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12-10-2001

Birthday Boy

Dear Political Diary,

I'm a full year into my second half century today. At fifty-one I've earned all the gray in my beard. Of course, its just a fraction of the gray I've given to others.

I had an EKG this morning and had my blood tested. Next week the physical continues at the Clinic where my physicians will get to know me from the inside out. Claudia is certain that I'm full of cholesterol - "the bad kind." Neither her opinion or my privations stopped me from rushing home and consuming half pound of green and red m&m's. I was seized by the spirit of Christmas. 

I got even more scrutiny when Ken Buhler called from KDAL Radio and interviewed me about the Yellow sub. He'd called a few weeks ago too but that was about the budget. Snow sculpting is a much more friendly topic but the budget is what's on people's minds.

I wrote up a short diary entry for the weekend then puttered with our new digital camera. After much fussing I figured out how to download a picture of the sub into the computer for my snow sculpting page. While still the most visited single page on my website it is getting a run for the money from the "gorilla slipper" page. 

Its nice to be associated with something "happy" especially as we grapple with the budget cuts. I got two more calls from reporters before the day was out. The call from the ABC affiliate was also about the sub but Chad Thomas, from the CBS affiliate, quizzed me about the administration's proposed budget. The Administration has been very tight lipped about its proposal and it has provoked lots of nervous speculation. I don't know whether our Chairman, Dorothy Neumann, has gotten a preview but I told Chad I didn't have a clue what would be in it. 

Only Garry Krause, Bob Mars and I were at the full HR and Business Committee meetings this afternoon though Mike Akervik attended the later. Laura Condon was absent from HR for a second month. Mike Willis our technology administrator complimented me on my Twin Ports column which had been in the packet. Julio smiled dubiously at Mike's flattery since the superintendent disapproves of my idea to close a high school. I stage whispered back to Mike that I was sure he only liked the part of my letter where I bashed Brad Bennett. 

Claudia had a prime rib birthday dinner waiting for me when I got home and half a dozen books on the Civil War. Robb gave me a plush gorilla, Harry by name, who was just a little shy of his namesake's 800 pounds. I'll need every ounce of that weight when I get to the budget.