day. Kept an eye on the delayed broadcast of the F1 race – another win for the amazing Lewis Hamilton in a nasty wet race in Japan. No plans outside work during the coming week, but next weekend brings the air shows of Fleet Week and I’m planning to try my new camera out on the Blue Angels as they scream overhead.

Don’t forget to vote for Helio!

T.G.I.F.: Really hectic week. My new contractor started Monday, I was sick Tuesday, in user research testing Wednesday and Thursday and totally slammed catching up today. But, it was also a fun week. Suddenly, the release we’re starting has a few less projects in it, so no writer will be overbooked and I’ll have some time to actually manage and assist them. I’ve got a few things to do around the house this weekend, and will catch the last three games of the Giants’ season, but mainly, I’m looking to chill…

Thaaaaaat’s Helio!: Yup, he’s always like that – always smiling, laughing, joking around and getting up to mischief. Early in the racing season, 20-year-old Marco Andretti was being interviewed by a new pit reporter, the very lovely Brienne Pedigo. Marco’s a reserved kid and usually a cool customer when talking to the media. This particular interview, he was stumbling over words and stammering a bit, and I was wondering if he might be crushing on Brienne. Nope. At the end of the interview, the camera man panned down to Marco’s feet, and there was Helio, tying his shoelaces together.

Helio’s laces were tied just right last night!

Julio Sparkled: Helio and Julianne were fantastic tonight on Dancing with the Stars, performing a foxtrot to a vocal version of the theme from Bewitched. It was charming, witty and elegant and Helio did all his racing fans proud with a terrific performance and a first-place finish among the men. I’ll post a clip here as soon as it pops up on YouTube.

Meanwhile, on MySpace: Things have been hopping! If you scroll down just a bit, you’ll see a Napoleon Dynamite image I made with an online wallpaper generator – Vote for Helio. I hosted the image on my site and posted it in a comment on Helio’s MySpace page a couple days ago. I just remembered that I could see the traffic on that file in my raw stats (which I rarely dig through), so I just had a look. Helio’s page is getting SLAMMED – looks to me like he’s making a ton of new fans. 

Doom in an Elevator: All umpteen members crammed in an elevator (undoubtedly going down) to perform Neon Bible live.

BFF: Okay, so I haven’t even met the guy, but I’ve managed to make the top friends list on Helio Castroneves’ MySpace page. Thanks, Helio – hope you have a great foxtrot with Julianne! (Helio and Julianne have already been mashed-up: Call them “Julio”…)

Dance, Helio!: Indy Racing League driver and 2-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves of Brazil is a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, staring tomorrow night on ABC. I rarely turn on the TV and have never seen a reality show or any of these newfangled talent shows (I used to LOVE The Gong Show from what, 20-30 years back?). But, I think I’ll have to catch this one. Helio is a lot of fun and I think he should be great at this dancing thing. Vote for Helio!

A Little Better: Still pretty tired, but feeling a little better today. I did nothing physical – it rained here today, which is a couple of months early – so I stayed indoors and puttered around the house. Finished watermarking some photos and revamped my site a bit – the layout and colors are the same, but I reworked the photo pages into more generic topics, reduced the amount of photos and finally added some of the photos from the race at Sonoma. This is an interim step – I’m planning a redesign soon.

Without Fire: It’s a curse. Three times I’ve had tickets for the Arcade Fire. Three times, I’ve been sick and unable to go. Went to work for a little while today, then came home and logged on for the rest of the day. It was fairly quiet, fortunately. I’m restocked with Nyquil and chicken stock for soup and am hunkered down for a weekend of rest.

Ready to be Done with This!: I’m so tired of being sick – worked from home a third day in a row. I think a good night’s sleep last night would have made a big difference, but some idiot dialed my apartment from the intercom twice in the middle of the night. (The intercom rings my phone.) Someone did this a few night ago, as well. Thanks to a Vonage feature I never thought I’d need, I can send my phone straight to voice mail without ringing for the overnight hours, so that won’t happen again. But I’m so exhausted from the bug and no sleep that I stayed home again. I really need to be in the office tomorrow, but I’m getting a Flexcar so I can escape if need be. I have tix to Arcade Fire tomorrow night, but I’m not sure if I’ll make it.

Flyin’ the Jolly Roger: Arrrrr, this scurvy has laid waste to me shipmates, one an’ all, and I’m still addled by it. No dashing corsair ter swashbuckle up with me grog, either. Juss me an’ me fur-mates here in the bunk. Have ter be back ter sea a’mornin, so feeling well or no, me be weighin’ anchor and making way for the booty chest – so happens the cap’n will be handin’ ’round the pieces o’ eight. Gon’ ter take a lot o’ swabbing ter get everythin’ shipshape when I get thar.

Best TV Ad You Probably Didn’t See: Unless you follow the Indy Racing League, that is. Firestone created a 2 and 1/2 minute video for a corporate event, celebrating their involvement in racing by focusing on the traditions and history of the Indianapolis 500. It was then edited to 90 seconds for airing as a TV ad during the races. I grew up in Central Indiana, steeped in the traditions and loving the vibe of the Month of May, and this ad never fails to connect to those memories. It stands up the hairs on my arms every time I see it.

Here’s Firestone’s Ode to Racing. Enjoy.

Nasty: A virus has mowed through the office – the Creative team has been decimated the last few days. My turn. I stayed home today, although I was online working the whole time. Can’t afford a down day right now – my big projects for the next release are starting, and I have a contractor starting on-site Monday. That will mean I’m responsible for three others now, and not just one (I’m getting my off-site contractor back), plus I’ll be juggling the highest profile projects. The next three months will be slammed.

Pippi!: She’s planning to move back to California next month, bringing her bunny with her! Woo Hooo!

Vegas?: Those Fixx boys have two gigs in Vegas right after Thanksgiving. Pippi and Big Bunny will likely be there. I’m going to try, but it’s tough timing. Even if I get the time off, which is possible, I’m going to be really tired and likely needing a four-day spa stay, and not flights and gigs and two nights of all-night parties and all the attendant drama and posturing that goes with it. This will be a last-minute decision…

Powered by Pink: Okay, so only those of you here in the west will have actually SEEN this stuff anywhere, but I am officially in complete adoration of Go Girl Energy Drink. I have one a day, laced with my Tunguska Blast supplement, as a part of my healthy, well-balanced breakfast. (That’s usually lightly-buttered wheat toast, oatmeal, and yogurt or some such.) Go Girl is sugar free and citrus-berry flavored, much tastier than the other energy drinks I’ve tried, and a portion of sales go to fight breast cancer. Seems there was a run on the stuff recently – I couldn’t find it at my usual Safeway stores and was down to my last can. I had to trudge clear to the Marina to the Safeway called “Dateway” to find it. Fortunately, on a Sunday morning the date seekers were sleeping off their hangovers, so I got 18 cans of Go Girl without having to dodge aisles of dressed-to-the-nines 20-somethings, looking for luuuurve in the produce section. The things we do for our beverage of choice…

Right Tasty Wee Biscuits: ‘er, cookies, if yer a Yank. Tuesday is the International Food Fair at work – it’s a potluck people donate food and buy tickets to, all benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network. I volunteered a dessert and have begun the process of cranking out a small mountain of yummy, lemony shortbread cookies, in honor of my Scottish ancestors. Fortunately, not ALL of our 700+ employees attend this thing, so three batches will more than meet the quota I have to hit…if I don’t eat ‘em all. *grin* Wash ‘em down with a Go Girl, and I’ll be good to go for days!

FWMA: Finally got the FWMA web site updated with the story of the fire. The whole site needs an overhaul, and we were just about to ask Chris Beatty what we should add, remove and focus on when she and her family suffered their fire. So, I’ll do a content inventory with a list of ideas and have that waiting for when she’s able to think about these mundane things again. I really feel for the family…so much upheaval and so much cleanup to do.

Old: Feeling so worn out this week that I skipped the Todd Rundgren show Thursday night. Hadn’t seen him for 3 years. Guess it’ll be at least another before I do…

Crazy: Initial word is my team will be very busy next year. I truly hope this means we get to hire a few more folks, or I may die of old age by the end of 2008! LOL!

CA: There’s a good chance my Pippi will be back in CA before the end of the year. Bunny’s business is closing so there’s really nothing holding him there. I can’t wait to get her back, and bonus – I get him, too!  Woo hoo!

There’s a special family and their special cause that needs your support.

Thanks for your consideration.

Dario Gets ‘er Done!: He was right on Scott Dixon’s tail on the last lap when the Kiwi ran out of fuel and The Flying Scot with The Italian Name flew to a win and the championship title. SO happy for him – he’s so deserving. There is a part of me that’s a little sad, though. The rumors are flying that he’s heading for another racing league (several of them), and having completed the important milestones for this series (the 500 and the title), I’m guessing there’s not so much left to hold him in the IRL if the other offers are strong. I hope he does return – he’s a real credit to the league.

Staying Dry: So, she’s just skirting the outer banks, that Gabrielle Gal(e). My friends are a bit too far inland to get her rains, so they remain extremely dry.

Staying Safe: Here’s hoping the Indy Car and IPS races at Chicagoland Speedway stay safe. Lots on the line in both series, and one entrant in the IPS pulled out due to the dangers of starting so far back in the field on an oval. My MySpace pal Ryan Justice decided to sit this one out after being in a similar spot at Homestead this spring and getting involved in a serious wreck. It’s a matter of economics, as his family is invested in his ride and doesn’t want to risk the $. Instead, they’ll save for his future. The ICS race will be a barn burner, if it holds true to their history at this track.

Discoveries: Go Girl Energy Drink. Tunguska Blast herbal supplement. Three products from DHC: After Bath Hair Treatment Oil, Deep Cleansing Oil, and Olive Virgin Oil. Lucerne Green Tea Yogurt, available at Safeway.

Rain’s a Comin’, and Guess Who’s Coverin’ It…: I have friends in the southeast and mid-Atlantic states who are willing to put up with some of the potential wind damage to get some of TS Gabrielle’s drought-ending rain. Between endless chores and errands today I popped on the Weather Channel to keep track of her, and yup, there is Mr. Hurricane himself, Jim Cantore. No prima donna, this guy – can’t imagine him saying “unless it’s a Cat 3 or higher, I’m staying home.” If the wind picks up and the surf is rough, the dude is THERE. Here’s hoping my friends get no wind damage and the rain they need in manageable doses…

Dario on the Pole: Franchitti took the pole for the final race of the Indy Car season, and has 4 drivers between himself and challenger Scott Dixon. Tune in tomorrow for the season-ending mayhem, which includes the Roth Racing cars sporting green monsters as the livery. Way cooool!

I’ve been pretty disconnected from all my old online social and fan scenes for over a year now, but man, people are mighty interested in what I write in my blogs if it might possibly be connected to one of those scenes. Someone forwarded me an email yesterday (with all the identities neatly edited out) where a piece of my blog was quoted and gossiped about by several folks. Of course, my words were shortened and taken out of context and as such, didn’t represent my true thoughts. Wonder if any of them bothered to check my blog for the full post…

Over the last few months, I’ve been ignoring questions and requests for clarifications from people at both my blogs. I guess it’s time for a blanket response:

In posts on personal matters, sometimes I am addressing actions or circumstances directly relating to some specific person or people I know. These posts are about someone’s actions in relation to me, things they tell me (in one person’s case, over several sessions of sobbing and telling me how hard day-to-day life is), or information from their colleagues, etc. Often, a specific person or situation inspires me to riff on a broader, more general theme. It’s not worth anyone’s time trying to figure out who these posts are about, or whether it’s a specific comment or one of those more general things. In the main, I’m communicating my opinions about something to people who usually already know the details – the rest of the world are passers-by.

I don’t have time right now to write all my friends one-on-one very often (I do go to email if I need to share specific details). I’m slammed with work, and my awesome friends have agreed to come to my blog for my thoughts. If I omit names and details, it’s because they aren’t necessary to get my point across, and it helps maintain a certain amount of privacy. If you were there, you’ll know who I’m talking about in most cases. If not – again, does it matter? Probably not. My point still gets across. If you weren’t there, you may still think you’ve figured it out anyway. Be very careful about making assumptions. I may know some stuff you don’t, and you’ll jump to some wrong conclusions based on what I chose to leave out. Or, maybe I’m talking about someone/something else all together.

I tried to password protect a more personal post once. People hated having to dig in their mail and find the blog password I set for them at the beginning, etc. I hated having to resend everyone the password. It didn’t save me time, and saving time is why I opened a blog in the first place. So I remain in the open but vague, and no, I won’t share specifics privately with anyone other than close friends and family. Please accept and respect that. I don’t have time to maintain a separate private blog for these kinds of thoughts. Perhaps if you are bothered by lack of details or oblique commentary, you should read someone else’s blog, or skim by the more personal posts.

To the handful of you who contacted me, thanks for your understanding on this. To the gossips – hey, at least link to my blog so the context is there! Geez! To the rest of you (aka the vast majority of my readers), sorry for this interruption. (You probably didn’t bother reading this far, anyway. LOL!)

Throw-down in Chi-town: It’s going to the wire in the Indy Racing League; one last race remains on the schedule, and there’s just three points to choose from between the top two contendahs. Should they both screw up, third place is close enough to steal it away. And it’s an oval race, so it’s a lot more “anything goes” than the last two road/street course races we’ve had. Add in the fact that IRL finishes at Chicagoland Speedway are usually closer than conjoined twins, and we may not know who’s got the title until the last few thousandths of a second.

My picks – man, this is tough. I want it to be Dario Franchitti, and I think that the oval will make it more likely to be. But Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan both know how to win on these things, too. Nothing against Dixon, but if it can’t be Franchitti, I’d love it to be his best friend and huge team player, Kanaan. He was completely unselfish in Sonoma and I think he deserves it for that. But if it is Dixie, he’ll get my respect. In fact, he already has it. Stealthy, solid, consistent and always well-behaved, the New Zealander won a title in 2003 and is worthy of a repeat.

Dream finish? Danica Patrick getting her first win near her hometown of Roscoe, IL. Only bad thing about that is the timing – the interest generated couldn’t be channeled into next week’s race, and it would definitely be muted by the long break until next season starts in March. But it’d still be great for the series, and well-deserved for The Go Girl. (Yeah, I know she’s a Go Daddy Girl, but I like Go Girl better.) Followed by Franchitti for second and the title, with Kanaan and Marco Andretti getting in there for an AGR sweep – they’re my team.

If it’s someone out of the top tier, make it Meira. The dude just deserves a win. But, Panther’s not doing so well lately, and the focus will be on his likely new team mate, Hideki Mutoh, who’s making his series debut. A DRR win by Buddy Rice would be welcomed, and I’d LOVE to see Darren Manning get a victory for the Foyt team.

We’ve had plenty of rumbles and lots of tension between teams and drivers this season, and this last race is a pressure cooker – not only for the title, but for those hoping to prove/improve themselves for next year. It could get pretty interesting out there Sunday. Stay safe, folks! And don’t forget to follow it all with our very own Pressdog, who’s off-leash, on the premises and telling it like it is…

“Musicians and Mountaineers unite in the battle against cancer!” – LHSF Web site

Do you know the Welsh band The Alarm? “The Stand”, “Marching On” and “68 Guns” are some of their best-known tunes. I hadn’t heard their music until I saw them play live this summer. I really enjoyed the spirit of their music and the energy of lead singer Mike Peters, and was stunned to learn that he was just off his second battle with leukemia.

Peters has joined with other cancer survivors to create the Love Hope Strength Foundation, with a mission to raise money and awareness through various events usually involving music. He and others have climbed Mt. Snowdon for a performance and played a concert atop the Empire State Building, and are now preparing for the ultimate trek: Mount Everest.

More than forty musicians, mountaineers and survivors will set out for base camp on October 13^th, with plans for an acoustic set once they arrive two weeks later. Podcasts and other updates will be shared daily and a documentary crew will capture it all for everyone wishing to participate “virtually.”

I’m honored to have an acquaintance making this trek – Cy Curnin of The Fixx. I’m sponsoring Cy in honor of several relatives who have had cancer and invite you to join me with a donation of your own. Paypal makes it easy and quick and even a little will make a difference.

Please sponsor Cy today and help build a global network of support for those dealing with, battling and beating cancer.

Thanks so much for your support!

Viewers: Lots of folks from across the map since my last check on August 12. Readers from Indonesia to Russia to France to Chile (again!) to Mexico, and all over the US. Welcome!

New Look for a Good Cause: Decided on a 3-column layout so I can pop some banners in easily on the left. Please follow the top one to the Love Hope Strength Foundation and support the climb to base camp on Everest, and the concert that will take place there. You can sponsor a trekker and help in the fight against cancer by making a donation on the foundation’s site.

7 is 9: Davey Hamilton raced in the Classic for supermodifieds at Oswego yesterday in the no. 7 car. He finished ninth. Glad Davey’s racing again and I hope he can get some more sponsorship deals going so we can see him in the IndyCars more frequently. I think his 9th place finish at the Indy 500 with a middle tier team, after having not raced in 6 years, makes him a solid candidate for a ride in the 500 again. But he’d also bring more consistent and higher results throughout a season than some of the drivers who have full-time rides right now, so I’d like to see him get a chance at it. A good scenario for Davey might be a ride share…he drives most or all ovals for a team, and someone else does the road and street courses that would be too hard on Davey’s repaired feet and ankles. I’d sure miss him in the broadcast booth, though…

I Thought They BUILT Cars in Michigan: The IndyCar oval race at Michigan International was a serious “Festival of Carbon Fiber” with just a handful of cars running at the end. The street course race in the “mitten” state today was only slightly less costly, with the championship leaders Dixon and Franchitti getting into each other on the penultimate lap while they were running third and fourth. Franchitti was eventually able to keep rolling and finished ahead of Dixon, reclaiming the points lead. Tony Kanaan got the win, with teammate Danica Patrick finishing behind him. Girlfriend got second – her highest position ever. You GO Girl! There were incidents a-plenty – Sarah Fisher took out Sam Hornish and Vitor Meira (Danica got caught in that one, but was able to continue). Helio Castroneves and Tomas Scheckter tangled, Danica got into Scott Sharp, etc. Full-contact racing! The season-finale is next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Sure wish I could be there.