The Changing Liberal Message, as Told by a Bumper of a Car

For the past couple of years, I have worked out at my local health club with a very nice liberal woman.  I know she's liberal from two things - 1) she always has MSNBC on the TV while she's working out, making her about 12% of their viewership and 2) her vehicle always sports some kind of liberal talking-point bumper sticker. 

Two years ago it was the "Obama/Biden" one.  Later, it was "Faux News Lies."  A year ago it was "Recall Walker."  And now, with Walker winning, what's the latest talking point?  Check it out for yourself:

 

Three years ago the theme was about Hope and Change®.  Ever since, it is about making her political enemies the focus of her statements. 

Maybe that's the reason why the Democratic party is in the state that it's in.  Hope and Change® is dead.  The only thing left is the hatred of the other side.

Classless President Celebrates SCOTUS Decision

Not one to miss an opportunity to denigrate the position of President to "somebody cool," here's how the current occupant celebrates the landmark decision by the Supreme Court.

And, hey, it makes a good opportunity to sell some stuff, too.

At least he's consistent.

Obama Wants Your Wedding Money

I really want the above to be a joke - something from the Onion or something.  No, folks.  It's real.

Tacky?  Off the charts.  Desperate?  Definitely.  Beneath the Presidency?  You be the judge on that one.

What's next?  Here are some ideas for our President:

• Grandma just die?  Send in her inheritance to you.  She would have wanted it that way.
• Kid lose a tooth?  Instead of the Tooth Fairy visiting your kiddo, how about putting some pennies under POTUS' pillow?
• Saving for your kids' college?  Using that money on the election advertising is the really smart move.
• Bar Mitzvah?  Make it a Barak Mitzvah!
• 401k?  Giving it to Obama would make it 401 OK!
• Tipping your waitress?  Giving that money to the President instead might be the best tip yet.

Pathetic.

Commercial from the Good Old Days

One never knows what's going to pop up on the web.  The attached is such an illustration.

Here's an example of a viral video that lived in the days before things went viral. 

I wish I had one of these to sell on eBay.  I think I'd make a damn fortune...


ShopKo - Cheese Puppet Promotion from Clay Covert on Vimeo.

Europe: Sick on Vacation? You've Earned More Vacation!

Europe is on the verge of financial collapse, but for those lucky enough to still have a job (a declining number to be sure), the benefit of their 6 week vacation allocation has been a envy of those of us on this side of the Atlantic. 

Now it gets even better.

Europe's highest court ruled last week that if you went on vacation and got sick, well, those sick days didn't count against your vacation.  You deserve more days off.

You can read the article here.

On the beach and step on a jellyfish?  Stop the vacation clock!  I'm "sick."

Meanwhile, back here in the States, if you have a bad burger at your 4th of July picnic, you better find a way to get your butt back to work on Thursday. 

Wanna place bets on which economy has any kind of chance of making it?

Brandi Carlile Door County Concert Review - Fish Creek

Last night I attended the Brandi Carlile show at the wonderful Door County Auditorium in Fish Creek. To sum it up, it was a fantastic night of surprises.

The first surprise was the venue. The Door County Auditorium is a gem. Nestled in the heart of Door County, the theater is everything a big city theater is, and then some.  The acoustics and sight lines were excellent, and the building could not have been done any better.  For those that live or vacation in the area or for those that travel up from Green Bayor beyond, it is a delightful venue.  I guarantee that I will be back.  And given the talent the venue attracts, it should be an easy guarantee for me to fulfill. 

The second surprise was the opening act of The Lumineers, pictured above.  They played a simple brand of folk-indy, but played it with such passion, talent, and joy that the crowd fell in love. While their crowd interaction needed some tuning – the obligatory opening act mention of the headliner fell a little flat and the band didn’t take as much credit for a raucous Ho Hey as they should have – everything else they did was impeccable.  This is very talented band, folks, and one that I predict will have a big future in front of it.  

The next surprise was the talent shown by Brandi and the Hanseroth twins.  Brandi's talent is evident on her recorded material, and her distinct vocals create a tapestry of sound her fans have enjoyed for nearly ten years now.  What was lost on me was the depth of her musicianship, and how big of a role Phil and Tim Hanseroth are in the music.  Combined they really are a three-headed monster, despite the billing on the marquee.  This was evidenced on multiple numbers throughout the night, with some of the standouts being Before it Breaks and That Wasn't Me - the latter being an underscore example of their beautiful harmonies. 

The final surprise of the night was a rousing rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.  The Queen classic is nearly un-coverable, but the feisty band pulled it off with such success that it brought the sold-out crowd to its feet.  It was a real treat, and the Door County cherry on top of an outstanding, and surprising evening.  

A Dog Named Blitz, Chapter 8 "Fourth Year, Part 2"

For background on this serial, please click here. You can also start at the previous section

The next two weeks played out the same way: I’d return home from work, burst through the door, and ask my wife, “How’s Blitz?”  We’d have some days where it appeared the dog was getting better, and some where it looked like no change.  I tried to convince myself that the limp didn't matter so much. Blitz was a lab, she goes 100%, and there are times when she hits the training dummy so hard on a retrieve that she knocks herself around a bit. She was OK.  She'd just have to be OK. 

Unfortunately, the limp got worse. If given the option, Blitz started to only put a small amount of weight on the leg. Still, if she heard a rooster pheasant while walking her in the back yard or sees a rabbit, it’s off to the races without the slightest hint that something is troubling her.  Her heart, it seemed, never talked to her leg. 

In the mean time, I had been doing research on her likely injury; a torn ACL.  The news there was not good.  If that was indeed what happened with Blitz, she'd be out for at least 12 weeks.  Done for the season.  Site after site, page after page held the same outlook.  My spirits were quickly sinking.   I couldn't stop feeling sorry for myself and I couldn't stop feeling like the upcoming goose, duck, and pheasant season to which I was looking forward would be meaningless.

At the end of her convalescence, it was obvious Blitz was clearly getting worse.  As much as I tried to will her into health, it was apparent she was not going to get better on her own.  I feared the diagnosis that I knew was coming.  Dr. Jeff knew it was coming as well, and had done his homework. “We have options.  We can do a slight reconstruction of the joint, clean things up, but the joint would not tolerate an athlete's activity.  Blitz would need to be a house dog.  The second option is a reconstruction of the ACL.  She’ll miss the hunting season, but her prospects for long term health are excellent. Option one is $1,200.  Option two is $2,400.  Either way, that's a lot of money.  Go home and talk with your wife tonight and let me know what you guys want to do." 

Personally, I didn't care about the money, I just wanted my hunting partner back.  But Doc was right, it was a lot, and I owed it to Vera to discuss it.  After I got home, I got Blitz comfortable and sat down with my wife and explained the options.  She listened.  She asked questions.  And then she got silent.  At that point I asked, "Honey, what do we do?"  Without skipping a beat she replied, "That dog was born to hunt. That's who she is. If we don't fix her all the way, we'd cause more pain than what she's suffering with the knee. We fix her all the way."

Doing anything but was never an option with me, I would have found some way to pull it off, but to have my wife say it made me pretty proud to have two incredible gals in my life. Both are much better than I deserve. 

Since we were doing such expensive and important surgery, we opted to have it performed at the University of Minnesota vet hospital in St. Paul.  Their reputation is one akin to "The Mayo Clinic for Animals," and since it was within driving distance, it seemed foolish to do it anywhere else. 

Our experience clearly met with the reputation.  I met with the surgeon who reviewed Blitz's x-ray and physically examined her.  She stated that the "U "had a different procedure that could be done which was a lot less stressful on the patient, yet yielded fantastic results.  She was confident Blitz was a great candidate.  "So what exactly does that mean?" I asked.  The surgeon replied, "Well, we can't know for sure until we get in there and get a look, but I think it may mean that you’ll get Blitz back for hunting by early November.  Maybe even sooner. The bad news is that it is expensive.”

I was ecstatic!  I was certain that my buddy would be out the whole season, but now!  I didn’t care what it would cost, I was going to get my hunting buddy back!  Even if it was just for the last weekend of legal hunting, it didn’t matter to me.  Blitz was a healthy dog, incredibly strong, in shape, and tough as nails.  If any dog had great prospects, she surely did.  I felt certain we’d been given a new lease on the season. 

We made arrangement for Blitz to have the surgery the following day.  We also agreed to put her under that afternoon to do one more x-ray to get a last look at her joint before going under the knife, just to have as much data as possible.  Before leaving, I had Blitz sit and threw my arms around her.  "I'll see you in a couple of days, girl.  They'll take good care of you here."  With that, Blitz got led away for preparation for her x-ray, and I headed to my car to call Vera. 

I was on cloud nine!  As I drove home I called my wife, Fuzzy, my mom, and just about anyone else familiar with the story to let them know that Blitz would be hunting with me that upcoming fall.  My worrying was over.  My SUV felt like it was floating three feet above interstate 494.  I'd have my hunting buddy back! 

That's when my phone rang - an unrecognized 651 exchange, which meant it originated in St. Paul.  I answered the phone.  "Mr. Sidders?" the voice on the other end asked.  I recognized it as the surgeon I had just met at the University hospital.  "Yes?" I answered "Mr. Sidders," the voice on the phone was clearly troubled, "there is something wrong.  I'm as so sorry to tell you there is something very wrong."    

Rosebuds and an Acoustic Version of Woods

As I've posted before, I'm a big fan of the Rosebuds.  The recently released this video of their hit Woods. 

I don't know what it is about this band, but I just love them.

Enjoy