Happy All Hallow's Eve. Or All Saint's Day Eve.
More importantly, Happy Birthday to Cousin Cari and to Nato!!! My "older and wiser" cousin Cari that is!
Big News: My cousin Drew is back in the states... somewhere! He is no longer in Iraq and I can't wait to hear that he's back in Nebraska, cheering for the pathetic Cyclones!! Drew is a HUGE closet Cyclone fan. He has enough red in his room, just needs to add the gold!
I also participated in my very first Minnesota DFL rally yesterday!!! That was quite the fun experience. Barack Obama spoke as well which was everything I had hoped for! Despite his non-aggressive but still sly plugs for his new book, he spoke at how America is ready for a change in leadership. A campaign back to the roots of this country that is built on representation, not money. I hope he's right and we can make a change next week at the polls. Thanks again to Jen for bringing this fun event to my attention!
But even for those of you who disagree with my political views.... prove me wrong and go vote next week! More than telling you who you should vote for, I challenge each and everyone out there to take the 30 minutes and go vote! It is not only your right, but your duty as a free citizen to go vote. It's pretty pathetic where we rate in the world (150+ I think) when it comes to percent of the total population that actually votes in major elections (every 2 years). I'll have more details this week on how to find WHERE to vote.
So back to the Holiday.... I did not dress up today for work, but I had a few last second costume ideas this morning while at the RAC:
* I could put a big "L" on my forehead and call myself Dan McCarney. That is because he is the biggest loser in College Football this year taking a team that was predicted to possibly win the Big 12 North to DEAD FRIGGIN' LAST in the Big 12. He needs to get fired. So maybe I could add a target on my back.
* I could go as a Minnesota Vikings Defensive player and actually play JUST AS WELL as they did last night. I've never played football with pads and helmet, but I still think I could have done just as well as they did. 372 yards passing and 4 TDs. Iowa State Defense is at the same level.
One more funny thing to share. There is a new Trainer at the RAC that I was reading her profile by the Abs machines..... it said she likes "riding her bike, playing chess, and eating cupcakes". Does that strike anyone else as overly strange for a personal trainer to put on their profile???? Maybe it's just me.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!
Song of the Day - You have to pull out some quality "scary" songs today.... Some of my favorites are DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's Nightmare on My Street.... anyone remember that one? Of course MJ's Thriller, and also one that nobody remembers... Halloween by Dave Matthew's Band.
Video of the Day - On Video on Demand (Charter) this week they had a bunch of the classic horror flicks to watch. So I am in the process of catching up on my Friday the 13ths that I have seen some, but not all of them. I caught #s 5, 6, and 7 this weekend. 5 is the weird one where Jason isn't even in the movie... 6 they bring him back (using lightning) and he kills everyone except 1 guy who chains him to a boulder at the bottom of the lake.... 7 is the one where the Telekinetic girl brings him back to life from the bottom of the lake. More to come as I finish these over the next month!
Webpage of the Day - The non-Idie version of Thriller for you to all enjoy! There might be versions out there with me dancing, but I pale in comparison to Michael.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
But What Do I Know?
It's Halloween week. I again talk a big talk, but as usual, I wait too long to find something so I am currently without costume. It's usually more fun anyways when Halloween falls on the weekend. I was in Austin, MN this past weekend playing with the Symphony there.... and will be in Ames this weekend watching the Cyclones lose yet again.
It is indeed nice to see the sun earlier in the mornings thanks to Daylight Savings change. Funny how many more people are early to work on the Monday after. In contrast, in the Spring, more people are late to work the following Monday.
Speaking of Sunsets, I've given up on the Cyclones yet they continue to show how pathetic they are this year. 21 point loss to Kansas State after being up by 10 points!! Glad we're down to being a 1 quarter team. And with the Kansas win, Iowa State is officially LAST in the Big 12!! This brings back so many memories of my college days! And we all thought we'd be playing for the Big 12 championship.... pathetic. I hope somebody gets fired. And my first thought is to get rid of someone who's name begins with an "M" and rhymes with "McCarney". But what do I know?
Austin Symphony concert yesterday. The Beautiful Hazel and I had plans to be over in that area anyways this weekend so when I got the call to play with the Symphony for their Sunday concert (they needed bass players), I accepted. It was some fun music (much more fun than the music we played in La Crosse the prior weekend) but as was expected, the caliber of musicianship is less in Austin. I try not to get over frustrated with folks rushing, or playing WAY out of tune. But I've come to the conclusion that an out of tune Harp might be the worst sounding instrument when played out of tune. But what do I know?
One more week of the crap campaigning that is getting worse every 2 years. They infect the TV, radio, mail, e-mail, my home phone, and I even had one call to my cell phone. That was a very short conversation. I think I heard this morning on the way to work that one of the candidates is a communist, while the other one is a terrorist supporter. I am tempted to make sure I subscribe to XM or Sirius before next election just so I can drive my car without having to hear all of the slam advertisements. But what do I know?
Just heard from a faithful reader that Barrack Obama is in Rochester tonight at 5pm for a Rally with Amy Klobuchar (not to be confused with Kubla Khan although it's close in my mind....). I'll be there - thanks Jen!!!
Song of the Day - We played both the 1st and 2nd suites from Bizet's Carmen. The Overture from the opera is the theme played during the Bad News Bears so most of you would recognize it. And hardcore Simpsons fans will recognize the Toreador's Song.... Episode #2 if you can believe it! (among other episodes).
Video of the Day - I watched Click last week (the one with Adam Sandler and his "magical remote controller"). It's pretty funny and is typical of Adam Sandler movies. It also has David Hasselhoff which is the best part of the movie.
Webpage of the Day - Thanks to Mikky, I had to post this one even though it's 2 months till Christmas.... interesting what you hear when you play Jingle Bells backwards. I don't think it's as obvious as the Mr. Ed theme, or some of the Beatles songs.... but it's apparent!
It is indeed nice to see the sun earlier in the mornings thanks to Daylight Savings change. Funny how many more people are early to work on the Monday after. In contrast, in the Spring, more people are late to work the following Monday.
Speaking of Sunsets, I've given up on the Cyclones yet they continue to show how pathetic they are this year. 21 point loss to Kansas State after being up by 10 points!! Glad we're down to being a 1 quarter team. And with the Kansas win, Iowa State is officially LAST in the Big 12!! This brings back so many memories of my college days! And we all thought we'd be playing for the Big 12 championship.... pathetic. I hope somebody gets fired. And my first thought is to get rid of someone who's name begins with an "M" and rhymes with "McCarney". But what do I know?
Austin Symphony concert yesterday. The Beautiful Hazel and I had plans to be over in that area anyways this weekend so when I got the call to play with the Symphony for their Sunday concert (they needed bass players), I accepted. It was some fun music (much more fun than the music we played in La Crosse the prior weekend) but as was expected, the caliber of musicianship is less in Austin. I try not to get over frustrated with folks rushing, or playing WAY out of tune. But I've come to the conclusion that an out of tune Harp might be the worst sounding instrument when played out of tune. But what do I know?
One more week of the crap campaigning that is getting worse every 2 years. They infect the TV, radio, mail, e-mail, my home phone, and I even had one call to my cell phone. That was a very short conversation. I think I heard this morning on the way to work that one of the candidates is a communist, while the other one is a terrorist supporter. I am tempted to make sure I subscribe to XM or Sirius before next election just so I can drive my car without having to hear all of the slam advertisements. But what do I know?
Just heard from a faithful reader that Barrack Obama is in Rochester tonight at 5pm for a Rally with Amy Klobuchar (not to be confused with Kubla Khan although it's close in my mind....). I'll be there - thanks Jen!!!
Song of the Day - We played both the 1st and 2nd suites from Bizet's Carmen. The Overture from the opera is the theme played during the Bad News Bears so most of you would recognize it. And hardcore Simpsons fans will recognize the Toreador's Song.... Episode #2 if you can believe it! (among other episodes).
Video of the Day - I watched Click last week (the one with Adam Sandler and his "magical remote controller"). It's pretty funny and is typical of Adam Sandler movies. It also has David Hasselhoff which is the best part of the movie.
Webpage of the Day - Thanks to Mikky, I had to post this one even though it's 2 months till Christmas.... interesting what you hear when you play Jingle Bells backwards. I don't think it's as obvious as the Mr. Ed theme, or some of the Beatles songs.... but it's apparent!
Friday, October 27, 2006
Prediction Friday
Not much to talk about this morning, so I'll keep it nice and short so everyone can get back to work!
Cyclones are in Manhattan to take on the Kansas State Pedifiles.. I think I've given up on the Cyclones for the year. I'm hoping we lose more so hopefully they'll fire McCarney and hold him ACCOUNTABLE for our shitty season. KSU is horrible, but I think we're worse this year.
No real huge games in the top 25 this week other than Oklahoma at Missouri. Hopefully Missouri can bring back some honor to the Big 12 North with a victory.
MLB will end this weekend somehow. I still think Detroit can win it all but they have a lot of work to do. If any team can get hot in the post season this year, it's the Tigers. But how funny would it be to see St. Louis win it all after a horrible regular season (5 games above .500)?
In NASCAR, the Bass Pro Shops MBNA Ford Chevy Dodge Tabasco Sauce 2% Milk that expires in 2 weeks Powerball 500 is Sunday. These naming things are really getting out of hand. In Atlanta on Sunday and there are only 4 races left! Jimmie's looked good lately so watch out for him to pull out another win and jump to the top of the Chase. Anyone but Kenseth!
Song of the Day - Red Hot Chilli Peppers Can't Stop is going through my head this morning so I have them playing as I catch up today. Good stuff.
Video of the Day - Tiger really is amazing, ya know it? Here he shows off his accuracy, with no warm up, using a driver that probably isn't his, on a show with people a little too close to him.
Webpage of the Day - Coming soon to a Best Buy near you... the Wii is coming! I've played with the new controller and it's amazingly sensitive. It shows off how much coffee I've had by not holding still when I want it to. The new display looks pretty sweet too! Less than a month till kickoff!!
Cyclones are in Manhattan to take on the Kansas State Pedifiles.
No real huge games in the top 25 this week other than Oklahoma at Missouri. Hopefully Missouri can bring back some honor to the Big 12 North with a victory.
MLB will end this weekend somehow. I still think Detroit can win it all but they have a lot of work to do. If any team can get hot in the post season this year, it's the Tigers. But how funny would it be to see St. Louis win it all after a horrible regular season (5 games above .500)?
In NASCAR, the Bass Pro Shops MBNA Ford Chevy Dodge Tabasco Sauce 2% Milk that expires in 2 weeks Powerball 500 is Sunday. These naming things are really getting out of hand. In Atlanta on Sunday and there are only 4 races left! Jimmie's looked good lately so watch out for him to pull out another win and jump to the top of the Chase. Anyone but Kenseth!
Song of the Day - Red Hot Chilli Peppers Can't Stop is going through my head this morning so I have them playing as I catch up today. Good stuff.
Video of the Day - Tiger really is amazing, ya know it? Here he shows off his accuracy, with no warm up, using a driver that probably isn't his, on a show with people a little too close to him.
Webpage of the Day - Coming soon to a Best Buy near you... the Wii is coming! I've played with the new controller and it's amazingly sensitive. It shows off how much coffee I've had by not holding still when I want it to. The new display looks pretty sweet too! Less than a month till kickoff!!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Voting Very Soon
Hard to believe that Halloween is in 5 days. It doesn't seem too long ago that I was running the AC at home.
For those voting in Minnesota, use the following link to find out who you best match up with. It takes about 3-4 minutes per elected position. It's pretty slick and showed me why I don't vote strictly party line. Granted, I never seem to find a Republican candidate to match up with, but that doesn't make the Democrat the best candidate for me. Remember, education is the best way to vote positively. It's still a tragedy that more people don't vote. There's also this link which gives a total run down for your area of who's running.
And I have been reading about something impressive.... there are these "kids voting" programs for a while now. Case in point, Duluth, MN has had the program for many years for K-12 kids. They do research into the candidates and talk about the voting process, to get the kids thinking about politics and to realize their civic duty to vote. Now some of these kids are 18 and eligible to vote - guess who has the highest voter turnout in the state? Yup - Duluth, MN. So by getting the kids involved at school, they get the parents involved who feel more obligated to vote. I think it's great! They are also discovering that the kids from the program are more likely to vote when they are legally eligible.
Happy Thursday!!!
Song of the Day - To go with the holiday, how about a little bit of Smashing Pumkins? One of the greats of the 1990s! There are rumors that a reunion might be possible - I know Eddie would camp out to get tickets for them! I'd actually go see them.
Video of the Day - This made me laugh at how dumb yet addictive it is to watch. A workout that is made to the music of These Boots Are Made For Walkin'.
Webpage of the Day - Bashing Pumpkins (mouse game) - I had a 259 on my first try.
For those voting in Minnesota, use the following link to find out who you best match up with. It takes about 3-4 minutes per elected position. It's pretty slick and showed me why I don't vote strictly party line. Granted, I never seem to find a Republican candidate to match up with, but that doesn't make the Democrat the best candidate for me. Remember, education is the best way to vote positively. It's still a tragedy that more people don't vote. There's also this link which gives a total run down for your area of who's running.
And I have been reading about something impressive.... there are these "kids voting" programs for a while now. Case in point, Duluth, MN has had the program for many years for K-12 kids. They do research into the candidates and talk about the voting process, to get the kids thinking about politics and to realize their civic duty to vote. Now some of these kids are 18 and eligible to vote - guess who has the highest voter turnout in the state? Yup - Duluth, MN. So by getting the kids involved at school, they get the parents involved who feel more obligated to vote. I think it's great! They are also discovering that the kids from the program are more likely to vote when they are legally eligible.
Happy Thursday!!!
Song of the Day - To go with the holiday, how about a little bit of Smashing Pumkins? One of the greats of the 1990s! There are rumors that a reunion might be possible - I know Eddie would camp out to get tickets for them! I'd actually go see them.
Video of the Day - This made me laugh at how dumb yet addictive it is to watch. A workout that is made to the music of These Boots Are Made For Walkin'.
Webpage of the Day - Bashing Pumpkins (mouse game) - I had a 259 on my first try.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Who? Not Me!!
The word of today is: ACCOUNTABILITY.
noun - the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable.
Basically this means you take responsibility for your own actions, don't worry about what other people do or say.
I believe we've turned into a country that is void of accountability. The age of 2000s has become an era where it's so much easier to point the finger to someone else, or rely on somebody else to do things for you. Examples:
- I am overly frustrated with all the campaigning that is going on and getting worse every day. I would imagine all of us are but there's still 2 weeks left:( Instead of the candidates telling us what they are for, most of the advertising is resorting to telling us what the other candidates have done or how they will turn us into a communistic, terrorist loving country. "My opponent didn't carry a gun in Afghanistan to find Bin Laden so he MUST be a terrorist supporter". What the?!?!?! I long for the time where the candidates were accountable for their own agenda and inspired the American public to vote. Instead my TV, radio, and now my mailbox is flooded with junk and I can see why so many people could care less about voting. Still doesn't make it right.
- People do or say things that are wrong, they are highlighted in the news spotlight, then the logical thing is to check into rehab and blame the alcohol?? Interesting.... Mark Foley ruins the innocence of a 16 year old page, he blames a priest from his childhood, then checks into rehab. Mel Gibson goes into an anti-semitic tirade... checks into rehab. Whitney Houston's career has been non-existant for so long now.... last April she checks back into rehab. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad these people are seeking help for their problems and I support them. But don't blame them for your wrong doings. Take accountability for your actions and suffer the consequences.
- And it even affects sports. The Cardinals won last night, so Carpenter must have had some kind of substance or was doing something illegal right? That was their excuse after losing in game 2. Instead of taking accountability, they come up with any other reason as to why they lost. Pretty pathetic.
- What's Iowa State's excuse? Maybe we need to charge more for camper passes! The reason our football team is doing so horribly this year obviously is because the administration isn't raping the fans enough for their money. We want to compete at a high level such as Nebraska and Texas, but we obviously don't want to hire a coach that can take us there. At some point someone has to point the finger at the one thing that has been there for 10+ years through all of our crappy seasons (which seems to be this season again). Please do something about it. Or check yourself into rehab.
- And my favorite is all the supporters of the "No Child Left Behind". Parents who don't want to be held accountable for their child's education, find it easier to get mad at an educator who has 30+ kids to teach at a time, who has extra work thanks to the stupid law, and spend less than 30 hours a week with their child. But the parent can't take accountability for their own child's academic development from home can they? Of course not. Check them into rehab!! The NCLB act only promotes lazy parents who can blame the schools when their child gets behind. Meanwhile, there's no excuse for bad parenting in my book. I'm sure something will be found though.
Song of the Day - I have been enjoying the new Justin Timberlake CD lately. I know I'll get made fun of, but it's actually a pretty good pop CD. Say what you must, but it's the music of today!
Video of the Day - Our favorite white rapper from the early 90s has been missed! So here's his appearance with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I seriously remember having this soundtrack on cassette tape. GO NINJA GO NINJA GO!!!
Webpage of the Day - As people in MN begin their winter beards (sometimes called "hunting" beards)... the beard society welcomes new members on a daily basis....
noun - the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable.
Basically this means you take responsibility for your own actions, don't worry about what other people do or say.
I believe we've turned into a country that is void of accountability. The age of 2000s has become an era where it's so much easier to point the finger to someone else, or rely on somebody else to do things for you. Examples:
- I am overly frustrated with all the campaigning that is going on and getting worse every day. I would imagine all of us are but there's still 2 weeks left:( Instead of the candidates telling us what they are for, most of the advertising is resorting to telling us what the other candidates have done or how they will turn us into a communistic, terrorist loving country. "My opponent didn't carry a gun in Afghanistan to find Bin Laden so he MUST be a terrorist supporter". What the?!?!?! I long for the time where the candidates were accountable for their own agenda and inspired the American public to vote. Instead my TV, radio, and now my mailbox is flooded with junk and I can see why so many people could care less about voting. Still doesn't make it right.
- People do or say things that are wrong, they are highlighted in the news spotlight, then the logical thing is to check into rehab and blame the alcohol?? Interesting.... Mark Foley ruins the innocence of a 16 year old page, he blames a priest from his childhood, then checks into rehab. Mel Gibson goes into an anti-semitic tirade... checks into rehab. Whitney Houston's career has been non-existant for so long now.... last April she checks back into rehab. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad these people are seeking help for their problems and I support them. But don't blame them for your wrong doings. Take accountability for your actions and suffer the consequences.
- And it even affects sports. The Cardinals won last night, so Carpenter must have had some kind of substance or was doing something illegal right? That was their excuse after losing in game 2. Instead of taking accountability, they come up with any other reason as to why they lost. Pretty pathetic.
- What's Iowa State's excuse? Maybe we need to charge more for camper passes! The reason our football team is doing so horribly this year obviously is because the administration isn't raping the fans enough for their money. We want to compete at a high level such as Nebraska and Texas, but we obviously don't want to hire a coach that can take us there. At some point someone has to point the finger at the one thing that has been there for 10+ years through all of our crappy seasons (which seems to be this season again). Please do something about it. Or check yourself into rehab.
- And my favorite is all the supporters of the "No Child Left Behind". Parents who don't want to be held accountable for their child's education, find it easier to get mad at an educator who has 30+ kids to teach at a time, who has extra work thanks to the stupid law, and spend less than 30 hours a week with their child. But the parent can't take accountability for their own child's academic development from home can they? Of course not. Check them into rehab!! The NCLB act only promotes lazy parents who can blame the schools when their child gets behind. Meanwhile, there's no excuse for bad parenting in my book. I'm sure something will be found though.
Song of the Day - I have been enjoying the new Justin Timberlake CD lately. I know I'll get made fun of, but it's actually a pretty good pop CD. Say what you must, but it's the music of today!
Video of the Day - Our favorite white rapper from the early 90s has been missed! So here's his appearance with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I seriously remember having this soundtrack on cassette tape. GO NINJA GO NINJA GO!!!
Webpage of the Day - As people in MN begin their winter beards (sometimes called "hunting" beards)... the beard society welcomes new members on a daily basis....
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Entertainment Day
In celebration of my 7am meeting and many more to follow, I present a different format for today only:
Here are a bunch of online games to play today while you're bored (or on conference calls)
Stationary Movies.... I have 10 of them so far, still working on the next 10.
Four Second Firestorm.... This will make your head hurt - try to figure out how to play the 4 second games, then complete each one in under 4 seconds. Not nearly as easy as it sounds.
Irritating Game... Click on the UK flag in the lower left before beginning.
Heather's Favorite movie is now re-enacted by Bunnies (in 30 seconds)!!! FIGHT CLUB!!
And finally, your news of the weird... there's an ape running rampant in Des Moines and it's pulling fire alarms!!!
Have a good day!!
Here are a bunch of online games to play today while you're bored (or on conference calls)
Stationary Movies.... I have 10 of them so far, still working on the next 10.
Four Second Firestorm.... This will make your head hurt - try to figure out how to play the 4 second games, then complete each one in under 4 seconds. Not nearly as easy as it sounds.
Irritating Game... Click on the UK flag in the lower left before beginning.
Heather's Favorite movie is now re-enacted by Bunnies (in 30 seconds)!!! FIGHT CLUB!!
And finally, your news of the weird... there's an ape running rampant in Des Moines and it's pulling fire alarms!!!
Have a good day!!
Monday, October 23, 2006
Weekend Reflections
Another Monday but at least I'm not stuck in Chicago from a missed flight!!!
* Concerts in La Crosse went well. It was an interesting concert cycle for music. None of them would be my first picks to play by Mozart or Beethoven but the audiences enjoyed them none the less. We have rehearsals in 2 weeks again and then we are playing Mendelssohn's 4th Symphony (Italian Symphony).
* I am playing with the Austin, MN Symphony this Sunday afternoon for a one time appearance. We had plans to be in Austin this weekend anyways and the Symphony was short on bass players.... funny how that stuff seems to work out.
* Iowa State is back to it's old losing self. Good Job McCarney - hope you're on your way out! Our defensive secondary might be the worst in the nation!
* I did pretty crappy in my NFL football picks this week. Not sure why I thought Buffalo would beat New England. Last time I go with "a hunch". Congrats Drew and your Raiders finally winning!
* My new show that I've been watching (recording, then skipping commercials is probably more accurate) is on A&E - Gene Simmons: Family Jewels. It's the reality show about Gene Simmons and his family of 4. He is "Un-Married" to Shannon Tweed (actress in many B-rated movies as well as Playboy Playmate from the 80s, etc) and they have been so for 20+ years. They have two children together who just try to live a normal life. It's similar to the Osbournes but without an Ozzie who is incoherent and kids that are too spoiled. The Simmons family is much easier to watch and laugh with. I never realized how business oriented Gene Simmons has become and he continues to always try to make money and invest in something that will make him more money. Check it out if you're looking for something new to watch.
* The other show I still love is My Name is Earl. The show is only getting better in my opinion.
* Daylight Savings finally starts this upcoming weekend - I hate trying to wake up before the sun even thinks of rising. We gain an hour of sleep Saturday night which is always a plus!!
* Obama has not ruled out a run in 2008 - Thanks for the interesting perspective Chuck-O, I agree with you. It'll be interesting to see how much support he will or will not get.
Have a great week! My Cousin Drew should be home stateside within a week! WELCOME BACK!!!
Song of the Day - I found a good station that comes out of Winona (I think) on my drive back from La Crosse. I only get it for about 40 minutes of the drive, but they play a good set of harder rock music. They played the good ol' Faith No More Epic that is still one of my favorite songs of the early 90s. Everyone remembers the fish flopping around outside of its bowl in the video! I'm surprised PETA didn't shut down that video.
Video of the Day - I finally watched X-Men III (The Last Stand) this weekend. I was glad to see they finally brought in Beast (Kelsey Grammer) but I can't decide if they're trying to keep it going or what. It was supposed to be pretty final, but they left the door open with the ending. They also kill off enough of the main characters that it'll be interesting to see how they'd do it. I didn't like the lack of referring to Nightcrawler who was huge in the 2nd movie but obviously not in the 3rd.
Webpage of the Day - Practice your putting.... then go here to play a full 18 holes of putt-putt golf! Dangerously Addictive!
* Concerts in La Crosse went well. It was an interesting concert cycle for music. None of them would be my first picks to play by Mozart or Beethoven but the audiences enjoyed them none the less. We have rehearsals in 2 weeks again and then we are playing Mendelssohn's 4th Symphony (Italian Symphony).
* I am playing with the Austin, MN Symphony this Sunday afternoon for a one time appearance. We had plans to be in Austin this weekend anyways and the Symphony was short on bass players.... funny how that stuff seems to work out.
* Iowa State is back to it's old losing self. Good Job McCarney - hope you're on your way out! Our defensive secondary might be the worst in the nation!
* I did pretty crappy in my NFL football picks this week. Not sure why I thought Buffalo would beat New England. Last time I go with "a hunch". Congrats Drew and your Raiders finally winning!
* My new show that I've been watching (recording, then skipping commercials is probably more accurate) is on A&E - Gene Simmons: Family Jewels. It's the reality show about Gene Simmons and his family of 4. He is "Un-Married" to Shannon Tweed (actress in many B-rated movies as well as Playboy Playmate from the 80s, etc) and they have been so for 20+ years. They have two children together who just try to live a normal life. It's similar to the Osbournes but without an Ozzie who is incoherent and kids that are too spoiled. The Simmons family is much easier to watch and laugh with. I never realized how business oriented Gene Simmons has become and he continues to always try to make money and invest in something that will make him more money. Check it out if you're looking for something new to watch.
* The other show I still love is My Name is Earl. The show is only getting better in my opinion.
* Daylight Savings finally starts this upcoming weekend - I hate trying to wake up before the sun even thinks of rising. We gain an hour of sleep Saturday night which is always a plus!!
* Obama has not ruled out a run in 2008 - Thanks for the interesting perspective Chuck-O, I agree with you. It'll be interesting to see how much support he will or will not get.
Have a great week! My Cousin Drew should be home stateside within a week! WELCOME BACK!!!
Song of the Day - I found a good station that comes out of Winona (I think) on my drive back from La Crosse. I only get it for about 40 minutes of the drive, but they play a good set of harder rock music. They played the good ol' Faith No More Epic that is still one of my favorite songs of the early 90s. Everyone remembers the fish flopping around outside of its bowl in the video! I'm surprised PETA didn't shut down that video.
Video of the Day - I finally watched X-Men III (The Last Stand) this weekend. I was glad to see they finally brought in Beast (Kelsey Grammer) but I can't decide if they're trying to keep it going or what. It was supposed to be pretty final, but they left the door open with the ending. They also kill off enough of the main characters that it'll be interesting to see how they'd do it. I didn't like the lack of referring to Nightcrawler who was huge in the 2nd movie but obviously not in the 3rd.
Webpage of the Day - Practice your putting.... then go here to play a full 18 holes of putt-putt golf! Dangerously Addictive!
Friday, October 20, 2006
Prediction Day
Cardinals won last night to set up a surprise World Series. Both teams had a losing record for the final month of the season but made it there anyway. Interesting, interesting.....
Detroit in 5 games
My beloved Cyclones have one more chance to get back on track. A loss would pretty much signify a pathetic season and I would hope there would be some coaching changes in the off season. But I'm still optimistic and I think ISU beats Tech in Ames - 24-10!
Texas should thump Nebraska as they have been doing to everyone in the Big 12 this year.
Arizona is at San Jose State???? Wildcats by a touchdown.
Iowa hopefully gets the crap beat out of them by Michigan... at Michigan.
And an interesting matchup - an undefeated NDSU plays at Minnesota (struggling) - NDSU by 10.
NASCAR races at Martinsville this weekend - 5 races left. Gordon's track though, can he get back on and finish at least on the lead lap this week?
Concerts this weekend in La Crosse - I predict a normal concert cycle where we struggle to stay awake during the slow movements of the Mozart.
Have a great weekend!!
Song of the Day - Ok, so someone please tell me what "Koo Koo Ka Choo" means? I heard it again last night in Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson but I also know it's in the Beatles I am the Walrus. It sounds weird but obviously was a thing from the 60s/70s. I'm too young to understand I guess. Any help from the elder readers of my blog??? Anyone know what I'm talking about here?
Video of the Day - Best Knock Knock Joke EVER!!! I love this one.... make sure to watch the entire thing though for new ideas to try on your friends and family.
Webpage of the Day - 20 things the average person doesn't know about Windows XP. I only knew a couple of these.... and I consider myself "average" with XP.
Detroit in 5 games
My beloved Cyclones have one more chance to get back on track. A loss would pretty much signify a pathetic season and I would hope there would be some coaching changes in the off season. But I'm still optimistic and I think ISU beats Tech in Ames - 24-10!
Texas should thump Nebraska as they have been doing to everyone in the Big 12 this year.
Arizona is at San Jose State???? Wildcats by a touchdown.
Iowa hopefully gets the crap beat out of them by Michigan... at Michigan.
And an interesting matchup - an undefeated NDSU plays at Minnesota (struggling) - NDSU by 10.
NASCAR races at Martinsville this weekend - 5 races left. Gordon's track though, can he get back on and finish at least on the lead lap this week?
Concerts this weekend in La Crosse - I predict a normal concert cycle where we struggle to stay awake during the slow movements of the Mozart.
Have a great weekend!!
Song of the Day - Ok, so someone please tell me what "Koo Koo Ka Choo" means? I heard it again last night in Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson but I also know it's in the Beatles I am the Walrus. It sounds weird but obviously was a thing from the 60s/70s. I'm too young to understand I guess. Any help from the elder readers of my blog??? Anyone know what I'm talking about here?
Video of the Day - Best Knock Knock Joke EVER!!! I love this one.... make sure to watch the entire thing though for new ideas to try on your friends and family.
Webpage of the Day - 20 things the average person doesn't know about Windows XP. I only knew a couple of these.... and I consider myself "average" with XP.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Delayed Posting, But Still Important!
Sorry for the delay - I had a fever all night last night which pretty much prevented me from doing much of anything.
Mets won last night which sets up a game 7 tonight with a trip to the World Series on the line. Go Cardinals!
Hazel is a religious Oprah watcher.... yesterday on Oprah, she had on Barack Obama who has a new book out this week. For those who don't know him, take the time to learn. I really think he should be our next President of the United States. He has not officially declared that he is running in 2008, but he should. Currently Obama is the Junior Senator from Illinois and he gave a riveting Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention which was the first time I learned who he was and what he is capable of. I think he would help address the problems of our nation which include how divided we have become. From his speech in 2004:
Concerts this weekend in La Crosse. We are playing two Mozart pieces (Prague Symphony and "A Musical Joke") and the Beethoven Piano Concert No. 4 (complete with 4 minute cadenza!!!).
OJ is publishing a book supposedly titled If I Did It which relives the murders and trial from a "hypothetical" view point. Give me a break.... If it doesn't fit, you must acquit!
Song of the Day - I have Garbage playing right now.... the band Garbage. Good stuff!
Video of the Day - This is just strange.... for any Super Mario fans out there, see how Godzilla takes over Super Mario Brothers game.
Webpage of the Day - A good way to waste an hour.... I'm not quite finished with it but getting there. Figure out how to get the door open.
Mets won last night which sets up a game 7 tonight with a trip to the World Series on the line. Go Cardinals!
Hazel is a religious Oprah watcher.... yesterday on Oprah, she had on Barack Obama who has a new book out this week. For those who don't know him, take the time to learn. I really think he should be our next President of the United States. He has not officially declared that he is running in 2008, but he should. Currently Obama is the Junior Senator from Illinois and he gave a riveting Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention which was the first time I learned who he was and what he is capable of. I think he would help address the problems of our nation which include how divided we have become. From his speech in 2004:
The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.Good stuff.
Concerts this weekend in La Crosse. We are playing two Mozart pieces (Prague Symphony and "A Musical Joke") and the Beethoven Piano Concert No. 4 (complete with 4 minute cadenza!!!).
OJ is publishing a book supposedly titled If I Did It which relives the murders and trial from a "hypothetical" view point. Give me a break.... If it doesn't fit, you must acquit!
Song of the Day - I have Garbage playing right now.... the band Garbage. Good stuff!
Video of the Day - This is just strange.... for any Super Mario fans out there, see how Godzilla takes over Super Mario Brothers game.
Webpage of the Day - A good way to waste an hour.... I'm not quite finished with it but getting there. Figure out how to get the door open.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Reflections Now That I'm Home
Ten Things I Learned While in Los Angeles
1) Speed limit signs are a waste of materials. You drive the same speed as the car in front of you, or the car behind you. Anyone not following these rules will end up wrecked or seeing lots of middle fingers. This speed is usually either 20 mph, or 80mph. There is no speed in between these numbers.
2) Chew gum while driving is a must. Driving through mountains may be pretty, but they do a number on the pressure on my ears! It's worse than an airplane.
3) The LA from the movies is not downtown LA. They probably use Beverly Hills or somewhere else. The downtown LA reminds me of a cross between San Francisco and Minneapolis.
4) They do not play Weezer's Beverly Hills all the time on the radio stations out there. Even though that's where I want to be!
5) No Earthquakes while I was there.... maybe they make the whole thing up????
6) People are friendly.... not the MidWest friendly (aka random people showing you pictures of their kids while waiting for a bus together), but still friendly.
7) It does rain in Southern California. The power goes out when a transformer in town blows up due to storms in Southern California. This can create problems.
8) 60 degrees isn't warm enough for people to surf, no matter how bad you want to see that.
9) West Coast time is pretty sweet when football starts at 10am (earlier for some college games) and baseball playoffs are over by 9pm. You can wake up, eat some breakfast, then immediately sit down to watch Iowa get beat at Indiana... what a great morning!
10) Fruit trees are everywhere in CA, but they all look alike to a midwesterner such as myself. Without fruit, it's hard to know if it's an apple tree, orange tree, lemon tree (oh so pretty), or even a lime tree. I doubt it's the same in reverse meaning someone from CA should hopefully be able to identify "corn" vs "beans" in a field.
and one more thing... I learned how to make a Cosmopolitan drink even better thanks to the bartender at the reception. He claimed to have the best Cosmos in LA and the ladies at our table tended to agree with him. "The special ingredient is love" line almost worked for him!
Song of the Day - EVERYBODY SING ALONG (Peepshow's favorite song):BEVERLY HILLS!!! That's where I want to be!! Livin' in Beverly Hills. Rolling like a celebrity!!
Video of the Day - Before we left on our journey, Hazel demanded that we watch Beavis and Butthead Do America since she had never seen it. It's been a while since I had seen it but I enjoy it so much every time. Back in the days when Demi and Bruce were still an item... enough to do voices for the movie that is:)
Webpage of the Day - China University requires Golf lessons as part of it's business degree.... interesting concept that I'd be in favor of!!!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
LA Wedding
Congrats TJ and Pia!! Best wishes on your honeymoon in Vietnam!
There are Pictures here to share with anyone who would like to see. I think it went over well the last time I used Snapfish to share photos with y'all so I'll do it again.
Hazel and I flew to California last Thursday. We rented a car and drove north to see Pitzen, one of my good college buddies who is living and working in Bakersfield (about 2 hours north of LA). Bakersfield is in the middle of nowhere, but the drive through the mountains of Southern California is a unique one. Until you get to the last mountain and then it's as flat as can be through the desert till you get to Bakersfield. We did see a lot of fruit trees (oranges, pears, apples, as well as many grape vineyards) which is definitely not something you see in the Mid West.
Spent Thursday and Friday with Pitzen - through the uncharacteristic Thunderstorms on Friday (including a 2+ hour power outage) and lots of rain. Not exactly what I was thinking Sunny California would be like. Brian showed us around Bakersfield and it was nice to hang out for the 2 days we were there. We learned how fast people drive out there, how expensive gas is, and how people in that area also hate the Yankees and Mets!
Saturday morning we made the return drive to LA and went all the way to downtown Los Angeles. I find it ironic that I knew what the downtown of LA looks like from the movies (has the one tallest building that looks similar to the tallest building in Minneapolis), but when we actually were driving/walking around downtown... most of the movies take place in the "burbs" of LA.
We stayed at the Biltmore hotel which was conveniently located for the wedding - other than the steep nasty hill that we had to walk up in our dress shoes to get to the church! The Biltmore was used many times in the 30s-40s to host the Oscars and there are many pictures of the celebrities of the times enjoying the Academy Award dinner and ceremony at the hotel. Makes you wonder what famous people have shared the room we stayed in?? Don't usually get that thought when staying at some of these hotels in the MidWest weddings:) There are a lot of pictures of the Biltmore from the inside and outside in my photo album.
On the way to the Church, we walked past the Walt Disney Concert Hall which is an incredibly designed structure by Frank Gehry. I was happy to see it after my recent reading and interest into Gehry's designs and how unique they are. It really is a magnificent structure.
The main Cathedral in LA is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. What a beautiful place! The wedding didn't even come close to using the entire space, but it was an honor to be part of a ceremony there. There was a 5+ second reverb from the organ which caused me to become speechless which is very rare. It was a long walk for their little legs, but JP and Caroline joined us in the front for the wedding.
The reception was about a block away from the hotel which made it wonderful to go back and forth without needing a cab or a car. It was an elegant reception that was 100% reserved for the wedding reception. The upstairs had a balcony around the entire main dancing area which provided for a fun atmosphere. Dinner was good, the toasts were made (with emotion and good words of wisdom). It should also be noted that there was no wedding cake, just wedding cupcakes that were AWESOME!!! Easily the best cupcake I've ever had (I had the velvet cake one) Then the dance came!!! Instead of the chicken dancing, electric slide dancing DJ that we are all accustomed to seeing, this DJ was more of a professional. Everything was mixed to give it the club feel, instead of the wedding dance feel. Plus I don't think he played a single song on my list of "Songs that I now hate because they are overplayed at every wedding". This was one of the better dances I've been to in all of my wedding attendances.
Sunday morning we had brunch with everyone at the California Yacht Club. Hazel and I made a special trip to walk out to the Ocean and Venice Beach. It was a beautiful morning to walk out to see the Pacific Ocean. We said our goodbyes and unknowingly began our 2 day trip back to Rochester.
There, that's the wedding of my cousin TJ and his new wife Pia in a nutshell! Enjoy the photos!
Song of the Day - I hope everyone watched the end of the Bears comeback last night. An exciting game and it was the first full MNF game that I've seen this year. I did think it was weird some of their song selection when they go in and out of commercials. A lot of U2 (repeated as necessary) but also they used Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire for a game in Arizona. Whatever works for them I guess. I'll try to put on some Johnny Cash for everyone today!
Video of the Day - Not on purpose, while at Brian's in Bakersfield - we watched the classic movie Dazed and Confused which Hazel had never seen before. She is correct in saying "this movie has no plot" but I'm not sure she fully grasped the humor of the movie. Maybe you have to see it 20 times while enjoying some beers to fully appreciate that movie. Either way, we never realized that while watching the movie with Adam Goldberg in it, that we would meet him at the wedding on Saturday. Along with Pia's sister Christina who was also in attendance (of course!). Hazel was probably the 3rd most famous person at the wedding that day.
Webpage of the Day - In anticipation of the new Nintendo Wii..... try your luck at naming some of the old school NES games from my youth. Spelling matters so be careful. Hazel was not as impressed at how well I did on this game as I was hoping she would be.
There are Pictures here to share with anyone who would like to see. I think it went over well the last time I used Snapfish to share photos with y'all so I'll do it again.
Hazel and I flew to California last Thursday. We rented a car and drove north to see Pitzen, one of my good college buddies who is living and working in Bakersfield (about 2 hours north of LA). Bakersfield is in the middle of nowhere, but the drive through the mountains of Southern California is a unique one. Until you get to the last mountain and then it's as flat as can be through the desert till you get to Bakersfield. We did see a lot of fruit trees (oranges, pears, apples, as well as many grape vineyards) which is definitely not something you see in the Mid West.
Spent Thursday and Friday with Pitzen - through the uncharacteristic Thunderstorms on Friday (including a 2+ hour power outage) and lots of rain. Not exactly what I was thinking Sunny California would be like. Brian showed us around Bakersfield and it was nice to hang out for the 2 days we were there. We learned how fast people drive out there, how expensive gas is, and how people in that area also hate the Yankees and Mets!
Saturday morning we made the return drive to LA and went all the way to downtown Los Angeles. I find it ironic that I knew what the downtown of LA looks like from the movies (has the one tallest building that looks similar to the tallest building in Minneapolis), but when we actually were driving/walking around downtown... most of the movies take place in the "burbs" of LA.
We stayed at the Biltmore hotel which was conveniently located for the wedding - other than the steep nasty hill that we had to walk up in our dress shoes to get to the church! The Biltmore was used many times in the 30s-40s to host the Oscars and there are many pictures of the celebrities of the times enjoying the Academy Award dinner and ceremony at the hotel. Makes you wonder what famous people have shared the room we stayed in?? Don't usually get that thought when staying at some of these hotels in the MidWest weddings:) There are a lot of pictures of the Biltmore from the inside and outside in my photo album.
On the way to the Church, we walked past the Walt Disney Concert Hall which is an incredibly designed structure by Frank Gehry. I was happy to see it after my recent reading and interest into Gehry's designs and how unique they are. It really is a magnificent structure.
The main Cathedral in LA is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. What a beautiful place! The wedding didn't even come close to using the entire space, but it was an honor to be part of a ceremony there. There was a 5+ second reverb from the organ which caused me to become speechless which is very rare. It was a long walk for their little legs, but JP and Caroline joined us in the front for the wedding.
The reception was about a block away from the hotel which made it wonderful to go back and forth without needing a cab or a car. It was an elegant reception that was 100% reserved for the wedding reception. The upstairs had a balcony around the entire main dancing area which provided for a fun atmosphere. Dinner was good, the toasts were made (with emotion and good words of wisdom). It should also be noted that there was no wedding cake, just wedding cupcakes that were AWESOME!!! Easily the best cupcake I've ever had (I had the velvet cake one) Then the dance came!!! Instead of the chicken dancing, electric slide dancing DJ that we are all accustomed to seeing, this DJ was more of a professional. Everything was mixed to give it the club feel, instead of the wedding dance feel. Plus I don't think he played a single song on my list of "Songs that I now hate because they are overplayed at every wedding". This was one of the better dances I've been to in all of my wedding attendances.
Sunday morning we had brunch with everyone at the California Yacht Club. Hazel and I made a special trip to walk out to the Ocean and Venice Beach. It was a beautiful morning to walk out to see the Pacific Ocean. We said our goodbyes and unknowingly began our 2 day trip back to Rochester.
There, that's the wedding of my cousin TJ and his new wife Pia in a nutshell! Enjoy the photos!
Song of the Day - I hope everyone watched the end of the Bears comeback last night. An exciting game and it was the first full MNF game that I've seen this year. I did think it was weird some of their song selection when they go in and out of commercials. A lot of U2 (repeated as necessary) but also they used Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire for a game in Arizona. Whatever works for them I guess. I'll try to put on some Johnny Cash for everyone today!
Video of the Day - Not on purpose, while at Brian's in Bakersfield - we watched the classic movie Dazed and Confused which Hazel had never seen before. She is correct in saying "this movie has no plot" but I'm not sure she fully grasped the humor of the movie. Maybe you have to see it 20 times while enjoying some beers to fully appreciate that movie. Either way, we never realized that while watching the movie with Adam Goldberg in it, that we would meet him at the wedding on Saturday. Along with Pia's sister Christina who was also in attendance (of course!). Hazel was probably the 3rd most famous person at the wedding that day.
Webpage of the Day - In anticipation of the new Nintendo Wii..... try your luck at naming some of the old school NES games from my youth. Spelling matters so be careful. Hazel was not as impressed at how well I did on this game as I was hoping she would be.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Blog Coming Tomorrow
We are finally home.... but Hazel and I were stuck in Chicago last night. I am finally at work but already behind so the blog will have to wait until Tuesday. We had a great time in Southern California - but it's always great to FINALLY get home.... even if it's about 12 hours after originally planned!
Have a great week!
Have a great week!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Back At It
It might be a slow week for blogs, so I apologize in advance!
I'm back at work this morning (ugh!) and it's a cold morning at that! I think we're getting our deep frost this week which is good for my allergies, but bad for my plants outside. Finally time to start getting ready for winter.
We had a great time with the nephews in Iowa this past weekend. Can't wait to see them again for Thanksgiving this year (in Kentucky).
Things that I reflected on this past weekend that I'd like to share:
* Gas is almost 20 cents cheaper in Iowa! I still don't understand that when it's one state over. I still stand by my statement of gas not being below $2 this year (for Minnesota) and I'm correct so far!
* My Cyclones are horrible this year. I think we should spend more money and get an all-star team together to win a championship like the Yankees do every yea...... oh wait, nevermind.
* I am extremely sick and tired of the political hoopla that happens around this time of year. I think the commercials in Iowa while I was there are worse than what I'm used to in Minnesota. I guess I am also used to fast-forwarding through commercials thanks to DVR so that might be part of the issue as well. Half of my mailbox from the weekend was for political "stuff". I think the funniest commercial was showing how one of the Iowa House or whatever candidate was sponsored by the "Communist Party"!! I feel like we're back in the 1950's with Joseph McCarthy!
Song of the Day - For those that were wondering - the RAC now offers it's high quality music in the form of a radio station to listen to on your non-iPod while you work out! I did pick up the new Evanescence CD and it's pretty sweet. A lot like their old stuff, but still good. If they put out a 3rd CD that is the same, I'll get sick of it.
Video of the Day - We watched the new cartoon version of Curious George yesterday with the little ones. It was really cute and brought back a lot of memories of the books when I was a kid. And somehow, Will Ferrell STILL remains one of the funniest people alive... even in a cartoon!
Webpage of the Day - Today is World Mental Health Day.... so here is a couple of tests to keep your mind rollin! GOOD LUCK!!
I'm back at work this morning (ugh!) and it's a cold morning at that! I think we're getting our deep frost this week which is good for my allergies, but bad for my plants outside. Finally time to start getting ready for winter.
We had a great time with the nephews in Iowa this past weekend. Can't wait to see them again for Thanksgiving this year (in Kentucky).
Things that I reflected on this past weekend that I'd like to share:
* Gas is almost 20 cents cheaper in Iowa! I still don't understand that when it's one state over. I still stand by my statement of gas not being below $2 this year (for Minnesota) and I'm correct so far!
* My Cyclones are horrible this year. I think we should spend more money and get an all-star team together to win a championship like the Yankees do every yea...... oh wait, nevermind.
* I am extremely sick and tired of the political hoopla that happens around this time of year. I think the commercials in Iowa while I was there are worse than what I'm used to in Minnesota. I guess I am also used to fast-forwarding through commercials thanks to DVR so that might be part of the issue as well. Half of my mailbox from the weekend was for political "stuff". I think the funniest commercial was showing how one of the Iowa House or whatever candidate was sponsored by the "Communist Party"!! I feel like we're back in the 1950's with Joseph McCarthy!
Song of the Day - For those that were wondering - the RAC now offers it's high quality music in the form of a radio station to listen to on your non-iPod while you work out! I did pick up the new Evanescence CD and it's pretty sweet. A lot like their old stuff, but still good. If they put out a 3rd CD that is the same, I'll get sick of it.
Video of the Day - We watched the new cartoon version of Curious George yesterday with the little ones. It was really cute and brought back a lot of memories of the books when I was a kid. And somehow, Will Ferrell STILL remains one of the funniest people alive... even in a cartoon!
Webpage of the Day - Today is World Mental Health Day.... so here is a couple of tests to keep your mind rollin! GOOD LUCK!!
Monday, October 09, 2006
Not Much Today
Twins lost:(
Cyclones lost:(
Yankees are sent home yet again:)
My vacation is extending today while I'm still in Cedar Rapids. It was a wonderful weather weekend to go to the pumpkin patch with the nephews, visit the park, and overall just hang out outside.
Have a great Monday - back to "normal" tomorrow!
Cyclones lost:(
Yankees are sent home yet again:)
My vacation is extending today while I'm still in Cedar Rapids. It was a wonderful weather weekend to go to the pumpkin patch with the nephews, visit the park, and overall just hang out outside.
Have a great Monday - back to "normal" tomorrow!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Brews Brothers Win The BigOne!
Congratulations to my Cousin Cari for multiple reasons!
Good Guys: 7
Bad Guys: 0
Bowling was a success last night. Too bad the Twins couldn't have had the same luck this week.
It's Friday (And everyone's wearing their Cyclone Gold colors today, correct?) and that means prediction time:
THE Iowa State University Cyclones 30 Nebraska 21
Texas over Oklahoma yet again....
LSU over Florida
Georgia over Tennessee
California over Oregon
Texas Tech over Missouri
and look for Baylor to win at Colorado since Colorado is pathetic this year. Glad to see someone else besides Baylor being the bottom of the Big 12.
Baseball Playoffs are getting interesting. Twins have a lot of work to do.
Twins in 5 games over the A's
Tigers in 4 games over the Yankees
Mets in 3 games over the Dodgers
St. Louis in 4 games over San Diego
Couple of links to entertain you all on this Friday (thanks to Chondra and other submitters):
target="_blank"Have a Monkey make your next phone call!
Order an Original Origami Boulder for your friends!
I'm off to see the Family tomorrow with Miss Hazel. My brother and his family are coming up and we'll be an entire group for the weekend! I should also have pictures of the nephews next week to share! Have a great weekend! GO CYCLONES!!!
Song of the Day - I'm still in the process of redoing my playlists for iTunes but getting much further along this week. I did stop for a bit to enjoy some Nirvana yesterday. I'm reminded as to how good Nevermind really was for its time. I have some other incredible albums that I'm "rediscovering" to share maybe next week.
Video of the Day - Another "Daily Photo" collection. This is 8 years of this guy in under 2 minutes. Interesting to watch how fast his hair and beard grow at times which makes me wonder if the pics were really every day. But who am I to criticize?
Webpage of the Day - I thought this photo was kind of cool! A very close picture of lightning!
Good Guys: 7
Bad Guys: 0
Bowling was a success last night. Too bad the Twins couldn't have had the same luck this week.
It's Friday (And everyone's wearing their Cyclone Gold colors today, correct?) and that means prediction time:
THE Iowa State University Cyclones 30 Nebraska 21
Texas over Oklahoma yet again....
LSU over Florida
Georgia over Tennessee
California over Oregon
Texas Tech over Missouri
and look for Baylor to win at Colorado since Colorado is pathetic this year. Glad to see someone else besides Baylor being the bottom of the Big 12.
Baseball Playoffs are getting interesting. Twins have a lot of work to do.
Twins in 5 games over the A's
Tigers in 4 games over the Yankees
Mets in 3 games over the Dodgers
St. Louis in 4 games over San Diego
Couple of links to entertain you all on this Friday (thanks to Chondra and other submitters):
target="_blank"Have a Monkey make your next phone call!
Order an Original Origami Boulder for your friends!
I'm off to see the Family tomorrow with Miss Hazel. My brother and his family are coming up and we'll be an entire group for the weekend! I should also have pictures of the nephews next week to share! Have a great weekend! GO CYCLONES!!!
Song of the Day - I'm still in the process of redoing my playlists for iTunes but getting much further along this week. I did stop for a bit to enjoy some Nirvana yesterday. I'm reminded as to how good Nevermind really was for its time. I have some other incredible albums that I'm "rediscovering" to share maybe next week.
Video of the Day - Another "Daily Photo" collection. This is 8 years of this guy in under 2 minutes. Interesting to watch how fast his hair and beard grow at times which makes me wonder if the pics were really every day. But who am I to criticize?
Webpage of the Day - I thought this photo was kind of cool! A very close picture of lightning!
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Go Brews Bros!
The Twins looked very Iowa State-ish yesterday in losing yet another game at home. So despite everything on paper that showed the twins having the home advantage (where they held the best home record in 2006), plus playing well as of late.... they lost both games at the dome and are now 1 game from watching the rest of the post season along with the rest of us rooting against the teams from NY.
Tonight is the first of two meetings between the Brews Brothers (good guys) and the much hated Lightning Strikes. The smack talk has been going on for weeks, so tonight is the moment of truth. Last year they beat the crap out of us, but that made up for the smacking we gave them 2 years ago. Let's hope that it's a cyclical event and the Brews Bros take all 7 again!
Iowa State plays Nebraska this weekend in Ames. The 2nd biggest game on our calendar this year. Both teams survived a scare at home last weekend - let's hope the Cyclones were scared more and realize a win is the only thing acceptable this weekend.
And hockey began last night! The NHL (who's season is about the same length of bowling) began action last night! And the weather is trying to make us feel like winter for winter sports finally. Gotta love hockey. I'll check today to see if there were any major rule changes as there were last year.
Alright - I won't bore you anymore. Slow morning so far and I haven't had any coffee yet.
Song of the Day - I think they have a new radio station at the RAC (Rochester Athletic Club for the non-Rochesteronians..... -inites). Nothing inspires me to run harder and faster than this morning's mix of Prince, Starship (yes they are related to Jefferson Starship and the White Rabbit), Huey Lewis and the News, and Tears for Fears..... so there's a lineup I challenge anyone to reproduce today. Wish I could have remembered the other ones.
Video of the Day - Top 10 list (and evidence) of Weird Al Videos.... some of these bring back some old memories!!
Webpage of the Day - Thanks to Wieman for remembering me with his submission of the Executive Coloring Book! It's actually quite amusing to read.
Tonight is the first of two meetings between the Brews Brothers (good guys) and the much hated Lightning Strikes. The smack talk has been going on for weeks, so tonight is the moment of truth. Last year they beat the crap out of us, but that made up for the smacking we gave them 2 years ago. Let's hope that it's a cyclical event and the Brews Bros take all 7 again!
Iowa State plays Nebraska this weekend in Ames. The 2nd biggest game on our calendar this year. Both teams survived a scare at home last weekend - let's hope the Cyclones were scared more and realize a win is the only thing acceptable this weekend.
And hockey began last night! The NHL (who's season is about the same length of bowling) began action last night! And the weather is trying to make us feel like winter for winter sports finally. Gotta love hockey. I'll check today to see if there were any major rule changes as there were last year.
Alright - I won't bore you anymore. Slow morning so far and I haven't had any coffee yet.
Song of the Day - I think they have a new radio station at the RAC (Rochester Athletic Club for the non-Rochesteronians..... -inites). Nothing inspires me to run harder and faster than this morning's mix of Prince, Starship (yes they are related to Jefferson Starship and the White Rabbit), Huey Lewis and the News, and Tears for Fears..... so there's a lineup I challenge anyone to reproduce today. Wish I could have remembered the other ones.
Video of the Day - Top 10 list (and evidence) of Weird Al Videos.... some of these bring back some old memories!!
Webpage of the Day - Thanks to Wieman for remembering me with his submission of the Executive Coloring Book! It's actually quite amusing to read.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Random Thoughts
Better day so far....
They replaced the clutchfan in the TrailBlazer and she seems happy now. I only have about 1000 miles left on the warranty so this better do the trick!
Twins lost but hopefully get back on track today with a big win. Cardinals and Spankees also won. Bad guys winning all around in baseball.
My cousin Drew will be home from Iraq in 24 days!
I thought it was very admirable to read the statement of the families of one of the Amish girls that was executed yesterday who has already forgiven the shooter. "We don't know what God's purpose is, but we believe there is a purpose. We're very concerned that no message of revenge gets out, We believe in forgiveness.” Wow!
Gas jumped up again this morning.... We never had it below $2.08 in Rochester so Jill, my prediction still stands true!
My Dad's pretty smart - I asked what to do about all these dang Boxelder bugs (also known as Maple bugs) that are invading my front door... not really coming in the house, but they are all over! He said to take soap and water in a squirt bottle and then spray them with that. Seems to have helped when I went out this morning! I also used the shop-vac to get rid of phase 1 of the Lady-bug attacks. That might be a while before they all die off.
October is also Breast Cancer awareness month. This is the only month where I will not make fun of guys wearing pink. Any other time of the year, I still stand by my statements that GUYS DON'T WEAR PINK!!
Trying something new with my photos and sharing them. It'll require a membership on anyone's behalf but that's free!!! You might get some junk e-mail, but to view the photos is free! I promise!!
Las Vegas Photos
Claire's Wedding Photos
I might have to play with that but give it a try and message me if you have issues.
Song of the Day - My iTunes is finally working again back to where it should be. Long story. I was listening to some Nickelback yesterday.. the non-overplayed-on-the-radio stuff. I know Kahn is a big fan and took Drew and I to their concert a while back. They put on a great show!
Video of the Day - Hazel and I watched The Toy last night with Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason. It has been a while since I've seen it and it was Hazel's first viewing. It's pretty funny and is definitely when Pryor was in his prime!
Webpage of the Day - Wheeler can brag all he wants about being champ yesterday at the Picto thing.... Trip down memory lane for StrongBad (part 1 and part 2) and the ol' computers....
They replaced the clutchfan in the TrailBlazer and she seems happy now. I only have about 1000 miles left on the warranty so this better do the trick!
Twins lost but hopefully get back on track today with a big win. Cardinals and Spankees also won. Bad guys winning all around in baseball.
My cousin Drew will be home from Iraq in 24 days!
I thought it was very admirable to read the statement of the families of one of the Amish girls that was executed yesterday who has already forgiven the shooter. "We don't know what God's purpose is, but we believe there is a purpose. We're very concerned that no message of revenge gets out, We believe in forgiveness.” Wow!
Gas jumped up again this morning.... We never had it below $2.08 in Rochester so Jill, my prediction still stands true!
My Dad's pretty smart - I asked what to do about all these dang Boxelder bugs (also known as Maple bugs) that are invading my front door... not really coming in the house, but they are all over! He said to take soap and water in a squirt bottle and then spray them with that. Seems to have helped when I went out this morning! I also used the shop-vac to get rid of phase 1 of the Lady-bug attacks. That might be a while before they all die off.
October is also Breast Cancer awareness month. This is the only month where I will not make fun of guys wearing pink. Any other time of the year, I still stand by my statements that GUYS DON'T WEAR PINK!!
Trying something new with my photos and sharing them. It'll require a membership on anyone's behalf but that's free!!! You might get some junk e-mail, but to view the photos is free! I promise!!
Las Vegas Photos
Claire's Wedding Photos
I might have to play with that but give it a try and message me if you have issues.
Song of the Day - My iTunes is finally working again back to where it should be. Long story. I was listening to some Nickelback yesterday.. the non-overplayed-on-the-radio stuff. I know Kahn is a big fan and took Drew and I to their concert a while back. They put on a great show!
Video of the Day - Hazel and I watched The Toy last night with Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason. It has been a while since I've seen it and it was Hazel's first viewing. It's pretty funny and is definitely when Pryor was in his prime!
Webpage of the Day - Wheeler can brag all he wants about being champ yesterday at the Picto thing.... Trip down memory lane for StrongBad (part 1 and part 2) and the ol' computers....
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
My Mourning Rant
My thoughts as we enter the final month of the election BS that all of us are sick of hearing/watching. Warning, it's been a bad morning already.
Another school shooting yesterday in an Amish Community in Pennsylvania. This is the third one in the past week around the country. And two of them aren't student involvement, but outside psychos that are walking into schools and killing. I pray that nobody in this country ever gets immune to these tragedies. Every time this happens, it should hurt as much as the Columbine shootings back in 1999.
So how do we fix this? How about a focus on the safety of our children. I'm beginning to wonder about the true implication of the words "No Child Left Behind" but I figure even our own government isn't that screwed up in the head. But instead of worrying about our children's safety, we expect some lame law to "hold the teacher's accountable" which only adds more work on our educators. And only "busy work" at that. So now we have teachers who are underpaid (in my opinion.... compared to the rest of society, these people are teaching our future leaders of society), filled with busy work (thanks to Dub-ya and his brilliant plan), and now I would consider an education profession one of the more dangerous jobs right now. Granted it's not as bad as construction of a new high rise in Manhattan, but I think my office job is a heck of a lot safer than a teacher's right about now. So what does a lawmaker who is driven to work at the Capital in Washington DC do to protect our children?
How about sending sexual messages to a teenage page??? In yet another move that convinces me our government is a bunch of idiots, Mark Foley shows us that even the smart kids who are working for the government aren't safe from the evil that lives in this country. And now the biggest question isn't "how do we prevent this from happening" or "how do we protect the young"... the biggest question on Capital Hill right now is "how do we strategize this into next month's elections so we're still the majority". That's pathetic.
I blame all government officials.... and most of all I blame Bush who promised to bring "morality back to the White House". WTF?!?! I guess the Capital is a different building but it's too bad that I still consider lying and not admitting wrong doing to be immoral. Sure, they might pale in comparison to some of the sexual exploits of 1 in 5 Representatives (is it more than that?), but there have been a lot of lives lost and no progress towards Bush's policies. I'm sure one of the first thoughts in the White House strategy sessions this week is "how do we save face through this". 1) Acknowledge the Problem 2) Admit wrong 3) Actually try to care about the Problem 4) Devise a plan to solve the Problem. I realize how difficult it is to get through the first step.
From MSNBC.com:
Glad the worst part of this issue is who controls the House and Senate come Election Day. How about we try to work together to solve the issues that are facing our country instead of just taking the other side because it's the party line thing to do?
Montgomery Brewster's idea of "Vote None of the Above" isn't so bad right about now.
In efforts to try to seek out more optimism for the remainder of the day:
Song of the Day - New Evanescence album out today. If I had a vehicle not in the shop (again), I might go get it. The song on the radio at the moment, , is pretty cool.
Video of the Day - No idea on this one... but it WILL make you laugh. It's the Indian version of the Thriller Dance. I COULD have done the Thriller Dance at Sid's wedding after all!
Webpage of the Day - Picto.... Click on the "new" symbol that was added since the last screen. It starts getting tough around score 26.
Twins play at noon. GO TWINS!!!
Another school shooting yesterday in an Amish Community in Pennsylvania. This is the third one in the past week around the country. And two of them aren't student involvement, but outside psychos that are walking into schools and killing. I pray that nobody in this country ever gets immune to these tragedies. Every time this happens, it should hurt as much as the Columbine shootings back in 1999.
So how do we fix this? How about a focus on the safety of our children. I'm beginning to wonder about the true implication of the words "No Child Left Behind" but I figure even our own government isn't that screwed up in the head. But instead of worrying about our children's safety, we expect some lame law to "hold the teacher's accountable" which only adds more work on our educators. And only "busy work" at that. So now we have teachers who are underpaid (in my opinion.... compared to the rest of society, these people are teaching our future leaders of society), filled with busy work (thanks to Dub-ya and his brilliant plan), and now I would consider an education profession one of the more dangerous jobs right now. Granted it's not as bad as construction of a new high rise in Manhattan, but I think my office job is a heck of a lot safer than a teacher's right about now. So what does a lawmaker who is driven to work at the Capital in Washington DC do to protect our children?
How about sending sexual messages to a teenage page??? In yet another move that convinces me our government is a bunch of idiots, Mark Foley shows us that even the smart kids who are working for the government aren't safe from the evil that lives in this country. And now the biggest question isn't "how do we prevent this from happening" or "how do we protect the young"... the biggest question on Capital Hill right now is "how do we strategize this into next month's elections so we're still the majority". That's pathetic.
I blame all government officials.... and most of all I blame Bush who promised to bring "morality back to the White House". WTF?!?! I guess the Capital is a different building but it's too bad that I still consider lying and not admitting wrong doing to be immoral. Sure, they might pale in comparison to some of the sexual exploits of 1 in 5 Representatives (is it more than that?), but there have been a lot of lives lost and no progress towards Bush's policies. I'm sure one of the first thoughts in the White House strategy sessions this week is "how do we save face through this". 1) Acknowledge the Problem 2) Admit wrong 3) Actually try to care about the Problem 4) Devise a plan to solve the Problem. I realize how difficult it is to get through the first step.
From MSNBC.com:
Republican strategists said yesterday that public revulsion over the sexually graphic online conversations between Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) and former House pages could compound the party's problems enough to tip the House to the Democrats in November -- and could jeopardize the party's hold on the Senate as well.
Glad the worst part of this issue is who controls the House and Senate come Election Day. How about we try to work together to solve the issues that are facing our country instead of just taking the other side because it's the party line thing to do?
Montgomery Brewster's idea of "Vote None of the Above" isn't so bad right about now.
In efforts to try to seek out more optimism for the remainder of the day:
Song of the Day - New Evanescence album out today. If I had a vehicle not in the shop (again), I might go get it. The song on the radio at the moment, , is pretty cool.
Video of the Day - No idea on this one... but it WILL make you laugh. It's the Indian version of the Thriller Dance. I COULD have done the Thriller Dance at Sid's wedding after all!
Webpage of the Day - Picto.... Click on the "new" symbol that was added since the last screen. It starts getting tough around score 26.
Twins play at noon. GO TWINS!!!
Monday, October 02, 2006
Another Monday
Congratulations Claire and Jeff on an awesome and beautiful wedding this past weekend! The weather was absolutely perfect for the occasion. It was good to see some old friends from High School that I haven't seen in a while, as well as see one of my good friends from the past 15 years get hitched! I even had the honor of playing cowbell along with the live band for a song! Talk about a lifetime achievement award! Adding cowbell to any song will never be enough.... MORE COWBELL!!! Another wedding down, still a ton to go. The next one is next weekend in Los Angeles! That will be a blast!
We started Saturday morning by hitting the Renaissance Festival in the Cities. For anyone that hasn't gone, you're missing out on a good time. The weather is usually the tricky part as last year it was cold and wet. Saturday was perfect and Hazel and I enjoyed the brief time we were there. I was even the "apprentice" for a magic show in which he tore a guy's dollar bill up and reassembled it inside of an orange... missing a corner. I never can figure out how some of that stuff works. Guess that's why it is called magic.
The Twins did some magic of their own yesterday to win the AL Central and now are able to avoid the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs. They still have their work cut out for them but after playing a good game against Chicago yesterday, paired with a Detroit collapse at home against one of the worst teams in the league.... the Twins have one of the best records since the All-Star Break and should be playing well enough to beat anyone!
Iowa State pulled one out of you-know-where on Saturday to beat UNI by one measly point. Sure, they're undefeated at home this season... but these close games are getting to be too "regular". It was a come from behind victory too which is unusual for us this year considering our fallout in the 2nd half the past few weeks! Plus Iowa got smoked which always makes me happy! Nebraska is the victim this weekend so that means this is the big week where everyone wears their Gold colors with pride! GO CYCLONES!!!
The NASCAR race was pretty dumb... the first 2 finishers coasted across the finish line without any gas in the tank. Kind of like me leaving the house last spring and running out of gas on the 37th street bridge around 12:30pm. My "teammate" Drew bailed me out.
Song of the Day - Bare Naked Ladies (BNL) are on iTunes this morning. I think they have a new album out again but I haven't had time to check up on them lately.
Video of the Day - Lappy has been Lappy-napped. But StrongBad finds it... among other "old school" things.
Webpage of the Day - For all of you ladies out there, tear down your Mmmmm Bop posters! All three (yes, I said ALL) of the Hanson brothers are now married. No, not the kickass Hanson brothers from Slap Shot, but the little annoying singing trio that we all despise from the late 90s. Oldest one just got hitched last weekend.
We started Saturday morning by hitting the Renaissance Festival in the Cities. For anyone that hasn't gone, you're missing out on a good time. The weather is usually the tricky part as last year it was cold and wet. Saturday was perfect and Hazel and I enjoyed the brief time we were there. I was even the "apprentice" for a magic show in which he tore a guy's dollar bill up and reassembled it inside of an orange... missing a corner. I never can figure out how some of that stuff works. Guess that's why it is called magic.
The Twins did some magic of their own yesterday to win the AL Central and now are able to avoid the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs. They still have their work cut out for them but after playing a good game against Chicago yesterday, paired with a Detroit collapse at home against one of the worst teams in the league.... the Twins have one of the best records since the All-Star Break and should be playing well enough to beat anyone!
Iowa State pulled one out of you-know-where on Saturday to beat UNI by one measly point. Sure, they're undefeated at home this season... but these close games are getting to be too "regular". It was a come from behind victory too which is unusual for us this year considering our fallout in the 2nd half the past few weeks! Plus Iowa got smoked which always makes me happy! Nebraska is the victim this weekend so that means this is the big week where everyone wears their Gold colors with pride! GO CYCLONES!!!
The NASCAR race was pretty dumb... the first 2 finishers coasted across the finish line without any gas in the tank. Kind of like me leaving the house last spring and running out of gas on the 37th street bridge around 12:30pm. My "teammate" Drew bailed me out.
Song of the Day - Bare Naked Ladies (BNL) are on iTunes this morning. I think they have a new album out again but I haven't had time to check up on them lately.
Video of the Day - Lappy has been Lappy-napped. But StrongBad finds it... among other "old school" things.
Webpage of the Day - For all of you ladies out there, tear down your Mmmmm Bop posters! All three (yes, I said ALL) of the Hanson brothers are now married. No, not the kickass Hanson brothers from Slap Shot, but the little annoying singing trio that we all despise from the late 90s. Oldest one just got hitched last weekend.
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