Some over/unders for you

Just for kicks, I am going to list a few over/unders regarding local weather (and other things), and then have you guess which one it will be...over or under. Anyone who bets, especially at sports books, knows the drill. I am trying to be hopeful about spring, but right about now I am at the point where I feel winter will never end. But it inevitably will. These are signs of hope for me...when will they happen? Hence, the over/under...

Weather ones:
1. Amount of days left where there will be a low temp below zero (Twin Cities): 3 days
2. Amount of snow left to fall this winter (Twin Cities): 18.5 inches
3. First day it will hit 55 degrees (Twin Cities): March 28
4. When average depth of snow in the Twin Cities will be zero inches: April 7

Sports ones:
5. Number of Big Ten teams in the NCAA basketball tournament: 5
6. Number of Big East teams in the NCAA basketball tournament: 7
7. Number of WCHA teams I will be seeing in Washington DC at the Frozen Four: 1

News/Politics
8. Number of votes Sandy Pappas' bill to ban smoking in cars with children will receive in the MN State House: 51...incidentally, there will be a post about this ridiculous piece of legislation soon.
9. Number of days until Al Franken officially becomes a senator: 20

You don't have to guess on all of these. But, I am interested to see what you think.

Adventures in being found

Last August, I blogged about joining Facebook. It has been an interesting exercise in reconnecting with people I hadn't seen in a long time. I went out for coffee with a classmate I hadn't seen since 1998 when I was home over the holidays. A couple of weeks ago, I almost got together with another friend who I hadn't seen since 2000 at her wedding. So, it has been a fun experience despite my misgivings at the beginning.

Today, I had a rather odd development. I had someone "friend" me who wasn't exactly friendly with me. Actually, he was one of the people who made my high school years pretty painful at times. In addition, the last few times I have seen this guy, he basically reverted to form. So, now I have a dilemma: do I accept this "friend," and ostensibly be the bigger person? Or, do I just ignore his request? This would be easy, but frankly things have been going well for me in life as of late, and I am in somewhat of a forgiving mood. But, frankly the guy was a jerk back in the day. And ultimately, what I do with this is not a big deal in the grand scheme...but, it is an interesting dilemma nonetheless.

So what do you think, folks??

Oh, a couple of people who read this may know exactly who I am talking about. For his sake and mine, I would ask that we not be Burl Ives here....as in, don't name names.

Need an appetite suppressant?

Then click here. I know I don't have the best diet, but even I wouldn't eat most of this stuff.

Everything is great in Minneapolis #2

The City Council is apparently going to explore tackling a huge problem in this fair city....happy hour. Once again, I have to reiterate how blessed I am to live in a city where there are so few problems that they feel the need to attack happy hour.

Hugo for life

Down in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez essentially got the green light to be ruler for life with changes to their Constitution that he wanted approved by the voters. Of course, he will have to be "elected" to six-year terms, but I have a funny feeling this won't be a problem for him...

V-Day

No rant today, not feeling too well. Besides, listening to and watching stand-up comedy has been pretty cathartic. George Carlin and Denis Leary are good for that.

Only 31 days until St. Patty's Day!!

Screw you, Cupid

Well, we are quickly approaching the worst day of the year (in general...some days are personally worse), that being Valentine's Day. In honor of this wretched holiday, Stinger Nation will likely have another rant about why V-Day sucks. But, I'll need some tunes. I know a few, such as this, or this one, or even this. By the way, the third link has one of my all-time favorite lines: "Every time I kiss you I taste what other men had for lunch." I need more. I made an anti-love disc a few years ago, but may want to make another one this year. So help a dude out, won't you?

Even if you are in a happy, loving relationship, V-Day puts a lot of pressure on you. If you don't come through somehow, you are done. So, even for you, this day sucks.

Re-retire?

Mr. Wishy-Washy himself, Brett Favre, has decided to retire again. This time for good. No really, he's back to Mississippi and he's going to ride his tractor. Honestly, it's for real this time.

The over/under on either Brad Childress or Darrel Bevell calling Favre to try to get him in purple, thus fulfilling the secret wet dream of 75% of Vikings fans: 5 days. And no Vikings fans can tell me they haven't fantasized about it at least once...if they hadn't, pics like this would not exist.

Aaron Rodgers? He is not retiring, and not even intimating that he might. Oh, and he put up better numbers than Favre in 2008. Go Pack!

Why I need a digital camera

If I had a digital camera, I could have posted a bunch of pictures of cool things I saw in Milwaukee. My sister and I went to Milwaukee on Saturday to watch the Bucks play the Detroit Pistons. But, we got to town early, so we tooled around town a bit. We went to the Milwaukee Art Museum, which had an addition built a few years ago. Oh, that addition is one of the most stunning buildings I have ever seen. It is beautiful, and is one of the signatures of the Milwaukee skyline. The museum itself has a pretty decent collection.


If I had a digital camera, I could have shown the wonderful urban renaissance happening in the Historic Third Ward. The formerly industrial area south of downtown Milwaukee has turned into a great urban neighborhood that rivals anything found in Minneapolis. I could say the same thing about the areas immediately north and northeast of downtown.


As for the Bucks game, the Bucks are missing three starters. They went up against a Detroit team that on paper should have won by 15-20. For awhile, it looked like it would happen. But, Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva had outstanding nights, and almost willed the Bucks to a win. If I had a digital camera, I could have taken a picture of the view from our seats, which were lower level behind the basket (not direct, but close). It was a surprisingly bipartisan crowd. I don't know if that's because the Pistons have that sort of draw, or if there are a bunch of Michigan transplants in Milwaukee. Either way, a couple of them were directly behind my sister and me, and were very obnoxious.


But, as I don't have a digital camera (yet), you'll just have to take my word for it. But, I will have one soon, and I will certainly be back in Milwaukee soon.

Stinger rant #5

I commented on this post from Amanda lamenting Valentine's Day (a BS holiday if there ever was one), and inspiration struck!! I have a new rant!!

I hate jewelry store commercials. I pretty much hate them all. The message that a woman needs a rock to be happy is not a good one to be reinforced...but hey, do what you gotta do, that's cool. But, a special place in Hell is reserved for those chuckleheads at Jared (no I will not link to them...F them). For those pretentious gold-digging minxes in those commercials, the fact that they got a fat rock from some schlepp of a dude isn't enough. No, it's gotta be, "What's a thirteen-letter word for marriage proposal...he went to Jared!!" Or the other one, where the stupid chick texts her friends with the checklist of what her boyfriend brought. Roses, some other thing, and "He went to Jared!!"

Ladies, please tell me that you wouldn't actually know a ring or necklace or bracelet by where it was purchased.

You know what, Jared can bite me. Here's a memo to any woman I may date in the future...you may get a rock out of me, but IT WILL NEVER, EVER COME FROM JARED!!! It probably won't come from Kay either. They are almost as bad.

Jewelry stores suck, but Jared is the worst.

Periodic lapses in posting...

...are a part of what makes Stinger Nation what it is. Right now, I am having one of those lapses. Don't feel like commenting on political matters. Don't feel like commenting on sports matters, although Michael Phelps sucking on a water bong is kinda funny. Dude, you gotta get the one-hitter that looks like a cigarette. Remember though, when you buy it, it's for tobacco use only. I'm not into the moral outrage some are expressing over this. It's not like he was huffing glue or riding the white horse. I know I know, he's supposedly a role model. Well, maybe he's just a 23-year old kid who likes to let loose every once in awhile. I'm not worried about it.

Anyway, I am going out of town (gonna celebrate some birthdays and go watch the Bucks get slaughtered by Detroit). So, posting may continue to be light. Or maybe not. You never know when inspiration strikes.

Arizona...really...in the Super Bowl?

I am still amazed that the Arizona Cardinals actually got to the Super Bowl. This has been a franchise that has been run horribly for many years. Fans in Chicago, St. Louis, and Arizona have had to watch really bad football for many years. But, they finally got to the Super Bowl, after not winning a championship since 1947.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in their 7th Super Bowl. They are 5-1 in their Super Bowl appearances, and is one of the great franchises in the NFL.

So, who wins the game today? Arizona has not been given a chance in any of their playoff games, and they keep on winning. But, I think that stops today. The Cardinals have a great passing attack, and likely have a chip on their shoulder because no one has given them a chance since the playoffs started. But, I think Pittsburgh has too much defense. I think the Steelers will win.