Sounds from the past

I woke up this morning to the sound of what I thought were race car engines speeding around Daytona International Motor Speedway. Back in 1999-2000 I spent a lot of time in Daytona Beach Florida where the girl I was dating went to school. I had just graduated from Ohio University and traveled down there for work a few times, training and for vacation. I have been a NASCAR and INDY Car fan for many years (see the picture below of the Twin 125 race I sat in the front row at the start / finish line and watch my favorite drive flip his car several times through the tri-oval and land on it's roof right in front of me - this is my own digital camera's pic from Feb. 2000). I have followed both sports since I was 12 years old or so. The apartment I stayed at in Daytona was only a few blocks from the track, behind the Target department store on Speedway Blvd. During Speedweeks in February and around the 4th of July were my favorite times to travel down from Ohio. There were always cars being ran during those dates from dawn to near midnight each day. The sound Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and the rest speeding around the track sounded like a constant jet engine coming towards you and then reverberating away form you. This morning, that is exactly what it was - jet planes revving up and down their engines, most probably during de-icing at the airport just a mile or two from my house. I looked over in bed and saw Kenden and knew this wasn't Daytona - and yet that wasn't a bad revelation. I'm no longer that easy going, jump in the car and drive 17 hours to Daytona type of guy. I'd like to still think I'm easy going, but now my comings and goings are planned and on a tighter budget. I'd like to continue to balance them out. For instance, this past May my cousin Brett and I camped out overnight at the Indianapolis 500 and had a blast grilling out and playing cards at the campsite and then walking up and down the drunkards laden streets the night before the race. We plan to make that a yearly pilgrimage.

I had to leave work at lunch and stay home with Alexa today, she got sick at school and Wendy is already planning to take Wednesday off. I got a lot accomplished from home and spent a little time with her watching parts of Legally Blonde and the Princess Diaries 1 and 2. She seems good to go back to school Tuesday. I need to get to bed as my weekly Network Team meeting is each Tuesday morning, bright and early. MJ.