Sam Takes the Lead

This is a small portion of a growing tree on the wall of one of the guest rooms in my parents house. Carolyn measured all the boys yesterday and Sam is coming in at 5 foot, 3 inches now. That's a big 10 year old.

In Air Wifi

I love being connected in the air. We have a two and two set up today. I'm with Sam and his elbows, Nicole is sitting with Dylan. Everything seems to be on time today. Good flying weather.

Football Time

Coach Cory called the first football practice of the season last night. Yes, it's 3 months until the first game and they don't have all the players for the team yet but it's never too early to start running those passing routes. They did enjoy themselves and got a good workout.

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Trumpet

Andre was at the concert last night at Wolf Trap and played on a couple Counting Crows songs. The boys always like hanging with Andre and Sam now wants to play trumpet along with viola and chorus. Not sure where he's going to find the time. It was a hot one out there last night and we were all spent when we got home. Hard day of work today but vacation is right around the corner.

Still Sinking In

I want the boys to win championships as much if not more than they do. The bitter taste of defeat is still in my mouth. I know they are young and will have more chances but this is the third championship game in the last 12 months that did not end up in a win. Those boys are exceptional athletes and should feel the thrill of a championship victory. They have won 35 and lost 5 baseball and football games in the last twelve months and been to three championship games. Come on man, we needed a small break in each game and they didn't get it.

They take the losses better than me. On a positive note, a mother of one of the kids on our team told me she was impressed with my ability to stay so calm during the games while chatting at a party last night. I told her I just shoved it down and that I was a ticking time bomb of repressed emotion. Just like all Minnesotans, right? She's actually from Minnesota too, she understood.

Glad I got that off my chest. Tick, tick, tick.....

They Played Hard

The Bulls ran into a "nothing to lose" team and came up a couple runs short in the championship game today. A different call here or there and we would be talking about a win. Sam and Dylan played well but the teams most consistent hitter hit a big slump today, going 0-3 and the baby Bulls couldn't overcome that missing bat. Hard to explain but we had beaten this team twice during the season by 7 runs each time. If Brock goes 2-3, we win easily. He's a great kid and was the best overall player on the team but the baseball gods intervened. This is the second year in a row of losing the last game of the year. No one came close to our 10-2 record but we were bested at the end.

The boys will pick themselves up and try even harder next year. That what they do.

Longest Day

We begin the long march back to winter today. June has been pretty mild compared to the last few June's and today was no exception. 82 degrees with low humidity is a treat in DC this time of year. A heat wave is brewing but it doesn't seem as bad as last summers along stretches of near hundred degree temps. I like seasons but have a certain fondness for the cooler ones. It's nice that the days will be getting shorter and the cool fall temps that require a blazing fire are getting closer everyday.

Big baseball championship game tomorrow morning. I hope the boys do well and bring home the championship trophy but they had a great season either way. It's stressful to want them to win so bad. It will be a relief for me when it's over however it turns out. Go Bulls!!

Bully

The little Bulls pulled out a tight one for a trip to the Pioneer Baseball League championship game on Saturday. The River Dogs fought hard but came up short in a 12-11 barn burner. Dylan had a great game, hitting a single, double, walking and popping out. He also had some heads up plays in the field that saved a run. Sam had a couple singles, a walk and a pop out. He also had back to back pop fly catches at first that kept the Dogs scoreless in the 4th. He did allow four runs in the 5th while he was on the mound but the Bulls came back and won the game in the bottom of the inning. One more game.

Awards

Sam got the Performing Eagle Award in Music and Dylan got the Presidents Physical Fitness Award in school today. Sam award was based on his chorus and strings participation and the enthusiasm he had for music. Dylan is one all around fit kid, running a 8:20 minute mile and doing all the pull-ups that tend to be the toughest part of the qualification. I'm proud of both boys.

Father's Day Salad

Roasted corn, tomatoes and avocado. Saw it in a Facebook post yesterday and Nicole mad it today. It's been a pretty mellow day after I tweaked my back during a baseball practice with the boys this morning. I tried the pool but that didn't feel so good. Just sitting around, watching the US Open and trying not to move much. Happy Father's Day to Marsh and Gil.

Refreshing Dip

Not much happening today, messing around at home, the pool and baseball practice. We are still having some beautiful weather for June. I think we have more of the same weather and activities tomorrow. School ends next week and then the summer madness begins.

Open Door

Our nieghbors parents had a memorial party for Dave tonight. They asked if we would allow people to park at the church and use our door to get to their house. I threw down some new rock, trimmed the ivy and added the torch on the left to help show the way to the door. By the traffic we got, it would seem that Dave was a popular guy.

Patrols in Training

They don't get their badges until next year.

Deepsea Challenger

James Cameron's deep water sub showed up in the National Geographic driveway yesterday.  It looks pretty cool but would not be a place for a claustrophobic person.

9-1

The little Bulls finish the regular season in first place, beating the Iron birds 11-8 in a close contest. Sam pitched alright and had a couple hits, including a home run with an error. Dylan was energetic out there but struck out twice, was thrown out at first and walked. He didn't get to pitch today and was disappointed but kept a very positive attitude about it all. We don't have a game on Saturday because of our record gives is a first round bye. A nice Father's Day gift from the boys.

Soccer Party

The boys had a quick soccer party at the coach's house last night and they all had soccer balls to sign and be signed.  They weren't the best soccer team in the world but they were a bunch of good kids and a great coaches.  We have one last regular season baseball game tonight if if doesn't rain then a first round bye and no game this weekend in the playoffs.  The baby Bulls won the regular season and we play again Tuesday.

Neighbor Dave

Our next door neighbor Dave died last week. He had a fairly aggressive bone cancer that caught up with him quickly. We never realized he was sick until his parents stopped by and told us he had passed on Saturday. He was a good guy that I didn't know all that well but he will be missed. 

DAVID S. TROEGER 

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TROEGER DAVID SCOTT TROEGER David Scott Troeger, 52, of Alexandria, Virginia, died June 6, 2013, after a courageous nearly yearlong battle with osteosarcoma (bone cancer). Originally from Grand Rapids, MI, born March 26, 1961, he also lived in Xenia, OH, and was a 1979 graduate of Urbana High School in Illinois. From there he went on to earn a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana in 1984. As soon as he graduated college he moved east to the tidewater area beginning his professional career as a ship's test engineer at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. In 2001 he moved up to the Washington DC area to take a job with the Naval Sea Systems Command, where he worked his way up to become the Director of Security for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. Dave was an amazing person and believed in living life to the fullest. There wasn't anything that he wouldn't try and succeed. You could tell him about a project that you wanted to do and his response would be, "that's easy", and he would make it happen. He could accomplish anything he put his mind to from major construction projects such as building a garage or enlarging his porch, renovating numerous kitchen and bathrooms, building closets and "macgyvering" anything; to changing out a motor in his car, welding his jeep back together, rewiring an electrical panel, or re-plumbing his house; all while working full time, traveling the countryside and hanging out with friends and family. Just hearing about what Dave had done on an average weekend would make other people tired and he wouldn't have had it any other way. He believed in working hard and playing hard, and would do anything for a friend. Dave made friends with just about everyone he met and he treasured everyone one of those friendships. He was compassionate and caring and selfless when it came to helping out his friends. He helped them fix their cars, trucks, 4x4s, boats, and homes. His ability to fix things got him the nickname through which he became affectionately known as "The Doctor". Perhaps nowhere could his ability to rally people together to have fun show as when twice a year for more than 15 years, "the Doctor" coordinated and led a band of off-roading 4x4 beach enthusiasts known as Team Challenged to hang out on the beautiful beaches in Hatteras and Ocracoke Villages to surf fish, drink beer and eat a feast of gourmet food that everyone brought and cooked out of the back of the trucks. He perfected the art of bacon-topped grilled turkey on the beach, and got to enjoy his beloved 1986 Jeep CJ. David had many passions. He loved music. He was an award winning chili chef. He especially loved the great outdoors. From hiking the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, scuba diving and spearfishing in the waters off of Chesapeake Bay, camping in the Shenandoah mountains, white water canoeing the rapids of Virginia rivers, and boating the waters around Chincoteague, to skiing the mountains of Montana, swinging graphite clubs at "little white dimply balls", and just smoking a cigar while sipping on a beer or two or enjoying a glass of wine while "chillin" on the screened in porch with his wife and their friends. David is survived by his wife, Judi Hartsig Troeger of Alexandria, VA; his parents, John and Carol Troeger of Clayton, NC; siblings, Debbie Shoemaker of Mahomet, IL, Dana Anderson of Morresville, NC, and Anthony Troeger of Greensboro, NC. He is also survived by nieces and nephews, Matthew Peters, Jordan and Alec Shoemaker, and Jessica and Kyle Troeger. He also leaves his four felines, Jessie, Alley, Tiger and Cleo. His family would like to thank the doctors and staff of Virginia Hospital Center, Fairfax Inova Hospital, and Capital Caring Hospice. The unfailing compassionate care of the nurses at these facilities and with hospice brought great comfort to David and his family during a very difficult time. The family will hold a memorial gathering at Dave and Judi's home on Friday, June 14, 2013, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with testimonials and funny stories to begin at 6 p.m. Donations in David's memory may be made to the American Cancer Society , the Karen Wyckoff Rein in Sarcoma Foundation, or the charity of your choice .Donations in David's memory may be made to the American Cancer Society , the Karen Wyckoff Rein in Sarcoma Foundation, or the charity of your choice .

Published in The Washington Post on June 9, 2013

All Star

It was a good all star game tonight with the yellow jersey beating the green jerseys 12-11. Sam played well going 1-1 with a walk, catching a deep ball in left, playing 1st base and catcher. He also came in as relief in the 6th to strike out three. Dylan was a real trooper and cheered for team yellow the whole time. He really wanted to play and could have easily been on that team, or the other one.

Pool Day

The boys with their friend Aidan at the pool before the big all star game.

Equal

The boys soccer team lost in the first round today against the number one seed. We were all tied up 1-1 at half due to a beautiful goal by Dylan but couldn't hold them in the second half, losing 4-1. The team played really well considering they lost to this team in the regular season 7-0. Sam and Dylan didn't play that game because of a baseball conflict. I was proud of both of them, Sam had some amazing crosses and some great ball handling. He also played in goal for a quarter and kept the other team scoreless. He closed the season without allowing a single goal. That is one of the reasons the travel team was recruiting him so hard. He decided not to play travel, too much soccer when he enjoys lots of different sports.

So, with Dylan's goal, both boys had 5 for the season which works out well. It's always easier when they have equal success in scoring. They both had 12 touchdowns in football last fall as well.

Spring Concert

The Clermont Spring Concert was last night during the initial torrential downpours of tropical storm Andrea. Sam played his viola well and they both sang their little hearts out. Dylan also introduced a song, which required him to speak into a microphone and slow down enough to be understood. It was a battle to get him to do something he really wanted to do and to practice but it all turned out well. It's been raining all day so baseball is off tomorrow but that means they can play in the soccer playoffs in the morning. The soccer game is on artificial turf and usually doesn't get call due to the previous days rain. Turf drains well.

Campaign 2013

The boys both want to run for elected office for the 2013-14 school year.  As 5th graders, they can run for VP and Treasurer so they choose not to compete and run for different offices.  They don't have party affiliations but both seem to be using the "active boy" theme.  Sam with his "Sam will drive Clermont to success" slogan while sitting on a snowmobile and Dylan's "Eagle Strong" with a steely gaze from the pictures mound.  I hope they do well but I'm sure some kid is rigging the ballet box or paying off voters with Pokemon trading cards and candy.  This is Washington DC...

All Star

The good news is that Sam made the All Star Team in baseball. The bad news is that Dylan did not make the team. Now, each team could send 4 kids and our team sent Sam and the three coaches kids. One of those kids is probably the best player on the team, Sam is second but you could easily argue that Dylan is fourth, maybe third. Anyway, we was initially devastated but is taking it well now. Last year they both made the soccer All Star Team which was nice. They don't have a soccer All Star Team this year but they would both make it again.

The little guy loves baseball but his big brute of a brother is playing the game better at this point. Sam did say he didn't want to be on the team if Dylan wasn't on it but that's not really the right thing to do. He did choose Dylan's baseball number as a sign of solidarity. #4.



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Banner Day

The boys were up late last night, returning from their Clermont Choir field trip to Kings Dominion at 10pm. They were really worn out from singing and riding roller coasters on a hot and humid day. I was expecting a pretty low energy baseball game at 9:30 this morning but both boys put great energy into the game. Dylan was a little off at the plate and had two strikeouts and a walk but was solid on the field. Sam on the other hand walked, then hammered two home runs. He also threw out a kid trying to steal second when he was catching and struck out three in a row to close out the game. Both boys played solid ball but Sam had a great game.

We had a couple hours to recuperate in the air conditioning before we had a soccer game. Again, Sam seemed to be on another planet and scored three goals while Dylan scored one in a 5-2 victory. A quick trip to the pool was a welcome relief before coming home and resting some tired kids. Just watching all that action wore me out.

Painful Game

The Bulls won in another painful game to watch. Neither team had much energy on a hot and humid night and the pitching was particularly painful to watch. Sam pitched an inning and did pretty well but walked a couple kids. Dylan was hit by two pitches, walked and struck out. Sam had a home run (with two errors) and walked three times. Th final was 11-8 but the game was called in the sixth when the score was 16-12 due to darkness. The final score reverted back to the 5th inning. I'm glad that's over.

The boys are heading to kings dominion theme park tomorrow with the Clermont chorus. Lots of roller coasters and some singing. I'm heading to a board meeting in Baltimore.

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Memorial Day

We visited our backyard nieghbors today and left some flags on the veterans graves. It's a nice little tradition we have been observing for the last few years.

Arctic Plunge

The air temp is 74 and the water temp is 70. Not much sun today so hypothermia was setting in quickly. It's going to be 90 next weekend and that chilly pool will feel awesome.

Long Weekend

Two hours of a Carpenter's baseball practice and a couple hours at the pool has my elbow swollen and my skin slightly burned on this Memorial Day Sunday. Hitting infield practice, pop flies and pitching to the boys does a number on my elbow but they needed the extra workout. The pool was like a big ice bucket which was perfect for the elbow but kind of rough for the rest of the body. The sun did feel good on the face and this glass of wine is making it all better.

Bryce Harpers

Both boys got what they considered to be Bryce Harper haircuts today. They do look cute and fairly fashionable. I think Patrick enjoyed cutting it as well. We are watching the Champions League final now. Good soccer.

Late Fire

It hasn't gotten out of the 50's today and with a crisp north wind, it feels even colder. I couldn't resist building a fire. This whole spring has been a welcome reprieve from the treacherous summer we had last year. The electric bill I paid the other day was 400 kilowatt hours lower than the same period last year. (1,300 kwh in 2012 vs 900 kwh in 2013). That a lot less air conditioner time and I'm loving it. The pool opens tomorrow and I have a fire blazing. Not your typical Memorial Day but its supposed to be warmer by Sunday so I can start working on my tan which is greatly needed.

Work Happy Hour

Visited Bar Rouge tonight for a web council happy hour. Good times...

6-1

The boys came back from a 7-1 deficit to beat the Iron Pigs 15-13 last night in what was the sloppiest baseball game in a long time.  The Bulls were the the Bad News Bears for the first couple innings with everyone on the team missing tags, dropping balls and making ill advised throws.  Dylan and Sam lead the pack with some bad plays but at the same time, they had a couple of nice plays.  Dylan struck out once and walked twice, Sam had a single and walked twice.  Sam also had a three strike out pitching performance in the the last inning which preserved a 1 run deficit going into our last at bat.  

With the game tied in the bottom of the inning with two outs and Dylan on third, Brock hit a walk off home run to take sole possession of first place in the Pioneer Minors division.  The good news of this sloppy game was that the kids didn't give up being down 7-1, then 9-5, then 13-12 with three outs to go.  They kept battling back and while the errors were many, the Iron Pigs had a few of their own.  

No baseball or soccer games this weekend and a welcome reprieve from cringing in the stands.  

We Got the Beat

I got to to hear the end of choir practice when I picked up the boys from school yesterday.  I couldn't help but notice that all the songs they were singing were from my high school years, in fact I have most of them on itunes and I queued on up on the drive home which they both sang loudly in the back seat.  Bon Jovi's "Livin on a Prayer" never sounded so good.  They are also singing a Go Gos tune and that feed africa song "we are the world"  The spring concert just might be entertaining but 4th graders singing the "classics" make me feel old.

5-1

After three straight rain outs the Bulls took the field today and came up with a 15-12 win over the Knights. Dylan walked, was hit by a pitch and singled in the fifth, driving two runs home. He pitched in the 4th but struggled, allowing 4 runs. He did keep his cool and didn't let the walks mess up his head. That's a good thing.

Sam struck out, walked and hit a hard double. He also pitched the fifth inning and recorded 3 K's while walking one. He was really throwing hard and right down the middle. He kept the middle of their order from scoring and allowed the Bulls to go into the last inning up 7 runs. It was a good game for both boys.

Tough Loss

Baseball was rained out today, which was good because we got to play the soccer game that was scheduled at the same time. The team was playing well after going down early 1-0 when Dylan scored the tying goal on a heads up play right in front of the goal. Sam had some nice shots on goal and som of the other kids just missed on some good passing by the team. Everything was looking like a tie when one of our kids had an own goal. He was devastated but the rest of the team kind of gave up with a minute left and let the other team score an easy one losing 3-1. This soccer team they've been on is kind of cursed. Many of the kids have gotten much better but they don't get the breaks. Maybe next week.

Friday's

I love hanging around the house on Friday nights. The boys are back from soccer practice and Sam and I are making fun of a bad paranormal tv show while Dylan is watching sports on his iPad. Nicole is out picking up something at a craft store but we will soon be watching a movie and eating pizza together. I could hang out at home for long periods of time but its important to get out and see grown ups too. We are doing that tomorrow.

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Soccer Buddy's

The boys do like their soccer teammates. It was a nice and warm day for practice but they didn't want to leave when I came to pick them up.

Belated Birthday Post

We had a nice dinner last night in Alexandria and came home to open presents. I didn't post a picture because I was exhausted from a couple long days at work. I need to run to my guitar lesson now but the weekend is almost here and we can slow things down.

Lake Washington

A construction site down the street from my office became a lake over the weekend because of a water main break. This hole was filled to the top for most of the weekend and these construction machines are probably pretty messed up. That's going to put this building behind schedule.

Mother's Day

We have had a pretty low key Momma Day with a trip to our favorite bagel shop for breakfast, a hike in the woods and some baseball practice. I'm going to give the grill a try tonight to put a BBQ ending to a nice day.

Bethesda Wine and Food Company

We celebrated three birthdays last night in Bethesda. Patty, Abe and Nicole are all getting a little older within a week of each other. It was a fun night with some great food and wine. It was good to get out and hang with some adults.

A Win

After a two year draught in the win category, the boys soccer team pulled out a 4-2 win in a rainy game this morning. Dylan scored a goal and Sam scored 2 while also playing two shutdown quarters in the goal. The whole team was pretty excited about getting that monkey off their back. It's too rainy for baseball today so we are done with sports this weekend. Of course that means we have a soccer game and two baseball games next weekend but that's a week away.

Adobe MAX

I took some pictures from the Adobe event I attended this week but they didn't turn out all that well. The closing party was fun on Tuesday with women on trapeze and a performance by the Black Keys. Sitting at home on a Friday night and happy to be doing it.

Home

Yesterday's flight was all on time until we got about 100 feet from the gate. Lightning was spotted and all ground personnel headed for cover so we sat for an hour and a half waiting for a guy to guide the plane to the hate with those orange wands. For some reason, the ground crew didn't have an issue with backing this air France A380 in a driving rain with lots of lightning. I felt bad for the guy under the nose of this monster unhooking the barge and giving the pilots the go ahead. I wish he would have done it for our plane.

It was fun seeing Tony, Bill and Kumie in LA but its good to be home too. I think I'm business trip free for a couple months which is a good thing.

Sports Rush

We were able to get a full soccer game and baseball game in on Saturday. It was a mad rush to get changed and to the baseball field in a half hour but we made it. We lost the soccer game but won the baseball game.

We ran to a Kentucky Derby party right after baseball and got home pretty late. Sam said his throat hurt from laughing too much at the party. Good times.

I'm in LA now for a couple days and should be seeing Kumie any minute and tony and bill tomorrow.

Peanut Gallery

The Bulls lost their first game tonight. Losing to the River Dogs 10-9. The boys were a little off in the pitching department. Timmy had a rough first inning, Broc pitched a couple good ones and Sam and Dylan struggled. Sam had a nice double and single but popped out once. Dylan was out on a bad call at first and struck out twice. The boys gave up five runs between them but struck out 2 each. They are still up beat and ready for another game Saturday.

Soccer Practice

It looks like the boys can play both soccer and baseball this weekend but its going to be close. They do like both sports but the schedules have not synced well this year. Regardless, all the practices and games keep them active and running around which is a good thing. I think the soccer team misses their competitive intensity as well, not to mention Dylan's balancing skills.

Bat Boot

Batman lost his boot and he needed it today with all the rain. We still got hitting and pitching practice in.

When it Rains

Dylan had been in a hitting slump for nearly a year, and that includes fall ball. He has a great eye and was getting on base via walks but hadn't had a legitimate base hit since the middle of last season. Well, today that changed because he refused to give up and he swung that bat as well as I've ever seen him swing. He hit a triple with his first at bat today with a line shot over the center fielders head. He stole home for the first in of the game on the next pitch. He followed that up with a single and a double driving in three runs. He also scored on both of those at bats. He was on fire. He didn't get to pitch today but he was all smiles be because of the hitting.

Sam did well too, walking twice and hitting a hard liner past the shortstop for a double. He also scored on all three at bats. He was called to the mound to close out the game with the Bulls up 15-5 and while he walked 3 and allowed 2 runs, he also stuck three batters out and got the 15-7 save. He was disappointed about the walks but hung in there and closed out the game.

The Carpenter boys had a good day and the amazing thing is that on the short car ride home they told me they wanted to go back to the field in the morning and do a Carpenter family practice. They had a great game but they want to get better, I like that attitude.

The Commonwealth of Virginia

Nicole went on a field trip to Richmond yesterday with the boys forth grade class to learn all about Virginia's House of Commons and other state Capitol stuff. They had a great day for the trip and came back exhausted. They had baseball practice last night and soccer practice tonight. No one can say they don't get out out and exercise. Unfortunately, the soccer game and baseball game tomorrow are at the same time. With only 9 players on the baseball team, the soccer team will have to do without them.

Sam's 4th Grade Class

Dylan's 4th Grade Class

Pioneer Day

It was Pioneer Day at the Potomac Nationals game today. They are a minor league team 20 miles south of us that feed into the Nationals system. The boys got to go on the field and meet some of the players. We left in the 8th inning because it was damn chilly and Nicole was pretty tired from getting up at 4:30am to run a 10 mile race in Alexandria. I had also had enough baseball yesterday.

Contrary to my recent post about the last fire a couple weeks ago, It's been just cold enough to build a couple more this weekend. I love the smell of burning wood but think tonight's will truly be the last fire till October. No travel for for a couple weeks which will be nice. I need a little routine time after a couple weeks of running round.

The Carpenter Boys

Another big game for the Carpenter boys. The Bulls go 2-0 for the season with a big 15-7 win over the previously unbeaten Iron Pigs. Dylan has a great eye and walked and scored three times. He did take some nice swings too and fouled a couple off. He hit the mound in the last inning with a three run lead and held the Pigs scoreless, walking two, striking out two and hustling to the plate to tag a runner trying to score on a passed ball. He was Johnny hustle out there.

Sam caught two innings and kept the Pigs from scoring by keeping the ball in front of him extremely well. He also went two for three at the plate and ended the game with a single that scored 3 runs and ended the game on the mercy rule (8 runs). Another exciting game for the Bulls.

My early observations for the team is that we have some great base runners, a deep pitching staff and some hitters that haven't really found their grove yet. All six teams in the league are probably pretty similar but the Bulls look well rounded.

Back from the Councils

It's a good meeting we have every spring in New York but I was ready to come home. We met at the School of Visual Design in Chelsea and had a lot of time to interact with the professors and students. It was quite different from previous council meeting but probably one of my favorites. Last nights reception in the Viacom building on a patio overlooking Times Square was a nice way to end the week. I'm looking forward to the fall meeting in San Francisco.