Chad Gesser

This is too beautiful not to share. These come from the Boston Globe website, two days after the Sox have won the series. Mine, #2, and #27 inspired me to include these here... Sox playoffs board Folder: On the front burner Discussion: Tributes to those who have passed ... #1 10:33 AM From: BostonDotCom To: ALL What relative or friend passed away before they saw the Sox win the Series ... tell us about them and their devotion to this team. #2 10:43 AM From: KYSoxFan To: BostonDotCom Here's a story that I sent to another subject. I blogged it just after the Sox won the World Series. http://gesser.blogspot.com/2004/10/have-you-ever-recognized-workings-of.html #3 11:45 AM From: patstag To: BostonDotCom For my grandmother. When I came home from school she would be in the kitchen ironing and I would help her and we would watch the Sox together - or listen to them on the radio. For my mother, who was an avid sports fan and probably never missed a game of any of ou

Time for a bit of history....thanks to our good friend Emily Istre, I've come to understand that Emily and I are related! This picture here is of my Great-Great-Great-Grandparents on my father's mother's side....The G-G-G-Grandfather here is Valentine Wink, and my G-G-G-Grandmother is Apollonia Strobel. He was born in 1823 in Prussia, and she was born in 1830 in Baden. Emily and I came to realize that we are related through their sons Michael and John. Emily is related to John through her mother's mother's side.

Ok, if you are remotely a baseball fan, you cannot help to be emotionally moved by the baseball antics of the past three days. Consider these stats from three wild days at Fenway: • The elapsed game times were 4 hours, 20 minutes; 5:02 and 5:49. • Thirty-five pitchers combined to throw 1,299 pitches (412 Saturday, 416 Sunday and 471 Monday). • The Yankees had 27 runs on 46 hits - and left 38 men on base. The Red Sox had 19 runs, 36 hits and left 31 on. Ok, before I go further, let me make a confession. I'm Catholic, and I'm a Red Sox's fan. At this time you are supposed to tell me what prayers or actions I need to do to assist me in my future endeavors, and to help the Red Sox keep keepin' on. Ok when I began this blog I had no intention of being sacriligious. Rather I have become a victim to my own recognition of the prayer like, religious like fervor that has swept Red Sox Nation, and won't be too far from good 'ol San Luis (St. Louis for the non-spanish s

We cannot underestimate the utility of viewing our work, our application of knowledge, and what we do to survive as anything less than a system. When we strive to pinpoint the golden key to everything economic, we miss the systemic view and the attachment of peripheral economic activity and their subsequent importance on the quality of life of a community and its citizens. We must look beyond the notion that our well being as a community and for its citizens rests in the hands of the sometimes invisible being of economic development. The central issue as brought out in the economic summit was the community quality of life. As Jo Ann McCormick noted, economic development leaders want the buy in of the community, but usually stop short by relying on the “safety” and “comfort” of those in their immediate circles. Economic development leaders want community input, but they don’t get it, nor do they ask. While there is an obvious need for a community strategic plan for our economic deve

Here are the official results of the first ever Wiener Race at the Oktoberfest: one dog almost jumped off the RiverPark Center patio and into the river; another, just out of the gate, turned to my friend Pete, and tried to lick his forearms; another, ventured off track and sought refuge in the stands with the gullible audience; oh, and two others crossed the finish line.

Top 5 phrases heard during the wiener dog race at the Oktoberfest (love that spelling): "If you haven't registered your wiener, make sure you do." "Look, there is an African Wiener!" "There's an Arabian Wiener!" "Look at the size of that Wiener!" "What pedigree is your Wiener?"  

You are looking at the King of all Wieners, Tobby Joe.... 

I'm ready for Chinese New Year!! Thanks Mimi! I love you!!!!

Thanks Mimi for the Chinese outfits! I'll wear this one to the Chinese restaurant to eat some Rakishaki!

Ahh yeah...for all da baby pimps and playas out there...Josie Rosie is in da house, keepin' it real for all her peeps... 

Ok, call me bold, but I decided to brave the wind, as it dares me by shifting my LCD on my laptop, to experience the wonder and joy that is the first ever Oktoberfest (spelling is correct, as those putting the event on would attest) at the RiverPark Center in good ol’, rather guten ol’ Owensboro, Kentucky. So I have to admit, strolling up the sidewalk to the Oktoberfest (I love that little twist on the name) that the anticipation was building of this event. How would it be? How would we, Owensboro, pull off an Oktoberfest? What kind of beer would be here? The food, what would we have? I heard something about the music, the wieners (dogs, not hot) and dancers. So my anticipation was just about to culminate into something tangible….. …thus I heard the music, and then I saw the singers in their red and black kilts, standing on stage on first street, playing to a small shivering crowd in the lot of the Community Development building. Is that not ironice? Yes, a smile certainly stru

Josie learns at an early age the love of the Louisville Cardinal.....at least I am bringing her up in a rich tradition... 

Jackie and Josie are becoming two peas in a pod.  

While the talk of the creative class and its meaning for Owensboro continues, little is left in the way of specifics regarding public and/or private initiatives.  One can only assume that this is a philosophy, an idea, and nothing more. A few years back there was indeed an effort at increasing high speed internet access to residents in the Owensboro area.  OMU has forged that effort ahead, but the access is limited to residential and small business.  Is it possible to develop a network of wireless access points in the community, whereby small business, residents, and anyone in the community with the proper equipment could access the internet and other high speed services?  Could local government sponsor this initiative along with private investment and support to offer high speed, wireless where desired, internet access at a cost that is substantially lower than current costs, even free?   

In the dead of night, with Susie sleeping on the couch due to her asthmatic style cough that she has been sporting for a week, Brittany's "friends" took care of business at her house. Brittany, a youngin' at Owensboro High School, apparently attracted some of her more familiar acquaintances to her humble abode as they totalled her house and family's cars with the shit wiper. Having committed the same juvenile delinquent act in the past, I wasn't too upset. The only thing that has me worried is that they live directly next door to us, and toilet papered trees tend to bring the property value of immediate real estate down. To be continued.... 

Our little Josephine is growing. My mother told me when our Jackie was a few months old how remarkable the life cycle was during the first year. She told me with her motherly wisdom that a child will change more in the first year of life then any other year in their lifetime. Wow, that was such a profound statement. Today I experienced something new. It's been four years since I became a father, and I am so overwhelmed by having two angels that I sometimes think I must be in a heavenly dream. Today I was holding Josephine, and she was eagerly following Ms. Jackie with her interested eyes. Josie wants to know what is going on. She realizes she cannot be fully engaged in social activity, but she is committed to making a contribution, even if it means that intense stare she will give. While following Jackie, Josie burped. Jackie recognized Josie's behavior, and if you know her father you know why that burp would signify an open door to the absurd, even to the novice. Jack

You know the time is right when the major league baseball playoffs begin. The playoffs intersect with the change from summer to fall in the bluegrass state. During the spring the state is indeed about the grass, the flowers, and the fresh bloom. But the playoff season in Kentucky is about the change in colors of the leafs on the trees, the persuasion of the summer heat to the cool autumn nights, breathing the stress of the humid months into the cool evening air. It's amazing the connection to the past time that can be felt having grown up with the baseball tradition. I am probably very fortunate, more so than most youngins' to have been the youngest of three boys. Some of my earliest memories are indeed of being at Eastern Little League in Owensboro. The baseball tradition involved most everyone in my immediate family. That's what is so neat about my baseball connection. Of course my brothers and I have fond memories of our baseball years, but so does my mother, so

In the Beginning… We’ll, I reckon I’ve been putting this off for at least 2 years. My excuse for not writing was that there never was time. But even now I still question as to why I feel or felt the need to write? I suspect that my interest in writing stretches back to those innocent and energetic days of my late high school and early college years. More specifically, my early years at the Owensboro Community College. Anyway… So I now have two children and a lovely wife. Or maybe it’s the other way around. I’m sure my lovely Susan will chuckle once she reads these first two sentences of this paragraph, and likely will repeat the chuckle. Unfortunately I’m also short a father now. Back to what I mentioned in the first paragraph for I’m now reminded of another reason for the need and more importantly the inspiration to finally write. Former President Bill Clinton recently came out with an autobiography and was on the talk show circuit. My mom caught him, in fact we both did, w

City’s low costs not a positive Keith Lawrence reported in today’s Messenger-Inquirer Owensboro’s new ranking of being lowest among smallest metropolitan areas east of the Mississippi River for cost of doing business. The question to be asked regarding this ranking is this a good thing?   This is not a good thing in that local leaders can react to this news with an urgency to work with the Chamber of Commerce and Industrial Inc. to persuade businesses to come to Owensboro to do their work as a short term political necessity. Suffice it to say the Owensboro metropolitan area leadership simply does not do a good job of strategic planning, and planning in conjunction with the entire population. Planning in this community is left to the very small few, hampering the opportunity to tap into the larger community and working with the community at large in promoting opportunity for Owensboro. This ranking is a good thing in that it is another opportunity for the leadership of Owensboro to do r

Welcome to the Gesser blog. Here we will post items of interest to the Gesser family and friends. Please feel free to send us a note, make a comment, or post something new! Chad

Welcome to the Owensboro Blog. I hope you will come back and visit, as I and others explore the local dynamics and issues found in Owensboro, Kentucky.