That's the best way to describe today's weather - and it's chilly, too. Not welcome after a really nice week last week weather-wise! Ah well, this is Spring. For the most part, it's been good.
This weather kinda makes my head feel full, though. So far, during this campaign, I've avoided being ill. I don't feel ill now but just kinda on the edge. Still, we press on - a busy day of domestic violence hearings today, an appearance tonight and the balance of the evening running errands and then finishing with doing a few at home, all for the election. And now a few minutes to add to this -
A particular sign stealing is bothering me. There's a spot in Stealey where I had a sign for about three weeks, with permission of the landowner. All of a sudden, one day last week, a big sign for my opponent appeared on the spot and mine is gone. I called the landlord who apologized, told me that my opponent did have permission but that my sign was not to have been removed. I was invited to put another sign there, which I did promptly, and it promptly was removed as well. The landlord once again apologized. I do not blame my opponent but I think I know who the culprit is because of a nearby business. If this individual is the culprit I certainly hope he is caught and prosecuted - whoever the culprit or culprits are, I hope that. This one is particularly disgusting to me because the appearance is that it is blatant disregard for the law and disrespect for the rights of citizens.
I hear that a scavenger hunt is in progress in our area and that many campaign signs may have fallen prey to it. The Sheriff and his staff are aware and on the lookout.
Two weeks from tomorrow! Some have said that most voters have made up their minds. Another candidate, who I respect, said it's time to ease up, there's no need to spend any more money, put out any more signs or attend any more functions. Interesting thoughts, to be sure...
Lots to do tomorrow and the weather promises to be even worse than today. Busy day of court and then many campaign and other errands tomorrow night before my trip on Wednesday. Will tell you about that soon - until then -
Monday, April 28, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Less than twenty days now
It's Thursday. We started radio about a week ago and have gotten good feedback there. There has been something every night this week but what else is new? :) Had a very good meeting tonight, met some nice folks and made what seem to be a couple of good contacts.
On the way home, stopped by the grocery store and ran into some friends who'd had my sign in their yard, which was stolen. I'd given them a new one and -- it's been stolen. Discouraging but at this point...bigger fish to fry.
Early voting started yesterday. Three people told me they voted for me today. That's humbling that someone would use their vote for me. I know that's the whole idea of this campaign but I consider each of my votes precious and try to use them wisely - and it's something to be trusted by someone with their vote. Sorry if that sounds odd but it's a genuine feeling.
Saw my #2 son and his wife late this afternoon! He did one of my commercials for me and they are going to be in town sometime between now and the election, hopefully, to do some appearances with me.
The weather's been great this week. Earlier predictions of rain were wrong - or maybe the front has stalled a bit and we'll get it later on. Currently the forecast is for cooler temps, in the 50's by early next week.
I'm supposed to get my Jeep back from the body shop tomorrow and will have to give up my electric blue Ford Focus rental. It's been fun driving a little car - almost has the feel of a sports car, especially compared to the Jeep. But I'll be glad to have my Jeep back. It's been my "campaign headquarters" and will continue to be through the end of this race.
Got a very nice e-mail today from a woman in Georgia who has helped me with the campaign - a point of encouragement for sure.
Tomorrow I'm having lunch with some new friends but other than that will have to pour myself into office work tomorrow. I've kept us as well as I can and have done relatively well - the courts can't stop for the campaign process, that's for sure.
No less than four very important dinners this weekend, plus a couple other "must attend" events. Gotta go rest up for them!
On the way home, stopped by the grocery store and ran into some friends who'd had my sign in their yard, which was stolen. I'd given them a new one and -- it's been stolen. Discouraging but at this point...bigger fish to fry.
Early voting started yesterday. Three people told me they voted for me today. That's humbling that someone would use their vote for me. I know that's the whole idea of this campaign but I consider each of my votes precious and try to use them wisely - and it's something to be trusted by someone with their vote. Sorry if that sounds odd but it's a genuine feeling.
Saw my #2 son and his wife late this afternoon! He did one of my commercials for me and they are going to be in town sometime between now and the election, hopefully, to do some appearances with me.
The weather's been great this week. Earlier predictions of rain were wrong - or maybe the front has stalled a bit and we'll get it later on. Currently the forecast is for cooler temps, in the 50's by early next week.
I'm supposed to get my Jeep back from the body shop tomorrow and will have to give up my electric blue Ford Focus rental. It's been fun driving a little car - almost has the feel of a sports car, especially compared to the Jeep. But I'll be glad to have my Jeep back. It's been my "campaign headquarters" and will continue to be through the end of this race.
Got a very nice e-mail today from a woman in Georgia who has helped me with the campaign - a point of encouragement for sure.
Tomorrow I'm having lunch with some new friends but other than that will have to pour myself into office work tomorrow. I've kept us as well as I can and have done relatively well - the courts can't stop for the campaign process, that's for sure.
No less than four very important dinners this weekend, plus a couple other "must attend" events. Gotta go rest up for them!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
End of the Weekend
I promised a report on the 5k...well, I won a medal for my age-group! But I'm not sure how since truly, I didn't do that well. Well enough, I suppose, for a runner who's had a hard time keeping up with it lately. The course was a very tough one for even a seasoned runner. I found a high-school girl who was having a rough time and I stuck with her for the last 1/3 of the race or so - she said I encouraged her but in fact, she encouraged me. Part of "runner's culture" is helping each other and so we made friends and ran together. Near the end, she urged me to go ahead and I promised I would come back for her, and I was able to sprint to the end - when I turned around to go back and run with her, she was almost on my heels! I was proud of her to say the least - it's odd but very nice how runners develop relationships like that without knowing each other at all. To my young friend: good luck with track and hope to see you in more races in our area!
After the race, ran home for a shower and weighed in a 166.5 - my lowest weight to date since at least age 16! Of course, I'd had nothing at all to eat as of that point, about 11:00 a.m., and I'd run 3.1 miles. Still, it was quite surprising to see the scales that low. Later last evening, I was back up to 171 - amazing fluctuation. I'd put away some food by that time...
Went to a ramp dinner at the 4-H Center yesterday afternoon. It was to last from noon to 4 and I arrived about 12:30 and by 2:00 it seemed pretty much to be over. Most of the candidates who were there had left by that time. Oh, I did manage to squeeze in a haircut between the race and the ramp dinner - much, much needed. My longtime barber, Mario, is a great guy and gives great advice not only about haircuts but also elections!
Speaking of squeeze-ins, I also had time for a nap later in the afternoon, which was helpful for recovery after the race. Then about 4:00 we left for a baked steak dinner at a church near the edge of the county which was out of this world. I love baked steak and not only was that entree featured, there were delicious homemade pies. I had lemon meringue and my wife had coconut cream - I had a hard time passing up the graham cracker but I had to pick! From there, I went to an elimination dinner in Clarksburg which was well attended and enjoyable. Met a lot of nice people, including a couple I'd been hoping to meet for some time.
It started raining about the time I went into that dinner and by the time I left around 8:00 it was raining in earnest. I had to run a quick errand on the way home and the rain started coming down in buckets, the type of rain that causes drivers to pull off the road. I plodded ahead slowly and made it safely home at a decent hour, considering how late some of my Saturday evenings have been lately. My secretary covered a pancake breakfast for me and my case coordinator did some work for me during the day and during the evening, she attended another dinner for me. They have been a great, great support during this campaign.
Today, after church, I spoke to a group at a local restaurant. One of my fine neighbors is in this group and asked me a couple months ago and I was very glad to say yes. They were very nice and very interested in the Family Court. My wife, son and a friend covered a dinner for me right after church and then we met up together to travel to one of our communities in Harrison County for a reception a good friend arranged for me. We had a nice group there - it was actually very relaxing, just visiting, like campaigning should be. Folks talking, trying to work things out, not necessarily always agreeing but always enjoying one another's company.
There is a lot this week. Tomorrow morning, my opponent and I will be together on talk radio for 30 minutes, and people will be able to call in or e-mail questions to the host. In a strange way, I'm looking forward to it. Actually, she and I are very friendly as I've mentioned before and I don't anticipate any change in the next 3 weeks and 2 days. I also have at least three appearances scheduled this week and there are sure to be more - they tend to come up!
A friend who hasn't campaigned with me yet but who's given good advice will be working with me on a project tomorrow night which should be interesting. A bit hard to explain here but I'll try to remember to let you know how it pans out -
Early voting starts Wednesday! And I know at least two votes which have been cast for me already, by absentee ballot. (OK, my daughter is one of them! :)
For me right now, the most important part of the week is a prayer meeting at a friend's house on Tues. night. I'm very much looking forward to it. We've had a couple since this process started but not for a while and I need it.
After the race, ran home for a shower and weighed in a 166.5 - my lowest weight to date since at least age 16! Of course, I'd had nothing at all to eat as of that point, about 11:00 a.m., and I'd run 3.1 miles. Still, it was quite surprising to see the scales that low. Later last evening, I was back up to 171 - amazing fluctuation. I'd put away some food by that time...
Went to a ramp dinner at the 4-H Center yesterday afternoon. It was to last from noon to 4 and I arrived about 12:30 and by 2:00 it seemed pretty much to be over. Most of the candidates who were there had left by that time. Oh, I did manage to squeeze in a haircut between the race and the ramp dinner - much, much needed. My longtime barber, Mario, is a great guy and gives great advice not only about haircuts but also elections!
Speaking of squeeze-ins, I also had time for a nap later in the afternoon, which was helpful for recovery after the race. Then about 4:00 we left for a baked steak dinner at a church near the edge of the county which was out of this world. I love baked steak and not only was that entree featured, there were delicious homemade pies. I had lemon meringue and my wife had coconut cream - I had a hard time passing up the graham cracker but I had to pick! From there, I went to an elimination dinner in Clarksburg which was well attended and enjoyable. Met a lot of nice people, including a couple I'd been hoping to meet for some time.
It started raining about the time I went into that dinner and by the time I left around 8:00 it was raining in earnest. I had to run a quick errand on the way home and the rain started coming down in buckets, the type of rain that causes drivers to pull off the road. I plodded ahead slowly and made it safely home at a decent hour, considering how late some of my Saturday evenings have been lately. My secretary covered a pancake breakfast for me and my case coordinator did some work for me during the day and during the evening, she attended another dinner for me. They have been a great, great support during this campaign.
Today, after church, I spoke to a group at a local restaurant. One of my fine neighbors is in this group and asked me a couple months ago and I was very glad to say yes. They were very nice and very interested in the Family Court. My wife, son and a friend covered a dinner for me right after church and then we met up together to travel to one of our communities in Harrison County for a reception a good friend arranged for me. We had a nice group there - it was actually very relaxing, just visiting, like campaigning should be. Folks talking, trying to work things out, not necessarily always agreeing but always enjoying one another's company.
There is a lot this week. Tomorrow morning, my opponent and I will be together on talk radio for 30 minutes, and people will be able to call in or e-mail questions to the host. In a strange way, I'm looking forward to it. Actually, she and I are very friendly as I've mentioned before and I don't anticipate any change in the next 3 weeks and 2 days. I also have at least three appearances scheduled this week and there are sure to be more - they tend to come up!
A friend who hasn't campaigned with me yet but who's given good advice will be working with me on a project tomorrow night which should be interesting. A bit hard to explain here but I'll try to remember to let you know how it pans out -
Early voting starts Wednesday! And I know at least two votes which have been cast for me already, by absentee ballot. (OK, my daughter is one of them! :)
For me right now, the most important part of the week is a prayer meeting at a friend's house on Tues. night. I'm very much looking forward to it. We've had a couple since this process started but not for a while and I need it.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Spring Fever
Another gorgeous day - about #4 in a row. After a busy day which started with an eye appointment, then a quick drive to Shinnston for a meeting where I killed two birds with one stone by getting my car to the body shop (finally!), then getting my rental Ford Focus (midnight blue :) and heading for my son's school where I "read" to my young friends there - in case I haven't mentioned it in this blog, I don't actually read as much as I tell stories, etc. The kids are fun and very interested in the election - one of them calls himself my campaign manager, another insisted on having a sign for his family's yard, and so on. They are great supporters!
Tonight I kind of took off but not really - the fam and I went out to a public gathering and it actually was very good. Then I ran some errands on my own and now I'm home. Missed a couple dinners tonight but - can't catch everything. Tomorrow morning I'm running a 5k in my orange campaign shirt of course - then a Democratic Party ramp dinner - and two elimination dinners tomorrow night. And I'm sure a few other things sandwiched in between -
I'll let you know how I did in the 5k next post - don't expect any speed records to be broken! Long hill on this course and my time for training has been...er...limited!
Tonight I kind of took off but not really - the fam and I went out to a public gathering and it actually was very good. Then I ran some errands on my own and now I'm home. Missed a couple dinners tonight but - can't catch everything. Tomorrow morning I'm running a 5k in my orange campaign shirt of course - then a Democratic Party ramp dinner - and two elimination dinners tomorrow night. And I'm sure a few other things sandwiched in between -
I'll let you know how I did in the 5k next post - don't expect any speed records to be broken! Long hill on this course and my time for training has been...er...limited!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Thursday
The fact that I haven't posted since Sunday is some indication of just how busy this week truly has been. Another change since then - the weather is really nice. Today, yesterday and Tuesday have been nothing short of glorious, though it's been chilly at night. I have the Weather Channel on and while I'm seeing continued temps in the 70's, looks like starting Sat. most of the next week will be rainy - ah well -
Discovered more stolen signs - a friend tonight called and said her husband had found one in a trash can! Now that's gall - taking one of my signs down and putting it in the trash. Apparently, the culprit lives in the same apartment building as my friends. I should have it fingerprinted...but not sure that would do any good. People need to understand it's not only just plain wrong, it's a crime to do these things -
Less than four weeks now till the election. It's hard to describe the feelings - SO MUCH to do in so little time. Work still piles up and hearings still have to be held, of course. I'm done with hearings for the week and have at least one appearance during the day tomorrow. Then the weekend!
Monday, my opponent and I are to appear on talk radio together for 1/2 hour. Should be interesting - not quite sure what to expect but we'll try to be as ready as we can. The two candidates for Family Court Judge, Division 2, will be together on the radio in the next 1/2 hour. I'm sure we'll all be listening to each other!
I'm working on getting my Jeep repaired - yes, even though it was Palm Sunday that I got hit, I've been driving around all over the place since then with a badly dented left front fender. Possibly, I'll be able to turn it over to the body shop tomorrow, if I can get his insurance company to get me the promised rental, that is!
Reading to my youngest's class tomorrow - something I've done every month of the academic year during his grade school career. These kids are all my fans - which is nice. I know who'd win the election if they were voting - and it'd be unanimous! :)
Discovered more stolen signs - a friend tonight called and said her husband had found one in a trash can! Now that's gall - taking one of my signs down and putting it in the trash. Apparently, the culprit lives in the same apartment building as my friends. I should have it fingerprinted...but not sure that would do any good. People need to understand it's not only just plain wrong, it's a crime to do these things -
Less than four weeks now till the election. It's hard to describe the feelings - SO MUCH to do in so little time. Work still piles up and hearings still have to be held, of course. I'm done with hearings for the week and have at least one appearance during the day tomorrow. Then the weekend!
Monday, my opponent and I are to appear on talk radio together for 1/2 hour. Should be interesting - not quite sure what to expect but we'll try to be as ready as we can. The two candidates for Family Court Judge, Division 2, will be together on the radio in the next 1/2 hour. I'm sure we'll all be listening to each other!
I'm working on getting my Jeep repaired - yes, even though it was Palm Sunday that I got hit, I've been driving around all over the place since then with a badly dented left front fender. Possibly, I'll be able to turn it over to the body shop tomorrow, if I can get his insurance company to get me the promised rental, that is!
Reading to my youngest's class tomorrow - something I've done every month of the academic year during his grade school career. These kids are all my fans - which is nice. I know who'd win the election if they were voting - and it'd be unanimous! :)
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Sign Stealers
It's Sunday...the end of the weekend, the "day of rest." Actually, comparatively speaking, it has been at least less hectic. Went to one church hot dog luncheon and then to a spaghetti dinner, then home. I wanted to take a nap but thankfully, fought that urge, and got several signs out this afternoon. (More on signs later - hence, the title.) This evening, I need to inventory all the campaign paraphernalia I have left, go over my calendar, and get organized for the week.
My wife did get home from Haiti :) However, the East Coast was socked in with fog and she was flying American Airlines which had to cancel many flights late last week due to FAA inspection issues, so for all those reasons her arrival in Pittsburgh was delayed by more than 4 hours. She got home about 1:30 a.m. and I had to get up bright and early yesterday for ten different apperances. I did manage to stop by the house a couple times during the day and then made it home for good about 9:30 last night. I should have been dog tired but actually was in pretty good shape - then. I'm tired today!
I believe I've mentioned that some signs have been stolen. Well, today, I learned about two more, and both were in friends' yards. Also, something interesting...I put one sign out in a certain roadside location, an intersection, a couple weeks ago. I was by there on Thursday and my sign was gone - apparently stolen. I put a new one in its place. Yesterday, as I approached that same intersection from another direction, the newly-placed sign was still there, and I could see my other sign in a shallow ravine right by the road. It was a steep slide down almost into a creek to get it but I got it! Then today...again by the same intersection and my new sign was gone! You guessed it - it was in the ravine! I got this one, too, and replaced the sign once again although I did select a location several feet away this time.
Frankly, the mentality of the people who steal campaign signs has to be about zero. I feel sorry for them - truly - and while I recognize it happens to other candidates, and while a percentage of it could be youthful pranking, I feel rather certain that most of it is done by dull-thinking adults who basically cheat their way through life. For those folks who have robbed me, whether they have done so because they don't support me or because they support my opponent, I hope they are caught and prosecuted. By the way - I've talked directly to my opponent about these things and I never for a minute would consider that she has anything to do with this or any knowledge of it. She's an honorable person and I'm confident she feels the same about me. For our parts, we've run a clean campaign and I'm sure it will remain that way to the end - one month from today now! When we first spoke on January 14 about being opponents, we agreed that we would "keep it clean" and I'm glad to say we have been very successful as far as that goes.
My youngest is getting his Spring Break extended because there's a boil-water advisory in this area, so no school tomorrow. We had an EColi scare last week but all is getting back to normal now. The Water Board did a good job, I think, of getting the word out and imposing the advisory for safety's sake.
A busy week ahead - I have much to do at the office, not to mention three daytime appearances and at least three evening appearances before Friday. Then, when Friday-Saturday-Sunday rolls around, we'll do the multiple-appearances thing all over again. Four weeks and two days! Have a good week, everyone...
My wife did get home from Haiti :) However, the East Coast was socked in with fog and she was flying American Airlines which had to cancel many flights late last week due to FAA inspection issues, so for all those reasons her arrival in Pittsburgh was delayed by more than 4 hours. She got home about 1:30 a.m. and I had to get up bright and early yesterday for ten different apperances. I did manage to stop by the house a couple times during the day and then made it home for good about 9:30 last night. I should have been dog tired but actually was in pretty good shape - then. I'm tired today!
I believe I've mentioned that some signs have been stolen. Well, today, I learned about two more, and both were in friends' yards. Also, something interesting...I put one sign out in a certain roadside location, an intersection, a couple weeks ago. I was by there on Thursday and my sign was gone - apparently stolen. I put a new one in its place. Yesterday, as I approached that same intersection from another direction, the newly-placed sign was still there, and I could see my other sign in a shallow ravine right by the road. It was a steep slide down almost into a creek to get it but I got it! Then today...again by the same intersection and my new sign was gone! You guessed it - it was in the ravine! I got this one, too, and replaced the sign once again although I did select a location several feet away this time.
Frankly, the mentality of the people who steal campaign signs has to be about zero. I feel sorry for them - truly - and while I recognize it happens to other candidates, and while a percentage of it could be youthful pranking, I feel rather certain that most of it is done by dull-thinking adults who basically cheat their way through life. For those folks who have robbed me, whether they have done so because they don't support me or because they support my opponent, I hope they are caught and prosecuted. By the way - I've talked directly to my opponent about these things and I never for a minute would consider that she has anything to do with this or any knowledge of it. She's an honorable person and I'm confident she feels the same about me. For our parts, we've run a clean campaign and I'm sure it will remain that way to the end - one month from today now! When we first spoke on January 14 about being opponents, we agreed that we would "keep it clean" and I'm glad to say we have been very successful as far as that goes.
My youngest is getting his Spring Break extended because there's a boil-water advisory in this area, so no school tomorrow. We had an EColi scare last week but all is getting back to normal now. The Water Board did a good job, I think, of getting the word out and imposing the advisory for safety's sake.
A busy week ahead - I have much to do at the office, not to mention three daytime appearances and at least three evening appearances before Friday. Then, when Friday-Saturday-Sunday rolls around, we'll do the multiple-appearances thing all over again. Four weeks and two days! Have a good week, everyone...
Friday, April 11, 2008
TGIF
I'm thankful to God that it's THIS Friday because my wife comes home from Haiti tonight :) :) She left Haiti yesterday morning to travel by bus to the Dominican Republic, where the group is scheduled to fly out of to New York and then Pittsburgh - ETA about 5:30 p.m. there. I won't see her until later tonight but it should be before midnight! Looking forward to seeing her, of course, but also to hearing about her trip which I know has been blessed in a special way -
Busy, busy day yesterday. Office in the morning and then a three-hour appearance (a lot of fun visiting and eating with some folks), some one-on-one contacts, a community dinner and then a "Meet the Candidate" night in Doddridge County. It was very well attended and an excellent event - a lot of fun. Judy, who has worked for me for 13 years, and who lived in Doddridge for many years, went with me - it's always great when Judy goes with me to Doddridge because she knows so many people.
Today I have another lunchtime meeting and a couple of things I must do this evening, including at least one or two appearances. I also have to get some things ready for tomorrow - another pretty intense Saturday. There are 3 dinners I'm trying to hit tomorrow evening, and all of them are essentially at the same time! Then a couple of things on Sunday...maybe I'll get to see my wife Sunday evening! I know she'll be way too tired to go around with me tomorrow -- maybe Sunday after church, when there are a couple of dinners I want to try to get to --
My youngest is upstairs asleep - this weekend finishes up his Spring Break and I think he's had a good one. He's done a little campaigning with me but for the most part he's had freedom to play and visit with friends. He was at one friend's home yesterday from just after 8 am until I was able to pick him up at 9:30 last night and he had a great time. It's almost 9:00 and I'm letting him sleep a bit before I get him up - I'll be taking him to another friend's house today but should be able to pick him up maybe about 4:00 today -
Will close for now - have a great Friday and weekend, everyone -
Busy, busy day yesterday. Office in the morning and then a three-hour appearance (a lot of fun visiting and eating with some folks), some one-on-one contacts, a community dinner and then a "Meet the Candidate" night in Doddridge County. It was very well attended and an excellent event - a lot of fun. Judy, who has worked for me for 13 years, and who lived in Doddridge for many years, went with me - it's always great when Judy goes with me to Doddridge because she knows so many people.
Today I have another lunchtime meeting and a couple of things I must do this evening, including at least one or two appearances. I also have to get some things ready for tomorrow - another pretty intense Saturday. There are 3 dinners I'm trying to hit tomorrow evening, and all of them are essentially at the same time! Then a couple of things on Sunday...maybe I'll get to see my wife Sunday evening! I know she'll be way too tired to go around with me tomorrow -- maybe Sunday after church, when there are a couple of dinners I want to try to get to --
My youngest is upstairs asleep - this weekend finishes up his Spring Break and I think he's had a good one. He's done a little campaigning with me but for the most part he's had freedom to play and visit with friends. He was at one friend's home yesterday from just after 8 am until I was able to pick him up at 9:30 last night and he had a great time. It's almost 9:00 and I'm letting him sleep a bit before I get him up - I'll be taking him to another friend's house today but should be able to pick him up maybe about 4:00 today -
Will close for now - have a great Friday and weekend, everyone -
