We are not amused....

The winter solstice finds us in conditions not very much like winter here in northeastern Wisconsin. The temperature finally plunged down to normal levels, but there's been no snow to speak of.

Something happened to one of my favorite websites, the Centre for the Easily Amused. You'll notice that's not a link. That's because as far as I can tell, the Centre is no more. I don't know what happened to it. If they had announced a move to some other URL, I wouldn't have known about it because I hadn't visited in so long. I don't know where I'm going to find my useless links from now on, aside from the occasional e-mail.

Betrothed....

Well, I went and did it: I'm finally engaged. I kept teasing Maryanne that I'd have to buy Crackerjack and find her a ring that way, so I hid the ring in a box of Crackerjack. You can imagine her surprise when she pulled the prize out of the box and found the ring inside. It was kind of amusing, really; she looked at the ring, then at me, then back to the ring, then back to me. Such excitement.

The weather is finally turning winter-like, with temperatures heading toward the freezing range. Now snow here as of yet, but I'm hoping for a white Christmas.

Something to think about....

Here's a holiday thought from Scott Adams' Dilbert Newsletter 39.0:

"I've written and rewritten this section a dozen times. My problem is that no matter how much I write, I keep condensing it down to the same thought: This holiday season, as we laugh and eat and shop and enjoy friends and family, our soldiers are in Afghanistan risking everything for us. Some of them won't come back. The rest will never be the same.

"Every one of them volunteered. They think we're worth it.

"Let's prove them right."

Unseasonable....

Thanks to some unseasonably warm weather, it seems more like spring than autumn. But in Wisconsin the weather can, and will, rapidly change.

We're exactly one week away from Thanksgiving. Which sets me to wondering why so many towns and cities are already putting up their Christmas decorations. I, for one, have always felt it appropriate to wait until after Thanksgiving to think about such things as Christmas decorations. While it is possible that many places have chosen to take advantage of the nice weather in their holiday fervor, my opinion is that they should have waited a week. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Into the unknown....

Autumn is truly upon us and Thanksgiving is fast approaching. The prelude to the holiday season has begun as people and businesses get serious about Christmas shopping. The days are shorter and the nights are longer. We head towards a new year with an uncertain future.

An anniversary....

Today marks the day that my girlfriend and I have been together two years. It's sometimes hard to believe I've spent two years of my life with the same woman, but there you have it. It's been wonderful. We attempted to celebrate it this past weekend, but events saw fit to louse up my plans. It was disappointing for both of us. Life's full of disappointments, but having the right person by your side makes it a lot easier.

Good times....

I had a wonderful weekend on Lake Wisconsin with my friends. We also saw Devil's Lake State Park and some of Wisconsin Dells. The weather was clear for the most part, and the autumn colors made for beautiful scenery in central Wisconsin. I'm sure the good company helped make it such an enjoyable time.

Don't call him Wesley....

Well, since this is the place for commentary, I guess I can comment on other things other than the news, and avoid cluttering up the rest of my website with inane babble. Right now I'd like to comment on Wil Wheaton's website, though I'm sure I can think of a better method of doing such things. Anyway, check out the site. It's actually pretty damn amusing, and has some interesting links.

A season of change....

Autumn will soon be officially upon us with the approaching autumnal equinox, and the change in season brings with it other changes, as well. The horrific events of September 11, 2001, have brought a somber mood to the United States, as well as feelings of anger and resolve. The events have, for the most part, united our nation, despite cowardly actions against Moslem Americans and disagreement on what actions should be taken. I do not envy those who must make the final decisions.

Time flies....

Labor Day weekend has come and gone, marking the unofficial end of summer. Students are returning to school, tourists are going home. Where does all the time go?

Happy Anniversary!

Today is my parents' 33rd wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary!

Live music....

On Saturday, August 25, my girlfriend and I attended the Black Crowes concert at Oneida Bingo & Casino in Green Bay. There was no opening act. The show started on time at 8 p.m. The band played a 2-hour set (2 hours!) before leaving the stage, then came back for a 10-minute encore. The show was definitely worth the money. The Black Crowes put on an excellent live show.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my (paternal) grandfather's birthday. Happy birthday, Grandpa!

Last night our family went to visit my grandfather in the nursing home. We brought my parents' puppies. It was nice. I think Grandpa enjoyed it.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my (paternal) grandmother's birthday. Happy birthday, Grandma!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my mother's birthday. Happy birthday, Mom!

In memoriam....

A website in memory of Jerry Sese has been created. You can find it at www.inmemoryofgeraldsese.org.

A matched pair....

My sister and I gave our father an early Fathers' Day gift: a rottweiler puppy. He liked it so much, he got another one himself. The pair are known as Wolfgang (Wolfie) and Bitte.

Older....

So here it is, my 24th birthday. I don't feel old. At least yet. Maybe later. No pun intended.

Time....

Today marks 18 months that I've been with my girlfriend. Wow. That's a long time. It doesn't seem that long, though. They've been 18 very wonderful months.

May is just around the corner. With it comes those May flowers, and my birthday. In eight days I'll be (gasp!) 24 years old. Where does the time go?

Easter miracle....

Well, it turned out those April showers brought not only April flooding, but on Easter Sunday it brought a stuck truck as well. My mother, hoping to take advantage of the nice weather, set out to dig up some grape vines. Driving through the field, she decided to take the low road instead of the high road, and it proved to be our undoing, as the mud captured the truck. Over an hour later we were still stuck. We were thankfully rescued by a 4x4 and a tow rope. Perhaps it was an Easter miracle.

"Water, water everywhere...."

"April showers bring May flowers." Well, not before April showers bring April flooding. Even around here, so close to Lake Michigan, there is flooding in low-lying areas as rivers and creeks swell and overflow their banks. I haven't seen a spring this wet in quite some time.

Equinox....

Spring is here. Astronomically anyway. It's my favorite season.

Little ones....

Congratulations to my friends Pauline and Narf for their expected child. It makes you feel old when your friends start having children!

Eulogy....

In loving memory of Gerald F. Sese... born to life December 5, 1972, born to eternal life February 26, 2001

You are not forgotten, loved one
Nor will you ever be,
As long as life and memory last
We will remember thee
We miss you now, our hearts are sore
As time goes by we'll miss you more
Your loving smile, your gentle face
No one can fill your vacant place.

Jerry was eulogized as a warrior: strong, loyal, dedicated, honest, sensible. He was dependable, a pillar to lean on. He may be gone from this world, but as long as we remember him he will live on in our hearts.

So long....

Jerry Sese passed away last night. The following is adapted from an e-mail by Zach Schmidt.

• Monday, 02-19: Jerry has been feeling sick for about a week, including headaches and fatigue.
  
• Tuesday, 02-20: Jerry is admitted into Columbia Hospital, Milwaukee, WI, and diagnosed with acute myelomic leukemia (AML).
  
• Wednesday, 02-21: Jerry is moved to Froedert Hospital, Milwaukee, WI, and a catheter is inserted for chemotherapy.
  
• Thursday, 02-22: Jerry is in good spirits, commenting on how cute the nurses are, and is actually looking forward to chemotherapy.
  
• Friday, 02-23: Jerry wakes up, vomits, and loses consciousness. He is rushed for a CT scan which shows a huge area of bleeding in the frontal lobe of his brain. ["We feel that at that point we lost him." - Zach] He has brain surgery to remove the bleeding and part of the brain. He becomes unresponsive and is put on a ventilator for the rest of the weekend. Family and friends visit all weekend, who have to go up in small groups because there are so many.
  
• Sunday, 02-25: Jerry carries a fever which when treated with Tylenol reaches 101° F; untreated Jerry's temperature spikes up to 110° F.
  
• Monday, 02-26: A chemical trace in Jerry's brain reveals brain death. The decision is made around 4:45 pm to turn off the ventilator. Zach later says, "Its with great sadness that we lost Jerry today.... His heart was so strong, it didn't want to stop beating. That guy never quits! THIS SUCKS! [sic] He didn't feel any pain, except for the vomiting, but we all know that he was no stranger to that after a night of Jack Daniels'. ...Let's... celebrate Jerry's life, and not grieve his death."
  

So it is with a heavy heart and teary eyes that I will say farewell to a man who despite his intimidating stature and demeanor was a wonderful person and a great friend, a man who always put his friends before himself. I am thankful to have known him. May he rest in a better place.

No biting!

The dog my father got for Christmas has been returned to the shelter from whence it came; the dog is a biter. The dog was willful to begin with, and had a tendency to not mind a person. Unfortunately, my parents found out the hard way just how willful it was.

A new season....

It's been almost two months since the last time I posted any news or commentary here. That's a long time, though with the holidays and whatnot in the middle of that, it went much faster than you might imagine. Or perhaps not.

In my boredom I decided to update this and tell all my readers (I hope I have some readers) that I went to the fine city of Waukesha on Saturday to see my friends from Carroll College. It was loads of fun, and it even provided me with two new quotations for the Quotation Page.

Tax season is also upon us. I've filled out all my forms all by myself. The next stop is to Xerox them for my records and send them off in the mail.