Life's Lessons

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in.

I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people are just assholes.

I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.

I've learned you can get by on charm for about 15 minutes. After that, you better have a big willy or huge boobs.

I've learned that you cannot compare yourself to others, they are more screwed up than you think.

I've learned you can keep vomiting long after you think you're finished.

I've learned we are responsible for what we do, unless we are celebrites.

I've learned that 99% of the time when something isn't working in your house, one of your kids did it.

I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away.

You gotta be kidding me

52-3? The Packers kicked the holy hell out of Saints in the most impressive overall team showing in many years. I don't think the Packers have ever had 3 passing TDs, 2 rushing and 2 defensive TD in the same game ever. BTW, I believe that regardless of the fantasy football league you are in, the Packers were the best unit to have. Not too often that phrase gets uttered, but it's nice to see every now and then. I'll have some more on the Packers over at The Tundra later on, but DAMN!!!

Bucky
Well, didn't really think they would go undefeated this season. The defense, which has been unbeatable in the 2nd half this year, got steamrolled for 4 straight TDs in the 3rd Q alone. This performance, combined with the big Gopher win against MI certainly makes this Saturday's game between UW and MN that much more intriguing. Also, I would like to say that Michael Hunt at the JS in Milwaukee is the biggest bandwagoner I have seen outside of the Twin Cities. This one performance and he is now questioning if Alvarez did the right thing by naming Bielema his successor. What a choad Hunt is.

Memories...

Camp Randall is an incredible place to watch a college football game. I have a lot of great memories such as the derisive chants between the student sections (O SUCKS!), cup wars and of course, "Jump Around". Even though the student section numbers about 14,000 out of the 80,231 capacity, they own the stadium and are the undisputed leaders in cheering and various forms of The Wave. The marching band is not something that people put up with at halftime. The UW marching band is one of the best in the country and is an integral part of the whole gameday experience as they put on an awesome show, along with the tuba players that travel among the crowd during the 3rd and 4th quarters. With the outdoor stadium and the sun shining on your face and the brisk autumn air, it represents what is right about college football. It's one of the best venues to watch a game at in the country, and it's not just a proud alum saying it. CNNSI in 2004 rated it as the #9 place for a college football game in the country and #1 in the Big Ten. With the recent renovations, the experience is only better. Without a doubt, the experiences this place provides is one of the crown jewel of the University.

My neighbor Shane recently asked me about how Camp Randall got its name. Camp Randall was a training ground for Civil War recruits. Approximately 70,000 recruits were trained here during the war. The camp was named after the governor of WI at the time, Alexander Randall. Eventually the University acquired the land, but kept the name of the camp for the area thus preserving and honoring the historical importance of what happened there.

The Badgers are on the road this week at Northwestern. This is the start of their schedule where they play4 of 5 games on the road. Northwestern has typically given them fits on the road, but not this year. Badgers should win this game by 14 points 34-20.

Links of the day

In a blatant steal from Shane at the Greet Machine (see link to his site on the right), I have decided to do a Links of the Day.

Here's one from Mark Attasasio thanking the fans for a great season. This guy is simply a class act and it's easy to see great success in the very near future for this club with him at the helm.

You gotta check out the Sausage Racers page. Just fantastic reading.

Did you know that the Packers nickname is the oldest in the NFL? It's true.

The Border Battle between WI and MN is back for it's 2nd season. There has been 7 new events added, and MN has a 40-20 lead currently. However, much like last year, the Goophs will choke and the Badgers will once again claim the title.

The Bucks are currently ranked #15 in ESPN's initial Power Rankings, playoffs for them this year are a sure bet.

News of the Wierd. You just gotta read it.

And finally, you knew this was going to be here.

Breaking News!

AP - On the heels of President Bush nominating his former personal attorney for the Supreme Court, the President has announced several other moves. His personal chef at his Texas ranch, Stacy Miller, will now be running the Department of Health and Human Services. His personal chiropractor, James Buhrat, will be the new head of the Department of Labor. The Department of Energy will now be run by his barber, Nathan Sledge and his former high school algebra teacher Nancy Cartwright, will be appointed the governor of Idaho. On the last appointment, the President said "I have very fond memories of Ms. Cartwright, even though I haven't spoken to her since high school, she'll do fine. Plus, Idaho's not all that important of a state anyway, so she's free to mess up."

On other news, I have my latest article atThe Frozen Tundra

My Wife Kicks Ass!

Rachel ran the 10 mile portion of the Twin Cities Marathon yesterday, and did awesome! I am incredibly proud of her as just 5 months ago, she was not even running. Just over a week ago, she hurt her ankle and she was unsure if she would be able to run. God certainly answered our prayers and helped her along the entire race. Her ankle did not hurt. God also put her best friend Molly right along side her and when Rachel thought she could not make it with a mile to go, Molly was there encouraging her to do it. Needless to say, her running this race was inspirational. I am incredibly proud of you Rachel!

Brewers
Well, the Brew Crew finished the season at .500. They did not beat the Twins so my prediction did not come true, but I'm still proud as hell of this team finishing 14 games higher than last season. They put this kind of improvement next season, that's 95 wins and contention for the division and certainly the playoffs. Good times are here for the Crew my friends. Looking forward to some more offseason moves by the best GM in the business, Doug Melvin, to get this team over the hump.

Badgers
Can Bielema make halftime adjustments or what? The Badgers have not been scored on in the 3rd Q and have given up 24 points in the 2nd half over 5 games this year. Wow. This team at times looked sloppy against Indiana, as I think they played down to the level of their opponent. The young, inexperienced defense made some glaring mental errors on the 2 TD passes by Indiana. That was to be expected, but they still won and that's the important thing. Only 8 more wins to a Rose Bowl championship.

Packers
Tonight is a big game for the Pack, one that I feel they must win. They have steadily improved their performance each week and hopefully this will culminate in a win tonight. Given that the division leader is still at 1 win, the Packers are far from out of the race with Detroit still being Detroit and the Vikings looking like the worst team in the division right now.

It's gonna be a good weekend

Sure, the Badgers are going to kick the snot out of Indiana tomorrow to go 5-0 on the season; the Brewers are going to take 2 of 3 from Pittsburgh and finish the season over .500, and I get to go apple picking with my kids tomorrow. The highlight of my weekend is that I get to attend the Twin Cities Marathon. The last point needs some explanation. My wife is running in the 10 mile portion for the first time. She has started running as part of her exercise routine and has lost a bunch of weight this summer, which was her main goal. She will admit herself that she never thought she could be a runner and has surprised herself how well she has done. I could not be more proud of her. I'll be there with my kids along the race course cheering her on and at the finish line. The rest of the sports world can be put on hold. I get to watch my wife complete the biggest personal accomplishment since we've been together for the last 10 years. That's what's going to be the best part of my weekend.

Mr. Crankbutt: 2 for 1 special

Mr. Crankbutt has decided to grace us with his presence after a long hiatus. Some issues have come up and he's had enough and must enlighten us with his wisdom.

Iowa Hawkeye Stadium
What the hell is this all about? So the visitors locker room is painted pink, what the hell is the friggin' big deal? This Jill Gaulding is simply looking for personal fame and notoriety, plain and simple. She says this is demeaning to women, pray tell how is that exactly? Are there pictures of naked women all around the locker room? Are there pornos being played on TV's throughout the locker room? Are the visiting team's women trainers required to dress in thong bikinis? Have there been any issues with the players treating women poorly as a direct or indirect result of being exposed to a pink room that they spend at most 5 hours in? There is nothing offensive about this. Is she now going after all the children's clothing makers for making the majority of little girls clothes pink? How about the nursery sets that are made, they must be offensive under this logic. What about Pepto Bismol? That's pink, it must be offensive to women. With all the things going on in life, her biggest issue is a damn pink room for football players.

Motorcycle convoys
Why is it that when a bunch of idiots on motorcycles get together, the rules of the road are no longer applicable? I'm going through my hometown, it's a small town of about 10,000. There is a small motorcycle rally going on. Upon reaching a 4 way stop intersection. I have to wait as the 36 motorcycles all ignore the stop sign and just go through the intersection. The worst part? The cops do nothing to stop this. Nothing! A convoy of classic cars do not have these same "rights" to ignore traffic laws. Cops would bust them in a heartbeat if 30 cars ran a stop sign. I keep seeing the stupid bumper stickers and billboards about how motorcycles have the same rights as cars. But if you get a couple of motorcyclists together, they have a license to ignore the traffic laws, with the full blessing of law enforcement. Now this is mostly to the non-crotch rocket variety of motorcycle that this applies to, mind you. Why this double standard is out there is beyond me. You get this many crotch rockets doing this and they are considered dangerous, but Harley riders are something to be admired? The cops want to let them do this, treat them like a funeral procession and have the cops escort them through town. This whole tolerance of their blatant disregard for the law is a joke.

Finally...

The Brewers get over .500 by winning 5 of their last 6. They get 2 more at home against the Reds, then finish the year on the road with a 3 game series at Pittsburgh, which has not been the kindest place for them over the years. I'm still confident they can go 3-2 over these games, giving them an 82-80 season. I know there are some fans that really don't care if they finish over .500 or not and that they want a team that can compete for the wild card or division title. I want this as well, but you gotta take the steps to get there. Mentally, this does a world of good for the team to accomplish this. Celebrate the accomplishments they acheive, just like one does with their kids. I know, I'm counting my chickens before they hatch, but dammit, I'm excited.

This morning it was dark and rainy here in the Twin Cities. To me, there is nothing better than waking up at 6:30am, hearing the rain, then going back to sleep for a little longer. I had one of my better drives in to work this morning. Rainy, cloudy days just do it for me as I'm going to be in a good mood for today. Unless some dumb-ass comes along at work here and ruins it...

All Tied Up

I said it 2 months ago that the Brewers would finish above .500 and with a better record than the Twins. Today, both teams are at .500 with 6 games to go. That's right, the "lowly" Brewers are dead even with the 3-time defending AL Central Champion "mighty" Twins. I know, the seasons not over yet, but I'm feeling pretty good about this. Brewer fans gotta love the Capellan-Turnbow combo for next season to close out games.

EDIT: I have my Packer report card over at The Frozen Tundra, feel free to comment there or here on it.

2 Out Of 3 Ain't Bad

Bucky
What a hell of a comeback against the Wolverines! There are just so many superlatives that can be said about Brian Calhoun. There is much said in the media that the Badgers are relying on him too much and he will wear down as the season goes on. Calhoun's response is that since he sat out last year, he should have plenty of energy this year. Love it. The defense once again comes through. This team is looking real good right now and should kick the crap out of Indiana this coming weekend. Only 9 more wins for a Rose Bowl victory!

Brewers
A nice series win against the Cardinals. They are guaranteed a 10 game increase in wins from last season already, with the probability of making it 15 by the end of the season. That would be huge for this organization that has nothing but upside right now.

Packers
A tough loss to a tough opponent. They had their chances to win, but for the first time in a very long time, Longwell did not come through. He is not completely to blame *cough* Favre's 3 picks *cough* though, there's enough of that to go around. I'll put some more thoughts down tomorrow at the Tundra.

Go Badgers!

Kick the Wolverines @$$!

Final Westwood Recap: Van Halen Edition

Tuesday night was our final game of the season against the Slackjawed Yokels and the anti-Westwoodie rules were in full effect to stave off our dominance. There was a white line drawn in the outfield that was about 40 feet from the infield and we could not Jump past that line into the deeper part of the outfield until the pitch was thrown. When informed of this, we asked "Where's the love?" The umpire simply replied "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love. Now get out there." Well, this new tactic was successful in the first inning as 2 balls were hit over CC's head in RF. The beloved Westwoodies came back in the bottom of the first when the offense became Unchained. The Westwoodies had hits all over the place and were free to Runaround the bases. There was Dancing in the Street over this 11 run outburst. The Yokels were Black And Blue from diving after the sharply hit balls. It was a close contest the rest of the way as the score was tied going into the bottom of the 7th. The umpire then yelled "Right Now, per Panama rules, all 14 Yokels can play in the field!" The crowd was livid as were the Westwoodies. Needless to say, the game ended in a tie as the time limit expired. The Yokels shouted "Finish What Ya Started!" But even the umpire could not continue the game as another game had to start. Just then, the Ice Cream Man came by and the crowd cheered. A large line formed as Everybody Wants Some. Our captain asked me if I was going to have any. I stated that I'll Wait as I have some Poundcake at home.

So our last game ended in a tie, but we still won the fall league season with a 5-0-1 record. Overall our team went 16-8-1 including the summer league and tournaments. Your very own CC batting stats were a .597 avg and an slugging percentage of .708 with 23 RBI. I gotta work on my power hitting for next year. Maybe a hitting instructor would be good, maybe Team USA's women softball phenom Jenny Finch could help? Definately Hot For Teacher then. Oh man, my wife's gonna kill me for this one...

Grog Blog

With the strike finally over, Grog is back to bringing his road report for the Brewers. This is Grog's next to last report as the Brewers will be ending the season with only 1 more road trip to Pitts as the next 9 games are all at home. As I stated a few days ago, Grog apparently knows something about the latest meltdown in Houston. Let's see what he has to say.

Arizona
Why stupid Cheesehead send Grog to middle of Arizona in summer? Grog too hot there. Grog watching game and beer evaporate from mug it so hot. It so hot Grog even have camel ask him for drink. It so hot Grog even see car melt in parking lot. It so hot Grog get brats raw at stand, by time get to seat they cooked. It so hot... All right Grog, that's enough!

Houston
Grog was so happy to get out of Arizona and with Brewer 14-2 win, Grog go out drinking before first game in Houston. Grog walking to ballpark when see pretty black cat. Grog lure cat to him with leftover chicken wing, catch cat and have good snack. Old lady scream at Grog that it her cat. Lady see Brewer jersey on Grog and curse Brewers that will not win any games in Houston. Grog not know that cat belong to voodoo lady from Bayou. She there because of hurricane. Sorry guys, my fault Brewers do so bad.

Silver Linings

Once again I have my Packer musings over at The Frozen Tundra for your viewing pleasure. You can click the title of this post to be beamed over there, or the link in the previous sentence.

Bad link of the day
Whatever you do, don't click on this link. I mean it! It's simply too much! I cannot believe that I am even putting this on my site!

Billy Idol Rocks!

If you are wondering about today's blog title and confused, I will happily explain. On Friday, I was informed by Jack FM that I had won 2 Billy Idol tickets for his show at 8pm at the Myth nightclub. At first I wasn't sure if I was going to go, but after getting my friend Owen to go with me, I was glad I did. Idol played for about 1.5 hours and the show was awesome. The man can still bring it at 50 years old and the crowd was into the show the entire time. Obviously, the 80's hits were the most cheered for, but his new stuff was pretty good also. The place exploded when he yelled "Are you ready for your Rebel Yell!!!" He turned this into an 8 minute version of the song. I thought that the show had reached it's climax at that point. Then Owen reminded me that "Mony Mony" had not been played yet. Billy saved this 12-15 minute jam session for the last song. It started out with a great drum solo with a fantastic guitar duel in the middle. Hey, I know he's not The Boss, but dammit, it was a kick-ass show.

Edit: I forgot to add that this outstanding night was capped off by a run to White Castle.

Brew Crew
They sure picked a crappy time for the offense to go away. That was one ugly hitting series against Houston. Rumor is Grog knows something about it. We'll have to wait and see.

Bucky F'n Badger
A very tough win on Saturday against North Carolina. The Tar Heels have a darn impressive defense and had several opportunites to win this game. The Badger defense was up to the task and held the Heels to 3 points on offense. They beat the living daylights out of their QB and sent a message to their opponents that this defense is for real. There was a lot of speculation in the offseason that the Badger defense was not going to be very good this year given they lost 8 starters including all 4 of thier DL (all NFL draftees). Bielma's done a hell of a job with this unit and it makes me so happy that he will be succeeding Alvarez after this season. This Saturday's game against MI is going to be outstanding.

Tomorrow you can check out my thoughts on the Packer game over at The Frozen Tundra.

The Fab Five

It's back! The fun part of this blog where I get to see what other blogs in Bloggerdom are out there (so you don't have to) and as always, make fun of them. I'm currently on some good allergy meds so I'm feeling gooooooood.

You're My Everything
Deep thoughts from a highschooler. You know like "what if we're just an atom on some giant's fingernail". Also, who knew song lyrics were so deep and meaningful, espcially from bands nobody has heard of... Wow man... Oh, and the music that plays is like something from an 80's Commodore 64 game.

Suicide No Diet
This guy claims that he has a lot in common with Winston Churchill, but also has just finished watching all 9 seasons of the X-Files and is proud of it. Let's see: one one hand one of the great world leaders and diplomats of all time and on the other, a guy who cannot wait for an anal probe so that he can meet Scully. I can see the connection.

Bad Beats Happen
A poker blog. A very detailed minute-by-minute blog about this guy's last game. I thought golf on TV was boring. Reading about someone playing poker, no analysis, just card-by-card just about ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Acushnet Junior High School Class Reunion
Yep, a site about a Junior High class reunion. I mean come on! I can understand high school reunions and even college ones, but junior high? Who seriously gives a flip about someone from back in 7th grade? If you gotta go back that far for glory days, you need help.

Passez Dans Ma Tete
A French blog zat iz zo vundervel. Zere iz this how you say, man, who lives in ze Quebec, Canada. He haz theez pic-chair of Brad Pitt from ze Fight Club and when he cannot sleep, he theenks of him. Whuh unh unh..

Packers
I got my new article over on the The Frozen Tundra, it's not much, just the Packers/Browns preview and prediction, so enjoy.

Brew Crew
The Brewers laid some wood on the Diamondbacks to get back to .500 with a 14-2 whipping. You can just feel that they are going to finish with a winning record for the year.

F 'em Bucky!
The Badgers travel to North Carolina this weekend to face the Tar Heels. The game will not be the blowout last week was, but they should still handily win and continue their march to a Big 10 championship and the Rose Bowl.

Top 10 list of the day

10 things to say when caught sleeping at your desk.

10. "They told me at the Blood Bank this might happen."
9. This is just a 15 minute power nap they raved about in the time management course you sent me to."
8. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the Whiteout. You probably got here just in time."
7. "I wasn't sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new business strategy."
6. "I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance."
5. "I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress. Are you discriminatory toward people who practice Yoga?"
4. "Darn! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out how to handle that big accounting problem."
3. "Did you ever notice sound coming out of these keyboards when you put your ear down real close?"
2. "Who put decaf in the wrong pot?!?"
1. Raise your head slowly and say, "...in Jesus name, Amen."

Brew Crew
Tough loss last night in 12 innings for the Brewers as they failed again to get over the .500 mark. Taking today's game will get them with the series win and back to .500. Just win the series the rest of the way out, and I'll be happy.

.500!

It's been a while, but the Brewers are back at .500. I know that there are some out there in MN who do not think this is much of an accomplishment. For the Brewers, it is. With 18 games left, they have a great shot at finishing above .500 for the first time since Bush Sr. was president, Rubix cubes were cool and Brett Favre was on the Falcons. In fact, I don't think the Brewers have been over .500 since Brett's been a Packer. That's amazing.

Flag Football

Go ahead and click on the title of this post and that will magically take you to the land of The Frozen Tundra where you can read my lastest Packer musings.