Friday, November 30, 2018

Liberals are the True Racists

Liberals sure like to think themselves as non-racist.  What hogwash.  They're far more racist than conservatives, and here are just a couple of recent examples.

Take, first, the uproar of Charlie Brown being racist.  Why?  Because this:



You see, Franklin is sitting by himself, and he's seated in an uncomfortable folding chair.  Therefore, racism!

Before this outcry, when I saw a picture of the Peanuts gang, I didn't see a black kid.  I saw the Peanuts gang.  I don't see a white receiver and a black receiver.  I see Theilen and Diggs.  However, liberals don't.  All they see is skin color, because that's what matters.

Here's exactly what I'm talking about:



Until we stop looking at skin color, we're going nowhere with regard to race, and given how liberals are performing, we'll be going nowhere for a good, long time.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Longest Hockey Pass

Because when it is flipping cold up here in Detroit Lakes, what else are you going to do?


Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Curling's Back


The new season starts tonight.  I got upgraded to a new team, and the competition will be stronger.  I'll be throwing second, which isn't that dissimilar to the #2 hitter in a baseball lineup.  
Here's an explanation for the whole line-up:
Lead: The lead throws the first two rocks of the end and then sweeps the next six. The lead must be very good at throwing guards and a strong sweeper.
Second: The second throws the third and fourth stones of the end and should be strong at playing takeouts. The second sweeps the first two stones and then the final four of the end. The second and the lead need to be in sync when sweeping together.
Third: The third (or mate or vice), who throws the fifth and sixth rocks of the end, must be good at all shots, but especially draws. It is the third’s job to set up the shots that will be thrown by the skip, and to help the skip discuss the strategy of the final two stones of the end. The third also posts the score at the conclusion of the end.
Skip: The skip is the captain of the team and decides the strategy. It’s the skip’s job to tell the other players where to throw their shots and when to sweep. The skip also delivers the last two shots of the end. The skip must be good at all types of shots.
This will be keeping me busy for every Wednesday all the way to March.  I hope my game, and my liver, are up for it.
What else are you going to do in Detroit Lakes when it's flipping cold?

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Magic Minnesota Sports Weekend

For a Minnesota sports fan, it doesn't get better than what we just experienced over the past long weekend.  Consider:


  • On Wednesday night, Gopher hoops took down a very good Washington team on their last shot, and the Wild got past Ottawa
  • On Friday, the Wild came back from being down 2-0 in the third period to beat nemesis Winnipeg 4-2
  • On Saturday, Gopher football beat Bucky at Camp Randall, SJU won its playoff game, and the Irish (not Minnesotan, but everyone loves the Irish) came back from a 14 point deficit to take care of USC
  • Sunday night the Vikes took care of the Packers on Sunday Night Football
What are the odds of this?  Let's do some math!

  • Gophers over Washington 40%
  • Wild over Ottawa 66%
  • Wild over Winnipeg 50%
  • Gophers over Bucky 20%
  • SJU wins 90%
  • Irish over USC 85%
  • Vikes over Pack 66%
  • Total chance of this happening - 1.33%!
Lots to give thanks for, indeed!

Monday, November 26, 2018

Boyhood is Not a Mental Disorder

This is perhaps the finest analysis on the war on boys that I've read in a long time.  Read it all:

Boyhood is not a mental disorder

We have a massive amount of boys that our society has not allowed to be boys.  They will one day be men.  I wonder how that is going to work out for us?

Sunday, November 25, 2018

Leftovers

As Thanksgiving comes to a close and the last of leftovers find their demise, there's still a glow of thankfulness they impart.  The blessings of having more than enough to eat are an obvious one, but they also allude to the friends and family that have gathered around us to partake in the incredible bounty.  

The feast leads to conversations - an engagement that happens all too infrequently in our hyper-connected and hyper-scheduled days.  The feast also leads to physiological impacts as well; mainly in the form of naps!  However, they're not just naps induced by a full belly.  They're naps also fueled by the contentment of a heart that is equally as full.

As the last of your feast gets consumed and space finally opens back up in your refrigerator, my fervent hope is that the meals those leftovers afforded provided you all with something far greater than just something good to eat.

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Saturday Song Share: Metallica - Nothing Else Matters

This one's for you, Kent.  Wish I would have been able to see you play this.


Friday, November 23, 2018

Thursday, November 22, 2018

A Thanksgiving Message from Fr. Don

Father Don actually published this last week, but given it's Thanksgiving, I felt it appropriate to share with you today:

"Each of us has her or his own list of items for which to be thankful. We can start at the outer edges of this vast universe or begin in the depths of our own being. Either way, our life, our existence is a fabric of gifts, items whose origin was not our doing. Especially those of us in relatively good health, living a comfortable existence in a much-blessed country, have no excuse for whining and complaining. As the chronically ill and the poor so often teach us to our embarrassment, there are so many things, so many people, so many events for which we should be thankful. We'd do well to list for ourselves all the gifts that make our life so livable -- and more."

We can and do audit our pains, slights, and times where we had to suffer indignity or unfairness.  However, if we chose to audit our blessings in addition, the ledger it'd create would be embarrassing.  

We have been deeply blessed - all of us.  Let's take some time today to truly be cognizant of it, and thankful for it.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

St. Mary's Mission Church

As we slide into Thanksgiving, if you need something to be thankful for, be thankful that you and your family don't live on the Red Lake reservation.

However, all is not lost there:



"Anybody that underestimates the power of Catholic education to change lives is a damned fool."

And that is one glaring reason, of many, why the Catholic Church matters.

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

RIP Kent

My buddy and partner, Kent, at the duck camp died.

I went to camp on a Saturday morning to do some chores and hunt some pheasants, and when I arrived one of my partners told me Kent had died the preceding morning.  

The news was like a punch to the gut.  Kent had not been around much this hunting season, and I sensed something was wrong with him.  That week, I had made a note a couple of times to myself that when I freed up I needed to call him and ensure he'd be at camp this weekend.  I also wanted to let him know I was there for him.

I didn't call.  I wasn't there for him.

We don't know how he died, nor does it matter to me.  All that matters is that we've lost our 4th partner of the camp.  Somebody I've hunted with for over 40 years.  Somebody with a grin that lit up a room.  Somebody that could fix damn near anything.  

What happens now with the camp is anyone's guess.  We're still not resolved from Bach's death over a year ago, and now this.  It's going to be a huge mess.

But, ultimately, that doesn't register, because buddy and partner, Kent, at the duck camp died.

I can't convey enough how much I will miss him.

Monday, November 19, 2018

I'm Back

Hi YDP Nation.  It has been over a month, but I'm back.

So what happened?  Folks, I was tapped out.  Between the church scandals, the Kavanaugh hearings, the violence - I simply felt like I didn't have a foundation.  My church and my country were ugly things.  

No, they've not gotten much better.  But I have.  I'm at a place where it's time to start putting down some markers on what I believe is important, and I need to start being the one responsible for taking things in a new direction.  As it has in the past, this little blog will continue to serve as my small little shout at the rest of the world.

Sorry for the absence.  A lot has happened, and I'll be telling you all about it.  But in the meantime, let's just try and be decent to each other.  

Deal?

See you tomorrow. 
yeldogpat-20