I think I’ll just crawl in a hole

Good grief, what a week.

It seems like it’s been one thing after another...some things aren’t huge in the big picture, but some have been.

I cried when I heard that Davy Jones died. I loved the Monkees as a kid, and I still loved them as an adult. I had just been discussing with Cousin Shane that they were underrated as a band. They recorded some really wonderful pop tunes, and Davy was, by all accounts, a truly decent human being who loved his family, his life, and loved performing. He died way too young, and I was very sorry to say goodbye to him.

Andrew Breitbart also died young. Since he had a wife and children, I think that’s all I’ll say about that.

This past weekend was a tragic one in southern Indiana, northeastern Kentucky, and a few other areas as very strong tornadoes came through. The last I saw, the death toll was 39, and that including a little girl found in a field...she was found alive, but was in critical condition. Her entire immediate family was killed, and she later died in the hospital. My heart just broke for everyone affected, and the devastation was mind-boggling. A couple of towns were essentially destroyed.

Pat Robertson had to weigh on it, and said that if people had prayed harder, they would have prayed the tornado away. He went on to say that people shouldn’t live where natural disasters occur. Tornadoes happen across the entire Midwest, and into southern states...I wonder where he’d have us all live? All the people along fault lines in California and the Midwest, all the people on the southeastern coast who are at risk of hurricanes (and those hurricanes can cause damage pretty far inland, too, so might as well just move everyone out of Florida), everyone along the Mississippi and other rivers that periodically flood...where does he want us all to go? And when will someone tell that senile old bastard to shut the fuck up?

Today Peyton Manning was cut from the Colts. I understand the reasoning behind it, but I’m so bummed that he won’t get to finish out his playing days in Indianapolis. He has always been a class act, and he will be very missed. Apparently, no other Colts player will ever wear #18. I will treasure my #18 jersey forever, and I wish Peyton nothing but the best. He is truly one of the good guys, an incredibly competitive player who works hard but maintains a sense of decency and goodness that you don’t often see these days. Safe travels, Peyton, wherever you end up. You’ll always have a place in my heart.

There were really high winds in the area today, and while I was sitting here reading, with Sheeba on my lap, a large tree fell out front. Scared the bejeebus out of both of us, but the lights stayed on. I looked out front, and the tree was on the power line to the house, dragging it almost all the way to the ground. I called the power company immediately, and they put in the work order. Then things started popping...literally. A big *POP* from something in our electronics, and a puff of smoke...two of the ceiling fan bulbs winked out, followed by the other two, in rapid succession. At this point, I was starting to freak out a little bit, wondering if I’d have to grab the fire extinguisher (yes, we have one handy, in the kitchen). The smoke alarm started going off (the fumes from the CFC bulbs...they didn’t explode, but they definitely give off an odor when they go), and I called the power company back and said something like “Yeah, I’ve got a call in, but things are starting to blow out here!” He said to shut off the main power, so I did that pronto (that was my instinct, too, but I was a little discombobulated). Happily, the power company got here soon, and was able to fix the line pretty quickly. The neutral line, I guess it was, had snapped, so there were power surges coming into the house. Yikes!

No major harm done, although the conduit which contains the line coming into the house was bent, and we’ll have to have that repaired; the roof might be damaged in that area; and some of the electronics seem to be zapped. We’ll have to see if there are fuses we can replace, but in all likelihood, we’ll have to get a new receiver, CD player, and DVD player. I think they’re fried. I don’t know if it will be enough to file an insurance claim, or that it will be more than our deductible. We’ll find out.

I do keep things in perspective, and I realize that our troubles are minor compared to those in our state and other states who have lost everything. I really can’t even imagine, and I’m glad we have a federal government to assist Americans in a time of crisis.

So I’ve been feeling more than a little insular lately. I’ve just been hunkering down and doing a lot of reading, doing my workouts, and trying to let this storm pass (so to speak). Sometimes it seems like a lot of bad things, or things that affect us in a profound way, happen all at once, but I do my best to not let that get me down. All in all, we are very fortunate, and I know that.

Oh, and I didn’t even mention the brouhaha with that gasbag Limbaugh and the circus that is the Republican primary. Seriously, Republicans? Not looking good for you this fall....

But as always, I shall forge ahead, keep calm, and like a good citizen, carry on.

Super City

I get more than a little tired of the human interest stories on the Super Bowl pregame show, but I’ve got it on now because there is a lot of stuff about the host city, Indianapolis. I’ve been watching the lead-up to the game all week, anxious to hear how things are going for Indy. (I got this picture from a really good CNN writeup, which you can read here.)

From everything I’m hearing, things are going pretty well. My biggest concern was the weather, but it’s been a really nice week, and today it’s sunny skies and mid-40° temperatures. I’m absurdly happy for my capital city, a place I called home for seven years in the ‘90s. I thought it was a great little city even then, and since I left in 1996, they’ve done a lot to make downtown even nicer. I think hosting the Super Bowl is a very positive thing for them, and I hope it brings lots of good attention to the city and to my state. (I seem to be apologizing for Indiana a lot lately because of some truly horrid political decisions being made, so it will be good to hear some positive reports.)

I remember a while back, someone who has a major beef with me wrote about how ugly and polluted and industrial Indianapolis was. Like any city, Indy has its share of pollution, but it’s certainly not as bad as many other cities I’ve been in. There has been a lot of road construction going on for the past several years, well before we got the Super Bowl bid. Widening of the highway that circles the city, I-465, construction of numerous office buildings and huge new hospitals on the north side, construction of the Fieldhouse for the Pacers and Lucas Oil Stadium for the Colts, a brand new airport...I call that progress, and you have to deal with a bit of a mess in order to get to where you want to be. We still laugh about how someone could hate an entire city because I once lived there. What powerful mojo I must have! Or maybe it’s just a continuation of envy, because I sure don’t see that kind of progress happening in their little village!

Anyway, Indianapolis is a nice city, in both looks and activities (I went to a LOT of concerts in my time there!), and most Hoosiers are pretty nice in general. We really are a hospitable bunch, and although I’m two and a half hours away from Indy, I’m happy my state is having people over for the big game. I hope everything goes smoothly, and that it’s a good game. (I’ll be cheering for Peyton’s little brother, Eli. Go Giants!)

Ken and I were planning on going to the game, and we started saving up for it when we heard Indy got the bid. When it came time to check into tickets, we changed our tune pretty quickly! When you can fund a couple of full vacations on the price of a pair of tickets, you have to wonder just how much it means to you to go to a Super Bowl. Since neither of our teams (Colts for me, Bears for Ken) got anywhere close to getting to the game, we decided to pass. We’ll be watching from home, and I’ve got plenty of snack food (shrimp, lots of cheese, roasted garlic, veggies and dip, that kind of stuff) and a fridge full of cool beverages.

Congratulations, Indianapolis. Our Colts might not be playing today, but I think the city will shine, and I know you’ll make all of us Hoosiers proud!

Tidying up a week of detritus

I apologize for my absence of a week, but believe it or not, I'm still fighting this stupid cold! I honestly don't feel too bad now, just tired and with a lingering cough. I tell ya, this was a sledgehammer to the head reminding me of why I quit smoking. If you recall, they told me I had the beginnings of emphysema, at the tender age of about 45. I've been generally healthy since I quit, but for some reason, this sucker really got a hold on me (and not in a good way like the cool Miracles song). My cough reminds me exactly of the cough I had when I was still smoking, and I've had to take a cough suppressant and use my inhaler a couple of times. What a drag. Anyway, I think you'll forgive me for not having a whole lot of energy lately, and I do hope to be on the mend soon.

I'll play a little catch-up here, with a few bits and pieces I wanted to mention.

It's football season! As much as I hate to see the summer come to an end, I'm always happy to be watching football again. Notre Dame's season opener was on Saturday, and they beat Purdue 23-12. I am cautiously optimistic for their season.The Colts play this Sunday, and I'm under the assumption that their 0-4 preseason record will not translate to the regular season. I don't pay much attention to preseason football anymore, other than having it on just for the sights and sounds, because I know it's mostly just a way to trim the roster. Peyton still looks awesome (I read an article a while back that made the case for him being the best athlete in sports right now, and I won't argue with that), so I'm looking forward to seeing how they do this year.

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One of my Facebook friends has published a book! Woohoo! The lovely Diana Agorio is the author of Sex Rites: The Origin of Christianity. I already have my copy (signed...thank you, Diana!), but haven't started it yet (I'm in the middle of two other books right now). Diana discusses the use of drugs, sex, and human sacrifice in ancient religious rituals, and the persistence of these elements in today's Christianity. I know that she's been working on it for some time, and her research is thorough and extensive. I look forward to reading it, and I'm certain that I'll learn a lot. Congratulations, Diana!

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The non-mosque that isn't at Ground Zero continues to make news, most notably with the recent spate of anti-Muslim violence. A mosque was damaged in Tennessee, and it was determined to be arson; a mosque and its playground equipment sustained $20,000 in damage in another fire suspected to be arson. A pastor in Florida is going forward with his plans to burn copies of the Koran. Way to win friends and influence people, dude.

Get a grip, people. We are better than this. The people running these mosques—or the children attending their schools—are not the perpetrators of 9/11. This is absolutely appalling, and the people committing this violence against innocents should be ashamed of themselves. These are nothing less than hate crimes, and it needs to stop before someone gets seriously hurt.

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On a related note, a recent poll showed that one-fifth of Americans polled think that President Obama is a Muslim. It would seem that a significant portion of our populace has lost their collective minds. This is just beyond stupid. Remember how they were all pissed off because he was a member of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church? Not just for a little while, but for two decades? Did they forget that part? You know, at this point, I think I'd like to hear one of these people just stand up and declare, "You know what? I don't like the guy 'cause he's colored. There. I said it." It would be somewhat refreshing, and it might help them overcome the weight of denial that is crushing them as they try to come up with excuse after excuse to hate the guy. As I've said before, it's one thing to dislike his policies, although many of these people seem to not have a full understanding of what those are. It's quite another to try to brand him as "Other," whether you think he wasn't born in the United States or is a closet Muslim.

That one-fifth of Americans believes this fallacy is bad enough. The fact that the media continues to report on it without addressing the larger issue is equally as bad. Remember the No Religious Test Clause of the Constitution? Article VI states:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

What that is basically saying is that it is none of our fucking business as to what religion a public official is or is not. Of course, Americans being the bunch of Nosy Parkers they are, you can bet there will always be questions about a candidate's or official's private life, and that includes religion. Wouldn't it be great to hear someone say, "It's none of your goddamn business what I believe"? I would enjoy that.

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Finally, it seems that former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is really barking up the ol' Presidential run tree. Unfortunately (for him), he has a little problem with the continued existence of the website Spreading Santorum, which was started in response to his hateful, homophobic comments. If you do a search for Rick Santorum, you'll get that site right towards the top. I feel that it is my duty to link to the site and make sure that it gets plenty of hits, staying right up there at the top of results returned on a Google search. You're welcome, Rick.

A while to wait

It’s Super Bowl Sunday! I’ve been trying not to think about it too much, and the teabaggers have kept me occupied for the past few days (one more entry about it coming), so I’ve been keeping my nerves in check. But now it’s here, and the next few hours are going to go soooo sloooow!

The Colts are still the favorites, by 5 points, but I take nothing for granted. I do think they’re the better team, and will win by a larger margin. A Facebook friend is predicting an offensive blowout, with the Colts winning by something like 41-20. I don’t think it will be quite that lopsided. I’ll go with…Colts 35-17. Okay, that’s still pretty lopsided, but I think the Colts defense is going to stifle the Saints offense fairly well.

You know, I realize that most people are pulling for the underdog Saints. I don’t hate on the Saints at all, in fact, have been cheering for their success ever since Katrina. I know they mean a lot to New Orleans (a city which I love), and I know this is really a great story. (One of the side bets you can take is how many times Hurricane Katrina will be mentioned by the announcers. I think the over-under was 3.5. But it has to be the full phrase. Yes, people bet on stuff like this!)

If it were any other team playing them, I’d be Saints all the way. But it’s my Colts, so I’ve gotta go with them! They have their own heart-wrenching story (every team has to have at least one) in receiver Pierre Garcon whose family is from Haiti (all his relatives who remain there are okay), and who has been raising money for relief efforts. I hope he has a great game—he’s one of my favorites to watch.

Anyway, I’ll be working a little extra mojo today, and instead of wearing my usual—a Colts sweatshirt or T-shirt—I’ll be sporting my Peyton Manning jersey. Yeah, I’ve got one. Don’t you judge me! I look good in it, too, so there. I’m sure there will be frequent updates on Facebook, so maybe I’ll see you there. GO COLTS!

My friend Mark made this for me, an answer to the “Who Dat?” question. How cool is this? Thank you, Mark!

My Not-So-Little Ponies

That's right, my Colts have made it back to the Super Bowl, three years after they won it against the Bears. The Jets gave them a good game at first, but I think it's safe to use the word relentless. Yes, just like that, Ponies! (Say it in a Cartman voice, for you "South Park" fans.) Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, two of their main receivers, didn't have big games; instead, Peyton went to a couple of younger guys, Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie. With four prolific receivers and a great running back in Joseph Addai, they're going to be hard to stop. Oh, and Peyton, of course. Can’t forget about him. heehee

The Saints barely won their game against the Vikings in what had to be one of the sloppiest playoff games I've seen in a while. There were like leventy-leven fumbles and turnovers and it was just plain fugly. Based on the Colts' consistency, the fact that the Colts have been to the Super Bowl before, and the Saints' struggles to win their game, Vegas oddsmakers are setting the early spread at Colts by four. Based on the play I saw in that game, the Colts would handle either team pretty well, but the Saints it will be. I happen to like the Saints, and I think it's great that they're doing well. I know it means a lot to the city of New Orleans, and I'm glad they made it to the Super Bowl. But they're goin' DOWN!

So I've got two weeks to wait before the big game. I'm going to be a basket case.

Who wants to watch it with me? We'll have so much fun as you watch me pace, listen to me hurl epithets, and observe my general and disturbing anxiety. Sounds like a blast, eh? Actually, it was a lot of fun to hang with other friends on Facebook who were watching today. We got sidetracked a few times with discussions of a player being a Mormon, and then Hugh Jackman, but it was all fun.

Yay Colts! I love you guys!

Thanks, Mary!

That would be the Mary of the Bloody variety.

Yesterday it was a party for my pal Jillian (that’s her on the left, and Aubrey on the right). Her birthday is today, but it was also a celebration of her getting her teaching certificate and no longer working at the lab. Congratulations, Chica! I know she's going to do great--she was always wonderful with the students. Wow...I remember teaching her when she was a student at the lab. It was obvious right away how smart she was, and how much she "got" Microbiology. She is one of my favorite people from the lab, and I wish her great success in her new endeavors. She's a peach!

I really had fun, and got to see lots of people that I hadn't seen for a while. I had a good long chat with Aubrey, talked plenty with several others, got caught up on what was happening with folks and a little bit about what was happening at the lab, talked some sports and politics, and had lots of laughs. It was great to see everyone, and like I told someone last night, although I don't miss the daily grind and the stress of the lab, I really do miss all my friends there. *sniff* They really are a great bunch, and I was so happy to see them!

In fact, I was awfully happy in general. I didn't have much to eat all day, and that beer was mighty tasty. I was feelin' no pain, believe me. I didn't feel too bad this morning, but not 100%...thus the Bloody Mary, which is definitely hitting the spot!

As you can tell from the pictures, I had some Colts gear on, and I'm nervous and excited for today's game against the Jets! Kickoff is in 45 minutes. If I were a nailbiter, I'd be nibbling right now, believe me. ::num num num:: You might also notice that I have several tall friends. It kind of looks like Jillian and Aubrey are crouching down a little bit, doesn't it? Awww, they're trying not to tower over me, isn't that sweet? I think Jim is crouching down, too, because he’s a lot taller than me, more than this picture looks like. I have a sneaking suspicion that he made me laugh and snort right when this picture was taken!

I finished Under the Dome yesterday. I really liked it; there were a lot of great characters (both cool ones and dastardly ones), and I just liked the whole premise in general. Having grown up in a small town, I can imagine all too well what it would be like if it were suddenly cut off from the outside world. (I'm not giving anything away there...after all, the name of the book is, you know...Under the Dome, and the cover shows a town under a dome.) The Stand remains my all-time favorite of his (and pretty much my favorite book of all), and that also has a doomsday, apocalyptic theme, with the extra zip of an infectious disease. Hard to go wrong there! But Under the Dome was very enjoyable, and I recommend it.

You know, something occurred to me when I wrote just now about growing up in a small town, and what it would be like to be cut off from everything. There is a politician in the book who uses his power in the town for ill-gotten gain, and he is...well, he is not a good guy. I'll leave it at that. He reminds me very much of a politician from my hometown of Lakeville, and that politician is Jackie Walorski. If Lakeville were to be cut off from everyone, Walorski would probably try to take over. Talk about a Stephen King horror novel! Now that is some scary stuff!

You might have noticed that I've changed my font. That is thanks to Milwaukee Dan #2, who said that he can't quit me, despite my use of Comic Sans on this blog. After an email exchange, I have decided to leave the Comic Sans behind and go with Trebuchet. I appreciated Dan's honesty, and I'm proud of myself for taking constructive criticism. Believe it or not, I do listen sometimes!

On a related note, thanks to everyone who left comments on my previous entry. They were kind, fun, and funny, and made me smile and laugh. You guys are great.

Now it's time for some football. Let's go Colts...I want to see you back in the Super Bowl!

Come out and play

I'm fully aware that my recent posts have been a little on the serious side. I read a lot of political content online (plenty of other stuff, too), and there are times that I get so disgusted, angry, and appalled at things that are going on that I just want to scream. Once my righteous outrage switch gets flipped, it's hard to turn it off. I kind of enjoy feeling the passion of righteous outrage—keeps the blood flowing, right?—but it's hard to maintain that level constantly. It can make me very, very angry (said in my best Marvin the Martian voice...where's my earth-shattering kaboom?), and sometimes you just have to chill.

One of the ways I chill is by watching sports, and you all know I love my football. That's right, nothing says relaxation like a bunch of guys beating the holy hell out of each other on the football field! So I'm excited that the playoffs are underway this weekend. I won't be watching tonight's game, because I'll be at a Notre Dame basketball game (although I'll probably catch the end of the game), but my Colts aren't playing this weekend anyway. They've got a bye this first round (wildcard games), but will play one of the four teams that are playing this weekend. Actually, that's not true...even if the Patriots win their game, the Colts won't play them next weekend. Because they clinched the regular season division, they not only get home field advantage throughout the playoffs, they get the advantage of playing the lowest-seeded wildcard winner, and the Patriots are the highest-seeded wildcard. So they'll play either the Jets, Bengals, or Ravens.

Still with me?

Anyway, I was thrilled today to see that Peyton Manning got his fourth NFL MVP award! That's a record, baby!

Peyton Manning became the first player to win The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player honor four times. The Indianapolis Colts' sensational quarterback romped to the award Saturday in balloting by 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league.

He received 39½ votes to 7½ for Drew Brees of New Orleans. Only four players -- all quarterbacks -- earned votes. The other two were Philip Rivers of San Diego (2) and Brett Favre of Minnesota (1).

Manning also won in 2003, 2004 and 2008, breaking a tie with Favre at three MVPs.

I'd like to congratulate Peyton on the win. He's a fantastic player, a humanitarian (he funded the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent's in Indianapolis, was active in helping his home state of Louisiana after Katrina, and participates in many other programs and charities), and by all accounts, a genuinely nice guy. I love you, man, and bring home another ring for our state! Go Colts!

Oh, and in reference to the others who received votes, I'd like to say...

SUCK IT, FAVRE!

Yeah, I went there! (I think I just pissed off Jamie. heehee)

When I was thinking about how sometimes you need to chill, and play, I thought of the Offspring song (the title of this entry). I had fun playing that on Rock Band the other night, but it's not my favorite Offspring song...that goes to "Bad Habit," a song about road rage. The spoken bit about two thirds of the way into the song? Boy howdy, if I had a nickel for every time I yelled that when stuck behind an idiot driver....

The Offspring - Bad habit - Live

Feedback and Distortion

Rabbit rabbit rabbit! Evil spirits begone from Nutwood! Happy December, everyone. Urgh.

I would like to thank everyone for their feedback on the little divider bars I gave a trial run to the other day. (I kid with the graphic.) Based on popular opinion, you won't be seeing those again! (See? I do listen to you all, and I appreciated your honesty!) Frankly, I felt the same way when I put them up...I felt they looked a little too clunky and awkward. I've found a few others, and will test those out here and there, and maybe I'll put up a poll to see which one you like best. Although I don't feel the need to restrict myself to any one particular type, and will change it up here and there.

I also appreciated David's feedback about liking the separation of subjects. Thank you my dear for the excellent suggestion, and for those entries in which I write about a few different things, I'll be sure to use divider bars! (I'd just been using a few tildes to separate them before. I feel like gussying things up a little bit.) I can also accept that David doesn't want to read about Notre Dame...after all, he's a Nittany Lion!Hey, speaking of Notre Dame (feel free to move along David, although there’s a little dirty whorish mouth stuff coming up), the Charlie Weis era is over. As expected, he got the boot today. I wish him well, and I'm sorry that things didn't work out for him here. But you just don't continue as football coach at ND with such a crappy record. And it was abysmal, worse than any other recent coach. I have no idea who they'll hire as coach. Right now, I don't really care. It was a crummy season, I'm kind of relieved it's over, and if they go to a bowl game, I hope they win with the interim coach. In the meantime, I turn my sights to my Colts, who are 11-0 along with the New Orleans Saints, who beat the Patriots tonight. Although "spanked" might be a better word! That's right, they pulled down the Patriots' knickers, turned them over their knees, and spanked them. Spanked them soundly, because the Patriots were being a bad, bad little football team....

I'm sorry, what was I saying? Oh yes. The Colts and the Saints are both still unbeaten. Milwaukee Dan #2 wondered about the possibility of a Super Bowl with two 16-0 teams. That might be a sign of the End Times, buddy (along with Sarah Palin getting into a position of national prominence and the Cubs and White Sox meeting in the World Series), so be careful what you wish for. Highly improbable, but wow, wouldn't that be something? I have to say that since I love New Orleans, and since they're still struggling after Katrina, I have a soft spot for the Saints and love seeing them doing well. But if they play the Colts, the Saints are goin' DOWN, and not in a good way!Warning: Rock Band stuff ahead! Not too much, but I'm really proud of myself about tonight. Over Thanksgiving, I discovered from my niece the way to unlock more songs. (Thanks, Jana!) Instead of playing Quickplay, you have to go on Tour. First I had to name my band, and may I introduce to you the one and only Dirty Pleasures? Dirrrrrtyyyyy Pleaaaaasurrrrres! (Think Beatles and Sergeant Pepper.) Some of you might recall my embarrassment when I was chatting with a friend and referred to my guilty pleasure movies as my "dirty pleasure" movies. I thought it was a natural for a band name.

Okay, so I went on tour, singing vocals. I plowed through the first few and unlocked my first new songs! Got through the next batch, too (including 100% on a song I'd never even heard by Queens of the Stone Age) and unlocked a few more. Went back to Quickplay and the new songs were all there, so I did them all on guitar. Got to do "Paranoia" (both vocals and guitar), "Rockaway Beach" on guitar (Ramones), "Here It Goes Again" on guitar (OK-Go), a handful of other fun ones, and an especially fun one, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." Wheeeee! It was even the full version with the full guitar solo! It seems these are all a tad bit harder than the earlier songs, and I'm kind of digging the challenge. I think my fortes are vocals and guitar. I can't do drums for shit, and bass is boring!

Oh, incidentally, when we were playing Beatles Rock Band with my sister, et al, I switched guitars with my brother-in-law Tom. He was like, "What the hell? I'm six feet tall, and this is too low for me!" I told you I sling low. Maybe not as bad as Johnny Ramone (may he rest in peace), but apparently pretty low. Do I have freakishly long arms or something?

A rainy football Sunday

I'm watching my Colts, hoping to see them go 11-0 for the season! (Update: Game over, Colts win 35-27!) At least I have a bright spot in Beth's Football World™ with my Colts. Not so with Notre Dame. They lost their last game of the season last night, and that was four in a row. They finish the season 6-6, and now we're all speculating when Charlie Weis will be fired, not if. What's really upsetting to me is that it's looking likely that both Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate will forgo their senior seasons and go into the NFL draft since Weis will be gone. I was sure enjoying watching both of them develop into amazing players, and was looking forward to seeing them play next year. I doubt that will happen now.

I was kind of down about it last night, but today I'm more philosophical. I'll be interested to see who is tapped for the coaching job. In Beth's Football World™, they'd coax Tony Dungy out of coaching retirement and get him. Heck, he's got a relative in town...I think it's one of his brothers! C'mon, Tony, we'd love you here...and you've got family here!

Hey, a gal can dream.

So it's been kind of a gloomy, rainy day today. I've been taking care of some odds and ends around the house, cleaning up the kitchen, that sort of thing. I got an entry written for I Stand Corrected, so if you get a chance, pop on over there and read my fascinating treatise on the semicolon. You'll laugh, you'll cry, it'll become a part of you!I was having a very mellow day until I heard that one of my Senators, Richard Lugar (R), suggested on CNN's "State of the Union" this morning that we delay the health care reform debate for a year so we can focus instead on Afghanistan and the economy. Are you kidding me?!

I am highly disappointed in Senator Lugar. He's always been a moderate Republican, with plenty of foreign policy knowledge. I wrote to him some time ago to urge him to support health care reform, and I got a letter back stating that he felt that with the economy being in the state it is in, now was not the time to tackle health care reform. Of course, every indicator shows that we are out of the recession, but employment will take some time to recover. The actual economy itself is beginning to recover. I felt at the time that it was a convenient excuse for him. Now that things are beginning to improve in that regard, his next excuse is Afghanistan.

What is it going to be next, Dick? A plague of locusts? An asteroid rocketing toward the Earth—and another crappy movie about it? A new Britney Spears CD? There is always going to be something. A natural disaster here or on the other side of the world. A country facing famine. An ethnic group experiencing genocide. Things that we will need our attention around the world in the interest of our shared humanity. Now is the time to make a difference for millions right here in our own country, make sure that they have decent health care, and don't have to live in fear of losing their homes because of one devastating illness. Now IS the time. No excuses, Dick. You can expect another letter from me soon.Yet another reason to love Facebook. (I have several.) We've reconnected with our friend Andy. He's a Notre Dame grad, and was an intern at Ken's company. A few years ago, he headed out to California to attend grad school at Cal Tech (he had a chance to go to MIT, too, but chose California weather over Massachusetts...I don't blame him). We had sort of lost touch a while back, but found each other on Facebook and talked on the phone tonight. It was great to hear his voice, and I'm so glad we reconnected. At the risk of sounding like a fucking schoolmarm, he's such a nice young man!Speaking of the F-word, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who showed appreciation for my dirty whorish mouth. You all are so sweet!

[Postscript: What do you think of the little divider bars? Do they look okay, or are they annoying? Too busy? Any feedback would be welcome.]

Just like that, Ponies!

The talking heads (not the band) were talking the Colts-Patriots up as the “rivalry of the decade.” I’m sure there are a lot of teams and fans that would disagree with that (Bears and Packers, perhaps?), but the Colts and Patriots have definitely had their share of showdowns in the past few years.

Tonight’s game was epic, and has to be one of the best games I’ve ever seen. I was in despair, thinking that it was not looking good for my Colts. Their defense was giving up way too much, and Peyton seemed a little off.

Silly Beth. Silly, silly Beth. The Colts came galloping back (sorry about the crummy pun) in the fourth quarter to overcome a 17 point deficit, and won this fucker in the last few seconds! 35-34, baby! Oh my goodness, I thought I was going to have a thrombo. Brady and his “movie-star good looks?” Whatever. Give me Peyton’s laser rocket arm any day!

WOW. What a game. Thank you, Colts! 9-0, and let’s go all the way, guys! I want to see you win the Super Bowl again this year!

Reflecting

It's been a lazy Sunday afternoon at Nutwood, watching football games involving teams I don't care that much about. My Colts play tonight, and it's probably their biggest rivals, the New England Patriots. The Colts have a chance to go 9-0, and they're playing at home, but the Patriots are always tough. I know we can beat them, but will we? I look forward to finding out! Oh, and I did try to set up my workout regimen, but it seems that I need to call to enroll, so I shall to that tomorrow. I got a reprieve!

Since it's been such a quiet day, I found myself doing some thinking. I know...brace yourselves!

I wasn't pondering life's great questions. You know, like What happens when we die? Is there a God? Was anyone besides Thurston and Lovey having sex on Gilligan's Island? Greater thinkers than I have philosophized and tried to find the answers to these burning questions. (Although if you have burning questions, I recommend that you see your doctor.)

No, I was thinking about this blog. First of all, it never ceases to amaze me that anyone actually wants to read what I write. I thank you all, even the Anonymous stalkers, because you, Anonymi, must find something appealing about me to continue reading...and there is always the possibility that you will break your silence and leave a highly entertaining comment which I can pick up and run with. You know I usually do. [evil grin]

Mostly I was thinking about an attitude shift as of late. Some of you may have noticed it, and I have, too. This might come as a surprise to you, but I've always been the tiniest bit opinionated. I've also traditionally been non-confrontational, and believe that people are entitled to their own opinions. I generally won't excoriate someone for their opinion (unless it's the above-mentioned Anonymous commenters, who are just begging to be skewered...oh yes, you know you want it), but I've always felt that if you don't like what you read here, I'm certainly not twisting your arm and shoving your head down onto the page. Free will, baby, it's a beautiful thing.

However, I find myself lately wanting to be more me. I don't want to play to anyone, I just want to be who I am. I'm sure I've offended people in the past, and lost some readers because of it. To be honest, I have a recent feeling of "I don't fucking care." Oh, and I also have a foul mouth and a dirty mind, and I think that is starting to become obvious, as well. As INXS said, foul mouth dirty hearts. Or something like that. I have strong political opinions, and I can warn you that if you are a Sarah Palin fan, you probably won't like what I will continue to write. As always, it is your choice.

I have to say that I feel liberated. I know when to be a good girl, and I'm that way around much of my family (some know how I am, though...not sure how many of my relatives read this). I am a nice person, but I'm not as sweet as I appear. Believe me. I don't want to pander and placate any longer. I just want to be who I am, and I am willing to let the chips fall where they may. Some of you might be offended by my opinions and feelings about politics, religion, and other things I may write about in the future. I can promise you that I wouldn't be offended if you stopped reading. There's that free will thing again.

So meet the new Beth...same as the old Beth. But with a little extra zing. And yes...I'm flashing another evil grin.

How do I love thee, Football?

First things first: Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit! Evil spirits begone from Nutwood! Especially important after yesterday's Satanic revelries, and all those demons in our back yard going at it like...well, rabbits. They sound kind of like cats. Quite disturbing.

Fantastic outcome to the Notre Dame-Washington State game yesterday, with the Irish finally winning handily, 40-14, and saving me another coronary. (Thanks, guys.) The play of the game for me was in the closing seconds of the first half, when Jimmy Clausen threw to Golden Tate in the end zone. Golden had double coverage on him for most of the game, but this time...he had triple coverage. He leaped into the air to make the catch and hung on to get the touchdown. If I recall correctly, I believe my reaction was "OH MY GOD did he just fucking catch that ball?!" Or something to that effect.

Today was the Colts and San Francisco, and although the Colts started off slow and looked flat the entire game, they pulled out the win 18-14 and are one of two teams left in the league with a perfect record (New Orleans is the other one). I know all too well that going unbeaten for a while does not mean you are invincible, but it's still fun to see your team get a winning streak going. Also great to see one of my favorite Colts, Bob Sanders, playing after his injury. He's not a real big guy, but man, he's fierce! The Bears also won, so it's been a good football weekend. Not for everyone, though. My pal Darren's--you know, the cereal killer, haha--Winnipeg team lost. I'm sorry you didn't get a win, too, buddy!

It's on days like this when my heart is filled with love for football. Watching that Golden Tate catch--and I have, several times--gives me incredible joy. If you watch that video, you'll see Clausen gesture for Golden to "c'mere!" and give him a big grin and a hug. When I saw that happen in real time, I was like "Awww!" and got more than a little choked up. I suppose it's silly to get choked up over something like that, but seeing their smiles and such an incredible play just makes me so very happy.

Of course, it can go the other way. When my team loses, I'll spend a few hours in a blue funk. And I've actually gotten better over the years, if you can believe that. When I lived in Indianapolis and was so into the Pacers, my friends and family knew better than to call me after a loss, or even worse, during a game. A friend from Montana called me once during a playoff game, and I said, "Lisa, I can't talk. Watching the game." She laughed. I said, "I'm not kidding. I'll call you back afterwards." This seems natural to me, but then you're talking to someone from a family who gets pissed off if someone plans a wedding or something during a Notre Dame game (and some people have been known to use headphones during such an event).

For anyone who isn't a sports fan, it's hard to explain. But a love of sports is truly the international language. There is something communal in the mutual joy we experience in our love of the game.

Sorry about the long video, but here's one from one of my favorite bands, The Tubes, and my favorite album of theirs, "The Completion Backward Principle." The target song begins around the five-minute mark. Warning: Some of you may be familiar with the Tubes and will know that they are not G-rated. You get the full monty from Fee Waybill in this one!

Gimme a B! Gimme another B!

Can I marry a pizza?

Gino's East pizza is...is....

Would orgasmic be a bad word to use?

Jamie and Shawn were already there, and had put us on the list for a table. It's a good thing, because the place was hopping! People sure still seem to be eating out a lot, but of course, this is a Notre Dame home football weekend. (In fact, as we were on our way to our table, I saw Mike Brey, the Notre Dame men's basketball coach. Cool!) We chatted for a while as we waited and got caught up on stuff.

They had eaten there a few times already, and they tried the deep dish the last time they were there and didn't care for it much. Since we hadn't had it yet, we got a small deep dish for us all to share, and a medium thin crust. They agreed that the deep dish was much better this time around, maybe because we got a four cheese one. Oh my God, if I wasn't already making out with this deep dish pizza, we then went on to the thin crust. *swoon* It was all garlicky and gooey, cheesy deliciousness, and if I had my way with it, it certainly didn't seem to mind! In fact, I think I heard it ask me for more, but I’d had my fill and had to say no. The remnants of Mr. Pizza are residing in the fridge (making it all smell like garlic...mmmm) and I don't think I'm quite done with him yet.

Gino's East? Oh yeah, babe.

View Full Album

Oh, and check out the pictures of me and Jamie. I challenged Jamie to wear a Packers shirt, but oh dear! It seems that they were all in the laundry! A likely story, my friend. I think someone just didn't want to face the awesomeness of the Indianapolis Colts! (Yeah, I'm trash-talkin'. I got more of it, too.) At least someone recognized the awesomeness of the Colts. When I was walking back from the bathroom, I heard a guy say "Coooolts" as I walked by. You know it, baby.

Thanks for a fun evening, guys. Always a good time!

A rolled rump...Bethian style

I thought for sure my Colts were dead meat, but after a couple of forced turnovers late in the game, they came back to beat the Houston Texans! Woohoooo! (Sorry to anyone who is a Texans fan. Miss G, if I recall, you don't care for football, so I hope I'm not hurting anyone's feelings.) I really couldn't believe they came back to win that game. They were down 17 in the fourth quarter, and got 3 touchdowns to win it. I was really starting to wonder about them...they just haven't seemed like themselves lately. But that was COOL!

It's starting to smell good in here. The roast is in the oven, with some onion soup mix and red wine. (I suppose we'll HAVE to drink what I didn't use on the roast.) In about 45 minutes, I'll add some carrots, potatoes, and onions, and let it roast for about 45 minutes longer. I decided to use the Dutch oven (It was a gift from Ken's mom, and originally belonged to Ken's grandmother, so it makes everything taste better!), because it's one of our really nice roasts--not a tougher one like a chuck roast--a rolled rump. Feel free to roll your own rump right now. Ha ha! What's wrong with me? I'm in VERY high humor tonight!

Maybe it's because I'm already thinking about the letter I want to write to the editor of our local paper. I finally finished reading the paper a little while ago, and on our editorial page, our Letters to the Editor section is called Voice of the People. Vox Populi! Shane and I have had a lot of fun with it over the years, including the letters from an elderly gentleman from LaPorte who always began his letters with "Methinks." Imagine my surprise when I began working with my friend Jackie in Indianapolis (her and her husband were from LaPorte), and when I somehow mentioned this writer, she started laughing and knew exactly who I was talking about! Anyhoo, someone today wrote, "Many on the left tend to be driven by their own self-absorption and lack of moral guidance, therefore acting upon their own rage and hatred."

Exsqueeze me?! Gregory M. of Mishawaka, Indiana, you have no idea what hell you hath wrought. Don't worry, I'll keep it cool. But seriously, "lack of moral guidance" and "rage and hatred?" Come ON. That is just ridiculous, and I find your self-righteousness quite humorous. I'll let you all know what I decide to write, but this deserves a response. I'm looking forward to it...in fact, I love this kind of stuff! Sorry, Gregory M., but you don't get a pass on this one. I'm calling you on it. Heh heh heh.

On a lighter, more Deutsch note, Cousin Shane sent me an email today. I'm not exactly sure about the timeline on this, but I think it was the summer between my first and second year of college, and the summer before Shane's senior year in high school. It could have been the year before, and Shane will correct me if I'm wrong. The important thing here is that he spent a few weeks that summer in Krefeld, Germany. Shane and I both took a lot of German in high school, I went on to take some in college, and Shane was lucky enough to actually get to spend some time in Deutschland! He recently reconnected via Facebook with some of the people he went on the trip with, and he's been having a great time remembering his trip!

He sent me a picture of one of the castles he visited, Burg Linn. Isn't that gorgeous? He also sent me this email (Shane's text is in brown), and I had to put on my German hat to try to translate. I did okay, although Shane had to help me out with a couple of things.

john finally persuaded me to get out the bags of stuff from germany and i've been having a verklempt day so far. i saved everything, and there is a veritable treasure trove of goodies. i can't wait to look through all of it, but i wanted to quickly mention that i have a letter that you wrote to me when i was there in my hand right now. on the back flap, in true "bethian" style, you wrote "ideale sind wie sterne: man kann sie nicht erreichen, aber man kann sich nach ihnen orientieren." -- carl schurz ...you wrote your letters in german, too.

[I like the "Bethian" style part! I still like quotes! The quote is "Ideals are like stars: one can't reach them, but one can still orient themselves by them." Wow, that is STILL a great quote!]

you wrote about having a lot of fun over the 4th of july that summer. you said "deine mutter ist verrueckter als ich dachte!" LOL "sie hatten ein ding, das heisst bloedesurteil. jede zeit, jemand dumm sagte or machte, diese person hate das bloedesurteil bekommen. (ich habe es nie bekommen! whew!)" do you remember what that thing was?

[The first part is "Your mother is crazier than I thought!" Ha ha! That would be my beloved Aunt Bert, Shane's mom, and when I wrote "crazy," it was definitely in a fun, loving way. Aunt Bert was something special. The rest of it is something like, "She had this thing that was called Bloedesurteil, and each time someone said or did something dumb, they got it, but I never got it." I was stumped by "Bloedesurteil," and Shane looked it up...something like a "silly decision," and we presume that it was some kind of game that I was playing with Aunt Bert while Shane was in Germany. I wish I could remember what it was, but I can't!]

you go on in the letter to give me an update on the news from the latest edition of rolling stone. you mentioned hearing "beyond the valley of 1984" by the plasmatics. you said "es war FREMD, aber nicht immer so schlecht." haha you also mentioned finding an album called "exposed." it had adam and the ants on it, and loverboy, ellen foley and a few others. you said you will buy it when you have enough money. it was only $2.98, but you only had $2. then, in true music fanatic style, you said "ich muss jene platte haben!" jawohl!

[This was a commentary on the new Plasmatics album, which I said was "STRANGE, but not really so bad." (I thought that "fremd" was crazy, but Shane reminded me that it meant strange.) As for the album with Adam Ant, et al, I said, "I must have this album!" Ha ha!]

I was amazed to see how well I used to be able to write German! I certainly couldn't do that now, but I was happy to see that I was able to translate much of it. What a blast from the past, and what fun to share this with Shane.

AND, to top it all off, my friend Bruce from Indy just called, and we had a nice chat and got caught up, and had some good laughs! (Just a little insider info here, without divulging any particulars...if they can sign the main players, Disney will be making the third, fourth, and fifth installments of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. Sweet!)

Whew, what a day. I'm hungry!