Fred Posner dot com

Curb Appeal? Not so much.

Thanksgiving 2009 involved family, a road trip, and lots of yard work. Although Yeni and I made yet another trip to Florida, we sadly did not get the opportunity to visit all our friends and family “on the list.”

While traveling to sunny Fort Lauderdale, we took a pit-stop in Gainesville and checked out the house. The condition shocked us. It looked absolutely horrible and had what could only be described as negative curb appeal. We headed down to SoFla and knew we had to return and get down to business on some serious yardwork.

Borrowing a chainsaw from the old man, we quickly got to work on the thickest of foliage decorating the house. Read the rest of this entry »

Back in 2007, I was floored by the University of Florida’s President (Bernie Machen) accepting more than $200,000 in bonuses. I was so floored, I sent him a letter (below) and asked him to decline the bonus. After all, he already receives in base salary more than 10 times the annual income for a Florida family sending their child to the University of Florida.

As expected, I did not receive a response and there was no mention of donations, declines, or anything else from Bernie Machen. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m still in Florida, but headed back to Michigan on Wednesday. I’ve been enjoying the warm weather, although it was 98 degrees yesterday in North Florida… much, much higher than Ann Arbor.

Anyway, this last weekend I:

• Celebrated mom’s birthday with my family (including my sister and our spouses)
• Had an AMAZING meal at Joe’s Stone Crabs (but, when do you not?)
• Celebrated Mother’s day with the family
• Worked a little in Boca Raton, FL
• Enjoyed a nice afternoon on the beach with my wife.
• Read some hilarious comments on the Gandy Dancer review

I’m looking forward to the drive up on Wednesday… love those Mountains.

Update June 11, 2009: The Chief is now leaving in early July – 4 months earlier than he had advised.

Norman Botsford, the current Police Chief of Gainesville, Florida, announced that he would be retiring from his position. Although the following Gainesville Sun article highlights his history, they don’t mention how in recent years he has helmed a department who’s morale has dropped faster than, well insert your metaphor here… it’s way low.

This is a good thing.

Here’s what the Gainesville Sun said: Read the rest of this entry »

We’re not playing the Pyramid here, but wouldn’t that be great? Man, I miss good 70’s game shows. Give me the Pyramid and Match Game and I’m happy as can be. Anyway…

Benjamin Franklin

I’ve always liked Mr. Franklin. Some think he’s the only non-president on money… but those people probably think Mr. Hamilton was once a president. Anyway, Benjamin Franklin is perhaps my favorite American in history. I love his quotes and many of his thoughts can guide us still today.

Today’s the following Benjamin Franklin quote comes to mind:

It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.

Which brings us to… Read the rest of this entry »

I ranted today about YET ANOTHER security breach at the University of Florida (Go Gators). It’s a decent rant:

http://www.voiptechchat.com/tech/245/university-of-florida-security-strikes-out/

I like ranting now and then

That little spec in the center is the duck. And in the bottom right corner is the one mom threw in.

So today (December 20th) marks the 2nd Anniversary of Forrest’s passing. Last year, I rode the Harley out to Cedar Key, Florida and threw a duck into the ocean.

Why a duck?

Well, when I graduated UF back in 2006 (Go Gators), my parents threw an open house graduation party for me. My mom decorated the house with an army of little foam ducks wearing a graduation cap.  Forrest loved them. He absolutely loved them and would quickly remove the head from the body, shake it around a little bit, find a new duck, lather, rinse, repeat. When we returned to Gainesville, I must have brought about 20 ducks with me and every now and then I’d leave one for him to seek and destroy.

After he passed away, I had a handful of them left, so on 12/20/2007 I rode out to Cedar Key on the bike (read the post) and had brought one of the ducks with me. I didn’t really have a plan; I was just pretty sad and seeing the ocean always makes me feel better.

When I got to Cedar Key, I had the duck in my hand and was just kind of squeezing it (like one of those stress relief balls). For no particular reason I reached back and hurled the duck as far as I could into the ocean… watching as the duck “swam” out to see. I don’t know why, but I loved it. And I said I’d do it every year I could.

Giants Stadium at AT&T Park

This year, I happened to be in San Francisco on 12/20, which of course wasn’t an issue — since the ocean is right there. I had brought a duck and coincidentally my mom also brought one out for me (there’s a long story there… but in 5 words or less, Great minds think alike). We went out to the Giants stadium and we launched the ducks into the Pacific.

And with that, I was reminded how much I still miss my dog.

No much to report on a very busy mid-week. We received a big snowfall last night, which found myself prepping Yeni’s car for work this morning. Can’t say I’m enjoying the though of repeating that action for the next several months. It was c-o-l-d, cold. Oh, and snowy. Last time I was near that much snow, Mom made me a cup of cocoa with little marshmallows — of course they were real marshmallows added to the cup… not the pre-mixed yucky ones.

Things of interest today:

• This mom from Gainesville has to get some sort of Mother of the Year award.
• Blogged to VoIP Tech Chat (was short and sweet)
• Helped move my cousin’s site to a new host
• Looking at switching to Verizon very, very soon.

And that’s the news that’s fit to print. Oh, I also changed the design of this site around a little.

When you leave Gainesville at 4:30 you hit Atlanta in time for rush hour.

To me, Thanksgiving represents not just a “vacation” day, but rather a day to reflect on the past year — no matter how bad — and be thankful for what life has given to us. Every year I look forward to celebrating two days with my family and friends; selfishly, the first day (my birthday) is all about me. And, as you can guess, the second day I look forward to comes on the fourth Thursday in November.

No one truly knows the origin of Thanksgiving. Although we have been taught in school that the first Thanksgiving occurred in 1621 with the Pilgrims, the settlers of Saint Augustine celebrated a “Thanksgiving” more than 50 years earlier. Of course, those thanksgiving celebrations were more religious in nature. In fact, the Saint Augustine celebration featured a “Mass of Thanksgiving” offering thanks for safely arriving in Florida (aka the New World). And, much like the Florida Thanksgivings of today, the earliest one featured an enormous feast. But as usual, I digress.

Fred’s Thanksgiving tradition involves a pilgrimage (yes, it’s a pun — deal with it) to my parent’s house in Davie, Florida. In the last 20 years, I can only remember two Thanksgivings not spent in Davie. One was a road trip that David and I made to Pensacola (while my parents celebrated elsewhere) and the other I spent in Gainesville; not having enough seniority to skip the UF-FSU football game.

Thanksgiving at my parent’s house involves the three F’s — Family, Food, and Food. But wait, did I just say Food twice? Yes, and why? Because there’s that much Food. Mmmmm food. Anyway, Family from all over the country flock to Davie much like the Cliff Swallows to San Juan Capistrano, California. Although the numbers vary yearly (small celebrations have 12 people, large are well over 25), there are constants that never change. First, we will have brisket, turkey, stuffing, and more food than one person can eat in one sitting. Second, family will be there and will be welcomed. And, lastly, we remember why we have gathered together.

Much like Prince said in the eighties, we have gathered to celebrate this thing called life (yes, technically, he said gathered to “get through” this thing called life, but I’m taking liberty here). Anyway, no matter what the day brings, at the end of our trials, our family and friends remain to either share our joy or sorrow. They lend a shoulder for consolation or hug for congratulations. Our family provides the support we need to “get through this thing called life.”

Although I’ve said it before, I like to say it every year… I truly believe that family does not merely consist of shared blood or upbringing. Our friends are the family we choose. Let’s face it, I know I’m one of the lucky ones. I was lucky to be born into a family I truly love. A family I can count on when times are tough, and I family that can count on me to be there for them. But, I’ve also been able to add to my family great friends that have helped me grow (yes, I’m on a diet ) and well, let me say this:

Yes, I look forward each year for 2 days — my birthday and Thanksgiving. This year, my birthday witnessed the brutal killing of a dear friend; a person I considered family. And although it’s been just over a month since Ricardo’s death, I am thankful for the laughter we shared and to have been able to consider him not only a great friend, but also a part of family. He was the first to respond to my Thanksgiving messages (he kept odd hours) and always returned both kind words and a reminder that there is no Thanksgiving in Argentina. Sadly, this year, I’m afraid he’s right on that one.

The trials of life remind us that we live. This year, I am choosing to remember on Thanksgiving that even when family are taken from us, we must be thankful for the time we shared. I am thankful for many things. My health, my relationship, and of course my family. My family provides me the ability to smile, the tissues to wipe away tears, and the moral compass to always find my way.

So, my thanks are to you — yes… YOU. You are my family, and today, I give thanks to have you in my life.

Fred enjoying Dunkin' Donuts

Yeni and I started early — very early — Saturday morning. After loading the truck and topping off the tank, we hit I-94 somewhere around 4 am. It was BEYOND cold with the truck showing outside temperatures ranging from 10 – 15 degrees. Normally, I make as few stops as humanly possible; combing fuel stops with rest breaks (and yes, “rest breaks” means exactly what it sounds like). I learned quickly, that while traveling with someone else (aka Yeni) brings great joy, it also requires more frequent “rest breaks.”

Our first break was near Dayton, OH. Finding a Dunkin’ Donuts, we stopped for “rest,” coffee, and an egg bagel. Mmmm, egg bagel. After topping off the tank, we heading back on the highway hitting a major traffic jam in Cincinnati, OH. After staying in place for the better part of an hour, we were able to cross the bridge, enter Kentucky, and put Ohio behind us.

When we reached Lexington, KY, we got off the main road and visited a college friend of Yeni’s (Maria Fernanda and her husband Diego). After a nice visit and a great breakfast, we dropped Mafe at the Univeristy of Kentucky and continued south. I’d never been to the University, and it’s always nice to visit a place where the Gators have dominated (this year we destroyed Kentucky, but that was a home game).

My favorite part of driving to/from Michigan is the leg from Lexington, KY to Knoxville, TN. The trip takes you through the Cumberland Mountains (southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains) and provides beautiful climbs, views, and scenery. Although best experienced riding on a Harley, the trip is still enjoyable from the truck.

Little Lil puts a smile on Fred's face

After reaching Knoxville, we called my good friend Patrick and met with him, his daughter, and wife (Jessi) at a local Italian restaurant. It was great to see their family and playing with lil’ Lil put a big smile on my face. After eating some pasta, rolls, and cannoli , we were back on the road — this time with Yeni at the wheel.

Chattanooga is only a few miles north of Georgia, and the drive through Georgia is long; very long. Did we mention construction? Georgia’s I-75 passage can be described in three words: Pecans, Outlets, Construction. Despite being on the road for more than 20 hours, Yeni was determined to drive through Georgia by herself. She made creative efforts to stay alert, such as talking to the GPS device, counting Juanes songs, and singing.

We reached Florida around 2am and I took over the wheel. When we arrived to the house in Gainesville, Yeni wisely suggested we inflate the bed, grab some shuteye, and rest for a few hours. We rested until around 7 am, loaded Grandma’s chandelier into the truck, grabbed breakfast at DD, and hit the road. Yeni had never seen Florida’s west coast or the Everglades, so I decided to take I-75 straight through to Fort Lauderdale.

Spider-bear at the Gulf of Mexico

When we reached Tampa, we took I-275 to visit the Tampa Bay and see the ocean. I-275 takes you over the Sunshine Skyway bridge (the world’s longest cable bridge) and the ocean view provides a great contrast to the snow we woke up to on the previous morning. Yeni seemed to enjoy the ocean, and Spider-bear was excited to play on the rocks (during one of the “rest” stops).

We continued driving (well, I drove while Yeni napped), and after crossing the Everglades reached the Casa de Parientes. I cannot wait for the rest of the family to arrive and celebrate my favorite holiday.

Yeni sleeps in the Everglades

Woke up this morning around 8am, and we visited the Gainesville DD. Two coffees later and we are headed to south florida.

Yeni has never been to the everglades, so we are taking the long way. Oh, in case Mami is reading we are bringing a little something.

The plan was (originally) to quickly stop by the house in Gainesville, check on it’s condition, and continue on to South Florida. The new plan is to arrive in Hogtowne around 2 AM and crash for a few hours.

Our day started at 3 AM in Ann Arbor, so a little rest will be nice. Yeni’s set on driving until she hits Florida so she can have driven all through Georgia.

It’s always nice to be in Gainesville after a big UF win. Go Gators.

Quote of the moment: “Georgia construction sucks. Literally. “– Yeni

Normally, October is my favorite month. This year, nay nay. My sister summed it up quite simply — “Sounds like you had a super crappy October, so I’m happy that it’s November now.” Well said. Well said.

So, this is November and tomorrow morning we may very well have a new President-elect. This year I voted for… oh yeah, I didn’t get to vote. What? Huh? Why?

Atypically, I will make this a short story.

I moved this year. I’m no longer a registered voter in Alachua County, Florida and instead am registered in Broward County, Florida. I knew I’d be in Michigan so I requested an absentee ballot and had them send it to me in Ann Arbor. Well, the US Postal Service decided that I should not vote this year. Instead of delivering the ballot to me, they delivered it to my neighbor.

My neighbor nicely (albeit somewhat tardily) came to the apartment and returned my ballot. Unfortunately, since it was Monday after 5pm, I was unable to send it for a Tuesday delivery as required by Florida law.

So, that’s how Fred didn’t get to vote in 2008. I feel saddened as I really wanted to vote for Sheriff Al Lamberti. I think he’s a good Sheriff and wanted to give him my vote. Anyway…

So, what am I most looking forward to on Wednesday after election day? Hopefully picking up my Harley from the shop. Oooooh… new pipes.

GAINESVILLE, FL — So for the last few weeks, I’ve been working hard to get the house “ready to sell.” With the help of Orlando, Linda, and Richard (aka J4 Cruisers), the kitchen, master bedroom, and living room have been painted. When no wood flooring was available to repair the living room I had two options — (a) replace the entire wood floor (over 1000 sq ft) or (b) carpet the living room.

I chose option B; and then replaced the carpet in all bedrooms as well. Now all carpeting in the home match; which is nice. There’s a bunch of clean-up left, as well as touching up any wall that needs it. Actually, the touch-ups require a repaint since the color of the paint is slightly darker.

I’ve pressure washed most of the house and need to finish that up and maybe even give it another quick clean.

The goal is to rent a trailer on Thursday, load it up on Friday, and then head to Ann Arbor on Saturday.