Lake David Fanclub Blog

Updates on Lake David Holdings, Inc.

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:28:00 -0400

Greetings!

Mr Fit continues to be a hearty snow-goer, blazing trails with minimal exhaust plumes and maximum resistance to the pothole crusted streets all while navigating never before encountered tectonic plates made of ice in the mountains of South Minneapolis. Warm-up times have increased this winter as Mr Fit now carries a infant passenger in the early morning hours, and with an extended cold weather season, he has relentlessly battled ice, snow, rain, sludge, sleet, wind, and more snow. One investment made before this winter began was a bloc heater plugin. When Mr Fit has his turn in the garage, he enjoys sipping a little electricity overnight to startup warm and bubbly. We are sure he uses less gas to warm the engine while driving those first 15-20 minutes, thus saving much more than the few cents of electricity consumed. Until we acquire an electrical outlet power usage measurement doodad, we'll have to just trust our gut on this one.

The Mr Fit executive dashboard for fuel reporting has been updated from October through present. If you missed the inline link, simply put yer mouse here for a review of the new and enhanced readout. The reporting system still shows fuel economy by tank, cost per gallon, by tank, and has added monthly graphs for fuel economy, cost, and usage. The monthly look provides a more smoother view of seasonality. For instance, our cost to drive the Fit has dropped by 1/3 over 2 years, and while we think we must be out and about much more in the Summer months, he clearly uses much more gas in the winter. Aside from the occasional roadtrip spike, cost has beeen steady at about $90 for 4 refills a month. All of this information has allowed me to set a revised goal for 2010. While air temp has a lot to do with usage and efficiency, I want to try to push the MPGs back up over 35 earlier than it has in the past couple summer months.

The OBD Scangauge II died sometime early last year, so we're driving "blind" in the sense that only our intuition of what it used to tell us can guide behavior. On the lookout for a new, similar add-on that doesn't have quite the same price tag yet shows realtime MPG (like the newer model Fit I believe incorporated in-dash). Have you seen anything similar or discovered a way to get new data added to the in-dash LED display that's already in the computer?

On the work front, David has transitioned from Senior Database Marketing Analyst to Database Developer, still at The Lacek Group. He is excited for the new technical challenges, and opportunity to bring his marketing knowledge and strong communication skills to the Application Development and Information Management practice team. My work has expanded from basic campaign analysis and QA into building and executing logic for dynamic messaging for our Alamo, National and Enterprise Rent-A-Car customers, as well as working with FICO (Fair Isaac) on the Enterprise business. I am training a new marketing analytics director on reporting processes while taking on a handful of new promotional projects for the three brands and their partners. Despite a difficult reduction in staff last year, TLG is rebounding and building back to its former might. Through strategic reorganization and new development in the project management arena, it positions itself to be scalable and capable of handling larger clients' data. TLG has grown the Ford Owner Advantage program, tripled the size of its car rental business to include all three Enterprise brands (Emerald Club, Quicksilver, and Enterprise Plus), designed and promoted US Bank's FlexPerks VISA card, and a great deal more, all while seemingly every company around shed staff. It's fun to be a part of a company with a realistic but positive attitude. . .one where they challenge their staff to do more and more, but don't take away your post-it notes to save pennies.

I'd love to hear from my readers.. how are your companies managing during the struggling economy? Has it led you to try something new?

Eleanor and more!

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:47:00 -0400

We've been busy at Lakedavid Enterprises Headquarters.

1. Mr. Fit mileage and CPG charts have been updated. Click here for the latest information.

2. We had a baby! Visit our sister website, http://www.yussen.com, for updates and photos of little Eleanor Esther Yussen. Out of respect for CAN-SPAM regulations, please note that we did not carry over our subscriber list. If you want to be notified of photo additions, you'll need to subscribe to the other website as well.

3. While we're not abandoning Lakedavid, you may expect less frequent news bulletins here whilst we focus our attention on more pressing matters such as child development, our busy work life, and enjoying the chilly autumn.

It's been a busy couple months! Since our last post, we attended the wedding (souvenir photo below) of Jenna and Keith. The HWCB concluded its Summer season and we've been on break ever since late July. The band is revving up the new year, and will be performing Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, at the Hopkins Center for the Arts (7PM). We expect a return to rehearsals sometime soon after that date. In August, we enjoyed many performances at Lake Harriet, walks through Kenny Neighborhood, and a visit to Applewood Orchard for early apple picking. Since mid September, we've been busy with our newfound parental responsibilities, but have enjoyed every day, and still frequent our favorite places, enjoying what's left of the residual Summer warmth.

New Moon

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:56:00 -0400

For those of our viewers who like to keep tabs on the lunar goings-on, today starts a new moon.

It's been several moons since we last updated you on our adventures and Lake David is pleased to announce a permanent anchor on the website for Mr. Fit mileage enthusiasts. Now you can visit any time you like to see the latest on Mr. Fit's achievements. I've also proposed the addition of a Fit Q&A list, where we can answer such popular reader questions as:

1. Does a dishwasher fit in a fit?

2. How does one best avoid the infamous A-pillar blind spots when driving a Fit?

3. Does buying the rust-proofing package make me a total sucker?

4. Which color Fit is the best?

5. How do I disable Fit's TPMS?

6. How do you monitor fuel efficiency on your Fit?

7. If I get 500 miles on a tank, what do I win?

8. How many brass instruments can a Fit cargo compartment carry? ...that's no joke.

In July, David has performed with the HWCB at such places as Centennial Lakes, downtown Hopkins, downtown Hopkins, and downtown Hopkins. In the coming week we have performances at Lake Harriet (Sunday, July 26 @ 2:00PM) and Friendship Village in Bloomington (Wed., Jul 29 @ 7:00PM). We hope you can make it to hear one of our final 2008-2009 season performances!

Also in July, David and Christine visited the Como Conservatory. Click here to view a couple of my favorite photos from the gardens.

Though we missed the Aquatennial events this year, we've been busy with new house projects such as updating plumbing and decorating for our new arrival. On that topic, please stay tuned for an announcement in 8 or so weeks when we launch a brand new photo gallery and website on http://www.yussen.com.

Fit Mileage

Wed, 27 May 2009 14:56:00 -0400

This past weekend marked not only Memorial Day, but also 1.5 years of FIT ownership for David.

It is a less frequent occurrence today than a year ago that David is stopped on the street by random passerby, inquiring as to the enjoyment rating and fuel economy of Mr. Fit. However, such random encounters have occurred as recently as May 9, 2009 (location: Marshall, MN AmericInn). Due to the increasing sales of the Fit and its presence on the roads, it may now be less of a curious sight in the "big city."

Nonetheless, I thought I'd take a moment to respond to the most common question and help explain why I'm still THRILLED with this car purchase. You'll note from my chart that since the purchase of ScanGauge II, I've slowly but steadily increased average fuel efficiency, from low 30's to a now frequent 38 or 39 mpg. Last weekend Mr. Fit had a single-tank PR of 42.3MPG. I have resisted modifications to the car for efficiency sake, but slowed down my driving and become more aware of wasted acceleration.

For those who might be wondering if this car is still worth it, the math is simple. Taking average mileage, and Insight Hybrid and Fit price tags from the Honda website, it will take only about 29 years until the Insight Hybrid pays for itself. If you drive more than average, perhaps a little sooner. For those with a Prius, the payoff takes at least as long because they are markedly more expensive than the Insight or HCH.

Given this data, and setting aside the arguments against Hybrid batteries and the environmental harm they may leave behind, how do we justify government incentives to buy hybrid vehicles when high-efficiency gas vehicles are becoming increasingly available? The fuel savings of the hybrid is important to the earth, and to our energy freedom, but it's not enough. We need to get to where these cars use very little or no gasoline AND don't come with a massive cost premium to the buyer.

Androids

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:16:00 -0400

Samsung released its first Android phone on Monday. The i7500 is out on O2 Germany. It's the 1st of its kind since the HTC Dream/T-mobile G1 launched in October, 2008. It should be interesting to see how that sells. Normally I think Samsung phones are pretty cheap, but maybe that's just U.S. specs. It's also hard to tell since most Samsung rants are attacking Sprint, not the manufacturer. Regardless, this is exciting news for those of us following Android development with wild and crazy dreams of seeing the iPhone domination come to an end. The open-source framework makes for more powerful, more fully-featured, and more exciting technology that can enjoy much wider adoption. Isn't this why Mac's got their butt kicked in the PC war despite having a better product early on? Didn't they learn anything? Ten great minds can't compete with 10,000 great minds when it comes to innovation.

http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/2009/04/29/confirmed-samsung-i7500-android-smartphone-on-o2/

On the other end of the quality spectrum, HTC Magic is set to launch in a week with Vodaphone. This will be on sale to customers in the UK, France, Germany and Italy. The phone then will roll out on China Mobile in June. The first link below confirms that two years ago China Mobile had already surpassed US population in number of subscribers. This is important because of its impact on adoption but mainly I think what analysts will view as a gauge of success and leadership is not purely the number of handsets sold, but the percent of global mobile web traffic coming from each smartphone browser (Android vs. iPhone vs. Windows Mobile vs. Palm)

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/23029.php
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/mobile-phones/5242852/Vodafones-HTC-Magic-Google-phone-launch-date-brought-forward.html

Recently I was told I've taken my geek factor to an all new level. This was mostly a result of me installing an HTC Magic ported ROM onto my G1 to enjoy the benefits of new features like the on screen soft-keyboard, advanced contact search, and updated UI. I am sure T-Mo plans to give their customers the latest software improvements in another month or two, but they are always going to push it out well after the code is available to a developer community, to make sure it has been pounded out and tested ad nauseum by at least a few thousand people, and that there are no remaining glitches.

Ever the psychologist, I thought it might be prudent and worthwhile to look at this latest foray into the depths of a new world from a scientific perspective and see what I come away with.

1. Android developers are insanely passionate. They work on coding through the night to release their best work, in some cases multiple times per day.

2. Developers hate to agree on a standard and unify. There are -at least- 3 different "brand name" ROMs available to users. They go by the names Haykuro, The Dude of Life, and Jesus Freke. The benefit of course is that people who like one component of one build, for example the look of the keyboard or dialer-pad, or color scheme of the text messaging application, can pull those pieces together and make it their own.

3. There are significant differences in versions. This haykuro guy has apparently 8 different builds out there. At first this confused me. Why not simplify? Well, the Chinese audience wants the HTC with Chinese letters in their dialer. They want a Chinese touch-pad. They want an Exchange Sync mail program. The English audience wants a more googlified version. One that has Gmail, synchs with Google calendar, Gmail contacts, etc.

4. You can make everyone happy. How? Well, if you don't want to get into this crap you stick with what your carrier gives you. If you want too test the water, you can read 1000's of pages of instructions on the bulletin boards and then try one. And then try a different one. Figure out what you like best.

5. Technologies converge. On twitter, you can follow "breaking" (why is everything "Breaking" news?), Android updates from Haykuro or Androidguys.com, Minnesota Twins play-by-play, "breaking" news from your five favorite media outlets, your best buddy's lunch plans, exercise habits, and a running A Capella commentary from a guy named Chad Bergeron. What more could anyone possibly want out of life?

Daffodils and Spring

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:58:00 -0400

 
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  /\   _   ,_       _  _    __, |
 /  \|/ \_/  |  |  / |/ |  /  | |
/(__/|__/    |_/|_/  |  |_/\_/|/o
    /|                       /|  
    \|                       \|

Three cheers to these companies for doing something positive, raising thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society during the annual Daffodil Days event...3M, Medtronic, Cargill, UnitedHealth, etc. Their volunteers do make a difference.

While Daffodil Days' skyway tables are now my first reminder that Spring is about to arrive, the nearly 60-degree mark on the thermometer last week didn't hurt either. Spring landed at about 6:45 this morning, while David was still slumbering soundly. But it's here to stay, and I for one am SO GLAD there is no turning back time.

So even though it may be a cloudy, gloomy day in the skies near Lake David, we're excited too that the warm weather season is upon us. Open the windows to smell the rainstorms, let's bump up the May flowers and June vegetable gardens and July concerts on warm, sunny, buggy evenings at Lake Harriet Bandshell, walks around Grass Lake, neighborhood jaunts to Liberty Frozen Custard, and, what the heck, maybe even movies in the park.

Here's a little sunshine for your weekend. Cheers!

Ides of March

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:19:00 -0400

The Ides of March have now come and gone, with merriment and a special dinner outing to celebrate a Birthday. The first weekend of March, before time rolled forward by 60 minutes, we visited the annual Bluegrass Festival. We are pleased to share with you three notable bluegrass announcements:

1. May is Officially Bluegrass month. Isn't every month bluegrass month?

2. You can now join a MBOTMA Fan page on Facebook.

3. Mark Kreitzer is no longer with the Middle Spunk Creek Boys. We had a brief scare that MSCB had been disbanded, but alas it is still intact and performing. They will be at the April annual or semi-annual MBOTMA fundraiser at Dulonos. Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 2009. Click here for further details on the Spring Fling and send our pal P. Nussbaum your signup!

Mark Kreitzer and the Mark Kreitzer show can be found online via their new website, everything you ever wanted to know about the greatest and funniest bluegrass musician on earth.

February Bunkers outing to see Billy Johnson's Roadshow. David with two terrific ladies.

March 11-13, David and Christine visited Lake City, MN, Kellogg, MN, Wabasha, MN, Winona, MN, Stockholm, WI, Pepin, WI, Nelson, WI, and Alma, WI. During the getaway they stopped for their first visit to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN (whose other large claim to fame is/was the filming of "Grumpy Old Men"). They had a highly educational and exciting time watching the 1 hour + informational session on bald eagles, with live demonstration of how to eat a pale of fish, bones and all. Scary!

And we leave you with a shot of Mr. Fit, now once again equipped with Summer wheels and tires, excited for the rapid snow melt which is currently underway in the Land of Lakedavid.

This brings us to our Reader Poll of the Week (RPW). If Mr. Fit and Eagle got in a tangle, who comes out on top? Mr. Fit has the weight advantage at 2500lbs vs 11 lbs, but Eagle can see for miles with perfect vision, and unleash 1600 pounds of force per square inch through its dangerous talons. Would these pierce Mr Fit's body armor like a mouse through swiss cheese, or would Eagle be caught off guard by the sport grille and quick agility of Mr Fit?

Android Takes Over Earth

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 11:36:00 -0400

"Also in the works from Hamblin's company: touchscreen menus for restaurants, Android-based medical devices, and a 15-in. kitchen computer where family members can leave messages for one another." Source: Business Week

I love it! Ordering food from an android menu. Can I also push a button to blog what I'm eating or send it to a diary that will track my caloric and nutritional intake? I'm picturing the scene in Back to the Future where MJF orders a Pepsi Lite from a hovering robo-waiter.

This is precisely why open-source rules. Collaboration. Teamwork. Creativity. All things stifled by the Microsoft and Apple approach. Do they make boatloads of money? Sure. But just for themselves. The open platform makes money for a disperse group of people, and offers consumers a better product. Things we never even thought of, but will definitely enjoy.

Starting today, Google is rolling out the 3rd round of software updates to the G1. This is rumored to include the just-announced Latitude GPS tracking module, integrated into Google Maps (already one of the very best apps on the G1 phone), a voice command Google web search, and auto-checking for updates to market apps you've already installed.

Expect 40 G1 phones to hit the stores this year. Sound crazy? Phandroid reports 6-8 phones in Germany on the O2 system alone. By July, they claim Android might top the iPhone in number of users. While I personally am skeptical about that forecast, I do think it will happen by next year. Motorola has been in the news for diving headfirst into The Sea of Android, to save itself in the land of all things mobile. Here's a prediction for you: Moto will come out with something as fantastico as the StarTAC. And it will happen by Summer, 2009. Secondary call: it will be sold by Verizon. Sprint strategic leadership is moronic, so they'll probably be the last U.S. player to buy into Android, after they get spanked again and later come to terms with the fact that their junk phones and junk service won't compete without it.

Since the October release, you've been dying to buy this phone for your Grandma. But, Grandma only uses gadgets that come with a user guide. Yes, you argued with the Senior T-Mobile authorized customer sales associate representative for 97 minutes, asking how in the world they could sell a phone with no instruction manual. After the STMACSA explained that HTC would have never done such a thing, but Google owns the world, and they don't like instructions, you opted to wait. Good news! Your wait is now over. Enter Chris Zeigler of Engadget with this brilliant text: T-Mobile G1 For Dummies [Amazon]

Since Android is going to take over the Earth, I feel they ought to embrace a new slogan. Here's my entry for the slogan contest:

Android. More Vital To Life Than Your Adenoids.

How to keep the news interesting

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:46:00 -0400

I followed a twitter link to this interview with Good Question man Jason DeRusha. The discussion on how the nightly news is slowly becoming obsolete intrigued me. Here's why...

I really think I might be among only a sparse few 31-year-olds in the state of Minnesota (or possibly even the country) who watches the 10 o'clock news most weeknights, and has a bona fide newsprint newspaper delivered to my doorstep every morning (WSJ). But why would I do this? I am on a computer all day, so like two thirds of the Gen-X and virtually all of the Gen-Y clans, I've gotten my overdose of stories from iGoogle, RSS feeds, twitter, facebook, startribune.com, cnn.com, (wcco.com? yea sure) well before I watch the news at night. I could be the broadcaster. I've already seen the stories five times, earlier in the day. The exceptions are:

1. the weather report, because they correct their forecast again every 15 minutes, so the later the better
2. special interest stories like Jason DeRusha's Good Question
3. op/ed segments like 'In The Know'

The internet is all op-ed, but then we have to get concrete facts somewhere. I often marvel that every network covers the major stories each day, and that they are all identical, and they are all exactly what was published on news websites all day long. Who decides behind the scenes what today's stories are going to be? Is there a secret bulletin that gets sent out at 5AM to all of the media outlets in the world telling them, here are your 6 stories for today?

Winter Fun

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:39:00 -0400

It's winter. In Minnesota. Endless cold. The holidays have come and gone. We have a new President and you find yourself asking, "Now what?" 2 more months of winter seems bleak. Just in time... Lake David presents 5 reasons to love living near Lake David. . . even in the frosty season! 1. The St. Paul Winter Carnival http://www.stpaulwintercarnival.com/ The website has the dates wrong. January 23 - February 1 January 24: Downtown St. Paul, the 3M Parade. 2PM. January 31. Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade. 6PM. 2. Battle of the Jug Bands, 27th Annual Sunday, February 8, 1 - 8 PM. http://www.jugbandbattle.net 20 Bands, each with 15 minutes of fame. Original, homemade instruments. Raw creative composition. What's not to love? 3. US Pond Hockey Championships http://www.uspondhockey.com January 23 - 25. Lake Nokomis, Minneapolis. 4. The 2nd Annual Art Sled Rally http://www.artsledrally.com/ Saturday, February 7th. Powderhorn Park. See website for official definition of an 'Art Sled.' (Something like an Art Car minus the wheels) 5. HEAT IT UP A benefit for renters who need heat. Heat It Up The Hexagon Bar. Saturday, February 14. Valentine's Day! 9:00PM. Jenny Dalton. Solid Gold. Cryns #3. + Guests Our thank you to guest contributors Toby and Heather for making this notice possible.

The Holidays

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:27:00 -0400

Readers want to know: What's UP for the holidays? Lake David is proud to participate in a diverse collection of events, new and old. ~ Mannheim Steamroller @ The Orpheum ~ Murray's Steakhouse + The Holidazzle Parade. We're still wondering, is it correctly pronounced Holladazzle- as in Holiday or Holla, or Holley-dazzle as in Holly) ~ HWCB Plays it's Winter extravaganza at Edinborough Park ~ HMJDS choir performs at IDS Crystal Court ~ Hanukkah Dinner and Celebration ~ Christmas Eve Dinner Party ~ Christmas Day Family Gathering ~ Skara Brae, a 4-day getaway over New Years, 3 miles outside Grand Marais on the beautiful Superior North Shore We are looking forward to 6 days off over the next two weeks, family time and R&R. Lake David is proud to announce to its loyal fans, the planning stages of MMS - Muonic Music Service. Interested parties may subscribe via e-mail to the editors, and receive a stream of music. It will play random music and YOU WILL LIKE IT! Kind of like "Jack FM" only without the Jack. Instead of Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole and chestnuts, you may hear a Midi version of the Dreidel Song and ever-popular I Am a Latke song played continuously. You can also expect to hear diverse and unexpected tunes. Maynard Ferguson's Birdland. Arturo Sandoval's Sanduga. Edgar Meyer's Appalachian Journey. Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride. Cat's Tea for the Tillerman and of course your favorite 80's hits. What's not to love? Sign up now! Send us your comments and playlist picks.

Election Day 2008

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:37:00 -0400

Living across the street from my polling place has its advantages... I could roll out of bed and look out my window to see how far down the street the line stretched. After a quick shower, I headed over and got my place in line.... at 6:55AM!! The poll didn't open until 7AM but these pics capture the scene. Folks down the street and around the corner. By 7:43AM I was out the door and the ballot box machine indicated mine was #169.

Two things were noticeably impressive about the operation. First, it was my first time voting in a general election at this polling place. I had no idea how long the lines normally are, but folks around me who had voted more times than I am years old said they'd never seen a line like this, ever. Second, I was extremely impressed and proud of the poll volunteers for both their kindness and efficiency. The line moved steadily from the time they opened. A woman paced down the line to see if there were new registrants, and offer them a clipboard to work on their form, rather than having them hold up everyone once inside at the check-in table. The same woman spotted an elderly man, perhaps close to 90, sitting on a bench outside the school, while his wife waited in line. She brought him inside, out of the chilly air, and let him wait for her in a comfortable armchair. When I finally got inside, and down the hall where the line snaked, there was a table with 2 school workers offering sugar cookies, hot cider and coffee. Now I only hope this degree of Minnesota nice can endure the 13 hour storm and present itself in the same way for those people who wait in even longer lines after work this evening.

Put yer...

Halloween 2008, part one

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:48:00 -0400

Halloween 2008 brought a slew of new voter- I mean trick or treaters to our door. We fed them well with treats. Post-candy outings included the Lake Harriet Haunted Streetcar, and The Red Dragon in Uptown. Following is a link to a few photos. Tonight we're hosting a large PHP (aka Post-Halloween Partay) so check the link again in a day or two to see pictures of our costumes as well as general fun and merriment. For this year's gathering we're serving up some mad meaty chili, tacos in a bag, pasta salad, hot cider and cold witches brew, groovy ghoulish music and more.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dyussen/Halloween2008

Lake David has moved!

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:43:00 -0400

For those of you who follow David's blog using Google Reader or another RSS feed reader, please update your address. We have abandoned the blog.lakedavid.com subdomain for www.lakedavid.com.

The new RSS address is: http://www.lakedavid.com/rss.cfm?mode=full

Sorry for any trouble!

Recalling tragedy

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:33:00 -0400

In the spirit of the 7th anniversary of 9/11/2001, and in light of the expected re-opening Tuesday, September 16, 2008, of the I-35W bridge over the great Mississippi River in Minneapolis, I find myself recalling my personal story from last year. I share it with you to remember, and to renew the sense of hope that I described in the days following the tragedy.

It is a phenomenon that I vaguely recall learning about in College Psychology courses... that major events imprint on our long term memory like a photograph's negative. The negative deteriorates and crumbles over time, but we fill in the holes with what we think we remember, so that our memory...or the picture...is still complete. I can remember almost rehearsing relevant facts as the disbelief set in following the bridge collapse comprised a host of variables, the end result of which was me not being at that place at that time on that day. I would normally drive to work east on Hwy 62/Crosstown to west 7th street, then take 35E north to Little Canada. On the way home, I would go the same way if I left on the early end (anywhere up to 5:15). However, it was a greater distance. If I left at 5:30, which was common, I drove the shorter route home as traffic from rush hour would be tailing off by the time I reached Minneapolis' downtown area. I depart Little Canada heading west on Hwy 36, which turns into 35W, and follow it all the way south to Lake David.

During the weekend of the incident, we had traveled to Philadelphia for Chris and Laura's wedding, on July 29, 2008. We returned on the 31st (also, coincidentally, a significant Birthday for David). I had decided to take August 1st off and enjoy myself since we'd traveled on my Birthday. Besides, one always returns from weekend trips more tired than before they left...and when you head straight back to work it is the equivalent of negative vacation (losing a weekend to 8 hours of air travel and 300 miles on a rental car). My friends had planned for us to all celebrate my B'Day, which I share with my friend Faith, by mini-golfing at Centennial Lakes in Edina. We met at the course at dinner time..right around 6 PM. As we arrived we heard people talking about something big happening. The guy in the kiosk had a radio and told us a bridge collapsed. We knew little so we got our clubs and started playing the round. Cell phone calls were attempted and failed. Towers were jammed. Nothing to do but keep playing.

Murmurs quickly spread via text message. The initial report received by hole 3 was that the fallen bridge was adjacent, on the West bank of the University campus -- a much smaller road used to cross the school, not a highway. By hole 4 I got through at my parents house and let them know we were unharmed. My father confirmed TV was reporting the university bridge had fallen. It was only a matter of minutes before we learned it was I35. Though I traveled it nearly every day, and had I worked that day, might very well have been involved, I couldn't exactly picture it in my mind. After all, traveling on an overpass at 60mph is not like studying it from the profile. The bridge normally is traversed in a couple seconds. Not on this day. Cars were bumper to bumper. In the aftermath we all were glued to the TV. Watching pictures and video, hearing the stories of the victims. It was a long time before the nearby area was open for public viewing. But even without seeing it, the graphic photos and video were plenty to make your stomach turn south. I would recall the armies of construction workers who had been a fixture on the bridge BEFORE the tragedy... and have a hard time separating the obviousness of the stress and additional weight from the equation.

I share the links below so those far away can get a little insight into this local and American disaster: the failure of our local, state and national governments to keep us safe. The most difficult part about this is that it wasn't caused by terrorists. There's no mysterious group on the other end of the world that we can point a finger at and blame. This was caused by apathy. It was caused by badly out of order priorities among those who spend our tax dollars. The actions that have been taken in the last 13 months prove that if government recognizes the critical importance of something, they can do better. They've surveyed, repaired and closed many bridges that were unsafe in Minnesota. The news crews have even raised red flags on bad parking ramps. It all makes me ponder the obvious: what's more important than our safety? Not fighting militant armies around the world who had nothing at all to do with this. Inasmuch as a terrorist's goal is to disrupt a country, a way of life, by infringing on basic rights of safety, you might say they won. Our economy is halfway down the toilet, nothing's improved in the accessibility or affordability of education, our healthcare and transportation infrastructure have been questioned but only as a scratch on the surface. Clearly the last 8 years distracted the country from addressing failing infrastructure needs. But I don't believe they won, because we have resilience. We are terrific at rebuilding, at remembering, and we are stronger because of it. I am excited that the new bridge opens next week, and in due time the same closure will come to New York City.

Related reading:

http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2007/08/02/live-footage-of-bridge-collapse/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Mississippi_River_bridge

http://www.35wbridgecollapse.net

http://projects.dot.state.mn.us/35wbridge/

http://www.startribune.com/projects/11608881.html