Ruined

This was my problem with high school English classes.

Mood: Bemused
Music: none

American Wannabes

We're going to be subjected to six more seasons of this crap?

Mood: Disgusted
Music: none

Lost Opportunities

The Packers found another way to lose yesterday, turning the ball over five times. You can't win a football game that way.

The defense continues to play at an acceptable level. There aren't any real stars on it, at least not yet, but Coach Bates seems to be getting the job done.

The culprit continues to be the offense. While they were able to get a bit of a running game going, fumbles and interceptions caused a number of good drives to come to a halt.

I'll continue to watch them, to see what they accomplish the rest of the season. But at 2-9, there's no chance of even a .500 season.

In somewhat better news, Maryanne and I went up north to have Thanksgiving with Mom. There were six of us in all, a little shy of the days when we had at least eight. We stayed with Adam and Sammie, though, and got a chance to see Jesse and Barret and Jenny. We had to cut the weekend short, though, and return on Friday in time for Maryanne's doctor appointment.

We left Door County around eleven, and thought we'd have plenty of time to get to Madison. Around Beaver Dam it began snowing in earnest, but once we reached Sun Prairie we thought we'd still have plenty of time to get to St. Mary's hospital not only in time for the appointment, but to get a quick snack as well. Once we reached I-90 our plans changed though. Between the Interstate and the Park Street exit off the beltline we saw at least eight accidents. It should have taken us at most 30 minutes to cover this distance. However, it took us over forty-five, and Maryanne was actually late for her appointment.

I've always thought that Madison drivers were idiots. Apparently it doesn't take much snow to turn them into even bigger idiots.

Mood: Disappointed
Music: Electric Light Orchestra: "Jungle"

No Surprise

Is it sad that I wish my score was higher?

Mood: Wondering
Music: Procol Harum: "Whisky Train"

Down

This article about sums up last night's debacle at Lambeau.

Last night's game was pretty indicative of the season. The defense continues to play fairly well as a unit. They don't generate many turnovers, unfortunately, and a couple of big penalties were very costly. Still, they can't be faulted for the loss, as they were on the field so long during the second half, and were obviously tired.

The offense continues to be anemic without some big play makers at some of the skilled positions. The lack of an effective running game is putting too much pressure on Favre, and he's been trying to do too much, resulting in a lot of interceptions. With Green and Davenport out, their best backs are Fisher and Gado, who haven't been producing big numbers. I think this goes back to the loss of Rivera and Wahle to free agency. I think they should have at least tried to hold on the Wahle. He only has one bad knee opposed to Rivera's two, and is several years younger.

At this point, the Packers are 2-8; they'll have to win out the rest of the season just to break even, and with Chicago playing fairly well, I don't see that happening. The team continues to be optimistic despite the obvious. I think Mike Sherman deserves some credit for keeping the locker room together in spite of disappointed players, disgruntled fans, and scathing media.

I think we're watching Favre's first losing season in Green Bay, and the only light at the end may be the draft picks come spring.

Mood: Disappointed
Music: Led Zeppelin: "I Can't Quit You Baby"

War on Brats

This interesting article is very thought-provoking. Right now I'm inclined to side with the business owner. I'm not sure if that opinion would change once I become a parent myself, though. I understand parents who want to have a nice family outing. I have no sympathy, though, for elitist power couples who think they are superior or entitled, and let their children run rampant with no attempt at discipline.

I've seen these kind of people. A couple years ago, Maryanne and I went to brunch at Cherry Hills in Door County. At a nearby table was an older mother with some young children, the youngest of which looked to be four or five. He was running around the dining room, crawling under the tables (including ours), and otherwise being annoying. Part of the problem was that he was being treated like a two-year-old: his mother offered him a bite of her omelette, asking if he wanted a "bit of eggie."

Growing up, there was never a place that my parents needed to be so badly that they wouldn't leave if my sister or I acted like this.

In a situation like this, as a person currently without children, I try to look at the age of the child before passing judgment. Infants and very young children can't be expected to be absolutely quiet. However, there reaches an age where children can be held to a certain standard of behavior. When their parents fail to discipline them and hold them to this behavior, it seriously affects my ability to enjoy myself.

One of the mothers in the article stated, "You go to a coffee shop or a bakery for a rest, to relax, and that you would have to worry the whole time about your child doing something that children do -- really what they're saying is they don't welcome children, they want the child to behave like an adult.' "

It would appear that she fails to understand that the undisciplined child is preventing the other customers from resting and relaxing. Any adult with common sense will know that kids are kids, and can't be expected to behave like an adult. However, children should be expected to act their age, and act appropriately in a public place.

Mood: Annoyed
Music: Badfinger: "No Matter What"

Signs

Yesterday Maryanne and I tried to get some Christmas shopping done, but the day started out with a trip to Sam's Club. Now, I don't mean to stereotype the people who shop at Sam's Club. I'm sure there's all kinds of people who go there, and for some it's a good place to shop. However, comparing some of the prices there, many of their items are not really that much of a bargain. I can get the same prices, if not better, at the local Pick 'n Save. We picked up a few things, but only things that were actually cheaper than at the grocery store.

Of all the observations I made there, I think one sums up the experience the best. We were heading to the checkout aisles, where some of the aisles are marked for flatbed carts only. A guy, who as it turns out is involved with a catering company, pulls into one of these aisles with his flatbed cart. Ahead of him are two other customers, each with their own cart-- regular carts.

I don't know if this is a greater commentary on the customers who shop at Sam's Club, or the people that work there.

Mood: Snippy
Music: Alice in Chains: "Sea of Sorrow"

Get Your Own!

The governors of the Great Lakes states want to form a compact regarding who can use water from the Great Lakes and who can't. Check out this article for more on this story.

Mood: Intrigued
Music: Heart: "Crazy on You"

Revealed

Well, well, well.

White

Today we got the first snow of the season. Nothing significant, at least around this area, but it's still snow. I feel it's a little early for it, but things could be far worse. I've seen snow as early as October and as late as May.

I'm not particularly fond of the snow and cold, but I do enjoy a white Christmas, and am fairly used to the prospect of a white Thanksgiving, as well.

What we've gotten today won't last, though. In a couple of days it will warm up enough that any accumulation will melt.

Mood: Ambivalent
Music: Van Halen: "Runaround"

From Art to Propaganda

I found this interesting poster collection courtesy of James Lileks. There are some truly artistic examples, such as this one and this one. There are also some apropos eco-political statements such as this psychedelic-inspired one, and this ironic one.

Unfortunately, though, it didn't take long for the finger pointing to begin, producing such purely political diatribes such as this one and this one.

Mood: Critical
Music: none

Onward

Autumn continues to wend its way onward. This morning was brisk, and there was a fairly heavy frost on the windshields this morning. I decided it was time to put the liner in my jacket.

I'm well over 11,000 hits on the site now. I continue to average about a thousand hits to the site per year. I'm glad to see that I'm getting some traffic, though more wold be nice.

Maryanne's due date is only about two months away now. I don't think it's time to panic. Hopefully there won't come a time to panic. I'm no longer feeling apprehensive about it. At times I'm excited, and at other times I'm nervous. While I'm sure it's all perfectly normal, that doesn't make me feel much better.

Mood: Reflective
Music: April Wine: "Roller"

W

So the Green and Gold got a much-needed win today against a statistically better team. But today's game shows that there's more to football than just the statistics, and throughout the season it's been apparent to me that the Packers were a much better team than their record suggested.

Mood: Pleased
Music: Iron Butterfly: "Stone Believer"

Disappointing Ends

Today wasn't nearly as productive as Maryanne and I would have liked. We had a lot of things we wanted to do today, but I think we only got a small number of them completed. We got a late start, and then rain set in, putting a damper on the rest of the plans for the late afternoon.

It allowed me to watch three quarters of the Badger game, though. They started out well enough, but couldn't keep things moving. I was hoping they'd get a win in Barry Alvarez's last home game as head coach. Sadly, they didn't, but Alvarez still deserves a lot of credit for his coaching success at the University of Wisconsin.

Mood: Disappointed
Music: Tonic: "You Wanted More"

Indisputable Evidence

A long while back I had posted about a guy by the name of Steven Avery who had been freed from prison in 2003 when DNA evidence cleared him of a conviction for an assault. He had been in prison for 18 years, which brought about a fairly high-profile case when he sought compensation over that provided by the state for his imprisonment.

Now, he's back in jail on charges, but may also be implicated in a recent homicide case. For the second time in his life, his freedom depends on the results of a DNA test.

Mood: Contemplative
Music: ZZ Top: "Just Got Paid"

Obligatory

Maryanne was pestering me, wondering why I never post about the baby. I replied that if she was so concerned about it, then she could post about the baby in her blog. She didn't like that so much.

Anyhow, I believe I've mentioned something here in the past about our impending parenthood, if not exactly explicitly. So now, lest Maryanne start haranguing me again, I'm here to produce an official baby post. Yes, Maryanne is pregnant with our first child, due in the middle of January. It's a girl, and our top choices for names are Adelia Mae and Sarah Elizabeth. I'm more fond of the former, while Maryanne's first choice is the latter. Her reason is that while she likes the nickname Addie, she doesn't so much like the sound of Addie Anschutz. I think that's a pretty silly reason.

Preparations are thus underway for the new addition to our family. So far we have acquired a stroller, car seat, crib, and a few other sundries, but we are far from having everything we need. We've registered at Target and at Burlington Coat Factory. I think Maryanne's going to end up with at least two showers, which is fine by me.

Mood: Snarky
Music: Uriah Heep: "Gypsy"

Honest

So the next book I've chosen for my reading pleasure is Roughing It by Mark Twain. I've already started it, and it promises to be very interesting. While it's not a work of fiction, Twain's writing ability has already shone through, at times humorous, at times biting, at times serious, but always entertaining.

This particular edition was published by Reader's Digest. While the cover looks like leather, I suspect it is not, though it is quite nice, being quarter bound in two different colors: tan, with a deep red-brown along the spine. It's also illustrated with drawings and woodcuts by "eminent artists." We'll see if I can tell who they turn out to be.

Having now read a number of Twain's works, I can see why he is considered by many to be one of the great American writers. Indeed, I think it can be said that Twain's works are a commendable contribution to Western literature in general. He was a brilliant writer, being observant, thoughtful, and (sometimes brutally) honest.

Mood: Reverent
Music: The Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Killing Floor"

Double Standard

I'm sure Title IX was never intended to cause a mess like this.

The Way to a Man's Heart

Now if only I could get Maryanne to do something like this.

Unresolved

Today I finished Knife of Dreams. It was good, with enough excitement to draw you in. It wasn't as satisfying as I would have liked, though. While it didn't introduce many more plot lines, and indeed advanced quite a few, it didn't really resolve a whole lot. It was easy to see, though, that many of the plot lines are heading in the right direction, leading some portions to seem almost --almost-- predictable. Still, it will be interesting to see how Jordan manages to wrap everything up in the twelfth and final book of the series.

I don't know what will be next. I didn't bring anything else with me today, unfortunately, forgetting that I was nearly done as of last Friday. Tomorrow we'll find out what will be next.

Mood: Undecided
Music: none

Frustrating

I've been putting a modicum of thought into getting a small carrying case for my MP3 player, something to keep it and its accessories together in case I want to use it any place other than the gym. I looked at what's available at Target, but nothing really struck me as being a must-have. I searched the web today, checking a few sites, and was disgusted by the fact that almost all MP3 player accessories are for the iPod.

I don't have an iPod. I'll never have an iPod. The iPod has an aura about it that rubs me the wrong way, and I'd much prefer to continue using some MP3 player designed more for Windows users, something that supports the WMV format. What's not to like about a format that provides all the quality in half the file size?

Mood: Frustrated
Music: Collective Soul: "Where the River Flows"

Cheese Turnover

The Packers lost again today, dropping to a dismal 1-and-7 record. The story of the game was turnovers. They had many of them, and each of them were costly, as Pittsburgh was able to capitalize on everyone and score 17 points as a direct result.

There were some bright spots, but all too few. The defense is starting to gel, thought the offense is unfortunately prone to unraveling due to the absence of many starts. Their new running back, Samkon Gado, was quite impressive. If he can continue to perform as he has, especially if he helps contribute to a win, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ahman Green cut.

Mood: Irritated
Music: The Eagles: "Heartache Tonight"

Name that Tune

I've been taking my MP3 player to work with me, so I have some tunes to listen to during my lunch, especially if the weather is pleasant enough to go outside for a walk. It's done the job, making the time a little more enjoyable. Some of the songs, though, remind me of my college days, and indeed have made me think about my relationship with music in general. There are a lot of songs, sometimes entire albums, that I associate with certain events or times in my life. They make me think about things that maybe I shouldn't, wondering how my life would be if some things had happened differently.

It's said that smell is the sense most strongly tied to memory. There are times when I agree with that. But I also wonder where music fits into the picture. Certainly my love of music has an influence on my life, and therefore on my memory, and the two are closely tied together. One will trigger the other.

Ever since high school, if not earlier, there would be time when certain things would jog my memory and put a song in my head. I don't mean just hearing a snippet of a song, or thinking you hear the song, or hearing or reading the lyrics. Sometimes things that are seemingly unrelated will do the same thing.

An excellent and current example is the book I'm currently reading, Knife of Dreams. For some reason it makes me think of Street of Dreams by Rainbow.

Likewise, As I Lay Dying by Faulkner would frequently make me think of In My Time of Dying by Led Zeppelin. And I've never even read the book.

Stuff like this happens to me all the time. It confuses Maryanne to no end. She's pretty much given up on asking me how I get from Point A to Point B.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Joe Cocker: "Cry Me a River"

Unusual

We've had some unseasonably warm weather for a couple days now. Yesterday we broke into the low 60s, while today it's predicted we'll hit the high 60s. The sunshine and warm weather are certainly nice, but it's a bit unusual for this time of year, to say the least.

Mood: Ambivalent
Music: none

Schneider

I spent a four-day weekend out of town, driving to Mom's on Saturday and returning yesterday. Maryanne was unable to get any time off, and thus stayed home. The purpose of the trip was to assist in moving my paternal grandmother from an assisted living facility to a nursing home. We were able to get most of the tasks for that accomplished while I was there, and the remaining tasks could be done without me.

Halloween night there was a card game. I didn't do well, losing $9.75, but it was a lot of fun, since it had been so long since we'd had a card game like that.