tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45446359419721897462011-11-27T18:38:16.613-06:00personal weblog of tom smart and his smarter familyTom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.comBlogger911100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-82820414644396693012009-04-08T14:50:00.006-05:002009-04-08T15:25:52.218-05:00

I tend to feel pretty compassionate toward animals. Maybe you could even call me "soft." I say "please" and "thank you" to the dog when I give a command. In fact, I view my signals more as requests than commands. I'd be a vegetarian if I could just stop eating meat, but I loose the power of my convictions at the dinner table.Nevertheless, I have never understood killing for pleasure, i.e. hunting

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-4579441222838951872009-04-01T18:45:00.002-05:002009-04-01T18:47:46.898-05:00

As a 44 year-old living in Minnesota, do you think I can still learn to surf? I tried when I was in Hawaii, and could hardly paddle into the waves. But it looks so fun, and the music in this video adds to the appeal.El hombre y la tabla - The man and the surfboard.Uploaded by surfilmfestibal7

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-63846024137700176672009-04-01T16:34:00.002-05:002009-04-01T17:46:11.032-05:00

Hardly a day goes by lately that I don't use a GPS device. I recently mapped out our trip to Florida using a Garmin GPSMap 60csx with their City Navigator NT software. I kept my eyes glued to the device for too much of the trip, but since I didn't do much driving it helped keep my mind occupied.The City Navigator software is pretty nice, and the device will give turn-by-turn route directions

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-6173457100680510112009-03-30T20:50:00.003-05:002009-03-30T20:55:57.256-05:00

It has been a long couple of months rehabbing my shoulder. But I started running during our trip to Florida last week. It went very slowly, but it was great for my soul. I also found a new running partner, our little puppy Perry. I took him on our first trail run today, now that we're back in Winona. He was thrilled and ran like the wind. He needs the exercise, and thrives on the activity. It

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-81569874221168744162009-03-25T15:16:00.001-05:002009-03-25T15:17:27.108-05:00

Does this make you feel any safer?

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-79770346746813029942009-03-10T19:17:00.003-05:002009-03-10T19:22:51.107-05:00

I was walking Perry today and he picked up a little fallen nest in his mouth. I had noticed it earlier in the day and thought that it was so cute and small. I made Perry drop it and we continued on our walk. When I told Margaret about it she said that she wished I had picked it up for her, so I went back and got it. It had gotten flattened in the rain, but it was so soft that it took its shape

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-50468276148543308862009-02-23T07:09:00.003-06:002009-02-23T07:15:19.835-06:00

I wonder what my butt would say if it called Margaret. It would probably make some sort of joke like, "You stink!" Maybe it wouldn't call her, maybe it would text instead with a message like, "Pffft." Or maybe it would call and say nothing, then text the message, "SBD; get it?"

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-58494506341309105982009-02-20T22:52:00.000-06:002009-02-20T22:53:34.692-06:00

Steven Hamilton from The Day Is Over (2004) from Elliot Van Orman Productions on Vimeo.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-77562479220101113202009-02-19T17:59:00.003-06:002009-02-19T18:09:12.625-06:00

Some managers at work went to a business conference at Disney World a couple of years ago. They brought back a concept of "on stage" versus "back stage." My usual role at the hospital is pretty "back stage" since patients are not typically aware of much of my activities. But my recent roll as a patient has put me squarely "on stage."Margaret dropped me off "on stage" this morning for a follow-up

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-8368077759996860982009-02-09T08:52:00.002-06:002009-02-09T09:02:02.214-06:00

Elizabeth noticed this expiration date on a box of crackers. It's a flavor that she doesn't like, and just wants to get done with the box so she can have some normal Cheez-Its. They'll be around for a good long while if she doesn't finish them, though. Or if the Apocalypse comes in the next 1000 years, at least the roaches will still have something fresh to eat. They'll have to keep an eye on the

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-74756194103947374992009-02-08T12:17:00.001-06:002009-02-08T12:19:28.340-06:00

I spent a couple of really fun days on this trail a few years ago during a break in an anesthesia conference. I'd love to go back and do the whole trail.High Sierra HD - Backpacking the John Muir Trail from Pete Bell on Vimeo.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-7704890596217458232009-01-18T16:26:00.001-06:002009-01-18T16:28:20.315-06:00

I did this on Wii downhill skiing once, so I know exactly how he feels.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-75059248565498598792009-01-18T06:09:00.001-06:002009-01-18T06:18:12.867-06:00

Not much to say about this, just a funny video.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-34335491293250573452009-01-16T09:16:00.001-06:002009-01-16T09:19:09.227-06:00

It's too cold to take Perry out for a hike, and obedience training gets old after a while. So there's nothing left but to make him pose for pictures.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-42817337413414832822009-01-15T06:21:00.003-06:002009-01-15T07:16:10.411-06:00

Whenever it's cold out, the weather reporters get a little nutty. They seem obligated to actually interpret the weather for us. For instance, right now weather.com is reporting the current temperature as -17° F. They also report, "Feels like -33° F." Reporting the Wind Chill Index would be too difficult for us to understand, I guess. But if they tell us what it feels like, then we'll have an

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-85345300670011052542009-01-13T08:35:00.012-06:002009-01-13T13:05:06.292-06:00

Last summer when I bought a new charcoal grill I imagined using it all winter long. But winter started out strong and fast, and with a new puppy I haven't gotten out a single time to grill meat. Marco used to love going in and out with me as I'd check on the progress of the dinner. Now it's Perry's turn to learn how to cook meat.So last night I fired up the grill. The cover had frozen to the

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-30819787218925071252009-01-10T20:41:00.004-06:002009-01-10T20:52:44.263-06:00

The little guy is growing fast and changing every day. It's still hard to get pictures of him, especially outside where his constantly-moving black body against the white snow becomes a black blur on a pocket camera. So here is my latest attempt from indoors. He cooperated by becoming progressively more relaxed.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-17236240068896850892008-12-30T08:18:00.002-06:002008-12-30T08:25:43.442-06:00

Today I ran across this note from my sister-in-law. She wrote it before she was my sister-in-law, which makes it more than 20 years old. I'm not really sure where it has been all these years. I opened up the drawer of an end table to get a coaster for my coffee this morning, and there it was. It made my day, just like it did 20 years ago. Thanks Anne!

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-21294946890129495912008-12-08T19:11:00.003-06:002008-12-08T19:13:51.562-06:00

I'm not sure who looks worse here, Perry or me:

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-41378007251571628522008-12-03T21:06:00.002-06:002008-12-03T21:13:43.893-06:00

It's hard to photograph a jet black Flat-coated Retriever puppy while they are awake, at least on a compact digital camera. So here are a couple of sleeping puppy pictures. Perry loves Marco's old bed, which we put in the kitchen most of the time. We close the 2 pocket doors and share the room like a big crate sized for the whole family. He can sleep contentedly for hours this way. I love how

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-29633822686448216242008-12-02T16:36:00.016-06:002008-12-02T19:56:49.485-06:00

A few years ago I read a novel called Dogs of Babel. It's about a linguistics professor who tries to teach his dog to speak so he can hear an eyewitness account of his wife's death which only the dog witnessed. We kind of did the same thing with Marco, but instead of trying to get him to actually say things, we said the things he might want to say using a voice he might have used if he could talk

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-51524975885487429292008-11-30T18:17:00.004-06:002008-12-02T19:57:21.418-06:00

I took my first whipper today.There were two inches of fresh, slippery snow on the ground and the temperature was 32 degrees, but the wind was whipping around Sugarloaf which made it feel colder. Tony and I thought we'd give our new ice tools a run by dry tooling up a sport route. The route is easy enough in the summer, but winter conditions make it much tougher. We yo-yoed up and down, making it

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-89309554387645891512008-11-27T13:01:00.003-06:002008-11-27T13:43:29.103-06:00

...Perry! Yeah, we settled on Perry. But around our house a given name is only a jumping off point for all of the nicknames that come later. The real names hardly get used at all.Perry is our beautiful new Flatcoated Retriever friend. We adopted him on Sunday from Shannara Kennels in St. Michael. He came from a litter of 12, and at age 15 weeks there were 2 or 3 puppies left who had not been

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-56075805444293161272008-11-14T16:15:00.001-06:002008-11-16T10:46:00.242-06:00

Originally submitted at REIThese moisture-wicking, breathable, weatherproof socks are specifically designed for low-bulk warmth.Seirus Hyperlite StormsocksGreat for winter runningBy sleepytom from Winona, MN on 11/14/2008 5out of 5Gift: NoPros: Durable, Regulates Temperature Well, Good Design, ComfortableBest Uses: RunningDescribe Yourself: Avid AdventurerThese socks are great for layering over

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-42812789174628442902008-11-08T19:51:00.000-06:002008-11-08T19:52:19.205-06:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-5473268619521821572008-11-03T18:42:00.004-06:002008-11-03T18:44:43.960-06:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-12738199809936556342008-10-28T19:54:00.005-05:002008-10-28T20:58:53.384-05:00

When I was in high school kids would walk from the swimming pool to the 7-eleven convenience store and come back with pop in huge cups called Big Gulp. They cost $0.25, or something. At the time the luxury of a pop (or soda, as we called it in St. Louis) so huge seemed extravagant and unreasonable. Looking back, though, it seemed to build a new expectation regarding food portions in people my age

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-7151295195891473142008-10-21T20:04:00.005-05:002008-10-22T21:37:43.283-05:00

We were in La Crosse today to buy a new battery for the Mac notebook, but the store was out of them so we had some extra time. Margaret suggested that we go to The Gap because she thinks my jeans are looking worn out. The idea made me squirm and I started thinking up excuses like, "I doubt I'll find anything there.""I know that most of your clothes are purchased online" she said, "but I think you

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-78932083459051589052008-10-13T20:43:00.009-05:002008-10-13T21:12:20.474-05:00

It's been one of those bad stretches lately, one of those bad times that come around only every few years. In times like these I can hardly grapple with my emotions. After a brief explosion of outward grief, I turn inward. I turn contemplative. Eventually words may come, but for now I have only pictures. Pictures without faces.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-62120797710830263812008-09-28T23:24:00.004-05:002008-09-29T06:21:08.584-05:00

I'm in a bit of a panic because I need something good to read. I'm leaving on a bus trip to Kansas City in a week, and a week after that I'm taking the train to Kalamazoo. My Shuffle will only get me so far, so I need to have something with substance that I'm eager to dig into and pass the time.When I went to New York recently I brought along The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger. On the

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-67245697246817264562008-09-28T16:07:00.002-05:002008-10-13T21:12:32.743-05:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-1353217265702462652008-09-20T11:34:00.002-05:002008-09-20T11:35:39.510-05:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-33062821030164853122008-09-12T14:05:00.001-05:002008-09-12T14:07:23.487-05:00

Check out these cool portraits:Tim Kolin Photography

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-39498732021504200782008-09-10T20:20:00.002-05:002008-09-10T20:30:59.022-05:00

“Are you scared,” I asked? “No,” came the shouted reply from behind a granite bulge at the far end of my rope.“I am,” I admitted. “Belay On.” When you’re feeling breathless at nearly 14,000 feet, economy of speech is easy to master.I had just improvised an anchor by jamming wedges of aluminum into cracks in the rock while trying too keep my grip on the wet, slippery, lichen-covered surface. I

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-17219920664673662032008-09-07T20:03:00.002-05:002008-09-07T20:06:58.055-05:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-48058139549165940822008-09-05T13:09:00.002-05:002008-09-07T20:07:13.970-05:00

We have a couple of big rubbermaid bins under our bed for collecting artwork and other papers that the girls bring home. They act as time capsules, of sorts. I'm sure we're not alone in storing memories this way. In fact, my mom had something like this, too.When Margaret and I visited Mom in St. Louis 15 years ago she got out one of these time capsules, which included a vocabulary assignment that

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-46934243319977615482008-08-19T06:33:00.003-05:002008-08-19T06:39:29.476-05:00

Occasionally when I'm a on the computer in the family room and Claire is on the laptop we'll connect via gmail and have a small chat. Well, that happened last night with Margaret and Claire, only Margaret was on the laptop and Claire was... in China! Sounds like she really likes where they are staying, but she doesn't like the stinky, primitive toilets :)

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-9576462315174615822008-08-14T17:57:00.004-05:002008-08-14T18:04:36.643-05:00

Notice the difference? No, no I don't mean the dorky guy in the foreground of the second image. Look at the background. The parks service cleared out the brush in front of the new bench. Grumpy Gus's blog must really have some clout to inspire that kind of change in 24 hours, huh?

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-2820059328686757372008-08-12T20:17:00.024-05:002008-08-13T06:02:59.254-05:00

Adopt-A-BenchNew benches have been springing up around Lake Winona. It seems anybody who cares to donate some money can have a bench honoring a Loved One. They're running out of good room for benches, though. Here's one they started putting in last fall and finally got around to finishing this week.I bet I'll be able to count on one hand the number of times that bench gets used in a year. Oh,

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-51820440936096526202008-08-06T21:17:00.009-05:002008-08-06T21:35:56.736-05:00

7000 feet is enough to give a flatlander altitude sickness.Blue skies don't always last.Neither do stormy skies.Driving a minivan to a closed tunnel on a Jeep road and hiking to the trailhead isn't always faster than driving around the mountain to the trailhead itself.Long's Peak is a long way from the Glacier Gorge trailhead

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-74457165170772239942008-07-20T17:00:00.002-05:002008-07-20T17:05:10.052-05:00

Here are some photos of our new friends from Taiwan and China; Maureen, Jessie and Lily.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-89726347863164923712008-07-08T13:03:00.014-05:002008-07-08T21:36:12.301-05:00

"Oh, he's got nice legs," she said as I passed by in the hallway!"There's more where that came from, if you'll go to the dance with me." I didn't say this out loud, I thought it. But I'm sure she wouldn't go to the dance with me, even if my thought was more than just a random quote from Napoleon Dynamite. I'm not even sure she can walk. She's about 80 years old and was scooting herself in a

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-69580704569643499532008-07-05T19:39:00.014-05:002008-07-08T21:38:27.139-05:00

I was warned, fair and square.While our friends are in Sweden we agreed to watch their 2 dogs for a week. The week was going to start tomorrow, but at the last minute the plan changed and they are at our house starting today. That puts me home alone with 3 dogs and a cat.When we picked the dogs up from Tony, we heard all about Blueberry's antics, like gobbling down a school lunch from somebody's

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-31136732439477165492008-06-23T20:09:00.011-05:002008-06-23T21:13:04.677-05:00

The devil on my shoulder tells me that parades are stupid. He questions the fun of fighting for space in somebody's yard to sit and watch convertibles go by every 10 minutes with people waving to the crowd. He points out that these "floats" will be interspersed with self-amusing clowns that cause kids to recoil whenever they try to get too close. He reminds me that there will likely be several

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-80899153330705828002008-06-11T21:52:00.005-05:002008-06-12T07:10:33.191-05:00

Coming back is the thing that enables you to see how all the dots in your life are connected....Anne PatchettWhat NowI've connected a lot of dots since my days at The University of Kansas. I’ve strung together a lot of one-day-at-a-time decisions until I’m sitting here now in a small and picturesque Minnesota town where I live with a girl I met in college, the 2 daughters we share and the golden

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-42132812524670128952008-06-04T11:45:00.007-05:002008-06-04T12:45:31.805-05:00

I'm  getting  sick of the internet. But I'm in it too deep to get out now. Everybody is aware of the common dangers of the net; dangers like pornography, phishing, viruses, stalking, etc.. I'm not really too concerned with any of these dangers for myself, but there is a more subtle and seductive danger in it for me - the danger of too much information. While not a physical threat, too much

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-82930048223334499562008-06-01T21:23:00.000-05:002008-06-01T21:25:18.740-05:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-32735281842842372932008-05-30T17:54:00.003-05:002008-05-31T08:59:57.888-05:00

Devil's Lake State Park has got to be the premier rock climbing area of the upper midwest; perhaps the entire midwest, at least for the type of climbing I like to do. I'm into moderate trad climbing, and although I'm only leading 5.6 right now Devil's Lake offers lots of opportunity for me to practice and improve. I'm not much into hard, bolted sport routes, otherwise I'd spend more time at the

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-55171085411446208392008-05-19T17:13:00.009-05:002008-05-19T19:14:08.773-05:00

This year is Minnesota's sesquicentennial year, and the state is celebrating 150 years by selecting a town from each of its 5 biomes to be named "Capital for a Day." Winona was named capital for the Driftless Area, and Friday was the day of celebration.The morning started with a speech from our governor, Tim Pawlenty. I didn't come for the speech, and missed many of the day's activities, but I

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-47232428687021235222008-05-18T16:45:00.005-05:002008-05-18T17:11:07.455-05:00

Tony and I finally made it to Devil's Lake this week. It has been such a cold and wet spring, we thought we'd never get there. We woke up early on Wednesday and had all the climbs at the busiest crag to ourselves in the morning. We started out on Upper Diagonal, which proved really tough for us. Next was Birch Tree Crack, which Tony set the anchor for. This climb still required some hangdogging,

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-43628715726063361142008-05-04T21:08:00.004-05:002008-05-04T21:25:31.045-05:00

forgetting people's namesforgetting to zip my flypassing gas in publictrimming my nose hairtrimming my ear hairMaybe it's my response to these things that make me feel old, rather than the things themselves. This guy with ear hair isn't very old, he just deals with it differently:I don't think I've ever lost friends over these things, though:

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-63018777681646856912008-04-26T16:52:00.009-05:002008-04-28T19:08:01.679-05:00

The jocks in eighth grade math class made fun of me when I broke my finger playing basketball. The injury seemed, to them, to indicate some sort of weakness. The finger I broke was just my pinky, an unworthy choice for a sports injury. It was stabilized with a strip of plaster cast wrapped with an Ace, not with a cool full cast that people could sign. With this sort of injury I didn't look like a

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-33491631591844379412008-04-18T09:35:00.001-05:002008-04-18T09:37:37.039-05:00

Wow, too bad I don't live closer to Carbondale, Colorado. This looks like a great film festival.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-55049188320536430242008-04-16T19:26:00.003-05:002008-04-16T20:27:00.187-05:00

Day 7Okay, so where was I? Oh yeah, the rest of the Key West trip. Friday was the last day of the conference. In the afternoon we walked back downtown and ate lunch at Blue Heaven Restaurant. We had to wait a half-hour, but that was fine. The restaurant felt like it was built right into the woods. Existing trees were used to hold up some of the structures and lights were strung amongst the

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-76833647229596029982008-04-12T11:58:00.016-05:002008-04-13T14:59:22.868-05:00

Day 5During the morning break from the anesthesia conference I headed back to the hotel room to hang out with my buds. They were relaxing in a cheerful room with the sounds of the ocean coming in the windows. It was quiet and peaceful. I took a few pictures and heard about their plan to take a tour on the Conch tram. The tour would end about the same time as my conference, so our plan was to meet

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-60871063941995202752008-04-09T20:29:00.014-05:002008-04-10T05:57:15.991-05:00

Day 4  By Tuesday we slipped into a morning routine. I went to my conference and the 3 girls had a leisurely wake-up. They had plenty of time to stroll the beach as I listened to lectures about malpractice, CRNAs and the American Legal System, Fire Safety in the Operating Room and Chemotherapy. It was actually a really good morning for all of us.     At lunchtime we were tired of eating

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-48552816991173475832008-04-08T20:34:00.001-05:002008-04-08T20:34:57.778-05:00

Monday was the start of my anesthesia conference. It was a good conference, with good presenters and the meetings lasted from 8am to 12:30pm. That gave Margaret and the girls time to have a leisurely morning and scope out the day's activities. Since we had returned the rental car, the island was explored strictly by foot. It may have been nice to rent bicycles, but walking worked just fine.The 3

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-70646866636607721042008-04-06T07:38:00.015-05:002008-04-06T14:44:22.601-05:00

Day 1Day 1 was, of course, a travel day. We left snowy Minnesota behind and flew to Miami with a connection in Chicago. Rain greeted us in Miami, making it hard to navigate the roads around the airport. Our hotel was supposed to be a 10-minute drive from the airport, but we took something like an hour and-a-half.Day 2Easter Sunday dawned bright and clear like Florida is supposed to do. We planned

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-27578985117978311892008-04-01T21:09:00.003-05:002008-04-01T21:11:00.805-05:00

Sorry no posts for awhile. I've been in Key West chillin' with my buds. I'll tell ya all about it soon.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-1910807123251133762008-03-19T18:01:00.010-05:002008-03-20T06:25:43.755-05:00

The rock formation Sugar Loaf stands as an iconic reminder of the history of Winona. I've always made gentle fun of Winona's love for the formation. It isn't a natural formation at all, but a remnant of a quarry project that was shut down in 1887. Winona is proud enough of it to keep it lit at night, which isn't an easy task when people like to stand at the top and throw rocks through the lights

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-57449484549129107962008-03-15T16:05:00.007-05:002008-03-15T16:11:38.512-05:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-81723629235035939242008-03-14T14:27:00.001-05:002008-03-14T14:27:36.848-05:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-82447679263809487342008-03-14T08:53:00.003-05:002008-03-14T09:11:43.016-05:00

I had the privilege of attending a lecture by Jim Brandenburg last night. I’ve admired his photographs for years, but was even more impressed by seeing him in person. He showed a lot of his work, including many unpublished photographs. He showed a lot of photos from Blue Mounds State Park, where I've been wanting to go rock climbing. He has given away land for conservation. He’s the kind of guy

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-59767751822998887622008-03-11T19:18:00.000-05:002008-03-11T19:38:30.956-05:00

OMG, today was, like way gorgeous! The first nice spring day brings everybody outside, and I could see dozens o' peeps enjoying the day from my LR window. Spring seems to be here, RUUP4IT? Of course you are! I'm one of those peeps who embraces winter, but I was SFETE today; how could you not with the warm sun on your shoulders? The temp hit 5-0, baby! WWJD on a day like today? IMO probably

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-70668803116034252842008-03-08T19:10:00.001-06:002008-03-08T20:20:39.866-06:00

Margaret insisted - begged, even - that I add an illustrated guide to her closet, too. I'm not sure why she insisted, but I have a hunch she was afraid she would misplace her "Yoga Diva" sweatshirt without the guide. She claimed that the post would be "hilarious." But as we annotated the photo, somehow the word "clothes" didn't seem so funny. So I've taken some of my own editorial liberties with

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-47749759260494103812008-03-08T13:04:00.000-06:002008-03-08T16:07:19.080-06:00

Elizabeth asked me if she could borrow a tripod to videotape herself and Kara making brownies. We went to my closet and she laughed, saying, "Your closet has a bunch of stuff and a few clothes. Mine has a bunch of clothes and a little stuff."I like keeping my toys in my closet because it make me feel like I do fun things more often than I actually do. If you ever need to borrow anything, here's

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-37570033079849920162008-03-06T19:42:00.000-06:002008-03-06T20:13:27.570-06:00

I think I'd better switch deodorants. My Mitchum unscented clear gel is working just fine. In fact, it works so well I could skip a day, just like the ads say. Its quick drying formula leaves no trace of messy white residue on me or my clothes. It's alcohol free so it doesn't sting or irritate my skin. But my ratio of lighter fluid to charcoal is not 2:1. I guess I'm not a Mitchum Man after all.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-17649824940045052492008-03-05T06:54:00.000-06:002008-03-05T06:58:46.039-06:00

There was a thin layer of new snow covering everything on my run to work this morning and I couldn't see the ice that's been forming over the last week. I alomost "bit it" several times, and punched through hollow ice a couple more. I felt like a toddler learning to walk. My time wasn't that far off my normal time, though. Maybe I always run like a toddler.I'm ready for spring.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-41371033697915639922008-03-03T19:59:00.001-06:002008-03-03T19:59:49.871-06:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-17078780347541922652008-03-02T17:56:00.000-06:002008-03-03T10:54:11.917-06:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-9439950277079403232008-03-01T10:33:00.000-06:002008-03-01T10:41:11.243-06:00

Enjoy.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-75572730611880763662008-02-25T10:56:00.000-06:002008-02-25T11:23:49.010-06:00

I don't know remember the last time I ran in 30-degree weather. Spring feels like it's on the way. It's not the kind of spring weather where the birds are singing and the grass is getting green, but the kind where a glaze of ice covers the streets between huge cold puddles. Still, I'll take it.Today's outfit was an Arc'Teryx short sleeve shirt covered by a Marmot Driclime Windshirt. On the bottom

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-67460164185709578432008-02-24T20:57:00.000-06:002008-02-24T21:52:28.725-06:00

Sometimes you just get lucky.There are times in my life when I start second-guessing my choices. Times when I take stock of my priorities and want to bump them around. Times when I feel restless and discontent. I’ve written about these times before.Moving to Winona ten years ago was a great way to begin my life as a CRNA. We wanted a small town for raising the kids. The river valley is

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-28467355588828173742008-02-23T13:06:00.000-06:002008-02-24T16:38:59.195-06:00

My winter running log is pretty pathetic. For the first time in about 5 years I've had a hard time motivating myself to get to work without a car. We've had quite a number of below zero mornings, with some in the double-digits below zero. Add a brisk wind and my thermometer just reads, "You don't want to know." So I've been catching extra winks and in some ways have enjoyed being a little lazier

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-11556306884719972152008-02-19T18:11:00.000-06:002008-02-19T20:23:51.850-06:00

Sometimes I wonder if my life is being monitored like Jim Carrey's in The Truman Show. Last summer I was complaining because whenever we walk Marco, we end up walking right on busy Huff street. I always wish out loud that they had put a sidewalk in when they revised the rest of the street. Well, at the end of the summer they started construction for that sidewalk.I also complained since August

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-14614593895901083202008-02-17T13:10:00.000-06:002008-02-17T13:53:09.396-06:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-82088807798793793882008-02-15T14:33:00.000-06:002008-02-17T13:51:14.212-06:00

Autumn

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-85704788317221038202008-02-05T20:42:00.000-06:002008-03-06T20:09:33.915-06:00

I've always thought that the hardest part of grocery shopping comes at the end. Maybe that's just the exhaustion from all of the accumulated effort of planning meals, compiling a list, and shopping for the items.When Elizabeth was a baby I used to shop with her hanging off the front of my body in one of those fabric baby carrier things.  One time as I was getting in line to pay, I realized that I

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-23945687446990737872008-02-03T18:52:00.000-06:002008-02-03T19:00:17.592-06:00

Maybe I would have liked the high school dances if I was a girl. Girls have fun before the dance even starts.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-8981989288540342292008-02-02T17:58:00.000-06:002008-02-02T21:27:33.492-06:00

I've decided to stop talking to Margaret. It's not that I don't like her anymore, it's just that talking is getting too hard. Besides, who needs to talk when you have a blog? Keeping a blog obligates you to make entries and I can't really make relevant entries and relevant conversation concurrently, so talking has to go.I was helping Anne with the layout of her blog after I got home from doing an

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-10273142332452322002008-01-31T20:01:00.000-06:002008-01-31T20:14:14.468-06:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-63074523666534717532008-01-28T19:45:00.000-06:002008-02-02T22:14:34.704-06:00

You might think that since I live with 3 women I’d be used to that one word that starts with a “b,” but I’m not. My 43 years have left me unprepared. I sound like Porky Pig every time I try to say it, which is more frequently now that the girls are teenagers. I try to use the word, but quickly find a substitute when I can’t spit it out. The word I’m talking about, of course, is “b-b-b-boyfriend.”

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-84849337078314508112008-01-27T08:15:00.000-06:002008-01-31T19:52:47.468-06:00

Before Elizabeth's Pops concert Pops Concert Scott and Isaiah Margaret

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-56022036150445169762008-01-20T17:38:00.001-06:002008-02-06T16:19:48.094-06:00

I bought a new camera. Margaret's little Canon Powershot A520 is becoming unreliable, so I got to pick out a replacement. I took months to decide, settled on the Powershot G9 and after weeks of letting it sink in, I finally picked one up at Best Buy. It's a great little camera, and for some reason I always want to use it to take pictures of my food. And when I say "my" food, I use the term

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-65298292126102767022008-01-20T14:32:00.000-06:002008-01-21T08:03:34.026-06:00

Finally we're having a real Minnesota winter. We got snow well before Christmas and haven't seen the grass since. When the lake froze it stayed frozen; none of the teasing of previous years with a little snow and a little freezing weather followed by weeks of dreary but dry conditions. The ski slopes took shape quickly, and the view of snow out our living room window acts as a constant reminder

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-52434539497377249622008-01-18T10:02:00.000-06:002008-01-18T10:05:48.356-06:00

From the Associated Press: Father Juan Manuel Villar blesses a dog during the feast of San Anton, the patron saint of animals, Thursday in Madrid, Spain. The feast is celebrated each year in many parts of Spain and people bring their pets, farm or work animals to churches to be blessed.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-53246246664317255342008-01-13T17:10:00.000-06:002008-01-19T08:19:10.543-06:00

How is a middle aged dude supposed to keep his sleek boyish figure when the treat season lasts from Halloween until well after Christmas? And since this personal dude can't seem to "just say no" to all the treats in the surgery lounge, I've got to find ways to keep the weight off by means other than dieting. In College I was a wisp, at 6'1" 155 pounds, but those days are gone forever; and not

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-65038122632079448602008-01-09T07:52:00.000-06:002008-01-31T19:59:47.169-06:00

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-2867266038038149892008-01-06T15:42:00.000-06:002008-02-06T16:20:04.628-06:00

If I tallied up all of my jackets and Margaret tallied up all of her clocks I'm not sure who would have the bigger count, but the numbers would be big. Still she sometimes comes home with a new clock, and I sometimes come home with a new jacket.My latest jacket obsession is a thin softshell for spring/summer/fall. Breathability is paramount, and it has to dry quickly; I don't want to overheat the

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-70592424864419207632008-01-04T19:50:00.000-06:002008-01-28T19:57:41.280-06:00

Had a great day skiing today with Tony at Welch Village. Margaret got started remodeling our kitchen. It was a fun day for both of us.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544635941972189746.post-73695834176448949112008-01-02T13:35:00.000-06:002008-02-02T18:57:49.573-06:00

OK, so I got rid of SleepyTom.com because it was horribly out of date. Now sleepytom.blogspot.com gives me an easy way to stay caught up. Let's see if it happens...I'm off to play Risk.

Tom Smarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375442866103189996noreply@blogger.com0