It sounded great at the time, but I suppose it needs more work. Can you find gPage?
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Monday, January 30, 2023
MiaGM: Sights and sounds of Sitges Spain
Funny how good 50 degrees (10 celsius) feels when the sun is shining bright! Two amazing dinners this weekend, some golf with my boss (Dean Franks), plus the Swiss National Juniors, and great walks on the coastal trails that go for miles. Came in town in advance of Autodesk FY24 Kickoff Sales Meetings. Checking out Lisbon next weekend . . .
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| Golf at The Hills Course, Infinitum with Cathy and Dean |
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| And the Swiss Junior Golfers |
Two great restaurants:
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| La Grotta |
Other Nuggets about life in The Kingdom:
Friday, January 27, 2023
Fit as a 🎻 Friday: Kyle on the move
I'm told this is not easy, and I believe it . . .
Congrats, Kyle, on continuing to pursue your love of climbing.
Happy Friday,
Dad
P.S. T-minus 78 days until 'I do!'
Monday, January 23, 2023
Make it Great Monday: Cold golf, amazing sunset, Go Heels!
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| Our sunset on Richmond Hill last night. |
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| Playing number 10 at TRGC on Sunday morning with a smidge of sun peeking through. |
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| Armando Bacot Becomes UNC's All-Time Rebound and Double-Doubles Record Holder. |
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| Sometimes going back to analog is the better way to create! |
Friday, January 20, 2023
FaaFF: Compression Therapy
Good Friday, girls. It's cold in England! I'm enjoying a bachelor weekend while mom and Sally are off to a design conference in Paris. Taylor is on a 'business' trip in the French Alps skiing. See the photo below he sends from Morzine, France.
Emily got her share of snow recently at Lake Tahoe. This crowd remains on the move!
We have a new stretching area at BARCH, including the opportunity to jump into compression therapy boots. I tried them out recently, and they work!
Benefits include:
- Boost circulation and lymphatic drainage
- Reduces delayed onset muscle soreness
- Decreases swelling and stiffness
- Relieves muscle fatigue
Stay fit as a fiddle, peeps,
Dad
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Stolen Focus
Walking back from the gym this morning, this new release caught my eye in the window of Waterstones.
Stolen Focus, by Johann Hari - Why You Can't Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari. Check out the recommendations and comments here.
Who else feels like it might be a timely read?
Monday, January 16, 2023
MiaGM: Where is Uncle Ricky May?
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| Helicoptoring in the Himalayas |
Hello daughters,
Uncle Ricky making more memories in parts unknown. Ricky exemplifies a quote from one of my favorite motivational speakers and sales trainers, Jim Rohn:
"Life is not just the passing of time. Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity."
Here's a summary of Ricky's 'soft-adventure' travel since retiring, copied from his LinkedIn profile.
"What have I been up to since I stopped working?"
"I've been exploring the world, especially the road less traveled. I've been to Antarctica on a small ship, watched (Carolina) blue footed boobies feed their chick in the Galapagos, helicoptered to the face of the Ilulissat glacier in Greenland, snorkeled the Silfra fissure in Iceland, Sipadan Island in Malaysia and Sharm El Sheikh on the Red Sea, rafted Okere Falls and kayaked Doubtful Sound in New Zealand, hiked in Patagonia and to Iguazu Falls in Argentina, volunteered on a game reserve in South Africa, slept in tents in the Moroccan Sahara desert, rafted the Grand Canyon with some friends, lived on a boat in the Peruvian jungle monitoring animal populations, trekked in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda to see gorillas, hiked into the back side of Petra in Jordan, snorkeled in Belize and Oman, photographed tigers and a black leopard in India, jaguars in Brazil, polar bears in Manitoba, orang utans in Borneo and leopards in Sri Lanka, viewed Dubai from the top of the Burj Khalifa, ferried the islands off Chile's coast and across the Strait of Gibraltar to Cueta, hiked to Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia, mini submarined to 1013 ft below the surface in Curacao, cruised the Irrawaddy in Myanmar, made it to the Pyramids in Egypt and have made it to all 7 continents. If "soft adventure" travel interests you, let me know if I can help."
Check out @carolinabluetraveler for more pictures.
Make it a Great Monday,
Dad
P.S. Ricky is currently in Nepal. The above photo was from a trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary. Today he is in Chitwan National Park looking for rhinos, where his first text indicates he might have made a wrong turn:
"5:30a alarm ring. 6:15 taxi pickup. 6:40 arrival at airport. Had to wait for it to open at 7. 8a flight delayed by fog. Airport didn’t open until 2p. 25 minute flight to Kathmandu. Last flight to wherever I flew to delayed or I would have been stuck in Kathmandu. Guy in airport helped me get on the flight by leading me into the cargo area. Arrived at BHR airport at 5p. Driver was there as planned. 2 hour drive on the worst roads imaginable. Immediately sat down to eat for first time today. Food was ok. Got to sit thru a slide show and then get shown to my room. Nowhere to go but up from here!"
Friday, January 13, 2023
FaaFF: Unlucky or lucky 13 and the longest match
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| Hanging out with Fred Perry |
Did you know that Wimbledon has 18 Championship courts with grass surfaces, including the Center and Number 1 Court? The Championship courts are numbered one to 18, which for those of you good at math (or maths as we now say), will add up to 19 courts? That is because there is no court 13, which is considered bad luck.
In our house, 13 = LUCK! Emily's May 13 birthday, Lucy's March 13 birthday, and Sal & T's January 13 anniversary.
What was the longest match ever played at Wimbledon? This plaque commemorates the famous John Isner vs. Nick Mahut match that lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, spread over three days! That match is one of the reasons the majors recently got together and decided to have the same tie-break rules.
The Grand Slam Board announced in March: "On behalf of the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, the Grand Slam Board are pleased to announce the joint decision to play a 10-point tie-break at all Grand Slams, to be played when the score reaches six games all in the final set." [The Sporting News]
How did week 2 go for my 2023 fitness goals? Answer:
- Sat, Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed = no alcohol (slept better, felt better, live longer!)
- Five BARCH functional training sessions and TPI drills for golf-specific fitness.
- The electric toothbrush is still in the box, but I did floss!
Other Nuggets about life in The Kingdom:
Thursday, January 12, 2023
MAKE grass: Tennis in an English Garden
Girls, it's MAKE anything Thursday and another rainy, cold day in London. That means the grass is growing down the street at Wimbledon, where we took in The Championships last July.
This past weekend, Sally, Mom, and I did the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum and Tour. One of the more fascinating parts of the tour is learning how the famous grass is made. The grass is surgically removed from each court as soon as the tournament finishes, though the soil underneath stays in place. The ground is then treated to remove any unwanted pests and aerated and tilled before the new seed goes down. Wimbledon has its own unique mix of perennial ryegrass, which is used with a controlled-release fertilizer to speed up the development of the grass.
Some courts need more natural sun in the maritime climate of the British Isles. The solution? Artificial lights are rolled across courts by the grounds crew.
As you would expect, the tour and museum are incredibly well done. You learn about the tournament's history, the uniqueness of the All England Club, and how the broadcast is served worldwide.
We also chuckled as our guide showed us the gate where Roger Federer recently had trouble getting into the club because he did not have his membership card!
Check out this video for a good laugh:
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| Talking to the press after our match! Other Nuggets about life in The Kingdom: |
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
WPW: Sally (Singletary) Wilkinson has got the right stuff
'Having moved from Atlanta to London with her husband during the pandemic, interior designer Sally Wilkinson has created a one-bed flat that is a love letter to the couple's time in Europe.'
It looks like your Instagram account jumped to over 1000 followers in a matter of a few hours! @sally.wilkinson.design
Sally, you have got the right stuff:
1. Leave home (Austin, TX and the Westlake bubble) at age 18 for Athens, GA, and the University of Georgia. (Congrats to all the Dawgs in the family!)
2. Pursue a degree in something you are passionate about, Interior Design. (Pay no attention to those who say a degree in an artistic field will get you nowhere. Right Brainers will rule the world!)
3. Hitch your wagon, in your early 20s, to one of the best: Betty Burgess. Work hard and learn something new every Singletary day.
4. Find a supportive and loving life partner, Taylor Wilkinson, who always aspires to make his world BIG and encourages you to do the same.
5. Move to Chelsea after nearly seven years of learning from Betty. Launch your own interior design business. (And find a top-notch intern!)
‘My mom helps me out there a lot,’ Sally is quick to add. The designer’s parents currently live in Richmond as coincidentally her father’s job also recently relocated to the UK. 'I have two sisters left in Texas who are like, “Why is everyone moving to London?!'” Handily, her mother can help Sally with her interiors business a few days every week: ‘I call her my intern,' Sally jokes.
Link to article here: A rented flat in Chelsea transformed through art and antiques by Sally Wilkinson
WPW Nuggets from the past (other powerful women):
Other Nuggets about life in The Kingdom:
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
SWT: Daniel Pink's "HAHU" (pronounced 'ha-hu')
Stay Whole Tuesday, girls,
Dawgs 65 Frogs 7. Congratulations, Georgia, on two in a row and not even close. How many of the Georgia fans who doubted Stetson Bennett all the way to last year's title, and even throughout this year, are willing to admit they probably should stick to their day job?
Mom and I are reading, annotating, and discussing Daniel Pink's latest book, The Power of Regret - How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward. You will not regret reading the book. I'll have more to say about it in future nuggets.
I've been a Pink fan since reading one of his first books years ago, A Whole New Mind. I shared thoughts on that book often on Nuggets, like this one from January ten years ago.
Who does the short video above remind you of?
HAHU (pronounced ha-hu) = Hurry, Anticipate, Heads Up!
When we were hiking in the Cotswolds during the Christmas break, I was inspired by how my daughters walked with pace, purpose, and their heads up. Like you plan on getting somewhere special in life!
Keep it going,
Dad
Monday, January 9, 2023
MiaGM Stetson Bennett and the Dawgs: "Oh, so it doesn't change?"
Can the Georgia Bulldogs make it two in a row? We will find out tonight when they take on cinderella TCU for the National Championship in Los Angeles. It's a 12:30AM (Tuesday morning) start time here in London. I imagine your mom will be on it for the entire game, as she was for the semi-finals.
The Stetson Bennett story is one for the ages. I can't help but think about Pop and how much he is enjoying this run from his seat in heaven.
Taylor shared this with me last week from The Athletic article linked above:
Stetson Bennett plans to enjoy the ride, wherever it takes him. He promised himself that after winning the national title last year. “Two weeks after I’m sitting in a math class and I’m like, ‘Oh so it doesn’t change. It’s life. It keeps going on,’” he said. “And I was so grateful to realize that then instead of working at a job for 40 years to reach that goal and reaching that goal when I’m 63 and being like ‘crap.’ Yeah, you’re going to have to work. But it’s not about the championships or the gravy at the end of the journey. It’s about the journey.”
Wise young man,
Dad
P.S. Excerpt from Remembering Pop:
He scours the morning paper. What else happened in the world of sports and in the bigger world of things (perhaps) more important than the Braves or the Georgia Bulldogs? “Did I tell you about the year Hershel Walker brought us the National Championship and Benjamin Franklin “Buck” Belue threw the most beautiful 97 yard touchdown pass to Lindsey Scott and we beat those damn Florida Gators? Things have never been the same between the hedges, but Hershel was a special guy. That was 1980 son, and we took it to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl for a perfect 12 and 0 season.”
RESULTS: DAWGS dominate FROGS 65-7!
Friday, January 6, 2023
Fit as a Fiddle Friday: BARCH
Thrilled to see my happy self on the Wall of Fame at the recently renovated BARCH Richmond.
Without a doubt, one of the best functional fitness and training centers you will ever find. Owner/operator Will Taylor is a unique human being with the passion and energy to move mountains. I can't say enough about how top-notch the trainers are and how much they care about your well-being.
As we say in Texas, this place is the opposite of all hat, no cattle. Give it a try.
No ego training!
Dad
P.S. Blast from past nuggets here:
BARCH Richmond: Our gym in the UK
FaaFF on Saturday: You BARCHing?
How did week 1 go for my 2023 fitness goals? Answer:
- Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur = no alcohol (slept better, felt better, live longer!)
- Five BARCH functional training sessions and TPI drills for golf-specific fitness. Boom!
- The electric toothbrush is still in the box.
Other Nuggets about life in The Kingdom:
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