(Sponsor's Name Here)

Meet my parent's grandchildren, Version 2.0 and 2.1

2009-01-05T17:11:44Z

Rockin' Eve is on the left, Dick Clark on the right. They were brought home from the hospital Sunday afternoon.

Red Fish and Blue Fish have arrived!!!

2009-01-02T21:54:58Z

Congratulations to my brother Mr. Uncie and his wife Knobbleknees on the birth of their twin tax deductions on Wednesday, December 31st. In keeping with tradition, they have already been assigned (Sponsor's Name Here)'s Official Nicknames. Both were born at 4:47 PM on Wednesday. Dick Clark weighed in at 6 lbs, 6 oz. and Rockin' Eve weighed 4lbs, 9 oz.

I went down to the Greater Hoffman Estates Metroplex area yesterday to visit them, and Knobbleknees seemed to be in good shape, but Mr. Uncie's mother-in-law had Mr. Uncie already warn down to the nub.

For a number of reasons, I was at the hospital for two hours on New Years Day, but didn't actually get to see the babies. My-Sugar-Na is driving down tonight and hopefully she will see them and get a few photos for posting.

Could "A Christmas Story" be remade succussfully?

2008-12-25T18:34:48Z

I am one of those who will watch A Christmas Story marathon on TBS more than once today. Watching it last night while I wrapped presents got me thinking about the process of making that movie. When it was on a few weeks ago, I did some internetting and read all about the movie on Wikipedia, IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. Without spending too much of my Christmas morning recapping those three websites, the point I want to address is that the movie was set in a floating period of 1939 through 1942 (it was intentionally not specific) in a made up city that really was Hammond, IN (a Chicago suburb). The movie was released in 1983 - 25 years ago... and set 40 years earlier

Let's say there was no movie made in 1983 that pretended to be 1940. Could any filmmaker do this movie in 2008 in the period of about 40 years earlier? I don't think there would be any chance.

The beauty of A Christmas Story is that there is no hint of any conflict other than within the family as it relates to BB guns, dirty words and a lamp. Sure, there was political and economic strife in the early '40s... Germany, Japan and Italy were trying to drag the USA into a world war, and the country was just pulling out of the Great Depression. But had Dad been unemployed for years in the movie? No. Did any charachters start a preachy-discussion about Hitler or Mussolini? No. Were there any Jewish or Muslim kids in the school hollering that you can't call it "Christmas"? No.

But this being 2008, I don't see any scenario where the problems of the 60s wouldn't overpower the picture. The draft and the war in Viet Nam, free love, Haight/Asbury and the Civil Rights movement would surely find their place in the movie. For example, while reading the paper in the morning, Dad wouldn't mention a non-descript Chicago White Sox player that had been released, he would instead complain about the damn college students protesting the war (and then the on-the-way-to-liberation Mom would comment about how horribly oppressive the draft is). Another example is that the school would be integrated by then, and some black kid would want to know why Santa wasn't black, or instead of Flick, we would have Goldberg who gives the teacher eight gifts.

Movies just can't be fun anymore. The conflict of a child wanting a BB gun and the world seemingly stacked against him wouldn't be enough for a movie these days. Without sending a message (whether subtle, implied or amplified by flashing neon lights) a 21st century filmmaker couldn't pull it off.

So I am glad that A Christmas Story was made when it was, set in the period it was. The movie still makes me smile, and has quotes ("I found that Palmolive had a nice, piquant after-dinner flavor - heavy, but with a touch of mellow smoothness") that are on par with classic quotes from movies like Caddyshack ("Gambling is illegal at Bushwood, sir, and I never slice") and Airplane ("Have you ever seen a grown man naked?").

Merry Christmas to all.

A cobbled together semi-rant

2008-12-18T20:51:00Z

1) When you are driving on the freeway in the snow and the rest of the traffic is going 45 MPH, then YOU should go 45 MPH or else get off the freeway. If you are afraid to maintain freeway speeds in the snow, park the car in the garage and take the bus. Along those lines, JS Online had a poll question that asked what annoys people most after a snowfall, fast drivers or slow drivers. It was a dumb question, it should have asked "which drivers are more dangerous in the snow, fast drivers or slow drivers?" Slow drivers are far more dangerous because everyone is trying to go around them causing cars to slide while switching lanes, and causing the pokey drivers to panic and drive even slower. I was behind a car with an easy to memorize vanity plate. I won't call out her car here, but if I ever get stuck behind her and find that she is soley causing a traffic disaster on I-894 southbound between the Zoo and the Hale again, I will identify her.

2) Companies (and the one I work for is one of them) have this nice touchy-feeley line in the employee manual that says that it is important to strike a balance between work and family, and that we give you X-number of vacation days (based on tenure). Then around Thanksgiving, they send the ominous "Use 'em or lose 'em" memo. If they were so concerned about my balance, they wouldn't have had a problem with me carrying three days into next year... but I digress. I had three vacation days to burn in December and took the three Mondays off. Other than shovel snow and make dinner, I did nothing constructive on those days. Great for balence, eh?

3) Fantasy Football stinks. And not just because I finished 7-7 (for the third year in a row) and missed the playoffs and prize money. Bill Simmons said it the best (read the Chicago Bears comments), but to summarize, it is basically a $120 lottery. In August you lose yourself in football websites at the expense of family to "prepare" for the draft, in September you dump the $120 entry fee (and if you are truly a sucker like me, you pay $26 for a website that does the week-to-week homework for you). You spend countless hours caring about an otherwise meaningless Bengals/Browns game because your 3rd best running back is playing (because your best running back got injured the prior week and may not play, but by the time you choose that Browns RB, your first RB is not only healty but scores three TDs). Despite Chef Tomas' help, my season basically ended 7 minutes into the first game on the first Sunday as my QB Tom Brady got injured. I picked #3 in the draft and took Brady, and he got me 3 points for the entire season. By the way, next year's draft is the first Wednesday in September at Riviera Lanes. If you are interested....

4) Back to the snow (because, well, it snows every third day, so it should be part of every third rant); My driveway is very long and in back fans out to a three-car garage. In minor snowfalls, it isn't a big deal to shovel/snowblow. But in major storms or when the snow is wet and heavy, our snowblower gets cranky (and I get crankier because that driveway seems to get longer). I had a bright idea to call a couple of plowing services, but I couldn't believe what they quoted. What happened to guys with plowing attachments on their pick-up trucks doing driveways for $20?

5) The Christmas music on XM has disappointed me this year. Last year, the "Holiday Traditions" station (XM channel 36) played the more traditional music and had quite a few instrumentals. This year, it seems like there is far less variety, and apparently the after the merger with Sirius, the definition of "Tradition" has changed. They didn't go a far as programming the warbling Kelly Clarkson or Celine Dionne, but I personally banned the station after hearing three times at work yesterday (in my best Casey Kasem voice) The new Number One Hated Christmas Song, The Carpenter's "Merry Christmas Darling". This morning, I dug out my three Mannheim Steamroller CDs, The Brian Setzer Orchestra's "Boogie-Woogie Christmas" and Harry Connick's "Harry for the Holidays" and took them to work. All I am missing is my Neil Diamond Christmas cassette tape.

6) I will be going to Chicago (well, Hoffman Estates) to watch the Milwaukee Wave play the Chicago Storm this Saturday. I will also watch the rematch from the US Cellular Arena on New Year's Eve. I plan on comparing the venues, presentation, talent, etc., and talk about the new XSL. If I get around to it, I will also comment on the rival NISL.

7) I have a theory on how TV weather forecasters predict snowfall amounts. First, be the first to predict any snow. Then let your competitors quote an expected amount (say, 2" - 4"). Then another competitor tops it (3" - 6"). By this time, the storm has gotten closer and the original predictor not only tops it (5" - 10"), but also pin points it to neighborhoods. The bottom line is that the fish will go to the TV station with the most ominous forecast, so the forecasters need to have the biggest hook. As long as I am beating up on TV weatherdorks, didja ever notice that when TV stations interrupt their programming for an update from the weather office, the guy has his tie loosened, his top button undone, the coat off and the sleeves rolled up. 20 minutes later when the local news starts, he is fully dressed. MARKETING, PEOPLE. That rolled-up-sleeve look is to make you think he is working hard... and everybody falls for it. They aren't making the weather, they are looking at the radar and reading the National Weather Service alerts. I am not saying that the weather guys aren't trained and are or aren't worth their money. I am saying that during rough weather, they are not working so hard that they have to get practically undressed. They do it so you think they are working that hard.

8) Which public agency will be the first to cancel an activity or meeting tonight because it is supposed to snow starting between 9:00 and midnight? Never mind. I just checked and the Greendale Park and Rec department cancelled an activity for tonight. It isn't even supposed to START snowing until bedtime! Arrggghhh!

9) Las Vegas got their largest December snowfall in history (4+ inches in some spots) yesterday in the storm that is headed our way. I can't wait to call a former supplier in Las Vegas and complain to him about sending his weather to us!

10) Wrap up... My-Sugar-Na said she wanted to guest blog, still waiting... Mitten told me this morning as I was driving him to his school bus stop that it looked like people were already driving slower because snow was expected later today. And when I looked around, he was right... Gasoline, steel and copper prices are crashing, why am I not seeing price decreases from my suppliers?... My elbow is feeling much better and my bowling scores are showing it. I am looking forward to tournament season starting in January... Nice... Not that I am promoting this, but just passing along that the Lingerie Football League has placed a team in Chicago for the 2009 season... Our company is catering lunch tomorrow. Should be lots of leftovers as I can't imagine good attendance tomorrow... Don't say Happy Holidays. At least man-up and say which holiday that you want to be happy. Merry Christmas, Solemn Ramadan, Kwazy Kwanzaa, whatever. But this is still a country founded by Christians, don't be afraid to say Merry Christmas; you'll be right far more often then you'd be wrong... If you enjoy my blog, don't be afraid to tell him that I deserve a Christmas Bonus.

A guest blog from Mitten

2008-12-15T16:49:19Z

(Sponsor's Name Here)'s Official Son, Mitten, currently is a junior at Rufus King HS, an International Baccalaureate (a fancy way of saying "damn good") school in Milwaukee. He noticed that I had a two-week writers block, and offered to fill my shoes (though 16 years old, he is already three shoe sizes bigger than mine, so my shoes are actually tough for him to fill).

Disclaimer - I love my son to death, but I don't necessarily agree with him. Every time I think I've got him reeled into the right side, the school system keeps pulling him back. I just hope Stretch Armstrong doesn't develop a leak.

And now.... Mitten:

Big 3 Seek $34 Billion Aid

The Big 3 Automakers, GM, Ford, and Chrysler are all being hit by this economic downturn, and now they are turning to the U.S. government for $34 billion in aid. If they do not get this aid that they are seeking, they are in danger of having to file for bankruptcy by the beginning of 2009. Because of the current recession, consumers are not buying as many cars, and people will lose their jobs due to cyclical and structural unemployment. This is hurting the business cycle, and it is causing the U.S. economy, and for that matter, the world economy, to suffer.

The business cycle consists of 4 stages: Expansion, peak, recession, and trough. An expansion shows what happens when GDP increases, and at the end of an expansion is a peak. After the peak, the business cycle falls into a recession, which is ended by a trough, and starts and expansion. This cycle repeats over and over. Currently, the business cycle is in a recession, and GDP is falling. This is making it harder for consumers and businesses alike to get by, and it is why the Big 3 is asking for government help. Below is a graph of the business cycle, and where we currently are.

Our economy is currently in a recession. Recession occurs when GDP is declining. The latest reports state that GDP has fallen by three tenths of a percent. While that may not look like much, it still shows that we are headed for hard economic times, and those big companies, such as the Big 3, are being hit. If we lose a big car company, along with it will come thousands of jobs and billions of dollars, causing GDP to fall, and our economy to get worse and worse, thus causing the recession to get worse.

Another concept evident is consumption. Consumption includes all household purchases of new products, and it accounts for approximately 70% of a nations total output (GDP). Because of our current economic crisis, households have less many to consume. We are forced to save our money because we are making less of it. Therefore, households are buying more used cars and less new cars. It was reported that in November, new car sales dropped 37% to 746,789 cars. That is a huge drop in consumption, and it caused major peril for the Big 3.

Another issue that will occur is having to face thousands of job losses due to cyclical and structural unemployment. Cyclical unemployment occurs when changes in the business cycle change the demand for workers. Because of this recession, and the fact that the Big 3 automakers are in jeopardy of losing their companies, thousands of jobs are at risk. This not only means that thousands of people will be out of work and may have trouble supporting themselves and their families, but unemployment will rise, causing GDP to fall into a further recession, and we would be at risk for deflation. Structural unemployment occurs when there are gaps between worker skills and employer needs. If the Big 3 do get bailed out, people will want cars that don't consume a lot of gas. Therefore, workers who only know how to make gasoline-powered vehicles won't know how to make the alternative cars, and they will be out of work. Due to the failure of the Big 3, there would be more cyclical and structural unemployment and the economy would be in bad shape.

While it does have its downside, I believe bailing out the Big 3 is a good idea. If the government does not bail out these huge companies, our recession will only get worse. We will lose billions of dollars, thousands of jobs, and the confidence in our economy will hit rock bottom. With low confidence, we will be motivated to save more money, and consume less of it. This will mean less money will go into the economy, and like I said before, it will just make this recession worse. If the U.S. wants to save the economy, it should bail out the Big 3 automakers, so that our economy can begin to recover.

The winners of bailing out the Big 3 will be the economy as a whole and everyone who works for the Big 3. The economy will begin to recover as jobs will not be lost, and more money is being put into the economy. The loser in bailing out the big three is the already ballooning Government deficit. If we give up another $34 billion, our deficit will grow, only making matters worse.

PBA Finals - The Ken Simard Story

2008-12-02T21:55:00Z

(All photos courtesy of www.anokijig.com)

As many/most/all of you know by now, Wes Malott defeated Ken Simard 216 - 211 to win the $25,000 first prize and a pat on the back in the CLR Carmen Salvino Scorpion Championship this past Sunday at Brunswick Zone Hawthorne Lanes in Vernon Hills, IL (I still say that this would be easier to remember and say. Or this.)

The day started off on a high note when the great Carmen Salvino threw out the ceremonial first ball....

In the first match of the day, Brad Angelo defeated Jason Couch 225 - 212. Now begins "The Ken Simard Story"...

Simard had the highest 14-game qualifying total on Thanksgiving Day, averaging 250 for the day. After the first round of match play on Friday, Simard slipped a little, going 4-4-1 and finishing in 13th place, which advanced him into Friday evening's match play block. There, he went on a tear by averaging 268.14 for the last seven games. That is the last seven out of a total of 32 games bowled in the span of 30 hours or so.

But that doesn't even tell the whole story. In Game 7 of that match play block, Pete Weber had been bowling on the pair directly in front of me. As Game 7 ended with Simard starting with the first nine strikes for a 279 game, Simard walked past and said to Weber "I must be the world's worst bowler with the front nine strikes". I don't know if Simard was aware at the time, but his very next game was against Weber on a pair nearby.

Once again, Simard started with the first nine strikes again, and once again had a 9-count in the 10th frame. Simard smiled and said to Weber "See, I told you". After finishing for 276, he made the big jump into fourth place, which was important as the top four players made the TV broadcast. The last game would be a position round, meaning that he would be bowling the player in third place, who was Brad Angelo. A high score would be critical for Simard, as he had three bowlers within 48 pins of him, and with the 30 bonus pins awarded to a player winning the match, the mathematics means that at least one of those three bowlers would get those bonus pins. (Angelo himself would need a big game, as he was only 18 pins ahead of Simard, but also tied with Steve Jaros for second place.)

Simard started with a strike, and another, and kept on striking through (stop me if you've heard this) nine frames. With a victory over Angelo already in hand, and therefore a lock on his place on TV, there was one little matter at hand... getting that 10th strike. Not only did Simard get that 10th strike, he clobbered #s 11 and 12 for a 300 game. That put Simard into second place, and a spot on TV.

After Angelo dispatched Jason Couch, it was Simard's turn to shine. He strung the first nine strikes in a row (which was the FOURTH consecutive game in which he accomplished that) and stepped up in the tenth frame with a chance to be the 23rd professional bowler to shoot 300 on TV (18 previously during PBA telecasts, two in senior telecasts, and Michelle Feldman bowled one of the two in the now-defunct PWBA).

Would Ken "I must be the world's worst bowler with the front nine strikes" Simard get the elusive 10th strike? Sure he would. But he could not get the 11th one, and defeated Angelo 289 - 199. Simard would face Malott in the final match.

Simard started the game with a strike, but disaster struck in the second frame as he left a 4 - 6 - 7 split. In league play, when someone leaves a big, ugly split like this, the common refrain is "a good bowler gets two pins". Unfortunately, Simard whiffed on all of the pins on the spare attempt, leaving him with a score of 24 after two frames. Had he been able to get two pins on the spare attempt, he would have had a score of 28. (It wouldn't be "The Ken Simard Story" if that wasn't going to come back to haunt him, would it?)

Malott and Simard battled the toughening lane conditions throughout the match, as neither bowler was able to get more than a couple of strikes in a row. Bowling first in the 10th frame, Malott could shut out Simard with two strikes. Malott got the first strike, then...

A ringing 10-pin. This opened up the match for Simard, who - deja vooly - needed to strike twice in his 10th frame for the victory. Simard deja voolied a strike and then a ringing 10-pin to give Malott the victory while sitting on the bench. Although Simard didn't convert his spare and lost by five pins, it is clear that if Simard would have taken the two pins on his split attempt in the second frame, that spare would have been for the tie... and I am not so sure Simard that would have missed it.

After the match, I talked to Simard and asked him about that split. He said "I thought about it the entire match. Taking every pin is always important, and I just threw it away; aggrivated that I had left the split". He went on to say that the way the lanes were breaking down during that final match, he knew that neither he nor Malott would be able to run away with the match, and it was clear while talking to him that he was disappointed with himself.

This was only Simard's second appearance on TV, and as the old saying goes, whatever doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. I am sure Simard doesn't want to hear it, but just the being on TV and throwing two huge shots (the ball for 300 and the ball for the win) will pay dividends in the future.

PBA Update - The Steve Jaros Story

2008-11-29T19:48:00Z

This was going to be titled "Live by the Position Round, Die by the Position Round: The Steve Jaros Story". But without mentioning the PBA in the title, nobody would know who Steve Jaros is. But if you are reading this, you must be interested in the PBA; if not, the Hit-O-Meter has already counted your visit (and I thank you). Now that you're here, set a spell and read a great story.

As mentioned here, in the PBA CRL Carmen Salvino Scorpion Championship in Vernon Hills, IL, all 64 exempt players bowled 14 games, cut to the top 32, bowled nine match play games (with each match winner awarded 30 bonus pins) cutting the field to 16, then bowled nine more match play games before cutting to the top four for the TV finals to be shown live on ESPN on Sunday afternoon.

In reading the final standings for each round, you would see that Jaros' finishes were as follows...

35th place after the first seven games of qualifying
15th place after 14 games (in the middle of the pack entering match play)
16th place after the first round of match play (barely making the cut)
5th place at the end of match play (barely missing TV)

But that doesn't tell the entire story. Before qualifying even began on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day), an equipment breakdown at Brunswick Zone Hawthorne Lanes delayed the start by almost two hours. That pushed the entire schedule back, and the 64 exempt players (and 16 women's players) finsihed after 11:00 PM. Jaros - who lives 70 miles away in Yorkville, IL - headed back home to his own bed to rest-up for Friday's bowling.

My-Sugar-Na, who attended Friday's match play rounds with me, steps in to explain how the rest of Jaros' evening played out...

His-Sugar-Na here - I had overheard Steve Jaros tell somebody that on his drive back to Yorkville on Thursday night, he got stuck in traffic and took him over an hour just to get past the jam. Turns out that the jam was three lanes of traffic, ALL MERGING TOWARDS THE EXIT to go to a mall that was opening at Midnight for Black Friday. In hindsight, he mentioned, he should have just stayed at a hotel near the bowling center. OK, back to Baldy.

In other words, Jaros couldn't have gotten much sleep, as he had to be back at the bowling center by 9:30 AM for the match play which started at 11:00 AM. He started the morning with a 258 game, but averaged only 224 for the next seven (I say only, as the field was averaging about 240). Also, Jaros lost five of those seven games, earning him only 60 total bonus pins. After the eight games, Jaros found himself in 23rd place heading into the ninth game (which is a position round, meaning he would bowl the player in 24th place).

The seeding for the position round was in itself quite a story, as eight bowlers (including Greenfield's Chad Kloss) were within 16 pins of the precious cut line of 16th place. When figuring in the bonus pins, it would basically be which one of the eight would bowl the highest game. Late into game nine, it came down to two players, Ed VanDaniker in 22nd place and Jaros. VanDaniker finished his game first, shooting 256 + 30 bonus pins - which meant that Jaros had to strike thrice in the 10th frame to win. Jaros did so, throwing a 258 + 30 bonus pins, and when the math was finished, Jaros had jumped from 23rd to 16th place in one game to survive to bowl in the evening block.

I have seen many, many times in pro sports where a team makes a furious comeback from a deficit with an emotional surge to tie a game or take a small lead, then all of the expended energy catches up to the team and they end up losing anyway. I had expected that it may happen to Jaros in this event, but it didn't happen that way I had thought.

In the first game of the last round, Jaros tied Ryan Ciminelli 279-279, beat Mike Scroggins 279-277 and tied Ken Abner 237-237. After surviving a leaster against Michael Fagan 212-166, Jaros cruised to a second place tie with a 255 average heading into the final position round. (Can you see where this is going? If not, read the previous two paragraphs again, please).

In the final position round, Wes Malott was 150 pins over Jaros in first place... the top seed in the TV finals wasn't in doubt. But for that last game there were six bowlers fighting for the other three spots. Jaros would need to either win his match (and get those 30 bonus pins), or have a big, big game to hold onto the spot in the top four.

Jaros lost to Malott 269-226. That 226 is an important number, made more important by the fact that if he would have gotten two strikes in the 10th frame of Game 32 instead of one strike than a seven count, I would have needed something else to prattle on about. Just a couple of lanes down, 4th seeded Ken Simard threw a 300 + 30 bonus pins to cement his spot on TV. Simard's opponent, Brad Angelo threw a 246 game and though he lost, he also clinched a spot in the final four.

It came down to the match up of two bowlers tied for 5th and 6th place - Jason Couch and Ciminelli. Ciminelli was leading Couch heading into the 9th frame, when Ciminelli left a 3-5-6 spare. While the crowd was still cheering Simard's 300 game on the next pair, Ciminelli bowled through the cheering and missed his spare. From that point, the game was Couch's, but the final four was still unknown. Couch had thought that Angelo's 246 game had excluded him, but he didn't realize that Jaros' score was in reach. Couch struck the first two times in the 10th frame, and when all was said and done, Couch had beaten Jaros for the last spot by three pins.

I didn't get to see where Jaros went once the bowling was completed. The PBA announced the four exempt finalists and the two women's finalists (Michelle Feldman and Missy Bellinder), and after the obligatory cheering, Jaros was out of eyesight. As a bowler, I have never competed at that level, but I have been in that situation numerous times where you think you have a game or a seeding won, but something extraordinary happens and you find yourself a few pins down. It wasn't Jaros not doubling in the 10th frame of the last game... but its the thought that somewhere over the previous 32 games - maybe 450 shots - could he have left one less split, made one more spare, or carried just one more 10-pin?

I am sure Jaros will be fine. People can pick on bowling all they want, but he is a professional, and he will regroup and drive to Buffalo for next week's tournament.

Match play for the Pro Bowlers today

2008-11-28T15:04:08Z

I am about to head to Vernon Hills to watch the match play round begin (11:00 AM CST) but I wanted to give a quick update on yesterday's results.

Greenfield's Chad Kloss finished his 14 games of qualifying with a 239.14 average, good for 6th place. Ken Simard of Greenville, SC led qualifying with a 250.00 average, and the cut (32nd place) was a 228.36 from Mitch Beasley of Puyallup, WA.

Other notable names making the cut were...

2006 USBC Masters Champ (from the State Fair Expo Center) Doug Kent of Newark, NY in 3rd place
Walter Ray Williams, Jr (bowled in the TV round of the USBC Masters in 2007 at Miller Park) of Ocala, FL in 13th place
Steve Jaros (who defeated Williams on TV in 2007) of Yorkville, IL in 15th place
2005 USBC Masters Champ (from the US Cellular Arena) Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, TX in 20th place
Jack Jurek (who lost to Kent on TV in 2006) of Lackawanna, NY in 25th place
2004 USBC Masters Champ (from Miller Park) Danny Wiseman of Baltimore, MD in 28th place

Each bowler will bowl nine games of match play, cutting to the top 16, which will bowl another nine games starting at 6:00 PM tonight.

On the women's side, Missy Bellinder of Fullerton, CA led the qualifying with a 239.43 average, and the 10th place cut was Wendy Macpherson of Henderson, NV with a 211.64 average. Those 10 women do not bowl the early block, but will bowl their match play portion at 6:00 PM.

PBA CLR Carmen Salvino Scorpion Championship

2008-11-26T19:40:00Z

Doesn't roll off the tongue quite like the Midas Open, does it?

The format for this week's tournament is as follows...

Today (Wednesday), 100 bowlers are competing in the seven-game Tour Qualifying Round (TQR). Each week, there are 64 "exempt" bowlers. Those bowlers are the ones that begin a 14-game qualifying round on Thursday. However, there are only about 58 exempt bowlers. The six bowlers (five professionals and one amateur) with the highest pinfall in the TQR earn a spot in the exempt field. Of the 100 bowlers, four are from Wisconsin: PBA members Eric Fritton and Dave Beres from Waukesha, PBA member Lennie Boresch from Kenosha and amateur Scott Radtke from Milwaukee. As I type this, six of the seven games have been completed, and it is unlikely that our local boys will advance.
Tomorrow (Thursday), the 64 exempt players bowl seven games in the morning, and another seven games in the evening. Greenfield's Chad Kloss is one of the 58 exempt players and is in this group. After the 14 games on Thursday, the 32 men with the highest pinfall will advance to round-robin match play on Friday.
Also tomorrow, 16 exempt women will bowl 14 games of qualifying, and the 10 women with the highest pinfall will also advance to bowl Friday.
On Friday morning, the 32 men each bowl nine games (each game against a different assigned opponent). For winning a game, each bowler gets 30 bonus pins added to his total. After completion of the nine games, the top 16 men advance to the evening block.
On Friday evening, the top 16 men and top 10 women bowl another nine games of match play (also with the 30 pin bonus for winning a match. Upon completion, the top four men and top two women advance to Sunday's TV broadcast.
On Sunday, the four men bowl the stepladder finals to determine the $25,000 winner. Upon completion of that, the two women bowl a match paying $10,000 to the winner.

This week's Professional Bowlers Association stop in Vernon Hills, IL

2008-11-24T20:12:28Z

Since the PBA schedule does not include a stop in Milwaukee this year, the next best thing is the closest stop, this being in Vernon Hills, IL this week.

This week, I will provide updates on the Tour Qualifying Round (for non-exempt players) on Wednesday and the 14-game qualifying round on Thursday. I will also be attending the round-robin match play on Friday, as well as the TV Finals on Sunday, and will blog about my experiences shortly thereafter.

Are you as excited as I am?

Minute by minute - The Amazing Race

2008-11-17T21:01:27Z

I really hate reality shows. Most are ~~pretty~~ very lame, with constant back biting, lying, and non-existant-but-dammit-we're-gonna-tell-you-anyhow storylines. Considering a show like Stupidvivor, they take over 100 hours of footage of multiple contestants, and edit down to a 46-minute story. That is NOT reality. That is a serial protrayed by underpaid, non-union actors.

But I digress.

When pre-My-Sugar-Na and I were dating (Side note, I guess that would have made her Nobody's-Sugar-Na), she insisted that I watch The Amazing Race 4. What I really liked about it was that nobody voted anybody off, and although the producers continue to edit-in various nasty comments about one racer to another, or focus on an event that has no bearing on the race, the bottom line is that the last team to the Pit Stop is eliminated. Many of the racers - both male and female - are reasonably good looking and intelligent (as opposed to the snarks on Stupidvivor), and though the cast tends to include middle-aged and woefully out of shape racers, they tend to get weeded out and the strongest players are generally around at the end.

With that said, I bring you the excitement of the James household on this particular Sunday evening as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of Phil Koeghan...

6:00 PM - 60 Minutes is supposed to start, because 60 minutes later, The Amazing Race begins. Except when it succeeds football. (For entertainment purposes only,) I was interested in the Pittsburgh v. San Diego outcome. The Steelers were favored by 5 points, and at this point they were losing 10-8. Sensing that The Amazing Race wasn't going to start on time, My-Sugar-Na ordered me to eat Sunday dinner. The football game was paused on the DVR.

6:30 PM - The football game is now unpaused, and I watch Pittsburgh kick a field goal to take an 11-10 lead with second remaining. San Diego receives the kickoff, and on the final play they attempt a series of laterals to try for the winning score. During this play, a Pittsburgh defender scoops up an errant lateral and carries it into the end zone for an apparent 17-10 final score. The James family patriarch lets out a "Woo-hoo" that lasted until they began reviewing the play.

6:40 PM - With a knife to my wrist, I await the referee's decision. He stated that there was a flag for an illegal forward pass by San Diego, which would be declined by Pittsburgh and the touchdown would stand. "Woo-hoo?" Then CBS does the outcue, showing an 11-10 final on the screen, and Jim Nantz yammering about the play being dead. So what really happened? Read this and this and this. The bottom line is that my entertainment cost me because the referee later admitted that the touchdown should have stood. My entertainment director (which some people call a bookie) says he feels my pain, but hopes I was entertained.

6:45 PM through 7:30 PM - Instead of trying to take the knife away from my wrists, My-Sugar-Na watches 60 Minutes. Compassionate, eh?

7:30 PM - The Amazing Race starts.

7:36 PM - The first team to arrive at the Pit Stop in the last episode, brother/sister team Nick and Starr Spangler (who seem to enjoy each other a little too much) open their clue envelope and are told to fly to Almaty, Kazakhstan. Before the camera cuts away, they count the money they are told that they have (US$103). Apparently they are concerned CBS will screw them.

7:38 PM - Mother/son team Toni and Dallas Imbimbo leave ten minutes later. Both Nick/Starr and Toni/Dallas go to a local travel agent to arrange for their flight to Kazakhstan. We see a budding romance between Starr and Dallas, with that sickly sweet music playing in the background. There is no truth to the rumor that Nick and Toni hook-up out of jealousy. I do think that it would be weird if the youngins' get married... she would become Starr Imbimbo.

7:40 PM - The Airport Shuffle begins. Three teams (Nick/Starr, Toni/Dallas and former NFLer Ken Greene and his wife Tina) end up on the "first" flight, which arrives in Almaty at 11:50 PM. Dating couple Terence Gerchberg and Sarah Leshner get a flight that arrives at 1:20 AM, and Frat brothers Andrew Lappitt and Dan Honig tell us in a cutaway that their flight will arrive "significantly later". For those Amazing Race watching veterens know, a ten minute Airport Shuffle, combined with a team that gets a bad break equals.... A Bunching Point!!! I had that one called when the lovebirds were at the travel agency!

7:42 PM - Sure enough, the teams from the first two planes arrive at a chicken farm in the middle of the night, only to find the farm opening at 7:30 AM.

7:43 PM - Well, whaddya know. The Frat brothers (heretofore known as Dandrew) arrive minutes before the chicken farm opens. Because of bunching points, all teams are now even (thereby rendering the entire Airport Shuffle as meaningless).

7:45 PM - Once the chicken farm opens, the teams get their clue, which is a Roadblock ("A Roadblock is a task that only one team member may perform", reminds Phil.) One team member has to search the farm among 30,000 chickens to find one of seven golden eggs. Also in the clue is a Fast Forward (one of only two on the race) in which the team has to go to a restaurant, and each team member has to eat a bowl of a local delicacy, sheep's butt fat. The team that completes their meal first gets the Fast Forward, which means they can go right to the Pit Stop. Clearly, winning a Fast Forward is a major advantage. It is also a gamble, because if you go for the Fast Forward and DON'T win it, you have to go back to the Roadblock and complete the task.

7:48 PM - Both Nick/Starr and Terrance/Sarah go for the Fast Forward. Only one will win. The other three teams find their eggs and go onto the next clue, which requires taking a designated crane truck to the next location to meet a Mongol warrior. Why a crane truck instead of a cab, bicycle, tuk-tuk or llama? We are never told.

7:50 PM - Terrance is a vegetarian. The entertainment value of that discounted TD in the Pittsburgh game is paid back by watching Terrance try to eat this stew of sheep fat.

7:53 PM - Starr especially is enjoying her meal. Seeing her figure, I don't think Nick lets her eat much. Nick isn't eating as quickly, but he is putting it down. Sarah is also getting it down without much problem, but Terrance the Drama Queen can't even swollow the food. They stay at the restaurant way, way, WAY too long, then decide to cut bait and head back to the chicken farm.

7:57 PM - Toni/Dallas arrive at the Mongol Warrior and await for an eagle to bring their clue. It is a Detour ("In this detour, teams have to choose between two local customs..." says Phil. Phil says this every week, and I highly doubt that the rank and file of each small town do some of the stuff these teams have to do.) In this Detour, teams can learn a musical instrument that is not worth describing because no team chose to do it, or they can walk to a children's theater, put on a two-person cow costume, walk through the town to a milk stand, drink a glass of milk (with their next clue on the bottom of the glass) which has them go to a local butcher while still in costume to get their next clue. Ken/Tina follow behind Toni/Dallas. Dandrew are lost in their crane truck and are asking for directions. In each Amazing Race series, at least one team acts like Ugly Americans when they can't accept that natives of a particular city or country don't understand English. Dandrew is not happy that nobody will help them, and they mutter comments under their breath. Of course, Dan is wearing a Star of David around his neck... maybe that has something to do with the citizens of this predominatly Muslim country to not want to help.

8:00 PM - Nick/Starr complete their meal and head to the Pit Stop.

8:01 PM - Terrance/Sarah get to the chicken farm. Drama boy can't man-up and eat sheep fat, and apparently he can't put on a Tyvek suit and walk through chicken crap, either. Sarah, who did eat about half the meal, gets "selected" to do this Roadblock. So Terrance is a whiner and a sissy. What does Sarah see in him?

8:06 PM - Nick/Starr get to the Pit Stop and win their fifth leg of the seven episodes. There is nothing to dislike about the team. They are good looking, athletic, don't trash other racers, they do their tasks efficiently and correctly, and they are genuinely having a great time on the race. No way they'll win the million bucks. None possible. Bet the under (for entertainment purposes, only). Meanwhile, Toni/Dallas get the cow costume on and go to get the milk. At one point, Toni calls Dallas "Baby". Scary, in a reverse-Oedipus sort of way.

8:08 PM - Ken and Tina are separated in real life, and are on the race to see if they can reconcile. Ken, leave her in Kazakhstan and go after Toni. Seriously. Tina is a bossy lady who doesn't care whose toes she steps on. It is not necessarily a good trait, and it doesn't make her very likable. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. Meanwhile, the whipped Ken just puts up with it. Now, Tina (who had a botched facelift and whose face is tighter than the cow costume she put on) is telling Ken what to do, how to put the costume on, hurry up, etc. She has a voice and mannerism that could cut diamonds.

8:09 PM - Tina, the head of the cow costume, walks past the milk stand. They realize their error and go back and drink the milk. Tina complains about the taste, and asks for the clue. The milk stand operator gives her a blank stare. She tells Ken they should look around for another milk stand. Soon, Tina decides that maybe the clue was on the glass (like, you know, the previous clue said it would be). They decide to walk back to the costume shop and return the cow.

8:11 PM - Ken says "Are you sure we are supposed to return the costume?" Tina says "I think so". Cue the dramatic music. Sigh. Never "think" on the race. When in doubt re-read the clue.

8:12 PM - Toni/Dallas get the clue from the butcher and head to the Pit Stop. They pass Ken/Tina and tell them they need the costume. Of course, Tina dismisses it and they walk sans-costume to the butcher shop. He refuses to give the clue, so they have to go back and put the costume on. Somehow, Ken will pay for this. He will pay for it with his soul. Meanwhile, Dandrew get their costume, and Terrance/Sarah are edited to look close behind... but they find a local to lead them to the milk stand.

8:15 PM - Toni/Dallas get to the Pit Stop in second place. Ken/Tina get the clue from the butcher and Tina says "we should get a cab". Ken, growing the manhood that he once had in the NFL (and that Terrance needs), finally speaks up and tells Tina that they need to go on foot, as the clue stated. They get to the Pit Stop in third place.

8:17 PM - Completing the cow task, Dandrew take a cab to the Pit Stop (where, oh-where is their Ken?) They get to the Pit Stop, but Phil looks sternly into the camera and tell them to go back to the end of the Detour and complete it properly.

8:21 PM - Now the final ~~editing challenge~~, er, I mean race to the finish ensues... edited to look like both teams get to the end of the Detour about the same time... Terrance/Sarah, Dandrew.... both stressing, both worried, could be a two hour difference, could be 30 seconds, we don't know, can you feel the excitement?, hand held cameras running overtime and landing on the mat is........... Dandrew, now officially in fourth place.

8:25 PM - Terrance/Sarah get to the Pit Stop and are Philiminated. Their last cutaway has them making googley-eyes at each other, saying how much they love each other. Privately, is Sarah wishing she had a boyfriend that could sack-up and eat some meat for a million shmoleans?

8:28 PM - Next week on The Amazing Race, Nick/Starr are in trouble (Side note; I TOLD YOU!)

Thank you, Veterans

2008-11-11T15:35:00Z

I did not choose to serve in the Armed Forces. I want to thank those who risked their lives so I didn't have to; those who risked their lives to protect my right NOT to serve.

During the 1980 Presidential election, I was 12 years old and understandably not into politics. I do remember that Ronald Reagan was being portrayed as a warmonger who would lead us to a nuclear war with the Soviets - not particulary a comforting thought to a pre-teen. I also remember that in March of 1986 (the month I turned 18) Reagan had ordered maneuvers past Mohammar Qadaffi's "Line of Death" bay off of Libya. In April, after the US bombed Tripoli and Qadaffi was neutralized, I learned that sometimes military force is needed. I also learned about international terrorism. And I learned that I wasn't one to stamp it out.

Subsequant to my 18th birthday when I chose not to serve, there was very little war and therefore very few military combat deaths until the Gulf War in 1991 (when I was 25). Although to this day I wish 41 would have finished the job, victory was quick and decisive, again with very little loss of American life.

So as I enter this blog entry today, I can reflect on those that covered me, in other words, those that chose to join the service to do the job that I felt needed to be done. I sincerely thank those men and women.

Just as importantly, I thank the men and women that preceded my 18th birthday by serving in World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, and anywhere else little skirmishes arose. (Side note - On Veteren's Day only, I suspend the ongoing discussion with my family that I was in a Viet Cong interrnment camp in Da Nang, and that Granmammy Evans got me through it by giving me Alton's Macaroni & Cheese recipe).

I also want to let the Veterens know - especially the ones that have served in Afghansitan and Iraq over the past five years - that regardless of what the Barack Obama administration will do in those countries (as well as possibly in Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Venezuela and Columbia) your service will not be in vain.

I am fearful of what Obama will do in the foreign affairs arena. But regardless of the direction he takes (and who knows, he could be brilliant) it was the soldiers that fought for me, my rights, my freedom, my country, and my flag that made it possible for him to be President, and for me to oppose him.

From the soldiers that are now in the August of their years that served in Europe and Japan in the 1940s, to the ones in Korea and Viet Nam that were there to halt the spread of communism and protect American interests, to the current troops fighting not against countries, but against religious ideology. Even if you served but never went to war, the fact is that you were there - prepared to go - if your country needed you. All of you should be thanked respectfully and continuously.

I will talk with my son, Mitten, and stepson, Grizzly about possible service when they hit 18 in a couple of years. If they choose not to serve, that is fine and I can't complain - I made that same decision. But if they do choose serve, they too will do a great honor to their country and will be deserving of the thanks of a nation.

Election day

2008-11-04T19:29:52Z

I voted this morning at Wilson Elementary School on 88th & Orchard. I got in line at 6:40 AM and was about 30th in line. By the time 7:00 rolled around there must have been 150 people in line. I got out of there by 7:15, and the line was even longer than it was at 7:00.

I was 12th in Ward 20, I told the lady my name, and she wrote a "12" next to my name. Then she found the page for the other book guy and waited for him to also write "12" next to my name. God bless the election workers, but this elderly gentleman should have been nowhere near an area where speed would have been an asset. I'm not trying to be mean, but his fingers weren't turning the pages well, and his hand was shaking when writing the "12" next to my name. Notwithstanding the old guy trying to help America vote, but neither of these two did anything to check my address, nor did they hide the book from me. As these two were getting their "12"s straight, I could have easily - easily - taken mental note of other people's last names and gotten back in line to vote. I am sure they wouldn't have recognized me. I also could have come back later when recognization would have been even more remote.

I look at the rest of the volunteers at the polling place and think of how much more organized and efficient it could have been. For example, the line was single file on the school's playground until the doors opened at 7:00. Then a worker came out and said that Ward 20 should use the left door and Ward 19 should use the right. However there was no map available, and lots of people didn't know where they should be. Nobody seemed too concerned about being shuttled from one line to the other or "skipping" somebody else in line, but the dual lines should have been set-up (with a ward map handy) at least 15 to 30 minutes before the polls opened.

Now picture a double door, with lines going into both doors. Do you see this in your mind? Do you now see people trying to EXIT the polling place? I didn't have to picture it in my mind. I did get the honor of squeezing my svelt 300ish pound frame past a lady of equal carraige through a door that she was in no hurry to vacate. And with the speed of the checker-inners, that line wasn't moving really quickly to assist my egress.

I see the aging-but-trying-hard set running the polling place like it is an episode of The Wonder Years set in the early-70s. But this is 2008. Let's work smarter, not harder. The whole set-up is due for a massive overhaul. (Side note; please people, I am not picking on the workers. Don't post comments that I don't want to see the old guy with shaky hands. Don't tell me that seniors have a right to volunteer. I get it. But I think the entire idea of a quaint, small-town, everybody knows each other, "Gee, isn't the right to vote swell?" set up of Election Day should be abandoned at once. I read JSOnline's accounts of long lines at the polling places, and know this can be improved.)

Let's start at the location. Wilson School is nice, but the actual part of the building has a major bottleneck at the doorway. If there isn't a different part of the school that would allow for exiting a different door than entering OR if there isn't a part of the school to allow the lines to be inside the building, then another location is needed. Think big and use the State Fair Park Expo Center. Certainly the room is available for many, many wards from all over West Allis and even Milwaukee, and there wouldn't be problems both entering and exiting. And nobody can complain about a lack of parking.

Next are the workers. Maybe seniors can be used like a Wal-Mart greeter, but what kind of workers get excited about American civics and can also be motivated in non-financial ways? That's right, high schoolers that can get a day off of school, earn a higher letter grade and also extra curricular credit on college applications. Lots of high school students - pumped full of Mountain Dew and Rock Star Energy Drink - will have the energy to work at a high pace all day long. When a voter comes to his place in line, the voting log (hidden by the counter that would be there) would be out of site and the voter should have to state his name and address to get a ballot.

Now, about segregating the wards (or even the cities). Think of the type of business that might have many people looking for something. How do grocery stores do it? Right. Big ol' signs suspended from the ceiling or on a pole. At Sentry, when you know exactly what you want (bread, peanut butter and milk), a quick look at the aisle listings get you to the areas you need to be. And at checkout time, that "Express Lane" is pretty easy to find, isn't it? Apply that logic to the polling place, and nobody should be confused about where to go to check-in.

Then we get to the on-site registration. The fact that Wisconsin allows it is a joke, but the way it is administered is even worse. At my site this morning, new registrants went to the front of the line. I understand that the process takes longer, but even if you register them right away, then they should go to the back of the line. However, in a larger venue with a clearly distinguished location for new registrants to apply, not only would they be "cutting" in front of people, but upon completion of the process the line in that person's ward would be quite short.

Vote fraud is a constant concern, and one of the objections is that there aren't enough officials to be stationed at all of the polling places. But having many wards in one large venue would not spread election officials out too thin.

Another problem that we hear about on days with large voter turnout is in hardware... the lack of booths themselves, runing out of ballots, ballot reading machine fails, etc.. Having one large venue would certainly require numerous machines, so if one or two breakdown there would be many others on the same site so that the outage would be barely noticable. And when it comes to reporting the precincts at the end of the day, one location reporting would allow for one large block of returns instead of having them trickle in.

Now, if the large venue couldn't be "donated" for the couple days, how could we pay for this? Concessions! Most polling places in schools already have bake sales so people are trained to buy brownies upon the completion of voting. If the Expo Center won't allow their equipment to be used, you can still set up stands in many locations within the Expo Center for food, drinks, merchandise (what die-hard lefty wouldn't want to buy a donkey-logoed baseball cap?)

I realize that some of my ideas would need some fine tuning, and may not work in other parts of the city (I am thinking that the main concourse of Miller Park could be used, as could the east and west atrium of the Bradley Center, large hotel ballrooms, etc). But overhauling the entire Election Day Experience is an idea whose time has come.

And I have two teenagers who will be ~~told to~~ happy to volunteer.

First one on the block!

2008-11-02T18:33:03Z

We tricked, we treated, we laughed, we cried...

2008-10-29T03:39:12Z

The thousands of you - well, make that the 18 of you that actually read my blog post from last week - may be wondering how the pre-Hallowe'en weekend worked out. Well, do I have a story for you...

Thursday evening, (Sponsor's Name Here)'s Official Baby Brother, St. Jon, called with another potential doin' for the weekend. I had forgotten that Downtown West Allis was holding its Meet & Treat from 10:00 AM to Noon on Saturday along W. Greenfield Ave.

So during the best weather segment of last weekend, My-Sugar-Na and I took the daughters (Gooey and Sloppy) and met St. Jon and his wife, Strawberry Fields, and kids Jelly Bean and Mr. Cranky Pants behind City Hall to start meeting and treating. The three girls ranged from scary to cute (clockwise from upper left, Gooey, Sloppy and Jelly Bean)...

Also in tow was Vier Pogo Squad 51, dressed as his "separated at birth" twin, Law & Order charachter Max Greevey...

Along the way, St. Jon mentioned that Jelly Bean was afraid of big, mascot type charachters. But not too long after he said that, we found favorite Sesame Street charachter Elmo (on the left, with St. Jon in the center and Jelly Bean on the right)...

(Side note: Nobody believes me when I tell them, but the puppeteer and voice for Elmo on Sesame Street is a 6'5" black guy. Don't believe me either? Read this.)

Following closely behind on Greenfield Ave. were Strawberry Fields (pushing Mr. Cranky Pants) and My-Sugar-Na...

Overall it was a great time. We started right about 10:00 AM and the volume was light as we headed east from S. 75th St. But by the time we reached the turnaround on S. 70th St., there were kids everywhere! At a couple of stores, the lines were at least 10 deep. However, we completed the loop in about 75 minutes, and the kids got quite a haul.

After bidding adieu to St. Jon's family, we went home and plotted our course. Still expecting bad weather all day Sunday, we let the girls talk us into driving to our previous neighborhood in Bay View for their nighttime Trick-or-Treat that Saturday evening. (Side note: I have lived in three different Bay View neighborhoods in my life, and some of the areas can get a little seedy. However, there are a lot of nice homes in Bay View, especially between Howell Ave. and Pine St. just south of Oklahoma Ave. It was in that area where I was stunned by the number of Obama yard signs. They outnumbered McCain signs 10:1. So the first house that we approach that has an Obama yard sign allows me to comment "Kids, get your candy here this year. By next year if Obama wins, they won't be able to afford to give away candy". Right next door was another Obama yard sign, and I said "Kids, get your candy her...." at which point, My-Sugar-Na says that kids dressed in costume don't care about what I think. Sigh. I'd better keep her occupied on November 4th, just in case.)

We get home around 8:30 Saturday night with enough candy to compete with Freese's. Once the girls collapse into a sugar coma and go to bed, My-Sugar-Na and I discuss the fact that I only procured a cannister of 240 Tootsie Pops. Because I - as man and blogger - know everything, I assure her that due to the weather forecast, of course it will be enough candy.

So Sunday morning rolls around, and it is beautifully bright and sunny. A little chilly, sure, but not nearly as bad as had been predicted. Sigh. So not only do I start worrying about my 240 suckers, but the girls start begging relentlessly about allowing them to Trick-or-Treat AGAIN. I give in to them, and at 1:00 PM, my wife dutifully begins passing out the candy to the children.

Although the weather slowly deteriorated to cloudy and windy (and with a few rain drops for good measure), the kids kept coming...

OK, so we ran out of candy. Sort of. You see, two prior Trick-or-Treating events gave us lots of, um, let's call them "reinforcements". I dutifully counted 25 suckers (Dum-dums, Charms, you name it) from both Gooey's and Sloppy's stashes, snuck them into the Tootsie Pop cannister, and we made it stretch until all children had been serviced. And until they read this (unless they stop looking once they see their photo) they are nonethewiser.

(Side note: When Mitten was way, way younger - as in "pre-Gooey", he was to small too eat all of the Hallowe'en candy and Easter candy that he received. One particular year we ran out of candy for handing out, so we actually went into the cannister of Easter and the previous year's Trick-or-Treat candy that we never finished [actually, I think we had plum forgot about it until it was "go" time]. At least the re-candying we did Sunday afternoon was only a day old instead of that year old stuff!)

Now with that said, why isn't Trick-or-Treat on Hallowe'en Night? It worked out great in Bay View, and also in the Wedgewood Park neighborhood (in which I lived in a prior life) where Trick-or-Treating is at night. It is way cooler than on a Sunday afternoon.

There will be one last event for My-Sugar-Na and Vier Pogo Squad 51, that would be the "Howl at the Moon Dog Walk" in New Berlin on Wednesday, October 29th @ 6:30 PM. Our own Max Greevey will hope to win the costume contest.

Baby, It's (gonna be) Cold Outside

2008-10-23T17:41:21Z

I am trying to like my kids more (today, at least).

When I was growing up, the worst thing about a cold day for trick-or-treat was having to wear a big winter coat over that wonderful Superman costume that had been handcrafted by some machine in China and purchased at the Chase Avenue K-Mart. As I grew up, that is one of those images that is kind of depressing.... some parent spent good money on a cosutme - or worse, put hours and hours of love and care into a costume - that would be hidden by a jacket and mittens.

Now for some reason, as I go through the mental file of taking my kids trick-or-treating as they grew up, I remember scads of unseasonably warm, sunny days. Last year, I believe, was a nice day (I remember walking to Walgreens for the emergency second supply of candy without any jacket). I remember when Mitten was about six or seven, our Wedgewood Park neighborhood had a nighttime trick-or-treat, and we invited most of Mitten's class for trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. While the moms took the kids, the fathers sat on our front porch drinking beer and handing out the candy. If it were cold, I don't know if we would have been outside...most likely we would have been in the basement ignoring the doorbell ringing.

Fast forward to this season. Both of our girls, Gooey and Sloppy, are getting excited about Halloween coming up. Both spent an unusual amount of time mentally designing their costumes. I know My-Sugar-Na purchased Sloppy's costume a couple of weeks ago, I believe that Gooey got her's this week. Both can't wait for West Allis'ses trick-or-treat this Sunday.

And last night the Weatherdick on the Weatherdeck (sorry, I can't take credit for that one... Dave Berkman had called him that for years when he wrote for the Shepard Express) said that it would be cold, rainy and possibly snowy during the day on Sunday. My first thought was that there is no way they are going out without jackets. My second thought was that in that weather, there is no way I am sitting outside handing out candy.

Thank goodness for third thoughts. I think we're going to skip trick-or-treating this year, and instead take the girls - in costume - to varous Hallowe'en activites in the area. Although I am still reviewing this list, it looks like we might hit the Zoo on Saturday for their Halloween Trick-or-Treat Spooktacular as the weather Saturday shouldn't be TOO bad. Then on Sunday, we might take in Not-So-Scary Halloween at the Betty Brinn Museum. Then just to get one final use out of those costumes, we might go on Wednesday to the Howl at the Moon Dog Walk in New Berlin.

I'm sure Vier Pogo Squad 51 would get a kick out of that.

I am Joe the Plumber

2008-10-20T20:57:00Z

Ok, so I'm not really a plumber, not named Joe, from Ohio, or looking to buy the business in which I am currently employed.

By now, most everybody knows (and if you don't, read this) that Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher is not named "Joe", is not a liscenced plumber in the State of Ohio, has a lein on his property for back taxes, may not be a registered voter, and is bald.

But like Joe, I would like to be able to ask a question of a political leader and not ground into dirt for it. Joe and I have other things in common. I've had a few tax issues, I don't have a liscence or degree in my profession, and I too am bald(ing).

Joe asked a good question, and because Barack Obama stopped in the guy's driveway, he should not have been condemned for asking that question. Do you know why else I am not an Obama supporter (besides the fact that he is by far the most liberal Presidential candidiate in eons)? Because he is just a PR stunt. I was watching PBS' Frontline last week and they had a dual biography of both Obama and John McCain. While the first 45 minutes or so was kind of by-the-numbers, when they started talking about Obama's first few days in the Senate, they (and define "they" how ever you'd like) started grooming him for this run...

As McCain the maverick was trying to make peace with his party, Obama the newcomer was being urged by party elders to consider a future run for the White House. Within two years of his arrival in the Senate, a window of opportunity seemed open, if he was willing to take the chance.

"I told him he should do it," former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle tells FRONTLINE. "The longer he's in Washington, the more history he has, and the more history he has, the more he's going to be explaining his votes and his actions and his statements and his positions that undermine his message" -- a message that was all about breaking with the past.

My eyes popped open and my mind started racing. Did I really just hear Daschle imply that he should do nothing, so that he can't be ripped down? He wasn't a Senator, he was a black figurehead. As a state senator in Illinois, Obama voted "present" numerous times... often possibly so that the vote couldn't be held against him. Since "present" is not an option in the US Senate, he went ahead and voted his way to the title of Most Liberal Senator of 2007 according to the National Journal.

But that's not why I am voting for John McCain (though the above is a hell of a reason). Basically of the two, McCain comes closest to my views (and I want to reiterate the same thing I mentioned around primary time... that of the all of the brilliant university graduates and political scientists, these two morons are the best we could come up with).

On February 19th, as a response to a comment made in this blog entry, I listed what I wanted in a president...

"I can't afford an Obama presidency. I want a president to stop spending, so taxes can be cut and the deficit reduced. Defense spending, however, to defend our nation from another 9/11 attack, as well as to prevent attacks on American interests on foreign soil is absolutely critical.

I want a president that chucks the illegal aliens out of the country (the jailed ones first). I want a president that is morally conservative - no abortion, no gay marraiges, etc. I want a president that realizes that this is a global economy and that for an American company to be profitable, components will be made in foreign countries. We need to embrace this and work to up the exports to those countries of the finished goods. Balanced with that, I want a president that works to keep government out of businesses. The less government, the better. I want a president to understand that the climate of this planet has been changing for millions of years, and that it will continue to change... and to understand that the global climate in 1876 might not be the perfect temperature. I want a president to appoint conservative judges - both to US courts and the Supreme Court - to try to stem the tide of "feel good" legislation and reduce the mountain-out-of-molehill lawsuits.

Now, find where the platforms of Obama or Clinton (or Huckabee or McCain, for that matter) match up with my views. I know that George Bush wasn't the ultimate president (not all can be Ronald Reagan), but if he were running for a third term against these dufuses, I would vote Bush in a heartbeat."

WIth that said, I suggest that you take the ABC News "Match-o-Matic II" test. It is actually more of a game to determine if you can guess which candidate made a particular quote on 12 issues. I took the test, and of the 12 sets of quotes, I correctly identified McCain on 11 of them. The one I missed? It had to do with the myth of global warming (which we all know can't be attributed to man, and that American's can't afford to fix, right?) See how many statements you agree with.

Because if Obama and his partymates get their death grip on Washington DC next month, God help us all.