Thanks

Maybe it is the incredible windstorm, and the realization of just how weak, fragile and small we all are. Maybe it is the upcoming hunting trip with beloved family and friends. I don’t know. But for some reason, I awoke with a deep sense of thanks this morning. Thanks for my wife, family, coworkers and friends. Thankful for my job, security, and comforts. Thankful for the many people and blessings in my life.

In the hurry of our everyday lives and getting to the next item on the to-do list, it is easy to lose this perspective.

I guess that makes me thankful to be able to be thankful.

It is Time to Bench Brett Favre

It is time for Brett Favre to step aside.  His play of last night made it obvious that his heart and head are no longer in the game.  A passer rating of 50 in a critical game, nationally televised, and during his last appearance on the field in which so much had been achieved is an abject embarrassment. 

Beyond the play, look at his body language.  He wasn't coaching or cheerleading in the huddle.  He limped like a fouled soccer player after the play, but miraculously played through the pain during the game.  Where in the hell is the guy from last year? 

All of this is getting old.  Between his surgically repaired ankle, his tendonitis in his elbow, and pictures of his junk on an ex-coworker's phone, there is way too much going wrong with this guy right now to attach our playoff hopes to him. 

I never, ever, ever, thought I'd utter these words: 

Play Tavaris Jackson.  Please.

Brock Lesnar Beat Down by Velasquez

Brock Lesnar got destroyed Cain Velasquez last night.  I mean destroyed.  Lesnar started hot with his bull moves, but Velasquez countered, semi-landed some punches that surprisingly put Lesnar on the ground, then followed up with a horrific ground-and-pound that opened a horrible cut under Lesnar's left eye that's probably still bleeding.  

Weird stuff about last night:  

• Lesnar clearly didn't look like he was into it.  Not at all.  I'm not sure if the illness took its toll or what, but Brock didn't look like he wanted to be there.  
• Lesnar's beard was awesome.  Made him look like some kind of Viking or mountain man.  
• They kept repeating that the league had never had a "Mexican" champion, and keep playing up that angle throughout the night.  Well, duh.  The league hasn't been around, and is missing a Chinese, Russian, Indian, Irish... 
• Speaking of which, Velasquez is hardly "Mexican."  He's an NCAA champion wrestler who went to Ohio State.  Hispanic?  OK.  
• The conspiracy theorist in me gives pause to Lesnar's apathy and the "Mexican" hype.  What does this win do to help the UFC expand its borders?  I wonder if Jesse Ventura will get all over this?  

Bad fight by Brock, but I'll gladly plunk down the $50 for the rematch.

NPR Punsihes Their "Uppity" Employee

Here's the elephant in the room.  NPR thinks Juan Williams is an uppity n-word.  He needs to know his role, say only what's approved, and if he gets uppity, well then he gets what he deserves. 

Black people aren't supposed to think for themselves.  When they do, they're dangerous.  Make an example of them. 

Of all of the claims of racism floating in this story, NPR reign as kings.  Juan's firing was a simple cross burning in a career. 

Do as you're told, n-word, or else. 

Government sanctioned bigots...

The Path I'm On

Before I decided to take the new gig, I was being courted by another company at the same time.  They had reached out to me late in the process, and we moved quick as I was expecting (and ultimately received) an offer from my current employer.  The job was a par with what I'm currently doing, located in the Twin Cities, and darn interesting.  Despite three rounds of interviewing, they couldn't move fast enough, the other company tendered an offer, and I needed to make a decision.  Hence, off to Green Bay we go.  

A couple of days ago I get a call from the other company.  They wanted to check in and make sure I was happy in Wisconsin, and that what I had joined was working for me.  They also stated that in their search I has really stood out, and if there was a possibility to re-start our dialog, they were confident that they'd be able to put something together to make a move back home to the Twin Cities work. 

Wow. 

That really caught me sideways.  I miss Minnesota and being near my farm and cabin.  I miss my friends.  Our home back there isn't selling - not even close.  Beyond the flattery of such an offer, it did invoke a twinge of interest. 

That being said, the twinge is far outweighed by my desire to see this current engagement to fruition.  I'm making good progress, I see a fabulous future ahead, the company has been more than accommodating, and it is as fun as it is challenging.  I thanked the caller for the compliment, let her know I was flattered, but told her that I was locked in. 

The very next day, this breaks: C&B dumps the CEO. 

Was there any correlation?  Zero.  But all throught this entire process it has felt like the path forward for me was made abundantly clear, and this is but another example of that.  There are probably a dozen examples of how that path has been defined, and we're now getting to the weird area. 

Why is it happening?  I don't know.  All I know is that it sure looks like something is at play here, and I better follow the path. 

"Shovel Ready? Did I Say Shovel Ready?"

It turns out the only thing that was shovel ready was the pile of BS that had to be fed to the American people to get support for the economic boondoggle that was the "stimulus." 

So, where did the money go?  Great question, and one that needs to be answered. 

We're talking hundreds of billions here, people.  This is a ponzi scheme in the highest order. 

The Left loves its little catchphrases.  Here's one for you: Obama lied, the economy died. 

Two weeks.  Make your vote heard.

Minnesota Pheasant Opener 2010 Report

Pheasant opener was a hit here is west-central Minnesota.  Most of the corn has been picked, and despite high temps and limited dog power (the warmth completely saps the dog, plus they had already had a very successful duck hunt under their belts with lots of retrieves), we still scratched out three, while dropping a fourth. 

On the second day, I was forced to leave early to head back to Green Bay at a decent hour, and on my way out I decided to hit a small patch to let the Yellow Dog and I stretch our legs before the 6+ hour trek ahead of us.  In 10 short minutes we had our two bird limit, and were back on our way.  Unfortunately, one of the birds I shot landed in a wet area, and while she tried all she could to find it, Deuce was unable to produce the bird.  No worries.  I called Fuzzy on the way out, described the area, and asked if he could don his waders and take his dog through there.  Sure enough, the bird was ultimately brought to hand - nice work boys. 

Speaking of nice work, here's a photo of Fuzzy with our first coyote kill. 

The predator hopped out into a picked corn field and presented a great shot well away from any dogs, and Fuzz put a couple of caps into him, and just like in the cartoons, the coyote pays the tax man.  He was a big one too - compare him to the small dog (60 lbs.) and our guy had to be in the 50+lbs. range.  We've been plagued by coyote for years now, and I'm becoming increasingly worried about the safety of our dogs and the population of our pheasants. 

Here's to having one less mouth to feed up there.  Well done, Fuzz.

Minnesota Wild - Off to Usual Start

The best thing about moving to Green Bay is not having out outlet to waste my time watching "pigs on ice" anymore. 

Bad franchise, bad offseason, bad start, bad year.

Minnesota does not deserve to brandish the name of "The State of Hockey."  More like "The State of One-Goal Losses."