Today is an important day

I don't think of myself as being obsessed with the weather forecast. I never watch the 10:00 news long enough to get to the weather, and my usual weather checking technique is to look out the window and maybe step outside for a few minutes if it might be cold. Except during ski season--then I check the forecast religiously hoping to see storms in the forecast and hoping that they materialize.

Today is important because it's the first day on which Lotoja shows up in the 10 day forecast. For the next nine days, I'll be watching weather.com almost as if it's ski season. The forecast right now shows clear weather for the first half of the race, but rain from Star Valley, WY to the finish. I hope it's wrong. But not wrong if it means wind from the north instead of rain. I'll take being soaked to the bone over a headwind any day.

Yesterday was also an important day because Arsenal finished off their Champions League qualifier by soundly defeating FC Twente 4-0, for a 6-0 home and away aggregate. My brother texted me, wanting to know the score. When I responded, he wanted to know who scored. Not wanting to key in four European names on my phone, I called him to tell him. He said he couldn't watch the game, as if he were disappointed because some mundane commitment had taken precedent. I commented that it was really noisy on his end and asked if he were at the airport. "No," he responded, "I'm at Arthur Ashe Stadium."

This is the same brother that last year told me he would love to have the money I spend on bikes and skis. My response was that I'd love to have the money he spends traveling to and attending sporting events. He has been to England and Spain to watch Arsenal play and beginning this year will be a season ticket holder to the Denver Broncos. I guess it's all just a matter of priorities.

Yesterday was also an important day because I took my son fishing for the first time. Some friends have a pond that is stocked with bass and bluegill. I gave him the crappie (as in fish) pole, tied a fly to the end of the line, and told him to watch, and when a fish eats the fly, to pull it out of the water. With very little assistance, he caught five bluegill. It was the best time either of us has had in months. It may not be true fly fishing, but it's immensely gratifying to take kids fishing and have them catch fish on dry flies.

If our father had had his say, nobody who did not know how to catch a fish would be allowed to disgrace a fish by catching him....My brother Paul and I were left to assume that all first-rate fisherman on the Sea of Galilee were fly fisherman. And that John, the favorite, was a dry fly fisherman.

- A River Runs Through It