Horse Manure Park

It is Thursday before Super Bowl Sunday and it is time to make my prognostication. I think this game could go a couple different directions. I think much of it depends on the location of Eli Manning's head. If it is square on his shoulders, the Giants may keep it fairly close. If it is planted up his butt, it will be ugly. Either way, it will be a historical game to watch. We will see one of two scenarios: (1) We will see the culmination of a perfect season by what many will argue to be the greatest team in NFL history. No team has ever gone 19-0. It is very possibly we may never see such a feat again in our lifetime. Or (2) We will witness what will have to be called the biggest upset in Super Bowl history. Even bigger than SB III (Jets over Colts). So how do I see the game playing out? Well, I just can't go against my gut feeling. Patriots 38, Giants 24 Super Bowl MVP: Randy Moss - 11 catches, 156 yards, 3 TDs. Moss has been very quiet during the playoffs. Don&#

A new study came out yesterday citing that people in the 40's are the most unhappy and depressed of all age groups. This study included 200,000 people from 72 countries and it appears that the "unhappy 40's" is universal the world over. This study grabbed my attention because I am nearing that age. Mind you, I am not 40 yet, but I can smell it from here -- and it smells like a silent dog fart. The theory is that when people reach their 40's, they begin to realize that they are not going to reach the lofty goals they set for themselves in their 20's and 30's. I think that's true. As I read this study, I had to wonder how this applied to me. Besides the fact that I will be 40 in less than two years, I can't say that I'm unhappy and I can't say that I'm depressed by any means. But at the same time, I never had the aspiration to be president of a company, or President of the United States, or anything else that seemed "lofty.&qu

Yesterday, Baxter was five degrees shy of the all-time record high for January 28th. We hit 39 degrees a little more than 24 hours ago. Right now, as of 8 p.m., it is 17 degrees below zero. Wow. Add a 20 m.p.h. wind to the mix and you've got a cold night to look forward to. Last night work was pretty slow. I am not going to complain. The full moon has come and gone and the crazies have gone to their locked units where the scary voices won't get them. Man, there are some screwed up people in our little town. I am NOT a psych nurse. The end. Crazy bastards. So, I'm not sure what the Minnesota Twins are doing, but I have to admit that I don't follow baseball that closely, including the Twins. I do know they did not attempt to re-sign Torri Hunter, who has now gone to the west coast. And today they traded Johan Santana, arguably the best pitcher in MLB (first place in strike outs, ERA and wins since 2003... how much better can you get?!). I believe this coming

It is 36 degrees right now and it feels like spring is on its way. It is a dirty trick, though. Tomorrow is supposed be frigid and the next day even colder. We are supposed to get snow tonight, or possibly freezing rain. I'll take the snow. Well the weekend went by way too quick. We had a great time at Bob and Kathy's. Stayed up way too late on Saturday, but the beer was cold and I don't think Bob, Dale or I really wanted to see any of it go to waste. That would have been a shame. So we did the right thing and stayed up and visited and put the beer to good use. I think we went to bed around 3:30 a.m. But, like Dale said, the world's problems are now solved. We can all breathe a little easier. The best news is Ava didn't break anything (at least nothing that I am aware of!). She took a liking to Miranda right away, which was pretty cute. Miranda even sent Ava home with a bear, so I think they are pretty good buddies now. Anyway, the food was excellent --

I got out of the house for a while this morning and ran a couple of errands. Went to State Farm to settle a small discrepancy with our camper situation. We overpaid $169 out of pocket yesterday. Our deductible was $250, and we paid $419. It had to do with the freight shipping estimate and actual cost. So they faxed everything to the home office in Illinois and we are supposed to get a check in the mail next week. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just cut me a check right there at the office in Baxter? I guess that’s big business. I am getting braver with my iPod. I have downloaded a few songs. I’ve downloaded songs before (for Farm Fest), but I have never synched them up with digital media. It wasn’t difficult at all. I am making an “ultimate” 80’s compilation and I already have most of the songs on a seven CD box set, but a few essentials (in my mind) were missing. One is a gem called “On the Loose” by Saga, which was a hit in 1982. I remember recording that song off K106 out of Wadena

Yes, we will all be hearing a lot more of that quote very soon. "I'm Randy Moss, I'm running for Senate, and I approve this message." I know that candidates are required to say that little bit of information, but I still think it is ridiculous. You damn well better approve of your own message, you doofus. Wouldn't it be just refreshing if you heard a candidate say "I'm Randy Moss, I'm running for Senate, and who am I kidding? I don't approve this message. I won't change status quo. I'm here for the perks." I would vote for that candidate, because I like honesty. I think that's better than someone lying to you just to get your vote. We are definitely a country steeped in double standards. Don Imus lost his job after referring to the Rutgers women's basketball team as a "bunch of nappy headed ho's." Yet Kelly Tilgham, a Golf channel anchor who happens to be an attractive white woman, made a recent comme

I don’t know, either I am a complete zero with no life or I am starting to go stir-crazy being cooped up with a 2 year-old all day, with perhaps a bit of cabin fever added to the mix? Whatever my diagnosis, I was thinking to myself today, “Self, it is a lot warmer where Brian is right now.” I am sure he’s sunning his buns on the deck of a cruise ship right now. Wait, that’s a visual I didn’t really need to have. Okay, let’s get back to the subject. Since I couldn’t really leave my house to experience an 80 degree tropical climate today, I decided to see what the internet had to offer. Gosh, I almost got an artificial suntan. Here are a couple of cool links to web cams around the world. I was playing around with this one at Hale Pau Hana Resort in Maui , and some friendly folks gave me a wave, which I thought was pretty funny! If you wait long enough, the same thing will happen to you. Pan to the right and then down and people walk right in front of the camera. How strange that I am run

Ninety-three years ago today a baby was born near Somers, Iowa, in rural Calhoun county. That baby grew up to be a man, and had a family of his own. I am his youngest son. Happy Birthday, Dad! I have decided that Somers, Iowa is on my long list of places to visit before I die. Some of those places include the Grand Canyon, Liverpool (England), Mount Vernon (Virginia), Alaska, Antarctica and the Pyramids of Giza (Egypt). I know I won't get to some of them, but if I had money to burn, I would travel like a madman. I survived another week of work and the ridiculously cold temperatures. The coldest it got at my place was 23 degrees below zero, which was on early Sunday morning. I think that goes beyong the category of "cold." We watched a show on the History channel tonight called "Life After People." It was a study speculating what would (will?) happen when the human race finally finishes itself off and Mother Nature is left to fend for herself. The concl

I am really liking this blogging thing. I was wondering the other day, why is it called a blog? What a stupid word. Well, I think it is a conjugation of "web" and "log," as in a captain's log... a journal of the day's events. Web log. Say it fast and you get "blog." That's the theory. I'm probably full of crap. I usually am. A couple people have asked me how I find the time to write, but the truth is, this is nothing new for me. I have always kept a journal or wrote stories or jotted down random thoughts for as long as I can remember. I have tablet upon tablet of my writings in my office. It is just that now, I keep it on the internet and share it with whoever wants to read it. I love to write, just like some people love to fish or quilt or bowl or play darts or whatever. The only problem is that writing doesn't burn many calories, but it keeps my brain active. I'm always thinking, ya know. I am sure I get my love of

Tonight is "hump day" for me, night #4 of 7. The last couple of nights have been very unusually quiet, so I am sure tonight all hell will break loose. You never know what you are walking into, so you're always prepared for the worst. Last night and tonight I have been watching the Barrett-Jackson auto auction on the Speed channel. Dan Minor has a few cars down there and I think last night I just missed his Studebaker being sold. His lot number was next and they went on a commercial break. He is supposed to have another car sold tonight, but I haven't seen it yet. I am flipping back and forth between that and the Gopher/Hoosier basketball game on ESPN. I take just a passing interest in basketball, including University of Minnesota basketball, because I just don't understand the game most of the time. You can see two identical plays, one will be called a foul and the other will be called a clean play. It is almost as if the referee flips a coin at any given

It is off to work in an hour or so. I sure wish I could talk about some of the things I see at work, but I can't. There's privacy laws and HIPPA rules and regulations and I would get canned faster than a blink of an eye if I said anything. However, I believe I can speak in generalities... so generally speaking, it would be so refreshing to hear just one person say, "You know, I have made some really bad choices in my life, and because of that, my life is really screwed up. It isn't my parents' fault, it isn't my church's fault, it isn't society's fault. I am just a stupid asshole. I will take total accountability for the situation I am in and it is up to me to figure out how to correct the mistakes I've made." Aaaaaah, now that is as refreshing as a spring shower. I would like to hear that. Just one time. I saw a commercial on t.v. today which really struck me as humiliating. It was a Tampax commercial and their slogan is "As extrao

My days off have come to an end and now it is back to work tonight. Beth has a strange schedule this week. She works today 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., then works evening shifts Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. She traded with someone who had a class or something, so things are a little different for her this week. Not so for me. It is my usual seven nights in a row. I will try to lay down for a nap when Ava lays down, and hopefully I can squeeze in an extra hour of sleep today before I get back on a night schedule. Right now, Ava is running around “cleaning” with her toy broom while eating a banana. She‘s pretty good at multi-tasking already. The picture you see on the left is Ava in her “cleaning hat” which is what she wears while she “helps” Beth clean. There is never a dull moment around here. Football Talk If you aren’t interested in my football ramblings, you can skip this part. I really enjoyed the games on Sunday and I would have lost a lot of money if I had bet on those games because I d

Well, I went ahead and bought an iPod the other day. Now I am trying to figure out how it works. I think I am getting the basics, but there is so much to know that I don't even know what I don't know. The jury is still out, as they say, but I think I am going to like it. Over the last couple nights, Beth and I have been learning how to play the banjo. I should back up here and explain a bit... over the last 3 or 4 years, Beth has asked me for a banjo for Christmas. "I want to learn something new. I want to learn how to play an instrument," she would say. Her instrument of choice was the banjo. So, this Christmas I decided to surprise the snot out of her and I bought her one. The surprise worked! The look on her face was priceless at Christmas, and she now owns a beautiful five-string banjo and we are learning to play it together. My mom could play banjo a bit and I recall two chords from my childhood, one is E minor and the other one isn't. Luckily, the banjo cam

Got up at 7 a.m. this morning. I had the opportunity to sleep in, but it didn't happen. Grace (one of our boxers) was panting in bed and making the mattress bounce up and down and it wasn't very conducive to sleeping. Normally, panting and my mattress bouncing up and down is a good thing, but not this time (Jesus, I hope my mother-in-law doesn't read this)! So I got up and let the two dogs out, where they interrupted a poor rabbit's breakfast out in the backyard, and by the time I got back in the house, Ava was sitting up in her bed saying, "Pooh? Pooh?" Suddenly she's on a Winnie-the-Pooh kick again. So I got up, took a shower and baked some blueberry muffins. Yeah, just call me Mr. Mom. I found out yesterday that my sister-in-law Kathy also keeps a blog, so I got the address today and read the whole thing. I think blogs are very interesting. It is almost like stopping by someone's house and saying "Hello, what are you doing today?" I bet if

I noticed there were a couple comments made on one of my recent postings and coming from the "you can find anything on the internet" department, here is a You Tube link to the Frankie Valli and the Four Season's rendition of the National Anthem at the Fiesta Bowl (I think I said it was the Sugar Bowl... I get the bowl games mixed up, sorry.) It is a terrible recording, but it gives you an idea of what it sounded like. It works better if you listen to it with headphones plugged into your computer. I think it is just awesome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HAX7HmRt8A

I got up bright and early this morning and brought the camper to Lewie's RV. The guy that was there apparently supervising or managing was not the same one who helped me in November, so he had no clue what was going on. Knowing that this situation was ripe to be FUBAR, I brought along all the necessary documents from my original visit and it was a good thing I did. This guy wanted to see my warranty card and then wanted $1,000 down before they did any work. I had to explain all over again that this was covered 100% by insurance - it wasn't a warranty issue - and that State Farm sent a check to Lewie's RV on November 13, 2007 for the full amount of the quote, which I held in my hand and presented to Mr. Manager. "Oh," he said, "I'm glad you brought this along. This clears things up." Once again, buyer beware. But it still pisses me off... why is it that I had to clear things up? Who is paying who here? Now I am wondering how many times I'll ha

Ah, I finally have a few days off. Lewie's RV called last week and said they have the top ready for my camper, so I have to call them tomorrow morning and set up an appointment to get that repaired. I was hoping to get it done in January and it looks like I will. It will be kind of a pain to get the camper out of the snow; it is bundled, tarped and "hibernating," but that shouldn't take more than hour. At least there will be no delay in our camping plans for this summer, since it will be getting fixed now. We definitely plan on camping more this summer. Ava is older and more independent (maybe I should say TOO independent!), so we are going to head out into the great outdoors more often this year -- at least that is the plan right now. We grilled burgers out on the deck tonight. It was a mild 28 degrees, so Beth made homemade burgers and I grilled 'em, and man did that ever hit the spot! A taste of summer in January. Let's see, I've talked about camping an

Happy New Year to all! Work was surprisingly quiet last night, considering it was New Years' Eve. That means, of course, that all hell will break loose tonight, but I will worry about that when I get there. I got a bit of sleep today, now I am up with Ava. Beth is working an evening shift, so Ava and I are spending another evening together. Unfortunately for Ava, it is New Years Day, which means FOOTBALL galore, so I have set up a little theater for her in the living room (my 12 inch t.v. from my office and an old DVD player). I feel like a failure as a father, because I promised myself I would never use t.v. as a distraction for my child. However, she is addicted to Mickey Mouse, and the DVD she got for Christmas ("Mickey's Club House Treasure Hunt" or something like that) looks to be educational and she seems to be getting something out of it (i.e. interacting with the program), rather than sitting there like a zombie. And, of course, she gets Mickey Mouse i