ESPN Covers John Gagliardi

Nice coverage about my favorite football coach:

Weekend at Dr. Bill's 2014

I just spent the weekend with buddies during our annual trip to Dr. Bill's hunting camp in Illinois.  We've been doing this for nearly 10 years now, and it proves to be an outstanding time.  Unfortunately, things were a little more tough this year:

• Schedules prevented many guys from attending.  We were down to just four of us this year, whereas in previous years we were north of ten, all in.
• Snow on the ground made things very tough going.  In areas, if you broke through, you were easily up to your crotch in snow.  It made for slow going and sore muscles.

Despite the skinny crew and tough footing, we still had an awesome time.  Here is some of the evidence:

Here's Fuzzy doing nothing of particular consequence

Part of one morning's work

The Yellow Dog.  At nearly 9, she hunted like an absolute champ.  She's sore and tired now, but she performed incredibly well

Checking in at the office was necessary

Our esteemed host

Life's busy.  It is tougher than ever to make time to get together, and I appreciate these guys making the investment

Did Aerosmith Knock Off David Bowie's "Fame" with "Last Child?"

I was working out the other day when Aerosmith's 70's classic Last Child came up on the old iPhone.  Given my age and the amount of music I've listened to in my life, I'd venture that I've heard that song well over 500 times.  But somehow, upon my last listen, something struck me as oddly familiar.

It took me a while to figure it out, but it finally hit me: the song is eerily similar to David Bowie's hit Fame.

I present both to you for your consideration:



Here are where I see the similarities:

• Both songs employ soft lead-ins and then immediately convert over to a strong funky groove
• While time signatures differ, the grooves themselves are very similar
• The staccato,. machine gun-like drum riff exists on both and is nearly identical
• Both songs' lead-outs are very similar as well

I very well may be wrong with this.  In fact, if you perform a Google search on it you won't find much that talks about it, which likely means that I'm barking up the wrong tree.  However, to my seasoned, albeit damaged hearing, it sure sounds similar. 

Wild Makes Another Great Move

Akin to the deal that landed them the incredible Jason Pominville last year, the Wild went out and secured Matt Moulson from Buffalo for a song.

OK, it was actually for two second round picks and a disappointing Torrey Mitchell, but is just as well could have been for a song.  

With the deal the Wild gain tough, veteran leadership, 30-goal scorer capabilities, and in a package that still has some tread on the tires.  Moulson's game - gritty and tough down low - is exactly what is needed in a Stanley Cup playoff run, where the games get more physical and the grind of the schedule takes over.

Is it a one year rental?  Perhaps.  I guess we'll see what happens to the contract situations when we get to next year.  But in the meantime, it is a huge vote of confidence by GM Chuck Fletcher that this team can win now.  Heck, their record since January 2 is 14-2-2.  And by landing someone with offensive pop, they address the one thing where they really need to improve - putting the biscuit in the basket with more frequency.  

For once since their inception, the Wild look like a deep, talented team.  With two great lines, outstanding blue line play, and some of the best goaltending in the league, this should be a team that most teams in the NHL do not want to face come playoff time.

Paying it Forward

Think you're tough?  Try getting through this one with a dry eye:

Retreat Recap

This past weekend I spent on a parish retreat.  Entitled "Christ Renews His Parish," it was an event attended by 12 "receivers" and a panel of 8 very talented "givers."

As an introvert, I loathed the thought of going out, sharing, and interacting with a bunch of people I didn't know.  As an overworked employee, and one whose schedule is such that basically the only periods of uninterrupted work I can perform are over the weekend, I feared the loss of time.  For these and myriad other reasons, I did not want to go the way one does not want to go the dentist.  Ugh.

The retreat started slowly, with one of the "givers" giving a "witness" of aspects of their life, and then us "receivers" breaking into groups to talk about it.  And as the day went on, the stories I heard would shock me to the core.

Men whose children were killed.  Men who attempted suicide.  Men who had seen miracles.  Men who had technically been dead.  Men who had gone on missions to third-world countries.  Men whose marriages failed or were crumbling.  Men who were addicted to alcohol, or worse.  It was shocking to hear the stories of these guys.  And everyone had a story.  Everyone.

Think about that for a second.  Everyone.  Now apply it to the guy that might have cut you off on the road or the woman that nabs that parking spot that was rightfully yours.  We have no idea what that poor soul may be suffering.  Yeah, that doesn't always excuse jerk behavior, but there are a lot of horror stories out there the people have/are living through, and after experiencing what I just did, I hope it will be far easier for me to give folks the benefit of the doubt.

One of our last segments involved us receiving letters from loved ones telling us how much we mean to them.  These letters were solicited without any of us knowing, and came as a complete shock to us.  

We all peeled off and found a quiet place to read them.  I received incredible letters from my family, and I bawled my head off through their reading.  It was amazing to read such words from so many people that I admire and love so very much.  I was beyond touched or moved - I was changed.  

Out of all the beautiful, thoughtful, sincere, and loving sentiments that I received - sentiments that I'll save for the rest of my life - one completely broke me apart.  My rambunctious 12 year old nephew told me "If I could be anybody in this world, I would be you."

Wow.

Now, I'm sure if he gave it some thought he'd come up with a better answer.  But to get such stark confirmation of the role that I play in someone else's life - as all the letters provided - was so very, very humbling.

Thus we close with Kid Rock.  It seems to give a good capstone for the weekend.  And the lyrics at the 2:55 mark, while I've referenced them before in this blog, are things I take to my heart when I need to step back, break through the BS and the stress, and focus on what is truly important.  

Amen.

Obama Schools Romney on Russia!

...and shows what an ignorant tool he really is:

Delta Airlines Honor Guard

You have a choice with whom you do business.  For your next flight, Delta might be worthy that business: