Checking In

A catch-all, catch-up post

There are 1,126 posts filed in Checking In (this is page 27 of 113).

Sweetie weekend

Atop Hanging Rock

Kelly and I have enjoyed a wonderful “sweetie weekend” hiking around Hanging Rock State Park in Danbury, NC, after Kelly took the kids up to stay with Kelly’s parents for a few days. We boarded the dog Saturday morning and headed west, stopping by the Tanger Outlet mall to get a few clothes. Then we headed up to Hanging Rock to spend the first of two days hiking around this beautiful park.

Upon arrival at the park’s visitor center, Kelly asked the park ranger what trails he suggested. Peering around the room, the ranger noted there were no kids in tow and suggested we try one of the more strenuous trails: Moore’s Wall Loop Trail. We took that advice and set off for the trailhead near the lake’s bathhouse.

Moore’s Wall Loop Trail is a challenging hike in one direction and not so much the other. We opted to go counter-clockwise towards the highest point in the park, Moore’s Knob, and that proved to be a very tough climb! It was step after step for what the ranger said was 700 steps until reaching the base of the lookout tower on Moore’s Knob.
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Slimming down without really trying

I could scarcely believe my eyes this morning when I stepped on the scale and registered 170 pounds even. It’s what I consider my ideal weight and about thirteen pounds below my highest weight.

I’d been noticing that my waist has been slowly slimming down, so much so that I’m able to wear pants I last wore ten years ago! My waist has dropped about two inches over the past year. The other times I’ve dropped down to this weight didn’t include the smaller waist so I’m hopeful this is a more permanent change.
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RCAC gets things done

Instead of a regular RCAC meeting, tonight we had a workshop and session away from the TV cameras. Turned out to be pretty productive.

Christine Dargas from the city’s Planning Department briefed (and I do mean briefed) us on major changes to Raleigh’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). Lots of questions were raised and Christine answered as many as she could in the time we allotted her. The UDO is a huge beast of a document and 90 minutes is not nearly enough time to do it justice, so I hope to have a follow-on session sometime in the near future where we can get into more detail.
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Mr. Grump

I had a grumpy day today, start to finish. And it sucks. I should have felt better about things but I did not.

My work day started off with a bang as I discovered my laptop had a virus or two on it. I spent the majority of my workday carefully getting rid of those viruses and trying to determine how they got me. It made me curse the Windows laptop I have to use instead of the far more secure Linux one I’d prefer.

Though I finally got that problem solved, I spent the rest of the day stressing about all the other things I’ve got going on. This upcoming week has meeting after meeting and it’s got me looking ahead to next month’s vacation. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be a big deal but the kids’ being out of school has upended our home’s usual schedule and thrown me completely out of my comfort zone. This is the first summer we’ve had two working parents in the family and it’s taken a while to work things out.

Tomorrow is another day, however. The sun will come up, and I will find reason to sing again. I always do, you know.

Wade CAC heats up again

Things heated up again in the Wade CAC last night. Accusations are flying and fingers pointing. It’s crazy and hard to figure out. I’m not choosing sides, I’m not going to sort out the he-said-she-said, but I’m simply trying to carry out a fair election. While some have asked me to put things off, I will make no decision on my own but will submit to the direction of the CAC. It’s really all about the citizens.

The whole event is stressing the hell out of me, truth be told. I wish there was more harmony but wishing alone ain’t gonna make it happen. Whomever does win the election will have to contend with the big job of patching up the community. I wish them well!

Benjamin Franklin

Last week Netflix delivered us a DVD that neither Kelly nor I could remember adding to our queue. It was the PBS documentary on Benjamin Franklin and it offered just the thing to do on a hot Fourth of July.

Ben Franklin was born to invent. He invented constantly and reinvented himself constantly as well. He was intensely curious and never afraid to fly by the seat of his pants, comfortable with figuring things out as he went. Without his unique skills, the United States would not exist.

The more I learn about Franklin, the more I admire him. The documentary really brought him to life, too. It reminded me again how Franklin was one of the greatest Americans ever.

I’ll have to find time to read his autobiography.

Wade CAC nominations

It was a busy day! Not only did I attend the Glorious Church meeting but this evening I presided over the second special meeting of the Wade CAC. This meeting was the one where the candidate nominations were taken and nominations closed. It was the first meeting of the Wade CAC in its new meeting room, the aptly-titled “Meeting Room” in the newly renovated Jaycees Community Center on Wade Avenue.

The meeting began with city reports from the police and parks department. Following that, the list of existing candidates was presented and nominations taken from the floor. One new candidate was nominated and things went very, very smoothly.

For new business, two upcoming rezoning cases were mentioned but I didn’t have many details to share as I’d just been told about them at noon today. Also, one member expressed concern about the daytime closing of Dan Allen Drive and wanted some CAC members to study that.

It looks like the difficult stuff is behind us now and I expect next month’s meeting to be a smooth transition to the new officers. I will then happily step back and return to my other endeavors. While I think I’ve served an important purpose for the CAC, I’ve enjoyed getting to know the personalities of the Wade CAC. Perhaps I’ll be back as a visitor someday.

South Meck reunion

After my friend Mitchell Franseth invited me a few months back, I decided to attend the South Meck High School Class of 1987 reunion later this month. I left South Meck near the end of my junior year to move to Great Falls, VA, so I’m not officially a part of the class of 1987. Even so, I spent more time at South than I did at my last high school, Herndon High School in Herndon, VA.

My time at South Meck was a challenging one. I was a poor student, feeling hopelessly and embarrassingly lost in my math classes (due to my laziness coupled with my frequently-interrupted educational experience, I think). I was a geek before geeks ruled the world. The closest friends I had moved away before I did. My best friend attended a different school. It was also the first time that my older sister, Suzanne, didn’t attend a school before me, which I think tended to help me know what to expect. Charlotte in those days wasn’t as accepting of newcomers as it is today – certainly not as welcoming as the Northern Virginia suburbs where I’d soon live. I found it challenging at South to find my identity.
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Neighborhood break-in causes little concern

RPD is just a phone call away


Thursday provided a bit of unexpected excitement in the neighborhood. I had just stepped away from my home office desk for lunch when I read an email from a neighbor, saying that she had seen suspicious men at another neighbor’s home and had called the police. Looking out the window, I was amazed to see three Raleigh Police cruisers parked down the street!

I found out from other neighbors who were outside that the house at the end of the neighboring street had been broken into. Officers had the house surrounded, believing the perpetrators were still inside. I chatted a bit with my neighbors until a K-9 officer returning his dog to his car let us know that no one was inside.

It seems the perpetrators left out the back door as officers arrived, having had time to stack TVs and an Xbox outside but no time to take them with them. Fortunately for the police, the burglars very thoughtfully left their getaway car sitting in the driveway! I smiled as I watched the car being towed away, knowing how much evidence the burglars must have left in it. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before the hapless burglars are caught.
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Action-packed weekend

I had an incredibly action-packed weekend. Friday evening I met up with Jacob and Kelly of Little Raleigh Radio to chat with an attorney who is interested in helping us out. When I got home my in-laws had arrived for their weekend visit.

Saturday morning, Kelly’s parents gave us some time to go out by ourselves so Kelly and I got out the bikes and enjoyed a two-hour bike ride over to her office and back. We took a route along Glen Eden but soon regretted it as we didn’t appreciate that Glen Eden has some difficult hills!
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