Obviously, I don't get to post much on this anymore, those that know me are probably better off trying e-mail at this point, inasmuch as I don't have a presence on the Facebooks and MySpaces of the world for various and sundry reasons.

But I did want to share this anecdote:
While with a group of Christine's co-workers last Friday night, my turn at the whiteboard in Pictionary turned into unintentional comedy gold. Given the phrase "channel surfing", I managed to turn the portable board sideways in order to change the perspective while trying to evoke remote control waves or then attempting to get the "surf" part by drawing yet more lines and an attempt at a passable surfboard. Based on the good-natured reaction of both teams, it was probably at "Darryl Dawkins, moderator" level.

 
As much as I hope to enjoy Saturday's UVa/Tech game for the Coastal Division title, I have to think that somewhere within the ABC/Disney/ESPN/Sheinhardt Wig Company/Conoco/Chubb Group headquarters, they're really hoping not to have to subject Al Groh and company to a national audience. But you know what, I'll take the 17-16 wins and the endless griping of Terps fans over the 4th down spot over where I thought this team would be after the Wyoming game.

The 2007 'Hoos aren't playing "the beautiful game" to borrow a soccer phrase, but it's a lot better than what's going on in Lincoln or Westwood or even Tuscaloosa at this point (MTSU scare nonwithstanding, although the Blue Raiders can play a bit too).

Of course, any mention of the UVa/Tech rivalry has to be tempered on account of what happened last April, we still remember, and for those of you in orange and marooon, you're still our brother or father or cousin or neighbor, no matter what happens on the field. Let's have a clean, competitive game Saturday, something in line with the '98 Comeback or even the '04 defensive struggle rather than the '05 blowout or the '95 Joe Gieck incident.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 
You know you've been out of the pop culture loop when your father in law, a man with an MBA from a prestigious B-school, is ahead of the curve on Christine and I on Superbad.

Brewers? Maybe I should have counted them out earlier, then the September recovery could have occurred in August. Either way, my bread's buttered towards watching the prolate spheroid on weekends.

UVA? The offense is maybe slowly coming around, but I still don't think it will be enough to beat Ga Tech, despite having the game in C'Ville. Sewell and Lalich have flashes, but the 'Hoos need to stay on the ground because neither one is a Matt Ryan.

Labels: baseball, football, out of touch, uva

 
I'm still here, just don't have much time for blogging anymore.

As for the Brewers, they at least held the city's sporting attention until the beginning of Packers camp, that's enough fan goodwill for the year.

 
Thoughts on tonight's Verlander no-hitter:

To date, Lillian has seen or heard two Brewers/Tigers games: We took her to one last June that saw Detroit win 10-1, the other being tonight's game. (Note: neither one saw her listening to 9 innings of baseball, and I really don't think she was listening that intently to tonight's radio and TV broadcasts, as we were running errands throughout the first 6 innings)

During tonight's game, the Jack Morris no-hitter in '84 was mentioned as the last Tigers no-hitter, which I can actually remember seeing on television,at least the last few innings thereof, due to it being part of NBC's old Saturday Game of the Week broadcast. Yes, I feel a little old in recalling when the Saturday Game of the Week was typically the only outlet for regular season games not involving the Orioles.

The other no-hitter I recalled was the '87 Juan Nieves Brewers/Orioles game, which just happened to be a random night in my youth when I decided to turn on the O's broadcast network. Can't remember which station it was, but I think it was a year when either Sunny 94.3 out of Warrenton or one of the Culpepper stations broadcast the Orioles package. At least I think it was an FM broadcast, and I think the O's were on 1190 AM in Baltimore and 1500 WTOP at the time.

Labels: baseball, no-hitters, radio, waxing nostalgic

 

Things I learned in the back half of May 2007, a month that saw my brother-in-law Stuart making the walk for his University of Texas degree.


*Fitting a car seat into an Embraer RJ145 seat is haarrd, but can be done.

* The Austin Airport LaQunita is next to Denny's.

*I at least enjoyed my dining experience here , although the commenting pub lic is divided. (It was the honoree's choice as a meeting place.)

*The I-10 corridor near Katy is less developed than I imagined it, being as it was one of the segments of Metro Houston that I hadn't experienced in past trips.

* Sonic now offers little foam "tots" for kids, our server in Columbus even gave us one although young Lillian was under the 3 year age recommendation.

* Leon's Frozen Custard still packs them in on a Sunday afternoon in May when the temprature is struggling to break 50 and the Brewers and Twins are throwing down in Miller Park.

Note: If you're reading this, Greg, I do prefer Kopp's, not just because it's in Brookfield.

 
Lot of things going on, as the TRASHionals trip led into the week preparing for Lillian's birthday and party, which included my folks being in town, followed by our "Gen X" church group outing to Friday's Brewers game (Half-price tickets, dollar dogs, and Jim Gantner bobbleheads!) and general busyness this weekend and next.

As JQ noted, last weekend was an "old school" offering in the sports world between the Kentucky Derby and the De La Hoya/Mayweather fight. Regarding the latter, I've never been a fight fan, and as for the former, I was out doing lawn work and Lillian was getting sleepy, so she fell asleep for Christine in between the procession of the horses to the starting gate and the race itself. For that matter, I'm don't even know if NBC managed to borrow Jim McKay for the race.

While I'm free-associating, I have to acknowledge the local counterpart to the Derby, held every year in Fauquier County on Derby weekend but never with yours truly in attendance. For that matter, I managed to attend and graduate UVA in four years with nary an appearance at this event.

And to bring things back almost full circle on today's theme of "racing", Chorizo won Friday night's feature at Miller Park.

Labels: Brewers, church group, horse racing, racing

 
At this time, everyone in my family's OK, but with so many Tech alums in my family, today's been a sobering day. We're praying for you here in Wisconsin and across the world.

 
Thanks to some free time to surf tonight, I found that yet another generation can watch the Valleydale pork product commercials. Ask anyone who either grew up in Virginia south of the DC media market or had family south of the DC market (say Richmond or Lynchburg in my cae) oh between the Baby Boom generation and say 15 years ago and they'll remember these.

Labels: annoyingly catchy jingles, pork products, Virginia

 
Ivy League Admissions for the Wiggles Set?

Not having to worry about things like this with Lillian is one of the reasons that the Midwest rocks. Ok, maybe there's something like this in Chicago, but still not a concern here in America's Dairyland.

Labels: Midwest, overbearing parenting, Why I Couldn't Live in NYC

 
Hartz Mountain Jamboree

I just heard Brad Paisley's "Ticks" the other day and two thoughts from the chorus entered my mind.

1. This song was written as a dare for a commercial contest and will soon be borrowed by the Hartz Mountain family of products.

AND/OR

2. Someone will borrow the main line from this song and make a T-shirt out of it to be sold and seen at various state and county fairs.

Labels: bad music lyrics, corporate tie-in dares, songs that could run one off the road

 
Age Estimates Show Rural Communities Short of Younger Workers, According to a U.Va. Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service Study

This article leads me to an aside:

How do you keep them "down on the farm", or even the Warrentons of the Commonwealth? Not that this is a problem unique to Virginia, as Wisconsin's leaders have expressed worry over a state-wide "brain drain".

The answer isn't simple, and I for one left for Dallas straight out of college myself, albiet I was assigned to Dallas when I could have just as easily wound up in Allentown, PA; NoVA, Hillsboro, TX; or near Ft. Campbell, KY.

If anything, I would think that the expansion of Internet culture and the franchisation of America makes it easier to search out fun and happening places in Middle America, but you can't exactly replicate the SoHo loft experience in a two grain-elevator town or the "livable" exurbs or your one-stoplight county seats. I'd think that Americorps and Teach for America touches upon some places within Appalachia, but the talented young men and women they pick can't all be in the country.

Of course, if someone can create "Rural Bohemia", it would provide some intriguing socioeconomic possibilities, not to mention providing a shot in the arm for some of the communities my old firm in Paris represented. All that being said, I didn't exactly set a good example since I gladly traded Fannin County, Texas for Brookfield.

Labels: amateur sociology, asides, land patterns, Rural Bohemia, Virginia, Wisconsin

 
The Midwest/Air Tran struggle continues. My TRASHionals trip is still on my "hometown" airline into BWI, saving the possibility of Beltway backups from College Park out towards Dulles on Sunday afternoon or a long Metro trip out to National. That being said, I'm still hoping for "The Best Care in the Air" come April.

Labels: airlines, corporate battles royal, travel

 
Milwaukee Area Shopping Malls - Dens of Iniquity?

Sure, this controversial plan at Mayfair Mall, located on the western side of Wauwatosa (and Milwaukee County led the newscasts, but don't forget this news nugget from Southridge Mall (SW of Milwaukee city limits).

Labels: Law and Order: Cheesehead Vice Squad, mke

 
Not to subject anyone to the Milwaukee Bucks radio network, but I have noticed a trend of Electric Six songs in the bumpers returning from breaks in the 2nd quarter.

Labels: music, NBA