Ever Wanted to Fly Like a Bird?

Check out this incredible footage.  The life that resides here on this planet is remarkable.


 

Revelations from the Battle of Madison

The situation in the capitol of our newly adopted state is totally in flux.  The Battle of Madison is the first skirmish in what will be a war to reign in unsustainable entitlements.  And what have those for continuation of our economic demise shown themselves to be?   

First, hypocrites. 

Second, with the prevalence of the “sick out,” liars. 

Third, abject frauds.



In no other job in the private sector can you have a fully funded pension, a fully funded heath program, job protection via tenure regardless how horrible your performance, and the ability to skip your work, lie about it, and commit a fraud all without fear of reprisal. 

How is this fair?  Anyone in the private sector that did this would be fired in a New York minute. 

Keep it up, unions.  What you’re really about is on display for the whole world to see, and those of us that pay your salaries have had enough.  Soon you will be welcomed back to the real world with the rest of us.

Jeopardy's Watson Computer Kicks Butt

Watson, the IBM computer currently competing on Jeopardy, is doing some amazing stuff.  This is especially significant when you consider the storied histories of its human competitors. 


The competition (quickly turning into a rout), has propelled Jeopardy to their highest ratings in years.  Indeed, it is a sight to see.


Here's a really good background on the technological competitor:

Restaurant Reivew - Lotus Asian Restaurant, Green Bay

I love Thai food.  More than that, I LOVE Pad Thai.  The only problem is that a Pad Thai recipe is a lot like a Bloody Mary recipe - when it is good it is outstanding, but when it is bad (which is more often than not), the disappointment lessens a nice time out. 

When I was here in Green Bay on my own last fall, I ordered take-out Thai from a local restaurant (which will remain nameless), and the Pad Thai I received was nearly inedible.  I began to wonder if Green Bay had a good solution for Thai food, when I happened to drive past the Lotus Asian Restaurant off of Military Avenue. After cajoling my wife for a couple of weeks (she's not a fan of very spicy food), I finally got her to agree to go there to dinner with me last night.  Judging by other reviews I've read on the place, I held out hope that this would be my Thai restaurant solution in Green Bay. 

We started with an order of Thai Spicy Wings, which were the prefect combination of spice, heat, crunch, and flavor.  Just these alone were worth the trip, but for me the true test was ahead.  Fortunately, the Pad Thai more than passed the test - it was outstanding.  Not the best I ever had, but easily in the top five.  Just a great mix of spice, heat, and a hint of sweet.  I also ordered the Pad Prik Khing, a spicy green bean dish, which was done perfectly, with the green beans retaining some crunch, while making my nose run due to the spicy heat.  My wife ordered a traditional Chinese meal of Cashew Chicken which was also very, very good. 

Portions were large (we came home with two containers that will be at more than one more meal for two), and the service, while a touch slow, could not have been more friendly.  It felt great to be in a place with such welcoming, happy, and friendly folks.  The restaurant itself is a touch small, but well appointed, complete with a small bar and flat screen TVs for the sports fan.  Also, they do deliver, so that's an option as well. 

Overall, it was a really nice evening out, and will likely be added to our restaurant rotation.     

The Vikings 2010 Ultimate Embarrassment

Pictures speak louder than words:



What the hell happened to my once-proud franchise? 

Minnesota better find a way to get a stadium deal done.  They need only watch what happens to Minneapolis again this summer when the Twins are in town for any fortitude they need to invest in a source of economic gain and civic pride.

This just turns my stomach... 

Our Last Chapter "Closed" (and Not a Moment Too Soon)

We finally got word that the sale of our house has closed.  The odyssey of my job change and our move has finally closed its final chapter. 

And not a moment too soon. 

The StarTribune reports today that Twin Cities home prices continue to free fall.  Here’s an extract:

During the quarter, home values fell 12 percent in the Twin Cities metro area compared to the prior year, and Zillow said it was one of the worst quarters since it started tracking real estate trends in 1996.  "It almost seems like what you'd see in Florida," said Mark Vitner, a senior economist for Wells Fargo Securities. 

We definitely took a financial hit by selling out home in the midst of this economic maelstrom, but feel lucky that we were able to sell at all.  If real estate is the bellwether of our economic fortunes, there is still a long way to go.  Fortunately, we have our feet underneath us, the new job is going great, the company is doing very well, my wife has been on interviews, and we appear to be OK. 

If we still owned our home in Minnesota, that definitely would not be the case.  We got lucky, and we remain blessed.  

Putting the Frozen in Frozen Tundra

I hate this time of the year. 

The Super Bowl is over, and it will be 6 months until training camp and fantasy football prognostication starts.  NCAA basketball is in mid-season, and we’re a month away from conference tournaments and the big dance.  NBA is hardly a sport anymore.  NHL is about the best thing going, but there’s a scant amount to be had here in hockey-less Green Bay.  We’re more than a week for pitchers and catchers, and full MLB squads about a week after that. 

So why are all of those spectator sports important?  It is -14 this morning.  Wind chill?  Oh, that takes things down to -26.  Here on the frozen tundra, we’re not going outside anytime soon, so TV is our great escape. 

Spring seems like an unattainable goal, and summer something that other people enjoy.  The weatherman is predicting a high Sunday of 36, and while we pray that he’s right, just doing the quick math means that it would be a 50 degree swing!

We’ll believe it when we see it. 

Lost In Lambeau Land

It is official.  I'm living in a Twilight Zone episode.  

 We attended the Return to Title Town celebration at Lambeau Field today.  Here's a little video snippet of what it was like.  

On the way home, my wife suggested that if you would have told us a year ago that we'd be in the front row of Lambeau Field in February, freezing our tails off, in the middle of 50,000 Green Bay citizens, in the midst of celebrating a Super Bowl victory, we would have suggested that you put away the tequila as you'd obviously had enough.  But there we were, in some kind of surreal alternate universe.  Kind of like that Star Trek episode where Kirk beams onto an evil USS Enterprise (Episode #33, "Mirror, Mirror" for you nerds scoring at home).

But there we were. 

Here's my wife in the -10 wind chill. 

And here's Super Bowl 40 MVP Aaron Rogers, and the Lombardi Trophy, a mere 30 yards away. 

Some people have to travel the world to see stuff that they've never seen before.  We just needed to move to Wisconsin.