Day 2: in and around Missoula

Before I begin, you can see pix from today by clicking here if you don't want to read through the rambling below....

After a good night's sleep, I got Annie out for a walk and headed to breakfast (on my own) around 10 AM.

Surprisingly enough, I found a great Bagel place here in Missoula, and as a nice Jewish boy it was excellent to start my day with a legitimately good bagel and lox. One of the guys working at the place was from Barrington, about 20 miles west of Highland Park, my home town. I had a Cubs hat on, and as a Sox fan he made sure to give me plenty of crap before handing over the bagel...but all in good fun. He gave me a great suggestion for a day hike with Annie, so after breeakfast she and I headed up to Rattlesnake Recreation Area, which was only a few miles north of Missoula. One thing fun about travelling alone, I really can go with the decision in the moment and its really a liberating feeling.

Since I'm the one with the agenda on this trip and have been calling most of the shots thus far, I figured I'd let Annie be our guide on the hike, which ended up being somewhere close to 7 miles. I trusted that she knew where she was going, and it turns out, she didn't. But it was great to be walking along the Clark fork, which was moving very quickly. Annie got in to the river a few times, and I put my feet in, but it was damn cold and moving quickly.

Annie was beat when we got back (3 hours of hiking isn't easy on those short stumps), and I dropped her off at the hotel before heading out to the local Wal Mart for some supplies over the next few days. Water, extra socks (no chance I do laundry on this trip), some snacks, you get the idea.

After getting back to the hotel, I headed towards the Missoula waterfront where I heard loud music. While walking over there, I saw a few guys surfing in the river, something I didn't think was possible in Montana, but very cool. I wandered towards the music and it turned out to be a benefit for a girl who had an awful car accident and spent 35 days in a Coma. Her family was swamped with bills, so the community rallied around them and had a benefit to help her pay for all of the ongoing physical therapy, treatment, etc., she'll need to get back to her old self. She's a 17 year old girl, and I was really humbled by how supportive the community was for her. And when I say community, I mean everyone: bikers, hippies, farmers, students, kids, old people, and everything in between was there to support this girl. I guess that's one great thing about small towns: when folks are in a pinch, everyone seems to know, and its a pretty cool thing about our country that isn't always easy to see in a big city like Seattle or Chicago. I'm sure you can donate to her cause (anything helps) by going to the link above.

I chatted with a gal from Vermont named Sarah, who worked at a dog day care and had 4 dogs of her own; 3 pit bulls. She and Hazel (her pit bull) were fun to chat with, and I'm convinced no one in this town is capable of being in a bad mood. She's been out here for about 5 years, but it sounds like she's having a tough time with work and is thinking of heading back to Vermont. Despite her uncertainty and rough go of late (she'll get an eviction notice next week) she was really upbeat, and her dog was very friendly. Come to think of it, everyone I've chatted with here in Missoula is super friendly, willing to chat, and willing to share tips and tricks for the road. I guess that kinda thing happens everywhere, but its been really nice to meet such friendly folks.



After the benefit I remembered the Cubs were playing, and headed to Mo's, a local bar/restaurant owned by a Cub fan. Although the cubs stunk up the joint, I had a great burger and chatted with a gang of guys who were spending the summer in Missoula, attending summer classes at the University. Most of them were from Montana/Wyoming, and had some tips to share in terms of steps down the road.

I've really liked Missoula; some great scenery, really friendly people, and a great first leg on the trip back. Tomorrow I'll head up towards Glacier, and will try to post more pictures/commentary if I get a web connection.....

Day 1 on the Road

A long, fun day on the road, and I'm about beat, but here's how it went down during Day 1 of the Summer of Delta Whiskey. I'm very tired, so here are the pictures(this is hyperlinked), and below is the best I can remember from the day.

The day prior to leaving I was pressing myself to get out as early as possible on saturday morning, but when Saturday morning came I realized that was a completely self-imposed deadline. I had a reservation for a hotel room in Missoula, and they had my credit card number, so there really was no reason to leave as eary as possible. I think some of that is ingrained from trips as a kid when my folks had us "Up and At 'Em" early to beat the traffic. So I chilled out a bit, took my time to pack things in my car (Tetris skills come in very handy, I knew Nintendo had a practical use) and hit the road around 10:30.

Heading east out of Seattle, it was my first time east of the Cascades and it really is amazing up there near the Pass in the summer. I got to Ellensberg around 12:30 and Annie and I got out to stretch the legs....it was uneventful other than it being 90+ and Annie overheating a bit. I made a promise to she and I that any future breaks would be near water where she could cool down and stretch those fat (excuse me, big boned) little legs of hers.

We continued heading east, and stopped in Spokane. Not knowing the city very well, I decided Gonzaga would be a good destination. After all, it is the alma mater of one of the NBA's greatest point guard, and was considered a "sister school" for my underegraduate school--DePaul. I can only dream of DePaul basketball achieving the success at Gonzaga, so I tried to soak up some inspiration for my beloved Blue Demons. Annie got a chance to take a photo with the Bulldog mascot in front of the "Kennel", the name for the Zags basketball stadium. Annie got a chance to dip in the lake on campus, and we headed east through Idaho and towards Missoula.

Idaho was a brief memory, but the idaho panhandle felt like I was in one of those TV commercials for sports cars on TV. Crazy windy roads, great scenery, and it was fun scooting around the mountains and forests of the Potato state.

I got to Montana and almost instantly the scenery changed to tons of dense forests, mountains, and just great views. With no speed limit, and very little traffic, I took my time going through and snapped a few photos along the way.

Then things got interesting. I pulled in to a tiny gas station somewhere between Missoula and Spokane. As I'm waiting to pay there's a young kid asking the ladies behind the counter if they can give him a lift to a town down the road. He sounded desparate, and after they turned him down, he asked me if I could give him a lift. At first I shot down the request, I didn't need to be a headline in the Missoulan or some such local newspaper.

I looked at the layout in the car, and told him he could ride with me, but Annie was going to have to sit on his lap. I also asked to look in his backpack, since ya never know in these parts. After seeing the kid had nothing suspect, I told him to get in and gave him a lift to a small town. I was scared out of my life to have this kid in my car, but also thought it was kind of funny and might be a way to help the kid out. His name was Colby and a high school drop out. He's a big fan of Metallica, so we listened to them for the 20 or so minutes and it was relatively uneventful. He mentioned towards the end of the lift that he was considering walking, and it can get damn chilly in these parts at night. I promise, no more hitchhikers.

I eventually got to Missoula about 9 Mountain Time and it's a great little town. A ton of old school, gritty architecture, coupled with some great mountain scenery in the background. I went out for a burger tonight (actually had two) at what seemed like a U of Montana hangout; sorta like the peach pit was in Beverly Hills 90210 for those who know the show. I chatted up a few of the guys who worked at the bar (they have no shame getting hammered on the job), and they gave me a few pointers for my time in Missoula. After I asked one guy what he'd do if he had a day to kill in Missoula, he said, "I'll probably sleep 'til 5-6 at night and just go out after that." Granted, its a 22 year old kid in a part time job, but you have to admire a guy who doesn't bat an eyelash at sleeping 'til 5 PM. Let's just say the pace in Missoula suits the laid back type very well; and as a guy who has a hard time being "laid back" I'm very at ease here.

Since I've adopted Missoula as my temporary home town, I decided I owe it at least a day here, so I'm going to stay through Monday before heading on to the next stop. I can use tomorrow (sunday) to slow down a bit, get Annie some dog time in the river, and enjoy a great smaller town (but big for these parts).

I'll check back in tomorrow (sunday) night, and will certainly have more to tell......

An Open Thank You Note to My Seattle Family

My mom taught me at around age 10 to send a thank you note when someone does something nice for you. Most of you have been my family here in Seattle, and now would be a good time to say thanks for the past four (or so) years. I have a tendency to be long winded, so I’m keeping myself to one, maybe two sentences (some will be run ons) per thank you. These may be in a herky jerky order, so apologies if you have to read through 'em all. Please hold your applause 'til the end.

To Alane: Thanks for supporting me and moving to Seattle back in 2005—without this move I’m not sure I would have learned so much about myself, the human spirit, and what’s important in life.

To the Public Health folks (Maggie, Amelia, Mike, Maia, Mackenzie, Brett, Peter House, Bud Nicola, Fred Connell, Bill D, Amy D, Shelagh, others I’m probably forgetting): Thanks for welcoming me in to your world and showing me that solutions aren’t found in textbooks and that creative, bright minds coupled with passion is a damn powerful combination.

To Sam P: Thanks for getting me connected to the BAM gang and Bill's buddies here in Seattle.

To the guys from Thursdays and Saturdays (too many to list): thanks for welcoming me in to the family and the instant friendships that were there during the dark days, the sunny days, and everything in between—just don’t forget rule 62. Its nice to know where I can find a gang of troublemakers on Thursday nights and Saturday mornings when I get back to visit Seattle.

To Cory C, Scott E, and Dr. Lee: thanks for helping me get through one of the most trying times of my life; your passion for helping patients get through health challenges every day touches more lives than I'll ever be able to. If my life depended on it, you'd be the first people I'd call, and thanks for your commitment to helping patients with IBD.

To the UWMC Hospital Staff: thanks for helping Alane, my family, and I get through those tough days back in 05 and 06—your ability to help us navigate problems (clinical, emotional, and social) gave me the belief that the problems in healthcare are solvable with people like you helping patients. Your bosses are another story.

To Greg, Liane, and Quinn: thanks for being my family away from home; the “episodes” over the past few years are too many to count, and its been a blast. If I find out your newborn son is watching NASCAR I will be on the first Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle to stop it.

To Johnny Haz: thanks for your help after my surgery and for being there to remind me we can get through anything one step (albeit slow) at a time. And for pushing me to get back on the golf course, I owe you a huge one.

To Jonathan B: thanks for Annie; I promise you she is in good hands

To Annie (the canine): thanks for getting me off my ass and out of the house at least three times a day; I promise you, Chicago will be fun. You haven't experienced grease until you've had a Portillo's Italian Beef, and I'll throw a few scraps in your direction. That's a promise.

To the MHA Faculty and staff: thanks for letting me crash your party and for putting up with my loud mouth, opinionated, and at times "pain in the ass" self.

To Billy H: thanks for being a good wingman during grad school and welcoming me in after the breakup; I owe you one.

To Molly, Lacey, Sarah, and Matt: thanks for helping me stay sane during those two years of school, particularly the last year.

To Jeff and Judy: thanks for allowing me to tag on and for bringing me in your world of great music, entertainment, and softball. I promise, I’ll get to work on the guitar once I get settled in.

To Michelle H: thanks for hiring me as an Intern at Group Health and starting a professional journey that was more fun, challenging, and inspiring than any student can ever expect.

To Kiley, Paula, Sandy, Phillip, Peter, and Michael; thanks for keeping me around during the school year and for the exposure you provided to a great people and great work at Group Health.

To Diana B: thanks for extending a hand and an ear at Group Health and elsewhere; keep fightin' the good fight in DC and enjoying the Northwest when you're not an airplane.

To Stephanie: thanks for helping me realize that people care as much about my body as I want them to.

To James H: thanks for exposing me to the world of Quality and helping me explore a career beyond anything I could have anticipated, as well as reminding me that hobbies are important.

To Karl: thanks for helping me connect with Nora and for the lessons you’ve taught me around organization, planning, and charisma.

To Nora: thanks for taking a chance on a smart alecky kid from Chicago and for bringing me in to the Lean (excuse me, IPrO) family. I owe you a letter to Michael Lewis, and thanks for being such a model for us all to shoot for as leaders.

To the IPrO family: thanks for helping me see work and life through a different lens; one that focuses on spending time, attention, and resources on things that add value. You all are pushing patients to the front of the line in an industry that has often ignored its most important (and only) customer. So as a patient, keep doin’ what you’re doin’ and Splatting your way to success.

To Connor: thanks for going to bat for me and showing me the ropes over the past year; I expect to see you in Chicago for the Bulls/Blazers NBA Finals in 2012, and work on that putter of yours in the meantime.

To Diane S: thanks for your great laugh and for being such a great coach, person, and friend. I admire your ability to live a well-rounded life, your love of nature, and your ability to grow acres upon acres of crops in your back yard.

To everyone else at Group Health I’ve worked with at some point: thanks for showing me that a company’s employees truly can embody its mission…you will get your due once our country gets serious about healthcare, and I’m proud to be an alum of such a great place.

To the CCFA Gang: thanks for your relentless commitment to helping patients with Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis; from committee meetings to events to anything in between you all have a great community here in Seattle are making a difference for people living with an illness that isn't fun.

To MaryBeth; thanks for the dinners, happy hours, and other fun stuff we’ve done over the past few years. You're one of the few women I know who can crank it to "11" with Metallica and I never would have known that the first time we met.

To Kris B: thanks for showing me the art AND the science and teaching me that the dissatisfaction + vision = change formula applies to anything in life.

To Hope: thanks for teaching me some of your tricks and tips, and I admire your ability to be as relentless and passionate at work as you are with your family and enjoying life.

To Sara V, Lauras, Sharon and the other transformers: thanks for taking that ride with me and for giving it a whirl; it may not have stuck, but it means a lot to me that there are folks like you out there willing to do something different.

And to the City of Seattle:

Thanks for being a great home for the past four years. You have lots of great stuff I will miss and I will come back and visit. There are tons of people and things I’ll miss about you (and a few I may not), and you’ve secured a solid #2 place in my heart behind Chicago.

Killed the Television

As a guy who has spent way too much time in front of the TV, tonight was the last night with me and my Toshiba. It's in a better place, with Sara, who will undoubtedly make it through her last year of grad school with flying colors now that she can stay up to date on everything that comes out of the TV. The last thing I watched was the Red Wings beating the Blackhawks, and officially ending the Winter Sports season for Chicago teams. The future is bright though, and it'll make winters much more enjoyable.

Ditching the TV gives me a chance to do two things: 1) finish prepping for the move/trip and 2) post on the blog.

The response from most of you was positive from the first few things I've thrown up here, so I'll try and keep it interesting. I don't know if you really meant it or not, but screw it, I'm having fun writing.

I've gotten questions from a few of you, a few compliments, and all in all I think this will be fun.

I'll keep questions anonymous if you have any for me, but here were a sampling from the past few days.

Question 1: Who is this Annie you speak of?

Answer: Annie is a four legged basset hound/beagle mix that is making the trip to Chicago with me. She is quite the character for those who have met her, and has lived an interesting life. Her bark is unmistakable, and is quite possibly the loudest recorded noise to come out of a dog in North America.

Born in Ohio, Annie was found on the side of the road by a man we'll call Juliet Bravo. Mr. Bravo moved to Seattle with Annie in 200(?) and he and I met shortly after I arrived in Seattle in 2005. Towards the end of my first year, Mr. Bravo was headed to South Africa for a work assignment, and my girlfriend and I adopted Annie. Ultimately he returned to Seattle, but Annie stayed with us. And after my girlfriend and I parted ways, Annie and I moved out.

Her hobbies are barking at women and dogs who don't play nice, scrounging for food any chance she gets, and sleeping. She's single if you know any male companions who don't mind a little extra weight around the hips. Feel free to share her photo with any interested candidates:



Question 2: What will the first thing your mom says to you when you get back to Chicago?

Answer: Of course she is excited to have me back, or at least that's what she tells me. She is the funniest woman I know and a great friend to boot, and if I had to guess what she would say when I walk in her door it would be, "When was the last time you shaved?"

This is the one question she has asked without fail every time I've seen her, and as a guy who only shaves twice a week I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. I do actually enjoy the shaving, but probably only because I do it twice a week.

While we're on the topic of grooming, here's a great website where you can get good stuff to keep yourself looking and smelling respectable. I'm not talking about Axe or any of that nonsense, this is legitimately good stuff. And for female readers, there are some good father's day gifts for husbands, dads, sons, whomever will be celebrating Father's Day. (such a shameless plug)

Question 3: Why are you spending time on a blog when you should be packing?

Answer: Very good point, and I have more packing to do.

What I learned in the Emerald City

OK, first off, I think I know why blogging is so popular.

Everyone who has their own blog is re-enacting the end of Doogie Howser, M.D. Or at least that's what I was thinking about as I logged back on.

TANGENT (which is kind of an excuse to try linking more videos on Youtube): I feel like that show should be in more syndication; along with many others. If those studios/networks were smart, they'd find a way to make it possible for me to subscribe to a package that allows me to pick my own primetime lineup with any show, at any time, from any time period. Like tonight, I could go with (and those links to seinfeld/cheers stuff are funny) a Doogie Howser M.D.--Cheers--the A-Team--Seinfeld combo. And this cheers scene was too funny to not include. The same idea/concept could also work for major league sports. If I want to go back and watch a game from 1991 between the Bulls and Pistons, I should be able to purchase that, and the leagues could make a killing off it. As you'll see, I'm full of crappy ideas like this you can use as your own.

So back to the topic, my time in the Emerald City.

I'm about four days from ending my stay out here, and it'd bore most of you to death to recap every moment of it. But four years later I have seen good times and bad, and learned more about myself than any other period of my life. This past year has been one of the best for me, both personally and professionally and has given me some perspective on what is important to me, living a good life, and having peace of mind.

I started thinking about peace of mind around the first of the year, and I used some tools from work to think about what actions/activities/behaviors do I need to do in 2009 to achieve my goal (peace of mind). It really forced me to stop and think, "When I look back on 2009, what are the things I want to say I've done that have helped me get to peace of mind?"

So my hypothesis, is that there are five key dimensions to my life:

• My Health
• My Career
• My Family/Social Life
• My Finances
• My Fun (Hobbies)

Underneath each dimension, I called out a few actions/outcomes I'd like to achieve (some with dates) and this written "Plan" is the only thing remaining on my apartment wall. I get a regular reminder of the things I'd like to do this year, and it helps me be proactive about enjoying life. I can share an electronic version with you if you're curious, and maybe it'll help put some things in perspective for you too...but I make no claims that it actually leads to happiness or peace of mind; just some perspective on what is most important. You can also just watch the video.

So this model of mine really helped me see what my priorities are in life; and as fantastic as my career and friends in Seattle have been over the past 18 - 24 months, neither is more important than a family and group of friends that mean the world to me. Being 2,000 miles from the people who mean the most to me over the past four years has been tough. And especially tough this year. So I've decided to move back to Chicago, which is where I'll be sometime around June 10.

In the meantime, I've got a little bit of packing (and some work) to do before I hit the road with Annie to see the Wild West. Think good thoughts for Annie and I, and let's hope it doesn't come down to this.

Welcome!

With so much change going on--leaving Seattle, heading across the country, and moving back to Chicago, I figured I'd give blogging a whirl. If nothing else, it'll give me a chance to capture the journey over the next few days, weeks, months, whatever. At least this way I won't have to pester half of the American public with email updates, facebook entries, text messages, phone calls, or whatever the hell twitter does.

I'll do my best to make sure entries are entertaining, or at least somewhat relevant and/or interesting for the casual reader. I'll cover my travel across the country, career things, sports, entertainment or newsworthy stuff, but for the most part my posts will be what I'm up to, what I'm thinking, and what I'm trying not to forget.

And interactivity is encouraged, so if you have comments to share, please do....it's nice to know I won't be talking to myself. And you might even learn something new on here, but I'm not making any guarantees. There's a subscribe feature somewhere on this page (to your right? below?) that'll send you email updates when I've written something new, or you can just bookmark it. Either way, make sure to visit from time to time.

So you may be asking, what is up with the Delta Whiskey name? Is this some kind of comic book character? A drink you order at a bar in Louisiana?

The short answer is I really couldn't think of anything creative, so I used my initials in military "slang" or "code" or whatever the official term for it is. To the best of my understanding the military (and many others) adopted words for each letter of the alphabet to avoid confusion. When D sounds like T you can get easily mixed up, so they've error proofed the alphabet. You've probably had some customer service rep read a confirmation code back to you using some variation on it.

TANGENT (these will happen, a lot, so I'm putting in another color): does anyone really write down confirmation codes? Wouldn't an email confirmation be enough with the code in it? Do they really think I'm sitting there with a pen and paper writing it down?

Anyhow, some names are better suited than others for clever "handles" and I think mine's pretty average. You can find out yours by checking out the letters/words below. And now you know where Victor Charlie came from during the Vietnam war. V.C = Viet Cong. You can also post comments on my blog using your handle and its a way to be anonymous (well, sorta).

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A: Alpha
B: Bravo
C: Charlie
D: Delta
E: Echo
F: Foxtrot
G: Golf
H: Hotel
I: India
J: Juliet
K: Kilo
L: Lima
M: Mike
N: November
O: Oscar
P: Papa
Q: Quebec
R: Romeo
S: Sierra
T: Tango
U: Uniform
V: Victor
W: Whiskey
X: X-Ray
Y: Yankee
Z: Zulu