Enough is enough! I have grown tired of eating poorly, feeling tired all the time, and gaining weight. Yesterday, I resumed my workouts at the YMCA, and this morning, I put in 45 minutes on the treadmill while watching "Sunday Morning" on CBS. At about 30 minutes, the endorphins kicked in, and I found myself sporting a smile. The thing is, if I put it down here, I'll keep doing it! =:)

Being privileged to be a parent has undoubtedly been the most joyful thing in my life. This past weekend, our eldest daughter Sarah graduated from high school. As we joined the 3,000+ attendees for the graduation, I saw many familiar faces from the era of day care, Barbie, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It brought back memories, but more importantly, it drove home just how much these kids have grown and matured into exceptional young people.

High school is not what it was when we baby boomers were kids. The homework is tougher, hours are longer, and rules abound. Students take SAT's four and five times, stay up until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning doing homework, manage a myriad of extracurricular activities, and, like their parents, deal with puzzling administrative guidelines on a daily basis. Yet, they are clearly cut out to be the leaders of tomorrow.

It is impossible to truly say how proud I am of Sarah and her accomplishments. She has strong streaks of common sense and open-mindedness. And this is the case with many of her friends as well. It is a true pleasure just to be around them, to feel their energy and enthusiasm, to listen as they advise one another and help each other through the personal challenges that inevitably accompany teendom. Indeed, we are in good hands for the future.

This morning, I find myself missing Chicago. I downloaded a couple of Steve Goodman songs from iTunes, and that's what got the whole thing started. For those of you who aren't familiar with his music, Steve Goodman was the writer of the 70's hit "City of New Orleans", made popular by Arlo Guthrie and covered by tons of artists. Steve most closely fit into the folk genre, and always sang from the heart about life, love, and his home city. He passed away in 1984 after a long struggle with leukemia.

Steve was diagnosed with leukemia in the early 70's, but as with his matter-of-fact approach to everything else, he released an album shortly before his death entitled "Artistic Hair", the cover of which pictured him almost bald from extensive chemotherapy. But he remained until the end a height-challenged (just a little over five feet) fighter who eloquently and humorously captured the spirit of Chicago. Listen to his ballad "Lincoln Park Pirates", dedicated to Lincoln Towing, a notorious Chicago towing company, or "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request", and you'll understand. What a guy.

Greetings from what appears to be spring (just a few degrees colder than normal). After a period of intense reflection, I have come to the conclusion that absolutely everything in the USA is changing. Italy is looking better and better. (I wonder if they take credit cards for down payments on Tuscan villas?) So what if they've changed their government over fifty times since World War II? As long as you can still get fresh baked bread, tasty local red wine, and good pasta, who cares?

Here's my solution to our current mess: OUTSOURCE THE WAR IN IRAQ. You may laugh, but just think of the possibilities and all the issues which might be resolved by this one simple action. There's work to be done and people willing to do it, so let's keep our options open.

In other news...I have a daughter who is heading to college in the fall! She's extremely happy that Georgia Tech (her alma mater-to-be) is in the Final Four. More news on this college experience as it develops.

Ciao! =:)

Yes! Spring beckons! For two afternoons in a row, I've driven with the top down on my 328i, listening to music ranging all the way from Chuck Mangione to 3 Doors Down. I can hear the birdies singing high in the trees, and today I even smelled freshly trimmed grass. Mamma Mia! Fire up the grill...find the blender...pull out the shorts and t-shirts. Warm weather is almost here!

And we now have a presidential election, do we not? Looks as if it may be interesting. Will John Kerry name John Edwards as his running mate? Who knows? In the words of Scarlett O'Hara, "After all, tomorrow is another day." (This being Atlanta and all, I must throw in one "Gone with the Wind" reference.)