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What I Learned From The World Cup

We were in Hilton Head visiting Ellen’s parents when the US played Ghana. We were able to see the first US goal which was very exciting (and unexpected), scored in the first 35 seconds of… 

AMARC Federal Big Data Summit Starts Today, June 19

Our Federal Big Data Summit starts today at noon at the Ronald Reagan Trade Center. Today is the AMARC/MITRE collaboration sessions. We have four moderated challenge areas which will produce a series of suggestions which… 

Our June 2014 Visit to Hilton Head, Baseball Are Us – Part I

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We have been trying to visit Ellen’s parents every three to four months.

When we used to visit them when our kids were younger, we would generally drive. When the kids left the house, we tended to fly (to Savannah, where Ellen’s parents would pick us up). Now we have returned to driving there, however we try and see things and places each time.

For example, during a previous trip we stopped by Asheville, NC to see the Biltmore, the largest private home in the US, built by a Vanderbilt at the end of the 19th century. This trip our non-Hilton Head focus was baseball.

My Trip With The Capitals Road Crew When Alex Ovechkin Was Drafted

<the Caps Road Crew asked those of us who had been present when Alex Ovechkin was drafted to write up a few thoughts from our time at the draft, this is what I sent to them>

Those who know me are aware that I have been a Washington Capitals hockey fan for a long time.

The basis for that does not come from any personal hockey experience, the few times I have tried to skate, I spent the vast majority of the time falling down. My mother was born in Winnipeg Manitoba and all of my cousins even the lamest and least coordinated were great skaters and loved hockey. Because of them when young I became a big Toronto Maple Leafs fan, many of the cousins lived in Toronto.

Shortly after Washington received an NHL hockey franchise, my allegiance transferred to my hometown team and  I became a junior member of a season ticket group. Over a period of years, the group slowly dissolved until I ended up the last one standing. The Capitals were willing to transfer the season tickets to me (do they still do that)? And since then I have grown the group back up and increased the number of tickets we purchase from two seats to six, scattered all around the arena.

Sometimes News Stories Aren’t

Most days I spend an hour or so in the morning reading news stories. Some days when I do so, I get the feeling I have moved into a land of satire, this morning was one of those days.

It started with an article about two 12-year-old girls in Waukesha, WI, who stabbed a 12-year friend 19 times.  Waukesha is about twenty miles west of Milwaukee, it is a small town of slightly more than 70,000 people.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/06/03/pre-teen-girls-accused-of-stabbing-slumber-party-friend-19-times-to-please-mythological-creature/?tid=pm_pop

They evidently were fans of a web site focused on horror stories, creepypasta.wikia.com, in particular a character named Slender Man. Their goal was to kill someone to prove their dedication to Slender Man, and then run away to Slender Man’s mansion in the Nicolet National Forest, located in Northern Wisconsin.

Day 3 of My Wild & Crazy Bachelor Week

Each year Ellen spends a week in NYC attending a (the?) book festival, this year she left Tuesday morning and will return Saturday night. This, obviously, gives me the opportunity to have a completely out-of-control…