Phase 5 Indiscretions

Against better judgment - a case of Jaegermeister shots was purchased.

Immediately afterwards, the breathalyzer girl came by. I blew a 5.5% blood alcohol level which is 7 times over the legal driving limit. I tied for first place with two other guys.

I think the gargling 80 proof liquor just prior to the test can skew the results.

Oktoberfest 2011

After our meetings in Berlin the last two days, we flew down to Munich for some fun at Oktoberfest. We are at the Hofbrau Tent - about 7000 people inside.

About half of the music that is played is American Classics - not including Ein Prosit which is played every 4 minutes. Our tickets to the venue allowed us to be here from 5PM to 11PM which allows for 6 phases of debauchery. We are currently entering phase 4 (hugging of strangers, dancing to YMCA, and thinking it is a good idea to do a shot of jaegermeister). Since this is my third Oktoberfest, I have the experience to avoid the pitfalls of first-timers.

In phases 5 & 6 things get really crazy - especially the gratuitous groping in the rest room mosh pit. So far, I am pacing myself well - although I did make the mistake of having a beer before we came here.

Happy Birthday Sarah

It's not really Sarah's birthday today, that was days ago. But like the tradition of mad King Ludwig of Germany, my family likes to extend the celebration on one's birthday over many days.

Heather's birthday earlier this year ended after 23 days of constant cake and presents. We decided to end her event after we were forced to re-wrap presents from days 1-4 on days 22 and 23 because our credit cards were maxed out.

My birthday is in October and I hope to have a formal declaration of "Daddy Month" (sponsored by the American Society of Narcissists) where we will have festivals, feasts, and tributes to all things me.

Wash Out

The recent rains proved to be too much for the Lehigh River to accommodate rafting. Last night they did a dam release as the reservoir upstream was way over the limit.

The Army Corps of Engineers were doing a controlled release of 3000 cubic feet per second which caused minor flooding and somewhat dangerous conditions downstream. They were only allowing adults in large rafts on the water.

We drove down to the river and the water level was over the banks into the treeline. We did not see anyone out on the water.

Plan B was to try Knoebel's Amusement Park, but they were flooded and closed for the weekend. Plan C was to try Dorney Park, but they were closed for a private event. We even tried to go to the Lost Caverns in Allentown, but the caves were flooded.

By noon, we were home. We will have to try our Father-Daughter trip in a few weeks - hopefully we will have better luck. We will stay in a hotel this time.

Rise and Shine

Sleeping in back of the SUV turned out OK. Not very comfortable, but better than sleeping on the ground in a tent (in the background).

Going to the outhouse during the night required you to breathe through your mouth and fight any gag reflexes.

If it were dry, better sleeping accommodations, and a decent bathroom, I wouldn't mind camping - but I think I just described a hotel room.

Camping with Heather

Heather and I are off on a Father-Daughter camping/whitewater rafting trip in the Poconos this weekend. This is an event coordinated by the Girl Scouts.

Here is Heather setup in the back of my SUV. This is our sleeping backup plan in case the tent doesn't work out. We stopped for emergency supplies in Flemington as soon as we got on the road - Heather picked everything out - I don't know how we would have survived without mini chocolate donuts, Pringles, Cheetos, or Mountain Dew.

As I think about our adventure I am aware that the notion of camping is far more attractive than the actuality of camping. The notion: being in the outdoors, communing with nature, campfires, fresh air, being more self-reliant, etc. The actuality: sitting in the mud, going to the bathroom in a smelly pit, bugs, uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, unpleasant odors, bad night sleep, etc. We are going to try it in any case.

We arrived around 7PM just before it got dark. This place is in the middle of nowhere. Heather immediately suggested that we leave - but for now, we are going to stick it out.

After some exploring of the campsite area assigned to us, I think we found our tent that Vicki arranged. Heather started making declarative statements, "No freaking way I am sleeping in that tent!" I am not sure if Vicki ordered the extra acute musty smell, but if so, we got our money's worth. We are going to invoke Plan B (sleep in the car - which is parked next to tent).

We found the canteen and ordered some food for dinner and are watching a Disney movie in the dining hall. I expect that we will be in bed in an hour or so. There is wifi here in the dining hall, but I doubt that it reaches to our campsite - so no late night Netflix streaming.

Tomorrow we are going whitewater rafting. We are in the White Group and go off at 9:30am. There was some talk about not being able to go because of the floods and rain in the area, but the Lehigh River did not look that bad. The Delaware and Susquehanna are flooded. If we get cancelled, we will probably drive down to Amish Country.

More to follow I am sure .....

Happy 17th Birthday Sarah

Happy Birthday Sarah!

I am happy to report that on September 8th, 2011, Sarah passed her driving test an now has a Honda Accord like her brother TJ - only hers is white.

Here she is standing on the eve of her test acting very worried that she might not pass the test - especially the parallel parking part.

Drive safe Babydoll.

Rained out at US Open

I am at Flushing Meadow at the US Open for an event with Xerox. The weather is not good and play is suspended - so we are hanging out in the corporate hospitality rooms.

Here I am with 2-time women's Open Champion Tracy Austin. I told her I had a wicked serve but was unable to move from my serve position to handle any returns. She smiled, but I am sure she thought I was crazy.

I thought she would be taller.