This week/end has been fairly exciting for me. Friday I took the day off to go down to the Moto GP in Indy with Gadget & D. It was a lot of fun! I had gone in 2011 with them, but got there later on Saturday so I didn't get to see any of it until the actual warmup & race on Sunday.
This weekend, however, we got there in time for practices on Friday. We went to Mark Pi's for dinner that night, and then downtown for the Bikes on Meridian event. There had to be 5000 bikes there! It was just amazing! Words and pictures both fail to describe what it was like - the sounds, smells & sights of it all. It was a good time walking around. Saturday was back out to the race, not as early as some would have liked. Quick stop by Meijer to get some provisions & shorts for me. We thought it might make more sense to take sandwich fixings than to spend $7 per sandwich there. We ended up humping 2 coolers, 4 chairs and ourselves over what felt like miles! The Jager girls had a nice tent set up & we had spent some time there on Friday taking a nap in the shade. They had some little couches outside that we grabbed. We were mainly trying to scope out where the best spots would be to watch & for D to get some good shots. I think he was looking forward to using his new camera & I loaned him a couple of lenses. He says maybe I'll get to have a copy or two of the pics! He's got a really good eye & really analyzes & sets up what he wants. So I'm hoping so, his stuff never disappoints. He also was invited down to help with the eBike racing (electric) so he got to hang out in the pits working with the team he knew.
Then we left for the Indiana State Fair for the Indy Mile, which is a flat-track dirt race. Totally AMAZING! Several heats, then the big race at the end. So much louder than even the GP bikes. A girl won one heat, that was really cool to see. It is just incredible to watch the skill of these riders (GP or dirt), the different techniques they use, how the different surfaces mean handling the bike differently, it at times looks like dancing on wheels. Just so fluid & graceful. But it is all very deceiving! They are having to yank & pull & push to get that bike to do what they want it to.
So I'm guessing you're wondering what all of this has to do with Omaha? Don't worry, I'm getting there... Sunday was the main event for the Moto3, 2 & GP bikes, we watched that, and Marc Marquez won, he was on fire! Nicky Hayden, Ducati's rider (one of them) came in 9th. This is his last year with them. They have been struggling lately with not having the fastest bike out there. And honestly, there are parts of the race that are less than exciting. By about 10 laps, they are all spaced out and not much changes. The leader is usually 3-4 seconds ahead of everyone else. If you are lucky, they may be jockeying for a couple of spots back behind, but not much changes, unless there would happen to be a wreck. Which during the race, there usually is not. Most of that happens during practice & qualifications. Go watch them here it is phenomenal how they get up & walk away!
After the race, Gadget took me over to Indy Airport so I could come out here to the HTG Service Manager Summit. They are a peer group (we are in HTG13) that we belong to that provides mentoring, access to other resources, etc. They work collaboratively, even though technically we could all be competitors. I got in VERY late Sunday night, and then up early Monday for a full day of conferences. They do an amazing job staying on task & schedule. The content has been incredibly useful. None of it rocket science, all of it common sense, and just a better way to connect the dots.
Monday night, we went to Sullivan's to eat, which is a STEAK house. those of you who know me, know this is my favorite food. It was salty & savory & peppery. It was tender & sultry & seductive. It was AMAZING! And expensive, but worth every bite. I went with a big group of guys & just had wonderful fellowship & conversation.
Tuesday was a shorter session, ate lunch with a wonderful group of women. After 25 years, it is comforting to see that our numbers are growing. Along with our respect.
Then I relaxed, and then ate dinner at The Twisted Fork & ate a burger to make up for the night before on my expense report. But it was tasty & good atmosphere. I am staying at the Old Market Embassy. Hats off to Omaha for turning that neighborhood around like they did. It is now mostly an oversized pedestrian mall (10 blocks square, probably) with all sorts of wine shops, breweries, coffee house, bookstores, artisan shops, EVERYTHING! Old architecture, beautiful brick streets. Just stunning. If you get a chance to be here, you must come here. They are also making apartments in some upper levels. If I were young & single, I'd be all over that!
Today (Wednesday) I am coming home. In fact, I need to go pack. I can't wait to see my boys. They've been at Camp Grampa since Sunday. Can't wait to hold them & kiss them & hear them. I'm sure they have so many stories! I haven't talked to them since Friday morning. The time difference, work, school & TKD left me with never a time spot to be able to call.
Going back to work tomorrow should be interesting. I have 5,000,000 ideas. Which one do I do first?!?!?!?
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