A Weekend of Changed Plans

Apple Sleep Score from 9/24/2026

Sometimes plans do not go as planned. That is exactly what happened this weekend.

I had planned to attend an NFL watch party that I have been going to most Thursdays, and I was really looking forward to this past Thursday night's get-together. We had also planned a last-minute camping trip to Hillsdale just a couple of weeks earlier. Well, all of those plans changed as the week began.

We had been watching the weather forecast for our camping trip, and it did not look promising. Rain was forecast throughout the weekend. We started keeping an eye on it the weekend before our trip, but the forecast was not improving. Rain was expected when we would be setting up on Friday night and for most of the day on Saturday. As the middle of the week rolled around, we checked the forecast again and began preparing to skip the camping trip altogether.

On Wednesday, I started feeling a little off. I could not focus, and food did not taste good. I had lunch with some friends that day and, while I ate everything, it did not taste nearly as good as it had in the past. That evening, Carrie and I went out to dinner with Erin and Greg, and I could barely eat. Nothing sounded good, and I had no energy. I just wanted to go to bed.

When we got home after dinner, I basically went straight to bed. I was in bed by 7:30 that night. I slept and slept. I ended up calling in sick on Thursday and was able to move around my meetings. I spent most of the day sleeping. Whatever I had caught caused some significant stomach issues. I was up several times throughout the night and day, but I still managed to sleep for 12 hours and 25 minutes.

Unfortunately, it was not over. I did not feel any better on Friday, so I took Friday off as well.

With our camping trip canceled, I was also unable to meet up with the guys for Thursday Night Football. By Saturday morning, my stomach was still a mess, so I stayed home and took it easy. Carrie made me some soup with rice and chicken. We had read that when you have an upset stomach, it is best to stick with foods like rice, chicken, toast, and applesauce. Saturday afternoon, we placed a Hy-Vee delivery order for a variety of those items.

I forgot to mention that from Wednesday through Friday, I barely ate anything. Nothing sounded good. By Saturday night, I was finally hungry, but I was still cautious about what to eat, so I stuck to the foods generally recommended for someone dealing with an upset stomach.

As I write this update, it is Sunday morning, and I am finally starting to feel normal. Food sounds good again, although I am still being careful. For the first time since Wednesday night, I am leaving the house. Carrie and I are heading to Kansas City to stop by Costco and pick up a few things.

While I never developed a fever, I felt miserable from Wednesday through Saturday. Thankfully, I feel so much better today. Whatever that bug was, it was awful, and I hope I did not spread it to anyone else.

I know this is a somewhat unusual post for me, but I thought I would share my experience in case anyone else is dealing with similar symptoms. Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week. Stay well, and take care of yourself and your family.

Twenty-Four Years and a Weekend in Kansas City

Carrie and me at the Washburn Tailgate

I am late with my post this week, but I have a good excuse. Carrie and I celebrated our twenty-fourth wedding anniversary by traveling to Kansas City for the weekend. It was a somewhat last-minute decision following the Washburn football game being moved back to an 11 a.m. kickoff, which meant we could get into Kansas City Saturday night in time for dinner. We stayed through Monday morning and both went into work a little late.

We had a great time at the Washburn game, which was my first tailgate of the year. Washburn won, which made it even better. As I mentioned, the game kicked off at 11 a.m. because of weather-related concerns. We set up, and to my surprise, Erin and Greg came out too. I did not think they were going to come because it was expected to be so hot, but they came out to support me. There was a nice cool breeze blowing, and we had a great spot with our tent set up along with snacks and drinks.

Oysters, Fries, and Bread at Earl's Premier

Following the game, we got ready to head to Kansas City for the weekend. We had only made hotel reservations on Thursday, so the trip was very last minute. We knew we wanted to go to Earl's Premier for dinner, but we did not want to sit anywhere except at the bar. We had a little wait, but eventually we got exactly the spot we were hoping for, right in front of the oyster shucker. What a fun place to sit! I highly recommend it if you have not tried it yet.

Eggs Benedict at Westport Cafe

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel, as it had been a busy day filled with tailgating, heat, and travel. On Sunday, we had reservations at Westport Cafe, a spot Carrie found, and it was wonderful.

We spent the rest of Sunday doing a little shopping, and we visited two breweries that had been recommended to us. It was a wonderful day and a lot of fun spending it with Carrie while trying new beers from the Kansas City area. We went to Discourse Brewing and Alma Mader Brewing, and both had excellent beers. It was a lot of fun sampling different styles and comparing our favorites. After our beer tour, we went to Ponak's Mexican Kitchen & Bar, which is one of our favorite places to visit in Kansas City.

Selfie at Discourse Brewing 

We both slept in on Monday morning since we had taken the morning off. That allowed us to make our way back to Topeka and still get to work by late morning. It was a wonderful anniversary weekend spent doing things together.

Happy anniversary, Carrie. Next year is our big twenty-fifth anniversary, and I am excited to see how we celebrate. I love you so much!

Until next time, have a great week, and I will chat with you again next weekend.

The Routines That Shape Us

Routines are part of who I am. I think routines are probably part of most people's lives. I have a routine that I follow every day at work to start my morning. Before the day gets busy, I go through my email, get rid of the junk, and leave only the messages that require action. I keep my inbox cleaned out so that only emails needing my attention remain. Everything else is deleted, moved, or snoozed if I need to revisit it later.

Today, I am going to write about what a typical Sunday looks like for me.

As you know, I regularly post to this site, and those posts usually go live on Sundays. Sometimes I write them on Saturday or earlier in the week, but often I am writing these updates on Sunday morning if time permits. Occasionally, the writing stretches into the afternoon as I struggle to think of something worth sharing. Still, I have been posting regularly on Sundays for the past two or three years. I do not remember exactly when I started doing it, but it has become part of my routine. I am always looking for something to write about or share.

I enjoy the process. It also gives me memories to look back on when I visit the site and see what I was doing during a particular weekend.

Sunday is also a time for me to watch sports. During the fall and winter months, I spend time watching football. If baseball is on, I will of course watch the Royals or other teams I follow. The television is usually on for most of the day with some sporting event playing in the background. If Carrie and I are catching up on a show from the past week, I usually have my laptop nearby so I can keep tabs on whatever game is being played that Sunday.

As you may know, I play fantasy sports, so I make it a habit to check my various leagues. For baseball, I am currently in three different leagues. That means I check rosters regularly and move players around as needed. I try to review things before games start each day, but life gets busy and sometimes I miss making those changes.

On Sundays, I spend extra time reviewing my fantasy football leagues. I am also in three fantasy football leagues this season. Whether it is baseball or football, I enjoy having players to follow. They are often on teams that I would not normally watch, and having players spread across different teams gives me a reason to pay attention to games I might otherwise skip.

Sunday is also a time for me to think through the upcoming work week. As I mentioned earlier, I organize both my work and personal email throughout the week. On Sunday, however, I spend time reviewing my calendar and looking ahead at what is coming up. Sometimes I spot a scheduling conflict and can adjust meetings before Monday arrives. I like doing this because it helps me start the week feeling prepared. Occasionally, I will also spend some time getting ready for important meetings rather than leaving all of that work until Monday morning.

Sunday is also a good day to get some personal reading done. My goal over the past few months has been to read every day. I typically read a few pages before going to bed each night, but being intentional about reading has become part of my routine, and Sunday is no different.

For a while, Sunday mornings were also reserved for a run. As I have mentioned numerous times on this site, exercise routines are incredibly easy to lose. It has been a few weeks, or maybe even a month, since I last ran. We had several trips that disrupted my routine, and then the summer heat arrived. When temperatures started climbing toward 100 degrees, I simply was not motivated enough to get up early and run before it got too hot. That was really the biggest reason my running routine fell off again. Yes, I know the weather has cooled down, and I need to get started again, but it did not happen this Sunday.

A little about my routines, and specifically my Sundays. Routines are a good thing. I know my dad was a big routine person, too. The nightly runs, visiting the same restaurants, and following familiar patterns were all part of who he was. As I have gotten older, I have realized I am very much the same way.

Looking back, I probably did not fully appreciate those routines when I was younger. At the time, they were simply things Dad did because that was how he liked things. Now I understand that routines provide structure, comfort, and a sense of normalcy. Maybe that is why I find myself following many of the same patterns in my own life. Whether it is checking email, setting aside time for sports, reviewing my calendar, reading, or writing these Sunday posts, those routines help mark the passage of time and keep me grounded.

If I miss doing something that is normally part of my routine, it just does not feel quite right. Maybe that is one more way I am becoming more like my dad every year.

That is all for today and my post about routines. Have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week ahead.

September 11: Twenty-Five Years Later

It is hard to believe that a quarter century has passed since that morning. Like many people, I can remember exactly where I was when I first learned what was happening. Some events become permanently attached to a specific place and time in your memory, and September 11 is one of those days for me.

I was commuting from Topeka to work that morning. At the time, it seemed like any other day. The drive was routine, and nothing felt out of the ordinary. When I arrived at work and walked into the building, I immediately noticed people gathered around the television in the breakroom. That alone was enough to tell me something was wrong. As I joined them and watched the news, it quickly became clear that this was not an ordinary day.

Like so many others, I spent the rest of the day trying to understand what was unfolding. The images, the news coverage, and the uncertainty are memories that have never really faded. Even now, 25 years later, I remember that day like it was yesterday.

Over the years, life has moved forward. New generations have grown up with no personal memory of September 11. For those of us who experienced it, though, it remains one of those moments that instantly takes us back to where we were and what we were doing when we first heard the news.

Today, I am remembering the nearly 3,000 lives lost, the families forever changed, and the first responders who ran toward danger when others were trying to get away. Their courage and sacrifice deserve to be remembered, not just today, but every day.

Twenty-five years later, the memories remain, the lessons endure, and the people impacted by that day are not forgotten.

Please take a moment today to remember.

My MLB.TV Year in Stats

I am a Royals fan. That is true. This has been a tough season to be a Royals fan. It is also true. I pay to watch Royals games along with all the other teams through MLB.TV. Stats are fun. I enjoy using apps to track everything from running, cycling, and reading to my sleep patterns.

In the case of the streaming stats I received from Royals.TV and MLB.TV, it was interesting to see my viewing numbers. At the time I received them, on September 1, I had watched a total of 76 games. Even more interesting, although it does not seem quite right, was the stat showing the Royals had a record of 39-37 in games I watched. I do not think that is accurate because I clearly remember tuning in for plenty of losses along the way.

Overall, I watched games involving all 30 MLB teams. There were often days, especially on weekends, when I would watch the Royals while also keeping three other games on at the same time. This image does not show it, but the team I followed most after the Royals was the Houston Astros.

I have subscribed to MLB.TV for several years now. This season it was much easier to watch games because the service is integrated with ESPN, allowing me to watch MLB games alongside other events on ESPN. The only exception is Royals games, which still have to be watched through the MLB app, whether on my Apple TV or computer. That has not been too much of an inconvenience because I can still have other games playing through the ESPN app while watching the Royals.

It was fun to see these stats, although I am a little disappointed that my total games watched was relatively low. Baseball is a sport built on statistics, and this is the first time I can remember MLB sharing viewing data like this since I started subscribing to MLB.TV. It is a fun feature and something I will have to remember to check again next year. If you subscribe to MLB.TV, you can view your own stats by visiting MLB.TV My Stats.

This is an odd post for the week, but I thought the stats were interesting. And yes, as a matter of fact, I watched the Royals lose on Friday night while writing this post.

Until next time, have a great rest of your weekend and a wonderful week.

Zero Zero Was Worth the Wait

Pasta Dishes at Zero Zero

We made a quick trip to Kansas City, arriving Saturday afternoon and heading home Sunday afternoon. Our trip was planned around a place that is notoriously difficult to get reservations for called Zero Zero. The restaurant is small, seating only about twelve people, so reservations need to be made about a month in advance. Greg was able to get a table for us at 9:30 Saturday night when he logged on back in July to try and secure a reservation. It was worth it!

Selfie at Zero Zero

The food was excellent, and the service was fantastic. They took great care of us and even brought out an additional dish because one of the items we wanted was unavailable. The replacement was on the house. Classy! We ordered all four pasta dishes and ate family-style so everyone could try a little of everything. It worked out perfectly. We then ordered desserts to finish the evening, and those were outstanding as well. The cake in the lower-left image was so good that I think we were all fighting for the last few bites.

Desserts at Zero Zero

After arriving in Kansas City, we went directly to lunch at a place called The Westside Local. It was a good spot for sandwiches and drinks and was located just down the street from where we would be going later that night for Zero Zero. Carrie and I had never been there before, but Erin and Greg had visited previously.

Following lunch, we went straight to the hotel to check in and get our evening started. We stayed at the InterContinental on the Plaza. After getting situated in our room, we relaxed for a bit before heading across the street to The Raphael, where Chaz on the Plaza is located. We had a few drinks there before taking a Lyft to J. Rieger & Co., a place we have visited several times. We enjoyed a few more drinks and a snack since we were eating dinner so late in the evening. It was perfect!

Selfie on Way to Drinks

We headed to Zero Zero for dinner, and because they are so small, they were running a little behind. While we waited, Greg and I walked over to Fern Bar KC for a drink. It was a wonderful evening spent in Kansas City.

On Sunday, we spent time visiting a few different shops before stopping for lunch at Longboards.

Selfie Leaving Hotel

We had a great time, and I am so glad we were able to try Zero Zero. I highly recommend giving it a try if you have not been there yet.

Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and a great week.

As a Longtime Subscriber, This Is My Favorite YouTube TV Upgrade Yet

Over the years, I've accumulated more streaming subscriptions than I care to admit.

Like many sports fans, I've been a YouTube TV subscriber for quite a while. It's become our primary way of watching television, and I honestly can't imagine going back to traditional cable. Between the unlimited DVR and the ability to watch from just about anywhere, it works well for how Carrie and I consume television.

At the same time, I've also subscribed to ESPN Unlimited.

The reason was simple. Some of the college sporting events and other programming I wanted to watch weren't available through the traditional ESPN channels included with YouTube TV. If I wanted access to everything, I needed both services.

For years, I just accepted that as the cost of being a sports fan.

Recently, however, ESPN announced that ESPN Unlimited content is expected to become available through YouTube TV. The integration hasn't happened yet, but it's coming soon, and I'm surprisingly excited about it.

Part of that excitement is financial.

Once the integration is complete, I won't need to maintain a separate ESPN Unlimited subscription. Any time I can eliminate a monthly bill while still getting the content I want, that's a good thing.

Streaming was supposed to simplify television. Instead, it sometimes feels like we've recreated cable with a dozen separate subscriptions. Every opportunity to consolidate services feels like a step in the right direction.

But the savings aren't actually the feature I'm most looking forward to.

The real benefit is the DVR.

One of my favorite features of YouTube TV has always been the unlimited cloud DVR. If there's a football game, basketball game, or television show I want to watch, I simply add it to my library and watch it later.

ESPN Unlimited content hasn't worked that way.

If an event was exclusive to ESPN Unlimited, I generally had to watch it through the ESPN app or find it later if a replay was available. Once the YouTube TV integration arrives, I'll be able to record those events just like anything else on the platform.

For someone who follows college sports, that's a pretty significant improvement.

Not every game starts at a convenient time. Some overlap with other games. Sometimes life gets in the way. Having the ability to record an ESPN Unlimited event and watch it later fits perfectly with how I already use YouTube TV.

It's one of those technology improvements that isn't flashy, but it makes life easier.

And honestly, those are usually my favorite kinds of improvements.

We'll see exactly how the integration works once it launches, but from where I sit, it's a win. I save money, I get a more streamlined viewing experience, and I gain DVR functionality for content that previously lived outside the YouTube TV ecosystem.

That's a pretty good combination.

Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week!

Mid-August Musings: Running, Reading, and Random Thoughts

The month of August is almost half over. That is hard to believe. It has already been a busy few weeks. Time is certainly not standing still as the days march on toward the end of the year. It is no joke that the older we get, the faster time seems to go.

Today, I am struggling to decide what to write about, so this post will be a collection of random thoughts.

My running a few times a week had been going extremely well. As I reported, I was able to run twice while I was out of town. This week, though, I struggled to get my runs completed. I was busy on the nights that I usually run and did not make adjustments to run in the mornings or on different days. The last time I ran was August 9. Today is August 16, and although I had planned to run, I simply did not feel like it. Even though the weather is nice, with temperatures in the low 80s, missing two runs this week made it harder to get motivated. I will start again on Tuesday and get back into my routine.

I am doing well on my 2026 reading challenge. My goal was to read 25 books this year. As of today, I have completed 16 books. According to Goodreads, I am one book ahead of schedule. As you may recall, I am trying to read about two books each month to reach my goal. So far, that has gone well. The two books I am currently reading are both lengthy, so I need to spend more time reading if I want to finish at least one of them before the end of August.

The end of baseball season is fast approaching. Well, for the Kansas City Royals, the season has been over for a while. I still manage to watch some of the Royals games, but often turn them off after a few innings. Anymore, I do not tune in to Royals games in the late innings even if we are ahead by a run. In past years, I would have turned the game on to watch the end and hopefully see a win. This season, though, we seem to find ways to lose games. Our bullpen has been awful.

On Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs played their first preseason game of the season. As you may recall, last season was not the best for the Chiefs. The offensive line struggled, which forced Patrick Mahomes to spend too much time running around and avoiding pressure. Late in the season, he was injured and missed the remainder of the year. He did not play yesterday, but reports say he is ready for the start of the season.

I have high hopes for this team as we get closer to early September. There are still two preseason games remaining before the regular season begins. As is typical during the preseason, the starters do not play much. Mahomes did not play at all yesterday, which was expected, and I am not sure whether he will play in either of the final two preseason games. It will still be interesting to see how the team develops as the season approaches.

Switching to television and movie tracking, I am still enjoying the Trakt app that I mentioned a few weeks ago. It continues to work well and helps us know where to watch our shows and movies. I am still getting used to using Trakt to track everything I watch, but I like it better than TV Time, which I had used previously before discontinuing it in July. I highly recommend giving Trakt a try if you have not used it yet.

That is about it for today and my rambling post. Sometimes these kinds of posts are fun to write, but I was struggling today to think of something specific to share. Have a great rest of your Sunday and a fantastic week.

Oysters, Crab Legs, and a Conference in DC

A fun trip last week took me to Washington, DC, for a conference. I was able to get out and see a little bit of the city on Saturday night. I flew out Saturday morning and arrived in DC by mid-afternoon.

That evening, I visited two cool spots. The first was a fun place to relax on the patio with some drinks and oysters. With beautiful weather and cool temperatures, it was a great evening to spend outside. I was with a co-worker, Homer, who grew up in the area, so it was fun hearing him talk about some of his favorite places from when he lived there years ago.

Our first stop was Ragtime in Arlington, Virginia. It was a lively place with plenty of people, and the food looked great, too. We had originally planned to stop in just for drinks, but we ended up ordering oysters as a snack before heading to our dinner reservation.

We had 9:00 p.m. reservations at Quarterdeck Restaurant, which specializes in blue crab and crab legs. Of course, I had to try the blue crab. It was a lot of work trying to get the meat out of those crabs. Granted, I probably did not know what I was doing. The little bit of meat I managed to get tasted good, but I still prefer crab legs. I know how to work my way through crab legs, and I was able to get some good chunks of meat out of them. The hush puppies that came with the meal were also excellent.

I ordered far too much food, so Homer helped me finish the blue crab. I took care of the crab legs and enjoyed a few of the hush puppies as well.

This was my third trip to the DC area. The first was way back when I was in junior high. I traveled there with my parents and my sister, Jen. I still remember that trip because we drove all the way from Kansas. One thing that stands out is that we stayed at the Watergate. I remember hearing all the stories about why the hotel was famous. We visited the Reflecting Pool, monuments, and many of the other sights around the city. It remains one of those great childhood memories with my family.

I also visited the DC area last March while attending a work meeting. Unfortunately, I did not make any time to explore the city during that trip. It was all conference and meetings. This time, though, I was able to get out and see a little bit of the area on Saturday night before the conference began.

After that, it was conference sessions from Sunday through Tuesday. I flew back home Tuesday afternoon, which made for a short work week. The conference was good, and I am already thinking about attending again next year.

So, that was my trip to DC, complete with my usual rambling updates about where I ate. I only took two pictures from dinner, so there is not much to share beyond that. With that, I will wrap up this week's post. Have a great rest of your weekend and a wonderful week ahead.

Five Things I'm Looking Forward to This Fall

It is Saturday morning, and I am thinking through what to post for this week. I am struggling a bit, so I am going to keep this one relatively simple and write about five things I am looking forward to this fall. It is a simple post, but I think it can be a good opportunity to reflect on what is ahead as we move toward the end of 2026.

Summer is about to end. We are nearing the final weeks of the season. Friday brought beautiful weather to Topeka. Carrie and I sat outside for a few hours Friday evening, enjoying the nice breeze and cool temperatures. It felt odd to be sitting outside comfortably on the last day of July. I mentioned how, in past years, our lawn would be burned up by July 31. We had plenty of rain before the summer heat arrived, and over the past couple of weeks, we have had several good rainstorms. As a result, the lawns still look lush and green without having to water them.

It is always a little sad when the summer months come to an end. At the same time, I am looking forward to being able to spend time outside without burning up in the heat. Friday gave us a nice preview of what we will experience over the next few months. We have a lot of limbs that have come down from various storms, so we plan to have our fire pit going most weekends. I look forward to hanging out with Carrie and spending time in our backyard. Yes, it still feels odd to be outdoors and not have our little Oliver running around, keeping watch on the neighbors and other dogs.

The fall semester is fast approaching. We are just a few weeks away from classes starting at Washburn University. It has been a busy summer preparing the campus, and a variety of projects have been priorities throughout the break. It will be good to have the campus bustling with students again. I say it every year, but it seriously feels as though the semester just ended. It feels like only yesterday that the 2025-2026 academic year was beginning. Now here we are, and a new year is about to start. I look forward to a packed campus and the challenge of finding parking spots with all the faculty, staff, and students back on campus.

Football season is just a few weeks away as well. Washburn plays its first game on August 29, and it will be an away game. Our first home game is September 5. Again, it seems like only yesterday that we were heading to Washburn football games and tailgating in our spot. We will be out there again this year. I renewed our season tickets, even though we rarely go inside the stadium, and we kept our tailgate spot.

Chiefs season starts up soon, too, with preseason beginning on August 15. I already have one of my fantasy football draft dates set, and I am working with the other league I am in to get that draft scheduled as well. I look forward to a fresh season for both my Ichabods and the Chiefs. Both teams struggled last season. I am excited to follow them throughout the year and hope they can get off to strong starts in their opening games.

We have only been camping once this year. Sad! We went back in May, and that has been our only trip so far. Traveling and then losing Oliver changed our plans to camp more often this summer. Instead, we are left planning a few camping trips to finish out the year. We already have one planned for October, and we may be able to fit in one more before the season ends. It is disappointing that we have only managed one trip so far, but hopefully we can squeeze in at least two more before the weather turns cold.

My running routine is going well. I was able to run three times last week. I have extended my running intervals and can now run a half mile before walking. I am gradually building up my stamina so I can eventually run the entire distance without walking. Right now, that is not happening, but I am making progress. This past week, I took a short break because I had a medical appointment on Thursday. That interrupted my normal running schedule, which usually includes runs on Tuesday and Thursday. I will be back at it Sunday morning.

That is all for today. I hope you have a great rest of your weekend and a wonderful week.