Good morning GH. It is fast closing on 3:30 AM here in our fair city and the view out the Weather Window is on the dark side of things. Our current temperature is 28 degrees, heading for a high of 38. Sugar the Weather Dog is fast asleep beside the bed, and therein lies another tale. But I digress.
We are waiting for April to come, because by then we should have consistent temperatures in the mid to upper 40s. Of course, that means the snow will finally be on the wane, unlike what is about to happen to the folks in Indiana and points east. I saw one of the news people on television actually say that although she is a skier, she is so done with winter.

I got up this morning not to blog, but to watch at least some of the Grand Prix from Malaysia. The only problem with liking Grand Prix over NASCAR is the need to get up before the crack of dawn in order to see it live. NASCAR fans usually see their races on a Sunday afternoon because they all occur here in the U.S.  Spoiler alert.  If you taped this race, I am about to give some details, so stop reading now!!! Details at the end.

I hope that Adam stays asleep while on vacation. He usually tapes these events for later viewing, but I thought I could one-up him. Plus, this is so much more like real racing as compared to racing taxi cabs that are all essentially alike. All that is different is the body shape, and even that must conform to the standards of the sanctioning body. In Grand Prix, the team strategy and the skill of the driver matter much more, because there is no drafting possible with open-wheel racing. So the "Get in, push the pedal down, and turn left mentality," is not exhibited in Grand Prix racing.

I know that Mary and I will be going to a NASCAR race later this year, but that one will be held on a road course, where the drafting rules don't apply and the skill of the driver and team strategies actually matter. A driver like Danica Patrick or others with Indy car experience, actually have an advantage.

I plan to go back to bed when the race is over, or at least fall asleep in the chair. Either way, I'll get a shot of racing and that is all good. I know that Mary plans to get up for UP w/ Chris Hayes, and then it will be...Tea time, but if I make it or not for that, either will be okay.

So, until next time, Ciao.

Update on the Grand Prix of Malaysia:

First:  Sebastian Vettel
Second: Mark Webber
Third: Lewis Hamilton

Fernando Alonso, driving for the Ferrari team, was out of the race by lap #2. His team chose not to pit and replace the front spoiler which had been damaged in a collision with the rear of eventual winner's car, Sebastian Vettel, cause in the spoiler to drag. When Alonso didn't pit, his team chose unwisely, as the car became unstable when the spoiler disintegrated and then the car crashed and Alonso was out of the race. Vettel pitted for new non-rain tires early, which may have helped in the end. The track started out very wet, but soon dried. Team Lotus called both cars into the pits at the same time, causing a traffic jam and an extended pit stop for both. One of the drivers, Lewis Hamilton, came in for a pit stop, but entered the McClaren pits instead of his own. That caused a longer than expected pit stop too, and maybe the win. I also learned that the teams must finish with about one liter of fuel for testing post-race. Plus, there was something I couldn't determine, what is on the front of the cars that adjusts the speed for the straights or something. Maybe Adam can tell me.

Now, Ciao for sure.