Now What?: The Giants’ season ended today (on a high note – great outing by Tim “gimme that Cy Young nod” Lincecum and a 3-1 win over the Dodgers). There’s one IndyCar race left – takes place in Australia in a month and counts for not much more than bragging rights and a trophy. This used to be the time of year that I’d switch to following figure skating, but Ottavio Cinquanta has destroyed the sport beyond my ability to care anymore, and there’s no Michelle Kwan to make me cry for joy. So now what? Yeah, there’s football, but I only hear the results and hope for Colts wins. Hoops? I used to follow college ball, but just get oversaturated with so much of that and the NBA. I miss the days of Bird, Magic, Dr. J and MJ. No one sparks my imagination anymore. I may just go into hibernation until spring training!  LOL!

Cold, Again: I have my third cold in four weeks and it’s freezing in my place. I’m happy I can stream SpeedFreaks on my phone with the iPhone upgrade – may just do a bubble bath, dose up on Nyquil and hit the hay early, and I can listen to the Freaks’ two-hour Paul Newman tribute wherever I go in the house.

RIP: We’ve lost Paul Newman. Millions will remember and continue to enjoy his classic, excellent acting. Millions more have been and will continue to be touched by his Newman’s Own and Hole in the Wall Camps charities. As a life-long IndyCar fan, my own memories of Paul Newman are associated with his role as co-owner of Newman Haas Lanigan Racing, a front-running team for nearly three decades in the CART/Champ Car/IndyCar series. His team endured a lot this season – tragic death, transition to a new series, and knowing they’d be losing their patriarch. Here’s hoping N/H/L is done with the sad news and finds smoother sailing ahead.

Project Yumway: My team, Project Yumway, raised $240 for the charity at work yesterday. Unfortunately, we didn’t raise the most – the team selling chicken skewers and salad at $6/plate beat the rest of us (who took “bake sale” at face value). Nonetheless, it was a fun, tasty day, and we whooped everyone in the delicious department! Brownies, cupcakes, cookies, cakes, fig/nectarine galette, apple tart, pumpkin bread and more!

Settled In: Finally got time to complete unpacking and here’s what my new space looks like:

Yum, Part II: Hauled home a Panda Feast from Panda Express today – steamed and fried rice, Kung Pao and Orange Chickens and Beijing Beef. Froze half and will eat the other half over the weekend…bliss!

Live Traffic Reports, 24/7: Thanks to Feedjit, you can see what towns visit this blog, over in the left column. If you click “Watch in Real-Time,” you’ll go to a live feed page that gives you browser, operating system and referrer information. Of course, since this is just a little stop way off the main road, there won’t be much activity, but it is kinda fun to see where folks are coming from and going to…

Cold: Been battling a cold bug, it’s cold here in SF this week, and the diet Barq’s I just opened has frozen bits floating in it (I keep the fridge cold).  Will be off to a bubble bath in a bit…about the only way to feel warm!

Training: I’m attending another day-long seminar here in SF tomorrow – “Coaching and Team Building for Managers” will keep me preoccupied 9-4, then I’ll be rushing home to bake up a storm, because…

Bake Sale: …I formed a team of folks at work, named us “Project Yumway” and we’re going raise the most money for the Children’s Miracle Network at our company’s competition/bake sale on Friday. Peanut butter chocolate kiss cookies, lemon shortbread and garlic cheese biscuits are my contributions. My team mates are bringing bundt cakes, cup cakes, Pavlovas, fruit tarts, croissants, brownies and more. We will crush the other teams with our yumminess.  *grin*

Move: Didn’t get my desk completely sorted out Friday – work got in the way. So I’ll share a photo when things are settled.

Zoo: Strained a muscle in my back moving and unpacking things, so I didn’t participate in re-landscaping part of the San Francisco Zoo along with my coworkers. (Walmart.com participated in “Be the Change” Day, organized by Hands On Bay Area.)

2009 Races: Been exploring which races I might attend next year and nailing down hotel reservations while the choosin’s good. My Facebook buddy Tom Beeler is encouraging Kentucky, Chicago or both (I had to take a moment to catch Tom up on my Sonoma adventure…hoo boy) and I’ve been looking at several other races as well. Won’t be able to make all the races I’ve booked rooms for, so I’m selecting options that have flexible cancellation polices…

Corned Beef Hash: Yeah, it’s a heart attack on a plate, but I get a hankerin’ for it 3-4 times a year. (Since it’s so seldom, I always indulge myself when the hankerin’ hits.) Usually, I make it from scratch, but didn’t have all the ingredients I needed this time. So I broke the glass with the little hammer and accessed my emergency rations (aka Hormel Homestyle in a can). I’d been reading well past lunch time and was starving – and why does it take so incredibly long for the stuff to reach that “crispy but not burned” state that makes it so yummy? Anyway, there’s a little left for breakfast tomorrow – an egg and some toast and that’s a hearty start. Mmmmmm!

SHEESH, PEOPLE!: Got a couple of emails about my Sonoma photos – “been looking for them here, so where are they?”

Out of curiosity, I checked my stats to see who’s been looking at this year’s photos. I noticed a few folks were stopping by here a few times, then going off and looking at my Sonoma photos from last year, but never seeing the ones from THIS year. Funny, I posted links to this year’s photos right here, two weeks ago. (You people just don’t READ, do you? LOL!)

But…

I’ve found a better place for all my photos and they all (33 albums as of this date) live on my Picasa Web site now. Just:

1. Click the words “my Picasa Web site” in the last sentence.
2. Click an album to open it.
3. Click a photo to see full size, or click “Slideshow” to automate the display.

It’s all there – the last two Indy 500s, last two Sonomas, loads of Fixx concerts, Martin Gore from Depeche Mode playing the piano in our penthouse suite on the Exciter tour, my kitties, other critters, niece and nephews, etc.

Enjoy!

Sabrina stalks a snack…

Light of Day: I’m moving from a cube that is very small and very dark to a bit larger space with plenty of light and a window. Here it is, pre-move:

And the view from my seat includes the bay and Candlestick Park to the right of the hill:

My boxes are all unpacked and my electronics all set up and running – just need to decide where to store a few things and the desk will be ready for visitors tomorrow. Look for a photo or two tomorrow evening.

A Winning Day: Every year, the company holds an outing to AT&T Park for a Giants’ game, and today was a perfect day for it. Sunny, nice breeze, low 70s and a bottom-of-the-ninth come-from-behind win by the home team. Head to Flickr for best of my photos from the afternoon.

photo by icka
© All rights reserved

Movin’, Shakin’, Cookin’, Plantin’: Really busy week. My direct report, Jon, is back from paternity leave – yesterday there were cupcakes, a cake and plenty of other tasty tidbits, lots of meetings and people swinging by to welcome him back. As part of company reorg, we’re moving to another building, and the packing has begun. (I’ll have a window seat with a view of The Stick – schweeeet!) This move is a cooperative – we pack everything by 2 on Thursday, and it gets moved Thursday evening. Friday morning, we report to the new building and unpack. That’s a day lost to any real productivity. It’ll rock though – we’ve long thought our current building is a sick building, and folks who moved to our new building a few months back confirm they’ve been much healthier since.

Another day is lost tomorrow when we all convene at AT&T Park for Walmart.com’s Day at the Ballpark. Brad Hennessey will start for the Giants after we all enjoy a tailgate with the usual dogs and burgers fare. I’m really torn about that – will probably attend but not eat anything until I get inside the park. AT&T is known for its food – especially Gilroy Garlic Fries and a huge range of additional San Francisco treats.

So today, we’re all packing in a hurry since tomorrow is a total loss. And we’re eating more sweets in honor of two birthdays: George’s is today, Alvin’s is tomorrow. They both sit next to me (for two more days) and are two cool designer doods. George knows Dario Franchitti’s cousin, Jarrett, who’s director of apparel at Nike, so we sometimes chat about that and racing. Alvin is another shutterbug who loves the Nikon D80 as much as I do. And the coolest thing happened today: George and Alvin’s boss Vanessa had her second baby – a special present for George. Needless to say, we’re getting nothing done but some packing (NINE boxes for me – I’ve been here 4 1/2 years, so I gots lots of STUFF).

Saturday, the company’s involved in four Hands On Bay Area events – I’m participating in the replanting of landscaped areas at the SF Zoo. We had an informational potluck today (I brought baked macaroni and cheese), got our tshirts and stuffed our faces for a bit. Our company’s partnering with Home Depot, Accenture, Symantec, CBS5-TV, The Gap, See’s Candies, Glaceau’s VitaminEnergy (I love their SmartWater) and Panera Bread on these activities. The ballgame, the move and the zoo cleanup all look like photo ops to me, so check back as the days progress to see wildlife in various forms…

Chicagoland: This last points race of the season was completely wild. This track, for the IndyCars, just brings out the closest, most exciting races we see every year. Unbelievable performances today, loads of excitement, and some sad moments. Today we saw:

• Scott Dixon clench his second championship
• The second-closest finish in IndyCar history (.0033 – a few inches). Race all afternoon at 214 mph and it comes down to that. (The closest IndyCar finish was .0024 – 2002 at Chicagoland Speedway. And the closest finish in motor sports history happened in an Indy Lights race last year – .0005 was the difference. Where? Chicagoland Speedway, of course.)
• The results reversed – at first we were told that Scott Dixon won the race, but a review of the video tape showed it was Helio
• The record set for the winner starting from the farthest back in the field. (Helio started 28th – dead last – due to a penalty during qualifying. The previous record was 26th.)
• The record set for most laps led in a season (Scott Dixon)
• The record tied for most wins in a season (six)
• E.J. Viso come from 26th to race as high as 4th before a punctured tire put him into the wall and out of the race
• Mario Moraes starting 27th and running well into the top 10 for a good while before crashing out
• Milka Duno leading a few yellow flag laps and a single green flag lap and holding a good speed and line as she got passed by the contenders on that restart
• A “true” rookie (Hideki Mutoh) winning Rookie of the Year
• Will Power having his best oval finish and sounding exhilarated at the close racing, saying he’d had the most fun all season
• Three wide racing for the lead for 3-4 laps just shy of the midpoint of the race, with lots of other three wide and pack racing all day. I found myself holding my breath on numerous occasions.
• Vitor’s last race for Panther end with an mechanical failure that put him in the wall (real bummer)
• Tomas Scheckter out early with yet another mechanical issue (not drive shaft this time)
• Both Vision cars showing some speed (though not showing great final results)
• Another chance to use “Graham Rawall” (or “Graham in the Wall Camps”) as the 06 found the wall on an oval yet again
• Sarah Fisher crashing out and suffering a foot injury

There was so much going on today that I’m sure I missed some – it was a terrific finish to the championship and I can’t wait for next season. There’s a non-points race in Surfer’s Paradise, Australia (Oct 25 at 10:30 PM eastern on ESPN Classic; re-air Oct 26, 11 PM ET on ESPN2) and then the long, cold winter sets in.

Comfy: It’s been very warm here this week, but today was a bit cooler – it was just perfect. Upper 70s, slight breeze, not a cloud. Got out for an errand and a tourmaline manicure/pedicure at Cinta Salon. (Highly recommended…)

Happy Kim-Day!: Kim Diep is my technician at Cinta, and today is her birthday. She didn’t seem to mind working on her day and was excited that her husband was coming in to the city to take her to dinner after work. She keeps me laughing all through the buffing and polishing with tales of the adventures of her two young sons, Kevin and Jordan. Happy birthday, sweetie!

Need “Clear Eyes”…: This week has been a struggle – battling a cold exacerbated by allergies. Missed two days of work and woke most mornings with my eyes swollen shut. Also suffering some congestion, so it’s been hard to breathe – and it’s warm here this week. It’s been hard to get to sleep and stay there due to these factors, so I’m pretty tired.  Gonna take it easy this weekend – a few chores, a mani/pedi, baseball and races. And since it’s too hot to spend much time in the kitchen…I hired in food:

I’m set for the weekend – happy as a clam. Just need to score a nice bottle of sangiovese and all will be perfect!

Feels Right: It’s been a couple of days since the announcement that Dario Franchitti is returning to the IndyCar series, and I’m listening to him on a radio show tonight and it just sounds good. I love the brogue, the class, the humor and the genuine nature of the guy. He’s gonna be a real threat with Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009.

Or, Is That Bud-day?: September 5th is time to celebrate with Bud Moeller, who is now 54 years young and no doubt is off having a great time somewhere! *grin*

I connected with Bud on MySpace and finally met him at Infineon Raceway at Sonoma last month. Bud races a temperamental Ferrari and a trusty backup Ensign in the Historic Grand Prix and he and his wife Carol are two of the sweetest people you could meet.

So here’s to Bud on his day – I know there are good friends, good food, and good wine surrounding him today!

Happy Birthday!

(Hope you like marzipan frosting!)

Funny: Someone put a chair with balloons and a message behind someone’s car in the parking lot at work today.

A birthday message?

My first thought is that it must be someone’s birthday and that this is a very clever way to mark it. But then I got closer and read the message:

Everyone loves a winner!

Now, I don’t imagine Michael Phelps’ girlfriend really works at Walmart.com, and I don’t know who has the massive crush on Phelps, but this technique has multiple applications – birthday, weddings, new baby, promotion, good luck…very smart.

Hot Bodies: We’re talking race cars, baby. Sleek, sexy, open wheel race cars, captured by my Nikon D80 at Infineon. Wanna see?

Bombs Away!: What would IndyCar fans do without Trackside Online? Pat, Joe, Kim et all bring us coverage of all races, some of the tests and pass along news, notes and press releases from all IndyCar entities. Today they got the scoop on THE question that was hanging over the sport – what of Dan Wheldon’s future at Target Chip Ganassi? Wheldon is out “exciting plans for 2009,” he says, and Dario Franchitti will drive the 10 car next season. A quick check of the usual IndyCar news sites had no coverage of this story as of the time of TSO’s announcements – although it did appear on Indystar.com and SPEEDTV.com a little while later.

Indycar.com says Wheldon will drive for Panther, replacing Vitor Meira. (Indystar.com has it, too.) If the money comes together, they may run a 2nd car for Vitor. If not…where will Vitor go? Some of the “transition” teams are talking about expanding or, in the case of Derek Walker, joining for the first time. Many of them have struggled with drivers who just haven’t been catching on. Vitor is very talented and a solid driver who could help any of those struggling teams. And where does Paul Tracy fit in to the picture? And Alex Tagliani? This will be interesting to watch.