Obama a One Termer, Says Obama?

From the champ himself.  According to him, he's got less than 6 months, or it is time to polish up the resume.





 Better get off the golf course and get to work...

Cabela's 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Catalog

Cabela's recently mailed me this behemoth.  It is a 1,300 page, 3 pound+, hardcover monster.  Here's a shot next to some things which provide better context:

I've been receiving these types of catalogs from Cabela's annually now for nearly 10 years, and they continue to amaze me.  As a old catalog marketer, I know what it costs to produce and mail this monster, and what is needed in terms of response to make the P&L work.  I simply cannot believe this is profitable, but given that they've been producing it for so long, it has to be paying some kind of dividends.  

It continues to be an advertising marvel to me.

The Case for Peter Gabriel for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In the latest installment of acts that belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we examine the case for Peter Gabriel.  While some may argue that he's already there via the induction of Genesis, as stated earlier in my recaps, the Hall has a huge bias against Prog Rock, and I view the Genesis induction as only a tip of cap to the Top 40, Phil Collins led version of the band that was so popular in the 1980's.  That band looked very different than the Gabriel led band that was pushing envelopes in the 1970's. 

Here are the primary reasons for inducting Peter Gabriel as a solo act:

• Gabriel has pretty much always been focused on the artwork, regardless of what it may have cost him in terms of dominating the mainstream.  Be it staging costumes, self-titling his first four albums, re-recording his albums in German, adding his talent to a multitude of motion picture soundtracks, exposing his audience to world music, or his incredible videos, Peter Gabriel has expanded his art.  It always came first for him.    
• The So album is incredible.  While not a masterpiece per se (some of it is difficult for typical mass consumption), it was the dominant album of its time.  While the world was being besieged by Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Prince, Peter Gabriel offered a refreshingly new take on music that sounded like nothing else.  And while he did that most of his career, for him to rise to such popularity in such an environment really reflects on the quality of what he was creating at that time.   
• And while Gabriel's music sounded like nothing else, his videos were even more fantastic.  Consider this one for Shock the Monkey, released in 1982:

Nobody made videos like that then.  Hell, nobody makes videos like that now.  

And when discussing Gabriel videos, I'd be remiss if I did not include the award winning and famous Sledgehammer video:



While not everyone's cup of tea, Peter Gabriel has been a prolific and creative dynamo for five different decades.  He's pushed boundaries across a broad spectrum, all while delivering some incredibly original music.  His massive contributions make him more than worthy to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a stand-alone artist.

Top Ten Things About Living in Green Bay

We recently had some friends from Minnesota share the weekend with us, and we were thrilled to host them.  We miss our friends terribly, and it was great to have company and engage in new adventures.  This was two weekends in a row for us to host friends, and we just loved it.   

Throughout the weekend, we talked a lot about our new home to our Twin Cities friends.  They inquired how we liked our new home, and while there are definitely big things that we miss from Minnesota, there are some things about this location that make it a very nice place to live.   

In no particular order, here are ten things that make Green Bay a nice place to call home: 

• Traffic - being a town of only 105,000 people, there is no such thing as a traffic jam here, with the exception of Packer games.  My morning commute has been reduced from an hour to 15 minutes, and that extra hour and a half every day of productive time that I get back is precious. 
• Civic Pride - Green Bay citizens love their town.  It is a relationship that is sweet, sincere, and evident.  While there's a touch of inferiority complex by living in the shadows of Chicago, the Twin Cities, and to a lesser extent Milwaukee and Madison, there's plenty of pride with what is here to compensate.    
• Proximity - The big towns listed previously are 4 hours away, and the smaller ones 2.  Miss the big city?  You're just a short car ride from a change of scenery.    
• Door County - Speaking of a change of scenery, this location is the most beautiful jewel Wisconsin has.  And it is only a short hour drive from Green Bay.   
• NFL - I absolutely love how much this city knows its football.  A not just about the Packers; they have the goods on the entire league.  The work fantasy football league already has me a bit intimidated... 
• Lake Michigan - I was able to see first hand last weekend what a gem this lake is.  Not only does it aid the weather patterns in the area, it also boasts some incredible fishing opportunities - from huge walleyes in the Bay to massive salmon on the big lake.   
• Fish Fry - As long as we're talking fish, I confess that the Friday tradition of a fish fry is a real treat.  Every restaurant has some kind of offering (even some of the ethnic ones), and everyone who lives here has their favorite spot.  As do we - Farr's Grove   
• Old Fashioned - Speaking of fish fry, the meal would be nothing without this requisite accompaniment.  It is a damn fine cocktail, and I'm a clear convert.   
• Work Ethic - The people of Green Bay are a hard working lot.  This is a working person's community, and is a great place for businesses to harness this valuable resource.   
• Airports - Both the Green Bay and Appleton airports can get you where you need to go, and can do so within about a half hour of arriving.  The bad news is that you'll have to connect, but the good news is that a line at check in or at security will basically never be worse than five people deep.  For one that travels only every month or two, it is a fabulous configuration.   

There's the list of the things we love about our new home.  We hope you'll come visit us soon so we can show you in person.

Cheap Trive Live at Budokan: Good But Not Great

A number of weeks ago I posted about the top ten live albumssince 1975.  My brother shot me an email, and stated that he was surprised the Cheap Trick's at Budokan didn't make the list.   

While I thought hard about the album when making out my list, it didn't fit well within the confines of my definition of what made a great live album.  To go back to the definitions:

• It should rework the original material and not just be an attempt at replicating the studio song.  
• It should feel "live" with audience sounds and interaction and 
• The music should be able to stand on its own - e.g. it should be good enough to pop up in a mix of studio music without throwing things off.  

Basically, Budokan falls short on two of the three tests.  I'll grant that the album did introduce some new tracks, but primary tracks like Surrender and Come On, Come On are pretty much the same songs as their studio versions.   And while there are definitely audience sounds and interactions, they overwhelm the songs at points and become a distraction.  One can only take so much of 14 year-old Japanese girls screaming.  

In Cheap Trick's defense, Budokan was never supposed to be released outside of Japan, but was so good that it crossed over to a domestic, and later international release.  Had they been shooting for domestic success, they likely would have recorded and/or mixed it differently.  

Don't get me wrong, Budokan is a great album, and a very enjoyable recording.  It's just not top ten worthy.   

Hooked Up Sport Fishing Charters Review - Lake Michigan Salmon Fishing at Its Best

We spent the weekend fishing with Hooked Up Sport Fishing Charters out of Sturgeon Bay, WI fishing for monster Lake Michigan salmon.  In a word, the trip was outstanding.   

We stated on Friday afternoon, and met Captain Dean at our noon departure time.  Unfortunately, the wind was howling out of the south at nearly 30 MPH, and the waves on the lake were brutal.  Dean stated very clearly that he'd take us whenever we wanted to go, but strongly suggested that we wait until sundown as the wind was slated to die down at that hour.  I'm not sure most charter captains would bother talking us out of it - he and his first mate are used to the massive waves, and their boat can handle most anything the big lake can throw at it.  However, he knew it would be miserable for us, and he was extremely forthright with his recommendation.  We opted to meet again that night at 5.   

We drove back to Green Bay, a quick hour away, then turned back around at the appropriate time.  While the wind did indeed subside, the lake was still quite violent, and Dean suggested we drive out to the big lake and make a decision.  Should we choose not to go at that point, he'd charge us nothing.  The 15 minute ride to the big lake showed that things were indeed rough, but we were game, and gave the thumbs up to go fishing.   

We should have known what we were into when we got to the location about 5 miles outside of the port and found ourselves in the fishing area all by our lonesome, but we were up for the adventure, lines went out, and we were on fish in about 15 minutes.  We ended up boating 12 before calling it a night.  Here are some photos:   

Despite the massive waves, only one of us got seasick (me), and that was right as we were pulling up lines to leave.  It's the only time in my life where I've been motion sick, and while I felt like a wimp, I was comforted by the box full of Lake Michigan salmon that we boated.   

The following day found little wind and fairly calm seas, but even through the fishery had been changed by the big waves of the day prior, and even though afternoons tend to be more quiet, we immediately got on fish.  In fact a neighboring boat called us to ask Dean how the fishing was going.  Dean told them we were doing OK - we had 8 fish in the boat with multiple misses - whereas the other captain complained that his clients hadn't had a bite.  Why the difference?  Part of it was surely hustle.  Our boat was running 14 rods at one point, and that vast coverage got us on fish.  Dean and Beau, the first mate, flew around the boat, making sure things were set.   

So how did we do the second day?  Look for yourself:   

We ended with a limit of 15 fish for 3 guys.  And note that these fished were cleaned by Beau in an amazing fashion at the back of the boat while motoring back to shore.  How he did it in the waves without losing a digit or two is still a miracle to me, but all fillets were expertly cleaned.   

So here's the upshot on our experience:  

• I've never seen two guys hustle more for their clients.  You may not get fish, but I guarantee you it will not be because of a lack of trying.  
• Both Dean and Beau were personable, funny, knowledgeable, and fun.  Just great guys with which to spend half of a day in the boat.  
• Our bottom line turned out to be 27 fish in two days, at an estimated 160 lbs. of salmon.  Yes, that number is right, and it is conservative.  
• As stated earlier, fishing was outstanding.  The whole experience was outstanding.  Even me puking wasn't that bad...

We arrived home that second day and grilled fresh salmon for our wives, and everyone agreed that it was the best salmon meal we ever had.  There is something about eating something so incredibly fresh.  

By the end of the weekend, we all decided that this will be an annual event.  We can't wait to do it again.

What an incredible two days of fishing.    

Minnesota DNR Takes Ball Home, Shuts Down Website

In a completely classless act, the Minnesota DNR is having many (most?) of its web pages automatically redirected to the above. 

Yeah, I know your department is "shut down."  But there are hundreds of pages on the MN DNR website that could still be serving the public, and for which the public has paid, that could still be up and running while the lockout continues.   

Instead, the DNR chose a "scorched earth" policy.  No access to their information at all.  Despite the fact that we paid for those pages. 

It is exactly a move like this that makes the taxpaying public despise the government sector.

DNR, I'm sure you attempted to demonstrate to the public how vital your services are by locking out the public from your self-service areas.  Instead, you come across as petulant children.

Shame on you.

Taxing the Rich, Revisited

With Obama looking to tax "private jet owners," and with Mark Dayton shutting down government services in Minnesota because he can't get the legislature to agree with his plan to tax the rich, it is necessary to revisit this video.  Please, watch it all:



The rich can be taxed - taxed as much as possible.  And it still won't make a dent.  Not a dent.  Government spending has grown by that much.

We're at a tipping point, folks.  It is on display for all of us to see in Greece right now, and if we think it can't happen here, then we really don't understand math.

Basic, simple, math. 

But with massive, scary numbers that are almost impossible to fathom.