Summer Hiatus

We had a great summer hiatus this year. Our trip to Wisconsin was relaxed and fun. Extended by a car repair, which made it more comfortable and less of a hectic race to see everyone. It really felt like I was able to spend time with people instead of the quick four hour visits we sometimes have to do. There was even enough time to take up a new interest,yoga. Yes I said...Yoga. My mother has the Wii along witht the Wii Fit platform. We had been considering getting a Wii for sometime so we test drove it with the games she has. So we bought one when we saw one at the Shopko, while out shopping with her one day. So far it's mostly been bowling, which Sheila and I are nearing Pro status. Hopefully we will get the Fit part to continue the Yoga, and maybe a bit of simulated snowboarding.

We lucked out and got a rental vehicle while the Rover was in the shop during our trip home, it was a PT Cruiser and I can't for the life of me understand why people bought them. Uncomfortable and gimicky! But it got us around, including a great trip to Madison where I caught up with a friend that I hadn't seen in a long time. That visit included ladderball, beer, croquet, a massive water fight, more beer and some tasty lasagna with some good friends that we don't get to see nearly enough. (Subconscience Hint)

There of course were some games of cards with our parents and two of my aunts were able to make it out too. The longer than usual trip made for some good memories, and I hope to be able to repeat something similar next summer.

We even made a last minute trip to Margaritaville, since Jimmy happened to be in our neck of the woods. The concert was pretty good overall. I only wish we could hear Jimmy and the band better during the popular songs. We were in the middle of the grass section, in more ways than one, which conains a fair amount of party animals who know little about JB. But they provide entertainment in their own way. Like the gal five feet in front of us who passed out half way thru the first set, unbeknownst to her she was tripped upon several times. The sound for songs like "Fins" or "Margaritaville" or "WDWGDS" is more of a group karaoke session of the people immediately surrounding you. This is why I couldn't bring my mom, as much as she wanted to come, not to mention that the lawn section is standing room only for three hours. Our feet were pretty cramped up by the end of it and quite ready for the 3/4 mile walk back to the car.

Four score and seven days ago

We made our usual pilgimage to the land of beer and cheese, only to behold the trouble in titletown, the brew-haha in brew city, the quarrel for a QB, or even Four's fracas. I admit that publicly it seems like Brett is as big of a flip-flopper as either of our presidential candidates. But in my consideration of that conservative over-simplification of making a choice being made or a reanalysis of a previous decision, I know that things are usually far from as simple as they seem. Brett has announced three times he was going to retire, this spring actually going thru with it for a few months. But I ask why would a guy with the boyish love of the sport, whom still has all his ability as a QB, the best fans any athlete could ask for, achieving more records than any other at his position, have a four year period where he contemplated retirement.

Brett didn't had a bad season loosing two runningbacks (Amhan Green and Najeh Davenport and the top receiver Javon Walker in 2005 when GM Ted Thompson came aboard. Many veterans and even the coach at the time were shown the door. Thompson wanted a younger team with a price tag to match which was over the cap. Farve for years has wanted and needed a receiver that can be on the other end of Brett's spontaneous jump balls, maybe a Randy Moss..... I can only imagine that this change in going forward created a riff between Favre and Thompson which eventually spilled over to the new head coach, which was a QB coach in 2006.

Brett is in a spot where several of the last seasons were close but not enough, no trip to the superbowl which is the entire teams fault especially his inability in the cold. (Side note-Milwaukee has a retractible dome for a summertime sport? Take note Lambeau.) All athlete's want one last title shot, but when the philosophy is keep the team young and cheap, that doesn't show your MVP that your commited, just ask Barry Sanders. Not to mention that when a team looses their star, both the team and the player suffers, ask Michael Jordan.

The communication ultimately led to two parties that were never going to play together again. Now we are left with the uncertainty of what lies ahead. The Packers kept their promise and did what is "fair", what is this Mr' Rodger's Neighborhood....well it is now. Football is about the best team you can assemble, it's a business, but the ego-in-charge will find out just how good his team is. I fear of a Lynn Dickie or Don Majkowski era of 5 to ten years, but atleast we got rid of that whiner Brett. But now I have someone to cheer against Manning, and Brady and Manning!!!!!!

Who is inexperienced?

We should be able to deliver bottled hot water to dehydrated babies.” Sen. John Sidney McCain III

" In the 21st century, Nations dont' invade other Nations." Sen. John Sidney McCain III

But then again....

“The first thing I would do is make sure that we have a missile defense system in place in Czechoslovakia and Poland, and I don’t care what his objections are to it.” Sen. John Sidney McCain III
(footnote) : Czechoslovakia dissolved into two countries in 1992.

Even more recently:

WARREN: Everybody talks about, you know, taxing the rich, but not the poor, the middle class. At what point, give me a number, give me a specific number. Where do you move from middle class to rich? […]

MCCAIN: How about $5 million? No, but seriously, I don’t think you can, I don’t think seriously that the point is I’m trying to make, seriously, and I’m sure that comment will be distorted but the point is…that we want to keep people’s taxes low, and increase revenues. … So, it doesn’t matter really what my definition of rich is because I don’t want to raise anybody’s taxes. I really don’t.

McCain is right — millionaires are rich. In fact, those making $5 million per year or more are wealthier than 99.99% of all Americans. All but the nation’s wealthiest five percent, have household incomes of less than $174,000 per year.


Yet, he seems to believe that Sen. Obama is inexperienced and nieve.