Down and out in Mpls

Blogging will be light for a day or two...I am having computer problems (again!). Hopefully this will be short-lived as there is a lot going on as we approach the election. So, stay tuned. I'll be back soon.

Baconfest Saturday

Today is truly one of the best days of the year, for today I, along with several work buddies, celebrate the greatest food known to man. That, my friends, is BACON!!! That's right, today is Baconfest. This year, it is being held in Minnetonka. Just the thought of sizzling bacon is making me want to throw down hundreds...nay, thousands of pieces of it. A bunch of us get together, eat bacon and food with bacon in it. Beers will be consumed as well I am sure. This is the fourth edition of Baconfest, and it will only get bigger and better.

You may not be able to be there with us, but if you have the means, I highly recommend you celebrate bacon with me today. Fry up a slice or 50. You can't go wrong with bacon!!

Wandering into the big time?

Over the past year or so, I have occasionally read in the hometown paper about a band out of Appleton that seems to be on the brink of breaking out. That band is Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons. They are kinda folksy...they are listed as doing Americana music. I am checking it out as I type this post, and while I am a little biased as friends of mine back home rave about them, I think it's pretty decent music. Check 'em out. Look, Appleton hasn't had a band break out in many years...the closest is the seemingly defunct Number One Fan, an emo group that was decent. So, the prospect of these guys breaking is exciting.

Stinger rant #1 - Update

One of my first rants (I really thought rants would be a regular feature here) was about healthy people using the handicapped button that opens doors. Recently, I have seen the most egregious example yet. Every once in awhile, including today, I see guys at the gym using the cripple button....AT THE GYM!!! Christ, does opening a door interfere with your workout??!!! I can just picture some meathead who grunts loud enough for people in St. Paul to hear when lifting weights saying, "yeah I can bench 500, but opening the door messes with my shoulder...so I hit the button."

Here's the deal...if you can bench 300 lbs, run 3 miles and/or hog the treadmill for hours on end, or swim 1000 meters, you can open a freaking door!! Grrrrr.......

Is this supposed to help?

Michelle Bachmann, who is a little too righty for me with her Bible-thumping ways, got into a little trouble for remarks made in an interview with Chris Matthews. So, her explanation is, "I stepped into a trap?!!" You basically admitted you are not savvy enough to avoid or beat a "trap" set up by Chris Matthews. First, you need to know that Chris Matthews is not sympathetic to your cause. Second, making remarks like that on Barack Obama when he has a huge lead in your state is not smart. You know, he just might have coattails...enough to elect a Dem congressman, even in a relatively conservative district like the Sixth.

Strib poll, granuals of salt, and the Senate race

The latest Strib poll shows a tight race amongst Norm Coleman, Al Franken, and Dean Barkley. Franken is still up 3, but it's tighter than the last poll, in which Franken had an eight-point lead. Now, keeping in mind the historical inaccuracy of the poll, I think this means that things between Coleman and Franken are probably tied.

A part of me knew this would happen because of the distinct advantage the Democrats should have this year, plus Al Franken does have name recognition. But, I have to say that Al hasn't really done or said anything that makes me want to vote for him. Actually, I don't really know what he stands for. From what I can tell, his only reason for running is because Norm Coleman is a Bush-bot and his belief that we have to get out of Iraq now (wow, haven't heard much about Iraq lately).

As for Norm, he has not been perfect as a Senator, but he has been more than adequate. If this was most other years, Coleman would win easily, even in Minnesota. I am also a fan of divided government, so the prospect of a filibuster-proof Senate compels me to vote for Coleman. I like divided government because it serves to check the worst impulses of the party in power. And, there are a lot of things the Dems want to do that I think are ill-advised, including card-check, the incremental nationalization of health care, and the possible reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine. Knowing the House and Presidency are going to be in Democratic hands, having at least one drag on the Democratic agenda is needed.

Next 5

In my several months of blogging, I can't believe I haven't done a next 5 post. These are pretty common, but I am going to put myself out there a bit and give a glimpse into my weird taste in music. I will list the next 5 songs on my iPod and explain why they are there.

"Breaking My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)" by Mint Condition - This is probably one of my favorite songs of all time. Great mid-tempo song, very clean-sounding, and it builds up as the song goes on. You can almost hear the increasing frustration in Stokely Williams' voice as the song goes on. I think we've all been where he was in that song.

"Campus" by Vampire Weekend - A friend from work introduced me to this band, and I got into them right away. I would have been quicker to get into them, but I haven't been listening to The Current like a good boy this year. Campus is not my favorite song on the album (that would be "A-Punk"), but it's a pretty good song. Another song of lament....

"Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" by Mother Love Bone - This song is off the Singles soundtrack, which is one of my all-time favorite soundtracks. This song is the best song on the album ("Birth Ritual" by Soundgarden being a close 2nd). My favorite line: "I used to treat you like a lady, now you're a substitute teacher." The soundtrack version is better than the version on Mother Love Bone's albums, and it's because of the combination of these two songs and a great fade-out at the end. Spoken like a true music snob, I know. Andrew Wood is still missed....

"Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel - This is essentially a Dear John letter to Genesis written after Gabriel left the group. The funny thing is, both Gabriel and Genesis had much more commercial success separate than together. When I was unhappy in my job a few years ago, this song popped into my head a lot.

"Around the World" by Daft Punk - Not a lot of lyrics in this one. This song has a time and place attachment for me. It came out in 1998, just as I was planning my triumphant return to Minnesota. I would listen to Daft Punk on my frequent bus trips between Appleton and the Cities. Actually, a lot of things were happening in my life in 1998. I won't get into all that here, but it's always fascinating how we have our own soundtracks.

So there you go. I want to do these every once in awhile...I would also love to have people chime in with their next 5, whether or not they have an iPod.

#25 Ski-U-Mah!!!

It may not last that long, and they aren't a title-caliber team yet, but I just wanted to note the Minnesota Golden Gophers' rise into the ranks of the top 25. It's their first appearance in the rankings since 2005. Now, I have to be cautious in my optimism as I've been burned before by the Gophs. But, it's entirely possible that the Gopher football program will have a nice head of steam going for it going into the new stadium. They've come a long way since I watched them squeak by Northern Illinois. They have a tough one coming up at Purdue, where they have had a lot of trouble winning over the years.

Come to think of it, the football teams I root for are all doing well.

Kimberly - 8-0, winning games by an average score of 48-7.
Minnesota - 6-1 (2-1 in the Big Ten)
Green Bay - 4-3, with an impressive win over the Indianapolis Colts...tied for 1st with da Bears.

Other than the Bucks, 2008 has been a pretty good sports year for me.

Oh, I suppose I should mention the Badgers, who are not having a good year. Despite my history with UW, I do still root for them against all non-Gophers teams. But, I do have to say I like seeing the Gophers well north of Bucky in the Big Ten standings.

Requiem for a good drink for the underage

The year was 1993. Bill Clinton hadn't met his favorite intern yet. Brett Favre was just beginning his slow build towards greatness. The Spin Doctors still had a future. And, a clear alcoholic beverage that no self-respecting dude would ever admit to drinking came into being. Of course, most self-respecting guys don't admit to a lot of things they do, so that's irrelevant.

I remember when Zima came out. I was in high school, and had already developed a bit of a taste for beer, but not to the point it is now, so in the spring of 1994, some of us decided to try it. We got a guy to buy us a six-pack, and four of us drank it in about 15 minutes. That should tell you all you need to know. Four high school kids threw down a six-pack, and none of us got even close to drunk. But, Zima did appeal to a lot of us underage kids in the mid 90s.

Now, in 2008, MillerCoors has decided to end production of Zima. Sales are down (and probably have been since December 1994, around the last time I drank it). Zima is a lesson in novelty value wearing off quickly. I forgot it was still available. I don't recall it being available at the Coors brewery when I was out there this summer, so it's not like they were proud of it. So, the first malt beverage goes out with a whimper.

Will this escape scrutiny?

Tonight's episode of Family Guy had a plot with time travel and World War II. There were two instances of blatant leftist tripe. I know show creator Seth MacFarlane is a hardcore lefty, so this is to be expected. One was a shot at the war in Iraq, and the other one made my jaw drop. At one point in the episode, the characters drop a couple of Nazis in order to steal their uniforms and get entrance into a German operation. Stewie lifts the lapel of his uniform to reveal a McCain/Palin campaign button. Of course, the idea is that McCain and Palin are Nazis (or at least they have similar views). Now, we hear things like this all the time. My jaw dropped because of how blatant the writers were in doing it.

I'm not going to stop watching the show but good Lord, do we need to have constant politicking on shows that are not strictly political in nature? If someone had done a cartoon where a Soviet uniform revealed an Obama campaign button, it would be roundly denounced, and rightly so. But, my bet is we'll hear nary a peep about this (other than here, of course). You know, because comparing Republicans to Nazis is funny and accurate.

I had a visitor today

This morning my roommate and I were watching Walk the Line when we hear a knock at our door. Interestingly enough, a couple of Barack Obama operatives are at our door. My roommate told them he's a Republican and ended it. But, I decided to ask a couple of questions. I told them that I am a fairly conservative guy, but that I wasn't impressed with John McCain (which I am not). The guy started talking about Obama's tax plan and his middle class tax-cut. For fun, I asked him how one can cut from 0% (which is the effective tax rate for a significant percentage of people). He squirmed a little at the question, then tried to change the subject. I then told him how I am against punishing success with punitive tax rates. He posited that Warren Buffet is an Obama supporter. My response to that is that if he was to research, he would find that a lot of the ultrarich in this country support Democrats. Warren Buffet, George Soros, the Gettys of San Francisco, and so on.

But, here's a question...to me, Obama's people have no reason to canvass Minneapolis. We are going to give about 80-85 percent of our vote to Obama. So, why are they still working Minneapolis? If there is uncertainty of the result of the Minnesota vote, shouldn't they be working this guy's neighborhood? Or, perhaps the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th districts? Maybe this thing isn't entirely over yet. Or maybe the Obama campaign has so much money they can move into more Republican areas as well as reinforce their strongholds.

Newspaper endorsements

Newspaper endorsements have always been interesting to me. It's always good to know where newspapers stand, although I always wonder how their coverage is affected post-endorsement.

With that in mind, the Chicago Tribune endorsed Barack Obama for President. Honestly, I am not surprised. Obama is an Illinois guy, and the tone of the Chicago Tribune editorial page has gone to the left as of late. Really, I would be more surprised if any newspaper that is not blatantly conservative endorses John McCain. As much as I think McCain is not a good candidate, I do think that he is being messed over by a media that wants Obama elected more than any candidate in the past several election cycles. What did surprise me is that the Trib has never endorsed any Democrat before. I know the Trib has a historically pro-Republican editorial page, but I figured they would have endorsed at least one Democrat at some point. So, maybe I should be surprised at the endorsement. I would certainly be surprised if the Star Tribune endorsed any Republican for any major office, particularly for President. Really, when their endorsements start rolling in, it's going to be an open question whether or not they endorse an entirely Democratic Congressional slate for Minnesota. Maybe they'll endorse John Kline since he isn't really facing a contest.

Well, I'll give the old man credit...

...he's got some fight left in him. I will not say he's winning so far. But, at least he has a few punches that are hitting. More to come later....

8:54 - I guess this is an attempt to live blog. Anyway, I have to say I really like this debate format.

8:56 - Health care. This is where Obama is going to get points. Never mind that his plan works towards socialized medicine. Costs need to be contained. I really think they would go down if we as consumers of health care actually felt the cost. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do that. Maybe one of my two commenters has an idea.

9:01 - Waiting for the next topic...

9:03 - Joe the Plumber is a nice personification of the "plain folks" propaganda technique. By the way, are we going to be able to call high-end anything "Cadillac" much longer?

9:06 - Oh Christ, here's the abortion topic! I know this is going to Supreme Court nominations. I think this is the most important issue not being discussed. Not because of abortion, though...but because Stevens, Ginsburg, and a couple of others don't have a lot of time left on this planet. Frankly, abortion as an issue is not that important to me. But, Supreme Court justices are.

9:11 - Obama, it's called statute of limitations, chucklehead. His story of Lucille (or whatever her name was) suing for equal pay was a red herring. Basically, Obama just gave away the game vis-a-vis judicial activism vs. strict Constitutionalists.

9:16 - Education...Obama being for charter schools is a good thing, as is McCain. Competition amongst K-12 schools is long overdue on a national basis.

9:23 - I think it looks like McCain is about to cry sometimes. He is a voracious note-taker.

9:26 - The closing statements are happening. I don't care. I think McCain did alright. Unfortunately, it's not nearly enough. He needed a knockout, and he didn't get it. But, he needed to give voters a reason to not vote for Obama, and to me, he didn't really do that.

9:29 - Obama just played his trump card, and why he is going to be the next President. Essentially he just equated McCain to the definition of insanity...doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I think that resonates with people, even if the assertion that Bush=McCain is somewhat questionable.

10:07 - Watching the post-debate analysis, and I tend to agree that it would have been very difficult for McCain to "move the needle." That said, I also agree with some of the pundits that by not losing, Obama won. I think something really bad is going to have to happen to Obama for McCain to win.

Everything is great in Neenah, WI 2

OK, so there are two things to worry about. But other than that, it's wonderful there.

Everything is great in Neenah, WI

Things must be wonderful in Neenah, because this is apparently all they have to worry about.

NHL pipe dream

People who know me well know I would love the NHL to come to Wisconsin. I also know that it will likely never happen. It's a shame, given that Wisconsin is, relatively speaking, a pretty good hockey state. It's no Minnesota or Massachusetts, but hockey is actually played in Wisconsin (you know, as opposed to Tennessee, Texas, Georgia or Arizona). However, Milwaukee is not big enough to support three teams, so I highly doubt we will ever see a Wisconsin-based NHL team.

I often wonder who I am supposed to root for in the NHL as a Wisconsin native. Living in Minnesota, I support the Wild to some extent, although I can see being more of a fan once I get to a game. But, I would imagine the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings have some sort of territorial "claim" over Wisconsin. So, here's my idea: I think it would be fun to have a 4-team preseason tournament, with the winner getting "rights" to Wisconsin. It would be played every year in Milwaukee. I know I would put the Red Wings, Blackhawks, and Wild in the tournament. I am not sure on the 4th team, although I would think it would be either the St. Louis Blues or Nashville Predators (Nashville's AHL affiliate is the Milwaukee Admirals).

Obviously there are a lot of obstacles to making this happen. First off, it would be tough to say how much interest there would be in Wisconsin for this. Second, would the teams be interested in playing a preseason tournament with anything at stake? Also, would the winning team's games being shown in Wisconsin get much viewership?

Like I said, this is a pipe dream. But, wouldn't it be fun for people in Wisconsin?

Offensive music

Not really...but I was turned onto a fairly new band out of the UK called Does It Offend You, Yeah? I have always liked new wavy-type music, and as of late there have been some bands who have incorporated it into their music. These guys do it well.

Here's a video for a song of theirs I like. Check it out. The video itself is a little odd, but the song is cool.

2008 Milwaukee Brewers

In my blogging absence, the Milwaukee Brewers managed to do something they haven't done since I was in 1st grade (incidentally my only year of Catholic school)....make the postseason!! As most know, the Brewers got bounced by the Philadelphia Phillies 3 games to 1. Of course, it's nothing new for Wisconsin-based teams to get bounced by Philly teams. 4th and 26, anyone? How about all those Bucks teams that kept running into the Sixers? I suspect that if Philly or a nearby suburb ever gets an AHL team, they would beat the Milwaukee Admirals in a playoff series (I said it this way because Milwaukee will likely never get the NHL). I think you could also throw in the Philadelphia Kixx beating the Milwaukee Wave at indoor soccer at some point.

But, the 2008 season was a good season overall except for September. The Brewers made a big move to get CC Sabathia, and their young roster came together decently for a good chunk of the season. So, I want to thank Mark Attanasio, Doug Melvin, and the Brewers team for giving me hope that postseason baseball can be played in Wisconsin. Now, let's try to get back before 2034.

Debate 2 - This time, it's person.....zzzzzzzz

My friends, last night's debate didn't change anything. We need change, and my friends, I saw nothing to indicate that there would be any change...in the electorate, anyway. Barack Obama started out ahead, and to me was ahead at the end. John McCain needed to win this debate convincingly, and I am not even sure he won it. I think the winner was Tom Brokaw. His point about time constraints and maintaining a schedule hit home. But seriously, the questions were boring and the answers were essentially talking points we have heard numerous times before. Nothing new came out of it.

Can you tell I am sick of the election?

More cowbell

My last post was several weeks ago...for some reason, a request was made for more cowbell in the comments. It wasn't the guy pictured, but hey, he puts his pants on one leg at a time just like anyone. But, when his pants are on, he makes hits. When my pants are on, I sometimes blog.

Seriously, there are a couple of reasons I have not been blogging of late. First off, I am not sure what to write. I have to find a real niche, something that is interesting to me as well as the reader. I don't think I have found it yet.

Second, the big thing to be blogging about is the election. Frankly, I don't want to write about it that much because I don't really care for anyone running, including third parties. Barack Obama is going to win convincingly. If Indiana is in play, then I know it's pretty much over. I think it's going to take video of Tony Rezko, Bill Ayers, and Barack Obama in a room plotting the demise of the United States for John McCain to win...and Obama will still get Minnesota's electoral votes. Given my disdain for McCain (McCain-Feingold to me is defecating on the Constitution), frankly I will not be disappointed when he concedes. The GOP really screwed the pooch on this one. Is Barack Obama going to be a good president? I really don't think so. But, we haven't had a good president in many years, so we ought to be used to it. I am really cynical about this whole election cycle.

Anyway, I will do my best to post more often.

Note: I started this post a couple of days before I finished it (10/8).