Hot in Minnesota

Dang Global Warming!

This weekend is my cousin Josh's wedding in Ohio. We're driving (starting early Friday morning) and I figured since I'll be driving through 5 states to get there, and there are 5 days of the week till I get there - I could share some useless information about each state with y'all to make you feel smarter. I know that most of this information will be stuff you could find on Wikipedia or google somewhere, but I could also get a hell of a good look at a T-Bone steak by sticking my head up a bull's ass, but I'd rather take the butcher's word for it. Shut up Richard.

Today's first state is my state of Minnesota. 12th largest state, and 32nd state admitted to the Union. Capital is St. Paul, the Largest City being Minneapolis (which also gets the shout in Escapade by Janet Jackson). It is the "land of 10,000 lakes" but the name "Minnesota" actually comes from the Dakota Name for the Minnesota River, mnisota (or Mni) meaning "water". The Greek word for "city" is polis so combine the two and you get Minneapolis. Cool huh? Another interesting fact is with all of the lakes and rivers, Minnesota has more shoreline than California, Florida, and Hawaii combined..... how many actually knew that? There are actually 11,842 lakes that are over 10 acres in size. There are also 6,564 natural rivers and streams that make up over 69,000 miles - including the origins of the mighty Mississippi that begins at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota.

The first European visitors to Minnesota were the Swedish and the Norwegian Vikings in the 14th century. There is still an abundance of Norwegian and Swedish people living in the area. Not all of Minnesota came to the Modern US through the Louisiana Purchase, St. Paul area and northeast of there was granted to the US by the Treaty of Paris at the end of the American Revolution. Minnesota was the first to contribute troops to the Union effort of the American Civil War with about 22,000 Minnesotans serving.

Other Useless facts:

• In 1882, the first developments of hydroelectric power in the US began with the building of a hydroelectric power plant at St. Anthony Falls.
• Rochester is the 3rd largest city in Minnesota (as of 2000 census). Minnesota is 88.1% White (non-Hispanic), 25% Roman Catholic, and 45% Protestant.
• There is no tax on clothing in Minnesota.
• Popular Minnesota entertainers include Bob Dylan (born in Hibbing, MN), Soul Asylum, and of course Prince.
• Ice fishing and hunting are very popular creating one of the heavier concern for environmentalism in the US.
• Minnesota is currently ranked 6th for states in Education as one of the "Smartest States"
• In 2004, 77.2% of eligible Minnesotans voted in the US Presidential Election... the most of any US State.
• Minnesota has voted for a democratic president ever since 1976 including being most of the only electoral votes cast for Minnesotan Native Walter Mondale when he was defeated by Reagan in 1984.
• Minnesota ushered in the era of voting for popular TV figures for governor by electing Jesse Ventura in 1998.
• The Twins are currently 1 game back in the Wild Card race after a disappointing weekend at the Metrodome.

State Bird - Common Loon
State Butterfly - Monarch
State Beverage - Milk (how is it NOT beer?)
State Fish - Walleye (shocker!)
State flower - Pink and White Showy Lady Slipper..... what the?!?!?
State Tree - Norway Pine
State Muffin - Blueberry

My drive begins in Rochester and takes me south on Hwy 63 to get to Iowa.... more on that tomorrow.

Song of the Day - Gotta listen to some Prince today with all of this Minnesota talk. Or for the non-pop fans, you could try some Garrison Keillor (no, not Mr. Garrison).

Movie of the Day - The movie Fargowas filmed here even though Fargo is technically in North Dakota. Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men were both filmed here. "I've been to Hawaii".....

Webpage of the Day - Will the Vikings play better without Dante and Tice? Most people around here seem to think so.... only time will tell.

TGIF - again

IBM's Uncle Sam comes to town next Monday.... so this weekend here in Rochester will be spent painting hallways that have been declared safe for him to walk down, they will dust off the plastic plants in the lobby (it's done once a year), and they will give an extra vacation day to any employees that they feel might have an "issue" or two with the CEO. Sam Palmisano makes a trip to Rochester about once a year (or maybe every 15 months) to say hello and this weekend comes in honor of Rochester IBM's 50th Anniversary celebration. It's good for morale to see the head honcho at an event such as this. Our 2nd in command for my division is also coming to town for the event. I still think it's funny how parts of IBM Rochester are physically falling apart (hope it doesn't rain a lot as the lower hallways always have some fun puddles during heavy rain season) but they focus all of the manual labor efforts on the hallways they have marked as his path. His trip is very choreographed while in Rochester and it's actually amusing to watch all of the managers huddle around him making him very unapproachable by the lower tier (such as myself)....

I still plan on running this company someday... but I hope to eliminate the political hoopla that happens when he comes to town. It's the same thing when the President comes to town - roads are blocked, traffic at the airport is delayed. The price of stardom I guess.

Miami Vice opens this weekend. I remember the original TV series, but other than it having Don Johnson, I can't tell you anything about it. I didn't watch a lot of "dramas" in the 80s.... just comedies and whatever cartoons I could find.

Baseball talk (mom and dad - you can skip to next chunk): Twins swept the White Sox and erased a 9.5 game deficit in jus t13 days. That's incredible! Now they set their sights on the Detroit Tigers (another sweep this weekend puts them only 5 games back. And Harold Reynolds was fired from ESPN's Baseball Tonight.... supposedly for "sexual harassment" which he denies but isn't fighting to keep his job. It'll be interesting as he was probably the main reason to watch Baseball Tonight (unless Gammons was on). I defend ESPN on their right to a "zero tolerance" for sexual harassment - good for them... but Reynolds is a key analyst in the world of baseball.

It'll be hot hot hot this weekend in most of the Mid-West...... 95+ today and the next 3 days here in Rochester. Winter is coming soon (I hope).

Song of the Day - Buster Poindexter wins today with the classic 80s song Hot Hot Hot that is on every 80s compilation CD that I own I think.

Video of the Day - There is a new Bunnies re-enactment (in 30 seconds). Office Space and it's one of my new favorites.

Webpage of the Day - The 10 least important Star Wars Action Figures..... we still have 3 of them in our collection. You try playing Star Wars as a kid and instead of R2-D2, you have to use an R5-D4.... it sucks. I'm scarred for life now!!

Messed Up Verdict

Somebody please explain our messed up legal system in this country. Andrea Yates has admitted to drowning her 5 children - yet yesterday was found NOT GUILTY (WHAT THE !?!?!?) by reason of insanity. What happened to being held accountable for your actions in life? So now she goes to a state mental hospital and after treatment, would be eligible for release. I agree that she is insane - to kill your 5 children one-by-one in a bathtub, you have to be insane to do that. But treatment should not be an option. I have 9 speeding tickets..... I think next time I get pulled over, I deserve some treatment rather than getting another ticket. How come treatment is not an option for me? Sorry, this really sets me off. I'm just thankful that someday she will have to answer to my Creator in Heaven and I would hate to have to explain that one to God. In this mentality, OJ should admit to the murders - but declare that he was insane at the time. Then we could finally close the book that the glove DID in fact fit.

I watched the reading of the verdict which had the camera focused on her. The AP article read "Yates stared wide-eyed in court Wednesday as the verdict was read. She then bowed her head and wept quietly". She never did such thing in the video that I saw. Her lawyers showed more emotion than she did. Inside, she probably realized that she has a chance to start over. Glad our judicial system allows for forgiveness over killing your 5 kids. I did read a comment that made me chuckle at it's irony.... it read: for any parent that has the fear of facing legal repercussions due to spanking your child - looks like killing them is a better option for avoiding jail time. Ironic but at the moment, it feels like it's true.

The State's Forensic Psychiatrist said Yates knew her actions were wrong and showed it in multiple ways: waiting until her husband left for work to kill them, covering the bodies with a sheet and calling 911 soon after the crime. How is that "insane"? Sorry, this whole thing pisses me off.

Anyway - I golfed fairly well last night. Still not what I'm capable of, but that is the joy of golf. I was doing well till I 4-putted one green (two different putts rimmed out), then my confidence was shot from there.

I also thought this article was nuts - the worlds' longest race is 3100 miles long, lasts for 2 months straight... and the runner/walkers never leave one city block in Queens. I can't even imagine how one trains for this. It's a form of meditation which I think is interesting to use such a rigorous physical exercise as a form of meditation but "to each his or her own".

Song of the Day - I have Jesus Christ Superstar on the brain today for some reason. Good music! Good movie too!

Video of the Day - IT'S PICO!!! In a Roscoe's commercial! Click on the TV to begin.

Hasselhoff Update of the Day - This guy just can't stay out of the news.... this time he's not allowed to board a plane for being trashed at Heathrow. Poor guy, his fame is getting to him.... DON'T HASSEL THE HOFF!!!!

Reflecting on the News

It's hot - and only getting worse by the forecast. Here in Minnesota, we're not nearly as bad off as the folks in California (115 degrees+) - but it is looking like 100 degrees+ for us again this weekend. That just means more time by the pool:)

US Television stations are required to switch to only digital broadcasts by February 2009. How come I feel that this is not going to happen? Aren't there too many people not on the grid to make this mandatory?

Netflix earnings tripled in 2Q - but stock went down 20%. I hate Wall Street. I love how corporate America is no longer about making money, it's about competing with the idiots on Wall Street. Earning $16.8 Million in a quarter as an online DVD renting company just isn't good enough I guess.

America's got Talent is back on tonight - no more Bobby Badfingers (sorry Jim). I think there should be a college edition that has people chugging, or doing stupid alcohol tricks. Chugging Mt. Dew or something like that.....

Twins win again - only 1 game back of the White Sox! Big question in baseball is where will Soriano go? Hopefully not to the Yankees or White Sox (who are both showing the most interest). Twins should be ok without a trade - they have the strongest bullpen in MLB and the starting pitchers are doing ok for themselves as well. The Braves picked up a closer, but it still might not be enough.

Agassi won yesterday in a match in the 110 degree heat in Los Angeles. I cannot imagine playing 2 sets (probably about 2 hours worth) of tennis in 110 degree heat.

NBA introduced a new basketball to be used in 2006 - new design by Spalding and the first design change since 1970. There have probably been at least 100 changes to golf balls used on the PGA tour in that time. It's an interesting read on why they are changing it (less absorbent to sweat - still won't help the problem of professional players getting 3 steps during the games).

And of course fighting continues in Israel and Lebanon. Guess I don't have any new comments about that - I'll refrain from vocalizing too extensively on the uselessness of Condoleezza going over there.

Song of the Day - Dang Bobby Badfingers and that stupid Conga song by Gloria Estefan.... what is she doing now a days?

Video of the Day - Something that is cool is this 11 year old Yoddeler that DID move on to the next round. Yoddeling is pretty cool - here's a site to help get you started if you're interested. I do in fact have some yodel music (from Switzerland of course) if anyone local is interested in having a copy:)

Webpage of the Day - can't ever get enough of the Hoff can ya? I "might" have ordered a shirt on ebay to wear next week (thanks to Wyatt's idea) - stay tuned:)

War

I'm having a war with my neighbor at the moment. She doesn't know it, but I do - and that's all that matters! I bought a hummingbird feeder at the beginning of the summer (the same one she has) and even paid the $1.50 for the "hummingbird feeding powder" or whatever that is basically red kool-aid. Over the past two months, I've seen the hummingbird come around, but he never stops for more than a second at my feeder. I don't think he likes the stuff I was giving him. Meanwhile, my neighbor has refilled her hummingbird feeder twice because it was getting too low. I know, because I make a mental note of where she's at compared to me every morning when I water my flowers. So this weekend I kicked up a new batch of Kool-Aid (Cherry flavored) and put in a ton of extra sugar in it. I'm hoping the extra sugar entices the hummingbird to come back more regularly, plus I always make mine extra sugary.... unlike the way mom used to make it. I'll let you know how it goes, I saw him stop by last night for a drink quickly but the weather was kind of crappy and I'm sure he wanted to get back to his nest before SportsCenter came on.

For my friends immediately to the south, there is an Iowa Idol Contest this Saturday at Jordan Creek Town Center. I take it that is by the Jordan Creek Mall?!?!?! Registration starts at 8am, and the Event begins at 10am. The Semifinal Round will be at the Iowa State Fair on the 12th, and the Final Round will be on August 20th. The winner gets a GUARANTEED AUDITION for American Idol Season 6!!! Here's the opportunity everyone's been waiting for:) I'm too old now so my dreams of being the next American Idol are finished. But someday, Adam Jr. will be on the show.... American Idol Season 30 or something like that!

And I'm reading in USA Today that I now have EVEN MORE in common with the new James Bond. Turns out that Bond has switched back to Smirnoff as his Vodka of choice. In the last movie, he switched to Finlandia Vodka (another good brand), but Smirnoff has been featured more than any other brand starting with the days of Dr. No.

Twins looked awesome last night while continuing their winning ways at Chicago. They are only 2 games behind the White Sox now, with 2 more to play in Chicago. GO TWINS!! Braves also won and still have some work to do to get above .500 and gain momentum. Joe Mauer is lighting up the big leagues this year batting .380 as a catcher. Catchers aren't supposed to bat that high but it's exciting to see someone from MN, play for MN and probably spend his career all in MN if they're smart. Definitely a crowd favorite. Santana pitches tonight, expect a lot of strikeouts.

Finally - we have a new test to run here in the lab. I bought an old Arcade Hits game for the Gamecube to "test" and it has some good ol' classics that I spent too many quarters playing. Mortal Kombat 2 and 3, Gauntlet 2, Hard Drivin', Primal Rage (that one was top of the line when it first came to arcades), Spy Hunter 2, and Rampage. I found the move codes for Mortal Kombat so now I can practice all of the finishing moves without wasting more quarters! How cool is that!?!?! This takes me back to high school and going to the arcade at Lindale Mall over lunch to play games.

Song of the Day - New Homestarrunner Cartoon...

Video of the Day - Mortal Kombat was one of the worst movies ever made. But it did have Sonia (think Veronnica Vaughn from Billy Madison - now married to Pete Sampras). I just remember sitting in Lindstrom's room watching the movie and Keith came in to see what we were doing and as the theme music (with guy yelling "MORTAL KOMBAT" over and over again.... the song is still used in Jock Jams I think) was playing... he asks "what movie is this?" Guess you had to be there.

Webpage of the Day - For all of you fans out there, the wait is over! Here is the latest video from David Hasselhoff. I know Christine has been dying to see this for years! While not as good as his Ooga Chucka video, it still is pretty funny. Especially to watch a 50 year old self-declared icon try to pick up a couple of 22 year old girls.

Start of a New Week

It's Monday - which means we are yet another week closer to the start of Football Season!!

Hazel's back in town, and we celebrated by going to her 10 year class reunion in the Thriving Metropolis of Lyle, Minnesota. Out of 21 graduates in her class, 14 showed up at Lyle Liquor for the Friday Night Festivities! 2/3 turnout for a 10 year reunion is pretty darn good!

Hazel continued to celebrate by purchasing a Nintendo DS yesterday. Not for me, but for her. So I am probably the only guy in the world that has a girlfriend that plays more video games than I do. Yesterday she played Mario for 3 hours and it's actually scary watching her and realizing how good she is at Mario. She also purchased Big Brain Academy which is a series of brain bending tests to see how smart you are in the different styles of learning (memorize, calculate, analysis, etc.) It helps train you to do better and ultimately see how "big" your brain is. I on the other hand bought a new pen with a fan on it for 50 cents. I'm cheap like that!

There's a new show that we found yesterday on VH1 that is right up my alley! It's called The World Series of Pop Culture and it's for anyone that pays attention to what goes on in the world of Entertainment over the past 20+ years. The categories provide a large variety including "Name the rapper" (using spoken lyrics), "Tim Burton Movies", "Songs off of ABBA Gold", "Horror Movies". Hopefully they keep the series alive for a while, it's fun to see if you can remember everything fast enough to answer.

I had another purchase this weekend. I bought the DVD with videos from Michael Jackson's Number Onesthat has 15 of his memorable videos (including the famous Thriller). I started to figure out what was missing from this collection and realized that Remember the Time (from Dangerous when he ran around in an Egyptian Temple) wasn't on there. Neither was Scream (his duet with Janet when they were in a Spaceship) or Jam (his video with Michael Jordan.... the more famous MJ). Between Jackson and Jordan - there are two of the more influential icons of the 80s and 90s. Not sure who I'd put that label on in the 2000s... Larry the Cable Guy perhaps???

Sports Wrap: Tiger wins the British Open, Junior finishes DEAD LAST again in Pocono (24 car finishes 3rd - Kenseth car finishes behind the 24.... Did Carl even finish the race Jill?), Twins win again and are only 3 back of the White Sox for the Wild Card. Landis (an American) wins the Tour de Juice and it's only a matter of days before the French accuse him of doping in order to win. US Open is right around the corner!

Oh yeah, golf went well Friday. Our team finished -3 for the day after starting pretty confidently but hitting the exhaustion bug towards the end. Wonderful day for golf though compared to years past. I'm hoping my driver returns from it's warranty trip soon.

Song of the Day - We'll stay on an MJ kick and listen to him today.

Video of the Day - I purchased SuperTroopersfinally this weekend to get my "fix". Somehow Hazel didn't find it nearly as funny as I did. Although she did laugh during the "Meow" scene. Too good!

Webpage of the Day - Pug Bowling.... a good reason to have a small dog and wood floors. I couldn't stop laughing while watching this. You need to be patient through the first 45 seconds though to get to the good stuff. Plus a Spanish version of Hotel California playing while you enjoy!!!

OH-YEAH!

Song of the Day - Tiger Wood's Y'all, Tiger Woods. I drink champagne with Tiger Woods!! Sing it with me!!

Video of the Day - There are a couple to choose from, but Tin Cup leads off today's list. Hopefully none of us will be performing a "Tin Cup" where we take 10 shots to get a playable ball. I'm sure we will hear the words "noo-nan" today or any assortment of Happy Gilmore quotes (my personal favorite - "Somebody's closer")

Webpage of the Day - The best explanation of Golf, by Robin Williams. Careful - Bad Language (you've been warned)... but still funny.

Let It Rain!!

Yesterday was Thunderstorm Day here in Rochester. I ended up with a little over 3 inches of rain in my gauge this morning. We had downpours yesterday morning with some nasty thunder, then did the whole thing again last night around 11:30 - strong winds and Tornado watches all over the place. It was some much needed rain up here - sorry to hear it was 100+ degrees in Des Moines area and down south from here. We had about an hour of sunshine when the temperature rose up to 89 real fast, but then dropped again for the next wave of rain.

With all the rain, Golf was cancelled last night. Tomorrow's looking perfect for our golf tournament though. Partly Cloudy with highs near 78 degrees! YEAH!!! Golfing all morning and afternoon tomorrow makes today feel like a Friday at work! Another Bonus!

Speaking of Golf - the British Open has begun - scores are under par (unlike the US Open a couple of weeks ago) so far. Any predictions? Will Tiger get back on track? Will Phil pull out his driver on the 72nd hole and slice it into the Hospitality Tent (again!!!)

I was quickly flipping through the channels and saw this America's Got Talent show. What the heck?!?!? First off, it's a total attempt to become the next American Idol: 3 Judges (one is washed up female with very little talent for speaking - one is English... remind you of anyone?), they have an overpaid MC (Regis in this case) that nobody really knows what his role is, they do a quick background on these "whackos".... I admit, I only watched the snapping guy before I went back to the Twins Game, but that show is weird. It will have it's 10 minutes of fame I'm sure but not much after that. David Hasselhoff is still funny to see on TV. At least he's not crying as he was the last time we saw him at the American Idol finals!

Lady in the Water opens this weekend. I should go see that with Hazel sometime. I really like M. Night Shamalangadingdong's movies, even if I was disappointed with The Village. He was on The Daily Show this week and it was a pretty funny interview. This is his first movie that was not distributed by Disney so it'll be better - I guarantee that! Disney should stick to cartoons.... and more of the Apple Dumpling Gang. I loved those movies as a kid!

And if you have 30 or so minutes to spare.... there's a blogpage that is starting to get recognized around the web. Before you get into it, realize that it's a pretty entertaining read, but per most of the web-talk, it's a viral campaign for something... nobody is just sure what for yet. That Girl Emily has a blog set up to destroy her husband's reputation since he cheated on her with her best friend. It's pretty crappy to navigate through in order from older posts to newer... but here is the first one to try and get you started, and I also have the links for the rest of them if you're really interested:

first post , second post, third post, fourth post, fifth post, sixth post, seventh post, eighth post, ninth post, tenth post, eleventh post, twelfth post, thirteenth post, fourteenth post, fifteenth post, sixteenth post, seventeenth post, eighteenth post, nineteenth post, twentieth post, twenty-first post. We'll keep an eye on our girl Emily to see what she's really promoting. Any guesses? From what I've read they think it's either for a new show on Court TV about Divorce, or for a movie that hasn't been defined yet.

Song of the Day - With the recent rain up here, I think we need a good rain song.... I know Drew was hoping for Hilary Duff's Come Clean, but I have to go with Garbage and their first hit of I'm Only Happy When It Rains. The song that took them to stardom! I've loved them ever since!

Video of the Day - This is pretty sweet - Space Invaders is recreated using people and stop motion filming. One of the cooler (and time consuming) things I've seen in a while.

Webpage of the Day - A man changes his middle name to "None of the Above" and now wants to run for governor of Tennessee. How could this cause any trouble????

Shenanigans

Some bad news for one of my readers this morning.... In the ongoing world of Hollywood last minute weddings, for marriages that last a year or less - PAM ANDERSON is getting married (again) to KID ROCK. I know, most of you are as confused as I am because they were engaged, then she broke it off to run back to Video Star Tommy Lee, but now she's getting married to Kid Rock.... in like 2 weeks supposedly. So sorry, Eddie.... she'll probably be single within the year. Now you can join the rest of us that have had to sit by and idly watch our dream women marry idiots.... Like my Britney, Pitzen's Katie, and now your Pam.

IBM posted profit (as announced yesterday) for our 2nd Quarter (YAY!). We even beat out expectations but I'm sure our stock will still find a way to fall. I hate Wall Street - bunch of pansies that make too much money but control too much of Corporate America. When do the oil companies announce their newest record profit for the 6th quarter in a row?

I'll probably jinx them, but the Atlanta Braves are on a tear as of late! They've won 7 straight games, have scored 10 or more runs in the past 5 games (tie-ing a MLB record) and hopefully will be above .500 by next week! They're back in the hunt for a wildcard bid which might actually prove to be the better path based on history. The Twins are still making a run as well - they're less than 10 back of the Tigers, 6 behind the White Sox. Go Twins and Go Braves!!

And College Football talk has begun (Aug 31st at home vs. Toledo starts the Cyclones tear to a BCS game this year). ISU returns 9 offensive starters (including hopefully a healthy Stevie) and 4 defensive starters (we lost 2 more to drugs and 'roids I think but gained a transfer from Michigan State). Unfortunately we still have Culbertson who misses the field goals when we need them. The joy of ISU football. 9 of the 12 games are against teams that went to a bowl game, which is an overrated stat since 75% of college football teams can go to a _____.com bowl). At Iowa and At Texas in weeks 3 and 4, September could be a rough month for us. GO CLONES!!!

Song of the Day - Some classic GreenDay this morning on the drive in.... Time of Your Life which is a good song now that it's not overplayed as radio stations have a tendancy to do with GreenDay (Take Wake Me Up.... for instance).

Video of the Day - I need to go buy SuperTroopers this weekend. That's a well done movie (meow), that makes me laugh (meow) everytime I see it. I CALL SHENANIGANS!!!! The guys from Broken Lizard have a new movie called Beerfest coming out - should be good!


Webpage of the Day - Yet another way for Rochester to make National Headline news..... 14 foot inflatable sheep missing - it wasn't me but I wish I'd have thought of that!

Make A Wish

For those of us that only subscribe to ESPN on our cable, there has been a 2 week programming enclosed in SportsCenter that deals with the Make a Wish Foundation. There are actually some really incredible stories and my opinion of some of these athletes changes a bit when I watch the stories.

Today, I thought about what would be my Wishes... in no way am I belittling the Foundation which is an amazing group that provides hope and opportunity to kids that are facing incredible challenges with life. These kids are the true heros and inspiration for those of us that are fortunate enough to continue to live life free from pain. It's humbling to watch kids with the energy and spirit to get through anything that life throws at them. Adults don't always react the same way.

Here are the opportunities that I think would be fun to do with the Make A Wish Foundation:

• Play a set against Andre Aggasi in Arthur Ashe Stadium(US Open - Center Court)
• Play a round of golf with Michael Jordan (I suck at Basketball - probably not much better at golf)
• Coach the final game of the season for McCarney so we actually might win and go to the Big 12 Championship
  
• Play a song with U2.... any song would do
  
• Have a lesson with Edgar Meyer- he's the man!!!
• Go Hunting with Dick Cheney.... or not
• Sit in for Paula Abdul on one episode of American Idol
• Ride along in a Humvee in Iraq with my cousin Drew... nobody I'd trust more to be driving me
• Drive an Ice Cream Truck for a day.... and not the Ghetto Van that is seen in NW Rochester
• Hot Air Balloon Ride with Hazel through the mountains.... we could yodel for hours!!
  
• Recording session with Busta Rhymes
• Go Dancing with Carmen Electra (she's soon to be single... not that I care anymore:)
• Cook a meal with Wolfgang Puck!

And that's all I got to say about that.

It's Tuesday - T'ai Chi Chih session Numero Dos tonight. I have yet to feel the power of Chi, but it's still pretty early on in the sessions.

Song of the Day - Speaking of Busta..... I now am in the mood for some Busta. Gimme some mo'.... Big Show had enough? Gimme some mo'

Video of the Day - I watched The Constant Gardener last night and let me tell you - that movie was NOTHING like I thought it was going to be. I had no idea what it was going to be about but figured with a title such as that, it was probably a love story. Enter in a plot that deals with AIDS in Africa and Pharmaceutical cover ups..... and you get the 2005 version of Hotel Rwanda (which was another good movie). I thought The Constant Gardener was well done and very interesting. Took me a while to figure out what was real time and what was a flashback but it all comes together in the end... sort of. 4 stars out of 5 from me.

Webpage of the Day - Yahoo! tries so hard sometimes.... today they tackle the question as to why Women love Loser Guys!!! The question that has plagued my generation. I personally think her answer is crappy but that's probably also why I only get 50-60 reads a day on my blog page. It's not about quantity.... it's about quality!!!

It's Dang Hot Out

It's Monday already - back at it!

At 7:00am this morning, it is already 81 degrees outside. The heat keeps on coming and will be hot and stormy all week here in SE Minnesota. Depending on which weather service you use, it varies. Also, depending on which day you read it, it varies. 60% chance of thunderstorms on Wednesday for golf league.... great! We're also playing in a golf tournament Friday - so far it's 80 degree forcast, partly cloudy. That would be just fine for golfing in Pine Island.

Work on Hazel's basement just keeps chugging away! I ran a lot of the electrical cable this weekend which is more work than I could have imagined. Having to drill holes through all of the framing, then run the wire takes time and patience. I have one more outlet in the Rec Room to run (not 100% sure how I'll do it, but I have a plan to try), then I'll have to wait for the master to get home and we'll figure out how she wants to do the lights down there. Our Plan A to have recessed lighting might not work as originally planned since the heating vents/tubes are already in place and they severely limit where we can place the recessed lighting canisters. I'm planning on wiring on all of the sockets and switches this week and hoping to be done with the wiring by the end of next weekend! I've learned a lot of tricks so far for future projects... the main one is that wiring a basement is so much easier to do when you're building the house, not when the rest of the house is already finished!

A few webpages to share on this Monday:

For anyone that thought they were good at Pac-Man (including The Pat), here's a guide on how to "beat the game" or how to make your 25 cents last a couple of hours. There are actually 255 levels to play, but levels 22-255 are actually the same. There is actually a point in the game where eating the power pellets just slows you down! It's interesting to see his patterns and how they change for the different phases of the game. What's pathetic is how he has played it enough to come up with these patterns, and also has enough time to publish this webpage.

And since I continue to say that the mainstream music of 2006 is a joke - full of one-hit wonders, I give you a list of the 50 Greatest One-Hit Wonders! There is no bias towards any one era which makes it even more fun. Unfortunately most of the modern bands haven't "disappeared" for long enough to be considered a One-Hit wonder. My favorite from the list is easily Dee-Lite!!

Stay cool, enjoy the heat.... snow is right around the corner, I can feel it!!

Song of the Day - I really like the new Red Hot Chili Peppers song, Dani California. The song is a tribute to the early death of Dani California who was born a poor girl in Mississippi who chose a fast life of becoming a bank robber instead of staying in her life of being poor. Per Drew's suggestion, I did see the video this weekend that shows the band performing and imitating other different bands. The band themselves say the goal was to imitate eras of rock (Old School, British Invasion, Psychedelia, Funk, Glam, Punk, Goth, Hair Metal, and Grunge) while others have labeled these imitations as Elvis, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix (or Prince), Funkadelic, Gary Glitter, David Bowie, Sex Pistols, The Misfits, Motley Crue, Poison, Nirvana, and finally as themselves. The other thing I found interesting was how the song begins EXACTLY like Tom Petty's Mary Jane's Last Dance. The two intros are compared side by side and on top of each other HERE. You be the judge.

Video of the Day - A proper video for this weekend was Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. It was on TV the other night and I don't think I've ever seen the entire movie till now. It's fitting with the 100 degree weather that they experience in the movie (they didn't have the luxury of Air Conditioning though), but also with all of the tension and fighting going on in the world today. The movie helps explain that we're all one in the same, no matter where our ancestors came from. What I didn't like was how at the end of the movie, we read two quotes about "Doing the Right Thing", one from Martin Luther King who says that violence is never justified under any circumstances (which I agree with), but the other one from Malcolm X says that violence is justified when used to counter forces of oppression.

Webpage of the Day - A photo for you to enjoy with the anticipation of storms (and much needed rain here in Minnesota) for the week.

Bracing For The Heat

Reading the USA Today, I come across the following news that I would like to comment on:

Of course the biggest news is all of the missile launching in Israel and Lebanon. I thought 10 years ago we were headed in the right direction over there but now we're back to nowhere with progress. Hopefully our US Government strives for peace, but not by taking one side over the other like we have in the past. That's how we got so hated by the middle east in the first place.

TBS is now in cahoots with FOX when it comes to broadcasting Major League Baseball. This means that after 30 some years of broadcasting Atlanta Braves Baseball and helping them to become "America's Team", this will no longer be the case. TBS will broadcast Sunday games and maybe a few others during the week, but they will no longer broadcast 90% of the Braves games as they do now. Too bad because this was the reason I became a Braves fan. The games were always on TV (I grew up with cable remember)... even when they sucked in the late 80s, I'd still watch them. I personally don't think it's the right decision but I'm not at the Ted Turner level. Now TBS will resort to showing reruns of Friends instead like they always do.

In news worthy of taking up the entire page 4 of the main section of the paper..... NASA's list of songs they play to wake up astronauts every day since 1981:

• Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder (since when is space Blue?)
• Anchors Aweigh (what the???)
• The Marine Corps Hymn (why not the other military services?)
• I Got You Babe (I've seen Groundhog Day too many times for this one to be even remotely "cute")
• What a Wonderful World (This is more likely music to be played when I want to go to sleep)

I'm curious why they can't wake up to a blaring alarm like the rest of us do. It might be kind of funny watching them try to hit snooze when the alarm clock is floating around weightless

Train bombings in India (which is further back than the wake up songs.... a signal that it's not as important to the editors of the USA Today I'm sure. All of this violence is making gas prices rise and stock market come down.

AOL is struggling.... do people still use AOL (other than AIM which is also taking a back seat now a days to other IM methods)??? The only category that it is leading the others (MSN, Google, Yahoo) is with maps... I didn't realize that AOL owned Mapquest but then again, I usually use Google Maps (DOUBLE TRUE) or Google Earth. If you haven't played around with Google Earth yet, you're missing out!

And they are getting called "The New Frat Pack".... Jack Black, Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Steve Carell. All have had movies with multiple individuals in there (think Old School, Anchorman, Dodgeball) but now they are starting to go solo. My money is on Will Ferrell and Steve Carell. Jack Black does have a new Tenacious D movie coming out in November. That will be pretty funny.

Have a great weekend - enjoy the 100 degree weather (and humid unfortunately)!!

Song of the Day - I know Wheeler's a big fan of the song Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. I like it too and I heard it this morning as well. My first exposure to this was on the MTV Movie Awards show when he performed it but everyone in the band was wearing a full Star Wars costume. Chewbacca was on the drums, and Gnarls himself was Darth Vader. That was funny.

Video of the Day - I went to see Cars last night. I had free tickets plus the movie theatres are air-conditioning. It was very funny and very enjoyable, as most of the Pixar movies are known for. Great for kids and adults. There were a lot of cameos in there by NASCAR folks which some of you might catch. You even get to hear a "Boogity boogity boogity" if you listen close enough to the final race.

Webpage of the Day - 15 Most Popular Ice Cream Flavors. Coffee shouldn't even be a flavor as far as I'm concerned. I'm surprised that Rocky Road isn't higher than 14th. I have a feeling that Vanilla's dominance is because more places sell vanilla ice cream than they do chocolate.... maybe? My cherry-cheesecake-and-oreo-blizzard did not make the list.

Another Episode Of Random Thoughts

I survived yesterday - which is one of two days on the calendar where there are no games played of the major four sports (NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL.... sorry Wheeler, your girls of the WNBA don't count - WE GOT GAME!)

Today's Random Thoughts is brought to you by the letter "U" and the number "5":

• The Scion box car is probably the ugliest car I've ever seen. Not sure how they can make a car any worse, but then again I thought the same thing after seeing the first PT Cruiser and Pontiac Aztecs.
• They have a new VW Rabbit out (after the years of the second coming of the VW Bug) - I'm all for it but I'm still holding out for the second coming of the Gremlin!
• Arby's by IBM has a sign out saying they're hiring "Great People" - that's a relief.... not sure what I'd think if the sign would have said "Hiring BAD People Only.... minimum 2 convictions needed to apply"
• I like my new golf club a lot - just need to learn to consistently hit it straight (the story with all of my clubs). Definitely one of the better "potential" clubs in my bag.
• I want a pimped out golf cart. With chrome frame, spinners (illegal in Iowa?), and per Drewbie's suggestion.... a LIFT KIT! How cool would that be? Drive up to a hole and have the car lower before you get out? I've always loved that suggestion.
• I really hate the Hawkeyes. I see someone wearing Iowa Hawkeye colors or clothing and I have one thought...... but I'm too nice to put it here.
• Where in Rochester is the KROC tower? Why do I get such horrible reception by the Crossroads Center (Outback Steakhouse area) and also by my townhouse?
• What exactly is the difference in Rochester between 106.3 and 106.9? They both broadcast KROC but at different strengths.
• How do we go about starting a petition to get a new radio station (or 3) in Rochester. KROC is horrible and plays the same 10 songs every hour (with 20 minutes of commercials). Need to convince the stations in the cities to broadcast an extra 10 miles or so South!
• Don't ever watch any of the American Pie movies on TBS, TNT, or USA. They are edited beyond the point of making them interesting. I don't remember in the originals Stiffler ever saying the word "crap" or "darn" or "heck".
• How did they edit Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas for USA? More movies that I'm shocked to see on public TV.
• What exactly can you say on TV? I should look for the FCC rules and see how they have changed over the past 20 years.
  
• YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON TELEVISION was another show I grew up with (I don't remember life pre-cable... sorry). It was on Nickelodeon.
• They need to bring back Ren and Stimpy!
• I still hear Gwen Stefani's Rich Girl and wonder how many people realize it is a remake from the musical Fiddler on the Roof.
• It is supposed to be 100 degrees this weekend.... even here in Minnesota. I need to move to Alaska.
• I thought last night's Final Jeopardy question was super easy but all three contestants missed it. ANSWER: Of the top 10 largest islands in the world, three belong to Indonesia and three belong to this country. Any guesses? Begin the Jeopardy Music....
• Five Bands that I wish would never have existed are Journey, Kansas, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, and Rush.
  
• Having said the previous statement, I probably just offended 98% of my readers... but I stand by my statement.
• My mom has made "tree huggers" around the world proud by turning in her GMC Envoy for a smaller, more fuel efficient VUE from Saturn! Congrats Mom!

Song of the Day - I heard Fine Young Cannibals this morning at the RAC. She Drives Me Crazy (Woo... Woo-oooo). We all loved the song when it was out - don't lie. Still a good song to hear once in a while.

Photo of the Day - My mom was in Florida recently and thought she saw me there so had her picture taken with me. Yes, I see a resemblance - but no... it wasn't me.



Webpage of the Day - I continue to be amazed at how reading an article can make me of all people, speechless.... this is one of them. I show up at parties for the price of free beer... I need to bump up my rates it looks like.

Just One Of Those Days

In surfing for news this morning, there's a lot of bad things happening out there. Israeli troops enter Lebanon, Rail blastings in India, Train derails in Chicago, Spaceshuttle is repaired with Duct tape.... and the other headline that they feel the need to add to this list above? Katie Holmes' parents may boycott wedding. What the ?!?!?! Is that seriously headline news?

Golf tonight. I had the best round of the season last week so we'll see if my momentum continues. I have no driver at the moment though. The shaft is cracked but luckily it's under warranty and is getting fixed or being replaced. Only bad part about that is I might be out of a driver for a month. I did buy a hybrid club on ebay late last week and it arrived on Monday. It's the Nike CPR 18 degree hybrid which "replaces" my non-existent 2-iron and 5-wood. It looks a little like a fairway wood, but swings like an iron so you can use it in the rough, fairway, wherever you want. I like it so far but the real first test is tonight. I won some money last week for a net eagle on 18. YAY!

It's one of those days where that's about all I have to say and nothing overly interesting to talk about. Too much depressing things in the news to jump over in order to get to the positive things to talk about.

Song of the Day - Beastie Boys today - Hello Nasty is currently spinnin.

Video of the Day - I watched Syriana last week which was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It's the one with George Clooney and Matt Damon that deals with the oil in Iran. It is a 2 hour movie that goes nowhere with some sub-par acting. Just one man's opinion though.

Webpage of the Day - something to entertain you for about 2.3 minutes exactly. Use your mouse to create art. (click on the play button at the bottom right corner to begin)

7-11

First off, congrats to Chris and Sonia on the birth of Eli Nathaniel Johnson. He's a cute baby (as all are) and bound to have the musical gifts already at birth. This makes baby #2,000,000 that was born in the past 12 months to friends of mine:) No, I don't plan on jumping on the bandwagon anytime soon.

Today is June 11th, which made me realize... it's "7-eleven". You know, like the gas station. We used to have 7-elevens around here, but now I can't remember the last place close by that I saw one. Now we're left with only gas stations that have sexual meaning if used in a different connotation. Pump N' Munch, Kum N' Go, Kwiki Mart, and who could forget Connoco? Oh wait, nevermind.

I forgot to mention yesterday about Sunday's race. I know Boy was there, not sure if Jill went with - but Jamie has yet to return my phone call after his boy Kenseth just about stopped on the race track and then was pissed when the eventual-winner Gordon cut him loose in order to pass him. What a baby..... It's like the slow people in the left lane in Minnesota, or someone that doesn't accelerate on the entrance ramp of an Interstate - GET OUT OF THE WAY!! Advice that Kenseth should adhere to. I also want to say that the NBC/TNT crew with Parsons and that crew, SUCKS! I saw the last 60 laps and then went home to watch the rest off of DVR and in fast-forward mode, I see how many dang commercials (and at the worst times) that NBC has when it covers a NASCAR race. I hate NBC coverage. There are rumors that Danica Patrick might be coming over to NASCAR next year. That might do some things for the "activity" (still not a sport, no matter how entertaining it is... neither is ice skating or gymnastics by my rules).

And finally, I have my first session of T'ai Chi today. It's Mandarin term "T'ai Chi Ch'uan" is no longer considered a martial art training, but rather a moving meditation or a health maintenance. I'll let you know more as I go through this class (8 sessions offered through the IBM Club). What I find as I do an initial search is that T'ai Chi involves the study of three subjects - Health, Meditation, and Martial Art.

There is the physical health side of it: It uses leverage through the joints based on coordination in relaxation rather than in muscular tension in order to neutralize physical attacks. The slow and repetitive work involved in this process increases and opens internal circulation of the body (breath, body heat, blood flow). It's effects are the opposite of the physical degeneration of stress the body endures throughout time.

There is the meditative side of it: The Far East has always used meditation to create and hold inner peace. Studies show that meditating during work (as they did while I was in Japan - right after lunch) can increase productivity and reduce stress in the work place. Meditation also can increase sexual performance as well as have a direct effect on the body's natural response to handling mental stress. There are studies that T'ai Chi even helps reduce the possibilities of developing diabetes.

And the martial arts side of it: I might learn how to hurt someone if they try to hurt me. Part of my desire to continue losing weight and getting in shape is to take martial art classes. I'm already scary looking and intimidating due to my size, how much more scared would you be if I was a black belt?

Song of the Day - In honor of Eli, I have the Nylons out and listening to "Eli's coming, hide your heart" - not sure who (if anyone) originally performed that one. Yes, I like the Nylons - always have.

Video of the Day - I can't believe it.... In the ongoing world where Hollywood is jumping at any opportunity to make a sequel (or many many more that usually suck), there is still another Rocky movie coming out. Rocky Balboa will be coming soon to a theatre near you and yes, Sly is still in this one. Watching a 65 year old make a boxing comeback is not in my list of things to see anytime soon.... (if you watch the trailer - use the Quicktime one, it's better quality).

Webpage of the Day - Thanks again to ChaChi (not to be confused with T'ai Chi)for today's suggestion. A man takes a year but turns a paper clip into a new three-bedroom house, all with using no money - just straight up trades. It is a rather remarkable story and makes me curious. I have a "To-Mater" truck from a Frosted Flakes truck up for a trade if anyone has something else to offer. Take the time to read this "feel good" story, but make sure to give it your full attention as it can get confusing. Movie coming in 2007.....

Weekend Wrap

I could have done a "Weekend Rap" but not sure how good it would be. I'm white.

Italy won the World Cup on some goal kicks. I love soccer, but it's hard to watch matches that continue to end 1-1 or 1-0. I enjoy good defense, but in soccer - a "good" match will have the winning team with only 4 shots on goal. That's not as much fun to watch. At least in a 1-0 hockey game, there still will be 25-30 shots on goal with some incredible saves by the goalie. The other thing that bothers me about watching the World Cup is watching all of the flopping that was done by the players. It's worse than watching the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA - anytime a player would get touched, he'd fall down and start holding his shin trying to get a foul call. Soccer could take a lesson from hockey in that regard.

1 Billion people were estimated to watch the World Cup Final yesterday from around the world. That's pretty amazing when you think of it. 1 in 6 people world wide were watching the match. I would estimate 1 in 100 people in the US were watching it - just won't take off here in the states, even if we are able to send a team that might actually win the tournament (or score a goal... something that proved very difficult for this year's team).

Wimbledon is finished for another year. Federor (*yawn*) won again over Nadal. Federor reminds me of Ivan Lendl who dominated tennis from 1984-1990 and was one of the most boring players of all time. Federor might be good, but he lacks the charisma that people want to watch. Nadal has that charisma but was not much of a challenge yesterday. It was nice to get to see the Bryan brothers win the Men's Doubles Championship. It was nice to get to see the entire match with them playing - usually doubles gets the shaft for TV coverage.

I'm also reading that Pirates of the Caribbean broke records at the box office this weekend. While I am not trying to take anything away from what is probably a really good movie - not sure why breaking the records is a good thing. It usually just means that ticket prices continue to rise ($8 here in Rochester now), not that more people are going to see the movie. They should hold those records as to how many people saw the movie, something to really compare with. I have two free movie passes to go see Cars that expire Sunday so I'll add that to my list of things to do this week.

I'm on a mission with my new flower garden: Keep all animals and unwanted things out of there. There is evidence of some bugs eating the leaves on my flowers so I bought some bug/flower spray yesterday. But then I can tell that something has been eating my flowers before they bloom. I had three roses that were ready to open up this weekend and then I noticed on Saturday that they disappeared. Like they were popped off. I am pretty sure it was a deer as nothing else is tall enough to get that high plus I know we have deer in the area. So I bought this "deer repellent" stuff. I thought about sitting out there all night with a gun, but figured that might not be 100% legal. We'll see if the repellent stuff works. Plus I've seen a mouse running around on my patio and on the neighbor's patio - so I have some mouse traps out there now. I know, all this work just for some flowers that I could buy at Hy-Vee for $10. I'm cheap like that.

Song of the Day - Thanks to Wyatt for sharing the new Paris Hilton song with me for the weekend. Stars Are Blind is her single that is released on iTunes if you're really desperate for it. I personally think it's bad and reminds me of UB40's Red Red Wine which was an ok song back in the 80s. The first time you hear Paris's new song, you'll laugh and think "boy does this suck".... it does suck, almost as bad as her acting. Must be nice to be rich and buy your way into a movie or onto a CD.

Book of the Day - I finished Dan Brown's Digital Fortress this weekend. That's the first of his novels (no Robert Langdon in it) and it was just the same style as his other ones. After reading all 4 novels by him, you get used to his style of jumping around and trying to throw you for a loop. So when the plot unfolds unexpectedly, I really didn't react the same as I did when reading Angels and Daemons the first time when the Camerlengo discovers... nevermind. Digital Fortress was cool because it dealt with computer encryption and the thought of computer nodes being used to create a supercomputer (we call this "Bluegene" around IBM) - but this was written back in 1998. Also dealt with the NSA (unknown to the public in 1998) and it's secret spying on the citizens of the US... sound familiar?

Webpage of the Day After an extended break (rumor has it that the father passed away of the two brothers that are the creators and brains behind Homestar and StrongBad) all the characters are back. New StrongBad email is the Webpage of the Day, but there is also a Welcome Back cartoon that is pretty funny as well. NO WHAMMIES!! Looks like StrongBad got a new iMac (complete with plastic bar of soap):)

Pet Peeves

I'm driving home yesterday past Soldier's Field (Golf Course in Rochester, not the home of the Chicago Bears) and I see an electronic sign on the side of the 4 lane highway to encourage us all to be safe. It says "Obey the Law - Buckel Up!" BuckEL? I had to do a double take. Now I'm not the king of grammar and of spelling by any means, but this is a sign that is probably viewed by 5000-6000 drivers every day. And you can't spell the word "buckle" correctly? Spelling is a big pet peeve of mine when it's for things that are both easy as well as highly noticeable. In contrast, there are only 50-60 readers of my blog on a daily basis.

So in my frustration, I decided to list other pet peeves of mine for you to ponder (and avoid if you're going to be around me).

- High Schoolers on cell phones. High Schoolers driving nice cars while on their cell phones.... High Schoolers in the middle of a nice restaurant on their cell phones..... you get my drift.
- Continuous miss-spellings of the words "their", "there" and "they're". Along with that is "your" and "you're". And just for Matt, calling other people "looser" instead of the normal name calling spelling of "loser"
- Miller Lite commercials that think they can take down Bud Light. Get over it already, nobody beats the King!
- The new "automated" menus when you call 800 numbers where the voice is trying to be nice. Then when you connect to a human (after 5 minutes of trying to find the right option), the real person is rude and makes you want the friendly computer voice back.
- When I can't just hit "0" or a mess of numbers in hope of automatically being transferred to an operator when I call 800 numbers.
- Spending $15 at the store on Toilet Paper, Kleenex, and Paper Towels. I find that ridiculous for said items and detest that trip where I have to stock up again. You can't buy too cheap on that stuff and I refuse to buy 300 rolls of toilet paper in order to save 30 cents per roll.
- Woman hygiene commercials on TV. And erectile disfunction enhancement pill commercials as well. Notice that NASCAR televised has about 2 of them per commercial break? Wonder what they're trying to say.
- Speaking of commercials..... The following commercials are on the all-time annoying list - they are ALL local to Rochester which makes it even worse:

• Find Cars.com.... "click"
• (Bahaman theme playing).... Treasure Island, Resort and Casinoooooooo
• (Kids singing) Universal Marine and RV (for good times.... and value)
• Charter Media - I'm already subscribed and giving them too much money, so why do they have to waste my time with more advertising for them? They also have very bad commercials which doesn't help.
• Which other ones am I missing and need to add on here. The Adventureland ones from living in Iowa got pretty old.

- Folks in Rochester that do not know how to turn in to the lane closest to them when they turn onto a 4 lane road. Sorry, but Minnesota drivers are pretty bad with that whole lane-driving thing. Stuck in the left lane way too much.

Have a great weekend!

Song of the Day - since we're on the subject of Pet Peeves.... Jessica Simpson has a new song titled A Public Affair. I just heard it on KROC yesterday (it is on iTunes already). When I heard this song, I could only hear it as a pathetic steal from Madonna's Dress You Up (lyrics - "Gonna Dress you up with my love.... all over all over" you know the one I'm talking about). I hate it when someone comes out with a "new" song that is basically a theft of another song that people will indeed recognize. I wonder if I'm not the only one that has this same thought.

Video of the Day - I heard this morning that Kelly McGillis (the one hit wonder from Top Gun) is 49 this weekend. Has that movie really been around that long? Am I really getting that old? Without using IMDB.com (Internet Movie Data Base for the unknowing.... the only site you need to use while watching a movie and asking "what else has he or she been in?") - can you name one other movie that Kelly's been in? Once you do look, can you name one of the movies that she's been in that you've actually seen? I rest my case. Video of the Day is Top Gun - an almost perfect movie. Should have left out the volleyball scene.

Webpage of the Day - Thanks to ChaChi for today's suggestion.... You love bubble wrap? You love popping bubble wrap? You love popping bubble wrap and annoying your friends? Then this is the Webpage for you!

Your News Source

Headlines

North Korea - This whole North Korea thing is kind of weird. Nobody really saw Iran as a real threat, and we could argue for days whether or not Iraq was a real threat to us, or just to Bush's pride. But North Korea might actually be a real threat. It is bringing out the panic in people (yet again.... a regular theme throughout this new century) though which I find interesting. I will give Kim Jong Il my vote for the craziest weirdo on the planet - I personally wouldn't trust the guy in a poker game.

Population - There was an article in the USA Today yesterday about how our nation is very close to hitting 300 million people (this doesn't include the couple million illegal immigrants - again, an argument for a different day). Predictions estimate that we'll be 400 million people around the year 2040. That's still about 900 MILLION people less than is estimated to currently be living in China. The other thing I found amazing was the graph that showed where the population was growing state-to-state. They broke it down to show where the increase of minorities was and the three states with the largest growth of minorities..... Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.... Not something I would have predicted but cool none-the-less.

Pop Scandal - Three folks were arrested and now face federal charges because they stole secrets from Coca-Cola and tried selling them to Pepsi. Everyone knows that Pepsi's better anyways! But seriously... FEDERAL charges? Wow, these people take their pop secrets seriously. It was probably the new Diet Coke recipe that includes a package of Mentos with every bottle.

Local News

Railroad - Rochester made the national news with the ongoing battle between the Mayo Clinic and the DM&E railroad. It's an interesting debate but I don't see a resolution anytime soon. I tend to see the side of the Chamber of Commerce/Mayo Clinic that says Rochester will suffer if something happens to cause its clients from around the world to want to go elsewhere. But by "elsewhere", I wasn't thinking "the Cleveland Clinic" as is referenced in the article. Not sure why I am surprised to hear "Cleveland Clinic" in the same reference as "Johns Hopkins". This type of Railroad vs. City battle has been going on for Centuries.... back in the days of Blazing Saddles even.

Sports

World Cup - France beat Portugal. Dangit. So now we have France vs. Italy in the final of the World Cup this weekend. Both have won the World Cup recently. It's like watching the Lakers vs. the Celtics in the NBA finals... I'm predicting that Italy will go out to an early lead in the match. Then France will complain and whine that they need help, we'll send some players over at halftime to help, then France will bail out and go home right after halftime. Either that or they'll throw in the white towel sometime in the 5th minute of the match.

Entertainment

Look 3x (or Look, Look, Look for non-Oakland folks) - Guess who's back.... back again.... everyone's favorite... M... C... HAMMER!!! No joke. He has an album out on iTunes only. CD to come out in a few weeks. But for those of you that can't wait that long, here's a link to his blog page. That's right. MC Hammer has his very own blog page for you to look over. But please remember... Hammer, don't hurt 'em.

Song of the Day - There are so many good Hammer songs to choose... but how many of you actually owned Too Legit to Quit? How many remember the Hand signs for Too Legit? The video had many stars to show you how to do it. Jose Canseco, Isaiah Thomas, KIRBY PUCKET, Rickey Henderson, Deion, David Hasselhoff (Christine.. your favorite), and David Robinson.

Video of the Day - I watched the ORIGINAL Superman (the 1978 version). I'm not sure why they had to remake this movie. The original had cheezy graphics, people flying around with invisible cables, Tron-esque effects that made it look like we were all out in space. But the original version had MARLON BRANDO! How cool is that? I actually thought Christopher Reeve was pretty good in that movie as well. I'm interested in seeing the newer Superman Returns especially with Kevin Spacey playing Lex Luthor. I guess they use original archive footage of Jor-El (Brando) in the newer one too. Enjoy the 30-Second-Bunnies re-enacting the original Superman movie!!

Webpage of the Day - In a weird move - South Carolina lowers the legal consentual age to.... 14?!?!?!?! WTF!! "The provision was added to avoid severe penalties for young people experimenting with sex". Something definitely not right with this.

Wrapping up the 4th

What a nice 4th of July - I am now well rested and hopefully my golf game will be better this week. Funny how a 5 day weekend doesn't feel like it was enough. The fireworks in Rochester are very loud, even when I live 4 miles away from where they are shooting them.

As usual on holidays - I like to provide information to make all of you, my loyal readers, smarter. No exception on the 4th of July:

Why the 4th?

Though the Fourth of July is iconic to Americans, some claim the date itself is somewhat arbitrary. New Englanders had been fighting Britain since April 1775. The first motion in the Continental Congress for independence was made on June 8. After hard debate, the Congress voted unanimously (12-0), but secretly, for independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain on July 2. The Congress reworked the text of the Declaration until a little after eleven o'clock, 4th of July, when thirteen colonies voted for adoption and released a copy signed by John Hancock, President of the Congress, to the printers. Philadelphia celebrated the Declaration with public readings and bonfires on July 8. Not until August 2 would a fair printing be signed by the members of the Congress, but even that was kept secret to protect the members from British reprisal.

John Adams, credited by Thomas Jefferson as the unofficial, tireless whip of the independence-minded, wrote his wife Abigail on July 3:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

Adams was off by two days, however. Certainly, the vote on July 2 was the decisive act. But July 4 is the date on the Declaration itself. Jefferson's stirring prose, as edited by the Congress, was first adopted by the vote of the 4th. It was also the first day Philadelphians heard the official news of independence from the Continental Congress, as opposed to rumors in the street about secret votes.

Now you know, and KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE!!!! GO JOE!!!

Stevie-Y retired from the RedWings. There is an interesting article for all of you hockey fans that talks about how he is a rarity in modern sports. Yzerman was more interested in his team winning, than he was with the stardom of professional sports, the money, the luxury that you find with just about every other athelete.

World Cup is down to 3 teams.... and by the end of today, 2 teams. Italy beat Germany yesterday in what could very well be called "the last minute". Some great soccer going on - hopefully Portugal beats the dreaded French today. Interesting that the final 4 teams were all from mainland Europe.

Wimbledon is getting down to the finals (this weekend). No US players in the final 8 of either the men or the women. Agassi said goodbye to the Wimbledon crowd last week and that was emotional all around. I remember Agassi's first Wimbledon when he was back in his rebellious stage. He actually refused to play Wimbledon for a long time and when he showed up in his "loud" purple outfits - he was warned about the rule they have about wearing "mostly white" so in his 2nd round match, he shows up in 100% white courtesy the folks at Nike. He made it to the Quarterfinals that year, and won it the next year. Hopefully we'll see a Nadal/Federer final (rematch of the French Open final) for this weekend's "Breakfast at Wimbledon".

And finally - the Chicago Bulls, in a long tradition of big name centers such as Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley.... pick up 4 time Defensive player of the Year in Ben Wallace. Interesting, interesting....

Video of the Day - I watched the movie Find Me Guilty with Vin Diesel where he has hair and plays the Gangster Jackie DiNorscio. It's actually a pretty good movie (over 2 hours but it goes quickly) and Vin might not be his normal ass-kicking self, but he's still pretty good. Supposedly a "true story".

Webpage of the Day - The Wienermobile turns 70!!!

Song of the Day - Oh I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Wiener...... Eddie's audition song for his job with Oscar Meyer.