No comment....

As you can see, comments are down again. I may be seeking alternatives to third-party providers. My apologies to those who have left comments.

Not helping the issue....

It's hard for me to respond to this without seeming extremely anti-Catholic. On one hand you have Bishop Burke doing his job, doing what he's appointed to do. On the other hand you have politicians doing their jobs, doing what they're elected to do. Politics and religion rarely mix, a fact the founding fathers knew and understood well when drafting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. While Catholic doctrine prohibits abortion and euthanasia (and I'm not here to debate those particular issues at this time), politicians have a duty to represent their constituents, and would not be doing so for long if they were to vote against those they represent.

Bishop Burke is certainly entitled to do his job as he sees fit, and to be concerned about the spiritual welfare of these politicians. However, he's certainly not doing them any favors by denying them one of the most important Christian sacraments, a sacrament recognized by all Christian denominations.

Downhill....

On January 5, William Bunch, columnist for the the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote this column in anticipation of Sunday's NFL Divisional playoff game in which the Packers visit the Eagles. It was tongue-in-cheek, of course, featuring some good-natured if biting ribbing. Tom Perry, of the Green Bay Press-Gazette responded in like fashion with his own column. Sadly, senses of humor were lacking all around, as exhibited by these e-mails sent to Perry by readers of the PDN. Perry did his best to smooth things over with humor in this latest attempt. An article from the GBPG chronicles the rapid degeneration of what should have been a friendly exchange of trash-talk.

Alert! Alert!

Do you ever wonder what the current terror level is? I know I do. But I don't lose any sleep over it, because I know I can always check it out here and here.

My compass is broken....

Check out this interesting article about Earth's magnetic field. Here comes the science.

Team spirit....

Now if only I had a Green Bay Packers polo shirt for Friday.

Insightful....

It turns out Boomer Esiason is a pretty bright guy. If you don't believe me, just read this column.

Gratitude....

For those of you who might doubt that Green Bay Packers fans are the best around, just read this.

Something's fishy....

This is a good story for the holidays. It also makes you stop and think about where our priorities, as a nation, might be.

Part of this complete breakfast....

This is the kind of thing Maryanne would beat me for if I did it. Nonetheless, I find it amusing, and she probably will too, since someone else did it.

At what cost?

The disturbing story behind the Evil Empire. This is the reason I avoid Wal-Mart like the plague.

Comments....

Well, it turns out the free blog comment provider I had tried, though easy to use, is unreliable, and a mere day or two after setting up the feature, their site is already down. That does not bode well, so I switched providers to BlogSpeak, who I'm hoping will be more reliable. Since Maryanne was the only one having left any comments on the site, I'm not overly concerned with the loss of her two comments (Sorry!). Hopefully this new host will be more reliable, and I can look forward to some more active commenting here.

Apologies....

It's a couple weeks old now, but this Op/Ed piece is one of the best I've read in a while.

It doesn't quack....

What noise does a platypus make? It doesn't matter: they have radar.

Idle hands....

Some people have too much time on their hands, and then we end up with stuff like this.

Silly....

Speaking of whack-jobs....

Now arriving: comments....

As you can see (or maybe not), I've added a comment feature to the blog. It's provided by a third-party vendor, called BlogOut, and is a free service. If you don't like it, then you can come up with an alternative for me.

Happy holidays!

A little twisted humor just in time for the holidays.

Full of surprises....

It turns out my windshield did have to be replaced, at a cost of $300-some dollars. It turns out Klein-Dickert is pretty cool, though. The part was in stock, and we were able to get it fixed right away.

Much of our weekend was spent doing some Christmas shopping. Did you know it's nigh on impossible to find desk lamps with a polished-brass finish? Or that it's equally difficult to find a bathroom towel rack in an antique-brass finish? It's all chrome and brushed nickel these days.

Saturday night there was a surprise birthday party for Maryanne's friend Kim, who was turning 30. She was surprised. It was an interesting evening that included silly string, marshmallows, flashing, and a little bit of pyromania. Thank God there were some other guys there.

Cracked view....

Somehow I developed a crack in my windshield. I reported it today, and made an appointment to have it fixed tomorrow morning. But between the time I left home this morning and the time I got home this afternoon, the crack had grown. I'm not very optimistic that it's going to be able to be fixed, and I'm wondering instead of my windshield will have to be replaced entirely.

I have no idea what caused the crack. I don't recall anything hitting my windshield hard enough to do it. I suspect the crack has been there for a while, and the rain turning to snow we got earlier this week caused it to grow.

Surfing...

Personal Web surfing at work can be beneficial. Here comes the science.

Geeky Christmas....

Christmas gift ideas for the nerd in your life, brought to you by the good people at Wired. Geek factor: high.

Changed the world....

Monty Python's Flying Circus: "the Beatles of Comedy."

Grammar....

Check your grammar skills. I'm sure few will be surprised to learn I got 10 out of 10.

"Neither rain, nor sleet, nor dark of night..."

...Nor a massive snowstorm could keep these sisters from Lambeau Field.

This is most certainly true....

This might be interesting to see.

Strange things are happening....

Wackiness is almost sure to ensue when Mormons are involved.

Crossing a line....

Apparently this guy hasn't heard about separation of church and state.

Behold the power of cheese....

Yet another example of geeks with too much time on their hands.

Bully tactics....

Whack-jobs aren't only found with PETA, but this guy's from California, and that's good enough for me.

Gobble, gobble!

As Thanksgivings go, Thanksgiving 2003 was probably somehow the most organized in a long time, considering all that went wrong.

Maryanne and I arrived Wednesday night, but later than we would have liked. Caly's Blazer was in Mom's driveway, and we were greeted by the smell of cooking. It smelled like steak to me, but when we got inside we learned that Caly's pumpkin cheesecake had leaked all over the upper oven, proving that Mom's smoke detector did indeed work. Because of the buttery, smoky mess in the upper oven, Mom decided to run the cleaning cycle. With instruction manual in hand she started pressing buttons. The upper oven locked, and we set it on its merry way.

The next morning we discovered that the oven was still locked and without power. Resetting breakers did nothing to help, and we soon discovered we had to find another way to roast two turkeys.

One was done on the Weber kettle grill, while Caly came and picked up the other and cooked it at her house. With the dressing cooked on the gas grill, everything came together quite nicely.

What is your quest?

Another example of what happens when people have too much time on their hands. Geek factor: high.

Pop!

How can you hate Microsoft when they want to do something like this? Ironically, this article generates a pop-up.

Just not right....

I find this rather disturbing.

A scientific basis....

Here comes the science! Texas lays the smack down and makes a stand on education.

Payback....

This is fucking awesome.

Update....

After doing some "exploring," it looks like AmFam's web filter blocks anything that might be considered edgy. I wonder how edgy this blog would have to become before my own site got blocked?

Laugh at yourself....

I love a company that doesn't take itself too seriously and still makes a damn fine product. Read what other people have to say about them here.

The Web Gestapo....

Well, whoever does the web filtering for American Family Insurance has once again turned into the Web Gestapo. Most recently, they've blocked web comics such as Red Meat and Twisted Kaiju Theater. They also seem to be waffling on The Onion- some days it's open, some days it's blocked.

Clichés....

Well, this is interesting.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Nerzhin and Pauline Santiago on the birth of their new son, Collin Gerald. He was born on Friday, October 31, 2003.

Pauline's water broke around 2 a.m. that morning, and called Maryanne and me. Maryanne met Pauline at the hospital, and waited for Nerzhin to arrive from his Army Reserve duties. Maryanne left the hospital around 6 a.m. and went straight to work.

The two of us picked up Amy and Luke after work Friday, and we went to see them in the hospital. Everyone was doing well, though Pauline was a bit grumpy since she wasn't given an epidural. Afterwards, the four of us had dinner at El Pastor.

The next day Maryanne and I got to drive to Minnesota for a wedding. We missed the ceremony due to detours, but the reception was nice. It was a bit crowded, and the food was fantastic. It could have been much worse, being in the middle of Vikings country, but thankfully the bride's family was from Green Bay. Sunday we were able to see Jenny and Gene, as well as Jenny's brother Zach, who just graduated from Army boot camp.

Speaking of Green Bay... how 'bout them Packers?

P.C. is P.U.

The bane of political correctness strikes again.

Bad timing....

The whack-jobs from PETA are in the news again. Eat more chicken.

The truth....

Educators lay the smack down on whack-jobs like PETA.

Irony....

Free speech takes a hit in an incredibly ironic incident at Hampton University.

Utter chaos!

Our friends Barret and Jenny were married on Saturday. Since I was one of the ushers, it was a long weekend for Maryanne and me. We drove down to the God-forsaken land of Illinois on Friday, and had a pleasant drive for the most part. We shared a hotel room with Adam and Sammie, and then drove to Evanston for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, in what actually may have been the most fun day of the weekend.

Saturday was a bit chaotic. Maryanne and I still had to get a wedding present, so the four of us piled into the car and drove to the nearby mall where we were able to find something. After taking care of these errands, we had lunch at On the Border.

On the Border is a chain of Mexican restaurants, and as such won't be reviewed on my restaurant page. Let's just say I wouldn't visit again, and part of me wishes we had ended up at KFC like we had though about doing. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, but it was far from authentic, and the prices were a little steep for Mexican food.

The rest of the afternoon was far more chaotic. The shuttle service offered by the hotel to drive us to the ceremony site was increasingly behind schedule, causing the ceremony to be delayed and Jenny's personal assistant, Sheryl, who was overseeing the wedding, turned into some kind of psycho. Thankfully things relaxed a bit following the ceremony, as the reception that followed was a great improvement. We were even able to see Greg and Jeneen, and congratulated them on their forthcoming child.

Sunday was little better, as it took us 30 minutes longer than it should have to find the restaurant for brunch.

God, how I hate Illinois.

Anyway...

Congratulations to Barret and Jenny!

A true fan....

Reading news on the web today, I found this:

Packer Report,

I'm a West Michigan Packer Backer and darn proud of it! I'm also tired of hearing Packer fans across the country saying "we don't have this" and Favre needs that! We can't have an all pro at every position! I will defend Mike Sherman to the end! He is one of the best coaches in the league. Although we lost to KC in OT, there are many positives to take out of this game, like the defense blocking a field goal, Priest Holmes being shut down, and Nick Barnett looking like the defensive rookie of the year!

When a team gets a lead it is easy to let your guard down and I believe this young defense will rebound just fine! I didn't hear anyone complaining about Ahman's two TD's and 100+ yards rushing or Favre's brilliant passing while we were up 31 - 14! But as I am typing this letter, I'm sure there is a so called fan out there typing another downgrading of a fine football team. The defense will learn from this and Sharper was one play away from this game having a whole different ending! Fumbles and tipped balls are part of the game and I am sure this team will be in the thick of things at the end of this season! I'll be there with them!

Mike (Packman) Kathan, Holton, MI.

I'm grateful there are some other die-hard fans out there that will support the Packers like I do through thick and thin.

Hard to swallow....

What looked like a certain victory for the Packers, one they so very needed against a 5-0 Kansas City team, turned instead into a mind-numbing overtime loss that again exposed the defense's glaring weaknesses. The lack of an effective pass rush by the defensive line has haunted the Packers for a while now, and yesterday it showed itself again.

Bizarre....

I found this very bizarre but quite entertaining.

Irresponsible!

This is very disturbing.

Surprise!

This is just too cool for words.

Head east....

Some people have way too much time on their hands, and then we end up with stuff like this.

Orwellian....

Followup: Not only is Fark blocked here at AmFam, but so are The Onion, and Rather Good. It's turning into freaking 1984 around here. I'm wondering if I should starting calling the the people a Information Security the Information Gestapo, instead.

No answers....

Today I discovered the vendor that provides website blocking for American Family Insurance has for some reason blocked Fark. I'm so disappointed....

It makes me think about a meeting we had some time ago, presented by the Information Security people. When we were discussing blocked websites, it was mentioned that sites that were inappropriate for work would be blocked. I, of course, asked who decided if a site was inappropriate. They never did give me a straight answer.

Return to sender....

So today I got some e-mail from a nice gentleman by the name of Dave Mayfield who was looking for a good place in northeast Wisconsin to get a brat. I tried to reply to him, but somehow his e-mail address got garbled in his message, which was submitted from this website.

So Dave, if you read this, please e-mail again and include your e-mail address in the body of your message. I have a nice long reply sitting in my mailbox for you!

Happy Anniversary!

Today Maryanne and I have officially been married for one year. It's been great. We celebrated Friday, though, spending some time up in the Dells before sharing a nice dinner at Delmonico's here in Madison. I look forward to many more such celebrations.

Delmonico's was interesting. You'll find more here on my restaurant reviews page, but I'll add a little bit here in my blog. The place was beautiful, but noisy, which made it difficult for Maryanne. I was willing to put up with it all, though, at least until the neighboring tables made me want to slap them. Between one couple in a foursome bickering back and forth about probably inane topics, and the gentleman in another couple at a different table complaining about his risotto, I was getting anxious to leave.

The rest of the weekend was busy as well. We went to a wedding and a birthday party Saturday, and today we pretty much did nothing but watch the Packers lose to the Cardinals. The Packers didn't play very well, but I wouldn't have called it terrible. Personally, I think the outcome of the game was dictated by the truly terrible pass interference call in the fourth quarter. You know the one I'm talking about.

Yar!

Avast, ye landlubbers! Friday be Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Followup

Here's more on Steven Avery.

Abandon all hope....

Yes, now you, too, can build your own version eternal damnation. Dante would be proud.

General asshats
Circle I Limbo

Riceboys
Circle II Whirling in a Dark & Stormy Wind

Parents who bring squalling brats to R-rated movies
Circle III Mud, Rain, Cold, Hail & Snow

Militant Vegans
Circle IV Rolling Weights

PETA Members
Circle V Stuck in Mud, Mangled

River Styx

NAMBLA Members
Circle VI Buried for Eternity

River Phlegyas

Uday Hussein, Qusay Hussein
Circle VII Burning Sands

Saddam Hussein
Circle IIX Immersed in Excrement

Osama bin Laden
Circle IX Frozen in Ice

Design your own hell

Small consolation....

Here's some more news on Steven Avery.

Dissenting opinion....

Not all pop musicians are money-grubbing bastards like Metallica. Check this cool shit out.

Free at last....

Here's a follow-up for you. The situation still wants to make me slap someone.

Weird....

This is just plain weird, but might be amusing.

Innocent man....

I'm not sure I'd take this as well as Mr. Avery has.

Don't teach ignorance....

Why do people have such a problem with masturbation?

The power of cheese....

So it turns out Europe is full of money-grubbing bastards as well. Behold the power of cheese.

Five seconds....

Read this article about a scientific study of the 5-Second Rule.

Too lax....

How about some fucking truth in sentencing?

Dream away....

Lately I've been waking up far too early, around 4 a.m. or so. Since I don't need to be up until 6, I usually try to get back to sleep. In this case that means dream-filled REM sleep. I've had some doozies lately, including this gem from this morning.

I was working on some oil paintings. One I think was some kind of restoration job or something, as I was just adding some finishing touches. I was also working on something of my own, a large piece I had titled "Prom Date." I was working on it in my high school art room, and my art teacher, Mr. Rericha, was there, complimenting the piece and offering some suggestions. The piece started taking on a life of its own, evolving, and it started turning into some kind of profound statement. I'm not sure what that statement was, but everybody else must have known, because word started spreading around about this great painting I was creating, and a lot of the school's faculty, and even many of the students, started talking about it.

Bad driver alert....

Drivers in Madison, and particularly employees of American Family Insurance, should watch for the driver of a dark blue Ford Windstar minivan, license 473-DKR. She doesn't know what the fuck she's doing. Or, if she does, it defies all reason.

Farewell!

Last night Maryanne and I went to a going-away party for Bernadette and Brad as they're moving to Fresno, California, for at least two years. It was a swell time, being held at the Fitchburg Great Dane. The food and company were both good, even though I didn't know everybody very well. Nonetheless, Maryanne and I will both miss them. We always seemed to have a lot of fun hanging out with them. Maryanne and Bernadette especially were close. I suspect the next few weeks are going to be rough on them both.

Not again....

Clarify is a what?

This is just sick.

Very punny....

Last night Maryanne was just full of puns and didn't even know it. We were hanging out with our friends Jeanni and Todd. First, at Hobby Lobby at South Town, we were looking at a model of a '69 Dodge Charger R/T. Maryanne said, "You could make that for your mom. She'd get a charge out of it." I said, "You made a pun! Get a charge out of a Charger!" Then later, for whatever reason, Todd started making roaring noises, and I blurted out, "Toddzilla!" Todd started singing "Toddzilla" to the tune of Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla." Jeanni said, "Great. They're just like too peas in a pod." Maryanne said to me, "You've created a monster." I replied, "Duh. Godzilla's a monster."

Real drama....

Much of our weekend was occupied by a wedding that Maryanne was a bridesmaid for. Our friends Jenni and Jeff finally tied the knot in a dramatic ceremony at the Wisconsin Union Theater. The reception had been held at the East Side Businessmen's Association (ESBMA). The reception was very nice, with a good DJ, and the food being catered by Gaylord.

Friday Maryanne was off and spent a busy day picking up her dress and basically getting a test run on her makeup from Jenni's friend Kim. I knew very little of Kim, other than that Maryanne was paired with Kim's husband Alan, who is one of Jeff's friends. Maryanne isn't particularly fond of Alan, as from what Maryanne has said, he has a tendency to hit on anything with tits.

We went to the rehearsal at the theater, and then to the rehearsal dinner at Maple Tree. With all the people involved, I was able to see some of Maryanne's friends that we hadn't seen in a while, and meet a few new people, as well. I was able to see Kim, as well, and I started becoming confused.

On our way to the Maple Tree, I was chatting with Maryanne in the car. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "So Kim is the one who did your makeup today, and will be doing it tomorrow?"

Maryanne: "Yes."

Me: "And she was the one with the dark hair wearing the striped dress?"

MA: "Yes."

Me: "And her husband is Alan?"

MA: "The jerk, yes."

Me: "OK."

The night progressed, a bit chaotically with all the people, but the dinner and company were good. Maryanne and I departed sometime later. We stopped for gas at the Kwik Trip in McFarland, basically across the street from the Maple Tree. Something kept nagging me as I pumped the gas. On our way home I asked Maryanne about it. I think it went something like this:

Me: "Alan didn't seem too bad tonight. Not that I was watching him all the time."

MA: "You must not have been paying close attention."

Me: "Something about all this baffles me. You're telling me that even though he's married to Kim, Alan feels it necessary to hit on other women when his wife looks like that?"

MA: "Yes. He's a jerk. He doesn't deserver her. She's such a sweet person."

Me: "What a dumbass."

MA: "I know! She's a total hottie."

That about summed it all up.

A different kind of recall....

An amusing, if somewhat radical, op/ed piece from Gil Leroy. You kind of have to like a guy who can call himself a curmudgeon.

Naivete....

Here's an interesting op/ed piece as to why whack-job liberals are, well, whack-jobs.

Bad driver alert....

If you work at American Family Insurance, or are a resident of Madison in general, watch for these drivers: A champagne-colored Oldsmobile Alero, license VDJ-613, and a midnight blue Saturn, license 301-DAE. The driver of the former seems to be lacking in general driving courtesy, while the latter seems to be clueless.

Craptastic....

Yes, it's true: Clarify is a fucking piece of shit.

Hmmm....

I can't think of anything clever to say about this.

Recall....

California is a fucked up state.

Refusing personal responsibility....

When will people start taking responsibility for their own actions? I guess stupid people just need someone else to blame.

Pushing buttons....

Have you ever met someone that just rubs your the wrong way? Someone you just want to haul off and punch in the mouth, for no good reason other than the fact that they're annoying? Someone who just pushes your buttons by merely existing? I have, a few of them, actually. It usually takes some time for me to learn just how annoying they are. After that comes the time when I just want to belt them and say, "Shut the hell up!"

In stereo....

So thanks to Luke, I have discovered a new radio station in Madison. WHIT broadcasts at 93.1 FM, and they call themselves The Lake. Billed as a classic rock station, they are a superior alternative to WIBA (fuck you, Clear Channel!). After listening to them during my commute for a couple days, and a while last night, I'm fairly impressed. I have yet to hear a commercial other than a plug for the station itself, though for that matter I've yet to hear a station ID. The music selection has a lot of variety, being able to go from the Rolling Stones to the Cars to the Beatles to Wilson Picket to the J. Geils Band and everywhere in between.

Protecting privacy....

It turns out SBC is good for something after all. Check this out.

Wearing it out....

Show your support of the First Amendment with some spiffy duds.

So many fantastic colors....

Here's an interesting activity for you to try out.

Sucktacular....

Clarify is still a fucking piece of shit.

Take a stand....

Stand up for First Amendment rights and check out this interesting website.

Kids will be kids....

Common sense found in England.

A voice in the darkness....

Could ABC's John Stossel be the voice of common sense? You decide.

Thanks for the memories....

Some sad news today.

Bullying....

The RIAA is not a hero.

Where it belongs....

Steve Boyer is a hero.

Preserving history....

Want to make sure Lambeau Field keeps its hallowed name? Read this.

Harry Potter....

I just finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was a very exciting read, so much so that it will be far too long a wait for the next volume in the series. I was a little disappointed by some of the events in the book, despite some of the other loose ends being tied up. Luckily it wasn't one of those frustrations that leaves me wanting to throw the book across the room, a good thing, since it's my mother's book.

I now kind of wish I had waited longer to start on it, since then I wouldn't have to wait so long to read the next one. Like they say, hindsight is always 20/20.

Taken in....

Lo and behold, I found an article that buys into all the anti-gun mumbo jumbo.

Just the facts, ma'am....

Here are some interesting facts regarding myths about gun control. Read them and think about them the next time someone wants to infringe upon your Second Amendment rights.

Product quality....

Could it be that I will now have a twice-weekly rant that Clarify is a fucking piece of shit?

Shoddy work....

Time again for my now weekly rant that Clarify is a fucking piece of shit. Whoever sold this software sure pulled a fast one.