Friday, January 30, 2004
Oy. A late night last night, so little for today. My apologies in advance.
With the wife at work, the kids were under my care. Not a problem. got them fed, and into bed, and cooked up the remaining 4lbs of meat that was previously mentioned. (Wife made promising talks of chili....3 day chili.....3 days to make,and 3 days to recover) With that done, I retired for the night to participate in the video gaming community. It's a very small comunity (population 1), but it allows me to rewind and relax from an occasional stressful day.
Not that yesterday was all that much of a hard day. Just....hectic. Lots of stuff going on, and a hard time keeping track of it all.
The evening was tough though. For quite some time, the Youngest of Three has known her sleeping place to be a spot wedged between Mom and Dad. No before any of you get any shocked and revulsed attitudes about it, let me tell you this. It is all a matter of convienence. Since her earliest days as a newborn, she has breastfed. She wouldn't take to a bottle, no matter what we did. We tried various bottles and various types of formula with no luck.
She also happens to be a rather insecure baby, expecially early on. She cried endlessly the moment she was put down, demanding to be held all the time. They say you can't hold a baby too much, but when it starts to affect dear mother's sanity, well......
So it was simply easier to feed her from our own bed, rather than carry her abck and forth 3-4 times a night from crib to bed.
Now, she has gotten used to the idea of sleeping in our bed, and as you might imagine, that can cramp Mom and Dad's style. And don't go thinking that it's all about THAT....sometimes it's justs nice to sleep without waking up to a baby size 4 applied to your ribcage, or the back of your head. (She sleeps sideways between us, to further drive her wedge between mom and dad. She's a miniature chaperone!)
So as a special gift to each other for VD*, the wife and I have decided that we would move her back to her crib. For good. We're going to re-claim our bed as ours, and noone else's. We understood that we created this situation, so we're gonna fix it.
Oh, the heart-wrenching pain.
I got her to sleep, and put her in her crib. 20 minutes later, she woke up, realized where she was, and WAILED. Screaming, crying and weeping all at the same time, she pleaded for Daddy. Over and over and over and over.
One side of me moved to console her, and the other foot stayed anchored to the ground. It hurt to hear her sobs of abandonment, begging as loud as she could to simply be held so that she could fall asleep once more, content in the knowledge thather Daddy was keeping her safe. After some time-I think it was after I died for the 3,752nd consecutive time-she finally went silent, exhausting herself, with no more energy to cry, and fell asleep.
Or so I thought.
I thought that after she had stopped, I would go in and check on her to make sure she was OK. She was. However, she was still awake. She was trying to come to terms with her surroundings, with her stuffed animals that offered no consolation, with the idea that no matter how much she called, her patriarch wasn't going to ride to her rescue. She spied me at once, forcing me to withdraw, and for the wails to start anew. Fortunately, her plantive cries only lasted a small eternity, and she drifted off to sleep. Again, I approached her bed, noted that she was sleeping, and covered her with a blanket.
I don't know what was harder, trying to sleep with her crying, or trying to sleep with the guilt afterwards.
*VD is Valentines Day.
With the wife at work, the kids were under my care. Not a problem. got them fed, and into bed, and cooked up the remaining 4lbs of meat that was previously mentioned. (Wife made promising talks of chili....3 day chili.....3 days to make,and 3 days to recover) With that done, I retired for the night to participate in the video gaming community. It's a very small comunity (population 1), but it allows me to rewind and relax from an occasional stressful day.
Not that yesterday was all that much of a hard day. Just....hectic. Lots of stuff going on, and a hard time keeping track of it all.
The evening was tough though. For quite some time, the Youngest of Three has known her sleeping place to be a spot wedged between Mom and Dad. No before any of you get any shocked and revulsed attitudes about it, let me tell you this. It is all a matter of convienence. Since her earliest days as a newborn, she has breastfed. She wouldn't take to a bottle, no matter what we did. We tried various bottles and various types of formula with no luck.
She also happens to be a rather insecure baby, expecially early on. She cried endlessly the moment she was put down, demanding to be held all the time. They say you can't hold a baby too much, but when it starts to affect dear mother's sanity, well......
So it was simply easier to feed her from our own bed, rather than carry her abck and forth 3-4 times a night from crib to bed.
Now, she has gotten used to the idea of sleeping in our bed, and as you might imagine, that can cramp Mom and Dad's style. And don't go thinking that it's all about THAT....sometimes it's justs nice to sleep without waking up to a baby size 4 applied to your ribcage, or the back of your head. (She sleeps sideways between us, to further drive her wedge between mom and dad. She's a miniature chaperone!)
So as a special gift to each other for VD*, the wife and I have decided that we would move her back to her crib. For good. We're going to re-claim our bed as ours, and noone else's. We understood that we created this situation, so we're gonna fix it.
Oh, the heart-wrenching pain.
I got her to sleep, and put her in her crib. 20 minutes later, she woke up, realized where she was, and WAILED. Screaming, crying and weeping all at the same time, she pleaded for Daddy. Over and over and over and over.
One side of me moved to console her, and the other foot stayed anchored to the ground. It hurt to hear her sobs of abandonment, begging as loud as she could to simply be held so that she could fall asleep once more, content in the knowledge thather Daddy was keeping her safe. After some time-I think it was after I died for the 3,752nd consecutive time-she finally went silent, exhausting herself, with no more energy to cry, and fell asleep.
Or so I thought.
I thought that after she had stopped, I would go in and check on her to make sure she was OK. She was. However, she was still awake. She was trying to come to terms with her surroundings, with her stuffed animals that offered no consolation, with the idea that no matter how much she called, her patriarch wasn't going to ride to her rescue. She spied me at once, forcing me to withdraw, and for the wails to start anew. Fortunately, her plantive cries only lasted a small eternity, and she drifted off to sleep. Again, I approached her bed, noted that she was sleeping, and covered her with a blanket.
I don't know what was harder, trying to sleep with her crying, or trying to sleep with the guilt afterwards.
*VD is Valentines Day.
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
As discussed earlier, the current Mars rover missions are located in what is now a dry lake bed. They are there to find hematite, and try to discover if there was water there at one time, and if there was any microbrial life contained in that water. Other methods will be used as well, such as looking at the cross section provided by a nearby crater wall, analyzing the composion of the soil, and other such tools and processes at hand.
But if the search is primarily for water/ice, then why not go where you KNOW there is ice? Specifically the polar caps?
Well as we learned the following day, NASA had tried to send a lander to the polar caps, only to lose the lander because of some unknown accident upon entry. So, since it failed the first time, scrap the idea and move on, right? Wrong.
They haven't given up on the idea completely. I received a response from Leonard David of Space.com after e-mialing him directly, and I'll share that with you now:
Matt: You're right - to look for life may well mean going to the polar caps. That's the plan for the Phoenix Mars lander in 2007. Meanwhile, don't give up on Spirit or Opportunity - they too will provide clues as to microbial life on Mars.
Leonard
SPACE.com
First and foremost, my sincere thanks to Mr. David for his timely reply.
After receiving this golden piece of information, I came across a few sites that could shine some light on the upcoming Phoenix Project. The links are here and here.
Amongst the goals for the mission include finding water, or ice by using an excavator boom to dig deep into the soil in hopes of finding an ice sheet below the surface. It would be supremely ironic if up from the ground came a bubblin' crude. Glack Gold. Texas Tea. You wanna re-invigorate the space race? Announce that you've struck oil on Mars. Watch not only the governments of the world, but the private sector explode in advances to be the first to claim Mars for their own.
But anther part of the goals for the mission is to determine a HABITALE landing site for a MANNED Mission. Very intersting indeed. Apparently there is some concern about toxic oxidants either on or just below the surface that may need some study. As I get time, I'll read up on it more, and come back to you with some of the details.
The family dined at Red Robin tongiht. It's a resteraunt chain that is fairly popular on the west coast, and only recently arrived in this market. Having been to a few out in Washington state, I had an idea of what to expect, but then it's been almost 5 years since I had eaten there. Would the service still be half-assed, as it had been out there? No, it wasn't. It wasn't perfect, but they were at least interested in making us happy with our meals.
We started off the meal with an order of onion rings. What is there to say about oinion rings? They were cooked correctly, in that the onion inside the ring hadn't shriveled away to nothing, like a man who has spent too much time in cold water. (Something the Polar Bear Club seems to forget about every year until it's too late. Sure, you're braving the cold water. But it's hardly complimentary to their allure with women. ) The breading\batter did i's job. They serve some sort of creamy ranch and some other sort of bar-b-Q sauce that looks like Thousand island dressing to go along with it. Well, you might like it, but I can't see eating rings with anything BUT ketchup. (Heinz, of course.)
For dinner, I went with the Fair seet onion burger, which was made to order. The burgers in general seem to be a bit gresy, adn this was no exception. However, if it is a good enough burger, you really don't notice until after you've finished it, and notice the small pool in the basket it came in. All sandwiches come with all you can eat steak fries, which are a bit hit or miss, but they get the job done. There were also good reports for the fish sandwich and a bar-b-q burger as well.
The service again was decent and pleasant. For those that it matters to, the waitresses are fairly attractive, but nothing to make you stand up and follow back into the kitchen for some carnal culinary fun.
The atmosphere is very kid friendly, with plenty of bold colors, and various pictures on the wall to distract you. It's much like Applebee's but just pictures and posters, and no knick-knacks. In some ways, they try to capture the 50's burger joint, but they simply don't go all out on it as they should.
Still, if you are looking for a decent burger place above McDonalds and Denny's of the world, Red Robin isn't a bad bet. Most meals cost about $7.50 or so, and it might be a bit more than what you get...but if you get a second helping of fries, you feel you got your money's worth.
The best moment of the night? We ordered hot fudge sundaes for the two older girls, and sat back and watch the smiles creep across their face as they ate their ice cream. They're sleeping contendedly now. What a wonderful life to lead, where the simple pleasures of an ice cream tops off a good day. Adults have a terrible way of making life more complicated than it should be.
In fact, I'm gonna go have a bowl of instant contentment right now. Will chocolate syrup on top.
An ice cream toast to all of you readers out there. We'll see you tomorrow.
But if the search is primarily for water/ice, then why not go where you KNOW there is ice? Specifically the polar caps?
Well as we learned the following day, NASA had tried to send a lander to the polar caps, only to lose the lander because of some unknown accident upon entry. So, since it failed the first time, scrap the idea and move on, right? Wrong.
They haven't given up on the idea completely. I received a response from Leonard David of Space.com after e-mialing him directly, and I'll share that with you now:
Matt: You're right - to look for life may well mean going to the polar caps. That's the plan for the Phoenix Mars lander in 2007. Meanwhile, don't give up on Spirit or Opportunity - they too will provide clues as to microbial life on Mars.
Leonard
SPACE.com
First and foremost, my sincere thanks to Mr. David for his timely reply.
After receiving this golden piece of information, I came across a few sites that could shine some light on the upcoming Phoenix Project. The links are here and here.
Amongst the goals for the mission include finding water, or ice by using an excavator boom to dig deep into the soil in hopes of finding an ice sheet below the surface. It would be supremely ironic if up from the ground came a bubblin' crude. Glack Gold. Texas Tea. You wanna re-invigorate the space race? Announce that you've struck oil on Mars. Watch not only the governments of the world, but the private sector explode in advances to be the first to claim Mars for their own.
But anther part of the goals for the mission is to determine a HABITALE landing site for a MANNED Mission. Very intersting indeed. Apparently there is some concern about toxic oxidants either on or just below the surface that may need some study. As I get time, I'll read up on it more, and come back to you with some of the details.
The family dined at Red Robin tongiht. It's a resteraunt chain that is fairly popular on the west coast, and only recently arrived in this market. Having been to a few out in Washington state, I had an idea of what to expect, but then it's been almost 5 years since I had eaten there. Would the service still be half-assed, as it had been out there? No, it wasn't. It wasn't perfect, but they were at least interested in making us happy with our meals.
We started off the meal with an order of onion rings. What is there to say about oinion rings? They were cooked correctly, in that the onion inside the ring hadn't shriveled away to nothing, like a man who has spent too much time in cold water. (Something the Polar Bear Club seems to forget about every year until it's too late. Sure, you're braving the cold water. But it's hardly complimentary to their allure with women. ) The breading\batter did i's job. They serve some sort of creamy ranch and some other sort of bar-b-Q sauce that looks like Thousand island dressing to go along with it. Well, you might like it, but I can't see eating rings with anything BUT ketchup. (Heinz, of course.)
For dinner, I went with the Fair seet onion burger, which was made to order. The burgers in general seem to be a bit gresy, adn this was no exception. However, if it is a good enough burger, you really don't notice until after you've finished it, and notice the small pool in the basket it came in. All sandwiches come with all you can eat steak fries, which are a bit hit or miss, but they get the job done. There were also good reports for the fish sandwich and a bar-b-q burger as well.
The service again was decent and pleasant. For those that it matters to, the waitresses are fairly attractive, but nothing to make you stand up and follow back into the kitchen for some carnal culinary fun.
The atmosphere is very kid friendly, with plenty of bold colors, and various pictures on the wall to distract you. It's much like Applebee's but just pictures and posters, and no knick-knacks. In some ways, they try to capture the 50's burger joint, but they simply don't go all out on it as they should.
Still, if you are looking for a decent burger place above McDonalds and Denny's of the world, Red Robin isn't a bad bet. Most meals cost about $7.50 or so, and it might be a bit more than what you get...but if you get a second helping of fries, you feel you got your money's worth.
The best moment of the night? We ordered hot fudge sundaes for the two older girls, and sat back and watch the smiles creep across their face as they ate their ice cream. They're sleeping contendedly now. What a wonderful life to lead, where the simple pleasures of an ice cream tops off a good day. Adults have a terrible way of making life more complicated than it should be.
In fact, I'm gonna go have a bowl of instant contentment right now. Will chocolate syrup on top.
An ice cream toast to all of you readers out there. We'll see you tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
I'm older than 14 years old, so Brittany Spears has little draw for me as a music artist. In fact, the only real interest my demographic has for Ms. Spears is her female form in various stages of undress. (Those hoping for a link would be better off looking elsewhere. I'm more of a Janet Jackson guy. ) And her various antics off-stage simply fail to impress me or catch my attention, since other -better- artists have gone much farther to surprise/self-promote/humiliate themselves. Heck, even I have at various functions.
So when she recently got married in Vegas, and then had it annulled in 48 hours, it slid under my radar, and I ignored it for the Hollywood hype that it was. But then it started to burrow under my skin, like a sliver that you can't see, but know is there, and can't remove.
Well, it's time that danged sliver came out.
The story goes that she was out partying with an old friend, possibly drunk, in Las Vegas. Well, OF COURSE they're drunk. It's Las Vegas. You don't get into the town until you pass a breathalyzer test. By that I mean, you have to have a blood/alchohol level of .26. Which explains why it is viewed as Sinatra's town. Funny you don't hear more stories about Mickey Mantle in Vegas.
Where was I?
Oh, yes. Brittney and her friend are in Vegas drunk, bored, and possibly horny. What else is there to do in Vegas at 5:30am than to get married! And when you're drunk, bored, and possibly horny in Vegas, nothing is funnier than getting married.
So they got married, headed back to the hotel, had sovered up a bit by then, share an awkward moment or two realizing that they weren't going to consumate the marriage, split up to their hotel rooms, and had the awful truth of their actions dawn upon them alone in their seperate respective rooms. With her on the top floor of the Bellagio, and him next to the vending machines at the Brown Nugget. (The Golden Nugget was full up.) A few days later, they file an annulment, suggesting in the media it was all a joke, and that they believe in the importance of marriage.
Well, that is B as in Bull, and S as in dung. YOU KNOW what I'm saying.
They're young enough that I don't expect them to get how important marriage is. I didn't get how important it was until maybe a year or two AFTER I was married. And not just then, but I learn about how important it is as the years pass in my own marriage.
Mariage is extremely hard work for both partners. It requires alot of commitment, compassion, kindness and patience from both people to make it work. Even more than that, you have to think of the other person and their feelings. You have to be willing to put their feelings ahead of yours. Not everyone can do that.
I have a family member who recently had a divorce. One reason was that he was inconsiderate of how she felt about different issues. If teh had a differing opinion, he couldn't be diplomatic about it. He was known to browbeat her and blame her for his own faults. Well, that and he couldn't keep his genitals to himself and his wife. NO, for some reason he felt it important to sleep with numerous Wisconsin guernseys of women, despite the fact he was married. He even once said during a period of financial strife that he wouldn't give up his girl, because he wanted to keep her on the back burner in case things wouldn't work out.
But the main reason it didn't work was that he couldn't see beyond his own selfish desires to consider her feelings, or ever bothered to find out what she wanted out of life. He simply wasn't interested. He wasn't willing to put anyone else's hopes and dreams on a level equal to his own, much less higher.
Listen, everyone is responsible for their own happiness. But your role as a married person is to support the other person as much as possible to help them find that happiness in life. You have to make their dreams your own, and work togeather on them. And you've got to be willing to put your dreams on hold while they work on theirs. AND not be resentful about it. If you find someone who is committed to that kind of relationship with you, who is willing to make those kinds of sacrifices for you and not regret it, then you have SOME of what it takes for a successful marriage.
Because those type of relationships are so rare, and because of the amount of work that goes into those marriages, it really upsets me that these people feel that they can get married and make a joke out of all the effort that we have put into it. It isn't a little thing to get married. It's NOT something to mock and deride. It's so rare for those kind of connections to happen, that you have to appreciate it when it happens.
Rare? Well, yeah. How many relationships or even dates does an average person have before they meet the person they marry? It's a heck of alot, I'm sure. Not all of us got to be the High School QB, or the Head of the Cheerleading Squad\Prom Queen, so we know that the majority of people aren't fulfilling that particular stereotype.
Anyway, enough of that.
The Wife worked tonight, leaving me to take care of dinner. Well, I had forgotten to take out the hamburger from the freezer, and it comes in a 5lb tube. So what I really had was a 15lb frozen meat log. Of which I only really needed 2lb slab. I couldn't stick it into the microwave, because the ends of the danged tube were crimped by large metal staples. hey wers so tight, that you couldn't remove them. They were up too tight against the now frozen beef. I considered (and tried) to lop off some of it at the end, giving it the moyle treatment, but it proved to be too damned thick to cut through. It was worse than cutting through an ice block.
So I was forced to de-thaw 5 lbs of hamburger so that I could use the 1lb. that I needed. To keep the thawed hamburger from actually cooking, I had to occaionally stop and remove it from the still frozen slab found beneath the now thawed meat. The result was a rather phallic shaped meat stick. And then the 8 year old came around the corner. Luckily, I was able to get it back into the microwave before any questions arose, but it made for a tense moment for dear old Dad. My luck: Her morning cnvrsation with her teacher would include some sort of comment about dad holding his meat in the kitchen.
I'm trading sleep time for writing time, and I've traded in as much as I can. So I'll sign off for now. Good night all.
So when she recently got married in Vegas, and then had it annulled in 48 hours, it slid under my radar, and I ignored it for the Hollywood hype that it was. But then it started to burrow under my skin, like a sliver that you can't see, but know is there, and can't remove.
Well, it's time that danged sliver came out.
The story goes that she was out partying with an old friend, possibly drunk, in Las Vegas. Well, OF COURSE they're drunk. It's Las Vegas. You don't get into the town until you pass a breathalyzer test. By that I mean, you have to have a blood/alchohol level of .26. Which explains why it is viewed as Sinatra's town. Funny you don't hear more stories about Mickey Mantle in Vegas.
Where was I?
Oh, yes. Brittney and her friend are in Vegas drunk, bored, and possibly horny. What else is there to do in Vegas at 5:30am than to get married! And when you're drunk, bored, and possibly horny in Vegas, nothing is funnier than getting married.
So they got married, headed back to the hotel, had sovered up a bit by then, share an awkward moment or two realizing that they weren't going to consumate the marriage, split up to their hotel rooms, and had the awful truth of their actions dawn upon them alone in their seperate respective rooms. With her on the top floor of the Bellagio, and him next to the vending machines at the Brown Nugget. (The Golden Nugget was full up.) A few days later, they file an annulment, suggesting in the media it was all a joke, and that they believe in the importance of marriage.
Well, that is B as in Bull, and S as in dung. YOU KNOW what I'm saying.
They're young enough that I don't expect them to get how important marriage is. I didn't get how important it was until maybe a year or two AFTER I was married. And not just then, but I learn about how important it is as the years pass in my own marriage.
Mariage is extremely hard work for both partners. It requires alot of commitment, compassion, kindness and patience from both people to make it work. Even more than that, you have to think of the other person and their feelings. You have to be willing to put their feelings ahead of yours. Not everyone can do that.
I have a family member who recently had a divorce. One reason was that he was inconsiderate of how she felt about different issues. If teh had a differing opinion, he couldn't be diplomatic about it. He was known to browbeat her and blame her for his own faults. Well, that and he couldn't keep his genitals to himself and his wife. NO, for some reason he felt it important to sleep with numerous Wisconsin guernseys of women, despite the fact he was married. He even once said during a period of financial strife that he wouldn't give up his girl, because he wanted to keep her on the back burner in case things wouldn't work out.
But the main reason it didn't work was that he couldn't see beyond his own selfish desires to consider her feelings, or ever bothered to find out what she wanted out of life. He simply wasn't interested. He wasn't willing to put anyone else's hopes and dreams on a level equal to his own, much less higher.
Listen, everyone is responsible for their own happiness. But your role as a married person is to support the other person as much as possible to help them find that happiness in life. You have to make their dreams your own, and work togeather on them. And you've got to be willing to put your dreams on hold while they work on theirs. AND not be resentful about it. If you find someone who is committed to that kind of relationship with you, who is willing to make those kinds of sacrifices for you and not regret it, then you have SOME of what it takes for a successful marriage.
Because those type of relationships are so rare, and because of the amount of work that goes into those marriages, it really upsets me that these people feel that they can get married and make a joke out of all the effort that we have put into it. It isn't a little thing to get married. It's NOT something to mock and deride. It's so rare for those kind of connections to happen, that you have to appreciate it when it happens.
Rare? Well, yeah. How many relationships or even dates does an average person have before they meet the person they marry? It's a heck of alot, I'm sure. Not all of us got to be the High School QB, or the Head of the Cheerleading Squad\Prom Queen, so we know that the majority of people aren't fulfilling that particular stereotype.
Anyway, enough of that.
The Wife worked tonight, leaving me to take care of dinner. Well, I had forgotten to take out the hamburger from the freezer, and it comes in a 5lb tube. So what I really had was a 15lb frozen meat log. Of which I only really needed 2lb slab. I couldn't stick it into the microwave, because the ends of the danged tube were crimped by large metal staples. hey wers so tight, that you couldn't remove them. They were up too tight against the now frozen beef. I considered (and tried) to lop off some of it at the end, giving it the moyle treatment, but it proved to be too damned thick to cut through. It was worse than cutting through an ice block.
So I was forced to de-thaw 5 lbs of hamburger so that I could use the 1lb. that I needed. To keep the thawed hamburger from actually cooking, I had to occaionally stop and remove it from the still frozen slab found beneath the now thawed meat. The result was a rather phallic shaped meat stick. And then the 8 year old came around the corner. Luckily, I was able to get it back into the microwave before any questions arose, but it made for a tense moment for dear old Dad. My luck: Her morning cnvrsation with her teacher would include some sort of comment about dad holding his meat in the kitchen.
I'm trading sleep time for writing time, and I've traded in as much as I can. So I'll sign off for now. Good night all.
Yesterday's talk of fixing up the house generated this response:
"Update your house and sell it. The past 2 months is providing for me endless fodder for the purchasing of a new home…even if it is 50 miles out of town…old homes suck. Twice in the past month my heater blows some damn part out, then 2 nights ago my basement is full of water as the drain is plugged up…Gotta feed the Roto Rooter monster…
And, Matt, have you seen the latest Minnegasco bill…, it is the same (gol-danged) gas as any other time…it is just worth more now…I guess…"
Well, that IS the plan. Fix up the house and sell it, I mean. I'd love to build a new house out in Oregon or Washington. In fact, I even have the perfect house picked out if that were to happen. Here it is. 4 bedrooms, all locaetd on the same level, with a decent sized kitchen, a living room, a family room.....the garage is a little bigger than I need, but I'm sure we'd find use for it. A nice porch all the way around the house....love it.
Unfortunately, I have no idea how to go about having a home built, much less the financial resources to pull it off. Having never been through the process, I wouldn't know what to expect, much less where we would live while it was being built.
No, I think I'll probably end up purchasing an older house, in that it will have previous owners. While I'd love to have a new home of my own, I've been witness to people who are building new homes. It puts a real strain on families and relationships, and we'll be under enough stress moving across country and starting anew in new schools and such.
As far as Minnegasgo is concerned..well......gas becomes more valuable with time. Like wine. It's a known fact that they haven't made any new gas since 1989. (Yes, yes. I know. )
It could be many things, my friend. War against terrorism. Greedy gas company. The fact that you enjoy being relatively warm during he winter months, rather than turning your home into an ice box. There are some assistance programs out there, including some with Minnegasgo. I thought they had some sort of program to where you can pay one flat rate all year long, regardless of usage. Who knows.
In other news, a friend reminded me of this mission from 1999. I had completely forgotten about it. So that answers taht question. They HAD tried to land on the poles, but the mission failed. Still, it'd be nice to know if they are planning a return trip.
I've sent an e-mail to Leonard David, a writer for Space.com, and another to NASA as well. NASA had already sent back a form letter reply, but I might still get a better reply later if they get some free time.
Today happens to be the birthday of Amadeus Mozart, one of the BIg 3 when it comes to classical composers. I'm not a huge fan, bu he has some great Operas, including The Marriage of Figaro, amongst others. The wife and I saw that one at the Ordway, so I suppose I have to thank him for improving Matt/wife relations, I guess.
I've been more of a Beethoven guy, but that might be because of the story behind Ludwig. A deaf man writing such beautiful music....amazing.
Anyway, not much to write about today. Maybe there'll be more tomorrow.
"Update your house and sell it. The past 2 months is providing for me endless fodder for the purchasing of a new home…even if it is 50 miles out of town…old homes suck. Twice in the past month my heater blows some damn part out, then 2 nights ago my basement is full of water as the drain is plugged up…Gotta feed the Roto Rooter monster…
And, Matt, have you seen the latest Minnegasco bill…, it is the same (gol-danged) gas as any other time…it is just worth more now…I guess…"
Well, that IS the plan. Fix up the house and sell it, I mean. I'd love to build a new house out in Oregon or Washington. In fact, I even have the perfect house picked out if that were to happen. Here it is. 4 bedrooms, all locaetd on the same level, with a decent sized kitchen, a living room, a family room.....the garage is a little bigger than I need, but I'm sure we'd find use for it. A nice porch all the way around the house....love it.
Unfortunately, I have no idea how to go about having a home built, much less the financial resources to pull it off. Having never been through the process, I wouldn't know what to expect, much less where we would live while it was being built.
No, I think I'll probably end up purchasing an older house, in that it will have previous owners. While I'd love to have a new home of my own, I've been witness to people who are building new homes. It puts a real strain on families and relationships, and we'll be under enough stress moving across country and starting anew in new schools and such.
As far as Minnegasgo is concerned..well......gas becomes more valuable with time. Like wine. It's a known fact that they haven't made any new gas since 1989. (Yes, yes. I know. )
It could be many things, my friend. War against terrorism. Greedy gas company. The fact that you enjoy being relatively warm during he winter months, rather than turning your home into an ice box. There are some assistance programs out there, including some with Minnegasgo. I thought they had some sort of program to where you can pay one flat rate all year long, regardless of usage. Who knows.
In other news, a friend reminded me of this mission from 1999. I had completely forgotten about it. So that answers taht question. They HAD tried to land on the poles, but the mission failed. Still, it'd be nice to know if they are planning a return trip.
I've sent an e-mail to Leonard David, a writer for Space.com, and another to NASA as well. NASA had already sent back a form letter reply, but I might still get a better reply later if they get some free time.
Today happens to be the birthday of Amadeus Mozart, one of the BIg 3 when it comes to classical composers. I'm not a huge fan, bu he has some great Operas, including The Marriage of Figaro, amongst others. The wife and I saw that one at the Ordway, so I suppose I have to thank him for improving Matt/wife relations, I guess.
I've been more of a Beethoven guy, but that might be because of the story behind Ludwig. A deaf man writing such beautiful music....amazing.
Anyway, not much to write about today. Maybe there'll be more tomorrow.
Monday, January 26, 2004
We did it again. The Europeans must be eating their hats right now.
Spirit is on it's way back up to operating status, and Oppurtunity didn't burn up in the atmosphere. So what did Oppurtunity see? Sand. And rock. But important rock. Thermite, if I remember the term, which will help determine if the former lake bed was just standing water like a lake, or a boiling pool, like what is found in Yellowstone.
Now, on a scientific level, it would be better if the euro's could get it togeather and land their own rovers (or the Japanese, for that matter) just for the amount of information that it could add to the pool.
But there has to be a certain amount of pride for NASA to be the only one to successfully land on Mars. And not just once, but 3 times now.
But the real questions seems to be "Is there water on Mars?" Which makes me wonder why they don't just head straight to the poles where we can SEE THE FRIGGIN' ICE! I'm sure there is a good reason for it, since I know nothing of orbital insertion (quiet, you) or the landing area itself. It might be a harder area to aim for. Who knows. In fact, I think as a project, I'll research this and see if I can't provide my readers with an answer.
Meanwhile, I hope your respective weekends went well. I had the oppurtunity to work at the beta job this Saturday, and after I finished the family met me downtown to attend Twins Fest. Once inside, Anna began to get cranky. We offered food, or fun, or whatever she wanted to do, but nothing really seemed to pacify her. I soon came to realize what the problem was. She wanted to WATCH a baseball game in the stands; not roam around on the carpet, and such. She had come to associate the metrodome with going to a baseball game, and here we had changed the rules on her, by having a different event at the same building. It'd be like taking a kid to a McDonald's-shaped building, but it turns out to be a dry cleaners. (Thanks to Lileks.com for providing the inspiration.) I interpreted this as a good sign, however, as she was looking forward to seeing a Baseball game, and was disapointed not to get the chance. My influence is taking hold. Huzzah!
Once she got passed that, we found some food--hot dogs--to fill her tummy, and after that, all was well. The girls got their faces painted, and balloon animals, and got to jump around in the inflatable jumping cages (pre-hot dog, NEVER POST-HOT DOG), and checked out the model for the new stadium. The center for heart wellness or some other program was there,a dn offered free suckers that resembled brain hemispheres that the kids got a kick out of. We saw the new turf the twins will be playing on, and deemed it good. A little more walking around and looking at things, and then home to bed. It was everything it should have been.
Sunday was a day without football. Sooner or later it happens,a nd it served to me a reminder that there will be more of these to come in the following weeks. Spring Training is only around the corner, with players reporting mid-to-late February. Still, the baseball season couldn't seem more far away. Looks like I'll actually have to help out around the house again. Sigh...
Meanwhile, we talked to the Wizards of Finance about the possibility of doing a re-fi on the house. With some economic strife about half-year ago, and with a soon impending move to the Left Coast, it was suggested we leave everything as is. We have too much equity in the house we have now to make it worthwhile,a nd our neighbors have sold theirs for $140,000 and $150,000 respectively. Were we to turn the same pretty penny.....well, I don't want to think about it for fear that I'll ruin it, or raise my expectations too high. I know nothing of the world of finances and mortgages and such, and I gotta get myself edu-muh-cated on that kind of thing. That said, my inner impulses are begging to jump up and down at the idea of having quite a bit more than the anticipated $30,000 to sell our house.
Now begins the updating of the home. Well, taxes first. THEN fix up the home. Paint the kitchen cabinets, replace the failed parquet flooring that was put in last year, fix up (demolish?) the basement, by returning it to it's original unfinished status, replace the moulding on the lower level, and empty out the garage of crap, all of that based on what we get for a tax return.
Not to mention a grads gift for the Neighborhood Nanny and some other things.
Still, I have a home, and a wife, and 3 wonderful kids. Life could be ALOT worse.
We'll talk more tomorrow. Until then, have a good night. Avoid terrible TV, like My Big Fat Obnoxious Wedding, and such. Treat your mind tonight, and find something intellectual. Or don't.
Spirit is on it's way back up to operating status, and Oppurtunity didn't burn up in the atmosphere. So what did Oppurtunity see? Sand. And rock. But important rock. Thermite, if I remember the term, which will help determine if the former lake bed was just standing water like a lake, or a boiling pool, like what is found in Yellowstone.
Now, on a scientific level, it would be better if the euro's could get it togeather and land their own rovers (or the Japanese, for that matter) just for the amount of information that it could add to the pool.
But there has to be a certain amount of pride for NASA to be the only one to successfully land on Mars. And not just once, but 3 times now.
But the real questions seems to be "Is there water on Mars?" Which makes me wonder why they don't just head straight to the poles where we can SEE THE FRIGGIN' ICE! I'm sure there is a good reason for it, since I know nothing of orbital insertion (quiet, you) or the landing area itself. It might be a harder area to aim for. Who knows. In fact, I think as a project, I'll research this and see if I can't provide my readers with an answer.
Meanwhile, I hope your respective weekends went well. I had the oppurtunity to work at the beta job this Saturday, and after I finished the family met me downtown to attend Twins Fest. Once inside, Anna began to get cranky. We offered food, or fun, or whatever she wanted to do, but nothing really seemed to pacify her. I soon came to realize what the problem was. She wanted to WATCH a baseball game in the stands; not roam around on the carpet, and such. She had come to associate the metrodome with going to a baseball game, and here we had changed the rules on her, by having a different event at the same building. It'd be like taking a kid to a McDonald's-shaped building, but it turns out to be a dry cleaners. (Thanks to Lileks.com for providing the inspiration.) I interpreted this as a good sign, however, as she was looking forward to seeing a Baseball game, and was disapointed not to get the chance. My influence is taking hold. Huzzah!
Once she got passed that, we found some food--hot dogs--to fill her tummy, and after that, all was well. The girls got their faces painted, and balloon animals, and got to jump around in the inflatable jumping cages (pre-hot dog, NEVER POST-HOT DOG), and checked out the model for the new stadium. The center for heart wellness or some other program was there,a dn offered free suckers that resembled brain hemispheres that the kids got a kick out of. We saw the new turf the twins will be playing on, and deemed it good. A little more walking around and looking at things, and then home to bed. It was everything it should have been.
Sunday was a day without football. Sooner or later it happens,a nd it served to me a reminder that there will be more of these to come in the following weeks. Spring Training is only around the corner, with players reporting mid-to-late February. Still, the baseball season couldn't seem more far away. Looks like I'll actually have to help out around the house again. Sigh...
Meanwhile, we talked to the Wizards of Finance about the possibility of doing a re-fi on the house. With some economic strife about half-year ago, and with a soon impending move to the Left Coast, it was suggested we leave everything as is. We have too much equity in the house we have now to make it worthwhile,a nd our neighbors have sold theirs for $140,000 and $150,000 respectively. Were we to turn the same pretty penny.....well, I don't want to think about it for fear that I'll ruin it, or raise my expectations too high. I know nothing of the world of finances and mortgages and such, and I gotta get myself edu-muh-cated on that kind of thing. That said, my inner impulses are begging to jump up and down at the idea of having quite a bit more than the anticipated $30,000 to sell our house.
Now begins the updating of the home. Well, taxes first. THEN fix up the home. Paint the kitchen cabinets, replace the failed parquet flooring that was put in last year, fix up (demolish?) the basement, by returning it to it's original unfinished status, replace the moulding on the lower level, and empty out the garage of crap, all of that based on what we get for a tax return.
Not to mention a grads gift for the Neighborhood Nanny and some other things.
Still, I have a home, and a wife, and 3 wonderful kids. Life could be ALOT worse.
We'll talk more tomorrow. Until then, have a good night. Avoid terrible TV, like My Big Fat Obnoxious Wedding, and such. Treat your mind tonight, and find something intellectual. Or don't.
Friday, January 23, 2004
My daughter is selling Girl Scout cookies, which is to say that I've been required to bring in an order form to work. (That is not an advertisement. Just stating a fact. Though, if you want to place an order, it's $3.50 per box. Stop by my desk or shoot me an e-mail @ Smatt76@hotmail.com.) You can't send kids door to door as you might have in years past, because you don't know who is out there anymore. Well, lemme correct that. The Girl Scouts orginization hasn't said that you can't, but the general view by society is that you might as well clean and gut your own kids to save time, since you never know who might be hiding behind those doors.
Sorry to be so brutal. There is some frustration about raising kids today, and having to protect them around every bend. Sometimes it seems like there is sooo much to protect them from, that it seems almost impossible to get them to adulthood unscathed.
When I was a kid (in my best curmudgeon voice, not unlike Walter Matthau), we sold candy door to door for YMCA Summer camp. I can still remember the sales pitch: Hi, my name's Matt, and I am selling candy to go to Summer Camp. We have saltwater taffy, or Caramello's and they sell for $X. Would you like to buy some please? "
I still have an ingrained mark from the camoflauge bag I carried the candy in. By the end of the day, I was dragging it from door to door, tired from carrying it for hours on end. It was a schoolbag (but not a backpack) that had pockets on the sides for various things. Even pencils. Sooner or later, each of those pockets got stuffed with money because I was never good about keeping it in one place. Loaded with candy, it weighed about one ton. Kinda like Oprah.
And after selling candy every night, and walking up and down street after street, what did I have ot show for it? A week at summer camp, where I got to try out archery, and ride horses, do skits, a barn dance, etc. I think the real payoff was for my parents though, who got a week at home of peace and quiet. I can fully understand that now as a parent myself. And it also explains why they pushed us to sell as hard as they did. If my sister and I happened to develop a sense of professionalism, instill a work ethic, and proof that success comes if you work hard enough at it.....so much the better.
Now, it DIDN'T work, at least as far as I was concerned. But it was a nice try anyway. So I'm doing my fatherly duty by bringing in the order form for Girl Scout cookies. I recognize how annoying it is to others, as they feel obligated to purchase, even if they don't want to. So I'm not offended if people don't buy, and I usually try to return the favor if someone else brings in order forms. I just think that the kids are missing out on something by not selling door-to-door. Specifically, painful feet. If I had to suffer, somebody else should too!
(Postscript: One year, my sister and I sold candy togeather, and we came in as the top sellers, which won us a free TV! With Remote Control! The battle still wages on today as to the true owner of that TV.)
Word from Mars is that there is no word from Mars. Either the rover has software problems which are fixable by NASA, or it has hardware problems, which are not fixable by NASA. And the worst part? The closest NAPA auto parts store is a few million miles away. Oh sure, there are some gas stations with repair shops on Mars, but their charges are out of this world! (OK, I admit. That was lame.)
Hopefully it's something they can fix via modem. I'd hate to think that it was crushed by some rock, or the solar panels got dusty, ro something. Course, if it is hardware, you're gona ahve all of the conspiracy people running around screaming bloody murder.
Worse, what does it mean for Oppurtunity, which is set to land in 3 days? If it's a hardware flaw, they won't bother wasting time with the rover in getting it off the pad. True, it needs time to build up energy stores form the solar panels, but it seemed as though they wasted time dealing with that danged landing bag on the first. If it's a software thing, you can bet they'll be checking those flaws out as soon as it's landed and confirmed that it's still alive.
Well, here's to the NASA scientists sweating it out as we speak. Best of luck to all of you. It's got to be extremely frustrating, since they were just about to start drilling into a rock, and do some further tests on the soil and so forth.
According to an article somewhere, this is the year of the sequel in movies, with Shrek 2, Spiderman 2, A sequel to the princess diaries, so forth and so on. The articles point was that there are no new ideas in film based off of what we see, and I can see their point. But you can say the same about music as well. Name one band, JUST ONE!, that you can see sticking togeather and developing the legacy of the Rolling stones, or Aerosmith, or bands of that ilk. It's just doesn't happen any more.
As for Spiderman 2, it brings in probably one of the most famous Spiderman villians, Doctor Octopus, or Dock Ock. Now, I was never a big comic book guy growing up, but even I was aware of him, and thought he should have been the main villian in the first movie. Kinda like Batman, with the Joker. What I really hope is that the Spiderman series of movies goes on long enough to include Venom, a liquid alien being that Spiderman uses as a suit before he finds out it has some rather evil intentions. Later on, it splits even more to form another more evil versrion of itself in Carnage. With teh computer animation as it is now....that would be an extravaganza.
Ok, time to put nerd-boy away for awhile.
I'm going to Twins Fest tomorrow. I'll have my hot dog, and be able to daydreama bout the upcoming season. It'll give me a chance to immerse my girls into the world of baseball, and hopefully get them interested in it. And if we're lucky, maybe we'll go snow tubing on Sunday. maybe we will, maybe we won't. Depends on howmuch now there is, but we'll get it done somehow.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Sorry to be so brutal. There is some frustration about raising kids today, and having to protect them around every bend. Sometimes it seems like there is sooo much to protect them from, that it seems almost impossible to get them to adulthood unscathed.
When I was a kid (in my best curmudgeon voice, not unlike Walter Matthau), we sold candy door to door for YMCA Summer camp. I can still remember the sales pitch: Hi, my name's Matt, and I am selling candy to go to Summer Camp. We have saltwater taffy, or Caramello's and they sell for $X. Would you like to buy some please? "
I still have an ingrained mark from the camoflauge bag I carried the candy in. By the end of the day, I was dragging it from door to door, tired from carrying it for hours on end. It was a schoolbag (but not a backpack) that had pockets on the sides for various things. Even pencils. Sooner or later, each of those pockets got stuffed with money because I was never good about keeping it in one place. Loaded with candy, it weighed about one ton. Kinda like Oprah.
And after selling candy every night, and walking up and down street after street, what did I have ot show for it? A week at summer camp, where I got to try out archery, and ride horses, do skits, a barn dance, etc. I think the real payoff was for my parents though, who got a week at home of peace and quiet. I can fully understand that now as a parent myself. And it also explains why they pushed us to sell as hard as they did. If my sister and I happened to develop a sense of professionalism, instill a work ethic, and proof that success comes if you work hard enough at it.....so much the better.
Now, it DIDN'T work, at least as far as I was concerned. But it was a nice try anyway. So I'm doing my fatherly duty by bringing in the order form for Girl Scout cookies. I recognize how annoying it is to others, as they feel obligated to purchase, even if they don't want to. So I'm not offended if people don't buy, and I usually try to return the favor if someone else brings in order forms. I just think that the kids are missing out on something by not selling door-to-door. Specifically, painful feet. If I had to suffer, somebody else should too!
(Postscript: One year, my sister and I sold candy togeather, and we came in as the top sellers, which won us a free TV! With Remote Control! The battle still wages on today as to the true owner of that TV.)
Word from Mars is that there is no word from Mars. Either the rover has software problems which are fixable by NASA, or it has hardware problems, which are not fixable by NASA. And the worst part? The closest NAPA auto parts store is a few million miles away. Oh sure, there are some gas stations with repair shops on Mars, but their charges are out of this world! (OK, I admit. That was lame.)
Hopefully it's something they can fix via modem. I'd hate to think that it was crushed by some rock, or the solar panels got dusty, ro something. Course, if it is hardware, you're gona ahve all of the conspiracy people running around screaming bloody murder.
Worse, what does it mean for Oppurtunity, which is set to land in 3 days? If it's a hardware flaw, they won't bother wasting time with the rover in getting it off the pad. True, it needs time to build up energy stores form the solar panels, but it seemed as though they wasted time dealing with that danged landing bag on the first. If it's a software thing, you can bet they'll be checking those flaws out as soon as it's landed and confirmed that it's still alive.
Well, here's to the NASA scientists sweating it out as we speak. Best of luck to all of you. It's got to be extremely frustrating, since they were just about to start drilling into a rock, and do some further tests on the soil and so forth.
According to an article somewhere, this is the year of the sequel in movies, with Shrek 2, Spiderman 2, A sequel to the princess diaries, so forth and so on. The articles point was that there are no new ideas in film based off of what we see, and I can see their point. But you can say the same about music as well. Name one band, JUST ONE!, that you can see sticking togeather and developing the legacy of the Rolling stones, or Aerosmith, or bands of that ilk. It's just doesn't happen any more.
As for Spiderman 2, it brings in probably one of the most famous Spiderman villians, Doctor Octopus, or Dock Ock. Now, I was never a big comic book guy growing up, but even I was aware of him, and thought he should have been the main villian in the first movie. Kinda like Batman, with the Joker. What I really hope is that the Spiderman series of movies goes on long enough to include Venom, a liquid alien being that Spiderman uses as a suit before he finds out it has some rather evil intentions. Later on, it splits even more to form another more evil versrion of itself in Carnage. With teh computer animation as it is now....that would be an extravaganza.
Ok, time to put nerd-boy away for awhile.
I'm going to Twins Fest tomorrow. I'll have my hot dog, and be able to daydreama bout the upcoming season. It'll give me a chance to immerse my girls into the world of baseball, and hopefully get them interested in it. And if we're lucky, maybe we'll go snow tubing on Sunday. maybe we will, maybe we won't. Depends on howmuch now there is, but we'll get it done somehow.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Thursday, January 22, 2004
Sorry, no update today. Family matters needed attending to. Check back tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Probably the saddest thing about this past weeks loss is that the Philadelphia Eagles wasted all of the karma that they had generated for themselves. Karma once again was able to carry them as far as the NFC Championship game, and a win away from the Super Bowl. But for the second year in a row, despite having every advantage including home field, they were unable to make it over the last hump to bring themselves to greatness.
Still, that is closer than alot of other teams. And while they face some major decisions in the off-season, they can be safe in the knowledge that their key to success is safely retained within the team budget, and cannot be signed away by another club. Am I talking about a key player like Donovan MCNabb, or a coaching wizard like Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson? Well, they certainly contributed to the teams success, but not nearly as pivotal to the success of the club as are the persons I am thinking of. The trainers? The front office? The clubhouse attendants whose job it is to wash the jocks and cups of the players (a truly thankless task, I imagine)? (I can picture a thank-you card from some player to the attendants thanking them for "always getting my cup minty fresh! It's like I washed my privates in Listerine!")
(OK, I admit that last part was rather wrong, and a tad creepy. Nobody said I wasn't guilty of the same.)
No, no, no. The Eagles have benefitted and owe their victories to the beyond wonderful karma created by their own cheerleaders. The cheerleaders, for thier second year in a row got togeather to shoot a Lingerie catalog, and the pictures can be seen if you click on their individual bios and then the calender photos. The goodwill generated by such beautiful pictures manifested itself in a 3 year run as NFC East division champions. Now before you dismiss my theory, let's take a look at the Super Bowl winners for the last few years, shall we? The Buccaneers from last year had cheerleaders. The previous year the Patriots won, and they had cheerleaders. Baltimore before that? Cheerleaders. The Rams? They have cheerleaders too. Denver won the Super Bowl 2 years in a row. Do they have cheerleaders? Check and Check. The Bears won the Super Bowl in 1985, and the Honey Bears graced the sideline. The following year, they got rid of the girls, and they haven't been back to the Super Bowl since. Coincidence? I think not.
(Sidenote: It's hard typing this out with one hand. No, not that! I'm holding a tiring toddler in one hand while I work, and she won't allow me to set her down.)
In fact, the only team that in recent history that won the Super Bowl without an established team cheer squad was the Green Bay Packers. However, in that instance I think we can all see the evil inherent in the team that drove THAT particular happenstance. A team that has the temerity to win without cheerleaders, well....that type of crime speaks for itself, and really there isn't a punishment in the world that coulld be devised to fully equate how much damage was done to the American psyche and spirit.
George W Bush, if you are looking for threats to the American people, look no further than Green Bay WI, where (amongst other crimes against the rest of the NFL) they they deprive the women of the state employment oppurtunities as Sports Entertainment Enhancers, and deny their own fan base of a complete sporting experience, not to mention an alternative for those who find the team on the field too painful to watch. Surely, this cannot go ignored, nor unpunished! We call upon the football gods to smote the team of Green Bay!
OK, enough talk about that.
(I am SOOOOOO good at segways from one topic to the next. )
I am not, nor have been a political mind. However, in the interest of being topical, I'll cover some thoughts about the State of the Union address this evening.
First and foremost, I'm neither a Democrat, nor a Republican. Not really a member or follower of any political party, really. Independant? As opposed to what; groupie? From what I hear, being a groupie CAN be fun, though I suppose that makes me a member of the Clinton party, and we certainly don't want that. (Clinton jokes are the lazy comedian's way out of everything. So of course there will be more references later. )
Beyond the typical party lines, there are those who paint themselves as Federalists, Patatriotists, Socialists, etc. And then there are teh OPtimists, Pessimists, Realists, Deists, Lutherans.....Wait, I got off track.
But there needs to be a label (well, maybe not) for those who are convinced that no matter who is in office, it was always better under the previous guy, regardless of political affliliation. And on the opposite side, there are those that are convinced that whomever happens to be in the Oval Office is THE GUY to lead us into prosperity for all tme.
Me? The trend seems to be supporting the POSITION of President, even though I might disagree with their policies, both foreign and domestic.
My oldest daughter asked me why I never tried to be President. Knowing that I couldn't explain to her the harsh criticism or the intusive background checks, the money required to run a campaign, and numerous other issues that come with it I simply told her that it was a very hard job to do, and it took very special people to do so (despite evidence to the contrary for the past however many years).
Besides, by staying impartial, I am free to criticize both sides without guilt! Hooray!
I'm also curious and am wondering allowed about how much time passes after his term for a President to be considered great, amongst the names of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and possibly Kennedy or Eisenhower. There have been whispers here and there about Reagan, and I wonder if that is simply because of the recent Return to the 80's craze, and maybe some pity because of his on-going losing battle with Alzheimers. OR has enough time past that he's being looked upon as a truly great President? Will partisan politics and the extreme media coverage from the late 80's forward provide too much intense coverage (not allowing us to forget gaffes or indescretions) prevent any President from ever achieving that lofty of a status?
I don't know. Anyway, here's my notes from the State of the Union.
First, I noticed that they did not play Hail to the Chief as he entered. I thought that song accompanied him wherever he went. Trip to Russia? Hail to the Chief. Meeting with the press? Hail to the Chief. Midnoght bathroom visit? Hail to the Chief. (If you really wanna mess with the band, take two steps into the room, back out, and come right back in again, to see if they stop and start over, or just keep going. )
Second, I don't remember watching alot of State Addresses before, but I never remember it being so racous. I was waiting for the assembly to start "Roof! Roof! Roof!" and waving their fists about like some sort of Very Special Arsenio Hall Reunion show. I thought they were supposed to be a bit more...conservative, if you'll forgive the term.
---There is a guy with the title of Majority Whip. See, there's another example of jokes making themselves. There is a heirarchy of whips, of course. Majority whip is at the top, followed by Miracle, and then Cool right below that. Bull whip is a bit further down, and then the cat-o'-nine tails.
Watching on NBC, they had a camera angle that shot straight on. It was misleading because at different times, the assembly would give a standing ovation, and it looked as though only the right side would stand up. Unless they did it wedding style, and sat family and friends of the Prez on the RIGHT (staunch supporters on the FAR RIGHT, har har har), and friends of the bridesmaids-but-never-the-bride Democrats on the left. Turns out that the cabinet and the judges were sitting front row on the left, leading to the mis-understanding on my part, but I couldn't have been the only one to notice this.
Another thing was the shot of representative from NY Charles Raegel. He'll be hearing from his constituents today, I am sure, since it looked as though he had fallen asleep, like some over-tired toddler (oh, look. There she is.) I'd hate to be the head of HIS re-election committee. That's a campaign ad for his opponents that writes itself.
President Bush also went after pro sports and steroids. He wants everyone from the League offices on down to do away with performance enhancing drugs (are you listening, Bud Selig?) to provide better role models for our kids. NOw we've already been down this road before, with various athletes coming out and saying that they are NOT a role model, and that kids should look to their parents to fill that position. I would say that as a resident and contributor of the community, it's up to them to be a positive force within that area. And some of that comes from leading by example. A role model. A parent will do all they can to lead their kids down the right path, but everyone needs help, and needs TO HELP.
Time to sign off. Good night all.
Still, that is closer than alot of other teams. And while they face some major decisions in the off-season, they can be safe in the knowledge that their key to success is safely retained within the team budget, and cannot be signed away by another club. Am I talking about a key player like Donovan MCNabb, or a coaching wizard like Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson? Well, they certainly contributed to the teams success, but not nearly as pivotal to the success of the club as are the persons I am thinking of. The trainers? The front office? The clubhouse attendants whose job it is to wash the jocks and cups of the players (a truly thankless task, I imagine)? (I can picture a thank-you card from some player to the attendants thanking them for "always getting my cup minty fresh! It's like I washed my privates in Listerine!")
(OK, I admit that last part was rather wrong, and a tad creepy. Nobody said I wasn't guilty of the same.)
No, no, no. The Eagles have benefitted and owe their victories to the beyond wonderful karma created by their own cheerleaders. The cheerleaders, for thier second year in a row got togeather to shoot a Lingerie catalog, and the pictures can be seen if you click on their individual bios and then the calender photos. The goodwill generated by such beautiful pictures manifested itself in a 3 year run as NFC East division champions. Now before you dismiss my theory, let's take a look at the Super Bowl winners for the last few years, shall we? The Buccaneers from last year had cheerleaders. The previous year the Patriots won, and they had cheerleaders. Baltimore before that? Cheerleaders. The Rams? They have cheerleaders too. Denver won the Super Bowl 2 years in a row. Do they have cheerleaders? Check and Check. The Bears won the Super Bowl in 1985, and the Honey Bears graced the sideline. The following year, they got rid of the girls, and they haven't been back to the Super Bowl since. Coincidence? I think not.
(Sidenote: It's hard typing this out with one hand. No, not that! I'm holding a tiring toddler in one hand while I work, and she won't allow me to set her down.)
In fact, the only team that in recent history that won the Super Bowl without an established team cheer squad was the Green Bay Packers. However, in that instance I think we can all see the evil inherent in the team that drove THAT particular happenstance. A team that has the temerity to win without cheerleaders, well....that type of crime speaks for itself, and really there isn't a punishment in the world that coulld be devised to fully equate how much damage was done to the American psyche and spirit.
George W Bush, if you are looking for threats to the American people, look no further than Green Bay WI, where (amongst other crimes against the rest of the NFL) they they deprive the women of the state employment oppurtunities as Sports Entertainment Enhancers, and deny their own fan base of a complete sporting experience, not to mention an alternative for those who find the team on the field too painful to watch. Surely, this cannot go ignored, nor unpunished! We call upon the football gods to smote the team of Green Bay!
OK, enough talk about that.
(I am SOOOOOO good at segways from one topic to the next. )
I am not, nor have been a political mind. However, in the interest of being topical, I'll cover some thoughts about the State of the Union address this evening.
First and foremost, I'm neither a Democrat, nor a Republican. Not really a member or follower of any political party, really. Independant? As opposed to what; groupie? From what I hear, being a groupie CAN be fun, though I suppose that makes me a member of the Clinton party, and we certainly don't want that. (Clinton jokes are the lazy comedian's way out of everything. So of course there will be more references later. )
Beyond the typical party lines, there are those who paint themselves as Federalists, Patatriotists, Socialists, etc. And then there are teh OPtimists, Pessimists, Realists, Deists, Lutherans.....Wait, I got off track.
But there needs to be a label (well, maybe not) for those who are convinced that no matter who is in office, it was always better under the previous guy, regardless of political affliliation. And on the opposite side, there are those that are convinced that whomever happens to be in the Oval Office is THE GUY to lead us into prosperity for all tme.
Me? The trend seems to be supporting the POSITION of President, even though I might disagree with their policies, both foreign and domestic.
My oldest daughter asked me why I never tried to be President. Knowing that I couldn't explain to her the harsh criticism or the intusive background checks, the money required to run a campaign, and numerous other issues that come with it I simply told her that it was a very hard job to do, and it took very special people to do so (despite evidence to the contrary for the past however many years).
Besides, by staying impartial, I am free to criticize both sides without guilt! Hooray!
I'm also curious and am wondering allowed about how much time passes after his term for a President to be considered great, amongst the names of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and possibly Kennedy or Eisenhower. There have been whispers here and there about Reagan, and I wonder if that is simply because of the recent Return to the 80's craze, and maybe some pity because of his on-going losing battle with Alzheimers. OR has enough time past that he's being looked upon as a truly great President? Will partisan politics and the extreme media coverage from the late 80's forward provide too much intense coverage (not allowing us to forget gaffes or indescretions) prevent any President from ever achieving that lofty of a status?
I don't know. Anyway, here's my notes from the State of the Union.
First, I noticed that they did not play Hail to the Chief as he entered. I thought that song accompanied him wherever he went. Trip to Russia? Hail to the Chief. Meeting with the press? Hail to the Chief. Midnoght bathroom visit? Hail to the Chief. (If you really wanna mess with the band, take two steps into the room, back out, and come right back in again, to see if they stop and start over, or just keep going. )
Second, I don't remember watching alot of State Addresses before, but I never remember it being so racous. I was waiting for the assembly to start "Roof! Roof! Roof!" and waving their fists about like some sort of Very Special Arsenio Hall Reunion show. I thought they were supposed to be a bit more...conservative, if you'll forgive the term.
---There is a guy with the title of Majority Whip. See, there's another example of jokes making themselves. There is a heirarchy of whips, of course. Majority whip is at the top, followed by Miracle, and then Cool right below that. Bull whip is a bit further down, and then the cat-o'-nine tails.
Watching on NBC, they had a camera angle that shot straight on. It was misleading because at different times, the assembly would give a standing ovation, and it looked as though only the right side would stand up. Unless they did it wedding style, and sat family and friends of the Prez on the RIGHT (staunch supporters on the FAR RIGHT, har har har), and friends of the bridesmaids-but-never-the-bride Democrats on the left. Turns out that the cabinet and the judges were sitting front row on the left, leading to the mis-understanding on my part, but I couldn't have been the only one to notice this.
Another thing was the shot of representative from NY Charles Raegel. He'll be hearing from his constituents today, I am sure, since it looked as though he had fallen asleep, like some over-tired toddler (oh, look. There she is.) I'd hate to be the head of HIS re-election committee. That's a campaign ad for his opponents that writes itself.
President Bush also went after pro sports and steroids. He wants everyone from the League offices on down to do away with performance enhancing drugs (are you listening, Bud Selig?) to provide better role models for our kids. NOw we've already been down this road before, with various athletes coming out and saying that they are NOT a role model, and that kids should look to their parents to fill that position. I would say that as a resident and contributor of the community, it's up to them to be a positive force within that area. And some of that comes from leading by example. A role model. A parent will do all they can to lead their kids down the right path, but everyone needs help, and needs TO HELP.
Time to sign off. Good night all.
Monday, January 19, 2004
There are Mondays and then there are days like today.
Total and complete frustration that completely sapped any and all patience that I had towards my clientele. Normally, I am pretty good at going with the flow of things, and not letting them get to me. HoweverThe phrase "likewater off a duck's back" just wasn't appropriatefor the day.
Maybe it was just because it was Monday. It's the furthest point from any sort of extended time away from work, and you know you have 5 days of that damned phone and it's incessant ringing (or beeping in your ear, in our case) and solving other people's problems.
Or, Maybe it was because it was Monday for our clients, too. They all saved their problems over the weekend, content to unleash them upon us like hungary jackyls come the start of a new week. They're facing the same uphill battle to get to Friday that you are. And to make it worse, the tools they've been given to work with just plain won't cooperate.
Or maybe its the fact that Twins Fest is this coming weekend, and I have something to finally look forward to.
No, Twins Fest isn't a re-creation of Burbon street during Mardi Gras. That is a different set of Twins. No, we're talking about the Annual Minnesota Twins baseball festival held in the Metrodome. Iy basically is an oversized card show with a small kids area to boot, where they can try their luck in the batting cages and such. To be honest, if it weren't for one thing, the draw of it would be over in 45 minutes to an hour tops.
But I'll finally be able to eat a hot dog. I've been waiting since mid-October to have a hot dog, loaded up right (one of the forgotten arts, like log cabin building, or what-have-you) and a cold Coca-Cola to wash it down. Then, maybe a tray of nachos w/ extra peppers, dipped in the liquid plastic they pass off as cheese. Or Cheez, if you prefer that spelling. But it's the dog that is the draw.
Don't bother telling me that I could cook one up at home. It simply isn't the same. And if you don't understand that, then brother, you don't understand baseball. Even Humphrey Bogart got it, saying that a hot dog at the ballpark was better than a steak at the Ritz. You're ARE as cool as Bogart, aren't you? AREN'T YOU?
Now, there is also the autograph booths, and I'm sure we'll want to say high to Tori Hunter, since he's my oldest girls favorite player. But beyond that it simply a chance to satisfy my hunger for hotdogs until April, and daydream about the upcoming season. I could cover the upcoming season, but there is still plenty of time left for that. Meanwhile, I gotta figure out the right order of ketchup, mustard, onions, and sauerkraut for my FIRST dog.
I've recently discovered the musical works of Etta James, Peggy Lee, and Rosemary Clooney.
Ok, that's not quite correct. I've always KNOWN of their existance, but never bothered to explore it. But listening to "At Last".....why music can't be like that more often now I'll never know. Feeling particularly frustrated about my work, I caught it as my day ended, and all of that knotted up tension floated away on the musical strains complimenting Ms. James as she floated us through the serene bliss of realizing that we had finally arrived at true love. She reduced me from a snarling cantakerous bitter man, to a sleeping kitten, purring as I dream of chasing a tail. (Ok, you tell me what cats dream of, and how to work in a better double endtendre'.)
And Fever? Fever! In the morning. Fever all through the night. It's so dang easy to see Jessica Rabbit swaying back and forth to that song. Yes, I know she's a cartoon character. Regardless, it's a easy mental picture to paint.
Rosemary Clooney? A fetching girl in her own right. When I close my eyes though, I see Sophia Loren. If someone has an answer to that, lemme know.
Illuminous Times, Illuminous Times, Illuminous Times!
There. It's a plug to a good friends web-site. He makes his own candles and they last a heck of alot longer than others do. The candles, I mean. As far as he's concerned, well.....
Dan Fehn is his name, and they carry a sent extremely well. Hopefully some of you will check out the site and order some stuff, since its a primary source of income for him, but at the same time, it's some great candles.
Time to retire for the night. Keep safe, and pray for those that can't.
Total and complete frustration that completely sapped any and all patience that I had towards my clientele. Normally, I am pretty good at going with the flow of things, and not letting them get to me. HoweverThe phrase "likewater off a duck's back" just wasn't appropriatefor the day.
Maybe it was just because it was Monday. It's the furthest point from any sort of extended time away from work, and you know you have 5 days of that damned phone and it's incessant ringing (or beeping in your ear, in our case) and solving other people's problems.
Or, Maybe it was because it was Monday for our clients, too. They all saved their problems over the weekend, content to unleash them upon us like hungary jackyls come the start of a new week. They're facing the same uphill battle to get to Friday that you are. And to make it worse, the tools they've been given to work with just plain won't cooperate.
Or maybe its the fact that Twins Fest is this coming weekend, and I have something to finally look forward to.
No, Twins Fest isn't a re-creation of Burbon street during Mardi Gras. That is a different set of Twins. No, we're talking about the Annual Minnesota Twins baseball festival held in the Metrodome. Iy basically is an oversized card show with a small kids area to boot, where they can try their luck in the batting cages and such. To be honest, if it weren't for one thing, the draw of it would be over in 45 minutes to an hour tops.
But I'll finally be able to eat a hot dog. I've been waiting since mid-October to have a hot dog, loaded up right (one of the forgotten arts, like log cabin building, or what-have-you) and a cold Coca-Cola to wash it down. Then, maybe a tray of nachos w/ extra peppers, dipped in the liquid plastic they pass off as cheese. Or Cheez, if you prefer that spelling. But it's the dog that is the draw.
Don't bother telling me that I could cook one up at home. It simply isn't the same. And if you don't understand that, then brother, you don't understand baseball. Even Humphrey Bogart got it, saying that a hot dog at the ballpark was better than a steak at the Ritz. You're ARE as cool as Bogart, aren't you? AREN'T YOU?
Now, there is also the autograph booths, and I'm sure we'll want to say high to Tori Hunter, since he's my oldest girls favorite player. But beyond that it simply a chance to satisfy my hunger for hotdogs until April, and daydream about the upcoming season. I could cover the upcoming season, but there is still plenty of time left for that. Meanwhile, I gotta figure out the right order of ketchup, mustard, onions, and sauerkraut for my FIRST dog.
I've recently discovered the musical works of Etta James, Peggy Lee, and Rosemary Clooney.
Ok, that's not quite correct. I've always KNOWN of their existance, but never bothered to explore it. But listening to "At Last".....why music can't be like that more often now I'll never know. Feeling particularly frustrated about my work, I caught it as my day ended, and all of that knotted up tension floated away on the musical strains complimenting Ms. James as she floated us through the serene bliss of realizing that we had finally arrived at true love. She reduced me from a snarling cantakerous bitter man, to a sleeping kitten, purring as I dream of chasing a tail. (Ok, you tell me what cats dream of, and how to work in a better double endtendre'.)
And Fever? Fever! In the morning. Fever all through the night. It's so dang easy to see Jessica Rabbit swaying back and forth to that song. Yes, I know she's a cartoon character. Regardless, it's a easy mental picture to paint.
Rosemary Clooney? A fetching girl in her own right. When I close my eyes though, I see Sophia Loren. If someone has an answer to that, lemme know.
Illuminous Times, Illuminous Times, Illuminous Times!
There. It's a plug to a good friends web-site. He makes his own candles and they last a heck of alot longer than others do. The candles, I mean. As far as he's concerned, well.....
Dan Fehn is his name, and they carry a sent extremely well. Hopefully some of you will check out the site and order some stuff, since its a primary source of income for him, but at the same time, it's some great candles.
Time to retire for the night. Keep safe, and pray for those that can't.
Sunday, January 18, 2004
I'm much too modest to use any phrases like, "I told you so", or "Why, Why did you doubt me?" Or, "Oh yeah, AT LEAST 12 inches."
However, if you look at the participants in the Super Bowl, you'll see something rather familiar.
So who's gonna win?
The Panthers look balanced, but don't seem to have enough to beat the Patriots this time around. As good as the Panthers might be, the Patriots defense is just to versatile and disciplined to allow the Panthers to do much of anything. Carolina's best chance is that some Pats players turn up too injured to play, forcing some inexperienced and under-coached rookies to play in their place.
Oh, wait. The Patriots HAVE a coaching staff. And they are competant, unlike football staffs elsewhere.
Patriots win.
Meanwhile, Maxim or Victoria's Secret, or some such company is looking to sponsr a half-time show featuring women in lingerie playing a game of touch football. However, the co-sponsor to the show, a major car manufacturer, and the Broadcast company that is covering teh Super Bowl backed out saying that it wasn't family friendly. Or some such excuse.
Now, don't get me wrong. I see their point. As a father of 3 girls, I don't necessarily think it's the right type of example I want them to have at this time.
But on the other hand, I happen to enjoy a good looking woman in lingerie. Life gets better if there happens to be many, and even better yet if there is a flimsy excuse for them to come into contact with each other. (You'll have to excuse me for admitting that it appeals to my base instincts.)
So it WILL be available on Suer Bowl Sunday, for those willing to subscribe on Pay Per View. Were I a single man, or one without kids, I'd be contacting my cable subscriber rather than typing this out.
You take the good with the bad, I suppose.
Then again, how many single guys are greeted when tehy arrive home with tightly wrapped hugs around their shin bones, and have their pant kneecaps smeared with chocolate covered grins for the mere fact of being alive?
Neener Neener.
By the way, this is going to be updated on a nightly basis, so as to avoid any employment entanglements. Hopefully, my friend(s?) in Ann Arbor will be able to control their curiosity until the following morning. And if not? Well, if this is updated often enough then it shouldn't be an issue I guess. It just means it'll be read at a diffeent time than I intended.
We played host to one of the in-laws this weekend; my sister-in-law. She's 15, and has a typical wisconsin farm girl build. Well, typical in that it's typical for a girl who admits to eating butter. By itself. As in, "I think I'll gnaw on this margarine stick for a snack." Or, "Ya know what would be good right now? A crock of Shedd's Spread."
My arteries shuddered in unison at the thought.
But it did validate many of the stereotypes that I've held about the State to the East. Granted, much of them are perpetuated by those that I know or have known in the state. I suppose I woul drink turpentine if I was hours away from the Wisconsin border and any sign of civilization as well. But since I've decided to embrace the the world of technology, I am able to live a life that includes such as indoor plumbing, Dentistry, and hygiene.
(OK, so Wisconsin isn't as bad as I paint it. But why does everyone I know that comes from that state have to provide an example of why I choose to live in MN?)
Speaking of places to choose to live...it's 40-some degrees in Portland, OR. Compared to .0003 degrees...Portland is looking mighty balmy about now.
Anyway, the sister-in-law visited (note: sister-in law needs a better alias to differentiate her from the other sister-in-laws) and talked of her struggles to deal with the fact that she is a social outcast in her high school. This brought up memories of my own high school experience, and the fact that my own 10 year anniversary is coming up. Well, I hated high school. I myself was a bt socially ackward, and didn't fit in well in the high school scene. I'm sure that the majority of kids felt taht way, so I won't bother to think that my experience was all that muchdifferent than anyone else's. But I had no friends in my own class, much less the school. So there's no reason for me to attend a get-togeather to catch up with people who didn't care about me in the first place. I have no desire to feel inferior to a bunch of people again. If I need that, I'll hang out in the YMCA locker room for a few hours. (Kidding, kidding......)
Seriously, the only thought that MIGHT make me go is the outlandish idea that there just might be someone there whom I have forgotten or who might have liked me and never shared their feelings who wants to re-connect with me. But seeing as how I am married anyway, what would be the point? To feel better about myself? To rub it in their faces that I'm happy with 3 kids, and they can't have me? Tempting as that might be, the situation is rather unlikely in the first place.
Man, high school sucks.
I know. Enough whining. I'm sick of it too.
Back to sports.
My own favorite team has hired a new coach. The Chicago Bears hired Lovie SMith. Putting aside the jokes for a moment or two, the psychological affect that it's going to have on us fans is devastating. I'm half-surprised that there hasnt been a petition started to get him to change his first name. Or his second. Change it to Karl Blitzkrieg, for example. With a name like that, you conjure images of the war that football can be. Lovie Smith? Heck, the players should exchange Valentines cards before each snap, and compare notes on that weeks soap opera plot lines.
That said, I'm still taking a wait-and-see approach. He's said the right things in that beating the Green Bay Packers is his first priority. That is all and wonderful now, but he'll find himself held to that throughout. And if he DOESN'T beat Green Bay....well, it was damn near a fireable offense for Bears coaches before. At least to the fans, anyway. NOw? If he doesn't beat Green Bay on a consistant basis, it's going to be constantly thrown back in his face. While I naturally hope he does well, I am concerned that he's put some undue pressure on himself. His career in Chicago will now be judged solely on how he fares in 2 games each season.
Well, OK, maybe not solely on those games, but a good part of it.
It's late (early?) now, so I'm off to shuffle off into bed. Keep safe, and keep those who cannot in your prayers.
However, if you look at the participants in the Super Bowl, you'll see something rather familiar.
So who's gonna win?
The Panthers look balanced, but don't seem to have enough to beat the Patriots this time around. As good as the Panthers might be, the Patriots defense is just to versatile and disciplined to allow the Panthers to do much of anything. Carolina's best chance is that some Pats players turn up too injured to play, forcing some inexperienced and under-coached rookies to play in their place.
Oh, wait. The Patriots HAVE a coaching staff. And they are competant, unlike football staffs elsewhere.
Patriots win.
Meanwhile, Maxim or Victoria's Secret, or some such company is looking to sponsr a half-time show featuring women in lingerie playing a game of touch football. However, the co-sponsor to the show, a major car manufacturer, and the Broadcast company that is covering teh Super Bowl backed out saying that it wasn't family friendly. Or some such excuse.
Now, don't get me wrong. I see their point. As a father of 3 girls, I don't necessarily think it's the right type of example I want them to have at this time.
But on the other hand, I happen to enjoy a good looking woman in lingerie. Life gets better if there happens to be many, and even better yet if there is a flimsy excuse for them to come into contact with each other. (You'll have to excuse me for admitting that it appeals to my base instincts.)
So it WILL be available on Suer Bowl Sunday, for those willing to subscribe on Pay Per View. Were I a single man, or one without kids, I'd be contacting my cable subscriber rather than typing this out.
You take the good with the bad, I suppose.
Then again, how many single guys are greeted when tehy arrive home with tightly wrapped hugs around their shin bones, and have their pant kneecaps smeared with chocolate covered grins for the mere fact of being alive?
Neener Neener.
By the way, this is going to be updated on a nightly basis, so as to avoid any employment entanglements. Hopefully, my friend(s?) in Ann Arbor will be able to control their curiosity until the following morning. And if not? Well, if this is updated often enough then it shouldn't be an issue I guess. It just means it'll be read at a diffeent time than I intended.
We played host to one of the in-laws this weekend; my sister-in-law. She's 15, and has a typical wisconsin farm girl build. Well, typical in that it's typical for a girl who admits to eating butter. By itself. As in, "I think I'll gnaw on this margarine stick for a snack." Or, "Ya know what would be good right now? A crock of Shedd's Spread."
My arteries shuddered in unison at the thought.
But it did validate many of the stereotypes that I've held about the State to the East. Granted, much of them are perpetuated by those that I know or have known in the state. I suppose I woul drink turpentine if I was hours away from the Wisconsin border and any sign of civilization as well. But since I've decided to embrace the the world of technology, I am able to live a life that includes such as indoor plumbing, Dentistry, and hygiene.
(OK, so Wisconsin isn't as bad as I paint it. But why does everyone I know that comes from that state have to provide an example of why I choose to live in MN?)
Speaking of places to choose to live...it's 40-some degrees in Portland, OR. Compared to .0003 degrees...Portland is looking mighty balmy about now.
Anyway, the sister-in-law visited (note: sister-in law needs a better alias to differentiate her from the other sister-in-laws) and talked of her struggles to deal with the fact that she is a social outcast in her high school. This brought up memories of my own high school experience, and the fact that my own 10 year anniversary is coming up. Well, I hated high school. I myself was a bt socially ackward, and didn't fit in well in the high school scene. I'm sure that the majority of kids felt taht way, so I won't bother to think that my experience was all that muchdifferent than anyone else's. But I had no friends in my own class, much less the school. So there's no reason for me to attend a get-togeather to catch up with people who didn't care about me in the first place. I have no desire to feel inferior to a bunch of people again. If I need that, I'll hang out in the YMCA locker room for a few hours. (Kidding, kidding......)
Seriously, the only thought that MIGHT make me go is the outlandish idea that there just might be someone there whom I have forgotten or who might have liked me and never shared their feelings who wants to re-connect with me. But seeing as how I am married anyway, what would be the point? To feel better about myself? To rub it in their faces that I'm happy with 3 kids, and they can't have me? Tempting as that might be, the situation is rather unlikely in the first place.
Man, high school sucks.
I know. Enough whining. I'm sick of it too.
Back to sports.
My own favorite team has hired a new coach. The Chicago Bears hired Lovie SMith. Putting aside the jokes for a moment or two, the psychological affect that it's going to have on us fans is devastating. I'm half-surprised that there hasnt been a petition started to get him to change his first name. Or his second. Change it to Karl Blitzkrieg, for example. With a name like that, you conjure images of the war that football can be. Lovie Smith? Heck, the players should exchange Valentines cards before each snap, and compare notes on that weeks soap opera plot lines.
That said, I'm still taking a wait-and-see approach. He's said the right things in that beating the Green Bay Packers is his first priority. That is all and wonderful now, but he'll find himself held to that throughout. And if he DOESN'T beat Green Bay....well, it was damn near a fireable offense for Bears coaches before. At least to the fans, anyway. NOw? If he doesn't beat Green Bay on a consistant basis, it's going to be constantly thrown back in his face. While I naturally hope he does well, I am concerned that he's put some undue pressure on himself. His career in Chicago will now be judged solely on how he fares in 2 games each season.
Well, OK, maybe not solely on those games, but a good part of it.
It's late (early?) now, so I'm off to shuffle off into bed. Keep safe, and keep those who cannot in your prayers.
Friday, January 16, 2004
Well, here it is. The premier of The Daily Update on the web. Well, it WAS on the web at one time, but only for a brief period. But you have to be of a select group to know that. Specifically, an employee of a major company.
I'll try to provide you with my own brand of zany half-wit, as often as I can. You'll get to know me....I'll get to know you....You'll send me pictures of your female self in various states of undress.....I'll get divorced when the wife finds out....You get the idea.
I'll provide my take on various issues of parenting, music (rarely), sports, movies, current topics, and whatever strikes my fancy. You'll read it, AND LIKE IT! Ok, maybe not.
What is foremost on my mind at the moment is the NFL playoffs this weekend. Alot of people are talking about the Philadelphia Eagles being a "team of destiny", and I'm just not seeing it. Don't get me wrong...I appreciate their slaying the terrible beast that is the Green Bay Packers. But previous to last weeks game, The Pack was considered the "team of destiny", and look how far it got them! That tends to create more pressure than it does carry the team, from my perspective. Better to label them with that AFTER they've won the championship in question.
And Philly has enough pressure as it is with this, their 3rd championship game in a row and no wins so far to show for it.
With that pressure, and the fact that they gave up 200+ yards in rushing to the Packers last week, I don't see them winning this weekend against the Panthers. The Panthers have a terrific running game that can take advantage of the Eagles porous run defense, and the passing game, while not Rams-caliber, is good enough to be average.
On the other side of the ball, the defensive line for the Panthers is one of the best the Eagles have seen all year, and should be able to pressure McNabb by themselves, leaving a LB free to spy the QB, preventing him from running like he did against the Packers. All of this leads me to think that the Panthers go into Philly and pull off the win. But I've been wrong before.
On the AFC side, it's a much shorter story...Manning has been brilliant, but Bill Belicheck is amazing in coming up with schemes to stop QB's. I could see Manning pulling it off, but I still think the Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl.
Let's see....What else is going on in the world? Not a big political guy, but I hear a lot of people saying that they are supporting Jimmy Dean. He makes an ok sausage patty, but I'm not sure that's good enough to be President. (Yes, I know it's not really Jimmy Dean. It's Billie Jean. But she's not my lover. She's just a girl who claims that I am the one. But the kid is not my son!)
Spirit is rolling around on Mars which is just great. In about 12 or so years though, it may develop an unsavory odor for the local inhabitants. Which means of course, that it will Smell Like Teen Spirit. Rumors abound that Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love originated from Mars anyway, so it's only fitting that we give some payback to those Martian bastards!
Seriously, I love the IDEA of the President's recent proclamation of establishing a base on the Moon, a la 2001. (Warning to those in the future....If you dig on the moon, and you mind a big black slab of whatever, don't let it hit the light. ) I LOVE the idea of a manned mission to Mars, and all of the steps that go with that....Such as entry and landing by passing through a Martian atmosphere, not to mention the idea that whatever lands HAS to have the ability to Launch off of a planet that does not have an on-site launching PAD, and then all of the other stuff to go along with it.
BUT! The timetable and the partisan politics that go along with it makes me weep. Neither Republican or Democrat are going to allow this to see fruition because either one will pull the financial backing for it for something on their own agenda somewhere down the road.
The worst part is that despite the issues faced, it's the best option we have available to us, since there isn't any private party currently capable or PROVEN to launch a person into space, whether it be a low-Earth Orbit, OR a deep space mission. So until they can prove that they can do it successfully and SAFELY....NASA and the government is our best option.
Well, that should be enough to whet some appetites for now. We'll see how well this does. Hopefully updates won't consist of:
July 28th.
Turkey Jerky. WTF?
August 19th
Tired. headache. Took 2 advil and STILL NOTHING....
November 30th....
I am SOOOOO tired of Britney Spears...
You get the idea. If it comes to that, beg me to kill this site.
My regards to you all.
Update: trying to figure out how to get the e-mail function to work, specifically how to get the system to pop up the e-mail address in a different window, rather than just displaying the e-mail address outright. Still some bugs to work out in this new forum.
I'll try to provide you with my own brand of zany half-wit, as often as I can. You'll get to know me....I'll get to know you....You'll send me pictures of your female self in various states of undress.....I'll get divorced when the wife finds out....You get the idea.
I'll provide my take on various issues of parenting, music (rarely), sports, movies, current topics, and whatever strikes my fancy. You'll read it, AND LIKE IT! Ok, maybe not.
What is foremost on my mind at the moment is the NFL playoffs this weekend. Alot of people are talking about the Philadelphia Eagles being a "team of destiny", and I'm just not seeing it. Don't get me wrong...I appreciate their slaying the terrible beast that is the Green Bay Packers. But previous to last weeks game, The Pack was considered the "team of destiny", and look how far it got them! That tends to create more pressure than it does carry the team, from my perspective. Better to label them with that AFTER they've won the championship in question.
And Philly has enough pressure as it is with this, their 3rd championship game in a row and no wins so far to show for it.
With that pressure, and the fact that they gave up 200+ yards in rushing to the Packers last week, I don't see them winning this weekend against the Panthers. The Panthers have a terrific running game that can take advantage of the Eagles porous run defense, and the passing game, while not Rams-caliber, is good enough to be average.
On the other side of the ball, the defensive line for the Panthers is one of the best the Eagles have seen all year, and should be able to pressure McNabb by themselves, leaving a LB free to spy the QB, preventing him from running like he did against the Packers. All of this leads me to think that the Panthers go into Philly and pull off the win. But I've been wrong before.
On the AFC side, it's a much shorter story...Manning has been brilliant, but Bill Belicheck is amazing in coming up with schemes to stop QB's. I could see Manning pulling it off, but I still think the Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl.
Let's see....What else is going on in the world? Not a big political guy, but I hear a lot of people saying that they are supporting Jimmy Dean. He makes an ok sausage patty, but I'm not sure that's good enough to be President. (Yes, I know it's not really Jimmy Dean. It's Billie Jean. But she's not my lover. She's just a girl who claims that I am the one. But the kid is not my son!)
Spirit is rolling around on Mars which is just great. In about 12 or so years though, it may develop an unsavory odor for the local inhabitants. Which means of course, that it will Smell Like Teen Spirit. Rumors abound that Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love originated from Mars anyway, so it's only fitting that we give some payback to those Martian bastards!
Seriously, I love the IDEA of the President's recent proclamation of establishing a base on the Moon, a la 2001. (Warning to those in the future....If you dig on the moon, and you mind a big black slab of whatever, don't let it hit the light. ) I LOVE the idea of a manned mission to Mars, and all of the steps that go with that....Such as entry and landing by passing through a Martian atmosphere, not to mention the idea that whatever lands HAS to have the ability to Launch off of a planet that does not have an on-site launching PAD, and then all of the other stuff to go along with it.
BUT! The timetable and the partisan politics that go along with it makes me weep. Neither Republican or Democrat are going to allow this to see fruition because either one will pull the financial backing for it for something on their own agenda somewhere down the road.
The worst part is that despite the issues faced, it's the best option we have available to us, since there isn't any private party currently capable or PROVEN to launch a person into space, whether it be a low-Earth Orbit, OR a deep space mission. So until they can prove that they can do it successfully and SAFELY....NASA and the government is our best option.
Well, that should be enough to whet some appetites for now. We'll see how well this does. Hopefully updates won't consist of:
July 28th.
Turkey Jerky. WTF?
August 19th
Tired. headache. Took 2 advil and STILL NOTHING....
November 30th....
I am SOOOOO tired of Britney Spears...
You get the idea. If it comes to that, beg me to kill this site.
My regards to you all.
Update: trying to figure out how to get the e-mail function to work, specifically how to get the system to pop up the e-mail address in a different window, rather than just displaying the e-mail address outright. Still some bugs to work out in this new forum.
