Grounded

According to this article in Rolling Stone, Robert Plant denies rumors of of a Led Zeppelin tour.

Mood: Sad
Music: ZZ Top: "Got Me Under Pressure"

Stung

Saturday I was able to mow the lawn for what could be the last time before winter. While doing so I was either bitten or stung by a small hornet, first on the back of my left calf, then on the back of my right ankle when it somehow fell into the back of my hiking boot.

Perhaps it was an omen of things to come, as the Badgers choked away a shutout and ended up losing to Michigan, and the Packers fared little better against the Buccaneers.

I'm sure there will be some Packers fans out there that will use this weekend as an example of how the management should have found a way to keep Brett Favre, what with Aaron Rodgers's performance yesterday compared to Favre's. I think everyone has to remember that Rodgers faced the Buccaneers yesterday, a team that made the playoffs last season, while Favre faced the Cardinals. Favre did no better than Rodgers did when faced by the Patriots, and that was a Patriots team without Tom Brady.

So will the Jets make the playoffs? Maybe, but I don't expect them to go far. Will the Packers make the playoffs? They have a much tougher schedule this season than they did last season. With a quarter of the season over, both teams are 2-2. It's rare that 8-8 teams make the playoffs. The question then is which team can pull things together, get a record that's better than .500, and make the playoffs?

Speaking of playoffs, the Brewers are in the playoffs for the first time in 26 years. That's fairly exciting, and I wish them a deep playoff run.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Eagles: "Hotel California"

Flying

This is pretty awesome news.

Mood: Excited
Music: Led Zeppelin: "Ten Years Gone"

Fiendish

So one of the web 'toons I had discovered years ago, Making Fiends, is going to be appearing on the Nick Toons cable network. I'm excited to see what they do with it. The bumps they've been running to advertise it have been amusing. It kind of strikes me more as the type of thing that should be on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, though.

Mood: Amused
Music: Bad Company: "Bad Company"

Inseam

Yesterday I split my shift, which gave me a chance, among other things, to visit J.C. Penney. I was hoping to find some more pants for work, as I could use some more. Unfortunately it's nearly impossible to find flat front trousers in a size 36/31. Now I know it's the inseam that does it. If I was a little taller (or shorter) I wouldn't have nearly as much difficulty with this. Still, it irks me knowing that the size is made by a number of brands, brands carried by J.C. Penney, yet they don't have them in the store. I could order them online, but shipping, tax, etc., are such a hassle. Maybe Amazon will be getting more of my money.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Pink Floyd: "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"

Elitist

So Arianna Huffington appeared recently on Larry King Live with Chuck Norris. When the topic turned to Iraq, things got a little heated.

I can certainly understand her concern for the American troops serving in Iraq. However, the bulk of her argument, or at least the beginning of it, seemed to be based on how much money it's costing. When Chuck tried to argue that the U.S. is spending a lot of money in a lot of places, her response seemed to be "what's that got to do with anything" and she kept interrupting him. When he tried to finish what he was saying, indeed raising his voice to try to be heard, she just kept on interrupting him.

Leave it to the hippies and elitist libs that visit her website to only see her side of the issue, resorting primarily to ad hominem attacks.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Iron Butterfly: "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"

Rabbits

I recently finished reading Watership Down, having borrowed it from Caly. It was a good read, perhaps surprisingly so. For a book that's a rather even mix of exposition and dialog it's a fast read, probably because the storytelling is fairly compelling. There are moments it gets a bit bogged down, but those are few and far between. For a book that's based on uniting stories the author once told his children (like another more recent English author, J.K. Rowling), it's rich and cohesive with its own mythos and language. I don't think anyone seriously willing to give the book a try will be disappointed, and I think that one day I will buy a copy so my own children can read it.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Queen: "Son and Daughter"

Bicycle

Recently I got into a debate online regarding bicyclists. (I know what's been said: Arguing on the Internet is like being in the Special Olympics -- even if you win, you're still retarded.) It was prompted by some vitriolic and overweening video about bicyclists some how standing up to ignorance and prejudice and this that and the other. I responded to the person that shared it that if more bicyclists followed the rules of the road and were more courteous then drivers would in turn be more courteous as well. Her response was to first ask if I wanted a medal for knowing the law, and then something to the effect that it's only commuters, recreational riders, and errand people that are to blame, and that true cyclists follow the rules of the road. My rebuttal was that I'd seen what I thought were true cyclists ignoring traffic signs, failing to use hand signals, and other wise being discourteous. She then chose to ignore me.

So I was reminded of this discussion, if you will, this past weekend. Friday evening while driving home Maryanne and I saw a bicyclist fail to stop at a stop sign posted on the bike bath she was using where it crosses a county highway, passing right in front of us where we had merely slowed for our yield sign.

We had also gone to Door County for part of the weekend, and while out driving Sunday we saw large number of what I would call cyclists participating in some large event. I can't answer to their actions around traffic signs and intersections, but I did see that as a whole they failed to ride single file near the shoulder of the road, thus making themselves a nuisance to motorized traffic.

So if the argument is that true cyclists obey the rules of the road and practice courteous riding, there must not be too many "true cyclists" out there, because I haven't seen very many of them.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Traveling Wilburys: "Last Night"

X Factor

Last night I watched X-Men III on FX, or most of it, anyway. I was... disappointed. While it was certainly compelling enough to keep watching it, and used some interesting characters, it was not canonical by any means, nor did it much resemble anything from the comics beyond the characters themselves. It seemed to be more of a means to conclude a trilogy of movies.

Mood: Disappointed
Music: ZZ Top: "Waitin' for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago"

White

The other day Maryanne and I watched the finale of "The Singing Office" on TLC -- the show hosted by Joey Fatone and eye candy Mel B.

This video made me think of awkward white people, probably because it features them dancing awkwardly. (I know, I know... I would too.)

Anyhow, in the finale of "The Singing Office" one of the office staffs (staves?) was singing some R&B tune (I forget which one) and the audience was clapping along to the beat.

But, like the bunch of white people they were, they were all clapping on the downbeats instead of the off-beats.

Now I wish I could remember what song it was.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Van Halen: "Best of Both Worlds"

Photograph

Here's an interesting collection of pictures you may not believe aren't Photoshopped.

Mood: Amused
Music: The Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Fire"

Moving

Maryanne, Sarah, and I went up north this past weekend. The original motive was that an old friend of Caly's, Marcel, found us and wanted to see us and the family in Door County. Caly flew out just for the occasion, since she hadn't seen him in over a decade. He was amazed at the changes in the people and places he'd last seen almost 15 years ago, but glad to get away from the city and enjoy some quiet time in Door County. He was warmly welcomed, of course, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one glad to see that he remained the intelligent, sensible person we first met, even if a little older and a little wiser.

It turned out to be a worthwhile trip not only for that, but also because Adam is moving out of the state. He finally had enough at Cherry Hills, and decided a move was in order. He's going to go work for his cousin at a restaurant in Helena, Montana.

It was an enjoyable weekend. The weather was beautiful, Sarah was good, and it was nice to see Marcel again. It was a tad bittersweet, though, since Adam's moving and it will likely be a long time before we see him again.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: REO Speedwagon: "Roll with the Changes"

Oil

Got your hippy clothes in a bundle over the prospect off offshore drilling? Read this first.

Mood: Intrigued
Music: Rush: "Working Man"

Blues

I don't know of may 8-year-old kids that have a legitimate reason to play the blues, but this kid might.

Mood: Intrigued
Music: Cream: "Crossroads"

Resolution

The Brett Favre saga is over. The Brett Favre era in Green Bay is over (again).

I'm glad that the situation finally reached some form of resolution. I'm disappointed, though, that Favre couldn't be mature and put his hurt feelings aside and stay with Green Bay. I'll be disappointed if it turns out to be true that the Packers management forced him out.

It's unfortunate that someone's reputation and legacy will be tarnished by this. Favre's is most certainly tarnished by the immature and disrespectful way he's treated the Packers organization in his push to get what he wanted. Ted Thompson's reputation will be tarnished if it comes out that he's responsible, somehow, for Favre's departure.

The proof will be in the season, though. With Favre in a Jets uniform and competing against the Patriots, he'll be in the shadow of Tom Brady. In Green Bay, Thompson and Aaron Rodgers will be under the microscope. Only a winning season in Green Bay and a lackluster season from Favre will quiet some of the dissent among the Packers faithful. Anything else and Thompson will be forever questioned over his actions. Should the opposite actually happen, Thompson's career may be over.

I feel sympathetic toward Mike McCarthy. He's been caught in the middle, to some extent, trying to move the team forward with the players he has on the roster, while trying to figure out what to do with Favre, a legendary quarterback who can't make up his mind, can't commit, and apparently can't be mature and put past events behind him. I have a great deal of respect for McCarthy, especially now, after deciding that Favre's current state isn't good for the team, and since Favre won't change, move on without him.

Perhaps Favre's tenure in New York will be brief, a last hurrah to get professional football out of his system and show him that retirement is the best thing for him. I don't wish him any ill will, really, despite my disappointment in the way he's acted, though part of me selfishly hopes that something shows him it's time to call it quits and hang up the cleats. Hopefully he'll come to realize that it's time to put the bad feelings behind him and return to Green Bay for the honors that are sure to be heaped upon him.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Styx: "The Grand Illusion

Dreams

I had a dream the other night (maybe a nightmare?) that Brett Favre had been traded to another team, and became their starting quarterback. The Packers ended up playing that team, so it was Rodgers vs. Favre. The Packers won.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Rolling Stones: "Paint It Black"

Awkward

Last night while channel surfing I found the ESPY awards on ESPN, and caught just the tail end of Brett Favre's acceptance speech for whatever award it was he had received. It seemed nice enough, but at the end he made some kind of remark about waiting and seeing what happens.

As the show was about to go to commercial break, the cameras cut to the audience while Brett exited the stage, and who should appear on camera in the audience? None other than Aaron Rodgers himself.

Awkward!

I feel sorry for Rodgers being caught in the middle of it. Even though he understands the situation, having seen what happened when Joe Montana was replaced by Steve Young in San Francisco, it can't make it any easier for him.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Aerosmith: "Back in the Saddle"

Continuing saga...

The Brett Favre saga continues.

It's getting to the point now that no matter how fervently I hope for things to work out well, I'm afraid to read or hear any news about it in case it's something I won't like.

So far not much has changed, so that's a bit of relief, at least for the next few minutes.

Brett wants to play. It sounds like he'd even prefer to play in Green Bay, but if that's not an option, he'd be willing to play somewhere else.

The Packers want to protect Brett's legacy, i.e., they don't want to see him on another team. Many fans don't want to see him play anywhere else, either. Hell, if he's going to play somewhere I want it to be for the Packers, too.

So other than either 1) Aaron Rodgers or 2) the principle of the thing, why aren't the Packers saying they'll welcome Favre back as the starter? Then this whole thing goes away, Brett's happy, the fans are happy, the team (except maybe Rodgers) is happy.

Nothing is that simple, of course. The situation is probably far more complicated than anybody realizes, even Brett and the Packers management. Both sides right now, though, aren't making the situation any easier on themselves.

If either side is looking for a way to save face, why not have the Packers say "We'll welcome Brett to training camp and the quarterback who gives us the greatest chance to win will be our starter," and then Brett can show up for training camp? Both quarterbacks practice, even if it's just as a formality, split time evenly in the preseason games, and then Brett's the starter for the regular season.

I suppose it will simply be more wishful thinking.

Mood: Wishful
Music: Golden Earring: "She Flies on Strange Wings"

Drama

So first I read this.

And then I read this.

I guess my hope for Favre to stay retired was unfulfilled.

That said, I don't think it would be wise for the Packers to simply release him, and judging by their statement, that doesn't appear to be their intent. If Favre decides to "unretire" and seeks reinstatement, it appears the Packers will put him back on the roster.

What does this mean for Brett or for Aaron Rodgers? The team seems committed to Rodgers at this point, so my guess is Brett would either be the veteran backup the team was seeking for Rodgers, or be traded.

My hopes for this to end well might be dashed. I'll be watching to see how this all turns out.

Mood: Worried
Music: The Beatles: "Nowhere Man"

Shadows

There's been a lot of rumors recently about Brett Favre having second thoughts about his retirement and wanting to play again. It's all over the media, producting all kinds of speculation and commentary from dozens of people inside and outside of the media. In what is perhaps a gross understatement, it's been suggested it could make the situation for the Packers "complicated."

I can understand Brett's desire to play; he's known little else most of his life, and the success of last season is now clearly outweighing the drudge of responsibility and even the sting of defeat. As he stated in his press conference though, he didn't feel he could apply himself 100% to the preparation aspect of the game. As great of a quarterback as he was, I'm not sure that bringing back a quarterback that's not 100% committed is a good idea.

I think the best thing for everyone is for Brett to decide he's retired and stay retired. That is my fervent hope. The rest of the team and the organization would then not have to deal with a public relations nightmare, fans wouldn't have to see Brett in any jersey besides the green and gold, and Aaron Rodgers would only have to deal with being the starting quarterback of a young but experienced team. Packers fans could then rest knowing that the man who was arguably the best quarterback to ever play the game retired from the most storied team in the NFL, to surely be inducted into the Hall of Fame five years from now as a member of the Green and Gold.

Mood: Hopeful
Music: The Beatles: "Getting Better"